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Lester Freamon: Thirteen Years. And Four Months.


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As much as Lester wanted to stop Marlo, and as sick as he was of police work being stymied by bureaucracy and politics, I don't believe Lester would go along with McNulty in perpetrating the fake serial killer.

 

The fake serial killer was true to McNulty's character, but I don't think it was true to Lester's.  Lester was smart enough to know if they were caught, it would call into question every arrest he ever made, and every conviction based on his evidence.  Jimmy would be in too much of a hurry, or too stupid, to care that the fake serial killer would be a defense attorney's wet dream, but Lester wouldn't.

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I'm watching season 1 now and I still get giddy when the detail discovers that Lester is natural police and not a hump playing with his miniature toys.


As much as Lester wanted to stop Marlo, and as sick as he was of police work being stymied by bureaucracy and politics, I don't believe Lester would go along with McNulty in perpetrating the fake serial killer.

I actually thought Lester would go along. Though he wasn't as bad as McNulty, I think Lester was arrogant as well. He was definitely natural police, as was McNulty, but he also had an ego. To a point, I think Marlo was to Lester what Stringer was to McNulty. Again, Lester wasn't as out there as Jimmy but I think they were a lot alike.

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I think the show set Lester up to go either way.  I was able to buy that he threw in with McNulty.

What was brilliant, I think, was to designate Bunk as the disgusted one.  That was a great situation to put him in - torn between what he thought was right vs his complicated feelings about McNulty.

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On 30/12/2014 at 2:10 AM, Constantinople said:

As much as Lester wanted to stop Marlo, and as sick as he was of police work being stymied by bureaucracy and politics, I don't believe Lester would go along with McNulty in perpetrating the fake serial killer.

 

The fake serial killer was true to McNulty's character, but I don't think it was true to Lester's.  Lester was smart enough to know if they were caught, it would call into question every arrest he ever made, and every conviction based on his evidence.  Jimmy would be in too much of a hurry, or too stupid, to care that the fake serial killer would be a defense attorney's wet dream, but Lester wouldn't.

After watching the show a couple of times over now, I share your view on Lester in season 5. Lester was definitely his own man during the first four seasons; he was discrete, dedicated, a realist and methodical. He knew when to push the buttons of his superiors, but would rarely come to blows; unlike McNutty, who wanted everything his way even if it meant going toe-to-toe with the likes of Daniels and Rawls. 

Mac went completely off the curve in season 5 with the serial killer story arc, but you could somehow believe in his actions given that he had no social life and simply lived for the police work. But Lester really jumped the shark to want to play along with McNutty's outrageous behaviour. Why risk a good pension & respectability for such a crazy and underhand plan?

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Prepare to be jealous because I'm just now watching, for the first time.  Thanks, HBO--this series was always on my bucket list.  Happily binging.

 

Loooooving Freamon, the "natural cop."  What a terrific character!  I was waiting for the quiet cat in the sweater vest to stand up and take on a personality . . . and waiting . . . and waiting.  Ah, there we go.  Excellent.

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Watching for the first time too!

I was afraid of being disappointed by the "cult status". I won't lie, the pilot felt like homework but I am so glad I didn't let that discouraged me.

Mayor surprise, Lace Reddick and Aidan Gillen, I knew about most of the cast, but not them. Good Lord, I love Lance Reddick since Fringe.

Love season 1 but season 2 has been heaven. I didn't know it was so unpopular, at least while it was first aired because I think is a precision machine.

Now I'm half away season 3,  Avon and Stringer Bell dance is the juicy plot, everything else isn't hooking me up much, but it never stops of being interesting.

Edited by smoker
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On 9/30/2017 at 5:56 AM, smoker said:

Watching for the first time too!

I was afraid of being disappointed by the "cult status". I won't lie, the pilot felt like homework but I am so glad I didn't let that discouraged me.

Mayor surprise, Lace Reddick and Aidan Gillen, I knew about most of the cast, but not them. Good Lord, I love Lance Reddick since Fringe.

Love season 1 but season 2 has been heaven. I didn't know it was so unpopular, at least while it was first aired because I think is a precision machine.

Now I'm half away season 3,  Avon and Stringer Bell dance is the juicy plot, everything else isn't hooking me up much, but it never stops of being interesting.

I enjoyed Season 2 a LOT more when rewatching it.   I think the change of setting to the docks and all the new characters were harder to get used to the first time around.  But, on the rewatch, I think I'd put 2 right up there with 4 and 1 as tossups for my favorite season.  

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On 11/27/2017 at 3:16 PM, GodsBeloved said:

That's natural po-lice ;)

That brings up the question of who qualified as "natural po-lice" on the show.

Obviously Jimmy and Lester.  I think Kima (though she loses points for not knowing who No Heart Antnee" was )and probably Bunny Colvin as well.

Bunk may have been.  I get the sense Landsman probably was, though we don't see a whole lot of police work from him.

Carver might have been, once he unlearned all the "Western District Way" crap that screwed him up in the beginning of his career. 

Edited by Bryce Lynch
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I think there were only two occasions in the entire show where I saw Lester go a little ape-shit!

In season 3, he and Jimmy went toe2toe regarding police procedures, with Mcnulty basically saying "f**k him, f**k procedure and f**k you, Lester!" 

And then in a latter episode of Season 5, Lester goes mad on newly promoted Deputy Commissioner Daniels, demanding more resources in order to get Marlo Stansfield, showing little or no respect for his rank. But that's also when Daniels loses his cool by shouting him down.

Other than that, Lester was a pretty cool cat, albeit  a little stand-offish to begin with. 

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