The Rashomon Job (S03E11)
- The main thing I want to say very loudly about this episode is Nate's version is not the unbiased objective truth. He too is an unreliable narrator. (Which is confirmed by word of god btw, it's not just me)
- They considered using different visual styles for each version of the story, e.g. Parker seeing in black and white except things to steal, and I wish they did.
- It is very silly that they're all claiming to have stolen it when none of them successfully did. They know it wasn't them. But I love this ep so I'm ignoring it.
- When Coswell is talking to Eliot in Sophie's version, I think that's Kane's version of Eliot rather than the actor we saw earlier (off screen and then out of focus). Odd choice.
- You know what I'm going to say. Eliot in that knife vest... 🥵
- It's funny that Eliot wants Dr Abernathy's glasses for his costume. Totally unnecessary. As though someone's gonna say "you're not Dr Abernathy, you're not wearing glasses".
- We get 2 different versions of Eliot and Sophie meeting from Eliot's perspective - before his story starts and then partway through. In the first version they bump into each other, he asks if he got drink on her dress, introduces himself. Very similar to Sophie's version. Probably close to the truth. In Eliot's second version, there's no drink on dress, but there's a lot of Sophie hitting on Eliot. I'd go as far as to say this version is entirely Eliot purposely annoying Sophie (and Nate) and bears almost no resemblance to reality. As if Sophie would be playing a duchess anything like that.
- The fact that the exact wording of some unimportant dialogue is exactly the same in multiple stories suggests to me that each character is being influenced by the versions they heard earlier (in a generous interpretation, or slightly lazy writing in an ungenerous interpretation).
- Presumably offscreen Eliot steals a third person's clothes for his delivery driver outfit.
- I very much enjoy Eliot smashing the priceless vase but I don't believe it happened. He's not one to leave an unnecessary mess, I think, especially after his work under Moreau. This is him being an unreliable narrator again.
- Pretty sure the "whatever it takes to get the job done babe" to Sophie is the only time Eliot ever says "babe". Also think the only time he says "sweetie" is sarcastically to Sophie (Two Horse Job). Coincidence?
- Hardison's version of Eliot ("I'm gonna go sharpen this knife. Maybe walk around the halls in the dark.") and Parker's version of Sophie ("I was very very wondering if you could nyehh with my dingaling") crack me up the most.
- How did Hardison get a security uniform?
- Parker's characterization of Hardison as being obsessed with the free food is an interesting insight into how she sees him. However, it's also showing him choosing food over making a good impression on a woman nearby watching him which, after Hardison's version of the story showing him surrounded by women's attention, may be Parker's jealousy coming through. Sophie shows Hardison eating and assaulting a woman (slapping her backside), which seems unlikely to be true - presumably her knowledge of Bioko's nastiness coloring her memory of him flirting. Eliot and Nate don't have a take on it. I think the truth is most likely Hardison was doing some flirting and quite a lot of eating.
- There was no need for Parker to put the mug in the box, she's just being a delightful chaos gremlin.
- An example of Nate's bias is that in his version Sophie and Eliot don't flirt, in contradiction to Sophie, Eliot and Hardison's versions (Parker doesn't show us them interacting). It's highly likely they did flirt (and word of god says Hardison's version of that is real) but Nate shows what he wishes happened. But he does show Coswell as being infatuated with Sophie, which I think is the truth given the roses he gives Nate, which I'd assume is a true memory and helps Nate make sense of that storyline where the others hadn't.
- For my money, it's a pretty much perfect episode and probably my most rewatched.