Round Table - To Return or Not Return

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

I was pleased and humbled to see that my story, Becoming Vanya, was rec'd on mfu_shortstorie .  In that same vein, we recently had two new stories, posted by highshore and orockthro, that also are written around the Vanya/Return Movie scenario.
Which brings me to the discussion topic for the day:  Can you embrace the Fifteen Years Later Affair on any level, or do you totally reject it?
I for one don't have a problem with it.  I can see it happening, can see the weariness that both men exhibit during the last season of the show which certainly gives rise to the speculation about them each wanting out at some point.  In my House of Vanya series there is some resolution of their former roles, so not all  hope is lost concerning UNCLE.  However, the steps that come before are what people seem to have issue with; they can't see the men ever leaving UNCLE.
So, what do you think?  Are they fallible and subject to emotional and mental upheavals such as are reflected in the FYLAffair?  Or do they staunchly 'carry on' til the end, with no respite in sight?

Comments

[avery11.livejournal.com]

I can't totally embrace the Return movie, for the same reasons that I can't fully embrace the new MFU flick. Neither movie was especially well written or directed, and there wasn't a great deal of emotional interaction between Illya and Napoleon.

There are some interesting ideas in the Return movie. I can see Napoleon's world-weariness, and Illya's bitterness. But why did one man stay when the other left? The answer to that question feels essential to their relationship as Illya and Napoleon reconnect fifteen years later. Without an answer to that question, things just don't make sense.

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

,,,But why did one man stay when the other left? The answer to that question feels essential to their relationship as Illya and Napoleon reconnect fifteen years later. Without an answer to that question, things just don't make sense.

That's where we come in. I resolved that question for myself in the stories I've written. Perhaps the first step towards that is not insisting that the two men were each other's constant companions, as has been envisioned by some. There is plenty of evidence to suggest they lived very separate lives when not on duty, and that something as small as a misunderstanding could have led to their eventual isolation from each other.
I know that isn't everyone's world, but it seems reasonable to me. Even very good friends can drift apart given particular circumstances.

[avery11.livejournal.com]

I have no problem seeing the two men having separate lives when not on duty. It makes sense that they would. 24/7 can become tedious, even when there is a great friendship involved.

I have less success imagining the breakup of such a strong friendship for the vague reason given in the movie. Illya and Napoleon are mature men, and more than that, they are wise beyond their years. I simply can't see them trashing a friendship over a misunderstanding, however hurt they may have been. I see them fighting like hell to heal the breach.

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

Again, we as the 'new' writers have a blank sheet of paper, figuratively speaking, on which to construct this to a more agreeable scenario. My take on it has Illya not prepared to leave when Napoleon suggests it; he needs a plan and his friend has only a desire to be someplace else. When the time comes for Kuryakin to make his decision he has lost sight of his friend, and perhaps Napoleon constructed that as well. He knew he couldn't watch Illya continue on, risking his life while he sat idly by, so better to leave and not look back.
It's all speculation, storytelling... People do lose contact and no matter how much we want them to 'fight for the friendship', there are times when people tend to self-preservation above all else.
The movie isn't as good as the series deserved, but the bones of the story are still there for us to flesh out and make into something living.

[avery11.livejournal.com]

Different points of view, I suppose. It's all good. I may not like the movie, but I certainly have enjoyed your "Vanya" stories.

[irisheitie.livejournal.com]

Agreed. I never saw them as having as intense a relationship as some writers imagine. I can see where something happened that was Solo's final straw, just as one more innocent lost was Kuyakin's final straw. I had no problem with the return movie and I look forward to watching the new one. I think they were able to re-connect once they met up again.
I never read your story before, so I just did and I loved it!!