Re: Mary's place in the scheme of things - nowhere, man!

Between Denise and Yuchtar and myself at least - we all agree that Mary
Straker-Rutland is an idiot (I won't use stronger language because I know
Marc hates it when I use the dips**t word......ooops...sorry Marc -
PUH-LEASE don't flame me! I promise I won't do it again.....)!

I wonder if the writers of some of those UFO eps were a little confused
themselves about how they wanted to portray women. On the one paw we have
Gay Ellis, Nina Barry, Joan Harrington - all competent, intelligent
"soldiers" of the cause. Then, we have......Mary Straker. A useless,
whining, whinging, throwback from another era (the 1950's maybe? I won't say
40's, cause women were working in WWII as WACs, WAVs and WAFs, in wartime
factories, keeping the home fires burning.....). Why did Straker - a loner,
a military intelligence officer (now THERE's a contradiction in terms as
George Carlin would say!), a cerebral, unemotional, for the most part
undemonstrative, obsessed with his war against the aliens dude choose a
fluffy-minded Barbie doll who was more willing to listen to her mama's and
her mama's detective (why is mama hiring a PI in the first place? Does mama
hate the American flyboy that much? Does she have her own agenda here?) than
accept the fact a man in his position would always have secrets he couldn't
impart to her for matters of military security?

My guess is that the writers wanted a woman who was the complete antithesis
of Straker - his strength versus her lack thereof. I don't mind Straker the
hard-ass. I see his hard-assedness as protective covering for his inner
pain. It's his pain that intrigues me. The fact that he is suffering - and
for someone not worth his little finger (Mary) - makes him even more flawed
and interesting - after all - here we are - asking WHY, right? Plus,
Straker, being in command, has to keep the respect of his people and
certainly cannot go about wearing his pain on his Nehru jacket sleeve. He
has to close down a part of himself. There are also many people who prefer
to sweep their pain under the proverbial rug, which means it will someday
come back on him (Straker) spring-loaded - and some SHADO Library writers
have already had fun with this concept.

In general, Mary serves as the image of the dutiful wife gone wrong from her
own sense of insecurity and parental interference. She doesn't want to
listen to Straker explain to her that those pix showed him with a co-worker,
not a mistress. She is perhaps using her walk-out as a means of trying to
control him - a passive-aggressive move fueled by her resentment of the fact
he spends more time at his job than with her. However the writers meant it,
there are all kinds of "shades" which can be read into the situation for
those who want to use the relationship as a spring board to write fan
fiction, and altho we all hate Mary - (because she was mean to our dearly
beloved Straker!) - she DOES serve a purpose. She never assimulates into the
military wife mindset - so many of them remain "stateside" or in their own
countries while their hubbies spend months and sometimes years abroad,
assigned to various locations. Her husband is home every night (albeit not
til the dawn begins to break....). She over-reacts immaturely and
childishly. She is NOT worthy (as the dudes from Wayne's World like to
intone!).

Pam

"Pam McCaughey" <editor@a...> wrote:
> Between Denise and Yuchtar and myself at least - we all agree that
Mary
> Straker-Rutland is an idiot (I won't use stronger language because
I know Marc hates it when I use the dips**t word......ooops...sorry
Marc -...........

Maybe, but Mary is also a woman that love infinitely Ed Straker. As
is huge the love that I think all we (men) have need of a woman
similar to Mary Straker.
And also Mary Straker/Rutland continue still to loving Ed, from the
start and until the end of the episode "A Question of Priorities".
(ie I think from the born to the death of John Straker).

--
Angelo Finamore
--

Calling Dr. Jackson.

Calling Dr. Jackson.

Will Dr. Doug Jackson please report to the SHADO e-mail group.
Boy have we got a patient for you Doc!

James K.

> Calling Dr. Jackson.
>
> Calling Dr. Jackson.
>
> Will Dr. Doug Jackson please report to the SHADO e-mail group.
> Boy have we got a patient for you Doc!
>
> James K.

What's this all about?

Cheers,
Lesleyxx

See Angelo's original message about Mary.

James K.

At 03:18 PM 6/28/01 -0400, you wrote:
>Between Denise and Yuchtar and myself at least - we all agree that Mary
>Straker-Rutland is an idiot

Here I am a little late but I have been sort of reading this thread (I just
got back from a wedding in Boston, those of you in New England will wonder,
yes it WAS during that terrible and long thunderstorm on Saturday Night!)
anyway (I digress) sort of reading this thread so forgive me if i restate
what's been stated but, even if Mary is annoying and everything else she
does have on quality everyone interested in UFO will have to agree on.

The character, Ed Straker picked her. Her value to the story is in the
fact that he wanted her, not what she became in CCAOK and AQOP.

I'm not perfectly up on all my UFO lore but was Ed in deep in SHADO BEFORE
he married her OR was he married and then became chief of SHADO?

Because if he was on the fast track to SHADO commander and went ahead and
married her he's as much to blame as she was for what happened. Wouldn't
it be more tragic if he loved her so much he decided not to marry her to
save her from his being a part time husband?

Or, as Commander and husband did Ed just try to do TOO much with his life
and lose the parts that make him human.

Anyway, just trying to set this thread on its side a little bit! :
-) That and coming from that wedding this past weekend (Don't Ask!) got me
thinking!


<snipped!>
>Pam

Phil Merkel wrote:

>I' m not perfectly up on my UFO lore but was Ed deep in SHADO BEFORE he
married her OR was he married and then because chief of SHADO?<

>Because if he was on the fast track to SHADO commander and went ahead and
married her he's as much to blame as she was for what happened.<

It seems to me that everyone is caught in in what is so wrong now days
as we try to find someone to blame when things go terrible wrong. Everyone
want to blame someone else. In truth everyone is a little bit responsible.

Straker in his not tell Mary. He didn't have to break security just tell
her that his new job will be a lot like his old one in that it will require
long hours and meetings with many people when he would like to be with her.
Mary for being too simple to see that a career Air Force Officer in
Intelligence does not leave that career and suddenly become the co-owner of
a movie studio on a Colonels paycheck. Anyone with any reasoning could
figure out that it was a cover story for someone still in the intelligence
field. Not exactly on the mark but close enough to prevent what happened.
Mary's Mother for hiring what has to be the worst P.I in the business.
He gets pictures of Straker and Nina Barry in a car together and going into a
flat and tells his client they are doing the deed with no proof.
Now as to Straker using the SHADO aircraft to transport the drug needed
to keep his son alive what father wouldn't. But also you have to think yeah
but he let Freeman redirect it and made it too late to save his son's life.
Did you know that during the second world war that during the battle of
Midway that the son of the President was shot down and lost at sea. He
could have ordered the Admiral in charge to break off the attack and find his
son but he did not. There is a quote by somebody that goes " There are times
that try mens souls..." this must have been one of them for FDR and in the
series for Straker balancing their love of their sons against the fate of
the world. In each case the right chose was made the fate of one loved one
against the fate of many strangers or perhaps I should say that the choose
was made three times. The first time was on a hill 2000 years ago.
Look not at Straker and the others to find them wanting but look to
yourselves and see if you have what it takes.

James Killian

Uhmm, yeah... anyway - about that SkyDiver model.
:)


_________________________________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com.

> Uhmm, yeah... anyway - about that SkyDiver model.
> :)

Thats is exackery what i thought.
:->
What skydiver model?

CONTENTS DELETED

> Straker was fighting for not one country or religion or political system, he
> was fighting for every man, woman and child on Earth. For that he sacrificed
> Marriage, and only son. For freedom from aliens.
>
>
Powerfull oratory, Amelia. Initially I thought that your use of 'sacrificed'
may have been a little strong, until I looked it up in the Oxford, and it
says: "Giving up a thing for the sake of another that is higher or more
urgent." So it really is a very good description of the man.
Makes biblical proportions not entirely out of context. I have noticed that
much sci fi gets a lot of its inspiration scripturally. Is Ed Straker god
and Alec and Paul the son and holy spirit (Alec does drink a lot of it) and
all of those beautifull girls his angels, Arc angels Virginia, Lake Lt
Ellis? and they in a fight to preserve creation from darker forces .
just a thought...
Christo

CONTENTS DELETED

Amelia writes:

> Straker was fighting for not one country or religion or
> political system, he was fighting for every man, woman and
> child on Earth. For that he sacrificed Marriage, and only
> son. For freedom from aliens.


I don't believe that Straker sacrificed his son at all.
Freeman diverted the transport plane carrying the medicine.
Straker didn't know this - probably until it was too late.

James

James wrote:

> He didn't have to break security just tell her that his new
> job will be a lot like his old one in that it will require
> long hours and meetings with many people when he would like
> to be with her. Mary for being too simple to see that a career
> Air Force Officer in Intelligence does not leave that career
> and suddenly become the co-owner of a movie studio on a Colonels
> paycheck.


Actually, Mary leaves Straker while he's still serving as
an intelligence officer, before the film studio cover comes
into effect.

James

> Comparing the characters to ones in religion and so forth and so on, is a lot
> of fun. In archtypes, I sort of see Straker as hero and orphan. Agree? Not
> agree?
>
Hamlet himself dies doesn't he? I am very rusty on Shakespeare. Where as
Straker so loved the world he gave his only begotten son so that whoever
believed etc etc.
It's an idea that i would like to explore via a fan fic story,if i ever
finish the current one.
Christo

that was how i saw it as well initially but when i looked up the oxford
definition the word sacrificed was not far wrong.And as i also said to
Amelia, Straker parallels the biblical deity by sacrificing his son as
well. There is not much more one could give for the cause.

>Actually Mary leaves Straker while he's still serving as an intelligence
officer, before the film studio cover comes into effect.<

Thanks, James for clearing up the time issue. It just proves Mary was
not the sharpest pencil in the box and neither was the P.I.

James K.

Look again, dear - SHADO was built beneath an existing film studio - Britain
had a surplus of bust studios in the early 70's and was practically GIVING
them away. Allowing a new studio to be built when most of the others were
looking at bankruptcy would have raised a lot more questions than putting a
big hole in the ground for SHADO HQ.

Deborah

-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email] [mailto:[hidden email]]On Behalf Of James Gibbon
Sent: Monday, July 02, 2001 2:48 AM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: [SHADO] Re: Mary's place in the scheme of things - nowhere,
man!


James wrote:

> He didn't have to break security just tell her that his new
> job will be a lot like his old one in that it will require
> long hours and meetings with many people when he would like
> to be with her. Mary for being too simple to see that a career
> Air Force Officer in Intelligence does not leave that career
> and suddenly become the co-owner of a movie studio on a Colonels
> paycheck.


Actually, Mary leaves Straker while he's still serving as
an intelligence officer, before the film studio cover comes
into effect.

James






Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

"Dandello" wrote:
> Look again, dear - SHADO was built beneath an existing film
> studio - Britain had a surplus of bust studios in the early
> 70's and was practically GIVING them away. Allowing a new
> studio to be built when most of the others were looking at
> bankruptcy would have raised a lot more questions than putting
> a big hole in the ground for SHADO HQ.
>


Thanks dear, but it's clear from CCAOK that Straker is still
outwardly a serving USAF intelligence officer at the time Mary
leaves him - that was my point. I appreciate that the film
studio idea may have been in progress (I'm not sure though)
but Straker had not assumed the studio head cover at that time,
which was what James had suggested.

Straker and Freeman make some reference to a new block being
built during CCAOK, and we see the building works - a tall
building being erected. I'm not sure whether this is the
building that subsequently becomes the film studio. Perhaps it
already exists, as you say. But in either case the surplus of
bust studios in England in the early '70s isn't really supporting
evidence given that the idea was devised in 1969 or earlier.

James

----- Original Message -----
From: "James Gibbon" <[hidden email]>
>
>
> Thanks dear, but it's clear from CCAOK that Straker is still
> outwardly a serving USAF intelligence officer at the time Mary leaves him.

Clear?
James, dear... <smirk>
When was the last time you watched that ep?!
I just fast forwarded through it (until the nice scene with Alec saying:
"Nice to see you smile again, Ed" < sigh kerplop>)

<coughing, sitting back in front of computer>

Okay! If something is clear, it's that he's working as the studio head of
Harlington-Straker not long after accepting the job from Henderson...

Witness! 8-)

His Edness is seen in uniform...
Then he's seen in civilian...
He meets Henderson (also now wearing civilian clothes at the Astro whatever
building) with Alec...

Then we see the buildings being built...
Then we see the famous Harlington-Straker panel at the entrance of the
studio...
Then they talk about the use of the buildings (something governmental) from
the secretary's office...
Then they get in his Edness' studio office, talk about the teething problems
of the voice detector, the doors close magically and the office is seen
going down...
And Mary is not even yet pregnant!

8-0
Is my tape (bought from Amazon) faulty or what?!

--La Petite Anny
<pondering deeply on this issue :-)>