This is a list of characters in the USA Network original drama TV series, In Plain Sight, which follows two U.S. marshals working in the witness protection program. The principal cast has undergone many changes over the course of the show. Additionally, various recurring characters have appeared during the show's run.
Contents |
| Name | Portrayed by | Occupation/Status | Seasons | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |||
| Marshal Mary Shannon | Mary McCormack | WitSec Inspector | Main | |||
| Marshal Marshall Mann | Fred Weller | WitSec Inspector; Mary's best friend | Main | |||
| Brandi Shannon | Nichole Hiltz | Mary's younger sister | Main | |||
| Jinx Shannon | Lesley Ann Warren | Mary and Brandi's recovering alcoholic mother | Main | Recurring | ||
| Stan McQueen | Paul Ben-Victor | WitSec Chief Inspector; Mary and Marshall's boss | Recurring | Main | ||
| Raphael "Raph" Ramirez | Cristián de la Fuente | Mary's ex-fiance | Recurring | Main | Recurring | N/A |
| Detective Robert "Bobby D" Dershowitz | Todd Williams | Homicide detective | Main | N/A | ||
| Mary Shannon | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | "Pilot" (1.01) |
| Portrayed by | Mary McCormack |
| Information | |
| Aliases | Mary Shepherd |
| Gender | Female |
| Occupation | WitSec Inspector |
| Significant other(s) | Raphael Ramirez (2008-2010) Mike Faber (2010) |
| Children | Unnamed Child (with Mark) |
| Relatives |
Jinx Shannon (mother) unnamed (half-sister) |
Marshal Mary Shannon (Mary McCormack) is a US marshal working in witness protection. She is a strict nonconformist, often leading to difficulties. Her father, a gambler, left her childhood family after robbing a bank. Mary has trust and abandonment issues, stemming in part from her mother's alcoholism. This occasionally is a good thing, however, as it has saved the lives of many of her witnesses.
Throughout the first season, Mary almost constantly fights with her mother, Jinx, and her sister, Brandi. She is unable to understand why they cannot obtain and hold steady jobs, which often leads to conflict. Meanwhile, Mary is dating Raphael, a minor league baseball player. He finds her difficult at times, but ultimately loves her. In the season finale, a two-part episode including "Stan by Me" (1.11) and "A Fine Meth" (1.12), Mary is kidnapped and Brandi is nearly arrested for distributing drugs, leading the family to begin recuperating.
During the second season, Mary's family continues to annoy her, but she can see past it more often. She becomes engaged to Raph, though she has feelings of uncertainty at times. She is, however, able to trust him enough to reveal the true nature of her job to him. Throughout the season, a new office manager, Eleanor Prince, is hired. Mary immediately decides she doesn't like her, but eventually, they become mild friends. In the second season finale, "Don't Cry for Me, Albuquerque" (2.15), Mary is shot while defending a witness. Marshall, Mary's partner, and Stan, her boss, work together to find the person who shot her. They eventually do, but Mary is still in danger of losing her life.
The third season opens with Mary being released from the hospital, very much alive and ready to get back to work. Very early on, Raph calls off their wedding. Soon, Mary meets FBI Special Agent Mike Faber, who asks her on a date. She refuses. Soon, Mary and Brandi's half brother, Scott Griffin enters their lives. She is very skeptical of his motives, especially when he asks Brandi to give him money. They learn he is addicted to gambling, much like their father. Mary becomes increasingly annoyed with Brandi, and it comes to a peak when she actually hands the money over to Scott. By the season finale, "A Priest Walks Into a Bar" (3.13), Mary and Faber had started dating. At the start of the fourth season, Mary had already ended the relationship with Faber in order to give him the opportunity to try to work things out with his ex-wife. In the fifth episode of the season, "Second Crime Around", it is revealed that she has an ex-husband who she married at 17 but divorced soon after. In the sixth episode of the fourth season, "Something A-mish", she finds out that she is pregnant by her ex-husband, Mark, after one night together. The pregnancy of Mary is written in to incorporate the real-life pregnancy of Mary McCormack.[1]
| Marshall Mann | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | "Pilot" (1.01) |
| Portrayed by | Fred Weller |
| Information | |
| Aliases | Marshall Miller |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | WitSec Inspector |
| Relatives | Seth Mann (father), Unnamed Brothers |
Marshal Marshall Mann (Fred Weller), sometimes known as Marshall Miller, is a fifth-generation US marshal, but the first to work in WitSec, which leads to friction between him and his father. Marshall is Mary's partner and best friend. He seems to know a little about everything, which is sometimes referred to by Mary as "useless information." He is rarely speechless. Marshall's way of doing things differs greatly from Mary's, leading them to run into conflict at times. However, they are both extremely protective of their witnesses.
During the first season, Marshall begins to bond with various characters, most notably Bobby D. Upon their first meeting, the two clashed. However, during Mary's disappearance, the two were able to work together, and eventually become close friends.
In the second season, Marshall discovers that Mary has revealed the true nature of her job to Raph. It is one of the few times he is visibly angry with Mary, going so far as to lash out at her. When he discovers her engagement, he is clearly shocked and later in his engagement toast goes as far as to say that he loves her, but neither of them seem to acknowledge what he's really said. In the season finale, "Don't Cry for Me, Albuquerque" (2.15), after Mary is shot, Marshall is deeply affected, even breaking down and crying in front of Stan.
After Mary and Raph call off their engagement, in the finale of season three, "A Priest Walks Into a Bar" (3.13), Marshall appears to want to say something to Mary about how he feels, but is interrupted by Stan and does not try to renew the conversation. In the fourth season, Marshall finally realizes he and Mary are not right for each other and he begins a relationship with a police officer, Abigail, moving in with her.
| Brandi Shannon | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | "Pilot" (1.01) |
| Portrayed by | Nichole Hiltz |
| Information | |
| Nickname(s) | Squish |
| Gender | Female |
| Spouse(s) | Peter Alpert (engaged) |
| Significant other(s) | Chuck Johnson (2008) Peter Alpert (2009-present) |
| Relatives | Mary Shannon (sister) Jinx Shannon (mother) James Wiley Shannon (father) Scott Griffin (half-brother) Lauren (half-sister) |
Brandi Katherine Shannon (Nichole Hiltz) is Mary's naïve sister. She rarely thinks about the future, preferring to live in the moment. She believes she can get by on only her charms. However, she considers Mary to be role model and an example. She at first is loyal to her mother, but slowly develops her independence and doesn't need her mother's approval.
During the first season, Brandi is involved romantically with Chuck Johnson, a man who lives thousands of miles away in New Jersey. Mary and Jinx know virtually nothing about him, and they (especially Mary) don't approve of him. Their suspicions are confirmed when Brandi travels to New Jersey, and is implicated in a major drug deal initiated by Chuck. During the deal, she discovers that one of the dealers, a meth addict, has a young infant, and calls child services to protect the baby. Soon after, Chuck is kidnapped, and two FBI agents are killed. The kidnappers also kidnap Mary, believing that she is actually Brandi. Investigators soon realize that there is a connection between the drug trafficking and the kidnapping, and begin to draw up charges that could lead to Brandi's execution. However, when no drugs can be found at the Shannon's home, the charges are dropped. Brandi confesses that, had she known what was going to happen, she would have murdered Chuck.
Soon after, in the second season, Robert O'Connor, the agent in charge of the drug trafficking case, returns to arrest Brandi for drug trafficking and murder. Mary, however, is able to convince him to back off; this time, for good. Jinx, meanwhile, convinces Brandi to begin attending court-ordered AA meetings in her name. Brandi does, and meets Peter Alpert while there. At first, he is disgusted with her for making a mockery of the system that lead him to become sober. However, they eventually begin a relationship. Brandi later discovers that he is one of the richest men in Albuquerque, and subsequently tries to get him to break up with her, believing that he has many mistresses. This turns out to be untrue, however, when he does not break up with her.
Throughout season three, Brandi and Peter continue dating. When Mary and Brandi's half-brother, Scott Griffin, enters their lives, Brandi trusts him fully, while Mary does not. Although she knows he is a compulsive gambler, Brandi borrows thousands of dollars from Peter to give to Scott. Peter is happy to do so, to Mary's vehement protests. By the season finale, "A Priest Walks Into a Bar" (3.13), Brandi has moved in with Peter. The two announced their engagement in "The Art of the Steal" (4.01).
| Jinx Shannon | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | "Pilot" (1.01) |
| Portrayed by | Lesley Ann Warren |
| Information | |
| Gender | Female |
| Occupation | Dance Instructor |
| Spouse(s) | James Wiley Shannon (husband) |
| Children | Mary Shannon (daughter) Brandi Shannon (daughter) |
Jinx Shannon (Lesley Ann Warren) is a recovering alcoholic, and the mother of Mary and Brandi. Her husband James left her and her daughters after robbing a bank. Mary and Brandi both see themselves as being more mature than Jinx, which is true, to a point. She seems to have a strong resentment for Mary, which eventually subsides.
Throughout the first season, Jinx struggles with her alcoholism. She is also unable to keep a job, moving very quickly between jobs such as door-to-door makeup saleswoman and stage actress.
By the second season, Jinx's alcoholism peaks. She is arrested for public intoxication, which she profusely denies. However, when confronted with video of her arrest, she pleads guilty, and is ordered by the court to attend AA meetings. However, she refuses to do it, and convinces Brandi to attend in her place. She later feels bad, and decides to come clean and attend the meetings.
Later, Jinx becomes a dance instructor at a ballet studio, and appears to have become sober.
| Stan McQueen | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | "Pilot" (1.01) |
| Portrayed by | Paul Ben-Victor |
| Information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | WitSec Chief Inspector |
| Significant other(s) | Eleanor Prince (2009) |
Marshal Stan McQueen (Paul Ben-Victor) is the chief inspector for WitSec's Southwest region, and is Mary and Marshall's boss. He is a flexible boss, but tries to stick to the rules as much as possible. He always quickly backs up Mary and Marshall whenever they appear to be in trouble.
Stan works hard to protect his marshals, which leads to constant conflicts with other law-enforcement agencies and, sometimes, even witnesses. Though Mary sometimes appears to dislike him and never respects him, he realizes that she is a good marshal and is valuable to the team.
By the second season, Eleanor Prince has been hired as the new Albuquerque office manager. A recent widow, she and Stan fall in love, and have a brief relationship before she takes a job with the FBI.
| Raphael Ramirez | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | "Pilot" (1.01) |
| Last appearance | "Fish or Cut Betta" (3.5) (most recently) |
| Portrayed by | Cristián de la Fuente |
| Information | |
| Nickname(s) | Raph |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Minor league baseball player (2008-2009) |
| Significant other(s) | Mary Shannon (2008-2010) |
| Relatives | Josephina Ramirez (mother) Rita (aunt) |
Raphael Ramirez (Cristián de la Fuente) is a former minor league baseball player for the Albuquerque Isotopes, and is Mary's former fiance. He is often frustrated with Mary, due to her instinctive reactions and harsh manner.
During the first season, Raph and Mary have a strained relationship. However, he has a strong relationship with Mary's sister, Brandi. When Brandi returns from New Jersey with a suitcase full of drugs, he steals them and hides them in the baselines at the baseball stadium, saving the Shannon sisters from certain arrest.
By season two, Raph has been injured and can no longer play baseball. He finds work by appearing in commercials for Peter, which annoys Mary. Raph proposes to Mary, and she eventually accepts. Raph's mother later travels from the Dominican Republic to plan an engagement party, without their consent.
After discovering that Mary and Raph have moved in with each other, Raph's mother refuses to travel to Albuquerque to plan the wedding. However, she sends her sister, Rita (Rita Moreno). While Aunt Rita is there, Raph secretly tells her that he plans on calling off the engagement. Later, he does. He makes one more appearance during the third season, in which he and Mary say goodbye.
| Robert Dershowitz | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | "Pilot" (1.01) |
| Last appearance | "Don't Cry for Me, Albuquerque" (2.15) (most recently) |
| Portrayed by | Todd Williams |
| Information | |
| Nickname(s) | Bobby D |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Albuquerque homicide detective |
Detective Robert "Bobby D" Dershowitz (Todd Williams) is a homicide detective for the Albuquerque PD. He at first has many hostile encounters with Mary, Marshall, and Stan, but, after the events of the first season finale, seems to get along much better with them.
Bobby D was essential in the nationwide manhunt for Mary, and also a year later after she was shot. He, in fact, was present at the time of her shooting.
He has since been assigned to a task force in Chicago.
| Peter Alpert | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | "A Stand-Up Triple" (2.03) |
| Portrayed by | Joshua Malina |
| Information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Car salesman |
| Significant other(s) | Brandi Shannon (2009-present) |
Peter Alpert (Joshua Malina) is the owner of a car dealership, owns "half of Albuquerque" (as stated by Mary Shannon) and is engaged to Brandi Shannon.
Brandi met Peter at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting early in season two. He at first despised her, as she was not really an alcoholic, but came to the meeting anyway. However, he later asked her to go on a date with him after she made an enormous effort to apologize to him. When Brandi tried to get him to break up with her, he would not, and said he hoped they could continue to date. She agreed. He is well liked even by Mary, though she doesn't understand why he likes Brandi.
Brandi and Peter continue to date into season three. Their relationship becomes a bit strained when Brandi asks for several thousand dollars, but he gives it to her anyway. By the season finale, "A Priest Walks Into a Bar" (3.13), Brandi has moved in with him. The two announced their engagement in "The Art of the Steal" (4.01).
| Det. Abigail Chaffee | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | "The Art of the Steal" (4.01) |
| Portrayed by | Rachel Boston |
| Information | |
| Gender | Female |
| Occupation | Detective |
| Significant other(s) | Marshall Mann (2011–present) |
Detective Abigail Chaffee (Rachel Boston) is a detective with the Albuquerque PD, and is dating Marshall Mann. Abigail is a native Texan who graduated from Southern Methodist University.
She first appeared in "The Art of the Steal" (4.01), in which she was part of an investigation accusing Brandi Shannon of stealing from Peter. Mary showed obvious contempt for her, but the two later somewhat reconciled.
| Mike Faber | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | "Whistle Stop" (3.04) |
| Portrayed by | Steven Weber |
| Information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | FBI agent |
| Significant other(s) | Mary Shannon (2010-present) |
| Children | One Son |
Special Agent Mike Faber (Steven Weber) is an FBI agent who is dating Mary.
Faber first appeared when trying to convince an informant to join WitSec. Mary initially does not like him, but that changes when he tells her about his father. He later reappears in Albuquerque with another witness; he and Mary share drinks and enjoy a short-lived relationship before he must leave Albuquerque. In the season three finale, "A Priest Walks Into a Bar" (3.13), he returns with yet another witness. By the end of the episode, he and Mary have taken a vacation together in Mexico.
| Scott Griffin | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | "Son of Mann" (3.08) |
| Portrayed by | Aaron Ashmore |
| Information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Relatives | James Wiley Shannon (father) Lauren Griffin (sister) Unmaned Griffin (Sister) Mary Shannon (half-sister) Brandi Shannon (half-sister) |
Scott Griffin (Aaron Ashmore) is the half-brother of Mary and Brandi.
He first appeared when Brandi returned from an extended absence. Scott claims to share the same father as Mary and Brandi. Mary at first is skeptical that he is their half-brother, but eventually recognizes that it is the truth. He repeatedly asks Brandi for money, which he later uses in several gambling schemes. When she finally refuses, he leaves, but later returns claiming to have been mugged. He confesses to Brandi that he was actually beat up by people he owed money to. Brandi feels bad, and gives him the money he had asked for.
| Robert O'Connor | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | "Stan by Me" (1.11) |
| Last appearance | "Who's Bugging Mary?" (2.09) |
| Portrayed by | Will McCormack |
| Information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | FBI agent |
Special Agent Robert O'Connor (Will McCormack) is an FBI agent who is seemingly obsessed with the Shannon sisters. He has also since shown an interest in their missing father.
O'Connor first appeared when Brandi became involved with drug dealers in New Jersey. He was originally based in New Jersey, but moved to Albuquerque to follow the case. He spent many of his resources and much of his time attempting to have Mary and Brandi arrested and charged with drug trafficking and murder. After failing to find drugs at their home (even going so far as to have several walls taken out), he was forced to give up.
He resurfaced in the second season, having Brandi arrested on drug and murder charges and Mary's kidnapping as Brandi communicating with the kidnappers at the time. He attempted to force Brandi into confessing by threatening to have the same charges filed against Mary if she did not co-operate. Mary began investigating O'Connor when she discovered he had originally been assigned to the raid in New Jersey that saw two FBI agents killed, but swapped shifts with another agent shortly beforehand. She discovered O'Connor had been sleeping with one of the dead agent's wives at the time of the raid, and was attempting to prosecute Brandi out of guilt. After proving that Brandi's phone call to her kidnappers had been made at a time when Brandi was in FBI custody - thus making O'Connor a part of the conspiracy or incompetent - Mary had the charges against her sister dropped. O'Connor has not appeared since.
| Eleanor Prince | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | "Gilted Lily" (2.01) |
| Last appearance | "Don't Cry for Me, Albuquerque" (2.15) |
| Portrayed by | Holly Maples |
| Information | |
| Gender | Female |
| Occupation | WitSec office manager (2009) FBI analyst (2008; 2010-present) |
| Spouse(s) | John Prince (until 2008; his death) |
| Significant other(s) | Stan McQueen (2009) |
Eleanor Prince (Holly Maples) is the former Albuquerque WitSec office manager, and is an FBI analyst.
She frequently encountered friction with Mary, but was treated sympathetically by Marshall. She often was able to contact old sources at the FBI, who would help with various cases. She and Stan enjoyed a brief relationship before she left the Marshal Service to rejoin the FBI.
The following are characters appearing in multiple episodes in small roles. A number of McCormick's ex-castmates on The West Wing have appeared, in addition to recurring cast member Joshua Malina; Allison Janney, Richard Schiff and Bradley Whitford, as of the fourth season.
|
|||||||||||