[spoilers] Harry and Ruth. The Wonder Years.

[binkie]

Well, goodness! I wasn’t expecting such an avalanche of responses Thanks very much for picking up my questions.

(27-11-2010 05:46 PM)Tea Lady Wrote:  I think Ruth is still on the pedestal for Harry, and always will be, no matter what she does. For Ruth, I think Harry is more her equal now and she has seen the cracks forming in series 9, some of which she has not liked.

This seems to me to be precisely the undercurrent of the relationship as it stands. I’m not sure I would want necessarily for the conclusion to this strand of story to be that Ruth is so disappointed in Harry’s inability to be anything other than Harry that she turns completely away from him. I love the texture and depth of their relationship, all the little elements of forgiveness and counterbalanced disapproval and remedy. It would be very disappointing if the writing/production team used the same blunt instrument on Harry and Ruth as they did on Lucas.

(27-11-2010 06:09 PM)Forever Secret Wrote:  Ahhh yes Gene and Alex... probably tied as my favourite TV couple at the moment along side Ruth and Harry... lets hope Ruth and Harry get a happier ending than Gene and Alex did though... it's been what 5 months now? I'm still angry at the ending

Isn’t that interesting?! I thought the end of Ashes to Ashes was genuinely emotionally satisfying – it was what it had to be, and it was properly and sensitively retconned to prove itself. Not a happy ending exactly, but a suitable one. Perhaps this bodes ill for my cheesecake credentials

(27-11-2010 06:23 PM)A Cousin Wrote:  I am of the mind that they do not need to be married or even together. I just want it to be resolved in a way that works for both of them. Maybe that resolution will be that love does not conquer all? Fine. There are others who would disagree with me.

I must say, I have thought for some time that this was a relationship which has moved beyond the potential for romantic resolution. It’s almost as if there is more to it than that. Does this even make sense?

(27-11-2010 06:23 PM)A Cousin Wrote:  S9 as it pertains to HR has been about both of them coming to terms with the other as they really are. The thing about Ruth & Harry and why I am so invested in it is because the best of who they are as individuals is what keeps them apart.

This is a really interesting formula. I like it! I suspect Ruth realises this to somewhat of a greater extent than Harry. His line about needing to give a man a chance to “show who he really is” suggests to me that he has moved to a position emotionally where he recognises Ruth is in a sort of stasis on that point, and at least this can be made to seem like acceptance on her part.

(27-11-2010 06:32 PM)Silktie Wrote:  I admire both these characters immensely for their approach to duty to their country, and I love the fact that neither is very good at this relationship thing. It's awkward, and messy, and therefore more real than many other relationships depicted on television. There is definite chemistry between them, and I love the fact that it developed so gradually, and almost under the radar.

This. Very much this

(27-11-2010 11:12 PM)watchstrap Wrote:  Most of my reasons for wanting them to take the plunge have already been mentioned, but I don't think anyone has mentioned their intellectual compatability. They know all the same cultural references, one starts quoting something and the other finishes it off. I don't imagine Ruth did this with George, in fact she probably had to hide that side of herself away.

I agree entirely on the point of intellectual compatibility. This is an overlooked element in TV relationships. It is too often the case that viewers are expected to accept that two characters are in an emotional/romantic relationship simply because the script says this is so. The match (whatever form it might take) between Harry and Ruth is much more satisfying as a result of this extra little detail. I do wonder why you think Ruth would have had to keep her intellect hidden from George. Did he seem like that much of a philistine?

(28-11-2010 12:19 AM)BravoNine Wrote:  ...those two just seem to fit, somehow they've always found their way to each other whether in times of crisis or just in need of comfort. They understand each other...

I do like a neat summary