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piecesofalice Feb. 9th, 2010 02:13 am)
piecesofalice Feb. 9th, 2010 02:13 am)About a hundred and fifty years ago, ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
aj wrote a post about her freakin' amazing fake TV show called Gotham. In the post, she said we could request a prompt for our own faux TV show, and she gave me "detective show set in the Old West". And, after obsessively working on it on-and-off since then, it's finally finished.
Hold on to your hats! Here comes some bad Photoshop! I call itGold Case:
SYNOPSIS
1880 - in a country with no law, the Pinkertons would have to suffice.
James Carroll, a low-rung head-hunter for the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, works up and down the Frontier Strip with his faithful partner, Daniel Birchfield. They work predominately out of the Pinkerton office in Dodge City, Kansas, the city they also now call home.
Affairs of the heart, gold claims gone wrong, small-time robberies and unpaid bills - their job is plentiful, uneventful (for the most part) and keeps them well and truly out of trouble - until they begin to notice a steady increase in businesses and former informants being controlled by an underhanded and secretive organisation known only as The Service.
Headed by William Laramie, The Service's main goal is to own America - and, along with his crack team of knee-breakers and ice men, Laramie knows the quickest way to own the New Frontier is to buy it outright and secure it with the most powerful weapon of all - fear.
Bit by bit, Carroll and Birchfield begin to dig through the messes left behind by The Service - from Missouri to Oregon and back again - despite getting heat from Pinkerton himself and their unsteady alliance with the citizens of the Frontier Trail. They realise that to break the hold The Service has, they need to gain the trust of the locals and use their keen instincts to get to the bottom of this dangerous and shady group that looks to threaten everything the Wild West stands for.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
JAMES CARROLL
(Garret Dillahunt)
A former family man with more than a few war wounds, James joins the Pinkertons to escape from the memory of his dead wife, Eloise, and try to raise his plucky daughter, June. A sharp detective when he needs to be, he's more than happy to plough the routine Frontier Trail instead of putting his formidable skills to proper use - much to the chagrin of his partner, Daniel.
Deadpan and stoic to a fault, his passion for the upbringing of his daughter is one of the few insights into his personality. Refusing to admit how much Eloise's death has affected him, he diverts questions of her death and his life with June with questions of his own, leaving his personal life a mystery to most.
But for all the dirt James kicks up, and despite being a good man, he can't bring himself to feel anything for the people he's hired by - until he discovers the firm grip The Service has on the townsfolk he's come to know - and that won't stand.
DANIEL BIRCHFIELD
(Nathaniel Parker)
Upon arriving in America from England at age nineteen, Daniel felt two things: elation and the feeling he owed America a bloody large debt for allowing him to escape from the stifling life of a young English Lord. After a short stint as a small-town Sheriff, the Pinkerton Agency plucked him up as one of their own, thanks mainly to Daniel's hard, focused eye and sharp wit. Smart, well-read and easy to get along with, he takes James' teasing of his accent and demeanour with good humour and more than a few jabs back.
Unable to reconcile his past with his present, however, very few know of Daniel's upbringing - his wife, Sarah, and his partner James apparently being the only two. That is, until Daniel and James begin sniffing around The Service - and The Service sniffs back, bringing up a woman from his past who could possibly unravel his happy life.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
WILLIAM LARAMIE
(Titus Welliver)
Born and bred in Chicago, Laramie came from a nondescript family in a nondescript part of town. He was unusually normal - until he joined the Army and, while fighting a war he thought was useless, grew into a man with a sharp eye and an even sharper tongue.
Fresh out of the war, with more than a few mental scars, Laramie headed home with a view to becoming a detective. When the Pinkerton Agency turned him down, Laramie didn't sit and cry, but started The Service. Originally meant as a direct competitor to the Pinkerton Detective Agency, Laramie learnt quickly that in a land with no rules, the man with the most claim wins.
Setting his eyes squarely on the towns that made up the Frontier Trail, one by one, he set about with his crew of motley detectives - most with enough dirt dug up on them by Laramie's nose to keep them firmly on The Service's side - to gather intel and eventually buy respect and obedience with the greatest currency he knew - pure fear.
But like all men with great power, he did the worst thing possible, and began to get comfortable. Surrounded by the knowledge that his name was gospel along the Frontier Trail, it's more than a shock when two Pinkerton agents begin to sniff around - and he's not going to let it ruin all his hard work.
Everyone has a secret - but Laramie's an open book. Something that makes him absolutely terrifying.
CHARLES DANGERFIELD
(Terry O'Quinn)
The message man. No-one knows a thing about him - except when he turns up? Expect heads to roll.
ALLAN PINKERTON
(Paul Guilfoyle)
Scottish-born Pinkerton is the co-founder of the Pinkerton Detective Agency. A law man with a clear-cut view of what's right and what's wrong, his name is synonymous with clean detective work in a messy field.
Aware of The Service's hold over the Frontier Trail, he knows James and Daniel are the right men for the job - even if he can't help himself by popping down to see the problems for himself, often surprising John, James and Daniel by turning up in the office, or their bedrooms, or the saloon - anywhere he's not meant to be, naturally.
DODGE CITY, KANSAS
ELIZABETH SMITH
(Kim Dickens)
A war widow, Elizabeth is responsible for the education of Dodge City's growing child population. After hearing of her husband Jed's death in the war, she found that she was simply unable to sit around and mourn - instead, she went after life with a gusto most people would find unseemly for a young window.
It's Elizabeth who first encounters The Service, after the family of one of her students pulled their children out of school, citing "better opportunities". One by one, the businesses and families she's come to know become more and more withdrawn - secretive and, more distressingly, putting their children's well-being at stake. At a loss, she turns to the Pinkerton agents - people she swore never to trust - in order to find some answer for the madness.
THEODORE STEELE
(Frederick Weller)
The bank manager of Dodge City Bank, Theodore has to work under the firm hand of The Service thanks to his money-hungry and fearful boss - despite having strong feelings against them and the menacing Sebastien Siegle.
Married to a French immigrant, Simone, and aware of her past, he was planning his escape from his hometown of New York City (and his stifling family) when he spotted the rain-drenched Simone in a cafe and, like all good fairytales, fell in love with her at first sight. Despite her reservations, she fell for the goofy Theodore and the two decided to escape his family and her past by starting over in Dodge City.
Working with the Pinkertons, secretly, to find a solution to the rein The Service has over Dodge City, Theodore's a genuinely good man with a good heart.
SIMONE STEELE
(Cécile de France)
A French immigrant, her family was killed during the Paris Commune, her mother being a founding member of the Union des femmes pour la défense de Paris et les soins aux blesses, although she did not live to see their official inception.
Escaping to America by taking the ticket of and posing as a friend who had died alongside her parents, Simone tries desperately to be a 'good American wife', but her politics and out-spoken nature often win out - something her husband Theodore loves, but knows she must keep under wraps - for the good of their future.
JOHN BOWER
(Jack McBrayer)
A junior Pinkerton agent, John runs the Dodge City field office. He left his family in California to make a name for himself by going to Chicago to ask - hound - Allan Pinkerton and his agency for a job. Allan, impressed by John's quick mind, overt tenacity and extremely organised nature, gave him one of the toughest outposts of the Agency to "keep clean" - and John works everyday to prove he's up to the assignment.
A good-hearted man who's learning about life the hard way, he runs the office with tight precision and great joy. He works with Elizabeth and the schoolhouse in his spare time, and is quietly working up the courage to court Jane Steele. As well as that, he has begun to teach Sun how to read and write English better.
Unnerved by The Service's hold over the townsfolk, he works diligently with Daniel and James to bring The Service down.
CALVIN "JUMPER" DAVIS
(Alvin 'Xzibit' Joiner)
A Pinkerton informant, Jumper worked closely with James and Daniel until they suggested to Allan Pinkerton that Jumper would be best suited as a full-fledged Pinkerton agent. Made one less than a year ago, Jumper feels like he has to prove himself constantly, despite being more than up to the job.
Not much is known about Jumper's past, except he has a locket with a sprig of lavender in it that hangs around his neck and his father broke horses for a living. He knows he has to work to keep Dodge City from the grasp of The Service - and it could be the making of him at the very same time.
SARAH BIRCHFIELD
(Andrea Parker)
Daniel's wife, Sarah grew up in a Chicago whorehouse run by her parents, with little money and even smaller morals. Clawing her way up, she ran her own brothel before meeting Daniel and making a life with him. Dedicated and long-suffering, the pair are equals emotionally and mentally, and have a stable, loving life together.
But , like any big city girl, she finds her life in Dodge City quiet - and when Sarah finds things quiet, she has to make herself heard. Especially when she thinks her home life is threatened, in any way, shape or form.
SEBASTIEN SIEGEL
(Daniel Brühl)
Shadowy, underhanded and charming as anything, German-born Sebastien has the city of Dodge in his pocket. With little known about his past - except his family is (mostly) dead and he has a huge debt to pay Laramie - Sebastien goes about his business for The Service with a quiet air of dignity and malice.
An avid reader, Sebastien usually conducts his business from his tiny but stately home on the outskirts of Dodge City, which is filled with books in both English and German. The townsfolk, when not scared out of their wits, regard him as polite and courteous - "like he's not supposed to be doin' this type of work, do you know?"
But like all men, Sebastien has his weaknesses, and both are female - one Laramie uses to his advantage, and the other a young nanny who's innocent interest into his life takes even the usually calm Sebastien by surprise.
ALICE "SUN" BRIDGES
(Maggie Q)
The oldest daughter of a Vietnamese immigrant mother and an American blacksmith father, her siblings nicknamed her 'Sun' due to her constant hovering over them, as she helped raise the unruly bunch while her parents worked to get them out of the poor outskirts of Dodge City. With deep respect for her family and traditions, she works in the dress shop with Mrs. Bridges, who encourages her to learn to read and write with help from John.
When Mrs. Bridges is one of the few left who haven't fallen under The Service's hold, she knows the day will come when she'll have to accept the new regime dictated by The Service, or fight for the town that has been so good to her.
JANE STEELE
(Alison Brie)
Theodore's youngest sister, Jane followed her brother to Dodge City in a moment of recklessness - something she's never regretted. Working for the Carroll family as June's nanny, she is responsible for running the house while James is away.
Under Simone's guidance, she is becoming more savvy to the ways of feminism. She's also aware of the fact she's caught the eye of Sebastien, and despite stepping out with John and despising everything Sebastien stands for, she finds herself inexplicably drawn to him.
JUNE CARROLL
(AnnaSophia Robb)
James' only child, June is adventurous and, in James' opinion, too old for her age. She attends classes at the Dodge City schoolhouse, and is under the care of Jane whilst at home. Smart, gifted musically, she mourns the death of her mother but pretends not to, in an attempt to spare her father's feelings.
Despite her tenacity, she is quite insular, much to her teacher, Elizabeth's concern. Considered "weird" by her peers, she tends to write stories and play alone, often with only Jane, her father, John and Sun for company.
OMAHA, KANSAS
GERALD CALLIS
(William Fichtner)
The head of The Service's team in Omaha. A man of few words, he lets his actions speak for him - and more often than not, they message is received loud and clear. Born and bred on the land, he attended university and became a doctor, before meeting Laramie and becoming integral in his plans to make The Service the only prescience along the Frontier Trail. His wife, Mary, is frail and has failed to give him children, a fact that angers him deeply.
His few personality quirks involve an obsession with good liquor and clean quarters, and an overwhelming need to possess anything that takes his eye - even if it's a beautiful madam at a brothel that remains untouched by The Service.
MARY CALLIS
(Kathryn Erbe)
Gerald's wife, from a rich Southern family. Once a great society lady, her skills in dressmaking have been lauded from California to New York, until she had to give it up her growing business at the request of her husband.
Frail and homebound after a long sickness, she loathes her husband and The Service so much, she begins working as an informant for the Pinkertons. Using her "town time" - the only time she leaves the house with her nurse - she helps James and Daniel in their plans. When they show concern about her being caught, she simply shrugs - "being killed for a reason is better than being alive for nothing."
HARRY HARPER
(Timothy Omundson)
Owner and operator of Harper's Haus ("A bit of the Deutsch," he says, "because men like a little Europe and a little class with their pussy."), Harry is a self-made man. Clawing his way up from the bloodied battlefields of the Civil War, he stayed in the West instead of heading back home to Boston - seeing an opportunity and disgusted by the treatment of the prostitutes in Deadwood and Tombstone, he hit Omaha with a genuine and honest approach to his highly dishonest business.
He treats his girls well, but still manages to rub most of the town the wrong way - overcharging, under-providing; he is, afterall, a man who runs a whorehouse. But when The Service comes to town, he remains one of the few Omaha businesses not under their knife, and suddenly he's ten-parts a hero and twenty a fool.
MINNIE BARRTON
(Honeysuckle Weeks)
The madam at Harper's Haus. Pulling tricks to get herself passage from England, she pawed around Chicago until Harry coaxed her down to Omaha. A simple girl with a simple life - bar the madam part, naturally - she's long stopped pulling tricks and, instead, works towards providing her girls with a safe environment and a clean place to work.
Step on her toes, however, and you'll see the end of her knife - something Daniel remembers from their time kicking around London, when a boy Lord should have been drinking tea, not falling for a lost girl in a big city - a time they both have a lot of trouble forgetting.
ELKE (SIEGEL)
(Julia Jentsch)
The main attraction at Harper's Haus - "A genuine leiderhosen frau, fellas!" - Elke is the sister of Sebastien, who is yet to find out his baby sister is in America. Following him when told specifically not to, Elke found herself lost and alone in Chicago when she ran into both Laramie and Harry.
Both offered her a job - Laramie offered her (and, little to her knowledge, her brother) money and freedom for a hefty price, and Harry was the sucker who may have given her the doorway into bringing his prize business into the hands of the person he despises the most. Despite The Service's hold on her, she remains loyal to one person - herself - which can be both a blessing and a curse.
RECURRING GUEST STARS
Bette Midler as Mrs. Bridges, the Dodge City dressmaker
Sarah Shahi as Molly Marksman, a Pinkerton agent playing both sides
Joel McHale as Johnny Hatter, a travelling milliner (read: undercover hitman for The Service)
Kieu Chinh & Ian McShane as Giang & Richard Bridges, Sun's parents
Kerry Washington as Pinkerton's undercover ear to the ground agent in Omaha
~and about a bazillion more~
NOTES
- The title is taken from the nickname given to Allan Pinkerton, in light of the Pinkerton National Detective Agency's motto "we never sleep".
- Theme song: "He Lays In The Reins" by Iron & Wine and Calexico (uploaded for your pleasure), with a score by Hawksley Workman (natch).
- Ideally, in the second season, the show would focus on the minorities that were present but unheard during this time, as The Pinkertons pioneered the hiring of women, skilled immigrants and African Americans into their ranks. I have a stack of characters in mind, if and when I have a bazillion hours needed for a second season post.
- The Service is a nod to the Thiel Detective Service Company. I have no idea if they were evil, however, that's my fiction.
- Comparisons to Deadwood are inevitable. Which is awesome, as it's one of my favourite shows and darn-cocksuckin'-tootin' I'd want my show to be like that. This show's a lot more anachronistic, however, and probably a lot lighter in some parts, like True Blood. (that's probably a bad thing)
- There are no vampires in The Eye. More's the pity?
- And finally, this is dedicated to my bbsuburbannoir, who thinks the world always needs more Pinkertons.
~This has been a Pieces Production in conjunction with iBo and a helluva lot of Google searches.~
Far out, that took a long time.
...I ship them all, by the way.
EDIT: OH MAN THAT TOP PHOTOSHOP JOB = LOL A+++
aj wrote a post about her freakin' amazing fake TV show called Gotham. In the post, she said we could request a prompt for our own faux TV show, and she gave me "detective show set in the Old West". And, after obsessively working on it on-and-off since then, it's finally finished.Hold on to your hats! Here comes some bad Photoshop! I call it
THE EYE
SYNOPSIS
1880 - in a country with no law, the Pinkertons would have to suffice.
James Carroll, a low-rung head-hunter for the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, works up and down the Frontier Strip with his faithful partner, Daniel Birchfield. They work predominately out of the Pinkerton office in Dodge City, Kansas, the city they also now call home.
Affairs of the heart, gold claims gone wrong, small-time robberies and unpaid bills - their job is plentiful, uneventful (for the most part) and keeps them well and truly out of trouble - until they begin to notice a steady increase in businesses and former informants being controlled by an underhanded and secretive organisation known only as The Service.
Headed by William Laramie, The Service's main goal is to own America - and, along with his crack team of knee-breakers and ice men, Laramie knows the quickest way to own the New Frontier is to buy it outright and secure it with the most powerful weapon of all - fear.
Bit by bit, Carroll and Birchfield begin to dig through the messes left behind by The Service - from Missouri to Oregon and back again - despite getting heat from Pinkerton himself and their unsteady alliance with the citizens of the Frontier Trail. They realise that to break the hold The Service has, they need to gain the trust of the locals and use their keen instincts to get to the bottom of this dangerous and shady group that looks to threaten everything the Wild West stands for.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
JAMES CARROLL
(Garret Dillahunt)
A former family man with more than a few war wounds, James joins the Pinkertons to escape from the memory of his dead wife, Eloise, and try to raise his plucky daughter, June. A sharp detective when he needs to be, he's more than happy to plough the routine Frontier Trail instead of putting his formidable skills to proper use - much to the chagrin of his partner, Daniel.
Deadpan and stoic to a fault, his passion for the upbringing of his daughter is one of the few insights into his personality. Refusing to admit how much Eloise's death has affected him, he diverts questions of her death and his life with June with questions of his own, leaving his personal life a mystery to most.
But for all the dirt James kicks up, and despite being a good man, he can't bring himself to feel anything for the people he's hired by - until he discovers the firm grip The Service has on the townsfolk he's come to know - and that won't stand.
DANIEL BIRCHFIELD
(Nathaniel Parker)
Upon arriving in America from England at age nineteen, Daniel felt two things: elation and the feeling he owed America a bloody large debt for allowing him to escape from the stifling life of a young English Lord. After a short stint as a small-town Sheriff, the Pinkerton Agency plucked him up as one of their own, thanks mainly to Daniel's hard, focused eye and sharp wit. Smart, well-read and easy to get along with, he takes James' teasing of his accent and demeanour with good humour and more than a few jabs back.
Unable to reconcile his past with his present, however, very few know of Daniel's upbringing - his wife, Sarah, and his partner James apparently being the only two. That is, until Daniel and James begin sniffing around The Service - and The Service sniffs back, bringing up a woman from his past who could possibly unravel his happy life.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
WILLIAM LARAMIE
(Titus Welliver)
Born and bred in Chicago, Laramie came from a nondescript family in a nondescript part of town. He was unusually normal - until he joined the Army and, while fighting a war he thought was useless, grew into a man with a sharp eye and an even sharper tongue.
Fresh out of the war, with more than a few mental scars, Laramie headed home with a view to becoming a detective. When the Pinkerton Agency turned him down, Laramie didn't sit and cry, but started The Service. Originally meant as a direct competitor to the Pinkerton Detective Agency, Laramie learnt quickly that in a land with no rules, the man with the most claim wins.
Setting his eyes squarely on the towns that made up the Frontier Trail, one by one, he set about with his crew of motley detectives - most with enough dirt dug up on them by Laramie's nose to keep them firmly on The Service's side - to gather intel and eventually buy respect and obedience with the greatest currency he knew - pure fear.
But like all men with great power, he did the worst thing possible, and began to get comfortable. Surrounded by the knowledge that his name was gospel along the Frontier Trail, it's more than a shock when two Pinkerton agents begin to sniff around - and he's not going to let it ruin all his hard work.
Everyone has a secret - but Laramie's an open book. Something that makes him absolutely terrifying.
CHARLES DANGERFIELD
(Terry O'Quinn)
The message man. No-one knows a thing about him - except when he turns up? Expect heads to roll.
ALLAN PINKERTON
(Paul Guilfoyle)
Scottish-born Pinkerton is the co-founder of the Pinkerton Detective Agency. A law man with a clear-cut view of what's right and what's wrong, his name is synonymous with clean detective work in a messy field.
Aware of The Service's hold over the Frontier Trail, he knows James and Daniel are the right men for the job - even if he can't help himself by popping down to see the problems for himself, often surprising John, James and Daniel by turning up in the office, or their bedrooms, or the saloon - anywhere he's not meant to be, naturally.
DODGE CITY, KANSAS
ELIZABETH SMITH
(Kim Dickens)
A war widow, Elizabeth is responsible for the education of Dodge City's growing child population. After hearing of her husband Jed's death in the war, she found that she was simply unable to sit around and mourn - instead, she went after life with a gusto most people would find unseemly for a young window.
It's Elizabeth who first encounters The Service, after the family of one of her students pulled their children out of school, citing "better opportunities". One by one, the businesses and families she's come to know become more and more withdrawn - secretive and, more distressingly, putting their children's well-being at stake. At a loss, she turns to the Pinkerton agents - people she swore never to trust - in order to find some answer for the madness.
THEODORE STEELE
(Frederick Weller)
The bank manager of Dodge City Bank, Theodore has to work under the firm hand of The Service thanks to his money-hungry and fearful boss - despite having strong feelings against them and the menacing Sebastien Siegle.
Married to a French immigrant, Simone, and aware of her past, he was planning his escape from his hometown of New York City (and his stifling family) when he spotted the rain-drenched Simone in a cafe and, like all good fairytales, fell in love with her at first sight. Despite her reservations, she fell for the goofy Theodore and the two decided to escape his family and her past by starting over in Dodge City.
Working with the Pinkertons, secretly, to find a solution to the rein The Service has over Dodge City, Theodore's a genuinely good man with a good heart.
SIMONE STEELE
(Cécile de France)
A French immigrant, her family was killed during the Paris Commune, her mother being a founding member of the Union des femmes pour la défense de Paris et les soins aux blesses, although she did not live to see their official inception.
Escaping to America by taking the ticket of and posing as a friend who had died alongside her parents, Simone tries desperately to be a 'good American wife', but her politics and out-spoken nature often win out - something her husband Theodore loves, but knows she must keep under wraps - for the good of their future.
JOHN BOWER
(Jack McBrayer)
A junior Pinkerton agent, John runs the Dodge City field office. He left his family in California to make a name for himself by going to Chicago to ask - hound - Allan Pinkerton and his agency for a job. Allan, impressed by John's quick mind, overt tenacity and extremely organised nature, gave him one of the toughest outposts of the Agency to "keep clean" - and John works everyday to prove he's up to the assignment.
A good-hearted man who's learning about life the hard way, he runs the office with tight precision and great joy. He works with Elizabeth and the schoolhouse in his spare time, and is quietly working up the courage to court Jane Steele. As well as that, he has begun to teach Sun how to read and write English better.
Unnerved by The Service's hold over the townsfolk, he works diligently with Daniel and James to bring The Service down.
CALVIN "JUMPER" DAVIS
(Alvin 'Xzibit' Joiner)
A Pinkerton informant, Jumper worked closely with James and Daniel until they suggested to Allan Pinkerton that Jumper would be best suited as a full-fledged Pinkerton agent. Made one less than a year ago, Jumper feels like he has to prove himself constantly, despite being more than up to the job.
Not much is known about Jumper's past, except he has a locket with a sprig of lavender in it that hangs around his neck and his father broke horses for a living. He knows he has to work to keep Dodge City from the grasp of The Service - and it could be the making of him at the very same time.
SARAH BIRCHFIELD
(Andrea Parker)
Daniel's wife, Sarah grew up in a Chicago whorehouse run by her parents, with little money and even smaller morals. Clawing her way up, she ran her own brothel before meeting Daniel and making a life with him. Dedicated and long-suffering, the pair are equals emotionally and mentally, and have a stable, loving life together.
But , like any big city girl, she finds her life in Dodge City quiet - and when Sarah finds things quiet, she has to make herself heard. Especially when she thinks her home life is threatened, in any way, shape or form.
SEBASTIEN SIEGEL
(Daniel Brühl)
Shadowy, underhanded and charming as anything, German-born Sebastien has the city of Dodge in his pocket. With little known about his past - except his family is (mostly) dead and he has a huge debt to pay Laramie - Sebastien goes about his business for The Service with a quiet air of dignity and malice.
An avid reader, Sebastien usually conducts his business from his tiny but stately home on the outskirts of Dodge City, which is filled with books in both English and German. The townsfolk, when not scared out of their wits, regard him as polite and courteous - "like he's not supposed to be doin' this type of work, do you know?"
But like all men, Sebastien has his weaknesses, and both are female - one Laramie uses to his advantage, and the other a young nanny who's innocent interest into his life takes even the usually calm Sebastien by surprise.
ALICE "SUN" BRIDGES
(Maggie Q)
The oldest daughter of a Vietnamese immigrant mother and an American blacksmith father, her siblings nicknamed her 'Sun' due to her constant hovering over them, as she helped raise the unruly bunch while her parents worked to get them out of the poor outskirts of Dodge City. With deep respect for her family and traditions, she works in the dress shop with Mrs. Bridges, who encourages her to learn to read and write with help from John.
When Mrs. Bridges is one of the few left who haven't fallen under The Service's hold, she knows the day will come when she'll have to accept the new regime dictated by The Service, or fight for the town that has been so good to her.
JANE STEELE
(Alison Brie)
Theodore's youngest sister, Jane followed her brother to Dodge City in a moment of recklessness - something she's never regretted. Working for the Carroll family as June's nanny, she is responsible for running the house while James is away.
Under Simone's guidance, she is becoming more savvy to the ways of feminism. She's also aware of the fact she's caught the eye of Sebastien, and despite stepping out with John and despising everything Sebastien stands for, she finds herself inexplicably drawn to him.
JUNE CARROLL
(AnnaSophia Robb)
James' only child, June is adventurous and, in James' opinion, too old for her age. She attends classes at the Dodge City schoolhouse, and is under the care of Jane whilst at home. Smart, gifted musically, she mourns the death of her mother but pretends not to, in an attempt to spare her father's feelings.
Despite her tenacity, she is quite insular, much to her teacher, Elizabeth's concern. Considered "weird" by her peers, she tends to write stories and play alone, often with only Jane, her father, John and Sun for company.
OMAHA, KANSAS
GERALD CALLIS
(William Fichtner)
The head of The Service's team in Omaha. A man of few words, he lets his actions speak for him - and more often than not, they message is received loud and clear. Born and bred on the land, he attended university and became a doctor, before meeting Laramie and becoming integral in his plans to make The Service the only prescience along the Frontier Trail. His wife, Mary, is frail and has failed to give him children, a fact that angers him deeply.
His few personality quirks involve an obsession with good liquor and clean quarters, and an overwhelming need to possess anything that takes his eye - even if it's a beautiful madam at a brothel that remains untouched by The Service.
MARY CALLIS
(Kathryn Erbe)
Gerald's wife, from a rich Southern family. Once a great society lady, her skills in dressmaking have been lauded from California to New York, until she had to give it up her growing business at the request of her husband.
Frail and homebound after a long sickness, she loathes her husband and The Service so much, she begins working as an informant for the Pinkertons. Using her "town time" - the only time she leaves the house with her nurse - she helps James and Daniel in their plans. When they show concern about her being caught, she simply shrugs - "being killed for a reason is better than being alive for nothing."
HARRY HARPER
(Timothy Omundson)
Owner and operator of Harper's Haus ("A bit of the Deutsch," he says, "because men like a little Europe and a little class with their pussy."), Harry is a self-made man. Clawing his way up from the bloodied battlefields of the Civil War, he stayed in the West instead of heading back home to Boston - seeing an opportunity and disgusted by the treatment of the prostitutes in Deadwood and Tombstone, he hit Omaha with a genuine and honest approach to his highly dishonest business.
He treats his girls well, but still manages to rub most of the town the wrong way - overcharging, under-providing; he is, afterall, a man who runs a whorehouse. But when The Service comes to town, he remains one of the few Omaha businesses not under their knife, and suddenly he's ten-parts a hero and twenty a fool.
MINNIE BARRTON
(Honeysuckle Weeks)
The madam at Harper's Haus. Pulling tricks to get herself passage from England, she pawed around Chicago until Harry coaxed her down to Omaha. A simple girl with a simple life - bar the madam part, naturally - she's long stopped pulling tricks and, instead, works towards providing her girls with a safe environment and a clean place to work.
Step on her toes, however, and you'll see the end of her knife - something Daniel remembers from their time kicking around London, when a boy Lord should have been drinking tea, not falling for a lost girl in a big city - a time they both have a lot of trouble forgetting.
ELKE (SIEGEL)
(Julia Jentsch)
The main attraction at Harper's Haus - "A genuine leiderhosen frau, fellas!" - Elke is the sister of Sebastien, who is yet to find out his baby sister is in America. Following him when told specifically not to, Elke found herself lost and alone in Chicago when she ran into both Laramie and Harry.
Both offered her a job - Laramie offered her (and, little to her knowledge, her brother) money and freedom for a hefty price, and Harry was the sucker who may have given her the doorway into bringing his prize business into the hands of the person he despises the most. Despite The Service's hold on her, she remains loyal to one person - herself - which can be both a blessing and a curse.
RECURRING GUEST STARS
Bette Midler as Mrs. Bridges, the Dodge City dressmaker
Sarah Shahi as Molly Marksman, a Pinkerton agent playing both sides
Joel McHale as Johnny Hatter, a travelling milliner (read: undercover hitman for The Service)
Kieu Chinh & Ian McShane as Giang & Richard Bridges, Sun's parents
Kerry Washington as Pinkerton's undercover ear to the ground agent in Omaha
~and about a bazillion more~
NOTES
- The title is taken from the nickname given to Allan Pinkerton, in light of the Pinkerton National Detective Agency's motto "we never sleep".
- Theme song: "He Lays In The Reins" by Iron & Wine and Calexico (uploaded for your pleasure), with a score by Hawksley Workman (natch).
- Ideally, in the second season, the show would focus on the minorities that were present but unheard during this time, as The Pinkertons pioneered the hiring of women, skilled immigrants and African Americans into their ranks. I have a stack of characters in mind, if and when I have a bazillion hours needed for a second season post.
- The Service is a nod to the Thiel Detective Service Company. I have no idea if they were evil, however, that's my fiction.
- Comparisons to Deadwood are inevitable. Which is awesome, as it's one of my favourite shows and darn-cocksuckin'-tootin' I'd want my show to be like that. This show's a lot more anachronistic, however, and probably a lot lighter in some parts, like True Blood. (that's probably a bad thing)
- There are no vampires in The Eye. More's the pity?
- And finally, this is dedicated to my bb
suburbannoir, who thinks the world always needs more Pinkertons.~This has been a Pieces Production in conjunction with iBo and a helluva lot of Google searches.~
Far out, that took a long time.
...I ship them all, by the way.
EDIT: OH MAN THAT TOP PHOTOSHOP JOB = LOL A+++
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I love Twin Peaks. I mainlined the entire series during my winter break and am now thoroughly obsessed.
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Also, Daniel is half Catalan, so he and Zoe can talk dirty to each other in Spanish:
Also, I want to write ridiculous RPF in which they drive around in a muscle car, singing along to Journey.
I need to buy Twin Peaks on DVD. One of my first dates with an ex involved going out to dinner and then watching the pilot episode.
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