Pros Novel Read-Along - Painted Angels by Angelfish - Chapter Five

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

At last!

Painted Angels by Angelfish.
Cover art by firlefanzine

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

There has been a bomb explosion, and like the other emergency services, Bodie and Doyle, now working together as a team, responded. On arrival, however, Doyle remained by the car, too scared to go any further, while Bodie ran straight into the cloud of smoke to help.

Eventually Doyle screws up his courage and joins Bodie, who is assessing what seems to be a detonator. Doyle recognises it as a specific Irish terrorist group, and Bodie immediately knows who he's talking about. They realise that there's a second device nearby, ready to go off when the emergency services have arrived. They find it, and Doyle uses his penknife to cut the wires - a mad guess between red or blue, because it could be either - and saves the situation.

Even as they're laughing in relief, however, one of the first bomb's victims staggers into them and collapses. They're badly burned and blinded, and asking for Richard. Bodie recoils but Doyle pretends to be Richard as comfort as the man dies in his arms.

The next thing Doyle knows is that he's sitting on a wall outside a church with Bodie, though he can't remember getting there. Bodie is rubbing his back, then "tangles... fingers into his hair, carressing" and explains that the first time in such a situation is the worst, and he'll be okay. Doyle points out that he doesn't ever want to be "okay" with this situation, and begins to feel guilty about not having been able to stop it. He knows London so well, he should have seen some sign. Bodie rejects this - "Jesus Christ, Doyle. You'll sink both of us."

Doyle realises he's been in shock, recovers, and just as he's getting up spots a priest helping the victims. He's not impressed - "Oh great... God's here." Bodie's puzzled by this, and Doyle realises that the priest is giving first aid, not the last rites. As he watches the priest, however, and then hears his voice, Doyle realises that he's familiar. ""Gabriel. Gabe!" and begins to walk into the crowd."

So - what did you think?

Comments

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

The bomb-defusing scene was great - I could just picture it too!

I suppose Bodie's damage came out a bit when he started getting his gun out to put the bombing victim out of his misery, and the way he wasn't sure what Doyle was doing when he tried to comfort the man - but he does seem to have things a bit more in check now...

It was a good chapter end!

"life has nearly broken both of them but they save each other" and one that means "they're already survivors, each in his own way, and all they need is to respect and trust each other" are both perfectly plausible, but they do not mesh
Hmmn, why wouldn't they mesh? Surely they could both be nearly broken but survivors, but they save each other into being something more than just survivors because they each open the other's eyes to ways to react to things...? But I might not be understanding what you mean...

I'm still finding Bodie a bit Mary-Sue - the hero who rushes in, but then is tragically flawed in a way that means he'll save everyone else... but he's getting a bit better, I think. And I mean, I'd expect them both to rush into the bombing site, because that's the sort of thing they're trained to do - it's Doyle not doing it that bugs me rather than Bodie doing it this time!

[jat-sapphire.livejournal.com]

I think those two versions of Bodie and Doyle COULD mesh, but they don't. Maybe because Bodie, for instance, has coping strategies that are all over the map. Needing to control, being a perfectionist, knowing everything he can and then figuring no other knowledge is worthwhile, okay, but killing prisoners while interrogating them, dumping fellow agents in it to preserve his own advantage, toying with the consent of his friend with benefits--nope, I don't see how Doyle can help save or be saved by them. Another bit that feels like a revision fix is that when Doyle just rides Bodie's moods, then he's okay, which also seems to work for about a day and then not.

I want Bodie to get better, but I want to understand better how that is happening. There are parts of this story when I feel like he packs up his baggage and ignores it for a while, and that doesn't feel true to me.

I'm anxious to get the Gabe plot resolved at least somewhat, but I can't see how that really furthers the B/D part either. I know we're still in the middle, but I guess I don't want to think the problems in forming a real partnership are unsurmountable.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Hmmn - I think the things you describe do mesh for me, because I don't see any conflict between Needing to control, being a perfectionist, knowing everything he can and then figuring no other knowledge is worthwhile and killing prisoners while interrogating them, dumping fellow agents in it to preserve his own advantage, toying with the consent of his friend with benefits. In fact I can completely see how the second part can come out of the first! And the idea, too, that Doyle can save him by reacting differently despite a similar need to control, be a perfectionist, know everything he can etc. Actually I'm not sure either of them think that no other knowledge is worthwhile - we've seen both of them learn from each other already in the story, and be willing to do so.

I do agree that things seem to be okay for a little bit, and then suddenly blown apart again, which is rather roller-coaster-ish, but really that's what life is like, so even that isn't entirely off the map.

I think for me the difficulty is that we seem to see Doyle's pov when he's feeling weak and unsure, but we see Bodie's pov when he's feeling sure and all-hero, and so I think it's as much an imbalance in the writing, for me, as anything else.

If I were to guess (since I don't remember what happens, despite reading this before!) I'd say that Gabe is probably going to be a catalyst for Bodie realising that he does actually fancy Doyle, and then realising that he has stronger feelings about him. I'm quite looking forward to seeing what happens though, cos I'd like to think that Angelfish can be a bit more complex than that... *g*

[jat-sapphire.livejournal.com]

Well, we'll see as the novel goes on. I hope it does all tie up well.