PARTNERED

"Isn’t “SOMETHING HORRIBLE HAPPENS TO LAURIE” kind of like the show tag line?"

Wed, 29 Aug 2012 21:54:22 -0400

“Isn’t “SOMETHING HORRIBLE HAPPENS TO LAURIE” kind of like the show tag line?”

- throwfishatbear

What kind of things does Maggie like to paint ? Does she feel at home in New York ?

Fri, 03 Aug 2012 19:20:34 -0400

Maggie paints colourfully. That’s the best way to describe it: contrary to everything about the decor (or complete lack thereof) seen at her workspace, her art is an explosion of colour, creativity and expression. Most of what she paints are concepts more than “things”, feelings and thoughts on canvas, but she also paints fantastical landscapes and skies, as well as the rare person. When she paints people, I’ve always imagined her paintings to look something like this:

Fun Fact: the painting above is titled “Mad World”, which was the song playing in Laurie’s apartment the first time Maggie was there, in one of their earliest original scenes. On the topic of apartments, Maggie’s art covers hers; this “location” of Partnered hasn’t been seen by many.

* * *

The park was spacious to begin with but now, as Maggie led the way into new territory — off the path, straight onto grass — even the looming trees became a thing of the past. Here, in the very heart of the park, and thus the heart of the city itself, the whole vicinity completely, utterly opened up: a vast expanse of green pasture, open in every direction and only blocked eventually by distant trees below the city’s skyscrapers.

Maggie walked a good dozen paces onto the field’s acreage before she came to a stop. She pulled the borrowed sunglasses off and blinked, not unpleasantly, in the sun that meant to wash her pale face in its rather tremendous brightness.

“It’s fifty-five acres of just … space,” she said, reflective; a simple field, and she looked out into it with pure admiration. “The Great Lawn. I know it’s not a big secret, or anything, that it’s here… but…” Lips pressed together, momentarily disappearing, before she went on. “Everything else in this city is walls. All of these buildings, and thousands of people just … forced together with no room to breathe, and you can’t see the horizon. Where I’m from… it’s all beautiful plains and,” a fond smile, “wide, open space for miles where you can see the clouds forever. In contrast… New York can be like a prison.” It was only then that her gaze found Laurie. “So… when I miss home. And I can’t leave the city. I come here.”

She wasn’t the only one. In the warmth of the day, picnic blankets and frisbees were abundant, people here and people there, all strewn across the landscape rivaling even the allure of a good beach. For the wanting, Turtle Lake glimmered off to one end. Yet shared or unshared alike, Laurie took his first step onto the grass as reverent as though treading into the most private of sanctuaries. Serenity did not clear his face, nor the sun bother it; he gazed out somewhere in-between. Found by Maggie, he’d taken a few more strides forward. “Stone walls do not a prison make, nor iron bars a cage.” Turning, his vision changed from the panoramic required to take in the whole Lawn, to a distinct touch of blue on Maggie alone. Only her, in all the park — in all the cage of New York. Haloed by the sun, he smiled not to match its brightness — his lips stay closed — but in a wistful sweetness meant only for the singular target of his gaze. Only. “I like that.”

Such a personal touch, sincere without needing to be serious, to come from the consultant. More than the view seen clearer beyond the trees.

And just like that, gone. Head moving idly forward, he breathed deeply but forcefully, inflating his chest and motivating his hands from hanging to propped at his sides. Past all the other people, their signs of merrymaking, the grass, to a truer horizon than usual, he squinted. Nodded towards that far point even while turning to issue Maggie a second look, shallower, and more touched with mischief. Back to form, he could be said to really be grinning more this time around.

“Race you.”

* * *

I ship Kotowski/Jordan. I can't be tamed.

Fri, 03 Aug 2012 00:17:00 -0400

It ships itself, tbh.

“Over the announcement of their joyous reunion, he turns his head to flash his partner with an endearingly affectionate look — softer than his usual, but no warmer; he’s never hid an ounce of it before…”

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Thu, 02 Aug 2012 23:23:11 -0400

Best show that didn’t exist in 2011 [x]Partnered

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 14:14:46 -0500

Best show that didn’t exist in 2011 [x]
Partnered

I need to believe But I still want more Touch my...

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 22:31:35 -0500

    I need to believe
    But I still want more
    Touch my face
    A hopeless embrace (x)

Fact: Christmas Special

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 21:21:01 -0500

MAGGIE: “This might be… one of the strangest things I’ve done on Christmas…”

LAURIE: “That doesn’t set up a very positive platform for me to ask what you’ve been doing previous years…”

MAGGIE: “I did say might. But mostly, they didn’t involve very questionable medical procedures. At least not in the kitchen.”

LAURIE: “Sounds like these other Christmases didn’t have very good taste.”

Because every series deserves a holiday episode now and again, Maggie and Laurie once spent a whole Christmas together (and Christmas Eve — speculate at will; Kotowski did).

It was both unplanned and not exactly traditional — Maggie stitched up Laurie with thread meant for horses while he made fudge.

MAGGIE: “I’m going to stab you now. If you’re doing anything very delicate over there, you should be careful.”

LAURIE: “Stabbing! Now it’s beginning to look like Christmas.”

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Sat, 24 Dec 2011 00:13:55 -0500

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Mon, 28 Nov 2011 01:05:43 -0500

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Wed, 21 Sep 2011 10:57:39 -0400

Maggie: “You could have stayed.” Partnered

Sun, 21 Aug 2011 15:07:40 -0400

Maggie: “You could have stayed.”

Partnered

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Tue, 02 Aug 2011 23:47:27 -0400

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Mon, 01 Aug 2011 11:03:03 -0400

Mini-Excerpt: The One in the Hotel

Sun, 31 Jul 2011 01:17:44 -0400

“— I’m sorry.”

“I’ll give him some time,” Maggie explained solemnly, stuck in the moments past. Her thoughts were still on the case they had drawn toward a close so recently with a new sense of finality, not on Laurie’s unexpected apology. She was left with a gentler frown. It curled into a sad smile of her own empathy, and it didn’t go anywhere when, as she took a step back in the hallway, she searched his face.

“What are you sorry for?” she asked. Her head turned toward the door, only to look up and down at Laurie with rare evasiveness of gaze. She spoke up again before he could answer, reluctant and quiet. “How much of that was true in there… about what you think of me.” Her smile flickered and forced a lighter, joking grin.”You know— except the part about how I could kick your ass. I know that’s true.”

“Ohhh, rough,” Laurie groaned and grimaced exaggeratedly. “Would you like to include how you could get me fired? You know— pad your obvious dominance in this relationship some more?”

A nod in that direction invited her to follow down the corridor, and she did. She hung her head down in thought as they walked, a slide of blonde-on-blonde obscuring her face. Laurie’s eyes weren’t ahead, either; he contemplated Maggie more than their destination. “Actually— I meant that it turned out this way. For you. Sometimes,” his hand gestured openly in front of her then pocketed, “it’s easier to have a clear cut bad guy that you can grab, handcuff— lock away— than… emotions we can’t grasp tearing a young woman apart.”

“I’m glad I have no one to arrest,” Maggie admitted. She was nothing but earnest. “People could be blamed along the way, or Lisa for tearing herself apart… but in the end, what happened… it was a tragic accident. There’s no justice in the end, and it’s not fair, it’s not black and white, and— maybe this will sound strange, but … that’s still easier to reconcile than murder.”

Laurie’s pace slowed to a stop, allowing her to catch up to him. Facing her, he smiled a strange little smile down at the blonde detective in the sweet stillness of the open courtyard atmosphere. There was no one else there to disturb them, and that was fitting to the private way he studied her. “You know, you’re not the usual homicide detective mold.” Slowly, fingers dragged out along the insides of his pockets, found air and— stopped there. He only fluttered in a soft gesture at her. “How interesting.”

Maggie smiled.

I always wanted the fairy tale, but now I want someone who is a...

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 21:24:31 -0400

I always wanted the fairy tale, but now I want someone who is a great partner. (x)

Okay, I have a ton of questions written down somewhere (did you see this coming? :D ) but for now I'll ask one.

I saw on one of the latest posts that Mark Wahlberg was the first casting choice for Kotowski, but then you replaced him with Eric Close. Were Elizabeth Mitchell and Mark Pellegrino your first 'casting choices' for Maggie and Laurie, or were there other changes in the cast list?

There are more questions to come. :)

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 14:49:00 -0400

(A TON OF QUESTIONS?! ♥)

Ahem.

Elizabeth Mitchell was the first, and only, choice for Maggie.

There was a somewhat windier path for Laurie. In fact, the character’s very first spark of origin was not this character at all — which is sort of a paradox, but bear with me — but my wily threat one day that I would stalk the Elizabeth Mitchell character of Maggie with one cast as Michael Emerson, just for kicks. He progressively grew into a larger, and more real, idea.

The exact point of divergence is lost to me, but somewhere in the planning, the character’s background began calling for a more physical-minded, and particular kind of look. Which lead me to Mark Pellegrino. By the time his name was Laurence, he was Mark. So, in a sideways way, the answer is both “yes” and “no”.

Once again, Laurie refuses to conform.

Bonus: Laurie has a ‘poor man’s’ casting, as back-up.

Casting Call Paul Kotowski (currently played by Eric...

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 18:48:46 -0400

Casting Call

Paul Kotowski (currently played by Eric Close)

Kotowski was originally ‘cast’ as Mark Wahlberg, leading to increasing descriptions of his short stature and shorter fuse. When it came to putting “Partnered” out to the public, however, Wahlberg seemed to clash with his would-be costars. He would then be replaced by Close’s camaraderie with already cast actor Enrique Murciano (Jordan). But history still labels Wahlberg as ‘Kotowski’ and Eric Close as the ‘poor man’s choice’, despite the actual outcome.

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Sun, 26 Jun 2011 17:00:49 -0400

In which Laurie has a dark side. “The risks to...

Sat, 25 Jun 2011 22:42:08 -0400

In which Laurie has a dark side.

“The risks to individual officers are especially serious. Not only must the undercover officer present and maintain a credible false identity in a criminal milieu, but often he must also gain the confidence of his criminal associates. Maintaining this dual identity can sometimes lead to corruption, disciplinary problems, substance abuse, and sometimes severe psychological problems. Permitting agents to participate in crimes adds yet another layer of strain to this tangle of conflicting demands and loyalties by heightening role confusion.”

— Breaking The Law To Enforce It

Small Excerpt: Collapse

Sat, 25 Jun 2011 14:29:55 -0400

… The building was coming down. Even the doorway above cracked, creating the loudest cacophony of breakage thus far as it loomed right in front of Laurie, threatening to either strike him, or drop onto Maggie. Either way, it seemed that the destruction would inevitably sever… something…

But for the sound of her voice. Stronger than her pull, the shouting accomplished what her grasp couldn’t; Laurie hesitated to glance over his shoulder at her there. In a moment, he’d really seen her. Critical eyes scanned the insistence, the emotions that made her yell that way.

He yelled back above the destruction. “Powers— ” CRACK “— get out — “

“You get out!” Maggie’s stubborn argument was no sooner shouted through viciously clenched teeth than the floor just wasn’t there anymore. All at once, there was no room beyond; it was an avalanche of concrete and wood that tore everything away in its perimeter. The doorway dropped, and so did Laurie. “MILES— “

One of his feet plummeted. Swiftly, Laurie became biased towards a fiery fall and a warehouse wall burial. For better or worse, Maggie kept her arm crooked around his— even if she tried to let go, there would be no time to scramble back before she would be torn right along with him. Her grasp remained determined; it tangled her to Laurie. He tipped in her direction, but slid down that increasing incline. Torn from his stance, bumping the hard, failing floor, he reflexively released the ten pound weight of the sledgehammer. The tool weaved indecisively before it plummeted the way gravity wanted its owner to go.

Maggie hauled backward again with all her might. Her strength was running on high-octane adrenaline. Yet there was no grabbing on from Laurie; no hold. One of his hands scraped against debris and unforgiving flooring for purchase. Other fingers splayed freely in the air next to her shoulder as she wrapped the elbow. Strained lines on his worn face registered his physical attempts to keep on, but not the full direness of the situation: not challenging the outcome.

Maggie wasn’t willing to let the cards fall where they may. Her knees hit the floor and the toes of her boots fought to keep a foothold. She spared an instant to lean forward, strengthening her link shoulder-to-shoulder instead of elbow-to-elbow.

‘Hey, hey, come on.” Her still insistent rallying keyed a softer note as she tried to brace her arms around Laurie’s, strong and sure. The thin, silky texture of his shirt was not a friend to her attempts, but through sheer determination, all five of fingers dug solidly into his back. “Just hold on! Hold on to me!” The return to shouting was full of demand, but up-and-down, fraught with the same anxiety that ran high throughout the struggle. Laurie got purchase around piping exposed by the dropping cement. But still he didn’t pull, he hung, he was dragged on.”I’ve got you— ” Questionable, but she was certainly putting up a good fight. “Fair’s— ” she groaned through a tug, ” —fair.”

His sleeve slipped against Maggie’s shoulder. But— then, jaw clenched, “Alright— “

Fingers slack suddenly tightened around her jacket, accepting with this that his partner was helping, even as his return efforts dragged on her, biased her forward towards that hole until he could transform more of his dead weight into a bid to climb away from the crumbling edge. “But only so— ” Teeth clamped over the sentiment briefly as he grunted with the efforts, heaving upward, the metal toe of heavy boots testing each foothold for the right one, “— you’ll stop whining.”

A break in the scales…

This scene happens to reflect one of the most prevailing themes between Maggie and Laurie: pulling each other out of potentially fatal trouble. No matter what. Here, Maggie went through great lengths to finally find Laurie’s location, and when she wound up in it without backup, she ran straight into obvious danger— to then follow him further into it, knowing he was going to risk his life. Moments before this scene, in which she fights to pull him from the brink, he pulled her out of the line of fire. (That would be literal fire…)