"I Am a Gun and I Am Loaded"

"The best shot in San Antonio." This is a phrase that has been used to describe Pepa and with good reason. In Pepa's first scene with Silvia she landed six bullets dead center in the shooting gallery, and in S8 we learned exactly how proficient Pepa is with a gun - she has "a 9/10 accuracy in long distance shooting." But a gun is not just a weapon to Pepa; it is so much more than that to her. Pepa knows her gun so well that it has become an extension of her body and a metaphor for her personality.

In S7, Pepa gives Curtis some tips in the shooting gallery, and you can tell by her advice and they way that she talks about it that a gun is something she understands as well as any part of her body. Pepa knows that your center of gravity is important when preparing to fire a gun. She knows that you have to hold the handle with a firm grip while you have it pointed at your target. And she knows that "you have to let the barrel dance a little" before you fire the gun.
A gun is a dangerous weapon. It might look like a cool, fun "toy" but that doesn't change the fact that it contains bullets which can cause some serious bodily harm. Thus, one of the things you should keep in mind when handling a gun is to always assume that it is loaded. The same can be said for Pepa. As I stated in a previous lecture, it's Pepa's warm smile and fun personality that draws people to her. But that doesn't change the fact that behind that warm smile lies a bad-ass, gun-wielding fighter who won't hesitate to harm you should you try to harm those she loves. "Jota" saw this for himself when Pepa pointed her gun straight at his head and demanded to know where Paco's meeting with Bravante was being held, and two mafiosos saw this for a second before Pepa took them out with her rifle on her wedding day when they tried to breach the house.
When handling a gun, you should always keep your finger off the trigger until you're ready to shoot. In other words, don't pull the trigger unless you mean it. Because once you do pull the trigger, a chain of events occurs that you can't stop. The hammer drops forward, striking the firing pin, which strikes the primer (aka the explosive cap) of the bullet. This ignites the gunpowder inside the bullet, causing an explosion that propels the bullet out of the barrel at a high speed towards its target.

Pepa operates in a manner very similar to a gun when fired. In other words, once Pepa's "trigger" is pulled, you better pray you're not her intended target. During Pepa's first assignment in San Antonio - the bogus stakeout with Silvia - an arrogant guy learned this first hand. He triggered Pepa's anger by refusing to "get lost" when she told him to and, instead, continued to taunt her with inappropriate sexual comments. Her temper ignited when he decided to moon Pepa and Silvia, and Pepa exploded. She was no longer concerned about her assignment. Her target was that guy, and if Silvia hadn't intervened Pepa might've done more than teach him a lesson on how to properly talk to a lady.
Pepa is very much like the guns she's always seen carrying in her holster, so you always have to assume that she's loaded. El Gordo made a huge mistake when he attacked Pepa's family and killed her bride, because in doing so, he pulled the trigger on a loaded gun. And like a bullet that's been shot out of the barrel of a gun, come S9 Pepa will (hopefully) be traveling at a high rate of speed towards her target - El Gordo - and I, for one, wouldn't want to be an obstacle in her way. I mean, would you want to be in the way of this:
I didn't think so. Because you don't mess with "the best shot in San Antonio" and get away with it - she'll take you down.

kalike

*The title for this lecture is based on lyrics from the song "Loaded Gun" by Hednoize.

7 comments:

booker said...

you have a hit lecture, with a bullet. great job.
I hate, hate guns, but I see that they are so much a part of Pepa and necessary for her job.
Also, there are times that I would have liked to have been that trigger--her fingers are amazing.
and I think that the episode where she was the "best shot" is one of her best episodes (they showed her off) and she looked fabulous. Love the hair back so much.
thanks so much!

Anonymous said...

guns can harm human but can protect human that's why Guns still exist in our life. I so agree with you , pepa'character's like guns, specially when she' in love like she shots a bullet noone can stop her. she loves so much and don't care what will happen next. she just loves by her own way. that's reason I adore her so much and i think that's reason Silvia wants to get married with her
in next season if Silvia really dies maybe we will see more arrogant Pepa. who can stop her revenge. I don't like it. I just want silvia won't die and we can see a peace, happy, funny Pepa. but you know what a life !

Dr. Pied Piper said...

Great lecture, KC, and a great segue into S9. This aspect of Pepa very much makes her the Female Lucas. Little known tidbit: Silvia gave Lucas A GUN on their 1st and only anniversary. I have no doubt what Pepa's present would have been had they survived their first year. And it is a great irony: that despite the seeming total fascination with guns of those she loves the most, is was a gun that actually killed her. Enough to make anyone anti-guns, don't you think? So maybe Pepa would turn into a tree-hugging, Birkenstock-wearing Peacenik.

Although I have to ask why you haven't posted ANY comment on MY lectures? You know I'm keeping track to help my decision on how much year-end bonus to give to each of my lecturer, don't you?

(Forget Dr. Booker, she doesn't sign the bonus checks!)

Anonymous said...

Q18: Awesome chica. I really can't wait for a kick ass Pepa. Knowing that she will get her revenge is really the thing that's allowing my broken heart to watch LHDP. Plus I love seeing an angry Pepa. Hopefully we get to see her awesome personality and megawatt smile. Great job!

angie005 said...

Interesting Lecture Kalike... I never thought to compare Pepa as a gun. Maybe a stray bullet but the points your laid out are realistic.

Great job!

kalike said...

Dr. P, I did comment on at least one of your lectures - the original "Silvialogy 3x26" lecture. It's not that I dislike your lectures or have anything against Silvialogy, but I'd like to see the entire episodes before getting your witty take on them. And I just haven't had the time to get past Ep.2 since fall tv season started and the holidays which are making my life busier. But I promise to make more of an effort to get to them so that I can then read your take on Silvia's progression pre-Pepa and comment accordingly.

Anonymous - you made an excellent point about Pepa being like a bullet when it comes to love. I feel like Pepa is like a gun with all of her emotions, but anger was the simplest one to explain. However, you could also say that Silvia pulled Pepa's "trigger," igniting her love, and this caused Pepa to "explode" and do anything to show Silvia that love. And nothing, not even her messing up w/ the whole kids issue, their breakup, or her sleeping w/ Aitor while drunk was going to stop Pepa from reaching her target - Silvia and Silvia's love. Good observation :)

Anonymous said...

How hot is she with that gun in the first image!?
She can shoot at me any day!! lol!

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