The Dawning of a New Ray

[truepenny]

(I've been waiting for months to use that pun.)


I want to pause here between Season 2 and Season 3 to talk about some of the global ways in which the last two seasons of Due South differ from the first two. Because there's more to it than just exchanging Callum Keith Rennie for David Marciano.

I should say first that I admire David Marciano deeply, and I think they were extraordinarily lucky to get him to play Ray Vecchio. With a less talented actor, Vecchio is nothing but a stereotype: loud-mouthed sleazy Chicago cop. Marciano makes him sympathetic; when he's given material to work with, he makes him three dimensional. He does a magnificent job.

However.

The writers and producers (many of whom are named Paul Gross) clearly took the opportunity of Marciano leaving to take the show and the characters in a different direction. The nature of the humor changes (for example, Fraser's refrain "I first came to Chicago on the trail of the killers of my father," which gets rung through every change they can think of in Seasons 3 & 4, does not occur even once in Seasons 1 & 2). It becomes more metatheatrical, simultaneously broader and more flexible.

Secondly, Rennie is a much more physical actor than Marciano. Marciano acts mostly with his face and voice, Rennie with his entire body, particularly his hands (notice for example the dialogue-less sequence at the beginning of "Eclipse"). (Again, not a slam on Marciano, just an observation about different styles.) And Paul Gross, who also does a lot of acting with body language, plays up to that, so you get more stage business--as for example, the use of props like Fraser's hat.

And the chance to bring in a completely new character lets them build that character in a way they never built Ray Vecchio, or Jack Huey, or Harding Welsh (although notice, too, that Welsh gets some depth in "Dr. Longball"). Ray Kowalski makes his entrance as someone whose story is in progress. The second episode of Season 3, "Eclipse," is Ray-centric in a way that none of the episodes in the first two seasons is. It's Ray's story, which he, under duress, allows Fraser to participate in, and it's a story Ray has brought with him from the life he had before his path intersected Fraser's. Ray's apartment has evidence of his personality everywhere you look; it's jammed with things that are never even commented on, much less explained.

(This is a world-building technique, which is one of the reasons I'm so attuned to it; where the house on Octavia Street is only ever setting, Ray's apartment is world.)

And then there's the character of Ray Kowalski himself.

I like Ray Vecchio most of the time (exceptions for romance-related dickheadedness), but I don't find him interesting. Sometimes Ray Kowalski is very hard to like, but he fascinates me because he's one of the very very few genuinely childlike characters I can think of in fiction. Not "childlike" as we generally use the word, but literally like a child. Because Ray is very like a child--the short attention span; the volatility; the fidgeting; the way he can be just stunningly mean (not cruel, because that implies forethought and follow-through, neither of which Ray has) and not because he's a bad person, but because--again, like a child--he doesn't remember to think about other people's feelings; the sense I get of him that he often finds the world bewildering and inexplicable and accepts it--because we do accept that as children. It's adults who feel they're entitled to have their world make sense.

I also think it's interesting that with Ray Kowalski, they pick up something from the pilot that got dropped in the intervening seasons, the logic vs. instinct question. In the pilot, Ray Vecchio is characterized as someone who works on hunches. "I had one of your hunches, Ray," Fraser says. "It felt good." (I find it interesting also that Fraser's hunch leads them straight up the garden path and into a trap.) And then the dichotomy gets dropped--until "Burning Down the House," when Ray Kowalski brings it back. And this time to stay.

Ray Vecchio is a foil for Fraser; his character never gets fleshed out much beyond that mission statement. But Ray Kowalski is a mirror, and that's more interesting.

Comments

[rhia-hilldancer.livejournal.com]

so, you are making me want to watch this show.
just thought you should know. lol

also it's making me think about dialog. every bit of dialog you share from it just pops. *envylust*

[hermetic.livejournal.com]

I've loved your analysis of the show so far, and have been waiting with impatient anticipatory glee for you to get to seasons three and four and Ray Kowalski.

Thanks for doing this exegesis series. It makes me wildly happy.

[gwyndolin.livejournal.com]

One Ray, Two Ray, Old Ray, New Ray

[chickwriter.livejournal.com]

...Ray Kowalski is a mirror, and that's more interesting.

YES! I'm really psyched to see your reviews of the last 2 seasons and the differences from the first 2.

I came into Due South via the last bits and had a lot of trouble reconciling Fraser v1.0 with Fraser v3.0. Having read your analyses helps me clarify my thoughts.

Thanks so much for doing these!

[gothamnights.wordpress.com (from livejournal.com)]

Hey, randomly found your blog. I have to say I love your analysis. I've seen an incredible amount of emnity towards RayK b/c he was a "replacement" for the "real" Ray. I thought the show handled Marciano's exit very well, and I think it improved. RayK is incredibly complex and engaging as a character, and I dig that dynamic much more than I do the original pairing. It's very true what you stated, about RayK getting his own episodes, not just being a foil for Fraser. For instance, his whole history with Stella.

Anyway, great analysis!

[heresluck]

I am very fond of you and your big shiny brain. Also? As I read this, I kept thinking "Ah, so THAT's why she watched the RayK vid like seven times in a row that one afternoon." Heh.

[truepenny.livejournal.com]

My brain and I thank you. *g*

[truepenny.livejournal.com]

Also? I completely cribbed that third to last paragraph out of the email I sent you after watching Hard Core Logo. So some of this is, at least indirectly, your fault.

[arby-m.livejournal.com]

*memories*, again

*waits with bated breath for more RayK+truepenny's brain*

Also? I love your icon.

[truepenny.livejournal.com]

Found via ds_icons.

[arby-m.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Now that I've finished the canon, I can go back to all the RayK icons that I had to skip before because I hadn't finished watching S3-4.

I like Vecchio to a certain extent (agreeing that in general, with perhaps the exception of "You Must Remember This"*, romance does not bring out the best in his nature) - and I grew to feel for him much more as the series went on. By "Flashback" he was dear to me. But I love Kowalski, and I loved him from his first moments on screen, whereas it took me half a season to warm up to Vecchio. CKR just got across the essence of the character with such wonderful economy in "Burning Down The House" and "Eclipse". It's a whole different class of acting. But it also makes a difference that that the role of Vecchio does not come across as having been written for Marciano, whereas Kowalski seems like he was conceived with CKR in mind.

I think you're right about RayK being truly childish - he reminds me of Rodney McKay in that way. To me it's that combined with his vulnerability that get me - RayK tries to act like a tough guy but he's so little that it comes across as bantam-weight posturing - like in "Mountie & Soul" when he makes Fraser hit him in the boxing practice. It's so sad because he really thinks he can take it, and then Fraser hits him, not even that hard but with such typically perfect accuracy, it kills me.

[lomedet.livejournal.com]

just so you know, I have been eagerly (oh, so eagerly) anticipating the moment at which your DS-analysis series would arrive at RayK. And now we're here, and even before the the first episode, you've given me what to think about and a new take on this character I love.

thank you, and yay!

[auriaephiala.livejournal.com]

A bunch of us have been watching DS season 1 in order for the last few months (we watched Victoria's Secret (both halves) tonight). commodorified and I independently commented tonight how much we like your analyses.

And your comparison here between the different styles of the two Rays has given me a lot to think about.

OTOH, I personally think that Ray Vecchio is not just a foil for Fraser, and I find him a really interesting character in his own right. More later when I'm more wide awake...

[bookzombie.livejournal.com]

I'm very much looking forward to your comments on the last 2 (or 1 as it was broadcast in the uk) seasons of the show.

We rewatched the whole thing earlier in the year and I hit a bit of a brick wall with the last 2(or 1!) seasons. Not a problem with RK but more with the change of tone - in particular the way the humour becomes much broader.

It seems that Haggis viewed it as a drama series first, in which odd and comical things happened, whereas Gross viewed it as comedy first.

[truepenny.livejournal.com]

I'd argue that there's frequently more genuine drama in the latter two seasons ("The Ladies' Man," "Good for the Soul") than in the first two--with the shining exception of the tri-part arc, "Victoria's Secret" and "Letting Go"

But, you know, YMMV.

[poodlerat.livejournal.com]

I think that, overall, the last two seasons were much more uneven in tone than the first two. There were lots of good serious episodes, but also lots of less serious episodes, some successful ("Dead Man Walking") and some not so much ("Perfect Strangers").

That said, season 3 is still my favourite season, and not just because of Kowalski.

[highfantastical.livejournal.com]

he doesn't remember to think about other people's feelings

This observation really pinpointed one of the reasons why I dislike Kowalski so much - something which I've often wondered about, given his popularity in the fandom.

[truepenny.livejournal.com]

One of the things I like about Kowalski is, in fact, that he's much more difficult to like than Vecchio.

... ahem.

A quick survey of my own work reveals that there may be some vested self-interest there.

finally...

[themadblonde]

got around to reading the wikipedia article on this (have been resisting getting into yet ANOTHER tv show as they are expensive to buy) & only now learning this show first aired 14 years ago. So it's been off the air for almost 10 years now. Must be something to have inspired this kind of fandom. & now that I know there are only 4 seasons & no more, it's MUCH more accessable, thanks!

[seperis.livejournal.com]

...and sadly, I posted that comment on the pilot review, which I was re-reading. To repeat--I'm looking forward so much to your season three and four analysis. I watched all four seasons the last two weeks in June and it's been *deeply* fun to read your reviews with them still fresh in my mind. And to you know, rewatch. It's been fantastic, and I can't wait to see what you say about season three.

[jesse_the_k]

I've been waiting months for you to wield that pun! Ray as childlike explains so much!

I just advertised this educational and enjoyable series over at ds_noticeboard.

[mikes-grrl.livejournal.com]

I've been enjoying all of your analysis, but I have to comment here because of this conclusion:
Ray Vecchio is a foil for Fraser; his character never gets fleshed out much beyond that mission statement. But Ray Kowalski is a mirror, and that's more interesting.

The difference between how Vecchio and Kowalski were written has bothered me, until now. Now, thank you, I GET it. I love both Rays (as a F/K/V shipper, I can hardly do likewise *grin*) and yes, they have completely different personalities so of course they are different. Duh. But the role they play in reference to Fraser is different, which was the elemental core of my confusion. I love Vecchio, as stated, but I find his role through the entire arc of seasons 1&2 frustrating because I WANT him to be Fraser's mirror -- and sometimes, as you pointed out, when the writing was good enough Marciano was able to lift that role out of stereotype and into something resembling whole cloth. I was tremendously let down by "Letting Go" which could have really made Vecchio shine, as the friend who stopped Fraser from self-destruction AND brings him back to himself, but his preordained role as "foil" kept Vecchio as nearly ancillary to Fraser's recovery, IMHO. In the end, I ironically turn to post-CoTW fanfic to find the Vecchio I really wanted, the Vecchio who lurks in Marciano's eyes, because he is just as interesting as Kowalski. *sigh*

As much grief as PG gets for how the series ended -- other than Fraser and Kowalski's 'honeymoon', natch -- I love where he took the series with Kowalski, and now I understand more clearly WHY I love it. Kowalski as Fraser's mirror is the heart of their relationship (gen OR slash!).

I look forward to reading where you put Kowalski-as-mirror into the working context of Fraser's Super-ego, his ego guardian (Dief), and his Id (Victoria, or the memory thereof).

Awesome series of essays, really love reading them!

[gingergal2.livejournal.com]

I HATE the so-called "honeymoon" for Fraser and Kowalski, and I refuse to believe that they stayed together in Canada for life for that reason. Fraser and Kowalski probably fought pretty quickly after starting the "adventure" and separated, with Kowalski going back to Chicago, where he belonged.

And I give PG grief for the ending because he changed the original version, which had both Rays in Chicago, and Fraser and Thatcher in Canada, only to satisfy the silly F/K fangirls. He didn't care anything about the original fans of the show, who loved Fraser's and RayV's friendship and wanted to see more of them together (why couldn't RayV have gone to Canada too?).

And sorry - but I can't believe that F/K shippers truly love RayV. If they did, they wouldn't have made Fraser choose that nasty Kowalski over RayV.

[love-jackianto.livejournal.com]

Great meta. I really like how you described RayK as a child; now that I think about it that description fits him perfectly.

'Ray Vecchio is a foil for Fraser; his character never gets fleshed out much beyond that mission statement. But Ray Kowalski is a mirror, and that's more interesting.'
That's what I think I've always liked best about RayK; the writers really tried to make him his own character, instead of just a blond version of RayV.

[(Anonymous)]

The "I first came to Chicago" refrain really bugs me, because it seems out of character for Fraser to suddenly be spouting off this very personal information to everyone he meets, whether or not they need to know it. There are moments where it's appropriate - The Ladies Man, for instance - but there are a lot more moments where it's not. Fraser is a fairly private person, and while he does sometimes mention his parents' deaths in the first two seasons, it's usually as part of a serious discussion about grief. And now suddenly he can't stop telling strangers about his father's murder? That bothers me a lot more than any nefarious uses of post-hypnotic suggestion, because it seems like the writers sacrificed Fraser's character to a lame inside joke.

-- KSC

[truepenny.livejournal.com]

There's a reason (http://truepenny.livejournal.com/595978.html?thread=4614154#t4614154) for the "I first came to Chicago" spiel. And I'm with Paul Gross: I'd much rather have a meta-joke than an explanation in the credits.

[(Anonymous)]

Oh, I know the reason for the spiel. I just wish they could have found some way to work the explanation in that seemed more consistent with Fraser's characterization up to that point. I love the credits, though, and wouldn't want them to change, so I guess I'm just being nitpicky.

-- KSC

[truepenny.livejournal.com]

Actually, there's a perfectly in-character reason for it (which I only thought of after I'd answered your first comment): it kills small talk. With a stick. If he gives his spiel, he doesn't have to answer "Where are you from?" "What's a Mountie doing in Chicago?" etc., etc., etc. And, in fact, getting the "on the trail of the killers of my father" out there at the beginning means that (a.) people (by which of course I mean young women) are likely to be discomfitted and therefore maybe won't make passes at him, and (b.) he's shoring up his Dudley Do-Right Mountie pose. Because it really does sound like something out of Challenge of the Yukon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Challenge_of_the_Yukon) or something.

[(Anonymous)]

Brilliant! That's a much better way of looking at the spiel. It also makes sense that Fraser would feel the need to shore up his Mountie persona right at the beginning of Season 3, when he's just lost his home and his best friend.

-- KSC

[gingergal2.livejournal.com]

Your overt preference for Kowalski over Ray Vecchio is terrible! I don't understand how you thought you were qualified to analyze "Due South" when you have treated poor RayV as uninteresting and unimportant. You should understand that NOT EVERYONE LOVES KOWALSKI. I find him boring and very immature, and I can't like him very much. I guess you have an ego the size of the universe and think that you're a great analyst, and don't realize that your favoritism of Kowalski is so overwhelming that your analysis can't be taken seriously by those who love RayV more than Kowalski, and don't ship Kowalski with Fraser.

Please stop your RayV bashing before you write anything else. TYK.

We may never agree...

[themadblonde]

on all the merits of either Ray, but you understand your reasons & can elucidate them clearly, whereas I am on a "I know what I know" level only. I will say that, this time through, I'm realising what a fine actor CKR is, to draw that much sympathy from me for a character I don't particularly like...yet like in spite of myself.

& again, while I can't articulate it in scholarly terms, re-reading these & re-watching the Ray K episodes makes me realise that, TO ME, he is a human Diefenbaker. He has the puppy energy, the puppy eyes, the edge of danger, the shagginess, & the "Gonna do my own thing, but occasionally my own thing will be what you want me to do" of that beloved half-wolf.