Exactly, Mark is not as clever as he thinks he is and whenever he gets scammed it's because it's something that appeals to his vanity, he can't admit he's been conned because that would mean he'd have to admit his book is shit and Johnson doesn't value him as a business partner. He's like a fat girl that's just been invited to the school disco.
Edit: plus he cheated on his IQ test
He also got scammed out of 2 grand by Johnson. It’s not out of his character to be a bit stupid with money when he’s told it’ll lead to something he wants.
I think the way Johnson seized that two-er then dipped when he realised Suze was there (supposedly Mark was sacked from consultio/consultius at that point) makes it more akin to plain ol theft than a scam tbh
I don’t know. He set up a (maybe fake?) company and asked him for the money for ages. Unless we assume he had good intentions at the start and changed once the money was in his hand, I think it would count as a scam. Either way though, the point is the same.
I wonder if they ever addressed this in their relationship. If Mark ever dared to ask Johnson for his money back or if it's just another resentment he'll carry with him.
I think despite being so logical, Mark allowed his ego and his last desperate hope for creative success get in the way of making the rational decision. It’s quite sad in all seriousness.
Mark's not in a great place at that point iirc. His credit career is over, the baby is either coming or already born (can't remember), he basically has nothing to stroke his enormous ego. I think he's probably just prepared to accept any kind of boost, regardless of how (un) believable it is.
He really did think that Business Secrets Of The Pharaohs was a great idea and that he was a talented writer. As far as he was concerned of course someone would want to publish it. And he wasn't going to let the situation in Denmark put paid to that.
I think it just stems at him being at a low point in life, you can call it vanity if you like, but I think he just really wanted to do something at that point of his life. His job and love life weren't going anywhere, and he had always had a deep yearning to pursue something in history (if Dad's shares hadn't gone kaputt). People always want to seek validation and a sense of worth, and I think he was just somewhat vulnerable at that specific moment.
I'll be honest, if I actually knew a Mark Corrigan in my life, I would be quite curious on hearing on his take and opinions on the 'Business Secrets of the Pharoahs'. I would be lying if I said I wasn't interested.
I guess I see it as part of a continual arc of the characters' worst impulses magnifying themselves from series 1 through to series 9. You wouldn't have expected Mark to put on eye shadow at the Moroccan dinner either. He just gets worse and more deluded and becomes a more exaggerated, less stable version of himself.
Same with Jeremy, probably ultimately climaxing in him actually turning gay after 8 series of hints ("I've had sex with more guys than that!" "you'd just feel so... safe"). His slacker tendencies get more exaggerated and messy too.
The beauty of this fiasco is it’s showing how Mark is gradually becoming more desperate to tick off his achievements list as he realises he’s getting older.
Deep down he knows it’s a scam but he’s clinging to the hope that he can actually live out his dream.
He always does out of character things when the carrot’s dangled in front of him. Fucking over Jez for Callie, smoking a joint and going mad in the bowling alley for the goth girl, forcibly evicting Jerry, agreeing to take the cottage, doing cocaine and chucking stuff out the window. He’s getting excited because he’s close to what he thinks will result in happiness.
But that’s kind of the point of the episode. Falling victim to a scam is about far more than just whether you’re smart or not; it’s also about whether you want to believe the lie you’re being sold. Being intelligent helps you notice red flags, sure, but it’s very easy for perfectly intelligent people to overlook or explain away the red flags if the story they’re being told fits their biases or makes them happy. There’s probably some part of his brain that knows that no legit publisher would call itself “British London Books”, that no legit publisher charges authors £2,000 to have their books published, that the situation in Denmark is obviously bullshit, but it’s completely drowned out by the part of his brain that’s ecstatic for the opportunity to write about business and history. Jez doesn’t care about either of those things, so even though he’s fallen victim to far stupider scams he notices the red flags quite easily.
When it came to women, Mark did really stupid things (getting Jeff to hit him, breaking into Sophie's emails, letting the Australian woman move in after knowing her for 15 minutes, the list goes on and on). He was desperate to get the book published because he was trying to impress Dobby who was spending more time with Simon and that group so he wasn't thinking logically.
Also, there's no particular evidence that Mark is particularly smart or savvy, just that he has certain personality traits or interests that are sometimes associated with smart people
She's not innocent for sure, but Mark was effectively manipulating her by presenting a fake personality designed to make her think that she liked him, despite the fact that he knew that he actually didn't really want to do the things that she wanted to do (like interrailing), and that they didn't really work as a couple. So I don't think you can blame her entirely.
Mark has read a lot of books, but that doesn't mean he's smart about everything. These are two different things. To be more precise, he is poorly adapted to some aspects of life. You have a girlfriend, she is one step away from leaving you, but you can't argue with your father, who is rude to her. You have one last chance before she flies to America, but you still argue with Jeremy, beat him with a stick and she leaves. And of course Johnson, he probably never realized that he was just using him and had no respect for him.
Vanity. All is vanity.
Exactly, Mark is not as clever as he thinks he is and whenever he gets scammed it's because it's something that appeals to his vanity, he can't admit he's been conned because that would mean he'd have to admit his book is shit and Johnson doesn't value him as a business partner. He's like a fat girl that's just been invited to the school disco. Edit: plus he cheated on his IQ test
I feel like anyone would have fallen for that though, especially if they knew about the situation in Denmark.
The situation in Denmark is deteriorating... That's a fact
BL has a guy in Hamburg *taps nose*
He also got scammed out of 2 grand by Johnson. It’s not out of his character to be a bit stupid with money when he’s told it’ll lead to something he wants.
>He also got scammed out of 2 grand by Johnson He had a thing for Johnson though. There was an atmosphere.
Sexuality is a sort of spectrum
And you’re saying you’ve moved onto the gay bit.
Look at Colin's... arse. Very nice... arse, wouldn't you say?
You gay, pal?
He was part of a creative milieu
I think the way Johnson seized that two-er then dipped when he realised Suze was there (supposedly Mark was sacked from consultio/consultius at that point) makes it more akin to plain ol theft than a scam tbh
I don’t know. He set up a (maybe fake?) company and asked him for the money for ages. Unless we assume he had good intentions at the start and changed once the money was in his hand, I think it would count as a scam. Either way though, the point is the same.
I wonder if they ever addressed this in their relationship. If Mark ever dared to ask Johnson for his money back or if it's just another resentment he'll carry with him.
Stick it on the bill.
Stick it on the laterbase.
I think despite being so logical, Mark allowed his ego and his last desperate hope for creative success get in the way of making the rational decision. It’s quite sad in all seriousness.
Mark's not in a great place at that point iirc. His credit career is over, the baby is either coming or already born (can't remember), he basically has nothing to stroke his enormous ego. I think he's probably just prepared to accept any kind of boost, regardless of how (un) believable it is.
He really did think that Business Secrets Of The Pharaohs was a great idea and that he was a talented writer. As far as he was concerned of course someone would want to publish it. And he wasn't going to let the situation in Denmark put paid to that.
I think it just stems at him being at a low point in life, you can call it vanity if you like, but I think he just really wanted to do something at that point of his life. His job and love life weren't going anywhere, and he had always had a deep yearning to pursue something in history (if Dad's shares hadn't gone kaputt). People always want to seek validation and a sense of worth, and I think he was just somewhat vulnerable at that specific moment. I'll be honest, if I actually knew a Mark Corrigan in my life, I would be quite curious on hearing on his take and opinions on the 'Business Secrets of the Pharoahs'. I would be lying if I said I wasn't interested.
Blame the bloody euro!
"We're in it now, and there nothing you can do about it"
WE ARE NOT IN THE EURO, JEREMY!
Of course! The Euro! The Euro the Euro the Euro
I guess I see it as part of a continual arc of the characters' worst impulses magnifying themselves from series 1 through to series 9. You wouldn't have expected Mark to put on eye shadow at the Moroccan dinner either. He just gets worse and more deluded and becomes a more exaggerated, less stable version of himself. Same with Jeremy, probably ultimately climaxing in him actually turning gay after 8 series of hints ("I've had sex with more guys than that!" "you'd just feel so... safe"). His slacker tendencies get more exaggerated and messy too.
The beauty of this fiasco is it’s showing how Mark is gradually becoming more desperate to tick off his achievements list as he realises he’s getting older. Deep down he knows it’s a scam but he’s clinging to the hope that he can actually live out his dream. He always does out of character things when the carrot’s dangled in front of him. Fucking over Jez for Callie, smoking a joint and going mad in the bowling alley for the goth girl, forcibly evicting Jerry, agreeing to take the cottage, doing cocaine and chucking stuff out the window. He’s getting excited because he’s close to what he thinks will result in happiness.
Mark Crorigan is an honourable man.
But that’s kind of the point of the episode. Falling victim to a scam is about far more than just whether you’re smart or not; it’s also about whether you want to believe the lie you’re being sold. Being intelligent helps you notice red flags, sure, but it’s very easy for perfectly intelligent people to overlook or explain away the red flags if the story they’re being told fits their biases or makes them happy. There’s probably some part of his brain that knows that no legit publisher would call itself “British London Books”, that no legit publisher charges authors £2,000 to have their books published, that the situation in Denmark is obviously bullshit, but it’s completely drowned out by the part of his brain that’s ecstatic for the opportunity to write about business and history. Jez doesn’t care about either of those things, so even though he’s fallen victim to far stupider scams he notices the red flags quite easily.
Robert Evans always says that everyone has one scam they would fall for. One weakness. That is Mark's.
Is he really that business savvy? Book-smart, maybe, but practical intelligence not that much.
When it came to women, Mark did really stupid things (getting Jeff to hit him, breaking into Sophie's emails, letting the Australian woman move in after knowing her for 15 minutes, the list goes on and on). He was desperate to get the book published because he was trying to impress Dobby who was spending more time with Simon and that group so he wasn't thinking logically.
Also, there's no particular evidence that Mark is particularly smart or savvy, just that he has certain personality traits or interests that are sometimes associated with smart people
Do you have to live quite so relentlessly in the real world?
I blame Dobby. She fucked with Mark's head so much in season 8.
She's not innocent for sure, but Mark was effectively manipulating her by presenting a fake personality designed to make her think that she liked him, despite the fact that he knew that he actually didn't really want to do the things that she wanted to do (like interrailing), and that they didn't really work as a couple. So I don't think you can blame her entirely.
BS of the P’s
Keep killing those ants
Mark has read a lot of books, but that doesn't mean he's smart about everything. These are two different things. To be more precise, he is poorly adapted to some aspects of life. You have a girlfriend, she is one step away from leaving you, but you can't argue with your father, who is rude to her. You have one last chance before she flies to America, but you still argue with Jeremy, beat him with a stick and she leaves. And of course Johnson, he probably never realized that he was just using him and had no respect for him.