You asked for an ask. So here's one... Do you have a favorite Richard and Camille scene that isn't particularly shippy? (Because I definitely do. And if I knew anything about making gifs, I would make this huge post as a scene analysis of it to talk about how awesome it is.)
Okay first off, before I started my current rewatch the last time I’d watched the show (other than one other attempt at watching post-Richard which also failed) was 2013, meaning I don’t remember much about what I haven’t rewatched yet and so far I’ve only rewatched season one. That being said, I’m going to bring up a few moments. I just realized I love most of them because of what I feel they tell us about Richard...oops. There is one that is genuinely about fun banter though.
-I love the first interaction of course. Because it takes place with Camille lying through her teeth about who she is and Richard reacting how he would to a terrible at her job yet incredibly sweet housekeeper, I don’t think there can be anything shippy about it, but I love what it tells us about Richard. As much as he has this persona of an old grump, there is something deeply sentimental and caring about him. He doesn’t treat her like lesser because he believes she’s just the hired help. He genuinely looks saddened and heartbroken when he thinks he has to break the news of her employer’s death to what he believes is just a poor sweet island girl.
-Episode two when Camille tears into Richard. I both love and hate this scene. I love how there is such strong acting from both Ben Miller and Sara Martins but I hate what it tells us about Richard especially as we later learn more about his past. He doesn’t fight back or even go into a defensive pose. Of course part of this could be because he’s shocked. I would be super shocked if a stunningly gorgeous woman was like “I’ve been shot twice and could beat you in a fist fight and you are extremely rude” to me, but there also seems to be resignation in his eyes like he’s okay with this woman just believing he is rude and worthy of being threatened and beat because hey that’s how London sees him. Why would this island be any different?
-I think it’s the Megan Talbot episode, but the reason Richard describes why he doesn’t like seafood (it usually still has eyes) to Camille also is something I feel like tells us a lot about who he is. Again, a character who was genuinely as rude as many believe Richard to be would probably say something like how island food is beneath them, but nope...Richard is just sweet and insecure about having even his own food staring at him.
-(This one is a teensy but shippy, but it’s also reaching a little on my part which I feel makes it okay) I probably wouldn’t have even remembered this if I hadn’t watched the Nadia Selim episode last night, but there’s a point where they’re going through Nadia’s office and Camille pulls out a puzzle book Nadia had in her drawer and twirls around in the rolling chair to look at Richard like this
Just a fun moment of Camille being a cutie pie while trying to show Richard something, right? I mean after all he had noticed a puzzle book in Nadia’s house too and he had been doing his own puzzles at the start of the episode...so why does this moment stick out to me? Because when Richard has the case breaking flashbacks recalling how Nadia loves puzzles his mind doesn’t go to the perfectly acceptable puzzle book from her house...nope, it goes to this image
TWICE. Like hey Richard, are we sure that memory is sticking out to you because of the puzzle book? Or is it because your heart accidentally skipped a little when seeing your pretty partner like that. I mean surely there are less Camille involved ways to illustrate how Nadia loved puzzles. (Oh my God Richard, I hope doing word puzzles isn’t your idea of foreplay. I’m sure Camille hopes that too.)
-Finally, this one is also from the Nadia episode and is actually about banter related. There’s the moment where they arrive in Nadia’s neighborhood later and Richard starts a speech about how he recognizes that this is Saint Marie’s version of suburbia, pausing only to state that there is a goat crossing the road before confidently telling Camille that these are his people and he totally has this. Minutes later when the person they are supposed to talk to opens the door while half-naked Richard falters through the interaction. The moment the door closes again, Camille turns to Richard and mockingly says “My people” while mimicking his confident gesture from earlier
