July 2022 – Page 2 – Enneagram and Encaustic

Welcome to Margrave

LEFTOVER NINE

Margrave, Georgia. Nighttime, with a man running through a field under an overpass. Someone, arm and head obscured by clothing, raises a silenced pistol and shoots the man. This person’s hand, wearing latex gloves, picks the shell casings from the grass. The foot is covered in cloth booties. They, or another person wearing full hazmat clothing, violently and repeatedly kicks the downed man. Dissolve to black, and then someone drapes the body with a flattened cardboard box, dirty and weathered. Dissolve again to black, and roll credits.

This is the well-received Amazon original, Reacher, based on the Lee Child book. I’ve seen the series once and really enjoyed it. I thought it might be fun to break it down. As always, my Story Enneagram will contain detailed spoilers. Go away, watch for yourself, and come back!

ONE

A lovely over of Howlin’ Wolf, and we see a boot step from a transit bus in the rain. It’s a deserted crossroads surrounded by open land. The man begins to walk the road, the angle close on his work boots. He passes the Margrave town sign, and approaches a diner. So far we’ve only seen him from a distance or from the back, but it’s obvious he’s a big guy.

Before he can enter the diner, a young couple exits. In the parking lot, the man, a weasley fellow, abuses the woman. Our big man takes a step in their direction. The camera comes around and we finally see his face. Handsome, strong jaw — your basic Clark Kent in road clothes.

Hahaha! The camera lingers on his silent face, and then Weasel starts apologizing and backing away.

Cut to inside, where the waitress sets down a black coffee and peach pie slice. He sits alone at a corner booth. This is basically our introduction to how his biceps move in a polo shirt, lol.

Palaven’s Moon

Alright, back to the action! As we know, the Council won’t help Earth. Each species wants to defend their own planet first, which isn’t completely illogical. However, the Turian Councilor meets with Shepard and Udina separately and suggests that the leaders of each world organize a war effort that bypasses the Council. His Primarch is a military general fighting on the Turian homeworld’s moon. Shepard will go there and recruit him.

However, when we get there, we learn that this general is dead. War with the Reapers is everywhere. The next in line for Primarch is another general defending a distant location. We march to him, fighting along the way. Also, we get a little backstory about the different races and some of the IP’s history (for those gamers who started the trilogy here). Garrus is with us, which is great. And the scenery, the game design, is utterly magnificent.

We find the general, inform him of his promotion, and take him with us on the Normandy. We’ve got one leader! Millions are dead, though, and the Turian military is overwhelmed. If we want to stand any chance, he says, we must convince the Krogan to join us. The Asari and Salarians won’t like this, but we need every species in the galaxy if we’ve any chance of winning.

CAPTAIN MARVEL/CAROL DANVERS, EIGHT

Her movie jumps around in time and her relationship to her superpower changes. All of these unknowns and variables make it hard to pinpoint her Enneagram. Let’s look at what we know at the beginning of her timeline.

She’s a pilot, a test pilot. Daring, physical, brave. She’s a beloved friend. She’s your basic Eight: outspoken, competent, and naturally heroic. Because Hollywood’s default position for most women superheroes is Eight, Carol is an easy call.

Reviews of the Captain Marvel movie and the Carol character are mixed. I recently watched it and can barely remember what happened. I’m going to say that’s because she’s an Eight. Nothing stands out, nothing distinguishes her. It’s too trope. She’s a cardboard cutout of a superhero whose powers are so hypercharged nothing poses a challenge against her. It’s hard to write plot conflict for a character like this, which is why she comes in as a deus ex machina in Endgame. Perhaps future iterations of her will develop into something more.

The Library

Brace yourselves. Anyone at all familiar with Avatar, knows what happens in this episode just from the title.

ONE

The gang stops in a rocky wilderness.

Toph, touching the ground, says that actually a lot is out here. Aang shushes her: Don’t ruin the surprise. Sitting, he plays a flute that causes prairie dogs to pop up out of their holes and sing. (Sing is a generous term. Ouch.)

Plugging the flute end, Sokka stops him. “We should be making plans.”

Ah. They’re each picking mini vacations, regardless of Sokka’s protests. Well, Aang trains hard every day. On their down time they’ll do something fun. Sokka still argues. “We don’t even have a map of the Fire Nation.”

They’ll worry about it when they’re done. Katara’s turn to pick! (The singing prairie dogs must have been Aang’s choice?)

TWO

She chooses a pristine natural wonder that turns out to be a dried up water hole with raiders hanging about. At the bar they run into a man who recognizes Aang as an air nomad, a living relic. The Professor, very excited, questions Aang about air temple life. Jumping in, Sokka asks if the Professor has a more current map.

He does, but it’s mostly of the desert where’s he’s been searching for a lost library. As he extols the wonders of this library and its clever fox workers, he unrolls a drawing of the building with its domes and spires. Sokka wonders if this fabulous place would have information about the Fire Nation. Of course!

That settles it. Sokka wants his vacation to be at the library. Sadly, the Professor says, the desert is impossible to cross.

Perhaps the Professor would like to see our sky bison?

THREE

When they go outside, the raiders are too close to Appa. The Professor shoos away the “sand benders,” who jump on gliders with runners, earth bending little dust devils to power the sails.