Subject: Why does everyone hate Erica? |
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| Author |
Message |
| ken_joe 12/27/00 |
Hi. I always come on here and people are saying they hate Erica for one reason or another. I was just wondering why so many people hated her so much. |
| shana93 12/27/00 |
How much time do you have? :D Seriously, though, she is arrogant (as demonstrated tonight in Saint Nick), she's a bad mother (let's her 8 year old run all over Chicago alone, and hang out in a bar), and worst of all, she treats Gary like crap (never believing him, never showing concern for him). I could go on and on, but I'm sure Dollene will have a few things to say on this topic. :) |
| Dollene 12/27/00 |
Ah Shana, you know me too well. :) Ditto to all the things Shana mentioned. She's a horrible mother, she has an attitude that won't quit. It showed up in her interview with Gary for the position of bar manager of which we think she gets paid waaaaaay toooo much. She dresses like trash, too much makeup. She is selfcentered, egotistical, She has made Marissa take her side against Gary. She ingratiates herself into his life immediately by asking Gary to take her son to the Father Son day at school. She immediately thinks Gary has the hots for her. Suggesting he follows her because you know she is just God's gift to men. Oh well, most of you have heard my ranting on this subject before. If you want to read more there is a thread somewhere Boy do I dislike Erica. I think the rest of it is covered there. :) P.S. She turned Gary into a grump. Lord knows I love that man when he smiles and he forgot how in season 3. :( |
| sari_chandler 12/27/00 |
I don't know why
everyone hates Erica. I've been watching Season 3 over
and over, trying to find what's wrong with Erica, and I
just can't find it. She isn't arrogant, she isn't
uncaring. And she doesn't dress like trash...in most of
the episodes, she is almost completely covered. It was
just in "A Horse is a Horse" where she wore a
tight top, and it wasn't even that bad. She's just a headstrong girl who doesn't take crap from a guy who looks like he's always making up stories. If she has an attitude, then Brigatti must be Queen of the Attitude Pod People (for lack of a better word). She has lot more attitude than Erica...She always has a smart aleck comment...she's always yelling at Gary, always beating him up. Erica was not perfect, but she was A LOT sweeter than Brigatti. Anyway, I just thought she needed some defending. Maybe she should have married Nick. :) |
| shana93 12/27/00 |
Yes, Brigatti had an attitude,
but she was a cop and she wasn't Gary's girlfriend, so I
can more easily forgive her. As for Erica, did you miss
the ep where she accused him of socking an 80-something
man, or the one where she accused him of having hickies
when he'd practically been strangled to death? Or how
about the one where he was sick to his stomach and all
she cared about was whether or not he would make their
date? And lest we forget, in that same ep, he crawled
through a sewer to get back for her date, and when he
came in looking and smelling like a big mess, all he got
from her was attitude. I'm really interested in your opinion of how she was caring. I really can't think of very many instances. Let me know. |
| sari_chandler 12/27/00 |
Erica wasn't
really accusing Gary of having hickies...she was teasing
him. Plus, his explanation of why he had the marks was
pretty hard to swallow, even though it WAS true. Just
think of how it would feel if you're seeing a guy, and he
has what looks like hickies on his neck. She showed how much she cared about him in Fate. When Gary came back from the bar after the man died, Erica was ready to talk to him. She just didn't know him well enough to know that she should leave him be. At the end, she was crying for him. And you notice in that episode they kept cutting from Gary to Erica as Gary was getting into the ambulance. In "Blowing up is hard to do" she wrote him a very nice letter, apologizing for the fight and telling Gary how much he meant to her in the passed year. I don't blame her for getting mad at him in "Just one of those things" because after that "Summer Solstice Parade" excuse, how can she believe him. And she did apologize to him at the end for not believing him about the paper. She chose Gary over Mr. Perfect because she saw something special in Gary. If all she wanted was money, then she would have stayed with Nick. In another episode she asks Gary if she's going to see him, and he tells her that he's not sure, and she says,"ok, just let me know," and you can tell she was hurt. She kept looking at all the couples in the bar...she cares about Gary but Gary is hard guy to be with (not because he's a bad guy, but because he gets tomorrow's newspaper today, as we all know) Anyway, my point is that I don't dislike Erica. She's not that bad. :) |
| Dollene 12/27/00 |
Lest we forget too that she is a blabber mouth. She knew about the paper for about 5 minutes before she started telling everyone in hearing distance about it. Okay that isa tad over exagerated. But her little kid kept it a secret better than she did. And pardon me for saying this but I think the only thing she was worried about in Fate was her job. After she found out Marissa would get the bar if Gary died. she wasn't too upset anymore. And if you watch very closely at the scene where her and Marissa are waiting to see if Gary is rescued. She is looking off into space as if thinking. I wonder if I need to get my roots done before the funeral. And in tonights ep her skirt was a tad too short. And the red top was low. Granted not as low as the one in a horse is a horse. I know everyone has their own opinions and I don't begrudge anyone who likes her. Hey I like Chuck and my sister can't stand him. I personally can't find anything to like about her, other than the fact that she left Gary and it was a nice note. They had no chemistry as a couple and her acting IMHO was terrible. |
| shana93 12/27/00 |
As far as the hicky thing, I didn't get the impression she was teasing, and anyone with half a brain could see that they were finger prints on his neck (a thumb on one side, and four fingers on the other). Besides, at that point she already knew about the paper, so she should have realized that strange things always happen to him. Yes, I realize that Gary didn't have much time for her, but have you noticed that he always managed to make time for every other love interest that came along. I just don't think he really wanted to spend much time with her and neither did the paper. In the ep Fate, she did act somewhat concerned, but if that were my boyfriend, I would not have let him out of my sight. Nothing would've prevented me from comforting him. When he came out of that building at the end, I would have ran to him and smothered him with kisses, so thankful that he was alive. All she did was stand there. I agree with Dollene's comment that she looked like she was contemplating getting her roots done for the funeral (btw Dollene, that had me ROTF). The note she wrote him after their breakup was very nice, but not enough to redeem her in my eyes. But like Dollene said, everyone is entitled to their opinion. As the saying goes, "variety is the spice of life." :) |
| Janet486 12/28/00 |
Short defense
then the reason I disliked Erica. First of all regarding Henry running around the city 1. his mom was working and couldn't be at the school to pick him up or at home when he got out (and McGinty's is more than a bar. It's more like a bar & grill after all you can get food there too it's not a "gin joint") 2.Henry was a very independent little kid. Corraling him wouldn't be an easy job for anyone. If Erica had had a choice I'm sure she would have preferred that he be at home rather than at McGinty's. Most 8 year olds I know are like that to a certain extent. 3. Much as we love Gary, if we didn't know about the paper we would be skeptical of his stories too. And it was WINTER Solstice Parade. Now for the reason I didn't like Erica. In Just One Of Those Things (the stomach ache episode) Gary broke down after his second fainting spell and told her about the paper she had the nerve to be angry with him in Blowing Up Is Hard To Do and then leave him a "Dear John" letter as she took the train out of Chicago to go home and live with her parents. No nicely worded letter could ever heal Gary's broken heart. He never deliberately set out to hurt her. She knew about the paper and should have been more patient. He did what he could given his limitations! |
| ken_joe 12/28/00 |
There are a lot of reasons to dislike Erica. But you also have to remember what happened to her with her husband. He was the jerk! Maybe it's hard for her to trust many men. But on the other hand, Gary was nice to her from the begining, with the job and saving her kid and all that. :) |
| shana93 12/28/00 |
Hmmmmm, what drove her ex-husband to gambling? ;) Another thing that fits into the "bad mother" category is how she let her 8 year old son know how bad their financial situation was. There he was opening her bills in Collision and she says "we only open the pink ones" or words to that effect, and they were ALL pink. The poor kid, that's a heavy burden to bear so young, and it's also the reason he ran away. I would think that most mothers would try harder to shelter their children from their own financial woes, at least as much as possible. But that's just my humble opinion. |
| sari_chandler 12/28/00 |
Although the
comment about Erica's roots was pretty funny, there was
no indication in any way, shape or form in "Fate"
that that was what Erica was thinking. It's not fair to
judge her on an assumption that she was thinking about
her hair and his funeral when the writers and director
didn't make any indication of that. They kept cutting
back to her staring at Gary...we don't know what she was
thinking, but EE is not a show to trivialize such a deep
moment with ideas about bleaching hair. She also thought about Gary enough to tell her boyfriend (Saint Nick) about Gary. If I were going out with a guy, I wouldn't mention another guy unless I was always thinking about him. As for her clothes, most of the time they are pretty conservative. A couple of episodes where she wears something short doesn't make her trashy. If that's the case, then a lot of women are trashy...because her clothes are Mother Theresa compared to most other actresses and their characters on TV and in the movies. Heck, when it's not winter, most of the women in my university wear tight tops, tank tops, short skirts, etc. This is what the stores are selling, and most of the time Erica doesn't wear anything that's revealing. I think when arguing for or against Erica, we should really stick to the show's content and try to stay away from assumptions. :) |
| MsSpider 12/28/00 |
I never had a
problem with Erica's clothes. Except the fact she seemed
to have some pretty fancy outfits for someone in deep
finacial problems. Like others have said, I didn't see
any chemistry between her and Gary. There just wasn't
anything there and never would be. I didn't care for her
acting either. Her reactions in Fate just bugged me.
There's a fine line between restrained emotion and NO
emotion and I don't think this actress has found it.
Which is weird because if you look up her name on the
movie site she has been in a lot of films. You'd think
she'd learned something by now. As far as her additude, some of it is understandable with the frustration of a guy who keeps cancelling on her. But sometimes she was like really Miss Perky then the next Miss Witch. Yes, Gary is moody too but we forgive him, he's under a lot of pressure. LOL Is it just me or does Gary seem, well, kind of shy around women. I mean sometimes he would just kind of stare like he was trying to find something to say and couldn't get it out. |
| shana93 12/28/00 |
I think part of the problem was that the writers just didn't seem to know what to do with her character. I mean, she was originally only supposed to be in 6 eps. I can't imagine how hard it must have been to write for someone who's only temporary. I think it was a bad decision to try and make her a love interest for Gary, because I agree that there was just no chemistry between them, but at the same time TPTB wanted to draw in a younger male audience. It couldn't have been easy to be in a role where the writers didn't seem to know what to do with your character. I think it was just a bad decision to bring her on the show. Having said all that, I still maintain that Erica treated Gary pretty badly, and I agree with MsSpider that she had no emotion in Fate. :) |
| sari_chandler 12/28/00 |
I agree with you about the fact
that the writers never developed Erica's character. Maybe
that's why many viewers didn't like her...the writers
sort of had to squeeze her in and try to develop her
character in a very limited amount of time. It would be
hard for the writers to change Erica's personality
because people would notice (it is hard to subtly change
a person's character when that person isn't on the show
for very long) and it would throw off the believability
of the whole show. Gary's character changes, too, but
since it was over four years, it wasn't that obvious. The
writers were able to change Gary's character without
disrupting the whole continuum of the show. In "Fate" the writers really focused on Gary's emotions and probably neglected Erica's. Or she could have been in shock...many people behave in strange ways when faced with a very bad situation. Or it also seems that she has been scarred by her ex-husband and doesn't show emotion for fear of being hurt. When someone hurts you, it's really hard to get close to another person. That could be the reason why she wasn' very emotional. |
| shana93 12/28/00 |
Sari, I think that in the ep Fate, Erica was finally realizing that her "relationship" (and I use the term loosely) with Gary was coming to an end. I think Earlydues pointed this out before. As far as Gary's character changing, I don't think some of those changes were all that subtle (suddenly he didn't like children, he was always cranky, treated Patrick pretty badly). Again, I think this is the fault of the decision makers who chose to change the show to draw in a different audience, and the writers who probably weren't sure what to do about these changes. Still, even though I know all these things, I still get angry at the way Erica treats Gary in most of the eps. :) |
| sari_chandler 12/28/00 |
yeah, some of the changes were
obvious, but not so drastic that we would start hating
Gary. In fact, sometimes I really had to laugh at Gary's
crankiness, especially when Henry was teasing him. :) I guess I just have a soft spot for Erica...I've known a couple of guys who were full of bullsh*t, so I like it when a girl stands up for herslef and doesn't let people walk all over her. I guess I admire that "headstrong" quality in her. I guess the reason everyone got angry was because her "attitude" got directed towards a really good guy. But the thing was that we know that Gary is a good guy because we're on the other side of the TV. If we look at it through Erica's perspective, it would be hard to trust Gary (especially after being with Mike). |
| shana93 12/28/00 |
Sari, it's funny because the changes in Gary during season 3 I always attribute to Erica. I agree that a woman should stand up for herself, but Erica crossed lines. Marissa was a strong woman without being totally obnoxious to Gary. Erica never seemed to give him the benefit of the doubt even after she knew about the paper. This is what bugs me the most, especially considering the fact that he saved her son's life several times and gave her a job. Once again though, this was a problem of writers not knowing what to do. :) |
| ken_joe 12/29/00 |
I was just thinking. In St. Nick at the end when Erica was talking to Gary about the kind of guy she likes, she said that she didn't want a guy that was out to save the day all the time... but that's what Gary does! |
| shana93 12/29/00 |
Yeah, wasn't that ironic ken-joe? I always wonder if that's why Gary took so long in asking her out. :) |
| sari_chandler 12/29/00 |
In St. Nick,yeah,
she did say that she wants a guy who's not out to save
the world...but the writers did that on purpose...there's
actually a term for it. I think it's "situational
irony" (or another type of irony...I don't know, I'm
not an english major), when a character says something,
but that character doesn't know about the double meaning,
but the audience does and so does at least on of the
other characters in the show/play/movie. She didn't say it to be mean. She really did think that Gary was an "average guy." So I guess she thought that by saying she wants a regular guy, Gary wouldn't be so intimidated (I mean, it is pretty hard for any guy to compete with Nick. I really liked him. He was genuinely nice). |
| shana93 12/29/00 |
I just wanted to say that I enjoyed our "Erica" discussion. :) Sometimes when replying to messages, it is hard for me to make myself clear. I definitely wasn't implying that Erica was being mean when she said that---I was just commenting on the irony of it which, as you said, the writers intended. If you remember, Gary seemed so happy that she dumped Nick, but then it was months before he asked her out, and I always thought maybe it was because in the back of his mind he knew she didn't want a guy who was out to save the world. It was just a thought I had. What do ya think? :) |
| sari_chandler 12/29/00 |
I think your theory is pretty
interesting. You may be right...maybe Gary took so long
to ask her out because he was afraid that she might freak
out about the paper (which she did, but she sorta got
over it). I mean, if a guy told me that he gets
tomorrow's newspaper today, I don't know what I would do
or say. In the end, we all knew that Gary and Erica
weren't meant to be. Erica even said,"and in your
heart, you're more sure of it than I am." Maybe they
both knew that they weren't meant to be, but were afraid
to admit it because they had both been hurt before (Mike
hurt Erica, and Marcia hurt Gary). What do you think? I enjoyed our discussion, too. :) I hope you don't think that I was trying to get you to change your mind about Erica. And I hope you don't think that I took what you said in a bad way. You made a lot of good points. I think tha it's cool that we can have a discussion about something without getting insulted or insulting to one another. There have been other message boards (not EE, other topics) where the people really got nasty and started calling eachother names, just because of different opinions. I'm glad that doesn't happen here. |
| shana93 12/29/00 |
LOL Sari, I don't
think it's possible for me to change my mind about Erica,
but you've made me feel a little more sympathetic towards
her, and that was no easy task. :D Sometimes I think Gary
only went out with Erica because it was convenient, and
also because Marissa sort of pushed him into it. And like
you said, they'd both been hurt before, so maybe they
held back. In the ep where they broke up, I got the
impression that Gary mostly just felt bad about hurting
her and Henry (because he's just such a sweet guy ;)),
but that his heart wasn't really broken. I actually did
feel bad for her in that ep, when she asked him what he
would miss about her if she were gone. At the same time
though, I was thinking, if she already knew the answer,
she shouldn't have asked--because sometimes hearing it
outloud is more painful. I hope I'm making myself clear
here. Like I said before, it's hard getting a point
across sometimes when replying. I definitely didn't take anything you said as an insult, it's been fun debating with you. :) This is the first and only message board I've been on and I have to agree that everyone is very nice and also respectful of other's differing opinions. :) |
| sari_chandler 12/29/00 |
Shana, I agree that she probably knew the answer. And many people ask their boyfriends/girlfriends a question, and they know that the wrong answer will hurt them, but they ask anyway. Sometimes, not knowing the truth is MORE painful than hearing it out loud. That may be why she asked Gary about him missing her. I know I hate it when there is something I know another person is feeling, and he won't tell me. Even though it is painful, in the long run, it's better to find out the truth. What do you think? :) |
| shana93 12/29/00 |
You may be right about not knowing being more painful. But I think she did know the answer, because when he didn't respond, she said "that's what I thought". I remember thinking, Ooooh, that's gotta hurt. :( But you are right that she needed to find out the truth, which is probably why she decided to leave. I always thought the question was kind of unfair to Gary at the same time because he's not one to share his feelings very easily and she did put him on the spot. I keep thinking that if someone asked me that, I'd probably draw a blank too, even if I really cared about that person. Any thoughts? |
| sari_chandler 12/29/00 |
I think if someone asked me that,
I would go blank, too. When asked a difficult question,
people don't know what to answer. Do we say something to
avoid hurting the person, or do we tell the truth? If we
tell the truth, we have to really think about what the
truth is. Sometimes we don't even know. So yeah, I agree
with you that the question wasn't fair to Gary. She
really blindsided him with it. But I don't blame her... When I watch that episode, and whenever Erica asks him the question, I always yell to Gary "Say 'you, Erica. That's what is unique...you!" |
| shana93 12/29/00 |
Yeah Sari, I really did feel bad for her then, believe it or not. :D But if Gary had answered her, she probably would've stayed, and I think she knew it was time to go. LOL I think you and I could write a book on this subject. :D Have you read any fanfics? There are two at the Tales from the Tavern sight that are about Erica's feelings after her final ep. Their pretty good. I think the titles are Train to Galena and Everything's Different Now (actually, the second one is Erica's feelings after Fate. :) These stories, like you, have made me feel a little more sympathetic toward her. :) |
| Ren713 12/29/00 |
I felt sorry for Erica in that scene, too. She asks Gary what makes her unique and he just blanks. The thing is, I think Erica had already made up her mind about she and Gary - she said she didn't want a guy that was out to save the day - ironic, but true. Also, earlier in "Blowing Up Is Hard to Do" Paul's wife makes the comment that she wouldn't put up with him being a cop if she could live without him, but she couldn't. That's when Gary and Paul walked in the room and Erica stares at Gary with that same blank look he gives her when she asks what's unique about her. I think that's when she realized she could live without Gary. And trust me, I am very much aware how a guy like Mike could turn someone into an attitude queen (my favorite male bashing joke is Q: How can you tell if a man's happy? A: Who cares?) But even with a major attitude you'd think after learning about the paper she'd soften up, but she actually got b@#chier than ever. And Gary, I love him to death, but he never saw the problem between he and Erica, Marcia throwing him out of the house was a shock, and how many times has Marissa had to beat him over the head with something before he saw the light? Sweet guy, but communication is obviously not his bright spot. I understand after being hurt how he'd have a tendency to keep things inside, but if he is ever going to find someone, he's going to have to tear down the wall. |
| ken_joe 12/29/00 |
In Blowing Up Is Hard To Do, Henry asks Gary why he broke up with his mom (Erica). I don't know if it matters, but Erica broke up with Gary. I mean Gary was fine with everything and she told him that she didn't want to see him anymore. If you think about it.. it's kinda stupid, she wanted to break off, but was crying that night. |
| shana93 12/29/00 |
Ken-joe, I think she cried because she knew she had stronger feelings for Gary then he had for her and that was very painful, and also the reason she broke up with him. I never understood why she let Henry believe that Gary broke up with her. That was really unfair to Gary, and just one more reason not to like her. Still, I really felt bad for her in this ep because I've been there (haven't we all at one time or another cared for someone more than they cared for us). That's extremely painful. |
| Dollene 12/29/00 |
Shana~ You are feeling sympathetic to Erica? Oh no, you have gone over to the dark side, where is Yoda when you need him? :) LOL j/k Don't everyone faint when I say this. but I actually did feel sorry for her when she left on the train. I mean Here is this great guy who has been a major part of her life for a year. (He's not perfect- but darn near the closest thing I've seen) And he doesn't love her. I can't help but feel bad for her in that respect. But did Erica really love Gary? Or did she just depend on him. I think if she truly loved Gary and had shown it, he could have come up with something to miss when she asked him. IMO I think it was Emma who truly broke Gary's heart. Not Marcia. I don't know that Gary really loved her. When Chuck asked him that question his answer was she was beautiful and she loved me. Not a very good reason to love someone if you ask me. |
| shana93 12/29/00 |
LOL No Dollene, I haven't gone to the dark side. :D But I have been in that situation where you find someone doesn't care about you as much as you'd hoped. In that sense I felt bad for her. But Ken-joe brought up something that just gave me another excuse to hate her, how she let Henry believe that it was Gary who broke up with her. She made Gary the bad guy in her son's eyes. Like Ren said, she just got worse after she found out about the paper, when she should have been more understanding. Don't worry--I'm still composing my Erica story in my head, and it won't be nice. I've already got the title. I think you'll enjoy it. :) |
| Dollene 12/30/00 |
Whew, Shana. You had me worried there. I thought I was losing my co-hort. :) And I had forgotten about her letting her son think Gary had broke it off. That was a pretty lousy thing to do. I also thought it was pretty lousy that she up and left so quick and didn't let Henry get the chance to say goodbye. Gary had been like a father to him and once again I thought she was serving her own interests by leaving soon. I know she said that if Gary asked her to stay she would and it wouldn't be right but I still think she could have made some kind of arrangements for them to say their goodbyes. And yes she did get worse after she found out about the paper. I know it would be pretty hard to believe a guy could get such a thing. But others took it pretty well, heck her son handled it better than she did. Sometimes I felt that Henry was more of an adult than his mother was. And I do agree about being in a relationship where someone you care about doesn't reciprocate your feelings. But I still don't get the feeling she was really in love with Gary. Just that she depended on him to make her life better. but it would still hurt to lose a guy like Gary. No matter what the circumstance. But should I feel more pity to her than I do, Meredith, Emma or any of the others. I think not. ;) |
| sari_chandler 12/30/00 |
Shana, that was why I felt sorry
for Erica in this episode, too. She did really care about
Gary a lot more than Gary cared about her. Like I said
before, I knew a guy who I eventually foound out was full
of bullsh*t, so I guess in some ways, I have an inherent
mistrust in guys...especiallt in guys who seem to be
hiding something, or is always making up stories. And even though Erica broke up with Gary, she has the right to cry because just because she broke up with him, it doesn't mean that she didn't love him. She broke up with him because she knew that their relationship wasn't going to work out. I don't think that Erica told Henry that he broke up with her. Maybe she just told Henry that they broke up, that Gary agreed, and being her son, Henry immediately took her side. That's understandable. I don't remember who made the comment about Emma being the one who broke Gary's heart, but I agree. I totally loved Emma for Gary. I believe that she was the only one on the show whom he really loved. I still think that he should win some money playing the ponies, use that money to have Marco bumped off, then marry Emma!!! :) |
| shana93 12/30/00 |
I definitely
agree that Erica had the right to cry. I would have been
devastated in her shoes (of course, I would've treated
him ALOT better too). I've had some men in my life too
who proved to be not so trustworthy (that's an
understatement!), but don't lose heart, there are still
some good guys out there. :) I have to agree with Dollene that Erica should've let Henry say goodbye to Gary, painful as it might've been. There were lots of times when I thought she put herself above the needs of her son. I also have to agree that she probably really didn't love him. I think she cared about him, but saw him as the answer to her problems and when he didn't deliver, she got upset. Still that can be very painful. I agree that Emma is the only one Gary really loved. I'm currently writing a story where Emma comes back into Gary's life. To quote Dollene, "I have a soft spot for Emma." |
| Macredd 01/02/01 |
I think most of
you have seen my rants about Erica too, so I promise not
to get carried away this time. Dollene and I are on the
same wavelength. My biggest problem with Erica was, well,
her personality. Here is a divorced mother of an 8 year
old. The kid is running around a city they just moved
too, repeatedly getting into life-threatening situations
and she's clueless. And when she realizes that Gary has
saved Henry (over and over again), she still has the
nerve to give Gary attitude. Meanwhile, every other
sentence out of Patrick's mouth is about "Mr.
Hobson's sixth sense". How oblivious can a person
be? My other gripe is that Henry should've always come first for her, but that wasn't the case. I found it hard to swallow that Gary would be attracted to someone who was so unaware of her child's needs. Hard to tell I'm a mom, huh?! I did, at times, feel sorry for her when Gary let her down, but she should have tried harder to understand why. And lastly, I think that the scene in "Fate" when they kept cutting back to Erica was an epiphany for her. In her eyes I saw the realization that it wasn't meant to be, that he didn't feel love for her. After all, he went straight to Marissa, not her. He walked away from Erica so easily after nearly losing his life. I think that's when the truth hit her. It was very poignant. Also, it's great to see everyone sharing opinions and having a sense of humor about it. Thanks to everyone for giving different viewpoints to thing about. |
| sari_chandler 01/02/01 |
We can't really
blame Erica for the way Henry runs around. He's a very
independent, rambunctious kid. I don't think anyone would
be able to stop Henry from running around town. I'm sure
most parents don't know what their kids really do all
day, and that doesn't mean that they're bad parents, or
that they have bad kids. It just means that quite often
parents are clueless to what is really going on, and I
can understand how that would make a parent feel. And I think it's not only Erica who gives attitude. Sometimes Gary starts it. In the episode "Halloween," everyone was joking around about dyeing hair. Erica said (with a smile),"I've been thinking about going red." Gary snaps at her and says why not an earring for her nose. She responds,"That would be a nose ring..and that would look very sexy on you." Even though he snapped at her, she still teased him back. So sometimes, when Erica is dishing out the "disses" she's just replying to Gary's attitude. |
| Dollene 01/02/01 |
Suzanne, I couldn't have said it better myself. :) And your analysis of the scene in Fate. That was great. I always tried to figure out what she was thinking and I think you hit the nail on the head. Thank you now I can quit racking my brain every time I see that ep wondering what she is thinking. Now I know it's not that she wanted to get her roots done. ;) |
| sari_chandler 01/02/01 |
The episode "Fate" doesn't give any indication about "trouble in paradise" (except maybe for that whole I-killed-a-guy-I-won't-change-clothes-for-3-days-and-I'm-suicidal thing :) ) between Erica and Gary. In fact, this was one of the episodes where Erica and Gary really enjoyed eachother's company (at the planetarium). So at the end, it's doubtful that the writers wanted Erica to realize that she and Gary weren't meant to be. The way the story was laid out, the scenes manipulated, and Erica's line ,"I thought you were dead," it is more likely that Erica kept looking at Gary because she realizes that she almost lost him...she realized how easily we can lose the people we care about. It isn't really until later episodes where we can sense that Erica realizes that she and gary are not meant to be. |
| shana93 01/02/01 |
I have to agree
with Suzanne that in Fate it seemed like Erica was
realizing that her relationship with Gary was coming to
an end. Maybe that's not the way the writers or directors
intended it, but it is the way I interpret the look on
her face. Suzanne, since you're a mother, let me ask you your thoughts on Erica letting Henry know the full extent of their financial problems. I always thought it was horrible when he was opening the bills and they were all pink (Collision). That must've been a heavy burden for a young child to have, but I'm not a mother. What do you think? |
| Dollene 01/02/01 |
I'm not a parent either Shana but I thought that letting her son know the extent of her financial problems was terrible. A child that young should not be worried about such things. And as a parent she should know where and what her child is doing. I don't care how independent a child Henry was. That's why God gave us parents. to watch after us and teach us and protect us till we are of accountable age. Gary even figured out what was going on with Henry right after he met him. When he tried to explain to Erica she got all defensive about him telling her how to raise her child. I can't understand her feelings at this point . Gary is a stranger. But after time and time again Gary saving her son. You think she would have at least sat him down and had a good talking to him if not a spanking, yes I believe a child should be spanked if and only if they have done something terrible wrong and keep doing it. But for instance the ep where Henry goes to the library and Erica questions him he says something to the effect that I'm not a child and all Erica says is okay. I'm sorry but that wouldn't have flown with my mother. She had to know my whereabouts at all times and I don't think it hurt me one bit to have to check in with my parents. Okay. I'm going onto another topic. Isn't there one about where to kiss Gary. ;) |
| Meghan15 01/02/01 |
I guess I never really HATED Erica, but I just never saw any sparks between her and Gary. I mean from the first moment Gary met Brigatti (and I'm not going to weigh in on that relationship at all), there were sparks of some sort, or at least chemistry. I think the idea of a girlfriend for Gary obviously had potential, they just had to find the right person. It just wasn't Erica. |
| Macredd 01/03/01 |
Shana and Dollene
(especially you, Dollene)-we are on the same wavelength.
As a mom of a 3 year old and a 5 year old, I find it
unfathomable that Henry was treated like he was a
responsible adult. Let's think, people, he was only EIGHT
years old. My nephew is just shy of his 8th birthday and
he is not ready to know about his parent's financial
situation or run around town alone. No child should have
to worry about bills being paid. I don't care how
independent or smart a child is, he is still a child.
Erica treated him as a peer, not a son. I always go back to "A Horse is a Horse" when Henry walks into McGinty's and Erica asks him where he was. He tells her the library. She only wants to know because they were going to watch the football game together, not because it was inappropriate for him to be running around town without his mother knowing where he was. My mother always knew where I was until I moved out at the age of 17. Not to mention the fact that in this day and age there are all sorts of predators out there looking for small children. Hello? I just don't get what the writers were thinking. My last point is this~ my sister-in-law is a huge fan of EE and Kyle too. She is also a social worker and she gets worked up on this subject, which says alot. In her opinion, at the least, Erica would be under investigation for child neglect in this state. Ok, I've finished my rant! Thanks for listening! :) |
| tdmiller82 01/03/01 |
I'm not going to even touch on why I dislike Erica (Dollene is my twin on this topic & she has spoken well enough for me :)). |
| shana93 01/03/01 |
Suzanne, thank you for your insights on Erica as a mother. :) I always thought those same things, but since I don't have children, I wasn't always sure my feelings were justified. You are right though, it's scary what could happen to a child running around by themselves these days. :O Erica's really lucky that nothing happened to him, which wouldn't be the case if it weren't for Gary. Thanks again. :) |
| TobMar 01/03/01 |
The only episode
(in my opinion) that Erica really was believable in was
"Blowing Up is Hard to Do". In at least three
scenes she played the hurt, sad, neglected girlfriend
very well. One of the scenes I'm referring to is right at
the beginning when Gary walks in and out of the door with
his head in the paper. Erica realizes that her
relationship with Gary does not measure up to everyone
else's. She says nothing but you can tell what she is
feeling. Another scene is where Gary and Erica are in the
kitchen and she confronts him about how she really means
very little to him. Also, the Erica on the train scene
was acted out very well. If she could have portrayed the
character the same way in every episode, not just in
BUIHTD, she could have added alot to Season three. What
we had the rest of the year was a sarcastic, snippy,
aloof girlfriend instead of a caring, neglected,
hopelessly in love person, involved in a dead-end
relationship. While I'm on the subject of BUIHTD, I loved how Gary used the word "chemistry" in his speech with Henry. The writers must have been reading our message boards. The word "chemistry" was used alot by us during Season three! |
| shana93 01/04/01 |
I just watched In
Gary We Trust, which fueled my anger about Erica. Why did
she think she had the right to be angry with Gary just
for asking her for a raincheck. >:( And she acted like
a jealous wife when she saw Brigatti in the towel,
meanwhile the bar's just been shot up, but was she
concerned about whether anyone was hurt, NO! This ep also made me angry at Marissa. Of all people who should've known that Gary wouldn't have had some "cookie" up in his loft, it should've been her. >:( I didn't understand why Gary just didn't tell her it had to do with the paper though. I like Brigatti's hair longer like it was in this ep, more than in Occasionally Amber. I really liked her in this ep. |
| Dollene 01/04/01 |
I thought the same thing watching tonights ep. And when she comes up and hits the guy on the back of the head to help Gary out, not that Gary couldn't have taken the guy on his own, mind you. She asks him what's up with you? Duh. Isn't it obvious something serious is going on here. And then when Brigatti tries to help gary out by explained to Erica. She was like whatever. GRRRR. Okay take deep breaths. Calm down. Okay, better now. |
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