Blue Castle Book Club: Doc Redfern
I was a bit taken aback this week to find that there are some folks in the TBCBC who don't like the Doc Redfern reveal - because I think it's so integral to the story, for multiple reasons.
Out of the three twists, it's the one that's surprising.
Valancy's heart - I don't go generally go into a comedy/romance novel expecting the protagonist to die, and even if I did, there have been so many references to the improvement in Valancy's health since she left the oppressions of the house in Deerwood - readers may not know exactly how this is going to be resolved, but we're expecting it to be resolved.
Barney is John Foster - Could LMM have foreshadowed this any harder? By this point in the book, I feel like dream-Barney being hit on the head with a rolling pin. We've had Expected Revelation One, I'm bracing myself for Expected Revelation Two, when...
Doc Redfern is a real person, and is Barney's dad - I thought LMM was going to zig, and she zags! This is such a great twist. It's fully earned - Doc Redfern has been a prominent, recurring presence in the story so far - but it's been so deftly camouflaged as just a running gag of the world-building.
To be sure, there is the moment in which we learn that a) Valancy voluntarily purchased for Barney a liniment she herself had previously described as "Horrid, sticky stuff!" with "the vilest smell of any liniment I ever saw" (Why would you do that, Valancy? Were you seriously going to offer to rub it on the back of the husband you're deeply in love with, after years of having to do exactly that for Cousin Stickles? Urghhh no) and b) Barney hates Redfern's Liniment so much he actually speaks harshly to her for once. If you stop and think about it, that moment is so weird that it's clearly signposting something, but the momentum of the narrative at that point is all about the passing seasons bringing us to the end of Valancy's year, so it's easy to miss it.
It's a classic comedy trope.
The son or daughter rebelling against their parents/society by falling for someone in disguise - who ultimately is revealed to be exactly the kind of person of whom their parent/society would approve - is a classic trope, seen in everything from (IIRC) Roman New Comedy to Gidget. The beauty of the trope, in terms of appealing to a broad audience, is that it allows for portrayal of rebellion against social structures, while affirming (or at least not seriously threatening) those structures in the end.
Hence, the hilarity of the Stirlings having to wrap their heads around the fact that, as a direct result of flouting all the clan's rules and strictures and expectations, Valancy has managed to outdo them all in having "fulfilled the highest Stirling aspiration, βmarrying money.β" Chef's kiss.
It introduces (very necessary) conflict.
Before Doc Redfern shows up, Valancy's plan was to go back to the island and explain Dr. Trent's mix-up to Barney. Barney's plan (mild spoiler) was to go back to the island and explain his epiphany to Valancy. The stage was set for them to have some great communication as a couple but as a climax to the story? Yawn.
By showing up at the absolute worst moment, with the worst emotional intelligence imaginable (finds out his son spent $15,000 on a necklace; is then genuinely perplexed to find out Barney is living with a woman; immediately tells his new daughter-in-law that her husband used to be deeply in love with someone else who is now available), Doc Redfern:
injects necessary conflict into the structure of the story's conclusion
heightens the stakes for Valancy in her fear that Barney will think she's tricked him into a relationship
propels Valancy into discovering the John Foster twist in such a way that it has (surprise!) a completely unexpected lack of impact on her John-Foster-fangirl self
lays the groundwork for the coming revelation of Barney's issues with his family (and his mirroring of Valancy in his damage from those)
It's a breath of fresh air.
Muskoka is lovely, and so are Barney and Valancy, but even the Club was getting bored with the last few chapters before the train showed up. Doc Redfern and Henry and the glorious purple car all bring the larger outside world crashing into the story with a vengeance, and not a moment too soon. They are all delightful and must be protected.
So, let's forget about budget when fancasting Doc Redfern. This is an actor who needs to be able to play "profoundly embarrassing" and also "deeply lovable." If I had a time machine, I might think about Miss Congeniality-era William Shatner, but since I come at this from a standpoint of "Who would be the Canadian actor I would cast today?" I'm going with Enrico Colantoni.
