A bad comb-over will usually earn its owner nothing more than a cover of Mad Magazine. But in TV land lately it's a different story. Here, the comb-over, or other imaginative solutions to a shortage of natural hair cover, is a signature of something vastly different to the bland and dull accountant that popular culture usually ascribes to something so unstylish. Here is a partial survey of characters whose comb-over serves as a symbol of mystery, intrigue, danger and unusual if hidden charm.
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Kel (Glenn Robbins) in Kath and Kim.
Hunk O'Spunk and purveyor of fine meats Kel Knight knew how to treat his princess Kath (Jane Turner). Proud though clueless, Kel's appearance said it all; greasy, parted hair, high pants, an unhealthy obsession with polyester shirts. Like Kim's (Gina Riley) long-suffering husband Brett (Peter Rowsthorn), Kel didn't stand a chance against the indomitable women folk of Kath & Kim, though Robbins who played the part found his own way of standing out.
Molesley (Kevin Doyle) in Downton Abbey
Joseph Molesley was personal valet to Matthew Crawley, but after Matthew's death he left the stately home with a broken heart for a series of degrading jobs. Unlike some of the other downstairs inhabitants of Downton Abbey, he is fiercely loyal and regards servitude as an honourable job. Molesley is socially awkward, nervous and clumsy. Tellingly, he is one of the only characters with whom the dastardly maid O'Brien let down her guard, and eventually finds a soul mate in Lady Grantham's maid Baxter. Though Molesley is a minor player in the complicated drama of Downton Abbey, he is one of the most vividly drawn and his portrayal by Kevin Doyle is masterful and understated.
Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton) in Fargo
Downtrodden nebbish Lester Nygaard (Martin Freeman) was the ostensible protagonist of the Fargo TV series, but his story was all but completely overshadowed by Billy Bob Thornton's ruthless and sadistic hit-man Lorne Malvo sporting the type of haircut for which you'd not only claim a refund from the barber concerned but damages. In light of the cruelty Lorne dishes up to those whose paths he crosses, his uneven fringe is a minor aberration. One of the great TV monsters of recent times, Malvo is also a character you love to watch for all the wrong reasons.
Pete Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser) in Mad Men
One of the shocks of the recently ended seventh and final season of Mad Men was the sight of Pete Campbell's receding hairline, which he attempted to cover. Of all the mad Mad Men, Pete was the most conflicted and empathetic. Exuding equal measures of innocent charm and smarm, he wore his sense of Ivy League entitlement like a badge of honour, only to exercise some of the most immoral deeds of the Madison Avenue crew, such as when he suggested that Joan sleep with a client he was wooing (she did). Yet in the show's unexpected finale, Pete was beautifully redeemed, reconciling his values and love for headstrong wife Trudy.
Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk) in Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul
Saul Goodman was Walter White's lawyer. From his mock-Grecian office in an Albuquerque shopping mall, he specialised in fraudulent insurance claims and exploiting loopholes for the benefit of his clients, who ranged from small-time hoods to ripped off pensioners. Though widely regarded as a sleazy and unethical huckster, beyond the garish suits, bad comb-over and cheesy TV commercials, was a sweet and decent man with street smarts and principles, which the spin-off series Better Call Saul has so effectively explored.
Norman Gunston (Garry McDonald)
No matter the status of the celebrity he was interviewing or the gravity of the moment, such as when he upstaged Gough Whitlam on the steps of Parliament House on November 11, 1975, Norman Gunston (Garry McDonald) was always the star of the moment. His desperate comb-over, ill-fitting suits and face pocked with toilet paper were brilliant foils to the acerbic wit and razor-sharp questions that could level the ego of the most pampered star or self-important politician. His anti-style demeanour was a style statement in its own right.
Ralph Cifaretto (Joe Pantoliano) in The Sopranos
"Ralphie" Cifaretto was the mobster outlier who returned from Miami to head up the Aprile crew. Brimming with charm and joie de vivre, he was a brilliant earner but his brashness, explosive temper and unpredictability made him a thorn in the side of Tony Soprano (and best to not even think about his affair with Tony's repulsive sister Janice). Their antagonism culminated in one of the most gruesome kills in the show's history, when Tony and his nephew Christopher whacked him in a bathroom as payback for Ralph's insurance scam that killed Tony's beloved race horse. It was in the macabre moment when dim-wit Christopher decapitated his corpse that he realised that Ralphie wore a toupee.
