Comments | hmpf: Oddly touching, oddly disturbing...

hmpf

Oddly touching, oddly disturbing...

Feb 10, 2006 02:19

I'm still in the grip of the Evil Real Life Monster, but occasionally I watch bits and pieces of HL in between. Today I watched the scene in Rev. 6:8 where Kronos and Methos meet Silas in the woods ( Read more... )

methos, horsemen

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Well, I don't think he was plotting ahead in the sense of... hmpf February 10 2006, 20:27:54 UTC

'having a definitive, step-by-step plan on how to proceed'. But I can't imagine that he didn't think about possible outcomes of his actions at all. Outcomes, plural. That probably includes ones that wouldn't harm Silas as well as ones in which he gets killed. I'm not saying Methos deliberately planned for the latter, but he must have been aware that it would be a possible, even likely, outcome once he dragged MacLeod into it all. And he's beginning to leave a trail for MacLeod by the time they're in Romania to break Caspian out of the loony bin, which, I assume, is only a short time after they've collected Silas. And I really can't see him offering to lead Kronos to Silas and Caspian in the first place without having *any* kind of idea what he's going to do next. I'm not saying there was a definitive plan at the time, but certainly, beginnings of plans must have been brewing in his mind. I see him as pretty much playing it by ear, but even if you're playing it by ear you have to be aware of the options. And one of Methos' options at the time, and a not too unlikely one, is betraying Silas in the process of saving his skin.

Mind you, Methos' actions in CaH/Rev are disturbing no matter how you look at them. He really seems to be basically throwing a coin to decide if he's going to go back to mass-murdering with the Horsemen, or stay on the straight and narrow with Duncan MacLeod. His 'betraying' the Horsemen is only making sure that more than one outcome of that coin toss is becoming possible; it guarantees nothing. He only seems to make a decision to throw his lot in with Duncan at the last possible moment.

Trying to phrase what I *really* mean more clearly... hmpf February 10 2006, 20:47:00 UTC

(*g*)

I think what bothers me is that I *think* Methos is ready to betray pretty much anyone at the drop of a hat if the stakes are high enough. Which, on the one hand, is a very sensible 'skill'... but on the other hand makes him a frelling unpredictable, unreliable friend.

Re: Trying to phrase what I *really* mean more clearly... amonitrate February 11 2006, 01:14:02 UTC

hmm. I see why this bothers you. I just can't see him that way, I guess. It's a totally valid view of the character, though. I tend to see him as consistently saying one thing but doing another. I think he's pragmatic enough to do things we might think are morally over the line (standing by while Caspian kills the doctor), but I've never been convinced he would have become the Horseman again. Sins of omission, perhaps, rather than commission.

If Silas hadn't been sent to kill Cassandra, I'm not sure Methos would have fought him. And until the moment Kronos saw him fighting Silas it seemed to me that Methos was mostly on the defense, holding Silas off rather than actively trying to kill him.

Anyhow, maybe I'm choosing to view him through rose-coloured glasses.

Oh, I think... hmpf February 11 2006, 08:14:23 UTC

... he probably would have sabotaged the Horsemen *some* way if it had come to that. I agree he probably wouldn't have gone back to a thousand years of terror. But I'm not sure he would have stopped them right away, because too obvious a bit of sabotage might get him killed...

>If Silas hadn't been sent to kill Cassandra, I'm not sure Methos would have fought him.

I agree. I think he wouldn't. But I think we both know that Mac would probably have killed Silas, then, and I *don't* think Methos would have stopped him. He probably would have tried, but try convincing Duncan of sparing an unrepenting Horseman of the Apocalypse! The moment you set MacLeod on the trail of some evildoers, we all know what happens. And Methos did set him on that trail.

Anyway... to be a bit more precise about what exactly bothers me: I think it's not so much the fact that sometimes Methos will betray friends but rather, that sometimes he will, and then sometimes he goes and takes downright stupid risks for them. He's so inconsistent in his survival policy! *g*

Re: Oh, I think... amonitrate February 11 2006, 16:14:42 UTC

true. He does take risks that fly in the face of his so-called survival instinct. I agree he probably would not have gotten in the way of Mac killing Silas, much like he didn't stop him from killing Byron.

He's pretty inconsistent about most things, except maybe that he'll do anything to protect his immediate loved ones - even sacrificing those he may have loved in the past.

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