[jessicadanielle]

Originally Posted by Absorption

Is it a "smug grin" though? I know it could look that way but it seems to me that Gary has about two facial settings and the middle ground that we'd maybe try to have in such a situation just isn't available to his facial muscles.

However, I admire your optimism that if Stephanie believes that he's an arsehole (please forgive my alteration to the non-Americanism there) then he must have done something to cause it.

I feel that her views aren't based very much other than what her friend/ticket to the final Leslie is doing most of the time. His perception, meanwhile, seems to be be based not so much on Gary himself but on his formative years of being tormented by 'rednecks'.

Yes, Gary is probably a pain to live with in many respects but there's a lot of baggage influencing Leslie's behaviour towards him.

Great post completely agree. Even though Gary can be annoying, their dislike, or "hate" (Stephanie's word) for him is completely disproportionate to what he's done in the house to annoy them. Seems based on very little.

Originally Posted by Ammi

..I don't think she's malicious, I think she's just completely clouded by her affection for Leslie and sense of protection toward him and the people she feels have 'wronged him' and can't see beyond that to have any thought for Gary or Frenchie and how it is for them right now..although she might have been the one to say that it was her 'dream house' without them, by the others responses they all agreed anyway so it would really make them all 'malicious' I think but I don't think that's the case either...because of their initial irritations with Gary of having to repeat themselves, of him interrupting conversations and not realising he was doing it with all the various voices talking at the same time etc and just his lack of understanding all the accents in general..sadly I don't think they're going to ever see anything other than his fault and they're all becoming united in their dislike and intolerance for both him and Frenchie...

This is quite a minor point, but on the video when Stephanie says that, it sounds like a woman is saying "that's nasty" or something, so sounds like not everyone agrees with her. Also, even if they do agree with her which as you said also isn't nice, I wouldn't say that's as bad. That's more just like sheep behaviour and conformity. Stephanie coming outright and saying to a whole group of people that she's happy they've gone having made many other comments about Gary (not sure about Frenchy) is really quite bitchy and childish, and much more malicious imo.