S06.E03: Dis-Moi Oui

[blackwing]

On 11/16/2023 at 8:13 PM, Snazzy Daisy said:

The relentless machinations by Mohamed Al-Fayed to push for D&D union are unbelievably intrusive.

Seeing the amount of media frenzy that Diana and Dodi have to endure in their final days, it’s worse than a nightmare. With Mohamed micro-managing their every move, they have lost control of their lives.

They should’ve listened to their security team’s advice to stay put at The Ritz. Down at the bar, Henri Paul thinks he’s off-duty for the rest of the night. 😣

 

Spot on.  I know that a lot of this episode had to have been fictionalised, but overall, the entire episode just made me angry.  At one point, Diana says to William that she doesn't even know what she is doing in Paris or how she got there.  Yep.

As depicted in this show and this episode, Mohamed's relentless campaign to make sure that Dodi marries Diana was absolutely disgusting.  He showed us from the start that he is a very small, petty and overly sensitive man.  He has all this money but his money cannot buy him respect in England.  He is desperate to be accepted .

Having been unsuccessful, he decides that the way to win acceptance is by marrying his son off to the most beautiful and famous woman in the world.  And that's what it comes down to... Dodi isn't even a son at this point, he's a business asset that Mohammed is trying to use to gain the most advantage for himself.

It was all about Mohammed.  Mohammed doesn't give a shit about his son's happiness.  He was just using his son for his own benefit.  He emotionally blackmails Dodi, telling him that he will finally gain his respect and a 50% partnership in the business if he can seal the deal with a woman that he literally JUST MET and threw away his engagement for.  

Given all the moving around between places, I don't know why Dodi wouldn't have told his driver that he needed to be on call the rest of the evening, in case plans changed.  I would surmise he was distracted by the impending engagement and didn't think of it.  They should have just stayed at the Ritz and sent a staff member to go get her clothes and toothbrush.

On 11/17/2023 at 11:42 AM, peridot said:

I was disgusted by Dodi's behavior throughout the episode - dragging Diana out for ice cream when she didn't want to go out, actually proposing to her after a few weeks, begging her girlfriend to talk to his dad, etc.  You know this is fiction, since a normal person would be pissed off and not be forgiving that your fling seduced you on the orders of his dad.

Me too.  I hated the character of Dodi.  He is a complete doormat in both Seasons 5 and 6.  He knew she just wanted to go home and see her boys.  When they were in St. Tropez she tells him she needs to leave because her boys are coming home the next day.  He won't let her fly home on her own arrangements.  He insists that they take his jet and he will take her home.  Oh, but wait!  First we have to stop in Paris because we have to "do something".  Utterly selfish.  His little detour made her miss the phone call with her kids.  Then the detour ultimately cost her her life.

On 11/17/2023 at 4:20 PM, Roseanna said:

I have thought about Mou Mou's actions and they seem wholly stupid to me. He could force Dodi but not Diana.

How on earth could pictures about the kiss push Diana into marriage? She didn't live in the age and culture where she had "lost her honor" and had to save it by marrying. Because of pictures the media and public became more intrusive, and Mou Mou couldn't protect her at all.

Any man of sense would have done just the opposite: to make all he could that Diana's privacy was ensured and let the romance to blossom in its own time. 

I agree.  He was forcing Dodi into marriage and I think he expected Dodi to use similar tactics to force Diana.  And Dodi actually tried, but Diana was too smart to fall for it.  She said to him something like "me marrying you isn't going to make your father love you any more".  He says "well, actually..." and she cuts him off.  He was basically saying "marry me, if you don't marry me then my father will disown me".  Assholes.  Both of them.

On 11/26/2023 at 4:20 PM, turbogirlnyc said:

I don't know. But it's an odd choice for an actor if he was raised in England. Definitely an American accent. And not regional, just basic.

I was completely unimpressed with this actor.  I didn't know he was English, that would explain the weird, flat American accent.  I think the real Dodi was born in Egypt, went to school in Switzerland, and then lived in London.  There's absolutely no reason why he would have spoken English in an American accent.  I don't know if this was a choice by the actor or by Peter Morgan, but it was a terrible one.

[aghst]

Mohammed is the ultimate royals fan, a wannabe, who bought the place in Paris because Edward lived there.

He's not the first rich guy who wanted to buy his way into the aristocracy.  Who can blame him for trying, after all other had done it and he had been able to buy just about anything with his money.

From the start of the series, it was clear that the Royals benefitted from modern celebrity, from the first overseas trips that Elizabeth took shortly after she was coronated, to the chase that led to the crash in the tunnel.

Diana was going to be popular because of whom she married and what she married into.  She was personable on her international trips and praised for hugging that AIDS orphan.

But did most of the people remember her trips by the time she died?  Did her immense popularity also have to do with how she was perceived to have been mistreated?

The popularity of the RF probably kept the govt money coming, keeping at bay any critics of the English monarchy.  Hell Diana alone probably kept Australia in the fold, at least according to the show.

 

 

[AZChristian]

2 hours ago, blackwing said:

Given all the moving around between places, I don't know why Dodi wouldn't have told his driver that he needed to be on call the rest of the evening, in case plans changed.  I would surmise he was distracted by the impending engagement and didn't think of it.  They should have just stayed at the Ritz and sent a staff member to go get her clothes and toothbrush.

Most upscale hotels have a gift shop.  The front desk would likely have given her a free toothbrush, and she could have bought some sweatpants and a t-shirt in the gift shop.

;-)

Any decision would have been better than having a drunk guy drive you, and then not fastening your seat belt.  

In a way, it's Mohammed's fault that the accident happened.  HE didn't have a sober driver on standby for his son and his date.

[sistermagpie]

5 hours ago, blackwing said:

I don't know if this was a choice by the actor or by Peter Morgan, but it was a terrible one.

Actor, apparently, based on the only recording he could find of Dodi's real voice, which was a very short clip.

I assume that at least part of this presentation of Dodi was maybe about paralleling Charles, who also only married her after being pressured by his father, especially. 

Edited December 2, 2023 by sistermagpie

[Lorna Mae]

On 11/25/2023 at 5:10 PM, funnygirl said:

Paparazzi are vultures and relentless, but did tinted windows and white windowless utility vans not exist in 1997? (note: they did!)

"And in the city it's a pity 'cause we just can't hide/Tinted windows don't mean nothin' -- they know who's inside!" Run-DMC, 1986.

That ring looked like an enlarged version of a pinkie ring. 

I like the shot of the drink Henri Paul left on the bar. IIRC, he was drinking something strong and watered-down, like Pernod, but the color made it *possibly* look like fruit juice. It wasn't, though. His BAC was more than twice the legal limit *and* he was taking prescription meds that didn't mix with alcohol. 'Tis a shame he didn't immediately cause a fender-bender while un-parking...

[GATenn]

On 11/26/2023 at 5:20 PM, turbogirlnyc said:

I don't know. But it's an odd choice for an actor if he was raised in England. Definitely an American accent. And not regional, just basic.

The only other things I can think of is that he may have been taught by Americans, or if he picked it up living in LA and being engaged to Kelly, who was from Kentucky.

Otherwise, I've got nothing.

[Badger]

Dodi Fayed speaking

I listened to an interview with Khalid Abdalla who played Dodi.  He said he based his speech on a clip of Dodi calling into THE LARRY KING SHOW and asking Burt Reynolds to do his impression of Tony Curtis doing an impression of Cary Grant.

Anyway, he said that Dodi had an American accent but with Egyptian vowel inflections.

 

[sistermagpie]

4 hours ago, Badger said:

Anyway, he said that Dodi had an American accent but with Egyptian vowel inflections.

 

Did he explain why?

[Badger]

Not that I remember.

[turbogirlnyc]

On 12/6/2023 at 8:03 AM, Badger said:

Anyway, he said that Dodi had an American accent but with Egyptian vowel inflections.

I really want to hear someone speak like this. It sounds intriguing to me. If only Chat GPT had audio.

On 12/1/2023 at 3:52 PM, aghst said:

Mohammed is the ultimate royals fan, a wannabe, who bought the place in Paris because Edward lived there.

He's not the first rich guy who wanted to buy his way into the aristocracy.  Who can blame him for trying, after all other had done it and he had been able to buy just about anything with his money.

From the start of the series, it was clear that the Royals benefitted from modern celebrity, from the first overseas trips that Elizabeth took shortly after she was coronated, to the chase that led to the crash in the tunnel.

Diana was going to be popular because of whom she married and what she married into.  She was personable on her international trips and praised for hugging that AIDS orphan.

But did most of the people remember her trips by the time she died?  Did her immense popularity also have to do with how she was perceived to have been mistreated?

The popularity of the RF probably kept the govt money coming, keeping at bay any critics of the English monarchy.  Hell Diana alone probably kept Australia in the fold, at least according to the show.

This is curious. He is of Middle Eastern decent and they also have Royal families. 

I get it since I'm American and read everything I can about English history from Henry I to Richard III (where the legitimate royal line ends). It's seriously entertaining as heck.

[Badger]

In my previous post, I linked to an interview with Dodi to hear what he sounded like.  I was trying to find the one where he called Larry King but to no avail.

[Peanutflutter33]

On 11/16/2023 at 11:18 PM, Snazzy Daisy said:

What actually happened to that Dis-Moi Oui ring? Mohamed didn't mention anything about it when he was looking at Dodi's belongings from his apartment. We saw the gold watch.

The ring was shown sitting on the table in the same scene.  

[Hanahope]

Why didn’t they go to Dodi’s apartment straight from Villa Windsor as was told the driver initially?  Why go to the Ritz at all?

[Red Fields]

I was waiting for Dodi's phone to ring while he was telling off his father.

[SoWindsor]

This was a difficult watch and I had to take several breaks knowing what was coming. 

I thought it was an interesting choice that they initially had her in the tan suit which was what she died in and replaced it with the black top and suit jacket. As a viewer that made me think it would happen the next day because I was expecting them to use the actual outfit. I wonder why they made that choice.

I wonder how much of the chain of events was true. This made it seem even more tragic that she didn't want to go to Paris and if only they stayed at the hotel that night it would be okay. But we don't know if any of that is true, right?

[ItCouldBeWorse]

On 12/17/2023 at 11:39 PM, Red Fields said:

I was waiting for Dodi's phone to ring while he was telling off his father.

Didn't he turn it off?

[GATenn]

On 12/6/2023 at 9:03 AM, Badger said:

Dodi Fayed speaking

I listened to an interview with Khalid Abdalla who played Dodi.  He said he based his speech on a clip of Dodi calling into THE LARRY KING SHOW and asking Burt Reynolds to do his impression of Tony Curtis doing an impression of Cary Grant.

Anyway, he said that Dodi had an American accent but with Egyptian vowel inflections.

 

 

On 12/8/2023 at 8:45 PM, turbogirlnyc said:

I really want to hear someone speak like this. It sounds intriguing to me.

This is exactly how my Egyptian stepmother sounds.

[Spartan Girl]

On 12/19/2023 at 1:21 AM, ItCouldBeWorse said:

Didn't he turn it off?

He hung up, not sure if he turned off.

[LadyIrony]

On 11/18/2023 at 2:42 AM, MadyGirl1987 said:

I agree. That is the crux of her real story, which is neglected here. Her story is the classic someone playing with forces they don’t fully understand and in the end getting destroyed by it when they can’t control them. She used the press and its attention to gain attention and affirmation she wanted and to get back at the royals. She was unable to control the intensity of the press however, and the press and public just became more hungry and intense, helping lead to all the press intrusiveness she faced and the part they played in her death. In a metaphorical sense she was the lion tamer attacked and killed by the lion she thought she could tame. The show seems to paint her as just a victim of forces beyond her control, in this case that she was manipulated by Mohammed Al-Fayed into a relationship with Dodi.

Precisely, she was playing a game against people who had centuries of training at it and infinite advisors and support. In the end she was just a naive woman who thought the love of (some) of the public and some celebrities would be enough. 

Di also seemed like a care free party girl who lacked the discipline to wage her own war. 

[sistermagpie]

16 hours ago, LadyIrony said:

Precisely, she was playing a game against people who had centuries of training at it and infinite advisors and support. In the end she was just a naive woman who thought the love of (some) of the public and some celebrities would be enough. 

Di also seemed like a care free party girl who lacked the discipline to wage her own war. 

But...how was she that at all? As has been mentioned, she didn't rile up the press and then lose control of them. They swarmed her as soon as she got engaged and never let up. Sometimes she was able to use it to her advantage, but she didn't start any kind of game with them.

And in the end, how was she the one who lacked discipline to fight that war and how wasn't the love of some of the public and celebrities enough? She was in a perfectly good place and then died in a car accident. She didn't get beaten by anybody's centuries of training and infinite advisors and support. Certainly not Charles, for instance.