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I wasn't sure were I wanted to post this, because I think it would fit here, in the Film/TV forum, and P&CE, but I've been absent from here for a while, so here we go...
Anyway, with Chris Meloni's departure from Law and Order SVU to appear on True Blood, I got to thinking about his SVU character, Elliot Stabler.
For those unfamiliar, Stabler is a tough-guy type of cop, willing to bend or even break rules when he thinks he needs to, quick to anger, and a pitbull when he senses guilt. In short, the typical "cop on the edge."
In my view, Stabler should rate as one of the all time best TV cops, in terms of character construction and portrayal. But he's so, well, mundane that I think Meloni never has gotten enough credit for his work.
Taking the above as a given, the question I would ask is:
Is Elliot Stabler an archetypal kind of character or a stereotypical one (or both, or neither)?
When we speak of archetypes, we tend to see significance because of such a qualification. But when we speak of stereotypes, I think we tend to assume the qualification is negative and/or there is no real significance. Thus, there is something to learn from understanding archetypes, while little to learn in noting stereotypes.
Specific to Stabler--and it's here that insider knowledge on police officers would be appreciated--does he tell us something significant or not? Can we learn from understanding his character? Can he be understood as the product of his specific background or is he just a cardboard cutout of a cop?
And in terms of the current world, are we seeing too many stereotypes and not enough archetypes?
For starters... (I have more, but I'm still sorting through it all to see if I even have a point ; in the meantime, opinions are requested)
Anyway, with Chris Meloni's departure from Law and Order SVU to appear on True Blood, I got to thinking about his SVU character, Elliot Stabler.
For those unfamiliar, Stabler is a tough-guy type of cop, willing to bend or even break rules when he thinks he needs to, quick to anger, and a pitbull when he senses guilt. In short, the typical "cop on the edge."
In my view, Stabler should rate as one of the all time best TV cops, in terms of character construction and portrayal. But he's so, well, mundane that I think Meloni never has gotten enough credit for his work.
Taking the above as a given, the question I would ask is:
Is Elliot Stabler an archetypal kind of character or a stereotypical one (or both, or neither)?
When we speak of archetypes, we tend to see significance because of such a qualification. But when we speak of stereotypes, I think we tend to assume the qualification is negative and/or there is no real significance. Thus, there is something to learn from understanding archetypes, while little to learn in noting stereotypes.
Specific to Stabler--and it's here that insider knowledge on police officers would be appreciated--does he tell us something significant or not? Can we learn from understanding his character? Can he be understood as the product of his specific background or is he just a cardboard cutout of a cop?
And in terms of the current world, are we seeing too many stereotypes and not enough archetypes?
For starters... (I have more, but I'm still sorting through it all to see if I even have a point ; in the meantime, opinions are requested)