anna, 30 y.o. || aspiring polyglot || musical theatre and opera enthusiast || current hyperfixation: project hail mary || vibes and feels. occasional thoughts
“When I met Kyle and when we did our first scenes together, I thought, ‘Oh, this is great, because he's every bit as intense as Dedra is! Between us, as actors, we're really matching each other at the level that they need to exist on, which is, you know, ambitious and intense.” - Denise Gough (StarWars.com)
i do think we should normalise being like. platonically enamoured with someone. perhaps i love and admire you dearly and there's nothing romantic about it
An Unhinged Rant About Dedra's Emotions, Lunch With Eedy, and the Keero of It All
You know, something that gets me about Dedra and her relationship with Syril is, like... the "meeting Eedy" scene is SO important in showing the depth of her feelings, but not just because of her speech. Everyone focuses on "this game ends now," but there's so much more in those lunch scenes. There are so many "small" things here that add up to a big, huge show of affection for the saddest man in the galaxy.
In my opinion, Dedra genuinely wanted Eedy to like her... at least at first. She got dressed up. She styled her hair. She even practiced smiling for the occasion! Dedra! Smiling! That's how you know it's serious. We've focused on Syril and Dedra standing awkwardly before Eedy arrives (two fascist sunflowers growing beautifully side by side, the weirdest people you know are dating, etc.), but we don't talk enough about how Dedra's fingers were twitching. She was nervous — she only does that finger-twitchy thing when she has something on her mind. While she could be affected by Syril's clear and radiant dread, the better explanation is that Dedra wants their visitor to think highly of her, as well as to approve of her relationship with Syril.
Even though Syril's no doubt warned her about Eedy and it's implied they've been putting the introduction off because Syril's terrified, Dedra still cares enough about being on his mother's good side that she's nervous before the doorbell rings. Why should ISB Supervisor Dedra Meero care what some woman in a bland, beige apartment thinks of her? Because Syril matters. Dedra wants to keep Syril in her life. She wants him. Therefore, in Dedra's head: Syril is important to me -> this makes his mother (ugh) important -> I need to make a good impression.
This is not the face of a woman who's going into this meeting with arrogance or self-assurance. Dedra looks apprehensive. She's out of her depth, and, being Dedra, she wants to do a good job.
Further complicating the whole thing, I'd imagine Dedra's never met a family member of someone important to her — or had anyone as meaningful to her as Syril, really. She doesn't do this stuff. In that context, her greeting Eedy with a handshake is almost endearing. Dedra's doing her best based off of the only resource she has, which is work. Meeting a superior officer? Handshake and a pleasantry! Meeting Syril's mother? Handshake and a pleasantry! Dedra's being respectful. She's putting forth a good effort. When Eedy compliments her apartment, Dedra thanks her: that's a courtesy we've only seen her give to those she respects. At least in those first few moments, I don't think she was sharpening her verbal knives. I think she was taking a genuine shot at making it work.
Like. Just shake her hand, Eedy! She's trying so hard!
I don't think Dedra started editing that speech until Eedy stopped Syril from leaving. Even when Eedy made her comment about Dedra looking "different than expected" and then pushed Dedra for an answer, she stayed inoffensive — Dedra sounded a little unsure and again, out of her depth, but not irritated. I don't think she slides into annoyance until Eedy orders Syril not to go to the shop, which is when Dedra makes this face...
...and that, I would argue, is when she starts considering putting Eedy Karn in her place. Did Dedra prepare for the possibility that she'd have to? Probably. It's Dedra. But for someone who captures and tortures for a living, not starting out with that energy is basically an act of mercy — and it's a mercy afforded Eedy because Dedra loves Syril. (Also, Denise does a split-second, blink-and-you'll-miss-it scowl when Eedy refuses to let Syril go, and it's hilarious and yet another reason she deserved an Emmy nomination.)
Others have discussed this, but it's also worth noting how in tune Dedra is with Syril throughout the actual lunch, too. The audience is shown, multiple times, that she looks over at him; she checks in with him without saying a word. She's observing his reactions to Eedy's insults. There's so much in her expressions, which range from "admittedly, you warned me, but I didn't think it would be this bad" to "I hate the way she's speaking to you and am going to send her home crying." Like —
SHE IS ALWAYS LOOKING AT HIM! SHE IS ALWAYS OBSERVING HIM! SHE IS ALWAYS ON HIS WAVELENGTH AND MONITORING HIS EMOTIONAL STATE, EVEN THOUGH SHE'S TERRIBLE WITH EMOTIONS!
Anyway.
The point of this rant is mostly to emphasize that while the speech is massive, meaningful, and hugely important for Dedra's character, there's so much more to the lunch scene. It underscores to an even greater degree how comfortable Dedra is with Syril, how much she wants him in her life (how much she's willing to put up with for him, without fighting back!), and how even when she's in a Terrible Social Situation, she makes Syril a priority. She tries to be friends with Eedy. It doesn't work. She can deal with Eedy making her uncomfortable ("Don't you wonder what I thought you'd look like?"), but she won't tolerate Syril's discomfort. She's trying so hard on so many levels in a high-stress and high-stakes environment for her, and I just. You cannot ever convince me she wasn't in love with that man. Love looks different for her, but she loved him in the only way she ever could — and that's all on display during these scenes.
Makes me think of how so many people went “oh shit, Dedra really was in love with Syril” after 2x08. Meanwhile, the dinner party from hell scenes either got memed as Dedra being Syril’s new mommy dommy or praising her for giving Eedy the momster no quarter. But the little tells of how devastatingly in love Dedra Meero was with Syril Karn were there from the very start as outlined so perfectly by op.
The thing about a good character flaw is that it has to be the same thing as their greatest strength just turned up too high. the person who loves deeply and therefore controls. the person who sees everything and therefore trusts nothing. the person who is so loyal they lose themselves. there are no clean villains and no clean heroes and once you understand that in fiction you can't unsee it in people. everyone is just their best quality at the wrong volume.
I know and understand what people mean when they say it but the concept that watching TV is mindless entertaining/switching your brain off...babygirl I'm having analytical visions beyond even my comprehension when watching a good show
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