Oh Vera, pet. (Spoilers Season 3)
Our Vera has always been fascinating, in her asocial and rather stunted abilities with people.
But last week was the first time I realized the extent of her inability to live a normal life.
It was the scene when Ashworth and Vera are sitting in her kitchen and he looks around and sees the remants of a meal on her cutting board and table. He says something like "where is the washing up? The dishes? You're eating like this?" (paraphrasing).
She doesn't really seem to realize what he's saying....he feels sorry for her because she is so unsocialized that she doesn't really even bother, or know how, to set a table or feed herself on dishes. Or, if she does, doesn't think she should bother when alone.
This follows on the truly sad reveal we get from the nun who loved Vera when she taught her....and through the dialogue reveals truly how neglected Vera's childhood was. We know already that her dad was an eccentric bird watcher who had no business bringing up a daughter alone.
But when the nun tells Vera she found her at home as a child, after a lengthy absence froom school because she had no clean clothes "eating peas from a can" after dad had disappeared for quite a length of time, the true neglect and abuse Vera suffered as a child becomes clear.
That and the scene without dishes broke my heart! We finally see exactly how Vera ended up this way. She's never had any guidance in a home life. Never mind the severe neglect.
Oh, pet!