Sean Bean - Legends - Series 1 Episode 1 - Contains Spoilers
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And by the way, every time any of the Americans call him "Mor'n" rather than Martin, it sounds SO WEIRD.
Sean Bean sadly doesn't often play the kind of parts that win awards, but the layers going on in this are quite incredible.
When Streeter holds the gun to the back of Lincoln's head, Sean Bean is playing Martin Odum, who is having to stay in character as Lincoln Dittmann while fearing that he's about to die. And then when he doesn't die, Martin Odum can't just wipe his brow and say "Fuck, that was close", he has to laugh and show Dittmann's relief, not his own. And in the middle of all that, Sean lets us see just one tiny glimpse of Martin's own fear immediately before Streeter pulls the trigger.
Martin is now visiting his son, and I'm not sure why he's apparently wearing a rug when I don't think Lincoln Dittmann was. Wouldn't it make more sense to have the wigs etc on the the legends, not on Martin himself? But the wig, if such it is, has its quasi parting where Sean normally has his, so maybe it is his own hair? It just doesn't look quite right. Also, he seems to have quite thick makeup on - it actually looks less natural than Dittmann. Strange skin tone.
06:45 He even looks like he's got guyliner on, what's that about? I think maybe they've dyed his eyelashes? Pretty sure Sean has blond eyelashes but they're dark brown here.
13:00 More uncomfortable failed-marriage lines. "Lincoln was good at his job but his job it took him away from home so much that his wife finally left him." Jesus, how much must it hurt to say those lines?
14:10 Christ, now watching Martin talking about Dittmann, describing his character and telling the team the backstory he's made up for him, and it's really uncomfortable seeing him actually dropping into character as Dittmann while Krystal and the team watch in shock. And he doesn't even know he's done it.
And now mysterious hoody guy is telling him that "Martin Odum" is fake, only a legend, and he looks, for one second, totally shattered, about to vomit even.
Some bits of what Krystal says to him (his handler, head of department) I just can't get. I'm sure they're English words she's using, but which ones I have no idea. "Your flight's in two hours, we'll be one hour behind you. Stragasfillafsezpep for your arrival." On about the tenth hearing, I think it might be "Chicago Field Office is prepped for your arrival". Martin says he's going nowhere near it because he knows the bad guys will be watching it, which would seem to fit.
And now we have a scene similar to several in Extremely Dangerous - Sean's character is staring at himself in a mirror and making the smallest adjustments to his hair and facial expression and suddenly he's someone else entirely. Never ceases to amaze me.
And I think Sean's loving this bit. Martin is being a sneaky bastard - when Krystal poses as a lap dancer to get an important message to him while he's undercover as Dittmann, they go into a private booth and he tells her to stay in character for the camera. So she's sitting on his lap and it's all getting a little handsy and then when the bad guy bursts in and tells Dittmann it's time to go he admits it was only a smoke alarm...
23:20 While Dittmann's with Krystal getting his lap dance Streeter gets a text telling him that "Dittman" doesn't check out. But when they check again online they spell it with two Ns at the end and it's the FBI have got it wrong with only one N so it doesn't show up until the FBI put the spelling right on the records they're creating.
One of the most amazing things to me about this episode is how at the showdown, when Lincoln says "So - you're not going in with me?" your heart breaks for him, even though you know that Lincoln Dittmann doesn't exist, he's only Martin Odum playing a part.
And by the way, every time any of the Americans call him "Mor'n" rather than Martin, it sounds SO WEIRD.
Sean Bean sadly doesn't often play the kind of parts that win awards, but the layers going on in this are quite incredible.
When Streeter holds the gun to the back of Lincoln's head, Sean Bean is playing Martin Odum, who is having to stay in character as Lincoln Dittmann while fearing that he's about to die. And then when he doesn't die, Martin Odum can't just wipe his brow and say "Fuck, that was close", he has to laugh and show Dittmann's relief, not his own. And in the middle of all that, Sean lets us see just one tiny glimpse of Martin's own fear immediately before Streeter pulls the trigger.
Martin is now visiting his son, and I'm not sure why he's apparently wearing a rug when I don't think Lincoln Dittmann was. Wouldn't it make more sense to have the wigs etc on the the legends, not on Martin himself? But the wig, if such it is, has its quasi parting where Sean normally has his, so maybe it is his own hair? It just doesn't look quite right. Also, he seems to have quite thick makeup on - it actually looks less natural than Dittmann. Strange skin tone.
06:45 He even looks like he's got guyliner on, what's that about? I think maybe they've dyed his eyelashes? Pretty sure Sean has blond eyelashes but they're dark brown here.
13:00 More uncomfortable failed-marriage lines. "Lincoln was good at his job but his job it took him away from home so much that his wife finally left him." Jesus, how much must it hurt to say those lines?
14:10 Christ, now watching Martin talking about Dittmann, describing his character and telling the team the backstory he's made up for him, and it's really uncomfortable seeing him actually dropping into character as Dittmann while Krystal and the team watch in shock. And he doesn't even know he's done it.
And now mysterious hoody guy is telling him that "Martin Odum" is fake, only a legend, and he looks, for one second, totally shattered, about to vomit even.
Some bits of what Krystal says to him (his handler, head of department) I just can't get. I'm sure they're English words she's using, but which ones I have no idea. "Your flight's in two hours, we'll be one hour behind you. Stragasfillafsezpep for your arrival." On about the tenth hearing, I think it might be "Chicago Field Office is prepped for your arrival". Martin says he's going nowhere near it because he knows the bad guys will be watching it, which would seem to fit.
And now we have a scene similar to several in Extremely Dangerous - Sean's character is staring at himself in a mirror and making the smallest adjustments to his hair and facial expression and suddenly he's someone else entirely. Never ceases to amaze me.
And I think Sean's loving this bit. Martin is being a sneaky bastard - when Krystal poses as a lap dancer to get an important message to him while he's undercover as Dittmann, they go into a private booth and he tells her to stay in character for the camera. So she's sitting on his lap and it's all getting a little handsy and then when the bad guy bursts in and tells Dittmann it's time to go he admits it was only a smoke alarm...
23:20 While Dittmann's with Krystal getting his lap dance Streeter gets a text telling him that "Dittman" doesn't check out. But when they check again online they spell it with two Ns at the end and it's the FBI have got it wrong with only one N so it doesn't show up until the FBI put the spelling right on the records they're creating.
One of the most amazing things to me about this episode is how at the showdown, when Lincoln says "So - you're not going in with me?" your heart breaks for him, even though you know that Lincoln Dittmann doesn't exist, he's only Martin Odum playing a part.