Big Little Questions from Non-Book Readers & Answers from Book Readers

[ElectricBoogaloo]

We have similar threads like this for Game of Thrones and Outlander, so I thought it might be useful for this show too. Sometimes non-book readers have questions about the books but don't want to be spoiled, so here is the place to ask!

Book readers, please use the quote function to quote the question you are answering and then put your answer under the spoiler tag. This allows non-book readers to find out the answers to their questions without being spoiled about everything else asked in the thread.

For example:

Quote

Is the book set in Monterey like the show is?

 

Spoiler

No, the book is set in a fictional beach town called Pirriwee (inspired by the beach towns north of Sydney) in Australia.

Edited March 2, 2017 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

On 3/2/2017 at 7:01 AM, Winston9-DT3 said:

This isn't very important but I'm curious if Nathan's landscaper job is low-skilled, like he mows lawns for a living, or more like a landscape architect or owner of a landscape company in the book.  It seems odd to me that they'd portray the former as living in a decent house in Monterey and not in that crappy motel-looking place Jane lives or driving in from a more inland CA town.  

@Winston9-DT3, I was going to skim  through my book this weekend so I could answer your question but I can't find it. I think I gave it away after I read it, but I'm going to dig around some more and see if maybe it's hiding somewhere else in the house!

[MeloraH]

On 3/2/2017 at 10:01 AM, Winston9-DT3 said:

This isn't very important but I'm curious if Nathan's landscaper job is low-skilled, like he mows lawns for a living, or more like a landscape architect or owner of a landscape company in the book.  It seems odd to me that they'd portray the former as living in a decent house in Monterey and not in something like that tiny bungalow Jane lives in or driving in from a more inland CA town.  

Spoiler

In the book the two guys jobs/personalities are switched kind of. Ed is a big, laid back, surfing, blue collar guy, I think he's a heating/air conditioning installer/repairman, I can't remember exactly, and Nathan is uptight and has an office job, I think also in tech but it could be something more boring, he's more boring than Ed is in the show. In the book Maddie and Ed aren't as well off as they are in the show, she works at the theater part-time instead of volunteering. Ed had been into her since they were teenagers and married her eventually after she was a single mother to Abby for a while.

So, yeah, show Nathan's job is only whatever the show has told us so far...

Edited March 21, 2017 by MeloraH

[kassandra8286]

Actually 

Spoiler

Ed is a reporter for the local newspaper in the book. I think he mainly writes fluff pieces. His job does actually play a part in a conflict that occurs near the end of the book, however.

You could be correct about Nathan, but

Spoiler

I searched around in my Kindle version and I couldn't find anywhere where it talks about what he does for a living since moving back to town. The Nathan parts are mostly from Maddie's POV, I guess his job is irrelevant to her, she's just pissed he showed up in the first place, lol. 

Edited March 21, 2017 by kassandra8286

[MeloraH]

7 hours ago, kassandra8286 said:

Actually 

  Reveal hidden contents

Ed is a reporter for the local newspaper in the book. I think he mainly writes fluff pieces. His job does actually play a part in a conflict that occurs near the end of the book, however.

You could be correct about Nathan, but

  Reveal hidden contents

I searched around in my Kindle version and I couldn't find anywhere where it talks about what he does for a living since moving back to town. The Nathan parts are mostly from Maddie's POV, I guess his job is irrelevant to her, she's just pissed he showed up in the first place, lol. 

Oooh, yeah! I totally forgot. Oops. I think he is handy though, right? I think that was a thing... I don't know why I thought that...Maybe I'm conflating books...

[chocolatine]

12 hours ago, kassandra8286 said:

You could be correct about Nathan, but

  Hide contents

I searched around in my Kindle version and I couldn't find anywhere where it talks about what he does for a living since moving back to town. The Nathan parts are mostly from Maddie's POV, I guess his job is irrelevant to her, she's just pissed he showed up in the first place, lol. 

Spoiler

Nathan's profession is treated very vaguely in the book. There are references to him being math- and tech-savvy, and missing a school function because of work, but there are no specifics.

[pbutler111]

Was there anything in the book about Ed having some kind of inappropriate goings-on with Maddie's older daughter?  I had thought when she moved out there might have been a plot point along those lines, but nothing came of it.  But, watching the finale again, I noticed for the first time that when Ed moved to comfort her at the funeral she looked really uncomfortable and moved away from him.  Was there anything about that in the book?

[chocolatine]

2 minutes ago, pbutler111 said:

Was there anything in the book about Ed having some kind of inappropriate goings-on with Maddie's older daughter?

Spoiler

No, absolutely nothing sexual or inappropriate, but Madeline felt that Ed didn't love Abigail as unconditionally as he loved Chloe and Fred (in the book, Maddie and Ed had two kids together) and part of her blamed him for Abigail choosing to live with Nathan, Bonnie, and Skye.

[pbutler111]

6 minutes ago, chocolatine said:

  Hide contents

No, absolutely nothing sexual or inappropriate, but Madeline felt that Ed didn't love Abigail as unconditionally as he loved Chloe and Fred (in the book, Maddie and Ed had two kids together) and part of her blamed him for Abigail choosing to live with Nathan, Bonnie, and Skye.

Though you'd hope it wouldn't be outwardly manifested, it would be kind of weird if he loved someone else's kid as unconditionally as his own.  But I wonder what we were meant to take from that brief little interaction during the funeral?  It seemed so suggestive of something under the surface.

[chocolatine]

15 minutes ago, pbutler111 said:

But I wonder what we were meant to take from that brief little interaction during the funeral?  It seemed so suggestive of something under the surface.

I did notice the brief funeral interaction, and I was wondering whether that was to set up something for the second season, if there's going to be one.

[madam magpie]

Just now, chocolatine said:

I did notice the brief funeral interaction, and I was wondering whether that was to set up something for the second season, if there's going to be one.

I actually took the funeral interaction and Ed's couple of odd looks at Abigail as the kind of typical male leering even "good" guys often do. I didn't think they were sleeping together or that Ed was truly interested in her, but that on some level, women are objects to be ogled to many (most?) men. The barista is the one man on the show who doesn't do any of that and who always sides with and supports the women. He seems to get and appreciate them in a way none of the other men do. It's why he's so empowering for Jane and why, I suspect, Madeline jumps to the conclusion that he's gay.

[Guest]

In the book Madeline thought Tom was gay because it was a different Tom the gossip was about.  

[Atlanta]

Yep, it was a different Tom with the same first and last name.

In fairness, women check out men too.

[Guest]

Same last name?  I missed that.  I thought it was another business owner named Tom somewhere on the same street.  One of Jane's clients, maybe.  I want to say a plumber or machinist or something.  He had a more 'manly' job that contributed to the confusion, I thought.  

[Atlanta]

1 minute ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

Same last name?  I missed that.  I thought it was another business owner named Tom somewhere on the same street.  One of Jane's clients, maybe.  I want to say a plumber or machinist or something.  He had a more 'manly' job that contributed to the confusion, I thought.  

I think it was the same last name. He was a plumber or something like that.

[madam magpie]

1 hour ago, Atlanta said:

Yep, it was a different Tom with the same first and last name.

In fairness, women check out men too.

Their teenage stepsons? I've not heard about that being a common thing.

[Guest]

I can't see Vallee dropping seeds for a season two, since he felt (like I do) that this story was self-contained and has been told and there should be no season two.  I do wonder if the earlier hints about Ed might've been for added suspense but I didn't see any hint of inappropriateness at the funeral, and that wouldn't really be the time for suspense without future seasons in mind.   But to me Ed was basically Ben in Parks & Rec.  

[JBC344]

I actually don't think that there was any implication by the creators, writers, or actors to imply any inappropriateness between Ed and Abigail.  I think that Ed's looks were more an "actor's choice" by Adam Scott to maybe portray his befuddlement/cluelessness/helplessness with Abigail.  I think we the audience picked up on it and interpreted it as something nefarious due to the nature of the show, but I don't think there was really anything meant by it.

I think it was just Adam trying to portray the "helpless stepdad" in his interactions with Abigail and they came off the wrong way.  I think the character of Ed in the show is supposed to be particularly socially awkward.  Hence his scene with Bonnie, where he comments on her sweating, not meant to be creepy but came off that way.

[Mabinogia]

20 minutes ago, JBC344 said:

I think we the audience picked up on it and interpreted it as something nefarious due to the nature of the show, but I don't think there was really anything meant by it.

This is what I saw too. I didn't think there was anything sexual in his looks and was surprised when I read other people's interpretation. It did make me wonder if maybe I'd just missed it, that maybe I was desperately trying to cling to the one good guy in that town. But all I really saw was a guy who is socially awkward and uncomfortable in his life/marriage. I think he didn't know how to deal with Abigail. He might even have worried about it looking inappropriate if he got involved in her life too much. It is a slippery slope for a step-dad with a teenage daughter. How close is too close? What will others think.

I do think the nature of the show made us expect the worst in most of these guys. I'd say most of them did not disappoint. But I think Ed was one of the good guys. He just didn't know how to handle a teenage step-daughter. I know guys who have beautiful teenage daughters and it is hilarious watching them ogle other girls their daughters age then have it pointed out to them that other guys are doing the same with their daughters. In a culture that glorifies teenager girls as sexy, it's just gonna be awkward. He was also probably insanely sexually frustrated, hence the Bonnie comment. Poor guy just needed to get some but I never got the impression he actually would, from anyone other than his wife.

Edited April 5, 2017 by Mabinogia

[Atlanta]

1 hour ago, madam magpie said:

Their teenage stepsons? I've not heard about that being a common thing.

You made a statement that most men view women as to be ogled. Ed is just awkward. Not a perve.

[Razzberry]

I think there was intentional misdirection re: Ed & Abby because the placement of scenes is very well thought out.   A Greek chorus woman was talking about how all the guys were ogling Bonnie's dancing and how she "saw erections."    Quick cut to Ed eyeing Abby on the deck.

Edited April 5, 2017 by Razzberry

[madam magpie]

1 hour ago, Atlanta said:

You made a statement that most men view women as to be ogled. Ed is just awkward. Not a perve.

Actually I said "many" and questioned "most." I stand by that, and agree that Ed isn't a perve. He is a typical man, though. That's how it came across to me in the show anyway. I haven't read the book. The show was all about perception, male/female relationships, female friendships, etc. Ed being a typical ogling guy fits, though I've definitely gotten the impression that this didn't appear in the book, along with Madeline's affair.

Edited April 5, 2017 by madam magpie

[Guest]

I don't think typical men eye teen stepdaughers appreciatively.  Not anything more complex than Max complimenting Celeste, anyway.  And if they've been the dad in residence for at least 7 years, when the kid was Chloe's age or younger, I think it's even less likely unless the guy's a perv.

I don't think Ed was pervy at all in the book, not even with any appreciative remarks to or about Bonnie.  That addition was kind of icky.  

[meredithalmighty]

In the book, Ed is portrayed as being more authoritative than Maddie. He is very quick to stand up for Maddie when Abigail mouths off in the book. In one section, Maddie wonders if 

Spoiler

Ed is to blame for Abigail moving in with Nathan and Bonnie because he was so strict on her

Missing from the show is that Ed & Maddie have two biological children-  Fred and Chloe. Ed got to name Fred and Abigail named Chloe.