Doylist analysis of the Scooby Gang at the climax of Cold Days

[Griffyn612]

Justine was NOT to say that Lara is free of Nemfection, as we have already had quotes that imply she is infected.

Uh, what?

[Eldest Gruff]

Uh, what?

Ten bucks says the "Lara's gotten scary" bit from Thomas as the culprit for this line of thought.

[Tami Seven]

Ten bucks says the "Lara's gotten scary" bit from Thomas as the culprit for this line of thought.

she's Lord Raith's Oldest living child and has been his Right Hand for most of her life. All it took was an opportunity and time to build her own empire. You don't need Nemesis for that. Any WCV can be damn scary, the Queen of all of them with her smarts, knowledge and business acumen -  if she ran for President she'd win by a landslide. Now that is truly major league damn scary.

[Eldest Gruff]

she's Lord Raith's Oldest living child and has been his Right Hand for most of her life. All it took was an opportunity and time to build her own empire. You don't need Nemesis for that. Any WCV can be damn scary, the Queen of all of them with her smarts, knowledge and business acumen -  if she ran for President she'd win by a landslide. Now that is truly major league damn scary.

You don't have to convince me, i'm just pointing out the likely culprit for that idea in the first place.

[Second Aristh]

You don't have to convince me, i'm just pointing out the likely culprit for that idea in the first place.

You could probably try making a case based on Papa Raith being infected and that getting passed to her via feeding, but I think it's pretty clear that Lara isn't being controlled.  WN makes no sense if Nemesis has hooks in her.

[Tami Seven]

You don't have to convince me, i'm just pointing out the likely culprit for that idea in the first place.

Fair enough. Still, word of wisdom to anyone, never underestimate Lara Raith. 

[Eldest Gruff]

You could probably try making a case based on Papa Raith being infected and that getting passed to her via feeding, but I think it's pretty clear that Lara isn't being controlled.  WN makes no sense if Nemesis has hooks in her.

Neither does Turn Coat.

[Spaced Cowboy]

Forgive me if this has already been suggested, but I didn't see it in quickly skimming the topic.

The one thing we know about Mac is that he's "out". Perhaps, just perhaps, this is the beginning of dragging him back "in". He ends up being shot after all... True, we know that it's not a mortal wound, but maybe it would have been worse if Mab hadn't helped, who knows ?

We don't know *why* he's "out". Perhaps it's something he has chosen to do, and which guarantees him some level of protection/respect from the major powers.

The invasion of his domain, subsequent injury to his person, maybe another event... and perhaps Mac chooses to rejoin the fray...

Simon

[raidem]

My take of 'Out' was that he is constrained from actions due to him originating from another parallel reality, timeline whereby he is attempting to limit his interactions with this reality until a set of conditions are satisfied.

So, I think he has a multiverse tinge to himself.  I also like some think he has angelic roots, whether that be on good or neutral side i dunno.  I get the impression though that he is versed in redemption when he talks to Harry about it being easy to walk into the Badlands.  I think he had his brush with it himself.

[Lawgiver]

The invasion of his domain, subsequent injury to his person, maybe another event... and perhaps Mac chooses to rejoin the fray...

Simon

Invasion of his domain, or violation of his status as Neutral re the Unseelie Accords?

Mab's healing him may be little more than her correcting an imbalance accrued when, as a Neutral, he was injured by party/parties connected to that Accords violation. Those Accords Mab's and she's obviously been angered/motivated to action before by their violation (Small Favor as one example). I wouldn't find it out of character for Mab to "balance" harm done by a violation with a healing to the one harmed.

[lt_murgen]

Theory:  Mac was brought to the island as a Checkov's gun.

Idea 1:  Mac has history with Maeve.  From the book:

(click to show/hide)

Maeve: “Ah, the bartender. Irony, there. Getting a good view, are you?”
     Mac stared at Maeve without speaking.
     “Please allow me to make sure you don’t get bored. This is a participation sport,” Maeve said, and shot him in the stomach.
     Mac grunted and rocked back onto his heels. He stared at Maeve, his expression completely impassive. Then he exhaled a groan and fell to one knee.
     “Oh,” Maeve said, her eyes glittering. “That just never gets old.”

Two things.  First, she calls being a bartender ironic.  Second, she implies hurting him never gets old.  So, what if Mac was a former Winter Knight?  He left serving Maeve to go and serve everyone.  Could be seen as ironic.  And if inflicting pain on him was part of their relationship, then the second part makes sense as well.

Idea 2:  The Winter Knight Mantle is extremely possessive.  Harry brought along family, close friends, and attractive females.  Perhaps the mantle influenced Harry to bring Mac along since he was once 'owned' by the mantle.

Idea 3:  Mac couldn't act because the mantle belonged to Harry.  To act would be to go against whatever he did to lose it.


This is Jim's way of foreshadowing Harry's choice in future books.  There is a way out besides death.  Mac knows it.  But he also is a living example of the cost- to set aside the mantle means to become passive. 

[Griffyn612]

Idea 1:  Mac has history with Maeve.  From the book:Two things.  First, she calls being a bartender ironic.

It wasn't necessarily being a "bartender" that was ironic.  Earlier we heard him called the "watcher".  After Maeve calls him 'the bartender' as identifying who she's talking to, she says, "Irony, there. Getting a good view, are you?”  The ironic part would seem to be that he's watching things unfold as the watcher.

[Foxed]

Mac being present is just wrong. He's a minor character, has only brought cases to Harry in the short stories, and isn't seen outside his bar in the novels. His presence as more than background, as more than the proprietor of his bar, is fundamentally wrong.

And yet, Cold Days goes nowhere with this. Mac is dragged to the foreground, then shot by Maeve, then he sinks back into the ensemble.

Grigori, Archangel, ex-Knight of Winter... whatever he is, what might he have done if Maeve hadn't shot him?

Or, and maybe this is the real point of his being there, his getting shot is as fundamentally wrong as his getting dragged into the main plot. Perhaps it was all to highlight how subversive a Nemesis agent is to the narrative. Nothing is safe, etc., etc.

[cptnspldng]

My take of 'Out' was that he is constrained from actions due to him originating from another parallel reality, timeline whereby he is attempting to limit his interactions with this reality until a set of conditions are satisfied.

So, I think he has a multiverse tinge to himself.  I also like some think he has angelic roots, whether that be on good or neutral side i dunno.  I get the impression though that he is versed in redemption when he talks to Harry about it being easy to walk into the Badlands.  I think he had his brush with it himself.

My take is that he is one of the angelic hosts tasked with the job title akin to "Auditor of Reality." But not necessarily in a bad guy Discworld way.

[Mira]

   Well, if you combine that with the earlier encounters at the bar, where it is stated with respect by big time players in the supernatural world that Mac "is no longer a player..." Implying that he retired from whatever his former role was, and apparently did it well, was strong, and withdrew from the field of his own choice.  That these days he mostly observes and remains neutral, but not totally where Harry is concerned.  Examples of this as early as Storm Front when he supplied wheels to Harry when he needed to get out to Victor's lake house.  Just listening as a good bar tender should in Changes..

So what was Mac's role?  Was he a Knight to one of the Courts?  One of the few untainted by the mantle and able to retire on his own terms?  Was he a general to one of the Fae courts? 

Sharkface knew who Mac was, he called him "watcher."

page 222 Cold Days hardcover..

"You!" Sharkface snarled.  "You have no place in this, watcher. Do you think this gesture has meaning?  It is every bit as empty as you. You chose your road long ago.  Have the grace to lie down and die with it."

The simplest explanation  is Mac was a general or perhaps a keeper of the Outer Gates much like Rashid is, clearly from Sharkface's contempt, had been effective at it, but then had enough.  He's fought Outsiders before, knows Outsiders, also knows what Harry is, a starchild..  He knows the importance of Harry, that is why he has moved to help him even when his policy is to be neutral..  He has rendered both Vadderung and Mab a great service in the past, so they respect him and his wishes.. Hell, Mac may have been born a starchild..