Greetings,
We have had some very memorable departures on Law & Order, but what of the introductions? Well, one of them immediately comes to mind. Jack and Serena are in his office and the subject of the new DA, Arthur Branch, arises. Jack mentions that he has met him on a few occasions already and that he is a "nice fella". Serena replies with a question of sorts - "And his politics?" McCoy's response? "Nice fella". Mm-hmm. Sound the alarms. Republican alert! Perhaps, the most prominent one of all, but with good reason.
Arthur Branch was portrayed by Fred Dalton Thompson for five glorious years. Yes, that's Senator Thompson, by the way. Maybe that's why they made his politics such a thing with him. He was a very not shy Conservative, and he was so good about it. So, if you have never heard him talk, I will tell you that Arthur Branch is a Southern man, from Georgia specifically, and he stays in New York mostly because his wife, Lillian, loves it there. How sweet. He was elected DA in 2002, and he felt it was because New Yorkers wanted someone who was very tough on crime so that they would feel safer. He was, after all, in favor of the death penalty, quite different from his predecessor. The interesting thing about him is that, even if you didn't agree with him politically, you still liked him. He was a very likable character. Or maybe it was because he was always putting Serena Southerlyn in her place. Heh, heh. Sorry.
To be fair, more than a few people took issue with him. Looking back, I think that sometimes it had little to do with his politics and more to do with the fact that he was very strict about the laws of the land. He pointed to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights quite a few times, just to say, "Yeah, there it is. That's our law. Deal with it". It was pretty concrete to him, whilst some of his colleagues saw it as rather bendy. You know who you are. But, just because he holds fast to the law and has strong personal beliefs, he always had the ability to look at things case by case and make informed decisions. Yes, he supports the death penalty, but if it's not the way to go for a particular situation, he looks for other options. Perhaps, this is why, despite disagreements, people do respect Branch. He sure seems to know what he's talking about concerning the law. He did go to Yale, after all. And Yale Law School. Then, he TAUGHT at Yale Law School. I'd like to think that counts for something. Of course, when all else fails, he would just throw out some of his Southern wisdom, and you sort of involuntarily nod in agreement. No matter what he says. It's practically hypnotic.
Now, Arthur Branch's departure from the show was not as memorable as some of the other cast members. I don't even think it was mentioned in his final episode. Although, the last time he is seen talking to McCoy, he asks if he'll ever run for DA, and McCoy says that he's not a politician. Branch tells him that that's what everyone says. I bring this up because, whilst Branch's departure was nothing to shake a stick at, in real life, it was rather unique. In case you didn't know, Fred Thompson left the show in order to run for president. I don't think that has ever happened in Law & Order world. And, yet, I said many times that I hoped he would run for president one day. Then, he did...for a while. Yeah, before I had the chance to vote for him, he dropped, as many people have done. At least, he gave me a couple of months to dream. Thank you, sir.
I'll end now by saying this - I absolutely love Arthur Branch. He was such fun to have around, and I know it's weird when I say that about a show like Law & Order, considering it revolves around murder and all that. But I can't help it. He made me smile a lot. Maybe because he reminded me of a cross between my grandpa and Johnny Cash. No lie. And to this day, I still love Fred Thompson as well. Again, can't help it. Love how he talks, love what says, just love how he is. For what more could I ask.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
