Benton Fraser (born 1962) is a
fictional character and the
protagonist
A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...
of the television series ''
Due South''. He is a
constable
A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...
of the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police who works in the American city of
Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
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, subdivision_name ...
as Deputy Liaison Officer in the Canadian consulate. He lives in a dangerous neighbourhood at the fictional address of apartment 3J at 221 East Racine,
and later at the consulate itself, after his apartment building was burnt down. The character is portrayed by Canadian actor
Paul Gross
Paul Michael Gross OC (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian actor, director, writer, producer, and musician born in Calgary, Alberta.
Gross is known for his lead role as Constable Benton Fraser in the popular Canadian television series ''Due So ...
. Fraser's seemingly strange habits, such as tasting evidence and rigid sense of duty and courtesy, such as holding the door for anyone and everyone, add hilarity and whimsy to the show.
As Fraser often explains; "''I first came to Chicago on the trail of the killers of my father, and for reasons that don't need exploring at this juncture I have remained, attached as liaison with the Canadian Consulate''." Fraser is a strait-laced Canadian, and his faith in the honour and goodness of others tends to lead to interesting and humorous moments. Described as an "''outdoors
Sherlock Holmes''",
his behaviour often leads to the frustration of his de facto partner, Chicago detective
Raymond Vecchio, played by
David Marciano. His other "best friend," a deaf half-wolf, Diefenbaker, named after Canadian Prime Minister
John Diefenbaker, reads lips in both
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ...
and
Inuktitut
Inuktitut (; , syllabics ; from , "person" + , "like", "in the manner of"), also Eastern Canadian Inuktitut, is one of the principal Inuit languages of Canada. It is spoken in all areas north of the tree line, including parts of the provinces o ...
, and often assists in the capture of criminals. In the third and fourth seasons of the show, Fraser teamed up with Detective
Stanley Raymond Kowalski, after Ray Vecchio went undercover in the Las Vegas Mafia.
He is usually called "Fraser" by his friends and colleagues - some old friends will call him ''Benton'' or ''Ben'' at times. Ray calls him ''Benny'' or ''Fraser'', (often mispronouncing it "Frasier").
Character
Benton Fraser was conceived in an
igloo
An igloo (Inuit languages: , Inuktitut syllabics (plural: )), also known as a snow house or snow hut, is a type of shelter built of suitable snow.
Although igloos are often associated with all Inuit, they were traditionally used only b ...
, (according to his father), and was born out in a field, and grew up in
Inuvik, Northwest Territories
Inuvik (''place of man'') is the only town in the Inuvik Region, and the third largest community in Canada's Northwest Territories. Located in what is sometimes called the Beaufort Delta Region, it serves as its administrative and service ce ...
; and
Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories. After his mother was killed when he was still young, Benton was raised by his paternal grandparents, who were traveling librarians. His mother, Caroline, was killed when he was an 8-year-old boy, and his father,
Bob Fraser, (played by Canadian actor
Gordon Pinsent), was murdered in the pilot episode, at this point, Benton had been with the RCMP for 13 years. Bob, or "Fraser Sr.," as he is sometimes known, was a legendarily effective officer in the RCMP and often appears to his son as a ghost throughout the series to offer help and advice. Other relatives include an
Uncle Tiberius, (who died wrapped in
Cabbage
Cabbage, comprising several cultivars of ''Brassica oleracea'', is a leafy green, red (purple), or white (pale green) biennial plant grown as an annual vegetable crop for its dense-leaved heads. It is descended from the wild cabbage ( ''B.&nbs ...
leaves
A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, ste ...
, which the family assumes to have been a
freak accident
An accident is an unintended, normally unwanted event that was not directly caused by humans. The term ''accident'' implies that nobody should be blamed, but the event may have been caused by unrecognized or unaddressed risks. Most researcher ...
, first mentioned in "The Gift of the Wheelman" in season 1,) and an Aunt Winnie, (mentioned only in "Perfect Strangers", in season 3).
According to best friend, Ray Vecchio, in ''An Eye for a Eye'', Benton's problem is that "''if
esees a problem,
e's
is a Japanese shōnen manga series written and drawn by Satoru Yuiga. It was originally serialized in ''Monthly GFantasy'' from 1997 through 2005, and later published in 16 ''tankōbon'' volumes by Square Enix from March 18, 2003 to Februa ...
gotta fix it,
ecan't even go to the mens room without stopping to tell some simple, stupid, charmingly-witty
Inuit story, that inspires people to take on the world's social ills.''" In "The Blue Line", in season 1, it is revealed that Benton is a fan of
Ice hockey, and that he used to play it as a child; and in "Asylum", in season 3, it is shown that Benton is also a fan of
curling.
Fraser has had an unfortunate recurring relationship with Victoria Metcalf, a bank robber with whom he became infatuated after pursuing her into and then helping her survive a lengthy winter storm. After the storm was over, Fraser turned Victoria in to the authorities and she was sent to prison. This encounter is first outlined in episode 14 of series 1, "You must remember this"; during a stake-out Fraser comes the closest to 'baring his soul' before turning to find Vecchio asleep. That episode fades with Fraser looking at a slightly crumpled black-and-white photo of her. She later resurfaced in Chicago,
blackmail
Blackmail is an act of coercion using the threat of revealing or publicizing either substantially true or false information about a person or people unless certain demands are met. It is often damaging information, and it may be revealed to fa ...
ing Fraser into helping her use the money from the bank robbery to buy jewels on the black market, threatening to have Ray Vecchio framed for corruption. She left Chicago soon after her plot unraveled, and was not seen again.
Having little experience with romantic matters, Fraser appears to have suppressed his emotions, often for comic effect in the series, and buried himself in the masculine pursuits of law enforcement and
campcraft. His super-human detective abilities provide humorous contrast with his inability to interact with women. His fixation upon the criminal Metcalf, and later, his superior officer,
Margaret Thatcher, (no relation to
the British prime minister), was unreasonable, and he may have used his attraction to an unavailable woman as a mechanism for avoiding change in his own life.
In the
ITV documentary ''South Bound'' co-star
David Marciano said it was vital that the character of Fraser be both innocent but also unemotional. Actor Daniel Kash, (Detective Louis Gardino in the series), in the same documentary observed about Fraser that 'You'll never see that character cry. You'll sense that he'll be crying inside but you'll never see tears going down his face. He's just too buffed for that, and too reserved.'
In the episode ''Bounty Hunter'', Fraser meets a woman who seems very compatible with him, but his father warns Benton off. Fraser Sr tries to get his son to understand that the woman is not the one who is vulnerable, but Benton. For all of his son's physical self-reliance, the young constable needs emotional maturing.
Fraser eventually discovered he had a half-sister, Maggie MacKenzie, in the
season four episode ''Hunting Season''. Because Bob Fraser is her father, she can also see his ghost. Just like her father and half-brother, Maggie is a member of the RCMP. She arrived in Chicago pursuing the killers of her husband, under circumstances similar to Fraser's own arrival in the city, though she soon returned to Canada, unlike Fraser, who remained in Chicago for some time.
Fraser wears his uniform
stetson hat both in uniform and out. When he loses it, he seems to get into trouble. Fans of the show have thus nicknamed it the ''Stetson of Invulnerability''.
Fraser carries his paper money inside his hat. He frequently only has Canadian currency with him as it is "regulation" to be paid in that currency.
Fraser's apartment is at 221 East Racine. The neighbourhood is dangerous, but Fraser liked the apartment for its close proximity to his workplace.
Series finale
Fraser would eventually return to Canada and, along with Stanley Kowalski, set out on an adventure to find the hand of
Sir John Franklin, an explorer who disappeared while trying to discover the
Northwest Passage. (The soundtrack for that segment was
Stan Rogers
Stanley Allison Rogers (November 29, 1949 – June 2, 1983) was a Canadian folk musician and songwriter.
Rogers was noted for his rich, baritone voice and his traditional-sounding songs which were frequently inspired by Canadian history and th ...
's song "
Northwest Passage".) As the series ended with the beginning of their expedition, it is unknown what has happened to Fraser or Kowalski since then. His closing remarks: "''If we find it...we'll let you know''."
The
ITV documentary, made nine years after the series ended, concludes with Paul Gross saying "''We never did photograph it, but I can tell you that we, (Benton and Stanley,) found it''."
References
External links
Benton Fraser at TV IV
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fraser, Benton
Television characters introduced in 1994
Fictional immigrants to the United States
Due South characters
Fictional police constables
Fictional characters from the Northwest Territories
Fictional Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers