# Up to Episode 4, but who’s keeping count?

An incident can be severe in one category without automatically creating an equivalent counterweight. I am keeping trust moves and dick moves independent.

Here’s my scale:

· **✓** = mild friction / minor dick move or modest trust

· **✓✓** = meaningful behavior

· **✓✓✓** = serious breach or significant trust

· **✓✓✓✓** = extreme behavior / major act of trust



The interesting part isn’t simply that **Hal has more dick moves**. He clearly does.

John->Hal Dick: 12

Hal->John Dick: 13

John->Hal Trust: 8

Hal->John Trust: 7

The more revealing pattern is this:

But the **nature** of the behavior is different.

# John’s side

John’s dick moves tend to attack **Hal’s legitimacy**:

· *You’re old.*

· *You’re tired.*

· *You didn’t earn the ring.*

· *I worked my whole life for this.*

· *I could take it from you.*

· *I know something you’re not being told.*

His trust behaviors tend to attack **his own ambition**:

· He doesn’t take the ring when he has the opportunity.

· He follows Hal’s instructions.

· He reports back.

· He gives Hal information.

· He ultimately wants to prove himself worthy of Hal’s trust.

John’s actions say, essentially, **“I don’t think you’re worthy, but I still recognize that you’re my superior and I haven’t earned the right to replace you yet.”**

# Hal’s side

Hal’s dick moves attack **John’s competence and dignity**:

· “Junior.”

· “Substitute teacher.”

· “Boring.”

· Sending him on pointless errands.

· Keeping him out of investigations.

· Public needling.

· The cliff.

· The pole.

His trust behaviors, meanwhile, are surprisingly consequential:

· He gives John the ring.

· He leaves him responsible for his home and lantern.

· He brings him into the investigation.

· He lets John make life-or-death decisions.

· He tells John things he doesn’t have to tell him.

· He explicitly says **“I believe you.”**

· He refuses to simply accept Sinestro’s suggestion that John should be eliminated.

Hal’s behavior is simultaneously saying:

**“You’re not good enough.”**

and

**“I trust you with the ring.”**

John’s behavior is simultaneously saying:

**“You don’t deserve the ring.”**

and

**“I won’t take it from you.”**

That’s a much more complicated relationship the show is running.

**They already behave like men who don’t trust each other. They also behave like men who trust each other with their lives.**

“Lanterns” Don’t be a 100% Dick Scorecard