I feel both Neil & Laura were 'vulnerable and 'ripe' for a mutually physical
relationship, when they met. Laura had a short lived marriage of
convenience, obviously without real love or sexual feeling (simply as Neil
was told , to please her parents & have children) Neil had also experienced
a failed marriage. His wife had not 'understood' his devotion to his job.
Also his former father in law is pressuring him to return to Belinda.
Their first meeting was 'attraction & interest' physically at first sight.
Neil went out of his way to find out 'what her hang up ' was. He took the
psychologists advise & was 'kind' & patient to her. I found this an
intriguing revelation of Neil's character, which up until that stage had
appeared to be only domineering, arrogant, unbending, focused solely on his
job. Laura 'knocked him literally off his feet' revealing his hidden
vulnerability. His desire to be wanted & loved. It also showed that he was
insecure. e.g. When Laura went to his apartment after their dinner together,
she remarked that she felt he was 'shy'. I feel that this summation from
Laura revealed another side of Neil's 'Achilles heel'.
Thus there was going to be a 'simmering' office romance between boss &
subordinate with all its complications, and impending impossibilities,
especially as Sandbaggers. Suddenly the rug is pulled out beneath Neil's
feet when Laura dies. Thus begins the gradual 'disintegration of Neil into
'isolation' both physically & mentally from fellow human contact. I'm
interested to see the eps 7-20 to see if my initial synopsis is correct!
*smile*.
Wendy
Mark wrote:
Hmmm,
I think Laura was perfect for the Sandbaggers in lots of different ways.
Think of the Most Suitable Person episode where she's compared to the
James
Bond wannabe, Colin Grove. She's level headed, intelligent and can see
through the notions of romantic glamour. On a more psychoanalytic level,
Diane (Neil's secretary) would probably say she's got the right stuff
because she's emotionally bottled up. Remember her line to Neil about
what
makes a Sandbagger: something about people who can't love so they try to
get
it through respect. ("I'll get those pictures, boss." Famous last
words.)
Neil and Laura are drawn to each other because at some unconscious level
they know the other is incapable of giving love. They desperately want
love,
but they also fear it. It's a match made in heaven.
Chris Drew wrote:
> I think it is because Laura is so obviously wrong for the Sandbaggers
> that it works. Neil can look at Laura as his big mistake. Laura is
> lightweight but enthusiastic and wants to prove herself. How many young
> men and women have gone off to war for the noble cause with all the casual
> gallantry of the true romantic only to figure out that war doesn't have
> the glamour attached to it?