Jeremiah Cloutier
Encyclopedia
Reverend Jeremiah Cloutier is a fictional character on the HBO prison drama Oz
, portrayed by Luke Perry
.
Cloutier came to Oz in Season 4 when he is caught embezzling
funds from his church. In prison, Cloutier continues his role as preacher and converts other prisoners to Evangelical Christianity. After disagreeing with a convert named Timmy Kirk
, Cloutier is subjected to violence from the Biker gang and ends up with third degree burns across the majority of his body. From there the Bikers take and hide his body again, where he then dies.
Cloutier was one of the few Inmates not to engage in violence. His commitment to his faith earns him the respect of Kareem Said, who asks his assistance in resolving the feud between the Aryans and Muslims.
inmates, engaging in a "competition of soul
s" with Father Ray Mukada
, a Catholic
priest
who serves as Oz's Chaplain.
Cloutier attempts to counsel Aryan
leader Vern Schillinger into focusing on the birth of his granddaughter, and turning away from a life of hatred and brutality. However, members of the Aryan Brotherhood
warn Cloutier to back off; they don't want to lose their leader. Cloutier then successfully converts Biker Jim Burns and Irish
inmate Timmy Kirk
(who was a Catholic altar boy). With Cloutier poaching prisoners and constantly challenging the Catholic faith, bad blood develops between the two men.
Soon Timmy Kirk's religious convictions become more and more zealous and he begins to use his new faith as justification to physically attack other inmates who don't share it. Cloutier is appalled at this behaviour, which shows Mukada that Cloutier is in fact true to his faith. With the help of Muslim
leader Kareem Said
and a local Rabbi
, the four hold an ecumenical service. Said, who also begins to see Cloutier's sincerity, asks him for a favor. Carl Jenkins
killed inmate Leroy Tidd
at the behest of James Robson (Said was the actually target of the killing), but refuses to implicate Robson. Said asks Cloutier to convince Jenkins to reveal Robson's role in the attempted assassination of Said and the murder of Tidd. When Robson and Schillinger discover Jenkins plans to turn Robson in, they threaten Jenkins, who subsequently takes his own life.
Schillinger, who had been receiving counseling from the pastor, allows Cloutier to escape vengeance in this matter with a warning not to interfere with Brotherhood business. When the war between the Muslims and the Aryans gets ugly, Glynn has Cloutier calm Schillinger and his Aryan troops. Kirk, meanwhile, is still causing trouble and as a result, Cloutier casts him out of the congregation. To get revenge, Timmy enlists the help of Jaz Hoyt
and the other bikers. Hoyt humiliates Cloutier by stealing his towel while he is in the shower, forcing him to walk back to his cell naked. Later, Kirk, Hoyt, and others trap Cloutier inside the wall of the cafeteria, burying him alive. At the end of Season 4, there is an explosion in the cafeteria which Cloutier survives.
reveals Cloutier's fate: he had been carried off by the bikers and sealed into another wall. After discovering Cloutier's body, Father Mukada re-seals the wall, telling no one what he found. Hoyt had earlier succeeded in brutally murdering Kirk while on Death Row, and is himself later murdered by another Biker in retaliation for revealing Cloutier's killing.
said that during the time Cloutier serves in sentence, he has committed each of the seven deadly sins
and by the time he is sealed into the first wall, Cloutier is spiritually depleted.
Oz (TV series)
Oz is an American television drama series created by Tom Fontana, who also wrote or co-wrote all of the series' 56 episodes . It was the first one-hour dramatic television series to be produced by premium cable network HBO. Oz premiered on July 12, 1997 and ran for six seasons...
, portrayed by Luke Perry
Luke Perry
Luke Perry is an American actor. Perry starred as Dylan McKay on the TV series Beverly Hills, 90210, a role he played from 1990–95, and then from 1998–2000. Much publicity was garnered over the fact that even though he was playing a sixteen-year-old when 90210 began, Perry was actually in his...
.
Character overview
Prisoner #00C966. Convicted December 27, 2000 - Embezzlement and petty larceny. Sentence: nine years, up for parole in five.Cloutier came to Oz in Season 4 when he is caught embezzling
Embezzlement
Embezzlement is the act of dishonestly appropriating or secreting assets by one or more individuals to whom such assets have been entrusted....
funds from his church. In prison, Cloutier continues his role as preacher and converts other prisoners to Evangelical Christianity. After disagreeing with a convert named Timmy Kirk
Timmy Kirk
Timothy "Timmy" Kirk is a fictional character from the HBO prison drama Oz played by Sean Dugan.-Character history:Prisoner #96K423. Convicted April 16, 1996 - Manslaughter, endangering the welfare of a child. Sentence: 12 years, up for parole in seven...
, Cloutier is subjected to violence from the Biker gang and ends up with third degree burns across the majority of his body. From there the Bikers take and hide his body again, where he then dies.
Cloutier was one of the few Inmates not to engage in violence. His commitment to his faith earns him the respect of Kareem Said, who asks his assistance in resolving the feud between the Aryans and Muslims.
Season 4, Part 2
Cloutier arrives in Oz and immediately begins religious services for Oz's Protestant inmates. On the outside he was a famous and well-respected pastor and as a result Warden Glynn allows him to work in the Chaplain's office while in Oz. He begins usurping control of the ChristianChristian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
inmates, engaging in a "competition of soul
Soul
A soul in certain spiritual, philosophical, and psychological traditions is the incorporeal essence of a person or living thing or object. Many philosophical and spiritual systems teach that humans have souls, and others teach that all living things and even inanimate objects have souls. The...
s" with Father Ray Mukada
Father Ray Mukada
Father Ray Mukada is a character on the HBO television series Oz, played by B. D. Wong.right|thumb|B.D. Wong as Father Ray Mukada.-Character history:...
, a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
who serves as Oz's Chaplain.
Cloutier attempts to counsel Aryan
Aryan
Aryan is an English language loanword derived from Sanskrit ārya and denoting variously*In scholarly usage:**Indo-Iranian languages *in dated usage:**the Indo-European languages more generally and their speakers...
leader Vern Schillinger into focusing on the birth of his granddaughter, and turning away from a life of hatred and brutality. However, members of the Aryan Brotherhood
Aryan Brotherhood
The Aryan Brotherhood, also known as The Brand, the AB, or the One-Two, is a white supremacist prison gang and organized crime syndicate in the United States with about 20,000 members in and out of prison...
warn Cloutier to back off; they don't want to lose their leader. Cloutier then successfully converts Biker Jim Burns and Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
inmate Timmy Kirk
Timmy Kirk
Timothy "Timmy" Kirk is a fictional character from the HBO prison drama Oz played by Sean Dugan.-Character history:Prisoner #96K423. Convicted April 16, 1996 - Manslaughter, endangering the welfare of a child. Sentence: 12 years, up for parole in seven...
(who was a Catholic altar boy). With Cloutier poaching prisoners and constantly challenging the Catholic faith, bad blood develops between the two men.
Soon Timmy Kirk's religious convictions become more and more zealous and he begins to use his new faith as justification to physically attack other inmates who don't share it. Cloutier is appalled at this behaviour, which shows Mukada that Cloutier is in fact true to his faith. With the help of Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
leader Kareem Said
Kareem Said
Kareem Saïd is a character played by British actor Eamonn Walker on the American television show Oz.-Character overview:Prisoner #97S444. Convicted June 6, 1997 - Arson in the second degree. Sentence: 18 years, eligible for parole in five...
and a local Rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
, the four hold an ecumenical service. Said, who also begins to see Cloutier's sincerity, asks him for a favor. Carl Jenkins
Carl Jenkins (Oz)
Carl Jenkins, played by Joshua Harto, is an inmate on the HBO drama Oz.-Season 4 Part II:A young white inmate, he is told that he will be let into the Aryan Brotherhood by his current protector James Robson if he kills Muslim inmate Kareem Said. Robson also tells him that if he fails, the Aryans...
killed inmate Leroy Tidd
Leroy Tidd
Leroy Tidd is a fictional character on the series Oz, an African American inmate played by Jacques Smith.-Character overview:Prisoner #00T255. Convicted May 10, 2000 - Armed robbery, reckless endangerment. Sentence: 20 years, eligible for parole in 12.Imprisoned for armed robbery and running over a...
at the behest of James Robson (Said was the actually target of the killing), but refuses to implicate Robson. Said asks Cloutier to convince Jenkins to reveal Robson's role in the attempted assassination of Said and the murder of Tidd. When Robson and Schillinger discover Jenkins plans to turn Robson in, they threaten Jenkins, who subsequently takes his own life.
Schillinger, who had been receiving counseling from the pastor, allows Cloutier to escape vengeance in this matter with a warning not to interfere with Brotherhood business. When the war between the Muslims and the Aryans gets ugly, Glynn has Cloutier calm Schillinger and his Aryan troops. Kirk, meanwhile, is still causing trouble and as a result, Cloutier casts him out of the congregation. To get revenge, Timmy enlists the help of Jaz Hoyt
Jaz Hoyt
Jaz Hoyt is a fictional character played by Evan Seinfeld on the television program Oz.-Character overview:Prisoner #98H432. Convicted August 12, 1998 - aggravated assault in the first degree. Sentence: Eight years, eligible for parole in four. Later, confessed to four counts of murder in the first...
and the other bikers. Hoyt humiliates Cloutier by stealing his towel while he is in the shower, forcing him to walk back to his cell naked. Later, Kirk, Hoyt, and others trap Cloutier inside the wall of the cafeteria, burying him alive. At the end of Season 4, there is an explosion in the cafeteria which Cloutier survives.
Season 5
Even though Cloutier is in the hospital and badly burned and disfigured, this does not stop Kirk from trying to kill him. Hoyt is haunted by a vision of Cloutier in which Cloutier tells him to kill Kirk. One day, when Dr. Nathan and Father Mukada go to Cloutier's hospital room, they discover that he has disappeared.Season 6
No explanation was ever given for his disappearance and he was never seen or heard from again until the final episode of the series when Jaz HoytJaz Hoyt
Jaz Hoyt is a fictional character played by Evan Seinfeld on the television program Oz.-Character overview:Prisoner #98H432. Convicted August 12, 1998 - aggravated assault in the first degree. Sentence: Eight years, eligible for parole in four. Later, confessed to four counts of murder in the first...
reveals Cloutier's fate: he had been carried off by the bikers and sealed into another wall. After discovering Cloutier's body, Father Mukada re-seals the wall, telling no one what he found. Hoyt had earlier succeeded in brutally murdering Kirk while on Death Row, and is himself later murdered by another Biker in retaliation for revealing Cloutier's killing.
Trivia
In the DVD audio commentary for season four, series creator Tom FontanaTom Fontana
Tom Fontana is an American writer and producer.-TV career:Fontana has been a writer/producer for such series as Oz , The Jury, The Beat, The Bedford Diaries, Homicide: Life on the Street, St...
said that during the time Cloutier serves in sentence, he has committed each of the seven deadly sins
Seven deadly sins
The 7 Deadly Sins, also known as the Capital Vices or Cardinal Sins, is a classification of objectionable vices that have been used since early Christian times to educate and instruct followers concerning fallen humanity's tendency to sin...
and by the time he is sealed into the first wall, Cloutier is spiritually depleted.