(no subject)
Well, ahkna asked me a question, and I gave a pretty long answer, and I figured I'd LJ it.
Q: Explain, in detail, your feelings about the evolution of the Alicia/Kalinda friendship, with motivations for both of them and how you think they feel post break-up
A: Let’s start with the evolution, shall we? Take a look at the Pilot, for example. It’s made perfectly clear in that episode that Kalinda has zero respect for Alicia. It’s not explicitly said but, as with most Kalicia interactions, it’s all in looks and body language. And then there’s that turn around. Within the episode, this thing happens, and you see it start. From the “better than subpoenas”, to that very first Stern/Lockhart tradition, you see that this is going to become something important, and is going to be a staple of the show. And it really just develops from there. There’s this beauty of realising just how well they understand each other. (Yes, I do believe Alicia understands Kalinda. Maybe not perfectly, but as well as anybody ever will.) It’s seeing how much they start to rely on each other. Nobody can deny that those drinks after work mean just as much to Kalinda as they do Alicia. My personal favourite moment between these two, a moment that really signals development is the “want me to talk to her?” scene. In that scene, Kalinda drops… whatever she’s doing, because she realises Alicia needs a friend, and she offers to help. She offers to ‘talk’ to Amber, purely because she’s making Alicia’s life hell.
As far as motivations go, I have mixed feelings here. I do believe that Kalinda’s initial reason for getting to know Alicia was out of curiosity, not guilt. Let’s face it, I don’t think many people could say that, in her position, they wouldn’t do the same. And I believe that she hated herself once she realised that she liked Alicia. She cared, no, CARES about Alicia. She sees that Alicia is a victim, and to make everything… somewhat normal for her, she doesn’t treat her like one. She sees that that’s the last thing Alicia needs, somebody else walking on eggshells, somebody else treating her like the wronged wife. And Alicia is exceptionally grateful for this. She instantly embraces this… form of affection from Kalinda. This woman, so unlike herself, offering her a sanctuary from the chaos that has become her life. I personally believe that it’s a large part of why Alicia has become so invested in her work life. When she’s immersed in a case, when she’s sharing banter and just having a normal friendship with Kalinda, she’s not the person everybody else sees her as. I also believe that a part of Kalinda feels like a better person around Alicia. I think Alicia helps her believe that she does things for the right reasons. Alicia makes her feel like she’s on the right side, and even if she’s not, the best person she knows is right there with her. I think they both need each other. Alicia makes Kalinda feel better, and Kalinda makes Alicia feel more free.
Sigh. And post break-up feelings. Frankly, I don’t think anybody can deny that Alicia’s pain is down to the fact that her best friend lied to her. This… this person that she’s trusted, confided in, and truly cared for has been lying to her since day one. That’s going to be the hardest thing for her. If Alicia had found out that Peter had cheated on her again, she could’ve handled that. I don’t think Peter has the power to hurt her anymore. She would’ve gotten mad, and she would’ve drunk tequlia with Kalinda, who would do her usual Kalinda ‘making a remark that nobody can be sure if it’s a joke or not’, and Alicia would’ve laughed, and things would’ve worked out from there. But this time she can’t. She can’t turn to the one person she normally would. She’s lost her safety net, and that’s what hurts her. And I think Kalinda feels shame, and that’s not something she’s used to. I think her little breakdown in the elevator was mostly due to the fact that she’s unaccustomed to this emotion. She feels guilt, and she feels shame, and I’d imagine she feels an overwhelming urge to pour her heart and soul out to Alicia, and hope for redemption. Alongside more regret that she can handle, and the niggling feeling that she can never, ever make this right. That even if Alicia
Q: Explain, in detail, your feelings about the evolution of the Alicia/Kalinda friendship, with motivations for both of them and how you think they feel post break-up
A: Let’s start with the evolution, shall we? Take a look at the Pilot, for example. It’s made perfectly clear in that episode that Kalinda has zero respect for Alicia. It’s not explicitly said but, as with most Kalicia interactions, it’s all in looks and body language. And then there’s that turn around. Within the episode, this thing happens, and you see it start. From the “better than subpoenas”, to that very first Stern/Lockhart tradition, you see that this is going to become something important, and is going to be a staple of the show. And it really just develops from there. There’s this beauty of realising just how well they understand each other. (Yes, I do believe Alicia understands Kalinda. Maybe not perfectly, but as well as anybody ever will.) It’s seeing how much they start to rely on each other. Nobody can deny that those drinks after work mean just as much to Kalinda as they do Alicia. My personal favourite moment between these two, a moment that really signals development is the “want me to talk to her?” scene. In that scene, Kalinda drops… whatever she’s doing, because she realises Alicia needs a friend, and she offers to help. She offers to ‘talk’ to Amber, purely because she’s making Alicia’s life hell.
As far as motivations go, I have mixed feelings here. I do believe that Kalinda’s initial reason for getting to know Alicia was out of curiosity, not guilt. Let’s face it, I don’t think many people could say that, in her position, they wouldn’t do the same. And I believe that she hated herself once she realised that she liked Alicia. She cared, no, CARES about Alicia. She sees that Alicia is a victim, and to make everything… somewhat normal for her, she doesn’t treat her like one. She sees that that’s the last thing Alicia needs, somebody else walking on eggshells, somebody else treating her like the wronged wife. And Alicia is exceptionally grateful for this. She instantly embraces this… form of affection from Kalinda. This woman, so unlike herself, offering her a sanctuary from the chaos that has become her life. I personally believe that it’s a large part of why Alicia has become so invested in her work life. When she’s immersed in a case, when she’s sharing banter and just having a normal friendship with Kalinda, she’s not the person everybody else sees her as. I also believe that a part of Kalinda feels like a better person around Alicia. I think Alicia helps her believe that she does things for the right reasons. Alicia makes her feel like she’s on the right side, and even if she’s not, the best person she knows is right there with her. I think they both need each other. Alicia makes Kalinda feel better, and Kalinda makes Alicia feel more free.
Sigh. And post break-up feelings. Frankly, I don’t think anybody can deny that Alicia’s pain is down to the fact that her best friend lied to her. This… this person that she’s trusted, confided in, and truly cared for has been lying to her since day one. That’s going to be the hardest thing for her. If Alicia had found out that Peter had cheated on her again, she could’ve handled that. I don’t think Peter has the power to hurt her anymore. She would’ve gotten mad, and she would’ve drunk tequlia with Kalinda, who would do her usual Kalinda ‘making a remark that nobody can be sure if it’s a joke or not’, and Alicia would’ve laughed, and things would’ve worked out from there. But this time she can’t. She can’t turn to the one person she normally would. She’s lost her safety net, and that’s what hurts her. And I think Kalinda feels shame, and that’s not something she’s used to. I think her little breakdown in the elevator was mostly due to the fact that she’s unaccustomed to this emotion. She feels guilt, and she feels shame, and I’d imagine she feels an overwhelming urge to pour her heart and soul out to Alicia, and hope for redemption. Alongside more regret that she can handle, and the niggling feeling that she can never, ever make this right. That even if Alicia