Before We Get Started ...

The Project

This site will review the work of Michelle Forbes. I am justifying the project as a way to develop my skills as a movie/television critic. The idea of watching the work of a single actress—and then writing about each piece—sounds like an interesting challenge [or maybe just a cheesy gimmick]. We'll see how it goes. Cut me a little slack if the first couple suck.

The History

Only recently did I gain an appreciation for Michelle Forbes. When I first read her filmography at The Internet Movie Database, I realized that over the years I had viewed quite a bit of her work. I saw Kalifornia, for example, but I went to the theater for David Duchovny as I was an X-Files fan. I remember loose-cannon Ro Laren, but I followed Star Trek: The Next Generation because I adored Captain Picard and his established crew. "The Big Salad" episode of Seinfeld is one of my favorites because it's so true that the person who delivers the gift—not the person thoughtful enough to have bought it—is the one who gets the undeserved credit. I was in George's corner that time, although I did wonder how the little pudge got a Glamazon to date him. I was a casual viewer of 24 and Homicide: Life on the Street. I was intrigued when Maryann appeared on True Blood, purring sentiments poor Tara wanted to hear before unsheathing the claws.

I found all the characters Forbes played striking but peripheral; they were never the reason I was watching. Then I encountered Admiral Cain.

I came to Battlestar Galactica late, watching the entire series on DVD during the summer of 2009. As I traveled along with the Galactica crew, I admired the humane leadership of Commander Adama despite the horrifying challenges he faced. I could work for this man, I remember thinking. When the Pegasus appeared, I gasped at its distinctly different approach to surviving the Cylon invasion. I was alarmed when Admiral Cain assumed command of characters I had grown to love, appalled as I watched her plans unfold to assassinate Commander Adama [and hoping for Starbuck's success in the counter coup]. And then, illogically, I was devastated when Gina murdered her. How could a character cause such conflicting emotions?

I found the performance so riveting that I asked, "Who is that woman?" I typically have little interest in celebrities. I read no more than the cover of People magazine while I am waiting to pay for groceries. I don't watch Entertainment Tonight and could care less whom Brad Pitt marries. But I couldn't stop thinking about Admiral Cain and wondering if the actress who played her was as compelling in other roles.

I'm not sure why the Admiral had such an impact on me. Perhaps it was her beauty despite the unflattering uniform. Perhaps I have had a thing for authoritative women ever since Sigourney Weaver's Ripley kicked some alien ass. Perhaps I recognize that Commander Adama is the seldom attained Platonic ideal of a boss while Admiral Cain is the reality—the bosses we have, the bosses we are—and so offers important lessons about people management. Perhaps I have a star crush and just don't like admitting it.

Whatever the reason, I plan to use this space to examine the work of the actress who so completely captured my attention.

The Name

The name for this site comes from Love Bites: The Reluctant Vampire, the first movie to feature Michelle Forbes. Her character, the vampire Nerissa, learns that Zachary, a man she "vampirized," wants to regain his humanity by "reviving" his digestion. Nerissa snarls, "I gave you immortality, and you want to trade it in for Twinkies?" I love that line because first, Nerissa is unapologetic about what she is and how she survives, and second, I like that she criticizes Zachary for trading down an extraordinary gift—something many of us do all too frequently.

Whether we have a personal connection to the supernatural, as Zachary does to Nerissa or Abraham does to God, whether we believe in a less tangible entity like Destiny or Purpose, whether the only miracle we recognize is the laws of physics organizing our unique biochemical composition, we often choose to ignore what makes us different and desire instead to embrace conformity.

I have not yet seen the entire Forbes oeuvre, but when I think about the characters I know, they all seem to dismiss convention. So my question is this: Does Forbes gravitate toward roles where the characters unapologetically offer an unusual alternative, an unorthodox choice—one that her fellow characters refuse because they are just "trading it in for Twinkies"? Forgive me if I sound like a student, but I like to have a hypothesis to test as I wade into the evidence.

The Design

My plan is to keep this site primarily text. I'm trying to get the writing to pop, so I have chosen the simplest of themes and will only occasionally use images/screenshots within fair use guidelines for movie/television reviews.

The Links

Eventually I hope to work my way through the filmography at The Internet Movie Database.

I've started a collection of links at Delicious.

For news and fun, I recommend the Michelle Forbes Community Blog. The gang there does a fantastic job.