The execution of Eduard Delacroix
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — The Green Mile
pequaboy — 11 years ago(February 01, 2015 06:12 PM)
Yes, Percy should have been held accountable for his knowingly neglecting to wet the sponge. But, I feel Paul should have been held accountable for Percy's action as well, being he (Paul) was Percy's CO and was responsible for overseeing the execution. And the fact that roughly 20 to 30 seconds before the roll, Paul saw that the floor by the water bucket was not wet. As a commanding officer, he had the responsibility to postpone the commencement to wet the sponge. What he did (or didn't do) was reprehensible. Why did he not stop the roll? It would not be beyond the realm of reason and would certainly be justifiable, especially with the warden watching.
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Captain_Beeble — 11 years ago(February 03, 2015 03:54 PM)
1935 wasn't ancient times. I've actually been wondering that very same thing lately, about Paul knowing the sponge wasn't wet beforehand. I've been especially curious about that since I started re-reading the book version of 'The Green Mile' recently. Even if there was only a few seconds between Paul realizing the sponge was dry and Percy saying "Roll On Two", would it really have been that hard for Edgecomb to say "WHOA, HOLD IT! The sponge is dry"?
While that may have embarrassed himself and the other guards, and startled the spectators for a brief moment, it's a pretty small price to pay compared to the alternative. When I realize Paul knew the sponge was wet and didn't say anything about it, I think that made him almost as much of a jerk as Percy was. -
comesailaway — 11 years ago(February 13, 2015 11:41 AM)
I also think that once it reached a certain point, Paul knew that to cut the power would just prolong Eduard's suffering. He probably figured the best option in the moment was just to get it over with. Besides, I bet no one expected Eduard to "last" as long as he did.
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strntz — 11 years ago(March 06, 2015 04:14 AM)
And the fact that roughly 20 to 30 seconds before the roll, Paul saw that the floor by the water bucket was not wet.
It wasn't "20 or 30" seconds, it was maybe 3 to 5 seconds on film. The reason we see it even this long is because the director shot it this way to make sure the viewers (us) have enough time to realize that Paul learns the sponge is dry right before the roll.
If he didn't realize this right before the roll, would Paul, during the horrible spectacle, look on the floor in a calm and logical fashion to ascertain why the execution was going so wrong?
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tyson6633 — 9 years ago(December 16, 2016 03:33 PM)
I don't blame Paul. At least not 100%
What I mean by that is simple. Paul obviously knew how Percy is towards the inmates, particularly his treatment towards Del. The two men (Del and Percy) have a history of hating each other. He is a cruel little pissant towards Del.
If I was Paul, I'd have been watching Percy like a hawk.
So in a way, yes, Paul should have been more responsible and more diligent in his duties here. He should've known, given Percy's cruelness, that there was a chance he could sabotage Del's execution. He should've been on Percy like white on rice.
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Rob801 — 9 years ago(January 31, 2017 10:07 AM)
Well I just mentioned this in another thread, and can see that your comment is the most recent in this one, which is more fitting so I will also say that yeah, Paul should have been keeping a sharp eye on Percy. But Harry should have most definitely noticed the sponge wasn't wet when he put the cap on when water was gushing from it in the first execution we saw.
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ToastedCheese — 3 years ago(August 07, 2022 02:02 AM)
Yes, Percy should have been held accountable for his knowingly neglecting to wet the sponge. But, I feel Paul should have been held accountable for Percy's action as well, being he (Paul) was Percy's CO and was responsible for overseeing the execution.
Percy ended up being held accountable via the channel of John, yet I agree that Paul didn't handle Del's execution well at all and was just as responsible. It was a dark and disturbing job they had to do and the guards were all represented as decent men, with the exception of Percy.
With all the runthroughs they did, I'm surprised Paul didn't notice a dry sponge. We saw water pouring over Bitterbuck's hood when he was about to be executed. He had time to halt the execution for a double check before rolling on 2.
Paul knew that Percy and Del hated each other. He had an agenda to put Percy out front to get rid of him after the fact due to threats and blackmailing from both sides, (though Percy deserved it), yet it was inappropriate and even unfair to Del considering his circumstance, that Percy was up front leading his execution and Paul should have been aware of this too.
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