Letty's Bio on Wikipedia and Some Additional Thoughts

[cuda]

Wow, am I glad to see that people have been working on the F&F Wikipedia entries! Some of the writing in the original article about the franchise was just... incomprehensible. I wanted to help but every time I looked at it I was there for a reason, and my usual response was just "I don't have time." So kudos to whoever took the time and spent the effort on it. It looks much better.

Something under Letty's bio got my attention, though. The following quote references the final, failed attempt to carjack a semi, and Letty's subsequent rollover accident:

"Letty goes with Dom on the final carjacking mission, but soon flips her Honda Civic over, after which Dom tenderly says he loves her."

The Wikipedia phrasing isn't bad. It describes the way it was said without offering any of the aritcle author's opinion, because the way he said it was tender. I like the way it's written, it just got me thinking about that whole small scene.

Dom and Letty care about each other, but I don't think that was the only thing the scene encompasses, and I don't think the underlying point was to reaffirm that with the audience. It seemed to me that Dom was apologizing to Letty without actually saying "I'm sorry," along the lines that an emotionally underdeveloped teenager of either gender would apologize to his/her partner for doing something bad without actually admitting fault. Letty didn't want to go on this mission, but Dom pushed her and the others, and goaded her specifically by promising that they a) wouldn't have to do it anymore and b) they'd be going to Mexico, therefore survive this mission. To me, that "I love you" was Dom saying, "You don't hate me, right?" He sounded... very young. Something just completely thrashed his 100% certainty in his own ability to handle a situation.

Lots of different ways to interpret Letty taking her chin out of his hand and looking away. She's likely angry and in pain, possibly in mild shock. I don't know if she'd know that Vince is nearly dead at this point or not - she knew he was in trouble, but when she flipped her car, he was still hanging onto the truck and I don't think Leon would have thought it appropriate to tell her anything other than "It's real bad."

She could have been saying "I can't deal with you plus everything else right now," or "I'm not sure you mean it," or "I don't want you to see me this way," and that's just all I can come up with right now!

Inside Line.com does mini editorials on all the Fast & Furious cars. - Additional reference I found completely by accident. Some of you may already have watched these, but they definitely caught my attention! Also, they have some nice articles on the films as well, including where some of the cars ended up post-film. Wanna pay $50,000 for a rebuilt F-Bomb ('70 Camaro) used in the movie? You can apparently bid on them on e-Bay.

Comments

Dom and Letty

[ilyena_sylph]

Man, you could not be more right about Dom and Letty if you worked on it for ages. Because yeah. That's Dom saying "I'm sorry" without saying it... and I really don't know how much Letty bought it.

He did sound young. So damn young. Of course, you're the one that spotted that he's only supposed to be 24, so... he is young. I'm glad that actually came out, honestly.

Re: Dom and Letty

[cuda]

The fact that Dom's so young in that movie makes me wonder about what he's been doing since high school. Did he go to college? Like... got a two-year degree or at least took some classes in business or something? I don't see him taking shop/small engine repair in college because yeah, why? Business classes might be feasible, since he's running the store - though the idea of Dom sitting in a classroom messes with my head a little. Still, there were burly truck drivers in my algebra and history classes at the community college... they just sat at the back and didn't say much.

Also, I was talking to a friend about Mia and how old she might possibly be. Any ideas? I was thinking 19 or 20 - which would explain why Brian got her a Snapple in the first movie instead of a beer.

Re: Dom and Letty

[ilyena_sylph]

I have always figured Dom was ... eighteen, maaaybe a year older, when he beat half Kenny Linder's head in, because he sounds so young when he's remembering him.... So he's twenty, getting towards 21 when he gets out of prison (time for the trial counted in, maybe all the way to 21)...

He's got to come back, take over from whoever was running the store, get a clientele back, start doing whatever he can to pick up the extra money he needs...

[senmut]

Dead on interpretation of Dom's words, in my opinion.

I've been working on the Letty-personality I keep getting and one reason I can't see them having survived forever (barring needing to not be alone, which kept them together so long) is that Letty, to me, feels as pushy-alpha in her own way as Dom. As long as she's Dom's girl, she's not first...they love each other to death and back again, but her need to be best at something is possibly why they don't always click. (Evidenced by Letty having been out of his bed long enough for him to sleep with Tran's sister).

I love Dom/Letty...but I treat it like Robin/Batgirl...they eventually grow out of it.

[cuda]

(Evidenced by Letty having been out of his bed long enough for him to sleep with Tran's sister).

I was wondering about that today - watched it with my brother this afternoon and that thought stuck. I wondered how that happened, and when, considering Letty's reaction whenever he's around other girls.

Couldn't agree with you more re: Letty and Dom, and that's not because I'm a Brian/Dom fangirl; I love the chemistry between both sets. *G* If Letty survived (and we're all hoping she did) I could see them having periods of romantic involvement followed by longer periods of being apart throughout their lives.

Do you think Brian would be any more likely to stick with Dom, long-term, if the two of them ever made a go of it? I've been thinking about that one, too. My only thought with them is that while Brian may not possess the need to be first with Dom so much as beat him, he's still just as much an alpha as Letty. They mesh well in dangerous situations, but in times when everything's peaceful... I could see the guys getting bored, getting irritated with each other and fighting/splitting up.

Brian

[senmut]

I don't know. There's a difference that strikes me from the side if you take the idea Dom was raised traditionally. Mama stayed home, Daddy worked...the family looks/sounds by name to be Italian. He can take a more level equality from Brian than he can from Letty because he's just not wired to _not_ take care of her.