The Children's Night Affair
| Fanfiction | |
|---|---|
| Title: | The Children's Night Affair |
| Author(s): | T. Gabrielle |
| Date(s): | 2004 or before |
| Length: | |
| Genre: | |
| Fandom: | Man from U.N.C.L.E. |
| External Links: | online here |
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The Children's Night Affair is a Man from U.N.C.L.E. story by T. Gabrielle.
Reactions and Reviews
Why this must be read: Because T. Gabrielle has a real talent for showing instead of telling, and for creating intriguingly ambiguous situations. The aired episodes have nothing on this story when it comes to subtext.This story takes up where the second season episode, The Children's Day Affair, left off, but you don't really need to know anything about the episode to understand and enjoy the story. Here we see Illya and Napoleon through a third party's eyes - their boss, Alexander Waverly, who finds himself involved in a sort of "bidding war" with another UNCLE chief over one of his top agents. The other chief, highly placed in the European sector, wants Illya for his sector and cleverly plants suspicions that Napoleon and Illya are lovers and should be separated, for the good of the organization.
I find "exterior" pov stories to be fascinating, since what we see is only a refraction, not a direct knowledge of what is happening, leaving the final interpretation very open. The question posed in this story: are the UNCLE chief's suggestions true, or fabricated to help his own case? There is evidence - but what does it mean? How should it be interpreted? And does it matter anyway?
Waverly, frequently ignored in fanfiction, is beautifully drawn here, a complex, shrewd and nuanced man of great experience and wisdom. Napoleon and Illya are equally well depicted, although in a less direct manner. Although the story is Illya-centric, Napoleon's characterization is not lacking at all. The scene between the two of them in the infirmary is simply wonderful. And this story offers a fascinating exploration of the political infighting that occurs within any organization, even among adamantly "do-good" types.
This is a story that draws the reader in and demands active participation. And when you're done, there are no clear answers, only the ones you supply for yourself.[1]
I love this story--I think it's an interesting commentary on what we, as fans do every time we watch a show and interpret it. I find the first scene, between Waverly and Farenti, particularly interesting; it reminds me of a conversation between two fans with gen and slash interpretations of various scenes in the lives of our characters. It's excellent the way TG develops Waverly's gaze and interpretations to the end of the story--and manages to leave you guessing (and I have a very set opinion on the "Are they doing it?" question)! [2]
I love it - Waverly and Farenti participating in the gen/slash debate! *G* I swear this story reads *exactly* like an aired episode, with so much ambiguous subtext. Part of that is because of the pov character, of course, who is not privy to what is happening between the partners - but even when she shows us IK and NS more directly, TG carefully maintains an onlooker's pov. Yeah, I have a very definite opinion on the nature of Illya and Napoleon's relationship in this story too... :) [3]