Very short New Professionals Primer
This is a mixture of canon and my own take, and very much behind my portrayal of Sam and Chris in "First Rule" which was my first long (and gen) story in the fandom.
The series most certainly lacks the finesse and subtlety of the
original Professions, made 20 years before it. The characters aren't
well rounded, the plots aren't outstanding, and the on-screen chamisma
of Bodie and Doyle is missing. However, I liked the 'blank slate' this
provided when writing about it. There are only 13 episodes, meaning
there's not a whole lot of canon!
The organisation: CI5 started off with the original
Professionals (Bodie, Doyle and Cowley), as a sort of MI5 / criminal
police crossover outfit. It had lots of small print, meaning the guys
could investigate just about anything. By the New Professionals, it had
become international: a little more canon on this is available but
let's just say they get to play in exciting foreign countries now. Its
operatives are supposed to come from various police, intelligence and
military sources.
The boss: Harry Malone is British, probably late fifties.
He's played by Edward Woodward, who has an extraordinarily plummy, very
English voice and turns of phrase. He usually comes across as highly
authoritarian and hard on his people. I like him a little more human,
despite the constraints of the job. He loves rules, and the first one
is 'never get emotionally involved.' Involved with who or what (i.e. colleagues or cases) is something that can be used and abused by many writers, including me.
Sam Curtis: canon says around 29 in the series. Ex-MI6,
British with Cockney (London) overtones. Languages expert, has been in
Berlin, expert marksman – that's canon. He comes over as unflappable –
even tells Chris he is, although he does get emotional over a former
friend and MI6 colleague from Berlin. He tends to wear suits more often
than Chris and is a wine and food snob, which gives him the 'suave'
side.
Physically, he has glossy, straight hair that flops over his face, green-grey eyes, and is nearly six foot.
Character-wise I see him as reserved and detached rather than cold, but
give him a Past and he could well become very much the 'iceman' to keep
the barriers up. He does have a sense of humour, but I don't see him as
being particularly outgoing unless he really trusts someone. Also, when
he does get passionate about something, he doesn't do it by halves:
this is to me the basis of his friendship (or relationship) with Chris.
Since the 'official' bio has him as coming from a modest background, I
see him as being extremely ambitious with a streak of ruthlessness to
get what he wants. He likes wine, smart clothes, and in general a
lifestyle he didn't have as a kid. I think he's tidy and organised,
although we never see his apartment. In short, he's a guy who throws up
shields to disguise the softer side and his own doubts of himself. I
don't see him naturally as a team player – his MI6 background would
mean he would have to survive on his own.
The fact he cares about the 'Yank' comes out very early when he sees
Chris in a rigged car or the throes of a nightmare. When Chris crashes
a light plane, Sam ends up carrying him through the bush and pleads
with him to 'stay with me, Chris': this is one of the telling moments
about their relationship that I really see in the series, but there are
others such as when Chris steps on a landmine or takes a bullet.
Chris Keel: ex-US Navy pilot and SEAL. 28 in the series.
Very much an action man with a Dark Secret, i.e. that his wife and
family were gunned down on his wedding day (hence nightmares). The
series never follows this up, but fan fiction revels in it. He's
hot-headed, tends to attract trouble, and the grin with dimples, blue
eyes, accent and bounce all scream 'cute'. Very much into the rumpled
look, at home in all kinds of terrain, and is something of a rebel
which doesn't endear him to Malone.
Physically, he is fractionally smaller than Sam, spiky, sandy hair and for the rest see above.
Character-wise I see his bounciness partly as a 'shield' of his own,
because although he's survived the trauma of losing his wife the
nightmares bring it back. He is naturally resilient, though and enjoys
life, pizza, living in a mess and rushing into things. He prefers Bud
to wine, and rejects Sam's invitation to eat Kermit. From the glimpse
of the wedding nightmare, he's from a wealthy, high-ranking naval
family. This is probably why he's into classical music and can quote
the bible: he's no redneck.
Unlike Sam, he's more of a team player (SEALs) and easy-going, enjoying
teasing and being part of the 'gang'. We see him joking with women,
playing the charmer with them, in contrast to Sam working out at the
gym in his spare time.
Despite Sam's lecture early on in the series, they're close. The mutual
respect is clear, and one of the leitmotifs is that they always take
turns on who goes in first. Chris coins 'see you in hell' as he
cheerfully charges into action. Although he's usually the one in
trouble, when Sam is injured his concern is blatantly obvious, as is
his support for his partner when one of his friends is killed.
Together: Slashing them is easy as they are 'touchy
feely' New Men at times, and there's little (Chris) or virtually no
(Sam) evidence of female involvement. I can see them as good, loyal
friends or as lovers; either way they complement each other thanks to
their similarities and differences. In either case I also see that
strong bond that develops between men who rely on each other in
dangerous or combat situations.
Tina Backus or "Backup": the female interest.
Canadian, skinny, petite, and pretty, she's a geek who occasionally
gets to go on missions although exactly whether she's an agent or a
computer expert or Malone's sidekick isn't clear. Most people see her
as being attracted to Sam rather than Chris, although based on precious
little. She's definitely ambitious, extraordinarily talented and exudes
Mary-Sueness on several occasions.
Spencer: some sort of operations manager who doesn't get out of the office much. Quiet, some African blood, he's just there.
Other people we see are Richards, a computer expert into hacking, Rebecca who does something on computer screens and Harley, another agent.