Let The Countdown Begin: My Top-10 Moments From The Wire

When you walk through the garden
you gotta watch your back
well I beg your pardon
walk the straight and narrow track

If you walk with Jesus
he's gonna save your soul
you gotta keep the devil
way down in the hole

He's got the fire and the fury
at his command
well you don't have to worry
if you hold on to Jesus hand
we'll all be safe from Satan
when the thunder rolls
just gotta help me keep the devil
way down in the hole

- Tom Waits, "Way Down In The Hole," the theme song used for The Wire the last five seasons, which was covered by a variety of artists.

In a little over 24 hours, the greatest show in television history is ending. I know that seems like hyperbole, like praise that actually can't be true. But HBO's The Wire is what I say it is.

As homage to the show's end, I'm going to wax poetic about the 10-best moments in The Wire's history. Some time in the next few days, I'll probably do a show eulogy. If depression hasn't totally set in, maybe I'll do another post on the impact of Omar Little on the show and the entertainment landscape.

But let's start with something we can all argue about: Top-10 Moments in The Wire's history.

10. Season 5: Clay Davis pulls a Kwame Kilpatrick (or possibly the other way around)
Clay Davis, best known for the way he says "shiiiiiittttttttt," was caught red-handed for taking money from drug dealers, and doing all sorts of illegal, unethical stuff. Of course, he got off because he went Reverend Deacon Dr. Doug on an all-black jury. There's a Clay Davis in every inner city. In D.C., it's Marion Berry.

9. Season 4: Bodie gets lit up like a POW
I couldn't stand Bodie at first, but he grew on me in Season 4, where you saw his twin on the legit side was McNulty. Bodie's believes in a code, which I respected. He didn't appreciate the way Marlo's gang did business, and he went out like a soldier. Wonder if that's how McNulty might go out, too.

8. Season 1: D'Angelo Barksdale breaks down the chess game, thus the real game
One reason I fell in love with The Wire is for the quieter, introspective moments. In this episode, DB tries to explain the game of chess to his younger, stupider drug handlers. "The King stay the King," DB tells them, when explaining the roles of each chess piece. It's the simplest breakdown of life I've ever heard.

7. Season 2: Omar on the witness stand
A lot of people consider season 2 a dud, but I think once you see all five seasons, you appreciate this season more. But even if you hated it, it's worth watching just for Episode 19, when Omar takes the witness stand during Bird's murder trial and comes correct. Best line is when Levy tries to go after Omar on cross examination and Omar tells him, "Just like you man. I got the shotgun. You got the briefcase."

6. Season 5: Mike ain't Mike no mo'
If you ain't keeping up with Season 5, then you need to stop reading. After the dirt has been done, Mike and Dukie are about to part ways. Dukie reminds him of the time him, Mike, Randy and Namond threw balloons full of piss at some neighborhood rivals. Mike, though, doesn't even remember it, which lets us all know he's killed far too many people and done too many things to return to a time of innocence.

5. Season 1: Greggs catches a hot one
Greggs, on a buy-and-bust, gets lit up like an X-mas tree. That's when we see the bond that's truly formed between her and McNulty. Kinda makes it a shame she's ratting on him in Season 5.



4. Season 5: Prop Joe, no mo'
Prop Joe was always working the angles, and he died trying to save his sorry-ass nephew Cheese, played by Method Man. Wasn't that some shit how Marlo told him to close his eyes and breathe slow? With a gun to the back of your head? Hells naw.

3. Season 5: "How my hair look?"
Snoop's death scene was the most chilling death scene ever on The Wire. She died like a G. She knew that, given all she had done, this was the only way she was going to leave Earth -- with her head totally blown off. When Mike said, "you look good, girl," right before he blew her skull in, I got chills.

2. Season 3: Stringer Bell's a wrap
I was so hurt when this happened, but I knew it was inevitable. Stringer was really trying to move the Barksdale organization forward, but Avon was such a neanderthal. Stringer wanted to be more advanced , but Avon just wasn't having it. It also featured the teaming up of Brother Mouzzone and Omar. What happened to the Avon-Stringer relationship was the more eloquent, better written, complicated version of what happened between G-Money and Nino Brown in New Jack City.

1. Season 5: Omar comin'...well, maybe not
Lots of folks bitched about the way Omar went out. Before I give my reasons for why he died was fair, let me say that Omar was the most fascinating, compelling character on The Wire. He was the one character everyone universally liked. If you would have said I'm going to become enthralled with an urban drama where a gay gangsta is the centerpiece, I would have told you were crazy. A gay gansta? Right, and they'll be a midget super hero.

Anyway, Omar's death was meant to be the way it was. Dude was a legend on the streets, but the lack of fanfare his death received -- from the relatively unimportant corner boy who killed him to his body being mis-tagged by the medical examiner -- was purposeful. No matter how important someone may be in the streets, in the chain of life, they are just another murdered black man. Just another n-i-double-g-a.

Some of you will take issue with me rating Omar's death above Stringer's. But my feeling is that Stringer's death could be accepted, that most Wire fans felt that was imminent. Omar was the one of two or three criminals you wanted to succeed. More than likely, Michael, perhaps Bodie were the other two. Omar was the most popular character on the show, and therefore his death should rate higher.





Now obviously, some noteworthy moments were left out. For example, when Bubbles killed Sherrod accidentally. I'm sure many of you will take issue with the fact I didn't include when Omar confronted Brother Mouzzone. Another moment worthy of top 10 consideration was when Michael left Bug to live with their aunt.

Those are fine selections, but I'm sticking to the scenes that always will resonate with me. As heartbreaking as the Michael-Bug scene was, the scene between Michael and Dukie was stronger and more poignant. Dukie was an unlikely alliance for Michael, who had grown into a cold-blooded killer. And you knew when those two parted ways, Michael was on his way to becoming Avon or Marlo -- which meant he was choosing death. And Dukie was on his way to being Bubbles. It was just such a strong display of divergent paths. Michael leaving Bug just didn't carry that same layered impact.

Anyway, I also had to be careful not to include too many moments from season 5. Although the final season isn't the best one of The Wire -- that title belongs to Season 4 -- it's tempting to place many moments in the top 10 because they bring closure. As it is, part of me is afraid to cast this top 10 hours from the series finale because who knows what will take place.

But debate away. I'm sure you'll point out some things I didn't. By the way, here's BET's top-10 list.