Dirk Gently (BBCA)

## Incarnations of the Dirk Gently

Dirk Gently (BBC TV), Dirk Gently (BBCA),Dirk Gently (Russell Tovey), Dirk Gently (Daniel O'Donnell)

**Dirk Gently** is the titular main character of the television series *Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (BBC America)*, an adaptation of the novel's Dirk Gently.

Dirk is a self-described *holistic detective*, who uses the interconnectedness of all things to solve cases. He is the founder and investigator of the titular **Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency**.

## Biography

### Early life

Dirk's birth name is **Svlad Cjelli**. He started exhibiting his abilities as a child. Many of the details about Dirk's life before the start of the series are unknown.

At some point Dirk was discovered by Project Blackwing under Scott Riggins and brought in by Mr. Priest.

In Blackwing, he was given the name **Project Icarus** and underwent testing of his abilities, which yielded little useable results for his captors.

During his time at Blackwing, Riggins allowed Dirk to see a few fellow subjects that were considered not too dangerous. Among them were the comatose Project Moloch, who Dirk talked to and considered to be his first assistant, and Mona Wilder.

Somewhere around the year 2000 *Rogue Wall Enthusiasts*, "it's only been 16 years", he left Blackwing under unknown circumstances, possibly an escape.

After Blackwing, Dirk struck out on his own. He eventually chose as his profession and aspiration to be a private detective, specifically a holistic detective using holistic detection.

Dirk had various adventures, some of which seem to resemble those of his book counterpart. He references cases where "there was a bit about sofa on the staircase a sofa, a thing with Thor" *Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (novel)* and *The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul* and a case involving Puffles (horse) the horse having faked its own death.

### Season 1 (A Completely Lost Dog)

#### Hired by Patrick Spring

"A full six weeks" prior to the events of Horizons, Dirk was hired by Patrick Spring to solve Patrick's murder, before it had even happened.

On the 03.08.2016, Dirk woke in the Perryman Grand Hotel when he received a call from Patrick to come to the penthouse. Making his way up the stairs, he ran into another version of himself accompanied by another man and an armored person on the 18th floor. The other Dirk quickly told him that the other man was his best friend Todd, who was at the Ridgely building, the phrase "3 questions, 1 answer", to "get the kitten", and gave him a gorilla mask with the instruction to hide his face. Dirk, wearing the gorilla mask, goes into the penthouse and picks up the black kitten there before leaving.

That night, Dirk breaks into Todd Brotzman's apartment at the Ridgely. Todd Brotzman came in just as Dirk was climbing through the window, leading to a brief scuffle. Dirk declared that Todd was going to be his assistant and that he was sleeping here, Todd threw him out. Dirk left the Ridgely, observed by a CIA detail.*Horizons*

Dirk met the landlord Dorian Rothlighter and rented an apartment in the Ridgely. Dirk was outside the building when Todd left to visit his sister, which Dirk offered to drive him to. On the way, Dirk explained who he was and about his holistic detection. At Amanda Brotzman's house he joined Todd and met Amanda Brotzman. Afterwards he drove Todd back to the Ridgely, where he tricked his way into Todd's apartment, where he explained to him about the patrick Spring murder case. Then the Rowdy 3 attacked, trashed the apartment, and fed off Dirk before leaving. The landlord Dorian stormed in armed and angry, and shot himself on accident. Dirk was then briefly detained by the police, before they were ordered to let him go by the CIA. At night he caught up with Todd after he had been released too, and tried to convince him again to be his assisstant, but was rebuffed.

#### Finding Lydia Spring

Dirk breaks into Gordon's house alongside Todd and discovers the missing Lydia Spring. After a struggle, Dirk steals Gordon's dog and escapes. He comes to believe that Lydia was victim to professional dog hypnotists who have hypnotized Lydia into believing she is a dog and the dog into believing it is Lydia. Later, during a meet up to exchange the dog for Farah Black, he discovers that the dog doesn't believe it is Lydia; it actually *is* Lydia. *Lost & Found*

#### Discovering the Secret Room

When following Farah Black to the Spring Mansion, Patrick's lawyer, John delivers them both a letter from Patrick with a message of "3?1!" along with a map leading them to a hidden room. Inside the room, Dirk finds a mysterious light bulb and crank, along with a map of electric circuits throughout the neighborhood.*Rogue Wall Enthusiasts*

#### Inside the Springsborough Maze

Dirk, Todd, and Farah follow the power grid map to the main entrance where Dirk attaches the crank to the wall and accidentally sends him and Todd through a secret entrance into a strange underground maze. Using the Everbulb as a light, the two travel the maze and find themselves forced to navigate their way through several traps: first they must attach the Everbulb to activate a door before a room crushes them to death, then they must use their bodies as a circuit to connect a rhinoceros head to its horn. After completing the challenges, they find a room filled with monitors and Dirk activates them to reveal a map; however, the room then short-circuts, leaving them with no way out. Dirk's distress catches the attention of the Rowdy 3, who break Dirk and Todd out of the room and proceed to suck energy from him before leaving. Dirk tells Amanda and Farah about their discovery; Amanda, guided by a vision, is able to bring the map back up. Farah recognizes it as a map to Skagit Valley. *Watkin*

#### Trip to Skagit Valley

Dirk and Todd went on a trip to Skagit Valley with the map in order to find the parts of the machine. At a diner, Dirk exchanged his Corvette for a Jeep. At night on the first day they found the first part, the rest on the second day. On the second day they were attacked by the Men of the Machine, but the Kitten-Shark, which Dirk had brought with them, killed their attackers. Todd confessed to having lied about his pararibulitis, and through Dirk's influence resolved to tell Amanda. Dirk himself opened up to Todd about his holistic abilities. *Very Erectus*

#### Captured by Rimmer

Both returned to the Ridgely the next morning. Farah took Dirk and the machine in the jeep to the Spring Mansion, but they were interrupted on their way by Bart Curlish attempting to kill Dirk. After Farah saved him, she called FBI agent Weedle for help. Weedle, actually inhabited by Fred of the Men of the Machine, met them on a road and kidnapped them, taking them to the Animal Transfer Unit. There Dirk met up again with a captive Todd. They were fruitlessly questioned by Rimmer, during which Dirk had an epiphany, realizing the nature of the machine and solving the mystery of the Spring case. He prompted Todd to attempt a breakout, and they fled the situation by using the Unlimited Energy Machine to time travel away, Dirk intending to prevent the whole case from happening. *Fix Everything*

#### Traveling to the Past

Dirk and Todd use the time machine to travel one week into the past to the day of Patrick Spring's murder. After witnessing Gordon Rimmer soulswapping Lydia and Rapunzel, a heavily armored man enters the Transfer Unit and kills several Men of the Machine before confronting Dirk and Todd. Finally making the connections, Dirk concludes that the armored man is a past Patrick Spring who is also Edgar Spring and Zackariah Webb, traveling to the future to avenge the death of his wife. Determined to get to the hotel before the real-time Patrick is murdered, Dirk and Todd travel by foot through the zoo, stealing a Giraffe and Gorilla mask in the process.

They arrive at the hotel and witness the past Patrick inadvertently kill the real-time Patrick by shooting a member of the Men of the Machine who is holding the kitten-shark. While escaping the hotel, Dirk runs into the real-time version of himself and gives him several clues on how to solve the case. This angers Todd who realizes that Dirk knew the entire time that they were in a time loop and chose to keep this information from Todd. Todd tells Dirk that he never wants to see him again after the case is over and the two use the time machine to jump back to the time from which they came and are immediately electrocuted by the Men of the Machine. In the process Dirk is shot by an arrow. *Weaponized Soul*

#### Solving the Case

Following their electrocution, Dirk and Todd are found by Farah and Estevez. Unaware of their roles in the case, Estevez has Dirk, Todd, and Farah locked in cages inside of the Transfer Unit. After convince Estevez to trust them, Dirk along with the others travel to the Spring Mansion to switch Lydia Spring and Rapunzel back to their rightful bodies. Suffering from blood loss, Dirk begins slurring his words and cannot accurately communicate to the others so Todd must lead them in soul swapping the bodies.

While Farah and Estevez leave to deal with the arrival of the Men of the Machine, Dirk, Todd, and Lydia fix the time machine and prepare to send it back to Zackariah Webb. Two of the cult members interrupt their plan and Dirk gets shot once again by an arrow. The two men are killed by Bart who arrived in search of Dirk and Ken is able to repair the machine, recognizing it as the same machine he was hired to make. After the repair, Bart and Ken depart and Dirk sends the machine back to Zackariah Webb with a note. Sometime after, Estevez returns and takes Dirk to the hospital where he is visited while asleep by Scott Riggins.

Soon after Dirk is released from the hospital, he stumbles upon Todd, who has decided to forgive him for his lies. The two meet up with Farah at a diner; Farah, having received a large sum of money from Lydia, explains that she'd like to make an investment in a detective agency for them. Dirk suddenly senses something strange and leaves the diner and is subsequently captured by Project Blackwing. *Two Sane Guys Doing Normal Things*

### Season 2 (The Middle of Everywhere)

#### Back in Blackwing

Dirk was held captive in Project Blackwing under Friedkin, and subjected to continuous experiments about his abilities, despite his protests that the tests will yield no results. During his captivity, Dirk dreamt of his friends coming to rescue him, aided by Thor.

Dirk was put into Project Moloch's cell so the interaction between Blackwing subjects could be observed. Dirk used the time to catch up and chat with the comatose man he considered his friend, telling him about his adventures and the friends he had made. At night, as he was lying in bed in his cell, Dirk was visited by Mona Wilder, who only told him to "find the boy" and then splashed him with his bedside glass of water, making him disappear.<ref name="ep201">*Space Rabbit*

#### Reunion in Bergsberg

Dirk reappeared in the trunk of a car in a tree outside Bergsberg, Montana. He was freed from the trunk by Todd and Farah. Their joyful reunion was interrupted by Sheriff Sherlock Hobbs, who arrested the three of them and brought them to the Bergsberg County Sheriff's Office. He was cuffed outside the station, where he was later interviewed by Hobbs. Afterwards he was put in the cells with his friends, where he caught up with them on what had happened in the months after his kidnapping. They were let out not long after to help investigate the Cardenas house. Once there, Dirk went and investigated the nearby barn, where he found an air gun on the upper floor; while trying it out they discovered a human body inside a tree. Dirk theorized the missing Cardenas child might be the boy he was told to find. *Fans of Wet Circles*

The next day, Tina Tevetino let them out again and let them take clothes from evidence lock-up, Dirk enthusiastically dressing in vintage clothes. Dirk was shocked at the arrival of Bart, who had tried to kill him the two times they met. Dirk went with Todd and Hobbs to check on Suzie Boreton, where he was attacked by her husband and saved by his friends. That evening in the Sheriff's Office, Dirk had a conversation with Todd on his dashed hopes for life after escaping Blackwing. Dirk was present when Panto Trost was interviewed and recounted the prophecy that had led him to Bergsberg to find a man -- Dirk Gently. *Two Broken Fingers*

... *The House Within the House*

... *Shapes and Colors*

... *Girl Power*

#### To Wendimoor

... *That Is Not Miami*

... *Little Guy, Black Hair*

...
Dirk then jumped throught the pool portal. *Trouble Is Bad*

#### Saving the Boy

Dirk came out of the portal in Project Incubus's cell at the Project Blackwing facility, which was under attack by the Kellum Knights. He came across and enlisted the help of first Lieutenant Assistent and then Mona Wilder to get to Project Moloch's cell in the East Wing. There Dirk and Mona were ambushed by Hugo Friedkin who held Dirk at gunpoint, but the two managed to persuade him to aid them in their objective. They brought Moloch back to Incubus' cell, but were stopped by the temporary disappearance of the portal. Lord Badevil appeared and impaled Friedkin, and was in turn shot by Ken Adams, who had arrived to try to prevent Dirk from leaving. After the portal reactivated, Dirk attempted to get Moloch through and was shot by Ken in the right thigh. Despite the injury Dirk continued to pick up Moloch, and was able to carry him to and through the portal, Ken restrained by Friedkin holding him gunpoint in a stalemate. *Nice Jacket*

Transported to the Pool of the Empty Throne in Wendimoor, Dirk witnessed a restored Moloch, whose name was Francis, dispatch Suzie Boreton and, after thanking them, return each his friends back to their world. The old yellow jacket Dirk had been wearing after the teleport turned into Mona, and the three anomalous entities spoke briefly about their nature and purpose in the universe before Francis sent Dirk and Mona back too.

Back in Bergsberg Dirk received medical attention for his leg, which required him to use crutches. Later on, Dirk was there with Todd to say goodbye to Amanda and the Rowdy 3, who gave them back the everbulb. The Rowdy 3 had been joined by the Beast, who gifted him a traffic cone and affirmed her love for him before they all left.

An unknown time later Dirk along with Todd and Farah finally opened his detective agency, hanging a large plaque with the name on a wall of their new accommodations.

## Character

Dirk has reddish-brown, auburn hair. In season 2 his hair is a darker brown.
Dirk dresses neatly and colorful, with a tendency to a bold conspicuous, somewhat eccentric style. His standard mode of dress consists of a dress shirt, tie, and jacket, the latter in a variety of colors.

Dirk is eccentric and confident in his mission in life. He doesn't believe in using traditional methods of solving cases such as finding fingerprints and analyzing scenes of the crime. He also seems oblivious to seemingly obvious clues such as when Patrick left him a map and he mistook it for a poor drawing of Farah Black.
Unlike his book counterpart, he is driven by a genuine want to help people.

He is an anomalous entity, described as a **causality psychic**, who is able to perceive the interconnectedness between things. This expresses itself through Dirk's intuition (**psychic intuition**): he gets vague hunches, impressions of tangential connections between people, things and events, about if they connect to and are important in relation to each other. They are confusing to interpret, and Dirk often misjudges and guesses wrong. Either way, he is pulled along by these hunches, getting involved in events, and eventually solving the case.

## Behind the scenes

* Dirk Gently is portrayed by actor Samuel Barnett. Young Dirk was played by actor Cameron Andres in a deleted scene.
* His Blackwing code name is "Project Icarus"; the name stems from a Icarus figure of Greek myth. His Blackwing project symbol is a diamond shape bisected by a horizontal line, with a small circle in the middle, and his uniform is dark grey/taupe with an orange band.
* In the original scripts for Ep 1.01 and 1.02, Dirk's age is given as "30s", and his Blackwing project codename is "Project Anubis".
* Dirk's reference to previous cases, "There was a bit about a sofa, a thing with Thor." may refer to the sofa on the staircase in the novel *Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (novel)*, and Thor from *The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul*. Thus this version of Dirk, despite his different life, might have had adventures resembling some of those he had in the books.
* Dirk was confirmed to be canonically queer by Max Landis. Landis claimed he had planned a Assistent/Dirk romance for future seasons.

### Costuming

During season 1 he wears a row of brightly colored leather jackets, in yellow (2.01-02, 2.08), green (2.04-04), and blue (2.05-08), over light dress shirts and dark ties.

In season 2 he wears his Blackwing uniform overall in 2.01-02, adding an orange reflective jacket in 2.02. Then he wears a vintage 70s outfit from the Bergsberg evidence lockup, consisting of a purple jacket, colorful shirt, and reddish trousers (2.03-04). This he (literally) trades for an outfit of red leather jacket, blue dress shirt, and dark pants (2.05). Next he switches to a white shirt and dark tie, and green pants (2.06).

In Wendimoor Dirk drops the red jacket and tie (2.07), then steals a light jacket with gold braiding on the sleeves (2.08-10) and briefly a red hat (2.08). In 2.10 he drops the Wendimoor jacket after it got splattered with blood, then for a time wears Mona in the form of his s1 yellow jacket. In the end montage of 2.10, Dirk wears a new dark grey or black jacket with stripes the colors of the rainbow on the right upper sleeve, again with a light shirt and dark tie. The black jacket's colored stripes and their order recall the previous jackets Dirk wore over the two seasons: yellow, green, blue, orange, purple, and red.

### Appearances

* Season 1 (BBC America)
	+ Horizons
	+ Lost & Found
	+ Rogue Wall Enthusiasts
	+ Watkin
	+ Very Erectus
	+ Fix Everything
	+ Weaponized Soul
	+ Two Sane Guys Doing Normal Things
* Season 2 (BBC America)
	+ Space Rabbit
	+ Fans of Wet Circles
	+ Two Broken Fingers
	+ The House Within the House
	+ Shapes and Colors
	+ Girl Power
	+ That Is Not Miami
	+ Little Guy, Black Hair
	+ Trouble Is Bad
	+ Nice Jacket

## Quotes

* "Everything is connected. But only I can see it. I'm not psychic. But I am something. When I was young, I would get intuitions about things, little hunches about the way the universe worked. But they never-- It was like reading in another language, like signs with symbols I didn't understand. [...] The hunches don't help me, ever. So I figured I might as well use them to try to help other people." --Dirk Gently, Episode 1.05 Very Erectus

## Notes

* He thought the saying of "bringing a knife to a gun fight" was advice to actually bring a knife to a gun fight.
* Dirk doesn't like coffee.

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