Love and War -- detailed thoughts on Normandy
fun plot aside, Normandy was a great ep for examining character relationships (not just shippy ones, although oh WOW did it bring the romance in a really understated way). Going to break this down one member of the Five at a time:
Nikola Tesla
* the man's ready to parachute behind enemy lines to bail out Magnus (and possibly Watson, too). That's love. I enjoy reminders that he's not as much of an opportunist as he likes people to think.
* "He's a psychotic killer, but he's no Nazi" was interesting, too. The two guys have clearly never really LIKED each other, but there's always been loyalty and grudging respect there. The more I see of their relationship, the more I want to see.
* I wonder how much of his respect for the others comes from the fact that they all love the same woman. He's certainly quick enough to acknowledge that love in Druitt's case and I can't imagine him being any slower to do so in the case of Nigel or James who, presumably, he got on much better with.
* I do believe that, when he vamped out on that traitorous prick, he was much, MUCH more angry over Helen Magnus being in danger than he was over the war potentially being lost. (Bonus points for historical accuracy, though, since many Americans with German ancestry had mixed feelings about the war before the full extent of the Nazi atrocities became known -- a British traitor probably wouldn't have made nearly as much sense since I'm sure they were mostly just sick of/pissed off over repeated bombing runs.)
* "You made me like you..." Poor members of the Five. They're all so separate from the rest of the human race but still longing for human connections. It's sadder in the case of a guy like Tesla who, historically, really WAS alone his entire life.
Nigel Griffin
* Guy would fit in at any nudist colony. Assuming it was in a warm area. He's really, really comfortable walking around naked which isn't surprising given his ability but kind of still is given the era he was born into. Being a member of the Five either made him very comfortable in his own skin or just plain shameless and he just doesn't seem shameless to me.
* I ship him hard with Jeanette (the Resistance babe). He just seemed so shyly pleased when she kissed him and called him brave. Part of me also now wonders if Anna Thayer-Griffin didn't settle in New Orleans since she's got some French ancestry and likes the reminders.
* Will's grandfather and Clara's grandfather working together closely during the final battle is kind of epic and might explain why Watson and Druitt smirked knowingly when Clara and Will showed up naked in Revelations (Druitt: "Interesting..."). And Magnus' wtf look becomes funnier in context, too *pets her and sings it's all just a little bit of history repeating itself*
John Druitt
* Playing his own game by his own rules as always. He's still the hardest member of the Five to get a firm grasp on (for me). This may be due to the fact that he always has two sets of motives (his and the parasite's) and the two aren't always compatible. I happen to think we saw a fair bit of this in "Normandy" which was quite epic.
* His relationship with Watson has always been so paradoxical and this ep takes that to the next level in spades. He flirts even as he tortures (hello subtext!!!) and seems to really enjoy both. The way he takes his time unbuttoning Watson's shirt and then kind of feels up his life-support machine before making it go haywire was way too hot for comfort (the look on Watson's face didn't help but more on that later).
* When Watson’s reacting with pain to his life support unit failing, it’s telling that Druitt has to turn his back before he can continue. There’s a moment of very real pain and regret there that it takes a force of will to stifle.
* Druitt seems to enjoy having Watson holding him up against a wall, just sayin'. He shakes him off SO easily but he takes his time before doing it and he's got this half-smile on his face the WHOLE time Watson's threatening him.
* Druitt killed Hitler? Good for him, but I can almost see the thought-process there being "He's becoming more notorious than me. I'd better do something about that..."
* Druitt instantly seems to know that Magnus and Watson are together and hello, jealousy! That's not a guy whose ex I would want to date and I find it interesting that Watson denigrates Druitt's attraction to Magnus as pathetic and childish in nature. Terrifying yes, childish, less so (from where I'm sitting).
* "How much I hurt her or you?" ... yeah, Watson's definitely a scorned lover
* His face when he sees Magnus is so full of affection it's almost scary.
* At the end of the day, this ep highlights Druitt's nature beautifully. He's a lone wolf, but he still has a degree of rather twisted loyalty to and affection for the others. He trusts them to disassemble the regime and knows he isn’t in a position to do it on his own.
* I also adore that his last words before zorting out were “Treat her well, James.” I’m not sure if that was a threat or not, but any guy’d be nuts to ignore those words from that guy
James Watson
* He and Magnus bicker like an old married couple in this ep. It’s adorable and not something I ever expected to see given how painfully unrequited his feelings for her seemed to be in Revelations. Makes (this) one rethink her interpretation. Suddenly, I think that they were together for decades and eventually had an amiable breakup. I’ll discuss that more in the section on Magnus.
* On a note totally unrelated to character development or history in any way, Watson looks damned good with a machine gun (and dressed as a Nazi).
* The man has no objectivity where Helen Magnus is concerned. He’s the only one who can disable the weather control machine, but he’s still willing to be left behind, captured, and possibly killed by the Nazis so she can get to safety. Either he thinks with his heart where she’s concerned or he has absolute faith in her ability to rescue him. Both ideas just make me melt.
* I adore the look on Watson’s face when he’s a prisoner and Druitt walks in. You can almost hear him groaning about how bloody typical this is.
* Watson and Druitt are really good at calling each other abominations without using that word.
* Watson’s reaction to Druitt slowly unbuttoning his shirt definitely lend credence to my theory that he never stopped loving Druitt. He stares sadly down at his hand, then laughs bitterly and looks away as he composes himself. Most people getting stripped prior to torture wouldn’t react in quite that fashion, if you know what I mean.
* Fully believing that Druitt’s a Nazi, Watson still seems to believe at first that there are lines he won’t cross. He looks embarrassed when the life support unit is revealed and has to watch Druitt finger it for a minute before he realizes what’s coming. And, even then, he asks (not pleads or begs) “John, don’t.” And when Druitt does putz with the settings, he makes that face and shakes his head like he can’t believe his friend would go there. And, once it’s over, he looks at Druitt with stark terror, like he finally understands that NOTHING is off-limits to him any longer.
* How in eff’s name does Druitt know so much about how to operate Watson’s life support unit? This puzzles me since Watson almost certainly didn’t have it before Druitt was the Ripper. Unless he DID which is a fascinating idea.
* James, the whole time he’s holding a knife to Druitt’s throat, is still searching for answers and trying to understand why his “old friend” has chosen the current course of action. It’s like he can’t bring himself to believe the worst about Druitt, even after everything that’s happened. It’s kind of tragic.
* Watson’s attempt to look defiant and unafraid when Druitt breaks free is almost sad. The poor guy’s got to be at his wit’s end but he still tries to put on a brave face and soldier on. Underneath it all, I think he just wants things to be like they were before.
* Which doesn’t stop him from immediately turning around and deriding Druitt for still wanting Magnus. I love that his reaction to Druitt realizing that they’re together isn’t “That’s right, your ex screams my name every night and wonders what she ever saw in you” but rather is “You don’t know how much you hurt her.” That’s very much in keeping with his love and loyalty for her AND, I believe, for Druitt. I don’t think he’s still trying to mend fences on that level, but it’s more important to him for Druitt to understand that he broke Magnus’ heart than it is to rub the relationship in the nose of a man who broke both their hearts.
* Don’t you just hate that awkward moment when you can’t quite figure out whether you’re trying to strangle a guy or just cradle his face in your hands like old times? I know I do... *pets the Watson*
* “Feeling better?”/ “Much.” / “Shall we?” / “God, yes.” ... I had to giggle at that. Those boys know each other far too well.
* I love how James immediately snaps back into analytic mode, too, trying to figure out what’s going on and not even batting an eyelash. Although, man, when Magnus was led in, did he bat more than just an eyelash.
* I love how, throughout the interrogation, he follows her lead or else remains totally silent. Even in the 21st century, he’s still taking her orders without missing a beat even though he makes it clear in Revelations that he doesn’t know what it must be like for Will to take orders from a woman.
* This episode probably took a decade or two off of his life. But, as soon as he could breathe again, he was all business, demanding the schematics.
* Watson’s first reaction to the fire elemental isn’t “big, scary, dangerous” but “incredible” which I just love. You can really see what must have brought him and Magnus together in the first place.
* “You’re telling me this now?!?!” has shades of “I’ll just jump off this cliff and hope I sprout wings!” *pets the Watson* so tolerant of his lady love’s foibles :D
* The end scenes, him just holding her in relief, exchanging that look with her when Druitt vanishes, and standing by her when she honors the fallen Jack are lovely insights into him. For a guy who’s only been in a handful of eps, I’m really getting a wonderful feel for him and can’t wait to see more. Now we know, for instance, why he seemed so interested in Will during their first meeting. And, of course, I need to figure out if that makes it less slashy or just less randomly slashy...
Helen Magnus
* She and Watson are almost certainly together in this ep and, if they weren’t, they probably were soon after. Druitt’s suspicion, the “old married couple” bantering, her calling Watson “darling”, and a dozen other tiny things point to a romantic relationship between them. But they didn’t have a relationship by the time season 1 rolled around or, at least, that relationship wasn’t particularly emotionally intimate since Watson specifies that Magnus needs to “release herself from isolation” and spend more time with him. So when did they stop being a couple? My guess is that, eventually, his advancing age and deteriorating health just scared her off. She didn’t want to lose one more lover, so she shut down and withdrew. That seems to be something Helen Magnus is good at.
* Magnus’ face when seeing Druitt, just screams, “Okay, now things are starting to look bleak.” Not only does she now know what’s in store for Watson and why the French consider Carenton a “bad place” but she’s being forced to relieve a portion of her life she’d much rather just forget. She’ll never stop loving Druitt, but he’ll never stop causing her pain, either. It’s tragic.
* Magnus just beams at Nigel when he offers to distract the searchers so she can rescue Watson. Gorgeous smile that points to a gorgeous friendship.
* Magnus playing the damsel in distress will never get old. Show of hands from all who concur?
* Poor Magnus, seeing Druitt waiting in that bunker. She knew he was there but it was still a nasty shock for her. She looks equal parts horrified and nauseous and barely even registers Watson’s presence. Yet, when he’s shot, the instinct is to run to him.
* Even though she wanted to run to Druitt, though, afterwards she immediately looks to Watson for an explanation. She probably spent 130 years looking to him for answers, when they were involved and when they weren’t.
* Magnus is fearless, even under interrogation. And she’s the boss. The looks Watson keeps giving her for guidance make that clear. Her scorn for their captor is also palpable. *pets her*
* When the Nazi is torturing Watson, Magnus looks like she’s the one in physical pain. She cares about him so much that you can see that him suffering like that is just killing her to watch.
* "Darling, are you all right?" <----- THIS!!! ... I ship it so hard it’s not even funny and now it’s canon ... this is me doing my victory dance
* "John, what have you done?" ... her look when he answers honestly that he’s always done what she can’t is perfect. She’s not a woman who shrinks from doing her own dirty work, but there are limits and she knows it. She seems almost ashamed, although it’s hard to say whether that’s of not being able to do the things Druitt can or just of letting him continue to get away with it. Even Watson seems to acknowledge the truth of Druitt’s words with his look here and I love that she and Watson just exchange a little look after, acknowledging that it’s not the end of things.
* "It won’t be forgotten." ... Magnus always keeps her promises although, apparently, it sometimes takes her a few generations. Pure win although I do wonder how it is that this has never come up between her and Will. It sort of needs to SOON or Will may not be quick to forget the fact that she never mentioned "Oh, yeah, your grandfather died saving my life once, Will."
Will Zimmerman
* Seems to have a family history of military service if you take his comments in Metamorphosis to mean that his father is in the Navy. Which might also explain why he never had a sense of having a real home. Military brats can have that problem.
* If there IS a family history there, I wonder how Will's father feels about the fact that he's not military. Might help, in part, explain why they seem to be estranged.
* I wonder what he believes happened to his grandfather/great grandfather(?) in the war. Or is it something he even thinks about at all? Would be interesting to see.
Nikola Tesla
* the man's ready to parachute behind enemy lines to bail out Magnus (and possibly Watson, too). That's love. I enjoy reminders that he's not as much of an opportunist as he likes people to think.
* "He's a psychotic killer, but he's no Nazi" was interesting, too. The two guys have clearly never really LIKED each other, but there's always been loyalty and grudging respect there. The more I see of their relationship, the more I want to see.
* I wonder how much of his respect for the others comes from the fact that they all love the same woman. He's certainly quick enough to acknowledge that love in Druitt's case and I can't imagine him being any slower to do so in the case of Nigel or James who, presumably, he got on much better with.
* I do believe that, when he vamped out on that traitorous prick, he was much, MUCH more angry over Helen Magnus being in danger than he was over the war potentially being lost. (Bonus points for historical accuracy, though, since many Americans with German ancestry had mixed feelings about the war before the full extent of the Nazi atrocities became known -- a British traitor probably wouldn't have made nearly as much sense since I'm sure they were mostly just sick of/pissed off over repeated bombing runs.)
* "You made me like you..." Poor members of the Five. They're all so separate from the rest of the human race but still longing for human connections. It's sadder in the case of a guy like Tesla who, historically, really WAS alone his entire life.
Nigel Griffin
* Guy would fit in at any nudist colony. Assuming it was in a warm area. He's really, really comfortable walking around naked which isn't surprising given his ability but kind of still is given the era he was born into. Being a member of the Five either made him very comfortable in his own skin or just plain shameless and he just doesn't seem shameless to me.
* I ship him hard with Jeanette (the Resistance babe). He just seemed so shyly pleased when she kissed him and called him brave. Part of me also now wonders if Anna Thayer-Griffin didn't settle in New Orleans since she's got some French ancestry and likes the reminders.
* Will's grandfather and Clara's grandfather working together closely during the final battle is kind of epic and might explain why Watson and Druitt smirked knowingly when Clara and Will showed up naked in Revelations (Druitt: "Interesting..."). And Magnus' wtf look becomes funnier in context, too *pets her and sings it's all just a little bit of history repeating itself*
John Druitt
* Playing his own game by his own rules as always. He's still the hardest member of the Five to get a firm grasp on (for me). This may be due to the fact that he always has two sets of motives (his and the parasite's) and the two aren't always compatible. I happen to think we saw a fair bit of this in "Normandy" which was quite epic.
* His relationship with Watson has always been so paradoxical and this ep takes that to the next level in spades. He flirts even as he tortures (hello subtext!!!) and seems to really enjoy both. The way he takes his time unbuttoning Watson's shirt and then kind of feels up his life-support machine before making it go haywire was way too hot for comfort (the look on Watson's face didn't help but more on that later).
* When Watson’s reacting with pain to his life support unit failing, it’s telling that Druitt has to turn his back before he can continue. There’s a moment of very real pain and regret there that it takes a force of will to stifle.
* Druitt seems to enjoy having Watson holding him up against a wall, just sayin'. He shakes him off SO easily but he takes his time before doing it and he's got this half-smile on his face the WHOLE time Watson's threatening him.
* Druitt killed Hitler? Good for him, but I can almost see the thought-process there being "He's becoming more notorious than me. I'd better do something about that..."
* Druitt instantly seems to know that Magnus and Watson are together and hello, jealousy! That's not a guy whose ex I would want to date and I find it interesting that Watson denigrates Druitt's attraction to Magnus as pathetic and childish in nature. Terrifying yes, childish, less so (from where I'm sitting).
* "How much I hurt her or you?" ... yeah, Watson's definitely a scorned lover
* His face when he sees Magnus is so full of affection it's almost scary.
* At the end of the day, this ep highlights Druitt's nature beautifully. He's a lone wolf, but he still has a degree of rather twisted loyalty to and affection for the others. He trusts them to disassemble the regime and knows he isn’t in a position to do it on his own.
* I also adore that his last words before zorting out were “Treat her well, James.” I’m not sure if that was a threat or not, but any guy’d be nuts to ignore those words from that guy
James Watson
* He and Magnus bicker like an old married couple in this ep. It’s adorable and not something I ever expected to see given how painfully unrequited his feelings for her seemed to be in Revelations. Makes (this) one rethink her interpretation. Suddenly, I think that they were together for decades and eventually had an amiable breakup. I’ll discuss that more in the section on Magnus.
* On a note totally unrelated to character development or history in any way, Watson looks damned good with a machine gun (and dressed as a Nazi).
* The man has no objectivity where Helen Magnus is concerned. He’s the only one who can disable the weather control machine, but he’s still willing to be left behind, captured, and possibly killed by the Nazis so she can get to safety. Either he thinks with his heart where she’s concerned or he has absolute faith in her ability to rescue him. Both ideas just make me melt.
* I adore the look on Watson’s face when he’s a prisoner and Druitt walks in. You can almost hear him groaning about how bloody typical this is.
* Watson and Druitt are really good at calling each other abominations without using that word.
* Watson’s reaction to Druitt slowly unbuttoning his shirt definitely lend credence to my theory that he never stopped loving Druitt. He stares sadly down at his hand, then laughs bitterly and looks away as he composes himself. Most people getting stripped prior to torture wouldn’t react in quite that fashion, if you know what I mean.
* Fully believing that Druitt’s a Nazi, Watson still seems to believe at first that there are lines he won’t cross. He looks embarrassed when the life support unit is revealed and has to watch Druitt finger it for a minute before he realizes what’s coming. And, even then, he asks (not pleads or begs) “John, don’t.” And when Druitt does putz with the settings, he makes that face and shakes his head like he can’t believe his friend would go there. And, once it’s over, he looks at Druitt with stark terror, like he finally understands that NOTHING is off-limits to him any longer.
* How in eff’s name does Druitt know so much about how to operate Watson’s life support unit? This puzzles me since Watson almost certainly didn’t have it before Druitt was the Ripper. Unless he DID which is a fascinating idea.
* James, the whole time he’s holding a knife to Druitt’s throat, is still searching for answers and trying to understand why his “old friend” has chosen the current course of action. It’s like he can’t bring himself to believe the worst about Druitt, even after everything that’s happened. It’s kind of tragic.
* Watson’s attempt to look defiant and unafraid when Druitt breaks free is almost sad. The poor guy’s got to be at his wit’s end but he still tries to put on a brave face and soldier on. Underneath it all, I think he just wants things to be like they were before.
* Which doesn’t stop him from immediately turning around and deriding Druitt for still wanting Magnus. I love that his reaction to Druitt realizing that they’re together isn’t “That’s right, your ex screams my name every night and wonders what she ever saw in you” but rather is “You don’t know how much you hurt her.” That’s very much in keeping with his love and loyalty for her AND, I believe, for Druitt. I don’t think he’s still trying to mend fences on that level, but it’s more important to him for Druitt to understand that he broke Magnus’ heart than it is to rub the relationship in the nose of a man who broke both their hearts.
* Don’t you just hate that awkward moment when you can’t quite figure out whether you’re trying to strangle a guy or just cradle his face in your hands like old times? I know I do... *pets the Watson*
* “Feeling better?”/ “Much.” / “Shall we?” / “God, yes.” ... I had to giggle at that. Those boys know each other far too well.
* I love how James immediately snaps back into analytic mode, too, trying to figure out what’s going on and not even batting an eyelash. Although, man, when Magnus was led in, did he bat more than just an eyelash.
* I love how, throughout the interrogation, he follows her lead or else remains totally silent. Even in the 21st century, he’s still taking her orders without missing a beat even though he makes it clear in Revelations that he doesn’t know what it must be like for Will to take orders from a woman.
* This episode probably took a decade or two off of his life. But, as soon as he could breathe again, he was all business, demanding the schematics.
* Watson’s first reaction to the fire elemental isn’t “big, scary, dangerous” but “incredible” which I just love. You can really see what must have brought him and Magnus together in the first place.
* “You’re telling me this now?!?!” has shades of “I’ll just jump off this cliff and hope I sprout wings!” *pets the Watson* so tolerant of his lady love’s foibles :D
* The end scenes, him just holding her in relief, exchanging that look with her when Druitt vanishes, and standing by her when she honors the fallen Jack are lovely insights into him. For a guy who’s only been in a handful of eps, I’m really getting a wonderful feel for him and can’t wait to see more. Now we know, for instance, why he seemed so interested in Will during their first meeting. And, of course, I need to figure out if that makes it less slashy or just less randomly slashy...
Helen Magnus
* She and Watson are almost certainly together in this ep and, if they weren’t, they probably were soon after. Druitt’s suspicion, the “old married couple” bantering, her calling Watson “darling”, and a dozen other tiny things point to a romantic relationship between them. But they didn’t have a relationship by the time season 1 rolled around or, at least, that relationship wasn’t particularly emotionally intimate since Watson specifies that Magnus needs to “release herself from isolation” and spend more time with him. So when did they stop being a couple? My guess is that, eventually, his advancing age and deteriorating health just scared her off. She didn’t want to lose one more lover, so she shut down and withdrew. That seems to be something Helen Magnus is good at.
* Magnus’ face when seeing Druitt, just screams, “Okay, now things are starting to look bleak.” Not only does she now know what’s in store for Watson and why the French consider Carenton a “bad place” but she’s being forced to relieve a portion of her life she’d much rather just forget. She’ll never stop loving Druitt, but he’ll never stop causing her pain, either. It’s tragic.
* Magnus just beams at Nigel when he offers to distract the searchers so she can rescue Watson. Gorgeous smile that points to a gorgeous friendship.
* Magnus playing the damsel in distress will never get old. Show of hands from all who concur?
* Poor Magnus, seeing Druitt waiting in that bunker. She knew he was there but it was still a nasty shock for her. She looks equal parts horrified and nauseous and barely even registers Watson’s presence. Yet, when he’s shot, the instinct is to run to him.
* Even though she wanted to run to Druitt, though, afterwards she immediately looks to Watson for an explanation. She probably spent 130 years looking to him for answers, when they were involved and when they weren’t.
* Magnus is fearless, even under interrogation. And she’s the boss. The looks Watson keeps giving her for guidance make that clear. Her scorn for their captor is also palpable. *pets her*
* When the Nazi is torturing Watson, Magnus looks like she’s the one in physical pain. She cares about him so much that you can see that him suffering like that is just killing her to watch.
* "Darling, are you all right?" <----- THIS!!! ... I ship it so hard it’s not even funny and now it’s canon ... this is me doing my victory dance
* "John, what have you done?" ... her look when he answers honestly that he’s always done what she can’t is perfect. She’s not a woman who shrinks from doing her own dirty work, but there are limits and she knows it. She seems almost ashamed, although it’s hard to say whether that’s of not being able to do the things Druitt can or just of letting him continue to get away with it. Even Watson seems to acknowledge the truth of Druitt’s words with his look here and I love that she and Watson just exchange a little look after, acknowledging that it’s not the end of things.
* "It won’t be forgotten." ... Magnus always keeps her promises although, apparently, it sometimes takes her a few generations. Pure win although I do wonder how it is that this has never come up between her and Will. It sort of needs to SOON or Will may not be quick to forget the fact that she never mentioned "Oh, yeah, your grandfather died saving my life once, Will."
Will Zimmerman
* Seems to have a family history of military service if you take his comments in Metamorphosis to mean that his father is in the Navy. Which might also explain why he never had a sense of having a real home. Military brats can have that problem.
* If there IS a family history there, I wonder how Will's father feels about the fact that he's not military. Might help, in part, explain why they seem to be estranged.
* I wonder what he believes happened to his grandfather/great grandfather(?) in the war. Or is it something he even thinks about at all? Would be interesting to see.