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I have finished watching the episodes, and now all that's left are the Disc Two commentaries for "Healing" and "Chinese Box". And I'm looking forward to that, because "Healing" is my favorite episode.
This post will contain spoilers for the whole series, so I'll put it under a cut:
Charles Gracen
It's neat to listen to commentaries, so that I can finally know how to pronounce Keith Szarabajka's name. At the beginning of the series, Chas seems likea typical amoral CEO. He's commanding, mostly heartless, greedy, and has large appetites. As the series wears on, Chas is revealed more and more to be a fatuous boob. He must be sharp in some respects or he wouldn't maintain his position.
But certainly, one has to have a certain lack of... soul... to embrace a man such as Profit and trust him so easily. I'll go ahead and imagine that there would have been abit of development for the character that would have had to happen beyond the limited series' run to explain how he could maintain himself in his corporation. There are references to "The Board" and how he relates to them, but the show was never able to get to that. I think we'd also need to see more of how this guy inspires personal loyalty - because people do look upon him as a patriarch type figure.
My enduring sense of Chas is from that dinner scene in "Forgiveness" - particularly Chas cooly requesting another drink after Pete punches out Arthur. This is a man with a lot of deadness.
Jeff Sykes
In theory, Sykes should be a character I really like, and should be a character I see as a hero. He works his way into Gracen & Gracen, knows just how corrupt the company can be, and is looking to use his position to try to prevent the sorts of evils G&G perpetrates. He plans to team up with Joanne to "get" Jim Profit, and he works with Pete to maneuver Chas out of the company.
And yet, something about him always grates me. Part of it, being that he's set up as an antagonist. If Sykes succeeds in stopping Profit, the show ends. But... whatever it is that bugged me, it's revealed in the scene where he goes on to continue working with Arthur MacLean to take over G&G, even after Pete tells him that Arthur is a child molester. "Uncle Art" might well be even more a monster than Profit and the Gracens, because he's coated in sanctimony. We know Jim is a murderer, and Chas callous enough to orchestrate crimes and look away from them... What has Art done to feed his appetites, and what has he done to keep himself from being caught? Sykes doesn't seem to give thought to this, and it hints at something creepy about sykes himself.
Pete Gracen
Pete is a character that I grew to like more and more as the series went on. It's sort of interesting.... Pete must be really blind. He genuinely seems to consider Jim Profit a friend, and doesn't seem to find Jim the least bit suspicious. Pete, for all his faults, does seem to genuinely love his (unfilfilled) wife - but he also seems to be blind to the evils G&G perpetrates. Although he does know how much of a bastard Chas is, and even then also does seem to be loyal to Chas.
But then, how long has Pete been drinking Ice Tea and wanting people to think it's scotch. My thought...
Pete is not as dumb as he looks. Pete may actually be sort of on to Profit, and smart enough to behave cluelessly around him. Because Profit has a sense of loyalty and is protective of people who are not obstacles to him. If Pete were really smart, but also somewhat moral - then maybe there'd be something to a story of him sort of him doing dance to direct Profit in ways that are constructive.
I don't know. Hmm.
Must work. More thoughts later.
This post will contain spoilers for the whole series, so I'll put it under a cut:
Charles Gracen
It's neat to listen to commentaries, so that I can finally know how to pronounce Keith Szarabajka's name. At the beginning of the series, Chas seems likea typical amoral CEO. He's commanding, mostly heartless, greedy, and has large appetites. As the series wears on, Chas is revealed more and more to be a fatuous boob. He must be sharp in some respects or he wouldn't maintain his position.
But certainly, one has to have a certain lack of... soul... to embrace a man such as Profit and trust him so easily. I'll go ahead and imagine that there would have been abit of development for the character that would have had to happen beyond the limited series' run to explain how he could maintain himself in his corporation. There are references to "The Board" and how he relates to them, but the show was never able to get to that. I think we'd also need to see more of how this guy inspires personal loyalty - because people do look upon him as a patriarch type figure.
My enduring sense of Chas is from that dinner scene in "Forgiveness" - particularly Chas cooly requesting another drink after Pete punches out Arthur. This is a man with a lot of deadness.
Jeff Sykes
In theory, Sykes should be a character I really like, and should be a character I see as a hero. He works his way into Gracen & Gracen, knows just how corrupt the company can be, and is looking to use his position to try to prevent the sorts of evils G&G perpetrates. He plans to team up with Joanne to "get" Jim Profit, and he works with Pete to maneuver Chas out of the company.
And yet, something about him always grates me. Part of it, being that he's set up as an antagonist. If Sykes succeeds in stopping Profit, the show ends. But... whatever it is that bugged me, it's revealed in the scene where he goes on to continue working with Arthur MacLean to take over G&G, even after Pete tells him that Arthur is a child molester. "Uncle Art" might well be even more a monster than Profit and the Gracens, because he's coated in sanctimony. We know Jim is a murderer, and Chas callous enough to orchestrate crimes and look away from them... What has Art done to feed his appetites, and what has he done to keep himself from being caught? Sykes doesn't seem to give thought to this, and it hints at something creepy about sykes himself.
Pete Gracen
Pete is a character that I grew to like more and more as the series went on. It's sort of interesting.... Pete must be really blind. He genuinely seems to consider Jim Profit a friend, and doesn't seem to find Jim the least bit suspicious. Pete, for all his faults, does seem to genuinely love his (unfilfilled) wife - but he also seems to be blind to the evils G&G perpetrates. Although he does know how much of a bastard Chas is, and even then also does seem to be loyal to Chas.
But then, how long has Pete been drinking Ice Tea and wanting people to think it's scotch. My thought...
Pete is not as dumb as he looks. Pete may actually be sort of on to Profit, and smart enough to behave cluelessly around him. Because Profit has a sense of loyalty and is protective of people who are not obstacles to him. If Pete were really smart, but also somewhat moral - then maybe there'd be something to a story of him sort of him doing dance to direct Profit in ways that are constructive.
I don't know. Hmm.
Must work. More thoughts later.
no subject
My feeling on Chas is that he has his own daddy issues and they are the key to his personality. Whenever someone wanted him to do things their way they talked to or about his father, like that one lawyer. His true personality is probably been sublimated in favor of *being* his father to the point that, well, it takes morphine to loosen him up. The thing about burying your true self in favor of another person's armor though, is that the other person was able to develop their own personality; the one following the footsteps can't necessarily see it so they end up...less than a person or overemphasizing what they know, i.e. the family biz. Hope that makes sense.
Good points on Sykes. I think I agree with you. I know I really liked him in his first couple of eps but something changed. I did really like how he and Joanna were the antiProfits yet different.
Uncle Art - holy crap, I don't hate many tv characters but I hated him. (HATE!) So happy when Profit decided to give him his attention. Seriously, I was like, all gleeful and stuff, I practically clapped my hands together.
Pete Gracen - uhh, grew on me. This is key...
But then, how long has Pete been drinking Ice Tea and wanting people to think it's scotch.
We really don't know, do we? It's interesting you mention that because after his big drunken tennis display in the pilot, I mentally ripped the actor apart in my head every time he appeared; I thought he was that awful at acting drunk. (And then I felt a little sheepish when he was heaped with praise in the commentary.) But maybe the character was acting? I dunno, I think he really was a drunk in the pilot.
no subject
And in the Pilot, I think Pete is definitely, genuinely, drunk. A sober Pete probably wouldn't have accused Chas of sleeping with Nora. I guess, we'd have had to see more scenes with Nora and Chas around each other, but I just can't even imagine that. Unless Pete was all nutty, he wouldn't...
But beyond that. It's sort of tough. On the one hand, Pete really has to be dumb... but he can't be too dumb, right?
no subject
So I wonder if Pete is one of those self-flagellating hero types; he thinks everyone else is golden and he's the messed up one. I do think his bid for G&G had to do with him trying to make things right within himself.
I can see where Pete is actually very interesting but what's missing is how he transformed himself from the total sod in the pilot to ice teas masquerading as scotch. How did that happen? Why did it happen?
I should make some Profit icons, eh?
no subject
Pete is definitely naive, then. He genuinely seems to think Profit is his buddy, and clearly must have no clue about Nora's relationship with Jim. Me - I'd get a little worried if my wife is always getting escorted to events by the same dude.
what's missing is how he transformed himself from the total sod in the pilot to ice teas masquerading as scotch. How did that happen? Why did it happen?
Part of it could have been Bobby hitting on him, and part of it might have been Sykes - as Strega mentioned. At some point, sadly offscreen, Pete decides to stop being a loser. And also, he stops being impotent too... So poor Nora has her unrequited Jim crush, but at least she's getting some now.
no subject
I don't know if you're going to post about Profit again, if you are I can wait to discuss this, but it really bothered me that for all of Profit's manuevering in the pilot, everything hinged on Chas & Co. taking the word of a secretary over a vice-president with regards to the faked memo. I just can't see that happening in the corporate world, for one thing.
no subject