SPOILER ALERT – We will be discussing specific plot details and happenings from The Wire.
Context – During season 2 of The Wire, Omar agrees to go to court to testify against Bird who allegedly murdered a state witness, Mr. Gant (well technically, he agrees to testify in season 1, but he doesn’t go to court until season 2). He claims that he saw Bird shoot the witness, but he’s actually lying and wants to put Bird in.
Now that you have the context, let me say that this is easily one of my favorite Omar scenes (and that’s saying a lot because Omar has so many amazing scenes). Here are 3 of my favorite quotes from the scene and what I think makes them so amazing:
1) A day at a time – Omar, while being questioned by the prosecuting attorney, is asked the question – “What is your occupation.” First, he says “I rip and run” and then she asks him how he manages to rob drug lords for eight or nine years and live to tell about it, and the classically flipant Omar says “a day at a time I suppose.” Omar Little, for how sophisticated and multi-dimensional of a gay drug dealer robbing gangster he is, is in fact quite a calm & rather simple man (a persona that is definitely unique amongst all the hot heads in the game). This assertion is a virtually perfect illustration of the failure of most individuals to understand this, to understand his life, and to understand why he does what he does for a living.
2) Omar’s code – Omar Little lives his life by a code. He does not have a problem stealing from or shooting anyone in the drug game, but he’s got a strict rule about not laying a hand on citizens. As such, when the defense attorney, Mr. Levy, tries to portray Omar as untrustworthy and suggests that he is precisely the sort of man who would murder someone else in cold blood, Omar responds in a stern tone – “Hey look I ain’t never put my gun on no citizen.” This is actually the very first time we have seen Omar’s values so clearly stated (and in season 5 we will learn more about these values). And though even without his code, Omar Little is an unbelievably engaging character – the code is the thing that solidifies his amicability for the viewers and it is the thing that makes us consistently pull for him.
3) The game – Again, while Maurice Levy is trying to position Omar as untrustworthy, as the filth of the city, as a leech who lives off of the leeches who are in turn “stealing the life blood of our city,” Omar, calmly responds “…Just like you man – I’ve got the shotgun, you got the brief case… it’s all in the game though right.” This is why we love Omar. He demonstrates that he is not simply street smart or wise to how he can steal a couple of packs of drugs. Omar is wise to the big picture. He, seemingly better than any other player in The Wire, genuinely knows how the game should be played, and with that knowledge he gives Maurice Levy a stunning blow which merely causes us to appreciate him more.
If HBO’s The Wire is one of the best shows ever aired on television, then Omar Little is definitely one of, if not the greatest character, on the greatest show on television.