 | No war is without casualties. |
Last week we spent two days looking at Steve, how the attributes of his name were born out in his actions, as well as how those actions ultimately predicted his fate when it came to his efforts to get Shane back.
What we didn't look at, however, was the impact his actions had on those at whom they were directed---consciously or unconsciously. Both Steve's physical and psychological presence, even from the very beginning, created a certain level of instability that continued to undermine Shane and Oliver's relationship at different phases.
What we didn't look at, however, was the impact his actions had on those at whom they were directed---consciously or unconsciously. Both Steve's physical and psychological presence, even from the very beginning, created a certain level of instability that continued to undermine Shane and Oliver's relationship at different phases.
No question---Steve's actions had consequences. Mention of Steve's name on the porch broke up Oliver's moment with Shane on the swing in Truth Be Told, a direct result of the card he sent. It was Steve's presence at the forefront of Shane's mind in D.C. as a result of the card that had Shane calling on him to help with Phoebe. His physical presence in Impossible Dream had Oliver on edge, even to the point of Oliver speculating aloud about Shane's "flames" much to her disapproval. In One In A Million, knowledge of Shane's previous dinner with Steve at Montaldo's only served to push him closer to an anxiety attack. In each instance, reference to Steve served to distance Shane and Oliver from each other in some capacity.
It wasn't until Higher Ground, however, that both Steve's existence played a truly pivotal and powerful role.
It wasn't until Higher Ground, however, that both Steve's existence played a truly pivotal and powerful role.
Security Breached
Whether he realized it or not, the "hit & run" tactic Steve employed on Shane's porch was a direct hit. Oliver's inquiry about "security [being] breached" had as much to do with his security in his relationship with Shane as it did with the USPS mainframe. Shane and Oliver just shared their first kiss, but were immediately being torn apart.
| What Steve did in Higher Ground was expose Shane and Oliver's weakest point---their unspoken feelings for each other. Unable to discuss or regroup, they became restricted to what could be said covertly, and in a short amount of time. Shane's references to Gabe and Hattie were meant just as much for her and Oliver as for the separated couple. It was her way of "sending [Oliver] a message" before she had to leave him behind. In the urgency of the moment, and the realization their communication ties were about to be severed indefinitely, it's not hard to see how that indirect message might have been lost as time passed. With so much left to be said between them, the sudden separation left a huge void that only their hope and faith in each other could bridge for the time being. |  |
During the intervening three months, Oliver waged a war with the ghosts of his past and with his faith in Shane, and even God himself, it seemed. For Shane, confiding in Oliver that "she knew" meant her heart was sure that Oliver loved her before she ever left that porch, and behind enemy lines she fought to keep that hope alive as evidenced by her letters. These personal battles end up coming to a head in a sense at two critical points, the first of which is the Department of Defense lobby.
A Hard Lobby
Shane and Oliver's interaction in the lobby is an interesting case. While there's obviously tension between them initially, when conversation shifts to Hattie and Gabe they seem to reach a détente. In a sense, returning to the topic of Hattie and Gabe inches Shane and Oliver back towards their last interaction with each other before they were separated. Shane attempts to convey another message to Oliver, "I hope she was worth waiting for," a message that, within moments, is immediately thrown into question at the shrill ring of a cell phone.
 | Once again, their sense of security is set into chaos because of Steve's actions, but in this case they end up at war with each other. Oliver's insecurity, which has behind it the knowledge that Shane's skills are no longer required, battles Shane's hard sell that all is not as it appears, ignorant of the circumstances thanks to Steve. What might have seemed an insignificant text in any other circumstance becomes akin to a bomb going off. But this time it causes Oliver to take additional action by requesting the return of his pen. Where Shane was sure that "she knew" of Oliver's feelings for her, this request threw that into question on her end. |
Perhaps Oliver's hypothetical about the "events which occurred three months ago [being] resolved three weeks ago" was meant to test Shane's truthfulness or at the very least cause her to question her current circumstances, but even after that it seemed that nothing more definitive was gained in the way of Shane and Oliver regaining the rapport so recently lost. An insecurity lingers on both sides that makes all the difference for their reunion.
Damage Control
You would have thought Shane's return to Denver, to the DLO, and to Oliver, would have definitively clarified for Oliver that Shane made good on her promise to return home. But by this point Oliver had made a move of his own in moving her desk. In his own insecurity, he caused Shane to question her security as well. During Shane's attempt to take back her security, however, Steve's "hit & run" had its last chance to "set the birds" quarreling, as it were.
Shane could have continued to press Oliver about "why [he] moved [her] desk" and likely gotten him to "it was hard to look at" without mention of Steve, but when she asserted "Steve says you don't really say what you mean," Oliver's continued inability to do so as Shane pressed for more transparency only served to reaffirm Steve's accusation. Frustrated, Oliver turns a bit on Shane, suggesting "[her] intentions and [his] were not in concert." This, of course, sends Shane into an emotional spiral as she attempts to prove him wrong.
Shane could have continued to press Oliver about "why [he] moved [her] desk" and likely gotten him to "it was hard to look at" without mention of Steve, but when she asserted "Steve says you don't really say what you mean," Oliver's continued inability to do so as Shane pressed for more transparency only served to reaffirm Steve's accusation. Frustrated, Oliver turns a bit on Shane, suggesting "[her] intentions and [his] were not in concert." This, of course, sends Shane into an emotional spiral as she attempts to prove him wrong.
 | Insecurity begets insecurity until Oliver has the courage to do what needs to be done to eliminate void that left them so vulnerable all those months ago. By kissing Shane, Oliver makes a move to restore Shane's security regarding his feelings for her, as Shane relaying the content of her letters has done for him. The decisive act goes a long way in repairing the breach and restoring their faith in each other, and hope for their future, in a more permanent, indisputable way. |
Steve's uncanny ability to undermine Shane and Oliver's relationship in subtle ways throughout the canon finally struck a vulnerable and sensitive nerve in Higher Ground. Unable to overcome the handicap of unspoken feelings in the wake of their sudden separation, Shane and Oliver were forced to contend with the void it left, and the vulnerabilities in their relationship it created, once they were reunited. In the end, however, it allowed the void to be permanently rectified.
Observing,
~C
Observing,
~C
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