Comments | hackthis: On Raylan Givens.

hackthis

On Raylan Givens.

May 31, 2010 15:33

I have been doing a lot of character work on Raylan Givens and it's spread out all over the place, so this is me trying keep everything under one roof so I know what I have worked out and what still needs pondering. This is not a story. Repeat. This is not a story. This is just character building work so that I can eventually write myself some ( Read more... )

Comments 53

wait, i'm confused.... minaloush May 31 2010, 19:49:39 UTC

you're pairing him with the white supremacist guy?

Re: wait, i'm confused.... hackthis May 31 2010, 19:57:47 UTC

Not "pairing", but I would definitely say there's a whole lot of history there. I'm curious about it. You only have to look at their interactions to know they have a connection. Everything Raylan does comes back to Boyd in some manner, whether it's putting him in jail, deliberately *not* killing him, or showing up at his camp every other day and harassing him. I may not like what Boyd was selling in the pilot, but the pilot is taken from the short story almost word for word and the evolution of the character in the last 10 episodes shows that Boyd got a lot more going on than whatever was first thought.

ETA: I'm a lot like Raylan in that I don't think Boyd believes that racist tripe he was spewing, I think it's a lot easier for him to get people who will do what he wants by shilling it though. It's the only way I can reconcile the multicultural religious thing Boyd has in 1.11 versus 1.01.

Re: wait, i'm confused.... oh_mcgee May 31 2010, 20:36:42 UTC

Agreed. Boyd is a grade A bullshitter and for some reason, the idiots in Harlan just line up to eat it up with a spoon. He got Bobby Joe (Sue?) to confess to murder for him for Christ's sake.

"You know, Boyd. I think you just use the bible to do whatever the hell you like."

"Well, what do you think I like, Raylan?"

"I think you like to get money and blow shit up."

I think that was pretty much it. PS, I stumbled on this article with Walter Goggins somewhere and it looks like he feels the same about Boyd.

Re: wait, i'm confused.... hackthis May 31 2010, 21:09:30 UTC

Yes! It's exactly like the man said:

"I never believed that Boyd Crowder was a white supremacist, to be quite honest with you. ... It was very important for me as an actor not to play this guy as a white supremacist but to play him as a bit of a Svengali: a person who doesn't necessarily believe all that he espouses. ... [In one episode] Tim says 'Boyd, I don't think you believe everything that you're saying. I think you just like to blow stuff up.' And that was very important to me."

xbeax May 31 2010, 20:11:24 UTC

*_*

I definitely agree with you on ALL OF THIS, especially your take on Boyd/Raylan. They're both complex characters and have a lot of shared history together, and I think Boyd knows Raylan the most. And well, there's definitely a connection there; Arlo knows it too.

Arlo: The only reason my son comes to Harlan is because of your son.

It's interesting how in the last few episodes, you kinda get the idea that there's a lot more going on with Boyd than we first thought.

And then when Raylan decided to leave to go to Florida like his mama wanted, he took Boyd somewhere private to tell him, probably saved up his money to get shit faced in Lexington, you know a big night out, some hand jobs. Except when Raylan told Boyd, Boyd was like, and? When you leavin'? Fuck I thought I'd never be shot of you. And Raylan's hurt. Like genuinely hurt for a minute and then he pushes it aside, because it's not like they're playing fucking house here.Favorite. Favorite. Favorite ( ... )

hackthis May 31 2010, 21:11:10 UTC

maurheti and I were talking about Arlo and Bo and basically their conversation at Arlo's place on both sides comes down to, "This is all YOUR son's fault. If it weren't for him, my son wouldn't be the fuck up he is."

oh_mcgee May 31 2010, 20:39:32 UTC

BB, you had me at On Raylan and Ray Person.

EVERY BIT OF THIS IS WIN. The fic will be epic. (What? I'm optimistic.) :D

hackthis May 31 2010, 21:11:34 UTC

LMFAO. Yay for optimism :)

soul_cake_duck May 31 2010, 21:13:33 UTC

I...is that his Mum in the series? Somehow I got the impression it was his step-mother...I have no idea why...

Anyway, minor details aside, Tim + Rachel! Is it weird that Im more excited about the possibility of more Tim + Rachel than Raylan? Probably because we dont get to see enough of them :D

But yes. Interesting ideas. Except when Raylan told Boyd, Boyd was like, and? When you leavin'? Fuck I thought I'd never be shot of you. And Raylan's hurt. Is this more Boyd trying to help get Raylan out of Harlan (through that tried and tested method of 'being cruel to be kind'), or him really not caring?

hackthis May 31 2010, 21:35:05 UTC

No, when I say his mom I mean his mom. According to her tombstone in episode 1.05 (?) she died in 2000. Presumably Arlo married Helen a few years after that. But Raylan's 40 now, so when I talk about him going to college that's like 1990 or so.

I want to write the Tim & Rachel show. Which could possibly become the Tim/Rachel show.

But yes. Interesting ideas. Except when Raylan told Boyd, Boyd was like, and? When you leavin'? Fuck I thought I'd never be shot of you. And Raylan's hurt. Is this more Boyd trying to help get Raylan out of Harlan (through that tried and tested method of 'being cruel to be kind'), or him really not caring?

It's both. Not for one minute did Boyd ever think Raylan was going to stay in Harlan, so the fact that he was working the mines with Boyd was just borrowed time. There's a part of Boyd that's immensely proud that Raylan's got out and done all that he's done.

athenejen June 16 2010, 04:29:14 UTC

I want to write the Tim & Rachel show. Which could possibly become the Tim/Rachel show.

Oh, this please. Yes.

jcalanthe May 31 2010, 21:29:37 UTC

I'm still laughing at the bit about everyone wanting to fuck Raylan, except for Art. I can so completely see/hear Art thinking about it & giving the reason you supply above, just rolling with whatever the hell is going on. Hilarious ( ... )

hackthis May 31 2010, 21:39:31 UTC

I adore Art; he is my favorite right behind Raylan. And Aunt Helen.

And yay for Kentucky knowledge! I'm gonna think that Kroger was the place to shop back in 1990, which is around when Raylan left. I chose Florida strictly for the shirt Raylan was wearing, and also cause that was the field office that he got banished from. And because Raylan said he left Kentucky and never looked back. He never wanted to come back, so I'm gonna assume when he went to college he straight up left. I do know that he had to have a college degree to become a Marshall though (thanks maurheti!)

I find myself doing a lot of wheel spinning with this fandom, it's just a matter of getting some traction.