[posted on the forums, just begging to be cleaned up and made into a scholarly essay.]
i could possibly maybe be reading too much into this (doubtful, considering the rabbit holes that the authors’ve already set in place and revealed –example: Andre’s picture on the wall near Kate’s work desk — still a guess as of this moment, but muhaha), but whether or not she and Jeremy eventually end up together, i think Kate will get her place in the sun.
Kate is actually rather tender-hearted, rather than a manhater as a forumer has suggested; when she meets up with Jeremy, we’re told that she has “personal experience” with the three signs that, essentially, a relationship should be over — abuse, lack of respect, and lies, and alludes to the fact that she’s on this road trip as a result of ending a relationship (“So hit the road. I did.”, “Greenland – Holidays for the Heartbroken.”) So. Girl on the rebound from a bad boy. Not exactly a time to be charitable towards strange men, and she even calls herself on it — “a soft-hearted person like [she] used to be” would have maybe stopped to give Jeremy a lift, which, of course, she ends up doing. When she realizes that Jeremy does not truly understand teasing, she stops doing so, and becomes very direct (“This boy has been plagued by experts.”) When he abandons her in Tijuana, she waits instead of just leaving him to his own devices — this is in direct contrast to what Nils would do and has done (… Greenland.) Kate regularly indulges and supports Jeremy, too. Going to a county fair, whisking the both of them out before they get mobbed by an angry.. cavalcade (hah! didn’t think i could pull it off, didja?) of farmers, and then she goes and names his pig for him. And then lets him ask prostitutes what they do during the day. She actually listens to him instead of being intent only on her own agenda. Once they meet up with Nils again, she is clearly upset with the dynamic they have, but only “makes her move” when she realizes that “as long as Nils enjoyed it”, he doesn’t care what Nils does or does not do. He is completely accepting of her. Maybe Kate thinks a date would be a good dose of reality for all invloved.
I see interest on Jeremy’s side, as well. Before Kate is even fully on his side, she thinks that “if I want him to get tense I just have to say ‘Nilson’. And then… is it my imagination, or does he always try to change the subject?” I think that Jeremy appreciates how Kate has treated him, and may be learning to relate to a woman in as normal a fashion as the two can manage. The first humongous clue to me is the entire phone sex conversation culminating with, “Kate says ‘hi’.” From his expression and the fact that he didn’t relay any of what Kate said, he has clearly been affected by it, it’s too personal to share, and i think it’s because he’s been ‘shown’ that sexuality isn’t all about withholding and teasing (the fact that she helps him out with it in the first place, the dialogue of desire and fulfillment, all of it in first person, woof!), and it opens his views on that and Kate as the instrument and object of that realization. And instead of meekly continuing with Nil’ options (which got him into the whole mess, but then again, he now recognizes that he “brings it on [him]self”…), he creates his own by stepping off the ledge. The proverbial “first step”, yo.
And when i say “date” here, i don’t mean a necessarily romantic meetup; i go on “friend dates” a lot, so. thank the gods i don’t have this kind of triangle among my friends. onward!
Now, pre-date, Jeremy, by turns, (comma) looks increasingly disillusioned, shocked and mortified as Nils does her best to intimidate, embarrass and belittle him. This sets him at a low point, which was actually Nils’ intention; it backfires in that he now expects the same treatment from Kate, but ends up having a great time.
When he and Kate go on their date (heh. someone better at limericks work on that), he almost calls her really pretty while still sober, is very playful with her as an equal [by this i mean that he seems very comfortable talking (whereas he never seems to get a word in edgewise with Nils -- she seems more interested in the physical than mental {woo, understatement}) and also seems to feel accepted by Kate (i may be wrong, but i don't think he has ever cursed outside of this, but this may've also been his first experience with alcohol)], and clearly seems to be dumbfounded by how attractively she has dressed / to spend time with him. And when he offers to leave, he starts out by apologizing for being shy and socially awkward, ending by basically saying that he will bow out so that she can go find someone who deserves her, since she is really nice and “really p~ *strangling noise*” I think his interactions with Kate boil down to one of his statements in the midst of that desperate little spiel: “I’m really not sure what I’m supposed to be missing.” But given the fact that he is later concerned as to why Kate is mad at him, I think he knows he’s missing something, and that it is something that he and Kate could have. Whether it is a sexual, love or simply healthy relationship with a female remains to be seen.
And he doesn’t look too uncomfortable with his arm slung over Kate after their tumble from the table — i’d have expected him to spring up, all gentlemanly and flustered, but, hey… liquor makes you limber in all sorts of ways. Another little clue i think that’s been thrown in is Jeremy’s line in that same panel, “I’ve come of age!” Yeah! For the last bit on date night itself, i think that the only reason he says “Nils’ pretty too…” is as a response to when Kate says her name (drunk people repeat a lot repeat a lot [har, i wish, i might be asleep instead of having fun. wait.]), or perhaps out of his loyalty to Nils (not wanting to seem unfair or dismissive, since he’s thoughtful like that.) He did, after all, say that Kate was pretty without any sort of prompting. point for the Rake. now, in the midst of his rush to get back to the castle the next morning, he says he’ll be “on the couch next time.” ohohoho, there m’lad, unwitting confidence and a tip to his goals — he’s no longer going to be content just sitting at the castle, waiting for the girls to come home. not only that, he repeats it whilst hauling towards the lake. emphasis.
Plus, he scoops Kate up in his arms to rescue from the spa, and he gets her out FIRST. that may simply be because he thinks that Nils would put up more of a fight with the beastie, and that she could therefore wait a little longer, but i’m not sure if he had time for that kind of thought process; i think that Kate was just uppermost on his mind at that point… y’know, aside from the nasty water-borne deaththing.
Then we get a nice little dialogue between Jeremy and a soon-revealed Kate, but as it’s Jeremy worrying about someone’s safety, i believe we’re supposed to initially think that he’s talking to Nils.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by [another poster]
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The main problems, however, are the circumstances. In rough order of least to most dangerous to his happiness:
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Zeigfried, being the watchful mother hen of sorts.
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Nils, being the abusive, vindictive, meddler that she is.
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Random Crap, including aliens, crazy zoo ladies, and related.
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Jeremy’s Nature, because he is immortal in ways we don’t know, this could be ruinous.
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Jeremy’s Family, all insane, neglectful, and inhumane.
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The Convocation, in that numerous non-MacConnors, like Cottington, are very sinisterly involved in his life.
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[signature]
[my response]
i would actually put Nils much higher on this list; except for Jeremy’s nature, everything above her is an outside, physical force, none of which Jeremy seems to welcome into his life or rely upon, in direct contrast to Nils. And since Nils will back him in any conflict with outsiders, it will be all the harder for him to go against her in an emotional conflict — whether it’s because he becomes closer to Kate (romantically or otherwise) or because he begins to realize how… unusual… their own relationship is. now, all the other stuff might be more dangerous to his body, and therefore may prevent even his chances for happiness, but both he and Nils have managed to deal so far; but if he or she is driven away by the emotional upheaval, and he no longer has her to rely upon…. ?
in sum, i think Nils as she is right now is the greatest obstacle in Jeremy’s romantic happiness — she won’t admit to feelings for him or allow him to be with someone else, but (aside from his seeming nigh-invulnerability) she is also his greatest protector from any physical threat. it’s a very clever and nasty little loop of emotion, kind of a codependent relationship…
