Christie Dunbar redux

And for any number of reasons Christie doesn't feel like she can lay this out for Jim, either because he won't get it or he won't even try.
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Nicely put, Zuzuu, as always. And, as always, I have some thoughts. I have been reading over your posts and I think I might have been too hard on Christie . . . but then again, the fact that the relationship between Jim and Christie is so complex is one reason of many why we continue to be glued to this show.

On reflection, I'm not completely convinced that she came out of the past year with any sort of renewed confidence or strength. I think she's still carrying around old damage that either she doesn't want to confront her husband with -- we've all seen how well he responds to those tell-me-how-you're feeling discussions -- or she is simply afraid to bring up. She really did try to reach out to him in the early episodes and was constantly rebuffed, and maybe she's just shut down a little bit. You can easily make the case that Dunbar is a bit of a sexist in his need to "protect" the women in his life. Maybe he just wants to attempt to control what he can, when there is now much of his life over which he has limited or no control. Hmmm. And part of his stiff-necked attitude, which has been softening over the weeks, is that he is a proud man.

So. Is she going about it all wrong? Could be. Granted, she wants to include him in her life, which is why the Boston trip was so important to her and why her reaction to his negligence was so furiously icy. But a publishing conference? They couldn't just go away for a nice weekend at the shore? Ever been to a publishing conference? Dee, you, ell, ell, dull. And of limited interest if you're not in the business, that's for sure. Power Point presentations, panel discussion, cocktail parties where you network . . . and why in heaven's name would she think Detective Jim Dunbar would be interested in any of this? (Personlly, I'd take Hank for a nice long walk on Boston Common.) So I have to think that the conference was a non-starter from the outset. Makes about as much sense as Jim wanting to take her along on a case.

And here's something else to consdier, something that may be at the root of her distress. Clearly, as Zuzuu says, the year before Jim got his job back was about "getting him back on his feet." Well, he's almost there. He's closing cases, he's been judged fit for duty, he's formed solid working relationships with the rest of the squad: he and Karen are back on good terms, Marty's pretty much come around, Selway was always quietly willing to give him a chance, and Lt. Fisk has come to value his work. In a lot of ways, and ways that count, the old Jim is back. Maybe Christie feels like she's just waiting for the other shoe to drop -- the other shoe, of course, being his infidelity. If he's doing everything else he used to do, she may be thinking, then what's to stop him from cheating again? He has said repeatedly that he's "not the same guy," but is she really hearing him?

If there's a second season, I vote for couples therapy with Dr. Galloway -- and tell me we wouldn't all like to see those scenes!