Poot Carr
Encyclopedia
Malik "Poot" Carr is a fictional character
on 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, but ends up serving time in prison as his institution collapses around him. His time in prison proves to be short, however, and he rejoins his old partners on the drug corners shortly after his release. Eventually, due to the violent nature of the drug trade and the loss of many friends, Poot "outgrows" the lifestyle and pursues a legitimate profession. He has the distinction, along with Wee-Bey Brice
and Proposition Joe Stewart, of being the only characters in the drug trade to appear in every season.
Of the seventeen front-line Barksdale Organization gang members to feature in Season One to Season Three, twelve die during the course of the show and three more are imprisoned with long sentences. Poot in many ways is the "sole survivor," and the foil to the heavy casualties suffered particularly by Barksdale's organisation. This is despite the fact that he survives being shot at three times, more times than any other character except Omar Little
. He distinguishes himself from the other remaining survivor, Slim Charles
, as the only one able to move on in life after the organization's collapse.
, and is friends with fellow dealers Bodie
and Wallace
. He has a very active sex life, and at one point the Barksdale detail listen in on him having phone sex with a girlfriend.
Poot is trapped in the stash house with other members of his crew when it is robbed by Omar. Although he doesn't get hurt, Poot is terrified enough to vomit when Omar leaves. He and Wallace spot Brandon, Omar's boyfriend and accomplice in the heist. Wallace reports the sighting to D'Angelo, even though Poot doesn't believe anyone will come. Stringer Bell
arrives soon afterwards with a trio of enforcers. Poot is not as affected as Wallace by the body of Brandon being displayed in their neighborhood as a warning to Omar. The trauma drives Wallace to stop working for the organization. Poot tries to get him to return to work, but he is unsuccessful. Poot follows Wallace and realizes he has turned to drugs to escape his problems. He covers for Wallace with D'Angelo for some time but eventually tells him the truth.
Poot's close friendship with Wallace is evident as he stays in constant touch with Wallace after the police move Wallace away to the country. Wallace tells Poot he has chosen to move to live with relatives. During the lead up to the hit, Poot's closer friendship with Wallace made him the less confident of the two; however, when they cornered a fearful Wallace, who pleaded with his friends, Bodie showed much more hesitation. Only after Poot urged him to finish it did he pull the trigger. Although Bodie fired the initial shot, Poot took the gun from him and finished Wallace off himself, wanting to free his friend from his suffering. After the arrest of his one-time mentor and crew chief D'Angelo, Poot's willingness to continue to serve the Barksdale Organization was shown when he stepped into the position by helping Bodie physically force away a rival drug gang.
of the season premiere
, Poot expresses his sadness at the loss of the towers, revealing that he lost his virginity
in one of the buildings. It is during this sequence that Bodie reveals Poot's given name to be Malik Carr. Poot remains in charge of his own crew now working on a street corner. The Barksdale organization becomes embroiled in a turf war with the rival Stanfield crew
. Barksdale enforcer Slim Charles
assures Poot that he will be safe to keep selling narcotics and provides him with more muscle as protection. Poot narrowly escapes being shot in a drive-by on his corner carried out by Stanfield soldier Snoop, which kills Barksdale soldier Rico. At the close of season three Poot is arrested alongside Avon Barksdale
and others, implicated in drug dealing by a police wiretap.
, but does not seem to mind the change too much.
Poot is a source of advice for Bodie, who often looked to his old (and last surviving) friend for help when trying to determine how to view Marlo's cutthroat operations. Poot was with Bodie and Spider when Marlo's crew attacks his corner. When it becomes clear that they are outnumbered, and that Bodie would not listen to his word, Poot fled the scene while Bodie chose to fight. Bodie is soon shot to death. When Jimmy McNulty
later asks Poot who killed Bodie, Poot tells him that he blames the police for his friend's murder, as Bodie was seen getting into a car with McNulty by Stanfield's lieutenant, Monk.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
on the HBO drama The Wire
The Wire (TV series)
The Wire is an American television drama series set and produced in and around Baltimore, Maryland. Created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon, the series was broadcast by the premium cable network HBO in the United States...
, played by actor Tray Chaney
Tray Chaney
Tray Chaney is an American actor. He appeared on the HBO program The Wire as Poot Carr.Chaney began his entertainment career as a dancer at the age of four winning competitions at the Apollo Theater. He appeared in the 2003 music video "My Baby" by rap artist Bow Wow. He later appeared in The Wire...
. Poot is a drug dealer in the Barksdale Organization
Barksdale Organization
In the television series The Wire, the fictional Barksdale Organization led by Avon Barksdale began as the most powerful and violent drug crew in Baltimore, Maryland and was the main focus of investigation in seasons one and three...
who slowly rises through the ranks, but ends up serving time in prison as his institution collapses around him. His time in prison proves to be short, however, and he rejoins his old partners on the drug corners shortly after his release. Eventually, due to the violent nature of the drug trade and the loss of many friends, Poot "outgrows" the lifestyle and pursues a legitimate profession. He has the distinction, along with Wee-Bey Brice
Wee-Bey Brice
Roland "Wee-Bey" Brice is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Hassan Johnson. Wee-Bey was the Barksdale Organization's most trusted soldier before being sentenced to life imprisonment for multiple homicides....
and Proposition Joe Stewart, of being the only characters in the drug trade to appear in every season.
Of the seventeen front-line Barksdale Organization gang members to feature in Season One to Season Three, twelve die during the course of the show and three more are imprisoned with long sentences. Poot in many ways is the "sole survivor," and the foil to the heavy casualties suffered particularly by Barksdale's organisation. This is despite the fact that he survives being shot at three times, more times than any other character except Omar Little
Omar Little
Omar Devone Little is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, portrayed by Michael K. Williams. Omar is a renowned stick-up man who lives by a strict moral code and never deviates from his rules, foremost of which is that he never robs or menaces people who are not involved in "the game"....
. He distinguishes himself from the other remaining survivor, Slim Charles
Slim Charles
Slim Charles is a fictional member of the drug trade 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 Stewart, he shows integrity, loyalty and competence throughout his career.The saga of the...
, as the only one able to move on in life after the organization's collapse.
Season 1
In season one Poot works in the low rise projects territory called "the pit" under D'Angelo BarksdaleD'Angelo Barksdale
D'Angelo "D" Barksdale is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire played by actor Larry Gilliard Jr. D'Angelo is the nephew of Avon Barksdale and a lieutenant in his drug dealing organization which controls most of the trade in West Baltimore...
, and is friends with fellow dealers Bodie
Bodie Broadus
Preston "Bodie" Broadus is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor J. D. Williams. Bodie is initially a Barksdale organization drug dealer in "The Pit" who slowly rises through the ranks...
and Wallace
Wallace (The Wire)
Wallace is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Michael B. Jordan. Wallace is a 16-year-old drug dealer for the Barksdale Organization, who works in the low-rise projects crew known as "The Pit" with his friends and fellow dealers Bodie Broadus and Poot Carr...
. He has a very active sex life, and at one point the Barksdale detail listen in on him having phone sex with a girlfriend.
Poot is trapped in the stash house with other members of his crew when it is robbed by Omar. Although he doesn't get hurt, Poot is terrified enough to vomit when Omar leaves. He and Wallace spot Brandon, Omar's boyfriend and accomplice in the heist. Wallace reports the sighting to D'Angelo, even though Poot doesn't believe anyone will come. Stringer Bell
Stringer Bell
Russell "Stringer" Bell is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by English actor Idris Elba. Bell served as drug kingpin Avon Barksdale's second in command, assuming direct control of the Barksdale Organization during Avon's imprisonment...
arrives soon afterwards with a trio of enforcers. Poot is not as affected as Wallace by the body of Brandon being displayed in their neighborhood as a warning to Omar. The trauma drives Wallace to stop working for the organization. Poot tries to get him to return to work, but he is unsuccessful. Poot follows Wallace and realizes he has turned to drugs to escape his problems. He covers for Wallace with D'Angelo for some time but eventually tells him the truth.
Poot's close friendship with Wallace is evident as he stays in constant touch with Wallace after the police move Wallace away to the country. Wallace tells Poot he has chosen to move to live with relatives. During the lead up to the hit, Poot's closer friendship with Wallace made him the less confident of the two; however, when they cornered a fearful Wallace, who pleaded with his friends, Bodie showed much more hesitation. Only after Poot urged him to finish it did he pull the trigger. Although Bodie fired the initial shot, Poot took the gun from him and finished Wallace off himself, wanting to free his friend from his suffering. After the arrest of his one-time mentor and crew chief D'Angelo, Poot's willingness to continue to serve the Barksdale Organization was shown when he stepped into the position by helping Bodie physically force away a rival drug gang.
Season 2
In season two Poot is rewarded with a promotion to D'Angelo's old position in charge of drug dealing in the pit. However, he has difficulty controlling his subordinates and struggles with the poor quality product available to the crew. He is significant enough to the organization to attend Stringer's strategy meetings at the funeral home. He continues to work with Bodie who is now in control of his own tower and overseeing the pit. Bodie and Poot become embroiled in a turf dispute with an independent crew that leads to a firefight, in which Bodie, Poot and Puddin fight off six attackers and a child is killed by a stray bullet.Season 3
In season three the Barksdale organization is forced out of its prime territory by the demolition of the tower buildings - in the cold openCold open
A cold open in a television program or movie is the technique of jumping directly into a story at the beginning or opening of the show, before the title sequence or opening credits are shown...
of the season premiere
Time After Time (The Wire episode)
"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...
, Poot expresses his sadness at the loss of the towers, revealing that he lost his virginity
Virginity
Virginity refers to the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. There are cultural and religious traditions which place special value and significance on this state, especially in the case of unmarried females, associated with notions of personal purity, honor and worth...
in one of the buildings. It is during this sequence that Bodie reveals Poot's given name to be Malik Carr. Poot remains in charge of his own crew now working on a street corner. The Barksdale organization becomes embroiled in a turf war with the rival Stanfield crew
Stanfield Organization
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...
. Barksdale enforcer Slim Charles
Slim Charles
Slim Charles is a fictional member of the drug trade 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 Stewart, he shows integrity, loyalty and competence throughout his career.The saga of the...
assures Poot that he will be safe to keep selling narcotics and provides him with more muscle as protection. Poot narrowly escapes being shot in a drive-by on his corner carried out by Stanfield soldier Snoop, which kills Barksdale soldier Rico. At the close of season three Poot is arrested alongside Avon Barksdale
Avon Barksdale
Avon Randolph Barksdale is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire portrayed by actor Wood Harris. Avon is the dominant drug dealer of Baltimore's West Side, running the Barksdale Organization...
and others, implicated in drug dealing by a police wiretap.
Season 4
Poot is released from prison after serving 15 months of a four-year prison sentence and immediately goes back to work with Bodie's crew. He is unhappy to learn that they are now working under Avon's old rival MarloMarlo Stanfield
Marlo "Black" Stanfield is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Jamie Hector. Stanfield is a young, ruthless and ambitious player in the Baltimore drug trade who gains control of West Baltimore and is the head of his own drug crew.-Character background and plot...
, but does not seem to mind the change too much.
Poot is a source of advice for Bodie, who often looked to his old (and last surviving) friend for help when trying to determine how to view Marlo's cutthroat operations. Poot was with Bodie and Spider when Marlo's crew attacks his corner. When it becomes clear that they are outnumbered, and that Bodie would not listen to his word, Poot fled the scene while Bodie chose to fight. Bodie is soon shot to death. When Jimmy McNulty
Jimmy McNulty
Detective James "Jimmy" McNulty is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by British actor Dominic West. McNulty is an Irish American detective in the Baltimore Police Department...
later asks Poot who killed Bodie, Poot tells him that he blames the police for his friend's murder, as Bodie was seen getting into a car with McNulty by Stanfield's lieutenant, Monk.