Author: KA Byrnes

LYDIA BENNET, EIGHT

Is she an Eight? That’s what immediately pops in my head.

She’s so outspoken. Social embarrassment and decorum are not part of her character. In Austen’s world this makes Lydia clownish and prone to ruin. In our world she might be hailed as a confident woman, even an iconoclast. I can see an Eight fitting into either description, depending on the context.

Obviously she’s physical. She loves to dance. Austen presents this as part of Lydia’s boychasing, shallow temperament, but what if she’s just a Body Type who enjoys movement? I can imagine that an Eight, especially the baby of the family who’s been spoiled, would have a hard time meshing with the strictures of Austen’s Regency society.

Lydia’s the hero of her own story. To her delight she moves into society at a young age, finds many dances and beaux, travels away from home with a dear friend, and meets her future husband after much adventure. It’s very Eight-ish to be oblivious to the worries of rules-oriented people (such as her sister Elizabeth, the Six).

She loves her dear Wickham. He’s charming, witty, and handsome. For someone as cognizant of social rules as Wickham, though, Lydia must be a painful companion. Her vivacity will only go so far. When Austen linked them together, I believe she was punishing Wickham in devious ways. He grew up on Pemberley, associating with lordly people. For him, to be forever tied to Lydia — whose freshness would not be welcome in that era — is a come-down.

GEORGE WICKHAM, FOUR

His moment in the spotlight is the one part of Pride and Prejudice that I hardly want to read or watch anymore. The sparkle of his character rubbed off long ago.

Regardless, to judge his Enneagram number I must think back to when his ruse was tolerable to me. His charm, his ability to redirect, is an important aspect of his character. His ability to see weakness is the key. Elizabeth wants to hear a story that impugns Darcy, and Wickham delivers it to her. She wants to believe that Darcy is a villain, and Wickham is ready to serve it up.

On a side note, isn’t it interesting that Wickham is never played by an above-the-line actor? In Bridget Jones’ Diary he completely is. Hugh Grant, A-lister. I barely remember the Wickham of the other versions. Productions cut corners on the Wickham salary. It’s annoying, actually, and partly why I’m uninterested to delve into his Enneagram.

In the book, Wickham’s problem is that he makes Lizzy look a fool. She’s our heroine; we don’t want to see her fall. Her pride (or is it prejudice?) allows her to trust a con artist.

A con artist. As a last resort he becomes a soldier. He has no other prospects for a profession. He thought he might be a lawyer or clergyman, and blew away his path to those careers. He’s not physical and he’s not erudite. He’s a Heart Type.

He’s a Four.

He can’t be a Three, he’s too much of a failure. And he can’t be a Two. He’s too nasty for it.

He can charm the socks off of everyone. Four. It’s all about what he wants and why he’s not getting it. Four. And it’s all about tomorrow. Put off the failures and problems of today, and they’ll probably resolve themselves on a new day. (And they do, mostly.)

The Witchwood

Watchtowers at the Encampment were destroyed by the hydra. People are still here wandering around — Reynard and Madeleine, too — but this is now a location that’s served its purpose. We leave.

Immediately outside the gate a villager stops us. “Is Quina not with you?” She went off to look for a cure for our wounds, and now she’s missing. All the Pawns tell me I should ask at the village, so down the lane we go.

The Chief, back home, tells us his daughter is gone to the Witchwood. She’s all alone in an eerie place. Can we find her?

Continue reading “The Witchwood”

The Warriors of Kyoshi

This is one of those episodes we always remember. The introduction of the Kyoshi Warriors is a beloved moment.

ONE

We start with Zuko on his ship. Hilariously, he — the angriest person in the show — meditates peacefully at a candle-lit altar. We know it won’t last long. Uncle Iroh pops in, disturbing Zuko, to tell him the Avatar is nowhere to be found.  Zuko reacts and fire erupts from the altar. Multiple sightings have been reported, but nothing certain. Zuko says the Avatar is a master of evasive maneuvers.

TWO

Jump cut, and you know exactly where this is going. It’s funny! Team Avatar looks at a map and their crisscross journey. They have no idea where they’re going. It’s the punchline to the One, but it’s also the Trouble. Their haphazard travels, purposeless beyond meeting Aang’s bucket list, are not something the Avatar can safely do. He needs to focus on his mission. This Two (and its Eight) help clarify that tension.

Continue reading “The Warriors of Kyoshi”

FITZWILLIAM DARCY, FIVE

Mr. Darcy. Colin Firth is in the most popular version of Pride and Prejudice, but other versions are just as good. Matthew Macfadyen plays a wonderful Darcy. Don’t forget that Laurence Olivier himself played Darcy. What do these portrayals have in common?

Handsome men with snooty faces. Heh heh.

It’s been so very long since I’ve seen the Olivier version. 1940’s Hollywood was happy to truncate the story and turn it into a bedroom drama. I don’t really recommend it. However, Olivier’s Darcy is a much happier man than I would’ve expected. Eyes twinkle, if you can believe it. He’s very much an aristocrat still. Some people are naturally beneath him. However, he doesn’t have that reticent temperament that Firth and Macfadyen give Darcy. They are socially shy and, therefore, awkward.

So, what have these two actors, in their own personal ways, tapped into? Their Darcys are unique and similar. When Darcy begins to value Elizabeth, he becomes emotionally generous to her. She can do no wrong. His heart is not given immediately, though. He’s cautious and not impulsive. I think we can say quite definitively that Darcy is no Heart Type.

He’s Head, of course. A Body Type would join a country dance, regardless of social stigma. And he’s no Seven. He just isn’t fun enough for that.

We have Five, which I guessed him to be, and Six, which is what I’ve guessed Mark Darcy of Bridget Jones’ Diary to be. 

Fitzwilliam’s character gets to write his letter when Elizabeth rejects his proposal. Mark decides his heart more by consulting his gut: he just knows that Bridget is a good person. Fitzwilliam must use analysis. Even after the pain of Elizabeth’s refusal, he still won’t admit he’s harmed Jane. He can’t see the facts of such an error. Both numbers will weigh right and wrong, but a Five will reason the problem to death. His letter is an example of that process.

MARK DARCY, SIX

What a good sport Colin Firth is. Not only is he playing the same character twice, once as sincere and once as a derivation, but since his version of Pride and Prejudice is so beloved, he’s also playing a reaction to himself. How complicated! He’s a spoof played absolutely straight and with charm. Well done.

Bridget was nothing like Elizabeth. Darcy, though, besides sharing the name reflects many character traits, too. He’s aloof, successful, and a “catch”, to put it in old school terminology. At first he’s portrayed in a bad light, and then his character is revealed to be excellent.

So, if Fitzwilliam Darcy is a Five, what is Mark?

This Darcy is not judgmental. He likes Bridget “just as she is”. When Bridget’s birthday dinner falls apart, Darcy jumps in and whips up an omelette. He’s handy, and isn’t too stuffy to help. He’s a bit pushed around by Natasha, though. All of these traits are the opposite of Fitzwilliam. I’d say this Darcy is not a Five. (My goodness, I should officially look at our P&P Darcy just to make sure about this!)

He’s a Six.

The world is clearly very black and white to Mark. His legal case is righteous. Cleaver’s behavior with his wife is unforgivable.

Hahaha! I just thought of the reindeer jumper. How Six-ish to be completely unselfconscious while wearing a hideously ugly garment.

Bridget, possibly because of the paddling pool incident, is classified in Mark’s view as okay, even though she takes questionable actions. She’s been filed and catalogued, and that’s where she lives.

I don’t feel one hundred per cent sure of this call. I keep getting distracted by Firth’s real life build — decidedly un-Six. He’s plausible, though, and we’ll leave it at that.