Ranking Characters Of The Wire: The Law

Not appearing until episode two of the first season, Lester was integrated slowly into the plot as he was initially presented to the Barksdale detail as an old useless detective. Lester's skills at precision and dedication made him the quintessential detective on the whole show.

A thorough detective, Lester had angered his superiors in the past by doing good police work that threatened their career ambitions and he was punished by being regulated to the pawn shop unit for fourteen years and four months. When he got the chance to work exciting cases again like the Barksdale and Stanfield investigations, Freamon shined in the role and exceeded past his colleagues as one of the most effective detectives in The Wire.

Freamon's growing frustration with the politics and corruption within the police department leads him to become disillusioned with the system he works under. After several years proving he is one of the best detectives in Baltimore, Freamon ended up feeling like that wasn't enough as he was constantly faced with blockades preventing him from doing his best work. This culminated in he and McNulty fabricating a serial killer in the city in order to provide funding for other cases.

As far fetched (for The Wire) as the scheme was, Lester's arc felt earned and his struggles with the system were well developed. In the end, Lester had to take retirement, a sad and sudden end to the career of a great detective.