Eve Levine

Scarlett!! Great to see you back on the thread, woman!

Bree- I love your whole post.

ETA Great pic of Jimmy Smits. Can't wait for this season to start.

Dingbat

HELLO JIMMY SMITS Tho, please shave

phoenix_2011

Hey everyone!!! Just checking in with you all! I'm currently in Italy now and it's awesome!

Welcome Jackal! Huge fan of you're work.

Naz and Scarlett nice to have you back. Kisses to everyone

givelovesolong

Hello, Scarlett and Phoenix! Great to hear from you both.

Thank you, Eve. It had been swirling around in my mind for weeks days. I do make myself laugh sometimes, knowing how far spun out I can get, but I really do feel protective of Tara. Fiercely so. I'm just glad to know I'm not the only one who feels that way.


Pretty great waking up to an unexpected WTFSutter this morning, I have to say. A sprint edition, too: how it should be done. If only the questions were a little more focused...



The important stuff?

• three new Nomad members being introduced this year, one of whom will be Chuck Zito (as previously announced)
• we know this, too, but I'm still going to precursor it with an "unfortunately" -- because I still think it sucks (understatement) -- but yes, there will be more Wendy this season. Kurt -- not me -- says hopefully for 3 or 4 episodes.
• for anyone who submits questions, next week he'll jump back and answer the ones emailed in

Where Kurt's at?

• writing his draft of episode 4
• episode 1 begins prepping on Wednesday -- the cast will get the first script next week
• episodes 2 and 3 are written and locked
• drafts of episodes 5 and 6 have begun
• and episode 7 is in the process of being broken in the room

Man, I knew we were in May -- and that we were getting closer -- but it's kind of just hit me that production will begin in a few weeks. That's pretty much making it, in my book. Not really. But, kind of.

Dingbat

More Nomads? Wendy.

givelovesolong

Pretty much my exact reaction.

luckynori

My Wendy feelings are such a mess. I guess it's not really Wendy but...

It's like this:

Drea- (because there can never be enough Drea)

Wendy- (I just feel like the ship has kind of sailed on this storyline and character. Two whole seasons where the character wasn't even mentioned, I've kind of moved on.)

Possibly more pain and hard times for Tara- (no explanation needed)

Jackal1973

Wendy, Schmendy, why should KS expect me to care about this character's redemption when she was introduced in such a heinous manner? Eh, I can guess at the jones he probably gets from writing whatever bump in the road that her reemergence on the scene creates but, really, at the end of that episode (or 3 or 4), I'm still not going to be rooting for her.

Gaah, in a way, that's really twisted that KS could lay out a scenario where I'm totally opposed to the completely sober and reformed junkie but that's just the way my Jax and Tara shipper cookie crumbles.

As for the JS pic, well, hmmm. In my mind, I can see him as being totally badass on that bike with the gritty black and white feel of prior publicity photos but that snapshot just left me kind of meh. The ape hangers and the casual dress shoes just don't blend nicely for me even in a candid. Does that make me too picky?

*hangs head in shame because it certainly does*

Oy.

luckynori

Jackal, I think in two words you summed up my feelings "Wendy, Schmendy" because it's almost how the writing for this character has been. Even way back in season 1.

When Wendy went off to rehab (and someone correct me if I'm wrong) but there was no mention of her until she showed back up at the hospital to see Abel. I watched the first season over the course of a couple days with my brother and when she showed up he was like "Oh, yeah, forgot about the junkie". I can't imagine what his reaction would have been over the course of a few weeks.

Season 2-no mention of Wendy.

Season 3-Abel is taken, yeah the season only spanned a couple weeks but again no Wendy.

Season 4-Tara says she's mommy. Abel calls Tara mommy. Chibs (and Gemma in the deleted scene) refers to Tara as mommy. The scene in Out where Jax and Gemma talk about Wendy is cut. So there is no talk about Wendy until she shows up all "Let's explain genetics and legal rights to the two year old".

And the more I think about it, her stance on Abel needing to know the truth was kind of crazy since it was never said that Tara and Jax were going to let Abel go his whole life thinking Tara was his birth mother. Tara probably had a hard enough time explaining to him where daddy was for fourteen months. I think it's understandable that she didn't tackle the whole "Birth mommy nearly killed you in the womb, took off, came back, took off again, gave me custody" deal. And if Gemma and everyone continued to throw around that Tara was the mother of Jax's son, Abel probably would have cottoned on eventually.

You know, I think this is the big thing about Wendy's story and it's not even the Jax/Tara shipper in me that's opposed to it. But this goes to something Eve has talked about and it's that Wendy's redemption hasn't been earned. Not by the character or the writers.

When we are first introduced to this character she's choosing to get high over the life of her unborn child. Then she allows Gemma to guilt/manipulate/whatever her into trying to kill herself. She's off screen and then back on just long enough for Jax to tell her to get clean and to see Abel. Then she's off screen again for several episodes. When she comes back she's fresh faced and sober. Because Gemma's so opposed to Tara and Jax is well Jax, no one is giving her the side-eye about nearly killing her son. She's actually welcomed with open arms back into Abel's life. But we never see her being a mother to Abel, she can't even comfort him when he cries.

Jax tells her she's Abel's mother and no one is trying to take him from her, she insists that she doesn't just want Abel, she wants Jax too. Jax and Tara kiss at Donna's funeral, season 2 starts up Wendy is long gone so it seems like the only reason she came back was to get Jax and it had nothing to do with Abel.

Flash-foward, Wendy comes back not just freshed-faced and sober but a college graduate with a solid career. And even though she's barely spent a week with Abel all of a sudden she knows what's best for him. She doesn't even know him. She hasn't earned the right to be that kid's mother anymore than she's earned the right to call Jax and Tara bad parents.

I really wish Drea had a better character because Wendy's not a character, Wendy's a manipulation. Wendy's the foot used to kick Tara when she's down.

heavenly_vixen

Lucky, I agree with everything you just said.

Wendy is a non-issue. If anything, I'm hoping it's used as a device to bring Jax and Tara even closer together, or (this is not my ideal but I think it's possible) to force them into marrying sooner. A united front for the courts and all that. Can't deny his Wife the doctor, now can they.

But, I kinda want Tara to go all Mama bear (like she was unable to do in the hospital cause of the crap she was going through) and get rid of Wendy herself. Plus, is it just me, or was that all kinds of cowardly on Wendy's behalf to pull that on Tara when she's laid up in a hospital bed and her career and future are on the line?!?! Don't come to her when she's home and she's healthy and strong, no do it when she's down and can't kick your sorry ex-junky rear end to the curb.

Ok, that's my rant. But I'm all but certain Wendy is not getting anywhere near Abel. He's only 2 years old, he has a Mama, and Wendy ain't it.

Dingbat

Sentence is made of win. How poetic sounding.

I don't care if Wendy's rehabilitated, what she did in the pilot is unforgivable. The lost the right to be Abel mom the second she started doing drugs again.

Jackal1973

Lucky, I really wish that my iPad would let me quote easily because you so eloquently outlined exactly how I feel about the Wendy character and forgive me for rehashing what ya'll have talked about in past threads but you and Eve are spot on with the lack of work for the character and the writers here.

Give me the worst character out there: slap me with their dirtiest, ugliest sides; break down their motivations right over my head like they're Anne Shirley's slate; show me every uncomfortable inch of their minute progress forward and I'll be right with them. I may not like their character still but I'd be engaged, drawn in, and wanting to see where they go next but don't slap a little white wash on them offscreen and expect me to see things from their perspective or care about their rights especially on a show that is all about consistently earning your place in the M.C. world.

And, yeah, she's probably just an unfortunate pothole on this seasons stretch of road but, well, I still like to avoid them whenever possible.

Oh, and, heavenly vixen, there's great merit to your thoughts on upping the timeline ante for Jax and Tara's vows, I just hope we get the poignant moment that makes it all theirs in the hasty process.

Dingbat

Random: During last night's Person of Interest, a character said "When you find that one person who connects you to the world, you become a different person. Someone better."

It definitely reminded me of "We don’t know who are ‘til we’re connected to someone else. We’re just better human beings when we’re with the person we’re supposed to be with."

givelovesolong

That seriously irks me. So much. But you really have hit the nail on the head, Lucky -- and I'm going to be a lot less eloquent here -- because screw that if Wendy thinks she can come back after a two-year absence and start calling the shots. She absolutely does not have the right to turn up and start throwing out demands and ultimatums. I really just need want to see Tara (and Jax and Gemma, but most definitely Tara) put her in her place.

I don't know where Kurt's going to take this -- that scares me enough -- and lately I keep thinking about his past and how that might potentially influence the direction he moves in. Given his experiences, will he look at Wendy from a more understanding and sympathetic stand-point? Does he believe she deserves a second chance to get to know Abel and be a part of his life? Does it make me horrible to know that I desperately don't want that?

I'm not sure I even really understand how any outcome here plays to the evolution of Tara. She's already had her son taken from her; already knows what it's like to lose him; already has a deep resolve to protect her family. Now they threaten the title that allows her to claim Abel as her own? Where or what is the lesson in that? Hasn't she already learnt it enough?

Really, it all does go back to what both you and Eve have said, Lucky: Wendy's a puppet, and her strings are only ever half-pulled.

heavenly_vixen

I agree Jackal, I really hope that we see the love, and devotion they have for each other that is the reason they are getting married and choosing to spend their lives together, and not just the fact that the junky pushed up the date on them. Oh and please, call me Ally. I'm reading your fic too btw.

One more thought before i"m off to bed for the night, as it's after 1:30am here in Sydney. I have this really, really bad feeling that during all this Wendy crap... i think it's going to come out that she spent the night with Jax back in season 1 when she came home from rehab. Remember? The night Donna died? I think Tara's going to find out about it. And it's not going to be pretty. They'll survive it. But it's not going to be pretty for a little while. I hope I'm wrong though... god I hope i'm wrong. That night and everything with Trinity needs to stay buried. Forever!

Alright, G'night ladies. Lovely talking to you as always.