There’s no debate, The Wire is the best TV show in history. There’s nothing you can do to convince me otherwise. Last week, the show lost another one of its beloved actors, Lance Reddick, who played Officer Cedrick Daniels in all five seasons.
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Officer Daniels was a serious player, who knew how to say a lot with a few words. In fact, the great thing about The Wire was its dialogue. Following his unfortunate death, we look back at some of the most memorable and iconic quotes from the beloved show. Yes, it won’t be easy to fit all of them in here, considering there are so many, but we’ll do the best we can.
“Come at the king…”
Omar has an endless amount of quotes from the show, and this is probably his most iconic. As he takes out one of Avon’s hitmen and injures Wee-Bey, he tells him, “You come at the king, you best not miss.”
“I’m just a gangsta I suppose…”
When Avon Barksdale returned after spending time in prison in Season 3, the Baltimore drug game was a lot different. The corners Avon had when he went in, weren’t his when he came back out. His right-hand man Stringer Bell tries to convince him that there’s no need for killing to take back what’s his and that they can just make money. In response, Avon tells him, “I’m just a gangsta I suppose, and I want my corners.”
“It’s Baltimore gentlemen…”
Not much to say here, Commissioner Ervin Burrell says it best, “It’s Baltimore gentlemen, the gods will not save you.”
“This is me yo…”
Wallace’s story in The Wire is one of the most tragic. He attempts to get out of the drug game and moves away from Baltimore to live with his grandmother. When he decides to return, his boss, D’Angelo, tries to look out for him, telling him to stay in it for life. In response, Wallace says, “This is me yo, right here.”
“Where’s Wallace?!”
D’Angelo, being one of the most beloved and emotional characters show, is worried about Wallace after he goes “missing,” and demands that Stringer tells him. Unfortunately, everyone in this scene knows exactly where he is.
“Good to know.”
Lance Reddick as Cedric Daniels has a plethora of memorable quotes in the show, but this one is my personal favorite. Pointing out the problem with local governments, saying that they care more about catching one criminal politician than finding the murderer of 22 people, Daniels says, “One thieving politician trumps 22 bodies, good to know.”
“The king, stay the king.”
The use of the word “king” is used throughout The Wire. D’angelo teaches his dealers about chess and uses the game as an analogy for the drug game, telling them, “The king, stay the king.”
“The game ain’t in me no more…”
Cutty, once a “soldier” on the streets of Baltimore, returns to the city after spending more than a decade in prison. After getting out, he struggles to pull find his calling and returns to the streets. He eventually realizes that the criminal life is not for him, telling Avon, “The game ain’t in me no more, none of it.” Avon accepts Cutty’s decision to leave the game and he leaves with no consequences.
“I see a man without a country…”
This was the climax of Avon and Stringer’s final chapter together. Avon makes it clear that he never thought Stringer was built for the drug game, and that he cares more about money than respect in the streets. Avon tells him, “I look at you, and I see a man without a country. Not hard enough for this right here, and maybe not smart enough for them out there.”
“Shiiiiiiiiiittttt…”
This isn’t even one particular quote. Throughout the show, Senator Clay Davis would hilariously just say “shiiiiiiiittttttt” whenever he heard something he didn’t want to.
“I got the shotgun, you got the briefcase...”
Testifying in court against a hitman for Avon Barksdale, Omar admits to being a criminal that robs drug dealers. The defending attorney claims that Omar steals from those who “steal the lifeblood of our city.” In the coolest response ever, Omar says, “Just like you man. I got the shotgun, you got the briefcase. It’s all in the game thought right.”
“You can’t even call this shit a war…”
Officer Ellis Carver perfectly describes the war on drugs in the first season of The Wire. “You can’t even call this shit a war... wars end.”
“All the pieces matter.”
Lester Freamon is one of the smartest characters in the show. He’s a thinker, and as a detective, he’s one of the most thoughtful in the show. While speaking to Prez and listening to a wiretap, he tells Prez, “All the pieces matter.”
“All in the game yo.”
Omar returns to robbing drug dealers. In his first appearance back, he says his go-to quote, “All in the game, Yo.”
“A man must have a code.”
Omar explains his philosophy as a criminal who robs drug dealers. He’ll kill anybody who’s in his way, except civilians who aren’t in the game. In response, Bunk Moreland says, “A man must have a code.”
“We ain’t gotta dream no more…”
This is arguably the greatest scene in television history. It’s written like a Shakespeare play. Knowing he’s going to betray Stringer, Avon asks his best friend to just dream with him, as they’re on the rooftop of a downtown building. In response, Stringer says, “We ain’t gotta dream no more, we got real shit.”
“Money ain’t got no owners…”
As Marlo is enjoying a high-stakes poker game, Omar breaks in and robs all the money that is up for grabs. As he and everyone else is robbed, Marlo yells, “that’s my money!” In response, Omar says, “Man money ain’t got no owners, only spenders.”
“You follow drugs, you get drug addicts and drug dealers…”
Freamon perfectly explains what it’s like investigating a drug organization, saying, “You follow drugs, you get drug addicts and drug dealers. But you start to follow the money, and you don’t know where the fuck it’s gone take you.”
“This game is rigged…”
Bodie is one of the most underrated characters in the show. Once a lackey for Avon, he eventually becomes independent after Marlo becomes the “King” of the drug game. During a conversation with Officer Jimmy McNulty, talking about the death of his friend, Kevin, Bodie tells him, “This game is rigged, we like them little bitches on the chess board,” referencing the analogy D’Angelo made in season 1 of the show.
“The game is out there...”
The cops try to convince Omar to snitch and give them some information so they can catch Avon. Omar, who is hesitant to share any information tells them, “the game is out there, and it’s either play or get played.”
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