Quote:
| I will say, however, that I always felt Ruth was overreacting towards George's condition. |
I certainly agree that her reacton was extreme and often unpleasant. Whether it was too much depends on one's point of view. If you trace Ruth's path since the beginning of the series, it makes perfect sense. When we met her, she was a woman who had subjugated her life to her family and found little happiness in the experience. That's why she looked for solace in the long-running affair with Hiram, over which she felt such guilt when Nate Sr. died. It was the only part of her life where she wasn't self-sacrificing.
Over the course of the series, Ruth has tried numerous paths to find something that's just for her (self-help programs, work outside the Fisher family, various affairs). In fact, I think the reason she and Clair fight so often is that, despite the age difference, they're at roughly the same stage of self-exploration, Ruth's having been put on hold when she first married.
The marriage to George was supposed to be the start of a different kind of life, but suddenly Ruth was thrust back into the role she had occupied for thirty-odd years: selfless caregiver who no one else takes care of. It must have felt like being clapped back in prison, just after being released. The fury of Ruth's reaction may not have been nice or admirable, but it's understandable.
Of course, it helps to have a great actress like Frances Conroy, who can play the character with such raw immediacy (not to mention an utter lack of vanity).
M.
