Mary on Mary: “In Plain Sight’s” Mary McCormack Discusses Season 2

In a recent conference call Q & A with Mary McCormack, Mary takes us on a journey through season two on In Plain Sight, which involves changes in relationships, changes in Mary Shannon and spoilers, spoilers, spoilers!

The Shannon Family
“In the beginning of the season, my mother – I forget which episode, but very near the beginning of the season she hits sort of a new low in her drinking, which is extraordinary to watch and you think it’s going to be funny and it’s not at all funny. And then, she decides to try to stop drinking and she goes to rehab.

“Mary Shannon’s” never known her mother without alcohol involved, so it changes the entire family dynamic, and my sister goes back to school and she decides to try to turn over a new leaf. Because it’s television, I don’t know how long these things will last or if they’ll make it or not, but the dynamic completely changes, and then the mystery of “Mary’s” father is still floating and looming and you get some more clues as to what happened to him. There’s more development with me and with the mystery of where is my father and what happened to him.”

My burning question was, in looking back over season one, we see that “Mary’s” the one taking care of everyone, she seems to be kind of the caretaker. And now, obviously with the season finale, she has – already had baggage, but now she has even more. Is that dynamic going to change? Is someone going to start taking care of “Mary?” “Well, I think in some ways “Marshall” does. I mean I think at least she doesn’t have to look after him – that’s something. I guess that’s probably why it’s her best friend, because it’s the one person she doesn’t have to clean up after. I think “Rafael” in season two does- she allows him more of that role. In season two also, and I said this in interviews before because I don’t know if it’s spoiling anything, but my mother sobers up and goes into rehab and stuff and my sister goes back to school. So, there’s a little less of that- I mean a lot less of that sort of caretaking model, which actually is a little bit odd for her. I think we even touch on it in one episode. I think even “Marshall” says to her like, “Your whole identity has been about this. You’ve sort of defined yourself by their inability to look after themselves and now they’re doing it and you don’t really know who you are anymore.”

So, it’s interesting because it’s that whole thing of when you care-take, when that becomes your role, if people get better and they don’t need you anymore, who are you? I think it’s a pretty adult theme, but it’s a theme I think anyone who has ever done any of that in their life, either side of that coin, knows about.”

Mary and Marshall
Her partner Marshall is a very interesting dynamic as well. Are we going to see kind of a development in that more? McCormack explains, “Yes, it develops somewhat. I mean I think it’s probably a relationship that’s been that way for a long time. So, for it to develop too quickly or change too quickly would be sort of unrealistic because it seems like, at least when we meet them, even in the pilot you feel like they’ve been together for quite a long time and comfortable in their roles. They’ve sort of grown around each other. They sort of work as two parts of a whole. But you learn a little bit more about their feelings and my relationship with “Rafael” progresses more and sort of “Mary” decides to try to take some big chances that she’s never taken before. It is interesting and fun to watch Fred Weller’s reactions to all of that.”

Mary describes a scene that was recently shot involving “Marshall”: “The other night where Fred Weller was playing drunken chess on his computer screen because in the episode I tell “Rafael” what I do for a living and it gets Fred Weller, “Marshall Mann” gets so angry about it and I think not just because someone knows what we do, but maybe even more because I’ve been intimate and shared this secret with another man. And so it’s like involving another man as closely as he’s involved maybe and I think that’s definitely a big part of it.

In the last scene of the episode I come back into the office and he’s sitting there playing chess with an 11-year-old Pakistani girl online and he’s just loaded. He’s really drunk and she’s beating him and it’s sort of a very sweet scene between my character and Fred Weller’s character. I think that might be one of the favorites.”

Mary and Rafael
There’s great chemistry between you and “Rafael” who is played by Cristian de la Fuente. How do the two of you continue to maintain such great chemistry between each other and how will you continue in season two? McCormack says, “We really enjoy each other. I’m crazy about him. I’m really just crazy about him. He’s a great guy. I mean no one that pretty should be that nice as well and funny and smart. God went to town when he made him. He’s just fantastic. I get along well with his wife and my husband gets along well with both of them. Actually, his wife is guest starring in this episode now that we’re shooting right now and my husband is directing it.

Sometimes I call my husband and I’m in bed with Cristian. So, it’s all very odd. It’s a really odd relationship. But his lovely wife, Angelica, who’s a beautiful actress, is guest starring on this episode and my husband, Michael Morris, who directs many, many Brothers and Sisters and the producer of that show, is directing this episode of In Plain Sight. So, it’s all in the family with us.

We’ll have to see what happens with “Rafael” because it’s definitely an interesting—intimacy doesn’t come easy for “Mary Shannon.” In the second season, she certainly tries harder in that department, a lot harder. We do end up engaged.”

But is “Raf” good for “Mary”? McCormack doesn’t think so. “I think they are a mismatch. My guess is that they’re sort of mismatched. I mean he would probably ideally not want her to continue with this work and she’s never going to give this work up. So yes, that’s sort of a train wreck waiting to happen I imagine, but bless his heart, he’s so kind and keeps hoping she’ll change and she never changes. I do think she takes a chance with “Rafael.” I mean I wonder how much of that is based on her near death experience. I don’t know. That’s an interesting question. She definitely goes further down the intimacy road with “Rafael” than she’s ever been. So, maybe that’s due to that.”

Just Mary Shannon
“My relationship with “Rafael” and my intimacy issues and all the push and pull of that; this season is completely different than it was last season. I mean even though she has sort of bad ass qualities and she’s a tomboy and all that, she doesn’t really take a lot of garbage, you have to sort of see how she ended up that way and why she ended up that way and where she’s weak and where she’s frail and where she’s girly. So, trying to make her three dimensional and complex, that’s always challenging.”

“At first, I’m very, very sort of unaffected by the whole shooting (in the season one finale) and I’m just sort of like whistling my way through the day, and then as it wears on you start to see it crumble apart and all the post-traumatic stress begins. Even though she’s a bad ass and even though she’s tough, they didn’t make her like a superhero. They didn’t make it like there’s no repercussion from killing a man. So, I really appreciate that as an actress and I think I appreciate it as a viewer as well.”

Season two will see Mary trying to cope with change, and that’s never a good thing in Shannon-land. “I think “Marshall” even says in one of those episodes early on, “Mary hates change.” I think he even says it, yes, and she does. I think anyone new is sort of a bummer to her. It’s just because she figures things out and likes the way they work, even if it’s bad. Even in the unhealthy family dynamic, at least she was used to it. She had been living in it since she was a little girl and she knew it. Now, her mom is all AA slogans and her sister is sort of in a healthy relationship, which is just confusing. Everyone’s just a little bit different and even “Rafael;” halfway through the season he makes a big, big, big change in his own life, a career change and it completely freaks “Mary” out. It’s his own life, but she has to redefine her relationship with him.

Change does not come easily. I think it’s a bumpy season for her and “Eleanor” (played by Holly Maples) is a huge change for her because that dynamic– I mean the dynamic with her work family was so comfortable for her because she was adored. She’s adored by “Stan” and he lets her sort of have run of the ship. “Marshall’s” her best friend and they’ve grown around each other like vines and trees. I don’t think there’s anywhere where she’s more comfortable than work. And so “Eleanor” coming in; another woman coming in and a woman so unlike herself, is a huge adjustment. Here we are right at the end of the season and she’s still annoying the hell out of her.”

What do I love about In Plain Sight? I love that you can jump in at any time and not feel you’ve missed anything. I love watching the ups and downs of Mary Shannon’s personal and professional life. I love the characters involved in her life, even if some of them frustrate me at times. I love the writing and the acting alike. It’s a show that fits well with the USA Network family.

Be sure to watch In Plain Sight every Sunday night at 10 p.m./9 Central, on USA.Network. And check out the photos in our gallery.