Subject: (urth) Finger #4

From: Robert Borski <rborski at coredcs.com>
Date: Wed, 01 Jul 1998 23:14:18 +0000

Some late thoughts on "Three Fingers."

The Harley who picks up Michael on his motorcycle is almost certainly meant
to be sf writer Harlan Ellison, who has a house filled with collectable
toys, including the 1943 Captain Midnight decoder ring mentioned.
Amaryllis, who also rides the motorcycle, is another archetype of the big
bad wolf and pirate variety--she's the shepherdess or country girl seen
first in classical poetry (Virgil's Eclogues), then later in pastoral
poetry, then still later as Little Bo Peep and the Farmer's Daughter. 

Michael's first customer has two sons that attend Antioch University.
Antioch, in the Middle East, is where Christians were first called
Christians. More significantly, it was also liberated by the Army of the
1st Crusade (Michael being embarked on a crusade of his own).

The 'mafia' in 'mickey mafia' is probably meant not only to summon up the
Italian crime families but also the synonymic 'syndicate' as in King
Features Syndicate and its ilk, the media conglomerations that syndicate
and trademark comic strips.

'Suits' is standard Hollywoodese for studio execs and lawyers--Michael's
enemies in Three Fingers because they're trying to appropriate for
financial reasons all the archetypes (which belong to humanity at large)
they possibly can and clamp down on him for the unlicensed production of
their registered properties.

Reserprine is botanically-derived from the plant Rauwolfia serpentina and
does not cause Michael to hallucinate, but *prevents* him from
hallucinating. (Symbolically, Michael the great Miltonian battler against
evil has now been undone by the serpent). In the final scene the bon bons
and jelly beans the "suits" (actually medics) are trying to force upon him
are his medicine. Michael's always been a little crazy, you see. And
clearly if he thinks he's going to win a battle of this type in the real
world he's obviously off his nut.

As for the three finger/four finger discrepancy in the final sentence, we
all know which finger is involved and where it's been.

The suits have been giving it to us for years.

Robert Borski/scolex

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