"The Wire" fans

[Reaper16]

Originally Posted by beavis

I've wondered that while watching this series - if they had actually tamed a lot of it down. There is obviously some dramatic flare thrown in... Omar is almost the equivalent of a ghetto Batman.

That's a superb observation. You're right on the money, imo. Omar is, by far, the most unrealistic aspect of The Wire. He's also the most popular. He's a superhero. The audience loves his antics and can breath a sigh of relief when he's on the screen. I think Omar exists primarily for emotional release; a small but necessary respite from the crushing bleakness of the rest of the show.