I think the most interesting thing about Murray is her unexamined bias, and I love that Azune brings them to the forefront of their conversations.
Murray organizes the people of the world into the oppressors and the oppressed, but stumbles when the lines aren’t clear cut. Murray stealing from and smuggling goods through the Penteveral is good, but Dean Kora (who has a similar background as Murray) doing it in an official way that brings funding to the school isn’t. Thjazi is suspect because he seemed to be so aware of and worked around the Sundered Houses’ machinations, but Azune isn’t because he’s talking to her about his spying? Occtis is a nepo baby despite 0 support or contact from his family during his entire stint at the Penteveral (he hadn’t even been to the family manor in the same city for years), but Hero D’vyen isn’t despite being raised in an influential merchant family because she was useful? Because she’s a wizard instead of a sorcerer? Because she’s Hal’s kid (and still also Elodie’s kid)?
The simple answer is that Murray picks favorites according to her strongest impressions, and doesn’t really think deeply about the why. It’s an instinctive thing, not a well reasoned perspective based in logic or moral judgment. That’s a fascinating flaw to have for someone so dedicated to the idea that magic is a science and belief systems like religion are just superstitions.
Of all the PCs, Azune is the one in the best position to prod at this flaw. None of the others really have reason to put heavy weight on Murray’s opinion of them. Azune was her pupil and both of them worked with Thjazi. They have personal and professional connections to each other.
So it’s Azune who brings up the ugly line of thought:
I like-- Sometimes you look at me and I think that you put on me a little bit of the disdain that you have for the institution that I work for and it makes me feel like I might be losing you because of the position I'm in, but moments like this remind me that that's probably just in my head, and I really--
Murray’s response is of course that’s all in his head, she doesn’t think of him like that because he’s a good egg.
He’s one of the good ones, and we’re not going to ignore all the biases that invokes for a character made by a white woman.
But the story didn’t end there in episode 22, and the conversation didn’t either. Azune keeps brushing against these biases, and Murray cares enough about him that she can’t ignore the discomfort.
Azune tells the group that he needs to present the case to Einfasen at the family manor. He is potentially walking to his execution, and they all know it because he asked for Demodus to go testify, and Murray objected that her student could die there. But so could Azune.
Is it fine because Azune was a child soldier and never really stopped being a soldier? Because he chose to join the Arcane Marshals to spy for Thjazi instead of pursuing a formal education for himself? Because he chose to lie to the Sundered Houses to further the Schemers’ plans and that means he solely bears the risks?
Of course it’s not fine, and Murray doesn’t pretend it is, but she clearly wants to escape that situation without having to face those questions, and Azune won’t let her. She objected, and now that all of that is laid at her feet, she has to choose to stand by that objection or not.
How can she criticize Thjazi for treating good people as expendable when that is exactly the dilemma before her? Doesn’t that suggest that Thjazi experienced similar turmoil when faced with these choices? We can’t even answer that because Thjazi chose to die for his cause rather than escape. He bore the same risks he asked of others and didn’t run.
So Murray goes with the group too, all jointly risking their lives, and Azune’s presentation works! She even has a discussion with Demodus where he points out that his lightheartedness isn’t from naïveté or ignorance, but because he chooses that in the face of despair. Azune got promoted, Demodus has a job set up for him with an escort to safety, and Murray faces no fallout.
But it doesn’t feel good.
Sure, the world would be better without the Sundered Houses using their monopoly on magic to reinforce class divides—but the divides will continue. Gus is only king because he had a valid claim of royal blood, with support from other nobles, and his heir will follow a monarchist convention for title and inheritance. The backup soldiers for the theater will only show up because Elodie D’vyen charitably paid for their meals. Students were available to help Bolaire obstruct the houses at the Archanade because of corruption at the Penteveral. We don’t get to pretend that the only reason these circumstances are in the story is some message about making unfair systems work for the heroes; the unfairness will continue even if they win.
The uncomfortable reality is that the world isn’t simple enough to determine who the good people are and then get rid of the bad guys. There’s no such thing as the good people, a class of good people, a set of pre-determined traits that identifies good people. Even if we pretended there was, they aren’t a unified faction whose interests and stakes will always align. The idea of always being able to make choices to benefit only the good people is no more rational than superstition. That’s an uncomfortable thought to bear for an intelligent woman who values scientific study of magic enough to dedicate her career to it.
Azune has accepted that already, and he clocked Murray right from the start: her support and friendship is contingent on him being one of the good ones, however it is that she defines that in her own head.
It’s so satisfying to see a Latino actor look a white actor in the eyes and perform his character begging to know how he can be one of the good ones. Azune wants to be and doesn’t know how, but he’s willing to do as he’s told. No one gets to be comfortable about this. Everyone gets to bask in how fucked up that mentality is and that there is no definitive answer except “the people I approve of.” Hypocrisy and tribalism on full display with a lovely little plaque added by Luis.
I’m curious to see whether Murray will either confront her biases or lean into them further.
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