Sam Hurd Vs. The Wire and Breaking Bad Pt. 2

You can check out numbers 30-16 here if you haven’t already, but in honor of Sam Hurd here are the top 15 coolest/best drug players from The Wire and Breaking Bad.  Again spoilers all over the place so beware.

#15) Don Eladio, Breaking Bad- Don Eladio really didn’t appear that often in Breaking Bad, so admittedly a lot his ranking is due to Steven Bauer’s role in Scarface.  But in Breaking Bad, Don Eladio ran shit.  He owned a lot of land and had a lot of money.

Hector Salamanca -- Breaking Bad (Wiki)

#14) Hector “Tio” Salamanca, Breaking Bad- After suffering a stroke, Hector Salamanca’s only form of communication is ringing a bell in his wheelchair. Throughout the course of the show, especially the season 4 finale, that distinct “ding” etched its way into my memory.  Even when he was stuck in his wheelchair he was able to kill two people in the most badass way imaginable.  Hats off to whoever this actor is Mark Margolis for showing so much emotion without saying a word.

#13) Michael, The Wire- As the series ends it’s clear Michael is going to settle into the role of Omar but while he was on the show Michael was a damn good drug dealer.  Michael seamlessly switched off between taking care of his younger brother and killing people.  And he was one step ahead of Marlo and Snoop in what would have been his time to go.

#12) Skyler White, Breaking Bad- Skyler is the first female to make the list and if you only watched the first three seasons there is no way she would make it.  But in the fourth season Skyler dove head first into the drug game, laundering whatever she could of all the money Walter was earning.  She also takes the lead directing Walt what to do and say to make his story seem more realistic.  Her steady character shift made her less likable but infinitely more badass.

#11) Snoop, The Wire- Snoop is the last female to make the list, but I’m guessing a few of you weren’t sure if she was a girl or boy in her first few episodes.  Interestingly enough, the only time Snoop ever acted “feminine” was in her last scene when she asked Michael, “How’s my hair look?”  Gender analysis aside Snoop was great.  From the hilarious scene where she bought a nail gun to my favorite line of hers, “Deserve got nothing to do wit’ it” Snoop was one of the all time greats from The Wire.

#10) Mike, Breaking Bad- Mike serves as the best hit man in either show.  He’s cunning and calm in every single scene and even serves as a mentor for Jesse in season four.  One of my favorite Mike scenes was when he had a car full of balloons, gave one to his granddaughter, and used the rest as a part of an elaborate scheme to kill somebody.

Preston Broadus -- The Wire (Wiki)

#9) Preston 'Bodie' Broadus, The Wire- Like Wallace and D’angelo before him, Bodie’s personal feelings led to his death.  He was upset the way Marlo was murdering people and talked with McNulty.  But in his final scene, he stayed on his corner firing bullets into the street at people he couldn’t see.  Poot ran, he stayed.  The highlight of Bodie’s career for me was finally earning the respect of Carver and the police force after years of befuddling Baltimore Police.

#8) Avon Barksdale, The Wire- Avon was obviously a great character in The Wire.  He was tranquil but hard, generous but money-oriented.  However, there was something that was always missing from him.  Perhaps it was because he was juxtaposed with Stringer and could never live up to his #2 man.

#7) Sam Hurd, Real Life- I have so many questions about Sam Hurd.  He was reportedly trying to buy 1,000 pounds of marijuana and up to 10 kilograms of cocaine a week, 52,000 pounds of weed and 520 kilos of cocaine a year.  How does an NFL player become a high-level drug dealer in Chicago?  He was reportedly dealing to players; did most of his teammates know playing for the Bears was just a side gig?  Was he wearing his jersey when he was caught?

#6) The Greek, The Wire- Like all of the successful drug dealers on these shows, The Greek is always composed and unaffected.  When his #2, Vondas, met with potential clients he was always in the diner sitting at the counter, listening.  When his people would kill somebody, they made sure it would be difficult to identify the body.  At the end of season two it looked as if he we was going to be caught, but of course, he wasn’t.

#5) Gustavo Fring, Breaking Bad- Like most of the good drug dealers, The Chicken Man showed little emotion and was willing to dispose of people causing him grievance.  However what set him apart from everyone else was his different personalities.  When dealing with Walter and Jesse he was stern and commanding, however in his restaurant, Los Pollos Hermanos, and around the DEA Gus was friendly and charming.  In this way he reminds you of that friend in high school who was a bro around you but a choir boy around your parents.  Unfortunately his death will always be tainted for me, due to him adjusting his tie whilst missing half of his face.

#4) Jesse Pinkman, Breaking Bad- Jesse Pinkman has changed the most over the four seasons of Breaking Bad.  In the first season Walter was the sympathetic character while Jesse seemed like dead weight.  As the series went on we were opened up to the real personalities behind each character.  Jesse was affectionate and emotional as Walter continued his crazy antics.  It seems like Breaking Bad will face off Jesse and Walter in season five and hopefully Jesse will prevail.

#3) Stringer Bell, The Wire- Stringer Bell, a man without a country.  Well, screw national pride then.  Stringer knew how to play the game, and it was a different game than Avon was playing but Stringer was damn good at it.  He would have made it out alive, and with a lump of cash, if Avon wasn’t so set on sending a message and running his corners.  There’s games beyond the fucking game, and Stringer knew that.

#2) Walter White, Breaking Bad- Along with being the most arrogant douchebag on either show, Walter White is the smartest.  Chemical background excluded, his wits are unmatched.  On Breaking Bad, Walter would start a plan and then two or three steps later the viewers would realize what he was up to.  His elaborate scheme at the end of season four fooled Jesse, Gus, and viewers alike.  But he is also an atomic asshole.  Time and time again he patronizes Jesse and Skyler.  Never was he as bigheaded as the time he proclaimed, “I am the one who knocks!”  Bryan Cranston is awesome.

#1) Marlo Stanfield, The Wire- Marlo Stanfield didn’t give a fuck.  In the last episodes he had has chance to leave the game for good while still making money.  It’s ironic that this is what Stringer had been looking for his whole life and it just fell into the lap of Marlo, someone who couldn’t care less about making clean money and eventually turned it down.  Right after he turns this life down he goes back to his corner, in a tailored suit no less, and makes sure people know who Marlo Stanfield is.  After all, his name is his name.