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Alright, I think nobody likes injections 😿

In this particular scene, we observe how Mordecai unconsciously seeks in Asa a paternal figure similar to the one he once had with Atlas, a friend-father who would come to his aid. Asa, however, finds this almost laughable, and probably implausible, that a killer he deems “infamous” would be asking him for a ride the way a troubled son might ask his father. Perhaps Asa even perceives this attitude as childish. After all, the stoic and sadistic image Mordecai has built over the years does not align, in Asa’s eyes, with an inner need for recognition that would grant him validation, a sense of belonging, and a certain degree of care. Everyone on the ''Savoy team'' seems to be orphaned in one way or another, people whose circumstances forced them to let go of their childhood far too soon in order to embrace adulthood and survive.

In line with my previous post about Mordecai, one of Heller’s weaknesses is precisely that his personality, being perceived as strange and off-putting, makes it difficult for him to have friends, meaning SUPPORT NETWORKS (emotional, informational, instrumental; primary, secondary, etc.), preferably ones with a significant level of commitment to him rather than merely utilitarian companionship. This is hard not only because of his personality but also because of his line of work.

How is Mordecai’s lack of support networks resolved?

Well, something could emerge from the congregation of the Voodoo boys (the cult of Maitre Carrefour). After all, Serafine presents the group as more than just a religious community; she describes it as a particular kind of family united by pacts that transcend the physical, shared experiences, scarcity, and the possibility of surviving together.

When Mordecai freed Gracie Grombach in his desperation to find answers about Atlas’s case, he brought a huge problem upon himself with Marigold. Mordecai is willing to sacrifice his efficiency just to get some lead, letting his poor emotional management overpower him. We know they almost killed him the first time, when they caught him betraying the organization he worked for in New York. Perhaps this happened under the influence of that same emotional mismanagement, combined with his arrogance (“I’m too efficient to be caught” | “I’m smart and capable enough, I’ll figure it out on the fly”).

And it is this loneliness that makes that his plans are more difficult to achieve. He will need allies, whether to survive or to gather information. That is where the congregation can act as a substitute for his previous safe structure, since the group is broad and diverse; there will be eyes and ears in various places that can be strategic. The fact that the cult has information about Mordecai’s past may imply that they have ears in key locations.

The problem is, first, whether Mordecai would trust and accept that help, and second, whether the intentions of the Maitre Carrefour cult are sincere and functional.

If the first condition were to happen, I’m afraid something serious would still have to occur for Mordecai to truly trust them. Whether it involves the group in his act of betrayal and they have to help him, or a future and even more serious betrayal takes place that they must forgive (such as the injury or death of an important member, caused directly or indirectly by Mordecai).

In other words, there has to be something that creates a debt from Mordecai toward the group or an individual, since that apparently gives him a sense of belonging. In his mind, a debt activates a role in which he feels obligated to reciprocate = to be useful, and that usefulness provides him with structure (purpose), safety, and deep loyalty to a group or person because he feels valued by them (Atlas… 👀[?]).

I remember someone asking whether Mordecai really had a bullet (or fragment) in his head and whether that was the reason for his “peculiar personality.” In response, T.B. mentioned New York. From what I understood, it was the result of something that happened in that place (though I don’t know if that’s still canon). Some people speculated that it was due to a head injury in his childhood, his teenage years, or an injury he got while working for bookmakers.

I think Bobby mentions that as an attempt to explain Mordecai’s unusual personality (whether it was his own hypothesis or one from the people who told him the story about the bullet in the head). After all, at that time the concept of neurodivergence didn’t exist, and the idea of trauma as a source of mental distress expressed through behavior was only just beginning to be explored. And it’s those two factors, neurodivergence and the post-trauma from what he experienced in New York, that in my view are the real reasons behind Mordecai’s current personality, rather than a bullet.

The trauma, for its part, is said to arise from EVERYTHING that happened in New York:

To begin with, from the little that is known about Mordecai, his neurodivergence was evident in childhood (though not within his historical context, of course). Beyond his “intellectual quotient,” he showed focused curiosity and difficulty understanding emotions, double meanings, and other aspects that have been explored in many analyses of the character. In other words, he already had a personality that others might consider “difficult,” often expressed through his sharp, biting criticism and a certain degree of arrogance. We constantly see him trying to isolate himself in his own interests, yet failing in the face of his sisters’ teasing. It’s likely that this was one of the secondary reasons why he later sought his own space outside the home.

It is also mentioned that as a child he used to laugh and cry, which shows the existence of emotions that he neither controlled nor understood, but also did not repress. Later, when he attempts to express them as a social formality, Atlas corrects him and forbids him from doing it again, likely because by that point he is no longer able to do it naturally. It can therefore be inferred that this is a case of natural behavior versus behavior altered by a series of traumas.

It has been mentioned, for example, that his obsession with cleanliness comes from constant paranoia about contracting infections or diseases, perhaps even from knowing that he didn’t have the resources to obtain effective treatment or that such treatment might not even exist. This would put a developing mind in a constant state of alert, turning that fear into an obsession in order to survive. After all, cleanliness and order (even symmetry as a form of balance) are associated with control, which in Mordecai’s mind could translate: into controlling variables that reduce or eliminate danger, noise, or anxiety, thereby achieving a sense of safety and, consequently, survival. You reduce everything to the essential to prevent the system from collapsing, and he applies this to his whole life, or at least that’s what he wants to believe. [In other words, another adaptation to trauma.]

It is mentioned that after the death of Isaac, Mordecai takes on greater responsibility. I imagine that beyond his affection for his family and their economic needs, he may have been influenced by the idea that the man of the household had to be the provider, along with the fact that he was the eldest son. Let’s remember that within his own religious community, certain attitudes are expected of a son after the father’s death. This pushes him to enter working life at a young age, with outstanding abilities, yes, but without reliable guidance. This is later confirmed when problems grow once Mordecai begins working, where a lack of opportunities—perhaps due to age, background, religion, etc.—limits his possibilities, and jobs with adequate pay don’t come from legal places. Perhaps in this sense he is recruited by organized crime both for his special skills and simply because he is a young mind that is easy to manipulate, shape, and use (something that Atlas repeats or “optimizes,” but in a more ‘heroic’ way). In this sense, necessity itself is what initially pushes him, step by step, down into a life of violence and death:

(+) >> Poverty >> Lack of opportunities he perceives as sufficient >> Recruitment into the criminal world >> Likely negative influence on an adolescent mind whose morality and ethics are still forming >> Normalization of criminal behavior >> (+)

Once inside that world, he keeps descending. It’s mentioned that after a betrayal that harmed his family financially, he extorts, then kills, and then impersonates the person who betrayed him. Perhaps in Mordecai’s mind this was “justice,” not only because his family was affected but because he himself had been betrayed. A double offense. A person who, in his view, had stepped outside the structure of hierarchy and roles he had built in his mind was probably worth nothing anymore. Maybe this is how he rationalizes his first killing, to keep himself from collapsing after that first severe trauma: committing murder. -(Here there may be a notable contrast with Atlas. Whether or not Atlas took advantage of him, he gives Mordecai a new structure and doesn’t break it by betraying him — at least not in a way Mordecai perceives. He offers economic stability, structure, usefulness, a sense of belonging in general, which is why Mordecai clings to Atlas’s memory and seeks explanation or revenge against those who took that refuge away from him.)

Later, we’re told that after impersonating the traitor, Mordecai starts embezzling funds from a larger criminal network, initially just to recover the money he lost, but in what was probably growing arrogance, he steals more and more. Once he has taken over the position, he descends even further. Swindling, extorting, killing, impersonating are no longer enough. He has already stepped down several rungs, so it’s not hard to imagine that in his mind stealing from bigger criminals is the lesser evil among the series of crimes he had already committed. But he is discovered and almost killed for it. Here lies another trauma, one where not only he but also his family faced danger. This leads to increased isolation and distrust, and to his desire to go unnoticed in the streets. I believe it was even mentioned that he would change apartments periodically. He no longer allows himself to have a permanent home, with everything that symbolizes. In short, and in a rough sense, we can say that Mordecai seems to be more the result of a series of misfortunes and traumas that further intensified "his already difficult personality".

Does this mean he’s lost?

He’s certainly sunk very deep, but throughout the story we see him preserve some degree of affection for others in his own way. Whether it’s when he avoids shooting Ivy, when he injures Viktor’s knee so they won’t have to fight, or even when Serafine tells him he looks like a traitor and Mordecai replies that she doesn’t understand anything about that, perhaps indicating she has no idea how loyal he can be. After all, if he has one defining trait, it’s that he doesn’t seem to betray his colleagues unless they give him a reason to; preserving the structure is his closest form of affection.

😾 Too much mayonnaise 😾

I like to imagine that Mordecai had his eyes wide open in the first image because his congenital myopia didn’t let him see properly, so he was a kitten trying to understand what was happening around him🥺💕

Later on (thanks to the glasses, of course) he’s able to manage his gaze better, trying to appear more in control of himself, unless something makes him lose his temper 🤣

It’s curious how ducks and love converge in the lives of these two individuals. Though with very different financial means and attitudes.

In fact, I suspect that was one of the reasons Atlas didn’t shoot Wick. After all, he had something Wick, despite his money and lineage, could not have: Mitzi.

Did Atlas love her? I suppose so, but there was also a bit of “male ego” involved.

This part only makes me laugh because it was always there 🥺🤣

Apparently, Lacy knows all of Wick’s past flings, and they don’t seem to be few, so the idea that Wick is a man with “little success with women” is something I really doubt. Wick knows how to flirt, and he even does it with Mitzi later on. Mitzi herself tells him that he wants all the benefits with her (romantic/physical?) without getting too involved in her business. That doesn’t make him “inexperienced” or unsuccessful with women. He already knows the game; he’s not a boy who can be easily manipulated.

I think it’s clear that Lacy is not happy about the interaction between Wick and Mitzi.

Even so, Wick seems sweet in his own way, and I think that’s what makes Lacy hold him in such high regard, to the point of supporting his interests in the rocks even without understanding why. Maybe Lacy is in love with him but hasn’t realized it yet, or maybe she feels a strong sibling-like affection and wants to protect him. Whatever the case, I think she’ll try to look after Wick when the time comes.