cajeck wrote:

Ollie wrote:

what the fuck is going on in this page?

It seems like the writing has gotten a lot more random lately because I'm actually having trouble following what's going on. At first I thought I missed a page entirely.

I'm actually in the same boat. It isn't so much that I'm not getting the situation, or even the emotions of it all. It's just...where is this going? What the hell does Sara expect Rich to do? And why does she expect HIM to do it? Is it just because they went to school together (and he dated her best friend) that she's reaching out to him? That seems a bit flimsy, atleast for the teary desperate reaction I'm seeing right now.

...Is it the lusting for other cast members, the paranoia, the daily grind of trying to dance to a reality show's tune that's getting to her?

Yes, all of the above, which is, indeed, part of the reason Sara's getting so worked up. If she had just one "issue", she'd probably be okay. But she's got a good 3-5 going on all at once, and any time she starts to focus on one, she loses track of the others, and then gets hit again. It's rope-a-dope; that's why she's getting so worked up.

And as others have noted, the reason for reaching out to Rich is purely and simply the relative security in knowing that he is not part of the show--it's a reverse of Rich's comment about her, back in the dance before he got stabbed. Even if he doesn't necessarily like her, she knows that anything he says is going to be the truth, and THAT, more than anything, is what she's missing in her current situation.

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I guess what I'm getting at is that so far we've been given alot of different things. One moment I thought I was seeing where this was going, the next something else was put out for me to process. It's not just a simple matter of this story arc's ending being nebulous--it's just...there doesn't seem to be a solid understanding of the central conflict for me. So I find it hard to root for Sara (as sympathetic and awesome as she is) when I don't know where this is going.

I can think of two possibilities for what Sara wants to happen off the top of my head:

#1: She gets Rich on the show, giving her an ally on the inside. Others have mentioned this, but it would at least be a way for her to get some emotional stability out of the situation, and maybe even turn the tables on the producers.
#2: She gets Rich to bring Daphne to her. Sure, it's a long drive, but Rich could theoretically manage it. Doing it this way keeps Meighan and the others from knowing that her lifeline is en route--no chance to turn up the heat.

Of course, there's other options--those were the first two I thought of, is all.


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My sig is jealous of your sig now.

Valerie wrote:

I'm leaving Paps for you.

Freemage wrote:

I can think of two possibilities for what Sara wants to happen off the top of my head:

#1: She gets Rich on the show, giving her an ally on the inside. Others have mentioned this, but it would at least be a way for her to get some emotional stability out of the situation, and maybe even turn the tables on the producers.
#2: She gets Rich to bring Daphne to her. Sure, it's a long drive, but Rich could theoretically manage it. Doing it this way keeps Meighan and the others from knowing that her lifeline is en route--no chance to turn up the heat.

Of course, there's other options--those were the first two I thought of, is all.

Interesting. I'm not sure how Sara would be able to get Rich on the show, however, as Meighan and the others presumably keep a tight rein on who enters and exits the building, to prevent leaks and such, quite apart from their not being likely to welcome in an outsider to be part of the production (by which I mean both No Exit and the show as a whole). I suppose Sara could arrange for him to deliver sandwiches to the set again, and then when he arrives shout "Oh hey, Rich, my old buddy from back home! How ya doin'" etc., in hopes the camera crew would assume this was par for the course and film their interaction. This ploy could backfire, however, as it's likely to piss Meighan off majorly and could lead to nasty retaliation on her part. (Sure, she's been playing the part of the "sympathetic producer with an open door" to the cast so far, but if she's anything like your typical Hollywood bigwig, I'd bet she's more than capable of getting mean when undermined.)

Having Rich bring Daphne to her, in contrast, wouldn't likely upset Meighan as long as Daph kept off the set and out of Sara's room. They could meet for sexytimes during Sara's free hours, just as she's twice managed to seek out Rich without, apparently, being detected. The only issue I see here is that school is still on. Although we don't know anything about Daph's mother and stepfather (other than that she used to hate him for some yet to be disclosed reason), if they're like most parents, I'd hazard a guess that they wouldn't allow her to miss school, and take off across the country on a bike with some "greasy hoodlum" she doesn't know well, in order to be with someone she's been dating for "only" a few months. So Daph would have to run away. And that would give her pause as to just how much Sara meant to her that she'd be willing to risk a run-in with the cops as a runaway, possibly having to repeat her junior year (or the second semester thereof) and, upon her return, being grounded until she's old enough to collect Social Security. ("20 2020 Daphnes," anyone? I didn't think so )

But if Rich crossed over the age of majority already, does he really want to be accused of transporting gulls across staid lions for immortal porpoises?

Just because the tears are real doesn't mean what she's doing is. She could just be channeling her emotions into it.

brasca wrote:

I don't want this to be taken the wrong way because it sounds like narrow minded fear mongering, but it seems like a drawback with being gay is that Sara is constantly exposed to girls be it room mates or in the locker room and can see what every boy gets to see and has to supress whatever lustful feelings she might have. Is that what Sara is going through or am I wrong?

drawback? I always considered it a perk, myself.

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or those of Helen cutting herself with her glasses.

Wait, what? When was that?

It was in this strip from "D-Day."

I'd say "pretty sure that was unintentional," but I've been there, and I know how often "unintentional" SI tends to happen when you're in a state like that. Might be different for girls, but... still.

Granted, it's unclear whether Helen in that strip is engaging in deliberate "cutting" as such, but that's not relevant to the point I was originally making. I simply brought it up as an example of a moment in the comic when a character has bottomed out, like Aggie in "Suicide Run" or Sara in the current arc.

Mr. Brightside wrote:

I'd say "pretty sure that was unintentional," but I've been there, and I know how often "unintentional" SI tends to happen when you're in a state like that. Might be different for girls, but... still.

I was reading that "SI" as sexual intercourse at first...


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Karp wrote:

I mean, jeez, we've never seen any of the characters take a crap either, and we don't go OH MY GOD, how can they SURVIVE why do they not EXPLODE?!

... wtf is up with Sara here?

The level of pressure she's under doesn't really seem to be at all commensurate with her reaction, does it? I mean, I know T has spent a lot of time showing us what's up with her, but... I don't get it. How long does the show run? Isn't this a relatively short-term gig? If she were stuck in this situation I'd kind of understand it, but can't she just suck it up for a couple months?

adamiani wrote:

If she were stuck in this situation I'd kind of understand it, but can't she just suck it up for a couple months?

The younger one is, the longer a "couple months" generally seems. Now granted, we're not talking preschooler-level time perception, in which "We're going to visit grandma tomorrow" translates into "We're going to visit grandma in a hundred years," but still, for a teenager like Sara a mere two months away from the girl she loves can indeed seem like forever.

As for the other pressures on her, well, she's starring in a reality show viewed by millions of people inside and outside of the U.S. and, as she reflects a few strips back, is never sure when she is or isn't being filmed and therefore always has to watch her words. One major slip-up on her part, and/or one manipulative edit on the film crew's part, and her reputation could be in tatters (remember, she still has to face her classmates when she comes back). On top of that, Hilary just reminded her of the rumours that have been circulating about her, and I'm sure Sara knows what she means. I think she can be forgiven for breaking under the stress. I know I would, and I'm 2 1/2 times her age. Cut her some slack.

Shadrach wrote:

It was in this strip from "D-Day."

Oh, okay. I was thinking of intentional cutting, like on her wrists or something.