A Farewell to Lee Thompson Young (And Det. Barry Frost)

It’s hard to even think about the Rizzoli and Isles fandom right now without wanting to break into tears, all because of the tragic ending to the life of a man who seemed so bright and soulful.

Of course, the first things that come to mind are questions: Why? How? What’s next?

I’ll freely admit that the character of Barry Frost originally wasn’t my overall favorite on the show. Heck, Frost wasn’t even in the top 5, considering that Jane, Maura, Korsak, Angela, Cavanaugh, and Frankie usually came before Frost. But that was only because Lee was the one actor out of them all that I hadn't heard of before. It didn't take long for him to quickly charm me into adoring the character. I’ll be the first to admit that there was something that Lee Thompson Young brought to the character of Barry Frost that made me enjoy having him as part of the extended Rizzoli family on the show. Lee seemed to have a certain charm (and that bright smile) that made me come to love Barry Frost as an individual character as well.

So, I keep asking myself how a guy who seemed to brighten up everyone around him could end it all this way. Why? And how could he do this to the people who loved him, like his family, his costars, and his fans?  I guess I’m lucky that I can’t imagine the hurt one has to be going through in order to make that choice.

And then there’s the question of “What’s next?” for Rizzoli and Isles. Yes, he wasn’t either of the title characters, so the show will undoubtedly go on, but he was Jane’s partner, so there will be huge changes to come that will affect all of the characters.

Since there is still one episode yet to film until season 4 is completed, I would hope they use that opportunity to give Det. Barry Frost an appropriate farewell. The biggest problem is that Lee is no longer available to film any kind of farewell scene, so everything has to be written with him ‘off camera’.  That’s not an easy task. I think back to the revamped version of Dallas, where they had to give J.R. Ewing a farewell due to the death of Larry Hagman. However, that situation was different as well, since they knew Larry had been ailing.

It may be an unpopular decision, but I’d like to see them bring Daniella Alonso back as Riley Cooper.  One of the reasons being that she’s already been established as a character on the show. She’s previously worked with Frost, so she would have some part in the grief that the other characters are feeling as well. She wouldn’t be a complete “outsider” taking over for someone she didn’t know. I liken the situation to when CSI brought in Riley Adams to replace Warrick Brown. She was so much of an ‘outsider’ that she never fit in and the writers didn’t really know what to do with her character, so she ended up leaving.

However, I’m going to take a guess and say that they’d probably bring in a male to replace Frost. Considering we’ve already got Jane, Maura, Angela, Suzie, and now Cailin and Hope, we’re going to need a little bit more testosterone into the mix. Korsak, Frankie and Cavanaugh are really the only main male players. Maybe they’ll get Cavanaugh more into the mix. Or maybe we’ll even get to see Mr Isles, and have him become a recurring character soon. My only hope is that they don’t give Jane a male partner who would even think about being a love interest.  Please spare us that much torture, Janet.  

However it ends up, we will still be missing a bright smile and a great soul.

Farewell Det. Barry Frost.

Farewell Lee Thompson Young.  You may not have realized it, but you did make a difference in people’s lives.