(This post contains OMITB S1-3 spoilers.)
I really hope to all the gods that they're going somewhere with this because:
A) My sister thinks Joy will be the murderer in the future and I just really hate the idea of that happening to Charles TWICE (especially after Joy told him she initially thought "this man dies alone"). Come on, let's please not make it a JOKE that Charles is MEANT to be alone because he's only attracted to murderers. That's cruel. Please tell my sister that.
B) I just don't understand Charles feeling so sorry for this fish that he carried it around with him, but as far as we know he never tried ONE SINGLE TIME to try to get Joy back.
He just thinks that if Joy decreed it, it must be. His life is the glass pitcher that Joy put him into.
He can't even cry about it.
It pisses me off, honestly, because he is SO proactive in other ways. Like when Jan was trying to kill him, in his own mind he was being a hero, helping to bring her down. When it came down to it and they needed to record the police interviews in his dressing room, he managed to make it through his entire song without going to the white room or making an omelet. Any time they need pictures of people for the murder board, he pretends to take selfies so they can get them. He defended Mabel when they caught and followed her with "tie dye guy" ... but he questioned whether Joy was the murderer and was afraid to ask her about it?
That just seems a little bit out of character to me. ... Except for one thing -- it wasn't JOY's integrity that he questioned. He questioned himself -- his ability to choose a partner, his ability to interact with people. It was never Joy he didn't trust. It was himself. Just like Sazz says, in so many words. The Jan situation must have really thrown him.
Some people here have said that they felt Joy was trying to change Charles into a person he just isn't, but I disagree. It seemed to me that Joy accepted his faults. In fact, she listed how she looked past several of them right before she left. She was very considerate of his needs when they moved in together after MONTHS of dating and made sure to ask him if he felt "it was too much" aka "Are you overwhelmed by this?" She knew being that close would be a huge change for "Charlie" and she was thoughtful and careful about it until he assured her it was fine.
And to just BELIEVE him when he assured her, and not question whether he was in denial or lying, showed that she had faith in him to tell her the truth.
Maybe she was overly optimistic or even naive. I think she realized that later.
When she found out...
- That he had questioned whether she murdered Ben....
- That he had ACCIDENTALLY proposed to her and never admitted it, even through all the wedding planning....
- That Charles had talked to not just Sazz but also Oliver and Mabel about her behind her back....
...all while she's the one he's in an intimate relationship with, she's his chosen partner, he climbs into bed with her (often twice a day), she's the one that he should feel most comfortable confiding in when he's questioning the world ... THAT BROKE HER HEART.
It wasn't just a matter of Charles not being open. It was that while all that was going on, while they made plans about aisles and decorations and where they would get their wedding cake, he questioned her, and therefore their relationship was not as solid as she had been led to believe.
And for that matter, what kind of best friends convince a guy who is in a seemingly happy relationship that he would be happier alone?
For the sake of his play, Oliver literally convinced Charles to break up with Joy, and we know the rest of THAT story, Matthew Broderick. When the breakup finally did happen -- after Charles realized he did not want to be alone -- neither Mabel or Oliver offered any comfort, encouragement, or much sympathy. I think they were glad to see Joy AND joy go, which is entirely unfair in that 1. they encouraged him to be with Jan, 2. Mabel has had at least 3 relationships, and 3. Oliver is in love with Loretta (and she looked far more like the murderer for a while than Joy ever did).
It's one thing to not want competition for your best friend but Joy didn't seem to ever discourage the OMITB obsession or murder investigation. Yes, she thought it would be good for their relationship when Death Rattle ended on opening night, but once Death Rattle Dazzle was going strong, she not only tried to help Charles get through his patter song block but even helped Ben with his makeup on opening night -- without a single complaint.
All three of our heroes or antiheroes in this show are deeply flawed, even horrible people sometimes, and that's why we love them.
But in conclusion of point B, Joy is the victim in all this. I think she truly loves Charles and MIGHT be the only person in existence that really sees him and wants what is best for HIM -- him as an individual. And all she wants from him is that same consideration.
She saw the winks in the mirror and the kick in his step years ago. What does he see in her?
I am just so aggravated at that entire situation!!
C) President McKinley. The fish is a parallel to Charles, obviously. He is "meant to be alone." Charles feels so sorry for President McKinley after Joy leaves, and identifies with him so much, that he worries and carries the damn fish around with him and tries to find him water when he thinks the bag is leaking. I don't think the bag was even leaking. Do you? I think maybe that was Charles's psychological way of crying and releasing his grief. (Let's not even try to get into the symbolism of a toilet or being trapped in a room with a smoke/fog machine.)
Why in the world is that fish's name President McKinley? "I always wanted to be friends with a president but this one is a bully." What?
The real President McKinley was a controversial figure. He took a pay cut when he stopped being a lawyer to be a politician. He also furthered American imperialism. He was staunchly against slavery and fought in the Civil War. And he also did very little to help black people who were being harassed and attacked in the USA during his presidency. He defended a group of striking miners against their mining companies and all but one of them were acquitted.
And President McKinley was MURDERED. But he also called off the mob that might have killed his assassin. He has an interesting story, and I find it very interesting that of all the presidents, Joy named her fish after him.
In conclusion, there are so many reasons for this story between Charles, Joy, and this fish to be headed somewhere. And this is the kind of stupid detail I get hyperfixated on and it ends up making or breaking a show for me.
Don't disappoint me, OMITB!!
andulkaphoto
kianamaiart
germansingergirl
janainaart
origamiaround
