Will Pope

Infobox character | name = Assistant Chief Will Pope


first = Pilot episode
last =
gender = male
occupation = LAPD Assistant Chief for Operations
family = Estelle Pope (ex-wife)
children = two
portrayer = J. K. Simmons
creator = James Duff

Assistant Police Chief Will Pope is a fictional character featured in TNT's "The Closer", portrayed by J. K. Simmons. Pope is the Assistant Chief for Operations of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). Pope, along with Commander Taylor, is one of two characters on the show who has a real-life equivalent, in this case Assistant Chief Earl Paysinger, Director and Commanding Officer of Office of Operations, Los Angeles Police Department.

Despite bringing Brenda in for the job, he doesn't seem to want to let her actually do her work. He had an extramarital affair with Johnson when they worked together in Washington, DC. After he ended it, he divorced his first wife to be with his now ex-wife, Estelle. This history causes some personal tension between the two of them.

Pope seems to still harbor feelings for Johnson, and he acts jealous of her relationship with Fritz Howard.

Character attitude

Pope commands the authority of his team, and the department detectives generally respect him. Closing cases and convicting criminals is his first priority, even if it means he has to take the heat from his superiors. He always defends his team and is more than willing to take the blame for them.

Pope can be something of a chameleon, often playing both sides of the fence to get what he wants. Unlike Deputy Chief Johnson, he plays along with law enforcement politics in order to keep everyone happy.

Although he can be overly controlling at times, he's a pushover for Johnson and is always eager to please her. When she first transferred to the LAPD, Pope readily defended her against the other detectives' complaints, and he continues to be protective of her. [The Closer - Squad profiles [http://www.tnt.tv/series/closer/squadprofiles/ TNT] ]

References