Greetings,
Oh, I have to talk about Serena now, don't I? This one may be a bit...difficult. And maybe a little different.
Serena Southerlyn was portrayed by Elisabeth Rohm from Season 12 to the middle of Season 15. Okay, I'm going to discuss Ms. Rohm and her acting later, but let's get to her character first. I want to make sure I am separating the two, because I have different things to say about them. I was never, ever a fan of Serena's. Like ever. I have never even met anyone who liked her. I'm sure the people who enjoy her do exist, but I have never come across them. "Inept" was a word I've often heard used, as well as "robotic". Yeah, she was not a good character. I'm sorry.
I think I have to dive right in to talking about her politics, since this was a stepping off point for some of her problems. Now Serena was a hardcore Liberal, which made her get along with Nora Lewin. Once Nora left, however, she was alone with McCoy and Arthur Branch. They did not agree often, if ever, especially when it came to the death penalty, since both guys were for it. The problem is this. Whilst there has always been conflict in the DA's office, what with people having disagreements on many issues, it was also done in a very adult, articulate manner. Everyone, even those you thought were wrong, at least sounded intelligent and they made valid arguments for their side. When Serena tried to pose an argument, she just came off sounding like a bratty teenager, annoyed when her parents were trying to tell her what's what. She just always seemed very young, but in the bad way. And this is how they wrote her. I don't get why they made her character this way. I just do not. Explain, someone, explain.
Alright, let's discuss the one thing that always comes up where Serena Southerlyn is concerned - her departure from the show. Major spoilers for the episode "Ain't No Love", by the way. So, in this episode, a young man was accused of a crime, and Serena felt he wasn't guilty. She made it known, and then some. At the end of said episode, Branch called her into his office and told her that she would be better suited to being a defense attorney because she seemed more passionate about helping people legally that way. Never insulted her skills as a lawyer, in general. Just said she was being the wrong kind of lawyer for her talents. Still, he was firing her. Her response: "Is this because I'm a lesbian?" His response: "No, of course not". Audience response: "WHAAAAAAAAAAT?" I don't believe that a single fan of this show was not stunned by what she just revealed. I know I said that this show has never centered around the characters' personal lives, but we still knew things about them. This seems like a thing we would have known. But, OH, NO! It was never even hinted at, in my opinion. And I don't mean that in the moment I couldn't think of anything. No, I went back and watched her episodes. Nothing. I mean, did I miss something? I don't know. This makes me have the sneaking suspicion that they did this just to get people talking. If that was plan, mission accomplished, because we are still talking about it.
Okay, now let me say something about Elisabeth Rohm. I did agree with many people in my dislike of Serena, but some people took that dislike and transferred it to the real world. So, poor Elisabeth got the brunt of people's disapproval. I don't feel this way. I do not think that she is a bad actress. I have seen her in other roles, and she is more than capable. In fact, I watched her in a TV movie called Amber's Story, and she was very, very good in it. I just think the show messed up with the character, and everyone ended up blaming Elisabeth Rohm. It wasn't her fault; it was her job.
So, since I was not quite nice to Serena Southerlyn in this post, I will stop now whilst I am giving her portrayer some well-deserved, and probably overdue, compliments.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
