I’m at MAG 22 in my relisten, and it got me thinking a bit about the fandom’s certainty that Jon absolutely despised Martin’s guts.
I’m pretty sure Jon’s dislike of Martin was only ever prompted by the man’s utter incompetence and didn’t extend much further, considering how he offered Martin a room in the archives without any hesitation whatsoever. Jon’s far more caring than most people give him credit for
I mean. If he really was that much of a cold and unempathetic asshole as people like to paint him, then he wouldn’t have offered Martin anything. He could’ve just said something along the lines of “well I’m sure that was very upsetting” and “I guess I need to thank you for bringing me proof of your encounter, I’ll look into it more and let you know what I find”. He could’ve carefully researched Martin’s statement and then sent him back to his flat, since the Prentiss threat was likely gone. He didn’t have to offer Martin a place to stay. But he did! And it was kind and thoughtful of him!
Yeah, I also keep thinking about how Jon (as far as he knew) was already putting himself at risk, because
He’s terrified. And he gives Martin his safe, protected vault while he himself takes great risks to get to his place while Jane Prentiss was threatening him and, to his knowledge, on the hunt for him. To his knowledge, he might be her next target. It is absolutely not safe for him to be out in the open like that. But he still does it, because he tries to keep Martin safe.
An unsympathetic asshole might have just told Martin that he’d look into it and then locked himself in his vaulted document storage, fearing for his life. Jon did the opposite.
Not only Jon is kind and thoughtful far more than people give him credit for, but he’s also willing to sacrifice his life for Martin - a man he thinks of as incompetent and actively making Jon’s life harder.
Fans who say Jonathan Sims is a cold and unsympathetic asshole lack media comprehension. Jon has always been rather kind and caring in his actions and put himself at risk for other people.