Saint James Infirmary #1364: “Wife Material”

[Daphne]

Script: Daphne • Line Art: Plutonian Knight • Colors and Lettering: Octavia Moon

[sytry]

Miriam is looking particularly diabolical today!

[Sharque]

Based on Miriam’s dialogue, it seems that Erin at least is being simultaneously prepared for both Adrian and Jakob, Adrian as the husband and Jakob as the “good doctor.” The others are most likely also being prepared the same way (except maybe Aiken?), but I do wonder if this is something that the watch can fix. Adrian should be finished at the infirmary based on last issue, so theoretically he should be arriving to Jacqui's soon.

I’m looking forward to it. This is a confrontation that’s been almost two years in the making now

[GodWilling]

So what is Aiken being prepared for? What is the programming that his oddly literal dream illustrates? That he has no problem with Erin being forcibly made more compliant so he can have her and she will love him?

If that is programming intended to last, then is it possible that he is Erin's husband and the two are currently consummating their marriage (albeit I don't think this is the first time they've had sex even today)? That's unless he's just been given something to think about to render their current real world copulation possible. But that would point towards the dreams occurring in the minds of the soulless bodies.

Obviously Miriam's hands can't always be providing her magic touch, but she is being quite tactile with Erin in the bedroom. Panel four in particular reminds me of 1277. But it also juxtaposes her touching of Erin's soulless body with the spiral from Erin's dream.

I suppose this page is the first confirmation we've had that Miriam is aware of specific details of Erin's dream. Does that imply that she's driving it? "...and they'll have so much fun with what's left over." I'm still intrigued by who they are. It's certainly possible that the good doctor is Jakob, and that Miriam too is under his mental domination. But I'm also intrigued by who or what Miriam is. Are the they contained within her? Are they driving Erin's dream?

Anyway, I'd be perfectly happy to get pages with Miriam doing this for each of her other victims - and several more of her doing it with Erin, come to that. Adrian was apparently ready to head off to Jacqui's place at the end of 1343 but by 1351 he'd decided he needed to show Raven the watch. They're surely not going to face up to Miriam on empty stomachs, are they? And Adrian should probably change his socks. And we know how long it takes him to find clean socks. Pages, hopefully.