Reading Room - Hang About by Irene
Nov. 11th, 2015 06:48 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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ci5hqHello!
I don’t really know what I’m doing. I haven’t ever hosted one of these before! And since I’ve been busy moving and panicking and finishing a Pros BB, I haven’t really studied what other people have done. Consider this, then, a newbie free-form hosting of Irene’s story “Hang About”. (Available through Proslib, or in the zine Overtures, 2003, Allamagoosa Press.)
I wrote 7 pages of notes in preparation for this.*g* Yes. No, I’m not going to inflict all 7 pages on you all! I haven’t read this story for a few years, and found that I had forgotten a lot of it. I remembered, in detail, the start of the story--Bodie’s fall, the pain of hanging on, Doyle’s anguish and determination to rescue Bodie. I had forgotten the aftermath, though. (How? It’s so good!) Doyle’s revelation and confession, Bodie’s confusion and angst, Cowley’s intervention, and then the very satisfying (to me) ending. You might as well know now: I love this story. It works for me. I had a great time re-reading it.
Let's go through it, shall we? Here's a snippet:
A new tone was there in Doyle's voice. To an outsider it would sound brittle. To Bodie it was dearly familiar, a promise that they were going to find a way out of this, just as they'd found a way out of every other tight spot they'd ever been in.
One of the themes of the story is who well the lads know one another, their near-telepathic understanding--on the job, certainly, but also off. Bodie knows immediately when something is wrong with Doyle after the rescue, and he forces Doyle’s confession. For them, it is always about each other, in their own world, even when they don’t fully realize that. So, here, Doyle knows he has to try to rescue Bodie, even while rescue is on its way, because he knows Bodie won’t last long. And they are totally in sync with working together to rescue themselves--and it is “themselves”; they are a unit. That point is made again and again in the story.
I love the tension in the hanging scene--Bodie’s pain, yet his coolness through all of it. Doyle seeing through that coolness, but exhibiting his own brand of it. Both of them show defiance and utter courage throughout. It’s tense and real, and wonderfully written.
Doyle's eyes didn't shift, but Bodie saw the attention turn to him. It was like watching metal catch the light.
Beautifully put.
So, the rescue happens and then Bodie realizes Doyle is struggling with something, and they go to the pub, where he tries to dig whatever it is out of Doyle. There’s this bit:
For a moment, Bodie had to fight the impulse to laugh aloud. It was all there -- the voice, the expression, the pose. Bodie didn't try to conceal his amused affection. "St. Raymond the Martyr."
Doyle opened his eyes wide. "What?"
Bodie savoured Doyle's astonished indignation.
"Just a figure of speech, old boy."
I’m not overly fond of Doyle-as-martyr observations, but this one works very well here. I think in part because Doyle recognizes it himself--he’s shaken out of it by Bodie’s words--and it’s all done with affection rather than snark, if that makes any sense. Plus, it makes sense within the context of the story--Doyle blames himself for falling in love with Bodie. I like how the "martyr" cliche is played with a bit here--true, but Doyle sees it himself. Just, in the same way, as Irene plays with Bodie putting on his “stupid merc” act, and Doyle dismissing that with: “You know bloody well what that means.” They know each other very well, and it all rings true to us. (Well, to me, anyway!)
As an aside, I’m also not overly fond of Doyle-is-stingy, and there is reference to that when Doyle goes for a second round without any protest, but that’s used to such good effect here that I love it. It’s a characterization I can live with, when the story is this enjoyable. So, the confession happens and Bodie retreats in confusion and denial. Fortunately (as they recognize), they then get very busy with the job.
We have another wonderfully written action scene that leads to Bodie’s own realization about his feelings for Doyle, although he still wants nothing to do with the implications.
I have to quote this, just because it captures the lads’ dialogue so well:
"No?" Doyle was unconcerned. "Have it your way. You do the diverting."
Bodie didn't let Doyle bulldoze him. "No, that's not -- All I meant was, I think we should discuss it."
"Since when do the two of us need to discuss anything?" Doyle retorted. "On the job, I mean. But it's a good thought." To the RT, he said, "Make that two bullet-proof vests -- Bodie needs one too."
"Good idea," said Bodie. "Glad I had it.
They are in disarray, and it shows on the job. Cowley gets involved, and their flats are bugged. This is a wily, ruthless, devious Cowley who does, nevertheless, have some affection for the lads. I love Bodie’s comment to Cowley that they aren’t “good lads”--they’d be no use to him if they were. And Cowley knows that. I do think that his list is in the nature of a warning to the lads--if they do what he must never know they do, they must be extraordinarily discreet and careful and check for bugs, etc. He offers them no protection. But his warning is, in itself, a protection. As is his sending Bodie to talk Doyle into coming back to CI5. He wants them--warned--but he wants them. And they, in turn, agree to go back, under his rules, but following their own as well. To me, this is nicely twisted in just the right way. It’s believable. They lads aren't denying themselves, and Cowley probably knows that, but everyone is on board with the very, very real threat and warning.
But before that, we have bits like this: Bodie banged his head against his pillow. Where did Doyle get the energy? Must be something to those bloody vitamins after all.
Heh! How can I not love that? It’s a shout-out to the episodes, but funny and right all in its own.
And, finally, after all the angst:
Bodie let it go, let it all go, and when Bodie came, Doyle held him as hard as Bodie held Doyle, held him together, took all the pieces and made Bodie into someone new. Someone clean and clear. Someone who knew what he needed. Someone brave enough to change.
*Sighs* I love that.
I totally did not remember that Doyle was listening in to the conversation Cowley had with Bodie. Hah! See? They will definitely be able to play this game that Cowley proposes--follow his “rules”, but follow their own as well. They are just as devious as he is--just as "good". (With all the permutations of that term!)
Irene is one of those writers whose style is very different from the norm, at least to my eyes, and I appreciate it for what it is. I’m so glad she is making her stories more available through Proslib now. Hopefully many more will come!
I’m sure there are issues that some had with this and that in the story, (part of loving a story is to nit-pick, I think *g*). But I hope most of you found it enjoyable as well. So, let's discuss! What did you all think?
I don’t really know what I’m doing. I haven’t ever hosted one of these before! And since I’ve been busy moving and panicking and finishing a Pros BB, I haven’t really studied what other people have done. Consider this, then, a newbie free-form hosting of Irene’s story “Hang About”. (Available through Proslib, or in the zine Overtures, 2003, Allamagoosa Press.)
I wrote 7 pages of notes in preparation for this.*g* Yes. No, I’m not going to inflict all 7 pages on you all! I haven’t read this story for a few years, and found that I had forgotten a lot of it. I remembered, in detail, the start of the story--Bodie’s fall, the pain of hanging on, Doyle’s anguish and determination to rescue Bodie. I had forgotten the aftermath, though. (How? It’s so good!) Doyle’s revelation and confession, Bodie’s confusion and angst, Cowley’s intervention, and then the very satisfying (to me) ending. You might as well know now: I love this story. It works for me. I had a great time re-reading it.
Let's go through it, shall we? Here's a snippet:
A new tone was there in Doyle's voice. To an outsider it would sound brittle. To Bodie it was dearly familiar, a promise that they were going to find a way out of this, just as they'd found a way out of every other tight spot they'd ever been in.
One of the themes of the story is who well the lads know one another, their near-telepathic understanding--on the job, certainly, but also off. Bodie knows immediately when something is wrong with Doyle after the rescue, and he forces Doyle’s confession. For them, it is always about each other, in their own world, even when they don’t fully realize that. So, here, Doyle knows he has to try to rescue Bodie, even while rescue is on its way, because he knows Bodie won’t last long. And they are totally in sync with working together to rescue themselves--and it is “themselves”; they are a unit. That point is made again and again in the story.
I love the tension in the hanging scene--Bodie’s pain, yet his coolness through all of it. Doyle seeing through that coolness, but exhibiting his own brand of it. Both of them show defiance and utter courage throughout. It’s tense and real, and wonderfully written.
Doyle's eyes didn't shift, but Bodie saw the attention turn to him. It was like watching metal catch the light.
Beautifully put.
So, the rescue happens and then Bodie realizes Doyle is struggling with something, and they go to the pub, where he tries to dig whatever it is out of Doyle. There’s this bit:
For a moment, Bodie had to fight the impulse to laugh aloud. It was all there -- the voice, the expression, the pose. Bodie didn't try to conceal his amused affection. "St. Raymond the Martyr."
Doyle opened his eyes wide. "What?"
Bodie savoured Doyle's astonished indignation.
"Just a figure of speech, old boy."
I’m not overly fond of Doyle-as-martyr observations, but this one works very well here. I think in part because Doyle recognizes it himself--he’s shaken out of it by Bodie’s words--and it’s all done with affection rather than snark, if that makes any sense. Plus, it makes sense within the context of the story--Doyle blames himself for falling in love with Bodie. I like how the "martyr" cliche is played with a bit here--true, but Doyle sees it himself. Just, in the same way, as Irene plays with Bodie putting on his “stupid merc” act, and Doyle dismissing that with: “You know bloody well what that means.” They know each other very well, and it all rings true to us. (Well, to me, anyway!)
As an aside, I’m also not overly fond of Doyle-is-stingy, and there is reference to that when Doyle goes for a second round without any protest, but that’s used to such good effect here that I love it. It’s a characterization I can live with, when the story is this enjoyable. So, the confession happens and Bodie retreats in confusion and denial. Fortunately (as they recognize), they then get very busy with the job.
We have another wonderfully written action scene that leads to Bodie’s own realization about his feelings for Doyle, although he still wants nothing to do with the implications.
I have to quote this, just because it captures the lads’ dialogue so well:
"No?" Doyle was unconcerned. "Have it your way. You do the diverting."
Bodie didn't let Doyle bulldoze him. "No, that's not -- All I meant was, I think we should discuss it."
"Since when do the two of us need to discuss anything?" Doyle retorted. "On the job, I mean. But it's a good thought." To the RT, he said, "Make that two bullet-proof vests -- Bodie needs one too."
"Good idea," said Bodie. "Glad I had it.
They are in disarray, and it shows on the job. Cowley gets involved, and their flats are bugged. This is a wily, ruthless, devious Cowley who does, nevertheless, have some affection for the lads. I love Bodie’s comment to Cowley that they aren’t “good lads”--they’d be no use to him if they were. And Cowley knows that. I do think that his list is in the nature of a warning to the lads--if they do what he must never know they do, they must be extraordinarily discreet and careful and check for bugs, etc. He offers them no protection. But his warning is, in itself, a protection. As is his sending Bodie to talk Doyle into coming back to CI5. He wants them--warned--but he wants them. And they, in turn, agree to go back, under his rules, but following their own as well. To me, this is nicely twisted in just the right way. It’s believable. They lads aren't denying themselves, and Cowley probably knows that, but everyone is on board with the very, very real threat and warning.
But before that, we have bits like this: Bodie banged his head against his pillow. Where did Doyle get the energy? Must be something to those bloody vitamins after all.
Heh! How can I not love that? It’s a shout-out to the episodes, but funny and right all in its own.
And, finally, after all the angst:
Bodie let it go, let it all go, and when Bodie came, Doyle held him as hard as Bodie held Doyle, held him together, took all the pieces and made Bodie into someone new. Someone clean and clear. Someone who knew what he needed. Someone brave enough to change.
*Sighs* I love that.
I totally did not remember that Doyle was listening in to the conversation Cowley had with Bodie. Hah! See? They will definitely be able to play this game that Cowley proposes--follow his “rules”, but follow their own as well. They are just as devious as he is--just as "good". (With all the permutations of that term!)
Irene is one of those writers whose style is very different from the norm, at least to my eyes, and I appreciate it for what it is. I’m so glad she is making her stories more available through Proslib now. Hopefully many more will come!
I’m sure there are issues that some had with this and that in the story, (part of loving a story is to nit-pick, I think *g*). But I hope most of you found it enjoyable as well. So, let's discuss! What did you all think?
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Hang About by Irene
Date: 2015-11-12 01:44 am (UTC)Before I contribute anything at all (and it's very late, or very early, where I am and I need to be asleep, so it won't be much at this stage) I would like to say a big thank you to byslantedlight for enabling me to participate in this week's high jinks by sending me a copy of the story :0)
So, to Hang About by Irene. When it comes to punctuation marks I am a bit of a traditionalist, I prefer mine old school. So it always takes me a few minutes to change gears when people are using '*' for emphasis, etc. I appreciate there are sound, mostly technical, reasons for the shift, but like I said, traditionalist, so it took me a minute or two to adjust.
The pace of the story was a wee bit frenetic for me too and there were occasions when, for my tastes, the narrative veered a bit too close to the 'everything explained' type of style we were discussing the other week with reference to Alone in the Wilderness (http://www.thecircuitarchive.com/tca/archive/2/alonein.html). by Elessar (http://www.thecircuitarchive.com/tca/cgi-bin/search.cgi?ShortResults=1&Title=&Title_Range=0&Author=Elessar&AuthorRange=0&Original_Publication=&Summary=&Date=0&SizeRange=0&SortBy=1&SortOrder=0&NumToList=0&Exact=1).
- "Think he's still here?" Doyle asked.
- Bodie knew he meant Cowley. "Sure to be. It's not even eight o'clock."
Perversely, in other parts of the story, I would have preferred a little more clarity, such as when Doyle is searching Bodie for a wire. 'Bodie stripped off and stood before Doyle, proud of his own detachment.' It wasn't clear to me at this point whether Bodie had simply stripped his torso and feet, leaving him, for a man, exposed, but still respectably dressed (and this is not the time to debate the Free the Nipple (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_the_Nipple_(campaign)) campaign); or whether he had been naked in front of Doyle, which, given the particular context of the story, significantly changes the moment (and the quality of Bodie's 'detachment'). The author does offer this clarity a few paragraphs later, but for me, it loses its power in being deferred.
I also learnt something new, 'brown study' is not a term I'd run across before and I always like anything which sends me to the dictionary, as did 'Bokhara carpet' (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkmen_rug). I'd be more likely to use the generic 'Oriental rug' (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oriental_rug).
It also quotes a poem I can't remember reading (I don't habitually read Byron (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Destruction_of_Sennacherib)), something else to add to the pot.
So, all in all, I enjoyed this story. Not too sweet, not too heavy. If I'm honest, I can't say it sent me scuttling to find other works by the same writer, but if I ran across one in a zine, I'd be happy to read it.
RE: Hang About by Irene
Date: 2015-11-12 01:58 am (UTC)Hmm, I can sort of see what you mean about "everything explained" in that Irene's style is to clarify what the pov character is thinking, to a certain extent. But she doesn't explain plot points or scenes or anything that would niggle me. So, different tastes, I suppose! And I did assume "stripped" meant exactly that--fully striped, especially because was so proud of his own detachment. *g*
Different strokes!
Re: Hang About by Irene
Date: 2015-11-12 08:57 am (UTC)Some devices and formats are still not conducive to 'trad' punctuation. I'm happy about the new conventions, but it takes my eye a while to adjust.
This is the part that led to my confusion:
[Doyle] "The quicker you show me you're not bugged, the quicker we can get this over with."
"Quicker, eh?" Bodie kicked off his shoes and started on his shirt buttons. "What is it we're doing here again?"
"Socks too." Doyle scanned Bodie's shoes with scrupulous attention to detail. "We're here because we need to talk."
Bodie stripped off and stood before Doyle, proud of his own detachment.
S/he (I never like to assume) skipped the best bits! (And so, apparently, did Doyle.)
But like I said, if I saw another Irene story, I'd be happy to read it.
RE: Hang About by Irene
Date: 2015-11-12 05:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-11-12 03:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-11-12 07:35 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-11-12 11:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-11-12 12:19 pm (UTC)And I really should be working...
no subject
Date: 2015-11-12 09:29 am (UTC)Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in FAQ (https://www.dreamwidth.org/support/faqbrowse?faqid=303).
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Date: 2015-11-12 11:45 am (UTC)"Where've you been?" Doyle demanded with such force that he had to follow it up with an elaborate wince. He rubbed his solar plexus as he squinted reproachfully up at Bodie. "How long does it take you to calm down one hysterical blonde?"
"You know how it is." Bodie chucked his vest into the back of the Capri where it landed on the one Doyle had thrown there. "The blonder they are..." He let his voice trail off suggestively.
..... and I find I’m either smiling all the time or holding my breath at the perfect way the writer depicts certain things about who they are and what kind of relationship they have. More specifically, I loved how the emotional power balance shifts between them when Bodie's hanging and almost giving up, yet realises what a bad place Doyle’s in and has to start reassuring him. This is one of the best stories I’ve read for 'showing' not 'telling' us how they feel about each other - in fact I think Irene could give master classes on it. e.g. when Bodie rests his head on the steering wheel in the car after he’s been rescued – again, his reaction is understated but extremely moving and plausible, much more so than other stories where either of the lads can be shown to be fainting and flailing all over the place (I *think* that's a word), in other words doing all kinds of exaggerated and unimaginable things which 'blokes' like them would never do..
For them, it is always about each other, in their own world, even when they don’t fully realize that
Yes! Absolutely and done completely without slush which makes it all the more endearing.
Anyway, thank you very much for this rec and thank you for posting it so early in the day, it was lovely to see it first thing this morning!
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Date: 2015-11-12 02:49 pm (UTC)I agree with you on the readable point. Her narrative style just flows so naturally, you don't even realize, until you focus on it and take it apart, how cleverly she is using words.
I loved how the emotional power balance shifts between them
Yes! I loved that too. Especially in the scene you mention--when Bodie is hanging there--but also at other points as well. These are very much equal lads, feeling the same things but dealing with them differently, and always ready to forget the "I" to meet the needs of the other--even when they think they can't. *g* It's just a beautiful relationship flow.
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Date: 2015-11-12 05:25 pm (UTC)I wish! There are loads of stories online which I've not read (or forgotten that I've read them) and even more zine stories which I haven't read because, compared to a lot of people, I don't own that many. The people who respond to questions at Pros Finder put me to shame!
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Date: 2015-11-12 05:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-11-12 04:37 pm (UTC)YES! exactly. Beautifully put.
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Date: 2015-11-12 05:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-11-12 05:54 pm (UTC)(apologies for the self-serving post)
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Date: 2015-11-12 07:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-11-12 07:27 pm (UTC)Might you be interested in making a self-serving post to
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Date: 2015-11-12 08:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-11-12 08:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-11-12 01:27 pm (UTC)First off though, a clarification of sorts: the * thing that pops up in that story and other older ones is not punctuation so much as it is coding. Back in the bad old days, most folks didn't have equipment and such nearly advanced enough to handle italics and bolding and such, as
Back to Hang About. I love Irene's style because it is so very readable. It says what needs to be said, no less but no more, either, for the most part. It is a very plain style - she doesn't go in for complicated structure or overly-clever wordage, but yet I think the words and descriptions she uses are chosen with care, both in dialogue and elsewhere. The scene
I could burble on about this and other Irene stories as well (I adore Groundhog Doyle!) but I won't ... yet ...
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Date: 2015-11-12 02:53 pm (UTC)Thank you for the clarification--you said exactly what I meant to say. *g* Yes, it was a coding issue, going back to the early days of online fandom, and common across the board. And, yes I remember the codes as you did.
I think the words and descriptions she uses are chosen with care, both in dialogue and elsewhere
I agree. I love it because she has this "plain" style, that just flows, and yet when you dissect it, and really focus on it, you realize how cleverly she is using words--just exactly the right words--throughout. It's not a simple style, yet gives the impression of simplicity, if that makes any sense.
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Date: 2015-11-12 03:26 pm (UTC)Me too, most fervently!
And, yes I remember the codes as you did.
Whew. Excellent. My memory is not always the best.
It's not a simple style, yet gives the impression of simplicity
YES, that's what I meant, thank you! Illustrated in lines such as this: "I like it." Doyle caught his breath. "No, I *love* it." So beautifully put together, meaning completely clear, nothing out of place. I'd give serious money to be able to construct that neatly.
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Date: 2015-11-12 04:03 pm (UTC)Thank you so much for choosing this one - I hadn't read it before, though like a squirrel with a nut I had it saved for a rainy day.
And I love it! Mostly for all the reasons you mention, but also because the lads are gloriously tough and unladylike - they might be falling in love, but they're going down wrestling and snarking at one another, and outwitting Cowley in the process.
I'm still not absolutely sure I understand/know quite how much Cowley knows, or completely what his motives are - but that's so in keeping with canon it's a bonus... I could ramble for ages, but I'll spare you and just say thank you instead. It's a great read, and left me happy and content at the end. Job done!
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Date: 2015-11-12 04:18 pm (UTC)Yes, I agree with you about Cowley. I'm not certain, either. I am coming down on the side that he knows--or at least "knows without wanting to know" about them. I mean, he had the report from Kate Ross, and he indicates that he does believe in her professionalism, but the text does say, somewhere, that she doesn't understand all the things she knows. Or something like that. So, I do read that whole series of scenes as a warning--a dire warning--to the lads, right down to the surveillance and the reasons behind it. I think, too, that Cowley acts not only because of Willis but also because of the disruption to his team that caused him to send them to Macklin in the first place. That, along with Ross's report must tell him what's going on--as does the fact that Bodie apparently talks Doyle in to staying with CI5. Yeah, so I'm coming down on the side of thinking Cowley does know ,has left them as prepared as he can--total and complete discretion and he won't probe--but also forewarned that he can't and won't "save" them if they falter at all. And I like all that. *g*
But It could be read completely differently. Which is fine--I don't like ambiguity when it comes to Bodie and Doyle's relationship, but am fine with it elsewhere. *g*
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Date: 2015-11-12 04:30 pm (UTC)Yes! That's how I like to take it - Cowley giving them a shot across the bows, so to speak, and sewing up Willis in the process. Cowley in canon is written as a tricky blighter, so you can easily see him doing it. Part of the fun of the story is it's ambiguous, leaving you to think it through for yourself... Still, perhaps I ought to read it all over again, just to make sure I didn't miss a vital clue *g*
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Date: 2015-11-12 04:33 pm (UTC)Thank you for recommending this story and for doing such a good one, too.
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Date: 2015-11-12 04:58 pm (UTC)I don't mine the I'm-not-gay-except-for-you-now trope when it is done well, as it is here. It works. They hadn't thought about it, don't really want it, but it is inescapably true. I love the romance of it. As for real life...well, I've read too much now about human sexuality and attraction to rule out anything.*g* I understand how this trope, particularly in the past, has been used in a homophobic way. But that's not the case here, and I've always kind of regretted how, in a certain period of Pros history at least, authors were strongly discouraged to explore the notion that two previously het men might, under certain circumstances, find that they love and want each other.
I agree about that scene at the other bloke's apartment--so tense, and so perfectly done to show us their connection. The very connection that leads to all the difficulties. *g*
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Date: 2015-11-12 08:55 pm (UTC)And wow, didn't you say a mouthful there! Do you mind if I borrow this and riff on it a little bit over at my own LJ? Because this is such an interesting and long-running idea/discussion, and one that is close to my own heart for a number of reasons. I remember so clearly being one of those authors you describe (although not in Pros) and being literally shouted down in a panel discussion when I came out in favor of the concept of two previously het men discovering love together. And it saddened and confused me no end then, because to me it made quite logical sense that people would fall in love with other people, not particularly with body parts.
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Date: 2015-11-13 02:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-11-12 10:57 pm (UTC)I can understand that regret. I've always thought that the notion of two straight men falling in love (is that possible? Can we still see them as straight? A whole discussion in its own right!) is a far more interesting and challenging scenario with all the complexities that go along with that, than two gay men. (I know I probably wouldn't have said that when homosexuality was illegal!)
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Date: 2015-11-13 02:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-11-13 11:36 am (UTC)I hate it when a potentially interesting subject (or even a non-interesting one!) is stifled and people feel they can't talk about it. The other day I heard someone on the radio say people have as much right to offend as not to offend and I thought what an interesting statement!
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Date: 2015-11-13 04:48 am (UTC)As Msmoat says, the wide spectrum of sexuality has proved over and over that sexual attraction can come from men or women and it does happen that previously straight people see the person they were meant for in the same sex. I think that makes it all the more special--not just 'gay for each other' but that they found their partner, whoever it may be.
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Date: 2015-11-13 11:43 am (UTC)I think it's when people are labelled that things can become difficult and a man (e.g. Doyle) might find himself saying, well I've always liked women (i.e. I'm straight) so how can I love Bodie? Labels constrict people *and* the imagination and I think we over-categorise people and sexuality too much, so much so that things can become boring. Let people be whoever they want to be(!)
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Date: 2015-11-12 05:32 pm (UTC)You've actually picked out most of my favourite lines here too - Doyle's eyes didn't shift, but Bodie saw the attention turn to him. It was like watching metal catch the light. - yes! And Bodie banged his head against his pillow. Where did Doyle get the energy? Must be something to those bloody vitamins after all. - yes, and yes! *g*
Like you I love the way Irene shows us how well our lads know each other - not with big soppy declarations, but shows us. And even when she has them talking about what they're thinking/feeling, it's just the right amount. Like Doyle's confession in the pub - he makes it (like Bodie confesses to loving the girl that Krivas killed, on the stairs), and he and Bodie both take it in, and then they move away and carry on with life while they're mulling it over in one way and another in the background, and they don't ignore it in the meantime, but there's no soap-opera type stuff, it's just them, the same two blokes that we see in the eps - the ones who catch each other's eyes and tap each other's arms, and place a hand on each other's back or shoulder...
Oh, and like you the one part that niggled was the idea that Doyle's tight - granted the dvds gives us easier access to re- and re- and re-watching, but Doyle buys lots of drinks in the eps, and I think we see Bodie buy Doyle one vodka and orange, and a strawberry ice cream - and he complains about the price of the ice-cream! How their reputation came to be so switched round... (Whilst I'm on the subject, I've just rewatched Mixed Doubles too, and it's Doyle who says "I'll go and get the bags"... *g*)
Actually I say that was the only thing that niggled, but I must confess to being just slightly impatient with the whole Cowley-Willis-bugs part at the end. There'd been so much other wonderful stuff before, that was important enough that it would have held the story on its own, that it seemed a bit... unnecessary? I mean, their realisations etc. don't come in a vacuum of course, and of course CI5 is going on all around them at the same time, and perhaps other agencies would have spotted (somehow - perhaps via Ross' report) that now might be a good time to start watching them for blackmail material, but... it almost seemed to veer it off to being a different story. The beginning - the hanging about *g* - was so gorgeous, and then the tension of Doyle's confession and how they'd handle it, and CI5 was going on all around them and nearly killing them and all which added tension... so if I was being critical, I think that'd be it, that it could have taken us beautifully deeply into our lads just from there...
But excellent story to have been given to read, because I've not read it for aaaaages, and had completely forgotten it. I wonder if we could start a campaign for more Irene stories... *g*
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Date: 2015-11-12 06:30 pm (UTC)This is a great story, and shows her strength in dialogue and B/D telepathy *g* - the whole development of their respective realisations is absolutely riveting. The way each - differently - resists what is going on, rejects the situation ... but eventually acknowledges that yes this has happened, this is.
I agree with bsl about the bugging - it's funny but even though I think it works perfectly fine for what we know of Cowley and Willis, I almost feel the whole bugging thing is ... surplus to requirements, in a way - perhaps just a little bit more elaborate than necessary, what with the way Willis' agent is hoist by their own petard? It slightly weakens the intensity in the last third. My only minuscule caveat, really!
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Date: 2015-11-13 04:38 am (UTC)Loved this bit--Slowly, slowly, with the speed of paint drying, of water boiling, of
roses blooming, Bodie tilted his head and touched his mouth to Doyle's.