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Oct. 7th, 2008 10:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kippurbirdLess depressing, for a give value of depressing.
Chapter Seventeen, the game.
Edward drives Bella home from his place. Apparently the game is going to be later that night. Notice that Edward doesn't let her drive back to her place with him in the driver's seat or let her drive back by herself. He has to be in control of her comings and goings. When they get back to her place they notice that Jacob and his father Billy are there. Edward is furious at seeing them saying that they're crossing the line for coming to warn Charlie about Edward. Sooo, they shouldn't be telling an old friend that their daughter might be in serious danger because she's hanging out with a vampire?
Of course! After all, Edward is the vampire involved and so anything that's against him is automatically evil. Edward tells her to get rid of them, by getting them inside so that she could leave. Of course they won't be at ALL suspicious about the fact that she's getting out of the passenger side and not the driver's side. The truck, they'll just assume, suddenly became Brittish. Such things happen all the time.
Billy's brought up some fish at a horribly convenient time. Convenient enough to talk to Bella about Edward. He sends Jacob out into the rain to look for something that's not there. Jacob's been staring at the ground the entire time too. I'm not sure why though. Once Jacob is gone, Billy tries to talk some sense into Bella.
He tells her that he doesn't think it's a good idea that she's spending a lot of time with the Cullens. (FINALLY).
I like Billy. He just basically calls Bella on her shit and even when she tries to shoot him down and make him stop, he keeps on going. He tells her she needs to tell Charlie and he tells her that she needs to stop doing what she's doing. Flat out. And there's nothing Bella can say to him. This is, so far, my favorite part of the book.
Ruining it however, is the return of Jacob. Billy says good bye like this:
Well, Bella, tell Charlie" - Billy paused before continuing - "that we stopped by, I mean."
That there, I love. I love with all my heart. The sad thing is, Bella won't listen to, can't listen to him. He's wrong. He's only there to provide conflict and even then it doesn't last.
After Jessica calls Bella about the dance, which is strangely over despite the fact that it's not even dinner time, to tell her that Mike kissed her, Charlie comes home. And Bella tells him.
This leads to a very strange conversation as suddenly Charlie doesn't remember Edward's name. He keeps on calling Edward, "Edwin". Erratically.
Let's see he gets Edward's name right the first time and suddenly forgets it. Not only that but he's suddenly acting like... well a concerned dad when before it sounded like he worshiped the feet of the Cullen's calling them absolutely fantastic and wonderful and gee-wizz everyone should be more like them, they've got such fine boys. And now he's done a one eighty and is... well...acting like a dad. Sort of. When he meets Edward officially they do the "Standard Father Meets the Boyfriend" Talk. As if it were out of a sitcom
This really does feel like it came off of a sitcom. "Go ahead and call me Charlie"? "My girl"? Though the my girl is REALLY creepy because it's something a guy would say to another peer. It should be more, "my daughter" than girl. The fact that he does say girl leads to some ... interesting cross implications in my head. First, "girl" is what you would call a dog...or a horse or a car. Taking my girl out to watch baseball, taking my girl out for a ride, taking my girl out to play fetch. It's a very dehumanizing word to use. Also, since it is also the sort of possessive that some guys uses for their girls... makes me wonder who else has been watching Bella sleep.
Chapter Seventeen, the game.
Edward drives Bella home from his place. Apparently the game is going to be later that night. Notice that Edward doesn't let her drive back to her place with him in the driver's seat or let her drive back by herself. He has to be in control of her comings and goings. When they get back to her place they notice that Jacob and his father Billy are there. Edward is furious at seeing them saying that they're crossing the line for coming to warn Charlie about Edward. Sooo, they shouldn't be telling an old friend that their daughter might be in serious danger because she's hanging out with a vampire?
Of course! After all, Edward is the vampire involved and so anything that's against him is automatically evil. Edward tells her to get rid of them, by getting them inside so that she could leave. Of course they won't be at ALL suspicious about the fact that she's getting out of the passenger side and not the driver's side. The truck, they'll just assume, suddenly became Brittish. Such things happen all the time.
Billy's brought up some fish at a horribly convenient time. Convenient enough to talk to Bella about Edward. He sends Jacob out into the rain to look for something that's not there. Jacob's been staring at the ground the entire time too. I'm not sure why though. Once Jacob is gone, Billy tries to talk some sense into Bella.
He tells her that he doesn't think it's a good idea that she's spending a lot of time with the Cullens. (FINALLY).
He raised his graying eyebrows at my tone. "You probably don't know this, but the Cullen family has an unpleasant reputation on the reservation."
"Actually, I did know that," I informed him in a hard voice. This surprised him. "But that reputation couldn't be deserved, could it? Because the Cullens never set foot on the reservation, do they?" I could see that my less than subtle reminder of the agreement that both bound and protected his tribe pulled him up short.
"That's true," he acceded, his eyes guarded. "You seem… well informed about the Cullens. More informed than I expected."
I stared him down. "Maybe even better informed than you are."
He pursed his thick lips as he considered that. "Maybe." he allowed, but his eyes were shrewd. "Is Charlie as well informed?"
He had found the weak chink in my armor.
"Charlie likes the Cullens a lot," I hedged. He clearly understood my evasion. His expression was unhappy, but unsurprised.
"It's not my business," he said. "But it may be Charlie's."
I like Billy. He just basically calls Bella on her shit and even when she tries to shoot him down and make him stop, he keeps on going. He tells her she needs to tell Charlie and he tells her that she needs to stop doing what she's doing. Flat out. And there's nothing Bella can say to him. This is, so far, my favorite part of the book.
Ruining it however, is the return of Jacob. Billy says good bye like this:
Well, Bella, tell Charlie" - Billy paused before continuing - "that we stopped by, I mean."
That there, I love. I love with all my heart. The sad thing is, Bella won't listen to, can't listen to him. He's wrong. He's only there to provide conflict and even then it doesn't last.
After Jessica calls Bella about the dance, which is strangely over despite the fact that it's not even dinner time, to tell her that Mike kissed her, Charlie comes home. And Bella tells him.
This leads to a very strange conversation as suddenly Charlie doesn't remember Edward's name. He keeps on calling Edward, "Edwin". Erratically.
"Well, I sort of have a date with Edward Cullen tonight, and he wanted to introduce me to his parents… Dad?"
It appeared that Charlie was having an aneurysm.
"Dad, are you all right?"
"You are going out with Edward Cullen?" he thundered.
Uh-oh. "I thought you liked the Cullens."
"He's too old for you," he ranted.
"We're both juniors," I corrected, though he was more right than he dreamed.
"Wait…" He paused. "Which one is Edwin?"
"Edward is the youngest, the one with the reddish brown hair." The
beautiful one, the godlike one…
"Oh, well, that's" — he struggled — "better, I guess. I don't like the look of that big one. I'm sure he's a nice boy and all, but he looks too… mature for you. Is this Edwin your boyfriend?"
"It's Edward, Dad."
"Is he?"
Let's see he gets Edward's name right the first time and suddenly forgets it. Not only that but he's suddenly acting like... well a concerned dad when before it sounded like he worshiped the feet of the Cullen's calling them absolutely fantastic and wonderful and gee-wizz everyone should be more like them, they've got such fine boys. And now he's done a one eighty and is... well...acting like a dad. Sort of. When he meets Edward officially they do the "Standard Father Meets the Boyfriend" Talk. As if it were out of a sitcom
"Come on in, Edward."
I breathed a sigh of relief when Charlie got his name right.
"Thanks, Chief Swan," Edward said in a respectful voice.
"Go ahead and call me Charlie. Here, I'll take your jacket."
"Thanks, sir."
"Have a seat there, Edward."
I grimaced.
Edward sat down fluidly in the only chair, forcing me to sit next to Chief Swan on the sofa. I quickly shot him a dirty look. He winked behind Charlie's back.
"So I hear you're getting my girl to watch baseball." Only in Washington would the fact that it was raining buckets have no bearing at all on the playing of outdoor sports.
"Yes, sir, that's the plan." He didn't look surprised that I'd told my father the truth. He might have been listening, though.
"Well, more power to you, I guess."
Charlie laughed, and Edward joined in.
"Okay." I stood up. "Enough humor at my expense. Let's go." I walked back to the hall and pulled on my jacket. They followed.
"Not too late, Bell."
"Don't worry, Charlie, I'll have her home early," Edward promised.
"You take care of my girl, all right?"
I groaned, but they ignored me.
"She'll be safe with me, I promise, sir."
This really does feel like it came off of a sitcom. "Go ahead and call me Charlie"? "My girl"? Though the my girl is REALLY creepy because it's something a guy would say to another peer. It should be more, "my daughter" than girl. The fact that he does say girl leads to some ... interesting cross implications in my head. First, "girl" is what you would call a dog...or a horse or a car. Taking my girl out to watch baseball, taking my girl out for a ride, taking my girl out to play fetch. It's a very dehumanizing word to use. Also, since it is also the sort of possessive that some guys uses for their girls... makes me wonder who else has been watching Bella sleep.
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Date: 2008-10-08 08:57 am (UTC)Mine too. We should start a Billy fan club! =D
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Date: 2008-10-08 09:43 am (UTC)And that thing with Charlie and Edward was stunningly cliche and vaguely out of character for Charlie. Most Dad's are glad when their daughter picks the guy they sing their praises about. Mainly because usually it's an automatic strike against said boys name, but that's not the point. If she's gonna date, and he can't have expected her not to, she might as well date the guy he approves of... But then again, Charlie isn't used to the idea of being a father, what with Bella usually being on the other side of the country and all. He might have been over compensating.
...How is Edwin easier to remember than Edward?
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Date: 2008-10-08 02:33 pm (UTC)It's one letter shorter. Apparently, that makes the difference. ;)
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Date: 2008-10-08 02:14 pm (UTC)2. I want to smack SMeyer for failing. I saw a wonderful oppertunity to not only give Charlie and Bella a good father-daughter moment, but the "talk" with Edward was so badly done that I want to scream.
a. The whole Edward/Edwin thing is something my dad would have done. Not because he can't remember a name, but because he likes to think he's funny. I would have loved to have Charlie mess up once, and then have it be that he calls Edward "Edwin" periodically through the book as a joke. One that, of course, would cause Bella embarassment, but be in a good natured way. He has no connection with Bella, doesn't even seem to really try, and when he does (snow tires, running to the hospital when she's hurt, actually worried about the guy she's dating), she acts like a spoiled brat and we're supposed to believe that she's so mature and grown up.
b. The "Talk" was far too short. I'm not sure about most parents, but mine would grill my dats. I wouldn't expect any less from the police chief. "Oh, har har, you're getting her to watch sports," isn't a talk.
"What are your plans after school? Where are you going? Who are you going with? How late to you plan on keeping my daughter out? I have your word there will be no alcohol. Who is driving? How serious is this?"
Why are you sneaking in my house at night? What gives you the right to watch my daughter sleep? You have five seconds to run before I shoot you.
3. The whole "My girl" thing didn't bug me. My dad calls me his girl. I see it as a sign of affection. It made me like Charlie.
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Date: 2008-10-08 11:07 pm (UTC)"Why are you sneaking in my house at night? What gives you the right to watch my daughter sleep? You have five seconds to run before I shoot you."
My thoughts exactly. I wouldn't even give him five seconds.
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Date: 2008-10-08 07:54 pm (UTC)I think "my little girl" would sound more parental and less creepy, because that is definitely more a fatherly expression. *nodnod*
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Date: 2008-10-08 09:35 pm (UTC)