More Than Just a Simple Welcome

Blog Introspection Challenge

8.) Which post was the most difficult to write?

Some posts are more difficult to put together than others depending on the gifs/pics that I use. for this question though I wanted to focus on a post that was difficult to write for emotional reasons. after sifting back through blog titles to remind myself of the different things I’ve written about, “Welcome Home” jumped out at me as being particularly difficult to write.

In this post I was focusing on Spooks characters Lucas North and Adam Carter in episode 1 of season 7. I tried to elaborate upon the theme that Adam understood what Lucas was going through, from personal experience. he knew what it was like to be held prisoner (though the time span differed greatly) and he could appreciate the struggles that Lucas was experiencing as he tried to reinsert himself into not only the seemingly simple role as citizen but also his previous life in MI-5.

I get emotional about Lucas during the best of times

heartstrings

but this aspect of his story garners the most empathy from me. I mentioned the “Welcome Home” greeting that military veterans sometimes use with one another upon meeting. I’ve seen my father give this greeting and it chokes me up because I think about how difficult it must have been for the Vietnam Vets to serve their country (sometimes against their will) and then be greeted with hostility and contempt upon arriving home. and so I always relate that to Lucas: how very much he sacrificed for his country, with no recognition, how he was handled with kid gloves and essentially assigned a babysitter.

Adam’s initial handshake upon meeting Lucas for the first time, runs deeper for me than just a simple welcome. so it was hard to find the right balance to convey the depth of what I wanted to say without getting too weighed down in politics or emotions.

Welcome Home

The Rest of the Story

When I read the announcement that Richard had been cast in Hannibal I cringed. I immediately wondered if the show was worth catching up on before his episodes will air, but I decided against it. I’m curious to see what he does with the character but the show itself is not something I could watch long term.

battling nightmares is time consuming!

 

This brought to mind the videos that fans make of only Richard’s scenes, in any given project. I enjoy these videos and find them very convenient but sometimes they make it easy to forget about the rest of the story.

 

Richard is an ensemble player and so it’s essential to see who he’s playing off of and the atmosphere they are existing in, to get a well-rounded view of the character he’s portraying.

I’m not suggesting anything

 

While I didn’t really need to watch the six preceding seasons of Spooks to understand Lucas, I did benefit from watching them.  They introduced me to Adam and showed me his influence on the team, his personal connections to both Ros and Jo, and how bits of his personal history made him open to accepting Lucas so easily.

it takes a certain kind of person to not react to greasy fingers

 

Viewing all six seasons also gave me insight into the political climate of the show, the red tape they often had to work around, and the constant game-within-a-game aspect of it all. So the second time I watched seasons 7-9, after catching up on 1-6, I had a better understanding of it all. The things that Lucas did made more sense to me within the overall framework of the show, instead of just how they fit into a study of Lucas North. It also helped me to look beyond Richard, to take off those rosy glasses and let myself get mad at Lucas for most of season 8.

kick Sarah to the curb, I beg you!

 

The whys of season 9 were much louder coming from my mouth the second time around too because I knew Harry better, I knew Ruth better, I remembered Tom Quinn. I think viewing the whole picture is especially important in the smaller productions Richard has been a part of. Those stories don’t revolve around him, so I need to understand how much or how little his character is influencing the sequence of events. Most of the time I generally feel the same about things, regardless of whether I view it in whole or in pieces, but I feel it on a deeper level when looking at the whole story. It makes more sense to me because I can see how it all fits together instead of just relying on gut-instinct.

this instinct is lower than the gut…

 

For example: my opinions of Paul and Alona from Between the Sheets didn’t change after I was able to watch more than just Paul’s scenes but I did understand better the world that Alona operated in. The way her shortcomings clashed with Paul’s became more apparent to me, and why they were together in the first place made more sense.

this is the guy who left his socks on. yeah, I get it now.

 

My gut-instincts and my empathy are the core of how I form impressions of people/situations, sometimes without anything concrete to base it on. I’ve learned to trust those instincts but not understanding why I feel the way that I do can end up closing me off to the multiple dimensions of something, leaving me with only a stale first layer.

move, Richard! I can’t see the rest of the room

 

This is why Richard’s particular brand of acting is so enticing to me. His eyes, his voice inflections, and his body language are all separate layers that work both with and independently of the dialogue and action. It’s a real thrill for me to see that, to feel it and understand it. To work my way through and around those layers. it affords me the chance to participate, to engage, instead of being led to how I should feel like an outdated laugh-track.

Dude, you weren’t supposed to laugh there!

 

So, I guess this means I should savor my sleep while I can, doesn’t it? because I’ll eventually want to get the full effect of the Hannibal world. No need to rush it though…

me, checking for serial killers under the bed

 

Fanvid Friday: Save You

yeah, I know it’s Saturday and not Friday…again. I spent Friday night surfing around for fanvideos. I was getting really discouraged because I just wasn’t finding any that I really liked (I’m picky) but then my luck changed. This one, Save Me by Angela C. Ryan/Misshale78 grabbed me, right in the feels.

I really really like this one. It embodies Lucas so strongly for me, the foundation of my feelings for him: I want to save him. I wish I could have been the person he leaned on when he first came back from prison, I wish I could have been who he turned to instead of slimy Genevieve, I wanted to be the person he trusted enough to confide in during the John Bateman reveal. Maybe I couldn’t have prevented any of it but at least he wouldn’t have felt so alone.

back to the video: the opening image of the barrel of a revolver, very poignant. I really like that the first scene chosen is the one with Lucas and Ruth too. That scene carries so much weight. There’s respect and friendship between them, which really brings home the seriousness of the situation; that Lucas would override that illustrates how very lost he truly is.

the flashes of the burdens Lucas bears. and those eyes. I wish I could save you

It’s gonna be alright

 

Escape

Music & More Challenge

12.) a dvd you always look for on sale

I’ve watched all 10 seasons of Spooks/MI-5 on Netflix streaming but I don’t own any of them myself. I’d at least like to have season 7 because it’s my favorite. I like the overall flow of that season but I’m not gonna lie, it’s my favorite because of Lucas and his storyline. Being held prisoner for 8 years and now trying to fit back into society? who can resist that?

or this?

⭐

music question: a song you always look for on jukeboxes

Escape (the Pina Colada song) by Rupert Holmes

This song was a regular on the Muzak station of the grocery store I used to work at. My every day job was to bag up groceries (“Best Bagger of 1996” Yo!) but I would regularly seek out the solitary jobs around the store too…so that I could sing and bob my head along without embarrassing myself. but this song was one I just couldn’t resist singing, no matter who was around 🙂

If you like piña coladas and getting caught in the rain
If you’re not into yoga, if you have half a brain
If you like making love at midnight in the dunes of the cape
Then I’m the love that you’ve looked for, write to me and escape

Whatever Will Be

Music & More Challenge

10.) favorite theme song

Spooks/MI-5

I always get a little jolt of excitement when I hear the theme music to Spooks, wondering “what’s going to happen next?” I started the series with the Lucas seasons (7,8,9) but then when trying to persuade my husband to watch them too, he wanted to start at the very beginning.

but, but, then Lucas will be so very far away!

oh good, you’re here! maybe now she can quit comparing everyone  to you

We’ve been watching episodes here and there for quite awhile now (we’re finally on season 10) and I’m very glad that we’ve watched it all the way through. I found that I do like the show as a whole, not just for Lucas. truthfully, there may be characters that I actually like more *gasp*

(Adam & Ruth are my favorites)

dude, just try to keep it in your pants this season

⭐

music question

opening theme song for a series based on your life:

Windmills by Toad the Wet Sprocket

It’s such a beautiful melody in and of itself. I think it’s probably one of those songs that means different things to different people. To me, it’s about giving power to the wrong things. fighting imaginary foes and hiding away the best parts of yourself in response. so learn to just chill, be patient, and enjoy 🙂

And anyway the wind blows
It’s all worth waiting for