good luck charms

[aria]

2x13 White Men Can't Jump to Conclusions

And here in the middle of s2 we discover the return of s1 Fraser's determination that if he just politely knocks on enough doors, someone will eventually return his boots, and indeed that whoever took his boots just meant to take them for safekeeping. I am kind of skeptical about Fraser truly believing that, because to all surrounding appearances his shiny idealism is a bit worn, but it's entirely possible he's saying these things because the metaphysics of his personal universe do still suggest that if he determines something with enough confidence, the world will bend to make that determination true.

And aw, baby Leonard Roberts! Little Tyree, one day you will grow up to play Forrest and D.L. and some other people in shows I have not seen but are pretty cool shows!



Aw, oh god, Fraser thinks a fistbump is like a local version of a handshake. He can be kind of a dumbass but he's so damn earnest about it. <3

And oh, this isn't quite as good as full-on synchronized policing, but mirroring of body language is way up there in things that make me feel gleeful and shippy in my soul. Look at the way they are standing! (Plus bonus Fraser in uniform with sneakers. XD)



Huh. Fraser says he's afraid of death, which I think is probably important. It's a fairly normal thing for any sane person to be afraid of death, but the thing about fear of death is that it's an ego issue -- it's scary because you think dying is going to hurt, or because you're afraid you won't be able to do the things you want to do before you die, or because the finality and the uncertainty are upsetting. Fraser is damn stoic about his pain, and I think the uncertainty is somewhat alleviated by Bob's frequent visitations, and while Fraser is probably like nearly everyone in that he wants to live because he still has things to do, I suspect that the desire has very little to do with himself. So the fact that Fraser admits he's afraid of death means ... on some level it does affect the way he behaves, because no matter how many insane life-threatening things he does, he does allow himself the awareness that he wants to live. I am not sure how healthy that motivation is, or even if I've got it right, but at least when he endangers his life in wildly bizarre ways he's cognizant of it.

Of course this does not mean that Fraser does not frequently stand in front of loaded guns having reasonable conversations (sometimes, as in this instance, complete with beautiful sentences like, "No, I think you're an evil psychopath," and also with one of those habitual tiny manglings of colloquialisms, in this case "blow your brain off"). But Fraser can get away with stuff like that -- amazingly of all the ways he gets hurt on the show, not once ever is it from misjudging someone pointing a gun at him, which is pretty important. Fraser sort of carries this ... island of calm and -- I don't think 'sanity' is the word, and in fact the word I'm looking for might be 'insanity'; he carries this island of calm crazy around with him and just goes very still and right and convinces people.

And then OF COURSE Fraser gets his boots back because someone actually did take them in because they were valuable and he wanted to keep them safe. OF COURSE.

Oooh, Fraser lists off Tyree's assets (loyalty, integrity, and brain) and when Tyree grinningly asks, "What about my dashing good looks?" Fraser's immediate response is, "Well, we're were talking about assets, not drawbacks." I'm pretty sure I grinned at the understated Fraser-humor the first time and moved on, but the thing is, Fraser is not making a joke. Oh Fraser. I'm sure there are some instances in which being ridiculously attractive is actually an asset! Like when Kowalski turns up. :D


2x14 All the Queen's Horses

I suspect I am pretty shallow about this episode. Fraser singing! Meg looking smoking hot in the red serge! But I also suspect Paul Gross is pretty shallow about this episode. "I know! I will be magnificent and sing! And also finally kiss Camilla Scott! It will be the BEST EPISODE EVER!" (I also suspect I am catching the fandom's habit of fondly making fun of Paul Gross. I'm sorry! But I'm only a little sorry.)

And argh I adore Welsh and his speech about the kaleidoscope of manes and tails and the collage of synchronous movement that is the Musical Ride. Welsh just sometimes does that, goes off to this place of reflection and inner beauty, and I like the idea that that's what the inside of his head is like all the time, only his detectives are constantly giving him headaches and so it only comes out once in a while. (There needs to be more Welsh POV fic in the world, and if I ever become sure enough of him I will definitely contribute something.)

For the first time in watching this episode, I am absolutely thrilled that Fraser and Thatcher are tied together and gazing soulfully at one another. This is what I get for skipping indiscriminately through s2 the first time, because I missed the quite fun and well-done build-up of UST. In fact I'm quite glad they have some resolution of said UST, because while their relationship is never going to be comfortable, their "Let us never speak of this again, and also this can only happen in exactly the same circumstances," thing at the end is less "This is too painfully awkward to talk about again," and more "So we resolved some of the hovering tension, and now we can get on with the business of being colleagues, albeit a little awkwardly because we're both kind of awkward people and certainly still a bit attracted to one another." Which is fine! They are not meant to be but I am genuinely glad they get to have a moment.

GOD I GET SO HAPPY WHEN THEY KISS NOW. I would want to know when this happened but I think it happened the moment I restarted s2 with the aim of understanding Thatcher in mind. The more I care about a character the more I want to ship them, and I really do love Meg now. I suspect I might get Thatcher's end of it more than Fraser's, though. Like, okay, Meg's attracted to him and this makes her uncomfortable; she genuinely cares about him, but she's his superior officer and more than that I think ... I think if she was ever to end up with someone for real they would have to be someone who doesn't know her in a professional capacity, because the power dynamics of whatever sort would be too hard on her otherwise. Fraser, on the other hand -- however else I read him I'm always going to be convinced that, however distorted the real-world version turns out to be, he has this platonic ideal of True Love in his head, and I don't think Meg ever fills that space? Fraser is genuinely attracted back, and I suspect aware of the discomfort of the power dynamics too, but I get the feeling he has no idea what to do about the attraction to Thatcher because it is just normal. I mean, her attraction does not make him nervous, but neither does he get a shining choir of angels and a dramatic love story, and he doesn't quite know what to do with the in-between -- which is probably why he has to kiss her atop a moving train when they're in danger of imminent death! That's the only time it's enough of a dramatic love story. Oh god, you crazy kids.

Anyway, enough of that, I'm glad they have their moment, moving on.

Due South has this really weird thing it likes to do sometimes, the 'pair of criminals kind of confusing adrenaline with love, who have lots of kisses in the middle of their heist and then screw each other over at the end'. Is there something on TV Tropes for that? (No, don't go look! YOU'LL NEVER COME BACK.) I just know that it happens enough that I recognize it, and it's pretty odd.

Meanwhile Ray has actually been hanging around Fraser long enough that jumping onto a speeding train seems like a reasonable and sane thing to do during the course of a day's work. :D


2x15 Body Language

And here we have yet another episode I have never seen before! Gosh, the first time through s2 I really was getting impatient for Kowalski. How silly of me.

Is this episode the first instance of Fraser's skills as a sketch artist? I think it might be, especially considering Ray's reaction. Which is that it's perfect, which, oh, Ray. And he even repeats it. <3 Yeah, Fraser/Thatcher squee aside I really am in this for the wonderful buddy cops.

Fraser has really loosened up, by the way. Beginning of s1 seeing Mackenzie King changing her shirt? Blush, stammer, run for cover. End of s2 at a strip club? No problem. I think a lot of it is acclimating, although part of it might also be the context, since the leather bar in s1 didn't faze him either. There's probably a big difference in his head between walking around in a place where the work attire happens to be a bra and panties vs accidentally walking in on someone who is changing their clothes. Fraser, your brain.

AHHH AND THEN HE TALKS TO THE RAT. Talking to Diefenbaker makes him only mildly a freak, but talking to a rat -- a rat which clearly listens and responds, in however tiny and rattish a way -- makes Fraser possibly certifiable, or maybe his superpowers just extend to good and functional communication with all living creatures. I'm inclined towards the latter option, and also towards lots of giggling. (Such a cute rat, guys. I love rodents.)

Also I am in slightly helpless laughter over the closet argument. "Ray, get in the closet." "No, I will not get in the closet." "Ray, get in the closet!" "I am not getting in the closet!" I suspect both of you are on the wrong side of that argument, boys. And ... wow, this episode is doing this stuff on purpose, right? Ida's boyfriend gets all snuggly with Vecchio (which makes Ray much less uncomfortable than it might! give the man a cookie) and a few minutes later when Fraser has to explain to Thatcher where he's been, he explains that he's been in the closet with Detective Vecchio and Thatcher gets this extremely fixed smile and says, "I think that's all I care to hear about it, Constable." I mean, seriously?

We interrupt your regularly scheduled gay subtext to say, goddamn, noir Huey! Looking good, sir.



Oh Jesus. I like Ida just fine and I am sure she means well, but my soul was doing a bit of silent screaming when she started feeling Fraser up while he was on guard duty. It's either a product of slow accumulation or I just genuinely care enough about Fraser this time that I don't find it funny, but seriously, I want to beat away the oblivious gropers with a rubber baseball bat. (Wait, I'm pretty sure Speranza wrote a story like that once too. I may have a weird love-hate relationship with her Kowalski, but damn if she is not good at illustrating points about Fraser.) Thatcher looking at him directly afterwards makes me either suspect that maybe All the Queen's Horses should've aired later, just before Red White or Blue, or -- and this is the direction I'm leaning -- she does feel both protective and skeptical, but not jealous? I don't know, although since I am happy to project onto Fraser or RayK occasionally, I am equally happy to project onto Thatcher on this one.

Seriously, though, I am glad Fraser is not paralysed with terror by the women anymore, and his politeness is a perfectly effective shield, but sometimes I wish that he would just still bravely run away. Or more manifestly enjoy the attention, but I doubt that latter is ever likely to happen.

...Wow, that was actually quite a bit more subtexty than a lot of the Vecchio episodes are. Or maybe I just have my slash goggles more firmly in place now and I got to notice more because it was a new episode? All I know is that they made a lot of closet jokes, and also that when the friend of Ida's comes up to Ray at the end and tells him he has nice eyes, Fraser absolutely checks said eyes out too. And then makes sure to not be standing on the crack in the sidewalk because Ray said it was bad luck. Oh Fraser.


Only three more! one of which is Flashback and thus really skip-around-in-able. Will I get to Kowalski tonight? I have no idea, since I believe my father wants to watch some Slings & Arrows later, but it is possible.