I like your take on this! And I find myself mulling his behaviour in Bird in Hand (I think that's the episode where Gerrard comes back?) When Vecchio offers him his gun and says "If something happens with Gerrard and you have to defend yourself, I'll back you up," and Fraser doesn't have an emotional reaction, or if he does, he represses it... but he gets pretty angry when his Dad asks him to shoot Gerrard.
Now, at this point Fraser was probably used to Vecchio's more aggressive American-ness, so it may have just felt like a normal thing for Vecchio to offer, that he didn't have to take seriously. And your parents can trigger you in ways your friends/lovers can't, and Fraser's Dad is a whole other kettle of emotional issues. But the fact that Robert was asking that AFTER Fraser already got up to that line and decided not to use force would be an extra stressor. Like, why even HAVE a moral code?? Fraser's out there trying to keep a lid on his anger and he's constantly being baited.
(It just occurs to me that maybe in the pilot, he was still used to having his service weapon and being allowed to use it in reasonable circumstances [although I'm sure he rarely, if ever, did], but by the time Gerrard comes back, he's been in the States long enough that he's gotten used to NOT having his weapon. IDK if that means anything.)
ALSO I think one of the reasons Fraser clings to the rules so much is for reasons like this. He's not actually a strictly by-the-books-cop, he'll bend the rules when he needs to, but I think he respects rules so much because he fears his own emotions. Easier to just choose a set of rules to live by, no matter what, than have to unpack everything in the moment.
ALSO ALSO I really love and miss those convertible mitten gloves and I'm put out that I can't find any anymore. The last time I watched the pilot I went scouring the Mountain Equipment Co-op website to no avail. All the convertible gloves are way too tactical now. I'm not some maniac who climbs mountains in the winter, I just sometimes want to read a book outside! SOB.
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Now, at this point Fraser was probably used to Vecchio's more aggressive American-ness, so it may have just felt like a normal thing for Vecchio to offer, that he didn't have to take seriously. And your parents can trigger you in ways your friends/lovers can't, and Fraser's Dad is a whole other kettle of emotional issues. But the fact that Robert was asking that AFTER Fraser already got up to that line and decided not to use force would be an extra stressor. Like, why even HAVE a moral code?? Fraser's out there trying to keep a lid on his anger and he's constantly being baited.
(It just occurs to me that maybe in the pilot, he was still used to having his service weapon and being allowed to use it in reasonable circumstances [although I'm sure he rarely, if ever, did], but by the time Gerrard comes back, he's been in the States long enough that he's gotten used to NOT having his weapon. IDK if that means anything.)
ALSO I think one of the reasons Fraser clings to the rules so much is for reasons like this. He's not actually a strictly by-the-books-cop, he'll bend the rules when he needs to, but I think he respects rules so much because he fears his own emotions. Easier to just choose a set of rules to live by, no matter what, than have to unpack everything in the moment.
ALSO ALSO I really love and miss those convertible mitten gloves and I'm put out that I can't find any anymore. The last time I watched the pilot I went scouring the Mountain Equipment Co-op website to no avail. All the convertible gloves are way too tactical now. I'm not some maniac who climbs mountains in the winter, I just sometimes want to read a book outside! SOB.