On A Completely Random Note - Due South

For those of you who ever wonder where songwriters get inspiration from, On A Completely Random Note talks about such things; books, TV series, random encounters.

I have often told many people I know my opinions of most American television of the last few decades; especially this trend towards reality TV. So I have tended towards television series of the nineties, and British series especially. And when my father introduced me to the somewhat specially cultural Canadian miniseries Slings & Arrows, I discovered a particularly fine example of the genre. During research of one of the writers and lead actors of the series, I discovered an earlier series he had done, which is an exceptional (if little known in the US) series called Due South. It chronicles the adventures of one Constable Benton Fraser, RCMP (that's Royal Canadian Mounted Police) as he first hunts down the killer(s) of his father, and due to a rather extraordinary series of circumstances, he ends up posted in what is, to him, a strange new wilderness: Chicago. (Well, attached to the embassy in Chicago as a 'deputy liason officer'. Exactly what this position does is actually explained, although he never seems to do much in the embassy itself.)

Fraser appears, at the outset, to be a complete bumpkin. He is an expert tracker, outdoorsman, sharpshooter, dogsledder, and indeed, policeman, as is shown in an opening sequence of the pilot where he tracks down a man through a massive blizzard for exceeding the fishing limit. However, he does not appear to be equipped for the big city; indeed, when he requests to transfer to Chicago, his commanding officer points out that the largest city he had ever been posted in was Moose Jaw (population 35,000) and he was transferred out because 'he couldn't adapt to such an urban lifestyle'. Indeed, everything about Fraser points towards him being in severe trouble, from his tendency to give people money because they ask him, and his choice of pet- his companion is a wolf who goes by the name of Diefenbaker. He sharply avoids anything approaching morally questionable; this trait is put to a severe test when he is partnered up with a wisecracking Chicago PD Detective, Ray Vecchio. However, Fraser's amiable approach to everyone proves to be one of his greatest strengths, much to the surprise of Vecchio (and everyone else).

Fraser trusts everyone, and believes that deep down, everyone truly wants to do the right thing; this does nearly kill him every once in a while, although luckily Vecchio is almost always there to pull him out of it. Throughout the series, Fraser makes decisions which most of us, with our somewhat cynical views of human nature, would never make, and it makes him a rather singular protagonist. He also has to deal with the fact that he is posted in Chicago, and thusly outside of the consulate he has no official authority whatsoever; as he never bothers getting a permit for a firearm in Chicago, he thusly never carries a gun (he is an expert pugilist, however).

This is where my personal love of the series kicks in; Fraser is portrayed as a model policeman, a model citizen, and a generally good person. However, through his reading of his father's journals, we get to see his dilemmas; he is all too well aware that he is a stranger in a strange land, and while he believes he can bring some good to this land, he knows that it can all too easily do great harm to him.

The series is incredible, and I highly recommend it as both incredibly hilarious and extremely poignant; also, the music is great, both the outside tracks and the fantastic original score work. Paul Gross does an outstanding job, and although there are a few personnel changes in between seasons 2 & 3, the series manages to hold a lasting appeal.