So, itās a year in to the Heughan-French/Bullock relationship which enables some context and perspective. What is abundantly clear is this woman wanted to be seen, in connection to him, from the outset. She set out to be. The Rankin wedding didnāt provide real opportunities but the distillery launch sure did. And there she was, just at the moment the magazine photographer was taking images, sliding behind him with her hand placed territorially on his back. And the MacLean brothersā live when she entered the room off camera, distracting him. And itās been repeat, repeat ever since. Macbeth, S8 premiere, NYC tartan day parade, Ride Galloway, all the social media games. Too much to list here. But clearly sheās desperate to be validated as his girlfriend.
A real misstep appears to be the use of the track by her late husband, Talos, and Olafur Arnalds on the S8 trailer. She must have known it would reveal the nature and timing of Eoinās death. And spark suggestions of her using Heughan for her own financial gain. Exposing her, and him, to reputation risk, which it did. Maybe she misjudged it, or maybe she just didnāt care.
What is now happening across social media is a stepping up of the narrative through accounts loyal to Heughan and, now it seems, to her. Talking about what a lovely ālittle familyā they are, despite the child having a living father. None of this activity is organic, anyone who has experience of online campaigns would call it out as coordinated, the timing of the posts across several accounts, the similarity of the message. Itās classic hearts and minds activity. And targeted to try to drive this relationship into mainstream entertainment and gossip media which has, so far, interestingly refused to bite.
But why is it needed? If she were confident in this relationship what the fandom thinks wouldnāt matter a jot. But clearly it does.
Well, youāre assuming that this is a genuine relationship, whereas I see it as a business arrangement in every meaningful sense. And a large part of why I believe that comes from the very points youāve raised yourself.
No matter how much people on Tumblr try to diminish him, Sam is still attractive, successful, and, according to those around him, a genuinely kind and funny guy. This is hardly someone who needs to beg a woman to take him. Iām sure there is no shortage of women who would happily fall at his feet, without the added baggage of two previous marriages and a child.
And if this were a real relationship, and your interpretation were correct, that all of this is coming from her, that she keeps pushing herself forward, forcing him to acknowledge her, inviting herself to events, and leaking private photos against his wishes, then what kind of relationship would that be?
Where is the basic respect for his privacy? Why would he tolerate having his wishes ignored again and again? Sounds like a terrible relationship.
And thatās without even getting into the fact that he has looked uncomfortable around her from the beginning and throughout this entire year. I simply donāt believe he would remain in a relationship like that. For those who believe heās a player, the argument makes even less sense. He has apparently had no trouble cutting women off and disappearing before, so what would make this time different?
I received a message from an observant shipper about a comment that appeared under his latest Comic-Con video. Compared with the other comments, it received a noticeably high number of likes, as well as quite a few replies, most of them supportive. The commenter said she was no longer willing to help fund Stephās lifestyle.
The comment was later deleted, probably by someone else.
If opinions like this are starting to spread from Tumblr to Instagram, and people there are openly agreeing with them, then this narrative may be heading into real trouble.
