February 10, 2012

TV: Republic of Doyle

So I've been on this Republic of Doyle kick, and thinking about Jake and Leslie harder than I should probably think about anything on TV. Spoilers ahead.

The thing is, I'm sort of... confused. I love Leslie and I love her and Jake together, but the more I think about it and rewatch, the more I see that her behaviour has been sort of... erratic. While Jake is mostly consistent, even if he is consistent in being an idiot, Leslie bounces all over the place... and keeps blaming Jake for her own issues.

I mean, breaking into her home, stealing her access card, and getting her fired: a jerk move no matter how you look at it. But right from the start, Leslie put this extreme and unwarranted pressure on Jake. She expected him to read her mind and know what she wanted, and she treated him badly when he screwed up (in her mind). She TELLS HIM, flat out, that she doesn't want to and is never going to be with him. Then a few weeks later, she's complaining because he only comes to her for cases and ~nothing else~. So he shows up at her door and they have sex, awesome. He read her mind. But as soon as they start having sex, she acts like he should instantly be this perfect boyfriend. She expects him to be exclusive to her (though they never have this conversation), she expects him to be at her beck and call, and then when he does something admittedly idiotic but not actually terrible, she cuts him off without even letting him explain. Yes, he should have known better than to sleep next to his high school flame - that was stupid. But Leslie goes from stars in her eyes, writing his name in hearts, to completely hating him, actually STOPPING him from explaining when he wants to. She closes herself up immediately.

I don't actually blame her for this. Obviously she has some baggage; there has to be a reason she can't trust men(/Jake), or allow them to make mistakes. She doesn't really let anyone get too close, especially Jake, and I wonder why that is. But it's incredibly frustrating to watch her shut Jake out week after week, when a simple conversation would go so far. I don't know how she can even stay so angry for so long.

Jake never lied about who he was or what he would do, especially for his family. But the thing is, he would actually treat Leslie really well if she ever gave him a chance and actually said, "Listen, this needs to be a relationship, and I need to be able to trust you." Leslie is unable to voice her needs, and Jake is unable to not be an idiot without explicit instructions.

So, sadly, because I really really would like them to be together, I don't think they actually can be - without more explosions - until one or both of them actually speaks up. They need to compromise (AND COMMUNICATE), but Leslie is unwilling to and Jake is too stupid to know he has to. (No offense to Jake, whom I love unconditionally. He just does a lot of stupid things.)

I love this show so much for so many reasons, but the tension in this relationship is actually stressing me out. I really hope 3x06 (trapped in a van) is enough of a baby step to make me like them again.

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