Personality
Lem was the moral compass of the Strike Team. A good-natured detective, he was recruited after being vouched for by his good friend, Detective Shane Vendrell. His main mode of transport when off-duty is a low-rider motorcycle or 'chopper' and he is active in arm wrestling tournaments. Well liked by many for his loyal and selfless personality, his role was to be the 'muscle' of the Strike Team. Lem and teammate, Detective Ronnie Gardocki were not included in the plot by the team leader Vic Mackey and Shane Vendrell to kill Detective Terry Crowley, due to Lem's conscientious nature. Upon hearing of Terry's death, a visibly distraught Lem shouts, "No!" and punches through a van window, severely lacerating his right fist and surprising a visibly stunned Vic.
Lem further shows his strong convictions later in the first season in the episode "Throwaway", which showcased Lem's strong sense of morality, his willingness to help others and his need to do the right thing, often getting under Vic and Shane's skin.
In his time in the Strike Team, Lem found himself increasingly troubled by the illegal activities the Strike Team engaged in and he was constantly getting dragged into them. He was the first to object to the plan to rob the Armenian mob's money laundering operation, nicknamed 'Money Train.' The rest of the team originally planned a 3 man assault, excluding Lem, but he reluctantly went along with the decision for the sake of team unity.
Lem was also highly empathetic and spurred into action whenever he saw human or animal suffering. He has often been seen performing CPR on blood and vomit covered victims while the rest of his team members look on disgustedly. Highly fond of animals, he's often seen playing with them, whether cockerels saved from a cockfight or a suspect's pet pit bull. Once when raiding a suspect's house, he was visibly distraught and upset with fellow team member, Shane, for shooting and killing a pit bull terrier. Despite being a 'dirty cop', Lem was a genuinely caring person and even joined the Youth Authority to help wayward juveniles after the Strike Team was disbanded at the end of season three. Even when on the run, the events that led him to eventually being killed stemmed from him trying to comfort an injured child, which resulted in his cover being blown and his hiding place discovered. When being interrogated, he told Lt Kavanaugh that the Death Penalty is too good for anyone who would kill a child or a Police officer.
Lem had stated on many occasions that he considered the Strike Team to be his 'family' and it was the sole reason why he put aside his moral objections and joined in on the team's various illegal schemes. In the season 3 finale, he tells Vic, Ronnie, and Shane that they are the closest thing to a family he has ever known, and each man is visibly touched by the revelation.
One example of the above was when Lt. Kavanaugh of Internal Affairs tried to coerce Lem to rat on the Strike Team. Lem replied "You're asking me to betray my family" and steadfastly refused to budge from his decision. Kavanaugh himself expressed admiration for Lem’s loyalty and steadfastness. A day before Lem was to be imprisoned, Kavanaugh showed up at his doorstep to have a final chat with him. Saying, “...you weren’t supposed to get the worst of this thing here”, Kavanaugh voiced his regret that Lem was the one who ended up being the most affected by his inquiry into the Strike Team. He merely planned to scare Lem with the threat of jail so he could use it as a ‘wedge’ to get him to rat on the Strike Team.
Regaining his composure, Kavanaugh extends his hand to Lem and says, “...any man’d be lucky to have you in his corner.” After a pregnant pause, Lem reaches out and grasps Kav’s hand in a conciliatory manner, but also tells Kav to stop pursuing matters further. It ends with him. They shake and Kav leaves after wishing Lem good luck and telling him to take care of himself.
Though his character is morally conflicted, there are numerous examples of his willingness, even eagerness to bend or break the law in the best interests of the team. His agreement with the decision to kill Margos Dezerian, his involvement in the murder of Armadillo Quintero, and the set-up of Hector Estanza are but a few.
Read more about this topic: Curtis Lemansky
Famous quotes containing the word personality:
“But most of us are apt to settle within ourselves that the man who blocks our way is odious, and not to mind causing him a little of the disgust which his personality excites in ourselves.”
—George Eliot [Mary Ann (or Marian)
“Her personality had an architectonic quality; I think of her when I see some of the great London railway termini, especially St. Pancras, with its soot and turrets, and she overshadowed her own daughters, whom she did not understand—my mother, who liked things to be nice; my dotty aunt. But my mother had not the strength to put even some physical distance between them, let alone keep the old monster at emotional arm’s length.”
—Angela Carter (1940–1992)
“Unable to create a meaningful life for itself, the personality takes its own revenge: from the lower depths comes a regressive form of spontaneity: raw animality forms a counterpoise to the meaningless stimuli and the vicarious life to which the ordinary man is conditioned. Getting spiritual nourishment from this chaos of events, sensations, and devious interpretations is the equivalent of trying to pick through a garbage pile for food.”
—Lewis Mumford (1895–1990)