Troubled Blood - *Spoiler-laden discussion*

[EllacottObsessive]

Setting this up for Strike and Ellacott fans to talk about spoilery things.

Pat makes the mistake of being taken in by looks, especially as Strike reminds of her ex-husband. I think the books explore that quite thoroughly eg Matthew, Morris and Raff are all pretty boys, aren't they, but all of them are deficient in some way eg weak, sexist and psychopathic.

The most interesting thing about them is that they have no loyalty. I think that's significant and a recurring theme in the books.

Contrast them with Dave Polworth, Shankar and Strike. All of them deeply flawed but very loyal indeed. In fact, JKR had themes of loyalty in Harry Potter too, iirc.

In fact, JKR had themes of loyalty in Harry Potter too, iirc.

Which made the behaviour of certain cast members all the more ironic.

Pat gets taken in by Morris' good looks, and conversely by Strike's resemblance to her ex-husband, just as Strike gets taken in by Janice, and Creed's victims get taken in by him with the careful performance of femininity. I think Rowling uses Pat's less consequential prejudice to point up the theme of being deceived by someone's outward persona.

I loved the
'Who would suspect a nurse?'
and simultaneous
'Margot would!'
from characters who previously were antagonistic towards each other.

Third one done and dusted.

open.spotify.com/episode/0jufoKJjLSbrZEA50P02jF?si=5dzocMLiSju12PhpFHVn6w

Too late. I needed this an hour ago when I was cleaning the bathroom.

Sorry, I ran out of printer ink for the script...

Well, just don't do it again

Yes miss, thank you miss, won't happen again miss...

Never noticed the Andrew Atkinson double A and its significance - brilliant! Another fantastic episode, EO.

There really is so much in these books. What a genius Rowling is.

Perfect timing for me. [smug]

EO I've got six hours of driving to do tomorrow, so if you could just produce another 36 episodes by 9am so I have something to listen to on the way, that would be great.

Alternatively, you can all give me suggestions for a Strike and Ellacott playlist.

@parentalhelpline

Never noticed the Andrew Atkinson double A and its significance - brilliant! Another fantastic episode, EO.

There really is so much in these books. What a genius Rowling is.

Not just JK Rowling. Think EO is a genius too for spotting that** and the depth that she goes into. Thanks for another great podcast. 🙏

EO. I missed the Twitter handle, please DM me (it won't let me rewind grrr) it, pretty please.

Bold fail 🙄

Tom Burke fans, he was on Radio 4 today on The Film Programme.

Oops sorry wrong thread. Will report my post.

And he said dipthong

Twitter handle @ClaraStrike

Followed you

Not just JK Rowling. Think EO is a genius too for spotting that and the depth that she goes into.

Hear, hear

@ShippingStrikeandRobin

Followed you

Me too.

I think I struggle to "see" Strike and Robin together because Strike is so like Hagrid! (Obviously TB is not Hagidesque)

I also can't get over how bad Strike, the office and his grubby bedsit must smell.

I sometimes wonder to myself: if I had come across the books out of the blue, not knowing anything about the author. I think I would guess that they were written by a woman. I don't know if I would guess JKR straight away, but if I was told it was a children's author I think I would guess. In reality I probably wouldn't...

(I did spend my entire childhood listening to the Harry Potter audiobooks, quite glad to have these to move onto, although the toddler means I can't listen to them in the car...)

I made comment Strike not being tres fragrant and I felt a bit like I'd kicked a puppy. But he belches, spends ages in the loo, smokes, drinks and eats crap. The pot noodles alone will linger in the air. All the vaguely lavender toned aftershave in the world aren't going to completely counterbalance that.

However, in the first book there's very much a sense that he's let himself go and is at a low ebb, and he does begin to buck his ideas up subsequently, and we're not told anything about Robin heaving with the pong. In fact, I think CC indicates he is liberal with the deodorant, so I imagine it's only as honkingly bad as any other bloke first thing in the morning...

Robin has three brothers and spends her days in a car that probably smells of damp Labrador. She’s inured to a bit of earthy whiff about the place.

"This feels like a land rover that has seen a lot of gymkhanas"