PatD

[NOTE: I hope anyone reading this will put aside our mutual disagreement regarding "South Park", and unite in recognition, of pop culture's most unsung black-hearted bastard.]



"Whatever I've done. I've done for righteous reasons. Any laws I've broken don't deserve to *be* laws."
--Vern Schillinger (Oz; "Escape from Oz")

Screw Tony Soprano. The Hell with Dexter Morgan. Those guys are Mr. Rogers compared to 'ol Vern Schillinger-- the most vicious and evil bastard in the history of cable television drama. How bad? He murdered one of his sons for mouthing off to him and hired his other son to kill the 8-year-old child of his worst enemy. And that's when he's calm and collected (Side note: it's weird that despite his having no problem ordering the murder of an innocent child, he has such a deep hatred of child molesters that it sometimes leads to the crucifixion of pedophiles)

I'd like to dedicate this thread to this sorely overlooked (and infinitely quotable) character who's constantly overshadowed by much wussier antagonists. Also, I would like to dedicate this tread to the Titan-Who-Walks-The-Earth, J.K. Simmons.

So, feel free to share your favorite Vern Schillinger memories and/or quotes from "Oz".

Mine: just about any scene with him in season one--I've never seen a character systematically tear down another character with such a cruel fashion as Schillinger did to Tobias Beecher.

Quote: "Schillinger! Shchilinger! Goddamn it! I've been here nine f***ing years, you'd think you could pronounce my goddamned name!"

islandclaws

Beecher's beatdown on him, and subsequent eye-gouging, was legendary. Man, he sure put that guy through hell.

Simmons is one of the best character actors working today, easily.

CPA-ESQ.

Everytime I see him - all I can think about is "OZ"

he was great in that roll

He looked so much like Robert Stroud - the Birdman of Alcatraz

wendersfan

I've seen exactly one episode of Oz, and probably every episode of Law and Order in which he played Emil Skoda, yet every time I see Simmons in anything I automatically think of him as "that guy in Oz." What does that tell you?*


*Other than that I should watch Oz.

PatD

It means that Schillinger is one bad MF, and Simmons is superb at breathing life into such an entertaining monster.

Count Dooku

A few weeks ago, J.K. Simmons was a guest on the Kevin Pollack Chat Show.

It isn't much about OZ, but if you are interested in the actor...

http://www.kevinpollakschatshow.com/archive/?cat=134

The interview is 90-120 minutes.

aJOHNymous

Schillinger was a great villain, no doubt. But he wasn't the most underrated on Oz.

MrSmearkase

I'm actually listening right now, I like Pollak's format.

J.K. Simmons is great, and probably one of the only things I liked about Juno.

With the upcoming Spider-Man reboot, the only actor I will miss from the Raimi films is Simmons, as I thought he was fantastic as Jameson. Hopefully the script doesn't require a recast, as he was perfect, IMO.

Navinabob

Vern was a great bad guy in the middle of a show with other great bad guys. How he turned on his former friend after he got the gum transplant was epic in showing how dark his world was. I think the show was maybe underrated (which would underrate Vern in popular culture so your point wins!) but was he underrated on the show? I only watched it on DVD years later but I can't imagine such a strong character with central plot focus to be underrated while it was on...

I recall checking IMDB a few years ago and was surprised the Beecher-actor didn't go on to other big TV work. Maybe J.K. did all the heavy lifting in their acting scenes... Wasn't there also talk of an OZ movie at one time? No Vern woulda killed it for me (heck, most the really great characters didn't walk away from the final episode...) I couldn't imagine a film without some of them.

PatD

^^
Well, I meant underrated all together in popular culture, rather than on the series itself--where, you're right, he's one of the central players of the series.

While, I claim that Vern's *the* most evil character on the program bar none; Adebisi while also bad to the bone didn't have the enormous body count as the head of the Aryan Brotherhood. But Adebisi was a hell of a lot of fun, as villains go!)

But, his playful, ghoulish spirit lives on and nothing can stop it...



"NOTHING! NOTHING! NOTHING!"

So...



"Adebisi LIVES!"

superfro

Schillinger is so evil I would totally shit on his face.

mwbmis

I picked them both in our ten best characters on TV thing last year.

DJariya

Chief Pope from The Closer as the most underrated villain ever?

Red Dog

Yep - one of the greats.

Ropes Pierre

I often burn swastikas into the asses of prags in tribute to him.

Charlie Goose

He should've been in character as Vern Schillinger when playing Juno's father.

Fist of Doom

Any tribute to JK Simmons gets a from me.

He has great range. Broad comedy (Spiderman), light drama/comedy (Juno), serious drama (Law & Order). The guy can play anything.

One of these days I need to check out Oz.

Tscott

My first thought as well.

PatD

Oh, GOD, that would've been DEE-LICIOUS! I can't even begin to think of so many (deservedly) horrible scenarios for Michael Cera's signature-role. The first that comes to mind is that sleepy-eyed weasel being nailed to the floor in a crucifix pose like the "Oz" season 2 finale. Schillinger: "Try playing that crappy guitar song at the end NOW, you skinny, pasty so-and-so!"

PatD

It's a very addictive show for those that can stomach its *REALLY* graphic content. (Think: "Days of Our Lives", but with segues into shankings, anal rape and other things of that nature)

Aside from it's prurient content, one has to suspend disbelief to new heights in certain areas of the program (for instance: It makes it easier to think of "Oz" existing in a parallel universe where humanity never invented forensic evidence gathering and a universe where a prison warden was allowed to keep his job overseeing a prison with a casualty/fatality rate that would rival a Middle East warzone... but everything else is the same as ours). And there's plot holes the size of Jupiter, too.

And if you can accept those caveats, you'll be hooked! (However, this is coming from someone who could only make it through the first season of "The Sopranos" until I gave up in sheer boredom. True story.)

Also, if you're a "Seinfeld" fan**, this link to an old SNL skit can help acclimatize you best:

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x18...d-in-oz_people

I hope you'll decide to join the ranks of "Oz" fans--we are a small, but proud people.

And now back to the Schillinger/J.K. Simmons worship...

**["Oz" Trivia: Jerry Seinfeld actually had a cameo on the actual show as a video store clerk, pummeled with video case by a surly biker.]

nateman

Vern is one of the greatest villains in television history. I agree with others that Simmons was so damn good in that role that it's hard for me to think of him as any other character other than Schillinger.

MrSmearkase

It's true, but damn that's a funny comparison

Jimmy James

Win.