Date: October 03, 2020 06:10 pm Title: Lice
I thought the switch to Angela worked well - shifting blame onto one of the heathens and viciously and publicly criticizing them for something she knows full well she did is very much in line with the Angela we know, and you've managed to find both comedy and pathos in it.
I continue to really like what you're doing with Jim and Pam. Much as I'd prefer them to be happy and fluffy always, this at least feels like a conflict that's natural to their relationship up to this point, as opposed to them acting, you know, wildly out of character to create it.
The structure of the closing worked very well for me, and felt very like the ending of an actual Office episode.
Author's Response:
Indeed. Angela is one who can be likable if she didn't constantly try to present this perfect life and making it a standard for everyone else to live by. That's why I wanted to pair her and Meredith, since she's the opposite extreme.
Them acting wildly out of character was the spark to this fic, to be honest. Old habits die hard, of course. They're not the best when it comes to communication or trying to air out their frustrations healthily. And a major conflict between the two is such a great concept to take advantage of. But the way it was handled... I dunno, after two kids and over three years of marriage it just felt off for them to act like they did in S9.
Thanks for the compliment! The closing was my favorite part to write. The various plotlines all had the main women characters struggling in one form or another, so keeping the Cyndi Lauper and extending it was fun.
Thanks for the review, as always!
Date: October 03, 2020 03:36 pm Title: Lice
I did kind of like that Angela was the one to bring in the lice. Her co-workers have a point. She's always been very judgmental. Here we see that she can dish it out but she can't take it. She's forced to eat humble pie.
Erin and Pete are just all sorts of cute. Lots of early JAM feelings with Pete there. Him getting emotionally involved with a girl who's with another guy. An emotionally unavailable guy at that too. No wonder he's often called the New Jim.
Kind of heartbreaking with Jim and Pam. I know things will get better but that doesn't take away from the pain and worry of right now. Great writing to bring that out.
Author's Response:
Exactly. The mistake here wasn't the lice, but the fact that she wanted to keep this perfect image up so badly that she blames the most likely candidate. One can see that from her throughout the show, someone who constantly wants to hide behind a mask.
Pete/Erin/Andy have a similar dynamic with Jim/Pam/Roy, but I think the comparison between Andy and Roy is bull IMO. While Roy was borderline abusive before he got help, a wife, and the gravel company, Andy's just a trust-fund kid who's irresponsible but does have some genuine humanity to him. His relationships with Angela and Erin as well as his development post-anger management proves that he IS a good guy, just extremely lost.
But yeah, I did enjoy writing those scenes, as well as Kelly. And they really are like Jim and Pam in a way, but while JAM is full of snappy wit and pranks on Dwight, the two of them just want to act like goofs. It's similar, but different, which is why I gravitate towards the Erin/Pete ship.
And thanks! With JAM, I wanted to get across that both parties are not making an effort to upset each other, which - again - ALWAYS has the opposite effect. They know each other, they love each other, and they'll go through so many lengths for each other, but they're not conveying their emotions properly, which is gonna come to bite them pretty soon.
Thanks for the review as always!