#ps budd

I watched Bodyguard in three days, and I've been wondering whether I would want a second series or not. It seems likely that they will go ahead with it, since nowadays it's the norm for any show as successful as Bodyguard has been. And yet, I feel like they shouldn't. What they achieved with this finale is a sense not of satisfaction, for most viewers, but of closure. A closure that opens.

The show is obviously crafted to get the viewers invested in the David-Julia relationship, rather than David-Vicky. There are the obvious elements of secrecy, of it not being allowed, of her being his boss, which make their relationship interesting. But what really renders the David-Julia relationship worth getting invested in is how and why they connect.

He has been broken by the war. He harbours a stubborn hate for the politicians who decided his fate and blames them for all he has lost. When he first meets her, he considers shooting at Home Secretary Montague, embodiment of all he detests about politics. And yet, as they share conversations and moments, she becomes a person. She is not an ideology, she is flesh and blood, and she can't blame her or detest her anymore. Rather the opposite, actually. Even more importantly, she is not just a person. She is a person he has to protect; it's his job. And if he can do it, if he can do his job, then he has everything under control. No help needed.

Julia has given everything to politics. She is a politician. Not a mother, not a wife, not a sister, not a friend. A politician. And this has taken a toll. She is not corrupt, and she believes in doing what's best for the people, but her approach  is dangerously close to "the end justifies the means". She doesn't let anyone in. She is the bitchy boss, the steely colleague, the one that makes the hard choices and says the things people don't want to hear. And she does it alone. It takes David, and almost dying, for her to allow someone in. And, as they grow closer, she begins to change. She is not going to change her political agenda in a few days, but her attitude in later episodes is not the same as in episode 1. She comes to realise he's different; as she says herself, even if half-jokingly, he "sees right through her". At first, she refuses to tell David why she knew the name of his kids' school; he doesn't need to know that. She is in charge of making the decisions and she made the right one, saving as many people as possible. But then she tells him. She tells him in the moment she decides politics is not her one and only priority. She knows it will be difficult, she knows it will be a scandal, but she wants him by her side. So she lets him in. She explains why she knew the name. And that was only the beginning.

Having said all of that, I think there are other considerations to be made. We don't know what could have become of their relationship. Maybe they could have grown together, they could have become better people. Maybe he would have decided to get help, as she said. But we are left with the doubt that she would still be his mission. That she would still represent a way to avoid facing his demons, that to him saving her would mean saving himself. Maybe they would heal each other. But maybe they wouldn't. Maybe he is too broken and maybe to him she is still to some degree to blame. Maybe she can't let him in too much because becoming prime minister is still too important. Not for her, but for the others.

This is what we don't know. What we do know is that her death pushes him over the edge. He has failed, he has not saved her; so he can't save himself. Her dying, and everything he does as a consequence of that, is what makes him face the fact that he needs help. And that maybe his life hasn't been destroyed yet, and maybe his family could heal him. We don't know.

They could find a way to bring back Julia, of course, but even though a part of me wants it to happen, I think it would feel forced. And making a second series without her would mean completely changing the setting. A second season could focus on the painful process of healing, and Richard Madden, who has proven himself in season 1, is certainly capable of giving another compelling performance.  But it would be an entirely different thing, and I'm not sure it would be something all viewers of season 1 would get on board with.

Chapters: 15/? Fandom: Bodyguard (TV 2018) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: David Budd/Julia Montague Characters: David Budd, Julia Montague, Rob, A corridor, some non descript hotel rooms, non descript police officers, wine bottles - Character Additional Tags: semi porn without plot, David fucks up repeatedly..., usually, but Julia loves him so...., sometimes no plot, sometimes just fluff/sex with some plot Summary:

A series of (many) snapshots of David and Julia ranging from A/U to within the show's timeline.

Some cute, some way OOC (sorry!) and some angst.

They won't be connected for the most part, or flow, they will go back and forth, with no linear timeline.