Questions for Terry

[maggiethecat]

It occurs to me that, while he only appeared in two episodes, Detective Terry Jansen arguably qualifies as a major character. In dramatic terms he served as what one of my old English teachers called "the prime mover of the action" (or, in Terry's case, inaction. ) There are more posts in The Pilot and "Up on the Roof" than in any of the other episode threads, and part of that, I believe, is due to our seemingly endless fascination with Jim and Terry's complex relationship.

So let's give it a go, and I'll start:

Please give the reasons for your answers:

1. What is the character's best trait?
Like Jim, I would have to say his tenacity: He kept trying to open the lines of communication with Jim, even after numerous rebuffs.

2. What is the character's worst trait?
Oh, maybe the fact that he's a big fat stinkin' liar.

3. What do you most wish that you knew about this character? (This would be not something that was revealed in the series.)
Had he ever been under fire before the shootout at the bank?

4. What would you have liked to see this character do just once in the series?
Take responsibility for his own actions.

5. What did this character help Jim understand about himself?
That to live as a blind man, with pride and honour, was infinitely preferably to life as a sighted coward (and we all know the line I'm referencing).

[housemouse]

1. What is the character's best trait? Loyalty

2. What is the character's worst trait? The inability to look inside himself and sort out his feelings. I think that if he had been able to do that and understand what happened, he could have come to terms with it and he and Jim could have dealt with the issues and he wouldn't have felt forced to take such drastic measures.

3. What do you most wish that you knew about this character? What exactly was he thinking when he shot himself.


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

5. What did this character help Jim understand about himself? That there really are worse things that could have happened to him.

[hoosier]

1.What is this character's best trait?
I would also have to say his loyalty--to Jim, to his family, heck, even to Semple!

2. What is the character's worst trait?
His tendency to look out for 'number one'. Be it either with the bank or the events up on the roof, Terry put a spin on things so that nothing was ever his fault.

3. What do you most wish that you knew about this character? What kind of cop he was before the bank. Jim admitted that Terry had never given him any reason to doubt that he had his back before.

4. What would you have liked to see this character do just once in the series? . Own up to the fact that he had screwed up--big time.

5. What did this character help Jim understand about himself.
That he did have the ability to understand and forgive. He could never really forgive Terry but because of Terry's actions on the roof, he could understand what Greg was going through and urged him to "just let it go".