What is it that makes Bodie so attractive to female Fans? It seems, that every new TV-Generation breeds anew this interesting species: A Bodiebabe. Here is Dinah from England, from my point of view certainly a "youngster" - compared to me - and I am a DD, by the way :-) ...But back to Bodie, and Dinah, and my first question:

Actually, not only, what attracts you to the programme but how did you come across it in the first place?

I'd always been aware of it, vaguely, but started watching when I went to work for Granada Plus last year. I watched the Persuaders first and loved it and was told by a colleague that I'd love Pros even more. He was right! --- Dinah 18. Mai 2001

Hmmm. Me, wondering now, what the "Persuaders" are? Aber zum Deifi!, wenn sie zu einem neuen Fan geführt haben, soll es mir recht sein. <g> Dinah, you are great at in-depth-describtions. So, if you would have to describe Bodie to a person who don't know him, what would you say?

If he was real and I was preparing someone to meet him or if I was explaining what he's like to someone who's never seen the series? Dinah 18. Mai 2001

What would you prefer? <g>

If it was the latter, I'd say.. um... Cor, this is hard isn't it? Dinah 18. Mai 2001

Do you think so?? Oh, come on! Give it a try...

Well, Bodie as a person is confident and happy with himself and likes to enjoy life. He gets angry and sullen and upset, obviously, but I get the feeling he even gets off on being angry a lot of the time. When he doesn't and he's really upset he is able to switch it off and snap out of it - either that or singlemindedly dedicate himself to solving the problem. Dinah 18. Mai 2001

That would indicate a very "deep" person, but what I have seen - so far - of him, gives another impression! What would you say?

Bodie on the surface is a girl-mad lad who enjoys the superficial things in life and will happily flit from girl to girl and pub to pub without much consideration for the future. He lives in the moment and doesn't analyse things. Nor does he care passionately about anything that isn't an immediate source of pleasure. Dinah 18. Mai 2001

A clear statement <g> If he was real, and you would be asked, what would you say about him to a third person?

If I knew him personally and was preparing someone to meet him I'd probably warn them that he doesn't give a toss what people think and will say whatever comes into his head however inappropriate. He can be rude and tactless and it amuses him to wind people up. He doesn't need to get on with people - in fact he's quite happy not getting on with them, selecting the people he does feel close to very carefully indeed. Having said that, his judgement of people isn't always terribly good. He's pretty easygoing and can form bonds with people you sense almost without him realising it and probably against his better judgement. Because he doesn't spend a lot of time thinking things over and takes things at face value a lot without analysing the way Doyle would, he's vulnerable to manipulative or cruel people such as Keller and Krivas. I don't think Bodie - or most people who know him - thinks he's a soft touch but there's an element of that that surfaces sometimes. These misplaced loyalties tend to be from the past, however, so perhaps he's learnt since then not to get close to people. Similarly, the only times Bodie has been in love are in the past. Perhaps he has hardened over the years, though the depth of commitment he feels towards Doyle and Cowley maybe suggest this isn't true. Dinah 18. Mai 2001

A well, people do learn (sometimes) and he learned perhaps - and had the intelligence - to trust the "right" persons?

Bodie's extremely intelligent and surprisingly well educated though he tends to conceal all this. He doesn't seem to mind being misunderstood, contenting himself with a snide comment, raised eyebrow or an irreverent joke rather than take issue with other people's opinions. He doesn't care much about other people's opinions and isn't threatened by them. As long as he can keep his true self very well hidden and protected, nothing that happens on the surface affects him much. Dinah 18. Mai 2001

That nothing affects him much seems also to be true concerning women? Or what do you think?

Hence his strings of superficial attachments to women. Bodie loves women, almost worships them. He isn't on a power trip or using them for negative reasons, though I'd imagine he's probably been accused of that a lot. He genuinely enjoys them with what is a kind of aesthetic fervour but has little interest in forming any deep relationship with them. I'd imagine this is because when a girl does get inside and touch the deep hidden person, he doesn't let go, so it's safer never to feel much in the first place. Bodie, as far as we know, has been in love twice, both occasions being a long time ago and yet he clearly still harbours very deep feelings for both Marikka and the girl Krivas killed. There's a touching vulnerability about Bodie when he cares about somebody - he hides it very well but it's there, though the only conscious expression of it he can allow himself is anger. Dinah 18. Mai 2001

So he is the true "hard man"? No emotions... or should I better say: No showing of emotions? I always thought that that shows some insecurity?

I think Bodie genuinely loves himself and is secure in himself. He buries his hurt when it happens, admittedly, and though I'd imagine he has an awful lot of pain hidden inside from various events his sense of self has always remained intact. He's absolutely loyal and committed to the (very few) things he cares about and these tend to be related to people. Bodie isn't interested in causes - when he gives himself singlemindedly to a cause it's because someone he cares about is involved. He's also fiercely proud and doesn't like being second best so he'll give his all to his job for the sake of his self-respect. Dinah 18. Mai 2001

That he is loyal, is something we see often, that is true. But don't you think, you have to have ideals to be so loyal?

Bodie is ... attracted to people who have ideals which makes me think there's a part of him deep inside that harbours a few, though he doesn't acknowledge them very often. The girlfriends we actually see anything of and, of course, Doyle and Cowley, all have strong ideologies and opinions and I wonder if they act out Bodie's more abstract belief system for him so he doesn't have to. I think Bodie likes to think he's a totally controlled, emotionless machine but underneath, somewhere where he's almost forgotten about it, is an incredible depth of emotion. Occasionally it surfaces to the point where he'll put his job on the line to save or avenge someone but I'm sure he never processes these feelings. Once they subside I'd imagine he shoves them out of sight and conveniently forgets they exist. Dinah 18. Mai 2001

Now I am confused. You mean, Bodie doesn't want to realise, what or who he really is?

Someone said recently she thought Bodie didn't really know himself at all and I'm sure that's true. Essentially because he isn't terribly interested in finding out. Bodie's interested in people superficially - he's a gossip, always asking people (Doyle in particular) about their private lives and coming out with stories about people and anecdotes. And he'll talk about his own life as long as it doesn't touch him too deeply. He's a social creature and likes interaction with people but only via his everyday superficial layer. The deeper layer is private and entirely self-sufficient. I think Bodie has a very stable personality with a lot of different layers that makes him capable of coping in almost any situation. This would only run into difficulties in serious relationships with women who would want to know everything about him and he could never give all of himself to anybody without seriously disturbing the balance of his personality. What I find very telling about Marikka, the only serious woman in his life that we know of, is that in the very short conversation they have in the park, she asks him what he's doing and when he says 'a job', she immediately says 'you don't want to talk about it' and doesn't press. I wonder if he was able to form that deep bond with her because she didn't probe the deeper parts of him, instead, letting him be himself. Most women - myself included, obviously! - would want a lot more sharing and openness. Dinah 18. Mai 2001

:-) Poor Bodie. No wonder, he escaped to the secure world of men, guns and cars.

He won't express how he feels either; as I said, the only emotion he feels comfortable with is anger. He reacts to anything negative with either anger or indifference and if he can't solve a problem he switches off. When something is really bad, however, this clearly doesn't work, hence the near-breakdown in Wild Justice. Bodie's personality can't cope with being helpless, nor can he spend the time analysing things as Doyle might or share his problems and feelings with anyone. Doyle is a perfect foil because while he tends to express his own feelings fairly openly, he never puts pressure on Bodie to do the same. Dinah 18. Mai 2001

Thats a very interesting explanation for the relationship between Bodie and Doyle - from Bodies point of view.

As you may have gathered, I could go on in this vein for years, which is why I kept putting off answering it <g>. I know I'm going to send it and think of a million other things I could say about Bodie afterwards, but probably everyone else is just saying 'he's tall dark, sexy and arrogant; flippant and guarded on the surface but with deeper feelings inside, as demonstrated by his exceptional loyalty and devotion to Doyle....' Dinah 18. Mai 2001

That is a lovely résumé of your view of Bodie. Danke! And now the last question: What is your all-time-favorite ep, and why?

Help! Well, I'd say the best ep is Mixed Doubles because it gives away so much of the lads' characters - in particularly revealing their vulnerable sides. It gives a bit of their history and clearly contrasts their personalities while still painting a beautiful portrait of their relationship. In a more general sense, it also raises questions about the nature of CI5 and how close they are to the villains they chase. It's a story about human beings and doesn't have any heavy handed good vs evil message. However.. *g

...Yes? However...??

I have several favourites that are favourites for far more superficial reasons. My number one favourite is First Night because it's so funny. I like Bodie being flippant and chuckling a lot. I love the exchange in the car about cholesterol because it illustrates Bodie's don't-give-a-damn approach to life and his irresistible careless hedonistic streak. I love his comment about 'half an ear' because it is exactly the sort of surreal and irreverent sense of humour that has me in stitches. And I love the way he's so bouncy and enthusiastic when he's getting to do something ridiculously over the top and A-team-ish at the end. Among many many other scenes in that ep <g> Another of my favourite pure light hearted enjoyment eps is Killer with a Long Arm. I ADORE Doyle...

<GASP> ...Yes? You said you ADORE Doyle?... Go on, Go on... <g>

...I ADORE Doyle... ...smashing plates while Bodie eats kebabs. I love how offensive they both are generally. I love the fact that Bodie makes a date with a girl from meeting her briefly in a door to door check. I love Doyle dragging him out of bed and I absolutely totally love Bodie fresh out of the shower with a towel over his head drinking beer and smirking about seeing Betty. There's even a poignant moment ('since when did you miss?') at the end - shouting at each other is the only way they can show they care about each other. KWALA is FAB and I LOVE IT. Right, on a more serious note..

...yes?

Involvement and Fall Girl. I used to watch these back to back when I was feeling emotional. You have to watch Fall Girl first because it's so bleak and heart rending at the end you need Involvement to drag you back up. My favourite (though most painful) Pros scene is Bodie's walk in the park with Marikka because it's so understated and poignant. I know I am in a minority on this <g>. Bodie is, for once, not especially secure or confident, nor is he being cheeky or arrogant or suggestive. He's about as open and vulnerable as Bodie gets and I die when she says 'you were so strong, so sure about things', and he says 'yeah, even about you.' <sigh> Involvement is wonderful for three bits in particular. Firstly, the scene where Doyle resigns - again, Bodie's understated agony is totally poignant. This is probably the most upset you ever see him and all he does is put his head in his hands and is silent. Secondly, the row where Doyle punches him. I love it when they shout at each other <bg>. Thirdly, of course, the end. It's so brilliantly filmed, from the window so you can't see what they say, but Bodie going after Doyle even though Doyle will inevitably reject him and persevering when Doyle shrugs him off ... and Doyle giving in. Real heartstring tugger! Ooooooh I want to go and watch them all over again. In order of preference I think I'd probably list them as 1. First Night. 2. Killer with a long arm/Mixed Doubles. 3. Fall Girl. 4. Involvement. Dinah 18. Mai 2001

Vielen Dank Dinah, für dieses interessante Gespräch <g>

Renates e-mail ein Link zu Doyle Bodie, zurück zurück zur Bodie Fan Page zurück zu den CI5-Files

rg 31. Juli 2001

rg 2001-01-22