Micky and Peter
Feb. 18th, 2011 10:26 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ladybug_archiveWhile watching more Monkees episodes, I've been pondering more on Micky and Peter, my favorite Monkee friendship on the show.
One thing I've wondered about for the longest time is, after Micky, Mike, and Davy realize that Oraculo "freaked Peter's mind!" in The Monkees Blow Their Minds, why does Micky yell at Peter, "Well, bye Pete. See you later, Pete. The door's always open to you, Pete; you can come home to the Pad and all your friends. But write first 'cause we're renting your room!" I mean, it was obvious he was upset about Peter wandering off with Oraculo, but if he knew Oraculo brainwashed Peter, then why yell at Peter?
Then I discovered the answer. When Oraculo says, "He came to me of his own free will," look at Micky. He does a double-take and stares at Oraculo, utterly shocked and stunned. He's reeling and in disbelief and feels hurt and betrayed. That's why he yells that at Peter.
Even though Micky often teases and rags on Peter, he is also very protective. In The Monkees On the Line, he immediately moves to grab at and shield Peter from the irate gambler when the guy is threatening Peter. And in The Devil and Peter Tork, Micky starts yelling, "No, you can't have him, Devil, you can't have him!" when he and Davy are trying to pull Peter away from the Devil. (And off-topic, but Davy trying to get the Devil to take his soul instead of Peter's is one of Davy's most squeeable, ennobling scenes.)
I love the parts where Peter says something naive/stupid and instead of making a sarcastic comment about it, Micky pats Peter on the head. So cute! And when Micky is so excited at the end of The Devil and Peter Tork that he jumps over the table to get to Peter and glomp him, rather than to just walk around it, I squeed.
I also love where Micky is thinking of trying to scare Peter's memory back in The Case of the Missing Monkee and yet he doesn't want Peter to get hurt, so he tells him, "Okay, Peter, we're going to try to scare you, so don't be scared." Nonsensical and counterproductive, but it's a great bit anyway.
Micky has also canonically identified him and Peter as best friends at least twice. In Monkees in Texas, when Micky is trying to be undercover as a hired gun, it all falls apart when they try to get him to kill Peter. "I can't kill him! He's my best friend!" (That's one of the best season 2 episodes where Micky's hair is curly, BTW. Micky acts more like his resourceful season 1 self.) And in The Monkees Blow Their Minds, Micky tries desperately to get Peter to remember him. "I'm your best friend, through toil and hardship, for years and years!"
Strangely, what I'm not always quite sure of is Peter's feelings towards Micky. He does collectively call all of the others his best friends in the whole world, and sometimes he does this adorable "Thanks, Mick!" when Micky helps him in some way. At other times he acts like he might be annoyed by Micky. Check out his expression when Micky suddenly bursts out in hyperactivity at the villains in The Prince and the Paupers, seriously. He looks like he's thinking, "Please tell me I don't know him." Micky probably comes on strong for all of them sometimes, but I was still surprised to see that reaction from Peter. And of course, there's how he seemed a bit colder towards Micky than the others in The Case of the Missing Monkee. Then there's Peter ragging on Micky at some parts of season 2, but we won't go there, because Micky's acting like an idiot in those episodes and I won't acknowledge them as canon.
EDIT: Of course, Peter's comment to Dragonman in Monkee Chow Mein that he would put his arm in the fire for Micky should also be mentioned. I do think Peter thinks of Micky as a friend, of course, even if sometimes Micky frustrates him; what I'm not sure of is if Peter feels as close to Micky as Micky apparently feels to him. Or maybe Peter feels equally close to all of the other Monkees.
I've struggled a bit with how to write for Peter in the fic I'm finishing up, but I'm hoping I've got him right. His discouragement at the beginning has canon basis, I think, due to how he acted in The Audition (Find the Monkees). Some of his comments and actions in that episode really surprised me. On the other hand, even during his spell with amnesia in the fic, his innocence and good heart shine through.
And in analyzing Micky more in specific, I've re-watched A Coffin Too Frequent and decided that, in spite of the ridiculous nonsense of the people insisting they have a right to be in the Pad for the seance that night, it's also one of the best episodes Season 2 offered. Micky is intelligent and resourceful, even with curly hair. (Seriously, most of the episodes where he has curly hair also feature his intelligence going down the drain. Some of the "fluffy hair" episodes, the leftover season 1 offerings in season 2, were leaning that way too.)
(Speaking of those people, BTW, I think the crook showed them a fake lease with the weird clause in it. There's no way that's the real lease. It's too preposterous. What I wonder most is, Why did they pick the Pad to hold the seance? Did Mrs. Weatherspoon and her husband live there before or something? There should have been a line or two explaining that.)
Also, I think Micky jokes when situations are bad because he's either trying to cover up his nervousness or because that's the only approach he really knows/feels comfortable with. (Or both.) It's interesting; you wouldn't think it at first glance, but I think he's the most insecure of the characters. Some episodes hint at that. I saw one or two recently that made me think that, but for the life of me I can't remember which ones now. That's going to drive me nuts.
(I Was a 99 Pound Weakling would definitely support the idea, but I don't support the episode. It's one of those where the characters don't act quite right. There are others, ones where they seem more IC. If I could just remember!)
And I still don't get this dialogue in The Case of the Missing Monkee. It's amusing, but I don't get the basis for it:
Peter: Besides, Dr. Marcovich is an evil man!
Micky: What about me?!
Peter: You're not evil! Is he, Mike?
Mike: No, you're not evil. Crafty and selfish, maybe, but not evil.
Crafty, yes. Definitely yes. It's one of the things I love about him. But I'm having a really hard time thinking of any time on the show where Micky was noticeably selfish, other than in The Monkees Get Out More Dirt, and everyone was equally at fault there. Sometimes he makes selfish-sounding jokes, but they're clearly jokes.
I went over Prisms and have fixed the writing style for all but one of the chapters. It wasn't as much of a headache as I worried it would be. But I discovered again why I stalled halfway through writing a chapter. I'm hoping to get past it once and for all this time. It's really exasperating; if I could just get past this scene, I think the rest of the fic would be easy to write.
One thing I've wondered about for the longest time is, after Micky, Mike, and Davy realize that Oraculo "freaked Peter's mind!" in The Monkees Blow Their Minds, why does Micky yell at Peter, "Well, bye Pete. See you later, Pete. The door's always open to you, Pete; you can come home to the Pad and all your friends. But write first 'cause we're renting your room!" I mean, it was obvious he was upset about Peter wandering off with Oraculo, but if he knew Oraculo brainwashed Peter, then why yell at Peter?
Then I discovered the answer. When Oraculo says, "He came to me of his own free will," look at Micky. He does a double-take and stares at Oraculo, utterly shocked and stunned. He's reeling and in disbelief and feels hurt and betrayed. That's why he yells that at Peter.
Even though Micky often teases and rags on Peter, he is also very protective. In The Monkees On the Line, he immediately moves to grab at and shield Peter from the irate gambler when the guy is threatening Peter. And in The Devil and Peter Tork, Micky starts yelling, "No, you can't have him, Devil, you can't have him!" when he and Davy are trying to pull Peter away from the Devil. (And off-topic, but Davy trying to get the Devil to take his soul instead of Peter's is one of Davy's most squeeable, ennobling scenes.)
I love the parts where Peter says something naive/stupid and instead of making a sarcastic comment about it, Micky pats Peter on the head. So cute! And when Micky is so excited at the end of The Devil and Peter Tork that he jumps over the table to get to Peter and glomp him, rather than to just walk around it, I squeed.
I also love where Micky is thinking of trying to scare Peter's memory back in The Case of the Missing Monkee and yet he doesn't want Peter to get hurt, so he tells him, "Okay, Peter, we're going to try to scare you, so don't be scared." Nonsensical and counterproductive, but it's a great bit anyway.
Micky has also canonically identified him and Peter as best friends at least twice. In Monkees in Texas, when Micky is trying to be undercover as a hired gun, it all falls apart when they try to get him to kill Peter. "I can't kill him! He's my best friend!" (That's one of the best season 2 episodes where Micky's hair is curly, BTW. Micky acts more like his resourceful season 1 self.) And in The Monkees Blow Their Minds, Micky tries desperately to get Peter to remember him. "I'm your best friend, through toil and hardship, for years and years!"
Strangely, what I'm not always quite sure of is Peter's feelings towards Micky. He does collectively call all of the others his best friends in the whole world, and sometimes he does this adorable "Thanks, Mick!" when Micky helps him in some way. At other times he acts like he might be annoyed by Micky. Check out his expression when Micky suddenly bursts out in hyperactivity at the villains in The Prince and the Paupers, seriously. He looks like he's thinking, "Please tell me I don't know him." Micky probably comes on strong for all of them sometimes, but I was still surprised to see that reaction from Peter. And of course, there's how he seemed a bit colder towards Micky than the others in The Case of the Missing Monkee. Then there's Peter ragging on Micky at some parts of season 2, but we won't go there, because Micky's acting like an idiot in those episodes and I won't acknowledge them as canon.
EDIT: Of course, Peter's comment to Dragonman in Monkee Chow Mein that he would put his arm in the fire for Micky should also be mentioned. I do think Peter thinks of Micky as a friend, of course, even if sometimes Micky frustrates him; what I'm not sure of is if Peter feels as close to Micky as Micky apparently feels to him. Or maybe Peter feels equally close to all of the other Monkees.
I've struggled a bit with how to write for Peter in the fic I'm finishing up, but I'm hoping I've got him right. His discouragement at the beginning has canon basis, I think, due to how he acted in The Audition (Find the Monkees). Some of his comments and actions in that episode really surprised me. On the other hand, even during his spell with amnesia in the fic, his innocence and good heart shine through.
And in analyzing Micky more in specific, I've re-watched A Coffin Too Frequent and decided that, in spite of the ridiculous nonsense of the people insisting they have a right to be in the Pad for the seance that night, it's also one of the best episodes Season 2 offered. Micky is intelligent and resourceful, even with curly hair. (Seriously, most of the episodes where he has curly hair also feature his intelligence going down the drain. Some of the "fluffy hair" episodes, the leftover season 1 offerings in season 2, were leaning that way too.)
(Speaking of those people, BTW, I think the crook showed them a fake lease with the weird clause in it. There's no way that's the real lease. It's too preposterous. What I wonder most is, Why did they pick the Pad to hold the seance? Did Mrs. Weatherspoon and her husband live there before or something? There should have been a line or two explaining that.)
Also, I think Micky jokes when situations are bad because he's either trying to cover up his nervousness or because that's the only approach he really knows/feels comfortable with. (Or both.) It's interesting; you wouldn't think it at first glance, but I think he's the most insecure of the characters. Some episodes hint at that. I saw one or two recently that made me think that, but for the life of me I can't remember which ones now. That's going to drive me nuts.
(I Was a 99 Pound Weakling would definitely support the idea, but I don't support the episode. It's one of those where the characters don't act quite right. There are others, ones where they seem more IC. If I could just remember!)
And I still don't get this dialogue in The Case of the Missing Monkee. It's amusing, but I don't get the basis for it:
Peter: Besides, Dr. Marcovich is an evil man!
Micky: What about me?!
Peter: You're not evil! Is he, Mike?
Mike: No, you're not evil. Crafty and selfish, maybe, but not evil.
Crafty, yes. Definitely yes. It's one of the things I love about him. But I'm having a really hard time thinking of any time on the show where Micky was noticeably selfish, other than in The Monkees Get Out More Dirt, and everyone was equally at fault there. Sometimes he makes selfish-sounding jokes, but they're clearly jokes.
I went over Prisms and have fixed the writing style for all but one of the chapters. It wasn't as much of a headache as I worried it would be. But I discovered again why I stalled halfway through writing a chapter. I'm hoping to get past it once and for all this time. It's really exasperating; if I could just get past this scene, I think the rest of the fic would be easy to write.
