(OSR Ep 5)

[yvannairie]

Oh?

Ohoho?

(I figured I'd like Rick since the first thing the show did was smear the side of a racetrack with him and boy oh boy I have not been disappointed so far.)

(Good men know to suffer prettily for my entertainment.)

Comments

[rhodanum]

Rick is a delight and quite literally everyone to whom I recced this series ended up loving him by ep 5 (only to then have their hearts crushed by the scene at the end of this episode :D)

He'll still play a very important role in the Earth Team, even unable to pilot anymore, but this just makes it all the more heart-rending when we do lose him (one of the reasons why my gigantosaurus of a post-canon fic starts with a the two Weis & Rick reunion, I accept no other possible outcomes).

[yvannairie]

Honestly at the end of that episode I was like "yeah he'll make a great coach for Eva, I'm excited to see how they interact" and then two episodes from that the primaries are over, lmao.

Rick is a very likeable sort of character! He's pretty and has a good presence and also his powerlevel goes down every time he wears a shirt, so we get to admire his abs a lot :D

[rhodanum]

Don't know what ep you've reached (probably 8, judging by the last post) but the primaries are very much only the start of their troubles and everything after that is going to be much more difficult. And Rick will be very much needed, both as Eva's coach (and emotional support) and Don's support as well (I'm ridiculously amused that both of the Weis end up liking and trusting him immensely, wholly independent of each other).

[yvannairie]

I'm actually up to episode 15 now! I've spent the last five episodes in a state of "oh god oh no shit is about to hit the fan and I am not prepared".

Rick honestly just radiates such chaos-in-equillibrium energy that I'm not at all surprised Rick (who has huge massive control issues) and Eva (who is emotionally stagnant and blocked) find his presence sort of calming for all it is aggravating. He can do something that neither of them can, and that is have a peace of mind about his circumstances :'DD

[rhodanum]

Yes, this! Rick is an excellent foil for both Don and Eva and both of them end up invariably drawn to him as a result. Their greatest flaw, which they both share (and from which the rest of their issue stem) is that they both react in the same way to trauma. By fleeing from it and refusing to properly deal with it and move on, without letting the pain of the past consume them. Don runs away from it first in alcoholism and vagabondage, then in a ruthless, iron-willed control of everything that surrounds him. Eva, for her part, runs away from reality and into impossible dreams (her whole idea with the Ultimate Prize) and continues to latch onto them even when others would've realized the impossibility.

Rick, meanwhile? He's heartbroken when his life-long dream is cut short, of course, but he recovers relatively quickly, because he knows how to accept his circumstances, what can't be changed about them and what still is in his power to influence (help Eva, find out who sabotaged his racing ship). He's fundamentally at peace with himself, in a way neither of the two Weis come even close to being and they're both fascinated by this and find him a good source of solace and support (even when he's driving them up the wall).

[yvannairie]

+1 yes