In the eleventh part of Jingo, Vimes executes his plans, and Colon and Nobby go on a secret mission. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to read Discworld.
Sir Samuel Vimes
All hail Sam Vimes. HE IS SO FUNNY TO ME. He’s so bold about throwing social rules and expectations in the faces of men who think he’ll follow them. I’m just so in love with the opening scene here because Vimes sticks to the rules of knighthood, but in his own special way. And he does it specifically to get under Lord Rust’s skin.
How so? Well, Rust is so pleased with himself and recent events that he doesn’t expect that Vimes will bounce back so quickly. Even more hilariously, Rust actually tries to claim that Vimes’s newly formed regiment is under his control. That’s funny because, firstly, Rust just tried to de-legitimize it. Once he can’t, he tries to lay claim to it. Ah, no you don’t, Rust! Y’all, it’s so glorious to watch, I can barely handle it. I especially loved the part where Lord Rust was shocked into silence because he couldn’t believe what was happening in front of him.
But what exactly is Vimes going to do with his regiment? My guess is that what we’ll see in the oncoming pages is that he’s just going to act as the Watch in function but not name. A pretty clever trick, I might add, but Pratchett complicates this on a more personal level. Much like Vimes, I imagined that this book’s antagonist was a group of conspirators. From an outside perspective, that makes sense, but Pratchett makes a fantastic point here: it is much easier to view people as antagonists and villains, to separate them out from our own groups and communities and families, than to ever accept that we might be part of a problem. As he puts it:
It was so much easier to blame it on Them. It was bleakly depressing to think that They were Us. If it was Them, then nothing was anyone’s fault. If it was Us, what did that make Me? After all, I’m one of Us. I must be. I’ve certainly never thought of myself as one of Them. No one ever thinks of themselves as one of Them. We’re always one of Us. It’s Them that do the bad things.
THIS IS SO RELEVANT TO OUR LIVES IN 2016 THAT I CAN’T EVEN STAND IT. Gods, if you’ve been part of this community long enough, you have seen this exact phenomenon unfold here. It’s such a difficult behavior to get rid of, admittedly, because none of us want to think of ourselves as an enemy. But how have our behaviors allowed villains or antagonists to thrive? When have we turned our backs on shitty things because it was easier to label someone Them instead of accepting that they came from our community? So it’s a chilling thing for Vimes to think about, but it’s also necessary. What if the person or persons responsible for this is someone he knows?
That being said… I don’t know that it is. I also have no real theory as to who is behind this either. I AM UNPREPARED.
Colon and Nobby
You know, they’re exactly the most interesting characters to me, though I have appreciated them more because of how Pratchett is using them in this book. Their conversations allow the reader an insight into how nostalgia and prejudice often go hand-in-hand, but they’re still largely comic relief characters. Even here, they’re bumbling fools who almost don’t escape from Leonard because they’re too busy being intimidated by the weapon he built. Except then, Leonard convinces them to come with him to see Lord Vetinari just by appealing to their sense of self-preservation. Does this count as kidnapping, then? Probably not.
SO! The four of them – Colon, Nobbs, Leonard, and Lord Vetinari – all board a proto-submarine that Leonard designed. I assume that since Leonard admitted that he once walked the ruins of Leshp that they are headed there. But for what? If Vetinari’s goal is to end this war, is there something there that can stop it? Maybe sabotage? I DON’T KNOW.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6p4m-bNT0Kk
Mark Links Stuff
– I am now on Patreon! There are various levels of support, from $1 up to whatever you want! You’ll get to read a private blog, extra reviews, and other such rewards. I POST A LOT OF CUTE PHOTOS, OKAY. Think of it like a private Tumblr blog that only SPECIAL PEOPLE get to read.
– I have updated my list of conventions and events for the remainder of the year and much of next year.  Check the full list of events on my Tour Dates / Appearances page.
– My Master Schedule is updated for the near and distant future for most projects, so please check it often. My next Double Features for Mark Watches have been announced here.
- Mark Does Stuff is on Facebook! I’ve got a community page up that I’m running. Guaranteed shenanigans!
