#dispatch episode 7

The issue on the table may be whether or not to cut Invisigal, but Flambae VERBALLY acknowledges his and Robert's past as contributing to his vote against cutting her. Thus, everything between Robert and Flambae (the fight, the maiming, the pain, the mutual animosity, the lies, the physical and emotional distance, the literal fucking conference room table) is ALSO implicated in Robert's decision. it's not just "can we forgive Invisigal" that's up in the air in this scene. it's, "is forgiveness possible for any of us?"

can Flambae forgive Robert for maiming him and lying to him?

can Robert forgive Flambae for whatever else lay in their shared past, and for trying to kill him two separate times?

Robert starts by saying he's proud of them for getting together to discuss this, and the progress they've made as a team, and Flambae's gaze is downcast. like he's afraid of the answer Robert will give... or like he's thinking deeply on Robert's words (LIKE IT MEANS SOMETHING TO HIM THAT THE HERO WHO BUSTED HIM ONCE IS PROUD OF HIM NOW)... or like maybe he was resigned to his and Golem's vote getting thrown out as the minority, only for Robert's speech to inspire a mote of hope that prompts Flambae to throw Robert this guarded little look before he gives his verdict??

I'm obsessed. OBSESSED. Their contentious, oppositional, messy bond is so beautiful to me. And for what???

"Can we forgive each other?" Flambae's gaze asks. It's so interesting because, again, Invisigal's fate is the one being discussed. Yet Robert has never wronged her. Depending on how you square that--whatever calculus of debt and deserving and blame you do to justify cutting or keeping her--whether Flambae is easier to forgive than Invisigal or vice versa depends on how you weigh the hatred and harm between the parties involved.

Is it easier to forgive Flambae for nearly killing Robert because Robert also harmed him, and so it almost feels like, well, now they're even? Or is it harder to forgive Flambae, because Robert hates him for all of that? Or is it harder because Robert is burying guilt over maiming and misunderstanding him which he's reluctant to confront, and forgiving him would mean acknowledging that guilt? Or is it harder to forgive Flambae because we don't know the extenuating circumstances that led him to rob a bank and subsequently burn down a shopping mall and a parking garage?

Now, all Invisigal is being judged on at the moment is acting alone, which resulted in a PR clean-up that ended with her suspension and more importantly, Chase having to rescue her (which I maintain was his choice, I don't think Visi should be punished for that). But immediately after this scene, we learn that Invisigal was the one to sabotage Robert's suit and put him in a coma.

So she tried to kill Robert. Yet for all we know, he has never personally harmed her. It wasn't personal. It was just business, augmented healthcare she was being extorted for.

So is it easier to forgive Invisigal because it wasn't personal? Or is it the callousness of that compliance (which ultimately amounted to nothing because her augments were turned off 😩) which is unforgivable? Is it easier to forgive her when Robert is romantically/sexually interested in her (a terrible metric, by some counts, but love IS a powerful motivator in forgiveness and I doubt you'll see Flambert enjoyers saying any different, LMAO)?

Is it harder to forgive her because Robert hasn't harmed her in turn, and so the harm she did to HIM was undeserved? Or is it easier, because there's no hatred between them, and forgiving her feels like a good and gracious thing only Robert can do when she's down in the dumps and she's already lost almost everything anyway--the trust of her teammates, her spot on the Z-Team, the man she wants, her shot at being a hero, etc?

Of course, I think Flambae and Invisigal both are worthy of forgiveness! But we're not talking about me. We're talking about Robert's rigid moral code and his cop-brained characterization that he's only just started to grow out of BECAUSE of his conversation with Visi in Episode 3 (according to what Robert tells Chase in Episode 6).

This kind of became a post espousing the virtues of flambert AND invisimech, because I think Robert would do WELL in a relationship with someone on the Z-Team. he NEEDS to start thinking of criminals and villains as people deserving of the same dignity and respect as everyone else, and he needs to learn how to forgive so he can stop poisoning all his relationships with his avoidant attachment style BULLcrap. (EVEN CHASE. AVOIDING HIM LIKE HE OWES HIM MONEY. BRO WOULD RATHER BURN A WHOLE BRIDGE THAN HAVE A DIFFICULT CONVERSATION. EVEN FLAMBAE IS NOT THAT BAD WITH HIS FEELINGS!!! ROBERT!! GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER!!!)