Reading Room - 'The Waiting Room Affair' and 'Incident in a Stairwell' by DebraHicks

[fiorenza-a.livejournal.com]

Hi everyone, I pick up from the Man from U.N.C.L.E. side that this trilogy has been discussed in the past, so my apologies to those of you who may have seen it before.

After paris7am's lyrical introduction to Trip Through Your Wire by Garnet http://ci5hq.livejournal.com/276664.html I fear my own attempts to introduce a story will prove rather shoddy by comparison; however, here goes:

The Waiting Room Affair and Incident in a Stairwell are part of what is currently a trilogy by DebraHicks, which includes the somewhat longer People Bending Broken Rules http://archiveofourown.org/works/479519.

The stories reside within the same universe, but are perhaps better described as sequential rather than as sequels. I'm not a huge fan of crossover, and the stories have their faults, there are typos and syntax errors and I found it hard to picture the positioning on the stairs at some points (a problem I also have with People Bending Broken Rules), but for me these stories have two things going for them; one - they cross with an earlier love, Illya Kuryakin and Napoleon Solo, and two – the adroit use of time frame.

For those not in the know, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. - currently, as they used to say, a major motion picture (leaving the pedant in me to wonder when the studios ever trumpeted the release of a minor motion picture) - was an American television series about the derring-do of an international organisation of glamorous spies, broadcast on NBC from 22nd September 1964 to 15th January 1968 and seen in the UK at around the same time. Like The Professionals, it focused on the exploits of its top team, a Russian (Kuryakin) and an American (Solo); and their gentlemanly (and seemingly omnipotent) boss Alexander Waverly. It spawned a number of theatrical releases, the last of which (until the current re-boot) was the much maligned reunion movie - The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E. - The Fifteen Years Later Affair - a made for TV effort apparently first broadcast on CBS on 5th April 1983 and (mis)using the original leads David McCallum and Robert Vaughan.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_from_U.N.C.L.E.

For those of you who haven't fallen asleep yet, this means that Illya and Napoleon (the dire plot of The Return notwithstanding) could have been plying their international trade contemporaneously with our lads. And this is the device used in the stories, Illya and Napoleon are older, more weary with experience, but as committed to their cause (the fight against evil, especially as personified by the operatives of the improbably named THRUSH), and as committed to each other, as ever. They hold a mirror up to Bodie and Doyle's partnership, offering both a commentary on their present and a glimpse into their future.

But also they give the lads something they otherwise don't have, men who live what they live, a top flight, closely knit unit dealing with the same emotional issues they themselves face. People who 'get' them and are living their reality on a daily basis.

I have to admit, the hook for me is in the first, very short, story The Waiting Room Affair where I think the loneliness of having no shared experience, except with your partner, is most obvious. It's the same loneliness agèd folk and émigrés talk about, not the loneliness of enforced solitude, but the loneliness of a lack of shared history, of always having to explain.

The lads don't have to explain to the boys, and the two partnerships light the path to happiness for each other.

Series Title: UNCLE / Pros: Stories: The Waiting Room Affair and Incident in a Stairwell
Author: DebraHicks (http://archiveofourown.org/users/DebraHicks/pseuds/DebraHicks)
Pairing: Pre-relationship Bodie/Doyle, Illya/Napoleon
Link: http://archiveofourown.org/series/7916
Other Notes: Further reading in the same series: People Bending Broken Rules

And if you liked it, why not let the author know?

Comments

[msmoat.livejournal.com]

I reread these stories last night. I was nervous about doing so, because I had enjoyed them very much, a long time ago, when I first got into Pros...and i was afraid they wouldn't hold up. They were in one of the first zines I ever owned. I think, the first time I read them, I might have seen more episodes of Man from UNCLE than i had Pros.

At the time, these worked very well for me because I didn't know too much, and, well, because they hit, squarely, on my biggest kink: partner worry. Oh, my, did they ever. *g* So, I was worried, after not having read them for so long. But...I did enjoy them, thoroughly. Partly, this was due to nostalgia, I'm sure. I think a large part of it, though, was the very nature of a cross-over for me. I hold my Pros universe stories to probably the highest standard of all my standards. AUs, less so. Crossovers...possibly even less so. *g* It's just, by adding in the other show, for me, it puts it into TV-versse, rather than the real world, if that makes any sense at all. And then I'm ready to forgive it many things, as long as I like the story--or last long as it hits my kink. *g*

I do like The Waiting Room Affair best. I can totally see this moment in the waiting room, and the slow realization that each man understands the other. As fiorenza says, they come to realize that they don't have to explain anything to the other. They understand what it means to be waiting on news of the life or death of a partner. It's just a short, fully captured scene. I think it works best. "Incident in a Stairwell" also works for me, mostly for the scenes between Napoleon and Bodie and Doyle and Ilya where they are talking/worrying about their partners. I love all the "That one's yours?" stuff. Can't help it. Helpless before such references, in this kind of universe. *g*

There are all sorts of flaws that I will readily concede. The action on the staircase doesn't make a whole lot of sense. There are Americanisms. Bodie's really not that "big". Etc. But ultimately, I don't care. The TV-verse means it can be TV logic. And I just go ahead and enter into the spirit of the thing. Plus, really, it's just what fiorenza pointed out; I love how these two partnerships reflect one another, even with their differences, and how the four of them understand things that no one else can understand.

So, fun re-read, and thank you for leading me to them once again!

Action on staircase

[kiwisue.livejournal.com]

Is that the IIAS stairwell? I thought it was a little hard to picture, but I kind of go with the flow. I like the way she describes the scene with the lift not working. Too hard to analyse the angles, but the result of the action is clear enough.

Bodie's really not that "big"
From a certain perspective, no. The lad who served me breakfast at the B&B in Lansing after Bistocon had seven or eight inches easily on Lewis Collins! He's taller than average for a British man of the post-war generation though, and is very solidly built - MS thought so anyway. And I agree (that ITPI back shot...)

Bodie's really not that "big".

[fiorenza-a.livejournal.com]

No, Bodie isn't. I'd say he was a comparable size to Napoleon, but none of the lads are ''big'' men in that sense. I've never really understood the need to make Bodie ''big''. Physical intimidation is as much in the attitude as in the size, there are obviously advantages to being huge, but Bodie is clearly shorter than many of the other characters in Pros and Illya is positively short by comparison! (Unless you're talking Armie Hammer, in which case I concede the point :0))

For me this exchange is the hook for the entire story (and for those who don't like the instant rapport, the reason I believe in it. Like finding a soul mate):

"I hate waiting. Don't know which is worse, waiting here or waiting for the ambulance."

"There's something worse than either," Napoleon said evenly.

"Yeh? What?" [Doyle] demanded.

"Not being there to wait." [Napoleon] sipped the weak coffee. "Getting a call in New
York that your partner's disappeared in Hong Kong or been found shot in
some Lisbon alley." He took a deep breath. "That's worse."

Re: Bodie's really not that "big".

[msmoat.livejournal.com]

Yes, I totally agree with that resonance. And...okay, in the Pros timeline, that is pre-DIAG, but it certainly echoes that. Bodie getting the call that there's an emergency at Doyle's flat....

Yeah, see, partner worry for the win all the way through this. How could I not fall for that? *g*

[kiwisue.livejournal.com]

Thought I would add Publication history:
The Waiting Room Affair, Chalk and Cheese 3, Agent with Style, 1989.
Incident in a Stair Well, Chalk and Cheese 3, Agent with Style, 1989
People Bending Broken Rules, Chalk and Cheese 5, Agent with Style, April 1990

I'm fond enough of the Man From U.N.C.L.E. and its stars that this works for me as a crossover(#), and I've re-read it a couple of times before now. There are some jangly moments with language and typos. The first one is the best of the three, the second is pretty good too. The third could have used a tighter edit, especially the scene descriptions and character actions. I always read it for completeness, but it's definitely not as polished as the other two. It also undercuts the outcome of the preceding stories to some degree - you could read the first two and think the relationships had reached a certain level, albeit understated at the conclusion, and trust that they would carry on to fulfillment: then at the beginning of the third it becomes clear that matters have only progressed to a limited extent and are in danger of unravelling (post-DIAG) without intervention by a third party. I think it's mostly just me, because I have little tolerance for silently suffering, and even less for running away, unless I can see how they came too that point.

If the third story was written with the same sensibility as the first two, this would feel like a very tidy little trio of stories but it isn't quite there.

I don't analyse this one to death, ever. I'm just in the mood for it sometimes :)

#Definitely watched for Illya in the 60's, but Mr Solo's charms grow on one with maturity.

[msmoat.livejournal.com]

Yes, I agree the third one doesn't hold up as well. I didn't actually re-read it this time, because I remember feeling that way. I don't quite know why, although your point about the relationships not having progressed much might be it.

Mr Solo's charms grow on one with maturity

[fiorenza-a.livejournal.com]

Actually, it's Illya who has grown on me. I like David McCallum as Illya, and I think the recent reboot underscores what he brought to the part. I can't imagine Armie Hammer getting this reception for his Illya

http://www.britishpathe.com/video/u-n-c-l-e-meets-nieces/query/uncle+nieces

but, and don't tell the U.N.C.L.E. guys because I always try to write from a neutral standpoint, it was always Napoleon for me.

I find the third one an odd disjoint to the other two, which is why I can't see the three as sequels - there's no real follow on. But I like the idea that Bodie or Doyle could have turned a corner and bumped into a middle aged Illya and Napoleon.

I agree that the stories aren't the sort you can pick to pieces and argue back and forth, but sometimes a little light broth is welcome.

RE: Mr Solo's charms grow on one with maturity

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

but, and don't tell the U.N.C.L.E. guys because I always try to write from a neutral standpoint, it was always Napoleon for me.

Oh, that's very good to hear. ;-)

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

I've always liked these stories, especially the first two. I love how the two sets of partners "get" each other, and realize almost from the first that they're meeting kindred spirits. The third, probably because I loathe the "much maligned" reunion movie, not so much. It brought up all the issues I had with the movie, and then seemed to dump those same issues on Bodie and Doyle.

But, mostly, these stories always make me smile. Give me a warm glow. Very likely because they had a lot to do with me getting into the UNCLE slash fandom. I'd watched UNCLE during its initial run, and had always loved it, but wasn't sure if I could get into the slash (having had a terrible crush on Napoleon.) These stories pretty much made up my mind.

U.N.C.L.E.

[fiorenza-a.livejournal.com]

It's funny, but I always view this as a Pros story, although, as I said, because of the broadcast dates, Illya and Napoleon were my earlier love.

RE: U.N.C.L.E.

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

I can see it either way. In fact, I think I have the stories saved twice, once in Pros fic file, and again in my UNCLE one.

[jessebee.livejournal.com]

While I have a great soft spot for these stories, upon rereading them I found they just did not work for me as they did before. I can't "see" the staircase either, and even to my ears I thought the language jarred in spots, but my main issue, I find, is the way the premise is handled as a whole. I get that the whole point is to highlight that these are two similiar pairs, and that they find that silent understanding of men wrapped in secrecy in the same situations, but ... it's too fast. The almost instant understanding, I can go with. The promptly almost open discussions of what they are, who they are, and who they are to each other? Not so much. I love the whole idea of the stories, but I am just ... not convinced.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

The promptly almost open discussions of what they are, who they are, and who they are to each other? Not so much. I love the whole idea of the stories, but I am just ... not convinced.
Exactly what I had issues with! I like the instant understanding (except for the initial one about them being in the same line of work and okay and safe etc. just from "partners"), but not so much the instant heart-baring...

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I don't know Man from UNCLE to watch - if I ever did it was so long ago that I've forgotten it, but I don't think I even saw it as a kid. I knew enough about who Napoleon and Ilya were that I sort of recognised them, but as with cross-overs where I only know one of the shows, I was left wondering if I'd missed allusions that it would have been more fun to recognise. That aside, I quite liked the plot - reasonably simple and stairway angles etc. aside, I like a good partner-worry story, so that worked. *g*

I'm more dubious about two plus two slash characters equals four slash characters, but I can go with it cos that's the point of the story really. Like jessebee above though, I can't see a Bodie and Doyle who would talk so openly about their relationship and so on with anyone, let alone a couple of foreigners who also happen to work in an intelligence department, let alone when one of them has a Russian name (granted, perhaps it's just his name and he has no accent - that's something I don't know cos I don't know the show - and maybe the lads don't know Ilya's name at that point, but...)

I also didn't like that part of the plot hanging on Napoleon recognising their similarities just through use of the word "partner" - there are other (perhaps more likely!) things that "partner" could mean than that someone's in the police... and then I'm not sure Doyle would describe Bodie as his "partner" to a random stranger in a hospital either. Surely "friend", or "colleague" would have made more sense... again, I can wave a hand that he did so cos he was worried and stressed, but... but then the next bit of the recognition tripped me up too, so...

Couldn't quite get my head around a gunshot wound to the chest/stomach area that would let Doyle be moved and sat up from a position lying down, without it getting worse - internal bleeding or summat... or that the baddie would decide he "hated waste" having just shot two men, and let a doctor up to them... But again, that's niggly.

Mostly I liked the story, except that I wasn't convinced the lads would a) talk about their relationship etc. so easily, b) with strangers - even if they were in the same line of work. So was Willis and the MI5 lot in the same line of work, and all the other different detectives and coppers and all that we see our lads being alternately rude to... *g*

But I probably wouldn't have read this except that it was for RR, because for years I've clicked my way back out again when I remembered that these were the Muncle crossover fics, so thanks for the prompt!

ETA - actually, I've just noticed that you define B/D (and perhaps N/I) as "pre-relationship" in your header - what makes you think that? It never occurred to me, as I was reading the stories, that they weren't solidly relationship....

[jessebee.livejournal.com]

ETA - actually, I've just noticed that you define B/D (and perhaps N/I) as "pre-relationship" in your header - what makes you think that? It never occurred to me, as I was reading the stories, that they weren't solidly relationship....

It isn't evident from those two stories, no, but it is made clear in the third one (which is not part of this RR). Which may or may not be a "flaw" in the story-telling, depending on one's point of view and how one wants to read the stories.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Ah, that explains it - fair enough (though yeah, I think I'd've preferred to know that more clearly from the outset, because if I had gone straight on to read the third one, it would have felt a bit like going backwards, somehow...)

I thought I'd hang on to print out the third one, but if I can get work finished tonight (and stop being distracted by wanting to catch up on lj and emails and all..!) then I'll do that tonight, cos it sounds like it's quite an important part of the trilogy!

he has no accent

[fiorenza-a.livejournal.com]

And thereby hangs a tale!

Actually, I'd say the only two things that you'd get from knowing about U.N.C.L.E. are the whole thing about it's always Illya who gets injured, not strictly true, but often enough for the cliché to exist, so an MFU fan would be expecting Illya to be injured and probably seriously (that poor boy, what he's been through!).

And the fact that no massaging of time lines was required to have Illya and Napoleon contemporaneous with CI5. They actually were.

As for Illya's accent, more or less present for the first (black and white) season, rapidly morphing into pretty much David McCallum's (therefore British leaning) thereafter.

I disagree about Bodie and Doyle's suspicion of Illya. If they knew U.N.C.L.E., they would know it was an international organisation created to combat a threat to world peace so dire that political considerations were put aside. By the time the story takes place Illya would have had an irreproachable service record.

RE: he has no accent

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

they would know it was an international organisation created to combat a threat to world peace so dire that political considerations were put aside. By the time the story takes place Illya would have had an irreproachable service record.
Well, that's partly also something you don't know if you don't know Muncle (*g*) - though bizarrely enough I did know that Ilya's the one always bashed around (that's fandom in general for you... *g*) - but even so... I'm still not convinced that either Bodie or Doyle (or anyone in their situation) would just take their word for it. Even if they knew they were from UNCLE, that doesn't make them personally trustworthy...

[heliophile-oxon.livejournal.com]

I'm quite fond of this trilogy (definitely agree that the third one, not technically included here, doesn't quite fit with the first two though), and I do rather enjoy the idea of an older IK and NS crossing paths with B&D like this - when they're supposed to be recruiting them :-)
I suppose one might say that a certain modicum of recruitment is actually involved, in a sense.
There are certainly some problems; I think they've been mentioned - such as the point that the characters rush just a shade too quickly into baring their souls, though I suppose the life-or-death circumstances help to wash that mouthful down. The biggest problem for me is probably the disconnect between part 2 and part 3, so again it's technically off the radar in this RR! I mean the fact that part 2 strongly suggests that the time for holding back is past and that everybody is going to admit to their feelings now and consummate them, whereas part 3 takes this odd step backwards and shows that this is all to do again (or rather, all still to do).
But part 3 is not here, as it were, so I can say that parts 1 and 2 are rather charming - and I do like the way the counterparts hit it off and understand each other; I like the four voices, which sound nice and different to me.
It's not a huge favourite, but it's certainly enjoyable.

disconnect between part 2 and part 3

[fiorenza-a.livejournal.com]

Yes, the reason I only reviewed 1 & 2 is that the third is like a slightly ill matched armchair in a three piece suite, it just never quite seems to fit.

There's apparently a gap in the publication dates, so I wonder if the third was written from memory, rather than of a piece? It can sometimes be hard to find the right voice again if you revisit a universe, so I'm wondering if a similar sort of thing happened here, with the feel for the plotting?

I thought the recruitment device sat a bit uncomfortably, nothing was needed for the first meeting because it was, presumably, co-incidence. I think maybe coming to CI5 for technical advice or assistance with local intelligence might have sat better as a plot device, because no real mileage is made of the recruitment. Or, at least, to my mind, it seems that way.

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

I found it hard to picture the positioning on the stairs at some points

I’m so glad it wasn't just me! Usually I can happily gloss over (or not notice) imperfections in a story, but I did find the staircase hard to imagine and the logistics of the lift scene at the end weren't too clear either, and because these things *were* the story it was distracting. ‘Bodie’s coming down’ - so the lift was on an upper floor and it seemed (I gleaned this from what was said later, but didn't think it was made very clear at the time) that he was on top of the lift, but whether he was on top or in it, wouldn’t Hoffman have wondered why the lift was suddenly on the move? Or maybe he was expecting it and I've missed something as I often do with films? Also, I thought Doyle being ‘allowed’ to whisper into his R/T every now and again a bit unlikely..... surely Hoffman would be keeping an eye on him? A close eye? I liked the bit where Napoleon says he’d be a safe medic because of his age(!) but my image of medics is that they’re young so I couldn’t really see that. In fact despite being more than familiar with all the main characters they never really came to life for me.

BUT, before I give the wrong impression(!) I must say I did enjoy the two stories, especially the longer one. I've never been very interested in crossovers and so for years I'd bypassed this one with no idea that it was an action story (which I'm growing more and more fond of) involving a hostage situation. I thought the basic plot was a good one and, despite the reservations I've already mentioned, I did enjoy the action and suspense.. So I'm very grateful to you for this choice as it actually motivated me to read the story.

Thank you for this week's review, I've enjoyed it!

Thank you for this week's review

[fiorenza-a.livejournal.com]

You're very welcome.

As I said, I'm not a huge crossover fan, and I can't remember now what prompted me to read this one, but I do like the idea of the lads and boys meeting.

(Actually I like some of the Life on Mars/CI5 crossovers too).

I'm interested in what kiwisue said about the publication dates:

The Waiting Room Affair, Chalk and Cheese 3, Agent with Style, 1989.
Incident in a Stair Well, Chalk and Cheese 3, Agent with Style, 1989
People Bending Broken Rules, Chalk and Cheese 5, Agent with Style, April 1990

because for me, it adds context to know where an author might have been 'at' when they were writing the stories.

Also, I wonder if the problem with the stairwell/s is because the writer is a visual person? I have to be careful of that myself, I 'see' what I'm writing and then I have to remember that reading is like radio, not television. If you don't explain, then the reader won't be able to 'see it' with you.

[paris7am.livejournal.com]

Thank you for your compliment, Fiorenza_a, but no, no comparisons! We are all different. I myself admire *your* style - clear, confident, conversational!

I enjoyed these stories when I first read them, and I enjoyed them again, this time. I also have no knowledge of Muncle except for what we hear about in fandom, so those characters were pretty much strangers to me, but there was enough for me to understand and catch on quickly.

I think it is hard to compare the two stories - one seems like a vignette and the other seems like an episode. The first seems internal, quiet, slow, and the second is external, action, noise, snap decisions. Both are very enjoyable in their own right, to me.

I have spent some time in waiting rooms feeling like my world had ended, and I recognize the emotions, the reactions. I am sure that in other circumstances Doyle would not speak so openly, but in shock and uncertainty, in that situation, it seemed okay to me. The one bit I stumbled over was the only "worse" thing - being away from your partner when they are injured? This could very well be a Muncle thing, and also has nothing to do with the author! It is just that every time I read it I stop and think, "Really? the worst thing would be to have your partner die!" I cannot seem to shake this... even after giving myself a lecture and reminding myself that in a waiting room you would NOT bring up the topic of death, and that hopefully Napoleon hasn't had that happen (but Doyle has, hasn't he?)...

The action and adrenaline of the second story works really well, I thought. I couldn't picture the angles, et cetera, but it wasn't distracting to me. I remember feeling a little twinge of "how on earth is the author going to manage this?!" with both Bodie and Napoleon chomping on the stairs. But she did, for me. Another bit, that I recognize is my own problem! is the repeated mention of the curls... I guess when IK and RD are both down next to each other, I go on high alert to defend them against any and all aspersions that they might be smaller or lighter or prettier... I just cannot seem to change my instinctual response to "curls"! (okay, I admit I also got a twinge with the eye colors, too..."warm green eyes went to familiar midnight blue" and "sky blue and deep brown connected"... I cannot exactly put it into words but I think this gets into the show versus tell thing - because isn't this really a way of showing, not telling?) I enjoyed the ending scene, the NS and WAPB comparison - both dapper and enjoying the finer things in life..."visiting the Queen, are you?" LLLOL.

It was so interesting to see the footage of Uncle and Nieces - wow! I had no idea! Thanks for sharing that link.

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

I am sure that in other circumstances Doyle would not speak so openly, but in shock and uncertainty, in that situation, it seemed okay to me.

Oh, good point.

clear, confident, conversational...

[fiorenza-a.livejournal.com]

thank you :0)

For me the worse was meant in context, rather than as an absolute. So Napoleon was comparing the hopelessness of being unable to offer anything but words and comfort to an injured partner, when so much more is needed, with not being there even to do that.

that they might be smaller or lighter or prettier oh yes! To me Illya (Mr McC's Illya) is shorter, and maybe pretty, but he's also no one's push over. I've heard the syndrome referred to as Princess Illya and Illya is certainly not that. He's Napoleon's equal in all but height. I've never understood the need for him to be anything else.

I have heard it justified as the 'weaker' partner being used as a cipher for the woman's role in a straight relationship. Which I find totally offensive, who says the woman's role is perforce the weaker? That heterosexual partnerships must only be unequal and therefore when they are viewed through the prism of a homosexual relationship, that one partner must be emasculated?

I also have the same problem with the supposed submissiveness of the partner who 'bottoms', nature does not equip women for the penetrative role in sex. Must I then assume that all women are biddable and submissive in bed, unable to direct the act of love in which they are engaged?

When it comes to Doyle, the height difference between he and Bodie disappears the minute one of them is wearing trainers and the other boots. There's barely an inch or so between them, so my teeth are on edge every time a fic has Doyle 'look up' to Bodie. If Doyle was of a mind to kiss Bodie, he certainly wouldn't have to stand on tip toe, they could quite comfortably look each other in the eye, nose to nose. And Doyle is quite capable of decking Bodie (and has, in canon).

I'm not sure how I feel about the use of eye colour, for a start it only works if you subscribe to a green eyed Doyle (I don't, but I tend to go with the author's view when reading. I am, after all, entering their universe) and a brown eyed Napoleon (canon has recorded them as hazel, which I'd go with). But that's an irrelevance to the argument between show and tell. I think the device works, but risks becoming farcical if overused. This story probably stays on the right side of the divide.

Uncle and Nieces U.N.C.L.E. is an MGM baby, their previous record for fan mail apparently belonged to Clark Gable, David McCallum's is said to have set a new one.

Mr McC himself says he remembers having to be rescued from being mobbed and was once airlifted to safety by helicopter.