You Only Live Twice, Mr. Bond

 Hey guys.

This post is gonna be a little somber and toned down and I'm probably not even going to promote it but I feel that I need an outlet for my emotions right now. Sean Connery just passed away, and I need to talk about why it's so important for me.

I was maybe seven or eight years old, and my parents weren't home. All I was doing was flipping through channels on my couch, especially the English movie channels, I loved those. I came across some random film on a channel, "The Spy Who Loved Me" and it was just beginning. "So does England, my dear", says a man in a ski suit and then walks out of a shack. The opening unfolds and young me was hooked. I watched it through in one sitting, and that was rare for me; I was rarely able to that for films, especially for old films. That one afternoon probably shaped most of my life right now because, after that, most of my days were spent surfing English movie channels in the hopes that a James Bond movie would be on.

In 2012, my parents, unknown to the fact that I was already a Bond fan, told me that they were going to take me to a movie. I was 10 and already loved going to the cinema. I had no idea what movie we were going to watch, but it was a late-night show and it was my favorite time to watch a movie so I wasn't asking questions. And to my sheer and absolute delight, the first few notes of the Bond theme blare as Daniel Craig comes into focus. Though this happened over 8 years ago when I was still a kid, I remember this one night incredibly well.

Seventh-grade me would try so hard to replicate so many scenes from various Bond films. The "You've had your six" scene from Dr. No, Craig's sleeve adjusting in Skyfall, Dalton's "Bond... James Bond" in The Living Daylights and so many more. 

What I'm trying to say is that James Bond was a huge part of my life, and every time someone who was related to the Bond franchise passes away, it feels as if a part of my childhood goes with them. I have grown up on the films and Connery made the most important contribution to the character: he made it. Without Connery, it would have been nigh impossible for James Bond to be what it is. Goodbye, Sean... Thank you for everything. You will be missed.

"They told me you were assassinated in Hong Kong."

"Yes, this is my second life."

"You Only Live Twice, Mr. Bond"