I always found it bizarre how women got shoehorned into Toby's life. (Okay, twice, but that's a lot, considering.) Katherine just shows up and immediately falls in love with the guy she's defending, and is totally cool with him being in love with someone else. That's almost as stupid as a charity legal group defending someone of Toby's wealth and legal resources.
And then within a couple of weeks of leaving prison, he's stumbled across a woman willing to have a relationship with a fresh ex-con with a boyfriend inside. And pulled this off while mourning his barely-buried father and getting to know his son.
I know there are women who comfortable with 1. having a bisexual boyfriend, 2. having that boyfriend date someone else at the time, 3. dating men fresh out of prison. But I think the women who are totally cool with all three is a limited portion of the population. And yet Toby just trips over them everywhere he turns.
Every time I ponder Toby's parole life, I want to give him a hug. Re-entry would be shocking at the best of times. Throw in the death of his father, and a kid who's never laid eyes on him being told this is your dad now, and it's hard to believe he had any chance.
God, I love how Toby just slides in and out of various personalities. When he suddenly lit into Sean, it reminded me so much of when he did the same to Sister Pete after Gary's death. The fact that his anger and craziness can turn on a dime makes him scarier than many of his prison counterparts.
The fact that I didn't need to "observe" what transpired between the parking lot confrontation and the blowjob to find it 100% believable says wonderful things about how well you've built this universe and its characters.
"I thought it was what Chris needed to hear." Oh. Hm! That's interesting. I had always thought it wasn't what Chris needed to hear so much as what Toby needed to say. I can't wait to see where this is headed
( ... )
He might have said all sorts of encouraging things, wanted Toby to have the best life possible, especially if he thought he'd be executed.
Oh! I had never thought of it that way! And we know that Chris was capable (briefly) of wanting the best for Toby, given how Chris told him to stay away after he was sent to Cedar Junction. I really like this theory. It makes Toby seem like much less of a jerk. (But just as messed up, LOL.)
I think the main reason why I've never attempted writing a post-parole Toby story myself is that I could never figure out a good ending. Not necessarily one that's "happy," just one with minimal despair for everyone. Which is why I'm both curious and apprehensive about what you ultimately have planned here...
In my head canon, the main reason why Chris shoved Toby away so hard in that phone call from Cedar Junction was because he knew he wouldn't always have that strength. It wasn't just 'Run away and be free,' it was 'Run away because I'll hurt you.'
Yes, it's hard to write the stories that are unrelentingly miserable. I've got another one that I'm half-heartedly prodding at, where there's just so much shittiness to write to earn the pay-off, I can't hold my enthusiasm to it. I love the idea, but writing it is too chore-like.
Comments 9
Reply
Thanks maze!
I always found it bizarre how women got shoehorned into Toby's life. (Okay, twice, but that's a lot, considering.) Katherine just shows up and immediately falls in love with the guy she's defending, and is totally cool with him being in love with someone else. That's almost as stupid as a charity legal group defending someone of Toby's wealth and legal resources.
And then within a couple of weeks of leaving prison, he's stumbled across a woman willing to have a relationship with a fresh ex-con with a boyfriend inside. And pulled this off while mourning his barely-buried father and getting to know his son.
I know there are women who comfortable with 1. having a bisexual boyfriend, 2. having that boyfriend date someone else at the time, 3. dating men fresh out of prison. But I think the women who are totally cool with all three is a limited portion of the population. And yet Toby just trips over them everywhere he turns.
S.
Reply
Reply
Reply
Every time I ponder Toby's parole life, I want to give him a hug. Re-entry would be shocking at the best of times. Throw in the death of his father, and a kid who's never laid eyes on him being told this is your dad now, and it's hard to believe he had any chance.
Thanks, cmk!
S.
Reply
God, I love how Toby just slides in and out of various personalities. When he suddenly lit into Sean, it reminded me so much of when he did the same to Sister Pete after Gary's death. The fact that his anger and craziness can turn on a dime makes him scarier than many of his prison counterparts.
The fact that I didn't need to "observe" what transpired between the parking lot confrontation and the blowjob to find it 100% believable says wonderful things about how well you've built this universe and its characters.
"I thought it was what Chris needed to hear." Oh. Hm! That's interesting. I had always thought it wasn't what Chris needed to hear so much as what Toby needed to say. I can't wait to see where this is headed ( ... )
Reply
Reply
Oh! I had never thought of it that way! And we know that Chris was capable (briefly) of wanting the best for Toby, given how Chris told him to stay away after he was sent to Cedar Junction. I really like this theory. It makes Toby seem like much less of a jerk. (But just as messed up, LOL.)
I think the main reason why I've never attempted writing a post-parole Toby story myself is that I could never figure out a good ending. Not necessarily one that's "happy," just one with minimal despair for everyone. Which is why I'm both curious and apprehensive about what you ultimately have planned here...
Reply
In my head canon, the main reason why Chris shoved Toby away so hard in that phone call from Cedar Junction was because he knew he wouldn't always have that strength. It wasn't just 'Run away and be free,' it was 'Run away because I'll hurt you.'
Yes, it's hard to write the stories that are unrelentingly miserable. I've got another one that I'm half-heartedly prodding at, where there's just so much shittiness to write to earn the pay-off, I can't hold my enthusiasm to it. I love the idea, but writing it is too chore-like.
S.
Reply
Leave a comment