I've read with interest and some agreement over the last few days comments about Andy and Aunt Bee and some of their actions that seem out of character. Andy and the lady Prisoner.. Aunt Bee and the Choir Robes.
Before my theory, here's another one for you. Opie, in the very early episodes of season 1 seemed a bit ornery. Think about how he stood on the desk and argued with his Paw during Rose's wedding, and was going to throw the rice box...how he interrupted the State Police guy and stood up for his Paw...and a few other instances that escape me. Just watch for it, the next time you pull those Season 1 DVDs out or catch them on TV. So here's my theory. At times, the actors had to push their character to extremes for the sake of the story. I'm taking the writers view, and after you run out of some obvious stories you starting thinking..what if we had Aunt Bee do this?...no that would be bland, but what if she was really worked up and she did that!!..now we could build a story around that conflict. Or a total in-character Andy would never make that mistake...but if we pushed the envelope a little and made him act really this way..that would be an attention-getter that viewers would take notice of. So, my theory, these extremes that we see occasionally are not character flaws or lapses. They are script writer-created ideas, that the Actors pull off wonderfully to build the story, for the sake of the story. (that's the actor of the man/woman). What we see, as a result, is a story with more punch, that is more memorable...at the small cost of changing the image of the character temporarily. Obviously there are limits. Like you wouldn't have Barney rob a bank..well scratch that, bad example... you wouldn't have Andy lay an evil hand on a woman, but might he.. for a fleeting moment... let his guard down and be flirted with?? perhaps. Aunt Bee was so much more than a bland family member. Frances and the writers made her a crusader, a compassionate citizen, a human vulnerable to the emotions of love, a loyal friend who would stick her neck out for her friends/choir ladies who were at their emotional breaking point. They had their wishes dashed so many times before..that this time, it just broke their sprit to drastic action. Even been there? We probably have. Don't dislike the episode for that passion, drastic as it may have seemed. Enjoy the beauty of the story of the conflict, how hard it was for Andy, and the Reverend, and even Howard to deal with. Celebrate the solution, and how Howard quietly attributed it to the Lord...and then laugh when the building sinks too far..that's life, right? You solve one problem..another one occurs. Yeah it's an unfinished epilog, but again for the sake of the story, a funny twist. There are many unresolved epilogs..like did Barney and Gomer sell all the Salve?? How do the Taylors deal with a whole freezer full of beef that is tough. How do the neighbors deal with Fred and Jenny Boone when they go back to throwing dishes..the list goes on. Enjoy the story, forgive the characters for imperfections. So that's my theory and I'm stickin with it Mr. Schwamp gave me his nod of approval The Untrained Voice _______________________________________________ WBMUTBB mailing list [email protected] http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
