Lone Justice #16

Russ Rogers (6:17 PM on Tue Apr 28, 2009)

Sweet! It was worth the wait. This might be my favorite episode of Lone Justice so far. But I'm a sucker for dialog. I like how Jean assumes Octavius is being elitist and condescending when he chooses the name "John Locke." I like how Octavius says "Lock" (without the E) and is probably only referring to the Locksmith sign behind him. This is an old trope, somebody looking for a pseudonym grabs onto the first thing they see. It worked in "Splash," it works here.

When Octavius says, "What do you mean?," I think he's speaking sincerely, he doesn't know who John Locke is! Jean just doesn't believe him, she would rather think that he's elitist and making fun of her. In the same way, when he confesses that his real name is "Octavius," and Jean says, "If it's all right with you, I'll stick to John;" I think she is saying, "I would rather go with the believable lie than the outrageous one!" Again, Jean thinks that Octavius is making fun of her when he is trying to be candid.

Anyway, this is a clever and genuinely funny bit of dialog that reveals more to the reader about Jean and Octavius and their attitudes than they are willing to reveal to each other.

This scene, especially Jean's line about protecting her reputation reminds me of Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert in "It Happened One Night." You've got some strong banter back and forth, building sexual tension in a very chaste way. Cool. I hope this banter and tension gets played up in future episodes.