MovieChat Forums > Waiting for God (1990) Discussion > Why does Diana live at Bayview?

Why does Diana live at Bayview?

posted 14 years ago by ahabt
5 replies | jump to latest

I'm re-watching episodes of this show, which I have always loved, but now that my age and general condition are comparable to Diana's, it occurs to me to wonder how she came to be living in a retirement home if she doesn't like it there. Where I live (California) if you are, like Diana and Tom, of sound mind and only moderately impaired body, it is an easy matter to rent a convenience apartment, hire someone to come in and clean once a week, have your groceries delivered and send your laundry out--all for less than the cost of a retirement community like Bayview. People go to places like Bayview because they want the social life, or enjoy people like Jane hovering around--things clearly not to Diana Trent's taste, at least not in the opening episodes. People get stuck in institutions that are not to their liking when they reach a point of needing nursing care or supervision (in these nursing homes, ranging from good to awful, the class distinctions of American society play out in a grim and final way).

Is Britain different, somehow? Or are we just supposed to suspend our disbelief for the sake of the story line?

[–] Sapere-Aude 14 years ago

I absolutely love this series, but I've been wondering the same thing too.
There has never been any indication as to why Diana lives there.

With a little bit of outside help she could easily still live in her own place. And hiring a housekeeper and/or some other help, would surely be cheaper than the living costs of a place like Bayview.

I never understood that part either, but for the sake of a good show I choose to ignore this little inconsistency. And I always suspected that secretly Diana loves living there and wouldn't know what to do with herself if she lived alone.

After all antagonizing the staff (and some other people there), probably keeps her alive and kicking..LOL

"Equitare, arcum tendere,veritatem dicere."

[–] mcilroga 12 years ago

They actually sort of touch on it in the episode in which Diana thinks Tom's petitioning her to the door. She says that because she lived her life a vagabond and spoke her mind she's been left with little funds and scarce friends, so presumably she's few places to go. She doesn't want to live with her niece because she wants her to remember her when she was "alive" and hanging from helicopters and whatnot. I think more than that though she genuinely enjoys being a free-spirit - a spinster - and while she has a distaste for Bayview she likes being in her position.

[–] has_no_pseudonym 11 years ago

Late answer here, but the answer is quite simple: she couldn't afford to live anywhere else. She was living on a fixed income, a pension. She couldn't buy a house (and therefor taxes on top of it) or afford to rent. Living at Bayview, however repugnant, was her only option. She got her own apartment and the price included all her meals. So it was the most sensible and economical option. Others have explained why she chose not to live with her niece.

[–] tremas-1 12 years ago

As a widower living alone in the mountains of Tennessee, I can think of one reason: the need for social contact.
My guess is that Diana wanted an environment where she could turn certain personal tasks to hired help (doing her laundry, cooking her food, cleaning her apartment) and have time to do what she likes (reading, painting, debating, i.e., arguing, engaging in social and intellectual intercourse).
Unfortunately, the social and intellectual standards at Bayview are not high, which frustrates her. Tom Ballard is her closest match; therefore he's her chosen partner.
Like Diana (and my late wife), I am a retired journalist, so I can tell you that social contact is important in my late years – as I wait for God.

[–] 12 years ago

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