The Dresden Files > DF Spoilers
WAG.... Murphy has moved on
Talby16:
--- Quote from: WereElephant on June 14, 2018, 02:09:45 PM ---I can see what you mean about Elaine, but my impression is her path post-Justin has diverged enough from Harry's that it isn't feasible for them to join up. Harry's path is well set - defender of Chicago from sundry nasties, Sidhe pacts not withstanding. We don't know a whole lot about Elaine's doings other than the appearances in Summer Knight/White Night and the mentions of collaboration on the Paranet, but I get the impression she's taking on a parallel role to Harry out west. Them joining together would pull one of them away from those established paths.
Oh, Murphy's into Harry. And vice versa. She'll be benched for the duration of her recovery, and her lapse in judgment with the Sword will be a psychological weight to carry, but after so long denying herself the chance with Harry, she's finally gotten the point of saying "Screw it, I want this." I fully expect they'll continue to be an item in Peace Talks.
Consequentially, I also fully expect her to snuff it at some point. Not because she "can't keep up". She and Marcone have proven that vanilla mortals can run the race even better than some of their supernatural cohorts. Because her story in relation to Harry's seems ultimately tragic. She'll age and die, while Harry has the potential (dumb mistakes not withstanding) to continue on for centuries. They'll hook up, and finally know a little reprieve, but then the Malevolence of Butcher will be roused against them, seeing the opportunity to extract further anguish from the wizard, and she will know surcease.
Honestly, I'm thinking post Murphy Harry will eventually realize that Molly doesn't wear training bras anymore, he'll stop repeating that specific phrase about training bras, and once he sheds the mantle of Winter Knight, and through one way or another, Molly somehow unbecomes Sidhe, they'll hook up. She's a practitioner, so the aging thing won't be an issue like with Murphy. Unlike Elaine, Molly's path has been inextricably linked with Harry's from childhood. From being influenced by him hanging out with her dad, to becoming his apprentice, to taking over his role during the Ghost Story hiatus of wizardly presence, to basically becoming another version of Harry in Cold Days prior to the Demonreach Faerie Lady Two-Step, to now effectively being one of his bosses. They're stuck together, one way or another.
Elaine fulfills the "old flame" archetype perfectly. She's out of the picture. Murphy is a romantically sympathetic ally, and a hardy one at that, but at heart, she's a fighter. She'll die that way, while Harry will go on. Molly was not, and currently is not a viable option, but her arc is rife with potential. Proven Guilty through Changes showed a potentially tragic character, but she survived the purgatory of Ghost Story and veritably thrived in Cold Days. Molly isn't a hardy fighter destined to go out in a blaze of glory. She's now a full wizard, and wizards have a habit of saying "Screw you, destiny, I'm rewriting you."
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Nice summary. I agree with Murphy going out in a fight. I also think that Molly is a more likely partner than Elaine.
Mr. Death:
I don't think that kind of death suits Murphy.
If anything, it suits Harry. He's the one who's always a hair's breadth from a spectacular and explosive end, and if it comes to some kind of heroic sacrifice situation, he's going to run headlong into it so fast he'd give Wally West whiplash.
Jim Butcher isn't George Martin (thank the gods). I think you guys are all seriously overplaying the "he likes to make Harry suffer" angle. He's already gone through the tragically-lost-lover plot.
Susan was Harry's Gwen Stacy. Murphy is his Mary Jane Watson.
And his mother figure's already dead and Butcher doesn't (appear to) have Joe Quesada's mommy issues, so I foresee no badly-plotted deals with the devil to erase the relationship.
Mira:
--- Quote ---Because if there's one thing fans of a character like, it's when they die.
Wait, no. What's the other term for someone who wants to see a character die every single time they bring them up? Not fan. Something else.
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No, that isn't what I am saying.. Murphy will not be the same Murphy anymore, a lot has flowed across her bridge the last few years.. She hasn't been the same for quite some time since she left the police force, my like for the character has gone down hill since then. Granted she still has fans, some diehard fans, but even they may not like the next form Murphy takes.. There are fans who like Harry a lot less since Changes.. Some who have problems over all with the series since Changes.. So you might want to keep Murphy around, but you might not like what you are reading, that is all I am saying.
WereElephant:
--- Quote from: Mr. Death on June 14, 2018, 04:20:13 PM ---I don't think that kind of death suits Murphy.
--- End quote ---
Fair. It is only my opinion. What do you see in store for her, either for the remainder of the series, or her eventual death beyond?
--- Quote ---If anything, it suits Harry. He's the one who's always a hair's breadth from a spectacular and explosive end, and if it comes to some kind of heroic sacrifice situation, he's going to run headlong into it so fast he'd give Wally West whiplash.
--- End quote ---
Agreed, it would suit Harry. But to allow disbelief for a moment, I'm assuming Harry won't die again until the BAT, if we see him die again this series.
--- Quote ---I think you guys are all seriously overplaying the "he likes to make Harry suffer" angle.
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Here, I disagree with you. This WoJ: http://wordof.jim-butcher.com/index.php/word-of-jim-woj-compilation/woj-and-stuff-i-didnt-put-into-other-categories/ contains a quote under Mystery Galaxy Signing Q&A. It reads "I don’t know the answers to questions like that, but I enjoy the hell out of torturing Dresden with them! That’s really kind of the point of what I do." Also, although I can't find a source for it right now, I remember a WoJ that went something like "I'm in the business of torturing Harry Dresden. And Business is booming!"
--- Quote ---Susan was Harry's Gwen Stacy. Murphy is his Mary Jane Watson.
--- End quote ---
It might well turn out that way, but according to Mr. Butcher, he hasn't planned out Harry's love life. He wanted that to develop organically. Source: http://wordof.jim-butcher.com/index.php/word-of-jim-woj-compilation/woj-on-harrys-friends/, from 2009 Kansas City Q&A. In the absence of a declared plan for the eventual lasting relationship (if any), I don't think we can definitively cast anyone as Mary Jane. My money is still on Molly, but it's just a guess.
Mr. Death:
--- Quote from: WereElephant on June 14, 2018, 04:33:28 PM ---Fair. It is only my opinion. What do you see in store for her, either for the remainder of the series, or her eventual death beyond?
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I could see her ending up in a role somewhere between where she was and where Charity is. I don't see her as a stay-at-home type, but even before the injury, she knew well enough that any fight she was in was uphill. With the injury, she's at a greater disadvantage, and she knows that. So I see her being Harry's support (like she always has been), less likely to dive in and get rough, but still able to if she had to.
One thing we can probably all agree with is that Jim loves the "seemingly helpless person turns out to be really dangerous" trope. It pops up frequently, and has even popped up with Murphy herself a few times. So what I'm expecting is some uppity faerie to start in on her, only to find out that Murphy's walking cane just so happens to be made out of stainless steel when she breaks his nose with it.
That's the kind of future I see for Murphy -- more support-ish, but still capable.
--- Quote ---Agreed, it would suit Harry. But to allow disbelief for a moment, I'm assuming Harry won't die again until the BAT, if we see him die again this series.
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I place Murphy in a similar role. She might be the only character besides Harry to have appeared in every single book, and is very nearly as central a character as he is.
--- Quote ---Here, I disagree with you. This WoJ: http://wordof.jim-butcher.com/index.php/word-of-jim-woj-compilation/woj-and-stuff-i-didnt-put-into-other-categories/ contains a quote under Mystery Galaxy Signing Q&A. It reads "I don’t know the answers to questions like that, but I enjoy the hell out of torturing Dresden with them! That’s really kind of the point of what I do." Also, although I can't find a source for it right now, I remember a WoJ that went something like "I'm in the business of torturing Harry Dresden. And Business is booming!"
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Torturing Harry is what Jim Butcher does, not why he does. He might enjoy it, but I don't get sense that's what directs the plotline.
--- Quote ---It might well turn out that way, but according to Mr. Butcher, he hasn't planned out Harry's love life. He wanted that to develop organically. Source: http://wordof.jim-butcher.com/index.php/word-of-jim-woj-compilation/woj-on-harrys-friends/, from 2009 Kansas City Q&A. In the absence of a declared plan for the eventual lasting relationship (if any), I don't think we can definitively cast anyone as Mary Jane. My money is still on Molly, but it's just a guess.
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Right. Not planned out.
Meaning, for example, that arguments that Murphy has to go to make room for Molly are, by that logic, hogwash.
That said, while he didn't plan it out from the start, I find it hard to believe he isn't thinking about the status as he plots upcoming books.
And I didn't mean so much that he'd planned Murphy to be Harry's MJ (Marvel certainly hadn't planned Parker's arc that way to start with) so much as she occupies the same kind of narrative space. Gwen/Susan were Harry's first in-story love, and one who died in circumstances that Peter/Harry hold themselves responsible for. MJ/Murphy are second-loves, who might have been around before Gwen/Susan, but who came into his romantic life later, after proving themselves trustworthy, reliable companions.
I just call it like I see it.
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