Living Daylights (Ferris wheel/Saunders death)

Andy007

It struck me that this scene has a lot of minor character detail, some of which could be relevant to Saunders' death and the timing of it. Dalton really packs a lot into this sequence. I've also read some other fan comments on this too..

So to start with Saunders & Bond had arranged to meet at Ferris wheel (midnight). Saunders being the pedantic man he is shows up on time & sees Bond on the wheel with Kara, looking none too impressed. Bond sees him too and seems quite relaxed. However Bond (especially Dalton's portrayal) is alert enough & observant to see a tall balloon man approach Saunders very close. It is merely seconds but it registers with Bond later. Saunders realising Bond's not in a hurry goes to the cafe for a coffee & get's Bond one. When Bond & Kara's ride is over, he reports for duty with Saunders. A subtle touch from Dalton as he sips the drink & dislikes it (is it cold perhaps?).. This suggests Saunders has been waiting at least 5 mins, maybe more.

*are these details in here to suggest Bond's poor timekeeping was a factor in Saunders' death?*

*Would the death trap have been utilised if Bond walked out first? or was Saunders the chosen target specifically on this occasion?

Further questions:- How does Necros know that Saunders or Bond will be there at the theme park? especially at midnight.

Also I've wondered why Bond and Saunders opted to wear a tux, as it stands out at a casual place like this. Why not dress down and blend in with the public? It's a little odd. I know Bond regularly wears a suit wherever he travels, but for a rendezvous like this it's not that discreet.

Are we meant to assume Saunders is a 00 agent, yet he lacks any kind of physical presence and seems purely like a businesman or gentleman alongside Bond? It's hard to imagine Saunders (the actor) throwing a punch or posing any physical threat at all.

Dalton excels throughout the whole thing, and it's interesting seeing the little details in this scene.

chrisisall

Wow. That's a lot of questions. Unless something strikes me as odd, I don't analyze it this much. I think Necros was targeting Saunders, to get to Bond. If Bond had walked out first that would have been a BONUS for Necros. But he wasn't counting on such luck....

emtiem

I always though the coffee rejection was supposed to be a snobbish thing: that Bond doesn’t approve of cheap cafe coffee! 😄

Number24

Saunders wasn't a 00-agent, just a "normal" MI6 agent. Necros killed Saunders because he wanted to motivate Bond to assassinate General Pushkin. He wouldn't have killed Bond at this point. I don't think Bond being late to the meeting was a factor in Saunders' death. Necros would've killed him anyway.

SeanIsTheOnlyOne

The question of wearing a tux in such a place would be relevant if we were talking about George Smiley, but this is Fleming's world. It never bothered me, I would even say it's part of the charm.

Concerning Saunders's death, it was unavoidable given Koskov suggested Whitaker to assassinate another MI6 agent (after 004 during the Gibraltar exercise) to make sure Bond will kill Pushkin indeed (little does he know Bond is too clever to fall into such a "rough" trap, not like another guy who immediately concludes the woman he's supposed to be in love with betrayed him while it seems obvious such a mess is nothing but an umpteenth conspiracy from a deranged man who showed his true colours before...Sorry, it's still hard to digest two months later).

I don't think Bond being late has anything to do with it. Even if Bond had been on time, what would have prevented Necros from killing Saunders one way or another ? It's exactly the same for other minor characters of the 80s movies (I think Maibaum and Wilson were very good at creating dramatic intensity in their stories) like Luigi Ferrara, Vijay, Sir Godfrey Tibbett, Chuck Lee, Sharkey...

Sometimes, working with Bond can be deadly.