Detective Leander Sydnor - What was the point?

I agree that the character does not have a well defined stance or feel like many of the other cast. I see him as a comrade to the crew, helping and digging in with the rest. Near the end he becomes more and more stronger on his views of justice. I also think that at the end of the series the analogy is made between the beginning of the Wire with McNulty+Judge and Sydnor+Judge. The character had a long, slow evolution, maybe some sort of a learning curve in the shadow of the other characters but he ended at a place where you feel as a viewer some sort of continuation is happening.

I really liked Sydnor, so perhaps I am a bit biased. David Simon confirmed that Sydnor represented the few hardworking, talented, and dedicated members of the force. He was an actual good guy, and in ordinary circumstances (i.e. without a self-involved, glory seeking, corrupt group of individuals more concerned about their own career progression who keep the dirty secrets of incompetent fools) Sydnor is someone who should've had his talents recognized and he should been promoted to a position of authority and influence so that his good deeds were passed on to up and coming officers and lieutenants. Therefore. Sydnor was a symbol for what the police force in Baltimore could've been if the right people were around him, and the right things were being done.

Sydnor, as you see in the final episode, turns into McNulty.

Sydnor was meant to be seen as Jimmy McNulty.

Remember the final episode showed the "origin".

• Michael - The new Omar
• Dukwon - The new Bubbles
• Sydnor - The new McNulty
• Carver - Any middle management (Burell etc...)
• Kima - the new Daniels (I'm not totally sure about this, but that's how I see it)

I think Sydnor is, in a way, supposed to represent the viewer. Over the course of five seasons, we learn nothing about his past, his personal life, or his ambitions. He is both figuratively and often times literally a passenger in the vehicle driven by Lester, McNulty and the rest of the police crew, just as we, the audience, are.

What's interesting is that Sydnor becomes progressively more active in the show's quest for justice all the way up until the point at which he becomes the 'next' McNulty in the show's final montage. I can only assume that David Simon would hope his viewers undergo a similar progression while watching the show. During the ride that is The Wire, we, like Sydnor, witness firsthand the corruption, crime, and immorality that lays waist to Baltimore's poor. By the end of it, maybe we, too, will find ourselves bending the rules in the name of justice.

Sydnor is a call to action, a plea from Simon that you didn't just watch the show for nothing.