Richard Paul is a cop assigned to the Delta Section, working alongside main protagonists John Kennex & Dorian, under the command of Cpt Maldonado.
[The following extensive character analysis contains minor spoilers for “Almost Human” in general, and major spoilers for Richard Paul in particular! If you haven’t watched the show yet, read at own risk.]
→ OFFICIAL PROFILE
Name: Paul, Richard
Rank: Detective
Badge ID: 61002-K3
Awards/Commendations/Citations: Purple Shield; Commendation of Exceptional Merit; Marksmanship: Marksman
→ CHARACTER
Richard pretty much starts out as “the jerk character” who is clearly set up as our tragic hero John’s personal opponent and rival. But there is much more to Richard’s character than being the show’s asshole, and the more we learn about him along the way, the more we’re torn between disliking and liking the guy. Many fans pushed him into the “mean douchebag” corner but later warmed up to him and ended up changing their whole opinion on him. This just demonstrates how well written this supporting character is. He’s got flaws and rough edges and disagreeable traits, but at the same time he’s also got very likeable sides shining through and displays positive qualities you usually don’t find in many ‘antagonist characters’ of a cast. He’s a three-dimensional hardass cop with a very decent heart underneath the prickly surface.
When we first meet Richard Paul, we instantly learn about his uncompromising and negative attitude toward John Kennex & Dorian, or as Richard likes to call them, the “two cops from the scrap heap.” He holds a huge grudge against John for leading his whole team straight into the InSyndicate ambush - a tragedy that ended in the mass killing of good cops and that maybe could have been prevented. Richard holds John responsible and thinks he should have been discharged as a consequence. Also, Richard kind of pitched in for John and worked his way up at the precinct while John was in coma for 17 months. So he’s not exacly happy to see John coming back and everyone just loving on him and welcoming him with open arms. Richard probably feels pushed to the back, especially because John has a deep friendship with Captain Maldonado and she basically lets John get away with anything.
Richard is also very dismissive and distrustful of John’s android partner Dorian. This may seem odd to the audience at first glance, because who doesn’t adore Dorian, right?! But we have to remember that there are valid reasons why the DRN line of androids was decommissioned. And Richard happens to be one of those cops who have bad first-hand experiences with DRNs and therefore have an understandable motive for not feeling comfortable around them. (Check out one of Richard’s cases from the past for details - the one labeled “Paul - DRN”, obviously. This was never mentioned on the show, but it’s official Almost Human promo material from FOX.) Significantly, Richard’s very first words to Dorian in the pilot are “Hey Bot, don’t snap on us now” - and he keeps a wary eye on him ever since, indicating that he’s in constant concern that Dorian could actually go off the rails one day.
This “negative” introduction scene and Richard’s ongoing dislike of fandom’s favourites John & Dorian quickly hauled him into the ‘absolute jerk pigeonhole.’ Actor Michael Irby gave his opinion on this in an interview by stating: "I think the bad element that maybe came across in the pilot, that’s just an element of me [as Paul], and it’s all for a higher good." It took the audience some time to realize that Richard is more than just his antipathy for John & Dorian, and that his harsh attitude toward them is in fact wellfounded, from Richard’s point of view.
Irby describes his role Paul as a "good salt of the Earth kind of guy, even though things are all changing around him." Richard holds on to old values, but he isn’t adverse to technology. In contrast to Kennex, who pretty much disdains robots in the beginning, Paul accepts the partnership with the MXs, even sees the advantages of it. He doesn’t humanize the MXs though, but rather handles them like useful tools that help him do his job faster and better (and more comfortable by occassionally getting him coffee or water.)
In his job, he is shown as very professional, reliable, correct and competent. These traits are also reflected in his choice of clothes that have a ‘formal and prim’ feel. Detective Paul dresses very neatly in proper button-down shirts to matching trousers (with an ironed crease, mind you) and is never seen without a tie. He always wears lace-up shoes - even on raids and in combat situations.
Richard also is a good and well-organized squad leader. In some episodes, he assembles and is in charge of one or even several teams at the same time, being the one who communicates directly with Captain Maldonado and coordinates the on-site course of action. For example, he leads the on-site surveillance and evacuation teams outside the building in episode 03 [‘Are You Receiving’], as well as the bombing and sniper squads in episode 07 [‘Simon Says‘]. He also leads the reinforcements that are dispatched to help John & Dorian fight Danica in episode 09 [‘Unbound’].
His leadership style seems to be efficient and professional. He always keeps his composure, even when under pressure. The only time he loses his poise a little bit is in ‘Are You Receiving?’, when an innocent hostage is thrown out of the window of a skyscraper and plummets into death before his eyes. The fact that Richard is visibly horrified tells us that he is a guy who fights for the good and feels genuine sympathy for the victims. His empathy and caring for people is shown more clearly in the season finale (you know what I’m referring to if you’ve seen the episode.)
In conclusion, even though Richard is set up as the main protagonists’ personal antagonist with a brusque demeanor, he is by far no bad, corrupt, sleazy or emotionally cold guy. He’s a cop with a high moral base and high ideals. Michael Irby backs this up as he said several times that he doesn’t think Richard Paul would ever take a bribe. He describes him as a great cop who is morally righteous. He would be willing to ‘bend the rules a little bit’, but only if it served a good cause (for example to get to the crucial information that is needed for a major conviction or arrest), and not for self-serving and/or dubious reasons.
Often, Richard is the the butt of jokes. For example, John, Dorian and Valerie have all made mocking comments on his height - or lack thereof, as Richard is only 5’6”. They are all used to quarrel with Richard - sometimes it’s harmless banter, sometimes it’s pretty hostile with low-blow remarks. It depends on the person and the situation. However, Richard doesn’t seem to have a general asshole reputation at the precinct. He is well respected by other officers, and probably even liked (after all, his colleagues collected money for a recovery gift when they thought he was having surgery.) That he has a rather good overall reputation, including Captain Maldonado’s faith in his abilities, isn’t that surprising if you consider what a good and fair cop Richard actually is at the core. Even though he can’t stand John on a personal level and doesn’t make a secret of it, and also tends to be somewhat aggressive with Valerie and Dorian, not once did he let any of these feelings affect any mission or his professionalism when they worked together on the same case. When it matters, he always has the team’s back.
He does have a general distinctive tendency to say provoking or even rude things though, mostly in situations that are not so critical (usually when the team hangs at the office, during meetings & briefings etc.) He definitely goes against the grain and isn’t reluctant to blurt out his hard-line opinions. Sometimes his comments and digs really come out of left field, rubbing people the wrong way. Richard doesn’t seem to care much what people actually think about him personally. He gives as good as he gets - and he gets as good as he gives. Which makes for some pretty entertaining, quick-witted smackdown dialogues throughout the first season.
→ BACKGROUND
We didn’t get overly extensive or detailed information on Richard Paul’s background and private life yet, but there were several bits and hints mentioned during the run of season 1 that help us get a better picture of him.
• Richard once was married. His divorce was probably a messy one, as he speaks ill of his ex-wife, making morbid jokes about how he wished she was dead. The truth seems to be a little different, though. He still keeps his ex-wife’s necklace and carries it with him even at work/at the precinct, indicating that he is, in fact, not really over her. It also shows that Richard, even though prickly and tough on the outside, has a soft and melancholic spot on the inside, clinging to a piece of jewelry that holds sentimental value for him. [episode 05, ‘Blood Brothers’]
We don’t know the reason for the downfall of his marriage. Irby indicated in an interview that Richard puts his job & career before anything else and this might have played a role in ruining his private life: "We’ve learned that he’s been separated and divorced from his wife, and we also see that to some extent he’s married to his job. There are certain traps that we as human beings can sometimes fall into when we give it all up for our work, one of which is that we tend to lose some of those things that helped us get to where we are.”
• Richard has a close and good relationship with his mother. Revealing that he is a caring son, he took several days off and therefore was absent for two whole episodes [11 & 12] to take his mom to Mexico for her birthday. This can also be interpreted as an indication of Richard’s heritage being Mexican, though it wasn’t stated as a fact. (My assumption is that Richard Paul’s heritage is precisely adopted from the actor’s personal heritage, as Michael Irby’s mom is actually Mexican and his dad is African-American.)
• When Richard makes a snide remark about Valerie’s rich father being “good at hiding money” and she gets back at him by making a joke about his height, he says that his parents didn’t have the money to genetically enhance him and make him taller or pretty. So he apparently doesn’t come from a wealthy family, but rather from a low or middle class background. [episode 08, ‘You Are Here’]
• In the past, Richard was in the vice squad for many years. John Kennex mentions this as the reason why Richard will prepare and train Rudy Lom for his undercover mission in episode 04: ‘The Bends.’ A vice squad, also called ‘morality squad’, is a police division whose focus is stopping moral crimes like gambling, narcotics, illegal forms of pornography, sex trade and illegal sales of alcohol. As these moral crimes are difficult to track down and prosecute, an officer may be sent undercover to investigate the situation. Undercover officers may work for weeks, months, or even years to build a case. Hence Richard’s great and invaluable experience with undercover work.
→ FANDOM STUFF ON RICHARD
• follow this link to get to a ‘masterlist’
→ THE ACTOR BEHIND RICHARD PAUL