Round Table - Gurnius

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

I'm running a little late.  Some of you may have seen my post about the water heater leak, so my game is a little off.
Anyway, after posting the link for the story on Friday I got to thinking about Gurnius, and all that has been left unsaid in the episode, and all that writers have tried to rectify and explain in lots of stories.
Does anyone have another favorite post Gurnius story that comes close to matching what you think might have happened?  I'm feeling slightly inclined to actually write one myself, and wondered if it might be a suitable challenge for Section VII.
Thoughts, stories, suggestions... ?

Comments

[st-crispins.livejournal.com]

My post-Gurnius story is here:

A is for Andy [Gurnius from Solo's POV; torture]

http://file40.net/file40g/crispins/andy.html or

http://community.livejournal.com/muncle/177103.html

Nancy Hayes, who is a neurophysiologist gave me info for the science part on what would be happening to Solo during the session.

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

Thank you, I know I've read it but will probably go back and read all of these stories that are being reviewed.
So, just how important is Gurnius in the arc of the relationship between Solo and Kuryakin. I know the series didn't address it, but in our more developed world of MFU, is it a turning point?

[mrua7.livejournal.com]

It definitely opened up the door to many directions in which their partnership and they themselves could have been affected by it all.

[st-crispins.livejournal.com]

I'm probably in the minority, but I never saw Gurnius as a gamechanger. Illya did what he had to do and he saved Napoleon's life. He just had to figure out how to leverage his position without killing his partner. I guess that's what my story was about: not that they were in opposition but that they actually could coordinate enough to save both Solo and the mission.

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

I agree that as professionals they are each just doing their job, and in Illya's case doing it under the guise of someone whose appetite for cruelty must be observed and yet controlled for the sake of his partner.
Having said that, the one line that opens the door comes from Napoleon when he remarks that the friendship is strained… The question then can be asked: just how strained is it?
In any event, it's nice to discuss an episode and hear from everyone.

[insaneladybug.livejournal.com]

I believe I took Napoleon's line to be sarcastic and not something he really, fully meant. But I can definitely see how it could open the door for other possibilities in stories.

[st-crispins.livejournal.com]

That's how I took it too... I really don't think it strained their relationship since Illya had maneuvered rather artfully and bottom line, had just saved his life. If anything, it would have confirmed that Napoleon *could* trust his partner with his life.

[insaneladybug.livejournal.com]

I believe I rather agree with you. It's kind of interesting to explore other possibilities (although I think I personally find some of said possibilities quite heartbreaking and depressing), but in actual canon, I don't really think much changed between them, if anything. Napoleon (and Illya) may have each had some nightmares about it, but I don't think it would have been much worse than that. They're both professionals and they knew what had to be done.