The Magnificent Seven

Like it was going to be anything else? Could there be anything more appropriate?

I should note I got involved in the Mag 7 fandom via fanfiction. Someone wrote a crossover and I enjoyed the interaction of the guys so much I had to go look them up. For a television series that only lasted two seasons, they certainly have an extraordinarily large fan-base. New stories come out weekly to further expound upon their adventures in the Wild West, and even more amazing, a plethora of alternate universes exist to delight fans. Now, what are my favorites?



Well, you'd have to start with the seven men themselves. The group of seven have a remarkable chemistry that made the show...and saved two of the characters originally slated to die in the pilot! These seven men come together for one fight, get pulled into helping a judge catch a murderer and end up taking on protecting a town for 30 days. Funny, but they never seem to get to the end of that 30 days.


Chris Larabee is my favorite. A brooding gunslinger with a tragic past, he's the alpha male of the group. His leadership is pretty much automatic; it's like the others just recognize it. Despite the edge of danger to his personality and sometimes caustic attitude, you can see his concern for the people around him. He's got his own code, and he will stick to it - even if the more "civilized" don't agree with him.


Ezra Standish is next on my list. He's a flamboyant gambler with a heart of gold he tries desperately to keep hidden. Despite himself, he continues to eventually do the right thing. He does have a weakness for money, but it will take a backseat to what's right when it comes down to the pinch. He has a good dose of courage too - after abandoning the guys originally, he comes back on his own to face the music and help finish the job.


Vin Tanner is a tracker/sharpshooter who hails from my home state of Texas. He's usually one of the more soft spoken of the men, letting his actions speak for him. They speak loudly. Honor is highly important to him - despite having a price on his head, he stays at the town to help defend it. When they split up in the second season, he is the first one Chris goes to get back and he doesn't hesitate. His first instinct is to determine the level of danger to the town.


Nathan Jackson has one of the most developed backgrounds of all of the men. He is a former slave who escaped and found refuge in the Union army. He works as the town's healer, and he gives of himself without expectation from others. He is the catalyst to bringing the men together for the first time as Chris and Vin join forces to save him from being lynched. He is possibly the most compassionate of them.


Josiah Sanchez is the oldest of the men, and you get the feeling he's been everywhere and done everything. He's got some dark spots in his past and seems to be seeking forgiveness for part of that past. His attitude often reflects a more Old Testament kind of spirit. He is strong-willed, steadfast and humorous.


JD Dunne...the Kid of the group. He's the greenhorn from back east wanting to make it in the rough and tumble West. He's still got a kid's view of right, wrong, fair and unfair...he's the innocence of the group. He also ends up being the "little brother" to the others. They all seem to have just a little more patience with him - even if it's only a sliver. More than anything though, we get to see him grow up just a bit over the two seasons; grow up without growing hard/mean, and you have to wonder how much of that is due to his "big brothers".


Buck Wilmington is the group's rogue, the ladies' man. He loves living up to his reputation too. He is an unrepentant flirt, but is completely redeemed by his protective nature. Someone harming a woman? He is the hand of justice. Exasperating? Yes, definitely at times, but it's a fond exasperation. In addition to his protective stance on women, he wins extra brownie points for his loyalty and devotion to the rest of the guys - as can be seen in his loyalty to Chris and his 'guardianship' of JD.



The show itself had a wonderful mix of drama, adventure, comedy, tragedy, and even a touch of romance all wrapped up in an Old West setting. The desire for freedom, for people to be able to stand on their own two feet without interference (helpful or hurtful) from someone or something more powerful, resonates in the show's best characters - the Seven, Mary Travis, Nettie Wells, Inez Recillos, and so forth.



Some quotes:

Ezra: When the sanctified dead rise from their graves to receive judgment, I'll start doling out cash.

Josiah: Now that there's divine intervention. Me, I was gonna shoot your hand off.

JD: Are you about a hundred pounds of stupid?

Sheriff Stane: [coming out from the courthouse to pick up his gunbelt] You stole my bullets.
J.D. Dunne: You be careful, mister. We'll send 'em back.

Nathan: It's not like you ridin' off alone to save the day. What's come over you?
Ezra: I'll let you know when I figure it out.

Ezra Standish: Just don't blow up the son of a bitch who's wearing my coat.

Buck: Well, hell, Ezra, this hand's got as much chance as a one-legged man in a butt kicking contest.

Chris: If he was perfect, he wouldn't be one of us.

Vin: That's nice. Now I'm going to tell *you* how it is. I believe your men aren't good enough to face us and you're just a coward who threatens old women. Soon as you give us what we came for, we'll get the hell off your property.

Vin: How's your Spanish?
Chris Larabee: Bueno. Yours?
Vin: What's "bueno" mean?







I could say so much more, but we'd be here all day. Go and check it out!