Reading Room: Bonding by Stew

[tinturtle]

Welcome, everyone, to the reading room discussion of Bonding by Stew. As I did last time, I've written a summary of the story. This one is quite long.

As the story opens, Doyle is telling his mother about his day. He feels guilty that he had to kill someone in order to save Bodie. Meanwhile, Bodie is at the pub with other CI5 operatives.

The next day, they discuss their different activities. Doyle reflects that he has never fit in with his coworkers enough to be able to socialize with them the way Bodie does. Bodie tells Doyle, however, that male bonding is a myth, and the relationships he has with his drinking mates don't mean anything. Despite this, Doyle determines to try to bond with Bodie.

After getting soaked at the end of Private Madness, Public Danger, Bodie and Doyle both go home to Bodie's flat, where Doyle peruses Bodie's decorations and book and record collections. He tells Bodie a story about his time at school, but is stung by Bodie's teasing afterward and is unsure whether they have made a step toward friendship or not.

Doyle suggests a double date with the women from the beginning of The Female Factor. They have fun and end up playing board games in Doyle's flat. They are interrupted by the phone call about Ann Seaford. This reveals some of Doyle's past life to Bodie, but Doyle thinks of how little he knows of Bodie's past. Later, Doyle overhears the other operatives talking about how he doesn't fit in socially, but also overhears Bodie defending him.

During the events of Old Dog With New Tricks, Doyle feels included in Bodie's wisecracking, but also jealous of Bodie's rapport with Cowley and his relationship with his current girlfriend, whom Doyle chases off with the "you must be Betty" comment. Doyle feels that he is becoming friends with Bodie, and is pleased by Bodie's comment during the events of Killer With a Long Arm that the two of them are a mobile ghetto.

After Tommy McKay is killed in Heroes, Bodie and Doyle go to Doyle's flat, where they get drunk and play cards. Doyle asserts that they are bonding, but Bodie denies that it means anything. Doyle becomes angry and attacks Bodie. They wrestle, awakening sexual desire in Doyle, and he initiates sex with Bodie. Afterward, however, he regrets it, and will not speak to Bodie, who leaves instead.

They do not discuss the sex in the following days, either. During Bodie's fight with Krivas in Where the Jungle Ends, Doyle is distressed by Bodie's lawless violence, even though he stops short of murder. Nevertheless, they continue to be casual friends and see a film together.

Doyle worries about Bodie when he disappears during the events of Close Quarters and regrets that he was not with him when he was in danger. Afterward, he goes to Bodie's flat to help him out, as Bodie has both hands bandaged. They share Bodie's bed and Doyle ends up initiating sex again. Doyle makes to leave soon after it is finished, and he and Bodie have a short argument in which Bodie declares that their sexual encounters never happened.

When Bodie and Doyle discuss Ann Berry during Everest Was Also Conquered, Doyle wonders whether Bodie is reluctant to engage in homosexuality or if he simply doesn't want to have a relationship with Doyle. He decides it is the former when Bodie continues to arrange double dates with women, such as the one in When the Heat Cools Off.

During the events of Stake Out, Doyle helps diffuse the atomic bomb. Doyle is tense afterward and he and Bodie go to his flat to unwind. Doyle talks about his fear of his own violent temper, which he likens to the violence of nuclear weapons. Then he becomes fearful of what might have happened had he failed to diffuse the bomb. Bodie listens to him and talks him down, also remarking that he doesn't know what his life would be without Doyle and Cowley. After a period of silence, Bodie suggests sex. It is more tender and emotional than the previous times, and Bodie says that it, in particular, never happened.

While telling his mother about the events of Long Shot, Doyle says that he thinks he and Bodie are finally friends. During the events of Look After Annie, Doyle realizes that he is, in fact, falling in love with Bodie, and during Klansmen he is deeply affected by Bodie's stabbing. After that op, he goes to Bodie's flat and declares his love to him. Bodie does not trust his feelings or Doyle's, but admits in a roundabout way that he is attached to Doyle as well, and consents to give a relationship a try.

The End

How did you like this story? Did the characterizations ring true for you? Doyle as a social misfit? Bodie as emotionally closed off? Do you think the use of the first series episodes as a framework for the story was effective? Were you satisfied with the ending? Let us know what you think.

Comments

[sc-fossil.livejournal.com]

It was good in that every author has a view on how their relationship should/would work. What I liked is that she didn't have them love or hate each other right off. Not that those types of stories aren't interesting, but a different take gives you some food for thought. I didn't feel it was an older story from the tone. I'm sure it was just me since I'm an older story myself. :)

I will say I think Doyle wants more of a declaration from Bodie than Bodie is willing to give at this time, and comes off a touch needy. But he's very human in this story, wanting something to hang on to in a difficult job and life. I can see Bodie being this wary. He's that way in canon a lot of the time. Even with Marikka he's a cold fish, with barely a ripple of romance (to me). He does protect his heart as we all would and do.

I enjoyed reading it. It wasn't a story I had to make myself continue. It flowed along and since I didn't realise it was set in the first part of the series, it ended! LOL! I did want to know what would happen in the future.

Thank you for hosting!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I don't know that Bodie was a cold fish with Marikka, but I didn't feel any chemistry between them. More that Bodie perhaps wanted to want her again for some reason, but at the end of the day he couldn't... and so perhaps felt even more guilty about her death...

[sc-fossil.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it was just odd how he acted to her. I agree. He wanted to want her but couldn't find the depth of feeling. He seemed a bit bored rather than cautious to me.

[tinturtle]

I agree. I've never known what to make of his demeanor in that episode.

[tinturtle]

What I liked is that she didn't have them love or hate each other right off.

That is a point in its favor. The set-up where they have been partners for some time, but don't have much of a relationship, is unusual.

It flowed along and since I didn't realise it was set in the first part of the series, it ended! LOL! I did want to know what would happen in the future.

Yes, even though I didn't enjoy this story a very much, I wouldn't have minded if it had continued a little longer to a stopping place that had Bodie opening up more.

[krisserci5.livejournal.com]

Do you think the use of the first series episodes as a framework for the
story was effective?

This was the most effective part of the story for me. It was a seamless mesh of story and episode. I truly liked that part. Which leads into :

How did you like this story?

I'm glad I reread it, was a long time ago when I was new into the fandom and I didin't care for the remoteness of Bodie or the insecurity of Doyle, and low and behold 20+ years later I still don't see that in my characters. I have read many stories that do use that as the characterizations, so it's not new or disliked, but for me, I don't see them that way.

The story idea was good, Doyle deciding that he would make friend with Bodie and does so. But the Doyle I see on the screen is not a misfit nor insecure. I'm glad writers explore different facets of the characters, but I'll wait another 20 years to reread again.

Doyle as a social misfit? Bodie as emotionally closed off? Different authors have explored these concepts, some better than others, but our mileage may vary. There is no one best way, so we read and reread though and keep on going back to those we draw most joy from.

Were you satisfied with the ending? Yes, it worked and fit to the story and they were together.

Thanks for suggesting the story — and for doing this.

[sc-fossil.livejournal.com]

Yes, I agree. I do give authors the leeway to play since we don't know but I don't see Doyle insecure like this on screen. One can argue that meeting Bodie helped but I doubt Cowley would have accepted him into CI5 if he let any of this type of behavior/personality show at all. He's so cocksure on screen it's hard to imagine.

[tinturtle]

That the characterizations didn't fit our understandings of the Lads seems to be the consensus here. I think I'm able to enjoy a wider variety of character interpretations than a lot of people, but even I didn't see the Bodie and Doyle of canon in this fic.

[queenafoster.livejournal.com]

I'm with Kris on this. I very much appreciated how the episodes were so successfully blended into the story which grounded the story in canon. But I just don't see Doyle lacking social self-confidence to this degree. And I did like the gradual friendship development.

Overall decent story. I enjoyed it.

[sc-fossil.livejournal.com]

It wasn't horrible by any means. It just wasn't my view. I didn't mind reading it but it's not something I'd run to to reread or really recommend other than a different take on the lads. The writing was fine.

[tinturtle]

I'm glad you enjoyed the story despite its unorthodox chacterization of Doyle. I did like the gradual development of the relationship. A lot of stories move too fast for me.

[cim3745.livejournal.com]

I stopped reading after 33% because of Doyle. I can't see such an insecurity in him, is too much out of character for my taste.

[sc-fossil.livejournal.com]

I didn't mind reading it for a discussion although this isn't my take on either lad overall. I've read worse both in story line and in writing ability! LOL!

[cim3745.livejournal.com]

There isn't always a 100% perfect story to enjoy reading. On the contrary, my mind is perfectly able to correct one or the other thing in a story. But there are some behaviours of the lads I can't cope with — this Doyle is one of that. Like you said to Krisser — He's so cocksure on screen it's hard to imagine.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I totally agree with you! *g*

[tinturtle]

There's a quote from a Midsummer Night's Dream that I often think of in reference to fan fiction:

"The best in this kind are but shadows; and the worst are no worse, if imagination amend them."

If there is something in a story that works for me, I can overlook a lot of issues, too.

[krisserci5.livejournal.com]

I can almost read anything except death stories for Reading Room, but my head was shaking the whole time. . . cocksure is tame for how confident Doyle actual is

[tinturtle]

That seems to have been the general opinion, though some people were more put off by it than others. How did you find Bodie's characterization in the part that you read?

[cim3745.livejournal.com]

My mind was so busy with Doyle, tried to explain or understand his behaviour, I barely noticed Bodie.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

How did you like this story?
Not my cup of tea I'm afraid, for various reasons as per below! It was competently written, so that wasn't a problem, but...

Did the characterisations ring true for you?
Nope, I saw very little of my lads in here, and that was one part of my difficulty with the story.

Doyle as a social misfit?
I don't get this characterisation of Doyle at all - I can't see anything in the episodes which leads me to think that Doyle is a social misfit. He's actually very social - completely comfortable with Bodie, from the first episode, or even if there's tension betwee them it's more alpha-male tension than Bodie-intimidates-and-confuses-me kind of tension. And he's very social with the other agents too, in fact I think we see that more so than for Bodie. We see Doyle chatting and friendly with Jax, and with Benny, and at the start of Close Quarters he's chatting with other agents. He greets people by name. As others have said, he's a very confident and cocksure bloke!

Bodie as emotionally closed off?
No, I'm not seeing this either. Okay, he doesn't like to be kissed and cuddled in public, but that's not "emotionally closed off", that's just old-fashioned decorum. He pretends momentarily not to care as much as Doyle about questions around their assignments, but he tends to backtrack on that, and admit that Doyle has a point and that they should be caring. He's definitely not emotionally closed off when he's trying to look after Doyle in WtHCO, for instance, or Female Factor — he wants to make Doyle happy. In fact as soon as Doyle is distracted from their night with the girls at the start of FF, Bodie is all attention on him...And what about when he's upset about Fraser in Stakeout, even as quoted in this fic?

Do you think the use of the first series episodes as a framework for the story was effective?
I'm never keen on stories that try to incorporate actual parts of the episodes, I'm afraid, because they have never yet matched with the way I see the episodes and characters, and this wasn't an exception. Everyone has their own interpretations of looks and words and moments, and when fanfic tries to tell me how I should be interpreting the eps, my wee brain rebels... *g* I can make fic fit around my interpretation of the eps, but not so much the other way around.

Also, I've seen the eps, and I can see them any time, and what I'm looking for in fic is something new...

Were you satisfied with the ending?
I don't mind an ending being open to interpretation, but I must admit this still all seemed very one-sided...

So I'm afraid this just didn't work for me, and I ended up skimming to get to the end to some degree.

[tinturtle]

I saw very little of my lads in here, and that was one part of my difficulty with the story.

That seems to be the consensus. I felt that way, as well.

I'm never keen on stories that try to incorporate actual parts of the episodes

I do often like that. I'm interested in others' interpretations of what the characters are thinking and feeling during the episodes. I think there might have been too much episode material here, though. It did get a little dull. As you said, we've all see the episodes.

[tinturtle]

Sorry I've been late in replying. I'm having kind of a stressful weekend.

I usually enjoy Stew's work, but I didn't end up liking this fic very much. As others have complained, the characterizations didn't convince me. Doyle's, in particular, didn't ring true. At one point in the story he thinks, "yet another personal situation he had read wrong." Yet, if he were someone who could not read social cues, he could not be successful at undercover work, as he is shown to be in canon. This is the issue I have with the more socially clueless interpretations of Sherlock Holmes's character, as well.

As for Bodie, I guess it's hard to argue with the assertion that any given thing we see in the episodes is a front covering emotional detachment. ("He was beginning to suspect that the casual easy-going affection that subsisted between them simply hid Bodie’s indifference.") As byslantedlight said, though, Bodie did seem to be genuinely upset by Fraser's death in Stake Out, and there would be no benefit to faking that.

The plot was okay. I found the episodic structure a little hard to get caught up in, but I've liked similar set-ups in other stories, so it may have been that I just wasn't focusing well this week.