[spoilers] Lucas and his tattoos

[binkie]

(07-01-2011 12:33 AM)Byatil Wrote:  Haha, short sentences are my only vice! They're too tempting to use at times, my prose can become horribly over-crowded with them

Ah! Give it time...

(07-01-2011 12:33 AM)Byatil Wrote:  Indeed, it's interesting how Ros is the character Lucas seems 'closest' to at times, yet he still reveals very little to her.

Certainly, he never gets into a conversation with her about "what I did on my holidays", but he does reveal to her, before he does so to anyone else, that he is on very uncertain ground with Harry. As early as 7.3 he instigates, and presses, a line of discussion with Ros that calls into question Harry's trustworthiness and reliability as a moral leader. I think he recognises in Ros - as she recognises in him - someone who is uncomfortable surrendering conscious autonomy to a system, or to a representative of a system (Harry, in this case), especially where the system has failed to live up to its side of the bargain. Lucas and Ros do not chit-chat, but, in their way, they talk a lot, and they talk about incredibly personal concerns.

(07-01-2011 12:33 AM)Byatil Wrote:  He is only willing to give away enough information to satiate the other person's curiosity, whilst subtly hinting that he is unlikely to tell them anything else.

This is so near the knuckle it's down to the bone. What a brilliant description of Lucas' self-destructive internalisation! What has always seemed odd to me is the suggestion that Sarah - an intelligence operative herself - seems genuinely shocked and surprised to learn that Lucas was mistreated in prison. I think this says as much about her own selfishness as it does about his reluctance to carry on a conversation he believes the tattoos have as good as completed.