sandbaggers: Neil's Apartment
Neil's Apartment
p.nussman@genie.geis.com
Sun, 14 Aug 94 13:17:00 UTC
Gayle wrote:
>I dunno. I was shocked at how slovenly his apartment looked. I
> still think Neil would be a total neat freak.
Then Earnest wrote:
>I just re-watched "Is Your Journey Really Necessary," last night, and
>there was a scene where we get a fair look at Neil's living room. It
>certainly wasn't messy -- in fact, I thought it was a bit overdone.
>(A big ship model in a glass case? That doesn't really sound like Neil.)
>He also had a framed photograph of a young woman on an end table. I can
>only assume that it was Brenda, but why would he still have it? Too
>lazy to get rid of it?
Neil is a perfectly neat housekeeper until after Laura's death. It's
especially in (I believe) "The Hell With Justice," that we see the
difference. Jeff looks rather astounded at how messy things have gotten,
and--since he's obviously visited Neil fairly frequently--I think we're
meant to believe that this is a change.
You have sharp eyes, Earnest, re the ship model, which I didn't spot for a
few viewings. I always connected that with his stint in the Royal Marines
... perhaps he had a bit of a hobby there until SIS took over his life.
The framed photograph is Belinda, his ex-wife. Laura comments on it in (I
believe) "Always Glad to Help," when she first visits Neil's apartment. The
implication is that he keeps it for the same reason some people keep poking
at a sore tooth. In "A Feasible Solution," he has a photograph of Laura
blown up and substitutes that, much to Laura's surprise.
>Also, I'm surprised that he keeps liquor on hand if he doesn't drink.
>Of course he might well keep it for friends, but I have always assumed
>he was a recovered alcoholic.
Not a recovered alcoholic, but someone who insists on total control of
himself. That's made clear in a later episode (I'm afraid I can't remember
which one), where he discusses why he quit drinking with Peele (the scene
took place in Neil's favorite Chinese restaurant, I remember that).
He does keep the liquor for friends. Notably Jeff, who hits the liquor
table every time we see him come over ("Always Glad to Help," "To Hell With
Justice.")
>I'm not surprised his kitchen (seen in a later Laura Dickens episode) was
>a mess -- he probably makes a stab at cooking for himself, but never
>really gets serious, and rarely cleans up.
Actually, as referenced above, his kitchen is fairly tidy in "Always Glad to
Help." It's in "To Hell With Justice" that we see a change.
Pat