Character Fours – Page 3 – Enneagram and Encaustic

PAUL ATREIDES (2021), FOUR

Over a year ago I speculated about Paul in general, specifically using Kyle MacLachlan’s portrayal. The Villeneuve Dune was releasing screenshots, jazzing up interest at that time. Then Covid hit and all productions and release dates slid. Now, though, it’s finally here and I’ve seen it. So, who is this version of Paul?

Well, he’s not a Nine, that’s for sure, lol. Chalomet’s Paul is more intense, more angry, more disturbed by visions. Whoa, Four? Isn’t that interesting! He’s a trained fighter but doesn’t have a love for it. He’s interested in the politics of Arrakis — “desert power”, as Leto says — but only because the Fremen culture captivates him. He disdains playing The Game. The Emperor and the Bene Gesserit, the levers of this universe, barely register for him.

And isn’t it curious that his visions of Chani mostly involve emotion? In reality when they meet, she’s impersonal and businesslike, helping him prepare for what she considers his inevitable death. Paul’s inner world is colored by connections: to Chani, his mother, and especially Duncan. It’s a Heart Type relationship. He spends much of the movie in quiet torment.

This Paul is no diplomat, as a Nine would be. He’s a vengeful angel, a conduit for a repressed people, the Fremen. In terms of dramatic potential in future movies, a Four Paul is an excellent choice.

JESPER FAHEY, FOUR

He’s tricky because he’s got a secret. A lot of his character is facade of his own making and also of his childhood fears. As a gambling addict he must always present a lie, as any addict will.

Like the rest of the Crows, his show persona matches his book persona. I love the moment in the show when he clutches the goat, it’s so character revealing and clever.

He’s not a strategist. Leave that to Kaz. His is easily socially wounded, so possibly a Heart Type. But he’s also so physically brilliant, so possibly Body. He’s not heroic enough to be an Eight or Nine, and not fastidious enough for a One, though.

Ah, of course, he’s a Four. He’s stylish in his gunplay, lol! The way he masks his gentle heart seems Four-ish, as does his emotional recklessness. He doesn’t really guard his heart, leaving him open to further hurt. Yet he throws himself into relationships and events fearlessly, regardless. Really only a Four is willing to be simultaneously vulnerable and brave with their feelings.

NINA ZENIK, FOUR

She’s a Four. This is a character who shouts her Enneagram number to the world.

Her passions are large and out in the open. Everyone feels her joie de vivre. She also has that Four stubbornness — remember, for a Four each day has a 50/50 chance to be terrible, so they aren’t dominated by bad times — that we can see when she’s caged in the ship’s hold. She’s a survivor, even through the worst that life offers.

I have a difficult time with Nina in both the show and the books. Her character is fine, but her romance with her captor is deeply problematic. This is a man from a culture that kills her people, a culture that has imprisoned her for being grisha, and she has every expectation that when the ship reaches port she’ll be tortured and put on trial with no hope of reprieve. She can come to see the good in Matthias, that he, too, is a victim of a culture that raised him from boyhood to hate her kind, but not as quickly as she does. The whole relationship is too fast, and it taints my impression of her character. It’s a shame, because she’s brave and loyal. There’s a lot of heroism in Nina, but it’s buried by this cringe-inducing rush to romance.

SHERIFF OF NOTTINGHAM (1991), FOUR

There is no Prince John in Prince of Thieves, but the Sheriff is essentially that role. He machinates for the throne and is the primary antagonist.

I’m quite sure that Alan Rickman knew exactly what he was playing, but I’m sure I don’t. As I mentioned before, he’s in a different movie from the rest of the cast. He’s delivering large: big expressions, dynamic voice, comic reactions. It’s more of a stage than screen performance.

I would say he’s driven by envy, like the other Prince Johns, but he’s not brother to the king. Who does he envy? He has a wooden statue, life-sized, made of himself. He’s possibly just envious of anyone who has society’s attention.

He puts his trust in a witch woman. She has a satanic altar? I don’t know. She’s almost a freaking Muppet she’s so strange and inexplicable. Is she his mother? Look, don’t try to understand. He’s superstitious, though, and she’s basically one of the spinners of fate to him.

And he wants Marian. She’s the only eligible woman in the movie, so who else would he want? Did he desire her before Robin started paying attention? I can’t remember. At the climax of the movie, though, he tries to impregnate her on the floor, wrestling about in a semi-rape, semi-slapstick way, as the priest who married them is still standing there. I swear, the scene is possibly the worst Eight ever filmed. He does fight Robin and end up dead, though.

He’s emotional, he’s funny, he’s envious, and he’s only marginally competent at fighting. Four. Like Robin’s character, I believe he played the trope rather than the script, but he was consistent.

GABBY GABBY, FOUR

She’s similar to Lotso: a kind of mafia don ruling a little fiefdom. She reverses, though, and becomes Woody’s friend with a happy ending, rather than a backstabbing enemy tied to the grill of a garbage truck. I don’t like the choice, lol. As a viewer it’s hard to switch from fear to empathy. And the one thing she does to Woody, even though he ends up a willing participant, is arguably too disturbing for a children’s movie. She’s creepy, and I can’t get past that.

So, does her character stay true to its Enneagram through these changes?

Unlike Lotso, Gabby’s motivation is quite clear: “I want to love a child and be loved in return.” She’s consistent. In order to achieve this she’ll do anything, from psychological manipulation to violence.

She’s not physical. At best we see her walk in that stiff-legged doll waddle. She’s done a lot of planning and thinking. In order to get to point D, a child’s love, she needs to accomplish A, B, and C. Is she a Head Type? Would a Heart Type need a storybook instruction manual in how to have a tea party?

Not a Seven. She’s too timid. She’s kind of sturdy for a Five or Six, though, and the series has always been good about an intuitive sense of body sizes. Also, a true Six would be more idiosyncratic. They might baffle or seem weird, but they’re not creepy. A Five wouldn’t be that ruthless; they’re too socially cautious to pull it off.

Ah. She’s a Four, a Heart Type after all. It’s the self-interest, which sways with her whim. First she’s villainous, then she’s a teammate. A Four can hit all those points in one arc. The storybook isn’t a primer for her! It’s a mirror in which she can admire herself.

What the showrunners have missed, and what they got so right with Woody and Jessie, is the moment when a Four breaks your heart and you love them. Gabby is never lovable. A well-written Four is exasperating but also endearing. Their pain is on their sleeve. Whatever sympathy I have for her quest for a child is undercut by the memory of her glassy-eyed brutality toward Woody. This character needed another trip through the writer’s room in order to balance out her tone.

JOFFREY (BOOK), FOUR

He’s tall, handsome, and next in line to the throne. He’s got it all and he knows it. Why should he be nice?

Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt at the beginning. He’s spoiled and privileged. That doesn’t mean he’s intrinsically awful. When he rides out with Sansa he shows her a lovely day in a beautiful countryside. It’s only with Arya that his dark side emerges.

For a while he seems like a rich boy, petted and selfish. Underneath, though, is a liking for cruelty. He’s not that different from little Robert Arryn, the breastfeeding lordling. He wants to see people fly through his own version of the Moon Door just because he can.

Benefit of the doubt officially over.

He’s a monster, but here’s what’s interesting. When he becomes king he immediately behaves as a tyrant. There’s no warm-up, no testing the waters of power. It’s not politics for him. He just is this way. The only difference is that now no one can tell him to stop. Before this he seemed possibly juvenile. But he’s a sadist. He enjoys the pain.

He’s passive until the throne is brought to him by his father’s death. He doesn’t engage in politics and he makes no effort to learn. When he sits on the throne and rules, cruel whim informs his decisions. Law and justice mean nothing to him. He’s no Head Type.

And he’s no Body Type. Little Arya beats him up. Weapons training is not something he pursues with passion.

So, Heart. Two, Three, or Four?

He’s not clever. Sansa talks rings around him. So does The Hound. He’s not nice enough to be a Two and not successful enough to be a Three. (His mother got him the throne. And no one likes him there.) That leaves a nasty Four. That explains his ability to misdirect people with his prettiness. Smoke and mirrors.

STANNIS BARATHEON (BOOK), FOUR

Why did Stannis leave? He was going places — investigating? — with Jon Arryn before his death, and now Stannis has abandoned King’s Landing. Apparently he’s either too careful to succeed or he’s a coward. Also, he’s quite a prude and no one likes him. So there.

Seat Stannis on the throne and the realm will bleed.

My God, he’s bitter. He’s steeped in poison of his own thoughts. He’s a resentful person, envious of Renly. And Ned. Wow, is Stannis a horrible, small-minded tyrant. However, he’s not kind, he’s not successful, and he’s not witty. None of the Heart Types fit him.

One goes to Four in weakness. The WHAMming (What About Me?), the envy, are part of that slide. The obsession with rules and details are the One side. He’s petty and selfish, with none of the charm of either number. A turn toward Seven would be a strength move. You can see how if he considered his options — join with Renly, join with Winterfell — he would improve his chances. Instead he chooses the Red Woman, the occult, which narrows his odds even further. Why in the world did Ned consider this man a possible monarch? No bloodline is strong enough to make Stannis worthy.

CATWOMAN (1992-1995), FOUR

As I mentioned in my Batman study, the Catwoman from Batman: the Animated Series is a Four. It’s the interaction between the two characters, how they’re drawn to each other in spite of the potential for a toxic relationship, that defines their Enneagram numbers.

Selina Kyle reacts so vehemently to the news that her plans for a large cat refuge are in danger. Another developer has beat her to the land. In front of Bruce she has a loud meltdown. Her willingness to expose so much emotion, and Bruce’s reaction (her passion entices him), show who they are.

She’s at peace with pretty much everything about herself. Vitality, sensuality, greed, comfort (this Catwoman is wealthy) — dark and light — are all welcome traits to her. Her only surprise is when Batman puts police cuffs on her. His sense of justice outweighs his feelings, something a Four doesn’t expect.

PRINCE JOHN (1938), FOUR

Claude Rains is magnificent. He’s so beautifully oily and conniving. Has he set the tone for how John will be portrayed in all the films to follow?

In real life John was 33 when he was crowned. A grown man, was he as self-indulgent and childish as he’s portrayed? Did he machinate and plot his brother’s death? Whatever is true about John, Richard really was a warrior’s warrior, more interested in fighting than in staying home and ruling. Rains’ portrayal conveys some of the sense that being king is unglamorous and thankless. Everyone loves Richard, who’s not a great administrator. John, collecting taxes and running the country, is the villain.

Envy. This is what Rains works with. His John doesn’t just want to be king, he wants revenge against Richard on a personal level. Rains isn’t tall (as John wasn’t) but he’s playing a Four. It’s that sardonic temperament. He’s detached yet focused, hurt yet impervious. He’s winsome and deadly dangerous. Of the Heart Types, only a Four can embody such an interesting dichotomy.

GEORGE WICKHAM, FOUR

His moment in the spotlight is the one part of Pride and Prejudice that I hardly want to read or watch anymore. The sparkle of his character rubbed off long ago.

Regardless, to judge his Enneagram number I must think back to when his ruse was tolerable to me. His charm, his ability to redirect, is an important aspect of his character. His ability to see weakness is the key. Elizabeth wants to hear a story that impugns Darcy, and Wickham delivers it to her. She wants to believe that Darcy is a villain, and Wickham is ready to serve it up.

On a side note, isn’t it interesting that Wickham is never played by an above-the-line actor? In Bridget Jones’ Diary he completely is. Hugh Grant, A-lister. I barely remember the Wickham of the other versions. Productions cut corners on the Wickham salary. It’s annoying, actually, and partly why I’m uninterested to delve into his Enneagram.

In the book, Wickham’s problem is that he makes Lizzy look a fool. She’s our heroine; we don’t want to see her fall. Her pride (or is it prejudice?) allows her to trust a con artist.

A con artist. As a last resort he becomes a soldier. He has no other prospects for a profession. He thought he might be a lawyer or clergyman, and blew away his path to those careers. He’s not physical and he’s not erudite. He’s a Heart Type.

He’s a Four.

He can’t be a Three, he’s too much of a failure. And he can’t be a Two. He’s too nasty for it.

He can charm the socks off of everyone. Four. It’s all about what he wants and why he’s not getting it. Four. And it’s all about tomorrow. Put off the failures and problems of today, and they’ll probably resolve themselves on a new day. (And they do, mostly.)