Which Burke?

[Ricky101]

Which Burke Devlin do you prefer?  Even though Anthony looked like he had a mask on (no offense), I like him the best! 

[Misty]

  Mitch always seemed to be ready to break out into some comedic character. He looked like the Devlin character, but George acted more like him. That doesn't seem to make sense, but that's the way I see it. My pick, then is Anthony George.
                                                         Misty

[Julia99]

Misty i see what you're saying. .Mitch seemed more like someone Vicki would be with. . .not Anthony who was waaay too old for her.

[murph]

I'm not sure why but I prefer Anthony George in the role.  I believe that a vast majority of those who post here prefer Mitch Ryan.

In response to Anthony being way too old for Victoria, I believe Anthony and Mitch are within a year or two of each other in age.  I believe they were both too old as they were in their late 30's, early 40's when they portrayed Burke, while Alexandra was barely out of her teens when she portrayed Victoria.

This is another example on this show of a middle aged actor hooking up with a sweet young thing, ala Barnabas and all his SYT's.  Is it a coincidence that the show was written by predominitely middle aged men?
I think not.

Murph

[Maria_Merriweather]

Since Sci-Fi cancelled DS I have been watching my tapes from ep. one. I think Mitch Ryan is very compelling in the role of Burke. His Burke has a wry, sarcastic tone. I get the feeling that the underneath the surface humor is his way of saying--"I can't take this soap opera seriously." I never thought that Anthony George conveyed the embittered Burke who spent 10 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. A favorite Burke Devlin scene from this period--He wants Sam Evans to paint his portrait.  A portrait the size of which would fit nicely over the fireplace in the Collinwood drawing room.

[The Ghost of Sarah Collins]

I choose Mitchell Ryan as the best Burke Devlin, Anthony George seemed uncomfortable as the second hand Burke, he was much more at home I would say as Jeremiah Collins, I felt Anthony was then able to make this Character his own...

[ProfStokes]

IMO, Mitchell Ryan was the better Burke Devlin.  His portrayal of the character was edgier, more dynamic, and more charismatic than Anthony George's.  Watching the two actors is like watching two totally different characters.  I agree with the Ghost of Sarah: George made a good Jeremiah, but could not measure up to Ryan's Burke.

ProfStokes

[Cassandra]

I think Mitch Ryan is very compelling in the role of Burke. His Burke has a wry, sarcastic tone.
I never thought that Anthony George conveyed the embittered Burke who spent 10 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit.

My thoughts exactly M.M.  Mitch Ryan played out the "bitter man" so naturally, where as Anthony George just didn't seem to be bitter about anything, except of course Barnabas' warm feelings towards Vicky.
I liked Mitch Ryan the best as the role of Burke and was sorry to see him go.


Ghost of Sarah Wrote:

Anthony George seemed uncomfortable as the second hand Burke, he was much more at home I would say as Jeremiah Collins, I felt Anthony was then able to make this Character his own...

I totally agree.  A.G. was much better & more natural at playing the part of Jeremiah Collins.  He fit in so nicely with this role.


Cassandra

[Janet the Wicked]

MM wrote:

I never thought that Anthony George conveyed the embittered Burke who spent 10 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit.

I agree. I just finished watching the episodes where Burke is investigationg Barnabas and I wondered how Mitch Ryan would have been in this storyline, particularly the scene where he apologizes to Barnabas for his behavior. Would have been interesting.

Janet

[Ricky101]

I'll have to say that even though Mitch was the ORIGINAL Burke, I liked Anthony and Victoria a LOT better.  Even though he looked...goofy! 

[TERRY308]

I personally didn't like either one (Anthony or Mitch)  of them.  Not beause they were who they were, but who they were playing.  Burke Devlin was arrogant, self-centered, Mr. know-it-all (he thought), would go into anybody house, without knocking, and, I've said it before, he acted like the mayor of Collinsport.   

Anyway, Mitch Ryan, he played Burke Devlin great.

[Luciaphile]

Mitch Ryan all the way.

In the first place, I thought his performance was multifaceted. His Burke was a fully-fleshed character--possessed of flaws and virtues alike. I also thought he was the better actor. Even toward the end of his stint, I think he sold the part far better than Anthony George ever did. It's unfortunate that so many fans have not seen his work from the pre-Barnabas episodes because that's where he shone really.

Never liked Anthony George. I don't think he's a particularly good actor; he's competent as Burke, but IMHO, never anything other than that. Whereas Ryan's Burke seemed to be a strong, independent, usually intelligent guy, in George's hands, the character turned into a man who (I've said this before) wants nothing more than to live in a house with plastic siding.

Part of that is probably the fault of the writing, but it was sad to watch a man who once wondered if Vicki was more like "a chocolate malted or champagne" to a guy who was constantly hectoring her for being too dreamy.

[Joeytrom]

I also liked Mitchell Ryan better then Anthony George.  If MR had stayed on DS, then Burke may not have sent off in a plane crash and Jeremiah would have lived on in 1795 (maybe even defending Vicky instead of Peter Bradford).

It would have been interesting to see a MR Burke interacting with Cassandra, Nicholas, and Adam.

[dom]

MR's Burke would have knocked Adam on his ass.

I like Mitch as Burke. 

[grayson67]

I'm a Mitch Ryan as Burke gal myself. I honestly can't explain why, but I never really accepted Anthony George as Burke... even now, I still can't warm up to his version.  There's just something very flat and uninspired in his performance as that character (some of which may have been because he was the Burke pinch hitter, so to speak).

Having said that, I have a hard time imagining Mitch as Jeremiah. Maybe I just can't picture him in the period costumes 

MR's Burke would have knocked Adam on his ass.

Dom, I couldn't agree more! And what fun it would have been to see a knockdown drag out between those two 

grayson67 (Melissa)