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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mel O&#039;Drama" data-source="post: 261676" data-attributes="member: 23">Jaime And The King <img src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BOGMyMDBjNDYtMTM4Ni00ODg2LWFlNzEtZTIwYjZiMjFmMjgxXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjA5MzIxNjQ@._V1_.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 730px" />The title, premise and plot all cry out a warning to the viewer that we’re back in run-of-the-mill country. The warning isn't wrong, but run-of-the-mill can still be enjoyable. And, as it turns out, there are still layers that make it worth the visit. A vein of casual sexism runs through the episode from start to finish. Much of it is based on cultural differences. The characters Jaime is assigned to protect are from “the richest of the Persian Gulf oil countries”, where men can have up to four wives as well as concubines and whatnot, and women are veiled and expected to be subservient. However, it’s not restricted to the Almain characters. When Jaime arrives to meet Oscar, she finds him thoroughly taking in the view of scantily clad women, and becoming distracted by them even during their conversation about his assignment. Jaime’s response is mostly one of firm challenge. In Oscar’s case, when chastising him fails, she loudly tells the giggling girls that Oscar’s her father and is due to look after his college-aged grandchildren. And to further prove her point she bionically bends a huge parasol on their table to obstruct Oscar’s view of them (having a public conversation about a top secret assignment and displays of unnatural strength. I have to smile at their lack of confidence in Joe Public’s intelligence). Incidentally, I loved Jaime’s initial reluctance to pose as the teacher for the young Crown Prince, Ishmael due to her desire to keep her teaching and her O.S.I. work separate. It spoke volumes about her integrity even if - as always - Oscar talked her round in the space of a sentence or two. To earn the young Crown Prince Ishmael’s respect, there’s a demonstration of strength, reminiscent of tearing the Yellow Pages in two back in Welcome Home Jaime. This time it’s breaking planks of wood in half. Ishmael can break two. His father does four. Jaime proves herself to Ishael by breaking six, leaving him stunned that a “girl” can do this. When, after being ordered to leave, she sneaks in undercover and is discovered by Ishmael, she again proves herself by removing some kind of artefact from the wall and putting her fist through it. There’s a whole lot of wanton and needless destruction of property in this series, with new ways to do so in almost every episode. Ishmael’s father, Ali Ben Gazim - the Shah Jaime is secretly there to protect - is the biggest trigger to Jaime’s feminism. There’s a terrific moment where she asks to speak to him alone while he is seated at a table with a veiled woman. He replies “We are alone. This is only my wife, Ezelda”, before dismissing the silent woman. The conversation goes on:There’s an interesting moment early-ish in the episode where Jaime is ordered to bow to the Shah as a guest in his home and looks most incredulous. I couldn’t help thinking of a more recent culture clash when Meghan Markle was shocked at being expected to curtsy when meeting her future grandmother-in-law Queen Elizabeth. By episode’s end, Jaime has earned the respect of Ishmael and even Ali Ben Gazim, the reward for which is him granting her wish for his wives to be given more freedom and dignity. But the route taken to get there is most certainly of the “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” variety. Or at the very least, “the end justifies the means” . In order to gain access and protect the Shah - and especially the boy she feels is her responsibility having temporarily been assigned to be his teacher - Jaime dresses up as one of the dancing girls in the skimpiest of outfits, disguised with only a thin veil. What’s more, she performs a riff on the dance of the seven veils in a private performance for the Shah in order not to blow her cover. It’s a curious choice, and I’m not quite sure what to make of it. Fortunately, I didn’t have to think too deeply, as the whole scenario and presentation and even the dialogue and music conjured up images of Bernard Cribbins or Terry Scott going to similar lengths in Carry On Spying and Carry On Up The Khyber respectively (even Anita Harris was the furthest thing from my mind). And those are image that make it hard to take it quite as seriously as intended. [MEDIA=youtube]bD8_1sln6zw[/MEDIA]  [MEDIA=youtube]raEvhDlZakw[/MEDIA] <img src="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/c6/90/c2/c690c2dcf4e3b520c4dbc0b6443e5308.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 689px" /></blockquote>

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