Monday, March 21, 2011

Braver

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After writing the other day that Ilsa had searched for Chance for 6 months, I started thinking.

Ilsa sought out Chance to free her from the same people who had killed her husband. Once that was initially accomplished, she couldn’t let go. Really, what was she thinking? It seems that partnering with these men gave her a complete break from her previous life which had been ruined by the death of her husband and the subsequent threats. Now that she was free, what next? What’s even more interesting was that the team agreed to partner with her.

I love that she was so astute about Chance right off the bat in Ilsa Pucci, Season 2 Episode 1.

It didn’t take much for Ilsa to put together that Chance had an enormous conscience. She already knew he had recreated himself – that he was a former assassin turned bodyguard. She found him in an ashram, a spiritual hermitage, a place located far from human habitation designed for meditation and making penance in order to find solace and tranquility. This is clearly a man trying to change his life again.

However, it didn’t take much persuasion for Chance to take her on as a client. Maybe he applauded her persistence. Maybe he sensed her frustration or that indeed, she was not like his other clients. Maybe he was tired of ashram life. Maybe he thought he’d done enough penance. Or maybe it was the “braver” stab.
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Ilsa probes even deeper when being brave comes up again later in the episode.



And then there is this wonderful interaction between Chance and Ilsa after the bullets have stopped flying.  She once again assesses him perfectly and he is willing to answer her honestly and not blow her off with a flippant remark.  Beautifully written and acted.

Ilsa is a smart woman.  She knows what to say although I don't think she was being calculating or manipulative at all in this scene.
In the end, Ilsa gets what she wants - at least in this episode - and I'm pretty sure it has to do with winning his heart by calling him brave. 

11 comments:

  1. In the last clip where Ilsa tells Chance he's brave, I believe she was saying it outta admiration. Also it could be what you said "to win his heart"... job-wise. Soon after she goes out and offers them that proposal.

    I really like how you studied Ilsa there:
    After finding closer, she wondered what would be her next move/what she'd do... and bing! there we have our team :D

    I have a feeling that if it where Chance alone, he would of turned down her offer...idk just a thought

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  2. Sorry, I always forget to sign *rolleyes*

    -Marie

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  3. Yes, I think you're right about the admiration part - that's what made him suddenly pay closer attention to her. I don't think she planned to win his heart, but it sort of turned out that way.

    I think having the team is Ilsa's way of running away. She needed to make a new life without Marshall.

    And I think you might be right about Chance turning her down. Winston definitely swayed that decision with his comment about "a man of his length" having to travel in a commercial aircraft! (Mind you Chance really liked the idea of a private jet when they were in Nepal) Later on in the season Chance says "I don't make a move without you" (or something like that) to Winston. So he obviously has a lot of influence with Chance. Chance needs him!

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  4. As William Makepeace Thackeray said "Bravery never goes out of fashion."

    No matter how old or new the story, the hero(es) must be brave to capture my attention - outwardly brave like Chance; quietly brave like Ilsa.

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  5. Talking about Ilsa and Chance, I can't help but wonder who started to fall first? Was it kinda of a simultaneous thing? Was it Chance? Ilsa?...
    I'm inclined to think it's Ilsa, Idk the whole Ilsa vs Maria thing... Apparently in "A problem like Maria" Chance still liked Maria, and Ilsa's face when she met Maria spoke volumes!!! (lol)

    Ok I'm talking too much...
    Idk, it's just sometimes my main preoccupation when I daydream :D

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  6. One more thing (profiting to add something since I forgot to sign AGAIN...), in "The Return of Baptiste", in the start, there was this mid-air tension btw Ilsa and Chance when she commented "you're worried about me"... Chance kinda flinched in a suspicious way... This was before Maria's reappearance. Or maybe, I'm over-reading things... ahh I should stop

    -Marie

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  7. Oh, Marie! You've really got me thinking! I will answer you with a blog post on one of your comments! Right now in my very spare time, I'm working on a Human Target video that has a deadline! But stay tuned. Smiles, Suzanne

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  8. Oh yeah, I'm looking forward to your video (as usual :P)
    And I'm patiently awaiting your answer :)

    -Marie

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  9. I think in the very first video clip Ilsa was mocking him or challenging him to come and help her.
    At the Charity event she was stating real people's attitude towards life and death.
    In the third clip at the end of the episode she just meant --" well, you may not consider yourself to be very smart but you sure are very brave." There was admiration as well as curiosity about why someone would take such risks.
    I never found Ilsa to be manipulative. She is just used to being the boss so there is some arrogance. In a promotion clip about season 2, Valley comments that whenever you see Ilsa, you will hear a whip! Varma, in an interview mentioned that her character was supposed to nag the boys and that Ilsa is a fish out of water there and hopefully that brings in some humor. So the script was clearly written to show Ilsa as being a self-confident boss!

    As your clips above show -- Ilsa quickly catches on to Chance's 'death-wish'. She mentions his need for redemption many times. I sort of thought that concept would be expanded more in the later episodes-- she helps him see that he cannot live in guilt forever. Sort of his philosopher. But that did not happen.


    I also think the last clip - "why do you do it ....." was a way of summarizing the story of Christopher Chance for viewers that handn't seen season 1. It is one of the best scenes of this show.

    Saturn

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  10. @Saturn
    This episode was written by Matt Miller and I think he writes Ilsa better than anyone!

    I like your interpretation that Ilsa is not manipulative, but rather the crack-the-whip boss. It's so much like oil and water between the team and Ilsa. (It reminds me of when she mentions getting the "cleaners" in and quickly follows up with "not that kind of cleaner"!) She knows she's a fish out of water, too.

    You're right about the redemption thing - it was never mentioned so blatantly again which is too bad. Maybe we were suppose to get from the "subtext" that the fact that a woman like Ilsa (rich, determined, brave, dignified, funny) "stays" with Chance is a sign he is well on the way to redemption. Ooooo, I kinda like that. By staying, she reaffirms that he is doing the right thing. (But is that too subtle for Chance? He might need Winston and Guerrero to interpret for him!)

    There is the time when they're sitting on the stairs (at the end of Imbroglio) she reassures him that it's not his fault (I don't know, I kinda think it was....) about Hector Lopez. I guess she is telling him that he doesn't have to beat himself up over everything that goes wrong. To ease up on himself, it's time to let go of the redemption thing.

    Thanks Saturn! I enjoy your comments! You get me thinking.

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  11. Yes, Miller wrote well. My favorite episodes of season2 are Ilsa Pucci, Marshall Pucci, and Communication Breakdown-- the first 2 written by Miller and the 3rd by J Steinberg (?).They were also the exec producers and I think they described the characters well, as well as put in a lot of good action.

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