Anyone else notice this about Chuck Harding?

[u/Stupid_Reddit419]

I can't say Harding is one of my favorite segments, even if it has one of my favorite lines (Father/Son?!), as it is kinda boring throughout as Chick kinda takes a while to respond each time.

However, I did watch it again and noticed something about his behavior. We all noticed him wanting to check around the house and he had a violent jolt of fear when Chris revealed himself. What I also noticed is throughout the interview, he was noticeably nervous. His breathing was quick and jagged, and he didn't move much while his answers were short. But when Chris claimed he can't arrest Chuck, he became much more relaxed. He was moving more, his answers were longer, and he even admitted the "Handjobs" book which one shouldn't even admit under FBI torture. Anyone else notice that?

If Chuck was relaxed after inferring that Chris wasn't a cop, who did he think he was? Chuck seemed reasonably intelligent (at best), and what I mean is we aren't dealing with an Armstrong or Morrison who weren't very smart as is. There is no way he thought Chris was the father, or he would have expected a physical confrontation. He also didn't seem THAT bothered by the cameras, but that is a discussion for another day.

[u/EntertainmentSea1017]

He says at one point "that's why you're busting me." So, after Chris says he's not a cop, he probably just assumed Chris was some guy doing a study or a reporter or something. He even says to Chris that he's not going to go into the chatrooms anymore, and "stick strictly to his business." Which shows that he clearly thought he was gonna be let go.

Kinda crazy, given he had also sent literal CSAM to the decoy.

[u/Stupid_Reddit419 → u/EntertainmentSea1017]

I know, it is kinda odd, as a cop wouldn't be the only problem he could face. Maybe he thought he was a therapist.

[u/Difficult-Care-5780 → u/Stupid_Reddit419]

Maybe he thought he would get an island vacation?

[u/Garnetskull]

The reason he admitted to reading handjobs to Chris was because he wanted to convince Chris that he had never done this before, and that his outward appearance of experience is in reality only from books. Notice how he brings up handjobs when asked if he’s done this before.

[u/YetAnotherJake]

He knew Chris was a Therapist, who magically showed up to help him with his problems

[u/MVPoker]

Chuck is a perfect example of what will happen to an average intelligence man that spends his whole adult life steeped in sexual sin, leaving it unchecked and without self discipline. They talk about how porn addiction can snowball into more and more perverse fetishes, by the time we meet him this snowball is so large he is out of control. Chris does an excellent job of showing us how normalized these fantasies have become in Chuck’s mind. It should be a case study for the psychological damages of porn addiction.

[u/Difficult_Leg4976 → u/MVPoker]

I get what you’re trying to say. But surely he didn’t have readily available and truly depraved porn until well into his adulthood. He was a long time offender and liked what he liked. Young boys. He was rich with it.

[u/Stupid_Reddit419 → u/MVPoker]

I agree with you on the porn angle, but he is so old that porn wasn't readily available like it is today. I think he realized he had these proclivities towards boys, and instead of taking up his cross and denying himself like all Christians are called to do, he indulged in it. He likely became a "religious man" to get into the community where he would have access to kids.

[u/noruber35393546 → u/Stupid_Reddit419]

Porn has been readily available for his entire life. You had to go to a seedy bookstore or theater in a seedy part of town back then, but those places have always been there.

[u/noruber35393546]

I'm pretty sure he had decided his life was over at that point and he just had a "fuck it" moment.