Curiosity, as it always does, got the best of me and I started searching on info about the US Marshalls in general and WITSEC in particular. Fascinating history and interesting little details. One of the things that kept popping up was the intensity of the physical training the Marshalls receive. This group of folks are highly physically dangerous! They have extensive combat training in addition to self defense, marksmanship, tactical training, hostage negotiation...all with some integration of guerilla warfare. There was an interview with Weller and McCormack where Weller also mentioned he was surprised to learn how dangerous the Marshalls were (from their on-set advisor) and that other law enforment agencies would "borrow" Marshalls to assist them on drug busts and swat team operations due to their skill (don't ask me what interview...I've long forgotten). I guess it would make sense, given their duties, that the WITSEC officers would be bad ass.

I think the show has done a fairly good job of showing their skills (especially Stan By Me when Mary manages to nearly rescue herself), but it would be great to see Marshall and Mary kick a little more ass now and then. We get to see Mary throw a few folks around, but I can't think of an episode where Marshall really takes anyone on (as he's much slower to anger). Maybe in the new season he'll get a chance to show his dark side (we know he's got one...he's a seether) when hunting down Mary's shooter. He comes off as kinda goofy and relaxed, but Mary once said "don't let the pajama pants fool you...that's one bad-ass lawman" as she's obviously witnessed him in action a few times.

Let them have some fun and work off some aggression once in a while! I'm picturing a bar brawl (can you just see Mary and Marshall throwing people down a bar...they'd have such fun! )...just a general knock-down drag out fight. Of course, they'd have huge grins on their face the entire time! I was also contemplating a scene where Marshall takes down Mary...not mean-like, but she would end up challenging him somehow through the banter and he'd just completely surprise her and pounce. Just to show her he could. I bet Mary would totally appreciate it...gotta have that alpha dog showdown once in a while. Also, it allows him to demonstrate to her his ability to protect her...in Mary's weird thought process.

I have a feeling Mary could kick Raph's ass if she wanted to, but she'd end up losing to Marshall every time. Mary likes to rank people in the respect file based somewhat on their ability to physically fight with her. Remember in season 2 when Mary and Eleanor are both trying to push her desk at the same time in a battle of wills (can remember the name of the episode but it's the one with the mom and three kids and the oldest son is trying to care for the little ones 'cause his mom is a flake). You can just see Mary and Eleanor assessing each other while they're pushing. Stan looks worried, but Marshall doesn't blink an eye...just gives one his great one liners..."unless you two are going to lather up with baby oil and throw down like real women, we have work to do". But, ultimately, you can see Eleanor go up a notch or two on Mary's respect-o-meter.

I've started reading the WitSec book (the one Mary gave Raph) and it has been pretty interesting. And it seems that the WitSec marshals got all the training and became sort of the "elite" force at least in part because the WitSec program used to be so poorly run that nobody wanted to work in it. Marshals saw being assigned to WitSec as punishment. But after several years they finally got someone running the program who cleaned it all up, and insisted that WitSec Inspectors receive more training (and better pay) than the other marshals.

It would be interesting to see an episode where Mary and Marshall are "borrowed" for a different kind of assignment.

I agree...have them work with ATF or such (I don't think either of them would tolerate the FBI right now) on a major takedown.

The two things that Marshall have done that come immediately to mind are the hand lock on Vern McRoy in "Hoosier Daddy" and the the way he tossed Serge into the wall in "To Serge With Love." Not exactly examples of what Marshall is fully capable of, but if this is what he can do when he's just miffed, I'd hate to be on the receiving end when he's angry!

I'm with you, I hope he gets a chance to bust somebody's head in the next season.

I also wouldn't mind seeing Stan blow up on someone. The way he threatened to bounce Mr. Day's head off every wall in the hospital, I would have loved to see him do it!

Oh yes...I remember Serge in the wall now. Yeah, he made that look easy. I wonder if Stan will let Marshall have a few minutes alone with Mary's shooter when they find him. That would be gratifying.

I've been thinking about this, too. They could do a flashback episode to their training (and Mary's inevitable insubordination). Or have them go off on some kind of refresher course. They've also never shown them at a gun range, and they would have to shoot regularly to stay sharp.
Which touches on another unexplored area ... did Mary and Marshall go through training together as a team, or were they paired up later? How DID they meet? I really hope that one day we get more information about how Marshall 'made his bones' with Mary.
I agree that we've never seen him be particularly physical (although the guy is strong enough to haul himself up off his ass after getting shot and come back with guns blazing in both hands.) Could be interesting.

Might be a fun thing for them to do as Mary's going through her rehab to get back on the job. Seems like after such a long recovery, she would have to re-qualify on the range and maybe pass some physical tests. Flashing back a few years to show some of what you mention might be a good way to handle it.

From snippets I've gathered, I think they must have been paired up later. Like in "One Night Stan" she makes the comment that if Stan goes to jail, Marshall becomes her boss and she'll have to kill herself. Sounds like he has some level of seniority over her.

I'm not sure I'd want to see Marshall tear into someone (like the person who shot Mary), because even though he's furious now, it really isn't him. It would be fun to see him kick some ass in a situation where the job really called for it.



I think you're right. In the first season we met Mary's first witnesses and they said that she was assigned to them five years ago. Sounds like she's been working in WitSec for 5-6 years. I could see Mary drifting around a bit before she landed in the Marshal Service, while I could see Marshall going into it right after college since it's sort of the "family business" for him. So even though they both hold the rank of "Inspector" I wouldn't at all be surprised if Marshall's been on the job longer and has more seniority.

It would be fun to have a flashback to see "how they met." I could see Mary driving off a lot of partners before finding someone who "stuck" with Marshall.

I was a bit confused in Gilted Lily that the family being represented were Mary's witnesses. That had to have been at least 10 years prior since the kids were about 9-13 when the crime occurred, and in their mid 20's present day. And I do believe Mary once states she is "35...ish", so I'm thinking the character is more around 38-39.

Maybe, while Mary is still unconscious from the surgery, they'll do some flashbacks to her being assigned to Stan...going through a few partners...finally getting paired up with Marshall. I think Marshall probably gave her quite the run for her money...the only person who never becomes flustered with her antics.

I think Mary "inherited" the family from Gilted Lily. Like the brothers in "High Price Spread" - her first witnesses - they had been in the program longer than five years, but they were the first witnesses assigned to Mary when she joined WitSec. And Joe from "Training Video" - there's no way that Marshall was his original marshal since Joe entered the program in the 1970s. I'm sure as marshals retire or leave WitSec their witnesses are assigned to someone else.

I'll bet Marshall gave her a run for her money too. I'm sure at first he thought her anger ball act was a bit much and she probably rolled her eyes at his quirkiness and was frustrated when he didn't just run away like everyone else, but they probably figured out pretty quickly that they make a pretty good team.

So if Mary inherited the High-Priced Spread brothers five years ago and they were her first witnesses, she's been in her current job five years. But in Trojan Horst when she's bickering with Marshall about his job interview she says something like "I can't believe I've been putting up with your stupid drivel for three years," so they've been working together for three. They must have met after they'd been on the job a while.
I like the idea about the flashbacks during Mary's recovery. For sure she must have driven away other partners before Marshall.

In the season 1 finale, when Mary was reading the letter from her father, it was dated Feb 5, 1978 and Jinx said that was the day he left. In another episode Mary said her father left two days before her 7th birthday, meaning she was born Feb 7, 1971, making her 38 years old.