Jurassic World (2015): Claire and Owen had one (1) date
Me, a Perv: That 👏 Doesn’t 👏 Mean 👏 They 👏 Didn’t 👏 Fuck.
Ahem. This is a treatise on why I 1000% believe that Owen and Claire went to Poundtown at least once, probably more times, before their disaster date.
I believe it went something like this: Claire and Owen are put in close proximity due to a project, attraction ensues, they give in, they catch feelings they won’t admit, they try to go on a date about it, it fails when they both feel disrespected, they avoid each other like the plague ever after.
For evidence, I will draw on their first meeting scene.
Claire drives over to Owen’s bungalow herself. She doesn’t ask an underling to fetch him to the very spot she leaves and returns to.
No navigation, no call-ahead required. She knows exactly where Owen lives. She knows he’ll be there.
Claire checks her appearance in the car window.
“What do they want now?” At this point, Owen knows Claire is only there in a professional context.
“Mr. Grady.” It’s strange to Owen that he’s Mr. Grady. That means he was “Owen” for awhile leading up to the Disaster Date (Datesaster™). Hyper professional Claire would not have let a random park employee be just Owen to her after one date. More to the point, she would not have said yes to a date with Mr. Grady. The date came after something brewed between them.
“We have an attraction.” “That’s not what you said last time I saw you.” Emphasis on you said, not what he thinks. You could take this as Claire denying ever being attracted to him (kinda silly considering there was a date) or that Claire has called off their attraction, unilaterally.
“Mr. Misrani asked me to consult with you.” That rings a bell. Lights up his life. Suddenly, he’s DTF (Down to Flirt). My shipper brain immediately went Code Red. “Consult” is the verb she used when she was DTF (Down to Fuck). I know this in my bones.
“You wanna consult here...or in my bungalow?” Ladies and gentlemen, they have fucked consulted in Owen’s bungalow before. I cannot be dissuaded from this. The alternative to that reading is to think Owen is a leering fratboy who insinuates sex out of nowhere. Taken with his clear crush on Claire (more on that later), that reading does not suit.
“That’s not funny.” You guys. I have used that line on a former FWB. Absolutely. Just a wrinkle of the nose. She’s past all that. No apologies, but she doesn’t want to hear it. If it was out of nowhere, I think Claire would be admonishing Owen, dressing him down. But, since they both know she’s seen him undressed, she lets it slides on by.
“Ha, ha. A little funny.” Poor baby boy. He’s got no defenses for her poise, except to be the obnoxious neanderthal she expects from him and try to enjoy it.
“See, it’s all about control with you. I don’t control the raptors, it’s a relationship.” This is the part where it becomes crystal clear for those paying attention that Owen is not the emotionally stunted man-boy we’re so used to seeing Chris Pratt play so well. And it totally makes sense! An animal behavioralist would have to be attuned to emotion.
“It’s based on mutual respect.” Owen Grady has a Chip on His Shoulder and that chip is Not Being Respected. I...love that. He’s an alpha, sure, but it’s not about control it’s about mutual respect. Claire made it clear with her actions that she does not respect him and it turned him right the hell off. The matter-of-fact regret in his eyes kills me.
“That’s why you and I never had a second date.” LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, OWEN GRADY WANTED A RELATIONSHIP BUT WAS DISAPPOINTED THAT CLAIRE DIDN’T SEEM EMOTIONALLY AVAILABLE. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. Honestly, such a great subversion of expectations.
“Excuse me! I never wanted a second date.” Oh, Claire. Her understanding of this situation lacks nuance. And this totally fits with her character! She likes people, she’s great at focus groups. But she’s uncomfortable with the one-on-one.
“Who prints out an itinerary for a night out?” Owen sees the itinerary and maybe it offends him because it’s all things she likes to do. Or all generic. Or maybe she’s pushing him into her world, expecting to be wooed like he’s one of her trust fund exes. Or maybe she’s carefully choosing places on this tiny island to make sure no one sees them together.
“What kind of a diet doesn’t allow tequila?” He goes along or suggests something else, but she refuses to losen up and have a good time. She is stiff. (It feels like an interview, which is weird because he knows what her fingernails feel like on his back.)
“And what kind of a man shows up to a date in board shorts?” Oh, Claire. I love you. I identify with you. This is the kind of woman who will cut her losses at the slightest provocation. Boardshorts? Clearly, he’s not trying. He’s not taking her seriously. He doesn’t suit the lifestyle. Hard pass. What was she thinking, anyway?
“The asset? Look, I get it...” Owen, demonstrating his emotional intelligence again, shows that he can see things from her perspective and offers his. Claire takes it as him being a know-it-all, but he’s actually trying to have a conversation.
“I gotta eat. I gotta hunt. I gotta...You can relate to at least one of those things, can’t you?” Claire does not seem like a huntress. She’s on a diet. So what could Owen possibly know she likes to do...WE GET IT. YOU’VE FUCKED.
And Claire just rolls her eyes, like, yes. This is a tiny island, and I’ve lived here for seven years. I have needs. But you are not going to get to me, I am a grown-ass woman and you are acting like a boy. She tells herself, if he had put in some effort to become Boyfriend Material, she might have kept him. She didn’t like cutting short the good thing they had going. She had no choice, because clearly he was a wasted time investment.
The saunter she puts on. She knows he’s still attracted to her. She takes over his space. Look at his face. They were Co-Workers With Benefits (CWWB) and she called all the shots (at least until they were in bed, against the wall, etc. Then it’s a struggle for dominance and he loved it.)
“You might want to change your shirt. They’re very sensitive to smell.” What a put-down. She goes right for the jugular. We know from a deleted scene that she’s been thinking of him like a Neanderthal and probably berating herself for Going There after some dick from corporate cheated on her or something. He knows he was just supposed to be a roll in the hay for her. Classic rich woman sleeping with the help. A bungalow bunny for Dirty Dancing Johnny Castle! For her, putdowns are a defense mechanism. Claire is bad at emotional vulnerability, so she Ice Queens and disappears from her family and gives up after one bad date.
But Owen likes her! And she must have liked him enough to agree to a date. That’s a look of what could have been on his face.
Whew, okay, so that was a lot. But! I thought this scene deserved some unpacking. There’s a lot going on under the surface. I think because there’s some juvenile humor, people went right to sexist OMG!!! And forgot to see that the trope is being subverted. He’s carrying a torch. She tries to tell herself she never wanted anything more. Super interesting place to start, with the end goal of the film being to build up that respect between them.
