I've been kind of chewing MVP over in my head ever since it came out, because I couldn't figure out John's characterization at first, but now I think I like this characterization a lot--a lot a lot.

I get the impression that while John would die for his team and while he's generous with his attention, he keeps a sort of distance between himself and people in everyday interactions. So his neediness *seems* like it wouldn't fit, but it feels so natural to his character; it reminds me of how John acted in Sanctuary, where he also seemed needier than my impression of his overall character might indicate.

So for a while I was really struggling to reconcile his character with his behavior in this story, because it seemed like a big contradiction, but it makes *sense* now.

So what I mean to say is that after thinking about it for a week and a half, I've come to really adore this story. The John here is kinda spinning between detachment and neediness, a lot like the one in the show, and that contradiction is *not* glossed over or ignored here, and I really admire that.