One
thing I’m really appreciating about The
Hour is the way that the Cold War’s presence is felt with such
immediacy. This episode features a quiet
little scene where a secretary wonders whether the office cupboard will make an
adequate safe room if the bomb is dropped.
To some extent, these characters are a group of slightly repressed
British citizens of the late ‘50s – there are certain things for which they’ll
simply put on a happy face and pretend that nothing is wrong. But they’re also heavy with the knowledge
that weapons capable of burning them down now exist in the world, and that
charges their actions with an extra recklessness. It cuts through their more reserved
tendencies, forces them to take risks – personally and professionally – and
spurs them not to leave important things unsaid.
Some
excellent character stuff in this episode from all the major characters. I mentioned yesterday that each was deciding
how much they could afford to give for the sake of the story; today, we see
some of the cost in action, and everyone deals with that differently.
I’ve
come to realize that part of what I like about Randall is his
inconsistencies. He’s blunt and
no-nonsense, but he’s also extremely empathetic, with such warmth. His compulsive habits give him the impression
of being jittery or weak, but he casts a commanding shadow. He seems stiff and reserved, but he has a
wonderful way of reaching out to people.
He takes a sensible approach to running The Hour, but he delights in challenging established
conventions. And he often presents the
detached, pragmatic approach, but he’s remarkable sanguine in the face of very
little certainty.
It
doesn’t seem right that such a contradictory portrayal should work. Surely, we should all be online crying, “Out
of character!” We should be arguing that
Randall shifts as the story needs him to.
But Randall doesn’t feel inconsistent like a sloppily-written character;
he feels inconsistent like a person. It’s
a thorough, somewhat messy combination, and I’m like it so much.
One
more episode to go. And suspense? Forget about it; these people are killing me.
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