[currently on a semi-hiatus] Lara - 25 - Germany - she/they | Tweets by the idiots aka the cast of Horrible Histories/Yonderland/Bill The Film/BBC Ghosts
(run by youlooklikeasixtiesqueen)
I knew that the Captain (or James I guess??) would have a devastating end but I had no idea it would hit me this hard.
This rod they're both holding is called a swagger stick. They were carried by uniformed officers in WW1 as a symbol of military authority. The Captain has one throughout the series but here we see that it's not actually his but Havers'. They both hold it and each others hands until Havers lets go, giving it to him.
Looking back now, the stick is a symbol of the rank he never had. He died in shame, with stolen medals, surrounded by people who he looked up to but who resented him in turn. Havers though almost gives up his own authority to the Captain in this moment. Now, it makes so much sense why he wouldn't let go of that command when he was a ghost. When he was no longer alive, with no soldiers to command, it stopped representing his authority and became a symbol of Havers. These normal shots of him are so sad now, knowing that it's a possession they've shared.
Giving up that authority, would be like giving up the gift that Havers gave him.
we learn his name because havers says it to him…. it was havers’ fucking stick……. all on top of the unchangeable tragedy of historical homosexuality forever being “i… i….” “i know.” he died of a broken heart. he died of a broken heart