We Interrupt This Rewatch....

[rhiannonhero]

We interrupt this rewatch with an a very special program called "How to Spot an Emotional Abuser: The Noah Mayer Edition". Behind the cut tag will be discussion of actual signs and behaviors of an emotional abuser. This might be triggery reading to some people. Just a friendly heads up!

Comments

[burstoflife]

Oh wow, I never understood before hand what a monster Noah was.

[rhiannonhero]

Well, to me, the creepiest thing about Noah is how the writers, producers, and actors would all talk about what a nice guy he was, all along showing us anything but a nice guy. The cognitive dissonance between what they reported to us that we were getting, and what we were actually getting continues to kind of undo me. I don't understand it. It's kinda sick.

[moerlin]

I'm starting to think Jake just had a ton of friends in high places who wanted him to keep his job or something (and by that time the character was so screwed up they didn't bother changing him/couldn't redeem him anymore). Of course that wouldn't explain why he was in all of 3 episodes all summer, but whatever.

[rhiannonhero]

Yeah, I'm not sure if it had to do with Jake or not, you know? It seems like the writers wrote other emotionally abusive people and presented them like heroes, too. Like Holden to Lily and Molly for example.

[pink_pants]

I AGREE WITH THIS COMMENT x A MILLION TRILLION X INFINITY

[rhiannonhero]

I hear ya!

[bigboobedcanuck]

THIS.

It's like everyone had the Stockholm Syndrome Luke did with his "You're one of the nicest people I've ever met." No, Luke. He's not! Truly! And it's all there in canon -- we're not making this up. And that doesn't mean Noah never did anything nice. But he fits the profile of an emotional abuser so perfectly that it's seriously creepy. Especially since the writers never seemed to realize they were writing an abusive relationship.

Thank you Reid Oliver and Eric Sheffer Stevens for your awesomeness and for preventing a miserable-ever-after Nuke ending. Thank goodness Luke was free of Noah at the end.

[rhiannonhero]

I agree that Luke was definitely instrumental in keeping the abuse on the DL. Most abused people are seriously ashamed, and then the Stockholm Syndrome, too. I believe there was some of that.

[smittle]

Thank you Reid Oliver and Eric Sheffer Stevens for your awesomeness and for preventing a miserable-ever-after Nuke ending. Thank goodness Luke was free of Noah at the end.

As offensive as the ending to this story was, a Nuke reunion would have been even worse. The main reason Reid is a hero to me is not because he gave Chris his heart but because he took Luke's heart away from Noah.

[rhiannonhero]

I agree completely.

[bittersweetreid]

I agree. The beauty of Reids character is not only his self-confidence, but that he passes that confidence on to his love(r), which for me show that he really cared and loved him. The Chris-heart-disaster was too much and again a gruel, unnecessary burden for Luke.

[rhiannonhero]

Yes, I loved that Reid brought Luke's confidence up just by being REID. *sigh* The love!!!

[rhiannonhero]

Stockholm Syndrome. Yes, Luke totally had it. :( Oh, Luke!!! Wah!! He kills me with his Lukeness.

. But he fits the profile of an emotional abuser so perfectly that it's seriously creepy. Especially since the writers never seemed to realize they were writing an abusive relationship.

Yeah, that is boggling to me. They did it to a degree with Holden, too, i.e. presenting an abuser like he's a hero or a good guy. *shudders*

Yes, thanks to Reid!!

[smittle]

This drives me crazy too. I would love to know what the writers were trying to do. Did they really unintentionally create a very consistent portrait of an abusive relationship so subtle that many people saw it as romance?

[rhiannonhero]

I know, right? It's wild. I wish I knew what they were thinking. Maybe they thought abuse = drama?