Premiering on the TVChiller Network: Barbary
On the cusp of the twentieth century, in a city forged by gold, a group of crime fighters formed, bent to keep the fledgling city safe from the scourge of humanity that settled in a section dubbed "the Barbary Coast". Nicknamed, not so politely, the "Golden Gate Brigade" - for the Science college where they were based - Joseph Bennett, Diego Florez and Frances 'Frankie' Parker did their best to aid the police in solving some of the most heinous murders and crimes the Barbary Coast could offer.
And, in the process, they learned more about each other, the denizens of Barbary and San Francisco and the fledgling science known as forensics.
The cast of Barbary
Clarence Addington
[Thomas Craig]
Clarence Addington is a detective who was ordered to work with the Golden Gate Brigade by his captain, and is not happy about it. He was born in London, England, and moved to San Francisco with his family, when he was a small boy. After leaving school, Addington enrolled in the San Francisco Police Academy and quickly rose up the ladder to the rank of a detective, at only thirty-two years old. Now, Addington is forty-five years old. He is a by-the-book detective, and believes in upholding the law. He does not approve with the Golden Gate Brigade (or GGB for short)’s unusual and unethical ways to solve cases, and often clashes with the people working for the GGB. (from sexycazzy)
Cordelia Bennett
[Sutton Foster]
Cordelia "Cordy" Bennett was born in Chicago, Illinois. Her mother, Julia, died in childbirth and her father, Robert, never recovered from the loss. Maggie, the family's maid/handyman/governess, raised Cordy while tending to the house and making sure Robert always had clean shirts for work and a hot meal in his stomach. Cordy was raised a proper young lady, complete with piano and singing lessons, but had her mother's adventurous spirit, and she would much rather play in the mud and climb trees with the boys. The more of her mother that came out, the farther her father would retreat, though he always provided everything she could ever need. Cordy was fourteen when he died, and suddenly found herself being packed up and shipped off to live with her uncle, Joseph, out in San Francisco, as he was now her legal guardian. Though she wanted to stay with Maggie, there was something exciting about seeing all the places she'd read about in the dime novels. Not only will she have to brave the adventure of the West, but she and Joseph will have to adjust to each other - she's never had an overly-present father and he doesn't know what to do with a girl. And, if that wasn't awkward enough, the telegram informing Joseph of his brother's death and Cordy's impending arrival fell behind the desk at the station in Denver. (from erinm_4600)
Joseph Bennett
[William Petersen]
Joseph Thomas Bennett is 46 years old and the head of an unofficial group of forensic investigators who work out of a borrowed lab at a local newly formed college, called Golden Gate. In his mid-twenties, in search of rumored riches, Joseph followed the western expansion and moved his wife and young son out to California in search of gold. They settled in what would become San Francisco. Joseph never found his riches, instead his wife was murdered for a nugget of gold that turned out to be fake. Distraught and angry over his beloved wife's death, Joseph vowed to find her murderers and see them hanged. He and his son, Matthew took as much honest work as they could to earn what small living they could. All the while Joseph in his spare time learned anything and everything he could on how to solve crimes. He was desperate to find his wife's killers. Eventually, he began to show up at other murder scenes, collecting evidence, hoping to find a clue to his own mystery, and ending up becoming trusted by some of the police officers, after solving a few of their unsolvable crimes. Finally the police told him that if he could put together a team they would put him to work helping to solve crimes. Over the years, the area that Joseph had found most crime ridden became known as the Barbary Coast. It was here he was convinced he'd find his wife's killers. And while he looked, he solved other people's mysteries and gave them the closure they needed. (from bizarra)
Emilia Brackenstall
[Anna Torv]
Emilia Brackenstall was born in London to British aristocracy. Used to assisting her eccentric father Emilia learned her way around a laboratory from a very young age, so it was natural for her to enroll in Newham College reading Natural Sciences. With a very healthy curiosity and an immeasurable thirst for knowledge, she graduated amongst the top of her class, but of course only possessing the certificate of her degree and not the title. Now an orphan, she continued her study, shadowing Police surgeon witnessing first hand some of the horrors of the Ripper case. Contrary to her overbearing older brother's wishes, she refused marriage and fled to the US, seeking to further her studies and help make sure no more horrific killers ever escaped police custody again. Making her way to the West Coast, she was offered a teaching position at Golden Gate College, where she mentors Frankie Parker and assists the Golden Gate Brigade. (from a_blackpanther)
Eleanor Cain
[Olivia Williams]
Fleeing a dark past, Eleanor Cain came to Barbary from London believing that it would be the one place that no one would ever look for her. Almost twenty years later, Eleanor rose through the ranks, eventually overthrowing the original Madame of the Bella Union. A shrewd business woman Eleanor keeps her cards close to her chest, and a revolver with her at all times. Eleanor is highly protective of her girls, as several unnamed individuals have discovered to ill effects. Rumors abound of Eleanor's connections to an international crime syndicate, though it is undisputed that this is a woman that no one desire to cross. Potentially your greatest ally or your inevitable downfall, and Eleanor is unsure of what side she shall play to the Golden Gate Brigade. (from charma101)
Jacob Dorn
[Mike Greenberg]
Jacob Dorn is the older brother of Samuel, and he works for the leading shipbuilder in San Francisco, as a draftsman. He is a bit more serious than his brother - always to the job and not leaving time for fanciful pursuits - and constantly tells Samuel that he should find a nice girl, like his own wife, Sarah. Samuel usually fires back with a comment that he'd have asked Sarah to dance, if Jacob hadn't locked him in the closet the night of the dance. On occasion, Jacob will get roped in to assisting Samuel and the Brigade on cases, usually when it comes to investigating blueprints or drawing rough sketches of rooms for later investigation. (from erinm_4600)
Samuel Dorn
[Jon Stewart]
Samuel Dorn is a young man stuck between his father's high expectations and his own dreams. In exchange for tireless hours spent learning the family business, Samuel managed to trade book keeping for courses at Golden Gate, where he is enthralled by electricity and all the possibilities it offers. Based on a suggestion that the death of a less-than-reputable ner-do-well had been due to "creative accounting", Samuel was asked by a classmate - a Miss Frances Parker - to investigate the records to verify the claim. While his particular skills don't always have use for the Brigade, his arms are strong and his wit is quick. (from erinm_4600)
Diego Florez
[Freddy Rodríguez]
Diego Florez was born 1871 in 'The City'. He grew up in the Barbary Coast and decided at a very young age to become a member of the 'Golden Gate Brigade'. He saw how his oldest brother died in a gang fight and his mom prostitute herself besides being a laundress to support her family. He wanted a better life for himself and his little family. Because Diego knows all the different characters of Barbary, he is of value to the San Francisco crime fighting team. There are the hard working people who saw him becoming a man, the junkies who hit the books with him and the criminals who attended him his whole life. (from havers)
Fahmidah Florez
[Sarah Shahi]
Fahmidah Florez is the twenty-something wife of Diego Florez. Together, they have a daughter named Carmen. Fahmidah works as nurse at the Barbary Hospital, which is related to the Golden Gate College. During the first season, Fahmidah gets more and more important to the Golden Gate Brigade. Her medical knowledge of the human body, gained during her education, is a big help for the crime fighters. But, also, her understanding of herbal poisons, from her Persian grandmother, convicts a few suspects. At first, Fahmidah is skeptical because of the good relationship between her husband and science student and GGB Tech, Frances Parker, but the two young women discover more and more commonalities. They both love science (Fahmidah would never admit, but she envies Frances’ chance to study) and no later than season two, Frankie and Fahmidah use the Marconi for private calls. (from havers)
Isabelle Jenkins
[Natalie Dormer]
Isabelle always looked up to her sister. Though Bobbie was always closer to their brother than any of the other siblings Isabelle and Bobbie were fairly close as well. She's a little more traditional then her sister but she still sides with her when it comes to finding who killed their brother. Of course that's put her at odds with her father. She's started seeing a boy from the local college. Which has put her father's mind at ease as he hopes this means at least one of his daughters will settle down and start a family. She does plan to do that but she's also wanting to help Bobbie whenever and however she can. (from americangrl69)
Roberta Jenkins
[Poppy Montgomery]
Roberta "Bobbie" Jenkins comes from a large family. She has three brothers and a younger sister. She was always close with her older brother and when he died she put it upon herself to find the one that did it. Her father strongly opposed the decision, telling her that a woman's place is in the home not out on the streets and that if she went through with it she would no longer be welcome in his house and that he'd no longer consider her his daughter, but when Bobbie sets her mind on something there's no changing to. So she went with her plan and she's never spoken to her father since. Her mother is another story. Though her mother may not completely understand her motives she stands by her even though her husband disagrees. In her quest to find her brother's killer, she crossed paths with the 'Golden Gate Brigade'. Since then they've been kind of helping each other. She'll help them on cases they need extra eyes for and they're helping her find her brother's killer and bring them to justice. (from americangrl69)
Edmund McCaulley
[Robert Irvine]
Edmund Oswald McCaulley - as he introduces himself to everyone he meets - grew up in England and fell into boxing as a way to survive on the streets. He wasn't well-educated, but he is a quick study and learned to mimic the "proper" speech of those he admired. His size and boxing skill helped Edmund rise to a small fame and allowed him the chance to travel to the United States, where he would have the opportunity to be his own man. He found work on the San Francisco docks and enjoys what he does, though he's yet to find the wealth of America. Unfortunately, trying to break up a bar fight one night, Edmund found himself a murder suspect and had to put his trust in the GGB to prove he wasn't responsible. (from erinm_4600)
Delilah Morgan
[Claudia Black]
Delilah Fay Morgan was literally born to be a Madame. Her mother was a working girl in her father's saloon. There had always been unspoken rumors as to her parentage, but her father had done what he thought was his duty and married her mother. Sadly she died in childbirth and Delilah's father raised her on his own. She grew up in and around the saloon her father owned. The older she got, the more duties she was given until she was finally allowed to be a serving girl. She knew that many of then men wanted her to be on the roster with the other girls, but her father had always refused. Until the night he lost her innocence in a card game. From that night on, she'd been pressed into fully working with the other girls. As time wore on and gold was discovered, her father followed the money. They eventually wound up in San Francisco. There her father set up a saloon on Kearny Street, near the corner of Pacific. By this time, she was older, wiser, and mostly running the 'upstairs' side of the business. One evening, in a senseless barfight over the price of a night with one of the girls, her father was killed. Delilah was now a businesswoman and, having learned everything she knew from her father, she was a shrewd businesswoman. From her time spent on her back, she gained the insight that her girls were to be clean, disease- and illness-free; they were only under her employ voluntarily. She refused to employ any girl who'd been kidnapped or sold. If she was approached by a man intending to sell a woman, she'd make a hard bargain, agree and then go to the police. The woman was then set free to do what she wished, while the man was usually run out of town. She'd not yet had any problems with revenge, but she kept certain law officials on the lookout. (and happy on the side) Del knows Joe Bennett as the widower who frequents her establishment, often for alcohol, but sometimes for the night. He'd flirted with her and she'd never let him have any success. But she knew, eventually, she'd have him in her bed. Until then, she served him drinks and, in a quiet corner, information on the side. (from bizarra)
Bessie Parker
[Lauren Graham]
Bessie Parker is a strong-willed, gregarious person who loves to learn. When she was a little girl, she dreamed of being a school teacher, so she could help others discover their love of learning. But she found the idea of teaching the unenthusiastic extremely frustrating. She very much loves the new and emerging field of psychology, and is prone to analyzing her friends, peers, and family at random. She loves hosting parties, and is an extremely social creature, but she also enjoys her alone time to research and observe the world around her. She also has a tendency to insert her "expertise" where it is not necessarily needed, especially in her daughter's life and work. (from lukecanwaltz88)
Frances Parker
[Rachel McAdams]
Frances "Frankie" Parker is one of the few female students at Golden Gate College. The daughter of a doctor and researcher, Frankie studies science. She also develops "tech" for the Golden Gate Brigade. She prefers tinkering in a lab or having adventures, but she is quite capable of fitting in with society’s definition of a lady in the Victorian age. (from gorengal)
Charles Reed
[Yannick Bisson]
Doctor Charles Reed is a stern but competent coroner. He was born in Boston, the only surviving son of his attorney father and doting mother. He completed his medical training in Boston before moving west in one of the few whimsical actions he's ever undertaken. A few years later, following the deaths of their parents, his only sister moved west to join him. Doctor Reed is fascinated by science, including the fledgling field of forensics. He's too cold to be well-liked by his colleagues, but he is well-respected. His sister is one of the few people to see his gentler side, although he has also been known to show a high degree of compassion on the rare occasions when he's forced to deal with the families of the dead. (from skieswideopen)
Nathaniel Spencer
[Kevin Spacey]
Nathaniel Spencer is a businessman, pure and simple. The scope of his business, however, isn't so simple. On the surface, Spencer is a wealthy man, owning one of the more popular opera houses in the city. While he isn't what one would call a gangster, Spencer definitely has his hands in a lot of pots, not to mention something to hold over most of the people he meets. Spencer and Joe don't get along; Joe is certain Spencer had something to do with his wife's death, and Spencer doesn't like Joe nosing around his business. Does he know something about Joe's wife's death? Does he have a history with Delilah? What does he want with Cordelia? That is the real mystery... (from erinm_4600)
Billy Stevens
[Jeffrey Dean Morgan]
William "Billy" Stevens is a charismatic player who is in to small time crime, gambling, cards and the like. He likes his booze, cash and broads and is always trying to make the next easy dollar. While he’s a slippery character and a fast talker, he does have his own set of morals that he lives by. Basically he’s an endearing sort of lovable scoundrel that the ladies find hard to resist. Unfortunately his ways landed him on the wrong side of the local mob bosses and the Golden Gate Brigade bailed him out. Now he passes inside information to the Brigade and in return they don't arrest him. (from starrylizard)
Adelade Wright
[Ginnifer Goodwin]
Adelade Wright was raised to be a proper Victorian woman, and was offered several advantageous marriage proposals, but with a bug for writing and a penchant for being in the wrong place at the right time, she couldn't abide settling into the role. She is a ghost writer and columnist for a variety of newspapers and other publications throughout the city. Her knack for picking up on details and putting two and two together makes her a favorite associate of Joseph Bennett, who regularly calls her in on cases. He's one of the few who knows the connection between her two identities. Most people either see Adelade the aimless and sadly unmarried, if cheerful maid, or Adam White, the cutting and sensationalist journalist. His [her?] respect for her double life keeps her engaged in his life, despite the dangers. (from blaze2242)
Kin Zhou
[BD Wong]
Kin Zhou's the all-arounder, who the Brigade sometime use for his local knowledge the town. From time to time, they set him up with assignments of some sort for their investigations. He goes along with it to gain any extra bit of money that he can. He is saving up to get his younger sister out of the town and for her to begin to live the life that she deserves and wants. Kin would do anything to protect his sister but his relationship with his father is a different matter entirely. His father is harsh on both Kin and his sister and wishes they would acquaint themselves with the right people to get better jobs. (from weird_fin)
Li Zhou
[Mako]
Li Zhou brought his wife to San Francisco nearly twenty years ago, escaping from the growing persecution he found back in China because his father was Japanese and his mother Chinese. Setting up shop in the heart of Chinatown, Li is discouraged by what his home became as the crime and corruption took over. However, he knows his place and keeps to himself, imposing strict rules on his children to follow the old ways. He's a hard worker, dedicated to his family, and laughs about the "foolish Americans", who pay double his fee without question. Li often fights with his son, Kin, and doesn’t understand why the young man won't listen to him. He doesn't care for the riff raff in and around his store, and has been known to chase lingering children away with a broom. (from erinm_4600)
GRAPHIC ENTRIES:
(from bizarra)
(from havers)
(from blaze2242)
(from starrylizard)
(from gorengal)
(from weird_fin)
(from sexycazzy)
(from americangrl69)
(from erinm_4600)
WRITTEN ENTRIES:
Nathaniel Spencer* | Jacob Dorn* | Samuel Dorn* | Edmund McCaulley* | Li Zhou* | barbary_del | roleplay of Joseph and Delilah's romantic evening, interrupted by gunfire HERE, with bizarra (from erinm_4600)
Delilah Morgan* | show summary* | barbary_joe | barbary_fans (under construction) | roleplay of Joseph and Delilah's romantic evening, interrupted by gunfire HERE, with erinm_4600 (from bizarra)
Frankie Parker, science student and "tech" expert for the Brigade, developed a communications device for the team. Called a Marconi, or Marc, the device fits in the palm of your hand and does simple sending and receiving of voice transmissions.
Late one night, an injured and dying man visited the Parker home to see Frankie's father, the doctor. The man was agitated and kept thrusting a battered leather pouch at Frankie. "Don't let them get it," he gasped with his dying breath. When the man passed, Dr. Parker called the local police and Frankie forgot about the leather pouch until she retired to her room. Opening it she found an incomplete transmitter and the schematics to build more.
Frankie studied the schematics and instructions and realized a connection was misaligned. She completed the transmitter, built a second with salvaged parts, and drafted Brigade member Diego to help her test them. Now the Brigade can communicate with each other much faster; however, the transmitters have not yet been tested in extreme conditions. Will they work in the rain, or when one member is underground or in the mountains? And who is the mysterious "them" the dying man warned of?
~*~*~*~
Australian gambler Michael Duncan shot a man who refused to pay his gambling debt, and he left a playing card on the dead man's chest as a warning to others. The GGB used the fledgling science of fingerprinting to identify Duncan as the killer. Fingerprints have been used as an authentication tool since the 6th century in China, and 14th century Persia. As more research was done in the 1800s, more people began to look at fingerprints as an identification tool. In 1891 an Argentine police officer started compiling the first fingerprint file, and in 1892 he identified a killer using a bloody fingerprint found at the murder scene. To find the Playing Card Killer, the GGB was able to isolate two different fingerprints on the playing card. One belonged to the victim. As Duncan was a suspect in the murder, the GGB was able to trick him into giving them his fingerprints and the match was made. (from gorengal [also post coordination])
Charles waited impatiently for his sister to finish her conversation with the minister. He was always uncomfortable in churches, to the point that his attendance had been shamefully infrequent during years when he'd been on his own. That had changed once Louisa had arrived, of course, but he still preferred not to linger after services any longer than he had to. Louisa, on the other hand, delighted in the social aspect, quickly embracing both weekly Bible study and the Women's Auxiliary...when they didn't interfere with her work with the Suffragette Movement.
For himself, Charles considered the whole thing a waste of time. God, if He truly existed, would surely judge him by his actions in seeking justice for the dead, and not based on time spent shaking hands with his fellow parishioners.
Charles barely prevented himself from sighing in relief when he saw signs that Louisa was nearing the end of her conversation. If they hurried, he thought, he might actually stand a chance of finishing his book this afternoon. (from skieswideopen)
The textbook was heavy in her hands. It didn't have that musty smell that the other textbooks she'd read did; even the spine was still intact. Bessie sat in her chair, running her fingers across the lettering on the cover. She'd heard the basic principles of Mr. James' ideas before, but the magic of reading them in a brand new textbook was exciting.
Society had changed since Bessie was a little girl. Although Bessie was used to looking for answers, Frankie was the one searching now. And Bessie wasn't going to sit back and wait when her expertise could somehow be useful. Frankie merely mentioned the dying man in passing, but Bessie's natural hunger for knowledge took over.
Bessie opened the textbook to page one. (from lukecanwaltz88)
Leaning against the railing, Eleanor looked down at the rambunctious crowd in her Bella Union tonight, the out of tune piano and the drunken voices of the men grating on her nerves even more than they normally did. She was in a mood, as some of the more charitable of her girls called it. But it was immaterial and she would not allow herself to brood over the state of what was, after all she was more fortunate than many of the women that came to the City and this life was her choice. Putting on a smile, she gracefully walked down the stairs, and entered the hectic fray that had become her life ever since that day in the cold London rain, where everything changed. She wondered how much longer she could run from what she had done, but her smile never faltered. (from charma101)
Billy sang low and soft as he left the gambling house known as The Crown and proceeded to sway drunkenly down the road. In one hand, he clutched an almost empty bottle of bourbon from which he took a sloppy drink every few steps. His other hand rested over his breast pocket, where a full coin purse warmed his heart. The City was quiet this evening. The odd carriage rattled on past, both horse and driver intent on their destination, but few people walked the streets alone this late in the evening. He didn't blame them really. Billy paused to take another swig from the bottle and, as he looked up, a dark shape stepped out from a nearby alley.
Diego passed the tall man without a gaze. To an outsider it looked like they didn’t know each other. There was no sign that both men had met in one of Delilah Morgan's rooms yesterday, exchanging information. The young brigade member rushed down Montgomery Street. He knew his colleagues and the boss would already be at the scene of crime, but Diego had to put his daughter Carmen to bed. Fahmidah, his wife, would be on nurse duty for at least one more hour.
As he arrived at the rear exit of the saloon, Joseph Bennett hovered over the dead man, one of the many Chinese porters, all the goods strewn around his body. Someone had used the pliant bamboo pole to spear him on the ground. The shaft stuck into his chest, now waving softly in the gentle breeze.
Diego was right on time, as usual. You could set a watch by the guy. Billy increased the volume of singing to an obnoxious drunken warbling and waved his bourbon bottle in greeting. As the two men walked past each other, Billy stumbled into Diego.
"Sorry, sorry," he mumbled. "We're good yeah? Beautiful night for a walk."
He patted Diego's jacket as he spoke, wiping imaginary spilt bourbon from it. He slipped the note safely into the top pocket of Diego's jacket unnoticed by anyone who might be watching. They didn't usually risk extra information drops like this, but after the conversation he'd heard in The Crown tonight, he'd left a signal for someone to come. There was something big brewing and while he didn't have all the facts yet, when a large amount of gold was at stake, he doubted anyone was going to play nice. (from starrylizard and havers)
post coordination | Fahmidah Florez* | Diego (in italics) and Billy meet at the crime scene, with starrylizard (from havers)
Isabelle Jenkins* (from americangrl69)
[Note for the mods: Secondary characters were submitted as written entries and are marked with an asterisk (*) Except for the synopsis, all characters are listed in the table above. Full list of participants is HERE.]