Sunday 2 December 2012

An Open Plea to ABC to NOT Cancel 666 Park Avenue - The Reason...Terry O'Quinn in the Perfect Role as the Devil!!


The first time I really noticed Terry O'Quinn was rather perfect...it was in The X Files episode Aubrey. For the casual X Files viewer, this was the episode where victims were appearing dead with the word SISTER carved out on their chest. Aubrey is the very definition of classic X Files and the dark and twisted nature of this episode made it truly perfect for Chris Carter to then cast Terry O'Quinn as Peter Watts, in his sister show to The X Files, Millennium.


Millennium tells the story of freelance forensic profiler and former FBI agent Frank Black (Lance Henriksen), a man who assisted the shadowy Millennium Group hunting serial killers and murderers using his unique ability to see into the minds of these monsters. Terry O'Quinn played Millennium Group member Peter Watts, former assistant director of the FBI's Violent Crimes Task Force...a dark and mysterious man of very few words who like Frank, left the FBI to join The Millennium Group in the hope of gaining a better understanding in such a dark and chaotic world. Peter Watts later becomes a senior member of the group and works with Frank Black on a number of group Group assigned cases, however we are never completely sure of his motives and whether to trust him.


Millennium was a much darker show than The X Files and I remember reading years ago that Chris Carter said he had the idea for the show when he did The X Files episode Irresistible. Irresistible featured “death fetishist” Donnie Pfaster (pictured below), played with absolute menacing relish by Nick Chinlund and was based on my ultimate most fascinating serial killer, Jeffrey Dahmer. The network wouldn't allow for the character of a necrophiliac so Chris Carter had to go with a death fetishist, which in my humble opinion, worked just as well...and was actually possibly even creepier!!  Nick Chinlund's appearances in The X Files playing such an epic character, it meant that when he appears in 666 Park Avenue playing a nemesis of Terry O'Quinn, it is impossible to not get a massive X Phile grin on my face!!  :D


It was playing Peter Watts that I absolutely fell in love with Terry O'Quinn and I loved it that he was in The X Files movie, and later in Season 9 episode Trust No One. 


 Years later when LOST was first announced and I read that not only Mr O'Quinn, but also Dominic Monaghan (yay to Hobbits!!) were going to be in a show from Felicity and Alias creator J.J. Abrams...I had to check it out!! From the very first second I was hooked. And like the devoted nerd that I am...I stayed hooked and true, right till the very end!! With LOST, Terry O'Quinn played yet another of my all time most favourite characters...John Locke!! A man who, like Peter Watts...has numerous layers to him. BWAH!


So anyhoo, fast forward all these years later, past Millennium and The X Files...past LOST...and we come to the present where Terry O'Quinn is playing yet another wickedly awesome character, Gavin Doran.

666 Park Avenue centers around young couple Jane and Henry who move into The Drake building at 999 Park Avenue as resident managers.  Henry is a lawyer who works for the mayor and right from the outset when after hiring Jane and Henry, Gavin turns to his wife Olivia (played with equal relish by Vanessa Williams) and says that through Jane, that's how they get Henry...we know that Gavin is out for political gain.

Gavin isn't your usual millionaire building owner though, and the residents of 999 Park Avenue aren't your usual tenants.  The Drake is a building in which living in, your dreams can come true...if you are willing to pay the price!!  To me, 666 Park Avenue is like, if Hitchcock did The X Files.  You know, dark and mysterious men.....sexy blondes, smart and stylish and then with that demented twist that you would expect from standalone X Files episodes.  :D  Which is pretty fucking awesome!!  And the scenes with Terry O'Quinn and Nick Chinlund, they make me want to scream with delight, they're absolutely wonderful!!


Terry O'Quinn is without a shadow of a doubt, perfectly cast as the devil.  I mean, he has the charm and charisma, he's handsome and he is wonderful at portraying the darkest impressions of the human soul.  He has spent his career playing characters that always had so much more than initially meets the eye.  ABC were onto a surefire certified pile of awesome when they gave the go ahead for 666 Park Avenue, and to think that now they have cancelled it, despite the fact that it's proving to be popular, it's ridiculous!!  You don't cast Terry O'Quinn in such an amazing role and then cancel the series after it's only been airing for like 6 episodes or something, that's absurd!!  

One of the main problems that is hitting 666 Park Avenue, is that people are recording it to watch later.  ABC does not count those viewers, which, to me...is completely ridiculous.  Even if they counted the viewers that watched it within a week and averaged that out...I bet the numbers would be a lot higher and they'd realize that there is a fan base for this wicked awesome show!!  


It's great that you love it, the only problem is DVR doesn't help the ratings, so unfortunately we're only doing 13 eps.. ever...
 
 There are, I assume, several episodes of 666 still to be aired. How about everybody watch them live and see what happens! Just curious...
 

So what can we, as the fans do about this whole cancelled situation??  Should we sit back and do nothing...just accept it!??  Hells NOOO!!!  


Tonight when it airs, at 10pm on ABC, let's get everyone to watch it live!!  Now, as I'm in the UK, my viewership on any American/Canadian show doesn't count...unfortunately!! :/  Does that stop me from annoying the heck out of the networks....of course not, haha!!  There are various ways you can help get this campaign to save the show noticed.  First and foremost, obviously watching it when it airs at 10pm on Sunday nights.  You can also LIKE and support the Facebook group Save 666 Park Avenue.  

Another way to bring attention to the show is to get it trending on both GetGlue and Twitter.  By using the hashtags #Save666Park as well as #Save666ParkAve, we can all let ABC know that we love the show and want more episodes.  The official ABC Twitter for the show is @666ParkAve_ABC and their hashtag for the show is simply #666ParkAve  By checking into GetGlue, not only can you get exclusive sticker from the show, you will be helping to have it trending in a place a show this awesome should be!! :D  

Whilst looking for all the ways to help save the show, I came across this article that has more ways, including snail mail to ABC and links to petitions as well, go check it out.  :) 


So yes people...let's do this!!  We can't let ABC drop all this awesome without a fight, nope, nope, nope!!!