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Viktor Vasko

The loss of purpose

As much as we like to speculate about the exact nature of Mordecai's feelings towards Viktor, we should remember that even though the big guys view of his best friend is 100% platonic, that doesn't mean Viktor is any less hurt by what happened

Viktor is a man who has always wanted to feel useful and needed. As a farm hand, as a soldier, as a manual labourer, as a handyman for his neighborhood, and as a bootlegger

But unable to return to the land of his birth, tossed aside by the US government after serving his purpose in the war, losing an eye and getting locked up when striking for fairer pay and conditions, one of his knees crippled by years of physical labour, abandoned by his wife who took his daughter with her, Viktor has had that sense of purpose snatched away from him too many times.

He resigns himself to working for Atlas may after the gangster gets him out of prison, and being obliged to the gangster at least offers him that new purpose

A BIG part of that new purpose became watching out for and guarding the back of a younger tuxedo cat, trying so hard to appear cold and capable to conceal the desperate lost man inside.

For whatever reason, despite all his noise, nagging, criticism, prickliness,and their regular arguements, this unlikely partner he spends most of his time with somehow achieves that rare feat of being considered a friend by Viktor "Vinegar" Vasko.

He tries to help him improve his weak social skills, he wears a tie he offers him for Christmas, and seemingly even agrees to wearing a matching suit at the 1926 New Years party despite hating formal wear

He has a practical purpose as a mechanic, gunman and the muscle of the Lackadaisy gang, while more personally his circle is not much bigger than Mordecai's.

A good hearted but senile neighbor in Mrs Bapka, a young bright eyed girl who fills the gap where his daughter was, and his eccentric partner and likely both best and only friend.

There was even a connection based on shared war trauma with kind nurse Elsa Basation (how intimate this connection was is a matter if speculation)

But his unlikely friendship with Mordecai would break in the fallout of Atlas's mysterious murder, with Mordecai shooting his best friend in the knee after a dispute that involved Mordecai attempting to convince Viktor to "retire" from Lackadaisy, needing Viktor out of danger as part of his plan to spy on Marigold undercover and "avenge Atlas". Its possible Mordecai was hoping Viktor could become a secret partner in this mission.

Yet Viktor refused. Why? What was this dispute about?

I have always suspected Viktor, despite only having one eye, saw his dynamic with Atlas a lot more clearly than Mordecai did through his surrogate father tinted pince-nez

We know that Viktor has never been happy with Mordecai taking needless risks with his life on behalf of Atlas May. Remember his reaction to Mordecai running ahead of him to get the money on the defiance job, clearly to prove himself and gain the approval of his mentor/father figure Atlas, and leading to him nearly getting killed and wounding his arm in the process

But when they deliver the money and other spoils to Atlas, the man remains his stoic neutral self, may have even chastised Mordecai for letting the money take the hit (never mind he would have died otherwise)

Who did make sure Mordecai was alright? Who recovered his pince-nez from the ruined stairs of the burning building, and then offered them back as a gesture of comfort? Viktor

There is no way, if Mordecai confided in Viktor about his plan in their final conversation, that he would have been willing to let Mordecai risk being butchered by Marigold for a man who exploited him at his lowest moment and used him for his own ends, just like he did with Viktor after he was arrested during the labour riots

The contrast of this with Mordecai's hero worship of Atlas, and the fact the tuxedo was still very much grieving, is the recipe for an arguement FAR WORSE than the many they had before

From Mordecai's perspective, Viktor refused to help him when he felt he needed it the most, and forced him to pull out a gun and do something he REALLY didn't want to do to get Viktor out of the firing line

From Viktors perspective he DID try to help him, by making him realize that he shouldn't throw the rest of his life away for a man who didn't really care, and that he should stay at the Lackadaisy, specifically with his partner/best friend who had spent years showing he did. Getting a bullet in his one remaining good knee for his trouble

They both wanted to keep the other out of danger, but due to their contrasting perspectives on Atlas and how to respond, combined with them both being extremely stubborn, they really badly hurt each other

Now neither of his legs work properly, he is relegated to tending the bar which he must feel is as bad as being benched completely, and following the pig farmers attack, in part due to the robbery of their weapons by that same ex-partner, he currently can't even do that

All because of a friend he thought, after so many years, wouldn't abandon him, would always have his back. Not stick a knife in it to suicidally chase vengeance for the the memory of a false idol who never would have done the same for them

He is left sitting at home feeling broken and useless without a clear purpose to keep him going, to distract him from the many bad memories and regrets hanging over him.

He has not answered any of his daughters letters to him, clearly thinking he will drag her down with him.

For the same reason he feels compelled to push his surrogate Ivy away, fearing that as long as she is around the Lackadaisy she will be in danger, even if it pains him to do so (note the parallel to Mordecai's reasoning for trying to force Viktor to retire even at the cost of their bond)

Hopefully Elsa informing him of Ivy's dangerous activities will motivate him to snap out his current despair

And his story will not end in tragedy

#lackadaisy #tracy j butler #lackadaisycats #mordecai heller #viktor vasko #vikdecai #lackadaisy cats #atlas may #ivy pepper #mrs bapka #elsa bastion