Episode Rewatch: 6.04 Diplomatic Immunity
Sep. 10th, 2016 05:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
killabeezPosting early this week, as I'm in Yosemite and will be heading out very early tomorrow for a long day of hiking. :) I do intend to catch up as soon as I sit still somewhere with internet access. (Also, squee, Alexis Denisof!)
6.04 Diplomatic Immunity
Original air date: October 26, 1997
Director: Richard Martin
Writer: James Thorpe
Synopsis: Duncan is torn when the wife of one friend is killed by another friend, who happens to be the son of a foreign diplomat and beyond the reach of law.
Episode Transcript: is here.
Please share your thoughts and reactions in comments. The master post for all discussion posts is here.
6.04 Diplomatic Immunity
Original air date: October 26, 1997
Director: Richard Martin
Writer: James Thorpe
Synopsis: Duncan is torn when the wife of one friend is killed by another friend, who happens to be the son of a foreign diplomat and beyond the reach of law.
Episode Transcript: is here.
Please share your thoughts and reactions in comments. The master post for all discussion posts is here.
no subject
Date: 2016-09-11 07:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-09-11 07:42 pm (UTC)Same, son of a diplomat gone bad, as back in S1 Nowhere to Run. One of the writers must feel bad for diplomat kids?
I like Willie. He's the kind of fun scoundrel that Duncan gravitates towards. But he doesn't have the humanity that say Fitz has, or Amanda. Willie doesn't really care about the people he scams. I did like his wife, Mollie, though. It was fun seeing them young (love her 60s dress!) and then still having fun and in love 30 years later.
Duncan really was overly honorable in this ep. He was not at all realistic or compassionate – towards the son, or even towards Willie. I found myself annoyed with Duncan, which is not at all how I usually react. Duncan is really off kilter so far in this season. Understandable, I guess, but he's feeling a bit out of character to me.
ETA: Killa! You're hiking in Yosemite!! OMG, how wonderful. And how dedicated you are to get this posted for us, lol!
no subject
Date: 2016-09-12 09:52 am (UTC)I also found it very irking that hisfriend kept saying again and again how good Duncan was and how easy it was for him to make decisions. Poor Duncan also looked uncomfortable at this as he is clearly not at the top of his game.
no subject
Date: 2016-09-12 04:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-09-15 03:53 am (UTC)Very, very pretty, tho. :D
no subject
Date: 2016-09-12 10:44 am (UTC)Yay hiking, it sounds awesome.
no subject
Date: 2016-09-12 04:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-09-12 04:49 pm (UTC)Duncan did make a good point that since Willie didn't know these people, he could have been causing them and their families horrible financial difficulties. Especially since it wasn't the driver's fault since Willie was literally waiting on the driver and slinging himself in front of the car. But, for the victim, it was pay or go through the legal system for possible vehicular homicide. Even if they weren't doing anything wrong, such as DUI (or drugs like Wesley), just being put through the system could cost their jobs, lawyers fees, and all types of problems. But, Willie abused that, and could have really hurt some of these people.
To me that didn't make him a likable or sympathetic character. The same goes for Mollie. She knew what she was doing; I don't care that they were still giggly about how badly they were hurting other people 30 years later.
The first thing I thought about was the season 1 episode where the diplomat's kid raped the daughter of an Immortal. This was a unique story, though, so I could forgive them that. They probably could have done the same story without it being a diplomat's son though.
But, I did like the fact that Duncan turned away when Willie started that "we're friends - no hard feelings" routine after Duncan let him go. Duncan made it clear that they were no longer friends. It was also pretty clear that next time Willie wouldn't be given a free pass.
I hate for anyone to be killed, but Mollie wasn't an innocent. She was extorting money from innocent people. She was finally called on it. Yes, in a brutal way. I would much rather see her sent through the court system. Did it never occur to her or Willie that someone might have been so honorable that they were willing to call 911 and get the police and ambulance involved, only for everyone to see Willie survive? It happened, but Duncan was there to intervene. That was certainly lucky for 30 years that it didn't happen before then.
no subject
Date: 2016-09-14 03:45 pm (UTC)My memory of this episode was that I never had much sympathy for Willie, but upon rewatching I thought him initially quite charming. At least in the 60s scene, I was like, oh, he's kind of cute. But then after Wesley kills Molly and Willie starts to spiral, I was like oh right. That's why I didn't like him, or didn't care, rather. I sympathize with Duncan, though, tying to help his friends, both of them -- he feels the loss of Molly, 30 years together, I'm sure he's thinking of Tessa, also killed by a drugged out youjng person, although under different circumstances. There are enough similarities there. And after losing Richie as he did. So, I get why Duncan wants to help, why he's torn, and why it's a difficult situation for him to navigate between 2 different friends.
But, I can't say I care much for Willie. This plot device is used all the time and I've never been a fan of it -- the 'so filled with revenge, become so unreasonable, they kill the wrong person' plot device. I think it's supposed to read as tragic but it just reads to me as weak. Especially when they're partially responsible for their loved one's death. ew.
Anyhoo, hate to see Duncan struggling with people who aren't worth it, which is maybe the real frustration of the episode, but I found his actions pretty much in character, and it was interesting to see what it took to make him finally take his sword out.
Also, he looks AMAZING. Like, seriously, he was so handsome in this episode.
no subject
Date: 2016-09-14 10:18 pm (UTC)I know, right?! Damn distracting, lol!
no subject
Date: 2016-09-15 03:55 am (UTC)Yes, that moment stood out to me, too. As did his drop-dead gorgeousness. :D (I mentioned something about that when I watched Sins of the Father a few days ago. S6 Duncan is really beautiful to me.)
no subject
Date: 2016-09-15 06:32 am (UTC)Seriously! He's flat out stunning in every scene. I mean, he's gorgeous on a bad day, but season 6 has like a special light to it, all Mediterranean like goldenness or something. Maybe because it looks like they filmed in summer? Maybe it's just the haircut, which suits him imo? I don't know. I'm not complaining!
eta to add: huuuugs you so muuuuucccchhhh {{{{{killa}}}}}}
no subject
Date: 2016-09-15 12:53 pm (UTC)He's so tan, and I adore that haircut. But he also looks like he spent the whole hiatus working out and eating health food. His face is all chiseled. And then there's the way they dressed him this season. All the loose, flowy fabrics!
You know what I forgot to mention? I had not remembered at all that Duncan takes out his sword and uses it this ep. I thought he didn't do that until Justice.
ETA: Another little moment that struck me is when Duncan is asking his old friend to lunch and he says, "Sooner, if you like." Aw. He's so lonely, and he keeps getting turned down for lunch dates. His friend is basically like, "Um, I'll call you."
no subject
Date: 2016-09-15 01:59 am (UTC)Willie is one of the predator immortals. He's less discriminating about his targets than Amanda, which makes his predation more obvious.
Another point about this trick of his and Mollie's, though, is that by the time we see them doing it in the 90's, it's reeeeally close to the expiration date. Willie is also one of the immortals for whom adapting to changed times isn't easy, it seems.
no subject
Date: 2016-09-15 12:49 pm (UTC)I'm amused at how Willie makes Amanda and Cory look good by comparison
no subject
Date: 2016-09-15 04:41 pm (UTC)Duncan does come off as lonely, yes, and vulnerable, he's been shaken and he wants to be comforted by connections to other people, but his fallbacks aren't around. Amanda is away and a lot of the other immortals he leaned on are dead, some because of his past or present choices.