Vesper Lynd (Eva Green)

"I'm afraid I'm a complicated woman."
"That is something to be afraid of."

― Vesper Lynd and James Bond^[src]

Vesper Lynd (9 March 1983 – 4 August 2006) was a British HM Treasury liaison officer and a secret double agent blackmailed into working for Quantum. She worked with MI6 agent James Bond on his mission to bankrupt and capture Le Chiffre in Montenegro, during which time she began a close romantic relationship with him.

Eventually, she betrayed Bond to Quantum and subsequently died in front of him, which would emotionally scar and define him for the remainder of his life, even during his relationship with Madeleine Swann.

Biography[]

Background[]

Vesper Lynd is a foreign liaison agent from the HM Treasury's Financial Action Task Force assigned to make sure that Bond adequately manages the funds provided by MI6 for the high-stakes poker game at the Casino Royale. However, she is secretly a double agent working for Quantum, the terrorist organisation MI6 is trying to stop. She is an unwilling traitor however; she is only helping Quantum because they have taken her lover Yusef Kabira hostage and threatened to kill him if she does not cooperate.^[1]^[2]

Casino Royale mission[]

"All right... by the cut of your suit, you went to Oxford or wherever. Naturally you think human beings dress like that. But you wear it with such disdain, my guess is you didn't come from money, and your school friends never let you forget it. Which means you were at that school by the grace of someone else's charity: hence that chip on your shoulder. And since your first thought about me ran to "orphan", that's what I'd say you are."

― Vesper Lynd to James Bond^[src]

Vesper is introduced on a train headed to Montenegro with James Bond. They quip at each other and he establishes that she shares a similar past as an orphan. Vesper is initially sceptical about Bond's ego and at first is unwilling to be his trophy at the poker tournament with Le Chiffre. She refuses to bankroll him after he goes bankrupt on an early hand. However, she assists Bond during his struggle with LRA leader Steven Obanno, knocking away the gun from the latter. She afterwards retreats to the shower, feeling that she has blood on her hands from helping to kill Obanno. Bond kisses the "blood" off her hands to comfort her, and they return to the casino.

Shortly afterwards she saves Bond's life. Poisoned by Le Chiffre's girlfriend, Valenka, Bond struggles unsuccessfully to connect a key wire to his automatic external defibrillator, but Vesper arrives and makes the proper connection, allowing the machine to revive him.

After Bond wins the poker tournament, Le Chiffre kidnaps Vesper, and Bond gives chase. They fall into Le Chiffre's trap, but both are saved by Quantum henchman Mr. White, who shoots and kills Le Chiffre for misappropriating his organization's funds.^[1]

Betraying Bond[]

"I'm sorry, James..."

― Vesper to Bond^[src]

While both are in a hospital to recover from torture, Bond and Vesper fall deeply in love, and Bond plans to resign from the service in order to be with her. As in the novel, Bond and Vesper go on holiday to Venice, hoping to start a new life. Unknown to Bond, however, Vesper embezzles the money and delivers it to a group of Quantum henchmen. When Bond realizes what has happened and goes after Vesper, the thugs take her hostage and lock her in a lift while they do battle with him. After several explosions, the flooded building sinks, but Vesper resigns herself to death and locks herself in, even as Bond frantically tries to open the elevator. In her final gesture, she kisses Bond's hands to clear him of guilt. Bond finally extricates her and tries to revive her using CPR, to no avail.

Casino Royale (145) — Vesper allows herself to drown

Bond copes with his lover's death by renouncing her, saying, "The job's done and the bitch is dead". M replies, assuming that Lynd had cut a deal with her blackmailers to spare him in return for the money, and states that "I'm sure she hoped they'd let her live. But she must have known she was going to her death". When Bond opens Vesper's mobile phone afterwards, he finds that she has left Mr. White's phone number, enabling Bond to track down and confront him.^[1]

Legacy[]

"Forgive her, James. Forgive yourself."

― René Mathis to Bond^[src]

Sometime later, Bond is seeking revenge for her death. At the start of the film, M tells Bond that he is too close to the mission to be objective, but Bond assures her that Vesper is no longer important to him. He takes Vesper's photograph and is encouraged by René Mathis to "forgive her" and to "forgive [himself]". It is later revealed that Yusef is an agent working for Quantum, tasked with seducing high-ranking women in the world's intelligence agencies. He is then "kidnapped" by Quantum, and the women are forced to become double agents in the hope of securing his freedom. This information vindicates Vesper in Bond's eyes, making him finally see that her "betrayal" was not her fault. He doesn't kill Yusef, but leaves him to MI6 and congratulates M on the fact that she was right about Vesper. As he walks away, he drops Vesper's necklace in the snow.^[2]

In 2015, when Bond and Madeleine Swann go to Tangier, Bond finds a tape labelled "Vesper Lynd - Interrogation" in the L'Americain hotel room used by Mr. White. We eventually find out that Quantum is an organisation that is run by SPECTRE, making Vesper an indirect asset. Later, Bond and Madeleine are captured by SPECTRE's leader, Blofeld, and he attempts to destroy their relationship by talking to Madeleine about Bond's deep love for Vesper. Blofeld is proud that his organisation made her decide to kill herself and that his organisation led her to believe that Bond would not forgive or love her.^[4]

When Madeleine and Bond go to Italy on vacation after Blofeld's defeat, they consummate their relationship and spend the night together, writing secrets on a tiny piece of paper. The morning after, Bond goes to visit Vesper's grave, as he takes the paper from his pocket, the words revealed to be "I miss you". Bond briefly reminisces and burns the paper. Once he is done, the tomb is revealed to be a trap laid by SPECTRE, causing an explosion. As Bond realizes this, he frantically escapes being pursued by the organization's agents. He tries to contact Madeleine, but after further evasion, Bond decides to cut ties with her. Five years later, Bond and Madeleine reconnect together along with the reveal of Bond's daughter, Mathilde Swann. In his last mission after being poisoned by Lyutsifer Safin, Bond sacrifices himself after the missiles land on Safin's base, and dies a heroic death, meaning he has come to terms with his career as 007, but at the sake not being able to touch anyone he cares or loves.^[5]

Personality[]

Vesper Lynd was an intelligent and perceptive person who was able to guess information about a man simply based on his behavior and mannerisms as demonstrated during her first meeting with Bond. She was also very attractive and elegant, so like many women, she likely feared not being taken seriously by her male colleagues and overcompensates by dressing in a slightly masculine manner, although she also enjoyed wearing evening gowns and makeup. Because of her intellect, Vesper could be suspicious, rebellious and even icy in certain situations, sometimes making false inferences about those around her and therefore; making poor judgments about them, as was the case on several occasions in her relationship with Bond.

Vesper was nevertheless sociable and rather sensitive, hence her ability to bond easily with men, even after tense exchanges. She was also very averse to violence to the point of being traumatized after witnessing a murder in which she herself participated (such as that of Steven Obanno) but she was ready to do anything for Yusef Kabira, including betraying his cause if he were to be in danger, unaware that the man was actually using this asset to manipulate her in secret. Vesper, however, felt horrible feelings of guilt at siding with her enemies to the point of becoming suicidal, which eventually led to her demise.

Behind the scenes[]

Place in the series[]

Vesper is Bond's first romantic interest as presented in Ian Fleming's original novels (although later prequel works by Charlie Higson would present other candidates).

Other than Bond's future wife, Tracy, she is the only woman in the series to whom Bond proposes and is practically the only romantic interest to be a fellow intelligence agent, apart from the film series' Miranda Frost, who turns out to be Graves' double agent. (Gala Brand is a policewoman, not an intelligence agent, and she ultimately rebuffs Bond's advances, being engaged to another man; Tatiana Romanova is in the intelligence business but works for the KGB; and Bond's relationship with MI6 employee Mary Goodnight remains ambiguous at the end of the final book to feature her).

Cocktail[]

Fleming created a cocktail recipe in the novel that Bond names after Vesper. The "Vesper martini" became very popular after the novel's publication, and gave rise to the famous "shaken, not stirred" catchphrase immortalized in the Bond films. The actual name for the drink (as well as its complete recipe) is uttered on screen for the first time in the 2006 adaptation of Casino Royale.

Gallery[]

Vesper Lynd (Eva Green)/Gallery

Trivia[]

According to the novel, Vesper was so named by her parents because she was born on a stormy evening.
Vesper Lynd is a pun on West Berlin. Like her namesake, the Cold War-era city of Berlin, Vesper's loyalties are split down the middle.
Skyfall is the only Daniel CraigJames Bond film not to feature Vesper in some way.
Vesper is the thirteenth woman that Bond does not succeed in protecting from death, in the Bond films and the second in the reboot after Solange Dimitrios.
- She is also the fourth main Bond girl in the film series to die after Aki, Tracy Bond, Elektra King and before Sévérine.
Casino Royale started shooting before the role was cast.^[6]
Vesper was Eva Green's breakout role in Hollywood.
This version is considered to be the most popular incarnation of the character.
Vesper Lynd and Madeleine Swann are by far the closest women to Bond in the reboot, since in both cases he decides to walk away from MI6 when their relationship becomes too intimate. They are also the only conquests of 007 to whom he really cares.
Vesper can be considered the equivalent of Tracy Bond in the reboot since she shares a number of similarities with the latter:
- Both are young women who met Bond unexpectedly and became very close to him (more so than most of the other James Bond Girls) to the point that the protagonist considered starting over with them.
- Both, however, died very tragically at the end of Bond's mission before they could live with Bond.
  - Their deaths in both cases had a profound impact on the secret agent and they were consequently mentioned several times in the following films.
  - Ernst Stavro Blofeld coincidentally played a role in their tragic fates.
- Ironically, while Vesper dies by committing suicide, Tracy was suicidal at the beginning of her relationship with Bond but her mental state improved as they grew closer.
Although Vesper is the main Bond girl in Casino Royale, it is nearly an hour before we see her meet Bond.

Vesper in the credits — The clue to Vesper's treacherous nature

The infographic in the opening credits of Casino Royale includes a clue announcing Vesper's treacherous nature in a very subtle way; indeed, the character's face is briefly shown glued to the body of a heart-and-spike half-lady whose respective meanings are love and bad luck or betrayal.
The shower scene in Casino Royale in which Vesper says, "It's like I have blood on my hands, I can't get it off." actually prefigures the character's death as she commits suicide by drowning herself out of guilt over her actions.
Above Vesper's grave in Matera (from No Time to Die) there's inscription in latin which says "What you are, I once was, and what I am, you will be", probably a clue related to what happens to James Bond at the end of the film.^[7]

Quotes[]

James Bond : [Reading about their alias covers] We've been involved for quite a long while. Hence, the shared suite. Vesper Lynd : But, my family is strict Roman Catholic. So, for appearances sake, it'll be a two-bedroom suite. James Bond : I do *hate* it when religion comes between us. Vesper Lynd : Religion - and a securely locked door. Am I going to have a problem with you, Bond? James Bond : No, don't worry, you're not my type. Vesper Lynd : Smart? James Bond : Single.
Vesper Lynd : [sitting on opposite sides of the dinner table, discussing poker skills on the train heading towards Montenegro] What else can you surmise, Mr. Bond? James Bond : About you, Miss Lynd? Well, your beauty's a problem. You worry you won't be taken seriously. Vesper Lynd : Which one can say of any attractive woman with half a brain. James Bond : True. But this one overcompensates by wearing slightly masculine clothing. Being more aggressive than her female colleagues. Which gives her a somewhat *prickly* demeanor, and ironically enough, makes it less likely for her to be accepted and promoted by her male superiors, who mistake her insecurities for arrogance. Now, I'd have normally gone with "only child," but, you see, by the way you ignored the quip about your parents... I'm gonna have to go with "orphan." Vesper Lynd : All right... by the cut of your suit, you went to Oxford or wherever. Naturally you think human beings dress like that. But you wear it with such disdain, my guess is you didn't come from money, and your school friends never let you forget it. Which means you were at that school by the grace of someone else's charity - hence that chip on your shoulder. And since your first thought about me ran to "orphan," that's what I'd say you are. [he smiles but says nothing] Vesper Lynd : Oh, you are? I like this poker thing. And that makes perfect sense! Since MI6 looks for maladjusted young men, who give little thought to sacrificing others in order to protect Queen and country. You know... former SAS types with easy smiles and expensive watches. [Glances at his wrist] Vesper Lynd : Rolex? James Bond : Omega. Vesper Lynd : Beautiful. Now, having just met you, I wouldn't go as far as calling you a cold-hearted bastard... James Bond : No, of course not. Vesper Lynd : But it wouldn't be a stretch to imagine. You think of women as disposable pleasures, rather than meaningful pursuits. So as charming as you are, Mr. Bond, I will be keeping my eye on our government's money - and off your perfectly-formed arse. James Bond : You noticed? Vesper Lynd : Even accountants have imagination. How was your lamb? James Bond : Skewered! One sympathizes. Vesper Lynd : Good evening, Mr. Bond. James Bond : Good evening, Ms. Lynd.
James Bond : [after tasting the Dry Martini] I think I'll call it a Vesper. Vesper Lynd : Because of the bitter aftertaste? James Bond : No, because once you've tasted it, that's all you want to drink.
Vesper Lynd : [introducing herself to Bond on the train traveling towards Montenegro] I'm the money. James Bond : Every penny of it.
Vesper Lynd : You're not going to let me in there, are you? You've got your armour back on. That's that. James Bond : I have no armour left. You've stripped it from me. Whatever is left of me - whatever is left of me - whatever I am - I'm yours.
Vesper Lynd : You love me? James Bond : Enough to travel the world with you until one of us has to take an honest job... which I think is going to have to be you, because I have no idea what an honest job is.
Vesper Lynd : [standing inside the elevator to James who is standing in front of her outside the elevator] There isn't enough room for me and your ego.
Vesper Lynd : You can switch off so easily, can't you? It doesn't bother you? Killing those people? James Bond : Well, I wouldn't be very good at my job if it did.
Vesper Lynd : I can't resist waking you. Every time I do, you look at me as if you hadn't seen me in years. Makes me feel reborn. James Bond : If you had just been born, wouldn't you be naked?
Vesper Lynd : I'm afraid I'm a complicated woman. James Bond : That is something to be afraid of.
James Bond : [stepping out of the bathroom showing her his dinner jacket] I have a dinner jacket. Vesper Lynd : There are dinner jackets and dinner jackets; this is the latter. And I need you looking like a man who belongs at that table. James Bond : [irritated] How?... It's tailored. Vesper Lynd : I sized you up the moment we met.
Vesper Lynd : [smiling] You know, James, I just want you to know that if all that was left of you was your smile and your little finger, you'd still be more of a man than anyone I've ever met. James Bond : [sitting in a wheelchair next to her, outside a clinic] That's because you know what I can do with my little finger. Vesper Lynd : [smiles] I have no idea. James Bond : But you're aching to find out.
Vesper Lynd : Ten million was wired to your account in Montenegro, with the contingency for five more if I deem it a prudent investment. I suppose you've given some thought to the notion that if you lose, our government will have directly financed terrorism.
[Bond, having been poisoned, is attempting to use a defibrillator on himself while a doctor talks him through the process over the phone, but the defibrillator has come disconnected. Bond passes out and his heart stops. Vesper arrives, reconnects the defibrillator, and uses it to restart Bond's heart. He regains consciousness] James Bond : [having woken up] You OK? Vesper Lynd : [confused] Me? James Bond : Thank you. Hot Room Doctor : You're welcome. Now get yourself off to a hospital. James Bond : I will do. As soon as I've won this game. Vesper Lynd : You're not seriously going back there? James Bond : I wouldn't dream of it.
Vesper Lynd : [to Bond] This is me in character pissed off because you're losing so damn hard we won't be here past midnight. Oddly enough, my character's feelings mirror my own.
James Bond : [talking privately to Vesper after losing all of his chips] Well, I'm gonna need the other five million to buy back in. Vesper Lynd : I can't do that, James. James Bond : Look, I made a mistake. I was impatient, maybe I was arrogant, but I can beat him. Vesper Lynd : [quietly] I'm sorry. James Bond : [angrily grabs Vesper's arm] "Sorry?" Sorry! Why don't you try putting that in a sentence, like maybe, "Sorry Le Chiffre's gonna win, continue funding terror and killing innocent people!" That kind of "sorry"? Vesper Lynd : You lost because of your ego, and that same ego can't take it! That's what this is all about. All you're going to do now is lose more. James Bond : [mumbling] Well then, you're an idiot. Vesper Lynd : I'm sorry? James Bond : I said you're a bloody idiot! Look in my eyes. I can beat this man - you know that. Vesper Lynd : [quietly] Get your hand off my arm.
James Bond : [upon receiving their alias documents] I'm Mr. Arlington Beech, professional gambler, and you're Miss Stephanie Broadchest... Vesper Lynd : I am not! James Bond : You're going to have to trust me on this. Vesper Lynd : Oh no I don't.
Vesper Lynd : You can have me - anywhere. James Bond : I can? Vesper Lynd : Yeah. Here. There. Anyway you like. James Bond : Does this mean that you're... warming to me? Vesper Lynd : Yeah. That's how I would describe it. James Bond : It's just that not so long ago, I would have described your feelings towards me as, eh, I'm trying to think of a better word than - loathing. Vesper Lynd : I'm afraid I'm a complicated woman. James Bond : There is something to be afraid of.
James Bond : [after checking in the hotel using his real name as opposed to his alias, walking towards to elevator] Look, if Le Chiffre is that well connected, he knows who I am and where the money's coming from. Which means he's decided to play me anyway. So, he's either desperate or he's overly confident. But, either way, that tells me something about him. And all he gets in return is a name he already has. Vesper Lynd : And now he knows something about you. He knows you're reckless.
James Bond : You want to do what to me? Vesper Lynd : [Under her breath] You've lost me, completely. James Bond : [Under his breath] You said you can't wait to get me back to the room, come on.
James Bond : [talking privately at the bar to Mathis and Vesper referring to Le Chiffre] It was worth it to discover his "tell". Mathis : What'd you mean "tell"? James Bond : The twitch he has to hide when he bluffs. Vesper Lynd : Bluffs? He had the best hand.
Vesper Lynd : So you're telling me its a matter of probability and chance. I was worried there wasn't chance involved. James Bond : Well, usually the player with the best hand wins. Vesper Lynd : So, that would be what you call bluffing. James Bond : You've heard the term. Then you also know in poker you never play your hand. You play the man across from you. Vesper Lynd : And you're good at reading people? James Bond : Yes, I am. Which is why I've been able to detect an undercurrent of sarcasm in your voice.
James Bond : You don't think this is a very good plan, do you? Vesper Lynd : So there is a plan? I got the impression we were risking millions of dollars and hundreds of lives on a game of luck.
James Bond : [Bond walks up and kisses Vesper] You taste nice. Vesper Lynd : Have we dispensed with the covers? James Bond : No. We dispensed with one that was of no use and created another that is.
James Bond : [Referring to Vesper's necklace] I figured out what that is. It's an Algerian love knot. Vesper Lynd : Really? I thought it was just something pretty. James Bond : Oh, no you didn't. Someone gave that to you. He's a very lucky man.
Vesper Lynd : You think I can't take my own advice? James Bond : I think something is driving you - and I think I'll never find out what that is.

References[]

↑ ^1.0^1.1^1.2^1.3^1.4^1.5Casino Royale (2006)
↑ ^2.0^2.1^2.2Quantum of Solace (2008)
↑Spectre (2015)
↑Spectre (2015)
↑No Time to Die (2021)
↑Freer, Ian. "00-Legend: Meet Debbie McWilliams, Bond's secret weapon", Empire Magazine, December 2015, p. 69. (in NZE)
↑No Time to Die - File (en) (2022).

[Casino-1] 1.0^1.1^1.2^1.3^1.4^1.5Casino Royale (2006)

[Quantum-2] 2.0^2.1^2.2Quantum of Solace (2008)

[Spectre-3] Spectre (2015)

[4] Spectre (2015)

[5] No Time to Die (2021)

[6] Freer, Ian. "00-Legend: Meet Debbie McWilliams, Bond's secret weapon", Empire Magazine, December 2015, p. 69. (in NZE)

[7] No Time to Die - File (en) (2022).

[1]