As I was watching The Living Daylights, all I could think about was our conversation about the changing image of masculinity. While I think Timothy Dalton plays a seemingly serious Bond (he's not winking at us about jokes, like Rodger Moore did), he also seems to be the kind of man that women actually want to be with instead of forced to be with. That is, he's not nearly as pompous as Moore nor as aggressive and egotistical as Connery; to me, he's likable.
Even though the plot is quite difficult to follow--one minute they're in Afghanistan, the next they're in Russia (I think)--I feel that Dalton's likability makes up for the confusing plot and lack of explanation. I feel almost embarrassed to say this, but I found myself rooting for the love story between Bond and Kara more than I was rooting for Bond to save the world--but I think that's the point. With this new idea of masculinity comes new purposes for the Bond films. Instead of concentrating solely on saving the world with a relationship as a sub-story, The Living Daylights makes Bond's and Kara's relationship a central point that not only drives the plot, but exposes a soft and kind side to Bond.
However, I'm curious to learn how the next film begins. It seems wrong to present viewers with a Bond who actually stays with one woman for the duration of an entire film only to begin a next film with an entirely different string of women. Yet, I know that it is part of the Bond formula to present a new damsel in distress, and I know that indeed, there will be other women to save.
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