This is Not Your Father's Pirate (including AWE)

[veronica_rich]

Title: Far From a Simpleton: Will Turner
Author: veronica_rich
Character: Will Turner
Fandom: Pirates of the Caribbean
Spoilers: All three movies
Author's Note: It's all metalkatt's fault - she convinced me four years ago to like Will, and the rest flowed from there. She betaed this essay, and some of the points are things we’ve cussed and discussed over and over and

Comments

[resolute]

Thank you -- I thought this was thoughtful and interesting. Speaking for myself, I find Will in the movies uninteresting, but I don't hate him. Next time I watch, I shall keep your remarks in mind, with interest!

[veronica_rich]

So far as I've seen, the only fans who really seem to "hate" Will are a few Sparrabeth-'shippers, I guess because he gets in the way of them envisioning their OTP? Most reaction that isn't favorable to Will is more along the lines of "meh, he's there, big deal," so you're not alone. *G*

I'll admit it's difficult to notice Will in the midst of Colorful!Jack and Snarky!Norrington and Fiery!Elizabeth and undead pirate Skeletors and an entire crew of fishy-faced death-bringers. He's sort of plain and he fills a necessary, almost stand-in, role needed for the Heroic Epic. The hero is usually the least interesting person in many stories. But, I guess I like him because he's not trying to be a hero or gain recognition for himself (outside of maybe wanting notice for the swords HE, and not Brown, makes) - he's just trying to do what needs to get done.

[geekmama]

Wow, that was fast work! I almost think it's a bit silly to be posting these now, when AWE will be out in two months and would add so much to our picture of the characters. I wonder if they'll let us do revisions after the last third of the PotC canon makes its debut?

I always loved Will as a character, and Orlando's portrayal of him. Admittedly I'm not an expert on acting, but I thought he and Keira stood up well against Depp in both movies. I loved his character arc in CotBP, and was thrilled that he seemed such a "take-charge" guy in DMC (which was certainly needed with Jack flailing about).

Glad you mentioned honorat's Worthy of his Steel, which I know she will finish one of these days -- besides RL distractions, she's down to the sword fight in the stable, which requires some major research. And tessabeth's works, both her standalone Jack/Will stories and in her Picaresque/Trochal/Malabar Trade masterpiece at impofperversity, contain my favorite Will rendition -- she has the gift, and she loves him, and it shows in every line.

Great essay!

[geekmama]

Two more lengthy stories that feature lots of canon Will: erinrua's PotC: The African Star (and her other shorter works also are Will-centric); and tortuga_black's The Sacking of Port Royal and its sequel, What a Man Must Do.

[veronica_rich]

tortuga_black! That's the other one I was trying to remember! Thanks!

[veronica_rich]

I wonder if they'll let us do revisions after the last third of the PotC canon makes its debut?

I plan to add to it in my own journal. If the mod will let me append and edit and repost, I'll do it here, too.

I don't envy YOU, having Jack and all. How DO you sum up one of the fastest-grown Top 100 Cinematic Icons of All Time? *G*

I thought he and Keira stood up well against Depp in both movies

I've always thought everyone did a good job, even the minor character actors - a real ensemble. As I've stated many times, my myriad complaints with DMC have never been with the acting effort put forth.

Do you have a specific link for the tessabeth story you reference? I'm not sure if I've read that one.

[pir8fancier]

REALLY nicely done. I loved this bit:

Will is an integral character to this trilogy - I don’t see him as wooden or bland, but rather, the stable post to which all the other more daring or more colorful characters of POTC are tethered. As they fly outward into outrageous adventures and battles and schemes, Will seems to keep the balance of the plot anchored.You're absolutely right. He DOES anchor the plot because I think everyone has the potential to be slightly ridiculous and Will keeps everyone in line a bit. Not that it's overt, but it's definitely there

[veronica_rich]

Yeah, I can see people not liking Norrington from a strictly plot POV - he's causing trouble for the Big Three at the end of DMC and will likely carry that over in a big way into AWE. But I can't see them not liking the acting job or the actor. I'm not wild about Keira Knightley, but I've liked her in things besides DMC. BUT, again, there's a valid basis for my dislike of Elizabeth: She did some things even a reasonable Elizabeth fan would have to admit could be disliked. Jack, too. Will hasn't done any such thing, and as I said early in the essay, I just wonder if it's because he's TOO good. If I had a quarter for every LJ comment I've seen from a POTC fan musing "maybe he'll fall/screw up/cheat in AWE, too ...", I could afford that beach house. There are people who WANT Will to fuck up, and I'm not sure if it's honestly to round out the character or to make the other characters' antics look better by comparison.

[pir8fancier]

Um, I don't think Will is particularly saintly. He does LEAVE Jack on the island with Barbossa. I think you need a character like Will as a foil to the other characters. It doesn't have to be Will, but it often falls on his shoulders. He's not insufferable. He knows what is going down in the tavern with Gibbs and Jack, he's "savvy." I mean, really, what's not to like? He's not only some pretty boy. He carries a fair amount of the plot by himself. Scratches head.

[veronica_rich]

He's not saintly - the problem is, the behavior of the other characters in DMC (a good deal of which I still argue is OOC) is SO repulsive that it *makes* him look less flawed than he really is. What I'm saying is there are people who want him to do A Major Fall of some sort, to bring him down among everyone else.

(And in Will's defense, I would point out that Will knew Jack for far less time when he knocked him out with the oar, and didn't yet have reason to trust him, than a certain someone who'd had her ass saved a few times by said pirate before turning him into a goat.)

[elibad]

fabulous, as expected.

It's so easy to overlook Will with Jack swishing past, but Jack needs a 'Will' to play off of, otherwise he's just a buffoon. And Will, is a very interesting straight man.

I'm pretty much an Orlando Bloom fan because of the 'Will Turner' character.

[veronica_rich]

In all good comedy teams, it's usually the more outrageous one who is remembered, is the star - but those people don't always work so well by themselves. (Johnny does because he's capable of much more than comedy, of course.) Where would Lewis be without Martin? Costello without Abbot?

I'm pretty much an Orlando Bloom fan because of the 'Will Turner' character.

Ditto.

[venusinchains]

Definitely too Good to Be True. :)

This is a well done summary. I especially love the cap - too many people like to ignore that bit.

~~~

As an aside:

From: The American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition

sociopath [(soh-see-uh-path, soh-shee-uh-path)]
Someone whose social behavior is extremely abnormal. Sociopaths are interested only in their personal needs and desires, without concern for the effects of their behavior on others.

It kind of makes us all sound a touch sociopathic, doesn't it? Though it could also be seen as "Ones Sociopathy is Anothers Normalcy" (Piracy vs. British Society).

[veronica_rich]

Well, we're definitely obsessive ... LOL

And YOU'RE the one who was pushing the whole sociopath argument in the first place! :-P

[venusinchains]

*raises hands*

I can't help it. I see madness everywhere. It's a consequence of my own sociopathic paranoid traits. :-)

(And I probably could be classified as borderline, in my defense of Will - even if he should go totally postal in AWE, as some would like. You have to feel for the guy who's driven to madness. :-p)

[veronica_rich]

He would be justified, wouldn't he? I hope he doesn't ... but he'd sure have his reasons!