NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
The Wire will live on forever through their loyal fans. Trying to pick which episode or scene stands out more than the other is like admitting you have a favorite child. You know you have one but to admit it, well, that opens the floodgates. However, I’m ready to take that stand.
The best scene of The Wire is hands down the conversation between Wee-Bey and Bunny regarding the present and future of Namond. While he may not rank amongst the top characters in The Wire, Namond’s story is one for those who grew up in that environment will have a hard time admitting that was either them or someone they knew.
Namond was born into that life. He tried to live it but he was destined for better things. Although he did fit the so-called stereotype, as did Micheal, Dukie, and Randy, Namond wasn’t cut out for it. His father Wee-Bey will go down as a true soldier in those Baltimore streets but his son was nowhere ready to fill his shoes.
It was evident early on that he wasn’t cut out for the game. His mother had to fight his battles for him. He looked and talked the part. He had the backing and respect of who his father and mother were, but he couldn’t be what many thought he should be.
The Best Scene In The Wire
Bunny saw this just as easily as everyone else but it was Bunny who decided to do something about it. He knew Namond was putting on a front and knew that if he didn’t intervene, Nay would become a statistic. But how could you tell a kid that, better yet his father who was in prison until his death, he wanted to give his son a better life?
What was so touching about that scene was the history between Bunny and Wee-Bey. Bey ran with the Barksdale crew that Bunny and his fellow officers were out to stop. Hell, it was Bey who was involved in the shooting of Kima who was under Bunny at the time. Now imagine a former Major in the Baltimore Police Department coming to you in prison and asking to take ownership of your child. That took balls as Bey told him. “You’re asking a lot.” And Bunny’s response was just as iconic “Yeah, But I’m asking.”
That was a real man-to-man discussion that often gets left out when people are describing just how realistic The Wire was. Forget all the killings and drug talk, that scene showcased how the black youth are left to become a statistic. Bunny wanted different for Namond and by the time that conversation was over, so did Wee-Bey.
Watching Poot and Bodie kill their friend Wallace showed the realism of the game. The struggle between Stringer and Avon was iconic and what Omar brought to the show will live on forever. However, that scene between Wee-Bey and Bunny is arguably the best scene in the history of The Wire.
It showed us that even at our worst, we deserve a shot at redemption. It proved that two people from different walks of life can come together and do something good. A stone-killed killer giving up his son to a former police officer, how is that not iconic?
