Greetings,
In the fourth season of Law & Order, a trend began. That trend was that the Executive ADA always had a female ADA working for him. They were practically this show's version of Bond girls, or so I've heard some people say. But what of the three previous seasons? Well, for those, we had the extreme pleasure of Paul Robinette, the first and only male ADA. What the heck is up with that?
Paul Robinette was portrayed by Richard Brooks from 1990 to 1993. He started working for the Manhattan DA's office at a young age, and soon found a mentor in Ben Stone. They do disagree, usually on methods of prosecution, but there is much respect between them. Actually, this admiration for Stone may have been amplified after a cop who mentored him as a teenager turned out to be corrupt. Still, I think it would have happened regardless.
During his time on the show, Robinette often conveyed his support for racial equality, through treatment as well as punishment. Okay, look, race is a touchy subject, and it is a subject from which Law & Order never shied away. As far as I noticed, the only time a main character's race was brought up was when it was a central topic of an episode, especially when that race happened to be not white. Otherwise, every person was just a person, no more, no less. At least, that's how I saw it. However, when it had to be discussed, Robinette was always very passionate in his beliefs. He was never afraid to stand up for what was right, even if it conflicted with others. It was that intensity that made him one of the strongest characters.
We initially do not get an explanation as to why Paul Robinette left the DA's office, but we later find out that he has become a defense attorney, apparently, at a Park Avenue law firm. Sweet. He returned for three episodes in 1996, 2005 and 2006 in his new legal role. In each one of those appearances, race is an issue. Turns out, when he started working for the defense, he began to see things differently, and his perspective on race and what it had to do with the law changed. His hopes for equality seemed to diminish because it became so much harder to believe in. Of course, it did. You can't go from one side to the other and not start looking at everything in a different light. He was, quite literally, having to see it all from a completely new angle. What I loved most about these times he came back is that the core of his character hadn't changed at all. As fervently as he tried to prosecute people that he thought were guilty, he acted just the same when it came to people he thought were not guilty. So, even though his views changed, his overwhelming willingness to stand up for what he believed in had not. Love that.
In conclusion, Paul Robinette is also something of a legend of sorts in this series. He was, as I said, the only guy ADA, but he was also an amazing character. He made us think about things that, perhaps, we did not want to, and he was an example for us to be people willing to change by looking at everything with open eyes.
Oh, and I hate to do this right after what I just said, but can I be shallow and superficial for one moment and say that I LOVE this guy's voice? Yeah, I am a voice person, and just...wow. I don't know if Richard Brooks ever did voice over work, but he should.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
