“Seven Days of Magnificent 7″ Day 3–Favorite Romantic Pair
Hands down my favorite Mag7 ship is Vin/Inez. When Inez was first introduced, I thought her and Ezra could be a fun pair. On further thought, though, I decided I like them better as platonic business partners rather than anything romantic.
Like most people, I think Love and Honor was where I first thought of Vin and Inez but I did not ship them at that point. Then I was watching the beginning of Chinatown and randomly thought, “I swear, if Vin comes in to help Inez break up this bar brawl I am SHIPPING it!” and then I saw his hat and just followed the rabbit hole on down.
To explain why I like THIS ship though, I need to also explain why Buck/Inez is my NOtp of the show. My main issue with Buck and Inez is that Buck’s attitudes toward her, in light of her past, is a bit uncomfortable. Now I am in no way, shape, or form saying that Buck is similar to Don Paulo because he is NOT…but think about it from Inez’s POV.
She’s on the run from this jerk who, aside from physically assaulting her, has created a dynamic were her desires, wants, wishes, and opinions have zero value. This is clear in their interactions. Now she is in this new town, creating a new life where she promptly meets ANOTHER guy who assumes “No” means “So I should come by later, right?”
Of course Buck does value her as a person and will not stand by and let her come to harm…but for Inez the difficulty would lie in the fact that Buck is unconsciously repeating a lot of the same behavioral patterns that created trouble for her in the first place. He does not realize it, but for Inez, his actions would create a very stressful situation.
Now onto Vin and why I ship him with Inez. In one of their two scenes together, Vin hears her out, gives her solicited advice on her situation but does not tell her what to do. He gives her his take on what is going on without jumping in to take charge of her situation. He asks questions that actually have bearing on what is going on, and then supports her choice by sticking around and making sure that she’s not left alone in this mess.
For Inez, that is an amazing thing. She is being treated like a person. Her idea on how to fix the situation is acknowledged. Vin only offers his opinion when she asks for it, and he is not telling her what she has to do. She is being treated like an intelligent person, instead of like a damsel in distress and I think that, more than anything else encourages her to stick it out instead of just taking off again.
I think this shift is clear in her first statement to Vin, “They cannot fight over a woman if she is not there” verses her last line in the scene, “I will make my stand here”. In the first line, she is referring to herself in third person, as an item to be bickered over by two men. In the last line, she is referring to herself in the first person, and taking full ownership of her life. She is not an object for Buck and Paulo to fight over—she is an individual with a right to say what happens in her own life.
That right there is why I ship Vin and Inez (and incidentally also why I ship Chris/Mary). He does not try to control Inez, or her choices. He lets her be her own woman and is there to lend help when she needs it. I know it seems like kind of a small reason but to me, I feel like that is one of the most important cores for a relationship. It is not about huge sweeping romantic gestures, or kissing, or having sex. What makes long-term romantic relationships work is support, and accepting that both people are unique individuals who should not be controlled.
On the fanon side, I love the idea of Vin and Inez as a couple because they are strong enough to balance each other. They love each other, but they are not dependent on each other. I also love the idea of both of them being broken people who are a bit better together. They are not perfect but they are better and that is what counts. Also I think Inez would not want to tie Vin down…which would be the way to win him over.
Also just…I love how Vin’s quiet, intense personality would mix with Inez’s spunk, and hot temper. They would just balance so well and I am in love with them and just…gaah….my heart! –flails-
All images from here: http://blackraptor.net/screengrabs/08M7/08M701.html
