#and I'm simply not going to unleash that site on my browser without my blockers

[bisexual-paleontologists]

I wanted to highlight one of the best parts of the treasure trove of old Alan/Billy fandom sites that I came across.

We’ve long since known and loved the Alan/Billy Shipper Manifesto from LiveJournal, but here is an earlier instance of an Alan/Billy thesis statement from Evolution: The Alan/Billy Fanlisting at evolve.amiss.org:

"Didn't see the slash?!  That's like not noticing the dinosaurs!"

//Alan & Billy

In JP3, we see Alan and Billy in what could be called nonheteronormative behavior.  There are a plethora of smiles, laughs, quick touches, a scene where Billy accepts a dinner invitation on both his own and Alan's behalf, not to mention the final scene with the two where he returns Alan's hat and they have a rather long and intimate moment with one another.  

Were Billy a female character rather than male, I don't think anyone would object to the theory that Alan is having a relationship with his research assistant.  It is the fact that Billy is male that causes people to say that no such relationship exists in the film.

Does a relationship exist?  It can't be proven either way, but the thesis that Alan and Billy might involved with one another can be somewhat supported by the following observations:

In the first "Jurassic Park" film, Alan tells Ian that he and Ellie are together by saying, "Yeah," when Ian asks.  We never saw much physical interaction between the two, save a few hugs and a conversation about children.  It could then be said that their relationship was not defined so much by passion for each other but passion for the past and a shared interest.  By the third film, they've obviously broken up as Ellie is married to someone else and has two children.  They're still on good terms, however.   He says of her when asked by Eric, "She was the person I could always count on. I owe her a lot." In contrast, Alan and Billy seem to have a familiarity with one another that is more relaxed and arguably closer than what Alan and Ellie shared.  

When we first see Billy, he's on his stomach helping a fellow researcher distinguish between fossilized bone and rock.  It's clear in the scene that she's flirting with him, and he smiles back and is friendly, but the moment Alan shows up at the dig site, Billy jumps to his feet and calls, "Dr. Grant!" to which is replied, "Mr. Brennan!"  And the girl is quite forgotten.   Billy helps Alan unload his truck, and once it's just the two of them, they've reverted to "Alan" and "Billy" instead of the formal titles.   They go into a tent where Billy has set up the machine capable of replicating the vocalizing chamber of the velociraptor.  There's a long moment where Alan looks at Billy with a slight smile as he watches him work.  They're interrupted by Paul Kirby, who stands at the entrance to the tent. Billy stands in the mouth of the tent, arm above his head, while Alan talks with Mr. Kirby.  Mr. Kirby specifically invites *Alan* to dinner, though he apparently knows Billy as he said, "Hi, Billy" to him when first arriving.  Alan expresses that he's tired from travelling, but Billy walks up behind them and says, "We'd love to."  Alan doesn't contest this, just smiles over Mr. Kirby's shoulder at Billy.  

An established rule of the group on Isla Sorna was NO SHOUTING on the island because, "That's a bad idea!"  However, we see shouting from both Alan & Billy on two occasions in the film. When Billy fears that Alan has been killed by raptors, he calls out for him in the midst of the woods, "Alan! Alan!"  He even climbs up to where the Kirbys are sitting in a tree and asks, "Is Alan with you?"  The following morning, fearing that Alan is dead, he's obviously upset, no emotion on his face. Incident number two is when Billy goes to sacrifice himself to save Eric.  Alan realizes what Billy is about to do and goes running after him shouting, "Billy, Billy! Billy, stop! Billy, stop! Don't, Billy! Billy!"

An interesting moment is when the two groups are reunited on either side of the large fence.  The Kirbys hug, and Alan and Billy shake hands.   Billy says how glad he is to see Alan, and "Hey! You've got my bag."   Alan smiles and says, "Yeah. Lucky strap."  The look on Sam Neill's face when delivering this line makes me think that there was either an inside joke regarding the bag on set, or that the phrase 'lucky strap' has some sort of double meaning.   Also, interesting to note:  although Billy repeatedly tells Alan that he can carry his own bag, Alan continues to carry it for him.  

When Alan discovers the eggs in Billy's bag, Billy says to him, "I swear, if I'd known you were gonna end up with them..."   Although it's not entirely clear what Billy meant by this, it's plausible to assume that Billy was genuinely concerned for Alan's well being.   The eggs were with the group ever since Billy picked them up, so he wasn't fearing for safety as a whole: he was afraid that Alan himself might be harmed because of the eggs.   Alan's reaction to the discovery that Billy took the raptor eggs isn't just that of anger but of true disappointment.  "Billy, as far as I'm concerned, you're no better than the people who built this place," he tells him.  Had Paul Kirby taken the eggs, it's likely that Alan would've reprimanded him but I doubt he would've resorted to character attack the way he did with Billy.  To me, this signifies that the two know each other very well, that Alan has certain expectations about Billy's character that were not met in this situation, and that he was both hurt and angered by what Billy did.  He spoke to him as a friend, not as a research assistant.   The emotional level in the conversation crossed professional bounds.

During the time span when Alan assumes Billy is dead, he berates himself for speaking to Billy the way he did.  "Do you know what the last thing I said to him was?" he asks Eric, and then recounts what happened.  He glorifies Billy's memory, something it's doubtful a world expert would do for any ordinary research assistant.  It goes beyond the boundaries of a professional relationship.

When Alan realizes that Billy is alive, he goes to his side and kneels down.  "You made it," Billy says, and Alan says, "Yeah."  He looks down, his eyes crinkling, and he smiles.  He blinks quite a lot, also, and doesn't look Billy in the face for a moment.   Billy presents Alan with his hat, and it's clear that Alan is truly touched.  "Well.  that's the important thing," he says, apparently referring to the hat.  The tone in his voice, however, indicates that he's not speaking about the hat but rather the fact that Billy's alive. He is asked to sit down, and takes one last look at Billy, stands, touches him on the shoulder with the brim of the hat, and takes his seat.  Billy stares after him with a  smile on his face. Alan sits toward the front of the helicopter, hat in his hands, turning it over and over.  Eric catches him doing this, and they smile at one another.   The pteradons are seen flying next to the chopper, and the Kirbys have a moment together.  Alan watches them reconcile their relationship; it's clear they're going to get back together.  Then Alan looks back at the hat in his hands, smiles and puts it on.  He looks up, beaming.

//Quotes

"I'm sorry about Billy."  -Eric

"You know what the last thing I said to him was? I said, 'You're as bad as the people who built this place.'  Which wasn't true.  He was just...galliant. That's all.  I have a theory that there are two kinds of boys: those who want to be astronomers and those who want to be astronauts.  The astronomer, the paleontologist, gets to study these amazing things from a place of complete safety." - Alan

"But then you never get to go into space." - Eric

"Exactly. That's the difference between imagining and seeing, being able to touch them.  And that's.  That's all Billy wanted." - Alan

...

"Alan, I wanna thank you for bringing me along." - Billy

"The truth is, you got me into this. I have no intention of being on my own with these people."  - Alan

...

"What're you doing?" - Alan

"I was photographing the nests." - Billy

"Don't do that again."

"I'm sorry."

"If I lose you, it's just me and the damned tourists."

...

"Boy, am I glad to see you.  Hey! You've got my bag." - Billy

"Yeah. Lucky strap." - Alan

...

//A final note on A/B

So that's what we mean by "subtext."

Not saying it's definite, just that it's possible to interpret the film this way.  That, and they really are cute together.  C'mon.  Admit it!   You know they are.

by Jess/nortylaK circa 2003