Frank Pembleton Award - Lead in Action

The Frank Pembleton Award for the Best Lead Character in an Action
2009: James 'Sawyer' Ford (Lost)
2010: Jack Shephard (Lost)
2011: Raylan Givens (Justified)
2012: Raylan Givens (Justified)
2013: Walter White (Breaking Bad)
2014: Walter White (Breaking Bad)

2015 Results

10. Ragnar Lothbrok (Vikings) 4 points
2nd by Mags

9. Oliver Queen (Arrow) 4 points
4th by Loose, Larry

8. Phillip Jennings (The Americans) 6 points
3rd by Jaydon, Cecil

7. Matt Murdock (Daredevil) 6 points
2nd by Lenny

6. Lucas Hood (Banshee) 6 points
3rd by Loose, T-time

5. Ray Donovan (Ray Donovan) 8 points
1st by Bonz, Tippy

4. Rick Grimes (The Walking Dead) 8 points
1st by Jack

3. Jack Bauer (24) 11 points
2nd by Tippy

2. Boyd Crowder (Justified) 32 points
1st by Jaydon, Lenny

and the Poolie goes to...

1. Raylan Givens (Justified) 40 points
1st by Loose, T-time, Larry, Mags, Tyson, Cecil, Rizzo, Brady

This marks Raylan's third win in the category, the most ever for lead in action.  The previous two seasons he came in third and second, respectively.  Justified has now earned eight wins overall at the Poolies.

Winner's Breakdown
1st: Loose, T-time, Larry, Mags, Tyson, Cecil, Rizzo, Brady
2nd: Jaydon
3rd: Jack, Lenny
No Vote: Bonz, Tippy, Marsh

The Frank Pembleton Award- Lead in Action

Named For: Frank Pembleton (Homicide)
Awarded To: The best lead character in an action series
2009 Winner: James 'Sawyer' Ford (Lost)
2010 Winner: Jack Shephard (Lost)
2011 Winner: Raylan Givens (Justified)

10. Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock) 1 point
5th by Matt

9. Clay Morrow (Sons of Anarchy) 5 points
2nd by Rizzo

8. Chuck Bartowski (Chuck) 5 points
3rd by Jack, 5th by Me

7. Jimmy Darmody (Boardwalk Empire) 7 points
2nd by Cecil

6. Peter Bishop (Fringe) 8 points
3rd by T-time, 3rd by Me

5. Nick Brody (Homeland) 11 points
2nd by Bonz

4. Walter Bishop (Fringe) 14 points
1st by T-time, 2nd by Me

3. Tyrion Lannister (Game of Thrones) 30 points
1st by Cecil, 4th by Me

2. Walter White (Breaking Bad) 31 points
1st by Jaydon, Rizzo, Larry, Matt, and Bonz

and the Poolie goes to...

1. Raylan Givens (Justified) 32 points
1st by Tyson, Mags, and Jack, 1st by Me

This is Raylan Givens's third nomination and second straight win for best lead character in an action series.  Coinciding with Larry David's win of the Cory Matthews Award, Poolie voter Mags is here to talk about the two honorees.

_____________________________

As the suave, handsome, southern gentleman on FX’s Justified, Raylan Givens is known for his quick trigger and smooth demeanor.  Playing himself on HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, Larry David is infamous for his hilarious tendency to argue inane points to no end, as well as his complete lack of swagger. I would find it difficult to find two other characters which display such stark contrast.

Raylan is the preeminent modern man with a mix of traditional confederate values. He is able to talk his way through or around any situation and does it with an unmatched level of charm and swagger. That a man can wear skinny jeans, plaid shirts and cowboy boots/hat in 2012 and not look like a complete ass says enough about him. Add to that the fact that every woman south of the Mason-Dixon Line wants to sleep with him, and you know the guy is verified.

Juxtapose Raylan with Larry David. The short, bald, bespectacled goon dresses poorly and has a penchant for annoying those around him. Larry will debate any point with anyone at any time, and also harbors extreme prejudice to anyone not just like him. Despite this, he is responsible for what may be the funniest show on television.

Congratulations to Raylan on his winning The Frank Pembleton Award For Best Lead Character in an Action Series. The same goes to Larry for The Cory Matthews Award For Best Lead Character in a Comedy Series. Despite their differences, both are certainly deserving of their respective Poolies.

by Kyle Magnus

The Frank Pembleton Award- Lead in Action

Named For: Frank Pembleton (Homicide: Life on the Street)
Awarded To: The best lead character in an action series
2009 Winner: James "Sawyer" Ford (Lost)
2010 Winner: Jack Sheppard (Lost)

Place. Nominee (Series) Points (My Vote)

10. Nucky Thompson (Boardwalk Empire) 4 points

9. Jarek Wysocki (The Chicago Code) 5 points

8. Hank Dolworth (Terriers) 5 points

7. Chuck Bartowski (Chuck) 5 points (3rd)

6. Steve McGarrett (Hawaii Five-0) 7 points (5th)

5. Britt Pollack (Terriers) 8 points (4th)

4. Dexter Morgan (Dexter) 13 points

3. Jackson Teller (Sons of Anarchy) 14 points (2nd)

2. Ned Stark (Game of Thrones) 18 points

and the Poolie goes to...

1. Raylan Givens (Justified) 31 points (1st)

This is Raylan Givens' second Poolie nomination, and first ever win for best lead character in an action series.

We here at the Quiet Pool Perspective are proud to welcome Poolie voter Mags, who has some nice things to say about Raylan Givens, Timothy Olyphant, and the people of Justified.

                                                                                                                                                                  

The Lead Character in an Action Series category is stacked this year. Jax Teller, Dexter Morgan, Ned Stark (RIP), Nucky Thompson and my boy Jarek Wysocki are all viable candidates on good shows. The problem is, these dudes just don’t begin to stack up against our winner. Timothy Olyphant brings an undeniable swagger to his role as Raylan Givens on FX’s Justified.

As a general rule, most of the guys from the south are clowns. They all have the same haircut and walk around acting like fools wearing polos and khakis. Raylan is a rare breed. Guy is witty, good looking, well dressed, and has never lost a standoff in his life. Now I know what you’re thinking “What are you one of those idiots from the south? Nobody gets in standoffs anymore.” Well you’ve obviously never been to Harlan, Kentucky before because it happens all the time there. Also, his ex-wife and side chick are both really cute. But you knew that.

Congrats to Raylen Givens, winner of the Frank Pembleton Award For Best Lead Character in an Action Series.

~ Written by Kyle Magnus

The Frank Pembleton Award- Lead Character Action

Named For: Frank Pembleton played by Andre Braugher in
Homicide: Life on the Street
Awarded To: The best lead character in an action series from
June 1, 2009 - May 31, 2010
Last Year's Winner: James 'Sawyer' Ford- Lost

Place. Character (Show) Points (My Vote)

10. Patrick Jane (The Mentalist) 2 points

9. Jack Bauer (24) 7 points

8. John Casey (Chuck) 8 points

7. Walter White (Breaking Bad) 12 points

6. Chuck Bartowski (Chuck) 14 points

5. Jackson Teller (Sons of Anarchy) 18 points (3rd)

4. Hugo Reyes (Lost) 18 points (2nd)

3. Raylan Givens (Justified) 19 points (5th)

Runner-Up
2. James 'Sawyer' Ford (Lost) 21 points (4th)

and the Poolie goes to...
1. Jack Shephard (Lost)
32 points (1st)

My relationship with Jack Shephard has been a tumultuous one over the past five years. I was a Sawyer guy from the jump, so it was hard to be on board with Jack at the beginning. When I started watching the series with Lar and Mags, the latter was on the Sayid train and the former was the Jack guy. I wasn't really about either of them.

As the seasons went along, whether it was just hate building on indifference or the fact that he actually did get more and more annoying, my hatred for Jack Shephard grew fierce throughout seasons two to five. Now I know I wasn't alone on this because even though I placed him on last year's ballot for the Teri Bauer Award for the Character You Love to Hate in an Action Series, I was not responsible for any of his three total points.

Then came this final season of Lost. While Sawyer was the absolute stud of season five, he took a back seat to Jack as the season came to a close. Jack started the series as a guy who helped everyone survive out of necessity and although he seemed to grow more and more whiny and arrogant as the series went along, season six changed things.

He still wanted to help in any way he could, but at this point he didn't really know what to do. He who once was the man of science, had taken over for the late John Locke as the man of faith. He had faith that he had come back to the Island for a bigger purpose and he spent most of season six trying to figure out what that was.

This willingness to let others lead, and figure things out along the way, was what made him so easy to love in this final season. The character I previously was all about (Sawyer) clammered on about leaving the Island and really had no idea what was going on; therefore I lost a bit of respect for him. Jack, on the other hand, was ready willing and able to take on the challenge that was in front of him.

Don't get me wrong, he didn't lose any of the 'man of action' in him that made many love him in season one. Come 'The End' he started to figure out what he needed to do and took care of business as he pummeled the Man In Black on the cliffs, got the stopper back into the Glowing Cave, and wobbled through the jungle to find a nice place to die.

At the end of it all, seeing him smile once awakened in the Sideways Purgatory was one of the best moments of the show. I've watch it back three or four times now, and although there will always be a special place in my heart for Sawyer/Juliet, Jack reliving life in his mind might be my favorite part of the show. He did so much for all of the people in his life and in the end he saved one of the most magical places in the world from crumbling into oblivian.

I find it so awesome that this character not only goes out on top in the series, but also in the Poolies. As a once hater, I am now a Jack Shephard lover and wouldn't have it any other way. His place in history is set as he leaves the television airways as the holder of the Frank Pembleton Award at the 2010 Poolies. See ya in another life, yeah?

Justified- From Girls to Guns

Boyd Crowder- "Would you shoot me, if you get the chance?"

Raylan Givens- "You make me pull, I'll put you down."

Sure I may be a few days late and a couple dollars short, but FX's new series Justified showed so much promise that I needed to get my initial thoughts on the premier down.

Now he may be most famous for his time on Deadwood, but the only thing I knew Timothy Olyphant as was Kelly from The Girl Next Door. He was great as Elisha Cuthbert's porn producer, but we're only one ep in and his Raylan Givens character seems to be that much more fantastic. Olyphant portrays such a hard U.S. Marshall that is yet so calm and collected all the time that he is hard not to love immediately.

The prologue-esque cold open starts the series in Miami. Raylan is in a meeting with a South Florida gun runner played by Peter Greene. The protagonist desperately pleads with the mobster to leave Miami or he will have to do away with him.  Unfortunately for Greene's character, this time there was not time for one last kiss as Raylan shot him on sight. Greene pulled first though, so it was "justified".

Of course this horrific event leads to Raylan's necessary transfer to Kentucky, where he grew up. Fortunately for Raylan, his giant cowboy hat won't look so out of place anymore. Once relocated, the heat in southeastern Kentucky is already brewing as an old acquaintance of Raylan's is around town blowing things up.

This fella is a Nazi by the name of Boyd Crowder. Apparently somebody forgot to tell Boyd that Roy O'Bannon took away his "wingin' it" privileges back in 2000 (skip to 9:00 mark). Seriously where does this Boyd character get off blowing up Sanka's church like that?

Speaking of the former bobsledder, I loved him in this small role as the pastor that only has a church so that he can sell weed from it. I also love that Raylan knew that all he had to do was name drop Peter Tosh to get the champion push cart driver to talk.

Anywho, how bout this chick Ava? Of course she had a crush on Raylan. I love that she is real cute and unassuming even though less than 24 hours ago she murdered Boyd's brother Bowman (also her husband) in cold blood. All she wants to do is make out and cook fried chicken for Raylan. The good U.S. Marshall could get used to that.

And by the end of this series premier Raylan finds himself in a similar situation that he went through back in Miami. This time it was him and Boyd at the dinner table discussing life and chicken. Of course the roles were reversed as Boyd now wanted Raylan to get out of town before he shot him on sight. Although the roles were reversed, the results were the same. Boyd pulled first and Raylan took him down, with his holstered gun no less.

Justified has all the key components for a great show. A great lead character. A few good surrounding characters. Promise of good storytelling. And an interesting and different setting (I do not watch another show that takes place in Kentucky). There's only been one episode, but it is one that I would recommend starting.