[jeork]

For the forthcoming adaptation, I would so love to hear more about your thoughts on how to visually convey the sexy bits in TC without actually showing them!

Oh my, I can't get into detail with every single one of them, otherwise we'd be here all day, but here's an idea how you could visually connect three scenes:

Schrödinger's Kiss in the Study: After Ralph tells Laurie to come closer you see a shot if their feet, Ralph's stationary, Laurie stepping into frame towards him. They both halt for a moment, then Ralph's feet take one more step towards Laurie. Next you see a shot at the level of their hands. You can't see Ralph's hands, but Laurie's hand fidgets, then eventually hesitantly makes to grab onto Ralph's sleeve. Ralph steps away. The shot goes back to normal with their faces and all. "See, it never would've done."

At Ralph's place: Laurie and Ralph go to Ralph's place for the first time, and the whole scene happens where Laurie stands by the widow and Ralph approaches. When Laurie holds onto Ralphs sleeve it gets a close-up, similar to the one in 1., to get that deja vu feeling.

After the wedding: Laurie and Ralph stand in front of Laurie's childhood home. They have their whole dialogue going on, Laurie looks more absent-minded, meanwhile Ralph methodically places down the stuff he was carrying and then takes over the stuff Laurie was carrying to place it down as well (-> he's coming in on a clear expectation and is getting ready for it). After the "I'm a sailor" when Ralph goes in for the kiss, you see the same shots as in 1 (feet, hands). However, this time after Laurie holds onto the sleeve instead of Ralph stepping away there is a wide, far away, more bird's eye view type shot of them smooching amidst the nature of the garden, maybe you hear some insect noises idk. To make the whole thing still a little private, a little more hidden from the audience's prying eyes, but confirm what is happening.

[renaultphile]

Oh boy, I love this! Thank you so much for answering my ask, and please can we have some more you can always do it in instalments!

I love the mirroring of the different scenes and the way you keep the mystery, that feels so true to the way it is being done in the book, and I know this is going to sound so stupid, but I hadn't thought of an actual smooch on the threshold but it links everything up so well. It could be so sensual and earthy. Oh, you know what this makes me think of? The rain scene in Last of the Wine. Mary would love it, wouldn't she? Beautiful 💖

[pngblog]

[jeork]

For the forthcoming adaptation, I would so love to hear more about your thoughts on how to visually convey the sexy bits in TC without actually showing them!

Oh my, I can't get into detail with every single one of them, otherwise we'd be here all day, but here's an idea how you could visually connect three scenes:

Schrödinger's Kiss in the Study: After Ralph tells Laurie to come closer you see a shot if their feet, Ralph's stationary, Laurie stepping into frame towards him. They both halt for a moment, then Ralph's feet take one more step towards Laurie. Next you see a shot at the level of their hands. You can't see Ralph's hands, but Laurie's hand fidgets, then eventually hesitantly makes to grab onto Ralph's sleeve. Ralph steps away. The shot goes back to normal with their faces and all. "See, it never would've done."

At Ralph's place: Laurie and Ralph go to Ralph's place for the first time, and the whole scene happens where Laurie stands by the widow and Ralph approaches. When Laurie holds onto Ralphs sleeve it gets a close-up, similar to the one in 1., to get that deja vu feeling.

After the wedding: Laurie and Ralph stand in front of Laurie's childhood home. They have their whole dialogue going on, Laurie looks more absent-minded, meanwhile Ralph methodically places down the stuff he was carrying and then takes over the stuff Laurie was carrying to place it down as well (-> he's coming in on a clear expectation and is getting ready for it). After the "I'm a sailor" when Ralph goes in for the kiss, you see the same shots as in 1 (feet, hands). However, this time after Laurie holds onto the sleeve instead of Ralph stepping away there is a wide, far away, more bird's eye view type shot of them smooching amidst the nature of the garden, maybe you hear some insect noises idk. To make the whole thing still a little private, a little more hidden from the audience's prying eyes, but confirm what is happening.

[gemini81]

If you asked me now who I am, the only answer I could give with any certainty would be my name. For the rest: my loves, my hates, down even to my deepest desires, I can no longer say whether these emotions are my own, or stolen from those I once so desperately wished to be.

[jeork]

Of all the alternate ways TC could've went the one possibility that is imo completely underexplored is the fact that if Andrew hadn't used up his free day to bring Laurie to the city hospital, he would've tagged along to the wedding

[jeork]

Random TC detail I love: Madge taking Reg back as "his" lover letter was so beautiful and moving, even though she knew all along it was Laurie who wrote it

[mademoiselle-red]

Yes!

And it mirrors Ralph taking Laurie back….even though it was Alec who called!

Something about the necessary pretending people sometimes need to do to make marriages work…

[the1920sinpictures]

November, 1926 Cicely Winifred Goschen, daughter of the Governor of Madras George Goshen, married Major Edward Bertram Portal. From "The Daily Mail".

[jeork]

Random TC detail I love: Madge taking Reg back as "his" lover letter was so beautiful and moving, even though she knew all along it was Laurie who wrote it

[jeork]

Laurie's accidental social dominance

One thing I always find hilarious is how accidentally dominant some of Laurie’s body language or conversational mannerisms are. For example the way he keeps sitting still, when everyone else stands. It’s because of his injury, but the visual of how Laurie chills in his chair while Ralph is pacing around the room during their argument, or him staying put while everyone else stands to greet Bim is a bit funny. 

Also how he sometimes just straight up doesn’t reply when Ralph says something he dislikes. It’s because he's confused and doesn’t really know what to say in response, but functionally it works like a disciplinary trick. 

[renaultphile]

Yes!!! I love this!! To me, there is something about how he is in the timeline of the book that is at odds with the other descriptions of him, but the idea that Laurie will begin to realise his 'weakness' is his strength!! Like when he says to Ralph at the party, "Not going is the thing I do best."

So Alec saw something in him - not sure he realises quite what he has unleashed though 😮

And after the 'break-up sex', the pillow talk at the end is perfect Laurie inadvertently driving Ralph mad with the silent treatment:

"Are you going to be angry with me, Spuddy, as soon as you're alone?" Laurie shook his head. He didn't want to talk. Ralph mistook his movement in the dark and said, "Yes, you are."

[jeork]

Ohh another one I really like is this one in Ch2, after Carter insinuated Lanyon might be at fault:

Laurie, who was sitting on the table, didn’t get up. He looked at Carter with no conscious effort at annihilation. He simply felt what his face expressed, that the world was a meaner place than he had supposed, but that one got nowhere by making a fuss about it. Carter withered; he felt rubbishy, a mess of poorly articulated bones in an unsavory envelope. He said, "Of course, I don't mean to say-"

"It's all right," said Laurie, with unconsciously devastating quiet. "I'm sorry I said anything. My mistake. I should forget all about it if I were you. I'lI manage on my own."

[jeork]

Laurie's accidental social dominance

One thing I always find hilarious is how accidentally dominant some of Laurie’s body language or conversational mannerisms are. For example the way he keeps sitting still, when everyone else stands. It’s because of his injury, but the visual of how Laurie chills in his chair while Ralph is pacing around the room during their argument, or him staying put while everyone else stands to greet Bim is a bit funny. 

Also how he sometimes just straight up doesn’t reply when Ralph says something he dislikes. It’s because he's confused and doesn’t really know what to say in response, but functionally it works like a disciplinary trick. 

[awizardcommandingsleep]

Thoughts on Andrew when the bomber plane gets hit? He behaves so weirdly. When Laurie sees him he's looking up at the sky, appearing calm and collected, but later he says he'd been waiting for Laurie. One could assume he got distracted by the fight while waiting for Laurie (who was walking the nurses to their huts) and forgot to take cover? They fight about it, then when the plane explodes he sobers up all of a sudden, feeling guilty about not having considered the men dying in the plane before. "I ought to have -- I was just thinking about myself." What does this mean? He was thinking about himself? Was he fascinated by the mechanics of the fight and forgot real people were involved? I feel like he's referring to Laurie somehow but I can't see how

[jeork]

The way I read it, it's about his desire to prove to himself that he's brave, that he's not afraid of getting hurt. The idea that he isn't objecting to the war due to cowardice, but ideology. It's something he's deeply insecure about, as we later see when he talks to Laurie about Ralph's return.

Then, upon Laurie's reaction he is suddenly reminded that this moment isn't about him and whether he is couragious or not, at all. Real people are dying, and being able to empathize and grieve their loss should be just as important to his ideology.

[shesnake]

Assad Zaman in Interview with the Vampire season 2 episode 2 "Do you know what it means to be loved by death?" (2024) dir. Levan Akin

[jeork]

I spent the last few days watching Das Boot (1981) (the six episode version, which is more psycho thriller than the movie), and the captain constantly made me think of Ralph lol

[philosophermalcolmtucker]

"The actor’s tonality and face also sounds/looks a little like what i would imagine ralph to be like." OP you're absolutely right:

[jeork]

I spent the last few days watching Das Boot (1981) (the six episode version, which is more psycho thriller than the movie), and the captain constantly made me think of Ralph lol

[jeork]

The Charioteer Characters as Things Not To Say To Someone After They Came Out

Bunny

Alec

Both Ralph

Bim

Neames

Nurse Adrian

Sandy

Mervyn

Madge

Hazell

Reg

Andrew

Laurie

Straike / Dave

[jeork]

time for me to cut the rigmarole and confess bunny's flat and car sound marvellous

[jeork]

ending my digital hermit-ism to drop these

(no science, pure vibes, open for criticism)

[jeork]

old one but lmk add this here