Question of the day.

[Arjan]

Fix was a mortal  until he chose.  And I didn't say Eb didn't gaze him. But the statement is ambiguous. I would also point out that Margaret had a baby with Raith. And just as obviously she didn't share that with Eb. If Butcher is to be believed she was under a death sentence from the Council and running.  Eb's knowledge would appear suspect.  Which isn't to say you are wrong.

@Conspiracy Theorist

According to the Demon that Harry deals with in the early books she was on her way to Hell.  But found redemption. She had a baby with Raith. She threw Thomas under the bus. And managed to find the time to find Malcolm, cuddle up, and make a baby all while on the run from both the Council and a curse. She had had broken the first law.  A women of many talents.

We got some facts about Margaret but the chronology is unclear and we might get a completely different spin later. We don’t know when she broke the first law and when the council discovered that, it could have been relatively late.

I don’t know about throwing Thomas under the bus. He was a white court vampire and taking him with her would have been disastrous. She probably did what she thought best for him.

[Dina]

Ok, first things first. I agree Harry (and Murphy) heights are probably just Jim being Jim. I think Paul Blackthorne was an excellent Harry even when he is not as tall as he should, but yes, I would not be surprised if a major company selects someone smaller. I laughed a lot at the Tom Cruise comment (by the way, TV show Reacher is quite good IMHO, but I have not read the book.)

Second, I agree with Mira the sentence about Malcolm means that Eb soulgazed Malcolm. Or perhaps it means that he saw him under the Sight, but I believe the first interpretation is more probable. Eb is a wizard, when he talks about seeing a soul I understand he is being literal. I also don't think he is talking bad of Harry's own soul. When he soulgazed him, Harry was not in a good place and I am pretty sure his soul was probably...undecided. Sort of Molly's. Besides, I personally think that Harry has a darkness in himself that Malcolm probably hadn't. I do not imagine Malcolm saying that he would let the world burn as long as Harry is with him.

Side note, we all wonder what people sees when soulgazing Harry, but I am wondering what wizards see when looking at him under the Sight. It must be scary, as I bet many of the Council did that and they do not trust Harry. Pretty sure they did not see an angelic paladin like Murph.

Finally, yes, there is a LOT that we do not know about Harry's mom, like how he managed to have Lea protecting Harry. I hope we find some answers before the series is over.

[Conspiracy Theorist]

Yes, I hoped someone would pick that up, I haven’t read the Reacher books or seen the Cruise movie (not a fan of Cruise) but watched the Reacher series and enjoyed it, the actor I had seen in Titans and Brooklyn Nine Nine and though a couple of inches short of the characters 6 5’ he had the physicality of the character down pat,  the rest could be dealt with by built up shoes and forced perspective. Cruise would have required stilts.

You probably could get away with a 6 4’ or 6 5’ actor for Harry if they were also skinny, someone like a young James Cromwell at 6 ‘6, perhaps the Succession actor Nicholas Braun also at 6 ‘6.

[morriswalters]

Having read most of the books I tell you there is a reason that Reacher is 6'5" in the books, it's writing shorthand for the character and his physicality and menace. The prose draws a picture since the author can't show you the character.  Butcher may have been channeling Gandalf.

In terms of Margaret the deeper the evils she commits the more emotion her redemption can draw out of the reader. If Margaret was a pristine maiden then she wouldn't need redemption. No good mother would leave a five year old child behind if she loved him.  You have a direct counterpoint in Charity who charges the Evil Faerie's fortress for her daughter and was going to bring her home or die in the attempt. But frankly it's more fun to say she threw Thomas under the bus.

Malcolm is a archetype.  The perfect father who loves his child. It's why the cup in the Christmas story packs so much emotion. I'm questioning how Butcher is using that archetype and to what point.

[Conspiracy Theorist]

Wizards wear a tall pointed hat to give the impression that they are tall, and tall people have authority. All the classic wizards, Gandalf, Merlin, Ridcully fall into this trope.

Harry is the wizard who doesn’t wear a hat. He is therefore as tall as he would appear IF he wore a hat.

But still doesn’t project an air of authority.

Margaret I suspect bought Harry’s freedom with Lea, by trading the firstborn girl of her line. Jim has said Harry is going to be pissed with Lea when he finds out the full details of the deal. Nothing would piss off Harry more than losing Maggie. Lea wants an apprentice, not for Mab, for herself, to create a new Leansidhe. Bad Margaret.

The perfect father trope may be Jim’s guilt over his failings as a father. All fathers in real life have failings, not all are aware of them. Malcolm is basically an idealised version of Jim Butcher, Harry’s other father.

[morriswalters]

Butcher's father issues are none of my business. However having Malcolm speaking from beyond is kind of weird.  Murphy never got to speak to her dad.  It either a cheap trick to play on the emotions of the reader or there is a purpose beyond that.

[Dina]

I actually watched and enjoyed the Reacher movie by Tom Cruise (I think there are two of them but I only remember one). However, I am aware of the description in the books and how weird it is to have it played by a short actor. That said, I always liked Cruise (as an actor, I mean). I am not sure I like Reacher's stories, but I find the character interesting. And I liked the actor of the show (yes, I saw him in Titans, and in Smallville before that. I am a DC fan first and foremost  )

I agree about Margaret and her need of redemption. She was not the perfect mother, like Malcolm was the perfect father. I loved the Christmas mug scene. That said, I do not believe Margaret offered Lea a child. I think it is another thing but I do not what.

[Mira]

I agree about Margaret and her need of redemption. She was not the perfect mother, like Malcolm was the perfect father. I loved the Christmas mug scene. That said, I do not believe Margaret offered Lea a child. I think it is another thing but I do not what.

I don't think she did either.  If she did, it was important that Harry be kept safe, and she couldn't conceive of the idea that either Thomas or Harry would live long enough to have a daughter.

Further proof that Margaret didn't throw her son, Thomas under the bus is the loving message she left for both Harry and Thomas because she knew that they would soul gaze at some point.  Also the lack of bitterness on the part of Thomas says at least he doesn't feel like she threw him under the bus.  I think it was more of a "Sophie's Choice" on the part of Margaret, to give up Thomas for what she thought was the greater good or perhaps more to the point giving Thomas a better chance at survival than if she took him with her.  Why? She knew he had the Hunger Demon inside of him and at some point it would make itself known.  She also knew that if she took Thomas with her, none of them would survive the wrath of Raith and it was vital that she survive to conceive and give birth to a star child with Malcolm.  Was it a great choice?  Maybe not, hard difficult choices seldom are, but I totally doubt that she made it in the cold "throw under the bus" heartless manner suggested.

If I had to guess what the agreement with Lea was, I'd say that Margaret offered up her child as the future Winter Knight, that is why I think Mab was always so sure that Harry would eventually become her Knight/

[Conspiracy Theorist]

Priorities save the children she did have and worry about the consequences later, a very Harry attitude. I hope Butters uses his Favour to free Maggie. As Mab’s Vassal Lea is bound by her, she may have to give Lea something of equal value as compensation, unless Lea owes her for the freedom from Nemesis.

She didn’t offer Lea a child, Lea always asks for one though. She loves puppies and children. Lea may have thought that Molly was to be a new Leansidhe, but Mab had other ideas, suggesting that Lea may have been angling for this for some time. Lea may want to be Eldest Leansidhe, every indication is that she is the only Leansidhe. All her children with mortals turn out like Bob, and not like her. That must be very disappointing, and family get togethers especially tedious.

Remember Fae have many different methods of reproduction, especially if you get a unique being and want it to breed true, like Eldest Gruff. We never Mrs Eldest Gruff, or Nanny Gruff?

We haven’t I think seen the true first scenes between Harry and Lea. Harry’s Memory has been mucked about so much by the Fae, he needs to straighten it out. It may explain why he is so incurious about certain subjects, like Starborn, mental blocks were installed and these are starting to erode as he gets older and more into Mab’s service.

[Mira]

Priorities save the children she did have and worry about the consequences later, a very Harry attitude. I hope Butters uses his Favour to free Maggie. As Mab’s Vassal Lea is bound by her, she may have to give Lea something of equal value as compensation, unless Lea owes her for the freedom from Nemesis.

Did you ever stop to think that perhaps she thought there was no saving Thomas, since he was born with the Hunger Demon?  That if she took him with her, he was doomed for sure? At least this way as a vampire he had a chance to live.  We don't know what she had to give Lea, if anything.. I think it was more the Winter Court benefited from the star child growing to adulthood, thus tying the child to the  Winter Court whether he/she liked it or not.  Lets not forget that for the first half of the series Harry was fighting those connections, but could never quite free himself because the Fae kept moving the goal posts.

[Conspiracy Theorist]

We saw in Peace Talks a very maternal side to Lara, she was effectively a second mother to Thomas rather than a sister. We know that Whamps have a low reproduction rate, I think this may be even more so for the female of the species, bearing a child rather than just reproducing far more risky for the child. Lara may have had centuries of miscarriages.

Raith tended to kill his Male heirs, to limit grandchildren etc plotting with their parent against him.We have no indication of Lara or her sisters having had children, we know she has approached Harry and Marcone as the two men probably strong enough to produce a surviving child with a life force strong enough be born alive to a female Whamp. This may be why she wants to marry Harry, she is desperate for a child, and thinks this is the only way.

It explains why she is so protective of Thomas, willing to put the entire White Court at risk.

[morriswalters]

We understand very little of Margaret's motivation for what she did. But we have a sketch of what she did do. For her attack to work she had to sacrifice Thomas. There is nothing in the text that says Thomas's demon revealed itself in anyway different then Inari's. It follows that Margaret did what she did purposely and with knowledge of what it would do to Thomas. 
I suspect that what she used to bargain with Lea was either some knowledge she had or Harry.

[Mira]

We understand very little of Margaret's motivation for what she did. But we have a sketch of what she did do. For her attack to work she had to sacrifice Thomas. There is nothing in the text that says Thomas's demon revealed itself in anyway different then Inari's. It follows that Margaret did what she did purposely and with knowledge of what it would do to Thomas. 
I suspect that what she used to bargain with Lea was either some knowledge she had or Harry.

I don't think the Hunger in him acted any different from Inari's Hunger.  However there was no guarantee that he'd have found true love to burn it out either, when he reached puberty.  As far as what it would do to Thomas, as I said there is also nothing in the text that Thomas was bitter towards her for leaving him.  Now it is possible that that was because Lara explained that he was better off as a White Vampire with in the bosom of the Raith family than outside of it.

[Dina]

We understand very little of Margaret's motivation for what she did. But we have a sketch of what she did do. For her attack to work she had to sacrifice Thomas. There is nothing in the text that says Thomas's demon revealed itself in anyway different then Inari's. It follows that Margaret did what she did purposely and with knowledge of what it would do to Thomas. 
I suspect that what she used to bargain with Lea was either some knowledge she had or Harry.

I agree about what Margaret offered. Perhaps with her knowledge of the Ways she found something very valuable for Lea.

We haven’t I think seen the true first scenes between Harry and Lea. Harry’s Memory has been mucked about so much by the Fae, he needs to straighten it out. It may explain why he is so incurious about certain subjects, like Starborn, mental blocks were installed and these are starting to erode as he gets older and more into Mab’s service.

I would love if that is the explanation for Harry's lack of curiosity in many subjects. I found that infuriating, especially in a detective, and even when I understand there can be meta, story-telling reasons, I would love to see an explanation in universe.

[Conspiracy Theorist]

Things Harry is/was incurious of:-

1. The Fae
2. The Starborn
3. Bob’s origin
4. His family
5. Mister

These seem to be all linked together, remember Harry was always more curious about the Swords than any of these subjects until triggered, he researched Knights to figure out they were all the descendants of kings, but had no interest in finding out more about his family? That doesn’t make sense unless he was under a geas.