Help a fangirl out?

[rivkat]

I'm looking for pop culture examples (TV, movies) of professionals doing their jobs because they're professionals, even though they know -- or strongly believe -- that there's no point to it. An example would be the final episode of Angel. (That might be an example of "the point is that this is all there is," but I hope you get the idea -- you treat the patient because that's your job, not because you think it will help or because you think it makes you especially noble. You investigate the crime not because you're doing justice or because you have a personal stake but because that's what it means to be a cop. Greg House and L&OL's Jack McCoy are, therefore, counterexamples.)

Specific episodes/arcs, please! The point is to have some examples to show students, so the more specific, the better.

Comments

[chase820.livejournal.com]

I just thought of this--more than the ending of "Not Fade Away," there's the great moment when Gunn goes to see Anne at the homeless shelter, and asks her what she'd do if the world were ending tonight. And she shrugs and says "I'd finish unloading this truck [of donated furniture]."

I always thought they could have done more with her. She was a great character.

[rivkat.livejournal.com]

Ooh, good one!

[very-improbable.livejournal.com]

Here's the exchange in case you don't have it:

Gunn: What if I told you it doesn't help? What would you do if you found out none of it matters? That it's all controlled by forces more powerful and uncaring than we can conceive, and they will never let it get better down here. What would you do?
Annie: I'd get this truck packed before this new stuff gets here. Wanna give me a hand?
Gunn: I do.

[rivkat.livejournal.com]

Yep, that's perfect. Thanks.