> 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. I've seen so
Although I have trouble believing the physical level of competence
Laura is supposed to have (because of the soft delicacy of the actress, as
opposed to Marianne's brisker energy) - she's nonetheless supposed to have
it. Willie hears her praised at the school, and is shown a list of credits
that include hard physical training, and she does her number with the car
as planned. She's not presented as a lightweight ever in the series that I
can remember. She's competent, insightful, and successful, and while she
does commit to the Sandbaggers as she commits to Neil, she's anything but
enthusiastic intitally. She does not consider the Sandbaggers romantic,
quite the reverse intially. I'd agree she becomes more excited about the
work, but it's as her respect for the others grows, as well as because
she's draw to Neil.
Although I think Laura would probably have been happier in the
sort of situation she originally outlined to Neil, she doesn't fail as a
Sandbagger as far as the show goes, though I think it would have
conflicted with her emotionally fragility eventually. It's not her fault
that she gets caught, and I don't see any way presented for her to escape.
She was the right choice for the mission, but it was a trap. She's hardly
the first agent to end up cornered in that situation.
It seems to me the tragedy is the situation itself. And for me,
Neil's mistakes are in how he handles the crisis, not in having chosen
Laura to begin with.
Gayle