I completely agree with you about Paulkins, but I have one thing to add: we know more about each member of the relationship by the end of the musical. They each act as an individual, not a love interest. We follow Emma in scenes and stories that have nothing to do with Paul, their relationship isn't all she has. She tells us her personal hopes and dreams, her past, and anxieties. The affection blooms and is present, but it's not her driving force.
Think about it: how much do we know about Becky as a person by the end of BF? Or Pete or Steph by the end of NPMD? That doesn't even go into the NTs where oh look, Tom gets more characterization, maybe you could say Pete does too, in that we see him actually interact with his brother and talk about himself and his interests.
Meanwhile, across all of Becky's appearances, we get her being an accessory to what's happening or a victim of circumstance where something is teased, but never discussed. And honestly, so does Steph. They both get a one-dimensional persona and they just react to their surroundings: "Meek Pediatric Nurse" and "Cool Girl [with empathy for social pariahs]".
you're so right, that is an excellent point
I really hope that Becky and Steph get more in-depth exploration in the future because there's a lot of potential in both of them as individual characters that really hasn't been dug into yet.
Steph is adjacent to so much knowledge and power as the mayor's daughter but she's neglected and treated like an idiot, and her own status as a cool kid is really hollow because she clearly doesn't have any actually close friends in the popular clique. her compassion for the underdog speaks to this quiet trait of hers that while she struggles academically, Steph is very emotionally and socially intelligent. there's so much you could do with that kind of character, so much to explore about status and loneliness and the effect parents have on their kids, the idea of nature vs nurture. some kind of exploration of Steph's relationship with her father and having to live up to and represent his image in some way relating to The Horrors that Solomon has to contend with. the materials are there for something really interesting!
and Becky has her whole traumatic, compelling backstory, the whole idea being that she's not actually as meek as she appears, that she maintains hope and a desire to do good in spite of the abuse she experienced, and she's willing to get her hands dirty when she has to. she's someone who's rebuilding her future after escaping a nightmare, under the judgemental eyes of her neighbors who think she's naive and weak. she's excited to embrace her freedom and find her happiness, but the problem is we don't know what she even WANTS beyond Tom. so much of her characterization so far has been in service to his, comforting him or reacting to what's happening with him. she tells her story in BF to make him feel better. despite being free now she hasn't gotten to really functionally be her own person. even her most recognizable trait - the fact that she's a nurse - is something that was forced on her by her abuser. there's a lot of potential in that, too, if Becky's story could be about identity. discovering herself and what she really wants, that she's a different person than she thought she was, and in some ways it's scary but in other ways it's beautiful and empowering. oh my god I just made myself want a Becky Barnes werewolf story.
I did not. intend to ramble like that uhh anyway you are very right thank you for that addition
