People don’t hate Jim because he’s a bad husband and father, they hate him because he is a good husband and father. People love flawed men. But they seek out the negative side of that representation. Jim is a Good man with flaws. He is emotional and people don’t like that. He cares deeply for his family and their wellbeing. But he struggles. And because he is already good, people have raised expectations for him. Jade comes to town and he is a terrible person, who then experiences incredible growth, and so when he does the bare minimum, people cheer him on for it. Jim comes to town emotionally wounded, on the brink of divorce, a divorce triggered by a fracture formed in the structure of his marriage when his and Tabitha’s youngest child, Thomas, rolled off the changing table and died. The entirety of his time there is then spent trying to figure out how to navigate the situation in a way that won’t result in his entire family dying, trying to figure out how to support them, protect them, and heal them, but he can’t be perfect in that pursuit. He can’t be perfect, but he can try his best. Jim and Tabitha are two halves of a failing marriage and they try their best despite the obstacles they face. They try their best because they love each other and they love their family. Someone else pointed this out, but I’d also like to ask you this: In a show with overarching themes of family, generational trauma, and breaking cycles, what do you think it means, narratively, that Jim swore off alcohol the day Julie was born, because he didn’t want to be like his father? What do you think it means when the MiY, the “writer” of this story, and very likely the one who preyed upon the temptation of humans to sacrifice others for their own benefit, who is all too familiar with weakness and cowardice, has something to say about how Brave Jim was? Before Jim died, he had to let go of the idea that he could protect his family with the approach he was taking, and he had to put faith in his wife. Despite the tragic disconnect present in their understanding of this strange place, even up until the very end, if he had survived, perhaps that faith is what could have pulled them back together and allowed him to become closer with his family again. Perhaps, if they ever went home, it could have formed a bond that would never break. To quote Eion on his farewell post: “So thank you. And last but not least, to the fathers who desire above all else to keep their families together and heal their wounds, knowing it a sacred duty. Thank you again and see you on the next one.” Rest in peace, Jim.
Loading...
