This article relies largely or entirely on a single source .(January 2021) |
Slim Charles | |
---|---|
The Wire character | |
First appearance | "Time After Time" (2004) |
Last appearance | "–30–" (2008) |
Created by | David Simon |
Portrayed by | Anwan Glover |
In-universe information | |
Alias | Slim, Tall Man |
Gender | Male |
Title | Enforcer/Lieutenant in the Barksdale Organization, lieutenant to Proposition Joe, head of the New Day Co-Op |
Slim Charles is a fictional character in the HBO drama The Wire , played by Anwan Glover. An enforcer for the Barksdale Organization and later the top lieutenant of kingpin Proposition Joe, he is portrayed as principled, loyal, and competent throughout his career.
The saga of the Barksdale Organization and the Stanfield Organization makes up the backbone of The Wire. Of the 30 or so characters connected with these gangs and those of Proposition Joe and Omar Little, Slim Charles is effectively the "last man standing," as by the end of the series most of the others are dead, and all the rest are incarcerated, neutralized, or have quit. As such, he can be viewed as the only winner in the drug trade plotline, particularly as in the series finale he progresses, along with Fat Face Rick, to the leadership of the New Day Co-Op and the pinnacle of the Baltimore drug trade.
Slim Charles is hired as "muscle" by Stringer Bell, who is acting boss of the Barksdale Organization following the arrests of Avon Barksdale and several of the organization's original enforcers. Slim is first seen at the Barksdale strategy meeting following the demolition of the high rise projects. Shortly after, Omar Little attempts to rob a stash house that is under Slim's charge. Omar detains three of its guards, but is surprised by Slim Charles and three others, who recover the drugs in a firefight, during which Tosha and Tank are killed.
When Avon is released, Slim Charles is the only person he consults upon making a decision to go to war with Marlo Stanfield. On Avon's orders, Slim Charles puts together a team to strike against Marlo's subordinates. The team is headed by the experienced trio of Cutty, Country and Slim Charles, but on the opening day of hostilities Country is killed and Cutty quits, leaving Slim as the unquestioned Barksdale chief enforcer in the war.
Although Charles proves himself a capable and loyal soldier on many occasions, the support he gathers around himself is not up to the task. He is involved at an organizational level with the assassination attempts on Marlo and Omar, although he has a hands-on role in neither of the plans. When the operation against Marlo backfires and Avon is wounded, Charles brings a surgeon to the warehouse where the Barksdales regroup.
Meanwhile, when Gerard and Sapper sight Omar and phone Charles to confirm that he wants them to kill him even though it is a Sunday morning, he does not answer the phone - Gerard dismissively says that Charles must be sleeping in. However, after this operation too is botched, Charles angrily reproves the pair before sending them to answer to Avon himself.
Near the end of the war, he is taken aback by Stringer's demand that he must kill Senator Clay Davis, protesting that "...murder ain't no thing, but this here's some assassination shit." Shown up as a gangster without the political sensitivity of even Slim Charles, Stringer storms off and is caught in a fatal ambush set up by Omar and Brother Mouzone.
Slim Charles consoles Avon after Stringer's death. When Avon tells Charles that he has lost heart for the war and that Stanfield was not responsible for the crime, Charles, now the organization's second-in-command, reminds him that they are in a war with no way to back down, and they must blame Stanfield in order to rally their troops. Shortly after, Slim Charles sees another opportunity to kill Stanfield when he finds him at Vinson's rimshop with little protection.
He phones Avon, who is busy gathering weapons and soldiers at a stash house. The attempt fails, as the stash house is raided by the Major Crimes Unit, acting on a tip given by Stringer to Major Colvin. Avon and most of his men are arrested. Slim Charles escapes arrest and prosecution because he is still waiting outside the rimshop at the time of the raid.
With the Barksdale organization in ruins, Slim begins working for Proposition Joe, supplying the surviving ex-Barksdale drug dealers with narcotics. With this product as a firm foundation, Bodie Broadus builds a successful operation, until Marlo effortlessly threatens the helpless Bodie to work for him or be killed. Bodie came to Slim Charles, who advises him not to stand up to Stanfield. Charles raises the problem at the next meeting of the Co-Op but it is decided to negotiate with Stanfield and focus on problems with an incursion of New York dealers on the East side.
Charles is doubtful that Stanfield will talk to the Co-Op. He also tells the Co-Op how Stanfield has been hiding corpses in vacant row houses. Despite Slim Charles' misgivings, he attends the first negotiation meeting with Marlo, and later approaches Marlo's enforcer Chris Partlow to arrange a second sit down. Though he never says it directly, it is implied that Charles doesn't approve of Marlo's murderous enforcement. This is shown when Marlo has Little Kevin killed for being taken in and interrogated by the police. He is concerned enough by the crime to tell Bodie that his friend has been executed. Bodie's subsequent crusade against Marlo quickly gets him killed, leaving Slim as one of the last Barksdale survivors.
In between his responsibilities as the East side's head enforcer, Charles still independently visits Bodie and Poot Carr as a confidant. As a gift to Marlo when an alliance is agreed upon, Joe orders Charles to betray Old Face Andre and hand him over to Marlo for execution. At the end of the season, he prophetically warns Prop Joe about letting Marlo meet up with their contacts (The Greek and others), fearing that Marlo will 'go round the co-op'. [1]
By season five Slim Charles is Proposition Joe's most trusted lieutenant. He is also one of two remaining active survivors of the Barksdale Organization, along with Savino Bratton. When Butchie is killed, Omar Little returns to Baltimore and ambushes Slim, but lets him go when Slim convinces him that Proposition Joe had nothing to do with it.
After Joe is killed, Marlo dissolves the Co-Op and takes charge as sole leader of Baltimore's kingpins, with Joe's nephew Cheese as his new lieutenant. Slim knows that Marlo and Cheese were responsible for Joe's death and disapproves of the way they now conduct business, staying discreetly out of their way. He refuses Marlo's offer to make him take the lead in the deceased Hungry Man's territory in Baltimore County.
In the series finale Slim and Cheese are among the remaining drug lords who band together to buy the connection to Baltimore's best drug suppliers from Marlo, a connection which Marlo stole from Proposition Joe before murdering him. As the kingpins gather to discuss business, Cheese shows little grief over Proposition Joe's death, saying it led to their benefit since they will now have control of the best heroin connection. Slim Charles then shoots Cheese in the head before he has a chance to finish talking. When the Co-Op member Clinton "Shorty" Buise criticizes Slim because now they have to pay more money to make up for the lack of Cheese's bid, Slim simply replies "That was for Joe".
In the ending montage, it is shown that Slim and Fat Face Rick are representing the Co-Op to the Greeks.
Russell "Stringer" Bell is a fictional character in The Wire, played by Idris Elba. In the criminal world of early 2000s Baltimore, Bell serves as drug kingpin Avon Barksdale's second-in-command and assumes direct control of the Barksdale Organization during Avon's imprisonment. Bell is a terse and brooding leader, who shuns the flamboyance of the likes of Avon for ruthless pragmatism and legitimacy.
Avon Randolph Barksdale is a fictional character in the American television series The Wire, played by Wood Harris. Barksdale is one of the most powerful drug dealers in Baltimore, Maryland, and runs the Barksdale Organization. Stringer Bell, his second in command, insulates Barksdale from law enforcement and potential enemies. Working for Barksdale and Bell is a large organization of drug dealers and enforcers.
Omar Devone Little is a fictional character on the HBO crime drama series The Wire, portrayed by Michael K. Williams. He is a notorious Baltimore stick-up man, who frequently robs street-level drug dealers. He is legendary around the inner city for his characteristic duster, under which he hides his shotgun, large caliber handgun, and bulletproof vest, as well as for his facial scar and his whistling of "The Farmer in the Dell" when stalking targets. Omar's homosexual character is based on the heterosexual Baltimore area robber and hitman Donnie Andrews. Andrews served 18 years in prison after murdering a drug dealer. Andrews was married to Francine Boyd, who inspired the miniseries The Corner on HBO.
Preston "Bodie" Broadus is a fictional character on the HBO drama series The Wire, played by actor J. D. Williams. Bodie is initially a rough, low-level drug dealer, but matures throughout the series and slowly rises through the ranks. Bodie is an intelligent and disciplined lieutenant, showing strong loyalty to the Barksdale Organization even after most of its members are imprisoned or killed.
"Time After Time" is the first episode of the third season of the HBO original series The Wire. The episode was written by David Simon from a story by David Simon & Ed Burns and was directed by Ed Bianchi. It originally aired on September 19, 2004.
"Straight and True" is the fifth episode of the third season of the HBO original series The Wire. The episode was written by Ed Burns from a story by David Simon & Ed Burns and was directed by Dan Attias. It originally aired on October 17, 2004.
"Homecoming" is the sixth episode of the third season of the HBO original series The Wire. The episode was written by Rafael Alvarez from a story by David Simon & Rafael Alvarez and was directed by Leslie Libman. It originally aired on October 31, 2004.
Marlo Stanfield is a fictional character on the HBO television drama The Wire, played by actor Jamie Hector. Stanfield is a young, ambitious, intelligent and ruthless gangster and head of the eponymous Stanfield Organization in the Baltimore drug trade. Marlo's organization starts out small-time, competing with the larger Barksdale Organization, but rises to the top of the Baltimore drug trade fairly quickly.
"Reformation" is the tenth episode of the third season of the HBO original series The Wire. The episode was written by Ed Burns from a story by David Simon & Ed Burns and was directed by Christine Moore. It originally aired on November 28, 2004.
"Mission Accomplished" is the 12th and final episode of the third season of the HBO original series The Wire. The episode was written by David Simon from a story by David Simon & Ed Burns and was directed by Ernest Dickerson. It originally aired on December 19, 2004.
Spiros "Vondas" Vondopoulos is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire played by actor Paul Ben-Victor and the secondary antagonist in season 2.
Joseph Stewart, better known as "Proposition Joe" or "Prop Joe", is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by Robert F. Chew. Joe is an Eastside drug lord who prefers a peaceful solution to business disputes when possible. He is responsible for creating the lucrative New Day Co-Op with Stringer Bell, supplying much of Baltimore with heroin brought into the city by "The Greeks". Displaying a cunning, business-oriented demeanor, Joe is often a match in stature for rival drug lords Avon Barksdale and Marlo Stanfield, and is able to manipulate most situations to his advantage.
Malik "Poot" Carr is a fictional character in the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Tray Chaney. Poot is a drug dealer in the Barksdale Organization who slowly rises through the ranks. He eventually leaves the drug trade after it causes the death of his best friend Bodie Broadus and many other of his friends. He has the distinction, along with Wee-Bey Brice, Omar Little, Bubbles, and Proposition Joe, of being one of the only characters in the drug trade to appear in every season.
MauriceJ. "Maury" Levy is a fictional character in the HBO drama The Wire, played by Michael Kostroff. He is a skilled defense attorney and was kept on retainer by the Barksdale Organization, later by Proposition Joe and ultimately by the Stanfield Organization. He represented members of his clients' organizations at various criminal trials, advising them on defense strategy on charges ranging from drug trafficking, murder, and criminal possession of a weapon to parole negotiation. He also acted and advised for Barksdale Organization's front organizations and Stringer Bell's real estate business. Levy is corrupt and unscrupulous, willing to aid his clients in furtherance of their criminal activity.
The Barksdale Organization is a fictional drug-dealing gang on the television series The Wire. Many of the characters featured in season one of The Wire belong to this organization. Season 1 largely deals with the Baltimore Police Department setting up a Major Crimes Unit to investigate the Barksdale Organization, led by Avon Barksdale who is portrayed as the most powerful drug kingpin in Baltimore.
The following are characters who have worked with Omar Little on the HBO drama The Wire. Omar and his associates make their living robbing drug dealers.
On the fictional television drama The Wire, the Stanfield Organization is a criminal organization led by Marlo Stanfield. The Organization is introduced in Season Three of The Wire as a growing and significantly violent drug syndicate. Marlo has established his organization's power in West Baltimore's main streets in the shadow of the dominating Barksdale Organization, which was more concerned with conducting its activities in the Franklin Terrace Towers.
Street-level characters comprise a large part of the cast on the fictional HBO drama series The Wire. Characters in this section range from homeless drug addicts up to drug king-pins in charge of entire criminal empires.
Christopher "Chris" Partlow is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Gbenga Akinnagbe. Chris is Marlo Stanfield's second-in-command and bodyguard in his drug dealing operation. He is a minor antagonist for season 3 and the secondary antagonist in season 4 and 5 along with Felicia "Snoop" Pearson. Despite Chris's quiet demeanor he commits more murders, both on-screen and off-screen, than any other character. Although a ruthless killer, he shows genuine care towards the soldiers under his command, especially Michael Lee, whom he takes under his wing as a protégé.
Butchie is a fictional character on the HBO drama series The Wire, portrayed by S. Robert Morgan. A blind man, he runs an East-Side Baltimore bar, and is Omar Little's bank and advisor. Like his character, actor S. Robert Morgan is blind; he lost his sight to macular degeneration in his twenties.