_{CHARACTERS/ACTORS GUIDE}

Jim Ellison

When I sat down to analyze Jim's character I found it hard to do without someone to trigger my thoughts. Then I thought - why not just put together all the thoughts about the guy that I shared with Elly in our letters (and boy, do we have lots of those). So here are our thoughts about the guy for those of you interested in the view of two kindred spirits.

The Sentinel by Blair Sandbyrg -

"Jim Ellison is a sentinel"

The secret is out.

And With that starts the real test of Jim's strength - the way that he handles it.

The first thing that he does is to lash at Blair about his 'betrayal', not actually interested in hearing Blair's explanations. No doubt it hurt like hell to have to find out from the reporters (I'm surprised Blair didn't get beheaded there and then!) but he really should've known Blair wouldn't do anything like that on purpose. So instead of listening to reason, he accuses Blair of betraying him, of selling him out, and then goes away without really listening to what Blair has to say for his defense.

I feel so sorry for Jim, it really is sad that he would still be afraid, would still be uncertain about people (even Blair). But then again, that's just the way he is. These things are so ingrained that you can't just rub them off. No matter how many friends you have, no matter how many people love you, deep down you would still feel all these uncertainties. You would still feel 'unworthy' (and we know the source for those feelings - we all saw 'Remembrance').

Jim doesn't know how to deal with the new situation that the publication of the thesis brought upon, cause it involves him - his reputation as a cop is at stake, and he values that above many things. He is the sentinel of the city, even if he says that he wants to undo everything. He is the guardian. I think that if you take his job away from him, he would feel as if he's got nothing left. That in a way he is nothing (with no purpose in his life). And quite frankly - I think he will go nuts. So he doesn't know how to deal with the fact that he has his job, and his friendship with Blair, on the line.

In the end he turns to the only thing that he knows will keep him in line while everything around him falls apart - his work. He tries to concentrate on the job at hand. In a way, it is a good thing that he's focusing on the job, trying to keep on with his normal life, but on the other hand - he's only shoving away his problems, still not willing to deal with Blair and listen to what he has to say.

In the scene right before the robbery (when Megan tries to make them talk to each other and Jim blames Blair, saying that he couldn't have made his paper without exposing Jim) Blair tries to defend himself but Jim holds up a hand to shoos him. In my eyes this is one of the most horrible moments in their friendship. Jim doesn't even let Blair defend himself. He doesn't want to hear what he has to say and he dismisses his words in a gesture that means that Blair has nothing to say that will interest him. But you know what, who knows what really went through Jim's mind at the time - maybe it was only a defensive gesture. Maybe Jim couldn't hear what Blair had to say because he was too afraid that he himself would be the one who's wrong. So he chose not to listen cause he wanted to remain angry with Blair. Staying angry with a friend is not easy to do. You make up all kinds of excuses and dredge up all the bad memories so you can stay angry and blame your friend, not yourself.

And if that's not enough, Jim goes and tells Simon that Blair's "ride is over". Blair has nothing to say about it, he doesn't have the chance to make that important decision about his life. Jim makes it for him, as if Blair has no power in the partnership and no respect in Jim's eyes. I can understand that Jim was so hurt that he forgot about all of Blair's sacrifices for him, and how Blair nearly died (well, he did die technically). I can understand being so upset and saying those things to Blair in those early moments. But then he had sufficient time to cool down... a real friend would have those memories resurface, no matter how angry or hurt he was.

In the end, when Jim saw Blair's press conference, he understood the mistake that he did and tried to correct things by giving that mini speak. Now, it wasn't the apology that we've been waiting for since "Night Shift" - but it was more than Jim ever did or say to make Blair see how much he means to him and how much he respects the work that he does (as his partner). So it wasn't "an apology", but you've got to love the guy for trying.

You know what's the bottom line of this episode and all that Jim and Blair went through? The bottom line is that Jim is still insecure about his sentinel abilities, or else he would have stood up in front of everybody and said, "This is who I am, take it or leave it." The fact that he didn't do that, didn't really confirm his sentinel abilities to non of his friends or the public in general (you can't count Blair's Mom since it's not like he can tell her that her son is a liar), really means that he himself is not yet comfortable with what he is - who he is. He still considers himself a "freak", and no matter what other people might tell him, he will keep on seeing himself that way until the time when he will look deep down into himself and he would be in peace with all that he sees - all that he is.

Murder 101 -

Jim is very reckless in this episode when it comes to hiding his senses. For example - when he's going over the crime scene with Joel, he finds evidence that no "normal" man could have found (the hair on the window, the address from the empty notebook), and instead of finding a way to introduce it to Joel in a manner that will explain how he found those things, he just gives no explanation (excuse if you want), leaving people wondering.

I find it the first time that we can actually think that Jim is tired of pretending and hiding his senses. The first time that we can understand that as much as he was angry with Blair when his secret came public, some part of him might have also been relieved. Relieved that he doesn't have to hide anymore and pretend that he's something that he's not...or rather hide what he really is.

Jim wants only to do his job, and to do it well. The sentinel thing helps - so he goes with it. But going around with a big secret like that, as if HE was the one doing something wrong...I think he's just tired of it all.

He probably thinks of himself as a freak in some part of his mind, after all, he's the one that wanted to hide it to begin with, that told Blair not to tell anyone else about his senses. He was probably always wishing that he didn't have the gift because he hated feeling like that about himself. But lets' not forget the reason for those feelings - I would think that what his dad said to him when he was a kid ('Remembrance') played an important role in his reluctance of being a sentinel. If only his dad encouraged him (or at least didn't discourage him) to use his senses. I bet his father had no idea at the time that his words would have such long term implications.

Night Shift -

I tend to see the last four episodes of the third season as one package, mainly because of the fact that they feel different to me than the rest of the season (if not the all series). It's kind of an opening of a new phase of the show - it has a new credit opening, a new girl on the block and a new feel in general (a more professional feel).

One of the new lines that are in the end of the third season (and all the fourth one) is the cracking of Jim and Blair's partnership and friendship.

It all started at Night Shift...

It's easy to distinguish the scene in the evidence lock-up, near the red Cadillac, as the starting point. That was the first time that we saw Jim really getting angry at Blair and doubting the reasons for their friendship and partnership (that was also the first time that we saw Blair standing up against Jim and protesting about the way that he treated him, not giving in for what Jim wanted). That was the first time that Jim said those untrusting and accusing words out loud (and not for the last time). But I actually think that it was before that scene that everything started. I think that the moment that Jim took Blair's paper and read it was the moment that everything started to go wrong for these two. And from there the snowball just kept on going down hill.

Night Shift is a wonderful prelude for ST1 - the starting of the mistrusting that Jim felt towards Blair and the beginning of Jim's push of Blair away from him (the same push that made it so easy for Alex to get near Blair without Jim knowing about it). Don't be fooled by the smiles at the end of the episode...it's not really the end of it - it's only the beginning of the REAL end.