Clanstarling February 28, 2015 Share February 28, 2015 So as an aging woman myself, I can't imagine how awful the stares, comments, and attitudes would have been for her especially in that era. I totally felt for her in that situation. She knew all along it would happen one day, but probably kept pushing the thoughts aside until she couldn't anymore. Even without the negative feedback of others, she was becoming an older woman with all the physical changes and problems that entails, while he stayed young and virile. Looking at him would be a constant reminder of how her own body was slowly breaking down. Keeping up with him would be harder every year. The 70's weren't exactly modern in their treatment of women's health issues either. I don't think anyone dared say the word "menopause" out loud, much less have frank discussions of all the symptoms. And mental health care for things like depression or anxiety? Yikes. The closest I can recall is an "All in the Family" when Edith Bunker started going through menopause - or the "change" as they referred to it. And it was played only for laughs. Even so, it was considered pretty controversial to even allude to it on TV at that time. Not to mention - as we age, the intimate portions of our relationships get...trickier. For both men and women. For men, there's a little blue pill. For women, it's much more complicated. Even within the confines of their own home, she would be faced with the realities of her aging. I didn't blame her one bit. And am interested to find out more about how/when she "went away." This episode got me thinking about Henry's pre-Abigail/Abe life (and post mortal life). How many times (if any) has he gone through this before? Does he have any descendants (blood line or adoptive)? 2 Link to comment
Netfoot March 1, 2015 Share March 1, 2015 This episode got me thinking about Henry's pre-Abigail/Abe life (and post mortal life). How many times (if any) has he gone through this before? Does he have any descendants (blood line or adoptive)? You know, for an immortal, Henry is quite young at "only" 200 years old. Not even three lifetimes, if you go by the biblical three-score-and-ten. If Henry was, what, 40 when he discovered his immortality? That would be 1855-ish. His marriage of that era didn't last long thereafter. 90 years later, he and Abigail are getting together in 1945. There would have been Time Enough For Love twice, between there, at 45 years per time, before the widening visible age difference would have forced him to move on. If we take that 45 years as about average, it puts the end of Henry/Abigail around the 1990 mark, with the scene in this episode where the waitress embarrasses Abigail captioned at 1982, which is reasonable. So, plenty of time for two entire marriages and lives in between. But to my recollection, no mention or indication of any such. Link to comment
pcta March 1, 2015 Share March 1, 2015 I love the relationship with the dominatrix. Two articulate, bright people who are both out of the mainstream, the typical. Both are analytical in their own ways. Both are caring in odd and wonderful ways. Both say things that others might not. I find a lot of positives in that relationship. Given the time frame in particular, I can understand that Abigail would feel awkward (to say the least) with the visual age difference. I can also see Henry as so much in love with her - and in need of her - that he cannot see the problems. It must be hard to find a soul mate - which seems the case - and to give up that joy for what might seem to him to be unimportant, superficial reasons. 2 Link to comment
kassygreene March 1, 2015 Share March 1, 2015 Henry was killed the first time in 1815. So he has been immortal for 200 years. Before that he lived a somewhat privileged life, the son of a wealthy merchant who wound up connected with the then-illegal slave trade, a doctor, married, "normal" for the times. Then he was treating an injured black man (we assume a slave), refused to follow some dastardly order by the captain (I only saw the pilot once), and was shot in the region of the heart and thrown overboard, with the black man, and his watch. The scar from that shooting is apparently his last scar. How the watch kept returning to him was not really properly addressed (how could it be?), but this is of course the real reason he doesn't try to carry a cellphone - nothing comes back from the water with him. Anyhow, he's not 200 years old, he's 200 + Ioan Gruffudd's actual age. 1 Link to comment
shapeshifter March 1, 2015 Share March 1, 2015 Henry was killed the first time in 1815. So he has been immortal for 200 years. Before that he lived a somewhat privileged life, the son of a wealthy merchant who wound up connected with the then-illegal slave trade, a doctor, married, "normal" for the times. Then he was treating an injured black man (we assume a slave), refused to follow some dastardly order by the captain (I only saw the pilot once), and was shot in the region of the heart and thrown overboard, with the black man, and his watch. The scar from that shooting is apparently his last scar. How the watch kept returning to him was not really properly addressed (how could it be?), but this is of course the real reason he doesn't try to carry a cellphone - nothing comes back from the water with him. Anyhow, he's not 200 years old, he's 200 + Ioan Gruffudd's actual age. You meant physically he's not 200 years old, right? Because in experience, he is about 240 years old--which is always a problem for me with immortals, since they don't seem either wise enough or crazy enough to have been around that long. Maybe it would help if they indicated that he meditates or does yoga daily. Anyway, good summary, kassygreene. 1 Link to comment
bros402 March 2, 2015 Share March 2, 2015 Henry was killed the first time in 1815. So he has been immortal for 200 years. Before that he lived a somewhat privileged life, the son of a wealthy merchant who wound up connected with the then-illegal slave trade, a doctor, married, "normal" for the times. Then he was treating an injured black man (we assume a slave), refused to follow some dastardly order by the captain (I only saw the pilot once), and was shot in the region of the heart and thrown overboard, with the black man, and his watch. The scar from that shooting is apparently his last scar. How the watch kept returning to him was not really properly addressed (how could it be?), but this is of course the real reason he doesn't try to carry a cellphone - nothing comes back from the water with him. I believe the captain wanted the man thrown overboard because he believed he had TB. Link to comment
ElectricBoogaloo March 2, 2015 Author Share March 2, 2015 The closest I can recall is an "All in the Family" when Edith Bunker started going through menopause - or the "change" as they referred to it. And it was played only for laughs. Even so, it was considered pretty controversial to even allude to it on TV at that time. The other show I remember dealing with menopause was Another World. Donna was going through "the change" but it was mostly for comic effect. She was sweating all the time because of her hot flashes so she kept the air conditioning off in the hopes that everyone would think that it was just the hot weather. Female aging is not really dealt with realistically on tv or in the movies. 2 Link to comment
zannej March 4, 2015 Share March 4, 2015 (edited) Thank you for weighing in on the different treatment of aging women, slothgirl. I was a bit sad to see how Henry didn't get what Abigail was complaining about. He wasn't feeling the same changes. For him, his body was staying the same and he didn't have all the hormonal changes. He knew Abigail was actually younger than him, so it didn't bother him that people looked at them funny-- hell, people had done a lot worse to him than look at him funny and because he didn't feel awkward about it, he didn't understand why Abigail felt so awful. Because he couldn't feel what she was feeling, he couldn't understand-- not from lack of caring. I actually like the dominatrix and prefer her as a possible love interest over Jo. I still like Jo, but I like her as a platonic friend. I think it would be funny if Lucas was the one who found out first that Henry was immortal. I hope they explain before the end of the season what happened to Abigail. I wonder if maybe something happened and Henry had to leave and Abigail couldn't go with him because she was too tired to run or too unhealthy and Abe was already out of the house. Or maybe Abigail asked Abe to take care of Henry because she couldn't keep up with him anymore. I do think it would make more sense if she had died though. It would be sad if she was in a nursing home and Henry had to relocate because his secret was exposed or nearly exposed. Edited March 5, 2015 by zannej Link to comment
smiley13 March 4, 2015 Share March 4, 2015 Who is Nigel? I have watched every episode and do not recall a Nigel at all. Link to comment
WendyCR72 March 5, 2015 Share March 5, 2015 Who is Nigel? I have watched every episode and do not recall a Nigel at all. I don't know, either. Maybe he/she meant Lucas? 1 Link to comment
zannej March 5, 2015 Share March 5, 2015 (edited) Oops. Fixed that. I meant Lucas. I had a total brainfart. I think he played someone named Nigel on another program. Edited March 5, 2015 by zannej Link to comment
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