#jon was SO willing to be friends w her I will never forgive s5

[dathen]

For all of Jon’s prickliness and willingness to fire back when attacked, it’s fascinating how quick he is to drop a grudge*. The split second Melanie shows any vulnerability in TMA 63, he not only PERMANENTLY drops their feud (everything after that is 100% one-sided from her end), but he does her a favor!! No warming-up period required! Nothing asked for in return, not even an apology!

Like we have our much more drastic examples over and over through the series: Jon forgiving Basira’s treatment of him despite no apology offered, Jon insisting Georgie didn’t owe him friendship after she cut him off without warning when he needed help most, Jon saving Daisy and embracing her as a friend despite her trying to kill him and his lingering fear… But somehow, this completely mundane instant is what stands out the most to me. It’s before he loses all self-worth and values every other person above himself—this is just him, just everyday Jon.

As soon as she starts telling him about the others turning on her, he says he’s sorry for her, and commiserates (“I know what it’s like to be looked down on by your peers,” aka what she did to him from the start of their very first meeting, ironically), and turns his sights to take jabs at those who abandoned her. And then, of course, promises to get her library access like she needed. “You’re the closest thing I have to a friend, here,” she says awkwardly, and he quickly rises to the opportunity. And never goes on the attack against her again.

*s1 Martin aside, which Doylistically was established as a comedic note before Jon was even considered a character in his own right. On a Watsonian level, we could maybe argue that realizing the foolishness and harm of his grudge vs. Martin led to character development of him working against ever holding grudges again.

#the magnus archives #tma #jonathan sims #melanie king #tma spoilers #jon was SO willing to be friends w her I will never forgive s5