Cassandra "Casey" Davenport (née Chapel) was the eldest sister of Helen Chapel. She was played by Amy Yasbeck.
Bio[]
Casey Chapel is the older sister of Helen Chapel. Born in Texas, she later moved to Nantucket where her father ran the lunch counter at the airport. She was the head cheerleader at Siasconset High School and dreamed of being a beautiful super-model when she grew up (Life Could Be a Dream). She eventually lost her Texan accent (Twisted Sister). After meeting Stuart Davenport, they were married around 1986 (Love Overboard). As a wealthy heir to a corn pad manufacturing fortune, Stuart was able to keep them in the lap of luxury living in their San Francisco home (Love Overboard).
One day, Stuart had suggested to Casey that they sail around the world in a new luxury yacht, which Stuart christened Princess Casey in honor of his wife. Although touched, Casey sensed something was amiss, but Casey decided to support Stuart, thinking it would be a fun adventure. Only at the last minute did she realize Stuart's true intent; when Stuart asked Casey to take a photo of him on deck, he cast off while Casey was still on the dock. Worse, he emptied out their accounts and cashed in all financial securities, leaving Casey penniless. Casey scraped what little she had to buy a ticket to Massachusetts, where she kept up appearances by coming to Nantucket to assist her sister Helen with her upcoming wedding (Twisted Sister).
When Casey arrives on the island, Antonio Scarpacci fell madly in love with her, but Casey took little notice of him. She later ignored Brian Hackett's advances to her, but they spend most of their time sniping at each other, later ending up having sex the night before Helen's wedding to Joe Hackett (Here It Is: The Big Wedding). Afterward, they find themselves unable to stay away from each other, having a passionate affair. While Joe and Helen were on their honeymoon, Casey's bra landed on the hearth of the lit fireplace starting a fire that burned down Helen's house (Burnin' Down the House (Part 2)). Her relationship with Brian cooled after that, but they maintained a friendship.
For nearly two years, Casey had no idea what had happened to Stuart until he was spotted on TV getting struck with a foul ball at a Red Sox game. Casey tried to ambush Stuart in Boston, but he got away only to show up on Nantucket later that day. Stuart claimed lost all his money before leaving Casey due to economic downturn and decreased demand for corn pads. Ashamed and fearing Casey wouldn't love him, he ran. He also told her the Princess Casey sank almost immediately, and that he spent the last two years working odd jobs like waiting tables, painting houses, and being a guinea pig for a shady pharmaceutical company, etc. Stuart offered to divorce Casey, but she decided to stay with him. However, a couple of days later, Casey found out Stuart was lying about being broke to try to force her to divorce him so he could keep all their money. When the Princess Casey actually did begin to sink, Stuart tried to escape fearing that would be arrested for tax evasion (having not paid taxes for five years) and that the Princess Casey would be seized, but after he accidentally dropped his bag of money in the water Casey threw him overboard too (Love Overboard).
Trivia[]
- In A Terminal Christmas, Helen mentioned that a sister named Lorraine who has two "spoiled brat" kids and an idiot husband from Hawaii. This was seemingly retconned with the sixth season introduction of Casey. Her marriage to Stuart was without issue (meaning she and Stuart had no children).
- In Twisted Sister, it was revealed that "Casey" was short for "Cassandra". Allegedly, her mother named her after a "goddess in Greek mythology" (However, the Cassandra of Greek mythology was actually not a goddess, but rather a Trojan priestess cursed to utter true prophecies, but never to be believed).
- Casey inability to maintain stable employment was a recurring gag during the series. Her various jobs included:
- Casey was hired as the ticket agents at Sandpiper Air to replace Fay when she temporarily retired in Gone But Not Faygotten.
- She later became the ticket agents for the Windsurfer Ferry in Gone But Not Faygotten.
- She tried to act as Lowell art broker in Portrait of the Con Artist as a Young Man.
- Casey's longest job was as the Assistant Director of Tourism with the Nantucket Tourism Board from When a Man Loves a Donut until A Tale of Two Sister Cities.
- She's temporarily worked as a water delivery woman in A Tale of Two Sister Cities.
- As seen in Life Could Be a Dream, as a young woman, Casey wanted to be a famous model.
- In Olive or Twist, Casey convince Brian to open a martini bar with he as the manager.
- When Sandpiper briefly worked as the private charter airline for The Todds tour, Casey was hired as the flight attendant (Wingless (Part 2)).
- During the holiday season, Casey as one of Santa's elves in a department store in All About Christmas Eve.
- Brian briefly employed Casey as his personal assistant in Let's Talk About Sex.
- Casey worked as a perfume spritzer in a department store from Ms. Write to Final Approach (Part 2).
- Finally, without any other options left, Casey took over the airport lunch counter when Helen left Nantucket in Final Approach (Part 2).
- She wore fancy French underwear (Twisted Sister).
- Casey has fancy tastes. She loves lilies and fancy French underwear, but she also likes Snickers candy bars and watching the Oprah Winfrey Show.
- She once got her hair cut from Lowell's Cousin Beevo, who shaves dogs and cats for surgery (The Spark and How to Get It).
- Casey may have had feelings for Lowell. This was evidenced when she smirked after he grabbed her and kissed her, on two separate occasions. The second time, Lowell referred to her as "dumpling" (Insanity Claus and The Person Formerly Known as Lowell).
- As seen in Hooker, Line, and Sinker and The Lady Vanishes, Casey enjoys drawing and sketching.