snip
>> There was roughly a week of unseen time (between the trip to Iowa and
>> the funeral), during which we didn't see ANYTHING. We didn't know for
>> sure that she 'helped' but neither do we know for sure that she
>> didn't. Nothing was ever said either way.
>>
The rule on this newsgroup and most other discussion sites used to be: if
we didn't see it, it didn't happen. There was no indication whatsoever
that
Carter felt Abby had been at all helpful in coping with the death. From
the
way the relation****p imploded shortly thereafter and from Abby's general
lack of concern about Gamma's death in favor of her obsession with Eric
from
the start, I'd say it's highly unlikely that Carter felt very sup****ted by
Abby during the 3 days or so between the death and the funeral. There was
no indication that Gamma's funeral was delayed for a week after her death,
which would be an unusually long interval, not that it matters.
>> >. She was neither warm, nor
>> > sympathetic and Carter saw it immediately, don't know how you missed
>> > it.
>>
>> It's been a while since I've watched the eppy, but I'm sure it can be,
>> and IS interpreted in different ways, depending on the POV of the
>> viewer. If I think about it I'll watch again tonight.
>
>
> So, I rewatched "Things Change" last night. And, not surprsingly, your
> memories of it/take on it bear precious little resemblence to what
> happened on screen.
>
Lordy, you are a glutton for punishment! I haven't seen it since it
aired,
don't have it on tape.
> As Carter is getting ready to leave (having heard about Gamma's death
> a while before), he asks Frank to find Abby for him. She then comes
> around the corner and says "I've been looking for you." He says "I've
> been looking for YOU." Before they can get much more detail out, the
> guy with the sore throat is brought back in, and they rush to help
> him, while Carter asks if Abby can leave as soon as they are done with
> him,says things like "I really don't want to do this alone ..." and
> Abby looks baffled. They work on the patient a while longer, and Abby
> explains (after Carter responds to her "What are you talking about?"
> with "What are YOU talking about?") briefly about Eric, and that she
> needs the scrip, then Abby asks Carter what's wrong. Carter says "My
> grandmother died today." And Abby looks shocked and distressed. They
> finish with the patient and head out into the hall, Carter writes her
> the scrip, and Abby says "I'm SO sorry. No one told me."
>
OK, so my first point, that Abby and Carter were looking for one another,
and didn't bump into each other randomly was correct. I was also correct
in
my recollection that there was some initial confusion as to what the other
was referring to initially. I didn't see Abby's look as so much shocked
and distressed on Carter's behalf as she was that Gamma had kicked it at a
rather inconvenient time for her.
> She then listens quietly and rubs his back while Carter talks a bit
> about Gamma, and she offers some comforting words. She then assures
> him that she will be back tonight -- the flight's just an hour.
Which he knew was utter bull****, as did she. For the record, Little Miss
'I'll be back tonight' checked into a motel in Iowa with Eric, even
bringing
some of Carter's clothes for him to wear despite telling Carter they'd be
back before morning. If Abby was so darned sure she was coming back
immediately, why did she go home and pack a bag? She was clearly lying so
Carter wouldn't question her decision, she never planned to come back that
night,. Also, the 'back rub' (which I recalled as rubbing his arm/hand for
a
moment) lasted no more than a few seconds, while she spent the majority of
the scene with her hand outstretched, impatiently awaiting the
prescriptions
that he shouldn't have been writing in the first place.
>
> And Carter says "Do you have to go? My Dad's flying in ... You
> haven't seen your brother in months, why do you have to go now?" Abby
> explains that he's off his meds, she can't reach Maggie, and if she
> doesn't go now, he may disappear again.
Which, of course, since it was literally hours from the time she had last
spoken to him until she could get there, in real life, he'd most likely
have
been long gone anyway. I speak from personal experience. Abby's 'plan'
made
no sense as usual, she was taking a late flight to Iowa (it was already
dark
when she left), assuming that her mentally ill brother had stayed at a
diner
for hours and hours (and that the management let him) waiting for her to
show up and then figured they'd catch a nonexistent middle of the night
flight back from Iowa. That Eric was still there and was actually willing
to return with her without much fuss was a miracle in modern times, I
guess
she really is St. Abby.
There is also the FACT that Abby had flatly refused to look for Eric at
all
until that moment, completely shooting down Maggie's plan to hire a
detective. I can see how Carter would wonder what the he** the emergency
was when she couldn't be bothered to even attempt to look for him until
that
very moment. Her assertion to Maggie that they had to wait for him to
contact them first was also typical Abby nitwitery.
> Carter looks disgusted/incredulous and starts to walk away.
Because, as usual, when it comes to her family, Abby is irrational. And
maybe, considering how incredibly sup****tive he had been of her and her
family on many, many occasions; he was expecting a little more from her
than
he got in his time of need.
Abby
> follows, reiterating that she WILL be back tonight.
And then she WASN'T.
Carter opens the
> door to the lounge and says "Go. Go find your brother. My grandmother
> will still be dead tomorrow." He enters the lounge, leaving Abby
> looking distressed and upset.
OK, so perhaps Abby didn't expect him to go with her, but she also surely
wasn't telling him the truth when she promised she'd be back that night.
She had no way of knowing that she could get back that night (should've
actually been pretty certain that she couldn't) and she shouldn't have
made
the ridiculous statement that she would.
>
> Then, the next episode, there is no indication that Abby hasn't been
> around.
Nor is there any indication that she has. We know Carter hired a limo to
bring her to the service, so he, at least, was in contact with her. No
indication that she did anything for him.
Carter tells Jack that she's going to meet them at a
> cemetery, and Abby is getting ready to go, when Eric shows up. (Having
> 'escaped' from his completely voluntary treatment center.) She does
> bring him to the funeral (having no other real options),
How about staying away from the funeral? Locking up the bar in the limo?
Giving the limo driver $20 and asking him to drive her brother around for
an
hour rather than sit there parked? As I recall, she took Eric to the ER
for
admission right after the funeral, she couldn't have done that on the way?
You don't think one of the ER docs would've gotten a psych hold on Eric
for
her? No common sense, alas.
and is
> sitting holding Carter's hand and giving him comforting looks when
> Eric gets out of the car and things, of course, go terribly wrong.
> When all is over, she makes multiple attempts to apologize and
> explain, and Carter just tells her to go away. Twice.
After what happened, what should he have done? Yelled at her? Told her
she
was a stupid selfish git? Unlike Abby, I think Carter decided that since
he
didn't have anything nice to say, he wouldn't say anything at all. I
don't
think Abby or anyone else should expect to be instantly forgiven for doing
something so stupid, no matter how apologetic she is. Just as Luka
doesn't
have to forgive her immediately, or ever, for her infidelity.
at she expected him to go to Iowa with her. NO
> suggestion that since Jack was coming, Carter didn't need to stick
> around (or she didn't need to come back.) NO, hint from Abby that
> "Gamma would still be dead tomorrow."
I never said Abby said it, I said Carter said it in response to what he
(and
I) viewed as her lack of concern about it. I still think the convo
between
them indicated that Abby expected he would go to Iowa with her, but
concede
she didn't actually say it.
Just a clear case of two people
> who needed her, and she had to choose the one who, at that moment, had
> the most pressing needs. (She was, presumably, supposed to leave Eric
> sitting in the truck stop for 4-5 days until after the funeral?) If
> anything, it was Carter who was acting (not completely without cause)
> like a petulant brat.
At the time, I discussed how one can get help from local authorities for
the
mentally ill. I don't think Carter expected her to leave Eric sitting in
the
truck stop, he just expected her to use some common sense and logic to get
him help instead of insisting that she was the only one who could do it.
She does it repeatedly with her family, apparently due to her need to play
the martyr, and, pretty much every time, it ends in disaster, as it did
this
time, too.
Carter was entitled to feel what he was feeling at that moment. Abby has
had far more episodes of petulant brattiness over the years than he has.
He
also had witnessed once again how incredibly badly Abby handles her family
issues and, this time, it ruined a solemn and im****tant event that was
im****tant to him.
(Oh, and that episode was also a good example of Abby caring about her
patient -- when she's doing a very good job of calming the psychotic
patient, telling him that she's there to 'Keep him safe. That's what I
do. I keep people safe.")
Yeah, because the viewers all needed that great big ole anvil to drop on
our
heads so we would realize that Abby is just the bestest ever. Great job
of
keeping Eric safe, there, Abs. Refusing to search for him when he was
missing, leaving him alone in a limo stocked with booze. Right up there
with driving suicidal Maggie cross country in a convertible.
Sharon
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