Fraser's Wardrobe, Season 3/4

[butterfly]

Because apparently I do care that much. Mostly for future reference, contains various personal notes as to the meaning that I draw from the clothing choices. Also, continuity list from official dS site (when it was up) matches with clothing choices, which confirms the order that I use. And it does imply that it was a single year and/or there's a lot of time between some of the later episodes, which could be true. But I'm not here to try to work up a dates match, I'm just here for Fraser's clothes. My source is callumkeithrennie.ca (for some reason, I always use the Canadian version).

Burning Down the House
Timeframe: Fraser in NWT; travels to Chicago, rest of episode probably in a single day
1: Green/brown shirt; greyish pants? (don't look like jeans); red plaid shirt; stetson (loses stetson to talk to Ray -- obvious emotional loss, so absence of 'stetson of invulnerability' makes sense)
2: Red Serge uniform (most of episode -- makes sense, as the bulk of the episode is a single day; doesn't wear hat quite often)
3: Leather jacket; jeans and belt, white/green/red plaid shirt (talking to Welsh at night)

Eclipse
Timeframe: Most of a day.
1: Red Serge uniform (entire episode)

I Coulda Been a Defendant
Timeframe: Two days (a month after Eclipse)
1: Red Serge uniform (entire episode -- gets mudstained at end)

Strange Bedfellows
Timeframe: Three days
1: Red Serge uniform (entire episode)

Seeing Is Believing
Timeframe: One day (a few hours, really)
1: Red Serge uniform (entire episode)

Bounty Hunter
Timeframe: Two days
1: Red Serge uniform
2: Black shirt (looks gorgeous on him -- that's at the consulate at night with Janet)
3: Red ljs (in the morning and presumably the night)
4: Leather jacket; red/green plaid shirt, jeans

Mountie and Soul
Timeframe: Two days
1: Red Serge uniform
1: Uniform minus jacket (to fight Ray in ring)

Spy vs Spy
Timeframe: Three days
1: Leather jacket, sky-blue shirt; hat; jeans (takes off jacket when they get to the 2-7, puts it on again when they leave)
2: Dress uniform (for the theatre)
3: Brown uniform (first and only appearance in seasons 3/4)
4: Red serge uniform

Asylum
Timeframe: Two days
1: Red serge uniform (strips down to to reach into his pants for Ray in the consulate)
2: Uniform minus jacket (in consulate at night with Ray -- Ray is wearing one of Fraser's shirts (it's plaid))
3: Full uniform (after speaking with Welsh)

Perfect Strangers
Timeframe: Two days
1: Red serge uniform (entire episode)

Dead Guy Running
Timeframe: One day
1: Red serge uniform (entire episode)

Mountie on the Bounty
Timeframe: Five days
1: Red serge uniform
2: Undershirt and boxers (changing at the consulate)
3: Red serge uniform (Takes off jacket&hat to stride to Henry Allen)
4: Cream sweater, neckless;
5: Red serge uniform (after cover is blown)
6: Black knit hat; dark grey sweater (stolen)
7: Red serge uniform (not his)

Dr. Longball
Timeframe: At least four days
1: Red serge uniform (entire episode)

Easy Money
Timeframe: One day
1: Red serge uniform (entire episode)
FlashbackBen (such an adorable little kid, very good casting job):
1: Red plaid shirt

A Likely Story
Timeframe: Three days
1: Red serge uniform (plus coat when outside)
2: Red plaid shirt over henley (sleeping the back yard with Ray)
3: Red serge uniform

Odds
Timeframe: Three days
1: Red serge uniform (loses jacket in consulate & to practice poker)
2: Tux (takes off jacket to play poker with Ray)

The Ladies Man
Timeframe: Two days
1: Red serge uniform plus coat (loses coat when inside)
2: Leather jacket; cream-colored sweater, with neck

Mojo Rising
Timeframe: Two days
1: Red serge uniform plus coat (entire episode, not always wearing coat)

Mountie Sings the Blues
Timeframe: Three days
1: Red serge uniform (entire episode, takes off jacket in consulate, wears coat at night)

Good for the Soul
Timeframe: (at least) Three days (Christmas-time)
1: Red serge uniform plus coat (entire episode, takes off coat and jacket when being treated for wounds)

Dead Men Don't Throw Rice
Timeframe: Three days
1: Red serge uniform (adds coat when outside)
2: Leather coat; grey sweater (under cover watching Ray and Francesca)
3: Red serge uniform (loses jacket to play dead 1st time)

Say Amen
Timeframe: Two days
1: Red serge uniform plus coat (takes off coat in the 2-7 & Unfettered Church)

Hunting Season
Timeframe: (at least) Two days
1: Red serge uniform (entire episode, gets lanyard cut)

Call of the Wild
Timeframe: (at least) eight days
1: Red/green plaid jacket (it zips); grey or green shirt under; jeans; leather gloves; hat (doesn't wear gloves when not fishing)
2: Red serge uniform (plus coat sometimes)
3: Leather coat; black sweater; hat; leather gloves; jeans
4: Red serge uniform (adds coat for hanging off plane
5: Winter coat; gloves; hat, etc for traveling ice fields and such
6: Next day -- different scarf (added?) -- adds hat at very end of episode/series

Analysis: Wow, he does wear the serge a lot. Then again, if he's decided to stop fighting on the brown uniform issue and refuses to wear the blue, the red is really his only choice (interesting story/essay idea: why would Fraser stop fighting on brown?).

We can account for 91 days (including the month from Eclipse to I Coulda Been a Defendant). We know that Good for the Soul takes place at Christmas. [edit: and CotW takes place in March... damnit. Thanks, PG. Okay, we can just assume that Ray was under or overestimating. A year and a half, maybe?]

RayK was undercover roughly a year (from what RayV says in Call of the Wild -- he says 'a full year' but one doubts as to his exactness, as he wouldn't care that much).

Presuming Burning Down the House to take place near the end of summer (seasonal/clothing cues plus fall being when new seasons generally start). I'm going to pick August because I like it. Plus, it gives Fraser and Ray a full five months to get all the way to Good for the Soul (and around seven to cover GftS to August again, but moving it further forward would make the time even more compressed and we need a full month between Eclipse and ICBaD). Maybe we could go with July even. Which would be six months both ways (though one still covers 20 episodes and the other covers only 4).

Still, I can see a big gap between GftS and DMDTR (enough for Ray to start to pick up Fraser's manner of speech), between DMDTR and Say Amen (enough for Ray, Fraser, Thatcher, and Turnbull to feel comfortable doing a movie-thing during a work day -- break? Definitely Ray-induced), Say Amen and Hunting Season (wherein Turnbull is even closer to Thatcher than he was in SA as a confidant), and definitely HS and CotW (though Maggie's recent visit may help prompt his homesickness, it's more likely that with family up north, things get to him, so I would suppose a gap between the episodes).

The earlier episodes, where Fraser and Ray's partnership gets forged, make more sense to be close together, date-wise, anyway.

Comments

[duenorthlaurie.livejournal.com]

Because apparently I do care that much.

I know the feeling. I have a thing for lists, chronology, seasonal/weather clues, etc.

I'm just here for Fraser's clothes.

Since you're maintaining a more-or-less official list, I hope you don't mind additions (I saw this on the Discourse Friends list and found it interesting). I thought of a couple that you haven't yet listed.

"Strange Bedfellows"
1: Red Serge uniform (entire episode)

Except for the nighttime scene in his office when he's wearing his red long-johns and trying to figure out where the hammering sounds are coming from. Ray shows up in this scene.

"Easy Money"
FlashbackBen (such an adorable little kid, very good casting job):

I always thought so, too, until I saw some childhood pics of PG. The boy in EM looks more like how I envisioned PG/BF as a boy than how he looked in reality.

"Hunting Season"
1: Red serge uniform (entire episode, gets lanyard cut)

He also wears jeans, a brown/tan plaid shirt and his leather jacket in scenes at the 27th and again at the bank near the end of the ep.

Analysis: Wow, he does wear the serge a lot.

Yes, he does, much to my dislike.

Then again, if he's decided to stop fighting on the brown uniform issue and refuses to wear the blue, the red is really his only choice (interesting story/essay idea: why would Fraser stop fighting on brown?).

Actually, there was never a problem with the brown uniform, only the blue one with the "dead animal" hat. He continued to wear the brown regularly after Vault.

I think the most plausible explanation for the constant wearing of the red serge is that S3/4 had more budgetary and time constraints. Most of the eps were filmed over a short period of time (possibly one working day) and fewer sets were used than in S1/2. I don't think it's a question of wardrobe since PG appeared to wear his own clothes on the show (the red plaid jacket from BDTH, for example); it was simply easier to keep filming and not take time out to change. Plus, he was busy with the production end of things. I imagine the rest of the cast wore the same clothes in any given ep as well but civilian clothes are less visible than a loud red uniform.

The red serge didn't start to bug me until after I had seen S1/2 (my introduction to dS was S3/4). Even though I know there's an RL accounting for the red uniform, its constant presence still says something about the man wearing it. When Fraser wears the red serge, he's much more official and unapproachable. A wall automatically goes up. He may not be wearing it to intentionally keep people at a distance but that's what happens. People see the uniform, not the man. Even his posture is more stiff and formal (though I've heard that the construction of the tunic is not one of comfort and the collar is very stiff).

Throughout S1/2, Fraser alternated between the red serge, brown uniform and civilian clothes. Even then, he was more formal in the red, less official and more casual in the brown, and most comfortable and relaxed in civilian clothes. His speech and mannerisms also match what's he wearing. "Spy vs. Spy" is one of my favorite S3 eps, and it's largely due to the fact that Fraser has several changes of wardrobe and isn't stuck behind the mask. I love the brown uniform and it's a shame he wore it only one time in the later seasons. I can't help thinking of the red serge as a big "stop" sign. It practically screams "Don't get too close to me!"

Anyway, hope you don't mind my unsolicited two bits.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Anyway, hope you don't mind my unsolicited two bits.

Very much appreciated -- this was all based on checking out screencaps, without direct watching.

Actually, there was never a problem with the brown uniform, only the blue one with the "dead animal" hat. He continued to wear the brown regularly after Vault.

Fraser didn't like the blue, Thatcher didn't like the brown. She fired him over it (yeah, rehired or couldn't actually fire, but the attempt was made).

Throughout S1/2, Fraser alternated between the red serge, brown uniform and civilian clothes. Even then, he was more formal in the red, less official and more casual in the brown, and most comfortable and relaxed in civilian clothes. His speech and mannerisms also match what's he wearing. "Spy vs. Spy" is one of my favorite S3 eps, and it's largely due to the fact that Fraser has several changes of wardrobe and isn't stuck behind the mask. I love the brown uniform and it's a shame he wore it only one time in the later seasons. I can't help thinking of the red serge as a big "stop" sign. It practically screams "Don't get too close to me!"

Agreed. I find the 'in show' possibilities of why the red serge to be interesting to think about.

[duenorthlaurie.livejournal.com]

"Actually, there was never a problem with the brown uniform, only the blue one with the "dead animal" hat. He continued to wear the brown regularly after Vault."

Fraser didn't like the blue, Thatcher didn't like the brown. She fired him over it (yeah, rehired or couldn't actually fire, but the attempt was made).

Yes, that's true. I should have been more specific. Fraser didn't have a problem with the brown uniform and continued to wear it. He refused to give up the brown in favor of the blue. Some people have suggested the reason he didn't wear the brown uniform in the later seasons is that it was burned in his apartment. Of course, that can't be the case since he wore it in Spy vs. Spy.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

That's what I'm wondering about -- the whys of the uniform change. Like, the meta reason is that they wanted people to see the red serge and hopefully immediately click on Mountie, but I think it has something to say about Fraser's attitude in S3-4, similiar to him never actually getting an apartment -- convenient for budget reasons but it's more interesting when I try to think of character reasons.

[duenorthlaurie.livejournal.com]

That's what I'm wondering about -- the whys of the uniform change. Like, the meta reason is that they wanted people to see the red serge and hopefully immediately click on Mountie, but I think it has something to say about Fraser's attitude in S3-4, similiar to him never actually getting an apartment -- convenient for budget reasons but it's more interesting when I try to think of character reasons.

I know. I'd much rather interpret the characters than accept something as simple as budgetary and time limitations. It's easy as a fan to fall into the trap of over analyzing but that's half the fun of dS.

As for his apartment, I know the set was dismantled after S2 but Fraser had such a connection with his neighborhood and neighbors as time went on. I loved the transformation of his apartment, the personal touches he added. When I first saw dS, I thought it was odd that he lived in his office but I accepted it, until after I saw S1/2. Then I was left wondering why. The only explanation I can come up with is that he knew his stay in Chicago was coming to an end. He no longer cared if he was rooted in the city. It wasn't home and he made no attempt to make it home. Stopping myself now before my rambling gets out of hand.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

As for his apartment, I know the set was dismantled after S2 but Fraser had such a connection with his neighborhood and neighbors as time went on. I loved the transformation of his apartment, the personal touches he added. When I first saw dS, I thought it was odd that he lived in his office but I accepted it, until after I saw S1/2. Then I was left wondering why. The only explanation I can come up with is that he knew his stay in Chicago was coming to an end. He no longer cared if he was rooted in the city. It wasn't home and he made no attempt to make it home. Stopping myself now before my rambling gets out of hand.

That's what I've been going on -- it's about preparing himself to leave. He comes back, everything changed. He could try to resettle, as his neighbors surely did, but he might have, as time went on, seen this as a chance to start breaking ties. He's planning on leaving as soon as he can (though as Fraser Sr. reminds him in DMDTR, he has obligations), so he's prepping for that. But Fraser isn't the type who likes to leave loose ends.

[pearl-o.livejournal.com]

The full year thing doesn't really add up either way, though, does it -- because don't we get the March 11th date in CotW?

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Damn. That's a really good point.

*considers being annoyed with Paul for choosing a Shakespeare joke over fitting with what they claimed was the time-line... is unable to be.*