Flashback: Genius Scene Summary

Scene Summary: Flashback: Genius

Flashback: Genius
Chronicle	DC Chronicle
Game Date	June 22nd, 1915
Real Date	November 2, 2018
Characters	Ian Kross James Murphy
Locations	Stratford-upon-Avon
Previous Scene	Flashback: Meeting the Family (Ian, James)
Next Scene	Flashback: Comforts (Ian) What Happens in Vegas (James)
Content Warnings	Racism
Original Scene	Flashback: Genius

Flashback: Genius is a scene from the DC Chronicle featuring Ian Kross and James Murphy. It depicts Ian suspecting James of targeting him for crime due to his standing as a member of the nobility.

Scene Summary

Ian follows James into his family's encampment, but is highly uncomfortable as he notices various people staring at him before avoiding interacting with him. He worries that he might be robbed, then feels guilty for thinking this about James. He and James make small-talk about James' family as they head for an old water pump. Ian tells James about his plans for the rest of the year, including visiting his family's ancestral seat, but is distressed when James responds, thinking that he seems to have prior knowledge of him.

Ian questions James about how he knew certain details, which causes James to realize that he is suspicious and to tell him that he memorizes the names and relations of all the British royals every year. The two of them pump water in silence for a while, but James eventually confronts Ian as they leave with their bucket. Ian is embarrassed, but James demands that he test his knowledge of other nobles instead of letting it go.

When Ian chooses the Duke of Marlborough, James gives a comprehensive overview of his titles and lands, causing Ian to eventually fail to hide his laughter and to admit that even he didn't know that much about his own cousin. The tension between the two is broken and James asks for a better challenge, and Ian tries to find a noble to stump his recall several times as they return to their car to fetch pastries for dinner.

Script Summary

The script summary for this scene pares it down to only dialogue and action directions, allowing for a quicker and easier read through what was actually said and done by the characters. Click on the "Expand" tag to the right to view the entire script summary for this scene.

Flashback: Genius Script Summary

Ian follows James and the other Irish Travellers into their camp, where several people peek out at him but do not emerge.

IAN: So that was your mother?

JAMES: Oh! Aye, that's my Ma. She smiles more once she knows you.

IAN: My father's the same. Judging by the gallery at the abbey, I come from a long and distinguished line of scowlers.

JAMES: Oh? Wouldn't've guessed it.

IAN: That's where I'm headed, actually. To Lamberhurst. Usually we're in London by now, though there's not much of a Season this year for obvious reasons. We only go to Andover for the hunt season.

There is a long pause.

JAMES: I bet Hampshire's gorgeous during the holidays.

IAN: It is! It is. How did you know we had a place there?

JAMES: Your name. Obviously. There's just the one Viscount Bayham, and it's the courtesy title of the Earl of Camden. And the seat of the Earldom is in Hampshire.

IAN: Ah! Yes. Obviously. Though actually it's Marquess Camden now. I imagine that hasn't made it to Burke's yet.

JAMES: Is that so? And here I am with the exclusive.

They arrive at a hand pump in the center of the camp.

JAMES: Good on him. See to that lever, would you?

Ian works the pump.

IAN: I never took you for one to keep up with such things.

JAMES: Oh, no, I read Burke's every year, soon as it comes out. It's a great work of fiction.

He laughs. They continue to work at the pump until they fill a bucket. There is a long silence as they begin to walk back.

JAMES: You don't believe me.

Ian stops.

IAN: I didn't--

JAMES: Give me a name. Anyone that you'd find in that holy book'a yours, anyone at all.

IAN: Uh. All right? How about... How about the Duke of Marlborough?

James scoffs.

JAMES: Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough. Knight companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, Privy Councillor, former mayor of Woodstock and, as of two years ago, Recipient of the Territorial Officers' Decoration. The seat'a the Dukedom is Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire and the subsidiary titles are the Marquess of Blandford, the Earls of Sunderland and of Marlborough, and the Barons Spencer and Churchill. That was easy. There are only thirty-one of those in the whole of British history, you know.

Ian covers his mouth with a hand and fails to hide his uproarious laughter.

IAN: I didn't even know all of that and he's a cousin.

JAMES: Come on, now. Give us a real challenge.

They return to the car and retrieve pastries for dinner, with Ian repeatedly trying and failing to stump James along the way.

Translations

Trivia

• The "abbey" Ian refers to seeing his ancestors' portraits hung at is most likely Bayham Old Abbey House.
  
  
• Ian's reference to there not being much of a season is a reference to the Edwardian practice of the Social Season, a yearly period during which aristocracy and other social elite were expected to throw and attend social occasions and celebrations in order to create alliances; since World War I is currently raging and many of the nobility have sold their London houses in order to flee the country, the Social Season this year was much smaller and more subdued than in years past.
  
  
• While James had already correctly drawn his conclusions about Ian's family from his name, he didn't need to; moments before in this conversation, Ian mentioned going to Andover for the hunt season, which typically lasted from October to January. Andover is in Hampshire, so James' offhand mention of Ian spending the holidays in Hampshire would be reasonable even without prior knowledge.
  
  
• "Burke's" refers to Burke's Peerage, an annual guide to the genealogy of the world's nobility founded in 1826.