Cast Commentary #8

Kimbar: Okay, my writerly friends, let's start this commentary. This was quite the complicated episode to write.

Kimbar: What scene should we start with discussing? We've got a lot of good ones we could go over.

Neale: There were some pretty major emotional scenes.

Skye: So many things are introduced in this ep.

Skye: Most of them yours, Neale!

Noel: The tender moment between Arianna and Aidan.

Noel: You handled that wonderfully, Neale.

Noel: Not over the top.

Neale: Thank you, Noel.

Noel: It fit what their relationship is.

Skye: It was also a scene that I find a lot of people have problems writing well, a lover revealing a past of self-injury. I think it was very, very nicely done.

Noel: I can't stand fiction where the lovers share things early on -- more intense things than a real person would ever share -- because it just takes me out of the story.

Neale: Definitely.

Neale: To me, people are one of two ways:

Neale: Emotional upfront, but more guarded about their bodies/sexuality (not meaning orientation, but sex and being a sexual person).

Neale: Or comfortable with the physical, but take longer to open up emotionally.

Neale: Someone who is open with both is a rare and wonderful gift

Neale: I'm not sure if I've met a person like that so far in my life, though.

Noel: That's very insightful.

Noel: I like your attitude about this because it seemed like to allowed you to write Arianna in that opening scene without... well, without making her into something she's not.

Noel: She's not cold, but she's not an overly emotional, touchy/feely person.

Kimbar: I've never thought of it that way, but I definitely fit into one of those two categories, and so does everyone I know - except for the handful that I know who are guarded in both instances.

Neale: That's true, Kimbar.

Neale: Some people can definitely be guarded with both.

Neale: A lot of people, I think.

Skye: That's something I really love about Arianna, to be honest. She's not very emotional and it's okay. There's no push for her to change. To grow and feel more comfortable, yes, but this isn't the stereotypical "beautiful, emotional woman saves the hard professional by forcing her to face her emotions." Both Aidan and Arianna are allowed to be who they are without judgement.

Kimbar: Do we have anybody in this season of the Cove who's guarded about their body but open about their emotions?

Kimbar: I'm trying to think through everybody....

Noel: Celeste.

Skye: Yes. Celeste. And I think Roisin to a degree.

Kimbar: Maybe Ruth, too.

Noel: I think there's a nice mix in the Cove.

Neale: Well... definitely not my characters.

Neale: LOL - Not sure what that says about me.

Skye: It says you're the sex god of Mariel Cove. ; )

Neale: I don't know if I'd go that far =P

Noel: This episode knocks it out of the park in several scenes -- the Celeste and Tal scene; the Kitty welding scene; the Arianna harp scene; Madison and Tal have sex, etc!

Kimbar: Ruth is an interesting character that we haven't discussed much. She's a very quiet character, but we learn a couple of really amazing things about her in this episode.

Skye: Kimbar, you're absolutely right about Ruth. I was going to say this episode introduces so many elements that are important later, and I think the scene introducing Marley is a big scene for that.

Kimbar: Absolutely.

Kimbar: There's a little bit of a love triangle starting up and we haven't explored that much in these commentaries. We've got Kennedy going off the deep end, and we've talked quite a bit about that, but we've got this really close friendship developing between Ruth and Kitty, and though I don't tend to bring up my own character much because it feels a little weird to do that, I think it would be good to discuss that a bit.

Skye: Definitely, Kimbar. This is a big episode for Kitty, too. The gentle, growing relationship with Ruth pushes forward with Ruth's gift and we see Kitty sculpting for the first time.

Noel: Personally, as a reader, I saw Ruth as more of a prop.

Noel: Kitty needed her to help her see herself.

Noel: The triangle was less interesting to me than Kitty herself -- Kitty standing on her own, Kitty voicing her own needs and desires.

Noel: I know that folks seem to love the hot mess that is Kennedy, but, for me, I like Kennedy in Season 2 (what we're writing right now) and I liked Kitty more in Season 1.

Noel: How many of us have been in a bad relationship?

Noel: *raising hand*

Kimbar: *Raises hand*.

Skye: *raises both hands*

Noel: But the sex is good or whatever and we stay.

Noel: Or the emotional entanglement is there and we can't seem to find a way to untie ourselves.

Noel: Kitty had to get out.

Noel: But she was all tangled up.

Noel: Ruth was her scissors.

Neale: Sorry, I couldn't type because both of my hands were raised. Oops.

Noel: : D

Kimbar: Originally, Kitty was supposed to stay out of fear of being alone - that's what everyone in the Cove thinks, that's what Ruth thinks, and that's how it was supposed to be. I wanted Kitty to stay because she honestly loves Kennedy and doesn't want to let go of the past. My own personal bad relationship was one that dragged on for far too long because I didn't want to let go of who my ex *had* been.

Noel: Yes! I love that!

Noel: Who someone *had* been.

Noel: That is the tangle we get caught in.

Noel: A tangle of memories.

Neale: Being in love with the idea of someone - not who they actually are.

Noel: Ah, the power of being in love with an idea *sigh*

Skye: Memories and a sense of duty. Like "we've been through all this together, how can I abandon her/him?"

Neale: Absolutely.

Kimbar: Or in this case, "She needs me. Look how she breaks down without me."

Neale: That can be the toughest of all.

Neale: Obligation.

Neale: Guilt.

Kimbar: What I loved about this episode the most was getting to describe the Sculpture Garden, though.

Noel: The metal garden scene was awesome.

Kimbar: That space where Kitty goes to be alone, not affected by other people. She leaves everything at the door and just focuses on The Art.

Skye: I love the sculpture garden. Like, the idea of it as much as reading about it. I love that Kitty has this secret and this space. I think it says a lot about the strength Kitty had even from ep 1 that a lot of readers didn't see until that moment. I mean... with the way Kennedy is in season 1, that sculpture garden is a pretty bold rebellion in Kitty's quiet way.

Kimbar: She doesn't view it as rebellion, though. It saddens her to have to hide it, but she views it as a sacrifice for Kennedy's sake. In one of the earlier episodes, Kitty talks about wanting to someday show it to Kennedy and make Kennedy understand that she's the muse for all of it.

Neale: It's like a physical representation of Kitty's subconscious - the part that doesn't want to be with Kennedy. The part that can see through her lies.

Skye: Also the idea that I feel is a big part of female socialization in western culture that we must put others before ourselves all the time. For me and many, many people I know part of the guilt is the guilt of considering a breakup to save your own mental health. Like we think we need to deal with abuse or BS because someone else needs us and we're wrong to want to leave even if it saves our sanity/health/etc.

Neale: We're expected to be able to deal with our own shit while maintaining everything else in our lives - partner/girlfriend/lover​, work, school, familial obligations...

Kimbar: That whole concept is definitely very personal for me, Skye. Not from a past relationship, but a very close and unhealthy friendship.

Kimbar: It's the hardest thing to fight over with yourself.

Noel: One of the amazing things about the garden is that I think readers will see it in different ways. They'll deconstruct it to mean different things.

Kimbar: I love when readers can do that with writing, Noel.

Neale: Me, too =)

Skye: I think part of the power in Kitty is that so many people can read themselves into her and interpret her actions in ways that relate to their lives. We've proven it with all this talk about relationships! She's very relateable.

Noel: Like how different readers like different characters or even how everyone saw Arianna so differently than I did.

Kimbar: Okay, we're running out of time and we've got plenty of episode we could cover - is there anything else anybody'd like to discuss?

Skye: This is, to me, the episode where music really comes to the cove. We had a beautiful quiet moment with Roisin before, but in this episode we meet Harper, her harp and music. We meet Marley. It's the start of something I feel is really magical about the series.

Noel: You're absolutely right, Skye. This episode brought music full-force to the Cove. 
Noel: I loved how by bringing music into a prose piece we show how the Cove truly is about all types of art.

Skye: Noel, I've always wondered: was this influx of music all from your mind or a plot point from the editors? I feel like it was a brilliant element and it only gets more powerful throughout the rest of the series.

Noel: Wait... will Jennifer or Brianne read this commentary?

Noel: If not, then: Yes! It was all me!!

Kimbar: Haha. I can guarantee you 100% that Jennifer will read this commentary.

Kimbar: She has to read them all before they post.

Noel: If they read the commentaries, then, no : ( It was a decision from on high : D

Skye: Well, you handled it beautifully. My personal favorite scenes almost always involve the harp music.

Noel: I love that Rowan wrote original music!

Neale: Her lyrics were very beautiful. I really enjoyed that. I was sort of hoping she might write the music to go with them.

Noel: By infusing music into the prose, we lift it up above "just a story." "Just words."

Noel: Btw, I want chocolate.

Skye: Because chocolate also expresses more than "just words?"

Noel: That must be it.

Neale: Chocolate expresses everything.

Kimbar: Haha - I never think a good story is just words, but then, fiction is my highest passion - like Kitty with her sculptures (which is where I drew my inspiration from), but I know exactly what you mean, Noel.

Kimbar: Alright, we're out of time now. That seemed to really fly by!

Skye: This was a great ep. Lots to talk about : )

Kimbar: It seems unfair. I'd talk with you guys for hours if I could, but I guess we'll have to wait until next week with episode 9.

Cast Commentary #7

Kimbar: Okay ladies, so in this episode we get to see a LOT of Arianna.

Skye: The diving episode!

Rowan: Yes.

Neale: Right. The episode where Noel threw Tal under the bus and made her lose Arianna. Hmm.

Rowan: And also the episode where Rei goes to Kennedy's office and finds Lia working for Kennedy.

Noel: Yes, I did get to throw Tal under the boat, so to speak, didn't I?

Kimbar: Yes! I have to admit, I have never had much interest in diving, but in the space of this one episode I suddenly gained the urge to dive, lost it in fear of dying, and then regained it again.

Noel: LOL!

Skye: This ep also saw a bunch of us writing scenes last minute, yes?

Neale: =P

Noel: An enormous amount of research for 2000 words.

Rowan: I can only imagine Noel. When I reread it I was like impressed all over again.

Rowan: I know. I'm afraid I'll blow my eardrums out of my ears.

Noel: Arianna is not very careful with herself, is she LOL!

Skye: That's kind of an understatement, Noel (Arianna not being careful with herself.)

Noel: And everyone wound up coming in at the 11th hour to write rescue scenes, right?

Kimbar: One of the interesting things I thought about that scene was just that - that so many authors got to work together on one thing. Everyone pulled together for it.

Rowan: That's right!

Rowan: That was actually really cool.

Noel: Yeah, great point. That really showed that we can really rally behind one character.

Noel: I loved that. We should do that more.

Kimbar: What was it like for you all to do that? How much coordination did it take?

Skye: I seriously felt like Jennifer had called in the rescue party for real. Like "You have 24 hours to find Arianna! Go!"

Skye: It would be really interesting to live-write something, I think.

Neale: : D

Rowan: I so agree, Skye.

Noel: I can imagine Jennifer on a rock, pointing out to sea: Rowan! Neale! Skye! Go!

Rowan: Yeah. That sounds about right.

Kimbar: I would watch that marathon

Rowan: Neale, go left, Rowan, center, Skye take the right

Neale: She said "do it." And we did : D

Noel: LOL!

Kimbar: Did you guys have to get together and have a chat about it?

Rowan: I don't think so.

Rowan: Did we?

Skye: I didn't. I got the message at work and holed up at a nearby cybercafe to eat a sandwich while I busted out my scene. I think a lot of the meshing and fact-tweaking was on Jennifer's end.

Rowan: So true.

Kimbar: Did it pop up suddenly or was this the plan all along?

Noel: That sounds like our courageous editor! : D

Rowan: No, the episode came in short, I think.

Neale: Very suddenly - definitely not planned.

Skye: It popped up suddenly for me. Just an email saying "We need Rei to take her boat out to find Arianna. Also have her think a few things about outing. I need it ASAP." (which in Jennifer speak means "two hours ago.")

Kimbar: When you first heard the news, was it exciting or harrowing? Were there any worries about having the time to write it out last minute like that?

Skye: I loved it. I work best under pressure.

Rowan: It was fun.

Neale: It made me a little nervous : /

Rowan: I am not sure that I work best under pressure, but I felt like I could do this. It was clear and concise.

Noel: I think the rescue scenes were needed very badly because the diving sequence came in *way* over word count and it needed to be broken up by other scenes Sorry everyone!

Rowan: Bad Noel.

Neale: You're in big trouble, Noel.

Noel: *hanging my head*

Kimbar: I feel like the whole thing worked out REALLY well.

Skye: Don't be sorry, Noel. Wasn't the diving scene voted the favorite scene of the series by the authors?

Noel: It was. Thanks : )

Rowan: Oh, I agree.

Rowan: Plus, come on, that much research... you want to make it worth the reader's time. Make it real.

Noel: Yes, Rowan, exactly, right?

Noel: What fish? What currents? What gear? How does it look, feel? You know?

Rowan: If it had been my scene, I would definitely have done the same thing.

Noel: Thank you, Rowan!

Rowan: = )

Kimbar: We also learn what the phone call that Arianna received - we get the actual message itself. Minus some words.

Noel: Yes. The broken, static-shot phone call.

Noel: That's what leads her to the Cove. To Mariel Cove.

Neale: I love that convention.

Neale: I plan on using it in Season Two, in at least two scenes.

Noel: It's a great convention, Neale, well worth using : )

Noel: Me, too, Neale. I always have.

Noel: The half-heard conversation.

Noel: Like Tal and Arianna in the last episode.

Noel: The mishearing or misunderstanding of something to dramatic effect.

Kimbar: I love the way you reference it - great in movies, frustrating in real life.

Noel: Thank you, Kimbar.

Kimbar: It breaks the fourth wall and gives a nod to the readers, I feel.

Noel: I try to break the fourth wall when I can with a little wink and nudge.

Neale: Definitely.

Noel: LOL!

Neale: LOL!

Rowan: Noel, I just use a sledgehammer. It's much easier.

Noel: LOL, Rowan!

Kimbar: It comes across really well here, I feel. It could have been cliche otherwise, but the way you do it makes it fit well.

Noel: The most fun with the phone call...

Noel: Was figuring out how Arianna would figure out where it had come from.

Noel: All the cruise lines and locations were real.

Noel: I wanted to root Arianna's investigation in reality as much as possible.

Neale: Absolutely. I always like it better when people don't make up their own alternate history, in fiction.

Rowan: I agree, Neale.

Neale: Unless... it's alternate history fiction. LOL

Neale: Alternate universe. That sort of thing.

Noel: Exactly, Neale.

Noel: Unless you're writing alt history, then do your damn research, right?

Neale: Yes.

Rowan: Right.

Kimbar: There's a great deal of research in Mariel Cove.

Neale: I have researched the most random and obscure things.

Rowan: That's why I became a writer.

Noel: After doing the research for the fish in the cove, I wanted to dive it. Then I found out there would probably be GPO and I changed my mind : )

Neale: But I'd rather spend the time to research instead of sounding stupid.

Neale: And ignorant.

Rowan: The research. That's one of my favorite parts.

Noel: So true!

Skye: That's what impressed me the most about your scenes in this episode (and the whole series, really) Noel: you make potentially convoluted plot lines totally believable. Because fact really is stranger than fiction and these things do happen... but so many other books/movies etc have so little truth to them that they seem farfetched. I find it very inspiring, to be honest.

Noel: Thank you, Skye. I really work hard on my scenes.

Kimbar: I have one specific question, though, that moves us away from Arianna. It's something I'm fascinated by...

Noel: Go for it, Kimbar!

Kimbar: Moving back to Tal, when she has her tarot reading - how much research went into the creation of the reading?

Neale: Um...

Neale: A LOT.

Neale: : D

Neale: I have a basic idea of what I want the reading to say.

Neale: But then I have to hunt down the cards that could possibly say those things.

Kimbar: Did you have to learn how to do tarot or do you already know how to use it?

Neale: : D

Neale: I've done tarot before.

Neale: And oracle decks, too.

Neale: So that part was easy : )

Kimbar: I've done rune readings and I have both a tarot deck and a rune set, but the thought of creating a reading that would work the way it does...it's so daunting. How long did it take you to decide? Did you go through a few card options before coming on the one you ended up using?

Neale: I'm a big believer in using tarot not so much as a "spiritual" or "fortune-telling" tool, but as a psycological one.

Kimbar: I'm the same way.

Neale: I wrote Madison having this belief too, even though she is Wiccan.

Rowan: I think that approach makes a lot of sense.

Kimbar: I loved that you included that in there, by the way.

Neale: So I let Madison give Tal the meanings of the cards, but let Tal put them together on her own.

Neale: That let me be able to find cards that meant "mother" or "brown-haired" or... whatever I needed it to be, and use those.

Neale: It lets the reading be a little more open to interpretation.

Neale: I would search for a card meaning - mother - and then choose the best one, that would fit in with the other cards and the overall message of the reading.

Rowan: And I loved the *pause* where Madison gets what she's just said.

Kimbar: This episode was a big step for Tal - she finally comes to terms with something and then puts herself on the line. After losing Arianna, so she's got to already be feeling a bit on the vulnerable side.

Neale: This was definitely a big step for Tal, Kimbar.

Neale: A push in the right direction, I hope : )

Noel: I won't make friends by saying this, but I have honestly never enjoyed "Wiccan" characters in fiction. But Neale, you make me *almost* like Madison and all the metaphysical stuff -- tarot, circles -- is written very, very well.

Neale: Thanks

Neale: That's a pretty big compliment from you, Noel.

Neale: Some of it was research, some of it was real-life experience, some was other fiction I've read.

Noel: : )

Kimbar: I think so.

Kimbar: So, we're almost out of time, but let's talk for a few minutes about the Kennedy/Lia/Rei triangle.

Kimbar: We got to see Kennedy get the ball rolling on that in this episode.

Skye: Kennedy got to be a total jerk, yeah. LOL.

Noel: The Lia sandwich. Poor Lia, stuck in the middle of a war.

Rowan: Yes. The Kennedy we love to hate.

Neale: Nope. I just love her : D

Rowan: Was that fun, Skye? To write both of those characters in that scene?

Skye: I like writing scenes where Kennedy and Rei get to spar, but I admit this was a hard one for me to write. I think it's the most manipulative we've seen Kennedy to date. Very calculated.

Rowan: (You are so twisted, Neale)

Noel: All three characters! Chef Skye : )

Kimbar: And very on the ball, right after temporarily losing her girlfriend.

Skye: LOL, hopefully the sandwich was as spicy as it was sharp and bitter : )

Noel: Higher stakes.

Kimbar: "Slightly derailed, but things are back in place now. Time to continue with the plans."

Skye: I knew I had to keep emotions high, not just to keep the stakes high but because I needed to keep Lia in a place of being constantly off balance and confused for her to realistically make some of the decisions she did. I needed things to happen quickly until Kennedy could really get her hooked.

Neale: You executed that very nicely : ) It can be tricky, getting the supporting characters to realistically do what you want.

Noel: Well done.

Kimbar: I think you did a great job.

Kimbar: Is there anything else anybody would like to touch on before we end this?

Skye: Thank you all

Noel: We're into the final stretch of Season 1 now. Action is picking up.

Noel: I *love* these last few episodes.

Noel: I think we all found our voices and were really running with the plots.

Kimbar: So do I. I can't wait to talk about them. Some really exciting things happen.

Skye: I totally agree. These last few episodes are really amazing.

Skye: I want to just put it out there that my Emery scene was one of my favorites to write ever, even if it wasn't super important. It holds a special place in my heart.

Kimbar: What did you like most about it Skye?

Neale: I really liked it too, Skye : )

Rowan: Skye, I felt the same way about the scene with Mina and Tatiana.

Rowan: I loved writing it, even though it was a smaller moment in the action of the episode.

Noel: The smaller moments make the series so real!

Neale: Rowan, I loved when they were talking about the paint brush flower story

Neale: It's one of Dani's favorites.

Rowan: Thanks. I love writing Mina. She is a treasure.

Rowan: Oh, really? How cool!

Neale: She's very sweet.

Skye: I just love Emery. Writing her past and about her as a child (as well as writing Vikki, who was based on a really amazing woman I met just before starting to write erotica) hit on some personal things for me and, because she doesn't get a lot of air time, I treasured the moments I had with her. Also I imagine young Emery is exactly how my future kiddos will be so it made me smile.

Skye: It's not something I really need to discuss. I just wanted to point out that I loved it : )

Kimbar: I think it really makes a scene pop to have such passion about what they're writing; I was curious what you liked most about it because it lets me and anybody reading this see the scene through your eyes. That's what this cast commentary is all about, after all - seeing Mariel Cove through the eyes of the authors.

Kimbar: Ladies, this has been a fantastic chat, as always. I have loved getting to talk with you, and I can't wait until next week!

Neale: Me, too : )

Skye: It was fun! Thanks!

Rowan: It's nice to see you all.

Noel: Thank you again, Kimbar. And it was wonderful to chat live with everyone.

Kimbar: And now I'm going to a tea party with a Sasquatch. You're all invited!

Cast Commentary #6

Kimbar: Okay, let's get started. This episode was the halfway point of the series. We moved forward a bit on the mystery - Arianna finally visits the marina to dig up some more truths. That was a great scene.

Skye: Some nice foreshadowing in that scene for sure.

Skye: "I won't need rescuing. I promise."

Noel: Oh! The scene where Arianna sets up the dive with Tal. Yes.

Noel: My favorite moment in that scene is when Arianna turns away from Tal on accident, not realizing she's deaf.

Noel: Also, when Arianna, in shock drops the picture and Tal catches it. I actually really enjoyed writing Arianna and Tal together.

Skye: Right, because at first she thought Celeste was deaf.

Noel: Yeah.

Kimbar: I loved that part. I loved the way Tal's not-response matches up to Arianna's words. It was such a skillful, brilliant choice.

Neale: That moment was very beautifully orchestrated.

Noel: Thank you!

Noel: Tal is very inspiring to me. She's sexy and self-employed. Or maybe her being self-employed makes her sexy? =)

Neale: LOL!

Skye: It totally helps.

Kimbar: Oh, I think Tal would be sexy no matter what she was doing, but the fact that she's so self-sufficient just makes her that much more wild and appealing.

Neale: That could be it.

Noel: And she's intelligent, confident, knows her body.

Noel: All great stuff.

Noel: Yeah, sure, she's damaged -- like anyone real -- but she works.

Skye: I like how bold she is. But she's never disrespectful. Mariel Cove is full of women who have no problem saying what they like/want and I love that.

Neale: She's always the easiest character to write. Which is interesting, for me, because out of my characters - Tal, Aidan, Madison and Mikayla - she's the least like me.

Noel: That is fascinating, Neale!

Noel: I would think like it's the total opposite, you know?

Noel: Huh. I like that fact.

Neale: Yeah, you'd think it would be the other way.

Kimbar: I loved the scene towards the end, too, where Tal has such a reaction to the circle and runs off. She's unable to open up to Madison after that. She's more than self-sufficient - it's difficult for her to make strong connections. She's afraid to let anybody get too close.

Kimbar: I wonder if that's part of the reason she's so self-sufficient - she's afraid to have to rely on anybody else.

Skye: That is a really cool fact.

Noel: Yeah, I think that would be true about Tal. She takes care of herself.

Neale: Definitely.

Neale: So, this is also the scene where Rei finds her cherry tree.

Kimbar: Neale! The cherry tree - oh man, Rei's reaction...I feel like before this, I hadn't had a chance to get as close to Rei as I'd been able to with the other characters, but the scene where Rei finds the tree and it just destroys her - instant connection. That level of emotion from her, pushing Lia away, there was nothing distant about her after that point.

Kimbar: I also loved the reconnection of that friendship between Rei and Roisin - we saw it in an earlier episode and we see it again here. There's an understanding there between the two of them that I just love.

Skye: I special requested that scene, actually. It wasn't originally going to be there. It was just going to be Roisin visiting Rei. But I wanted the readers to see what had happened through Rei's eyes.

Kimbar: Good call, Skye. I feel like it brings so much to all of it - to the spat between Kennedy and Rei, to the event itself, and definitely to Rei's character.

Kimbar: You did a really, really good job with it.

Neale: I absolutely loved it.

Noel: The power of the cherry tree plot... so moving... that's why I *had* to include the cherry tree footage in the official trailer.

Skye: I'm glad. I feel really close to Rei in my mind, but I didn't really know if the readers saw much of her. I'm glad this moment opened her up a bit.

Neale: It was perfect with that extra scene in there, because the time spent (both your scene and Rowan's) helped the impact of the loss of the tree be fully realized.

Skye: Thank you, Noel =)

Skye: And thank you everyone! I'm glad the scene worked!

Skye: I also hoped it would show the position Lia was put in. Rei doesn't take emotional support from her lovers. She doesn't let people see her cry. She's been alone so long that she just couldn't be around Lia for a while. And that sudden change/misunderstanding leads to all kinds of trouble.

Neale: It definitely spoke volumes about Rei and who she is.

Kimbar: I could tell right away, reading that, that there was going to be consequences with Lia. I almost feel bad for Lia - you can see Kennedy setting her up as a pawn in a game that - let's face it, there's no way she can really understand it.

Kimbar: Not that Kennedy is doing any plotting in this episode.......

Noel: Yeah, I felt sorry for Lia quite often in Season 1. I felt sorry that someone in her life hadn't taught her to grow a backbone. Rei walks on her by cutting her off. Kennedy walks on her in a million other ways.

Skye: Lia is definitely a pawn. I actually felt really bad writing some of my scenes with her... which is kind of a lie because I really *loved* writing those scenes but I felt bad for what I was doing to her.

Noel: I wanted to grab Lia and shake her: "You're better than this!"

Skye: She's definitely a bit naive. She doesn't look at the future much, to be honest. Or at consequences. And yes, if she'd just stood up to Rei sooner she would have been in much better shape at the end of season 1 because, in all honesty, Rei didn't realize what she was doing to her.

Kimbar: There's one more plot line in this episode that I want to make absolutely certain that we touch on: Aidan. This is a hugely important episode for Aidan.

Noel: Totally.

Skye: It really is. Such a powerful scene/revelations about Aidan's past.

Noel: The reveal of Aidan's condition. (Sort of a reveal.)

Neale: The anniversary of Megan's death.

Kimbar: I just want to say that I love how her condition *is* revealed: nobody needs to outright say it. It's clear from the way the piece is written.

Noel: Yes, a reveal that respects the readers' intelligence.

Kimbar: This is how most writers aspire to write. And it makes the scene so much more powerful as a result.

Neale: It was tricky to write, because so few people in her life know.

Noel: I completely agree.

Neale: Sometimes, you get the easy road out with an awkward person: "Hey, so how's your anorexia? And that brief psychotic disorder, how's that treatin' you?"

Neale: Although usually they're not as blunt. "You... you're *well*, right? You're... *healthy?*"

Neale: Aidan is such an interesting character to write because she spends so much time hiding from other people. She's mostly in her own head.

Kimbar: I feel like it means a lot more the way it was done here - it made it one of the most powerful scenes for me in this episode...actually, the most powerful scene of the first six episodes together.

Neale: Kimbar, thank you.

Noel: I think her sense of privacy draws readers to her. They want to know what's up with her.

Skye: And then once they realize what's up with her, they have a driving urge to follow how she progresses. I think the readers will really want to see her heal... but they know it'll be a hard road and it may never fully happen.

Neale: Recovery is definitely something that continues for the rest of someone's life.

Kimbar: She's got people, though - she has Mikayla. I loved that even though Arianna wasn't available, didn't even know what kind of an anniversary this was for Aidan, Aidan still had someone checking up on her, making sure she was okay. Pushing her to call. I found myself smiling like an idiot when Aidan made the decision to actually do that, to not go through this on her own.

Skye: I loved that, too Kimbar. That last moment when Aidan decides to let someone help. Powerful choice.

Neale: You make progress - solid progress - but it never really 'goes away.'

Skye: Definitely, Neale.

Noel: I liked the connection between Mikayla and Aidan because it shows how, sometimes, a *friend* is more in your life than a lover. Just a truth.

Neale: Absolutely.

Neale: And for Aidan, that is key.

Neale: Megan was, after all, never her lover.

Neale: But they were almost closer than lovers.

Neale: It seemed only right that the person she finally reached out to was her friend. *Not* her lover.

Noel: Yes, exactly. The impact friends have on us.

Skye: I can't think of anything more intelligent to say than "I agree" but I wholeheartedly agree. And I find it powerful that Mariel Cove can show some of these friendships without there being romantic tension.

Kimbar: Megan - this is how well you wrote this scene: I was incredibly saddened that this character was dead before we ever got to meet her. I loved getting to see how Aidan's subconscious viewed her. Pushing her to eat. You haven't eaten anything. Eat something.

Neale: That's the hard thing about writing - every character, every person (even in real life) has so much history.

Neale: And mostly, we already know that history.

Neale: We're not walking around saying "So this happened to me when I was 16."

Neale: "Then, at 18, I _____."

Neale: "Last year, my cat died."

Neale: Blah blah blah.

Neale: So getting across so much backstory, without it being too much exposition, was definitely tricky.

Neale: That's all to say... Thanks =)

Skye: The scene was beautifully handled. : )

Neale: Thank you, Skye =)

Kimbar: Alright, we're just about out of time. Is there anything else - any other scene or event - that anybody would like to discuss?

Skye: Hmm. You have anything to say about Kitty, Kimbar? There's a big, important chunk of Kitty in this episode.

Kimbar: This is true - it is.

Skye: That sentence sounded so wrong the minute I wrote it.

Neale: LOL!

Kimbar: Haha. I know what you meant though. This scene required so much editing, but I was pleased with how it turned out. It kind of marks a turning point for Kitty - there's going to be some fun stuff that she gets to do later on as a result of what happened in this episode.

Skye: I liked getting to see Kitty without Kennedy. I feel like the readers got to see more of what was important to her and her life than just her partner.

Noel: Kitty became more of a real person.

Kimbar: The sketches of the sculptures she's going to do...the decision to make a sculpture for Ruth...I really got to remind her of her roots. We know she sculpts in secret, but we get to see her actively beginning the process by creating the concept.

Noel: Kitty being a metal/found materials sculptor is one of my favorite elements in the series.

Neale: Me, too.

Skye: Nothing goes to waste in Mariel Cove.

Kimbar: I have to admit - it was hugely daunting. I had to do a lot of research for it. Writing for her got a whole lot harder after this episode! But we'll get to that later =)

Noel: Well, it turned out great, Kimbar. Truly.

Kimbar: Thank you! I'm glad to hear that.

Kimbar: Alright, unless anybody has anything else to say, I think I'll bring this meeting of the Funky Name Color Club to an end! It's been an absolute pleasure talking to you all again.

Skye: : ) I love these meetings.

Kimbar: Me too. They're one of the things I look forward to at the beginning of every week.

Noel: Thank you for having us all over, Kimbar ; )

Noel: These get-togethers are always eye-openers.

Noel: Have a great week, everyone.