#simon dixon

//So, I watched Blood Wedding for the first time a few days ago, and then my mom was watching it yesterday while I hung over her shoulder, so I have thoughts I need to air. I think the biggest thought I have is how unprepared Cully seems to be about getting married. Now I’m no great romantic but when it’s t-minus two days to her wedding, and she’s stressing out that marrying Simon could potentially ruin her life, and she might be making the greatest mistake ever…that may not be a great sign. Pre-wedding jitters are natural but there’s jitters and then there’s….that. Then it’s her wedding day and she explains to her father that she’s agreed to “with all my worldly goods, I thee endow”, and then adds that “chances are I’ll come out ahead”. This raises the question of why she’s getting married, and are her emotions truly sincere? Sure, she tells Barnaby that she loves Simon…but then she acts more like she’s hammering out an acting contract instead of starting a marriage. Which leads to my BIGGEST point—Simon is boring as all get-out. He’s nice…and safe….and has the personality of wallpaper paste. Now, over the seasons Cully is romantically linked in some way, shape, or form to several guys but Simon is the one she marries. One guy is Nico Bentley, who she is actually involved with clear into the third series. In Judgement Day she repeatedly refers to Nico as her boyfriend, and in Beyond the Grave he is actually in the episode, and they are very clearly a couple. I’m also pretty sure Nico is who she marries in the book series. In my opinion, Nico’s really adorable. Especially in Beyond the Grave, he just shines between his clear intimidation around Barnaby that grows into respect as he learns more about police work, and his fun friendship with Troy as the two of them get to bond over dealing with Barnaby’s expectations. Then Nico vanishes and, briefly in season six, Cully starts flirting hard with Troy. Now it is hinted at in series 2’s episode Strangler’s Wood, that she and Troy are seeing each other but nothing comes of that until series 6 (unless you’re amused by the idea of Cully living with Nico in London but seeing Troy in Causton). But the way Cully pretty much throws herself right into Troy’s path in A Talent for Life makes me think she MAY have been rebounding from Nico, which is why nothing more really came from that relationship past Death and Dreams, except a few significant looks in The Green Man before Troy leaves. Now my feelings on Troy are pretty self-evident so moving on the infamous DS Scott. Now I actually get a kick out of Scott, and I like Scott with Cully better than I like Troy with Cully so that’s that. Now, aside from a one-episode fling with John Denton in Sins of Commission (series 7), Scott seems to be her most serious relationship to date besides Nico. I think she and Scott went well together because in many ways, they challenged each other, and Scott doesn’t roll over for her like a doormat. Cully’s strong-willed and opinionated but Scott pushes back in a way the other guys don’t. However, Scott mysteriously vanishes, joins Nico into the plot ether and we get…Simon Dixon, the wall-paper man. (Now I have not seen The Axeman Cometh yet so I may be missing some brilliant bit of Simon’s personality but the other three episodes he’s in, he’s boring). Simon who, like I said, is nice…and dull….and safe…and someone Cully can basically lead around by the ear. I’ve been polishing a headcanon that Cully really did love either Troy or Scott the most, but she ended the relationships because she wanted something safer and more predictable for her life. Both men are really good guys once you get under their surface, but they’re also opinionated, a bit brash sometimes, and intense when they’ve been riled. Of course, she would be 100% safe with either of them, but they would not be able to promise a smooth and predictable ride…all she has to do is look at her own parents to prove that. So, she picks Simon. Safe, reliable, secure, milk-toast Simon because he seems like the smartest choice. And she is fond of him, and she does love him so there’s that too. And even if they do end up having a very successful and long marriage (something I lowkey doubt in the back of my mind) part of Cully is always going to wonder what would have happened if she had taken a risk and went with the Other Guy. Would she have been happier picking romance over security, even if it meant living a more unpredictable life?

//I don’t even really like Cully/Troy really, and I’m watching “Blood Wedding” like “Why in the world would you NOT date Troy, and marry Simon instead?”