Scene Parallel: Remarkable Shade of Blue / Mirror Scene
It only just occurred to me while I was idling around that the "Remarkable Shade of Blue" compliment is a mirror of, well, the mirror scene praise! And the latter is a direct response to the former.
Both are structured the same, but flipped.
Starting with Pen's words affirming words for Colin in the drawing room in 3x02:
"Your eyes are a most remarkable shade of blue. Yet they shine even brighter when you are kind."
I wrote a brief post a while ago about what I liked so much about this compliment from Pen. It starts with a physical feature compliment, and then ties into a praise of Colin's character. She's telling him him that his outward beauty is enhanced by his inward traits. That his inner self is what makes him beautiful to her.
In contrast, Colin's words to Pen start with a compliment of her character, and then work their way into admiration of her physical features, while also complimenting her blue eyes back. I also think it's interesting that he compares them to mirrors essentially. Blue "pools" in which he can also see his own reflection, in other words, himself. It's exactly what Pen told him in the drawing room that allowed him to see and appreciate who he really is as worthy. That it's not what he does that makes him valuable, but his kindness. Who he really is. It's also fitting because since S1, Pen has always been the person through which Colin was able to understand and appreciate himself. She has always been his mirror for how he sees himself. "If Pen can see me this way, then surely I can too."
Colin's words of admiration to Pen in 3x05 are as such:
"You are the cleverest, bravest woman I've ever known. You make me feel seen in ways I've never felt seen before. And then there is the way your hair cascades down your shoulder. The way your eyes shine when you look at me like two blue pools. The firmness of your lips parted just so. And then there are other parts I've been dreaming of..."
Colin's reply in the mirror scene flips the order of Pen's words (character praise to physical admiration), but then escalates into a more intimate nature. She fell first, but he fell harder, indeed! It's very poetic, musical even.
Visually, let's compare the two scenes also.
In the first, Pen and Colin are face to face. They're literally mirroring each other. They're also both wearing a similar blue color, with corresponding floral embroidery. They're two blue pools reflecting each other.
But in the second scene, they're now on only one side of the mirror, looking in it together.
I wrote a recent post about environment and lighting storytelling for Polin's intimate scenes, where I mentioned the gateway in the garden as a liminal space. In the first kiss scene, they have not crossed the threshold together, but in the dream sequence, they're kissing in the frame of the doorway. I think that ties nicely into this parallel, where they've crossed the threshold together and are now looking forward into the same space, seeing each other together. It reminds me of something someone once told me, that "love isn't looking at each other, but looking forward at the same thing together." They're now looking at a common goal and purpose together, instead of just themselves individually.
Since we've talking about literary parallels on the sub lately, when you combine both of their texts, it reminds me of Song of Songs, the biblical book about two lovers admiring each other, yearning for each other, and celebrating their intimacy.
I've put both scenes together as one whole text. There's so much poetry in it!
Your eyes
are a most remarkable shade of blue.
Yet they shine even brighter
when you are kind.
You are the cleverest, bravest woman I've ever known.
You make me feel seen in ways I've never felt seen before.
And then there is the way your hair cascades down your shoulder.
The way your eyes shine when you look at me like two blue pools.
The firmness of your lips parted just so.
And then there are other parts I've been dreaming of ...
Posted Jul 22, 2024, 4:39 AM UTC