All I meant is that the name ended up being very fitting for the character in the end, despite the fact that, unlike the other characters, it wasn't tailored to suit the character (Emma with her "man-appeal," Tara King for "King and Country," Purdey after a gun, etc.)Dandy Forsdyke wrote:I suppose the fiddling with Steed (and how rude does that sound?) came later when he had a bit of a personality transplant.
"Gale" I always assumed was more after the overpowering wind, meaning Cathy was a force to be reckoned with. I remember reading somewhere once that the good doctor was called "Keel" as in "on an even Keel," because he was always the more level-headed, ethical one of the pair. Gambit, I assume, was meant to speak to the action role of the character--a gambit is a risk, and Gambit's always doing plenty of risky things. It's also used to mean the sacrifice of a piece in chess, definitely, and Gambit did tend to be the one to to take the fall, particularly in Purdey was involved and her life was at stake. Even Venus was originally going to be nicknamed "Vee" for vitality. After all that, "Steed" seems to fit quite nicely, but at the time no one could have known Patrick would transform him into the archetypical gentleman.Dandy Forsdyke wrote:Indeed. Hadn't thought of that.
Cathy Gale - Gale force of a change in direction for women in an action show. What would 'Gambit' be I wonder. An opening movement in chess ... hmm...
Yes, it's fortunate they didn't call him something like John Cadman or John Brute.Timeless A-Peel wrote:"Gale" I always assumed was more after the overpowering wind, meaning Cathy was a force to be reckoned with. I remember reading somewhere once that the good doctor was called "Keel" as in "on an even Keel," because he was always the more level-headed, ethical one of the pair. Gambit, I assume, was meant to speak to the action role of the character--a gambit is a risk, and Gambit's always doing plenty of risky things. It's also used to mean the sacrifice of a piece in chess, definitely, and Gambit did tend to be the one to to take the fall, particularly in Purdey was involved and her life was at stake. Even Venus was originally going to be nicknamed "Vee" for vitality. After all that, "Steed" seems to fit quite nicely, but at the time no one could have known Patrick would transform him into the archetypical gentleman.
"Tara King" is a very Irish name and she had an Irish uncle, so presumably she was at least half-Irish. That somehow seemed to undercut the "for King and country" bit for me. I spent a large part of Wish You Were Here wondering about Tara's sense of national identity. How committed to the British state did she feel, given the history of those two nations?Timeless A-Peel wrote:All I meant is that the name ended up being very fitting for the character in the end, despite the fact that, unlike the other characters, it wasn't tailored to suit the character (Emma with her "man-appeal," Tara King for "King and Country," Purdey after a gun, etc.)
The name 'Tara' is certainly of Irish origin. Not so sure about 'King'.Captain Crusoe wrote: "Tara King" is a very Irish name and she had an Irish uncle, so presumably she was at least half-Irish. That somehow seemed to undercut the "for King and country" bit for me. I spent a large part of Wish You Were Here wondering about Tara's sense of national identity. How committed to the British state did she feel, given the history of those two nations?
I was referring to the Kings of Tara, the ancient Irish kings. That's what the name makes me think of.Dandy Forsdyke wrote:The name 'Tara' is certainly of Irish origin. Not so sure about 'King'.
King: http://www.surnamedb.com/surname.aspx?name=King
She says she chose "King" because of the phrase "For King and Country" (duty and loyalty to the Crown). Tara was because of "Gone With the Wind", wasn't it?Captain Crusoe wrote:I was referring to the Kings of Tara, the ancient Irish kings. That's what the name makes me think of.Dandy Forsdyke wrote:The name 'Tara' is certainly of Irish origin. Not so sure about 'King'.
King: http://www.surnamedb.com/surname.aspx?name=King
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kings_of_Tara
I don't know whether Linda Thorson was aware of the Kings of Tara when she chose the name, but it always struck me as quite a coincidence if she didn't. I'm sure they were aware of it when they made her uncle Irish.
Yes, I know that's what she said. That's why I wondered if she'd known about the Kings of Tara when she chose it. Because it's striking that she picked those two words when they were already associated.Frankymole wrote:She says she chose "King" because of the phrase "For King and Country" (duty and loyalty to the Crown). Tara was because of "Gone With the Wind", wasn't it?Captain Crusoe wrote:I was referring to the Kings of Tara, the ancient Irish kings. That's what the name makes me think of.Dandy Forsdyke wrote:The name 'Tara' is certainly of Irish origin. Not so sure about 'King'.
King: http://www.surnamedb.com/surname.aspx?name=King
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kings_of_Tara
I don't know whether Linda Thorson was aware of the Kings of Tara when she chose the name, but it always struck me as quite a coincidence if she didn't. I'm sure they were aware of it when they made her uncle Irish.
No, it was definitely meant to be a nickname--it was written into her character sketch, along with a chunk of background about how she'd left homeat at a young age and had a couple of much older brothers which reminded her of Steed--he was supposed to be a sort of surrogate big brother, which probably explains why she's so trusting of him even when she has plenty of reasons not to be. They never ended up using Vee, though--probably something else lost in the shuffle between seasons 1 and 2.Dandy Forsdyke wrote:Wasn't the Vee in Venus just an abbrieviation, as in the Vee in Vera (as Coronation Street viewers will testify). Was she ever called Vee in any of her episodes?
