Jason Bourne and Nicky Parsons...
I admit to having watched this movie several times -- each time, I glean additional plot details and emotional punch. I am struck by the character development that Nicky Parsons undergoes, from her relatively minor role in "The Bourne Identity" (where she was a technician responsible for logistics), to the expansion of her role in "The Bourne Supremacy", and to the much more fully developed role she assumed in "The Bourne Ultimatum".
There are hints in "Ultimatum" that she and Bourne were once more than mere colleagues. When Bourne confronted her at Daniels' office, she "coded in" with an indication that she was not under duress (response "Everest"), despite the fact that Bourne had a gun pointed at her head (he could not tell whether she was indicating duress or normal communicative status). She then answered Noah Vosen with a comment to the effect that she thought that the Bourne case was closed. Then she helped him get away from the scene, using her car. But more specifically, her somewhat cryptic assertion that "It was difficult for me, with you" strongly implied that she and Bourne had once enjoyed an intimate relationship -- if not a sexual relationship, then certainly a warm relationship involving more than mere collegiality...
She then helped Bourne, in direct violation of agency protocol, by diverting the "asset" (Desh) sent to kill Daniels. She must have known at the outset that this would mark her for elimination, yet she did this of her own free will. Far from treating her as a mere agency colleague, Bourne placed himself in great danger in his (successful) effort to save her life. Although Parsons behaved with some restraint, there was genuine warmth underneath this restraint as she bathed Bourne's hands and listened to his soliloquy about the people he had killed. The scene in which she dyed her hair and altered her appearance was extraordinarily similar to the scene in which Marie did the same thing in “Identity”.
Does anybody else think that these two characters may once have been involved?
PHILIP CHANDLER