One of the things that I find intriguing in "The Code", especially in terms of the characterization of Schanke, is the way that he totally fails to recognize Delehanty's slick sleaziness, which is so obvious to Nick and Natalie (not to mention the viewer). In some ways, it not only makes Schanke look absurdly naïve for an experienced police officer, but also means that his considering (and accepting!) the offer of a job looks absurdly impulsive for a man with a family.
Then I thought of my other sister (not the one who is in fandom, who's a decent person and a good friend). Not to go into details; but the other sister broke it off with the family for twenty years; and, when she finally got back in touch, even though I was leery, I still was loathe to say anything that might lose me contact with someone of whom I had fond childhood memories. At least at first, till she backed me into a corner.
I think something like that is going on here with Schanke. His friendship with Delehanty goes back into their childhood. Given their personalities, I bet that Pat was the more impulsive, sharper talking, dominant character: the guy with the clever, interesting ideas for things they could do. And Donnie was the loyal sidekick: the one who saw the potential problems, tried to mitigate the damage, but still got carried away by the excitement and adventure of it all. (I can imagine the Schankes lamenting the bad influence Patrick was on him: "He never used to get into such trouble. But that Delehanty boy...!")
They both went into law enforcement; at one point they were partners. (You back up your partner, just as "dogs go to the wall".) Then Patrick quit his job and headed elsewhere and ... Donnie hardly heard from him for ages.
Naturally, when his old friend turned up, he'd be so delighted to see him that he'd gloss over (hardly even admit to himself that he recognized) the changes that had taken place in the interim. As for Patrick: he is in a crisis, and wants the utterly dependable back-up pal of boyhood; and, being the type of guy he is, he still knows just how to play his old friend to get what he wants.
Myra might have had quite a lot to say about it all, you know. (When she finally found out!) At that point, Patrick might have discovered that their old friendship had a new and powerful rival. Schanke has always loved his wife—and their daughter, too, don't forget.
Seriously, the biggest challenge to his immediately quitting and taking up Patrick's job offer could have been Myra's insisting that they stay in Toronto till the end of June so as not to disrupt Jenny's school year. And it's quite likely that by then the honeymoon would be over (so to speak), and he'd have seen the kind of man that Patrick had become.
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Then I thought of my other sister (not the one who is in fandom, who's a decent person and a good friend). Not to go into details; but the other sister broke it off with the family for twenty years; and, when she finally got back in touch, even though I was leery, I still was loathe to say anything that might lose me contact with someone of whom I had fond childhood memories. At least at first, till she backed me into a corner.
I think something like that is going on here with Schanke. His friendship with Delehanty goes back into their childhood. Given their personalities, I bet that Pat was the more impulsive, sharper talking, dominant character: the guy with the clever, interesting ideas for things they could do. And Donnie was the loyal sidekick: the one who saw the potential problems, tried to mitigate the damage, but still got carried away by the excitement and adventure of it all. (I can imagine the Schankes lamenting the bad influence Patrick was on him: "He never used to get into such trouble. But that Delehanty boy...!")
They both went into law enforcement; at one point they were partners. (You back up your partner, just as "dogs go to the wall".) Then Patrick quit his job and headed elsewhere and ... Donnie hardly heard from him for ages.
Naturally, when his old friend turned up, he'd be so delighted to see him that he'd gloss over (hardly even admit to himself that he recognized) the changes that had taken place in the interim. As for Patrick: he is in a crisis, and wants the utterly dependable back-up pal of boyhood; and, being the type of guy he is, he still knows just how to play his old friend to get what he wants.
Myra might have had quite a lot to say about it all, you know. (When she finally found out!) At that point, Patrick might have discovered that their old friendship had a new and powerful rival. Schanke has always loved his wife—and their daughter, too, don't forget.
Seriously, the biggest challenge to his immediately quitting and taking up Patrick's job offer could have been Myra's insisting that they stay in Toronto till the end of June so as not to disrupt Jenny's school year. And it's quite likely that by then the honeymoon would be over (so to speak), and he'd have seen the kind of man that Patrick had become.