Jab’s Builds! (Miss Piggy! The Swedish Chef! Sweetums! Gonzo!)

Where in all of your character write ups will go.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Warden Glynn

Post by Jabroniville »

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WARDEN LEO GLYNN
Played By:
Ernie Hudson
Role: Warden of Oz, The Boss, The Stern Over-Bearing Guy, The Tired Boss
Deadly Sins: Pride, Wrath
Group Affiliations: Oswald State Maximum Security Correctional Facility, Level Four
PL 4 (62), PL 6 (62) Defenses
STRENGTH
3 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 0
FIGHTING 4 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Deception 3 (+6)
Expertise (Prison Warden) 8 (+10)
Expertise (Prison Guard) 5 (+7)
Insight 3 (+6)
Intimidation 5 (+8)
Perception 1 (+4)
Persuasion 1 (+4)

Advantages:
Connections, Benefit 2 (Warden), Daze (Intimidation), Fast Grab, Power Attack, Improved Hold, Startle

Offense:
Unarmed +4 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Initiative +0

Defenses:
Dodge +0 (DC 10), Parry +4 (DC 14), Toughness +3, Fortitude +5, Will +6

Complications:
Responsibility (Oswald)- Leo is the man in charge at Oz, and as such, all decisions have to come down to him. It's his job to make sure the inmates aren't murdered (he... doesn't do so well at that one), that they're kept under control (some seasons are better than others), that money isn't being hemorrhaged, etc. The responsibility weighs heavily on him.
Reputation (Hard-Ass)- Since Leo has to say "no" to a lot of things, he can be unpopular at times amongst his staff.
Relationship (Tim McManus, Sister Pete, Dr. Nathan)- All three have had shouting matches with Leo in the past- Tim over his hippie ways in Em City, Sister Pete over her hatred of the death penalty (Leo doesn't really given an opinion- he just does his job), and Dr. Nathan over medical requests. All three are nonetheless fairly close to Leo. As Sister Pete says, "He was the best man for the worst job".
Rivalry (Kareem Said)- As the most vocal prisoner in Oswald, Said comes head-to-head with the Warden a lot. None more so than in the first season, when Said is the premier riot leader. Said states that since most of Oswald is black, "we can take it any time we want". Leo adds "You can take it- but you can't KEEP it."
Relationship (Family)- Leo got a divorce from his wife around Season Five, partially because of him ignoring his family for his work. He is still close to his daughter, none moreso than after she was brutally raped.
Prejudice (Miguel Alvarez, Latinos)- Leo's daughter was raped by Latinos, and when he uncovered that Miguel knew the assailant, he was furious, punishing him for no good reason sometimes, even after Miguel revealed the identity of the man (he at first said it was an already-dead prisoner, but it turned out to be another guy Miguel was covering for- that guy ended up dead as well). Every time Miguel goes nuts, gets into a fight, or acts out, Leo is quick to slam him right back down. He has a really hard time giving a crap about the problems of Miguel or any Latino inmate for that matter, much to the frustration of the prison staff.
Guilt (Prisoner Deaths)- When Leo ran for Lieutenant Governor, he neglected a lot of his duties as Oswald, and as a result, Martin Querns and others allowed some nastiness to happen under their noses. Almost a dozen men were murdered, in addition to the countless others over the years.
Relationship (Governor James Devlin)- A true piece of crap, Devlin is nonetheless Leo's boss, and Leo has to do what he's told, which usually includes enforcing unpopular policies (the removal of smoking privileges and conjugal visits). Though he's been loyal, Leo's searching into the murder of an ally of Devlin's ends up getting him killed.

Total: Abilities: 36 / Skills: 26--13 / Advantages: 8 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 5 (62)

-I really liked the Glynn character in Oz (played by Winston Zedmore from Ghostbusters, as most people would remember him), as he was doing a thankless job, and got world-weary and cynical because of it, but always was there to lay down the law. Sure, he had to knock down some people's dreams, save money (forcing Dr. Nathan to use cheaper procedures, and keep quiet about the prison's culpability when a bunch of inmates got poisoned by the air in Solitary), scream at the rioting inmates, and lecture everyone, but THAT WAS HIS JOB. It's not like he was running a day spa, and most of these guys WERE scum, after all. They weren't afraid to make him look bad either, like when he punished all the Latinos for the crimes of some, or when he had to slap down the inmates until they were ready to REALLY riot, but that's part of what makes a compelling character.

-And honestly- Glynn's murder in the last season is what finally killed the show for me. It kinda wavered here and there, and some of the later episodes were BRILLIANT, but the show needed him as a center, and when you kill off THE WARDEN, you really show how badly you're hurting for storylines and concepts. It just tipped the scale of realism (which- mind you- wasn't always balanced to begin with, as they gleefully proved that Bob Rebadow COULD talk to God, and this was in Season One) a little bit too far- you were like "Oh COME ON".
Zephrosyne
Posts: 18
Joined: Fri Feb 28, 2020 9:48 am

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Star Wars Done! Hippodrome! Mutant Fighter!)

Post by Zephrosyne »

Jab, I actually binge watched this show because of you builds on the last message board. I remember it only took me a couple of weeks to get through the entire series. I do agree that killing Glynn was just a bad idea. However, it was Augustus death that bothered me the most. Even though he really didn't so much when you really think about it. It just didn't seem right that he wasn't there until the very end. Maybe it was because of him narrating; I don't know. I do think think the last two season were not as good as the first four, especially the last season which I flat out disliked.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Tim McManus

Post by Jabroniville »

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TIM McMANUS
Played By:
Terry Kinney
Role: Unit Manager of Emerald City, The Hero (kinda), The Bleeding-Heart Liberal, Slowly Going Crazy Guy
Deadly Sins: Lust, Pride, Wrath (rarely)
Group Affiliations: Oswald State Maximum Security Correctional Facility, Level Four
PL 2 (31)
STRENGTH
1 STAMINA 1 AGILITY 0
FIGHTING 2 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Deception 2 (+3)
Expertise (Prison Manager) 5 (+7)
Expertise (Liberal Know-It-All) 3 (+5)
Insight 2 (+4)
Intimidation 1 (+2)
Perception 1 (+3)
Persuasion 2 (+4)

Advantages:
Connections

Offense:
Unarmed +2 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Initiative +0

Defenses:
Dodge +0 (DC 10), Parry +2 (DC 12), Toughness +1, Fortitude +2, Will +5

Complications:
Motivation (Building a Better Prison)- Tim grew up in the shadow of Attica Prison, and many of his friends lost their fathers in the famous prison riot there. Since then, Tim has been devoted to building a "better" prison, that doesn't just spit out worse criminals than what came in. He wants to "fix" everyone who comes in, and often singles out particularly difficult targets (young Kenny Wangler, crazy Omar White) and try to better their lives.
Reputation (Liberal Douche)- Tim espouses philosophy, talks about reform, and champions the little guy. It's pretty apparent how far left he leans, and people with general biases against that tend to distrust him.
Reputation (Man-Whore)- Tim's been bed-hopping since arriving at Oz, first sleeping with Dr. Nathan, then Officer Wittlesey, then Officer Howell (*shudder*), and he's tried to jump in a few other beds. This gives him a rep to the other women around, and makes most of the men laugh at him behind his back.
Reputation (Hack)- No prisoner is overly-trusting of McManus, despite him probably being one of the least-corrupt people around.
Rivalry (Kareem Said)- Though both have allied against Governor Devlin, and towards the salvation of Kenny Wangler and Poet, the two are bitter rivals. Said seeks to destroy the very prison system that Tim wants to rebuild, and both push the other's buttons quite often.
Responsibility (Going Nuts)- The realities of prison life are harsh, and Tim grows unhinged from time to time. Occasionally, when surrounded by hisi own failures, he will crack (like singing "Da Camptown Races" as a black officer's funeral).

Total: Abilities: 18 / Skills: 16--8 / Advantages: 1 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 4 (31)

-McManus is kind of the centrepiece of Oz- kind of a sissy liberal type of guy (initially showing up in sweaters and glasses, though he gets a lot more casual as his mind breaks). He's kind of an odd role, and not a typical one- most shows will portray him either as a useless liberal pansy, or an idealistic tortured genius. The show featured him as a multi-faceted, conflicted character- he believed fiercely in what he was doing, but he could be very hypocritical at times, not to mention prone to temper-tantrums. He'd have some minor successes, but more often, we saw the fruits of his labour destroyed. His beloved "Experimental Unit" of Em City would be wrecked by a riot, his attempts to teach Kenny Wangler to read ultimately failed to save him from "Thug Life", and almost anyone else he took an interest in ended up dead. At the end of the series, Tim is preparing himself to be fired by the new Warden, Martin Querns... except Martin, who DOES hate Tim, points out that he always WAS a fan of Tim's "Emerald City" approach, and that he might just be kept on after all.

-Tim's no great shakes in combat, but earns some points for the time he actually held down Officer Howell from beating the hell out of him. He's no match for an inmate with a shank, but I'd take him against a PL 0 Bystander anyday. There is that funny scene where he & Leo Glynn are working out, and you clearly see Ernie Hudson stack about double the weight on his bar than what Terry Kinney was doing. A few backgrounders in this show are mere Bystanders, but any Major Character is likely a bit above that.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Sister Pete

Post by Jabroniville »

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"In days like these..."

SISTER PETER-MARIE REIMONDO
Played By:
Rita Moreno
Role: Psychologist, Surprisingly-Hot Older Lady, The Rehabilitator, The Moral Centre
Deadly Sins: None (!!)
Group Affiliations: Oswald State Maximum Security Correctional Facility, Level Four
PL 0 (29), PL 3 (29) with Defenses
STRENGTH
-1 STAMINA -1 AGILITY 0
FIGHTING 0 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 3 AWARENESS 4 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Expertise (Psychology) 4 (+7)
Expertise (Religion) 4 (+7)
Insight 3 (+7)
Persuasion 5 (+8)

Advantages:
Daze (Persuasion), Skill Mastery (Persuasion)

Offense:
Unarmed +0 (-1 Damage, DC 14)
Initiative +0

Defenses:
Dodge +0 (DC 10), Parry +0 (DC 10), Toughness -1, Fortitude +0, Will +6

Complications:
Motivation (Improving Others' Lives)- Sister Pete is among the kindest souls in Oz, and she strives to improve the lives of the inmates within the walls. She wants to cure addictions, heal rape victims' psyches, and make bonds of trust. She frequently fails, but still she must try.
Responsibility (Woman & Nun)- Even though she is the "Bride of Christ", Sister Pete occasionally shows signs that she may not have entirely been willing to give up the sexual part of her life, such as when Chris Keller attempted to seduce her. She nearly leaves the convent at one point, but ultimately comes back.
Rivalry (Chris Keller)- Sister Pete still doesn't trust Keller, believing him to be "poison". He subtley tried to convince her she was a failure at her job, then slowly tried to seduce her. Once she figured him out, she was furious, and frequently held back proper care because she thought he was evil.
Rivalry (Vern Schillinger)- Sister Pete tries to redeem everyone, but in Schillinger she may have found the ultimate evil. She is the one person who rejected his bid to get out of solitary, after witnessing the results of his rape and mental torture upon Beecher, Guenzel and Winthrop.

Total: Abilities: 16 / Skills: 16--8 / Advantages: 2 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 3 (29)

-Sister Pete was a neat character, and played to the hilt by the brassy Rita Moreno (a fabled Broadway star and voice of Carmen Sandiego). Moreno told the story of how thankful she was that Tom Fontana offered her a role she'd NEVER been given before- a NUN! The Prison Psychologist, Sister Pete is the mentor and protector of the minds of those in Oz, from the inmates to the prison staff. She's possibly the only characater in the show who DOESN'T cross some Moral Event Horizon and inflict horrible punishment on someone, and at worst the villains in Oz only lie to her and manipulate her- no one hates her. Well except Schillinger, but c'mon, he hates EVERYONE. There's a great moment in the first season when Pete lays some "Mom Guilt" on Said, who refuses to "dull his mind" with medication for his hypertension, and she actually coaxes a smile out of him, and he says "You're a good woman, sister". More than he gave anyone ELSE in prison.

-Sister Pete's obviously no combatant, but in terms of mental skill, she's in a rare zone on Oz. She's the ultimate shoulder to cry on, and she can stun stubborn asses like McManus, Glynn, Querns and Said with a few sharp words. Probably one of the most difficult acting roles to play on the show, and a testament to how good Moreno is. And oddly, when the inmates vote her as the "Sexiest Woman in the Prison", you can actually believe it, despite her pushing sixty at this point.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Dr. Nathan

Post by Jabroniville »

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DOCTOR GLORIA NATHAN
Played By:
Lauren Velez
Role: The Doctor, The McCoy
Deadly Sins: Lust (for O'Reily)
Group Affiliations: Oswald State Maximum Security Correctional Facility, Level Four
PL 0 (30), PL 3 (30) with Defenses
STRENGTH
0 STAMINA 0 AGILITY 0
FIGHTING 0 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 3 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Expertise (Prison Life) 3 (+6)
Deception 1 (+3, +5 Attractive)
Insight 2 (+5)
Persuasion 2 (+4, +6 Attractive)
Treatment 6 (+9)

Advantages:
Attractive

Offense:
Unarmed +0 (+0 Damage, DC 15)
Initiative +0

Defenses:
Dodge +0 (DC 10), Parry +0 (DC 10), Toughness +0, Fortitude +2, Will +5

Complications:
Motivation (Saving Lives)- Dr. Nathan became a doctor so that she could help people, and even when the money's not there, and nobody seems to give a crap about show she's saving, she strives to give proper medical care.
Responsibility (Woman in Prison)- As the prettiest woman around, Dr. Nathan gets a lot of attention. At the same time, she doesn't get taken seriously, and still gets called "Nurse" quite a bit.
Responsibility (Rape Victim)- Gloria was raped on the outside, and though she came back early, she broke down and eventually had to take an extended leave.
Guilt (Failed Care)- Inmates who get sick and/or die under her watch bring Dr. Nathan down. When Chucky Pancamo almost died from a staph infection because she was busy elsewhere, she felt guilty for months. She also felt bad when was happy upon discovering the death of Patrick Keenan, the man who raped her.
Relationship (Ryan O'Reily)- A very complex ordeal- Ryan fell in love with her, then had her estranged husband murdered so they could be together. She despised him for years because of it, but eventually came to appreciate him, and then actually FELL IN LOVE with him. She feels a large degree of guilt, shame and/or caring at any given moment, though the two took years to finally kiss.

Total: Abilities: 16 / Skills: 14--7 / Advantages: 2 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 4 (30)

-Dr. Nathan was your standard "Dr. McCoy" character, being the "we must SAVE LIVES at ALL COSTS" type of character you find in dramas like this. I found it a little... tiresome, I guess, but she was still well-acted, and a good character. The O'Reily thing was a little less than believable (Okay, so he was handsome, but FALLING IN LOVE with him? C'mon.), but provided for a lot of really interesting storylines.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Sat Feb 29, 2020 7:13 am, edited 1 time in total.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Father Mukada

Post by Jabroniville »

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That musical episode was so good, you guys.

FATHER RAY MUKADA
Played By:
B.D. Wong
Role: The Priest, The Moral Centre, The Rehabilitator
Deadly Sins: Pride
Group Affiliations: Oswald State Maximum Security Correctional Facility, Level Four
PL 2 (32), PL 5 (32) with Defenses
STRENGTH
0 STAMINA 0 AGILITY 1
FIGHTING 0 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Expertise (Religion) 6 (+8)
Insight 3 (+6)
Persuasion 6 (+8)

Advantages:
None

Offense:
Unarmed +0 (+0 Damage, DC 15)
Initiative +1

Defenses:
Dodge +1 (DC 11), Parry +2 (DC 12), Toughness +0, Fortitude +3, Will +6

Complications:
Motivation (God's Work)- Mukada is a devoted servant of The Lord, and tries to help men using His words.
Reputation (Hack in Black)- Despite his good work, Mukada is still viewed as a "Hack", and is mistrusted by most of the other prisoners. He must constantly struggle against this.
Enemy (Timmy Kirk)- Initially a Catholic, Kirk first converts to Protestantism, then shifts into a total crazy person, becoming an extremist who tries to force conversions. Kirk then targets both Mukada and the Protestant Reverend Cloutier, and tries to kill both of them. Mukada shamefully admits to Sister Pete that he actually "Prayed for Timmy Kirk to die", and is actually thankful with Jaz Hoyt does the deed.

Total: Abilities: 16 / Skills: 16--8 / Advantages: 0 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 8 (32)

-Mukada was often in the background to the other characters, but had his good moments. He spends most of Season One attempting to get Miguel Alvarez out of his suicidal, crazed hole, and continues to be by Miguel's side. He has to deal with the crazy Timmy Kirk in later seasons, suffers with Survivor's Guilt after he and a baby are all that's left of a bus on it's way to Oswald, and it's HE who actually sits down and convinces VERN SCHILLINGER to do the right thing and have Tobias Beecher's daughter released from her captors. That is very much a Crowning Moment of Awesome for a minority of a different religious sect to convince a piece of human garbage Nazi to do a thing like that.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Officer Howell

Post by Jabroniville »

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CLAIRE HOWELL
Played By:
Kristin Rohde
Role: Correctional Officer
Deadly Sins: Lust, Wrath
Group Affiliations: Oswald State Maximum Security Correctional Facility, Level Four
PL 4 (21)
STRENGTH
1 STAMINA 1 AGILITY 0
FIGHTING 3 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE -1

Skills:
Close Combat (Baton) 2 (+5)
Deception 3 (+2)
Expertise (Correctional Officer) 2 (+2)
Intimidation 9 (+8)

Advantages:
Equipment (CO's Gear), Improved Initiative

Equipment:
"CO's Gear"
Baton (Strength-Damage +2) (2)
Radio (1)
"Stab-Proof Vest" Protection 2 (2)

Offense:
Unarmed +3 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Baton +5 (+3 Damage, DC 19)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +0 (DC 10), Parry +2 (DC 12), Toughness +1 (+3 Vest), Fortitude +3, Will +2

Complications:
Motivation (Sex)- Howell is a classic sexual predator, but not the hot kind you see on Cinemax. She is a volatile, hideous person, who uses and abuses men of all types, especially the prisoners under her control. She will actually beat men severely for turning her down.
Secret (Sexual Predator)- If the Warden figured out even half of the crap Howell pulled, she would be fired in a second.

Total: Abilities: 8 / Skills: 18--9 / Advantages: 2 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 4 (21)

-*shudder* This is about the scariest woman I've ever seen on TV, and apparently a fanstastic acting job by Kristin Rohde, since she's said to be a super-nice person who's NOTHING like this character... thankfully. See, Howell debuts in Oz as the newest female C.O., but instead of being nice like Edie Falco's Diane Whittlesey, Howell immediately started hitting on Tim McManus, then going berserk with jealousy when he cals it off. Protecting her job by suing for sexual harassment (laughable in this case, but Tim WAS a giant man-whore, and everyone points out it was just a matter of time he got hammered with one of those suits), she then starts preying upon the INMATES for her sexual needs. O'Reily, Keller and eventually most of the guys in Solitary are her playthings, and she brutally punishes each one when they try to get out of it. By series' end, she's left in dire straights when she ends up pregnant by one of the Latinos she's been playing.

-Howell is probably the most notable C.O. in Oz, being a terrifying, crazed psychopath who has NO PLACE being in that line of work- in addition to being a sexual predator, she's actively bad at her job- tons of bad things happen under her nose. But yeah... she's intimidating as all hell (when a character played by Chuck Zito says "SHE scares me", you know something's up), actively deceitful, and all-around nasty and mean. She's a match for most of the prisoners with her Baton (she actually straight-up beats the HELL out of Keller with one, and he's one of the tougher guys around), but when unarmed, even McManus manages to hold her down (barely).
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Augustus Hill

Post by Jabroniville »

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(The boys are watching a puppet show on TV)
Ryan O'Reily: "Nooter's a f*g."
Augustus Hill: "What makes you say that?"
Ryan O'Reily: "Look at the way he's grabbing Pecky?"
Augustus Hill: "They're FIGHTING."
Ryan O'Reily: "Yo all I'm saying is that its a lot of body contact, man."
Augustus Hill: "That's the stupidest thing I ever heard of, a gay puppet."
Chris Keller: "One of the Teletubbies is gay."
Augustus Hill: "WHAT?"
Chris Keller: "Yeah Falwell, the reverend somebody says Twinky Dink or whatever his name is-- he's a butt pirate."
Augustus Hill: "That's nuts! Listen, you gotta have a, a COCK to be gay!"
Chris Keller: "Where does it say you gotta have a COCK to be gay? All you need is a MOUTH so you can SUCK cock."
-Hill silently confesses that Keller, who has literally engaged in that practice, might know better.


Prisoner 95H522
AUGUSTUS HILL
Convicted:
Convicted November 6, 1995 - Possession of illegal substances, murder in the second degree. Sentence: Life imprisonment, up for parole in 20 years.
Played By: Harold Perrineau, Jr.
Role: The Narrator
Deadly Sins: Gluttony, Sloth, Wrath
Group Affiliations: The Others, then The Homeboys
PL 1 (14), PL 2 (14) Defenses
STRENGTH
0 STAMINA 0 AGILITY -3
FIGHTING 1 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Deception 2 (+4)
Expertise (Criminal) 7 (+7)
Perception 4 (+5)
Persuasion 2 (+4)
Ranged Combat (Guns) 5 (+5)

Advantages:
None

Offense:
Unarmed +0 (+0 Damage, DC 15)
Initiative -3

Defenses:
Dodge -3 (DC 7), Parry +1 (DC 11), Toughness +0, Fortitude +0, Will +3

Complications:
Addiction (Heroin)- Augustus was addicted to smack for years, and it ended in a prison stay. He stayed clean through almost his entire time in Oz, but cracked under the pressure after his wife divorced him and his mother died. He was barely back and clean by the end.
Relationship (Burr Redding)- Burr was a mentor to the fatherless young Augustus, and it was Burr who got him invovled in the drug trade. Augustus strived to live up to Burr's example, and make the old man proud. Eventually, he turns a bit on Burr, angry over being driven into the drug business, which Augustus thinks ruined his life.
Relationship (Wife, Mother)- Augustus was very much in love with his wife, and was heartbroken when conjugal visits were taken away, and moreso when she filed for divorce. He was also very close to his mother, and when she was killed in a bus crash, he dropped off the deep end.

Total: Abilities: 2 / Skills: 20--10 / Advantages: 0 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 2 (14)

-Augustus Hill acted as the narrator of "Oz", spinning around in a giant box while spouting off various things about the theme of the episode or whatever the writers felt was an interesting, relevant discussion to prison life (for example, he spent an episode talking about Napoleon, another about the Plagues of Egypt, and in the series finale he discussed various true stories about crazy stuff that went on in prison life). Some of it got a little bit over-the-top and over-acty, but really, Harold Perrineau did an amazing job as Hill, having to talk to the audience for upwards of five-ten minutes per episode. My favourite Hill moment is when he talks about how the Constitution protects against "Cruel and Unusual Punishment". When talking about the taking away of prisoners' conjugal visits (a recent phenomenon), he says "telling a man he can never hold his wife again? If that ain't cruel and unusual punishment, then I don't know what is."

-In addition to being the narrator, Hill was a character on the show, as a drug-dealing crook who kills a cop during a bust, and gets thrown off a building head-first, leaving him paralyzed below the waist for life. He was first seen hanging out in the backgrounds and being part of various "talking circles" inside Em City, and eventually became a bigger part of things. When he got separated and his mother died, he fell back into drug addiction and nearly died (he was too high to keep his catheter cared for, and got a near-fatal infection), and had finally decided to make good with his life, and leave the Homeboys group (he'd joined back up with them when his father-figure Burr Redding joined the cast). It was about to be a happy ending... when he saw an Italian goon go after Burr. Augustus rolled into the way to save the only father he'd ever known, and... His final words, lying bleeding in the arms of Tim McManus. "I... I can feel my legs...". He would remain the narrator, but Hill was yet another death that kinda lessened the show in Season Six.

-Hill isn't that powerful or talented except in crime, and in his wheelchair, he's not much of anything. He got his ass kicked three times (Supreme Allah, Undercover Detective Desmondy Mobay/Johnny Basil, and that Italian goon), the final time killing him. In his physical prime, he was more akin to a Standard Prisoner, but maybe a bit more skilled. He did kill a cop while in mid-coitus with his wife, you know.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Star Wars Done! Hippodrome! Mutant Fighter!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Zephrosyne wrote: Fri Feb 28, 2020 7:59 pm Jab, I actually binge watched this show because of you builds on the last message board. I remember it only took me a couple of weeks to get through the entire series. I do agree that killing Glynn was just a bad idea. However, it was Augustus death that bothered me the most. Even though he really didn't so much when you really think about it. It just didn't seem right that he wasn't there until the very end. Maybe it was because of him narrating; I don't know. I do think think the last two season were not as good as the first four, especially the last season which I flat out disliked.
Oh wow, that's super-cool! I last posted these guys over EIGHT YEARS AGO- you've been reading that entire time? Glad to have you!

Hill dying was pretty weak, but the gimmick of having past dead guys show up to narrate for the last season was okay. I kind of got that the tragedy of his demise could effect things later on... but then the show started killing off EVERYBODY. Glynn dying was kind of cartoonish and weird, Said's was handled poorly, Omar's was off-handed and weak, and more. For a show that used to do a really good job of killing people off in notable ways, it was clear that Fontana and the other writers were kind of throwing everything at the wall.

What's sad is that Oz kind of created a whole new genre of television- the Hardcore Adult Drama- but doesn't really get as much credit for it. Without Oz, I don't think you get The Sopranos or later Game of Thrones in quite the same way- OZ made HBO confident that the idea could work.

It also kinda hurt that the actors took a while to get more famous. It had a very "East Coast" cast, so instead of Hollywood stuff they ended up on Law & Order (Keller & Bellinger were both major stars, there) and The Wire (a big chunk of Oz's supporting cast, like Wangler, the undercover cop, and even that Marine who died in two episodes, all went on to play major characters in that show.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Tobias Beecher

Post by Jabroniville »

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Keller: I couldn't face living the rest of my life in here without you. Don't you see? I did what I did out of love.

Beecher: I loved alcohol. I loved heroin. But I had to put them behind me because they were poison. Death. You... are death. Let me live.


Prisoner 97B412
TOBIAS BEECHER
Convicted:
July 5, 1997 – Driving while intoxicated, vehicular manslaughter (killed a young girl while driving drunk). Sentence: 15 years, up for parole in four. Parole denied in 2001. Granted parole in 2003. Returned to OZ later that year due to a parole violation.
Played By:[/b] Lee Tergeson
Role: The Newbie, The Hero (kinda), The Woobie, Broken Hero, Crazy Hero (Season Two), The Nerd
Deadly Sins: Pride, Gluttony, Wrath (in his crazier moments)
Group Affiliations: The Others
PL 3 (37)
STRENGTH
1 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 1
FIGHTING 3 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 3 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Deception 4 (+4)
Expertise (Lawyer) 5 (+8)
Expertise (Prison Inmate) 1 (+4)
Insight 2 (+4)
Investigation 2 (+4)
Perception 2 (+4)

Advantages:
Daze (Deception)

Offense:
Unarmed +3 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Initiative +1

Defenses:
Dodge +0 (DC 10), Parry +3 (DC 13), Toughness +2, Fortitude +3, Will +4

Complications:
Enemy (Vern Schillinger)- Tobey puts his faith in Schillinger when he first arrives in Emerald City, looking for protection from the brutal Adebisi. Unfortunately, Schillinger uses the opportunity to take control of Beecher's life, tattooing a swastika on his ass, anally raping him, and forcing him to dress like a woman. When Beecher fights back and ruins Schillinger's parole (and convinces his own son to turn on him), Schillinger has Beecher's young son murdered. The two often try to make peace, but something always twists and breaks.
Enemy (Aryan Nation)- Beecher's issues with Schillinger also make him the target of the entire Aryan Brotherhood, but mostly James Robson, Schillinger's #1 goon.
Relationship (Children)- Tobey's children are his life.
Guilt (Kathy Rockwell)- Beecher killed a nine-year old girl while driving drunk.
Guilt (Wife's Suicide & Son's Murder)- Beecher's wife apparently killed herself (though Schillinger hints that he may have been responsible- it's unsure if he was just screwing with Tobias or not) as a result of losing her husband to prison. Later, Beecher's own son is murdered on the orders of Schillinger.
Guilt (Adam Guenzel's Rape)- Guenzel was a friend of the family, and Beecher tried to protect him. However, upon discovering Beecher was now bisexual, Guenzel assaulted him and rejected him, and in revenge, Toby allowed the Aryans free reign on him. They savagely beat him and gang-raped him, and forced him to be one of their dress-wearing Prags. He later died on an electric fence trying to escape. Yet another death on Toby's conscience.
Guilt (Andy & Hank Schillinger's Deaths)- Beecher tried to get at Vern through his son Hank (who had just been sent to Oz for murdering a black man). He ended up genuinely caring for the lost young man, and eventually turned him against his father. Unfortunately, Vern then arranged for his own son's death by way of heroin overdose. Later, Beecher arranged a hit on Andy for killing Beecher's son. He changed his mind, but it was too late. Both deaths permanently haunt him.
Addiction (Alcohol, Heroin)- Beecher is a lifelong alcoholic, which resulted in the death of Kathy Rockwell. While in prison, he goes back on the sauce, and then gets into the hard stuff- heroin. He eventually kicks both.
Relationship (Chris Keller)- Keller was brought into Oz to seduce Tobias and gain his love, before ultimately betraying him. Realizing he truly loved Beecher after all, Keller hooked up with him for real, but the two were still tumultuous. Keller assaulted Beecher several times, and proved to be a controlling lover. Eventually, Beecher realized that Keller was "poison", just as alcohol & heroin had been.
Reputation (Prag)- Beecher will always be known as a "Bitch" after being raped by Schillinger.

Total: Abilities: 24 / Skills: 16--8 / Advantages: 1 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 4 (37)

-It says something about Oz as a series when you realize that the closes thing to a Main Hero in the show killed a nine-year old girl while driving while intoxicated. It's just that kind of a series.

-Tobias Beecher is pretty much the main character, if you can call anyone in the massive cast that, of Oz. Brought in as a naiive, non-street smart lawyer who killed a young girl while drunk driving, you're left not liking him, but finding pity for him anyways, as he has the worst things happen to him in arguably all of fiction. He's brutally raped and humiliated by his Aryan roommate Schillinger, his wife commits suicide in depression, his son is murdered, he's betrayed and assaulted by his gay lover Chris Keller, he becomes a drug addict, he becomes an evil person himself to combat the evil around him, and by the end, he's back in prison after his release, facing double murder raps. How do you top THAT?

-Beecher's methods of revenge are the stuff of legend, however. First he gouges one of Schillinger's eyes by throwing a chair through a glass door at him (an act that has the entirety of Em City chanting Beecher's name, in this great darkly heroic moment), then he ties him up and LITERALLY smears his own feces all over Schillinger's face. Then he manipulates Schillinger's son into hating him (an act that indirectly causes the boy's death, as Vern can't deal with it), and has the other one murdered by the Mafia. When Adam Guenzel, an old family friend, assaults him in jail, Beecher feeds him to the Aryans, and he's brutaly gang-raped. That Beecher feels guilt for most of these situations makes him human; but it's also a lesson he shouldn't be crossed.

-Beecher is a good starting Oz inmate build: actual skills from the real world brought into a world where they don't really matter. This represents him several seasons in; he's worked out enough and become crazed enough to have some decent PL 2 bonuses, and he ends up a crazed psychopath around the Aryan Nation in the prison. Be warned, Schillinger: Beecher has him as an Enemy, and about three complications that are directly his fault. Beecher's still no match for real tough guys, like the Thugs or Chris Keller, however. He's more than enough to, say, use a weapon on a Nazi, tie him up, and defecate on his face, however.
Jabroniville
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Vern Schillinger

Post by Jabroniville »

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[after Beecher moves into Schillinger's pod]
Vernon Schillinger: "You're not a Jew, are you?"
Tobias Beecher: "Me? Jewish? I don't even like Barbra Streisand."
Vernon Schillinger: "You like my tattoos?"
Tobias Beecher: "Yeah."
Vernon Schillinger: "We're gonna have to get you one."
Tobias Beecher: [laughs] "I don't think so.
Vernon Schillinger: "Oh, yeah, I'm gonna brand you myself."
Tobias Beecher: "Livestock gets branded."
Vernon Schillinger: [chuckles] "Livestock. Yeah, that's exactly what you are, my livestock. Because now, Tobias. Your ass belongs to me."


Prisoner 92S110
VERNON "VERN" SCHILLINGER
Convicted:
October 21, 1992 – Aggravated assault in the first degree (beat a black drug dealer for selling drugs to his sons). Sentence: Eight years, eligible for parole in five. Convicted in 1998 of conspiracy to commit murder and sentenced to ten additional years without the possibility of parole (put a hit out on Beecher).
Played By:[/b] J.K. Simmons
Role: The Big Bad, Racist Bastard, Pure Evil
Deadly Sins: Lust, Wrath, Pride
Group Affiliations: The Aryan Brotherhood
PL 3 (33), PL 4 (33) Defenses
STRENGTH
1 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 1
FIGHTING 3 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Close Combat (Shank) 1 (+4)
Deception 4 (+6)
Expertise (Prison Inmate) 7 (+7)
Expertise (Aryan Brotherhood Leader) 6 (+6)
Insight 5 (+7)
Intimidation 5 (+7)
Investigation 2 (+4)
Perception 3 (+5)
Persuasion 2 (+4)
Vehicles 1 (+1)

Advantages:
Benefit (Gang Leader), Daze (Intimidation), Equipment (Shank), Connected

Equipment:
"Shank" Strength-Damage +1 (Feats: Improved Critical, Subtle) (2)

Offense:
Unarmed +3 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Shank +4 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Initiative +1

Defenses:
Dodge +0 (DC 10), Parry +3 (DC 13), Toughness +2, Fortitude +3, Will +4

Complications:
Enemy (Tobias Beecher)- Tobey puts his faith in Schillinger when he first arrives in Emerald City, looking for protection from the brutal Adebisi. Unfortunately, Schillinger uses the opportunity to take control of Beecher's life, tattooing a swastika on his ass, anally raping him, and forcing him to dress like a woman. When Beecher fights back and ruins Schillinger's parole (and convinces his own son to turn on him), Schillinger has Beecher's young son murdered. The two often try to make peace, but something always twists and breaks.
Enemy (Kareem Said)- An ardent racist, Schillinger vehemently despises the black community leader Said, and often seeks to bring him down and/or kill him.
Relationship (Children)- Andy & Hank Schillinger are Vern's beloved sons- he has brought them up believing what he belives, and wants them to be drug-free, responsible kids. He fails miserably on every possible level, and both boys died as a result of Vern's own actions in Oz. In rare moments of reflection, he admits "they became the men I made them" and feels bad about it.
Addiction (Sodomy)- Vern seemingly cannot go more than a full season in "Oz" without anally raping somebody. Beecher was the first one seen, followed by Cyril O'Reily, Adam Guenzel, Peter Schibetta and many others. He nearly always has a "Prag", a specific "bitch" for him to dress up like a woman and sexually molest. Frequently, this has made him dangerous enemies (Cyril's protective brother Ryan was NOT impressed).
Relationship (Chris Keller)- Keller was brought into Oz to seduce Tobias and gain his love, before ultimately betraying him. Realizing he truly loved Beecher after all, Keller hooked up with him for real, and the two allied against Schillinger. Later, they nearly made peace.
Reputation (Racist)- No minority in Oz would trust Vern in any way whatsoever. Since Oz is made up of 80-90% men of colour, this can have negative effects.
Responsibility/Prejudice (The Aryan Brotherhood)- Vern hates non-whites and any minority (though believes Jews can be useful), ESPECIALLY blacks, and blames them for many of society's ills. He will go out of his way to discredit, assault or murder a minority, and views them as subhuman. He makes frequent use of the "N-Word". As the leader of the Aryans in Oz, their reputation and habits fall to him to correct, and he frequently makes power-plays. He worships Mayor Wilson Loewen, and is broken when Loewen rips on him and says he's "got a big ego, and nothing to back it up".
Berserk Button (Pronouncing it "Schillin-JER")- "SCHILLING-UR! SCHILLING-UR!" God dammit! Six ****ing years in this place and you think you'd be able to pronounce my goddamn name!!"

Total: Abilities: 22 / Skills: 34--17 / Advantages: 4 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 4 (33)

-Vern Schillinger is the other Ultimate Evil in Oz- the cold, calculating psychopath to Adebisi's animalistic rapist, and Beecher suffered all the more for it. Augustus Hill said it best in "his" book- "Adebisi just wanted your ass; Schillinger wanted YOUR SOUL". Forcing Beecher to dress like a girl, raping him, burning a swastika onto his ass, having Chris Keller seduce him, make him fall for Keller, and THEN betray him ("I want him to suffer"), having both his AND Beecher's sons murdered... the guy is as evil as evil gets. They even made him an Aryan Brotherhood leader to make him even MORE hateable. His only shining light ever came when his granddaughter was born, and even she ended up out of his life in a big hurry. But through it all, Schillinger was made to suffer every step of the way as well. Beecher, Keller & O'Reilly all hated him simultaneously, resulting in Vern having his own son killed rather than turn against him. His other son was killed in a hit arranged by Beecher. Beecher nearly blinded him in one of his eyes, and then crapped on his face after another beating (and then arranged to have him put in prison for ten MORE years for trying to have a hit put out on him). Ultimately, Schillinger was the one who was killed, in the last episode of Oz, after being betrayed by Keller (who was faking more Beecher hate), and he was fatally stabbed with a real knife (instead of the planned gimmick one) during the prison's production of Macbeth.

-All in all, Schillinger is one of the WORST evil bastards in all of fiction- it's really hard to think of others- he didn't even have a mental disorder. He was just genuinely, disgustingly evil. He's a racist who specifically targets blacks, he tortures people, he forces countless men into sexual slavery while making them dress like women, etc. I'm actually hard-pressed to find more evil characters out there. Even Caligula himself gets a pass for being authentically mentally-ill. Schillinger has no excuse. He's just trash.

-Schillinger is as evil as it gets, but isn't quite as physically menacing as his henchmen. Well, he IS, but in a different way. Schillinger is a "Big Bad" in the sense that he's responsible for everything bad that's ever happened to you, murdered your son, and forced you to dress as a woman and service him sexually. He's actually had his ass kicked numerous times, but he nearly always gets some form of horrible revenge. He's PL 2.5-ish, as he's not as tough as some (he's been beaten by Beecher a few times, mostly thanks to weapons, and Zahir Arif once one-punched him with ease), but he can still get stabbed several times and come back later. He's the type of villain who gets more out of his Henchmen (usually four-to-five Aryans, including Robson) than his own power. The funny thing is, he isn't even that SMART, either. Adebisi seems to play the "Big, Dumb Thug" character to Schillinger's "Calculating Evil", but that's a clever trick of the writers, playing to expectations (Adebisi is a muscular foreigner with a drug habit and gangbanger tendencies)- their roles are actually OPPOSITE. Adebisi secretively killed both the big Mafia leaders in Oz, manipulated his way into power, and more, while Schillinger was just this big dumbass, frequently up-ended by Beecher's cleverness, Keller's brutality, and more- he stumbles into getting himself imprisoned for ten extra years, kills his own son out of spite (he was getting close to Beecher, so Vern declared "My son... is DEAD" and arranged to give him an overdose of heroin), and gets set up numerous times- he's just kind of a simplistic, impulsive goon. He's just fueled so entirely by EVIL that it doesn't matter.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

James Robson

Post by Jabroniville »

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-Schillinger's henchman James Robson is worth some extra notes. Played in "wild crazy large ham" style by R.E. Rodgers, Robson was a Chaotic Evil mess of a human being. His debut on "Oz" consists of beating Beecher to perform oral sex on him, then getting rebuffed in the most horrible way imaginable (hint: it involves teeth). Robson was NUTS- a rapist and racist like Schillinger, he was a sadistic bully who practically had to be reigned in evil-wise by VERN SCHILLINGER. He's easily in the show's Top Five for absolute evil characters (and that's over some of the most evil pricks in television history)- and one point he murders a young Muslim inmate by having a fellow Aryan gag him, and slices him hundreds of times with a razor, killing him in the most slow and horrible way possible.

-But don't worry- Oz is a show where the villains tend to get their comeuppance. Robson is booted out of the Brotherhood for getting dental surgery (a black man's gums were placed in his mouth to replace his rotted original ones). Robson first tries to remove them with a straight-razor (in probably the most DISGUSTING SCENE IN TELEVISION HISTORY- one so horribly gory that I can barely watch it, and "barf-fest" horror movies do little to me), then is forced to become the sex slave of Wolfgang Cutler to protect himself now that he has no gang. In essence, Robson is then subjected to every last humiliation he inflicted upon others. He is forced to dress like a woman, has a spoon shoved up his rear end, and is then sodomized while wearing a stocking over his head, while Cutler punches him in the ribs. THEN he becomes HIV positive. At which point all the evil crap he's done comes back to haunt him, and he makes a more heroic turn, apologizing to other victims of rape in one of the show's more fascinating sequences.
Jabroniville
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Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Chris Keller

Post by Jabroniville »

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Christopher Keller: "You saw my ex, Bonnie (a big, fat lady, while Chris is handsome). When I met her she was all alone, very unhappy. So I knew it would be easy to get her to fall in love with me. But what I didn't know... was after I broke her heart would she still love me?"
[He pauses and lets this settle]
"See, I'm a piece of shit. I am worthless. As bad as they come and to have someone keep loving me, no matter how bad..."
[he pauses]
"You happy now? You got me to open up and spill my guts all over your table."

Sister Pete: "So you went along with Beecher not in the name of the Aryan Brotherhood, but to see if he would love you no matter what."
Chris Keller: "At first I wanted unconditional surrender, then I wanted unconditional love. But Beecher don't love me."
Sister Pete: "And that's killing you inside."
Chris Keller: "Yeah."


Prisoner 98K514
CHRISTOPHER KELLER
Convicted:
Prisoner ID . Convicted June 16, 1998 - felony murder, two counts of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, robbery, driving under the influence and reckless driving. Sentence, 88 years, up for parole in fifty. Convicted in 2002 of Murder in the first degree and was sentenced to death, Overturned in 2003.
Played By:[/b] Chris Meloni
Role: The Sociopath, The Charmer, The Seducer
Deadly Sins: Lust, Wrath, Pride, Gluttony
Group Affiliations: Himself
PL 5 (69)
STRENGTH
3 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 4

Skills:
Athletics 2 (+5)
Deception 4 (+8)
Expertise (Criminal) 3 (+5)
Insight 4 (+6)
Intimidation 2 (+6)
Investigation 3 (+5)
Perception 3 (+5)
Persuasion 6 (+10)
Ranged Combat (Gun) 3 (+3)
Vehicles 2 (+2)

Advantages:
Equipment (Shank), Fast Grab, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Hold, Power Attack, Startle, Ultimate Persuasion Skill

Equipment:
"Shank" Strength-Damage +1 (Feats: Improved Critical, Subtle) (2)

Offense:
Unarmed +5 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Shank +5 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +2 (DC 12), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +3, Fortitude +5, Will +4

Complications:
Relationship (Tobias Beecher)- This is one of the most complicated relationships in history. Keller is first sent by Vern Schillinger to "destroy" Beecher's life- he slowly and surely seduces Beecher, turning him into a bisexual, then breaks up with him and betrays him- breaking his arms and his legs. Oddly, he actually revealed he regretted his decision, and actually fell in love with Tobey. He had to work hard to prove to Beecher he felt guilty, and they hooked up for real. But they frequently bickered and argued, and Chris sociopathy and controlling nature came to a hilt. They split numerous times, fought numerous times, and ultimately Chris became obsessive, and tragedy resulted- he is not only responsible for Beecher violating his parole and being sent BACK to Oz (because Chris missed him), but he gets Beecher accused of murder.
Enemy (Vern Schillinger)- Keller started as an ally of Schillinger's, but then turned on him when he fell in love with Beecher for real.
Addiction (Control)- Keller is the living definition of a control freak. He messes with people just to prove he can. He married the same morbidly obese woman on two separate occasions simply because "I'm all she has" and that empowers him. When Beecher went against Chris' wishes, he became abusively furious. He tried to seduce Sister Pete just because.
Secret (Murderer)- Keller raped and tortured three gay men several years ago, and was never caught for it. An FBI Agent frequently taunts him and tries to get him convicted and executed for it, and Beecher has to wrestle with the idea of giving Chris up.

Total: Abilities: 42 / Skills: 32--16 / Advantages: 7 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 4 (69)

-Keller is kind of what MADE Oz. Introduced at the start of Season Two (when the show had to prove that it's first season wasn't a fluke), it was immediately made obvious that he was a "mole" sent by Schillinger to ally with, then betray, Tobias Beecher. He would do this via seduction, using his super-powered abilities of Persuasion to turn Beecher gay- AND IT WORKED. For an entire season, he slowly wears down Beecher's boundaries, then finally the two start to kiss. THAT's when they lower the cruel boom- Beecher is led into the gym, at which point Vern & Chris reveal their deception, taunting the horrified, wailing Beecher as Keller breaks his arms, and Schillinger breaks both of his legs. Then, by episode's end... we see Keller looking in the mirror, and JUST through his facial expressions, you can tell he actually fell for Beecher after all.

-What goes on is a LONG, convoluted series of break-ups and make-ups, as Keller tries to earn Beecher's trust, then they make up, then they fight, then Keller makes some huge sacrifice (he gets shanked at least once, and he confesses to settingup Hank Schillinger's murder to get the heat off Tobey) to get back in the good books. They're forced to spend huge chunks of time apart, and rarely ever get to be happy together. Then it's finally revealed that Keller can't STOP manipulating people, and he won't stop trying to get his way. He attempts to seduce and discredit Sister Pete just for the hell of it (and it damn near works), he murders several people just because they MIGHT get in his way, he kills at least two men just for having sex with Beecher, and when Tobey's dream comes true, and he's finally PAROLED... Keller sets him up to go right back to Oz on a Parole Violation. In the end, Keller makes all of Beecher's problems in Oz go away by killing the Aryans, but since Tobey won't be with him ("I have up alcohol and heroin because they were poison... YOU're poison, Chris..."), he chooses suicide, setting up Beecher for his "murder". Truly one of the more bizarre and passionate relationships I've ever seen on TV, and a showcase to both actors for going through with all that kissy-face stuff. It's actually the only time I've ever really cared about a "gay relationship", either- truly a rarity.

-Keller is a very dangerous adversary, being a match for just about any prisoner, but he's not invulnerable. His grappling skills are SCARY, though, as he's proven able to snap a man's neck while he was on his knees (post-oral of course), and break Beecher's arms effortlessly while in a UFC-style hold. And no, he doesn't deserve "Attractive"- his skills are shown to work equally well on men AND women, and he just may have turned a straight man bisexual through force of hawtness. That's a whole different thing.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Sat Feb 29, 2020 11:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Hippodrome! Mutant Fighter! HBO's OZ!)

Post by Jabroniville »

The type of humor typically used in this show:

Warden Leo Glynn: "The M.E. has ruled McCullum's death as suicide. He bit into his skin, chewing off chunks of muscle over the course of a week or so, causing himself to bleed out."
Sister Peter Marie Reimondo: "Sweet Jesus!"
Officer Sean Murphy: "Like a cannibal!"
Tim McManus: "A cannibal eats somebody else's flesh."
Murphy: "So what do you call a guy who eats his own flesh?"
McManus: "Inventive."

Thorp, way back in the day, re: OZ
It is. It's one of the few shows I just couldn't stick with because it made me too uncomfortable and I can usually handle any amounts of prison sex, violence and profanity (and worse), but the whole thing just creeped me out. From my memories of the episodes I saw, though, this is spot on stuff, Jab.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Sat Feb 29, 2020 11:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Prison Thugs

Post by Jabroniville »

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GENERIC PRISON GANG THUG
Role:
Mooks
Deadly Sins: Most of them
Group Affiliations: The Aryans, The Sicilians, The Bikers, The Muslims, The Homeboys, El Norte, The Gays, The Christians, The Irish
PL 3 (29)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 1
FIGHTING 3 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -1 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Deception 3 (+3)
Expertise (Criminal) 5 (+4)
Insight 2 (+2)
Intimidation 5 (+5)
Perception 1 (+1)
Ranged Combat (Gun) 2 (+2)

Advantages:
Equipment (Shank), Fast Grab, Improved Hold

Equipment:
"Shank" Strength-Damage +1 (Feats: Improved Critical, Subtle) (2)

Offense:
Unarmed +3 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Shank +3 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Initiative +1

Defenses:
Dodge +1 (DC 11), Parry +3 (DC 13), Toughness +3, Fortitude +4, Will +0

Complications:
Motivation (Power & Respect)- Prison is all about power for the inmates. The more you have, the better off you are. Even the relatively "good" gangs like the Muslims crave it.
Addicted (Various)- Heroin is the leading drug in Oz, but other inmates are addicted to pharmaceuticals (smuggled out of the hospital ward by the Latinos).

Total: Abilities: 16 / Skills: 18--9 / Advantages: 3 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 1 (29)

-This template fits the bill for the majority of the background characters in "Oz". Most gang leaders (O'Reily, Schillinger, Said, Adebisi) are varied in stats, and are great manipulators? These guys? Just thugs. They're big and strong (often stronger than the leader, in fact), but usually pretty stupid and easily-fooled (I mean, they ended up in JAIL, so they obviously aren't too bright), but not always enough to get negative stats. Guys like Junior Pierce and countless other background black guys (Homeboys), Wolfgang Cutler (Aryans), that guy with the long hair and the one with the tattooed face (Bikers), Said's backgrounders (Muslims), etc.

Prisoners Using this Template:
Prisoner #98H432- Jaz Hoyt- PL 4 (33)

Convicted August 12, 1998 - aggravated assault in the first degree (assaulted a slow video store clerk). Sentence: Eight years, eligible for parole in four. Later, confessed to four counts of murder in the first degree and is sentenced to death. Sentence overturned after he was found insane.
-FIGHTING 4, PRE 1
-Hoyt is the Biker leader, and starts off as a nicer character (his crime is beating up a crappy video store clerk, and he recommends everyone pitch in money to send Bob Rebadow's sick grandson to Adventureland), but eventually turns into just another dumb thug, being paid to kill people, and then going nuts while being visited by visions of the Reverend Cloutier. Despite being a Gang Leader, he doesn't use the later template.
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