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Old 06-13-2004, 03:04 PM   #98
rolandro
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 909
I never really looked at the sub-text here

I've been doing a little AtS S2 reminisce and got the subtitles going on my new DVD player:

From Judgment:

Cordy's acting class dialog - I know someone's poured over the irony here, but look at the dialog as it's written:

Elanor: But why, Johnny? Why?

Johnny: [Sighs] Cause it’s over.

Elanor: No! I love you! I gave you everything. Didn’t I?

Johnny: Yeah, and now it’s time to move on.

Elanor: No! You can’t. You’re everything to me. I’m nothing without you, baby.
Nothing. [Cordy slaps her acting partner.]

Johnny/Partner: OW! Hey, ow! She hit me! [laughter from the class.]

Cordy: I threw that in myself. She seemed so spineless, begging this creep not to dump her.

Acting Teacher: That was just amazing. You were Elanor, body and soul.

Johnny/Partner: Hey, where does it say that she hits me?

Acting Teacher: You’re on fire, Cordelia. This is exciting work. Let’s take it again and put the focus on how conflicted . . .

[Cordy’s pager beeps. It’s Angel. 911]

Acting Teacher: Cordelia. –

Cordy: Sorry. Duty calls.


I've always liked Cordy's interpretation of this scene, inverting it so the woman has the power, and inflicts the punishment. But what I found very subversive (and have sort of overlooked because it's so fleeting) is the teacher's comment about the Cordy/Elanor character being conflicted, the comment being cut off by Angel's call/page and then Cordy leaving as 'Duty Calls.' It's all so Cordy: loyalty, strength, acting against type, conflicted feelings, embodiment of the mission. Well, I thought it was interesting, anyway.

Last edited by rolandro; 06-13-2004 at 03:09 PM.
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