East Baltimore Region
#1 Avon Barksdale v. #8 Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski aka Mr. Prezbo
There's been a good amount of discussion on the Interwebs about what the value when judging these characters against each other. Do you evaluate characters by their bodycounts (Brother Mouzone, Wee-Bey), or do you value character development and tearjerking moments? Well, I'm on the fence. If you're into the whole badass thing, then this matchup is a wash, Avon takes it without a second thought. However, I have a soft spot for Mr. Prezbo, the hopelessly incompetent cop turned respected middle school teacher. Prez had one of the more complete arcs in the series. His time in the detail proved that he wasn't as worthless as he seemed initially, though he could be counted on for one colossal fuckup per season. Despite Prez's compelling story, it's hard to overlook Avon's effortless cool. He was cocky enough to
taunt the cops when they couldn't catch him and savvy enough to reduce his prison sentence when he was caught. Avon was a grade-A BAWSE and his charisma powers his way through the first round.
Winner: Avon
#4 Tommy Carcetti v. #5 Duquan "Dukie" Weems
Dukie's a sweet kid born into the shittiest circumstances of any television character in recent memory. He and Michael provide the emotional core of Seasons 4 and 5, but his story is such a relentless downer that I can't really advance him here. Carcetti is an interesting character anyway, especially in the beginning of Season 4, when he is miserable about running for mayor. I also want to shout out Carcetti's campaign advisor Norman, who was not included in the bracket, but was the most under-the-radar comedian on the entire show. Sure, Cheese eats up the big laughs when he talks about midgets pulling guns from their nether regions, but Norman's sly
irony deserves a special mention.
Winner: Carcetti
#3 Bunny Colvin v. #6 Serge Malatov
Here are the interesting things about Serge Malatov:
1. He's Russian (or something), so everybody calls him Boris
2. "Does he have hands? Does he have a face? Then it wasn't us!"
That's it. Bunny Colvin is one of the most charismatic and important characters in the entire show. Many characters, like Dukie and D'Angelo, are defined by their helplessness in the face of institutional power. Bunny is one of the few characters who routinely bucks institutional authority, with Hamsterdam in Season 3 and his special classroom in Season 4, and he gives a mean
speech. Bunny is an honest police officer in a city full of careerists and corruption, honestly trying to make the world around him better. He doesn't even need to speak to be compelling. He breezes past the semi-anonymous hitman in the easiest match-up of the bracket.
#2 Proposition Joe Stewart v. #7 Frank Sobotka
Proposition Joe was one of my favorite characters from the first
moment he appears, in a basketball game between East Baltimore and West Baltimore (skip to 2:50). "Man, look the part be the part motherfucker!" Prop Joe is one of the smartest characters in the show. He's been around the game forever and he reached the top through his wits, not through muscle. He's respected by the Greeks, the Cops and the Streets. He's a shifty motherfucker, but he has his own code of honor. Prop Joe is always fun to watch, and he'd almost be cuddly if he wasn't a cold-hearted gangster. Frank is a decent working man trying to do what's best for his family and his union, but he is doomed by his retarded son and his inability to realize how dangerous his business partners truly are. It's a good story and a good performance, but it doesn't hold a candle to the awesomeness of Prop Joe. Also, this
scene
Winner: Prop Joe
Sweet 16
#1 Avon Barksdale v. #4 Tommy Carcetti
It’s the BAWSE vs. the Boss in this matchup. Tommy Carcetti’s introduction to the show was a significant moment. He opened up the world of City Hall and showed that people in City Hall are playing the Game as well, but a different kind of game where the decisions they make effect everyone in the city. Avon's a master of the drug game, but Carcetti mastered the political game, managing to get elected as Baltimore's first white mayor since the 60s. Carcetti has some funny scenes and brilliant speeches, but Avon is the epitome of gangster charisma and the main antagonist of the first season. He's the type of guy who Rick Ross claims to be in his songs, above the fray but not afraid to get his hands dirty. Sure, Carcetti is in charge of the City government, but Avon rules the streets.
Winner: Avon (I'm gonna keep posting this until he loses)
#2 Proposition Joe v. #3 Bunny Colvin
This is the hardest choice I'm going to have to make in this bracket. I'm gonna have to think about it for a while.
Ok I'm back. As I mentioned before, Bunny represents creator David Simon's idealistic vision on how the city should work. The war on drugs costs too much with too little of a payoff? Well, then stop fighting it. A class of many students is disrupted by a few trouble makers? Put them in their own class and everybody will learn better. Bunny Colvin is the character who is willing to change the Game, instead of exploiting it for its own ends. Robert Wisdom's portrayal of Bunny Colvin is so intense and honest that it never seems like he's preaching, just voicing his deeply held convictions. Bunny edges out Carcetti as the most effective speaker in the series. Prop Joe, also wants to change the Game, trying to convince Avon and Marlo to put aside petty gang violence in the name of bigger profits and he's smart enough to do it. He has the best product, and he knows that it gives him an advantage in the black market, so he leverages that into forming the New Day Co-Op. His one flaw is his belief that his druglord colleagues will put away street values in the name of profit. He speaks softly, but people listen, cause what he says is worth hearing and often hilarious. I know that if I don't pick Prop Joe here, I'll be a cadaverous motherfucker. It's too bad, cause I would've picked Bunny over all the other #2 seeds.
Winner: Prop Joe
Elite 8
#1 Avon Barksdale v. #2 Proposition Joe
East Side v. West Side. It's a rivalry as old as dogs v. cats and it's represented here by the drug kingpins of each side. Avon and Proposition Joe have very different leadership styles. Avon is a soldier who leans on his muscle and makes quick, often rash decisions. Prop Joe, on the other hand, is a strategist, who uses the type of dealmaking favored by the politicians in City Hall and high-level police officers like Burrell and Valchek to get his way. Avon spent the better part of three seasons as the main target for the detail's investigations, and while Prop Joe stayed on the sidelines, he was still compelling whenever he was on the screen. It's hard to debate semantics here. Avon was part of the most important character conflict of the entire series, but was routinely outacted by Stringer Bell. Honestly, this one comes down to which character I enjoyed watching more, and who I missed most when he left the show, and Proposition Joe takes both counts.
Winner: Prop Joe
And Prop Joe advances to the Final Four
More Wire-y goodness coming tomorrow
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