Patriot Dossier - Tom Tavner

Hey,
Hope you’re double great. I want to talk about character development throughout Patriot, focusing on supporting roles and the relative perspectives, starting with Tom Tavner in Episodes 1 and 2. As Leslie always says, let’s get to work.

Tom Tavner, Director of Intelligence and a father of two sons, John, his intelligence officer, and Edward, a congressman in D.C., is currently dominating in D.C. while John’s in Amsterdam recovering from his last assignment. This is explained in the song “Birds of Amsterdam,” kicking off this episode. He calls Edward, says he needs him, and wants him to come over. Tom wants to get ahead of the election in Iran and volunteers John to rig the election and keep the nuclear weapons project dormant. He admits to Wilma that John is a folk musician and that his lyrics are becoming increasingly honest. He also says John isn’t like everyone else. Tom knows he’s had a tough year, and he’s worried about him. Regardless, he shows up to tell John’s wife, Alice, at her job as a school teacher that he’ll be sending John on another assignment and invites her over for a beer, since he feels they should have been more in contact.

When Ed comes over, Tom tells him to bring his brother home from Amsterdam, then tests his loyalty to John regarding an incident from when they were kids. Once John’s home, Tom tells him that he needs him to go undercover at McMillan and deliver a bag of money from the U.S. to Amsterdam. From A to B, it couldn’t be simpler. Tom lines that up with the job so he can travel discreetly, help his brother in case he needs anything. John leaves on his mission. Tom tells Ed he’ll be asking a lot of him this year and talks about family values. The next morning, he finds out the bag wasn’t delivered and that they were conned by the cleric working for the other side. He calls John to tell him that he needs him to go back and get the money.

Tom goes to Milwaukee to visit John at his apartment to let him know that the physicist’s wife will be retrieving the bag. He also tells John about Kantor Wally’s threatening past as a child competing in world championships and Battleship against adults. Tom talks to Carlson over a game of racquetball to make sure the Amsterdam Police Department doesn’t get permission to go to the U.S. to investigate the murder John committed. Tom returns home to spend time with Alice and Ed, reminiscing about a Beastie Boys concert he took Ed to when they were younger. After he gets to the best part, there’s a news report saying that Kantor Wally is becoming more popular as a candidate in Iran.

Tom uses intelligence selectively. He doesn’t disclose John’s capture to Wilma Waters. He doesn’t tell Alice about John’s experiences or where he is. He doesn’t tell Ed he knows that he and John ruined his Sony VX3 video camera when they were kids, and he doesn’t tell him that he knows Ephraim is his son. He uses that information later as subtle ammunition to highlight the importance of family, to remind Ed that family always comes first, emphasizing that the blood bond between the Tavners has to remain strong, come what may. He keeps his family in the fog of war and only gives details when he actually needs something or loses control of the situation. This is reinforced by his conversation with Carlton.

A recurring theme throughout the show is the way John’s depression and PTSD is addressed. Tom says John isn’t like everyone else. His brother calls him weird. When John confides in Ed to explain his interview at McMillan and that it was messed up due to bad intelligence, he doesn’t empathize. He just assures John that everything will be okay, even though John knows it probably won’t.