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.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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.