(This would've gone in my Calling All Loathes book but I decided it would be better as its own separate thing.)
Exactly what the title says. How I got into my favorite American actor of all time, the incredible Michael Emerson! Done in the style of...
A quick note: The previous chapter should be called Part Three and not Part Four - oops!
Looking through Michael's other sizable television roles, the only one that seemed to last more than six episodes was his main role as Harold Finch in Person of Interest. Now, if you know what type of stuff I usually watch, you know that CBS crime procedurals, which is what POI looked like at a glance, are not my usual area. My television repertoire typically consists of sci-fi, animation and anything British. But, reviews were surprisingly very positive, and it actually sounded very interesting. Plus, from what I'd seen, Michael's role looked terrific, and anything he touched was bound to be interesting. And, it ended up being SO MUCH the right decision.
At first, POI was a bit slow and procedural-y. And Finch wasn't getting quite enough screen time for my liking. But towards the end of Season One, it got REALLY GOOD! And Michael ended up getting all the screen time he deserved. And if my feed is any evidence, it's now in my top five favorite shows of all time.
And I ended up loving Harold Finch EVERY BIT as much as I loved Ben! But...for very different reasons. One of the most interesting things about watching Michael on POI was that even though Ben and Finch sound somewhat similar on paper (Very intelligent, mysterious, snarky, deadpan sense of humor), Michael plays them COMPLETELY different! Ben typically acts in a very cold, detached manner (though he still has a heart and insecurites), but Finch, though still quite stoic, is clearly very caring and passionate, and lets it show more often. He's warmer. He's also played quite vulnerable and fragile. When he's upset or shocked he speaks in an intense whisper, and his eyes go wide, which isn't often seen with Ben. But I think the biggest difference lies in how Michael plays Ben Linus at his breaking point versus how he plays Harold Finch at his breaking point.
Take a look at this scene. This is arguably the angriest we ever see Ben in the series, and, at this point, the most unabashedly emotional. He is betrayed, lonely and lied to. This scene is played in an almost childlike way, as Ben is essentially speaking to an ancient entity who has controlled most of his life. Compared to his usual self, he seems very meek and small. Listen to how his voice cracks and raises in pitch towards the end. He's about to cry. Despite being 44 years old, he really seems like a small child confronting a bully or an unfair teacher when he asks "why him? What was it that was so wrong with me?" It goes to show how emotionally stunted Ben is, and makes it all the more frightening when he kills Jacob.
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Compare that with this scene from Person of Interest. Conversely, this is probably the angriest we see Finch in the series. But, instead of seeming like a petulant child, a truly angered Finch feels more like a powerful, ancient being awakened from its slumber. He doesn't raise his voice once in this scene. Instead, he adopts a deep, throaty tone we seldom hear from him (Michael's voice is relatively high for an actor of his age), which really makes you feel the sheer weight and darkness of Finch's emotions. Angered Ben seems much younger. But angered Finch? Much, much older. And instead of making you want to give him a hug, it makes you SHAKE IN YOUR FREAKING BOOTS.
Wow, I really am obsessed with this dude.
Anyway, after a few times hearing me go on a tangent like that, my mom suggested that I write Michael a fan letter, since he meant so much to me. And I did! I basically wrote a condensed version of this story. How much I loved his roles in LOST and POI and why. How I admired his intelligence, kindness and sense of humor. How his unconventional success story gave me hope for me future career. And in December of last year I sent it, along with a drawing of Ben Linus.
About five months later, I received this in the mail.
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So yeah. I'm Lauren. The biggest Michael Emerson fan probably in the world, and proud of it. And that is my story.
