The Monkey's UNCLE Affair
Apr. 18th, 2022 10:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kateoftheangelsAs it happens, I am in fact still around! But just when I was telling folks that 2022 could absolutely not be as bad as 2021 had been (and I'm aware I said the same about 2020), February proved us wrong.
That said, the fickle fandom gods being what they are, it has been the perfect time to fall in love once again with old school telly's Man from U.N.C.L.E. (TV), and that pair of irresistible, snarky spy partners on opposite sides of the Cold War divide: suave, decadent American Napoleon Solo, and cool, sarcastic, prickly Soviet Illya Kuryakin, who did hail, in canon, from Kyiv, Ukraine.
(Yes, yes, you aren't surprised at all by this turn of events; you'd be a monkey's, you know.) That said, I have always loved them, and, revisiting this fandom, which envisioned a brighter world of international co-operation, to say nothing of friendship, and intimacy across geographical and ideological divides, is proving a present source of comfort in the midst of the current goings-on.
Some resources:
- An episode guide, an original script archive, and seriously hilarious slashy episode recaps courtesy of Ms. Morgan Richter
- Cinema Retro's UNCLE HQ, with classic anecdotes about show and actors, and delightful, obscure memorabilia, and the ultimate archival fansite (both TV and film)
- A comprehensive chronology, and a postulated link to Philip Jose Farmer's Wold Newton universe; other chronos here and here
- A fantastic repository of post-show canon short stories and novels (and a repository of the actual canon)
- A discussion of the official tie-in novels, from whence some of the fandom’s fanon mainstays derived
- Old school fic archives Chrome & Gunmetal, and Observations (by Linda Cornett); this is Elizabeth Bear’s smart, gorgeous story.
- Adorable, funny fanvids: Catherine Mamontova, For_Love_and_Mercy, Mary van Deusen, PRZed, and the amazing Vysila.
- A joint Return interview, and McCallum hilariously hosting the 60s version of Top of the Pops, as Illya!
And in the spirit of international co-operation and friendship, the fandom is running a fundraiser for Ukraine. I have managed to snag a couple of fic offers, which I am very excited about. Bids on offers are still open, if you were keen! (It's for an excellent cause!)
Edited to add: I've just received one of the MFU stories which I bid on for Ukraine -
Normalization [Twenty Years Later] bytimemidae
Twenty years after The Final Affair, Napoleon and Illya meet for coffee.
A sequel to Timemidae's amazing, heartbreaking The Super-Final Affair, written in the same universe as David McDaniel's semicanon novel The Final Affair. The original broke my heart; with this follow-up, twenty years later, she has put my heart back together again. I'm a very grateful recipient! Everyone should read this <3
That said, the fickle fandom gods being what they are, it has been the perfect time to fall in love once again with old school telly's Man from U.N.C.L.E. (TV), and that pair of irresistible, snarky spy partners on opposite sides of the Cold War divide: suave, decadent American Napoleon Solo, and cool, sarcastic, prickly Soviet Illya Kuryakin, who did hail, in canon, from Kyiv, Ukraine.
(Yes, yes, you aren't surprised at all by this turn of events; you'd be a monkey's, you know.) That said, I have always loved them, and, revisiting this fandom, which envisioned a brighter world of international co-operation, to say nothing of friendship, and intimacy across geographical and ideological divides, is proving a present source of comfort in the midst of the current goings-on.
Some resources:
- An episode guide, an original script archive, and seriously hilarious slashy episode recaps courtesy of Ms. Morgan Richter
- Cinema Retro's UNCLE HQ, with classic anecdotes about show and actors, and delightful, obscure memorabilia, and the ultimate archival fansite (both TV and film)
- A comprehensive chronology, and a postulated link to Philip Jose Farmer's Wold Newton universe; other chronos here and here
- A fantastic repository of post-show canon short stories and novels (and a repository of the actual canon)
- A discussion of the official tie-in novels, from whence some of the fandom’s fanon mainstays derived
- Old school fic archives Chrome & Gunmetal, and Observations (by Linda Cornett); this is Elizabeth Bear’s smart, gorgeous story.
- Adorable, funny fanvids: Catherine Mamontova, For_Love_and_Mercy, Mary van Deusen, PRZed, and the amazing Vysila.
- A joint Return interview, and McCallum hilariously hosting the 60s version of Top of the Pops, as Illya!
And in the spirit of international co-operation and friendship, the fandom is running a fundraiser for Ukraine. I have managed to snag a couple of fic offers, which I am very excited about. Bids on offers are still open, if you were keen! (It's for an excellent cause!)
Edited to add: I've just received one of the MFU stories which I bid on for Ukraine -
Normalization [Twenty Years Later] by
timemidaeTwenty years after The Final Affair, Napoleon and Illya meet for coffee.
A sequel to Timemidae's amazing, heartbreaking The Super-Final Affair, written in the same universe as David McDaniel's semicanon novel The Final Affair. The original broke my heart; with this follow-up, twenty years later, she has put my heart back together again. I'm a very grateful recipient! Everyone should read this <3
