The Big Show: Just Don't Get It
What is the ONE thing that you think most people just don’t “get” about your muse? Why do you think that is?
The one thing I think people don’t get about Connie Murphy is that she is not Karrin Murphy.
*gets on soap box*
This is a big problem with a lot of the fans of the book. To many fans of the books, the TV show doesn’t even rate, much less come second to the books. I am a fan of both. I even read the books before I saw the TV show and still love them both. Because a lot of book fans look down on the TV show, a lot of people look down on Connie and that’s something that is unfair.
*gets down from soap box*
Okay, there, got that out of the way. Now, let’s talk about the differences between Connie and Karrin. While the two women share a lot of similarities, they are very different at their cores. The biggest difference? Connie has a kid. While Karrin has had two failed marriages and Connie only one, Connie’s marriage resulted in Anna. The birth of Anna changed Connie forever. The kinder, gentler, mothering side of Connie was allowed to flourish and become something comfortable for her. While there are clear instances of Karrin wanting a family, like the one she grew up in, she has not had that chance and so that side of her personality is not as dominate as it is Connie.
It is actually the family where many of the differences between the two Murphys stand out. Karrin grew up in a big family and was raised mostly by her mother. She was very devoted to her father. Although we see there are awkward overtones and tension between Karrin and her family, it doesn’t come close to the tension between Connie and her dad. Connie is an only child, so she has no siblings to grow up with like Karrin. Her mother left when Connie was young and her father ignored her. Connie raised herself, while Karrin was raised and help raised others. This means that Karrin is not as much of a loner as Connie is.
These differences also translate to work. While both Karrin and Connie are cops, and both held equal rank in the department for a time, their reasons for becoming cops are vastly different. Karrin became a cop because she idolized her father. Connie became a cop to get her father’s attention. For Connie, being a cop is a way to prove herself, to get the attention of the one person who ignored her all her life. Karrin does it to honor her father, and to really make a difference. Making a difference, getting justice, that means a lot to Connie, but it is not the core reason she became a cop.
In her personal lives, Connie is also more relaxed than Karrin. Connie’s only had one failed marriage and while she’s wary of commitment and doesn’t hold marriage in high regard, she did get the best thing in her life out of it, Anna. Connie’s more open to being seen as a woman. She shows up to a crime scene all dressed up and fancy, revealing she had a date. In contrast the only time we see Karrin in a dress is for a family reunion. Connie would never do that for a family reunion, and Karrin would never do that for a date unless it was very special.
Even physically, these two women are different. Karrin Murphy is short, blonde hair and blue eyes. Connie is not as short, brown hair and brown eyes. Connie is also very obviously Hispanic. You stand the two PBs next to each other and you’ll never get them confused for each other.
Yet, these two women are also very similar. Both of them are fighters, determined and strong. Connie and Karrin never would have become high ranking officers in the CPD without these traits. The same traits book fans admire in Karrin are present in Connie. Both women are tiny, but fierce. I think a lot more book fans could come to accept Connie and Karrin’s equal if they realized the overlap between the two as well as appreciate Connie’s differences as strengths.
Really, one of my main missions as Connie’s mun is to get more people to not only watch the show, but to appreciate it as an equal world to the books even if it’s a separate universe. One of the ways I do that is through Connie and getting people interested in her and thus the show. So, all you book fans out there, don’t look at Connie like Karrin-lite, but as her own Murphy and equal.
The one thing I think people don’t get about Connie Murphy is that she is not Karrin Murphy.
*gets on soap box*
This is a big problem with a lot of the fans of the book. To many fans of the books, the TV show doesn’t even rate, much less come second to the books. I am a fan of both. I even read the books before I saw the TV show and still love them both. Because a lot of book fans look down on the TV show, a lot of people look down on Connie and that’s something that is unfair.
*gets down from soap box*
Okay, there, got that out of the way. Now, let’s talk about the differences between Connie and Karrin. While the two women share a lot of similarities, they are very different at their cores. The biggest difference? Connie has a kid. While Karrin has had two failed marriages and Connie only one, Connie’s marriage resulted in Anna. The birth of Anna changed Connie forever. The kinder, gentler, mothering side of Connie was allowed to flourish and become something comfortable for her. While there are clear instances of Karrin wanting a family, like the one she grew up in, she has not had that chance and so that side of her personality is not as dominate as it is Connie.
It is actually the family where many of the differences between the two Murphys stand out. Karrin grew up in a big family and was raised mostly by her mother. She was very devoted to her father. Although we see there are awkward overtones and tension between Karrin and her family, it doesn’t come close to the tension between Connie and her dad. Connie is an only child, so she has no siblings to grow up with like Karrin. Her mother left when Connie was young and her father ignored her. Connie raised herself, while Karrin was raised and help raised others. This means that Karrin is not as much of a loner as Connie is.
These differences also translate to work. While both Karrin and Connie are cops, and both held equal rank in the department for a time, their reasons for becoming cops are vastly different. Karrin became a cop because she idolized her father. Connie became a cop to get her father’s attention. For Connie, being a cop is a way to prove herself, to get the attention of the one person who ignored her all her life. Karrin does it to honor her father, and to really make a difference. Making a difference, getting justice, that means a lot to Connie, but it is not the core reason she became a cop.
In her personal lives, Connie is also more relaxed than Karrin. Connie’s only had one failed marriage and while she’s wary of commitment and doesn’t hold marriage in high regard, she did get the best thing in her life out of it, Anna. Connie’s more open to being seen as a woman. She shows up to a crime scene all dressed up and fancy, revealing she had a date. In contrast the only time we see Karrin in a dress is for a family reunion. Connie would never do that for a family reunion, and Karrin would never do that for a date unless it was very special.
Even physically, these two women are different. Karrin Murphy is short, blonde hair and blue eyes. Connie is not as short, brown hair and brown eyes. Connie is also very obviously Hispanic. You stand the two PBs next to each other and you’ll never get them confused for each other.
Yet, these two women are also very similar. Both of them are fighters, determined and strong. Connie and Karrin never would have become high ranking officers in the CPD without these traits. The same traits book fans admire in Karrin are present in Connie. Both women are tiny, but fierce. I think a lot more book fans could come to accept Connie and Karrin’s equal if they realized the overlap between the two as well as appreciate Connie’s differences as strengths.
Really, one of my main missions as Connie’s mun is to get more people to not only watch the show, but to appreciate it as an equal world to the books even if it’s a separate universe. One of the ways I do that is through Connie and getting people interested in her and thus the show. So, all you book fans out there, don’t look at Connie like Karrin-lite, but as her own Murphy and equal.