MovieChat Forums > In the Heat of the Night (1988) Discussion > Am I the only one who dont like Harriet ...

Am I the only one who dont like Harriet DeLong?

posted 12 years ago by dark_seed81
48 replies | jump to latest

I dont know exctally what it is, but her character really pisses me off most of the time? She seems really stuck up and very much a hypocrite about her views on race!!

And I personaly was never a fan of her and the chiefs love affair. I mean, it was believable that he changed his racist ways to accept blacks as equals but for him to fall in love with a black woman whos kinda anti white lol was a bit of stretch to me! Anyone feel the same??

If that sounds racist, I really dont mean it that way, just cant think any other way to say it!

[–] nathan_the_clipper_webb 12 years ago

I didnt like her either. I thought she was a downgrade from Lois Nettletons character.

[–] stylnstephie8 12 years ago

But she was like Lorraine White

[–] NathanielS 12 years ago

Huge loss when Lois Nettleton left. On top of that, the overall ethos and atmosphere of the show changed in the third season. It continued to become even more cheesier until the show finally ended.

[–] lexusis 12 years ago

Yea, I never liked her either.

She was basically just a female Tibbs, and by that I mean a bit over dramatic on some issues. I guess this was mostly in the 3rd season though. She was just really abrasive and even though you agreed with her, the style and tone she chose just made you hate her.

Later seasons they softened her quite a bit. Or maybe it was just that the whole show lost it's edge.

[–] IzzyTree 12 years ago

I saw things a bit differently. I always liked Harriet DeLong (and you gotta love that name!). I felt like she always kept Chief Gillespie "real." She challenged him. It made sense to me that they fell in love. And she was so beautiful. I guess I remembered her from Room 222, in the back of my head (not consciously, not until IMDB reminded me).

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] thunderbird56 12 years ago

I didn't like her character at all in the earlier seasons of the show. Her face always looked like a cross between anger and lengthy constipation; and her personality was pretentious and overbearing. She became much more likeable in the later episodes when she actually smiled and showed a sense of humor.

[–] abitbaudy-252-46793 11 years ago

There ya go, @thunderbird56, I was thinking sullen, but your "anger and lengthy constipation" are right on.

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] carrie45 12 years ago

I like her but her romance with Carroll O'Connor seems to be a romantic fantasy of his. It's hard to a believe a beautiful, younger woman would fall for him.

[–] Sourapples 12 years ago

I really liked Joanne, & Harriet was a bit much at times, but she grew on me.

When the Chief found out that Lois Nettleton's character was a former prostitute.. the look on his face was like the last nail in the coffin of their relationship.

Even though he said it would take time... I doubt men like the Chief, even though they would willing use a prostitute.. would want to be in a relationship with one.

She was always bubbly & very friendly.. which is why I did not like that they made her a former prostitute in the AKA Kelly Kay eps.

[–] sholsten-611-761267 12 years ago

Harriet was ate up with racial bias. She was miserable 98% of the time. Her son was such a butt about the relationship. She should've told him to get over it.

[–] eddie-pritchett-607-224799 12 years ago

Yes she did I didn't like her or Althea

[–] beautifuldreamer60 12 years ago

Yes "dark", your comments and the other posts are racists. Since you disliked Harriet and Althea so much, how did you feel about Luann? She's an African-American female, I'm sure you hated her character also.

[–] abajasds 12 years ago

Harriet was a character you love to hate, because she was so icy when she was first introduced. I liked Harriet, and to the person that said the show became cheesy by the third season, I disagree. I think the show became cheesy once it moved from NBC to CBS, and after which Denise Nicholas character was moved to opening credits.

I liked Harriet's relationship with Bill better than him with Joanne because their relationship was typical, nothing too spectacular. Even Carroll O'Connor wasn't fond of the relationship between Bill and Joanne.

My job is to inform, not persuade- Dan Rather

[–] stylnstephie8 12 years ago

Bill stop liking Joanne when he found out she was a hooker. He kept dating her even though their relationship was never the same after that. Joanne wasn't little miss perfect in Bill's eyes after that.

[–] Bob_Zerunkel 10 years ago

You can't hate someone without being racist?

Are you sure?

One thing is for certain. You are the only one here who is lumping characters together according to race.

Racist.