 | The continuing journey of Oliver's transformation as told by his wardrobe. |
Yesterday we began a discussion of Oliver's evolving wardrobe in Home Again, and how his shifting perspectives on both personal and professional matters reflected themselves in his clothing. Well down the path of integrating his heart and mind, Oliver's journey deepened as he worked the Kellser case.
Day 3: True Blue
| Light blue suspenders, blue polka dot tie, a white dress shirt with thin vertical blue stripes, and a solid gray suit, were the hallmarks of Oliver’s wardrobe entering Day 3. A snapshot of a day, we saw enough of Oliver to determine his efforts, and those of his team, were set on one clear set of objectives: sorting out the provenance of the vase, and determining Mary Lou’s whereabouts. Unlike the two previous days, however, Oliver’s wardrobe refrained from representing connection to Shane, Norman or even Rita. |  |
So what did that sudden drop in representation mean? In one sense it could be considered a subconscious acknowledgement that Oliver had sufficiently settled any pressing “conflict” surrounding those relationships. With his relationship with Shane more or less solidified, despite lack of an official designation, their bond was solidly intact. Similarly, Oliver had done his part to “bridge the gap” between Norman and Rita in a personal sense, even dispatching them together in a professional capacity on Day 3. With Shane, Norman and Rita taken care of, Oliver could focus his complete attention on the rapidly approaching deadline in the Kellser case.
But whether Oliver determined his closest personal and professional relationships sufficiently settled or not, Oliver’s shifted wardrobe was easily a reflection of his entrenchment in the Kellser case itself. Blue is a color often associated with truth, which is essentially what Oliver’s investigative efforts were directed towards determining in aid of the Kellser family. The bright hue was surely meant to reflect his hope for a positive outcome, though the polka dots and striped shirt hinted at lingering anxiety that their efforts might come up short, particularly when it came to locating Mary Lou, which was Oliver’s primary task. What Oliver had no confusion about, however, was the task at hand, and that confidence was reflected in his finally solid gray suit.
But whether Oliver determined his closest personal and professional relationships sufficiently settled or not, Oliver’s shifted wardrobe was easily a reflection of his entrenchment in the Kellser case itself. Blue is a color often associated with truth, which is essentially what Oliver’s investigative efforts were directed towards determining in aid of the Kellser family. The bright hue was surely meant to reflect his hope for a positive outcome, though the polka dots and striped shirt hinted at lingering anxiety that their efforts might come up short, particularly when it came to locating Mary Lou, which was Oliver’s primary task. What Oliver had no confusion about, however, was the task at hand, and that confidence was reflected in his finally solid gray suit.
 | Remember how we discussed in The State of Mission that the Kellser case caused Oliver to confront and negotiate that very fine line between “knowing where the lines are and following the rules.” The space between making a decision about the location of the line, and the rule itself, was a “gray area.” The transition from plaid to solid gray indicated Oliver embracing the “gray area” with confidence, leaning into the conflict and uncertainty that kind of space created as opposed to avoiding it. He demonstrated his willingness to embrace such a space when he offered O’Toole Foundation funds to pay for his flight to New York if the Task Force Budget didn’t allow it. He was confident about his next move, and willing to offer his own resources in order to pursue it, an acknowledgment of the very present “gray area” in which he was operating. |
Often used to reflect Oliver’s emotions and perceptions where his personal relationships were concerned, the Kellser case marked a shift of wardrobe to reflect Oliver’s feelings towards a professional endeavor, which was a significant personal development. This wardrobe transformation, combined with Oliver’s willingness to embrace a “gray area” in the course of a professional pursuit, was a clear demonstration of Oliver’s growing leadership capacity, more openly approaching his work with both his head and his heart.
Day 4: Cleared For Takeoff
| We only got a few moments with Oliver, who had made his way to New York for his clandestine video call with Mary Lou Kellser, but in those moments we got an evolving picture of the man Oliver was transforming into---the one who used both his head and his heart to complete his work. His wardrobe mirrored that image, a light blue and white checkered dress shirt, purple tie, watercolor patterned pocket square, and solid gray suit, reflected a man clear in his purpose and ready to make contact. |  |
Away from home, Oliver brought his family with him in the form of the purple tie connected to Shane, with a coordinating pocket square with what I’ll conjecture is a watercolor pattern (for Norman & Rita), though it’s hard to be sure given we never quite get a good solid look at it. This was important because it was like Oliver brought his postal family with him through his wardrobe. Similarly, Oliver’s white and blue checkered shirt---and the country vibe it evoked---could very well be interpreted as an incorporation of the Kellser family into his clothing, bringing them along as well. This was particularly notable given that Oliver, in addition to “expanding the powers of postal discretion” with his trip, also took the opportunity to appeal to Mary Lou about returning home to her own family who needed her. Though seemingly not fully articulated, the intent of Oliver’s plea was a reflection of his heart and his desire that Mary Lou be reconciled with her family. In a single outfit, Oliver not only reflected his personal values and those important to him, but the family he was trying to reunite.
Oliver’s wardrobe projected him as a man on a mission, willing to do what was necessary to achieve his desired goals, while still abiding by the rules and regulations to which he was required to adhere. At the same time, it showed him as a “family man,” interested in reconciling estranged family members like Mary Lou back to the family that needed her.
Oliver’s wardrobe projected him as a man on a mission, willing to do what was necessary to achieve his desired goals, while still abiding by the rules and regulations to which he was required to adhere. At the same time, it showed him as a “family man,” interested in reconciling estranged family members like Mary Lou back to the family that needed her.
Day 5: Undone
| If the brief statement about the blue hues and combination of polka dots and vertical stripes on Day 3 didn’t suffice to prove the point about Oliver connecting with his work on a new level, then his return home definitely supported that argument. After making a decisive move away from the indigo plaid suit from Higher Ground, it was his suit of choice upon return home to Colorado, complimented by a robins egg blue tie with thin diagonal stripes, blue dress shirt, and blue pocket square with an intermittent floral detail. In a word, Oliver was a mess. |  |
It’s hard to know how Oliver could have known about the situation before he returned to Denver for his wardrobe to have shifted so dramatically, but perhaps even without being debriefed, Oliver had anxiety over the fact he had appealed to Mary Lou without knowing if she understood his message as the satellite passed out of range. Surely, the turn his clothing took would have been warranted if dressed with full knowledge of the outcome of his, Shane, Norman and Rita’s investigative efforts upon his return.
| We know nothing was out of sorts in his personal life--- he left on excellent terms with Shane, et. al.--- meaning that Oliver’s wardrobe was a direct response to the heartbreaking news he returned to the Kellser farm to deliver. Besides his wardrobe, his facial expressions, and the mere fact Shane took on the bulk of the responsibility of explaining the situation to the Kellsers’, revealed just how disappointed Oliver was in the outcome. To make matters worse, it was his responsibility to enforce the conclusion, hence providing the Kellsers the opportunity to “see the vase one last time...to say goodbye,” a heartfelt attempt to soften the blow. |  |
If the ultimate goal of Oliver’s growth in Home Again was to integrate his words and actions, his outward projections with his internal sentiments---bringing everything into alignment--then this moment in the Kellser’s parlor is the culmination, and ultimate expression, of that outcome. Through both his silent actions, and array of various fabric patterns, Oliver revealed the content of his heart and mind.
Day 6: Clothed In Confidence
| While the tangible expression of Oliver’s development throughout Home Again more or less came together in the light of the seemingly tragic outcome of Day 5, his wardrobe on Day 6 was our first encounter with a fully integrated Oliver coming from a place of confidence rather than a place of pain and conflict. First, Oliver came into Day 6 knowing he was going to be able to save the farm, so his wardrobe aptly reflected not only that confidence, but also signaled where Oliver’s attention intended to turn after the Kellser case wrapped up. |  |
His solid gray suit once more referenced the “gray area” out of which Oliver still operated as he used personal funds to do what was right in a context that, in the past, Oliver would have definitively rejected as a professional matter about which nothing more could be done. And, as we witnessed, Oliver bridged that gap between the rules, and what he believed to be right, proudly at the auction.
With the Kellser family farm saved, Oliver was once more free to focus on his postal family (Shane in particular), hence the choice of accessories. Oliver paired his solid gray suit with a white dress shirt with a tight purple polka dot pattern, purple tie and purple checkered pocket square. Oliver’s wardrobe at the beginning and end of the film were the same, yet opposite. Once an amalgamation of gaudy and not altogether cohesive suit and accessories, his look at the end of Home Again is clean and streamlined, integrated in appearance to match his integration of heart, mind and spirit. And where he expressed this well in his clothing, he demonstrated the same in his interactions with Shane at the end of the film.
In addition to a sweet reflection on Norman and Rita, and Norman “need[ing] to go solo,” Shane and Oliver transitioned into a discussion of their relationship, one where Oliver interpreted Shane’s nuanced comments in real-time, and provided him an opportunity to further demonstrate the extent of his personal development and integration.
With the Kellser family farm saved, Oliver was once more free to focus on his postal family (Shane in particular), hence the choice of accessories. Oliver paired his solid gray suit with a white dress shirt with a tight purple polka dot pattern, purple tie and purple checkered pocket square. Oliver’s wardrobe at the beginning and end of the film were the same, yet opposite. Once an amalgamation of gaudy and not altogether cohesive suit and accessories, his look at the end of Home Again is clean and streamlined, integrated in appearance to match his integration of heart, mind and spirit. And where he expressed this well in his clothing, he demonstrated the same in his interactions with Shane at the end of the film.
In addition to a sweet reflection on Norman and Rita, and Norman “need[ing] to go solo,” Shane and Oliver transitioned into a discussion of their relationship, one where Oliver interpreted Shane’s nuanced comments in real-time, and provided him an opportunity to further demonstrate the extent of his personal development and integration.
 | Shane’s request that Oliver “dance the first dance” with her at Norman and Rita’s wedding was more than a simple request. It presented Oliver with the chance to respond, “I only dance to with you.” Interestingly, Oliver chose what he (and we) knew to be a painful moment from his past, and reclaimed it to express his heart in the present. At the same time, he connected with Shane’s heart on an even deeper level, a reality acknowledged by their kiss. What's crucial about Oliver's use of "I only dance with you" is the fact that he used Shane's own words as affirmation, which, as you'll remember, is the way she receives love. It was a level deeper than his approach on Day 2, and the complete opposite of his approach on Day 1. In every way, Oliver's integration process came full circle as they shared a moment among the cows. |
Woven into Oliver’s attempt to navigate his evolving relationship with Shane, and expanding capacity as a leader and postal detective, was the process of integrating these aspects of himself. It was a thread pulled from his most personal connection to Shane, into a sort of neutral zone with Norman and Rita where the personal and professional lines began to blur, all the way through to the Kellser family itself. Oliver waded through "gray areas" and ultimately succeeded in bridging the gap between his external appearance and internal conflicts. The outcome was a man more confident, and in command, of every area of his life.
Integrated,
~C
The United States of Oliver: Balance | Mission | District of Integration, Part I & Part II | Articles Confederated
Integrated,
~C
The United States of Oliver: Balance | Mission | District of Integration, Part I & Part II | Articles Confederated
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