Thanks for the reply -- it's great to talk about the miniseries, which is an underrated favorite of mine.
I agree that the old lady's helplessness, goodness and beloved status were both important to Linoge picking her as the inciting victim to start off the dialogue. That's a really good point.
However, when I said it "didn't matter," I meant that the incident wasn't important for Linoge himself -- he's just setting things in motion. Which is why it's actually kind of darkly funny that he just sits and has tea and waits for the appropriate people to arrive.
I disagree on Billy and Kat, however. I think it's actually one of the most interesting moments in the story. Billy has been shown to be hypocritical and judgmental, but to me what that moment is showing is that he simply doesn't have it in him to be a murderer. The moment of struggle there is enormous. Yet he doesn't kill Kat.
Kat however does do it. I agree that her free will has been compromised, and that what Linoge is doing is accessing the darkest parts of these people's souls, however I do think the moment clearly plays on Kat's rage and betrayal at Billy -- emotions Billy doesn't have for Kat. Kat has it in her to commit murder. Billy doesn't. Kat kills Billy because she is capable of it, no matter how truly she would never do it on her own. I do think it's an important distinction and one I found incredibly interesting in the story. Especially as Linoge is fought successfully so rarely. Only the sheriff is able to do so this visibly later on.
Although, while we're on the subject of Kat: Frankly, it does always bug me that she's just kind of coddled for awhile then set back to looking after the children like nothing happened... I mean, she was possessed and bashed her ex-boyfriend's brains out. While I don't think she should have been jailed or confined for it, I still find people acting like everything was okay with her once more to be unbelievable. If nothing else, I would have been concerned that she has already shown the capacity to be used as an instrument by Linoge, so she should be kindly watched and kept out of the way of the main events. However, this wouldn't have kept her involved in the story, so c'est la vie.
You say Linoge was "deceiving" whenever he phrased or set the scene as a morality play, but I think you mean something different. Clearly Linoge is NOT deceiving, because its quite clear that the comments he makes about the townspeople and their actions are quite accurate
When I say he deceives the townsfolk about his goals, what I mean is that he gives all these appearances of being this demonic figure there to judge and punish them -- when it's all just complete sleight-of-hand. It is not why he is there at all.
He pretends to be there to judge them, to hurt and bedevil them, to punish them. But all he really wants is a child. Everything else is just window-dressing to him. That's why I say he 'deceives' them. He does.
When you say he "cracks" a few time with teh Sheriff, can you give some examples? I cannot say I can recall a single time that Linoge got angry, lost his temper or even seem to lose the upper hand and complete control of every single situation.
I believe Linoge only shows real emotion a few times, and in Colm Feore's performance (which I think is tremendous) to me it looks pretty genuine -- not always huge bouts of anger, but just 'cracks' in the facade:
1. When he meets Anderson and quietly gives his name. There is a look on Feore's face here that says he knows Mike is a good man and will be his main adversary. It's almost a look of assessment and respect.
2. When he meets Ralphie and picks him up. I think it's very telling that he is delighted with the little boy. There is a sense that he takes real joy in the children's innocence even though he will utterly corrupt that innocence later. (It makes what he does all the more evil of course. That delight in the child will also lead to his knowingly and utterly corrupting that child. It's horrific.)
3. When Billy thwarts his will and refuses to kill Kat (Linoge is enraged and frustrated)
4. There are a few other scenes between Linoge and Mike where I feel again, the cracks are showing and Linoge is showing genuine anger, bafflement, and frustration, but it's been too long since I saw it.
5. Much later, when Linoges is talking with Mike down in the cellar discussing human nature, he first tries to taunt Mike with his past sin of cheating on an exam (I love that this is the worst thing he can find within Mike -- and it's very telling that Mike pretty convincingly also denies it, which makes me wonder if he even did that much).
But here, it does seem like Linoge takes a time out and is actually honest for a few minutes. He shows contempt and disgust at what people are capable of (which I always think is interesting) and he basically asks Mike why he himself (as a good man, which is the unspoken part here) can tolerate them. Mike calls him on the fact that he can only see the evil, never the good. It's one of the best moments in the show to me.
Thanks for a fun discussion!
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"I keep thinking I'm a grownup, but I'm not."
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NovaIncognito
12 years ago
Good stuff. I liked all your ideas and viewpoint.
Thanks back =)
*Must be hard to enjoy movies up on that high horse. Why not dismount & join me on the couch?*
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paramitch
12 years ago
You're welcome. I'd say thanks in return but then the cycle would never end. ;-P But in all seriousness, you gave me the chance to address some of my favorite and most underrated aspects of the miniseries.
And to this day, I think if it hadn't been a "horror" genre it would have cleaned up at the Emmys. Daly in particular just slayed me here; I thought he was absolutely tremendous and that he did a great job anchoring the entire story. I also thought Feore was superb, although in an easier role. And the entire supporting cast is pretty much made up of superb character actors.
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"I keep thinking I'm a grownup, but I'm not."
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