You Owe It to Yourself to Watch Michael K. Williams and Anthony Bourdain Explore Brooklyn

RIP to two of the greatest.

michael k williams posing over brooklyn
Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for ABA
Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for ABA

As the devastating news spread yesterday that the beloved actor Michael K. Williams had died at his home in Brooklyn at the age of 54, fans and colleagues remembered his astounding work in film and television. Plenty mourned him by referencing his indelible work as Omar Little on The Wire, one of the greatest television characters of all time. Others remembered his currently Emmy nominated work in Lovecraft Country. But one appearance that featured Williams simply as himself takes on a new level of profundity. 

On the series finale of Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations, which first aired in 2012, Bourdain and Williams walked around Williams' home neighborhood of East Flatbush. They eventually make their way over to Crown Heights where they eat at the famed Caribbean restaurant Gloria's and coincidentally run into Jamie Hector, who co-starred with Williams on The Wire.

It makes sense that people are highlighting this clip. A sense of immense loss runs through it. Neither Bourdain nor Williams is with us anymore. Gloria's shut down last year. But at the same time, it's so full of joy. They chow down on oxtail and goat, sticking their forks in each other's trays. But even before they get to the eating part of the episode, their stroll down Williams' old block, his little barking dog in tow, is exuberant. They can't make it two steps without being stopped by someone who knows Williams. Bourdain mentions that he introduces everyone by the contents of their fridge. "Everybody knows I was always hungry, I was always in the fridge," Williams says. 

Williams was known for playing characters—like Omar, like Chalky White on Boardwalk Empire—who often maintained tough exteriors that masked their inner lives. Here, on No Reservations, it's all Williams, no filter, a glimpse at the person he was. You can watch the full episode on the Travel Channel's website with a cable login, and you owe it to yourself to do so. 

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Esther Zuckerman is a senior entertainment writer at Thrillist. Follow her on Twitter @ezwrites.