Thoughts about control - The Sentinel
Jul. 12th, 2006 09:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
eliyesJust a ramble I had posted in a comment somewhere but then decided it need its own home. A bit of thought on Jim Ellison's character, from my interpretation as a control freak...
Jim is very controlling at times. I mean, I can understand that he's antsy about taking an unarmed civilian into dangerous situations, and as the series progresses he doesn't start every operation with the extended lecture of "you do what I say, when I say, no questions" that Blaire seems to have gotten sick of pretty quickly.
I sometimes wonder if it's a reaction to feeling that he's lost control over his life. It's a scary situation to be in. Here he is and his senses have gone bugfuck sonic, man, and then here's this guy who wants to help him learn to control them again. If he can't control his senses yet, then he'll exert as much control over the guy who theoretically can, and regain control by proxy.
He also seems to be threatened by Blair on the level of not really feeling like he has much choice about whether or not to let him into his life. Jim seems to be a very private person, to me. I think at first he really didn't want to become friends with a guy who was basically studying him, but that didn't work because it's Blair, not some doctor seeing him in a lab or official environent at set times. And Blair is definitely not the Malinowski variety of anthropologist, keeping apart from his study subjects. (Although Malinowski was revolutionary for his time.)
While there are many possible explanations, or layers of explanation, for Jim letting Blair move in beyond that "one week", control might be a factor. That way he can keep a better weather eye on how Blair is approaching the project. ....But I also think he didn't really approve of the kind of place Blair was likely to move into if he left. That laptop would hardly be safe in another place like the one he was in...
Jim is very controlling at times. I mean, I can understand that he's antsy about taking an unarmed civilian into dangerous situations, and as the series progresses he doesn't start every operation with the extended lecture of "you do what I say, when I say, no questions" that Blaire seems to have gotten sick of pretty quickly.
I sometimes wonder if it's a reaction to feeling that he's lost control over his life. It's a scary situation to be in. Here he is and his senses have gone bugfuck sonic, man, and then here's this guy who wants to help him learn to control them again. If he can't control his senses yet, then he'll exert as much control over the guy who theoretically can, and regain control by proxy.
He also seems to be threatened by Blair on the level of not really feeling like he has much choice about whether or not to let him into his life. Jim seems to be a very private person, to me. I think at first he really didn't want to become friends with a guy who was basically studying him, but that didn't work because it's Blair, not some doctor seeing him in a lab or official environent at set times. And Blair is definitely not the Malinowski variety of anthropologist, keeping apart from his study subjects. (Although Malinowski was revolutionary for his time.)
While there are many possible explanations, or layers of explanation, for Jim letting Blair move in beyond that "one week", control might be a factor. That way he can keep a better weather eye on how Blair is approaching the project. ....But I also think he didn't really approve of the kind of place Blair was likely to move into if he left. That laptop would hardly be safe in another place like the one he was in...