Helen's cello

[Kris10m]

This is just something I noticed...I haven't seen any references to Helen's cello playing at all in the past few seasons, especially in contrast to the first couple of seasons, where they emphasized it a lot. I think the last one that they had was the one where Joe and Brian buy Helen a new cello and she joins the string quartet, but I could be wrong! I know that in the last episode, she and Joe move to Vienna so she can study cello there, but it seems like up until then the writers kind of forgot about it! Did anyone else notice this? Of course, maybe I'm totally mixed up...did something else happen to Helen's cello since that one episode? Anyway, that was just something I noticed!

[losthighway]

Kris, It's been years since I saw the last season of Wings so I can't remember if they had any mention of Helen's Cello playing except for the final episode as you mentioned.

For the most part, I think the writers just let it go for a few seasons and dropped it. I think we were just supposed to assume she still practiced from time to time since Joe and Brian got her that cello, but she never made a reference to it and we never saw her auditioning or anything. Apparently getting married to Joe and having her house burn down really distracted her.

Hey, wouldn't the cello have gone up in flames?? Well, I don't remember them ever saying that, I think the writers just decided to drop it for a while.

[Krista2882]

I've been wondering the same thing!
I definately noticed that, just because I had liked the fact that she plays the cello, because it's not one of the most common instruments that people play- it's kind of a quirky thing for a TV show character to play an instrument like the cello. and me being a HUGE music fan and somewhat of a musician myself (i play some instruments and sing and stuff), I just like the fact that they had a TV character who loved music that much and played the Cello!
So I've really been noticing that they haven't mentioned it in a long time! It's kind of disapponting that they kind of dropped it from the show.

But I do remember a later episode where they mention it. I saw this episode during the marathon... it's the one where Joe and Brian find that time capsule thing in their backyard, and it was from when Joe, Brian, and Helen were kids, and they had each written on a piece of paper what they hoped to be doing in 20 years or something like that.. so each of them was reading their own for each other, and when it was Helen's turn, the story was that she had wanted to be a famous cello player, with people flocking to her concerts and stuff like that.... but then at the end of the episode you see that she made that up, and her paper just said something like, "Someday I hope to marry Joe Hackett".
I'm not sure what season that eisode was from, but when I saw that episode, I remember Casey being there, so I know it was at least the 6th season, and also, at the time, I was under the impression that Joe and Helen were already married.
hey, I didn't get why she didn't want anyone to know what her paper really said, if her and Joe were already married... hmm...
but yeah anyway, that was a later episode and it mentioned her cello, but it still wasn't really present-tense- it didn't really give the idea that she was still playing it at all...

(edit: i just looked it up. it was episode 22 of season 7)

~Krista

[wingshock]

In last night's ep "She's Gotta Have It" I was expecting Helen to say that her cello burned in the fire (when she was giving the insurance guy the list) but she didn't mention it at all! That really surprised me.

It also surprised me that she said she lost a cameo pin that her grandmother gave to her... hmmmm.

Love,

Wing<><

[losthighway]

Originally posted by Krista2882
But I do remember a later episode where they mention it. I saw this episode during the marathon... it's the one where Joe and Brian find that time capsule thing in their backyard, and it was from when Joe, Brian, and Helen were kids, and they had each written on a piece of paper what they hoped to be doing in 20 years or something like that.. so each of them was reading their own for each other, and when it was Helen's turn, the story was that she had wanted to be a famous cello player, with people flocking to her concerts and stuff like that.... but then at the end of the episode you see that she made that up, and her paper just said something like, "Someday I hope to marry Joe Hackett".
I'm not sure what season that eisode was from, but when I saw that episode, I remember Casey being there, so I know it was at least the 6th season, and also, at the time, I was under the impression that Joe and Helen were already married.
hey, I didn't get why she didn't want anyone to know what her paper really said, if her and Joe were already married... hmm...
but yeah anyway, that was a later episode and it mentioned her cello, but it still wasn't really present-tense- it didn't really give the idea that she was still playing it at all...

(edit: i just looked it up. it was episode 22 of season 7)

~Krista

I liked that episode! I remember that's the one where Brian fantasizes about being a "James Bond" type.....I think the reason Helen didn't want anyone to know that her true "dream" as a kid was to marry Joe was because she was embarrassed. Everyone else had these huge grandiose ideas (Brian to be James Bond, Casey to be a Supermodel, Joe to be a star for the Boston Red Sox) that she felt silly that her dream was so simple. Plus she probably was feeling embarrassed to let Joe know that was how she felt for so long.

Still, I guess I'm just a sentimental putz but I loved that plot line and how her biggest dream, even as a little girl, was to marry Joe.

[Krista2882]

hehe yeah, it was a silly episode.

But yeah, that's what I liked about it- that even as a kid, Helen's biggest hope for when she grew up was to someday marry Joe. And it actually happened.
But I don't know... I can understand her being a little embarrassed, but I'd think she'd still want at least Joe to know that she had been in love with him since she was 11 years old... You know what I mean? They've been best friends almost forever, and now they're married to each other... I'd think she would at least show Joe.
I could see how she might feel silly about anyone else knowing, maybe.

~Krista

[wingshock]

I guess there are 2 sides to Helen's POV in that ep. It was a little embarrassing to admit that your biggest dream was marrying Joe... when everyone else had these really these really exciting ideas, and hers was so mundane.

But also, everyone was lamenting about how none of their dreams came true... and maybe she didn't want to rub it in that she was the only one whose dream did come true...

Love,

Wing<><

[Krista2882]

Originally posted by wingshock


But also, everyone was lamenting about how none of their dreams came true... and maybe she didn't want to rub it in that she was the only one whose dream did come true...

oh yeah. that does make sense.
hehe

[losthighway]

Yea, that is a good point Wingshock....plus I always felt that Helen's reaction and not admitting to Joe her feelings fit in perfectly to her personality.

She always liked having some control in her relationship with Joe, with all the silly fights they had...."you're not over me yet, no you're not over me"....and remember, this is a woman that looked Joe right in the face and said she loved Davis and if Joe really cared about her he wouldn't stand in her way, and then jumps on a plane to NY to be with Davis. All the while, she REALLY loved Joe and wanted to be with him. But it took Joe going the extra, extra mile to make it happen. I think for all those reasons, plus the one you mentioned about not rubbing anything in explains why Helen acted the way she did.

Haha...I think I may be analyizing this a bit too much, but it's fun to do!

[wingshock]

Originally posted by losthighway
Yea, that is a good point Wingshock....plus I always felt that Helen's reaction and not admitting to Joe her feelings fit in perfectly to her personality.

Definitely! Admitting that to Joe would be almost like too much stroking for his ego. I think in every relationship there is one person who is the "lover" and the other is the "beloved."

Helen wants always to be the beloved one. Her pride, I guess.

Love,

Wing<><

[Krista2882]

hehe yeah. i guess you guys are right. That does totally make sense.
And it does sort of fit her personality that she would do that.

~Krista

[pilotguy]

Originally posted by wingshock
Definitely! Admitting that to Joe would be almost like too much stroking for his ego. I think in every relationship there is one person who is the "lover" and the other is the "beloved."

Helen wants always to be the beloved one. Her pride, I guess.

Love,

Wing<><

Good point....Just look at the way she accepted Joe's marriage proposal. She didn't melt and say, "Oh yes, Joe, I would LOVE to marry you!". She stood there with her arms folded, rolled her eyes impatiently and said, "Oh, what the heck!".

Not to overanalyze things here, but some of Helen's "cool" attitude could have been a result of that earlier, unpleasant experience when Joe dumped her for Gail.....Maybe Helen didn't want to let her guard down and be vulnerable again.

[wingshock]

Originally posted by pilotguy
Not to overanalyze things here, but some of Helen's "cool" attitude could have been a result of that earlier, unpleasant experience when Joe dumped her for Gail.....Maybe Helen didn't want to let her guard down and be vulnerable again.

How could we *possibly* overanalyze?

I say a show's no good if people don't feel the need to analyze it. Besides, it makes Wings almost on the same level as, I don't know.... English literature.

Anyhoo, I think you're right, pilotguy. Speaking from personal experience, once I had that first experience of going overboard for a guy and then getting burned, I always said I'd never be that way again... so I can't blame Helen one bit!

It's not like she doesn't show Joe how much she loves him, it's just that she's never over-the-top "How can I live without you" stuff.

Love,

Wing<><

[Krista2882]

hehe yeah. you can never overanalyze a tv show! lol.
I love picking apart my favorite shows. it's so much fun. People do it with books, why can't we do it with TV?

but anyway yeah- if you think about A LOT of episodes of the series, you guys are totally right. When it comes to Joe and Helen's relationship, it does seem like a lot of times Helen has her guard up. I hadn't really noticed it before until you guys said it... Before they got together, it was rare that Helen actually came out and said what she really felt for Joe. He was always the one saying it, and sometimes he had to coax it out of her, because he knew what she was really feeling (like when he proposed to her in the elevator).
And then when they were together, and married and stuff, it's like you said, wingshock- of course she did show him how much she loves him, but it was never really over-the-top mushy stuff.
Or maybe it wasn't that she had her guard up... she might be the type of person who doesn't like to really show her feelings and get all mushy about things like that.

but you know what? when Joe proposed to her, and she kind of accepted like, "oh, what the heck", I think one reason is because she didn't really want to admit that Joe was right. lol. I'm the same way- i hate when people prove me wrong. lol I would probably do the same kind of thing that she did if I was ever in that situation. haha. because I would not want to admit "ok, you're right. i was being crazy for a little while therre." and then be all excited. I'd probably be like, "ok fine. whatever." lol.

ok, i'll shut up now.

look how much we got off track from the original topic of this post. lol!

~Krista

[losthighway]

Originally posted by pilotguy
Not to overanalyze things here, but some of Helen's "cool" attitude could have been a result of that earlier, unpleasant experience when Joe dumped her for Gail.....Maybe Helen didn't want to let her guard down and be vulnerable again.

Pilotguy, my impression was always the other way around. I felt like Helen dumped Joe. The way they originally broke up is Helen was gettting this opportunity to leave Nantucket to pursue her Cello career and Joe didn't feel like he could stand in her way to keep her from that dream.

But then the opportunity blew up, but Helen STILL decided to leave the Island and go to NY. Joe pleaded with her to stay and even told her he loved her as she was boarding the plane, but that didn't stop her.....off she went. Then she didn't even call the guy for 10 months, and in the meantime Joe met Gail and started dating her. I don't blame Joe. She didn't give him a reason to think she cared. It was only after she finally called and Joe and Brian found out how awful her life was in NY that they tired to get her to come back and Helen just "assumed" Joe was still available and they'd pick up where they left off. The nerve of some women.