Why is there a safety net conveniently located in the soon-to-be-demolished MI6 building?
This question is regarding one of the end scenes in the Bond film Spectre, so it contains some spoilers (kind of).
It was thrilling to watch Bond and his companion jump several stories into a net at the bottom of a soon-to-be-destroyed building! However I am confused as to a good explanation as to why the net would be there. Immediately following their landing we see there is a red, spray-painted arrow on the wall directing them out. The arrow is in the style of the other markings left by Blofeld, so this seems to imply that both the net and the arrow were part of Blofeld's preparations (which include a transparent, bulletproof box, psycho-art-installations, etc.).
So is the net there from Blofeld or is it from something else?
Best Answer
The building was supposed to have been being prepped for demolition after both Silva's bomb and the move to the new combined centre.
Likely this would have been erected by the demolition crew, to protect them whilst they prepared the explosives, to stop debris falling on them down the central well.
I've seen similar on real UK demolition sites, both horizontal and vertical as part of the prep.
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Answer 2
Whilst I'm happy to be corrected, I'm going to be boring and say health and safety. From the Health & Safety Executive in the UK:
The law says that all demolition, dismantling and structural alteration must be carefully planned and carried out in a way that prevents danger by practitioners with the relevant skills, knowledge and experience.
This guidance includes the following:
Workers and passers-by can be injured by the premature and uncontrolled collapse of structures, and by flying debris.
A safe system of work is one that keeps people as far as possible from the risks. This may include:
- establishing exclusion zones and hard-hat areas, clearly marked and with barriers or hoardings if necessary
- covered walkways using high-reach machines
- reinforcing machine cabs so that drivers are not injured
- training and supervising site workers
It seems a safety net to protect workers would be a pretty understandable extension of this guidance.
Boring answer, I know, but as I can't find any plot driven reason it would be there, I'm going to say health and safety saved the day.
Of course, we don't know what will happen in future films yet (and Mendes isn't giving anything away). Not only was their spray paint on the wall, there was also a conveniently located power boat as well. Perhaps Blofeld really did want to encourage a chase, or encourage his nemesis to come out. But given how quickly Bond pinned him down, I'd argue the boat was just there and the markings was either random or done before the net was installed.
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Images: Isabella Mendes, Alice Castro, Oscar Portan, Pixabay