30 Days of Hogan's Heroes - Day 13

[belphegor1982]

This is probably one of the longest answers ;o)

Day 13 – Favourite friendship?

In case it’s not been completely obvious from the start – aw, heck, even if it’s completely obvious, I don’t care – Newkirk and LeBeau. Why, you ask? Well.
First off, there’s the banter. I mean, Newkirk frequently makes wisecracks; Carter doesn’t seem to mind that much when they’re directed at him (sometimes it looks like they go well over his head) and seems to shrug off silent glares. When Newkirk snarks at LeBeau, though, LeBeau snarks right back, and when they’re in the mood their conversations are a ping-pongy snark fest.

There isn’t one moment when one pushes the other’s buttons in a way that is too close to home, though – I’m probably reading way too much into a half-hour comedy show with no claims at season-long narrative arcs and character development, but you get the feeling that the limits were established long ago, and neither man will cross them. They’ll banter, get sarcastic at each other, mock the other’s faults and hobbies (and are merciless in terms of criticising the other’s national food), but they won’t cut where it hurts.

LeBeau: Do you want to taste this bouillabaisse?
Newkirk: Nah, I don’t want to spoil me lunch.
LeBeau (grins): If I thought for one moment you were serious. (“Gowns by Yvette”)

Even if the script writers often relied on commonplace tropes and stereotypes, the nationalities angle is great, too. Both characters are quite patriotic in their own way, and sometimes, perhaps inevitably given the love/hate relationship France and England (Britain less so) have, erm, ‘enjoyed’ over the centuries, they clash. Sometimes the tone makes it clear they’re just joking with/trolling each other, and sometimes it’s a little bit more serious.

LeBeau (annoyed): I made the mistake of asking an Englishman to taste a gourmet dish. (“Gowns by Yvette” as well, a little while after the previous quote)

[also]

Newkirk (smirking): Well, you don’t think I’m gonna let Frenchman here make the tea, do you? He hasn’t got a clue. (“That’s No Lady, That’s My Spy”)

My guess is that there are things they probably will never ‘get’ or agree on, but that’s all right :o)

Watching the show, I got the feeling that Newkirk and LeBeau know each other very well and are quite familiar with each other in a kind of downplayed way: in “Everybody Loves a Snowmen”, Newkirk is sitting with his feet on LeBeau’s knees; in a couple of episodes (“Klink’s Secret Weapon” and another one which I can’t remember…), both can be seen in the background wearing each other’s hats; LeBeau grabs Newkirk’s wrist to look at his watch and neither seem to find it odd (“The Flame Grows Higher”)… There’s a funny bit in “The Ultimate Weapon” where they react to news from the radio with this:

Newkirk: Formidable!
LeBeau: Ruddy marvellous! (And then they shoot funny looks at each other, in a “Wait—what happened?” way :D)

Also, it’s clear that they really are good friends. LeBeau is clearly gutted when he hears Newkirk’s going to be transferred (“Sticky Wicket Newkirk”), even if he and the others put on brave faces later, and when he prepares to leave in “Cuisine à la Stalag 13” and makes his goodbyes, he doesn’t even say au-revoir to Newkirk – just “Peter…?” and hugs him briefly. The look on Newkirk’s face when he tells LeBeau they’ll miss him is heart-rending. And of course there’s this moment in “That’s No Lady, That’s My Spy” when Newkirk realises LeBeau is hurt – the tone of his voice when he says, “Colonel, my—my little mate’s been hit” is not only one of the most serious we ever see him in 168 episodes, but he sounds … lost. This bit was a real kick in the stomach first time I saw it. But more on that later ;o)

So, in a nutshell, I love ‘em. Their friendship is one of (if not) my favourite thing about the show, it’s the source of great comedy and sometimes great unexpected drama, and it’s no coincidence that they pop up in most of my stories (at least in a passing mention). That is not to say I don’t love other friendships – I adore the trio of Newkirk, Carter and LeBeau, and Kinch and Hogan is underrated and there needs to be more stories about them – but this is my very favourite.

Comments

[rose-of-pollux.livejournal.com]

And you know I love everything about this post. X3

[belphegor1982.livejournal.com]

Everything? ;o) I hoped you'd like this one. It's one of the answers I had the most fun with. If there's something you'd like to add, please do, I'd love it :o)

[ivybramble.livejournal.com]

I can see why. I absolutely adore it when they show you the friendship (an understated, completely casual absence of need for personal space never fails to give me the warm fuzzies) in visual media rather than just telling you that it exists. We don't get it nearly as often as I would like.