MFU 30-Day Meme: Day 22

[carabele]

Day 22 – Defining character moment - Napoleon Solo: shooting open those locked briefcases that supposedly held the nuclear device in THE INDIAN AFFAIRS AFFAIR

Okay, this was a tough one for me because honestly there were many defining moments in the series for the character of Napoleon, each showcasing a particular facet of his personality.



There is the optimistic idealistist that clearly shows in that last speech he made to Shark in THE SHARK AFFAIR.

There is the loyalty to his partner which comes through when he risks an international incident by confronting the president of a country with a gun to rescue Illya in THE SECRET SCEPTRE AFFAIR.

There is the brilliant strategist, even when initial plans fail, that shines in THE PROJECT STRIGAS AFFAIR.

There is the loyalty to the organization which comes into play in the previously mentioned confrontation with Waverly in THE CONCRETE OVERCOAT AFFAIR.

This is the intuitively empathic side that's evidenced when he tells that "white lie" about his grandfather in order to make the innocent realize that quality of life isn't necessarily measured by worldly success in THE GREEN OPAL AFFAIR.

And there is the ruthless agent side that pushes forward as his memory returns while handling a gun in the THE NOWHERE AFFAIR.

In the end though I decided to go with a defining moment I doubt many will pick: that moment at the finale of THE INDIAN AFFAIRS AFFAIR when Solo coolly and methodically shoots open each of those locked briefcases (including the last remaining), one of which presumedly should contain the nuclear device that has been assembled by Thrush.

I'm not focusing on the rest of the episode, which suffers from many obvious problems. I'm only talking about this one particular moment with those briefcases. Napoleon's instincts assured him that nuclear device was not in any of those briefcases; so he had no qualms about shooting open the locks of each in turn. How much Napoleon "went with his gut" in particular situations is definitely brought into focus by this deliberate and self-possessed action.

There are those who say: "No, he wouldn't have done that because there were innocents around." Ah, but you see, hesitating would mean he didn't really trust his instincts, and Napoleon ultimately did so trust those instincts. He wasn't afraid of harming any innocents with his action because instinctively he knew without question that the briefcases were all safe.

Napoleon could strategize expertly, but he was also a man who trusted his gut reaction when there was no available strictly logical knowledge that could give him an answer. That was as much a part of his character as his idealism and his optimism and his loyalty and his empathy and his ruthlessness. He was truly a very complex man behind that nonchalant and charming front.

Comments

[st-crispins.livejournal.com]

I agree. But I think that moment is an example of outhtinking his opponent, not just following his gut. I think he says after the suitcases are open that he knew the thrush guy would do that because he would have himself.

Solo was, after all, an excellent chess player, a trope repeated throughout the series.

and he's a lot smarter than he's traditionally given credit for.

[carabele.livejournal.com]

Definitely the ultimate chess player. I do so love that in his character!