Reading Room fic of the week - Neon Nights

[krisserci5.livejournal.com]

In last week’s Reading Room fic, Spring Heeled-Jack, we saw Doyle in an undercover op that meant death or prison if all went wrong.

In Elessar’s Neon Nights, we have a similar situation – only this time it all does go pear-shaped.

My whys and wherefores under the cut.





Cowley sent Doyle undercover to expose corruption in the Home Office despite Bodie’s misgivings. Doyle went under for the greater good, but this time, Cowley hangs him out to dry. Doyle is sentenced to gaol time and again, Cowley does nothing to clear Doyle. To say Bodie is upset is a major understatement!

Bodie decides to break Doyle out of gaol.

This is my favorite Bodie. This Bodie is creative, competent, and thorough. He executes his plan to but one critique, closing down a pub for a whole evening.

He'd been standing watch for over an hour, spending every second going over his plan; it was unlikely he'd have another chance if he botched this, and too much depended on it for it to fail. Every last detail had been carefully mapped and plotted, every favour owed--and then some--called in.... Still...there was always random chance; he could only hope his luck would hold, and chance would take the night off. The coloured lights surrounding the pub sign still blazed forth, as the landlord had not bothered to turn them off in his rush out to his girlfriend's for a rare night off.



I love a smart Bodie story, so this hits my buttons. I see Bodie putting all other aspects of his life aside to rescue Doyle.

The RT beeped, bringing him back to the present. "Papa Bear," he spoke softly into the RT.
"Goldilocks is on his way. You've got five minutes."

"Roger, five minutes. Drop the bar and get lost, Mama Bear. And thanks."

I even loved the call signs. : )


This story goes against type of the usual Bodie supporting Cowley and Doyle not. In Neon Nights we have the reverse. (Doyle should have listened to Bodie).

For me, this story is part serious, part funny and totally engaging.

Comments

[jgraeme2007.livejournal.com]

Really looking forward to reading and discussing -- though it'll probably be the weekend before I can take part in the discussion. I do really enjoy the partner in jep scenario. *g*

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

This has always been a favorite. Especially since this is very much the way I see Cowley. He appreciates how good Bodie and Doyle are, even has a certain affection for them, but he'd throw them to the wolves in a New York minute if it served his purposes. He wouldn't like it, but he'd do it.

And, of course, it's exactly how I'd see Bodie react to Doyle being sent away. There's no way in the world he would sit back and let it happen, even if they weren't lovers. That they are, and I love how the situation also resolves that little problem, just makes Bodie's actions that much more certain.

[krisserci5.livejournal.com]

this is very much the way I see Cowley. He appreciates how good Bodie and Doyle are, even has a certain affection for them, but he'd throw them to the wolves in a New York minute if it served his purposes.

I couldn't have said it better. Cowley will do whatever is best for England. He must have been weaned on Gilbert & Sullivan.

[sc-fossil.livejournal.com]

I really liked the story. It was engaging and kept my interest throughout. It provided some background information on Bodie. It showed a lot of very telling things about Cowley, which I could believe. I could see him throwing Doyle (and Bodie) to the wolves. I found the idea that Bodie had read Ross' files on them and that's why Cowley picked Doyle quite annoying. Mainly because I could see Cowley using that information to his advantage, albeit for Queen and country. It makes me really wonder about Cowley's ideas of trust. While I understand his motivations, I don't know if I could do what he feels he has to do to keep the country safe. On the other hand, I'm glad he can do it, because not a lot of people could make those hard choices.

I found the story well done, with only a few POV switches mid paragraph and/or mid sentence. I had to reread a line or two couple of times but otherwise, the story was very nice. The boys were a bit smarmy at the end but that doesn't bother me if they've had enough trauma to call for a heart to heart. I think the separation warranted a little spilling over.

I think Bodie's plan was well executed. The writer didn't gloss over how Bodie prepared everything, but gave us a play by play. It made sense to me and I think he thoroughly covered the bases. I was impressed with our Bodie's sneakiness in Records. Smart man!

It'd definitely recommend this story and I appreciate the rec here because I hadn't read it before. Thanks, Kris!

[krisserci5.livejournal.com]

I, too, loved Bodie's sneakiness. . . .amoung other things : )

I glad it was a story you hadn't read before. It's always fun to find something new that was pleasurable as well.

[moth2fic.livejournal.com]

Nicely done but... Flashbacks within flashbacks and the whole thing finished with an epilogue that in itself makes the rest of the story a flashback. That technique always distances me from both action and emotion, whether in fanfic or in mainstream fiction. However, that’s just a personal reaction. The writing was clever, literate and grammatical (there were no tense confusions despite the jumps in time) and the symbolic neon lights were inserted so tastefully and appropriately that they gleamed.

Some criticisms: I found the actual real-time story very flimsy and the getaway too slick, even given Cowley’s connivance; everything was created to be a plot device giving a sense of authorial intervention; the story was too polished and cold. The relationship was only luke-warm, too. I didn’t get any sense of excitement from either man and even their eventual commitment didn’t sound real to me. A few bits of direct speech seemed slightly ‘off’ - I don’t recall Doyle ever saying ‘dontcha’ but maybe that’s just because I ‘hear’ that particular spelling in a specific accent - but the whole ‘just us, now and forever’ bit seemed oddly muted and almost formal. Altogether just not my ‘thing’ but I can appreciate the writing ability of the author.

An interesting rec - I am always fascinated when people try out literary styles for fanfic instead of just pouring out their passion in straightforward narrative! Thanks for introducing me to this one!

I am also realising that all the fics we discuss are of very high literary quality - much higher than a lot of published fiction! We have some terrific writers and it’s really all a question of whether a particular story pushes the right buttons!! And how and why, of course! (On that score it's been about 50/50 for me so far.)

[krisserci5.livejournal.com]

I am also realising that all the fics we discuss are of very high literary quality - much higher than a lot of published fiction!

I have found myself comparing store bought books to fanfiction and wishing they were as good as the fic. . . lol. I do so agree that we are lucky that way.

[tango65.livejournal.com]

Its one of my favourites too. I love Bodie's single minded focus on getting Ray out of there. And Bodie loves Ray so much that he has gives him the choice to go or not, regardless of what Bodie has now given up to get to that point.

And that Ray loves him enough to trust Bodie all the way and to agonise over what Bodie has done on his behalf.

Well written, totally believable and an enthralling read.

[krisserci5.livejournal.com]

I love Bodie's single minded focus on getting Ray out of there.

This is my Bodie as well. That clear focus of what must be done to achieve what he wants. . . and I like that it's usually Doyle!

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

Thank you for this interesting choice, Krisser. I thought the beginning was beautiful and the writer managed to create a strong sense of atmosphere and wonderful imagery with lines like: coloured lights. Bright, blinking neon, forever locked in memory And the mystery - bleakness - that is Bodie: who he was, what he was up to, the flashbacks (though I wasn’t always sure what was a flashback and what wasn’t). I liked the way the writer showed the two very different ideals/principles exhibited by Bodie and Doyle: Doyle’s nobility – stoicism - and preparedness to suffer a hellish future for the sake of a cause more important than his own happiness. The cause that is his job, ci5, Cowley and, by extension, society. And Bodie’s own equally laudable but very different brand of nobility which is about loyalty towards his best friend - so, by implication, if his loyalty is put to the test, Cowley and the rest of the world can all go to hell. I really liked the way the writer set out those two conflicting ideals. (And I liked the point made by gilda_elise that there's no way in the world he would sit back and let it happen, even if they weren't lovers).

But.... for some reason once Doyle is free I began to lose interest in the story and felt the second part didn’t quite live up to the promise of the first. It was still well written and thought through but it just seemed to be going through the motions and lacked that spark and atmosphere which I felt it could have and which the first half of the story certainly did have........perhaps there were just too many details about how Bodie planned the getaway (and too many 'convenient' factors? e.g. Bodie knowing someone who looked like him, or managing to get into the Met and erase Doyle’s prints?).... Maybe I should just read it again? I don’t know.......but I felt *that* part of the story didn’t grip me as much as it should have done - given the skills of the writer - and so I didn’t enjoy it as much as I'd hoped. Also, given what they’d been through, the sacrifices made and what they might have to face in the future, I felt that once they were reunited I didn't get much sense of their feelings for each other, their togetherness or the depth of their emotions, and their relationship just didn't move me as much as I'd hoped it would!

But anyway, as I say, I think I should read the whole thing again as it was an interesting choice of story.

[krisserci5.livejournal.com]

Bodie knowing someone who looked like him, or managing to get into the Met and erase Doyle’s

Because of Bodie's general build I found that easy to believe, and I just gave Bodie high marks for his sneakiness skills. I actually credit Cowley with allowing Bodie to do the same in Records. . . but part of me thinks that Cowley hoped that Bodie would do as such. With the incarceration
of Doyle he had lost both men anyway. . . . .just one way to look at it.

Oddly enough, I find I like many more stories on the second read. . . maybe just changing tastes over time. . . .lol

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

but part of me thinks that Cowley hoped that Bodie would do as such. With the incarceration of Doyle he had lost both men anyway. . . . .just one way to look at it.

Ah, good point - I hadn't thought of that!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I've finally managed to catch up and read this one! I knew I'd read it before, but couldn't quite remember...

I absolutely liked the idea of it - so many potentials and possibilities, and I totally agree with you about a Bodie who is smart and competent, and patient about his plan too. Doyle I thought was well-backgrounded too - putting the overall good above his potential personal discomfort, trusting Cowley, I could totally see that.

But...

I must admit that I totally struggled with the style in which this was written. As someone said above, it's flashback upon flashback within flashback, and I find that really throws the pace out for me, so that I start to lose interest in what really is happening. I think this has the potential for a wonderful, and probably dark, novel if it had been written in straight narrative, but I really had the impression that we were being given the flashbacks so that the author didn't have to do that - it was easier to do it this way rather than write what would have been a much longer story. (I'm not saying that's what she did, just that it's the impression I get from so many flashbacks.

I felt there was a bit much tying-up of as many issues as possible too - that the lads must commit to each other, that they'd both only really wanted each other when they dated women, that Cowley might not really have been a bad guy, the explanation for his apparent betrayal, that they had funds for all their needs, that they would be able to walk into a respectable job when they got to Canada, that... For all the emphasis on Bodie's long and careful planning, things seemed a bit too pat, a bit too perfect, by the end. Life is chance-y enough, even without everything they'd both been through to deal with - I'd have liked to see a little hint of that gritty reality, which is something I love in Pros.... Oh, and the way Doyle knew all about Bodie's past and had already accepted/forgiven him for anything dodgy, or let it bring them closer or something - even though Bodie was so manly that he was keeping it to himself... As if the author was trying to have her cake and eat it...

Not sure Doyle would have been imprisoned for bribery - suspended yes, investigated and probably thrown out of CI5 as thingie was in Runner, yes, but...

Wasn't keen on Bodie's way of dealing with Keller's betrayal - a bit too over-emotional or something I think, not what he did, but the description of it, somehow... It was all a bit soap-opera - I could see it on the big screen, you know?! (Although I'd've liked to see the outcome of that scene on the big screen! *g*)

Erm... language and so on that people have mentioned, yeah, pretty good. The odd thing that made me blink - "You're bound to have noticed that Cowley's not looking so good" - as if the two of them are so distant from each other and Cowley that they wouldn't have commented on it between themselves... Doyle's description of his possible jail sentence struck me as a wee bit American, perhaps, various twists of words and accent, as I think someone said above...

I loved Bodie's pilot's license being used - yeay!

And the neon signs running through it all was a nice idea - I think it would have worked much more beautifully without all the flashing back though... Oh, I'm trying to finish on a happy note, but actually I think I want to describe this fic as a bit jarring for me - it's a great idea and all, but it wasn't the kind of smooth read I could sink back into and enjoy because I kept being bumped out of it - and not in a good, purposely-done way...

Shall look forward to hearing what other people think, anyway! *g*

[sc-fossil.livejournal.com]

I do think the epilogue was unnecessary (and another POV switch). We really didn't need every single thing tied up, but there are plenty of writers (and readers) who aren't happy with a story unless every thing is explained and every questioned answered. I'd have left it off personally, leaving the reader with something to ponder.

Otherwise, in spite the the multitude of flashbacks I didn't have trouble following the story. I do tend to avoid flashbacks the more I write as they can be problematic for the reader. There are other ways to get the story across, of course. I wonder if the formatting on the archive didn't lend itself to separating out the flashbacks.

I liked the neon signs as well. It was a good idea that helped weave the entire story together.

[krisserci5.livejournal.com]

Not every fic works for everyone, but it is enjoyable to take about what doeas and doesn't work. That's part of the fun here. :)

[metabolick.livejournal.com]

I do like the overall concept of this story - the Bodie who is willing to do anything to save Doyle from prison. I like the elaborate detail that Bodie has put into his planning, seemingly preparing for every contingency.

As you mention, so often in fic we see Doyle questioning Cowley's orders and Bodie who is loyal to the Controller. I'm not sure if Doyle is sacrificing himself for the greater good or if he's mainly looking out for his own skin. He tells Bodie: "...But even if the Cow does speak out, I might still be convicted, and he'd be dragged down with me. Keeping him in power is my best chance to clear my name in the long run."

I really love the wordless hug Ray gives Bodie as his answer to the question of whether he'll go with his partner.

I agree that some of the plot devices are a little too pat. Bodie's telling Doyle about his past when drunk and then conveniently forgetting it is one that stands out to me.

The flashbacks don't jar me and overall I find this an enjoyable story. Thanks for making me re-read it!

[krisserci5.livejournal.com]

I really love the wordless hug Ray gives Bodie as his answer to the question of whether he'll go with his partner.

I love that as well. I like all it implies from Doyle's side without the bother of words.

[firlefanzine.livejournal.com]

"The Controller had covered his tracks too well; after all, Bodie'd never actually heard Cowley admit to the plan to trap Peters by having Doyle take a bribe, he'd only heard that from Doyle.
Furious, Bodie'd threatened to resign, but the Controller's point that he'd have even less power to help his partner as a member of Joe Public had held three-seven hostage. In the end -- throwing a bone to his obedient dog -- Cowley'd merely stated that Doyle probably wouldn't have to be imprisoned for more than a year to eighteen months before they could make another move on Sir Roger Peters. And, if that failed, Bodie had asked, and been informed that his partner should be out in three years with good behaviour."

I repeat the ‘best’ parts:
"‘the controller’ – covered his tracks too well – furious – the obedient dog – eighteen months before they could make another move on Sir Peters (not: ‘before Doyle is free again’!) – with good behaviour..."

I wonder that nobody is really concerned about the background of the story.
I can say for myself, that - after that fundamental betrayal from Cowley -, I can’t enjoy such a story anymore.

I don’t like any of the betrayal episodes. The worst is Operation Susie. And I certainly don’t want to read about the monster in Cowley in a fic. He is even just called ‘Controller’. (IMO that is a stylistic device that is a bit ‘overdone’ because Cowley’s acting is terrific enough.)

And after such a beginning, I can’t buy that ‘us against the world’ stuff any more.
It’s more like ‘fighting against windmills’ - because in reality you have no chance – even not Bodie and Doyle. And no happy ending can save such a story for me.

My temper would tend to take the next machine gun and shoot Doyle to freedom. And if Cowley would be a victim on the way – fine!
Very fine!
But that long planning, under observation, while Doyle is suffering in prison... - is very, very clever - but for me personally absolutely nerve-wracking.

I’m afraid I’m hopelessly romantic. I don’t want Cowley’s triple thinking.
Nobody can convince me that ‘the end justifies the means’!

I want Cowley tough but righteous.

**
Anyway! Thank you for the rec! It's always fun to discover new stories/writers even if I can't love them!

[krisserci5.livejournal.com]

It's always fun to discover new stories/writers even if I can't love them!

Yeah, it is. That's what I think of the Reading Room. . . . to try other stuff :)

[bingleybong.livejournal.com]

I'm afraid I have to agree with the but-ters here. The premise is fine, I like a tricksy, efficient, committed Bodie but there is something about the execution that doesn't quite work. I find it oddly bland. I don't remember a single standout phrase or sentence.

Not a bad story by any stretch of the imagination, but perhaps a little workaday?

Utterly OT

[bingleybong.livejournal.com]

can anyone point me at a how-to page for all these fantasic icons? I'm feeling a little underdressed.

Re: Utterly OT

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

There are icons available for you to use, if you like - people often offer them at the_safehouse, for example, asking only that you comment to the post to say you're using one and credit them (usually done by writing "made by..." or their name in brackets in the Keywords/Notes bit of the load userpic page)

londonronnie, the Safehouse mod, has kindly made a tag to all the icons posts which are here (http://community.livejournal.com/the_safehouse/tag/icons) - nearly 5 years' worth listed!

Not quite sure how far you mean to go with "how to", but if you right click on an icon and "save image as" to your computer, then in your lj go to the "Manage Userpics" page (probably a drop down from your menus, depending on what style you're using) you should see how to upload them there - just by clicking the "add userpic" button to start with!

Happy iconing - I found it way too addictive to collect gorgeous Pros icons myself... *g*

[jgraeme2007.livejournal.com]

From a technical standpoint, I think this is pretty much of a mess -- the flashbacks within flashbacks (as others have remarked), the odd choices for POV and tense, awkward phrasing, etc.

There's a lot of good detail, though, and a lot of effort went into building the backstory and giving the lads -- especially Bodie's -- history. All of which I appreciate.

Oh, and I like the mix of humor and danger.

The main strength for me is the premise -- I really like these partner in jep stories, and I do believe in a self-sacrificing Doyle, a ruthless Cowley (though that ruthlessness would be based on the greater good), and a Bodie who would do just about anything to save his partner -- certainly in this case where Doyle has already done his bit and is now simply paying the price for being a good soldier.

I thought Cowley's ruthlessness in burning Doyle was balanced by his ultimately letting them go free.

I liked the fact that Doyle wasn't acting solely out of martyr-complex, but that from a practical standpoint he thought following Cowley's plan was his best bet.

And, like you, I like seeing a competent and wily Bodie -- with his own network of resources and contacts to draw on.

Overall, an entertaining choice!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I liked the fact that Doyle wasn't acting solely out of martyr-complex
Oh, interesting... (d'you wince when you see me say those words? *g*) I've got to admit that I don't quite get the idea that Doyle acts overall in the eps as if he has some kind of martyr complex, despite DiaG, which is where I presume it comes from. His "martyr complex" strikes me as very much fanon, and I can go with it in individual fics, where's it's well explained etc, but not in general. I think he has a social conscience, as seen in MoMH, for example, and death touches him (as it does Bodie, actually - I don't see either of them being indifferent to it, in the eps) but this is very different from the idea of a "martyr complex" which is all about personal psychological issues.

In Neon Nights, as you say, he's acting not just for the good of the situation that Cowley has set up, but in his own interest as the best way to survive what had happened. Again though, I don't see his decision, or any of the justifications for it, in the light of any possible martyr complex...

I'd be interested to know why you describe him in that way, as if you see it as his usual state of mind? What is it about the eps that gives you that impression? Or was there something in Neon Nights that made you think that?

[bingleybong.livejournal.com]

I don't see a martyr-complex either. No the contrary, I see a "if you want me to do *that* you'd better make me think it's worthwhile" complex. I have before now toyed with the idea of writing a story in which Cowley asks him to do something and he says no. I could, for example, see Cowley asking him to do something during the Miners' Strike that Thatcher needs doing, and D refusing.

Mind you, I reckon C would need a damn good reason - I see him as having working class sympathies.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I have before now toyed with the idea of writing a story in which Cowley asks him to do something and he says no. I could, for example, see Cowley asking him to do something during the Miners' Strike that Thatcher needs doing, and D refusing.
Hope you're in discoveredinalj, and keeping your eyes open in a couple of months... and still toying with that idea... *vbg*

[jgraeme2007.livejournal.com]

I'd be interested to know why you describe him in that way, as if you see it as his usual state of mind? What is it about the eps that gives you that impression? Or was there something in Neon Nights that made you think that?

Actually, I agree with you. I don't see Doyle as suffering from martyr-complex in canon -- with the exception of DiaG. I don't even see him suffering unduly from guilt despite Bodie's famous "blame himself for the invention of gunpowder" comment and his obvious anguish during The Rack.

But it does turn up with regular monotony in fics.

It seems like such an...impractical trait, and I see Doyle, well, and Bodie too, as being vastly practical men. Pragmatic. How could they survive in their job and not be?

I do see Doyle as self-sacrificing -- willing to die for his ideals or to save others, but I think this is probably true of all the good guys in CI5. Does Doyle seem to exemplify this trait more than anyone else in Pros?

I don't know. I'd enjoy hearing debate on that. Did the writers paint him in a more romantic light? He is certainly written to be...softer than Bodie. More caring? More...civilized (despite the fact that Bodie is the one in the suits)? From little details like shearing off to play ball with kids or yelling at a technician who doesn't seem to take the death of a casualty seriously enough.

Clearly there was supposed to be a contrast between Doyle and Bodie, but I don't think martyr-complex was what the writers had in mind, and that's one thing I like in Neon Nights. That Doyle explains he's not just choosing jail because it's Cowley's plan, he's seeing it as his best option.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Does Doyle seem to exemplify this trait more than anyone else in Pros?
Not more than agents who actually do die, presumably... *g*

Yes, I think Doyle's self-sacrificing, certainly, but the DiaG issue was something very different - more of a tiredness, a lack of faith that he was making any practical difference with what they did, and might in fact have been making it worse. Same with The Rack - yes, he blamed himself for Coogan's death because he had caused it, and he'd had the power in that situation - his feelings of guilt (to me) were more about a misuse of his power than anything else. He didn't have to turn around and hit Coogan, he could have walked away, but he didn't.

Did the writers paint him in a more romantic light?
Sensitive, I think, rather than "romantic"... Clemens' spec for the character of Doyle (seen in various articles and interviews and "official" writings)) was that he was "sensitive" one. He was originally supposed to be wearing a ring around his neck from the woman he'd been engaged to marry, I seem to recall, to remind him. So the writers probably did have that extra facet to try and work with - but I think they subverted each other along the way, and perhaps MS did as well, because we certainly don't see Doyle being sensitive all the time, any more than we see Bodie being a thug all the time...

Now that I think about it, I don't think it is "martyr complex" that I've seen in most fanfic either - guilt complex yes, but I don't think it's often taken as far as to be seen as true martyrdom... And I agree, I think in canon he does seem to show guilty feelings, but at other times he's absolutely as callous as Bodie is supposed to be - sometimes more so...

[krisserci5.livejournal.com]

I don't see Doyle as suffering from martyr-complex in canon -- with the exception of DiaG. I don't even see him suffering unduly from guilt despite Bodie's famous "blame himself for the invention of gunpowder" comment and his obvious anguish during The Rack.

Neither do I. I have never thought of him at having a guilt complex. Self- sacrificing, though, I can see him wanting to do the right thing.

In this story it isn't guilt as the belief in Cowley's triple thinking and the greater good concept. I'm not sure that Bodie would have done the same.

I like the contrast between the lads, it's what makes them the interesting pair they are.

[jgraeme2007.livejournal.com]

In this story it isn't guilt as the belief in Cowley's triple thinking and the greater good concept. I'm not sure that Bodie would have done the same.

I agree. And it's interesting to consider whether Bodie would go along with such a plan. On the whole, I think not. I think he'd be more pragmatic and ruthless. And besides, what use would he be to Doyle in prison? *g*

I like the contrast between the lads, it's what makes them the interesting pair they are.

They've got just enough areas of natural conflict to make for wonderful stories.

[firlefanzine.livejournal.com]

"I liked the fact that Doyle wasn't acting solely out of martyr-complex, but that from a practical standpoint he thought following Cowley's plan was his best bet."
LOL! - "following Cowley's plan was his best bet" - you mean after Cowley made his life a living hell?
I can't buy Doyle's martyr-complex. I mean, at the latest during the trial or being in prison the Doyle I know from the episodes, would say "that's it" to Cowley!
Maybe up until that moment Doyle would have trusted in Cowley to find a way out!?

[jgraeme2007.livejournal.com]

LOL! - "following Cowley's plan was his best bet" - you mean after Cowley made his life a living hell?

Yes. *g* That IS what I mean. That even though Cowley's plan resulted in Doyle's being snatched for bribery (which I also agree with SL probably would not have resulted in jail time for him), Doyle sees Cowley remaining in power as his best option for getting out of jail.

Now, do I AGREE with that theory? Er...no. This Cowley seems to be remarkably ineffective. But I'm not sure we're supposed to have that impression, therefore Doyle's decision works within the internal logic of the story. It makes sense. It's just that the writer failed to convince me -- that may be the danger of over-explaining.

[firlefanzine.livejournal.com]

"Doyle sees Cowley remaining in power as his best option for getting out of jail."
His best option for getting out of jail would be to invite a 'powerful' reporter into jail and tell him the whole dirty story! ;-)
And Doyle was ready to leave CI5 before, right?

[jgraeme2007.livejournal.com]

And Doyle was ready to leave CI5 before, right?

Probably not. Being burnt out is not the same as deciding to quit your job. Plenty of people stay in jobs long after they've peaked their maximum efficiency and burnt out. Why just look at all those disgruntled Starbucks workers. *g*

I can't imagine this version of Doyle would willingly have left Bodie, burnt out or not. If Cowley had decided not to stand him down, more likely he would simply have got killed on the job. Perhaps Cowley saw this as better solution for all involved.

[firlefanzine.livejournal.com]

"If Cowley had decided not to stand him down, more likely he would simply have got killed on the job.Perhaps Cowley saw this as better solution for all involved."

Oh holy Cowley... :-)

[jgraeme2007.livejournal.com]

Oh holy Cowley... :-)


Ouch. That was...pretty bad. *g*

[firlefanzine.livejournal.com]

Ahem... why that?
You mean 'mean', or just in the meaning of a bad joke?

[jgraeme2007.livejournal.com]

You mean 'mean', or just in the meaning of a bad joke?

Pretty bad joke, yes. *g*

Nice icon though.

[firlefanzine.livejournal.com]

OK! I can live with that! ;-)

But you have to confess that you did provoke it!
*thanks for icon love!*