r/TheWire • u/Ear_Enthusiast • 5d ago
Chararacter Mirrors In The Show Spoiler
After my second or third time watching the series, I noticed that a lot of the characters had mirrors, or police that were very functionally similar to corner boys. There are a couple that seem too close to not have been intentionally written that way. There are several that match very well but are open to interpretation.
Jumping right in, I think Bunny and Stringer are inarguably the same character functionally. They Play the game the same way. They both try to legitimize it and it leads to their eventual demise. One of the glaring things that most people don't seem to notice is they have the same last words as they're being dispatched. "We'll get on with it muthafu..." as Omar and Mouzone light Stringer up and as Burrell and Rawls hand down Bunny's discharge from the force.
I think Omar and Jimmy are too close to deny. They're both playing the game totally rogue. They both break rules constantly but still have some moral high ground over everyone around them. Both go into hiding at several points. Jimmy sober's up and gets married, and starts walking a beat. Omar leaves town all together a couple of times. I think those are both symbolically the same. And they both find themselves sucked back into the game.
These aren't as concrete, and they are certainly open to interpretation.
I see Freeman and Cutty as comps. They are both back from the dead so to speak. They are both trying to find their way and they both eventually do. Freeman gets married and loves his job. Cutty finds stability in youth boxing.
Avon and lieutenant Daniels seem to run very parallel lines. They both play the game the way it's supposed to be played. They're both very disciplined. They even have that scene where they pass each other and their cars and look into each other's eyes. I thought that was super symbolic.
I see Herc and Carver as mirrors to Poot and Bodie. Both are soldiers to the game. I think there's a yin and a Yang there. Poot and Bodie play the game the way it's supposed to be played. Damn sure aren't skimming off the top, the way herc and Carver do.
Maybe Bunk and Weebay. Both are really good at what they do but neither makes a ton of noise. They seem to prefer flying just under radar.
Interested to see other people's thoughts. Maybe you guys are seeing something that I'm not. I'm totally looking forward to seeing other people's interpretations.
- Sorry if this is a little choppy. I'm typing this up as I half-assedly watch my kids beating each other up.
6
u/kvnr10 5d ago
One thing that bothers me is people say all the time that Stringer went down because he tried to legitimize the business. The main reason is him and Avon had different visions and he decided to (sneakily) cross up the boss while he's in jail. The direct consequences of that decision got him dead.
1
u/Ear_Enthusiast 4d ago
That and I guess Stringer was the one that gave the order to torture Brandon. I thought Avon was equally in on that. Not sure why Avon got a pass.
1
u/lolilops 4d ago
You're misunderstanding the point, no one is saying he died because he wanted to make it legit...
It's more that taking it legit is always doomed to fail like it was with Joe too. There will always be a Marlow or Omar to ensure that the game will always be the game.
You need to project power to keep control and you can't do that without making a few bodies here n there.
The moment you stop someone else who is willing to is going to overpower you. It's all in the game yo.
3
u/wutttttttg 5d ago
Such skilled writing to have all of these mirrors and echos! Incredible story telling with this show.
4
u/Ear_Enthusiast 5d ago
I think they want to illustrate how interchangeable the corner boys and the streets are. If Daniels or Lester had been brought up another way, they could very easily be kingpins, and Stringer and Avon certainly could have been literally anything else. And I think there's a more far reaching message there. Maybe we don't judge others, because if we were in their shoes we might have turned out very differently.
2
u/Throwaway2222w2 4d ago
I think this is a secondary point of the chess analogy at the beginning of the show - so many characters end up on one side of the board or the other by circumstance
1
u/jarvisesdios 4d ago
I mean, that was the whole point of the ending, right? It just kinda showed that nothing really changes other than names. It's a revolving door and not a lot of people get out of it... And when they do... Some other person is there waiting to take to their role.
It's easily my favorite ending to a show, because of that. It's absolutely bleak, sure, but it's the truth. Nothing changes, it just is a cycle of bullshit that is never ending.
2
2
u/Prior-Jellyfish-2620 4d ago
Slim Charles and Vondas, maybe? Both are like the number 2 man for the boss. Execute the business plan the way it's intended. Loyal, fierce, and diplomatic.
4
u/cuffgirl 5d ago
One of the glaring things that most people don't seem to notice is they have the same last words as they're being dispatched. "We'll get on with it muthafu..." as Omar and Mouzone light Stringer up and as Burrell and Rawls hand down Bunny's discharge from the force. -
Literately everyone noticed that. That is been talked about since the show 1st aired.
6
u/cagewilly 5d ago edited 5d ago
I missed it and I've watched through three or four times.
I can believe that Colvin and Bell were supposed to be parallels, but it was hard to catch. Colvin didn't have the same swagger. He was a better person, but they were at very different places in the food chain of their organizations.
Stringer wanted to go legit to be wealthy and avoid jail, but the best version of Stringer was still trying to put out hits on politicians. He could never be truly legit. Stringer was #2 in a wealthy organization.
Bunny was a good guy. He adopted a hopper off the streets. And he was middle management at most.
8
u/DTedBerg 4d ago
I’m sure this has been pointed out before, but I always figured Namond finishes the series en route to becoming Clay Davis - self-interested, smooth talking Teflon guys. They share the parallel line “I’ll take any motherfucker’s money if he’s giving it away,” and last we see Namond he is excelling in debate.