...it's different, isn't it? I've been mostly Smallville and Everwood until now, both of which are changing all the time.
Plus, with WW and SV, being over in Australia, means that if we get it screened, we get it nearly a year after you guys. It means that if I want to enjoy the episodes as they were meant to be shown, I have to drop out of fandom for a while to keep myself unspoiled. In SN, I've seen as much and know as much canon as everyone else does. *g*
I'm very glad not to have to watch Danny's heart get broken again.
Oh, yeah, good point. Although, drunk!Danny, after Rebecca breaks it off in S1, is one of my favourite Danny's ever. ("You are my sworn enemy! ... I love you, man. Give me a hug." Hee!)
The other great thing is that the Dana/Casey thing didn't go for years. I have a feeling Sorkin would have been playing with them for the next few seasons. (Think about the Donna/Josh flirtation on WW...)
I like your description of Dana. I'm not sure I wholly agree with it, but it's interesting. I think she's just so *afraid* of what could happen that she pushes the stupid dating plan on him as a delay tactic. And then it bites her in the ass. During all those episodes, I'm constantly going, "Oh my GOD, Dana, you're an idiot!!" But then I feel bad, because I *love* Dana.
Okay, you know what? I think people need to cut Dana more slack. Seriously. When S1 starts, Casey is far less likeable, Dana is more sympathetic, and Dan is loved by all. By halfway through S2, Casey is loved, Dana is nutty, and Dan is still loved by all (even if he's falling apart psychologically).
In S1, Dana tries to put an end to Casey's flirting, but you need to remember that Casey's done this before. Every time his life starts falling apart (in college, in Dallas, in LA), he make her believe he cares for her and then when he gets her, he doesn't want her. He doesn't mean to be cruel, he honestly convinces himself that he cares, but it's all in his head. He uses her for a safety net, as a security blanket, as a way to heal himself and get his life together. She's his fallback position, his rebound, and she's been hurt by him before.
If you think about it in that light, you realise that while she may be tempted by that kiss, she's had years of experience with Casey and knows that as much as he's convinced himself, as soon as she lets herself seriously believe him, he'll walk away. From that perspective, the dating plan wasn't insane. It was a way of making Casey reassess his feelings.
She can't convince him that it's all in his head. (Plus, he's a sweet, handsome, articulate and convincing guy. I think, deepdown, she wanted to believe he was in love with her, even if she knew that he'd hurt her before.) Using the dating plan forces him to get his life back together without relying upon her emotionally (well, relying on her less), and note that once his life was back together, once he'd gotten his confidence back when it came to being single and dating, he wanted to move on.
It's very easy to see it from Casey's viewpoint, that Dana's insane and unneccessarily punishing him, but I think you need to remember that even though Casey acts innocently, he's not. He's hurt her before with similar behaviour, so it's not surprising that she's doubtful of his real motivation now.
Mind you, I'm not made of stone. When they kissed, you have no idea how loudly I was cheering for them. They're a convincing couple, but I don't think they're actually good for each other.
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Plus, with WW and SV, being over in Australia, means that if we get it screened, we get it nearly a year after you guys. It means that if I want to enjoy the episodes as they were meant to be shown, I have to drop out of fandom for a while to keep myself unspoiled. In SN, I've seen as much and know as much canon as everyone else does. *g*
I'm very glad not to have to watch Danny's heart get broken again.
Oh, yeah, good point. Although, drunk!Danny, after Rebecca breaks it off in S1, is one of my favourite Danny's ever. ("You are my sworn enemy! ... I love you, man. Give me a hug." Hee!)
The other great thing is that the Dana/Casey thing didn't go for years. I have a feeling Sorkin would have been playing with them for the next few seasons. (Think about the Donna/Josh flirtation on WW...)
I like your description of Dana. I'm not sure I wholly agree with it, but it's interesting. I think she's just so *afraid* of what could happen that she pushes the stupid dating plan on him as a delay tactic. And then it bites her in the ass. During all those episodes, I'm constantly going, "Oh my GOD, Dana, you're an idiot!!" But then I feel bad, because I *love* Dana.
Okay, you know what? I think people need to cut Dana more slack. Seriously. When S1 starts, Casey is far less likeable, Dana is more sympathetic, and Dan is loved by all. By halfway through S2, Casey is loved, Dana is nutty, and Dan is still loved by all (even if he's falling apart psychologically).
In S1, Dana tries to put an end to Casey's flirting, but you need to remember that Casey's done this before. Every time his life starts falling apart (in college, in Dallas, in LA), he make her believe he cares for her and then when he gets her, he doesn't want her. He doesn't mean to be cruel, he honestly convinces himself that he cares, but it's all in his head. He uses her for a safety net, as a security blanket, as a way to heal himself and get his life together. She's his fallback position, his rebound, and she's been hurt by him before.
If you think about it in that light, you realise that while she may be tempted by that kiss, she's had years of experience with Casey and knows that as much as he's convinced himself, as soon as she lets herself seriously believe him, he'll walk away. From that perspective, the dating plan wasn't insane. It was a way of making Casey reassess his feelings.
She can't convince him that it's all in his head. (Plus, he's a sweet, handsome, articulate and convincing guy. I think, deepdown, she wanted to believe he was in love with her, even if she knew that he'd hurt her before.) Using the dating plan forces him to get his life back together without relying upon her emotionally (well, relying on her less), and note that once his life was back together, once he'd gotten his confidence back when it came to being single and dating, he wanted to move on.
It's very easy to see it from Casey's viewpoint, that Dana's insane and unneccessarily punishing him, but I think you need to remember that even though Casey acts innocently, he's not. He's hurt her before with similar behaviour, so it's not surprising that she's doubtful of his real motivation now.
Mind you, I'm not made of stone. When they kissed, you have no idea how loudly I was cheering for them. They're a convincing couple, but I don't think they're actually good for each other.