#sandbaggers

[brokenmusicboxwolfe]

For the first time since I was a kid, I’ve been watching “The Sandbaggers”, a late 1970s UK spy series of the Le Carré school**. I remembered my family finding it brilliant but bleak. Yeah, that’s about right!

You know though, I didn’t remember the treatment of female spy in the first season.

Obviously I remember her, since as a little girl I noticed whenever girls got to take an active part in such stories. In fact the one episode I remember vividly tragically involves her. Knowing what is coming is a shadow I didn’t deal with the first time.

Because it was the 1970s the fact a woman is an agent being an issue was to be expected, but what startles me is the focus. Both where she was training and now in her new job, her sexuality is very much the topic of much speculation and rumor. Apparently not being overtly sexually available has made everyone debate whether she is a lesbian or “frigid”!

Ok, so she isn’t fooling around in training or on the job…so? Are they equally concerned about whether the men are having casual sex? Why should her not being involved with coworkers mean that everyone starts making assumptions?

Anyway, sparks fly between her and the lead protagonist***….her boss. Yes, we are talking the beginnings of a romance with the boss. A boss that then goes to the in house shrink that reviewed her for the job, and demands the doc answer all his questions about her sexual “problems” and sexual history!!

Geez!

But still' gotta admit…credible. Especially in the context of the times.

When I was young none of that made an impression. Maybe it was because I was young, or maybe it just was the culture of the times. Whatever, the wrongness of a boss getting involved with someone he controls the very life of, AND everyone finding a woman not having a love life a cause for consternation doesn’t seem to have occurred to me.

Anyway, I don’t think this stuff will be an issue after the next episode. Errr…that’s sort of spoiler I guess. With only three agents at a time in the division, being made in the late seventies and trying to be realistic, and only about 13 more episodes…women end up being thin on the ground. (I think. It’s been a long, long time.)

It’s still a very good (in a depressing sense! LOL) vintage spy series.

**I usually think that spy fiction exists on a Bond-Le Carré spectrum. Le Carré tries to be realistic, with office combat that treats human lives as pawns, while Bond goes for heroic action fantasy.

*** Protagonist instead of hero. This kind of spy fiction doesn’t do heroes, and in his case that’s especially so. Seriously. See what boss does when one of his agents, traumatized by having to kill a colleague, announces he is going to quit and get married. YIKES!! It’s bad guy territory.

[inkwell-intermission]

Midnight City’s resident Bowling mob gang! “The Ball” and his subordinates, “Pinheads”, who each run a bowling alley. There are no other bowling alleys in the city- their monopoly is absolute, and essentially their only goal. Names under the cut!

(the Pinheads labeled left to right in order of pin numbers) The Ball: Lofting “Pounds” Bowler 1: Leadoff (he/him) 2: Split (he/him) 3: Turkey (she/he) 4: Four-Bagger (he/him) 5: Five-Bagger (she/her) 6: Sixpack (he/her) 7: Dead Wood (he/him) 8: Quick Eight (they/them) 9: Big Ears (he/him) 10: Sandbagger (she/they) i think it’s funny if their mob name is something like The League because its like a bowling league but everyone just calls them The Pinheads because they never see Pounds around and also because its rude

[judgmentofthewicked]

I still love him so much

[beehivian]

Having one-sided beef is so embarrassing. Yeah we only talked once and I've been praying for your downfall ever since and you probably don't even remember me!!!

[mariocki]

New Scotland Yard: Prove It (2.5, LWT, 1972)

"Tell me about the wounded man, Slee."

"Yes, well, local talent. He owns three car lots and a laundrette. He's done quite well for himself, considering."

"Considering what?"

"He started life shooting other people's knees off."

"That's a grammar school education for you."

"Mmm. PTI in the army, jacked it in and sold his muscle to the highest bidder."

"Form?"

"Usual: GBH, malicious wounding with a weapon, assault occasioning bodily harm, demanding with menaces. Clean for the last four years."

"Now a respectable businessman."

"Scum. Handmade suits, two daughters at the local convent, but still scum."

[anditendshowyoudexpect]

Sch., after six years of watching the show: hehe, you did ask the KGB to send you a bird, Willy... wait, was that actually foreshadowing?

aw bless

[hockeyplayerstories]

(Fun fact; I’m pretty small myself so sometimes my coworkers do this to me too 😅 what can I say, I’m pretty huggable 🥰)

🤣

[look-a-ghost]

Like the castle in its corner In a medieval game I foresee terrible trouble And I stay here just the same

I am in my unhinged era where I listen to music and the lyrics make me think about my Sandbaggers blorbos

This is Willie Caine’s song

[hoagster]

Sandbagger Stimboard!!!

X/X/X X/X/X X/X/X

[downthetubes]

Keith Page’s Alternative TV Viewing

Finding it increasingly difficult to find anything worth watching on modern television, comic artist and writer Keith Page finds it more interesting to go back to the dramas of the 1960s through to the 1980s

Finding it increasingly difficult to find anything worth watching on modern television, comic artist and writer Keith Page – creator of The Adventures of Charlotte Corday, Strawjack and Hancock – The Lad Himself, with Stephen Walsh – finds it more interesting to go back to the dramas of the 1960s through to the 1980s.  “There was a far wider selection of themes, sharp scripts and no ‘agendas’ or…

[thispunforhire]

Can I recommend getting into TV shows from the 70s and 80s? There's a lot of good stuff and also it can't really get cancelled suddenly.

I know there are people on here who like MASH and Columbo, and I think there's also a Magnum PI fandom, but I think Miami Vice is ripe for the Tumblr treatment.

Here are a few others:

Wiseguy: An FBI agent goes undercover in various organizations to bring them down. An early pioneer in the use of story arcs in television.

Crime Story: A team of Chicago cops work to take down a rising criminal mastermind in 1960s Chicago and Las Vegas

China Beach: Inspired by the memoir of an army nurse in Vietnam, this is something of a spiritual successor to MASH, leaning harder on the drama while also being very experimental in the form of the show. (Tour of Duty is a more straightforward Vietnam series which also examines the culture of the time)

Gangsters: A British series set in the underworld of Birmingham. Takes pains to show the multicultural nature as well as extreme racism of the city at the time.

The Sandbaggers: an espionage series which explores the effect of cold war spycraft on the people who have to carry it out. Masterfully written, with an eye to realism rather than action, and with well written female characters throughout.

The Onedin Line: An epic series about the career of a 19th century shipping magnate, from ship's master to Captain of industry. As with The Sandbaggers, the female roles are well written and given opportunities to work towards their own goals.

[inkwell-intermission]

I'm d33ply in love with the pin heads. Any ideas on their personalities? What about powers?

I’m glad you like them! As carapacians most of them wouldn’t really have “powers” per se- although I think Pounds has a horrorterror at least, maybe one or two more do as well but that’s less likely. I do know about their personalities though! Little blurbs about each of them under the cut!

 Leadoff - intolerant of goofing off on the job and tries his best to keep things organized. right-hand-man to LB, very dedicated to his job. easier to please than someone like Crowbar, if its not on the clock he doesn’t mind silly shit. tries to keep work and his private life separate and fails often. Clumsier than he'd admit to. Generally infuriated by his romantic interest in LB, who usually only has eyes for bowling.  

Split - tries to be very polite and casual but is deeply neurotic and tries to micromanage his own bowling alley and everyone else's if he gets a chance. Odd numbers, mismatched colors, and broken patterns make him very uncomfortable. when he's not actively distressed, he's actually very pleasant and a good conversationalist.

Turkey - Girlboy extraordinaire serving butch realness, oozes confidence and well liked by the ladies. Probably the most well-rounded and stable member of the gang. Self-aware, suave, a slight mean streak when it comes to pranks and teasing. favorite past time outside of work (bowling) is getting into bar arguments, dancing, poetry, and courting classy dames.

Four-Bagger - The kind of nerd who brings a protractor to bowling practice. Not "shy", but very polite while lacking a lot of social awareness. Infodumping incidents happen regularly. Asks for permission to do things as he does them in a "knocking on an opened door" kind of way without ill will. Has Victorian chivalric sensibilities and gets embarrassed by women's ankles. Built like a popsicle stick.

Five-Bagger - Incredibly dignified and self assured, but bowls with surprising ferocity with an abnormal mph on her throws. Internalizes some of her more improper feelings that she gets out by bowling. Unafraid to be confrontational but does not lose composure or temper if she can help it. Femme savante in the Rococo sense- join her for tea and witty debate- you'll lose. :)

Sixpack - Boxes in his free time, very good at it. Gets into a lot of physical fights. Blunt and to the point, and is both uninterested in and barely takes the time to try and understand metaphors, or flowery hypotheticals. More of a brawn than brain type, but is not unkind- she hates when the little guys get picked on. Homosocial jock behaviors abound, goes more silent and stoic when interacting with girls.

Dead Wood - Improperly finished clone, resulted in discoloration and several oversized disproportionate limbs. Obscenely strong in relation to his cloning defects- "Dead Wood" means pins that get knocked so far away from the end that they cannot be picked up and re-stacked. This happens often considering how hard he can bowl. Self-conscious and embarrassed often by his clumsier size and generally awkward personality, not very confident. Generally cheerful despite often being the butt of (misplaced) jokes implying "Dead Wood" implies erectile dysfunction and similar crude ideas.

Quick Eight - Experiences chronic pain and phantom limb soreness after having lost left arm and leg in a Dersite shelling during the Skaian conflict. Is overly confident, cheerful and snarky, which is a partial facade. Bowls somewhat unconventionally due to difficulty balancing with the ball in hand. They're always down for a good time, whether its joyriding, drinking, a party, an intimate dalliance, and the like. Chases positive feedback. Tries to downplay difficulty caused by disability and overcompensates out of habit after military pressures to continue adequate performance post-injury.  Should probably go to therapy about it.

Big Ears - Oldest member of the Pinheads, and kind of fed up with it all. Cigar smoker, actively flaunts dress code with his black top, hides it with white coat. He really likes bowling- but not so much being in the gang. Sticks around, but definitely considers leaving under guise of "retiring". Gruff and straightforward, and is always happy to deal out a good bludgeoning. Enjoys old music, ballroom dancing, and nights in.

Sandbagger - Plays up the idea of being incompetent and uses her appearance and performative helplessness to score men, whom she objectifies and treats as disposable. Like if a lady womanizer did it to men. Intentionally keeps her scores low to keep her bowling handicap high. Prefers ping pong and chess to bowling. Flirtatious. Kind of a mean girl. Has a hard time expressing her feelings authentically. Loves a good cocktail and doing anything but work.

LB (Pounds): OBSESSED WITH BOWLING to a near Freudian degree. Insistent on dress codes and bowling-based nicknames within the gang or else, dedicated to the bit and the aesthetic. Wants a complete monopoly on bowling in the city and cracks down on thieves, cheaters and anyone trying to start a rival bowling alley. Otherwise he doesn't call for a lot of operations. Collects bowling balls and pins. Name says it all- has a tendency to throw when bowling so that the ball smashes into the lane rather than rolls smoothly. Professional and positive but intense. CANNOT overemphasize his bowling fixation.

[judgmentofthewicked]

I love him so much

Neil Burnside, from The Sandbaggers

(not sure if I prefer the version with or without background so I’m uploading both)

[lvrhughes]

Sandbagger | T. Zegras

pairing: Trevor Zegras x gn!reader

warnings: none?

summary: Trevor invited you to the sandbagger golf video

word count: 0.7k

not my gif!

“You can sit in the cart the entire time, please baby?” Trevor’s begging and whining had been constant for two days now, pleading for you to come to golf with Cole and the others for sandbagger. 

“Why though? Trev, you know I don’t like golf as much as you.”

“Because you’re my very pretty lover and I need to show you off?” You rolled his eyes at his reasoning yet nodded your head, a squeal erupting from Trevor before he spun you around. 

“Trevor!” 

It was like the minute you had made it to the course, he was jumping with enthusiasm, running laps around everyone else. Cole too, running with them, as if they’d hadn’t been playing together most of the summer. 

“Would you just stop, for a minute please?” You asked as the boy ran a circle around you, pausing at your words, stopping just in front of you. “Thank you.” You grinned, pulling your arms around his shoulders, pressing a short kiss to his lips. 

He was quick to chase for more, leaning further into you, pushing his lips back against your before you could fully pull away. 

The game began shortly, you settling in the cart, squished in between the two boys. Trevor’s arm wrapping around your shoulders in the cart as he drove, gently rubbing. 

As expected you got to stay put in the cart most of the day, only coming out occasionally to stretch. Or at least that was the plan until you walked up behind Trevor to hug him. 

“Hi baby” He grinned, turning to place a kiss on your temple, his arms sliding around your waist. 

“Hi Trev” You grinned back, leaning for a kiss, him complying quickly. 

“You know,” He had a smirk on his face, a light tone to his words, “You look so good today, I don’t think anyone would notice if we just slipped off.” He teased, his hands dropping lower on your body. 

His words earning a smack to his arm, his hand quickly moving back up your body. 

“Trevor no!” His laugh covering the field in the moment, striking Cole’s attention. 

“What are you two talking about?” 

“Nothing.” you were quick to push at the same time Trevor answered honestly. “Trevor!” you yelled, hiding in his chest as Cole laughed at his answer. 

“What’re you hiding for? this is the man who admitted to being called the cock today!” Trevor returned, brushing your hair out of your face so you’d look at him. 

You laughed at his point, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. He was quick to chase again, his hand pushed against your back to keep you against him while he leaned to you again. 

“Hey, being called the cock is a compliment!” You heard Cole argue while trevor kissed you, your hands threading through his hair.

“Ew, get a room!” Those words from Cole gathered the attention of the others around, earning laughs and another flushed face from you as you push trevor back and hid in his chest. 

“That’s what we were trying to do!” He grinned, his hand rubbing circles on your back as you buried further into his chest. 

“Go finish your golf game, I’ll be in the cart.” You whispered, walking back to the cart quickly, pulling out your phone as a distraction. 

The rest of the game went without hitch, Trevor only whispering ideas to you within the cart now, Cole ever present to say no. 

Needless to say, Trevor was happy to head home, tired from the game. Not letting you leave the cart before keeping you pressed against the seat with a kiss and a whisper of what he’d do when you’re home. 

“Trevor! Be good!” You laughed back at him, clinging to him as he got out of the cart, using him to get out as well .

“Oh come on, he’s been doing this all day!” Cole’s complaint was agreed by the others, making Trevor laugh and you to playfully smack his chest. His arms encircled your waist while he led you out to the car, yelling a goodbye to everyone as you left. 

“So, my plan when we get home?” He encouraged once in the car, leaning over to kiss your lips before leaning back with a yawn. 

“How about, we watch a movie, cuddle on the couch, and I’ll run my hands through your hair like you like instead?” You countered, running your hand through his hair to further your point as his eyes closed at the contact. 

“Mhm, like the plan.” He mumbled, nodding along with you before starting the car to head home.

[mariocki]

A very young Michael Cashman makes his screen debut as Syd Benson, the loyal son of an escaped convict, in Gideon's Way: The Tin God (1.14, ITC, 1965)

[anditendshowyoudexpect]

spent 2.5 hours watching a guy on twitch watching two episodes of The Sandbaggers

god i will never fall out of love with this show