From: eah4@po.CWRU.Edu (Elizabeth A. Hlabse)
Subject: QL: Donna (was Re: QL: Toronto Star Article Aug. 25, 1992)
Reply-To: eah4@po.CWRU.Edu (Elizabeth A. Hlabse)
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 92 15:51:31 GMT


In a previous article, krk1@pyuxe.uucp (24249-knights) says:

>Aw, come on, Beth -- let's don't wish evil things on Donna.
>Hasn't she been through enough?

Okay, so she's been through a lot....in this time line. 
My main problem with her is how the fact that Sam's married
and the writers seem to have forgotten it.

Okay, opening episode, Sam's getting his memory back and lo and
behold, he remebers being married to Donna.  How can _this_ Sam
Beckett remember being married.  He WAS NOT married when the
whole thing began four/five years ago.  And to top this off,
he says that he was experiencing reverse swiss-cheesing (whatever
that is) and is forgetting his leaps.  Dumb idea.  What's the use
of his leaping through time and learning all about other people
if he forgets the minute he gets back.

Anyway, he has the wonderful wife, who, when he's getting ready
to jump back in the Accelerator to save the life of his best friend
says, "Don't go!" in an extremely whiney voice.  I figure that it
was Al who helped Sam get his funding.  We know that he helped build
Project QL, and Donna, this loving wife, wants to let him die?!?

Okay, Sam leaps, saves Al's life, and promptly forgets Donna.
The very next episode (Play Ball), Al is telling his _married_
friend to go ahead and sleep with the owner of the ball team.
Either, (1)Donna left Sam after he leaped again, (2)she doesn't
exisit in this time line, (3)Al isn't a good friend, or (4)the writers
are just being plain sloppy.

My vote's for #4, although I tend to wish #1.  When Don was asked
about this at Leap Con, he said something along the lines of
he liked having a married character, who didn't know he was
married, so that he could have the lady of the week.  If only
VP Quayle had heard that one.

The person I would much rather have seen show up in Leap Back
would have been Tom Beckett.  Remember him, Sam's once dead brother?
That would have been a lot more interesting.

>Seriously, this is a character with great tragic potential.
>Shades of Penelope in "The Odyssey:" that chick waited 20
>years for hubby to drift back.  Personally, I wish we could
>see MORE of her. . . .  Just the writer in me coming out, 
>I guess.  I like to see tragic characters and I like to
>do horrible things to people in my stories to be sure
>I HAVE tragic characters . . .  :-)

I love tragic characters as well.  It's just that this one
came right out of the blue.  Well, the QL fanfic I write
doesn't even mention Donna, so I guess I shouldn't complain
too much (too late, I know).

>Anyway, the bottom line is, her husband's a fictional
>character, so none of us have a chance anyway, so why
>not be nice to her instead of wishing to see her
>sliced and diced?

Okay, so she's a fictional character.  Doesn't mean I
have to be nice to her.
-- 
      Beth Hlabse (eah4@po.CWRU.Edu)  Asst. Sysop  SciFi Sig (GO SCIFI)
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  To give what we can ..... To take what we must ..... To dance the spiral
         To be one with the magic ..... To live -- and die -- free!