Best Reoccuring Character
Captain Awesome (Chuck): first nomination
~Well, his actual name is Devon, but we all know him best as Captain Awesome, Ellie's super "awesome" boyfriend. Similar to Ellie, Awesome is down to earth and has a normal job as a a doctor. However, the advice he gives to Chuck can be awesome at times and the unintentional humor at times makes him a complete hit. All I can say is that the awesome in his name is completely deserved.
Santiago Herrera (Friday Night Lights): first nomination
~If there is one thing I love on television it is cons and ex-cons. Santiago is part of that second group, an ex-con who is trying to find his new life... with a little help from Buddy Garrity. Of course, this is a show that is somewhat about football, and Santiago will find his place on the team, along with the hearts of the viewers.
Michael Lee (The Wire): first nomination
~What is there to say about Tristan Wilds acting job as Michael Lee. Such a complicated young character as the ruthless city of Baltimore has taken him into the cruel drug world. However, something happens that forces Michael to change his way of life, but instead of a happy show which would have Michael finding happiness, we instead have Michael with a shotgun trying to survive each day. His scene with Snoop may have been the best scene of Season 5 to show how he is smart, but stuck in this drug world.
Charles Widmore (Lost): first nomination
~The growth have Lost has showed us alot about the island mythology, the off island scientists, but also the war between two individuals for this island (something eerily similar to the wars for Jerusalem). One of them is Benjamin Linus, the person who was originally introduced as a bad guy, and then later as possibly even a good guy. Charles is the father of Penny Widmore, but also has an obsession with the island, and he will do anything to get it. Needless to say, his role in Lost is anything over and one of the most anticipated parts of the next two seasons will be the confrontation between Charles and Ben.
Penny Widmore (Lost): first nomination.
~It is weird to have two members of the same family on this award list, but it had to occur. Penny is the exact opposite of everything that makes her father who he is. While Charles is evil and conniving, Penny is loving and will do everything to find Desmond. It's no coincidence that the two people who have gotten boats near the island have been Penny and her father, and she was part of the two most emotional reunions in tv this season (one by phone, and the other by boat).
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6 comments:
Michael Lee's character arc required an actor who has innate leadership characteristics as well as a vulnerability to show this character's reluctant motivation for his tragic choices--his deep love for his little brother and his own wounds as an abuse survivor. The Wire is brilliant in taking the time to write and then unfold the nuances of these kinds of characters . . . For instance, at the end of Season 4 we see a picture of Michael on the Major Crimes boards marked as "unknown" and it's shocking because we feel we know him like family.
Huge kudos to Tristan Wilds for embodying Michael Lee!! He has also spoken to that scene with Snoop as being personally very difficult as he considered Felicia Pearson like a big sister.
I would argue that the scenes when Michael must depart his beloved brother and friend actually trump the one with Snoop as Tristan's magnum opus in The Wire for the sheer restraint in genius in one of the most painful scenes ever conceived.
I agree that leaving his brother and dookie (dunno how you spell it) was a key moment for Michael, just like his final scene as the new Omar. I mean, the final scenes of The Wire were perfect for its message, nothing you do will change anything. Marlo is the new Avon, Michael the next Omar, and of course how Carcetti has become the corrupt politician. But yet, there are a few small happiness. How one of the four kids, Namond, actually escaped the street (even though the other three were engulfed) and how a few gang members do get it (the boxer whose name I am forgetting is the perfect example of that). David Simon's lesson was taught perfectly, and I just wish I could've watched The Wire live instead of watching five seasons within six months...
Don, I'm not completely sold that Michael is the next Omar . . . I realize he became a stick-up boy, but I guess I perceive him as more than a "type." Omar was his own person as well--we just didn't have the chance to see him "growing up" like we did Michael (a tiny glimpse in the pre-quels that are circulating right now (c;). There is an honor to both Omar and Michael and an intelligence and bravery but I feel their motivations are different somehow. hmmm . . .
It was redeeming to see Cutty get his gym and overcome his past. Yet, also ironic that Michael's suspicion of him is one of the major reasons Michael turns to the streets for his own kind of justice.
We also see in Namond just what it takes to defeat the street for a young person--a caring adult who has street cred, but also the resources internally and externally to rise above and reach out with extreme personal sacrifice (adoption). This is a rare combination--often you have either but not all three--street cred, the resources and desire to adopt or mentor a street kid.
What exactly did you see as David Simon's lesson? I have my ideas, but I was curious about yours?
It seems almost that David Simon's lessons are neither positive nor negative. At times he actually shows that despite how bad situations are you can at least get somewhat out, like Cutty, Namond, and of course the final scene of Bubbles being allowed to eat upstairs with his sister (which for such a simple scene, it was extremely powerful).
However, the message could be skewed as a negative one that no matter what you do, whether it be faking a serial killer, or either of Colvins creations, it is tough to make a great difference in the streets. I mean, we as a country are so obsessed with politics and putting a positive spin on things, the mayor would not allow Colvin's free-drug territory remain, despite the grand success it actually had, because of how bad it would look in the papers. The same goes in my favorite season 4, when Colvin and the college teacher when they create the class for "street kids" that actually seemed to have an effect, but once again Carcetti and others did not like the idea of not teaching for the test (as you could tell, Colvin is my favorite character). So in that regard, as long as politicians control the city it is hard to create a great change in the city of Baltimore.
This doesn't mean it isn't impossible, and you shouldn't try. To me it almost seems Simon had two purposes. One was to show the true state of drugs on the street, something not really accurately showed in other tv shows like procedurals, or even The Shield, a show I love. His second purpose was to show how hard it is to change a city and how easy a good politician can be forced to go against what he believes in, and without the support of them, the police get no extra money (as shown in season 5) and the schools will continue to teach for only the test and the streets will never be any cleaner.
Don, I appreciate your perspective on Simon's message. He is a truth teller, to the best of his ability. From where he stands, he understands the prisons we all live in in regard to the institutions that limit our choices in the end. Yet, the show valued the triumph of individual courage and grace to navigate the institutions and even defy them to achieve honest and authentic solutions to very real problems.
He portrays the high price we pay when we close our eyes to the humanity that is lost when we ignore or deny very real problems. The price is the beautiful souls of people usually lost in the vast sea of poverty, suffering and "false wars that never end."
The hope I took from the show, is that there are people worth knowing on both "sides" of the drug war. Our call is to get to know them and root for them in any way we can. The institutions have failed us. Are personal connections still possible? Yes, with personal sacrifice. That's the difficult answer that I think got The Wire ignored from award shows. It was an acknowledgement of our shame. But please, don't miss the beauty that lies underneath--only after we've worked through our shame.
I definitely agree with your points there. There is one scene that brings up the point that these gang leaders are not all bad. When Cutty asks to leave the gang and get money for his gym from Avon, my intuition from all other gang-related shows was that Cutty was going to be killed. However, the support Avon gave to his ex-soldier was amazing, and showed that while they may be ruthless, they are still people with heart. Plus the saddest I was throughout the entire shows run may have been when Bode was killed, because he was a loyal friend and overall a good guy. I just wish more people were able to watch "The Wire" and see that truth. These people many despise, the drug dealers and the gangs, may not be as bad as we all think, and for all we know they could be a Michael, a Bode, or a Cutty... good people with good hearts in a bad situation.
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