Post by Techguy on Apr 28, 2008 1:02:03 GMT -5
From the Evening Sun:
'Law & Order' character deserved a better send-off
By CAITLIN HEANEY
Evening Sun Reporter[/b]
Article Launched: 04/27/2008 04:06:22 AM EDT
One of my favorite television characters is no more. Wednesday night's episode of "Law & Order" ended the career of Det. Ed Green (Jesse L. Martin), who left the squad amid controversy surrounding an underground casino and a shot man.
I'll miss Martin on the show, known for having a revolving door when it comes to casting. Since Jerry Orbach left his part playing Green's veteran partner, Det. Lennie Briscoe, several years ago (Orbach died not long after), Martin has provided a sense of continuity to the show. His partners, the assistant district attorneys and their bosses may have changed, but having a steady presence in Martin's character helped keep the series afloat - and kept me watching.
Martin put up with his fair share of changes. Taking over for Benjamin Bratt, Martin joined Orbach to create one of my favorite detective duos in the show's nearly two-decade history. The pair clicked together, with Briscoe's snarky, witty personality contrasting Green's calm but tough-when-he-needed-to-be temperament. Chris Noth's Det. Mike Logan arguably might have been Briscoe's best partner during the course of the show, but Green comes in a close second.
Orbach left "Law & Order" in 2004, and Martin picked up with Dennis Farina, whose character, Det. Joe Fontana, reminded me of the show's early days, when detectives weren't afraid of roughing up a thug and talked with enough New York accent to seem believable (at least believable enough to us non-New Yorkers).
But Farina only stuck around for a couple of seasons and never had time to develop his character beyond the slick suits he sported around town. Green and Fontana had more friction between their styles of doing business than some of the other partnerships out there, but there was little more between them to make their relationship interesting.
Martin's character picked up a new partner in the show's much-hyped first female detective, Det. Nina Cassady (Milena Govich). Govich did not have much to work with in the cookie-cutter, one-dimensional part she was given, and her attempts at pushing her character's limits ended up looking more like over-the-top acting. Martin, stuck with playing the senior partner, seemed to be tiring of the constant changing.
Martin stuck around long enough to find his character with a fourth and final partner, Jeremy Sisto's Det. Cyrus Lupo. Audiences barely had any time to get to know this new, edgy partnership because this time, it was Martin's turn to leave. Sisto remains on "Law & Order," and, as the "veteran" cop in his first season with the show, finds himself having to adjust to a new partner already.
Green deserved a better send-off from the show than the cast-off from the police department that he received. I'm sure Martin is tired of the crime-of-the-week business, but it would have been nice for the writers to allow him to leave gracefully rather than having him turn in his badge. They have allowed characters to return before, with Noth returning as Logan on "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" and Dann Florek leaving his role as Capt. Donald Cragen on "Law & Order" to take it up later on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit." Orbach, too, took his role to the now-defunct "Law & Order: Trial by Jury" but died just a few episodes into the season.
If soap operas can bring characters back from the dead, I suppose there always will be a chance that Green could return to one of the "Law & Order" series in some form or another. But the writers should have left a door open for him rather than giving him a door he would have to pry open with a toothpick in order to return.
Martin and his character dealt with more changes than they deserved, but both have left an impression on the long-running series. Viewers will find it difficult to watch Green and not respect him. He was often sensible but not afraid to hunt down the bad guys in the name of justice.
Martin's portrayal demands appreciation as well. Series like "Law & Order" often become bogged down in dull or stereotypical characters, and Green could have been no different than some of the other faces that have graced the show over the years. But Martin took words on a piece of paper and turned them into a person - or at least as real a person as is possible with a television show. [/color]
'Law & Order' character deserved a better send-off
By CAITLIN HEANEY
Evening Sun Reporter[/b]
Article Launched: 04/27/2008 04:06:22 AM EDT
One of my favorite television characters is no more. Wednesday night's episode of "Law & Order" ended the career of Det. Ed Green (Jesse L. Martin), who left the squad amid controversy surrounding an underground casino and a shot man.
I'll miss Martin on the show, known for having a revolving door when it comes to casting. Since Jerry Orbach left his part playing Green's veteran partner, Det. Lennie Briscoe, several years ago (Orbach died not long after), Martin has provided a sense of continuity to the show. His partners, the assistant district attorneys and their bosses may have changed, but having a steady presence in Martin's character helped keep the series afloat - and kept me watching.
Martin put up with his fair share of changes. Taking over for Benjamin Bratt, Martin joined Orbach to create one of my favorite detective duos in the show's nearly two-decade history. The pair clicked together, with Briscoe's snarky, witty personality contrasting Green's calm but tough-when-he-needed-to-be temperament. Chris Noth's Det. Mike Logan arguably might have been Briscoe's best partner during the course of the show, but Green comes in a close second.
Orbach left "Law & Order" in 2004, and Martin picked up with Dennis Farina, whose character, Det. Joe Fontana, reminded me of the show's early days, when detectives weren't afraid of roughing up a thug and talked with enough New York accent to seem believable (at least believable enough to us non-New Yorkers).
But Farina only stuck around for a couple of seasons and never had time to develop his character beyond the slick suits he sported around town. Green and Fontana had more friction between their styles of doing business than some of the other partnerships out there, but there was little more between them to make their relationship interesting.
Martin's character picked up a new partner in the show's much-hyped first female detective, Det. Nina Cassady (Milena Govich). Govich did not have much to work with in the cookie-cutter, one-dimensional part she was given, and her attempts at pushing her character's limits ended up looking more like over-the-top acting. Martin, stuck with playing the senior partner, seemed to be tiring of the constant changing.
Martin stuck around long enough to find his character with a fourth and final partner, Jeremy Sisto's Det. Cyrus Lupo. Audiences barely had any time to get to know this new, edgy partnership because this time, it was Martin's turn to leave. Sisto remains on "Law & Order," and, as the "veteran" cop in his first season with the show, finds himself having to adjust to a new partner already.
Green deserved a better send-off from the show than the cast-off from the police department that he received. I'm sure Martin is tired of the crime-of-the-week business, but it would have been nice for the writers to allow him to leave gracefully rather than having him turn in his badge. They have allowed characters to return before, with Noth returning as Logan on "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" and Dann Florek leaving his role as Capt. Donald Cragen on "Law & Order" to take it up later on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit." Orbach, too, took his role to the now-defunct "Law & Order: Trial by Jury" but died just a few episodes into the season.
If soap operas can bring characters back from the dead, I suppose there always will be a chance that Green could return to one of the "Law & Order" series in some form or another. But the writers should have left a door open for him rather than giving him a door he would have to pry open with a toothpick in order to return.
Martin and his character dealt with more changes than they deserved, but both have left an impression on the long-running series. Viewers will find it difficult to watch Green and not respect him. He was often sensible but not afraid to hunt down the bad guys in the name of justice.
Martin's portrayal demands appreciation as well. Series like "Law & Order" often become bogged down in dull or stereotypical characters, and Green could have been no different than some of the other faces that have graced the show over the years. But Martin took words on a piece of paper and turned them into a person - or at least as real a person as is possible with a television show. [/color]
Patrick Roy, 2006 inductee into the Hockey Hall of Fame