In over 10 years on NBC, “Chicago Fire” has had many couples to choose from. Like any great procedural, romantic drama is gasoline for the fire. Characters such as Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) have seen their fair share of romantic musical chairs, but there is no couple like Wallace Boden (Eamonn Walker) and Donna Robbins. Part of their charm is thanks to Wallace’s tough exterior as the fire chief. Sprinkle in some emotional baggage, and you’ve got a recipe for a great romance.
Wallace may not have the best luck with relationships, but he finds his one and only after meeting Donna in Season 2. The two characters have ups and downs but eventually, they come together through a truly touching proposal. This relationship is among the good ones on the show. Though Donna has not appeared since Season 9, make no mistake that she is in it for the long haul with her firefighting husband. She is so substantial in the series that it is only natural the actor who portrays her has had a long history of television roles.
Melissa Ponzio made the rounds in the CW-verse
Anyone well acquainted with The CW’s universe of teen dramas has more than likely caught sight of Melissa Ponzio making the rounds. Taking on several small parts at the network, the actor’s first television appearance was in Kevin Williamson’s iconic melodrama, “Dawson’s Creek.” The series catapulted James Van Der Beek, Katie Holmes, and Joshua Jackson to fame, but its most impressive contribution was arguably the casting of Academy Award nominee Michelle Williams as Jen Lindley. Jen has many ups and downs, including stalking her therapist to a poetry reading. Ponzio is fleeting in her role as the poetess, but it only marked the start of her television career.
After her few episodes in “Dawson’s Creek,” she went on to portray basketball mom Alice in “One Tree Hill.” Like “Dawson’s Creek” before it, “One Tree Hill” melds the heightened drama of high school with heart-wrenching storylines. Set in the fictional North Carolina town of Tree Hill, the series captured true sibling rivalry between half-brothers Lucas (Chad Michael Murray) and Nathan (James Lafferty). Ponzio’s character Alice appears in a few episodes, joining many of Tree Hill’s mothers in shaming Lucas’ mother, Karen (Moira Kelly), for having an illegitimate child. Only a few years later, Ponzio would pivot to another teen drama, “The Vampire Diaries” as a short-lived victim in Mystic Falls. Gone too soon to be sure, that wasn’t the last time she would lend her talents in genre television.
Her death was brutal in The Walking Dead
Dying a horrifying and bloody death is pretty normal by “The Walking Dead” standards. No character is too precious to kill off, judging from the number of people who have died on the show. However, you wouldn’t expect one of the most upsetting deaths to be borne out of sickness. Such is the sad fate of one such survivor named Karen, who was played by Melissa Ponzio. After surviving the tyrannical reign of The Governor (David Morrissey) in Season 3, Karen joins Rick’s (Andrew Lincoln) group at the prison and even forms a loving relationship with gentle-hearted Tyreese (Chad L. Coleman). But hearts are quickly broken after an epidemic spreads throughout the prison.
Though unclear if this respiratory illness is from the walkers or the animals, it sadly doesn’t matter. People die quickly from the disease, and they rise as walkers even quicker. What results next is a chaotic attempt to calm the waters with some characters acting hastily without permission. When Karen becomes contaminated by the illness, Carol (Melissa McBride) doesn’t wait for her to die of natural causes. Karen is one of two people killed to save the prison from the contagion. Though it is all in service for the greater good, Karen was a decent and widely accepted part of the group. Human-on-human murder crosses the line as well as devastates Tyreese. Karen is a symbol of just how far people are willing to go if their need for survival goes unchecked.
She was everyone’s favorite mom in Teen Wolf
The pains of adolescence are rough, even more so when you happen to be bitten by a werewolf. So begins the popular supernatural MTV series adored by fans. “Teen Wolf” followed in the footsteps of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” depicting teenagers coming of age in a fantastical world. Scott McCall (Tyler Posey) starts as an asthmatic outcast, hoping to get on the lacrosse team. But after a near-deadly encounter in the woods, Scott learns to be the best version of himself, eventually becoming a True Alpha. Living through love and loss, Scott never could have done it without his best friend Stiles (Dylan O’Brien) and — of course — his mother. Melissa McCall, played by Melissa Ponzio, is a working-class mother who does the best for her son. And though in the dark regarding her son’s lycanthropy at first, it isn’t for long.
In a 2017 interview with One Chicago Center, Ponzio praised “Teen Wolf” creator Jeff Davis for his realistic portrayals of the grown-ups on the series. “Jeff decided to make us smart and involved,” she said. “He wrote the parents being involved in our kids’ lives [with] everything that means. And that was smart, because I think it’s kind of ridiculous when you just have teenagers running around, no parents, being idiots, that’s not real.” She went on to add that this focus on realism may have been because of Davis’ background as the creator of a far grittier show, “Criminal Minds.”
While “Teen Wolf” ended only five short years ago, Ponzio will be returning with the rest of the cast in the upcoming Paramount+ movie, to the delight of fans.
She is on the side of righteousness in Thunder Force
New York City has long had a monopoly over the most well-known superhero teams. The Avengers, X-Men, and even The Boys are all based in the Big Apple. But finally in “Thunder Force,” one team — albeit a small one — is helping out the midwest. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the criminals of Chicago have all been gifted with superhuman abilities. Dubbed “The Miscreants,” they inevitably become supervillains. Unfortunately, no heroes can step up because no one else has access to these abilities. It is up to normal people such as Emily (Octavia Spencer) to come up with a solution, with the help of her sometimes bumbling and inept best friend Lydia (Melissa McCarthy).
Together, they face The Miscreant known as The King (Bobby Cannavale) who is intent on spreading his evil by becoming mayor of the city. By the end of “Thunder Force,” the heroes are not just the ladies who gave themselves powers, but his rival for mayor, Rachel Gonzales (Melissa Ponzio). While Thunder Force defeats him in the streets, Rachel defeats him in the polls. The newly elected Mayor uses not physical power, but the power of change to combat evil. She acknowledges that Chicago is indebted to Thunder Force and forges an agreement to enlist their services in the future. While real-world politics may be trickier, the world of “Thunder Force” allows its audience to live in a land where everything works out with the help of government officials.
Her family was devastated in The Girl From Plainville
True crime has been on the cutting edge of popcorn television for an age. From “Candy” to “Dahmer,” there is seemingly no sensationalized stone unturned. In the past year, Hulu has brought us “The Girl From Plainville,” one of the most bizarre retellings of recent events. The limited series is not just difficult because the case occurred as recently as 2014. It is also largely unprecedented. Depicted in the documentary “I Love You, Now Die,” “Plainville” covers the tragic case of Michelle Carter (Elle Fanning), accused of coercing her boyfriend Conrad Roy III (Colton Ryan) to die by suicide via text messages. Watching the series is gut-wrenching as viewers must endure eight episodes of mental illness struggles with no relief.
Though Michelle’s motives for such an act will forever be up for debate, what is not is how it affects Conrad’s family. Though his mother Lynn (Chloë Sevigny) and father Conrad II (Norbert Leo Butz) have split, they unite to get justice for their son who had a bright future. Alongside Conrad Roy II is his girlfriend Carolyn (Melissa Ponzio). She stands with the rest of the family, reliving the texts that Michelle sent to Conrad that led to his death. Michelle ultimately goes to prison, but that is cold comfort for the deceased’s family members, whose trauma is never-ending.
