Revisiting ‘The Wire’ Characters Part 15 – Lester Freamon

Ongoing for a serious chunk of the future, I will be revisiting some of the best characters to appear in HBO’s The Wire. My series will be a 30-part piece of admiration to the greatest show in entertainment history. With lists come inevitable omissions and controversies, and The Wire is known for amassing a selection of numerous legendary figures. This list will be my best attempt to pay homage to these characters, ranging from popular fan favorites to occasional lesser known ones who made an impact. Parts are placed in no special order.

While disagreements may still come even with a lengthy series, I contend that 30 parts will be a plentiful total to give respect and please fans simultaneously. Certain days will feature two articles and thus two parts being published, others will just be one. If you’re a fan of The Wire and you find my series fulfilling, please share it with others. Pop Culture Spin appreciates your viewership and your efforts to spread the word. You will find each published entry in the series linked at the bottom of this article. Each fresh installment will link all published entries in the same spot. Landing next in the series, we have Lester Freamon, played by Clarke Peters.

Lester Freamon, you wise old dog. Arguably the smartest detective to appear in The Wire, Lester was known for clever methods in his pursuit of drug dealers and useful advice to his coworkers. He was also something of a renaissance man with a worldly knowledge that aided his profession in addition to a knack for making dollhouse furniture. During the best part of the show, season one’s chase to catch Stringer and Avon, Lester was instrumental.

The insight from Lester went beyond drug pursuits, though. He was keen on following money trails when it came to uncovering money laundering and corruption type of cases. Characters could try to outsmart Lester, but that would usually end in a loss. I’d venture to say that TV hasn’t featured a detective like Lester before or after his time. While Jimmy McNulty was a more enjoyable character and certainly unique in Dominic West’s ability to nail all the intricate details, his character template was hardly exclusive to The Wire (boozing, womanizing, loudmouthed detective – not exactly uncommon). Lester was and still is a true one of a kind.

Lester was also one of those figures in HBO’s gem that lasted throughout the entire series. He isn’t going to be the first name mentioned when discussing The Wire, and the plethora of strong characters in Baltimore’s fictitious law enforcement universe makes remembering everyone adequately rather difficult, but don’t sleep on Lester. He was monumental in cracking major cases, and he offered some of the best advice the show had. Whenever I see Clarke Peters in film or featured on other shows, I smile and think of the wise old detective crafting dollhouse furniture.

Published Entries of my Revisiting The Wire Characters List
Part 1 – Chris Partlow / Part 2 – Jimmy McNulty / Part 3 – Bodie Broadus
Part 4 – Frank Sobotka / Part 5 – Tommy Carcetti / Part 6 – D’Angelo Barksdale
Part 7 – Marlo Stanfield / Part 8 – William Rawls / Part 9 – Bubbles
Part 10 – Ellis Carver / Part 11 – Michael Lee / Part 12 – Stringer Bell
Part 13 – Roland Pryzbylewski / Part 14 – Wee-Bey Brice / Part 16 – Slim Charles
Part 17 – Wallace / Part 18 – Bunk Moreland / Part 19 – Howard “Bunny” Colvin
Part 20 – Avon Barksdale / Part 21 – Snoop / Part 22 – Clay Davis
Part 23 – Brother Mouzone / Part 24 – Cedric Daniels / Part 25 – Proposition Joe
Part 26 – Maurice Levy / Part 27 – Dennis “Cutty” Wise / Part 28 – Randy Wagstaff
Part 29 – Kima Greggs / Part 30 – Omar Little / Extra Part – Final Thoughts