Pros Novelisation Weekly Read 1 - Where the Jungle Ends - p5 to p57 - Old Dog With New Tricks

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

And we're off! *g* There's alot more in this novelisation than I realised, so I'll try and do a cut for each point to make it easier to read. And numbering - there will be numbering. *g*

The first of the Pros novelisations is Where the Jungle Ends, and the first episode in the book is Old Dog With New Tricks - sort of.

1. Actually, the first episode that we read about is a rather tangled version of the start of Where the Jungle Ends, where the lads are at the airport with a handcuffed Chappie (Keller, but not Bodie's mate Keller, which always throws me!) who is being deported and told not to come back.

In the novelisation though, we get: The tousle-haired, round-faced one in the casual clothes said "Passport. Visa. Ticket to Istanbul." He glanced at the prisoner as though an offensive smell clung to him. "One way."

...the dark-haired one stepped smoothly forward. He gripped the prisoner's shoulder and without effort swung him about, half off-balance. His hard face wore a look of concentrated menace, the eyebrows drawn down, and his eyes revealed far more of the fire in him than his voice, which remained cool, impersonal, and all the more deadly because of that.

"Listen Keller, and listen good. There's a funny notion around that we English are all fair play and scruples. Forget it! We play in your league now Keller. And if I ever see your face again I'm going to blow it clean off your shoulders! Dig?"

The novelisation stops there, but in WtJE Bodie thinks he sees an old mercenary mate, Benny - and of course he actually had. Since Old Dog with New Tricks was supposed to be the first episode, and we see lots of other moments that set up CI5 and our lads, I wonder if this scene was originally part of ODwNT and later adapted for WtJE, because it does show the lads as very no-nonsense, and involved in tough deportations of criminals. My first idea was that Blake was being clever and showing us that operations overlapped, and that things weren't as tidy in real life as in the on-screen episodes - but actually I think that's probably giving him too much credit. It doesn't quite make sense that he might have seen all the other scripts, did the clever thing, but then cut out an identical scene from WtJE that had a major plot point in it (Bodie knowing that Benny was back in town).

What we don't get (sadly) is the scene where Cowley calls the lads to his office, and they emerge together, recognise the potential "death or disaster" and then go back down the corridor together, noting "That's no gentleman, that's George Cowley." So a different introduction to our lads, perhaps? Setting up what they deal with, that they're together, and that their boss is... well, Cowley. *g*

2. From there we slide into Charley Turkel's pov as he visits Henry in jail, and decides he has to be rescued. We get more information about his background plans and how powerful he is than in the eps. There's a section from Billy's pov, and then we're finally back to Bodie and Doyle when they discover the bodies. This is the ep almost word for word, but there is a slight addition.

"This one's known. Thomas Patrick Murphy. Liverpool-Irish. We've been looking for him."

"But someone else found him first."

[In the ep, Doyle now says "Didn't they though."]

Doyle's experience differed from Bodie's in this area. He looked around at the bodies.

"The others are kids. Just kids."

"Bad kids."

"Dead kids," said Doyle. The trucks bed gaped empty. Doyle looking in, thinking, as Bodie walked across. In Bodie's hand a rifle cartridge winked bright as he tossed it up and down, sharp, clean, silver and gold."

And then we're back to the ep as screened again. Blake was apparently given the first season's scripts from which to write the novels, which suggests that this sort of difference was originally supposed to be in the eps, but was cut out at some later point. I suppose the directors decided it would be "better television" to show the lads as completely tough, without any sympathetic side, but I think that's a shame. I guess it meant we could extrapolate it better as fanfic writers, but still... I wonder if we'd have felt differently about the lads if those few lines of Doyle's had been left in...

3. The next main scene is Cowley's new-recruits scene, which has a few interesting bits. We're given a bit more of Cowley's background, too.

"A tough, stocky, compact man, George Cowley. He'd been for some years M.I.5's most unpopular and, ultimately, most respected administrator. [Note not head of MI5 - isn't that what one of the eps say, later? Need to Know?] His face although networked with fine lines was still far too damned handsome for the craggy powerhouse of a man, ruthless, determined, utterly dedicated to whatever he set his hands to, that he was. ... At first Cowley's burr of a Northern accent had been a positive demerit; it was now associated with very plain speaking indeed."

I'm interested in "Northern accent" - that doesn't usually imply Scotland (a Scottish accent!) but somewhere more like Manchester or Yorkshire, or... well, anywhere "north of Watford Gap". I can't remember offhand - did they have someone else slated to pay Cowley at first?

4. A foreshadowing of Heroes: "The Army Intelligence captain stood up. Cowley saw Doyle and Bodie [who'd just come into the room]; but he gave no sign. They were a right couple of tearaways; he liked to call them his alleged ace-operatives. With them - and others dedicated to the same ends, like Joe Tulliver and Dick Mason and Tommy McKay - he got the dirty jobs done. Cowley frowned at his thoughts and the captain almost sat down again; but he held on doggedly. Although, Cowley reflected, McKay - Shotgun Tommy, they called him - was perhaps a little too much of a tearaway. There was a wild oddness about Tommy that would erupt one fine day."

So this must be Blake making an effort to smooth the episodes into a novel to be read all at once, as I thought he might have been doing above with the prisoner-to-the-airport paragraph, which is interesting. I like the idea that Cowley is well aware of Tommy's vulnerabilities, that we're not expected to believe he just glossed over them. Although he does seem to be just glossing over them I guess - but he knows!

5. We're given a bit more information about Cowley's background.

"Just before they entered after the chief, Doyle threw a quick glance at Bodie. "Where do you think he got that leg?" As Bodie looked askance at Doyle, Doyle said, fiercely: "Spain!"

"Are you two selling vacuum cleaners? In or out!"

"Yes, sir." Doyle nudged Bodie. "He was only fifteen or sixteen then, just a kid, with the Brigade-"

We've talked about this elsewhere (I remember one conversation in the Yahoo Group Pros-Lit, where a specific fan absolutely did not think that Doyle was referring to the Spanish Civil War and wouldn't accept any of my information/explanations about it!) and here's a good explanation by Dorinda. There were teenagers who went to fight against the fascists in Spain, and I like to think of a young, idealistic Cowley starting off there - and I like that the novelisation confirms it, where the ep just implied it (well, strongly implied, if you ask me, but still - I think this is confirmation!)

Come to think of it, is it interesting that Doyle knows Cowley's background, but Bodie doesn't? Or is it just that Doyle's picked up on gossip that Bodie hasn't yet?

6. The very next paragraph continues thus:

"Cowley sat down at his meticulously neat desk in the spartan office and watched these two walk in. Oh yes, he fathomed them all right. Take Ray Doyle. Nearly thirty, finest shot with a handgun in the entire Met, Detective Constable before joining C.I.5, would be a dreamer - took art classes drooling over nudes, though he swore blind they were only planes and colours - but he'd been born in South London where they grew 'em sharp and tough. A touch of morality about him that even the Big A hadn't knocked out."

The original script etc. had Doyle as not from the north at all, but our MS knocked that on the head with his obvious (at times) accent and then LC's comment (adlibbing, I seem to remember reading somewhere - in the Network book?) about Doyle being from Derby and Doyle explaining that he spent some time growing up in the "northern city" in In the Public Interest. I think most fic has gone with him being from Derbyshire somewhere.

7. If we keep reading:

"And Bodie. William Andrew Philip Bodie. But Bodie would only answer to Bodie. Nothing else. A couple of years younger than Ray Doyle, although you'd never know it; easy take him for older. Could be a star striker, playing for a top club, England cap, thumping the ball in the net. But his background - well that got bigger and more lurid every time he told it. Merchant Navy when he was seventeen, jumped ship, joined a mercenary force in Africa, lived with - and off - an older woman in Cape Town. What was known was he joined the Regulars when he was twenty-three, made sergeant in the Parachute Regiment."

There's a few pics around of Bodie (okay, LC) in football kit - in Cuckoo Waltz, and then that very minor part as a footballer. Not quite star striker material in CW, I wouldn't have said! But in Pros - yeah, I can see it!

8. A few nice touches about life back then - when Billy's staking out Emma Bolding, the description is "They were coming towards the line of parked cars. Small cars - Minis, Heralds, Escorts - not a current year's registration among them." Nurses have clearly never been paid well...

9. When the lads arrive at Billy's hostage situation, we get a bit more about them.

"Doyle had started life in the police on the beat, after he'd come to terms with the fact that he had no true talent as an artist, even though they'd shunted him over to C.I.D. branch in record time. He tried to think he'd not lost that special touch he'd had, that way with Joe Q. Public - and Mrs Joe Q. Public - that any beat copper worth his salt must have. Panda cars and all.

So he was the one to say "Does he know that?"

Doyle nodded, not sourly, but resigned as the inspector flushed up a trifle, nettled.

"There seemed no point..."

Doyle let his glance tangle with that of Bodie - they both knew exactly what the other was thinking."

Of course they do... *g*We don't quite get the glance in the ep (this time anyway - we've all seen it on many other occasions!), but the lads are obviously on the same wavelength in this scene.

10. The way the lads deal with Billy is slightly different.

"Can you take him?"

Doyle hesitated.

Bodie snarled: "Can you take him?"

Doyle nodded - reluctantly - "Yes - but it'd make more sense if I went - you're the rifleman in this outfit - "

"Hogging the glory, Doyle? I know you can take him. It just gives a man confidence to have it confirmed."

Both men knew what price they valued that concept of glory so casually tossed away by Bodie.

...Bodie had done some hare-brained things in his time. He often told the lads highly-coloured stories - and some of them were true - well, near enough true - and he held a memory that encompassed merchant ships and paratrooping and foetid jungles and mercenaries and some diabolical schemes. A trickle of sweat itched down his nose. But this was a stunt and a half. That nutter could blow his own, Nurse Bolding's and Bodie's guts all over the car park. Bodie walked on steadily.

Past the cars he walked. How did doctors walk? Did they have different knee action from their patients, from ordinary men? How did you learn to walk like a doctor? In one easy lesson with a live grenade at the passing out ceremony?

Doyle was right. Doyle should have walked. Bodie could hit the privates off a fly at whatever distance he set his rifle's scope. Doyle was the handgun expert - true - the best shot in the whole Met. But a two and a half inch barrelled Smith and Wesson .357 magnum was no gun for this caper. If anybody could do it it would be Ray Doyle. That was the only comfort Bodie had as he walked. A chill comfort. But a comfort.

Halfway there. Halfway to death perhaps.

Billy sat up, staring. He still had that left hand plunged down Nurse Bolding's blouse, a thorn between two roses. His right arm abruptly straightened from around her shoulders.

Bodie saw the look flash across Billy's face. He put his head down and ran, pumping his feet, stretching, pelting like a cheetah after game.

Ray Doyle stepped around the barrier and planted his feet, flexed his knees and whipped the gun up between his two gripping fists. The S & W cracked off."

So we get a bit of Bodie and the things he thinks about, the faith he has in Doyle - and a bit of Doyle, saving the day because he knows his own strengths. I like that we get a subtle bit more of the lads here, it's not all about "here's a big rifle now shoot him"; instead Doyle is reluctant but will do the job anyway, and do it competently. Bodie's faith is completely justified. I wish they'd left the handgun in though.

Oh, and at the end of the scene:

"Both looked up as Doyle arrived, the S & W still in his fist, still ready. Doyle smiled his open, frank, unutterably sly smile.

"He doesn't often do that!" said Doyle.

Open, frank, unutterably sly. Is that our Doyle? *g*(Except we don't see that smile in the ep - sadly!)

11. This bit reminded me of the exchange in Larton's In the Deep Midwinter, where the lads are sitting beside the Aga, Bodie writing poetry and Doyle reading. Doyle comes to a passage about someone having an extraordinarily large crutch, and wonders what on earth it means, because it sounds as if the bloke is lame.

Bodie chuckled. "Come on Doyle, level with me. When you went to these art classes - those life classes - you telling me it didn't disturb you anywhere at all? You'd have to be crutchless."

Definitely not lame... *g* (Bodie says "crotchless" in the ep...)

12. On page 42 we're told:

"Bodie kept a neat apartment, with everything in its place. His old Army uniform hung in the wardrobe with the sergeant's tapes and the rest of the bullshit that indicated that Bodie had put in time with the paras."

Maybe alot of the fanon about Bodie being army-neat has its basis in the novelisations.Doesn't look terribly neat to me in the ep though! (And on another note, Bodie's got a tv at the end of his bed - now that's not something I ever imagined! Conjures up all sorts of scenarios, that does!)

13. Lucky 13: our lads at the heart of it all.

"Outside Doyle sweated it out. If Henry's head blew apart and his blood and brains spewed out, that wouldn't bring Cowley or Bodie back to life. But, if they were dead, then Henry's brains would befoul the street, and Charley and his villains would all be shot down. Doyle would be in there, personally, to lend a hand...

He baited Bodie, as Bodie plagued him; but they were a team, partners. And the chief, Cowley - "

14. And finally - the novelisation ends with Cowley saying "Permission denied - I'm not brave." There's no lads being abandoned without a vehicle, Bodie trotting along to catch up with Doyle, and them walking off into the sunset together to return the suit together. I quite miss that part. *g*

So, and blimey - there we have it! More things to note than I'd expected, because for the most part this reads almost word-for-word as the episode. But I'm very glad we have these extra little details and confirmations! Took me forever to write up, mind - I might have to be a bit simpler about it next time!

Have I missed anything that you noticed, if you managed to read the story too? Or if you watched the ep - what do you reckon?

Comments

[merentha13.livejournal.com]

Wow! You did a wonderfully thorough job here! And the screen caps are gorgeous! I don't have the novel (but my son ordered the ones I'm missing for me, so soon!). I've set aside time tonight to watch the episode - so I will be back!

Thank you for starting this - I think it will be fun!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

It was a much bigger job than I thought it would be - partly because there were more differences than I was expecting in this one, and partly because then I wanted to add pictures... Maybe I'll go with bullet points next time!

Hurrah for sons who order books for you, too! Good lad! *g*

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

I was just about to comment and thank you but I think Merentha's covered it all! This must have taken you ages to put together, so thanks very much and for all the great images. I look forward to reading this in depth.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I couldn't resist adding the pictures, but I must admit that next time I might try to go with bullet points!

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

This *is* interesting!

So far...

I'm interested in "Northern accent" - that doesn't usually imply Scotland (a Scottish accent!) but somewhere more like Manchester or Yorkshire, or... well, anywhere "north of Watford Gap". I can't remember offhand - did they have someone else slated to pay Cowley at first?

For what it's worth, I've never heard of a Scots accent described as a northern accent. And according to Wikipiki, the actor Clive Revill was the original choice to play Cowley and he was born and raised in New Zealand.

[hagsrus.livejournal.com]

"North British" if you want to be annoying!

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

Technically correct, I suppose, but I've never heard it used in everyday conversation either!

[hagsrus.livejournal.com]

It is rather outdated, I think, but I do recall some years ago seeing a stern admonition not to address letters to Scotland that way, and it amused me.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Ha - that would be annoying... I don't think I've heard anyone actually over here ever say that, either!

[siskiou.livejournal.com]

Oh, wow! Thank you!
I half forgot, and have just dug out the book! Will read later this evening and be back with more knowledge tomorrow!

Gorgeous pictures! Especially love the closeup of Doyle, toward the end. So young!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Yeay for digging out the book! *g*

And yes - I couldn't resist including pictures. Funnily enough, I never think of either of the lads as looking young ever in Pros. Not old, but not young, as I sometimes do people in more recent shows. I wonder if that's me, growing up with them so that they are eternally "old" to me, or the way people looked on tv back then compared to today... Maybe I'm thinking of young in a different way too!

[merentha13.livejournal.com]

I'm back! (your's to decide if that is a good thing or not *g*)

1. A different introduction to the lads indeed. I wonder why the novelisation started out differently. I like the episode version better. As you said Setting up what they deal with, that they're together, and that their boss is... well, Cowley.

2. I like the additional Doyle characterisation in the novel. In the episode he seemed, to me, a bit dispassionate about everything. (Maybe because in later episodes we see more "fire"). Your quote from the novel shows a bit of the caring we also see in later episodes. Hmm - I wonder if the writers/directors had any idea what fanfic writers would do to their lads? *VBG*

4. Foreshadowing - I like that idea. I hope there is more of that in the next books.

6. - Doyle and art. I wish they had used that more in the episodes - would've given more depth to the character. (I think Mr Shaw might have been a bit happier about Mr Doyle as well.)

7. Again - the novel adds more character to Bodie. In the episode he came across as very menacing. (Love the scene in the police station - he looked very dangerous.)

10. Interesting... makes a big change in the way Doyle is portrayed in the episode - no reluctance there; rather he takes exception to Bodie's "Can you take him?"

Not sure I understand what is implied in the line Both men knew what price they valued that concept of glory so casually tossed away by Bodie. I don't recall any times when they competed for glory. Seems out of character.

As does all the thinking Bodie does on his walk towards Billy. Bodie is all action - consequences be damned. For me, the introspection doesn't feel right. I'm sure he does have thoughts like that - not sure he'd be comfortable with someone pointing that out. :-) And reading my comments, it appears I'm okay with Doyle getting to show more depth, but not Bodie. I guess my favoritism is showing. I'll try to be more objective *g*

I wouldn't describe his running as pelting like a cheetah. *g* - He's quick, but not quite so graceful (just my opinion!)

But the novelisation does maintain their faith and trust in each other.

At the end of the scene, I thought Doyle looked more amused at Bodie's actions- all that was missing was the eye-roll!

11. Love the interrogation scene.

12. I agree with you. Bodie's room didn't look all that neat - but maybe it's a reflection of what he and "Betty" had got up to the previous evening!

This was fun! Thanks again for all your hard work. When we get to the episodes in book 4, I can take a turn at the "lead" if you like.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Lol - surely good! *g*

1. I like the episode version better. As you said Setting up what they deal with, that they're together, and that their boss is... well, Cowley.
Yeah - the only thing I can think of is that the novelisation start was the one originally scripted, and then they changed it. Maybe they thought they'd better add Cowley to the introduction!

2. I like the additional Doyle characterisation in the novel. In the episode he seemed, to me, a bit dispassionate about everything. (Maybe because in later episodes we see more "fire").
I do too (and the extra Bodie). They both seem much more dispassionate (good word for it!) in the episode - I wonder if that's partly because they're both doing the less-natural "no regional accents" thing, which was a direction given to all actors on the scripts. And it's all new for the actors, and of course MS was cross that his mate AA had been replaced, so perhaps that shows. So it's definitely good to know in the book that Doyle has more about him, tho' at the end even he goes into mad-revenge mode at the thought of Bodie and Cowley being killed by Turkel.

4. Foreshadowing.... I hope there is more of that in the next books.
Yes!

6. - Doyle and art. I wish they had used that more in the episodes - would've given more depth to the character.
I'd love to have actually seen him painting, too! I remember a discussion with Metabollick about one of his flats, where he seemed to have paints and brushes and things out on a table.

7. ... the novel adds more character to Bodie. In the episode he came across as very menacing.
The novel really does make Bodie out as menacing, doesn't it! That first extra scene makes a big thing about how menacing they both are - but in the novel Bodie is like that throughout. I like that we get some of his inner thoughts and worries tho' - more about that below! *g*

10. ... a big change in the way Doyle is portrayed in the episode - no reluctance there; rather he takes exception to Bodie's "Can you take him?"
I guess its continuation of Doyle-being-more-caring, but then they made it tougher for television.

Not sure I understand what is implied in the line Both men knew what price they valued that concept of glory so casually tossed away by Bodie. I don't recall any times when they competed for glory. Seems out of character.
No, me neither - I thought that was very clumsily written! They're competitive about being the best - and maybe they like being Cowley's top team - but glory? I don't think that's backed up at all...

As does all the thinking Bodie does on his walk towards Billy. Bodie is all action - consequences be damned. For me, the introspection doesn't feel right. I'm sure he does have thoughts like that - not sure he'd be comfortable with someone pointing that out. :-) ... it appears I'm okay with Doyle getting to show more depth, but not Bodie. I guess my favoritism is showing. I'll try to be more objective *g*
Hee - I tend to empathise more with Doyle than Bodie too, but I like hearing that Bodie's more human than he's made out to be elsewhere. I don't want him to be a mechanical monster who does nothing but bully people and just happens to be on the right side of the angels now! And I don't think Doyle could really work with someone like that (let alone be in love with him... *g*) So I must admit that I'm hoping we get more glimpses of that Bodie!

I wouldn't describe his running as pelting like a cheetah. *g*
And I don't think someone who's described as a "star striker" can also be described as a "cheetah"!

I thought Doyle looked more amused at Bodie's actions- all that was missing was the eye-roll!
Yeah - I'd still have liked the "open, frank, unutterably sly smile", but I guess he looked amused in a different way.

12. ... maybe it's a reflection of what he and "Betty" had got up to the previous evening!
Ha - maybe!

... When we get to the episodes in book 4, I can take a turn at the "lead" if you like.
You're welcome! And thanks for taking a turn - that'll probably be quite good timing, as I suspect it'll be around house-moving time (again) for me!

[dawnebeth.livejournal.com]

One thing that really struck me when I was watching the ep is how crude Bodie is during the hostage crisis. His comments about "a grenade between her breasts" and such--made me wonder if he was being deliberately crude to keep both of them from getting sentimental and more nervous about the nurse.

Also that twice in a row someone pretends to be another to get close to the bad guys--Bodie manages to approach Billy as the doctor even though Billy knows what the doctor looks like! And the bad guys thinking Cowley was the home secretary. Geeze, they could have prepared their plan a bit better to know what their target looked like!

Love that ending with the lads walking off together.

[merentha13.livejournal.com]

I thought the episode had him very dark (even in the banter between the lads) and a bit one dimensional - that dimension being menacing.

The ending is perfect - all endings should have them together. *g*

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I'd like to think Bodie was being deliberately crude to keep everyone on track - but sadly I really doubt it! It just struck me as the usual bloke-speak that you heard alot back then (and would be considered especially witty in a "hard-hitting action show" like Pros. Although Pros was nowhere near as bad as The Sweeney, from what I remember.)

I never thought about them using the same tactics with Billy and with Charley Turkel! I'd say they did know that Billy would spot Bodie as an imposter though - that was why he wore the white coat, to delay the moment of recognition until he got as close to them as possible, so he'd be closer to rescue Nurse Bolding when Doyle shot Billy. But Turkel and his gang not actually knowing what the home secretary (their target!) looked like has never struck me as very realistic! The novel really emphasises how careful Turkel is to set things up carefully too, and that it's the reason he's never been caught before, so it's doubly - triply! - unrealistic...!