Whew! I am EVER so late. I can’t blame you if you don’t buy it, but it’s because I like this so much and wanted to do it some justice.
My life has been nuts lately. Apologies!
From her organized list of pros and cons to her usually well-controlled emotions erupting unexpectedly when confronted with her past, your Lindsay is entirely recognizable. She’s the natural adult extension of the strong, determined, yet beleaguered young woman TPTB gave us such a tantalizingly brief glimpse of. It’s no surprise she’s risen far in a difficult, competitive profession. It’s also no surprise that Ryan Atwood can still shake her [well, of course!]. I’ve always read Lindsay as a very capable person who harbors a lot of self-doubt thanks to the emotional trauma of growing up without a dad, the kind of person who often feels like she’s not really succeeding, but is ‘faking it’ and wondering when the rest of the world will find out. You hint at this depth and complexity with her back and forth, pro and con discussion with herself.
It is no surprise that her sincere prayer for Caleb leads into tears over her own losses in Newport, not the least of which is wondering what must be wrong with her for her dad not to wanting to stay in touch all those years. Add the shocking revelation and consequent dissipation of trust over Renee’s deception, and the poor girl has a bit to cry about.
Short version? You captured her!
I love her releasing her professional identity for a rare vacation with the self-indulgent car and the letting down of her hair, thus restoring her appearance and image from the bundled up, colder climate east coast attorney to the long-haired if verrry intelligent California girl.
Anyone who’s ever returned to the scene of any momentous event in their life will realize that sensation of memories looming larger and more real the further into familiar territory one ventures. “Her world had been turned upside down [then]….[but] she had since kept her life on an even keel” Lindsay would indeed view herself as the captain of her life and by sheer determination and practicality remain in charge of it....or convince herself of that illusion. “She had not thought about any of these people in years.” But she still had to encourage herself to ‘get a grip’ at the memory of Ryan, a telling sign that she did indeed harbor more wondering memories of that blue-eyed bad boy, likely memories she quickly denied or submerged from consciousness. They were sad, troubling, and besides, what could she do about any of it anyway? Though she consciously denies these things bother her any more, those “chaotic times” including her feelings for Ryan are nonetheless significant enough to qualify for a ‘con’ on the list about whether to return to SoCal….and would’ve been more of a ‘con’ had she expected to be likely to run into anyone from those days.
“….now that she was here, Lindsay felt it was only right that she pay her respects.” She, like Ryan, has a strong sense of duty. She is conflicted internally but very motivated to keep up ‘proper’ appearances. Having boldly borne a child out of wedlock and seen to her support in a most modern fashion, Renee’s character in canon strikes me as someone very conventional, perhaps in reaction. This would’ve had an impact on how she raised Lindsay, certainly. It’s definitely in Lindsay’s character that a woman needs to see to her own needs, get a good education, and not [have to] depend on a man, for example.
But so much is under the surface with Lindsay, as with Ryan. She never question if there’s any subconscious intent in her route, and even once there would never consider evaluating whether Caleb really deserved her respects and that she did have the option to permit herself not to stop.
My life has been nuts lately. Apologies!
From her organized list of pros and cons to her usually well-controlled emotions erupting unexpectedly when confronted with her past, your Lindsay is entirely recognizable. She’s the natural adult extension of the strong, determined, yet beleaguered young woman TPTB gave us such a tantalizingly brief glimpse of. It’s no surprise she’s risen far in a difficult, competitive profession. It’s also no surprise that Ryan Atwood can still shake her [well, of course!]. I’ve always read Lindsay as a very capable person who harbors a lot of self-doubt thanks to the emotional trauma of growing up without a dad, the kind of person who often feels like she’s not really succeeding, but is ‘faking it’ and wondering when the rest of the world will find out. You hint at this depth and complexity with her back and forth, pro and con discussion with herself.
It is no surprise that her sincere prayer for Caleb leads into tears over her own losses in Newport, not the least of which is wondering what must be wrong with her for her dad not to wanting to stay in touch all those years. Add the shocking revelation and consequent dissipation of trust over Renee’s deception, and the poor girl has a bit to cry about.
Short version? You captured her!
I love her releasing her professional identity for a rare vacation with the self-indulgent car and the letting down of her hair, thus restoring her appearance and image from the bundled up, colder climate east coast attorney to the long-haired if verrry intelligent California girl.
Anyone who’s ever returned to the scene of any momentous event in their life will realize that sensation of memories looming larger and more real the further into familiar territory one ventures. “Her world had been turned upside down [then]….[but] she had since kept her life on an even keel” Lindsay would indeed view herself as the captain of her life and by sheer determination and practicality remain in charge of it....or convince herself of that illusion. “She had not thought about any of these people in years.” But she still had to encourage herself to ‘get a grip’ at the memory of Ryan, a telling sign that she did indeed harbor more wondering memories of that blue-eyed bad boy, likely memories she quickly denied or submerged from consciousness. They were sad, troubling, and besides, what could she do about any of it anyway? Though she consciously denies these things bother her any more, those “chaotic times” including her feelings for Ryan are nonetheless significant enough to qualify for a ‘con’ on the list about whether to return to SoCal….and would’ve been more of a ‘con’ had she expected to be likely to run into anyone from those days.
“….now that she was here, Lindsay felt it was only right that she pay her respects.” She, like Ryan, has a strong sense of duty. She is conflicted internally but very motivated to keep up ‘proper’ appearances. Having boldly borne a child out of wedlock and seen to her support in a most modern fashion, Renee’s character in canon strikes me as someone very conventional, perhaps in reaction. This would’ve had an impact on how she raised Lindsay, certainly. It’s definitely in Lindsay’s character that a woman needs to see to her own needs, get a good education, and not [have to] depend on a man, for example.
But so much is under the surface with Lindsay, as with Ryan. She never question if there’s any subconscious intent in her route, and even once there would never consider evaluating whether Caleb really deserved her respects and that she did have the option to permit herself not to stop.
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