Her filmography may not be very long, but apart from few movies which I am not going to discuss here since it's a tv-series blog, she has starred in some very interesting shows. Obviously she has done a few guest cameos in criminal series like "Poirot", "the Mentalist" and "NCIS", but when she gets more then one episode, her character is usually either frequently on-screen or quite important to the plot.
After watching her in a few different roles it’s hard not to notice a very vivid pattern: all her characters can be described as either crazy or hot/sexy/femme-fatal-type-guys-have-no-chance-against.
I am not saying her characters are one-dimensional though! What I mean is that most of them are written and designed in such a way that they can be described with one of these two words; they of course differ on the scale in which certain adjective fits them, giving us a whole spectrum of characters who go from mildly weird to bat-shit crazy, and from seductively sexy to the one who shows a porn-star level of nakedness. Oh yes, it’s a good news for all of you perverts out there! One thing you can always count on with Jaime Murray is that if the show is not PG-13, you can bet she will drop the clothes and sex it up with whoever is at hand. And if the show doesn't allow that, you can rest well assured that she will at least hit on any woman she can find.
Thanks to her "Warehouse 13" got it's most famous not-really-canon-but-basically-canon pairing that everyone shipped (including Murray herself).
Below there's a very personal list of my favourite roles by Jaime. Enjoy!
6. Grace Valentine from "Valentine"
I am not even sure if "Valentine" should make the best of anything list, but silly as it was, it was actually fun to watch. The show concentrates on a group of Greek gods who try to make ends meet in the modern world, living among humans. The family of Valentines run by beautiful Grace - a.k.a. Aphrodite - is invested in what seems like a family matchmaking business… except that where the gods are involved, the process of searching for a soul mate may be slightly different than you'd expect..
Special bonus: I don't suppose you'll be surprised if I say that the goddess of love is one sexy lady. She may keep her clothes on most of the time, but is a cause of the greatest orgasm in tv-shows since Buffy and Riley lost it and made the whole house experience their bed pleasures in "Where the Wild Things Are" (4 x 18).
5. Gaia from "Spartacus: the Gods of the Arena"
"The Gods of the Arena" is a one-season prequel to the three-seasoned "Spartacus" (titled respectively "Blood and Sand", "Vengeance" and "War of the damned"). I am not going to lie: I wouldn't have touched that series if it wasn't for Murray, and I have finished neither the main series nor the spin-off.
The main series tells the story of Spartacus, a brave warrior taken into Roman slavery, who is forced to become a gladiator. The show has stunning graphic fights, interesting aesthetic choices when it comes to showing blood but mostly… there's sex. Lots and lots of sex, to the point where the series seems more like a porn with a plot than anything else.
"The Gods of the Arena" concentrates on Quintus Lentulus Batiatus and his wife Lucretia, who own the ludus and all the gladiators who train in it (including Spartacus). What interests us is that the very first episode introduces to us Lucretia's friend Gaia, a playful, adventurous woman, whose search for a wealthy husband doesn't stop her from getting what she wants: which, in this case, is to get into Lucretia's robes. Otherwise manipulative and with very dubious morals, Gaia cares very much for Lucretia, and their relationship is very sweet and warm, which makes it very special in a world where sex seems to be so common it's became meaningless.
Special bonus: points for shagging the amazing Lucy Lawless (a.k.a. Xena the warrior princess)!
4. Stacie Monroe from "Hustle"
Stacie is an interesting one. A brilliant con-artist, who is well aware of her feminine charm and famme fatale aura, and is not afraid to use them to obtain her goals. Comparing with Murray's other roles, Stacie seems very well-balanced and sane so no one can have any doubt that she's an incredibly strong woman, who doesn't owe her success to anyone but herself. Placed between childish Danny and mature Mickey there's a lot of room to play with the character's sexual energy and feminine strength. Which the writers gladly did.
Special bonus: like in every show which needs a brand new plot every episode, there's a lot of occasions to see her in different different incarnations… and few bizzare wigs and marvelous outfits.
3. Lila Tournay from "Dexter"
Since someone told me that “Dexter” is a scary show, and the opening seemed to prove them right, I haven't had the guts to watch it until recently. And frankly, I am neither scared nor have I become a fan of the series. One of a few reasons why I still haven’t given up on it, is that I knew Jaime Murray was supposed to show her sweet ass in the second season. And she did show much more than just her ass.
Lila Tournay is a perfect example of a character who is both overly sexualised and crazy. We meet her as an reformed meth addict, who later becomes Dexter’s “sponsor” when he has to pretend that he's addicted to drugs. They hit it off quick and they hit it off hard, but things quickly start to go downhill even for Dexter. She might not be a serial killer but her fascination with dead bodies and very disturbing sense of art make her actually seem more crazy from the two of them. Which is something, I guess.
Special bonus: her fashion sense is brilliant. I adored all the little accessories that she wore, including characteristic armbands.
2. H.G. Wells from "Warehouse 13"
Title warehouse is a place of "endless wonders", where supernatural artefacts are hidden from the public view and kept safe - more or less. The group of agents who is in charge of "bagging and tagging" as they call the process of finding and neutralising artefacts, consists of: grumpy Artie, childish Pete, up-tight but lovable Myka and a computer genius in a body of rebeled teen, Claudia. But things would be far less interesting without a sexy, adventurous, brilliant inventor from the past - no one else but H.G. Wells himse… uhm, herself! Since she joined the cast in the 2nd season she made a full transition between an evil villain and a good agent, but in reality she's always stayed grey.
Special bonus: H.G. Wells is openly bisexual, and even though she doesn't get to have on-screen sex nor even on-screen official love interest, there's more than a little tension between her and Myka and Jaime Murray herself had a big part in creating this relationship as it is now!
1. Stahma Tarr from "Defiance"
For me, Stahma is where all the other roles were leading Jaime Murray to. It's a role she's meant to have since the beginning of her career and it couldn't have gone to anybody else.
In the post-apocalyptic city of Defiance, where people struggle to live among the new alien species which came to inhabit our planet after the destruction of their own, Stahma is an alien, Castithan to be precise, and a wife to brutal and cruel Datak. Among her aristocratic species women are supposed to know their place, and never leave the shadow cast by their men, and at the beginning shadows are indeed a place where Stahma feels best. She manipulates others, including her own husband, to make sure her family's status is high enough, but as the second season shows, she can do as well in the main spotlight. She's attractive, but her attractiveness is dangerous and sharp as an edge of the knife. She smiles and bows, but there's nothing humble underneath it. Where "Dexter's" Lila was a carefree psychopath, Stahma is clever and cruel and she has a plan. She's terryfying in her beauty and beautiful in how terryfying she can be.
Special bonus: It's another bisexual character, and once again it seems that the sexual same-sex relationship is the only time Murray's character can show her softer side.
That's all!
- Aga
