Hi Tim!
I very much appreciate hearing your opinions!
Here's a few thoughts I had...
Tim: I agree that there is potential for tension and it could boil over again, but I
don't think we've seen enough of what is happening with her parents to
definitively say how they made the decision to go to the mansion. Mrs. Grey
goes off on the team as they arrive while her daughter is missing - that's the
height of tension for her as she doesn't know if her daughter is even alive. It
makes sense she would lose it in the moment and she would blame them.
—
Me: Yeah, everything I posted is in reaction to what we've seen so far. The building tension in Elaine is very believable and understandable -- that's why I was shocked to see her at the mansion (and not trying to pull her daughter out of there). It's a major emotional shift from the build we've been watching. Obviously, there's no easy answer here... but I think that’s a great setup to create drama and tension in the story.
***
Tim: I don't agree that their house being destroyed would make her even angrier.
The Greys saw the attack and saw the X-Men fight them off. If the X-Men
weren't there, the Sentinel would likely have killed the Greys. The house is
gone, but they are all alive - her perspective would change with such a big a
event, and she might have been relieved just to have her family survive such a
traumatic event. There is nothing like a brush with death to give us
perspective.
—
Me: We were actually given a scene with Jean's mom where she blames the X-Men for the destruction of her home -- so I was reacting to that. I agree, it's possible a brush with death could change one's perspective -- but there hasn't been a scene showing that major emotional shift in Elaine -- so that explanation is only speculation. That's a big character leap to happen "offscreen" imho. That said, it's a possible answer -- so we'll see!.
***
Tim: We also know her husband doesn't agree with her - they are divided on the X-
Men. Her anger is at a moment of high emotion, but the reality is that Jean has
a LONG history with the X-Men and there were clearly high points that helped
her. The Greys have a long and complex relationship with Xavier's school.
When Jean is found, they very well may have had a debate about where to go
for help, but I bet it was a short discussion - taking her to the X-Men would be
their only option. Reed Richards is brilliant, but Xavier is the authority on
mutant research. They have the facilities to do this to the point that Reed
would defer to Xavier's team.
—
Me: Again, scenes we've been given -- Elaine openly tells the X-Men she doesn't trust them (they've been lying about the nature of their school), and that the X-Men are responsible for stripping Jean's future away from her. My Reed Richards suggestion was along these lines -- imagine if a doctor had been treating your child with no success... and on top of that, you blamed the doctor for your child's horrible condition! Would you keep allowing that doctor to treat your child? I sure as hell wouldn't!
***
Tim: And on top of that, Jean probably insisted on going there. While Jean is still
childlike, Scott seems to be the one she mainly trusts, so she is most
comfortable sticking to him like glue. You're not going to tear her away from
Scott without causing further trauma to what is effectively a child's mind.
—
Me: Again, Elaine blames Scott and the X-Men for the mental state of her daughter... so giving her access to the person who has supposedly caused her child harm... saying they won't "tear her away from Scott" is too easy an answer imho... if nothing else, there would be an emotional struggle with that option... and perhaps we'll see some of that moving forward.
***
Tim: For me, Mrs. Grey's reaction fits into how mutants are perceived in the Marvel
Universe by civilians. In this world, they are looked upon with fear and scorn,
until they save people's lives. Mrs. Grey is echoing those feelings of fear and
scorn at her lowest moments. The fact that her daughter is a mutant and she
would go off like that speaks to their longtime relationship and complex
feelings. They probably just want their daughter to be normal, and that is the
internal and external conflict that each mutant faces.
—
Me: I completely, agree with that -- which is why I feel some of your earlier answers are much too easy. It's a complex situation. As I said, I'm curious to read more and see where the story goes! I'm always on the side of relatable and emotionally believable storytelling :)
It’s fun talking about this stuff!
Best! :)
