I Rant About Black Widow
The reason why people say this fight scene is dumb is an understandable one. At first glance, it looks like a well-choreographed but random fight, like the producers threw it in just because they needed something interesting to happen. After all, why would two sisters be trying to murder each other out of nowhere?
There is an explanation, and that explanation is emotion.
First, I want you to think about how Natasha is feeling at this point. She’s already stressed: the Avengers have broken up and 117 countries are hunting her down with the intention of throwing her in prison to rot. That would push someone close to the edge already. To top it off, she’s just been attacked and defeated by some guy in a fancy suit who can mimic her moves and use them against her. She doesn’t know who he’s working for or what they want, but she does know that it has something to do with her sister Yelena.
That must be a massive punch in the gut to Natasha. She hasn’t seen Yelena in twenty years, and as we learn shortly after the fight, genuinely believes that she took down the Red Room and freed the Black Widows. There’s no reason that Yelena would be involved with some secret violent conspiracy, right?
Now if you ask me, Natasha really does think that Dreykov is dead, but there’s wishful thinking going on too. The Red Room and the separation from Yelena were so traumatizing that she would prefer to avoid any reminders of that pain. As she says later, “Honestly, I didn’t think you’d want to see me,” she assumes that Yelena wants to forget about all that as well.
At the fight scene in Budapest, Natasha is going in with almost no information or trust, and a great deal of fear and anger that her broken relationships are being dredged up again. Now onto Yelena.
The audience can guess that Natasha was very important to Yelena from the photographs in the mind control antidote. If she loves Natasha enough to hold onto those photos for two decades, she probably isn’t thrilled that Natasha apparently feels the opposite.
Yelena refers to herself as Natasha’s family—“you didn’t want your little sister tagging along whilst you saved the world with the cool kids”—which hints to us how Yelena feels about Natasha treating her distantly for their first few scenes together.
For a big chunk of the rest of the movie, Natasha spends a ton of time in denial. She doesn’t want to acknowledge Yelena as her sister for the reasons I mentioned above, and also the unavoidable truth that if they’re family, Natasha has abandoned her little sister. While Natasha is trying to push these feelings down, Yelena very much feels the sting of betrayal. She doesn’t see the trauma left behind on Natasha, she sees her own and is angry that Natasha willingly left her to that.
Yelena has also just come out of extended and brutal mind control and doesn’t know which parts of her were real. She won’t trust anyone, least of all the person indirectly responsible for it.
So, to summarize, we have the perfect recipe for a fight here. Yelena is furious that she was betrayed and left to her own devices. Natasha is stressed and deeply in denial about her past. It’s clear to both of them that the other one does not trust them and is not to be trusted.
Looking closer at the actual fight also clears things up a bit. Natasha is more on the defensive and when she has an opportunity or the upper hand, uses it to disarm and try to pin Yelena to the ground instead of hurting her. She’s also the first to call for a truce when they’re strangling each other. On the other hand, Yelena slams Natasha’s head into the wall a few times and goes for a very large knife when given the chance.
In conclusion, this fight scene seems out of place at first glance, but if you look at Natasha and Yelena’s mental/emotional states at the time, it makes a lot more sense.
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After The Bridge
an: scene insert for Black Widow for (obviously) after the bridge, or how Natasha got from Norway to Budapest. (Warnings for nightmares/bad dreams. 1k, Gif not mine, BWF2022. I’m tired friends.)
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Panting heavily, Natasha uses the last of her energy to wade through the frigid water.
Collapsing heavily on the rocks at the bank, she focuses hard on her breathing.
In.
Out.
She holds onto her ribs, she’s not sure if they're bruised or broken.
Her hand falls on the vials and she pulls them out, the bright red pierces through the darkness and she winces at the light.
Breathe, she reminds herself.
Her hands shake as she pulls the picture out. The other half of the one that’s stored in her go box in Ohio.
The one that Clint knows to grab if, when, anything happens to her.
It’s safe there.
She swears. This means..
This means so much.
Yelena is alive.
Yelena is in Budapest.
Yelena… needs her help.
She can’t stay here.
Panic curls in her chest as she pushes herself into a seated position.
She has to go back to the RV, her ID and money are there. If she can do that, she can get a phone and check in to the airport hotel, book a flight.
But first; she just needs to get up.
Holding her breath, Natasha braces and stands. Her legs feel like lead, and her vision blurs as she starts to walk.
She’s going to steal a car, that much she knows, she can’t keep this up, she’s tired and cold and in pain.
The first opportunity comes when she sees a Volkswagen Golf parked. It’s a older model that she thinks she can hot wire.
Turning away, she elbows the window and smashes it. The car alarm blasts; and she slides in, body uncooperative and fine motor skills shot as she pulls the wires down, severs two and joins them together.
An electrical current pulses through her fingertips and she swears heavily, sucking on her fingers. The alarm finally stops as the car starts up and she leans back on the seat and heaves a breath.
Pain shudders through her body. She wants to be somewhere safe so she can focus on what the fuck just happened.
If she thinks about it now and replays it in her head, she’s sure her body will shut down.
She drives; shivering heavily, and only remembering to breathe when her brain screams for it.
Natasha makes it back to the pitch black RV and remembers why she went out in the first place. She forces her body to move.
Like the generator, she’s running on empty.
She wants to make this as quick as possible. Unlocking the door, she strips and heads to the bedroom, peeling her wet clothes off.
She deliberately does not look over her body, preferring to be ignorant of her injuries. She knows it hurts, that’s good enough for now.
Natasha feels marginally better with fresh clothes and picks up two ID packs she’s separated out.
Packing the laptop and stuffing it into her backpack; she wraps some clothes around the vials and kneels to feel for the wad of money under the mattress.
She dumps that into the bag and then a water bottle and some food and leaves; back to the car. She contemplates blowing it up, but decides against it, sentimentality overriding sense.
There’s nothing in there that ties her to this place, and she doesn’t want to piss off Remy any more than she has.
Climbing back into the idling car, she pulls away.
To think that four hours ago, she was in her element watching Bond movies and eating chocolate, and now, she’s back on the fucking run.
At least this time she’s running somewhere.
To someone.
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Natasha checks in to the Radisson Blu Hotel at the airport, and is barely holding it together as she rides the elevator.
Her hands are ice cold, and pain is radiating from every inch of her, breathing is hard; she’s on the edge of a panic attack and can feel it rising.
Room 705, she tells herself.
Opening the door, she eyes the bed.
She still needs to book the flight to Budapest.
She needs to clean her wounds.
Yelena is waiting.
.
She disguises her hair as short and takes on the alias of Ruth Smith, an engineer from England.
The accent is easy enough to fake as she boards the plane, hiding in economy at the back of the plane.
Everything hurts.
She is so tired.
Everything about the last night is a blur and all she can remember is the ice bath in the hotel that finally grounded her enough to book a flight and patch her wounds.
She’d woken on the floor, not remembering how she got to sleep, which in itself was worrying. Natasha knows she’s probably got a low grade concussion and it’s making her reflexes slower.
Thankful for the window seat, she pushes her bag under the seat in front of her and pulls her jacket around her.
There’s still cold in her bones from falling in the water, and a feeling that, until this is over, she’ll never get warm.
The plane ride is predictable.
The flight attendants check on her, ask her if she’s okay, and within her row there’s only one other person. He keeps to himself, and looks harmless enough.
Threats assessed, Natasha closes her eyes.
.
She dreams of swimming.
Fake memories mix with real ones, as she sees Yelena drowning. She’s too far away and can’t save her.
The dream morphs and it’s Yelena behind the mask.
“You killed me,” she growls.
It changes and it’s Dreykov; his face is burning, and and he laughs.
Natasha feels a hand on her thigh and she startles.
The feeling withdraws and she orients to the owner.
It’s her seat mate.
“Sorry,” he whispers, “you sounded distressed.”
The fact that she’d made any noise at all feels disturbing to Natasha, as she nods and licks her lips .
“Thank you, sorry,” she says quietly back.
The plane is dark and quiet, and the man nods, adjusting his attention back to the tiny screen in front of him.
He pats the seat between them, drawing Natasha’s attention to the small packaged cake and bottle of water.
“You were asleep,” he says by way of explanation, not turning to her but watching the movie. He seems to know instinctively that she does not want interaction.
Tears prick at Natasha’s eyes.
She’s always surprised at the kindness of strangers.
She shouldn’t be.
Maybe one day she’ll repay the world.
Taking the water, she sips it slowly, hoping that she’s not walking into a trap.
.
<3
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