Episode Notes: Sentinel "Spare Parts"
That squeaking sound you hear, as I'm getting prepared for watching here, is me flossing all of my preconceptions about Naomi right out of my head. I'm trying to go into this episode without *anything* cluttering up my reading of her here. So ::squeeksqueek::, I'm forgetting everything that comes up in later episodes, fanfic, etc
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Hmmm, maybe. Though the impression I get of her is that she was more of a "lifestyle" hippie (drugs, love beads, free sex, meditation) than an actual unwashed, sitting at protests type hippie. I don't see her being the sort of practical thinker who would engage in useful, organized social protest. But that's probably just me being uncharitable because I don't like her.
Anyway, she knows that Blair works with the police. She's known that all along. This is not surprising information for her. So why hasn't she worked through her issues about it before? And if she's just venting steam (and I *really* like this explanation a lot) why is she doing it in public?
Clearly they talk it out and come to an understanding, because the next time we see them together, they’re laughing and joking.
Well, after she's meditated for some unknown number of hours...so she's had time to work things through. Then things are ... not quite relaxed, but no one is still upset anymore.
Just the way I see it.
For all that I'm arguing with you here (because damn it I *don't* like her), I think you make some *excellent* points. I really appreciate the thought that she's blowing off stress and anxiety, that really does change the tenor of the scene a lot to me. And even if I think she could handle that (a lot) better, it's not really fair to expect someone to think things all the way through when they're stressed and upset. So thank you, you've given me a new way of looking at a scene that's always been a serious *wince* scene for me.
TBH, Naomi's such an inconsistent character - at the GMOH, Garett said they would just bang out a 'clever Mom / dippy Mom' scene, depending on whether they needed her to be Hillariously funny Idiot Mom (roll) or Exposition Mom and never really bothered to develop the character or the Sandburg's back-story.
Fair enough, but, as starwatcher307 pointed out, a lot of the fun of character discussion and fanfic is taking the canon we have and making sense out of it. I prefer not to bring in extra-canonical reasons (like bad writing :) ) for things.
But I've always felt there was something *deeply* sinister in the father thing - something I'm currently developing in a fic. (o:
Ooooo!! You'll be announcing this fic when you've got it done, yes? Because I'd *really* love to see this!!
Thanks so much for commenting and for giving me so much to think about!
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I suspect everyone's thoughts on Naomi hinge on whether or not they like her, and I pretty much do. She's dippy and maddening at times, but I think there's an awful lot of her in Blair - the *many* parallels between the characters fascinate me.
The thing is, whatever happened to Naomi, to get her pregnant, to decide to keep her baby (when she had other, easier options), then deny telling her child who his father is (I don't buy that she didn't know. Even if she was banging a lot of men at the time, Blair has fairly distinctive looks that must have, at least, clued her in!) - suggests that Something Bad' happened at some stage. I would think she's had a pretty hard time, especially when Blair was small.
Whatever else, Blair clearly adores her, and she him. I like their relationship a lot - I love the scene when they're walking down the street, laughing and joking ('every man you meet'); they seem so easy and happy together. I just think that - exasperating, maddening dippy hippie or not - it says a lot about Naomi. And whether it's down to the writing, or Leigh Taylor-Young's performance, Naomi's not a character you can ignore! She probably stirs up more controvery in the fandom than practically anyone other than Alex.
"Ooooo!! You'll be announcing this fic when you've got it done, yes? Because I'd *really* love to see this!!"
Well, it's (still! )o:) owed for Moonridge; I'm still writing it, but as soon as I'm able, I shall be posting it and shouting loudly about it, yup (o:
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I agree that the parallels between the characters are fascinating, but I also am intrigued by the differences. Parents only have so much influence over how their children come out, of course, but there are both intriguing similarities and intriguing differences between them.
would think she's had a pretty hard time, especially when Blair was small.
That's quite possible, probable even. Certainly the "no visible means of support" trick is tougher with a kid in tow, so she might have been scraping more for money. And I actually could see that Something Bad happened to her and sort of...helped shape her into who she is.
I'm even more intrigued to see this fic you're writing now, because there's so much *meat* there. Nice!!
I like their relationship a lot - I love the scene when they're walking down the street, laughing and joking ('every man you meet'); they seem so easy and happy together.
Easy and happy together, but he's also not sad that she's planning on leaving. Which I think is very interesting. He loves having her there, for a couple of days, but he also loves getting back to his normal life, I think. Which is always the case when guests come anyway.
Naomi's not a character you can ignore! She probably stirs up more controvery in the fandom than practically anyone other than Alex.
That's very true! :) She's definitely open to a lot of different interpretations. And I think people play out their own mom-issues on this relationship. (I know that I can't entirely divorce my interpretation of Naomi from knowing how I'd feel if my Mom did shit like that. And she's the sort of mom who might.)
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Hrm...Do we really know that she's "known all along"? I'm genuinely asking here, because you're so much better with the details than I am...but I don't think we really have any clear indication of how much or how recently Blair's been talking to his mother. And it could be that she's only just recently learned about Blair's whole involvement with Jim, and the diss, and the fact that this has been going on for months, and she didn't know....and this is what prompts her sudden visit to Cascade, territorial hackles up and needing to know what her baby's gotten into. It might even help explain (but not forgive) some of her outrageous behavior here.
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And youre right, that would explain a lot.
Even if he told her about his new friend, possibly his new roommate, he might have "neglected" to mention the whole cop aspect until recently.
I *really* love the idea that she's coming in with her territorial guns a-blazing because she just found out about the cop thing. This might also explain why she did so much tracking down of numbers associated with the Cascade PD. So she found out about Blair working wit hthe pigs, then tracked down phone numbers for the department he works with, the detective, etc. etc.
::hugs you::
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