And here we go again....
Apr. 1st, 2011 09:36 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ladybug_archiveI took 123 screengrabs from Jimmy's guest spot on the Daniel Boone episode The Spanish Horse. And I saw the episode two times (Jimmy's scenes, three times, since I watched them while taking pictures).
The first time I watched it, I had no intention of writing anything about his character. I also determined that his character was really quite a jerk! ... However, by the second viewing both opinions changed.
The main thing I thought was jerky was his character, Whipper, snapping at the guest-starring protagonist, a boy who was his opponent in a race. But during the second viewing I realized I felt I could understand his behavior. Here he is, a professional jockey who spent years in training to become successful. And then here comes some upstart teenager, who has never seen a horse race and his horse isn't even trained, and the kid's claiming his horse can beat any other horse. You know, in Whipper's position, I think I'd be mad too!
I especially think this is likely the explanation because part of what he said when he snapped was, "It's time you learned a few things." In other words, "I've been at this a lot longer than you. Just because your horse is fast doesn't mean you know everything you need to know."
It's really interesting how a show will always try to throw things in favor of the protagonist, whether regular or guest-starring, and sometimes if you look at things from the other person's point of view, suddenly they don't seem as bad as they might be colored to seem.
That being said, I do think Whipper was involved in his boss's scheme to subtly get the kid tricked into racing and placing a wager of all his money on the outcome. A lot of his dialogue and facial expressions during the tricking scene strongly point to that. But he could have easily been all for it/not really giving it a second thought at the time and then got mad later on, thinking about how cocky the kid was being. (Of course, he and his boss probably only made the kid more cocky with their subtle pushing.)
Anyway ... now I have a plunnie for this. And I haven't got to the Knight Rider one yet! Somebody stop me; I'm preposterous. I doubt this series has much of a fandom. If there is one, who the **blip** would care about a oneshot character, and one who isn't even the main oneshot character?
In spite of Whipper's probable knowing involvement in the con, I don't think he's really a bad guy. He possibly (probably) may have been involved in other, similar cons, however. And that thought provides the basis of the plunnie.
I have this idea of something taking place a bit after the events of the episode, and someone else who was conned and realizes it is furious. He comes with a couple of his men and threatens Whipper late at night, telling him if he races the next day, he'll be sorry. Whipper isn't about to be scared off and races anyway, but the guy wasn't bluffing. He had his men do something to the horse (what, I don't know; probably some kind of drug, if that sort of thing was going on that long ago) and it behaves erratically. Whipper is eventually thrown and injured. And I suppose Daniel Boone is in town and gets involved in what's happening and has to bring the guys who tampered with the horse and nearly killed Whipper to justice. Leastwise, if the main character is involved, there's a better chance of getting an audience! But the plot would be better if he's in it too anyway.
Off-topic, but one other thing I noticed was that in this guest spot, Jimmy tried to speak without an accent. He slipped up a few times, though. And I am still going mad wondering exactly what kind of accent it's supposed to be.
The first time I watched it, I had no intention of writing anything about his character. I also determined that his character was really quite a jerk! ... However, by the second viewing both opinions changed.
The main thing I thought was jerky was his character, Whipper, snapping at the guest-starring protagonist, a boy who was his opponent in a race. But during the second viewing I realized I felt I could understand his behavior. Here he is, a professional jockey who spent years in training to become successful. And then here comes some upstart teenager, who has never seen a horse race and his horse isn't even trained, and the kid's claiming his horse can beat any other horse. You know, in Whipper's position, I think I'd be mad too!
I especially think this is likely the explanation because part of what he said when he snapped was, "It's time you learned a few things." In other words, "I've been at this a lot longer than you. Just because your horse is fast doesn't mean you know everything you need to know."
It's really interesting how a show will always try to throw things in favor of the protagonist, whether regular or guest-starring, and sometimes if you look at things from the other person's point of view, suddenly they don't seem as bad as they might be colored to seem.
That being said, I do think Whipper was involved in his boss's scheme to subtly get the kid tricked into racing and placing a wager of all his money on the outcome. A lot of his dialogue and facial expressions during the tricking scene strongly point to that. But he could have easily been all for it/not really giving it a second thought at the time and then got mad later on, thinking about how cocky the kid was being. (Of course, he and his boss probably only made the kid more cocky with their subtle pushing.)
Anyway ... now I have a plunnie for this. And I haven't got to the Knight Rider one yet! Somebody stop me; I'm preposterous. I doubt this series has much of a fandom. If there is one, who the **blip** would care about a oneshot character, and one who isn't even the main oneshot character?
In spite of Whipper's probable knowing involvement in the con, I don't think he's really a bad guy. He possibly (probably) may have been involved in other, similar cons, however. And that thought provides the basis of the plunnie.
I have this idea of something taking place a bit after the events of the episode, and someone else who was conned and realizes it is furious. He comes with a couple of his men and threatens Whipper late at night, telling him if he races the next day, he'll be sorry. Whipper isn't about to be scared off and races anyway, but the guy wasn't bluffing. He had his men do something to the horse (what, I don't know; probably some kind of drug, if that sort of thing was going on that long ago) and it behaves erratically. Whipper is eventually thrown and injured. And I suppose Daniel Boone is in town and gets involved in what's happening and has to bring the guys who tampered with the horse and nearly killed Whipper to justice. Leastwise, if the main character is involved, there's a better chance of getting an audience! But the plot would be better if he's in it too anyway.
Off-topic, but one other thing I noticed was that in this guest spot, Jimmy tried to speak without an accent. He slipped up a few times, though. And I am still going mad wondering exactly what kind of accent it's supposed to be.
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no subject
Date: 2011-04-01 03:51 pm (UTC)Anyway ... now I have a plunnie for this. And I haven't got to the Knight Rider one yet!
Welcome to my world! At this point, I'm considering finishing that Hamlet nonsense a major accomplishment!
And, like I said, you'd be surprised how popular oneshot characters can be. Heck, I'm going crazy figuring out if there'd be an uproar if I wrote a oneshot villain character death!
no subject
Date: 2011-04-01 04:13 pm (UTC)It is indeed an accomplishment! Congratulations!
I'm always surprised when one is, because usually they aren't. I saw your dilemma, but I was rather torn myself on what to advise you about it. I think my main objection would be if you kill him off, you won't be able to use him in later stories, if you ever want to.
... And hey, there is a little bit of a fandom for Daniel Boone. It looks like the category is a little dead of late, though.
no subject
Date: 2011-04-01 04:51 pm (UTC)Thanks! X3
Ooh, that is a good point.... Yes...
And yay for a bit of fandom (bleh at it being dead...)! There's a bit of a fandom for Wild Kratts, too, but it seems to be restricted to dA, for now, anyway. Someone did a nice manga drawing of the brothers. XD
(And... weird. Are you getting others' comments in your LJ inbox, but not your own? Because my own comments aren't showing up in my own LJ inbox. I get the notifications, though, which makes it even more weird...)
no subject
Date: 2011-04-01 04:58 pm (UTC)I think I have the settings for getting my own messages completely turned off, because I see no need to receive my own and I find it annoying. I also wonder why in the world people Friend themselves.
no subject
Date: 2011-04-01 05:10 pm (UTC)Ah. As for the friending, I think by default, you're on your own flist. **shrugs**
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Date: 2011-04-01 05:15 pm (UTC)By default, yes. I immediately turned it off. And I'm not sure, but I don't think that automatically being on your own Friends List was always an option. I don't think I recall it being that way in 2003. Of course, I could be wrong.
no subject
Date: 2011-04-01 05:07 pm (UTC)Yes, you should watch some of his stuff! I'd love to be blabbing about him knowing that someone else has also watched a lot of these appearances. Then I could bounce some of these odd fanfic ideas around in in-depth conversations.
no subject
Date: 2011-04-01 05:45 pm (UTC)I definitely want to try some of your shows too. You like a lot of really interesting-sounding ones!
What's Emergency! like? I've always been curious about it.
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Date: 2011-04-01 06:40 pm (UTC)I'll be sure to let you know! I am highly enjoying Daniel Boone, from the few episodes I've seen so far. But the timeline inaccuracies I read about definitely make me headdesk. One episode it's after the Revolutionary War, the next, it's still going on?! LOL, that show didn't care one bit about going chronologically. I guess the writers kept coming up with neat stories that didn't fit a strictly chronological timeline?
I'm intrigued. I'll have to look up the theme song tonight. LOL.
It's awesome when people you like move to another show and have a major role in that, too!
The humorous cases sound hilarious. Especially the guy getting his foot in the wall. What episode is that?
no subject
Date: 2011-04-02 01:25 am (UTC)I still haven't seen Mingo, other than in the cast. He's been absent from the three season 4 episodes I've watched!
Wow. That is pretty painful. I like one little burst around the middle, but other than that ... yeah, ouch.
Neat! Man, Tim Matheson gets around.
Thanks!
no subject
Date: 2011-04-02 01:45 am (UTC)Ugh, it's awful when they start getting rid of good characters. And it was so weird about how Jemima vanished without a trace. Friend characters disappearing are bad enough, but family?!
no subject
Date: 2011-04-01 06:13 pm (UTC)The jockeys, on the other hand, were also subject to abuse and violence during a race, since there were no cameras and the race stewards couldn't look everywhere, or catch what was going on at thirty or forty mph. That's for tracks that had stewards or even an audience the whole way around the course. If this is off the beaten track, hoo boy. There are relevant descriptions in "Seabiscuit" (Laura Hillenbrand) and some of Dick Francis' Thoroughbred racing mysteries.
Btw, you might also want to note that there was organized Thoroughbred and harness racing on tracks, and quarter- mile racing and buggy racing on any appropriate stretch of road; see "Friendly Persuasion" with Gregory Peck, and read, e.g., "Born To Trot," "Justin Morgan Had a Horse,"and "Misty of Chincoteague" (all by Marguerite Henry) and "If Wishes Were Horses" (by I. Forget.) I suspect this is a dirt- track at a fairgrounds or a bit of straight and level road, from your description.
Anyways... if it's at all sneaky, it's been done at a track. Have fun.
no subject
Date: 2011-04-01 06:18 pm (UTC)I think what I was thinking of was something that would make the horse run out of control, rather than to be slowed down. But on the other hand, that would make it far more likely that the jockey would be injured a lot more than I wanted, so I might not want that at all.
In the episode they were racing on a grassy meadow thing that had a few stretches of dirt as well, so I think I was imagining something similar for this post-episode fic.
Thanks for the book/film recommendations! I'll have to look those up.