Parallel Romances

Editsound · 21 Aug 07 :: 09:26

An aspect I have been thinking about the last few days is the 2 romances which ran through the show, and what they said about each other. Adam & Joan and Luke & Grace. The two couples were becoming interested at about the same time, they both went through a period where the guy was seeing another girl, then they both finally got together with the right girl. It is fascinating that we are all more interested in the Adam and Joan romance, yet in the end the Luke and Grace relationship is the one which is successful. I was thinking it was the idea that the love which burns too hot (is too intense) can't finally succeed.
But after some more thought, I have come to think it is something more simple. Grace and Luke communicate with each other better, (even to the extreme of writing contracts). But in the end, they both always know where they stand. Luke lets Grace know when something is really important to him (he wants her at his birthday, and calls it a deal breaker). Grace is always clear with him about what she wants him to do (or not do). Grace tells Luke about her most personal secret(about her mom). Luke confesses to her his experiment with drugs (without being caught, he just tells her).

Meanwhile, Joan and Adam have real problems in this area. They never seem to tell each other when something is bothering them. They are each jealous at one point, but neither of them bring it up until it almost gets completely out of control. Adam hires an assistant without even telling Joan he is going to. And of course, Joan has a huge secret, and a second life that doesn't include Adam.

It makes me wonder it ultimately the Joan and Adam romance was doomed, (even if they hadn't done "Trial and Error"), or would they have finally figured out a way to communicate more completely. Would Joan have fully disclosed her secret to Adam?

TeeJay · 21 Aug 07 :: 14:24

That's very interesting, Rick. And I think you're right. Communication is key in any relationship, at least when you want it to work over a longer period of time. (Let me just say that I've been at the receiving end of this one too many times myself--and yet have a hard time learning my lesson). Adam and Joan definitely had communication issues.

I'm quite sure that even if T&E hadn't happened, Adam and Joan would have hit a rough patch eventually, especially if they didn't figure out that they had to work on their communication. They'd had their share of fights and misunderstandings before, and there would have come a time when that big fight would have been inevitable. But at least if they'd talked about things head to head, they might have been able to work things out. The way it happened in T&E, it just fell apart without any hope of them fixing it any time soon.

I'm not sure if Joan would have disclosed her secret to Adam. I mean, she would have--eventually. I have no idea how long it would take until that would have happened. In the future JoA fan fiction that Deb and I are writing, she does at the age of 22 (though Adam and Joan didn't really see each other much during the years when Adam was at college in Rhode Island).

-TeeJay

TheCentralScrutinizer · 21 Aug 07 :: 15:44

I don't see a rough patch eventually, I see a writing team engineering a break-up because they think that's the natural course for this relationship. Because it had become a little stale and needed shaking up. BH has even said as much in interviews. She didn't want it to be too easy for them. Even if it hadn't been cheating, they were going to break Adam and Joan up at the end of season two and make them struggle to reunite --- or not throughout season three.

To me, they are fated. And they would've gotten back together eventually.

If I didn't believe that, we wouldn't have over 400 pages of fic about just it. Don't know how you feel about fan fiction Rick, but if you keep dwelling on the A/J ship, wondering what might've been, you might consider checking this story out. Let me know if you want a link to it and whether you'd prefer a PG or R rated version.

domesticelefant · 21 Aug 07 :: 19:02

Well, Joan tried once to tell Adam, but he didn't believe her at first. And by the time he started to believe, she tried to deny it. But I guess the fact that she still had the secret drove them apart somehow. (Did I say that right, Tina? Not sure here.) But I like the idea of Joan finally telling him and him beliving her and then sometime they would get back together. I have a fanfic about that in the works too. (Wonder if I will ever finish it. LOL

As to Grace and Luke, I liked them together (Although Joan and Adam were my favorites ). The scene at the end of Season one still makes me grin. Grace's "I'm not into you!" and then ... the kiss. I liked that!

Editsound · 21 Aug 07 :: 19:54

I saw the links in one of the posts, and I look forward to reading them in the future. I think fan fiction is interesting, and some of it is more creative then the originals, because it is driven by a real love of the characters. I am stilling thinking through the show, and want to finish that before I move on.

Rick

TeeJay · 21 Aug 07 :: 20:02

I understand, Rick. Deb and I have a huge passion for those characters, especially Adam and Joan. We moved them foward a few years, they're both 22 in our story. We're taking everything that happend on the show as a basis and had Adam go off to Rhode Island School of Design to study art there, separating him from Joan's life for a while. Back in Arcadia, a rather tragic event makes them reconnect in a way that they both always wanted but neither of them had expected.

It's so much fun to write them as more grown up characters, dealing with grown-up problems. Not that their teenage problems weren't real or were uninteresting. For me the appeal is in writing something I can relate a little more to these days, since my teenage years are way in the past. Don't be disappointed at not finding Grace and Luke still together, though. We had something else in mind for either of them.

-TeeJay

Chris Marquette Message Board

#1 21 Aug 07 :: 09:26

Parallel Romances

#2 21 Aug 07 :: 14:24

Re: Parallel Romances

#3 21 Aug 07 :: 15:44

Re: Parallel Romances

#4 21 Aug 07 :: 19:02

Re: Parallel Romances

#5 21 Aug 07 :: 19:54

Re: Parallel Romances

#6 21 Aug 07 :: 20:02

Re: Parallel Romances

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