'Tommy' Series Finale: Mayor Buddy Gray's arc drives a positive end and Thomas Sadoski deserves credit for it
Besides the powerful and bold representation of Chief Abigail Thomas (Edie Falco), if there's one more aspect of 'Tommy' that will remain with us for a long time to come, it’s the evolving character arc of Mayor Buddy Gray (Thomas Sadoski).
Typically, in crime dramas, politicians who oppose justice and powerful antagonists are mostly designed with negative traits, making them ominous all along. But Mayor Buddy Gray is anything but that.
He is young, charming and flawed in his own way, but does his best to be the "good politician". And he even is, to some extent, which is clear in his interactions with Tommy.
However, he also does have history, clandestine affairs, dirty secrets, and events where he has soiled his hands, but he is also quite supportive of Tommy and respects her for who she is, although they have been on opposing sides on many occasions.
He is neither black nor white in his character but treads on the shades of gray, quite apt to his name and that make his character both lovable and despicable at the same time.
From the very beginning, he gave us the impression of a very sophisticated politician, who acts very diplomatically but has not forgone his original self. He wants to do things differently than his predecessors and yet the trick of the trade requires him to withhold too much transparency and get a little on the darker side from time to time.
Most importantly, he supports the chief of police, despite a great deal of difference of opinions and pressure from his funding partners.
When a character is so varied, it takes a lot for one to hold onto one aspect of it and move on, unless the actor makes it balance out and lets you enjoy all the shades. This is where we must thank actor Thomas Sadoski for the same.
A face of a host of television series and many movies, Sadoski's portrayal of Buddy Gray was fascinating in its own way.
Had it not been for the evolution of Mayor Gray in the final episode, well-played by Sadoski, we might not have had the turning point in the story and get Tommy back in business and give the series a positive closure that we needed, after the sudden cancellation.
'Tommy' series finale aired on Thursday, May 8, at 10 pm/9 c on CBS.