I've been reading the old Life press releases and interviews and was struck at how little Dani Reese was mentioned, which is really odd considering since Reese plays a pretty big role in the show. The way the press releases make it seem, its like she's only part of the cast. In fact, the character featured more prominently during interviews was Constance (although, at the moment I can't for the life of me remember where I read the interviews from).

But reviewing the first three episodes Constance only just actually appeared once in Merit Badge and then only made a reappearance in Let Her Go. Prior to that we only see her in the documentaries.

How do you expect the relationship between Charlie and Dani, and between Charlie and Constance to play out this season?

DL: Well, you know, just referencing what I just said, you should talk to Rand after I’ve just spoken briefly. But it’s at the outset at least, Dani Reese is a by-the-book cop. She has her own particular story, her own secret. She’s recovering from an addiction or two that she suffers from, and she’s been put down the bottom of the ladder, and she has to go by the book.

She has to be seen to be doing everything perfectly. She has to be whiter than white, and then she’s thrown together with this guy who’s a bit of a maverick; he’s an eccentric. He’s had an experience that no one certainly in her life she’s come across before has had that experience; and he throws her curveball after curveball. So they have a combative relationship to start with, but they find a mutual respect for another.

They find a mutual respect in the way that they both do their police work; and through that, I think a friendship is burgeoning. And whether that goes beyond that with amount of time you spend with somebody at work, that can take you into interesting places. We’ll have to see what happens there. His relationship with Constance Griffiths is really one which is far more idealized. She is in some way a saving angel to him and I think he loves her very deeply, but they honor their relationship in a rather old-fashioned and rather noble way. The friendship is too precious to ruin. So both of those characters, I think, are scared to act for now.

RR: Just going with the last thing Damian said. The most interesting part to me about the Constance-Charlie relationship is that she had him all to herself during those years in prison when she was his conduit to the real world. She was the only part of life that he saw. And now that he’s out and learning to walk, where we find him in the pilot, the relationship will be changing. He’s not all hers anymore. He belongs to the world and he’s rediscovering himself. And so it is a relationship that was forged in prison as very intimate with just the two of them, but now it is changing. Every day Charlie spends in the world; their relationship will change because of it. And the most interesting part about writing that relationship is that it is in motion. It’s not stagnant.

And the most interesting part about writing that relationship is that it is in motion. It’s not stagnant.

This is where I have to beg to differ, the reason why their relationship is problematic to me is that because it is stagnant, they're stuck in this holding pattern, like Damian mentioned, Charlie has put Constance on a pedestal, untouchable and yet he's very possessive of her. Constance, on the other hand, is now conflicted because before Charlie was this crusade, her mission and her whole life but now that he's out and she finds that she could have him but she doesn't and their straddling that awkward line.

Constance does try to maintain their professional relationship but then Charlie throws her a curve ball In Let Her Go when he says:

Is that what you want, Constance? Do you want me to go?

He put her on the spot and it wasn't fair to Constance, especially since Constance came to Charlie in as a lawyer, it isn't until the Cudahy thing, after Charlie repeatedly tried to tell Constance not to take Cudahy as a client and even went to check up on him. He was really pushing her and it shouldn't have been a surprise that Constance pushed back. Although, I didn't really like how she pushed back but I suppose it had to be said.

It's interesting how different Charlie interacts with Reese and Constance. Charlie would never dream of telling Reese what to do, if he has a concern, he'd say it in a careful manner (she'd probably kneecap him if he pulled what he did to Constance on her) but with Constance he's completely comfortable in telling her what to do.

Because prison has messed up Constance and Charlie's interaction with each other. Constance was Charlie's touchstone to the world and Constance was used to being his whole world but another thing that messed up their relationship is that Charlie is Constance's client, he's her boss. So when he says: 'Do me a favor, don't get him as a client' he is actually ordering Constance and he, in a way, expects her to follow.

In the pilot, Charlie still held on to her as a security blanket even though it seemed like Charlie was trying to let her go gently. But he still came to her after seeing all the distressing things written about him and that's when he lets his guard down briefly. He still had that 'Us against the World' mentality and Constance shared it but as each episode progressed it became obvious that Charlie was getting more and more involved in the world and now with Reese as a partner he's also starting out a whole new relationship that's more than just the casual fun sex he's been having with his various cupcakes.

Unfortunately for Constance, she was still stuck on what their relationship was in prison and Charlie didn't help by giving all these conflicting signals - he ignores her phone calls at first, comes to her house and seemed to have a meaningful, UST laden discussion then she comes to him as a lawyer but he turns her concern for him against her and then he goes and does that thing with Cudahy.

For his part, I think Charlie was testing Constance, seeing how far he could push her the way he does with Reese, only far more manipulativel. Of course, Constance reacts differently from Reese, who really has no patience or time for Charlie's crap. Constance, on the other hand handles Charlie with kid gloves and that approach might have worked back then but it's something that isn't working now.

And when Constance decided to leave for New York I think Charlie became a lot more ambivalent toward his relationship with Constance. Everyone in his life pre-prison left him and Constance, who told him that he shared the same feeling of alienation also left him. It's why I think the first few scenes after Constance breaks the news to Charlie he was a lot more withdrawn. He only started coming back to himself when he realized that this time, Reese also needs him to carry her. Another reason why their partnership works is that they draw each other out of their heads. The next episodes after that we see Charlie and Reese's partnership grow as they grow to trust each other more.

When Constance returns there's a shift in how Constance and Charlie deal with each other, they seemed more or less on equal footing now. Although when Charlie sees Constance again, it wasn't with the usual happy greeting, in Farthingale, he's more confused and watchful then in Serious Control Issues they seemed to have gained this sort of balance that they didn't have before. Constance talks to him, gives him heck about the whole 'pure heart' thing and gives good advice. I thought Charlie and Constance had moved on but then comes Dig A Hole and I really don't know what to make of Constance's move when she appears in the station in that dress and those fuck me shoes.

Charlie's response was at first eager but as the conversation continued you could see Charlie pulling back, he's watching again, trying to gauge what Constance is really doing and this time he asks.

Constance and Reese's second meeting is also curious, the first time they met Reese had gone territorial Alpha Female (mostly to mess with Charlie's head). Here Reese was more friendly and more amused than anything then Charlie does the rambling thing, they bond over it a little. I think Reese is increasingly more amused that Charlie gets more and more flustered. I was more amused when Charlie gave Reese the 'whoa' eyebrow raise and Reese is all, 'uh-huh, okay.'

Dani knew exactly what Constance was doing and he wasn't fooling her, although she might be a little wigged out that once again Charlie's personal life is walking around in her professional environment.

Constance and Charlie's relationship is really interesting in contrast to Dani and Charlie's, because of all the things they expect from each other Charlie and Constance is stuck because they can't figure out what they want. Charlie has Constance up in a pedestal and he doesn't like the idea of ruining a marriage and Constance has fallen out of love with her husband and had an intense relationship with a man she couldn't have, who was suddenly someone she could have.

Dani and Charlie on the other hand is far from stuck, it's in constant motion from the start from wariness, mistrust and annoyance to this partnership that's held because they realize that they both like doing the same thing: solving crimes and putting the guilty behind bars. They're also good for each other because, like I said above, they keep each other from drowning in their own thoughts, as badass and awesome Reese is there are times when she needs help and Charlie needs Reese's reminder that there are such things as boundaries and that he might have been an inmate but he isn't one now.

*source: Media Blvd

Recs

Enemy of My Enemy by adlervan
Crews/Reese. WIP

Post-Season 1. Charlie makes a decision after Indio. I've been hooked on this story for a while now and can't stop thinking about it. adlervan has such a good Charlie voice and she also manages to capture Dani's too and describe Dani's anger perfectly. I've been so hooked on this story I couldn't stop refreshing the page.