Runaways

Queen of Swords Episode Review

In which Dr. Helm has crap taste in women.

The Dreaded Ex

Just as two characters get together, the ex-lover of one of them shows up. The Potential Love Interest will defend the Ex in the beginning, then send them packing after affirming that they are in love with the Hero. Note that this is distinct from other romantic clichés because it is timed to coincide with a change in the relationship between the hero and their love interest.

What Did I Think?

As rumors of cancellation fly (well, okay, they sort of drift), I'm of two minds about this show. On the one hand, I've always liked Peter Wingfield (Dr. Helm), and I've recently added Valentine Pelka (Montoya) and Anthony Lemke (Grisham) to my list. They don't show up in many American productions, and when they do, it's as guest stars on shows I don't usually watch. On the other hand, elements of Queen of Swords have bothered me from the start, and this big romance between Tessa and Dr. Helm is one of them.

Rule number one in writing this kind of love story, where the heroine falls for the one man in town who pretends not to like her, is don't. It's been done to death. Anyone can see it coming; they might as well have put a big arrow over Helm's head that says "Love Interest."

Rule number two is don't ignore the fact that the parties involved have more chemistry with other characters than with each other. Helm and Marta had exactly one scene together and were more interesting the most of his scenes with Tessa. She, in contrast, had way more spark and flair when tangling with Grisham or even Montoya. Not to mention that entertaining as Grisham and Montoya are, a conflict of interest might add some seriously needed dimensions to their characters. There are only so many ways that Grisham can say "Let's kill 'em," and Montoya can sigh over what a savage he is.

Rule number three is do keep the characters consistent as you're writing. Tessa remained quite capable of handling whatever was going on throughout most of the episodes. The only time she seems to need a man to take care of things she'd otherwise do herself is when Dr. Helm was about to pick locks and knock out guards. She is the Hero here; her abilities should not sacrificed to make him look good. It weakens the character.

Rule number four - oh, and this is a big one - is do have both characters show up! In the first fifteen episodes, Dr. Helm was missing in action for nine of them. He showed interest in the Queen in when they first met in "Death to the Queen" and when it looked as if she'd attacked him in "Fever," clashed with her in "Vengeance," then promptly fell off the face of the Earth.

There were moments in the next three episodes where an interaction between Tessa and Dr. Helm might have been appropriate, and would have made her attraction to him seem less sudden, but he was nowhere to be found. When he did return, "Honor Thy Father" was a lopsided mess and please spare me from their "banter" while breaking into Montoya's office. The "what are you doing here?" "no, what are you doing here?" routine got old. Fast.

After that, he vanished during "Counterfeit Queen," only to resurface in "The Serpent." There's finally some real conversation between them, and the groundwork is laid for some actual conflict when he's forced to kill to save her life. (I don't think she should need him to save her life, but if his reaction to the act highlights some aspect of his character, I'll let it pass.) We also get the first real display of affection between them when she kisses him and a reminder that his feelings for Tessa are very different when she's playing spoiled aristocrat than when she's dressed up as the Queen. But guess what happens next? That's right: he disappears for another four episodes, until his ex-fiancee shows up in "Runaways."

This run down doesn't even take into account the extra time between some episodes due to reruns. There is absolutely no continuity to their relationship at all, mostly due to the fact that he's never there and when he isn't, Tessa doesn't seem to miss him. How are we expected to believe that she's in love with him, to the point of questioning whether she should rescue his ex or not, when she doesn't so much as mention him unless he's standing in front of her?