Night Watch (Discworld): Difference between revisions

** This is a reference to a reality in which young Sam Vimes is given guidance by Carcer, if old Sam fails. Hence the ''as he is now'' instead of just there is no universe. That Sam recognizes this on some level is alluded to in other parts of the novel.

* [[Annoying Arrows]]: Justified; they didn't bother Reg much because he was practically ''born'' to be a zombie.

* [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking]]: Truth! Freedom! Justice! Reasonably priced love! And a hardboiled egg. Because Vimes won't be finding truth, freedom nor justice by the next morning, but he might just be able to eat a hardboiled egg. {{spoiler|He isn't.}}

* [[The Artful Dodger]]: Young Nobby.

* [[Banana In the Tailpipe]]: Well, cars do not exist on Discworld, but you can create quite a bit of havoc with oxen and a handful of fresh ginger...

** Which combines with a [[Brick Joke]] and [[Truth in Television]]. A jade is a worn out, tired horse. To sell it, you make it look more youthful and lively. To do that, you fleague it. What you do is shove a bit of ginger in its keister, which makes it a little antsy. If you've ever heard the saying "gingering things up" i.e. make them go a bit faster, you have the rough idea already.

** Also how he fleagues up Old Mary.

* [[Begone Bribe]]: Young Nobby follows people around until they pay him not to.

* [[Berserk Button]]: Fred Colon's reaction to a young corporal asking why they were wearing sprigs of lilac seems quite disproportionate, as it seems like a fair question to us, but as the reason becomes apparent later in the book the incident implies that the subject of the revolution is a [[Berserk Button]] for Colon.

* [[Bothering by the Book]]: The oath for joining the Watch. "... uphold the Laws and Ordinances of the city of Ankh-Morpork comma serve the public trust comma and defend the subjects of His stroke Her bracket delete whichever is inappropriate bracket Majesty bracket name of reigning monarch bracket...". Nothing in there about ''obeying orders''.

** It also doesn't say anything about serving or defending the ruler (King, Queen, or otherwise). Just the public.

** Also, one of the reactions of the coppers to Vimes insisting they do things by the book. They get very precise.

* [[Break the Cutie]]: [[Wide-Eyed Idealist]] Reg Shoe learns that (badly planned) revolutions tend not to live up to the revolutionaries' expectations. He [[Heroic BSOD|doesn't take it well]].

* [[Call Forward]]: For instance, Vimes accidentally inspires [[CMOT Dibbler|Cut-Me-Own-Throat-Dibbler's]] [[Catch Phrase]], establishing a [[Stable Time Loop]]. More cynically, the new would-be ruler Snapcase is spoken of with praise by some characters...both Vimes and the readers know that he will become Mad Lord Snapcase and [[Cool and Unusual Punishment|be hung up by his figgin]].

* [[Can't Take Anything with You]]: When going forward in time.

* [[Captain Obvious]]: Imposed on Lords Selachi and Venturi, who due to their [[Feuding Families|history]] have to avoid any topic that they might possibly disagree on. Leading to conversational topics like "I see you are standing up."

** The ending of ''Night Watch'' even justifies the Vimes from early ''Guards Guards!'' {{spoiler|After waking up to find his mentor and six other Watchmen dead on the Patrician's orders, Vimes spent about three decades having the potential to be the badass we know and love but not being able to do anything for fear of another attack on the Night Watch. That or his lack of confidence in the Law meant that the bottle was the only thing keeping the Beast at bay}}.

* [[Circling Monologue]]: The early part of Vimes vs. Swing.

* [[Cold-Blooded Torture]]: The Cable Street Particulars' method of extracting confessions.

* [[The Creepy Undertaker]]: Legitimate First.

* [[Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass]]: Despite the fact that he is a complete ass in his youth, it's pointed out that the young Downey is still quite capable and dangerous, such as when he instantly suspects that a dark passageway is a trap, despite being ''very'' drunk at the time. {{spoiler|He's right.}} Not to mention that he goes on to become Head of the Assassin's Guild, which has an internal [[Klingon Promotion]] system.

* [[Doomed Moral Victor]]: Parodied, as the villains consider "You may take our lives, but you'll never take our freedom" to be the dumbest revolutionary slogan ever. Specifically, Carcer replies "Wrong," and cue the hail of crossbow bolts.

** However, [[Fridge Brilliance|if you think about it]], they did take Reg's life, but they never took his freedom.

{{quote|'''Reg''': I only regret that I have one life to give for Whalebone Lane!

'''Vimes''': (thinking) If only you knew. }}

* [[Evil Counterpart]]: "Carcer had, in his own way, some of Vimes's qualities, only they were inverted."

** Similarly, Captain Swing is an idealist, he simply looks at the problem the wrong way around.

* [[Foreshadowing]]: Lots of it. Both the lilac blooming and, as the story starts, with Sam Vimes and other Night Watch survivors of the Glorious People's Republic of Treacle Mine Road solemnly commemorating the anniversary of the deaths of their comrades, among them Sergeant Keel's.

** All The Little Angels.

* [[Get Back to the Future]]

* [[Give Me Back My Wallet]]: Vimes to Young Nobby.

* [[Gory Discretion Shot]]: The description of the [[Torture Cellar]], a rare literary variant.

{{quote|"He had several pounds of metal on his wrists or, to put it another way, his arms were a hammer." }}

* [[Having a Heart]]: Sergeant Keel has the eye of a mass-murderer. They're in his other coat.

* [[I Did What I Had to Do]]: Vetinari suggests "They Did The Job They Had To Do" as a slogan when he talks about putting up a monument for the fallen watchmen. Vimes' deconstruction of it as he shuts Vetinari up is both epic and heartbreaking.

{{quote|"They did the job they didn't have to do and they died doing it and you can't give them anything."}}

{{quote|"You're not me. You can't be. I don't think I was ever as young as you." }}

{{quote|Vimes: What did I tell you about Mister Safety Catch?

Detritus: When Mister Safety Catch Is Not On, Mister Crossbow Is Not Your Friend. }}

* [[If I Had a Nickel]]: If Colon had a dollar for every watchman's funeral he'd attended, he'd have $19.50. (One of them wasn't actually dead; fortunately he regained consciousness ''before'' they buried him.)

* [[I Found You Like This]]: When Sam Vimes is unexpectedly thrown backwards in time, Rosie Palm finds him unconscious in the street and rescues him.

{{quote|Well, it would have to come up with something good, because it was up against Sam Vimes now.}}

* [[Jerk Jock]]: The young Lord Downey.

* [[Kill It with Fire]]: The Cable Street House.

* [[Knife Nut]]: Carcer.

** Mais oui.

* [[Lightning Can Do Anything]]

* [[Mauve Shirt]]: Sergeant Abba Stronginthearm, who previously appeared in ''[[Discworld/Men At Arms|Men At Arms]]'', ''[[Discworld/Jingo|Jingo]]'' and ''[[Discworld/The Fifth Elephant|The Fifth Elephant]]'', moving up the ranks but never becoming a main character. He's still well enough known for his death at Carcer's hands to be a shock.

* [[Meaningful Name]]: Captain Swing was the name used on a number of threatening letters sent by participants in the Swing Riots in Britain in 1830. In a typical Pratchett twist, Swing is now working for the other side.

* [[Mercy Kill]]: Perhaps the most controversial line in any Discworld novel if fan reaction was anything to go by:

{{quote|''"Just in case, and without any feeling of guilt, Vimes removed his knife, and... gave what help he could"''}}

* [[Misfit Mobilization Moment]]: In a city where the citizens are attacking Watch houses for being tools of the oppressive state, Vimes wins over his neighborhood and oversees their barricades.

* [[Mugging the Monster]]: Carcer lands in [[The City Narrows|the Shades]] and gets his first weapons and cash delivered straight into his lap.

* [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast]]: Although they are not given their epithets in this book of course, regular readers will recognize the Patricians here as Homicidal Lord Winder and <s>Psychoneurotic</s> Mad Lord Snapcase.

* [[Necessary Fail]]: Consciously averted, look at the example higher on this page.

* [[Noodle Implements]]: The Ginger Beer torture method. Though Pratchett eventually did reveal what the "Ginger Beer Trick" actually is, although he despaired a bit that people actually had to be told. You shake it up real good to get the fizz going, then you stick it up the poor bastard's ''nose''. '''''Ouch.'''''

** For those familiar only with Ginger Ale, Ginger Beer is a whole different, and much HOTTER, sort of animal.

* [[No Sympathy]]: ...Sort of. While Lu-Tse sympathizes with Vimes and tries to help him, we also have...this:

{{quote|'''Vimes:''' I've been talking to people who are going to die today. Do you have any idea how that feels?

'''Qu:''' Er, yes? ... Everyone I talk to is going to die. Everyone you talk it going to die. Everybody dies. }}

* [[The Obi-Wan]]: Thanks to time travel, Vimes gets to play this role for himself ... though in reality he spends only a small portion of his time training his protege and much more doing badass and heroic (or anti-heroic) things on his own, and takes pains to keep young Sam from doing anything that'd attract attention to himself. Also spending money like water, because he knows for a fact that he will "die" at the end of the week.

* [[Obstructive Bureaucrat]]: Vimes pulls this on the Unmentionables.

* [[Offscreen Moment of Awesome]]: Just after Vimes has apprehended Carcer in the cemetery after both returned to the present, Lord Vetinari turns up. During the following conversation, it transpires that Vetinari was watching the final fight between the Night Watch and Carcer's gang of Particulars and, after Vimes-as-Keel disappeared, Vetinari joined the fight. It's described by Vetinari over one page, and that's it.

* [[Only Known by Their Nickname]]: Snouty. We find out his real name at the end of the book, though.

* [[Opt Out]]: Ned Coates seems to do that in the middle of the book.

* [[Percussive Prevention]]: Vimes knocks out his younger self to keep him out of a fight at one point.

* [[Perspective Flip]]: Basically, the novel can be read as one of these on ''[[Les Misérables]]'', with Vimes as a virtuous [[Inspector Javert]] and Carcer as an evil Valjean, and other characters filling roles from the novel.

* [[Pet the Dog]]: Emphasizing the fact that she is Vetinari's prototypical [[Distaff Counterpart]], Madam's façade only cracks around her cat.

* [[The Poppy]]: The way the survivors of the last battle against Carcer treat the lilac on May 25 is very reminiscent of the Remembrance Day poppy: when new recruits don't understand its significance, they find themselves treading on a taboo.

* [[Powder Keg Crowd]]: People are already rioting against Watch houses elsewhere in the city. Vimes gives orders to prevent anything like that happening in his precinct. See [[To Win Without Fighting]] below.

* [[Production Foreshadowing]]: Early in this novel Vimes mentioned having to worry about some far-flung country going to war affecting Ankh-Morpork. Said war was the main conflict in the following novel, ''[[Discworld/Monstrous Regiment|Monstrous Regiment]]'', and Vimes had a significant (if [[Hero of Another Story|largely unfeatured]]) part in sorting that out.

* [[Rain of Arrows]]: Reg's "death".

* [[Rats in a Box]]: Sped up brilliantly. Vimes finds he has three assassins in custody, two of whom are thoroughly professional, but the third is a showoffy twerp; Vimes classifies him as "the sort that gets a kick out of showing his dagger to women in bars". So, enjoying a ham and hoosegow sandwich, he drags the two others in back, but leaves the door open so Showoff Dan (who Vimes has dubbed "Ferret" for his weaselly demeanor) can hear all the screaming. Before he gets a chance to even grab the keys so Ferret can have his turn, the guy spills - and Vimes reveals that the screaming was just him and the boys goofing around. Ferret starts doing some mental arithmetic, then demands protective custody in return for ponying up everything ''else'' he knows.

* [[Reasonable Authority Figure]]: Vimes, of course, but also the Abbot of the History Monks. He absolutely forbids Lu Tze to do what he's going to do, but follows it up by acknowledging that when he does, it will probably be for the best.

{{quote|"But here's some advice, boy. Don't put your trust in revolutions. They always come around again. That's why they're called revolutions."}}

* [[Ripple-Effect-Proof Memory]]: Intentionally invoked and discussed.

** Major Clive Mountjoy-Standfast is a possible reference to the [[The Duke of Wellington|Duke of Wellington]] as he was born in Quirm but considers himself a patriotic Ankh-Morporkian, just like how Arthur Wellesley was born in Ireland but thought of as the greatest English general of all time.

* [[Shut UP, Hannibal]]: Vimes to Carcer.

** Lu-Tze also claims that it is not quite a [[Stable Time Loop]] in the first place, that Vimes was trained by John Keel, that the rebellion was crushed as he remembered, and all that. Strangely, though, Vetinari remembers the events of the book's past, and not the one that Vimes remembers. Which means either the Sweeper was wrong, that the past and present changed but only Vimes remembers it, or that Lu-Tze was lying to make sure Vimes maintained the loop.

* {{spoiler|[[Staged Populist Uprising]]}}: the rebellion against Lord Winder is being subtly masterminded by {{spoiler|Madam Messerole}}.

** There's also something of a [[Genius Bonus]] [[Title Drop]] in the ''cover'', which is a restaging of the Rembrandt painting nicknamed "The Night Watch".

* [[To Win Without Fighting]]: Inverted: Vimes wisely choosing not to fight is what defuses a mob situation without incident.

* [[Torture Cellar]]: What the Cable Street Particulars have. The [[Torture Technician]] that Captain Swing employs, however, is not a sadistic self-declared "artist" but merely a big bruiser who - as Vimes suspects - thinks nothing of hitting people long after they're unconscious and beating (or raping) them to death. It's all just a job to him.

* [[Verbal Judo]]: Vimes handles a [[Powder Keg Crowd]] amazingly, making sure not to provoke them in any of the ways almost anyone else in his position would have felt only the natural way to react.

* [[Villains Blend in Better]]: Carcer adapts to being sent back in time a lot faster than Vimes: although when Vimes catches up, he catches up rather spectacularly. It's reflected by Vimes that, in a time of chaos, those who remain firm and authoritative and full of conviction can rise to the top very quickly and dictate major events. Which is of course very similar to how 'revolutions' can sometimes succeed despite what seem titanic odds.

** Carcer's patronizing little chuckle, haha.

* [[What You Are in the Dark]]: The entire book is one giant one for Vimes, but especially when he takes Carcer down ''by the book'', in one of the best [[Shut UP, Hannibal|Shut Up Hannibals]] ever.

* [[World Half Empty]]: Past Ankh-Morpork sucks even worse than present, with insane rulers, tyrannical and cruel authorities and even more rampant crime. Vimes repeatedly calls the Watch "just another gang" in his monologues. And he's explicitly told upfront that he cannot, ''cannot'' change any major events, such as a clearly pointless war borne of the Patrician's insanity which will last just long enough to kill many innocent people, or the deaths of many watchmen. However, rather than sitting there and taking it, he makes efforts to reform the watch, prevents a bloodbath on Morphic Street, and changes history by holding his barricade through the entire night when the original Keel failed halfway through, reducing his side's casualties to perhaps a dozen (during the battle, anyways). And he takes down Carcer in the most lawful way possible.

** A minor subversion, though, as it's openly stated that the John Keel that Vimes knew ''was'' the real John Keel...but time travel works as it does in the [[Back to The Future]] series, meaning that Vimes' replacement of Keel {{spoiler|and the much longer-lived barricade}} don't undo the fact that Vimes originally was taught by Keel himself. The book is then Vimes' attempt to replicate Keel as accurately as possible.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Night Watch]]