Sexy Villain Sunday; Jim Profit's the Man

The definition of a villain lies in the eye of the beholder. According to Merriam-Webster, a villain is "a character in a story or play who opposes the hero."  But what if the villain is the hero? In other words, the protagonist. Does that change anything, such as the perception we have of him? Conversely, does it make the good guys the heroes? I guess it depends on your point of view.


I just finished watching the pitifully few episodes of Profit that were made. It was never picked up for a second season, and never given resolution.  At one time, shows had the plug pulled and never had the opportunity to wrap everything up in a neat little package, knowing they'd been cancelled. Hence, we left the brave castaways still shipwrecked on Gilligan's Island ('til many years later, when the miracle of TV movies rescued them at long last). The bad thing about this scenario is that we don't find out the answer to the burning questions we have regarding our favorite characters. Of course, on the other hand, some series that were allowed to do this, did it pretty ridiculously and we'd have been better served if they'd simply avoided it. One example of this is St. Elsewhere, whose resolution involved an austic boy's dream. The entire series. Seriously? That's worse than the Bobby-dream sequence season of Dallas, which was horrible too, but at least we only lost one season. In the case of St. Elsewhere, it was all in a child's head, nothing more.

Profit was the brainchild of David Greenwalt and John McNamara, produced by Stephen Cannell. The trouble with Profit is that it was ahead of its time. Cable networks weren't what they are now, and although it was picked up by Fox, it proved to be too edgy for mainstream television audiences. I'm convinced, to quote Judas in  Jesus Christ Superstar: If you'd come today, you would have reached a whole nation. Okay, maybe he was talking about Israel in 4 B.C., but you get the point. If Profit were to air now, it would be quite successful, of that I have no doubt.

The protagonist of Profit is, of course, Jim Profit, played  by the delectable Adrian Pasdar. He is the hero, but arguably he is also a villain. He will stop at nothing to get what he wants - power, wealth, control - inside of G&G, Gracen & Gracen, his employers.


****SPOILERS******  A little background first. Jim Profit was born Jim Stakowski in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His father was worse than neglectful, he was abusive. He stuck the year old child into a large cardboard box, with a slit cut out through which he could view the television; once a week he threw in food and supplies. The television was Jim's only contact with the outside world. He grew to hate it once he became an adult. He decided to make a place for himself at G&G - not surprisingly, the box was one of theirs, the only family he has really known. As the series began, Jim has just received a promotion following the death of the former VP of Acquisitions at G&G. G&G is a family-owned business. Chaz Gracen is the CEO, bumbling brother Pete is Senior VP of Acquisitions; Jack Walters is married to their cousin, and is President of Acquisitions (but not for long); Joanne Meltzer (Lisa Zane) is Jack's ex and the obsessive head of Security who is determined to destroy Jim Profit at all costs.

And then there's Bobby (Lisa Blount). We first see her in the pilot, at the end of the first hour. Jim is told he has a visitor in his office. He enters, sees her and closes the door, whereupon the woman practically throws herself into his arms and they proceed to kiss rather warmly. When they finally pull apart, she greets him with, "Hello Jimmy," and he responds with, "Hi Mom". Yeah, right. I was very amazed myself at first, until it's revealed that she's his stepmother, not his biological mother.  However, I learned when I watched the extras on the dvd that originally Bobby was his mother, and that the reason for the first rejection of the series was due to that. Fox picked it up, but before it was actually shot, they requested the change to stepmother.

Every good villain needs a sidekick, right? For Jim Profit, it was Gail Koner (Lisa Darr).  She's Jack's assistant, and a nice person. But he learns her secret (everyone has at least one) - she's skimming a few cents here and there, in order to make her mother more comfortable in the nursing home she's in. Jim thinks that's an admirable motive - as he tells her when he reveals his knowledge of her crime - and would she please do him a favor? Thus begins their relationship. Gail ends up as Jim's assistant, and he leads her down the path of... well, that's for  you to decide. Personally, if that were me, I'd have no problem doing what he asks of her. He's charming, sexy, handsome, intelligent. Did I say drop dead gorgeous?  Is Gail a good guy or bad guy? I guess that depends on how your moral compass swings. And how you view Jim Profit. In just the few episodes made, you can watch her evolution from unwilling accomplice to trusted sidekick, her dreams of being a player in this world shattered by indifferent corporate execs - until Jim Profit takes her in hand. . I like to believe that under Jim's tutelage, someday she achieved her goals. 

Jim uses whomever he needs to use. He exploits the loneliness of drunken Pete's wife Nora, becomes her friend, hints at more, plans a romantic assignation, but at the last minute tells her he cares too much to do that to her.(But he manages some mighty fine manipulation in the process) When he finally kills his father - an action begun when he was fifteen  (Jim handcuffed him to the bed and set the trailer on fire, then took off), he thinks he's rid of his stepmother, but the plucky Bobby has other ideas. She's loud, brash, loose and amoral. She loves to live high on the hog but she doesn't want to do any more work than is involved in spreading her legs. And she knows the value of an audio recording. So he tolerates her, and has to give in to her demands, material and otherwise, for now. And yes, he continues to service her as well. At least he goes through the paces. You just know she broke him in, years ago. Theirs is a love/hate relationship, as much as Jim can feel love. Which isn't much.

One of the most shocking, haunting, mind blowing images you'll ever want to see occurs at the end of the pilot. Throughout the series, you see Jim at home at his computer, sitting before it in the nude. He has a secret area in his apartment, where no one is allowed, where he makes his Machiavellian plans. You might think he's attempting to wrest control of G&G, but you'd be wrong. He doesn't wish to step into the light, he chooses to remain in the shadows. To be the power behind the throne. To eliminate everyone who gets in his way. In the pilot, he gets  a program, thanks to Gail, which gives him virtual access to G&G, and everyone's files, including digital representations of everyone there. He delights in blowing up these 3-D images as he destroys each person. 

But about the image. As I said, he spends a lot of time at this computer, scheming, sitting there in the nude (if you're hoping to see something, remember - this was shown on Fox, not happening). At the very end of the pilot, when he calls it a night and retires, we see what we haven't seen before - he has THE box, there in his little sanctuary. The one he was brought up in.  (If not the very one, then the same type, we're never sure, but it's definitely a G&G box). And he curls up in it and sleeps there, every night. I'm telling you that was one hell of a surprise, and that image is indelibly burned into my brain. 






I realized while watching the extra something that probably explains at least part of my attraction to Jim Profit. It's that whole power behind the throne angle. Just like the man who's my historical crush - Cardinal Armand Jean Duplessis Richeileu. Although he virtually ruled France for many years, he was content to appear to be the king's right-hand man. Richelieu was a very complex and fascinating character. And yet if you ask most people today about him, they'll say he was a villain. Why? Most likely because Alexander Dumas painted him that way in his Musketeer books, a portrayal which has been replicated in the film versions. It's all a matter of perception.


So there you have it - Jim Profit is my modern day Cardinal Richelieu. No wonder I'm attracted to him.


Sinner or Saint?  You make the call.  There is no right or wrong. I recommend that you check out Profit - you'll be glad you did.




Until next time, take care!


♥ Julie

Profit is the Name of the Game - Jim Profit, that is, and a lot more

So I admit to being behind on watching some series. For example, I'm almost at the end of the first season of Xena. I know - way behind. But I'm enjoying it, seriously. It's a lot of fun.  I can see why Lucy Lawless has admirers of both genders, although to be honest, my taste runs more to Ares, aka the late Kevin Smith. But I just started watching a series which I'd never heard of 'til I googled the actor that plays the main character, and wow, was I blown away. Its name is Profit.

Jim Profit, played by the very handsome and talented Adrian Pasdar (also of Heroes and Mysterious Ways) is ambitious, much as MacBeth was ambitious. An employee of the mega-corporation G&G (Gracen & Gracen), he has his smoldering eyes on the corporate prize. But unlike MacBeth, there is no woman pushing him up the corporate ladder. It's all him. He has enough ambition for ten men. As well as determination. And skill. And a background to rival the most dysfunctional family's.  

***Spoilers ahead****
We meet him at the funeral for the VP of Acquisitions at G&G, a man he's never met, but whose job he is taking. G&G is a family-owned  and family-run business, whether by blood or through marriage.  Jim Profit hits the ground running, beginning with blackmailing Gail,  the assistant of one the bosses, Jack Walters (Scott Paulin, who once played Steven Craig on St. Elsewhere, but that's a story for another time). Petty embezzling, just something to help care for her mother. But in Profit's capable hands, it becomes so much more.

With Gail's help, he gains computer access to the most private files of everyone in the office through a virtual
program, which he runs at home. All during the pilot, we watch him at his computer, sitting before it in the buff (no, we don't get to see any naughty bits, damn the luck, but keep in mind this originally aired on Fox, so you'll understand). As we watch Jim knock down the players at G&G one by one, manipulating his way through every situation, we also learn about him. How his mother died when he was a baby, and his father, with consummate parenting skills, threw the one year old Jim into a large computer box with a hole cut out so that he could watch TV, and once a week, he'd dump in food for him - as he would any other animal. Is it any wonder that Jim turned out the way he did? The last scene in the two hour pilot - well, I won't give it away, but let's just say my jaw hit the floor, and I can't forget it.

Jim isn't entirely unopposed, of course. Jack Walker is determined to show him up for what he is, with the aid of his ex-girlfriend  Joanne (Lisa Zane, formerly of LA Law and ER), who is head of security. I've only watched the pilot and one episode, but I have to say I'm already hooked and can't wait to see what happens.




Speaking of Fox, I just started to watch a brand new series there which recently made its debut - Alcatraz. I'd seen the trailers and not been sure if I was interested, but I gave it a shot, and I'm really glad I did. On March 21, 1963, the prison of Alcatraz was closed, its inmates dispersed to other facilities. Except that isn't what really happened. On March 20, 1963, 302 inmates disappeared without a trace. Now, almost fifty years later, they're coming back, some of the worst criminals ever assembled in one place. The question remains - what happened to them, why, and who's behind it?

Detective Rebecca Madsen (Sarah Jones) watched her partner die right before her eyes. In the course of her work, she comes across evidence that a criminal she is tracking was once an inmate of Alcatraz. Her investigation leads her to Dr. Diego Soto (Jorge Garcia of Lost), a comic book writer, who owns his own comic book store, and also happens to be an expert on Alcatraz. Utilizing his help, they search the baffling mystery of the criminal, Jack Sylvane, crossing paths with federal investigator Emerson Hauser (Sam Neill), who isn't what he appears to be.  **spoiler alert**  They end up joining his task force, investigating the 302 missing Alcatraz prisoners. Each week features a different criminal. So far there have been three, Sylvane, Cobb and Kitt Nelson.

I already like the series. The writing is good, the story is very interesting, and the acting is good too. Sam Neill is looking as hot as ever. In fact, even better. I think he's lost weight since he played Cardinal Wolsey in The Tudors. He's looking mighty fine. Hauser's assistant, Lucy (Parminder Negra, ER) is in a coma, thanks to Kit Nelson. We don't really know the nature of their relationship yet, but Hauser is obviously affected by her condition, whether he lets on or not. I like the character of Rebecca - she's strong and independent and loyal. She stuck up for Diego when Hauser was too hard on him. After all, he's not even a professional or a law enforcement officer, so dead bodies are a little out of his purview. This series is off to a great start, and I look forward to seeing more.

On Iron Chef America, we saw Iron Chef Geoffrey Zakarian in  his second battle in Kitchen Stadium since being crowned the newest Iron Chef. His challenger was Chef Jonathan Sawyer of The Greenhouse Tavern, formerly a sous chef of Michael Symon's on Iron Chef America. The secret ingredient was mint, definitely not a favorite of mine. I wasn't even aware that there were that many kinds of mint, outside of spearmint and peppermint. Although he failed to achieve the perfect score that he received on his first outing, Chef Zakarian handily beat Chef Sawyer, with the aid of his faithful sous chef, Chef Alex Guarnaschelli. I just love their relationship, the banter and the obvious affection between them. I watch Iron Chef America every week now, in the hopes of seeing more of that.  I am beyond excited that Chef Zakarian has taken his place in the ranks of the Iron Chefs. He is without a doubt, my favorite, followed by Iron Chef Morimoto, whom I've liked since the original series.

Top Chef Texas is coming down to the wire, six chefs remaining. For the Quick Fire Challenge, they were paired up and set to work to come up with something quick. Chris Jones and Grayson were the winning pair, splitting $10k. The bad news was that for the Elimination Challenge the partners became adversaries, each making the same dish. Grayson chose chicken salad sandwich, which Chris went along with. Probably his undoing. Paul and Edward chose Asian food, and Lindsay picked meatballs. Then Padma revealed the catch - they had to make healthy versions of these dishes. Poor Chris was eliminated. He pre-made his sandwiches, not taking into consideration the 110 degree heat. Plus he had a bee issue which caused him to rush his blending of his smoothies, leaving unsightly chunks of ice in them, and for the dryness of the sandwiches and the ice thing, he was told to pack his knives and go home. He was my second favorite, but my favorite contestant is still there, luckily, as he was in the bottom three - namely, Edward. Now there's five left, and we're getting close to the end.

Next time, I'll talk about Californication, back for its fifth season, and Grimm and Once Upon a Time. Heat Seekers is back too.

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie