Alphabet Soup

It’s favorite Bond movie quote week and I realized that I don’t know my Bond trivia as well as I thought I did.  If this had been quote “Mel Brooks’ History of the World:  Part I” or “Steel Magnolias”, I would have nailed this, but alas, I can only sorta quote Mr. Bond.

Both Iris and Janette already mentioned a few of my favorites (and I have yet to find a minivan with an eject button for when my kids get to complaining too much).  And I suddenly realized that my favorite quotes tend to come from M and Q.

Lest Bond get a little too cocky, M is quick to put him in his place.    From Goldeneye, Dame Judi Dench as M:  If you think for one moment I don’t have the balls to send a man out to die, your instincts are dead wrong.  She also threatens him with death in Casino Royale.  Bond:  I always thought M was a randomly assigned initial.  I had no idea it stood for…  M:  Utter one more syllable and I’ll have you killed.  I don’t remember exactly which Bond film he refers to M as not being his mother but acts like she is which is probably why I have enjoyed watching Judi Dench in that role.  She reminds me of the bit that Bill Cosby has joked about how his father established their relationship.  I brought you into this world and I’ll take you out of it.

If M is the parent to Bond, Q is more the older sibling.  He amuses me with his pleas for Bond to return his gadgetry in pristine condition.  Imagine asking to borrow your older sibling’s car and them telling you not to scratch it and yet, you know it’s bound to get trashed.  Think Flounder in Animal House.  And Bond is like that annoying little brother always messing with Q’s stuff when Q is trying to instruct him on something.  How many times has Q told Bond to grow up or to stop touching his stuff.  The best is in Goldeneye when Bond picks up a very large sub sandwich and studies it like a gadget and Q tells him, “Don’t touch that!  It’s my lunch!”  It tickles me how Q slaps at Bond’s hand or snatches stuff away.  I swear, if Bond and Q were American teen boys, Q would have given Bond a wedgie by now.

I had mentioned last week either in a comment or my blog post how my husband and his family had made their own Bond movie with his older brother playing the role of Bond back when my hubby was about 14.  While the movie Bonds are charming in their confident arrogance and womanizing tendencies, it’s not nearly as entertaining to see those qualities played out in real life via my brother-in-law.  In their home movie, my husband played “Chief” who was a combination of M and Q, not to mention he was also Cameraman 1, 2, and 3.  He does all the grunt work, yet 007 gets all the accolades!  How in the heck is that fair?  Perhaps that’s one reason I like seeing M and Q knock James Bond down a few notches every once in a while.  But at least the movie Bond recognizes that he needs Q and M as much as they need him.

Instead of asking you which are your favorite Bond quotes, I want you to think about what other “letters” support Bond in his missions.  What would X do?  Is there a J?  And would I always come before E, except after C?