THE Illya moment from Foxes and Hounds

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

For me, this is the moment.  When the magician points the mind reading machine at Illya, the response from the secretive Russian is "That's enough!".  It immediately points us in the direction of a mystery, or a tragedy of some sort.  Why is it enough?  This is definitely one of my favorite pictures of Illya from the entire series, because it carries with it the questions that are never answered.

thanks to Lisa's for the photo

Tomorrow: Napoleon

Comments

[kitty4940.livejournal.com]

I've thought about the "... young boy in Kiev ...," bit.

There are a lot of possibilities - war, illness, or the loss of a loved one, but Illya doesn't look as though he had a troubling thought.

My theory is his thoughts are his own business, and Merlin had done enough to prove it worked.

[suezeque.livejournal.com]

I do think he looks troubled (I love the way we have our different perceptions, its stimulating).

I don't think he has anything to hide as much as maybe his memories of that time are too painful. Certainly he lived through some traumatic times growing up during the war. I'm sure he saw things he'd rather forget.

But I also think Kitty could be right. He's a private man, and he does not want Merlins machine prying into his thoughts.

[avery11.livejournal.com]

Mine, too. The vulnerability with which DMC delivers the line is truly remarkable. With two words, he manages to engage our minds and tug at our hearts. This is one of the scenes that cemented my love for Illya's character.

[carabele.livejournal.com]

My opinion (for whatever the deflated economy makes it worth [chuckle]) is that Illya suddenly came to grips in that moment with how dangerous the invention truly was. Up until that point he was more than likely skeptical of the claims of the inventor and just doing what U.N.C.L.E. assigned him to do in retrieving the machine without believing it much of a threat. But in that instant the reality of what the machine could do hit him and he didn't want any further demonstration of its power as the possibilities were simply too chilling.