MovieChat Forums > Unscannable
Unscannable (4)
Posts
Replies
The reason people feel repulsed by May is that the story sets us up to see her as Newland sees her, in the beginning as a very innocent and sheltered young woman, someone he has a duty to protect, only to reveal later that she has attained willful and cunning power over him and the choices he makes.
Newland's own sense of duty and propriety is the tool others use against him, not only May but her entire family, his own mother and sister, Jackson, Letterblair and so on. May is at the helm of this mob mentality and uses it in her own self interest. In fact May and her family have manipulated Newland from the beginning of the story.
Ellen's arrival in New York is a very delicate problem for the Wellands. When they bring Ellen to the opera, Newland understands that they need him to use his pending engagement to May to strengthen their family position, and by association protect his own reputation. What Newland misses is that they are also using this social positioning as a bargaining chip against his own feelings.
It's safe to say that the Wellands are well aware that Newland and Ellen already had some past youthful attraction to each other, as Ellen so casually mentions it in the opera box. Everyone guesses Newland's real feelings for Ellen, long before he even guesses it himself. Being a lawyer, Newland is in a position to fight for Ellen's freedom, so they ask Newland up front to serve as Ellen's legal advisor and discourage her from divorce.
Newland believes himself to be the kind protector and champion of others who are gentle and innocent. This is what Ellen loves in him and why she says that to love him she must give him up. Unfortunately his own character traits are in direct opposition with his assertion that women ought to be free. In fact he believes and acts in accordance with a stronger belief that women need protection.
Newland is blindsided several times over, and this is what makes the reveal so brutal and sets us up to see May as a villain.
Story-wise I am glad they are getting back together. But they have zero chemistry together and she has a very quacky nasally voice.
I agree, no chemistry at all. Plus there is no real development to show us how or why they got together. It only makes me feel worse for Toby.
Kate really annoys me. I could understand why she was put off when Toby had it all planned out for them to move to San Francisco. I think he was trying to surprise her in a good way, but it came across as pushy and controlling and one-sided. If he was a different kind of guy that could be a major red flag to get out. And with Kate's history, that would give her a very bad feeling. But Toby was never that kind of guy, and I don't think that was really her problem with it anyway. She was already uncomfortable with him changing and growing as a person, first when he lost weight, then seeing him enjoying his job and gaining more confidence in himself.
Then when she sees his life San Francisco, her reaction is understandable, but it just seems like she made no effort at all to understand his needs. He was deeply insecure about himself and his history of depression. I think he wanted to prove that he could "be the man" and take care of his family. For someone with his personality and his background, the type of job you have and the environment it puts you in can really make you or break you. But for anyone, it can be hard to find a job that really makes you happy. And this really seemed like a once in a lifetime kind of job, something you can't just replace with another one.
Kate really liked her job too, and she found a lot of fulfillment in it, but was it really that irreplaceable for her? It's hard to say, but she seemed unwilling to even consider the possibility. She immediately asks them to consider her for a promotion. If she's wanting to move up, why not seek a similar position in San Franscisco? But when she makes that phone call, she's made the decision to stay where she is. That means either Toby has to move back there, or else face splitting up his family.
So Toby ultimately sacrifices his own happiness and takes a job he obviously dislikes for the sake of keeping his family together. She can't appreciate that and it's still not enough for her.
View all replies >