Page 604 – Meltdown
Nov07
on November 7, 2011
at 12:02 am
Chapter: Chapter 20 - Happily Wedded Bliss
Characters: Brooke Lennox, Maddie
Well, it would’ve worked out for Michael but that really didn’t work out for Maddie or Brooke.
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Um…wow? lol
I didn’t see that one coming at all. I don’t even know what to say. haha!
I saw it coming but blew Brooke’s reaction. I don’t think she likes to share.
Um… did Maddie just proposition Brooke? (All 3 of us?!?) So, somehow Brook comes out of this looking like the GOOD GIRL!?! Ai-yaa!
No, Brook is still a loser. I just don’t see much of anything beyond Brook sleeps around blah blah with her. She should be replaced!
Got to admit it would have a been interesting but Brooke is right sharing is not an option.
Yeah, Michael is not that big a guy and Brooke and Maddie would probably hurt him. LOL!
I saw the prospect of the offer, or maybe even finding out about an ongoing gig. I didn’t see Brook turning it down though. Interesting twist for sure!
Brookes starndards are higher than I expected.
Hate to say it but that was very disappointing, though I think I should be use to it by now. I really hope there’s more in store.
Why were you disappointed?
Ouch.
I guess I know who our current heel commentator is, in the absence of the Initial Duo.
Get off your high horse and don’t label people like that Dragon. You can’t please all of the people all of the time and I’m just one of the people who isn’t. From the ppv we’ve been building up to this moment, a calm and collected woman comes up and says that today is her day and not about the other woman and we get an offer to share. We know she’s no fighter but seeing her this weak is a disappointment. Seeing her fall back with that look on her face in the last panel seems off.
That’s not to say that there aren’t women like this.
And to hear Brook say that after sneaking around and basically sharing behind the scenes- pot meet kettle. Hearing Brook say it doesn’t give me any sense that she’s growing as a person or gaining some needed self-respect, I feel no insight to Brooke’s character of how contradicting it is, or feel anything having witnessed it.
High drama like that I’ll expect and sort of accept from things like Mad Men because there’s enough time and character development for me to accept something like that happening in a sort of twist. But here, to me it feels like something that was done just for the sake of having a twist to throw people off. That’s just my opinion and my criticism, there are plenty of others giving off praise and positive comments for this to view it as a success.
See, compare that post to your previous one. This actually has some substance to it, rather than just a slap at the comic itself. If you’d originally offered this, that would have been a position worth respecting, even though I don’t agree. Instead, you post something Cole-worthy, and then whine at me for calling you on it.
The sad thing is, every time you post, I have to remind myself that your name is Spirit of the Chihuahua, evocative of a small, nervous, yippy rat-thing, not Spirit of the Century, a badass pulp adventure game.
Okay, I was wrong. Totally, completely wrong.
What I thought would happen was this: Maddie would THANK Brooke because, by catching them en flangrante delicto, Maddie realized that she had to propose to Michael instead of the other way around. That of course led to today.
But…didn’t happen. Ah well.
Well Maddie is crazy to think marriage will stop him from wondering around and so she comes up with a simplie solution but not a good one.
I was completely right on Maddie’s intentions. I gotta say, I’m impressed with how Albone wrote it, allowing me to see the shape of the developing conversation.
Brooke’s reaction, though, surprised me. Is there a core of decency inside, buried under a few dozen layers of whore? I’m intrigued!
Maybe Brooke is willing to do whatever it takes to win but has enough common sense to cut her losses.
Well. I’d kind of wondered if the offer was coming, after last updates cliffhanger, but didn’t expect Brookes response. How would SHE know what self-respecting women do? 🙂
She might know because she has seen self respecting women even if she isn’t one.
Hypocrisy coming from Brooke. It’s not like she’s asked Michael to leave Maddie – she’s been ‘sharing’ him from the start.
Sharing? I think she was going for the victory but lost.
I got to say I never thought I would expect that reponse to come from Maddie’s mouth. 🙁
Color me surprise, but I would have thought a fight would have broken out between her and Brooke. 🙁
I mean I did expect anything like this and Brooke’s reponse was something I never thought would come from someone like her before. 🙁
Albone does try a few twists here and there. Maddie has no real self respect. Michael is a creep. Brooke has standards. Who’d have thunk that?
I have to admit, this is not what I was expecting, but then, given how things went down on Friday, should I really be surprised? No, I suppose not, because if Maddie had intended to draw the line and make sure Brooke knew in no uncertain terms that she wasn’t to see Michael in that way again, she’d have done so by now, wouldn’t she have? Yes, I suppose she would have. But she didn’t. And now we know why.
But I must say, the hypocrite’s stance Brooke’s taking is at the same time surprising and not at all unexpected. I mean, for one thing, she’d still be able to sleep with Michael, so what’s the big deal? On the other, if they were seeing each other in secret, and they were, was there ever any real chance she’d want to share in the first place?
Since Maddie didn’t ban Brooke from the wedding we should have known something was. Though i think I will miss this line of dialog in a future story:
Oh Michael
Oh Maddie
Oh Brooke
You girls are so hot can I join in?
No!!!
Now that was a curve ball I can dig. I’m also going to take a different take on what some people have been saying. I’m not going to call her a hypocrite. The reason? She’s just had pointed out to her very spitefully just how low she had gotten. And she reacted because it was all true. So this, I think, is her beginning of climbing out of the hole she’s dug herself and gaining some real self-respect. She KNOWS what she did was wrong, and I personally think that this is her acknowledging that rather than perpetuating it.
I think it’s well and truly done between her and Michael. She’s realized that with the proposal given to her, she would always be second fiddle, the bit on the side. She’s realized that she’ll never truly be first in Michael’s eyes. The fact that he went ahead and married Maddie makes that clear. And I think she’s realized that she’s the one who has to stop the cycle.
That’s my interpretation, anyway. This whole sequence has been about Brooke realizing she’s hit rock bottom and working to get herself back up. Maybe I’m being too idealistic, but to me, this arc is ultimately about growth in her character.
Rock bottom? Interesting thought.
Though Brooke will have a long road to travel to gain respect.
Ok I never saw that one coming. I guess I expected more backbone from Maddie. Anyway, typical Brooke, she’s given her cake,a place at the table and all the trimmings to go with it and she tosses the whole thing away and burns the table. I think she is trying to mature a little here. Good luck Brooke, knowing her, she’ll screw that up too.
Well it will be interesting to see where she goes from here.
Sorry Albone not sure what to say after all of this. So can you put in a good thing for me to say?
That.. went so far north from expected… I’m diggen the Polar bears!!
What in the…? Maddie suggesting what every man dreams of, and Bed Bunny Brooke refuses? She must be pretty selfish if she’d rather go without as opposed to sharing
You guys! I swear. Fight. 3-some. If we had some beer you’d have the perfect party.
Or ummm I forgot the football…
What? You mean you’ve never heard the saying “The More, the merrier?” Just think of it like wrestling. A one-on-one match is fun, but adding more people to it adds whole new challenges and dimensions… and don’t get me started on Battle Royales
Don’t be silly, Champ. I’m not much for beer, and my enthusiasm for football is lukewarm at best.
Maddie just lost all ground and gave what power she had over to Brooke.
I have no respect for Maddie or Michel and less for Brooke- I will bet money she still keeps things going with Michel, and maybe even step things up becase Michel *did* say in the words of a promice made by a man who just wants to be laid with hot hot sex at one point that he was going to marry Brooke and not Maddie- back at the club when Brooke was pissed off when he mentioned a threeway and hinted at wanting Sabrina….
I am having even LESS resepct for his boss lady Gabrial because he is being really REALLY REALLY stupid with this whole thing and and WHY the hell is Gabrial still keeping his poison drama ass around? That shit is infectious!
As for why Brooke turned Maddie down- 1) the only thing a women like Brooke hates more than selfrespecting women is another non-selfrespecting women. All the shit Brooke has stirred, all the whole she dug she can see it all clear as day when she looks at Maddie as clear as if she were holding a mirror and let me tell you, that type of women HATES looking at themselves.
and 2) Brooke now has the power. Maddie just offered submission and Brooke is going to take it, use it and walk all over her for as long as Michel keeps her around because Brooke is not going anywhere.
woohoo right on with Maddie being hardcore! but yeah Brooke- considering you’ve been sharing Michael all this time already kinda late to be stepping up to the “not sharing” plate. or does Brooke have to be the one deciding on the sharing and not someone else? that’s what it kinda sounds like. “Ok i’ll share michael as long as Maddie doesn;t find out.” Maddie “i know all about it but we can share him.” Brooke “How dare you let Michael be shared like that!” i do kinda wonder if Michael was in on this idea beforehand (and in favor). however with that last panel i think Maddie’s going to go all Carrie now.
i also wonder if since brooke turned down the three way dance that maddie’s going to announce the affair to everyone (in case you know, some caterer who just walked in didn;t know about the whole thing beforehand). then if Brooke tries to throw this in her face Maddie denies it and since no one is going to believe Brooke that Maddie gets her revenge that way. because after all MADDIE suggest something like a threesome? outrageous!
Wait, people in the wrestling biz have self-respect in the first place? Whuuuuhh!?
Hey now! You wannt come over here and say that? Hmmmph!
…huh. Well, THAT was not what I expected to happen…
Let me amend your statement, Brooke – No self-respecting woman would share her man with YOU. Of course, what self-respecting woman would marry Michael? Maddie, darlin’, I’d give you points for an elegant solution (and there’s nothing wrong with it as long as everyone involved is on board with the idea), but you’ve officially stamped NO TASTE on your forehead. Seriously, hon, cut your losses, ditch the blonde bimboes (both Brooke and Michael), and go hook up with somebody else, preferably well away from RA. This place is no good for you.
Ouch – I have brain whiplash from how different this istuation is than what I thought. Maddie’s not heartless; she’s clueless. Why does she need Michael so much? Maybe she has multiple personalities, and one of them invited Brooke to the wedding?
So, Al, how does it feel to have fooled probably 99% of your readers? Not an easy feat!
This turned out to be a no win situation, Maddie in a doomed marriage and Brooke ends up torching her despite the possible good intention. Both of these girls need some sort of help, there personal problems are projecting in their love life, yet scum like micheal benefit from it.
Well, that was a bit of a Russo swerve there, now wasn’t it, boss? Haha.
So, I’m the only one who saw Maddie’s proposal coming? Interesting. It was a perfect lead-in, too.
The “hypocrisy” angle is interesting too, because I don’t see the situation as being the same for Brooke as it is for Maddie, in Brooke’s eyes. Michael is not “Brooke’s Man”. He’s with Maddie, officially, so infidelity on his part is a “win” for Brooke over Maddie. And maybe, if she harbored dreams of Michael leaving Maddie for her, Brooke was in it for the long-term victory. Maddie marrying Michael and offering Brooke the “official mistress” title, on the other hand, is a victory for Maddie, and yet diminishes them both, I think, in Brooke’s eyes.
Oops – I’m not the only one. The Champ saw it too. Awesome.
aww you didn;t pick up on my “hardcore” and “three way dance” references in the last update? i suppose having just watched the rise and fall of ECW and the whole Dreamer/Beulah/Kimono thing was relative fresh in my mind helped too.
Hokay, Mo Chen have had time to ruminate on this.
I unda’stand that Brooke is hitting bottom but was surprise that Maddie beat her to the bottom. So, now Maddie seems as scummy as Michael and Brooke both. I wasn’t hoping for violence but more for her to state plainly that it was over and Brooke had to acknowledge it or bad things might happen.
Brooke, having been hokay with ‘sharing’ Michael behind Maddie’s back, is now struck bad by the idea that she’s been given a Hall Pass?
If you wanted to make this about Brooke making a change or show that Maddie’s not a nice girl – having her give the go-ahead and confide in Brooke that she was only marrying him for money, etc. might have matched the moral outrage.
Otherwise, if Maddie had simply proposed that either Brooke and Michael can have the occasional roll in ze’ hay or that she wants it to be a three-way-dance would have may startled Brooke – but total righteous indignation?
On the upside, there’s NO ONE who will believe Brooke if she told them. And now Maddie might seek some form of payback… and oh look – she’s married to the guy who has say in what matches Brooke gets booked in. Uh oh.
Man, and I thought I liked Maddie.
Incidentally, this ( http://tinyurl.com/3hb4p9m ) was all I could see when I first looked at the last panel, and I kind of agree with the sentiment.
Ninja’d by Jenny! LOL, yes that is a very appropriate response. XD
RAWF, I’m glad you enjoyed the surprise!
Dyna, you read it correctly about Maddie’s indecent proposal. I don’t think Maddie is scummy though. She’s not doing it for herself. Maddie thought she had control of the situation and to her surprise, completely backfired.
Champ, it looks like even Brooke’s hypocricy has its limits.
SotC, I have to co-sign with Snowy here. What about this reveal disappointed you? I can tell you that this was always how it was going to go, including what’s coming up next.
2O2BC, I’m glad that I was able to surprise you! For better or worse their lives are going to be changed by this.
DragonMan, it’s buried way down deep but a few readers have sensed it. 😉 Glad you enjoyed the reveal. I don’t mind telling you that this is the end of the triangle between them, but it’s not the last we’ll see of them.
alurker, a very fine question about Brooke. Maybe she read about them in a book? XD
Zababcd, originally, Brooke was sleeping with Michael to keep from returning back to Hazzard and developmental. From there, it went further but I don’t know if she knew for sure how it was going to end. Her attitude at the wedding before running into the bride shows this a little bit. And now her head is spinning!
Marcus, is it a good thing that I was able to confound the expectations? XD I know alot of readers have been hoping for a fight to break out especially between these two, but realistically, Maddie wouldn’t stand a chance.
Tarrasque, those are all very good points to pick up on. There’s a few things that could point to Brooke’s decision. Shame, guilt, pangs of decency…we might never know.
LOL Snowy! Yes, I could see how Maddie and Brooke could tire of Michael in their bed. XD And all great comments too. Honestly, I think one of the great things you commented on was that Maddie doesn’t have self-respect and that Brooke has standards. That’s probably the biggest surprise here.
Adon, I’d be silly to try and refute any of that and I’m glad you see that this chapter really has been about Brooke. With that being said, where does she and us go from here as we go towards the end of this chapter and Season 1? 😉
Hey Wokinshadoze!! Brooke definitely through away an opportunity here. I mean, how many people are found in this particular situation? More from Brooke on Wednesday!
Crazeyal, at least the temperature is cool. XD
Donny, she’s leaning towards shame than selfish. I mean, Brooke does want it all, but not with a married man. Or at least HER own married man.
Right on, War! You’ve got a good memory and that will come in handy, especially as we know that Michael has always harbored some lust for Sabrina. Things between Michael, Maddie and Brooke are never going to be the same and it’ll be interesting going forward to see how it shakes out. I think a lot of this may have been avoided if Gabrielle would have stopped it before, but she likes controversy, just as long as it doesn’t hurt the ratings.
jpiv, that’d be pretty interesting to throw the Carrie swerve in there. XD I think Brooke liked the idea of it being secret. She doesn’t like things out in the open and she knows that she’d be officially the #2 woman in the room.
Styg, here at Rival Angels, we give you the unexpected. XD
Wise Mankey, I’m hoping the surprise was good. 😉
Cookie Ogre, that is touching your concern for Maddie. I think she’d be very smart to listen to your advice. But will she?
GhostEraser, I’m happy with the reaction. 😀 But I have to say that it’s how it was always going to shake out and not for shock value. Maddie, unfortunately, has shown that she’s naive and now lacking in self-respect.
Jabberwocky, that is the bottom line, isn’t it? Of course, Michael’s future is definitely going to be suspect.
Chris, I hope it wasn’t a Russo swerve per se. I can honestly say that this 3-way idea was based in part in reality. XD Just unexpected.
Well, bossman – I wait and see if my last paragraph comes true in any shape…
Well, if a lot of the feedback here is any indication, Brooke has a long, hard, uphill battle to overcome the stigmas she’s been saddled with. Think about it… she’s overheard people in the wedding call her a skank, whore, slut, what have you — someone who has used sex appeal to get ahead. And they’re right. The thing is, I think, based on the despair she’s been showing in the past few strips that she has realized it and doesn’t like what it says about her. Maddie’s proposal here has been her turning point. If she went along with that, she’d be proving everyone right. Based on some of the reaction, she is going to need to work pretty hard to win over people both in the comic and the readers themselves. I wish her luck… people have long memories and often refuse to let past mistakes go.
Nothing against genuine poly relationships, BTW, but there’s no true foundation for one here — it requires mutual love from all parties and that sure isn’t what’s going on here.
Right on, Adon. I seriously doubt Maddie’s that into Brooke (besides Michael and Trevor, is anyone?), she’s just trying to ‘keep’ Michael…..for some reason no one understands yet. Sadly, Albone, I doubt she’ll do the smart thing, though I could be proven wrong. Brooke’s not the only one who just got blind-sided with how people see them.
YAY GO BROOKE!!! Really I think she shows a level of maturity that most were not expecting. I think Brooke has real potential she just needs to realize that, and walking away from that situation could be the first steps on getting that, and I don’t think Maddie ever had much self respect to me she always seemed a bit insecure but then we havent seen much of maddie thus far.
Wait…Maddie was willing to share him with Brooke? Like, for real?
THAT COULD’VE BEEN ME!!!!!
I’m really surprised at the backlash Maddie’s getting. From what I can see, she’s making only one really big error. She’s blaming herself for Michael’s infidelity. She thinks Michael is with Brooke because Brooke is better at taking care of Michael’s sexual needs than she is. She doesn’t understand that Michael is a philanderer by nature, and regardless of how well his “needs” are taken care of, he will always be looking for more conquests, even with his eye on specific goals, like Sabrina.
Maddie’s actions are a result of insecurity, yes, but she doesn’t suddenly sink to Brooke’s level as a result.
Well good for Brooke for actually standing up for Michael. But, really if Maddie wanted an open relationship she and Michael would have been open about it from the start.
Eeeeee, I *totally* called it! But I didn’t think Brooke would be so furiously against the idea. I wonder who she’ll target next. A certain bald Chicagoan, perhaps?
Amanda, you were so on the money the other day, I had to keep quiet. I know Trevor is hoping to be Brooke’s rebound. XD
Let’s be real here. I’m no one’s rebound. I’m the ultimate man of her dreams. She just doesn’t know it yet. 😛
LOL XD that would be funny.
This page still throws me off, just because Brooke is Brooke and actually turned down the offer. And also the fact that Maddie decided to marry that sleazeball still….