The Pillory
| The Professionals Fanfiction | |
|---|---|
| Title: | The Pillory |
| Author(s): | Kitty Fisher |
| Date(s): | 1994 |
| Length: | 25K, 3888 words |
| Genre: | slash |
| Fandom: | The Professionals |
| External Links: | The Pillory at Kitty's House of Pleasure... and Pain The Pillory at The Circuit Archive The Pillory at AO3 |
Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
The Pillory is a Professionals slash story by Kitty Fisher. It was originally published in No Holds Barred #6.
It is a particularly grim (and controversial) Bodie/Cowley story in which Cowley frames Doyle for a crime he did not commit, in order to keep Bodie with him both personally and sexually.
Summary
"To what lengths will one go to achieve their ultimate goal?" -- Angst, Betrayal, Death."
About a Sequel by the Author
I had no objection to anyone else writing a sequel to it in fact I was quite happy for anyone to have a go who wanted to. But I, myself, couldn't. Not because I believed the story sacrosanct or because having written it I believed it. For me Doyle is dead. What happened was right for the way the characters. [1]
The bad news is that there's not going to be a sequel to The Pillory'. Kitty believes - and I must say I agree with her - that the story as she wrote it is complete; to quote her very roughly, that it would be a betrayal of the story's essence to try and change its direction now. (On the other hand, she has no objections at all if someone else wants to write a sequel!) The good news is that the refusal of the various requests takes the form of a witty little story in the Hatstand section [of this letterzine] wherein Bodie and Doyle give us their opinion on the matter. It's quite the most graceful way of saying. Not Likely' I've had the pleasure of encountering. Further pleas, therefore, had better to be addressed to anyone foolhardy enough to suggest a way out of The Pillory"s ending. [2]
A Pillory Filk
A fan in writes a filk asking for a sequel. [3] Sung to the tune of "Daisy, Daisy":
Other Sequels and Inspired Works
An excerpt from "the witty little story," Discovered on a Tape Spool by An Unknown Hand/Kitty Fisher in which she writes of Bodie and Doyle discussing "The Pillory," and being, well, horrified:
"The Pillory. Oh my God . . ." Bodie was white as a sheet, his hand on the swiss roll, (chocolate) quite unsteady.
In 1998, the editor of DIAL set up a competition for fans to write their own sequels to this story:
[Kitty Fisher] suggested that in light of the various pleas for a sequel to a certain story beginning with P - and given that she'd no intention of writing it - we hold a competition to see who could come up with the best follow-up. So that's the challenge, ladies - devise a sequel to The Pillory'. NB: You don't have to write it! (Though if anyone wants to, DIAL will receive it with open arms!) No, all you have to do is come up with a way out of the end-of-The-Pillory situation which would quiet those plaintive cries for a happy ending. (And I think we all know we mean B/D here, chaps). The scenario can be as simple or as elaborate as you like but it must include an explanation of what seems to happen at the end of the story - if you've read it you'll know what I mean! - and an indication of how the whole thing's going to be worked out in future. Saying simply that They Lived Happily Ever After won't cut the mustard. [4]
- Seven New Endings to The Pillory by Jess, originally published in DIAL #7 (1998). Also posted alongside The Pillory at Kitty Fisher's website, with the note: "For those who prefer a happy ending with our boys together — or at least not with Cowley — UKJess has provided us with SEVEN NEW ENDINGS TO THE PILLORY, often with hillarious results. Thank you, Jess."
- The Rack by Joan - sequel suggestion for The Pillory in DIAL #7 (1998). One fan described the story in 2015:
Doyle survives the crash of course, and then Bodie appears, at Cowley's suggestion, to spirit him away somewhere. But on their own, Bodie knows Doyle, and although the story is way too short to be a complete this-is-how-it-ends, we're shown the doubt creep in, and there's enough time for us to see how both lads feel, and to believe in them and what's happening, and the hope of what might happen next. And that, I think, is the way a sequel to this needs to be done, with blood and despair and pain and hope, because The Pillory itself was such a traumatic act to follow... shame this story isn't widely available! [5]
- Any Other World by Andromeda (m31andy) is a 17,000-word sequel to The Pillory posted on September 14, 2010, as part of the 2010 CI5 Box of Tricks Big Bang challenge. The art for this story was created by Roven75. Notes regarding "Any Other World" from the author: "This is a direct sequel to Kitty Fisher's The Pillory. With many thanks to Kitty Fisher for allowing me to play with her fantastic story." It is linked as an inspired work at the AO3 version of The Pillory.
Reactions and Reviews
1995
All I can say is B/C. And ick! A nasty evil Cowley and a Bodie who trusts him over Doyle. And a dark ending. Bloody depressing! [8]
1997
I read The Pillory a few weeks ago and now I can't get the bloody story out of my mind! It's gnawing away at my brain. It is quite definitely the story most in need of a sequel in any fandom at the moment. I can just see Bodie reluctantly retrieving Doyle from hospital after that crash and bringing him home to recover. I can hear Cowley's vitriolic treatment of him as he gloats through that recovery. I can sense Betty's distant suspicions that head her to enlisting help (from Murphy?) for Doyle and I can taste Doyle's revenge. What worries me is that Bodie would need such careful handling when he realises his mistake and I'm not sure the short-t, self-s, violent, b. l. bugger is up to that challenge... Maybe if we just pleaded with Kitty Fisher. If I don't get that sequel I may never sleep again..." [9]
[I'd be happy ... just so long as no-one makes me read The Pillory again before there's a sequel hot off the presses. It's one of the most powerful memorable stories I've ever read, and quite beautifully judged, but bleak? Makes the hairs quiver on the back of my neck. [10]
Has the distinction of being the single most upsetting Pros story I've ever read. [11]
1998
...'The Pillory' was too damn good to mess about with. [13]
Talking of "The Pillory", I reckon the sequel would start with Doyle in hospital, sitting in a wheelchair, waiting with a fair degree of apathy to be escorted back to prison. The escort, when he arrives, is a dark and menacing Bodie who takes him not to jail but to the home he shares with Cowley. The two of them outline the future they have planned for him... [14]
As regards the big debate on The PilIory, I can appreciate the author's point that the story is complete in itself. However, if (and it's a big 'if) the writer is clever enough - !! - it is possible to add a sequel without detracting from the impact of the original. There is a story in Nudge Nudge, Wink Wink 3 called 'The Blue Figurine' which does just that and, to my mind anyway, even manages to deepen the impression left by the main story: The big point is that it leaves one feeling good rather than depressed and I'll read it again and again. I've only read The Pillory" once to see what everyone was going on about - I won't read it again, which is a shame. However, having read Joan's comments on No Holds Barred 10, which I haven't so far read, it looks as though Kitty Fisher is actively pursuing a reputation as a writer of 'shock' stories. Am I going to have to start checking the last page for a happy ending with her stories as I already do with M. Fae Glasgow? Id rather have the occasional death story than one of these 'horrible' ones. [15]
1999
It's in No Holds Barred 6, and it features a Machiavellian Cowley who some years previously framed Doyle for murder. Story starts as D gets out of gaol and goes looking for Bodie, only to find that he's now C's lover and that he totally believes C's lies. D steals a car and joyrides to death. No redeeming features whatsoever. All three of the characters are completely unbelievable. Like Lorelei, I really wonder why the author, who has written some splendid stuff, wanted to write this one. [16]
Sorry, I have to say that [the worst Pros story] goes beyond dark and awful to "Why the hell was that written, and can you torture a zine before you kill it??" Was there even any point to it? Right up there with "Apples for the Lady" -- not my Doyle, not my Bodie, *definitely* not my Goddess! [17]
I've already commented on the character assassination I thought the was Pillory so I won't add to that. But I strongly disagree with the assumption that because something is remembered it must have been well written.
Chinese Eyes mentioned earlier was remembered not because it was well written but because of how bad it was. I didn't think the Pillory that well written and I'm certainly not going back to study it to make a decision. It's remembered because of how horrid the portrayals are of all three characters or rather than horrid maybe negative would be a better word. It's sort of like the very short story in the online library where Murphy is in jail for killing Ray when in reality Bodie killed Ray and Murphy killed Bodie. I'd hardly call it well written but it's memorable for the nature of the portrayal of the characters. My friend who is an absolute completetist ripped that one to shreds and deleted it from the disk.
I mentioned the Pillory as an example of what I thought was the pen-ultimate [sp?] in character assassination. It's memorable for how bad it treats the characters. That doesn't mean it's well written just that it sticks out.
And an author is free to write whatever they want but I'm also free to say that I find the portrayals in it disgusting and of little interest and no relationship to the characters portrayed on the screen. [18]
The Pillory [is] technically well-written. Nothing particularly memorable about the style, but okay. Kitty Fisher writes well. What isn't good is the psychological angle--there simply isn't one. The story is a set of actions without any attempts at giving reasons for them. That's where this story from a good author fails. That's why I wonder why she chose to write it, and why she chose these particular characters.
I'm not well-read in many other fandoms, but it seems to me that this story might have worked if, say, Krycek had framed Scully to get her out of the way, and used who-knows-what (might be fun to think of some) obscure, esoteric evidence (alien-brainwashing, anyone?) to convince Mulder of her guilt. Krycek has a background of darkness, betrayal, machiavellianism. But Cowley? Sure, he's manipulative, he does triple-think etc., but he's not believable in the actions that this particular story sets out for him. This story failed to make me believe in this Cowley.
Bodie: I might be able to believe that he would accept Doyle's guilt after researching the evidence as he says that he did years before--but what on earth does that have to do with propelling him into Cowley's embrace? Nothing in the story explains that, either.
Doyle: the moment he is rejected by Bodie and discovers that he's now Cowley's lover, Doyle goes straight out and kills himself. Not any Doyle I can believe in. Doyle would at least give it a fight. He'd look for evidence to show Cowley's manipulation. He'd TRY to get Bodie back. Or, the story should have given a plausible reason why he is the way he is.
This story ultimately fails because it doesn't have enough in it. And it's probably a memorable disappointment in part because it's by a good writer and in part because it's in a zine that generally offers good stories.
And, of course, every author can write exactly what she chooses and every reader can accept, reject or be indifferent to the same. I'm not criticising the author for choosing to write this story in the way she did; I do, however, wonder why she chose to write it as she did, for these characters, etc. [19]
[The Pillory] is when an author should just write original characters and stop pretending it's fanfic. When the characters are no longer the familiar, recognizable people we've come to know and love and no creditable explanation is given, it's not true fanfic. [20]
Isn't it interesting how one person's characterization is another's utterly alternate universe? I admit, I tend to simply ignore characterizations that don't fit my own interpretation of the fanfic pair in question -- but I wouldn't presume to tell a writer that she should give up on fanfic and write original fiction. Because, after all -- it's her version of the fanfic universe and that in itself is original. If we all saw the characters in exactly the same way, it would be a very boring world out there. That's why I have never told a writer that her characterizations are wrong. Factual information is one thing -- but how a writer sees a character will always be 'right' in her own version of the universe. How we react to that interpretation is our business -- and how she writes it is hers.
Just my .02. [21]
2001
It was a fan's inspiration: Anything by Kitty Fisher is memorable and I have to mention The Pillory because it's the only story that ever made me pick up a pen and actually write a sequel. I frequently think of one but I had to write that and as it was a first attempt at serious writing, I feel a certain fondness for the dratted piece! [22]
2007
2015
I'm reccing The Pillory in about a fortnight and, although I enjoyed it as a bitter tale in it's own right, I was relived to find there was a sequel. I guess we don't like to think of the lads turning on each other.... I'm expecting strong opinions. It is a bitter tale, but I wanted to discuss it... [24]
I can completely understand wanting to talk about The Pillory. I read it early on, before I knew such stories might exist. [25]
References
- ^ from DIAL #8
- ^ the editor of DIAL comments in issue #6
- ^ from DIAL #6
- ^ from DIAL #6
- ^ byslantedlight, Comment on "Reading Room - Any Other World by Andromeda" at ci5hq, posted 26 November 2015.
- ^ the other story this fan references is Snapshots by Morgan Dawn.
- ^ comments by Jan Levine on Virgule-L, quoted with permission (Septeber 12, 1995)
- ^ comment at Virgule-L, quoted anonymously (January 5, 1995)
- ^ from DIAL #3
- ^ from "DIAL" #3
- ^ comment at Virgule-L, quoted anonymously (January 7, 1997)
- ^ from DIAL #5
- ^ in DIAL #7, a fan comments on the fact there will be no author-written sequel
- ^ from DIAL #6
- ^ from DIAL #7
- ^ a comment at Virgule-L, quoted anonymously (January 3, 1999)
- ^ from a fan on Virgule-L, quoted anonymously (January 30, 1999)
- ^ comment on CI5 Listserv, quoted anonymously (January 31, 1999)
- ^ comment on CI5 Listserv, quoted anonymously (February 1, 1999)
- ^ comment on CI5 Listserv, quoted anonymously (February 1, 1999)
- ^ comment on CI5 Listserv, quoted anonymously (February 1, 1999)
- ^ from DIAL #20
- ^ Ancasta's Corner, posted April 3, 2007, accessed March 24, 2012
- ^ comment by fiorenza_a at The Good Old Days...I've been wondering..., September 13, 2015
- ^ comment by msmoat at The Good Old Days...I've been wondering..., September 13, 2015