(Credits: HBO)
It has taken me about 7 weeks to finally come back to the "The Wire", one of my personal favorite shows from the last 20ish years. This has mainly been due to the fact that I have tried to diversify some of the source material I talk about in this blog. Yet, some shows really pack a number of interesting characters I can briefly explore, leading me to return to me now and most likely in the future as well.
Recently, Omar Little, one of the main characters from "The Wire", was trending in the news again after the sudden passing of the wonderful actor Michael K. Williams. For many, this was a chance to return to the brilliance of characterization and exploration of humanity that is Omar Little, while others had a chance to get introduced to him for the first time.
For me, Omar has always represented something more in the realm of crime and drama TV. His uniqueness shines in the role he plays and the way he is presented: a legendary stick-up man, almost picked from the pages of a fairy tale, put into the grim realism of the real world. This contrast is so highly evident yet is played smoothly with no faults.
Additionally, I really like the highlighted hypocrisy of what it means to be a man defined by society clearly embedded in Omar's characterization. In many ways, Omar carries himself in the classic "machismo" fashion, with strong and aggressive domination of conversations and situations he finds himself in. Yet, his enemies and friends alike don't fully recognize this, since Omar is gay. To them, he cannot possibly represent masculinity because of such a fact. I believe that the show and Omar's character successfully criticized such thinking by creating an absolutely badass hero in a TV realm full of many stereotypes involving gay men.
Recently, Omar Little, one of the main characters from "The Wire", was trending in the news again after the sudden passing of the wonderful actor Michael K. Williams. For many, this was a chance to return to the brilliance of characterization and exploration of humanity that is Omar Little, while others had a chance to get introduced to him for the first time.
For me, Omar has always represented something more in the realm of crime and drama TV. His uniqueness shines in the role he plays and the way he is presented: a legendary stick-up man, almost picked from the pages of a fairy tale, put into the grim realism of the real world. This contrast is so highly evident yet is played smoothly with no faults.
Additionally, I really like the highlighted hypocrisy of what it means to be a man defined by society clearly embedded in Omar's characterization. In many ways, Omar carries himself in the classic "machismo" fashion, with strong and aggressive domination of conversations and situations he finds himself in. Yet, his enemies and friends alike don't fully recognize this, since Omar is gay. To them, he cannot possibly represent masculinity because of such a fact. I believe that the show and Omar's character successfully criticized such thinking by creating an absolutely badass hero in a TV realm full of many stereotypes involving gay men.
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