Friday, June 17, 2011

Rubicon Tie Speech

Rubicon - Episode 4 - The Outsider

This was THE episode. This episode turned this series from one that I watch because I feel I should like things like this to a series which I watch because I do like this. A lot.

Michael Christofer plays Truxton Spangler. What a great name. And what a great character.

Here's the brilliant "tie speech", in which Spangler (with Will silently sitting next to him) is trying to convince officials from the DoD that API should remain independent of congress. API is the intelligence agency that Spangler runs and Will works at.

--start--

DoD official: If this were entirely our decision we'd be more than happy to keep the entire intelligence community off limits to congress but, uh, there are some political realities in play that make that impossible.

(They get up to leave.)

Spangler: One final thought, if I might.

(They reluctantly sit back down)

Spangler: When you left the house this morning, wearing that tie. Perhaps your wife stopped you in the doorway; perhaps she told you how good you looked in that tie. How handsome it was. Now while I'm sure you love your wife, might I suggest, you have many reasons to distrust her judgement about that tie.

Maybe she has a fond memory of another time you wore it, a sentimental attachment; or perhaps she knows your tie collection and she's simply glad you didn't choose one of the ties she dislikes. Perhaps she just sensed, you were feeling a little fragile. She felt like bucking you up a bit.

Now, imagine for a minute you sit down here with us, and I say to you, how much I admire that tie. Instantly you have another opinion; but you don't know me; there's nothing personal between us - we have no - sartorial history. No emotional attachment.

Who's judgement are you going to trust? Mine? Or your wife's?

The gentleman to my right is a remarkable intelligence analyst; he is skilled in pattern recognition, systems analysis, emergence theories -- but, but -- in truth, his greatest asset for you -- is that you don't know him. And he doesn't know you. He doesn't care about you. Or your feelings. He just knows -- what your tie looks like.

You can trust him.

--end--

Never has a speech about a tie had such resonance. Never has a speech about a tie had such depth. Never has a speech about a tie ever been transcribed before.

I think we can all learn something here.

...

Although it looks like AMC haven't learnt anything - they cancelled the show after season one. The fools.