The weak do not inherit the earth... 8 . 10 . 00
...but the emotionally unstable will cry until their tear ducts are as dry as PAS' sense of humor.
This girl sat in awe for an hour. That's what I did. Bear with me. Jumbled thoughts to follow... Don't get me wrong. I cried and I cried just as much as the next person and I just wanted a hug after it was over. I felt emotionally spent. I felt raw. But why? I think it's because the pain wasn't based on "bonds" or "Carmen" or even "Claire" - it was about them... and their love for each other. It felt like their love was the biggest emotion in the room today.
Danny: "I have to make this right for you. Let me make this right for you." This told me that he doesn't want to go back into the family business. Yes, he's said it a million times, but I never really totally believed him. But today I believed that in fact, that's the last thing he wants to do. Maybe it was the way the words were written... but I truly believed, beyond a shadow of a doubt today, that he felt this was the only thing he could do to finally (and I do mean finally) get out of that life. I think I need more time to think about this, but that was my first reaction, definitely. For the record - I don't believe this is the end of Manny. What I do believe, however, is that along with being some of the best character exploration I've seen of Manny in a long time, that this current action is two-fold. I'm not naive enough to think that all is well in JLcontract Land and that it doesn't exist. It exists very much and resides in the forefront of my mind every single day. As a producer who may not know Joie's decision one way or the other, if I were smart, I'd tell the writers to open a door - JUST IN CASE. It is the smart thing to do, it really is. Do I like it? As a Manny fan? As a Joie fan? Hell no. But I understand it. But anyway... My whole reason for hitting "new topic" in the first place was to talk about a non-Manny scene, actually. Since last Friday, I've felt that every single episode had its own theme. Today was no different. Today was about love, forgiveness, and being able to do what you have to do as opposed to what you think you should do. I thought it was brilliant to only have the two stories on today, anything else would've been superfluous and out of place. Now... much in the way the Christmas episode used Buzz' storytelling to bring each storyline together, I truly believe that they used him again as the prophetic voice of reason and as a way of telling us what's going on.. not only in Pharley's life, but in Manny's too. To me, there was a reason why his "words of advice" to Harley were a little vague - because they said a lot about Manny as well. However, let me first take you to the scene between Manny:
Michelle: "I am not naive and this is not some moral dilemma about turning the other cheek. I refuse to be a victim to retaliation. When does it end, Danny? When everyone's dead?" Danny: "You don't understand." Michelle: "I don't understand. Because you know how much I love you and that I would do anything for you. But there are places that you go that I cannot follow." Danny: "Right, then don't. That's what I'm saying, don't. Let me go there myself, I will always come back to you."
Buzz: "Kindof like a little bat hanging upside down deep inside a dark place. You gotta put the gloves on and just go and wrestle that guy out. Take a look at his ugly face and let the sucker fly." The dark place... the place that Danny goes. Ringing any bells here? While I'm not usually one to tie these things together because usually they smack of unrealistic optimism... I couldn't deny this, mostly because of what I've seen in the show the last five days. I see a purpose, a direction, I see intent. Michelle said that she can't save him anymore. But maybe, just maybe, that's exactly what she's going to learn that she needs to do. Maybe that's what she has to do here... fight for him, with him, in that dark place.. look at that ugly part of Danny, wrestle with it.. and let it go. Maybe it's not about Danny feeling the need to save her and protect her, maybe now the tables are turned and she has to do the protecting. Maybe, just maybe, he's not supposed to go to that dark place alone and come back to her. Maybe they're supposed to go together.. and come back stronger.
Buzz: "You're hard on people. You're real tough. But the person you're hardest on, for whom you will absolutely cut no slack, is you. I think that maybe you think that when you see this little bat's face, it's gonna be your own, which is wrong, but you won't accept that from me, and you won't accept that from Phillip. So maybe what this is really about, is forgiving yourself." Aside from the mention of Phillip, this could've very easily been said to (and about) Danny. I've always felt that Danny's guilt over everything he's experienced in his life: what his life has brought to Michelle (Carmen), the pain and misery... not helping Mick when he knew that he had a problem... being the reason Carmen was going to testify, and was then killed... being part of the reason that his little sister was driven insane by his mother (to frame Michelle - the woman he brought into Carmen's life). Let's just say this boy has a lot of pent-up guilt that he has never forgiven himself for. When people talk about "my Danny" and "my Manny" - those are always different definitions based on what makes each individual viewer *feel* the most. But when I see Danny, I see his life for what it is... a very bad life. Full of pain and agony and the weight of the world on his shoulders. Which again, Buzz mentions...
Buzz: "Well, also, you can save yourself a hernia, you know.. anger, resentment, guilt, that's a serious load to carry. There's all sorts of internal injuries. And when you hurt, you tend to hurt other people, other people you don't want to.. like people you love." Michelle has been the only saving grace for him, the only thing that's worth fighting for. But she's also the person he's hurt the most through all of this.
Candy
|
