Alloran, Spartakus, young fools, and chilling words
I was in Arkana’s role fourteen or fifteen years before being in Jahar’s, but I barely remember it. Now I’m pretty much discovering Spartakus anew. (#16 on the list of ”Signs you’re obsessed with Spartakus/Les Mondes Engloutis”…) And to tell the truth, it’s sure simpler with a kids’ cartoon. With a nice, clearly positive character who never wanted to kill; they wanted to force him to do it, so he escaped. Which was also a matter of luck. (Especially if I think of his historical equivalent, the one spelled with a C... 8-( )
And I admire Spartakus’s patience, that it’s only in the 30th episode (which is loosely based on Nietzsche’s Zarathoustra…) that he calls Arkana a naive creature of Arkadia. (The creature-of-Arkadia bit is a fact, it’s the rest that needed to be said.) And later in the same episode, when he’s gotten across an abyss, Arkana calls his name from the other side, stretching her hand after him. She needn’t say anything more, he knows her well enough. He calls back, ”No! Wait for me! I have enough of young fools!” (The other one being Matt.) For a moment, Arkana still stands like that, with her hand raised-then she nods her head and casts her eyes down. She accepts his opinion. Took her long enough.
(This is also the episode where Arkana dies for the first time, but her death’s undone by the ”eternal return” or what. Her second temporary death also connects her to Jake, and Spartakus to Cassie: ”If Spartakus was ready to give his life to heal the Tehra, he wasn’t ready to sacrifice Arkana’s.”)
But when I watch that certain 14th episode, I don’t have to connect everything to everything; after all, the powerful can mock their victims without being Yeerks. But still, the more I understood of the following dialogue, somewhere between 12:40 and 13:30, the more connections I saw in it. Though the situation is more like Temrash/Tom, but the style might still be Esplin’s. I don’t remember Temrash much.
”Spartakus! What pleasure to see you here again! I have never liked losing a champion.”
”I’ve come to propose a deal to you.”
”A deal? Truly? I’m listening, Spartakus.”
”You want a champion for tomorrow. This boy won’t […I didn’t get this part] If you let him go, I’m ready to affront your lanista.”
”How touching, ha-ha. To deliver yourself in exchange for this young boy. Why not, after all. But know that this young boy will not gain his freedom unless the spectacle you offer me is first-class. All this will recall delicious memories in us, won’t it, my dear Spartakus?”
Of course, Spartakus’s purpose isn’t to look touching in front of his old master, it’s to save Matt. But what he does is touching. For me, the viewer. It’s a warm emotion within me, it adds to why I like the episode, why I like Spartakus as a char. And then the guy mentions just that-calmly, sarcastically, he simply describes the objective facts and my subjective feelings, and laughs. I bet there’s nothing unique about that, that it’s a common enough way people get humiliated. I can’t explain, but you know what I mean. It’s about having important things turned around: what is good and beautiful from one angle is ridiculous in another person’s mind, and it’s enough if he just knows… That’s why this master amazes me: because he’s not a Yeerk, and he still has the knowledge that lets him say the wrong thing at the wrong time on purpose.
And I admire Spartakus’s patience, that it’s only in the 30th episode (which is loosely based on Nietzsche’s Zarathoustra…) that he calls Arkana a naive creature of Arkadia. (The creature-of-Arkadia bit is a fact, it’s the rest that needed to be said.) And later in the same episode, when he’s gotten across an abyss, Arkana calls his name from the other side, stretching her hand after him. She needn’t say anything more, he knows her well enough. He calls back, ”No! Wait for me! I have enough of young fools!” (The other one being Matt.) For a moment, Arkana still stands like that, with her hand raised-then she nods her head and casts her eyes down. She accepts his opinion. Took her long enough.
(This is also the episode where Arkana dies for the first time, but her death’s undone by the ”eternal return” or what. Her second temporary death also connects her to Jake, and Spartakus to Cassie: ”If Spartakus was ready to give his life to heal the Tehra, he wasn’t ready to sacrifice Arkana’s.”)
But when I watch that certain 14th episode, I don’t have to connect everything to everything; after all, the powerful can mock their victims without being Yeerks. But still, the more I understood of the following dialogue, somewhere between 12:40 and 13:30, the more connections I saw in it. Though the situation is more like Temrash/Tom, but the style might still be Esplin’s. I don’t remember Temrash much.
”Spartakus! What pleasure to see you here again! I have never liked losing a champion.”
”I’ve come to propose a deal to you.”
”A deal? Truly? I’m listening, Spartakus.”
”You want a champion for tomorrow. This boy won’t […I didn’t get this part] If you let him go, I’m ready to affront your lanista.”
”How touching, ha-ha. To deliver yourself in exchange for this young boy. Why not, after all. But know that this young boy will not gain his freedom unless the spectacle you offer me is first-class. All this will recall delicious memories in us, won’t it, my dear Spartakus?”
Of course, Spartakus’s purpose isn’t to look touching in front of his old master, it’s to save Matt. But what he does is touching. For me, the viewer. It’s a warm emotion within me, it adds to why I like the episode, why I like Spartakus as a char. And then the guy mentions just that-calmly, sarcastically, he simply describes the objective facts and my subjective feelings, and laughs. I bet there’s nothing unique about that, that it’s a common enough way people get humiliated. I can’t explain, but you know what I mean. It’s about having important things turned around: what is good and beautiful from one angle is ridiculous in another person’s mind, and it’s enough if he just knows… That’s why this master amazes me: because he’s not a Yeerk, and he still has the knowledge that lets him say the wrong thing at the wrong time on purpose.