Scene's such as this one contibuted to making the show so damn dynamic. It fucked around with the stereotypical, one-dimensional portrayal of criminals and so called thugs, and called gender constraints into question. I mean, the openly gay Omar, far from being the simpering type often characterized, is one of the most feared and dangerous people on the show. And there's a reason that Stephen King descibed Snoop Pearson as "perhaps the most terrifying female villian to ever appear on television".
Weighing into this debate, (not wanting to be confrontational) one thing which really struck me about the Wire was how emotional and poignant some scenes and story lines were. The characters of Wallace and Dukie particularly really upset me, the paths they took and how it ended for them. With Sopranos the only time I felt sadness or emotional was when Ralphie killed that stripper. Personally I did find the Sopranos more entertaining though.
