It's me and my thoughts again, wielding a long, sharp knife and aiming directly at your heart, because if I am suffering, why not do it together? Weee...
So, I was thinking, why are we vibing so hard with Bildaddy, the cobbler/midwife of our hearts? And I feel like, if we're looking at it objectively, it's quite obvious. Of course, part of it is his stunning beauty, gotta love a man with a squirrel in his face rocking a headband and sunglasses roughly 3000 years before they were invented, but that's not all. At the core of it, I'd say, it's first and foremost: his smile.
A lot of the pictures we see of Crawley as Bildad is him widely, and openly smiling. We love Bildaddy, because he is HAPPY. Genuinely happy with what he's doing. Sure, there are moments of melancholy, but Crawley as Bildad has the distinct air of someone who thinks that he's finally hacked the system. He's happy, because he's NOT doing his job. He's defying heaven and hell at the same time, and he's doing good in the process.
And I've got a distinct feeling that it was working out for him for quite a bit, given that he went out of his way to show Jesus "all the kingdoms of the world" just because he was a carpenter with limited travel opportunities. It goes together with his name change. Not his original, hellish name, but one he gave himself. You can't tell me that what he did with Jesus happened on hell's orders. Sure, he may have spun it to them as a temptation, but what exactly was that going to tempt Jesus into doing by showing him more of God's creation? Just listen to his voice when he's talking about it to Aziraphale. Once again, he's proud of what he's done.
But, sadly, we also know that his Bildad era did not last forever. We see true sadness on him when Jesus is nailed to the cross. After that, just 8 years later, all of that is gone. No real sadness on his face, and no happiness either. In Rome he just looks... burdened. It's the death of Bildaddy. We don't really see him genuinely and wholeheartedly smile after that.
Not for a long time. Until...
So, I am happy to announce: Bildaddy is still in there.
Shortly after the mysterious disappearance of the neighbourhood bookseller, an odd new clinic opens in Soho. No one can figure out why the Doctor wears a black coat instead of the traditional white, but they all agree on the fine quality of the beautiful snakeskin shoes he always wears. Several people decided to make a point of stopping in, but oddly, no one actually has.
(I don’t know, either. Look, it was midnight, and I had colouring pencils, okay?)
Bildaddy's 1000th Follower Mutual Celebration Video
Bildaddy loves every single one of you (platonic) Thank you all for joining the flock! When Bildad is your goatherd, you shall not want. Or, well, not for ox ribs (platonic), at least, anyway--or brocs ribs (platonic) for our vegan and vegetarian kids (species, age neutral)
If you're wondering why I've been quieter today, this is your answer.
I included as many people as possible, especially those who replied/reblogged the original 969 Follower Post. But if you're feeling left out, let me know and I can make sure you're in the next video.