Light Spoilers
Yeah yeah I know that Baltimore is the protagonist/there is no protagonist/there are many protagonists, but if you had to choose which character fits the classic "main character" mold, who do you go with? Basic rules that I'm following here: this character must have appeared from the beginning of the show and made it all the way until the end. There are several characters who we could argue are the "protagonists" of specific seasons (Frank in S2, Bunny in S3, Prezbo in S4), but that don't make them the protagonist of the show overall. Main characters must also have some kind of arc, show growth and change, or confront a serious problem and overcome it in the classical Joseph Campbell sense. Someone like Lester Freamon or the Bunk may be a fan favorite, and he's in every season, but he's got supporting character written all over him.
Basic/Easy Answer: Jimmy McNulty
He's the main cop on a cop show. He probably has the most screentime of anyone in the series, and he consistently plays a major role in determining the outcome of every season. However, Jimmy never really changes. His struggle to work within/against the system is constant, his alcoholism and personal dysfunction a given. Jimmy, to me, feels less like a protagonist and more like a force of nature, as lovable, hatable, and intransigent as the city he polices. Good police, not good main character material.
The Feel Good Answer: Bubbles
The raw pathos of Bubbles' series-long trajectory should be enough to make him a fan favorite, but I think a reasonable viewer could argue that the personal battle for Bubbles' soul is truly what motivates The Wire overall. Not only is Bubbles' addiction and moral compass instrumental in the investigations of the first and third season, but his marginal status as a homeless addict also aligns him more with the people caught up in the crossfire of the drug war than many of the other central players. If we think of David Simon's larger project with this show as an attempt to give a portrayal to the downtrodden and the voiceless of Baltimore's many drug war casualties, Bubbles makes the most sense as the series protagonist. In the final season ending montage, we see Bubbles sitting down with his family, having overcome his addiction, a light in the darkness that's only gestured to with a single shot. It's the details that make all the difference, and Bubbles is the embodiment of all the details that make the show what it is.
Godbrain answer: Poot
Now hear me out: even though Poot is obviously always framed as a marginal player, never has a real storyline of his own, and certainly doesn't dominate the screentime, everything I just wrote about Bubbles goes double for Poot. Here's a man who murdered his best friend in the first season, yet ends up having a quiet redemption arc that you only really notice if you pay attention. The last we see of Poot is him working at Foot Locker, having given up working for Marlo and gotten out of the game completely. Even though Poot is largely portrayed as an ancillary character to Bodie, it's his story that we see completed. Poot, by virtue of not having one single story, becomes the story as a whole, his journey through various drug trafficking organizations and his silent observation of the Wire's many twists and turns allows him to become the heart and soul of this show's Baltimore. He's like the Uatu of the west side and he doesn't even know it.
What do you think fam? I always enjoy looking at the youtube comments section for clips from The Wire. The show's fans are so thoughtful and critically engaged, performing delightful little formal and narrative studies on minor details from the show. What characters am I missing? Which of these three makes the most sense?
Yeah yeah I know that Baltimore is the protagonist/there is no protagonist/there are many protagonists, but if you had to choose which character fits the classic "main character" mold, who do you go with? Basic rules that I'm following here: this character must have appeared from the beginning of the show and made it all the way until the end. There are several characters who we could argue are the "protagonists" of specific seasons (Frank in S2, Bunny in S3, Prezbo in S4), but that don't make them the protagonist of the show overall. Main characters must also have some kind of arc, show growth and change, or confront a serious problem and overcome it in the classical Joseph Campbell sense. Someone like Lester Freamon or the Bunk may be a fan favorite, and he's in every season, but he's got supporting character written all over him.
Basic/Easy Answer: Jimmy McNulty
He's the main cop on a cop show. He probably has the most screentime of anyone in the series, and he consistently plays a major role in determining the outcome of every season. However, Jimmy never really changes. His struggle to work within/against the system is constant, his alcoholism and personal dysfunction a given. Jimmy, to me, feels less like a protagonist and more like a force of nature, as lovable, hatable, and intransigent as the city he polices. Good police, not good main character material.
The Feel Good Answer: Bubbles
The raw pathos of Bubbles' series-long trajectory should be enough to make him a fan favorite, but I think a reasonable viewer could argue that the personal battle for Bubbles' soul is truly what motivates The Wire overall. Not only is Bubbles' addiction and moral compass instrumental in the investigations of the first and third season, but his marginal status as a homeless addict also aligns him more with the people caught up in the crossfire of the drug war than many of the other central players. If we think of David Simon's larger project with this show as an attempt to give a portrayal to the downtrodden and the voiceless of Baltimore's many drug war casualties, Bubbles makes the most sense as the series protagonist. In the final season ending montage, we see Bubbles sitting down with his family, having overcome his addiction, a light in the darkness that's only gestured to with a single shot. It's the details that make all the difference, and Bubbles is the embodiment of all the details that make the show what it is.
Godbrain answer: Poot
Now hear me out: even though Poot is obviously always framed as a marginal player, never has a real storyline of his own, and certainly doesn't dominate the screentime, everything I just wrote about Bubbles goes double for Poot. Here's a man who murdered his best friend in the first season, yet ends up having a quiet redemption arc that you only really notice if you pay attention. The last we see of Poot is him working at Foot Locker, having given up working for Marlo and gotten out of the game completely. Even though Poot is largely portrayed as an ancillary character to Bodie, it's his story that we see completed. Poot, by virtue of not having one single story, becomes the story as a whole, his journey through various drug trafficking organizations and his silent observation of the Wire's many twists and turns allows him to become the heart and soul of this show's Baltimore. He's like the Uatu of the west side and he doesn't even know it.
What do you think fam? I always enjoy looking at the youtube comments section for clips from The Wire. The show's fans are so thoughtful and critically engaged, performing delightful little formal and narrative studies on minor details from the show. What characters am I missing? Which of these three makes the most sense?
