(When you sent me this message, I was in the middle of editing a fanfic that has a scene about this subject and you kinda scared me! How’d you know!?)
That scene breaks my heart so much—and for all the reasons you mentioned. Illya didn’t want to finish his mission. He lingered as long as he could. He searched for the disk so he could hopefully just steal it from Solo without Solo noticing, but Solo was about to pack it away. When Solo asks him if he’s okay, Illya can’t even say anything. What makes it even more painful for me, is that whole end your film with something from the beginning principle, because I think Illya knew Solo could see him in the reflection—just like he did at the beginning of the film when Solo noticed Illya in the reflection of the camera flash unit.
At the beginning of the film, they are enemies ready to kill each other to accomplish their two different goals: help Gaby escape or stop her from escaping. Their relationship progress throughout the film however; they learn to work together and we have great development in Solo going back to save Illya from drowning, and later Illya returns the favor by saving Solo from being tortured to death and from being killed by Alexander Vinciguerra. After the mission is finished, their relationship has developed to the point that Illya is even willing to spend time with Solo by having a drink with him on the balcony. But at the end of the film, you’re confronted with a question: Is it “business as usual? Back to how things were?”
Are they going to become enemies again?
And so, the beginning becomes linked with the ending. Are they enemies now with the same goal? Get the computer disk.
Solo picks up on the situation he is confronted with quite quickly, “So what now? Mission accomplished?”
And we have a parallel shot of Solo watching Illya again:
Illya is highly trained, and he knew to turn around when Solo noticed him the first time back in Berlin, so I can’t believe he didn’t notice the mirror allowing Solo to see him. Which, like you pointed out, is just heartbreaking because… did Illya deliberately linger to allow Solo to shoot him first? Did he want Solo to stop him?
I think it’s a rather sobering thought.
But just as when Solo was in the back of Gaby’s car, with his gun ready, with Illya just mere inches away—Solo had ever opportunity to just kill Illya there and then—but he didn’t. He found another way.
So, in the end, you’re left with two spies from completely different, opposing worlds.
And they’re not enemies.
Absolutely hated working with you, Peril.
You’re a terrible spy, Cowboy.
