Greetings,
All the ladies in the house! Put your hands in the air! Yeah, I just said that. But I'm excited. FINALLY! FINALLY, after being nothing but a Boys Club, Law & Order has let in some females! And this time it's a full on, name AND picture at the start of the show, actual main character! This wonderful, iconic character of whom I speak is none other than Lieutenant Anita Van Buren. I'm so excited about this one.
Anita Van Buren was portrayed by S. Epatha Merkerson for seventeen years! Therefore, she was the longest-running main character on the original Law & Order. Yes, I know that Cragen, technically, was part of the franchise longer, but his time was split between series, so it doesn't count. I love him and all, but girl power. Anyway, her massive amount of time on the show should be enough for her to be declared queen, but there are so many more reasons. I promise I will get to as many as I can.
Van Buren came to the show in season 4, becoming the leader of the 27th Precinct. And what a leader she was. She certainly had her hands full with the detectives she was in charge of, but, despite all their shenanigans, all of those detectives had a ton of respect for her. In turn, Van Buren gave them the same. Don't get me wrong. She had no problem with scolding anyone...ever, but if someone screwed up, she focused more on fixing things rather than shaking her finger at them. That came later. Plus, you always knew that she was right. Even if she wasn't, she was.
Before she made her way to the 27th, Van Buren worked in the Narcotics department. That's drugs, if you didn't know. After that, she went on to Homicide, where she was promoted. Unfortunately, we learn later that her promotion came by way of a conviction achieved through falsified evidence. SHE didn't break the rules, mind you. It was someone else in the fingerprint room, but Van Buren did unknowingly benefit from it. That was something that bothered her, because she often found herself having to defend her position and how she got it. Some people in her line of work were always quick to assume it was due to her gender or race, and that did not set well with her. It didn't with me, either. It's as though these insane people never watched her do her job, which should be convincing enough. On one occasion, Van Buren was compelled to sue the NYPD when a white woman with far less experience got promoted above her. And they, apparently, thought that was a good reason to try and get her fired. Yeah, I don't get it either, but thankfully, she stuck around.
Now let's get personal. As far as home life goes, Van Buren was married to a man named Donald and had two sons, Stefan and Ric, all of whom we saw in the show on occasion. They would eventually divorce because of...reasons. I'll get to that later. But, in the last season, she gets to date Ernie Hudson. Good for her! He's fantastic. We also, more so in passing, hear a few details about her father and sister, but not that much. Oh, and she apparently likes poetry. More thumbs up for her. Speaking of things for which she deserves much praise, let's talk about that last season.
As I've said a lot, personal lives are usually a side note on this show. When they come to the forefront, it is all done very well. The best was truly saved for last in this case. During season 20, Anita Van Buren is diagnosed with cervical cancer brought on by an STD that her ex gave her after he cheated on her. Perhaps, this is what caused the divorce. Seriously, how many times do I have to say this? We do not do bad things at all to Anita Van Buren! Must I get a billboard to express this, because I will. Kidding aside, this story arc blew me away, mostly due to the superb acting of Ms. Merkerson, but also because of the writing. They really went in deep to show what someone goes through dealing with this disease. Not a lot of sugarcoating. It was actually heartbreaking. I know that it's just a show, and Van Buren is just a character, but she's a character we've come to know and love for almost two decades. If you don't watch some of these scenes and get, at least, a little misty eyed, I don't know what your deal is. Another thing is that they did all this in such a respectful way concerning people who are really dealing with this disease. I've seen shows where someone with cancer is treated like they have a cold. Just...no. Here, it is done in a compelling and humanizing way. It was, in a word, brilliant, so they picked the perfect person to carry it out.
Let me wrap this all up by letting you know my personal nickname for Lt. Van Buren. It's Mama Diva. Why? Well, she is quite a tough lady. She gets things done, and you WILL do as she says. However, if you are sad or weary or hurting, she will be there to give hugs. I kind of feel the same way about S. Epatha Merkerson herself, so the name carries over to her. I hope she doesn't mind. Point is, this woman is magnificent. I will hear nothing to the contrary, ever, so don't even try.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Write
