Questions for Jim

[maggiethecat]

This most entertaining diversion was suggested by our esteemed member anna months ago, and what with one thing and another (!), it's taken me a while to get it launched. Kudos and karma to you, anna, for coming up with a new twist on the tried and true. (And kudos and karma to Shmeep for suggesting a sub board for all the Blind Justice-related games.)

There will be a separate thread for each of the major characters, with a list of questions to be answered. I think, like the Survival Game, the easiest way to play will be to Copy/Paste the previous answers into your new post, and then enter your answers. Or not. I'm not the savviest (and I'm trying to create sub boards on dial-up!), so it may take a while to get the kinks ironed out.

Here we go, starting with questions for Detective Jim Dunbar.

Please give the reasons for your answers:

1. What is the character's best trait?

2. What is the character's worst trait?

3. What do you most wish that you knew about this character? (This would be not something that was revealed in the series.)

4. What would you have liked to see this character do just once in the series?

[maggiethecat]

What the heck. I'll start, although I do reserve the right to change my mind about 85 times and repost every once in a while!

And thanks, anna.

Please give the reasons for your answers:

1. What is the character's best trait?

I would have to say Jim's amazing tenacity, which you could also read as bullheadedness, starting with the very first moments of the series and the shootout -- yelling at Terry, repeatedly, trying to get him to notice, take action, do something. Would anyone but Jim Dunbar have even tried to get his job back after being blinded, let alone take a year to do so and never give up? So yeah, for me it was the fact that Jimmy never gave up. Ever. Not when everyone in the squad including Fisk clearly wanted him gone, not when he fell in the street when Hank ran, not when he was the only one who knew what it meant that Terry's nine had gone off before Titus's .22 . . . not at any time did he quit, not even when reason dictated otherwise. And that, to me, was admirable.

2. What is the character's worst trait?

Honesty, I have a hard time with this one. Was he crabby? You bet. Confrontational? In a heartbeat. Did he have a hair-trigger temper and a sour disposition? Guilty as charged, M' Lud. But these were traits that just made me like him even more, if that were possible. A hero without flaws is boring.

3. What do you most wish that you knew about this character? (This would be not something that was revealed in the series.)

What made him become a cop in the first place?

4. What would you have liked to see this character do just once in the series?

Apart from blast Marty Russo a good one on the jaw with his awesome left hook, I would have to say . . . tell the lovely Mrs. Dunbar to just once, fa cryin' out loud, to shut up. Jim always, in the end, seemed to back off, whether from an unwillingness to get truly nasty or a kind of gallantry, I was never sure. Even the memorable "This is incredible -- you're going to do this now, you're going to do this today?" didn't quite do it, not completely. Just once . . . oh, just once . . . how I wanted him to round on her and say, "Jesus, woman, do you have any idea of what it takes me to get through one lousy day?"

But that's just me.

[shmeep]

1. What is the character's best trait?
You mean genetic trait? I'd say his...oh...I get it. You're talking about his personality. Fine. Um...his courage and tenacity. It took real guts to go back to work and even more to handle that kind of a job day to day without being able to see.

2. What is the character's worst trait?
The tendency to cheat on his wife.

3. What do you most wish that you knew about this character? (This would be not something that was revealed in the series.)
I would want to know what things were like for him just after his shooting and during his rehab and what it was that made him turn the corner and decide to fully live his life again.

4. What would you have liked to see this character do just once in the series?
Take a shower. ;D

[maggiethecat]

I got to your last answer, Shmeep, and just about did a spit take. Wish I'd thought of that one.

Funny how I never think about character aspect of Jim cheating on Christie. For me it over and done with by the time we got to the Mulligan, and it's never referenced again. I always thought of Jim's catting around ways as part and parcel of the Old Jim, another part of his life that got left behind, so to speak. He certainly seems to feel that way about himself -- "I'm not that guy anymore" or words to that effect -- although it would have been interesting had the show gone on to another season to have him seriously tempted. (Sigh.) Plus -- being a little silly here -- there would be the logistics of cheating in his new world: He could never be sure he hadn't been spotted . . . and what if Hank said something?

By the way, this wonderful new diversion of anna's doesn't have to be limited to the Q & A -- this a great way to explore new takes on old material and so please don't hesitate to open the discussion here.

[shmeep]

maggiethecat said:

I got to your last answer, Shmeep, and just about did a spit take. Wish I'd thought of that one.

Well, if Bochco felt the need to show the world the ass of Dennis Franz...I'm just saying...

And about the cheating, yes, it was in the past and he tried to redeem himself, but to me, that's not something that just goes away--for either party involved. Ron Eldard made it clear in interviews that he believed Jim would have cheated again if ever he got his sight back (at least that was his take on the character) so, while we never saw a sign of that, it's reasonable to believe that his character might have succumbed to temptation again--if things lined up for him logistically, that is. And if he could have sworn Hank to secrecy.

[maggiethecat]

Good points, especially the one about swearing Hank to secrecy.

Why Stephen Bochco thought the world needed to see Dennis Franz's butt on a regular basis -- but not Ron Eldard's -- is the mystery of the ages. I would have settled for one shot of Jimmy coming out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist and I need to go lie down now and apply a cold compress to my forehead.

[housemouse]

1. What is the character's best trait? I eye color considered a trait? I would say his tenacity.

2. What is the character's worst trait? Mr. Dunbar has a hard time admitting when he is wrong.

3. What do you most wish that you knew about this character? (This would be not something that was revealed in the series.) What drove him to cheat on Christie.

4. What would you have liked to see this character do just once in the series? Bench press without his shirt on. I would also have liked to see more martial arts.

[mlm828]

1. What is the character's best trait?
His single-minded determination (others have called it tenacity), which allowed him to get back on the job and prove he could do it.

2. What is the character's worst trait?
His single-minded determination, when it crosses the line into self-centeredness, to the detriment of his marriage and other relationships.

3. What do you most wish that you knew about this character? (This would be not something that was revealed in the series.)
The same as shmeep: "I would want to know what things were like for him just after his shooting and during his rehab and what it was that made him turn the corner and decide to fully live his life again."

4. What would you have liked to see this character do just once in the series?
Not leave Hank in the car -- ever.

[Duchess of Lashes]

1. What is the character's best trait?

Since tenacity and determination have already been used, I am going to say pride. I believe his pride was one of the fundamental elements that finally enabled Jim to make it back, not only in application to how he did his job but how he handled himself in the face of adversity.

2. What is the character's worst trait?

Although I thnk it to be a defense mechanism, to ensure that nothing was done for him out of pity, he allowed himself to be too distanced and closed-off.

3. What do you most wish that you knew about this character? (This would be not something that was revealed in the series.)

I am definitely with Shmeep on this one! I would love to know why it was that although "he thought about blowing his brains out everyday" he didn't do it. What made him decide that he was still a viable human being and that his altered life was still worth living.

4. What would you have liked to see this character do just once in the series?

Finish what Christie started at the beginning of Marlon's Brando....and then take a shower! (Yep, I'm with Shmeep on this one too! I'm just saying, if he could make shaving look like an artform..... )



Modified to add the screencap - just couldn't resist!

[maggiethecat]

Don't ever resist the urge to post those toothsome screencaps, longlashes. Jim did turn shaving into an art form, but why did he always have to do it in a shirt and I have to go lie down now with another cold compress on my forehead. ;D

[bjobsessed]

1. What is the character's best trait?

To add to the list, I liked his observation skills. Even blind, he knew what questions to ask to give himself a clear picture of what happened. Because of this, he never took thinks at face value.

2. What is the character's worst trait?

This is hard because all his 'worst' traits make me like him more too, but to quote a famous boss: "Not everything out of Russo's mouth is a shot at you." (I like the scenes between the two of them, but I had to pick one)

3. What do you most wish that you knew about this character? (This would be not something that was revealed in the series.)

How much did getting shot change his personality? (Things like being closed off, argumentative, determined etc. Did all that increase or decrease?)

4. What would you have liked to see this character do just once in the series?

Have it out with Marty in the boxing ring.

[hoosier]

1. What is the character's best trait?
His humor. He was still able to joke around and often used humor to defuse tense situations (like his first day back to work) or to put someone at ease and by the end he was even able to poke fun at himself ("its a sure thing I'm not looking at you")


2. What is the character's worst trait? His habit of taking credit for other's work. It was often because of an idea of his (such as Karen finding the receipt from the embroidery store) but someone else actually did the foot work and should have been included.


3. What do you most wish that you knew about this character? (This would be not something that was revealed in the series.)
His relationship with Walter Clark. You felt there was something more to it that just being cops.


4. What would you have liked to see this character do just once in the series? Maybe actually have a breakdown and not be so stoic all the time.

[inuvik]

Oh my goodness--I'm really going to have to stretch the brain cells this morning. I am embarrassed to say that it has been about a year since I saw any BJ episodes! Is that a record for this Board? Nevertheless, going off memory:

1. What is the character's best trait? I'll go against the grain here and say his compassion. We saw it with Pete, Greg and Karen, when the guy committed suicide. He always seems more concerned with others than himself (he's "fine", even if not true).

2. What is the character's worst trait? Infidelity, even if it is narrative backstory.

3. What do you most wish that you knew about this character? (This would be not something that was revealed in the series.)
How he functioned in rehab. More of his thoughts and feelings--we only have a glimpse from what he said to Pete.

4. What would you have liked to see this character do just once in the series? Use his cane. I think he only did when he was playing up the blindness. And the whacking doesn't count either!

[Deleted]

hoosier said:

4. What would you have liked to see this character do just once in the series? Maybe actually have a breakdown and not be so stoic all the time.

I hate to sound this way, but that would have been so hot! ;D

[Deleted]

I'm going to attack these two, if they haven't been already with what I'm about to say:

2. What is the character's worst trait?
Aside from the infidelity, I have to say his inability to let people in, particularly his wife. I admire his desire to be self-sufficient, but shutting people out can be just as detrimental.

3. What do you most wish that you knew about this character? (This would be not something that was revealed in the series.)
I would have loved to see snippets of how he was before the blindness. What type of man was he? Why did he cheat/what drove him to it? How different is he from back when he could see? That sort of thing.

Modified to fix quotes.