D'avin: The Loyal Soldier

[The Crazed Spruce]

From the official press release...

Luke Macfarlane stars as D’avin, a handsome, rugged, sarcastic, and incredibly loyal former soldier. He dreamed of enlisting in the military since boyhood, and his hard-won expertise in tactics, manoeuvres, and hand-to-hand combat make him an instant asset to the Killjoy team.

[TimetoShine]

 

Luke MacFarlane is clearly the hotter guy

I keep seeing this but I don't agree. I don't think Luke is especially attractive (he's not ugly, but he's also not someone I'd look twice at). Not someone I'd crush over. 

 

To step away from the shallow end, I also think he's a pretty bad and unconvincing actor. I've been enjoying the show despite all of his scenes.

Although, it's possible his lack of talent makes him less attractive to me.

 

 

ETA: needed to close my parenthetical.

Edited August 10, 2015 by corinne

[dargosmydaddy]

Aw, I've had a crush on Luke MacFarlane ever since the short lived FX series Over There (where he actually played a Hollywood nerd type soldier), and have since watched him on Brothers and Sisters and The Night Shift, and now Killjoys. I don't think he's drop dead gorgeous, but he's pretty cute. (Though so is Aaron Ashmore.) And I think he's a decent actor. His performance wasn't great in the pilot, but he's settled in since. (I haven't seen the latest episode yet, but I thought he was heart breaking at the end of "Kiss Kiss Bye Bye.")

[cynic]

I keep seeing this but I don't agree. I don't think Luke is especially attractive (he's not ugly, but he's also not someone I'd look twice at. Not someone I'd crush over. 

...

ITA. I don't understand the certainty of posters who say McFarlane is clearly more attractive than Ashmore. Beauty is subjective and while there are certain things that are pretty much universally considered more desireable (symmetry, fitness, etc), I don't see how McFarlane possesses that obvious an overall advantage over Ashmore. The one comment that truly baffled me was that McFarlane was hotter because he's taller. I understand that many women have a thing against short guys, but Ashmore is six feet tall. At that point, I don't think an extra inch or two matters. I think a preference between the two is just personal taste.

For myself, I think McFarlane has a nice body, but Ashmore has a better face and is cuter (and more charismatic) overall. Plus, I just find John a more interesting character.

[Tigris Tv]

I'm really enjoying this character.  I think he is being performed beautifully, and is a good balance in personality for both the Dutch and Johnny characters.  I know there is a strong bias against him on this forum, but I think without that character we wouldn't be getting the best of either Johnny's or Dutch's story.  He is the pebble that's been thrown into an otherwise steadily/comfortably working machine.  I think some of Ashmore's best scenes have been in his interactions with D'Avin, and we learn so much about both Dutch and John's background from this character as well. 

 

For me he is a satisfying balance of charm, sensitivity, capability, and derpiness.  I think his acting has been very good - he doesn't feel either wooden or over the top, he has a range of facial expressions and timing that feels very authentic, his interactions with others have been very realistic.  He actually feels like the most reallife-like character of the bunch, which possibly translates as bland to others.  Dutch and Johnny are special and the main story exists because of them so they need to stay special.  I don't think we've actually even learned any real flaws about John's character at all, but his interactions with D'Avin make him more real and explain why he is the way he is, and why he ended up where he is rather than "building spaceships" - I don't think we're going to find some hidden flaws about John, but I think knowing how his life was put off it's rails because of D'avin's actions over and over again, leaves the feeling of wasted potential that simmers around his story. Although John can continue to be close to perfect (saying the right things, doing the right things, fixing things, being lovely, being the best friend, ladies love him, the ship loves him, the RAC loves him, the fans love him) there is a tension now that underscores it and justifies it for me - that this life isn't what he was meant for.

 

I'm not sure how D'Avin's character could have been acted differently to get from it what McFarlane has.  If he played it any smaller then it wouldn't feel justified to have him around or for the main characters to care for him the way they do, if he had been played any larger then it would have taken away form the other storylines.  If he had played it more serious then it wouldn't allow for the serious discussions he did have to standout the way they did.  If he played it more light-heartedly then it would feel like the overall story didn't have the gravity that it did.  I think he has hit on a wonderful balance.

[MissLucas]

I came to this show because of spaceships, Ashmore and McFarlane (not necessarily in this order) and so far the show has delivered on all three accounts. I see no reason to play either the characters nor the actors against each other.

I'm really enjoying this character.  I think he is being performed beautifully, and is a good balance in personality for both the Dutch and Johnny characters.  I know there is a strong bias against him on this forum, but I think without that character we wouldn't be getting the best of either Johnny's or Dutch's story.  He is the pebble that's been thrown into an otherwise steadily/comfortably working machine.  I think some of Ashmore's best scenes have been in his interactions with D'Avin, and we learn so much about both Dutch and John's background from this character as well. 

Exactly - we've been introduced (briefly) to Dutch and John's relationship and how they  work as a harmonious team. I think some people wanted to see more of that hence some of the backlash against a character that has worked as a catalysator for wrecking havoc on the balance on Lucy. I find watching things go to hell and people fighting to reestablish some harmony much more compelling than watching Dutch and John do the will-they-won't-they-dance that has been done to death on so many formats.

 

McFarlane has done a very good job with D'avin - especially during the last two episodes when he had to go through some difficult transitions. As Tigris TV said he has hit the perfect balance in playing a character that can easily go off kilter.

Edited August 9, 2015 by MissLucas

[Tigris Tv]

 

Exactly - we've been introduced (briefly) to Dutch and John's relationship and how they  work as a harmonious team. I think some people wanted to see more of that hence some of the backlash against a character that has worked as a catalysator for wrecking havoc on the balance on Lucy.

Ah!  I had never considered that that was something people felt was missing!  I felt that the first warrant they were on was pretty much seeing them already in a comfortable routine because of their familiarity and confidence, and I filled in their relationship from that, so I was on-board with seeing it turned on its head early on.  I didn't consider that that early glimpse was something others wanted to see more of and therefore would naturally be put off by a character who disrupts that.

[cynic]

I don't think it's really necessary to try to diagnose why some people enjoy certain aspects of the show or not. We all just have different tastes. Trying to figure out the reasons usually devolves into insinuating that those with differing opinions just don't get it, have bad taste, don't recognize quality work, are part of the lowest common denominator etc. Sometimes people are just looking for different things or just flat out diaagree. It happens.

D'avin is definitely a divisive character. I'm in the camp that doesn't enjoy him. I don't have an opinion on others that do. I still love the rest of the characters and the show overall.

[Tigris Tv]

Is that how my post came across?  I didn't mean for it to.  It sort of makes it hard to discuss something when either side doesn't make an effort to try to understand where an opposite opinion might come from. 

 

I do know what you mean though.  I know I was put off a bit by insinuations that people only like Dutch and D'avin together for superficial reasons, which was not why I liked them together.  That's probably similar to what you are talking about.  Although it did make me write an explanation for why I found that their chemistry worked - so something came out of it.  Anyway, I'll keep this in mind.

[cynic]

Just heading things off at the pass, since that talk does generally devolve into insinuations. I've noticed plenty in the episode threads and the Dark Matter comparison thread.

It's great to have a discussion and explain your position and why you agree or disagree with something. If people want to engage with you, also great. You can ask them to clarify their thinking or respond to your arguments. But yeah, sometimes people aren't interested in seeing where the other person is coming from or defending their opinion. Ascribing motivations to them so you can refute them is pointless. We're not having a debate and we don't need to convince anybody of anything.

[Tigris Tv]

Makes sense, thanks cynic.  I phrased my wording very poorly that it comes off as refuting that motivation, as that possibility opened my eyes to how this show could have been different.  That first warrant had a firefly/action adventure/hero vibe that later warrants did not have, and that would have been cool to see, and I've been thinking about it the last half day.  So I'm glad the suggestion came up, because it gave me something tangible to think about that I wasn't getting otherwise, but next time I'll leave it at describing how I feel about the idea rather than trying to extrapolate from there how others feel.  I appreciate your response.

[Wynterwolf]

I think I finally figured out what keeps me from embracing D'av as much as I have Johnny and Dutch, he has a very weak sense of emotional consequences for his actions.  He obviously already had a tendency to do that with how he fled his family situation, and then going directly into a military lifestyle, where that is probably a strong part of the culture (and probably one reason why he excelled at it), I can completely understand it from a character standpoint, but it makes me distrust his ability to make good choices.  Tactically, in a 'battle' situation, yeah I'd totally trust him, but dealing with people who aren't simply a means to an end... not so much.  I absolutely believe he can learn to do better at that, but first he as to realize what he's doing (and not just believe he's a loser and give up/run away again).  And in spite of how I feel about the character, I think LM has been doing a stellar job.  I totally buy that he's genuinely a good guy and I buy his relationship with Johnny and I totally see the sexual attraction between him and Dutch, I just don't like it and it comes across as damaging to both of them emotionally to me, rather than romantic.  

[Princess Consuela]

I actually love D'avin (and yes it's definitely because I adore Luke) & like what he brings to the team - I do hope if we get a season 2 that they delve more into D'avin & Johnny's past & exactly why D'avin chose to leave.

 

I also love D'avin & Dutch - I do think they have chemistry & would like to see where that relationship goes.  

[branford]

I actually love D'avin (and yes it's definitely because I adore Luke) & like what he brings to the team - I do hope if we get a season 2 that they delve more into D'avin & Johnny's past & exactly why D'avin chose to leave.

 

I believe D'Avin's reasons for leaving home are obvious and entirely understandable, and Come the Rain eliminated any ambiguities.  John and D'Avin's father was severely abusive, his mother a drug addict who failed to stop the abuse, and life at home was effectively hell.

 

If John had also left home, we would be commending them both as smart survivors.  In fact, I find than John's anger at D'Avin is misplaced, and it should be directed solely at his terrible parents and his own choice not to leave. Blaming D'Avin is little more than insisting both them should have indeterminately suffered abuse.    

[feverfew]

I believe D'Avin's reasons for leaving home are obvious and entirely understandable, and Come the Rain eliminated any ambiguities.  John and D'Avin's father was severely abusive, his mother a drug addict who failed to stop the abuse, and life at home was effectively hell.

 

If John had also left home, we would be commending them both as smart survivors.  In fact, I find than John's anger at D'Avin is misplaced, and it should be directed solely at his terrible parents and his own choice not to leave. Blaming D'Avin is little more than insisting both them should have indeterminately suffered abuse.    

I don't know; I think it is entirely understandable that a younger kid with intense feelings of duty (as I think Johnny has demonstrated) would stay at home to take care of his family, and still resent the (big) brother who got away. Who left him. Children who grow up in abusive enviroments has a tendency to develop a fierce protection gene (again, as we see with Johnny regarding Dutch) even beyond what's reasonable or healthy.

 

We might salute D'avin for being brave enough to leave; however, both Johnny and especially D'avin sees it as running away. The fact that D'avin wasn't in contact with Johnny for eight years, suggest a bad conscience on D'avin's part too.

 

Do we know the age gap between the brothers? Two years at least, right, if D'avin was 18 when he left home?

Edited August 19, 2015 by feverfew

[branford]

I'm not suggesting that D'Avin doesn't feel guilty, but I perceive it more as survivor's guilt and regret that John didn't leave and continued to needlessly suffer.

 

As Alvis stated in Come the Rain, John is either a masochist or a martyr, but that is not the fault of D'Avin. 

[MissLucas]

From the sound of it John wasn't old enough to run off when D'avin left. Also: it's easier to leave a sick mother behind if you know little brother is still around to take care of her. Once you're the only support system left leaving gets much harder. I find it unfair to blame John for not following suit. His anger at D'avin is completely justified and it's not as if he does not care for his brother because he resents him for the mess he left him in - sibling love is often a messy affair.

[Wynterwolf]

As Alvis stated in Come the Rain, John is either a masochist or a martyr, but that is not the fault of D'Avin. 

 

Or loyal.  I agree that I think all sibling relationships are messy, particularly when there is abuse/trauma (Supernatural has spent 10 seasons on it).  Blame and fault always have multiple valid perspectives, and are generally unproductive to dwell on.  

[branford]

From the sound of it John wasn't old enough to run off when D'avin left. Also: it's easier to leave a sick mother behind if you know little brother is still around to take care of her. Once you're the only support system left leaving gets much harder. I find it unfair to blame John for not following suit. His anger at D'avin is completely justified and it's not as if he does not care for his brother because he resents him for the mess he left him in - sibling love is often a messy affair.

 

I'm not blaming John, I'm simply not blaming D'Avin for leaving a terrible abusive situation at his first opportunity.

 

John is still responsible for his own choices, no matter how difficult, and his predicament was solely the fault of his parents, not D'Avin.  

[Wynterwolf]

John is still responsible for his own choices, no matter how difficult...  

 

I absolutely agree, they are both responsible for their own choices and for the consequences (both intended and unintended) of those choices.  In the scene we saw, D'avin's past actions hurt John, and he expressed to D'avin why.  D'avin now has a choice for how he chooses to respond to that.  There are likely things that John has done in the past that hurt D'avin, but that remains to be seen and we can evaluate those as they come up.  

 

I am actually wondering now if D'avin's 'loyal soldier' mantra is part of his intense sense of guilt... maybe his penchant for abandoning a difficult situation (or his feeling of guilt for having done it in the past) is what made him more susceptible to the mind control.  

[branford]

I would note that while we basically know why D'Avin left home and joined the army, it has not been explained why he had no contact with John for 8 years.  The mind control incident where he killed his squad and search for Dr. Yaeger was at the end of his enlistment and does not explain D'Avin's prior lack of contact with John.  There's still a lot of material to explore concerning D'Avin's background and psyche in upcoming seasons.

[gaby4ever25]

Johnny is probably a few years younger than D'avin as the actors look very close in age. In fact, Aaron Ashmore is a few months older than Luke Macfarlane.

[miracole]

Oh D'avin, Khlyen must save Dutch from his mediocrity. Ha,  I loved that scene.

[wayne67]

I don't hate or love D'avin.. though I do hate the way his name is spelt, it's borderline too trendy with it's odd spelling/punctuation.

 

I think he's hunky while John is boy next door cute but I wouldn't say one is more attractive than the other. 

 

I would like to get a bit more clarity on his back story. How old is he, how big is the age gap between John and D'avin. How long was he in the army? How long was he in that fight cage environment ?

 

I may be alone in hoping Red 17 opens up more story opportunities for him than the mind raped soldier backstory. I'd like him teaming up with Fancy to escape the off site facility and learn about Level 6 agents.