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The Long Arm Of The Law - Cancelled
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<blockquote data-quote="Mel O&#039;Drama" data-source="post: 148961" data-attributes="member: 23"><p>If Jill Bennett qualifies for this round there will be some amendments to my top five.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>1. </strong></p><p><strong>Lt. Janet Baines</strong></p><p><strong><em>Knots Landing</em></strong></p><p><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Coon0jEOnwM/UoeMBtBB0pI/AAAAAAAAEiw/lrSbwOilqHs/s1600/Baines3.JPG" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p>The embodiment of the old adage “Leave ‘em wanting more”. And I was certainly left wanting to <em>know</em> more.</p><p></p><p>Arriving at a time when for the first time the entire <em>Knots</em> ensemble was involved in a key dramatic story, Janet had everything needed to enhance the storyline. She had an edge. She had ambition, instinct, objectivity. She had history with one of the key players.</p><p></p><p>In spite of the flirtation with Mack, Baines also felt very genderless as a character. In the best possible way. Joanna Pettet could hold her own with any of the <em>Knots</em> cast in the beautiful people stakes. But that wasn’t on the page. First and foremost she was a professional cop. And a good one. And yet her gender <em>was</em> significant to the story. She didn’t have the urge to protect Valene (if anything, she seemed half amused/half appalled at Val’s permanently exposed nerves). Nor would any of Abby’s Catherine Tramellian distractions be effective.</p><p></p><p>Baines brought life to the screen in all her scenes. She was compelling to watch and had very impressive chemistry with the entire main cast. So much so I remain very surprised that she wasn’t on the show for longer à la Teri Austin.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>2.</strong></p><p><strong>Det. Nick Morrison </strong></p><p><strong><em>Knots Landing</em></strong></p><p><img src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tI2folvoQ3E/WE2mevACMQI/AAAAAAAABQ4/PF5Id-wfRVgWOqPFbFbxkJqYsq35LYnUACLcB/s1600/Kahan.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p>It would be very easy to overlook Morrison’s role in <em>Knots</em> - so effectively low key did Steve Kahan play it. But he’s not to be underestimated. Arriving in the midst of Ciji’s murder mystery and sticking around long enough to see Wolfbridge reach its messy conclusion, Morrison’s role - especially in his first storyline - was as part of a Greek Chorus, commenting objectively on the melodrama the characters - and the audience - had become so used to that it had become the norm. Years before Jill Bennett would put her finger so unerringly on Val and Gary’s dysfunctional dynamic (among other things), so too would Baines and Morrison (as good a title as any for the <em>Knots</em> spin-off that could have been).</p><p></p><p>It was a bold move in 1983 for two semi-regulars to pull apart the very thing that makes soap soap. Yet here was hard-boiled, square jawed cop Morrison dissecting the characters without sentiment or subjectivity from the safety of being so far removed he practically belonged to a different genre. It was almost as though Kahan had wandered onto the wrong lot. And that’s what made it so very effective.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>3.</strong></p><p><strong>Sheriff Fenton Washburn</strong></p><p><strong><em>Dallas</em></strong></p><p><img src="https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/dallas/images/d/dd/Sheriff_Washburn_Dallas.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20160115114232" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p>One of those comfortingly familiar tertiary characters that enriched the <em>Dallas</em> landscape. It was always interesting to see his servile interactions with the Ewings, especially those awkward moments where he needed to arrest one of them. I found him consistently likeable.</p><p></p><p>On a kind of related note, some years ago when I watched <em>One Tree Hill </em>I was very impressed by Barry Corbin’s portrayal of Whitey. It took me a while to realise this was the same actor who played Fenton, so different a character was he. So it’s hard now to think of that slightly inept cop from <em>Dallas</em> without seeing a heavyweight actor.</p><p></p><p>[MEDIA=youtube]AHfkjDF--iQ[/MEDIA]</p><p></p><p>[MEDIA=youtube]WGfRHEw2nCY[/MEDIA]</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>4.</strong></p><p><strong>District Attorney Jake Dunham</strong></p><p><strong><em>Dynasty</em></strong></p><p><img src="https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/carringtondynasty/images/1/1e/Jake_Dunham.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20160307124511" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p>As [USER=82]@Toni[/USER] said, he was there for <em>Dynasty’s</em> seminal cliffhanger, cross examining virtually all the main players including Alexis’s iconic first scene in the stand. And therefore straddling two tonally different seasons.</p><p></p><p>His backstory with Matthew, established a few episodes before his main arc, brought some added facets and tied him soapily into the history of the characters. But regardless, once Brian Dennehy got to flex those imposing muscles, Jake became a force to be reckoned with and a character that commanded the audience’s attention as he attempted to take down the series lead.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>5.</strong></p><p><strong>Sgt. John Zorelli</strong></p><p><strong><em>Dynasty</em></strong></p><p><img src="https://alchetron.com/cdn/ray-abruzzo-69a71e93-a24e-4547-8d63-ffcb4c97882-resize-750.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p>Being right in the thick of <em>Dynasty’s</em> gloriously gothic final arc. Simultaneously gathering evidence against Blake while dating his daughter. Zorelli himself wasn’t my favourite thing about the Ninth Season. I didn’t care for the way he was written much of the time. Italian-American stereotypes abounded in every episode: if he wasn’t making - or discussing the making of - pasta, he was eating pizza or singing <em>That’s Amore</em> in the shower.</p><p></p><p>That said, Ray Abruzzo’s portrayal kept him on the right side of one-dimensional. And Zorelli’s presence was good for the show, showing us new colours in Fallon, adding some tension and animating things in a way they hadn’t been before.</p><p></p><p>Throw in Nazi treasure, a corrupt Captain and necrophiliac dream sequences and it’s plain to see that the competition facing Zorelli was anything but predictable soap fare.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>A mention to…</p><p></p><p><strong>Assistant District Attorney Cliff Barnes</strong></p><p><strong><em>Dallas</em></strong></p><p><img src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTYzNjI0MDkzNV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwOTE4ODEyMjE@._V1_.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p>I’m not quite sure which other eras of Cliff qualify for this round, but his role as Assistant D.A. ticked a lot of boxes, not least adding considerable fuel to the Barnes/Ewing feud and putting a strain on relationships within the show. All of which have to be a good thing in the dramatic stakes.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Mel O'Drama, post: 148961, member: 23"] If Jill Bennett qualifies for this round there will be some amendments to my top five. [B]1. Lt. Janet Baines [I]Knots Landing[/I][/B] [IMG]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Coon0jEOnwM/UoeMBtBB0pI/AAAAAAAAEiw/lrSbwOilqHs/s1600/Baines3.JPG[/IMG] The embodiment of the old adage “Leave ‘em wanting more”. And I was certainly left wanting to [I]know[/I] more. Arriving at a time when for the first time the entire [I]Knots[/I] ensemble was involved in a key dramatic story, Janet had everything needed to enhance the storyline. She had an edge. She had ambition, instinct, objectivity. She had history with one of the key players. In spite of the flirtation with Mack, Baines also felt very genderless as a character. In the best possible way. Joanna Pettet could hold her own with any of the [I]Knots[/I] cast in the beautiful people stakes. But that wasn’t on the page. First and foremost she was a professional cop. And a good one. And yet her gender [I]was[/I] significant to the story. She didn’t have the urge to protect Valene (if anything, she seemed half amused/half appalled at Val’s permanently exposed nerves). Nor would any of Abby’s Catherine Tramellian distractions be effective. Baines brought life to the screen in all her scenes. She was compelling to watch and had very impressive chemistry with the entire main cast. So much so I remain very surprised that she wasn’t on the show for longer à la Teri Austin. [B]2. Det. Nick Morrison [I]Knots Landing[/I][/B] [IMG]https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tI2folvoQ3E/WE2mevACMQI/AAAAAAAABQ4/PF5Id-wfRVgWOqPFbFbxkJqYsq35LYnUACLcB/s1600/Kahan.jpg[/IMG] It would be very easy to overlook Morrison’s role in [I]Knots[/I] - so effectively low key did Steve Kahan play it. But he’s not to be underestimated. Arriving in the midst of Ciji’s murder mystery and sticking around long enough to see Wolfbridge reach its messy conclusion, Morrison’s role - especially in his first storyline - was as part of a Greek Chorus, commenting objectively on the melodrama the characters - and the audience - had become so used to that it had become the norm. Years before Jill Bennett would put her finger so unerringly on Val and Gary’s dysfunctional dynamic (among other things), so too would Baines and Morrison (as good a title as any for the [I]Knots[/I] spin-off that could have been). It was a bold move in 1983 for two semi-regulars to pull apart the very thing that makes soap soap. Yet here was hard-boiled, square jawed cop Morrison dissecting the characters without sentiment or subjectivity from the safety of being so far removed he practically belonged to a different genre. It was almost as though Kahan had wandered onto the wrong lot. And that’s what made it so very effective. [B]3. Sheriff Fenton Washburn [I]Dallas[/I][/B] [IMG]https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/dallas/images/d/dd/Sheriff_Washburn_Dallas.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20160115114232[/IMG] One of those comfortingly familiar tertiary characters that enriched the [I]Dallas[/I] landscape. It was always interesting to see his servile interactions with the Ewings, especially those awkward moments where he needed to arrest one of them. I found him consistently likeable. On a kind of related note, some years ago when I watched [I]One Tree Hill [/I]I was very impressed by Barry Corbin’s portrayal of Whitey. It took me a while to realise this was the same actor who played Fenton, so different a character was he. So it’s hard now to think of that slightly inept cop from [I]Dallas[/I] without seeing a heavyweight actor. [MEDIA=youtube]AHfkjDF--iQ[/MEDIA] [MEDIA=youtube]WGfRHEw2nCY[/MEDIA] [B]4. District Attorney Jake Dunham [I]Dynasty[/I][/B] [IMG]https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/carringtondynasty/images/1/1e/Jake_Dunham.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20160307124511[/IMG] As [USER=82]@Toni[/USER] said, he was there for [I]Dynasty’s[/I] seminal cliffhanger, cross examining virtually all the main players including Alexis’s iconic first scene in the stand. And therefore straddling two tonally different seasons. His backstory with Matthew, established a few episodes before his main arc, brought some added facets and tied him soapily into the history of the characters. But regardless, once Brian Dennehy got to flex those imposing muscles, Jake became a force to be reckoned with and a character that commanded the audience’s attention as he attempted to take down the series lead. [B]5. Sgt. John Zorelli [I]Dynasty[/I][/B] [IMG]https://alchetron.com/cdn/ray-abruzzo-69a71e93-a24e-4547-8d63-ffcb4c97882-resize-750.jpg[/IMG] Being right in the thick of [I]Dynasty’s[/I] gloriously gothic final arc. Simultaneously gathering evidence against Blake while dating his daughter. Zorelli himself wasn’t my favourite thing about the Ninth Season. I didn’t care for the way he was written much of the time. Italian-American stereotypes abounded in every episode: if he wasn’t making - or discussing the making of - pasta, he was eating pizza or singing [I]That’s Amore[/I] in the shower. That said, Ray Abruzzo’s portrayal kept him on the right side of one-dimensional. And Zorelli’s presence was good for the show, showing us new colours in Fallon, adding some tension and animating things in a way they hadn’t been before. Throw in Nazi treasure, a corrupt Captain and necrophiliac dream sequences and it’s plain to see that the competition facing Zorelli was anything but predictable soap fare. A mention to… [B]Assistant District Attorney Cliff Barnes [I]Dallas[/I][/B] [IMG]https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTYzNjI0MDkzNV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwOTE4ODEyMjE@._V1_.jpg[/IMG] I’m not quite sure which other eras of Cliff qualify for this round, but his role as Assistant D.A. ticked a lot of boxes, not least adding considerable fuel to the Barnes/Ewing feud and putting a strain on relationships within the show. All of which have to be a good thing in the dramatic stakes. [/QUOTE]
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