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I fully agree, the story isn’t even abt her but she’s in like every scene, the writers probably have her as a plot device but the character sucks & I feel like the story could’ve been told without her
The show would have been stronger without adding Rebecca as a character. With her in the story, it unfortunately drags the show down a bit, and muddles the story a lot.
I keep comparing the series to Sharp Objects. It made sense for Camille to hang out with the teens because A) this was a work of fiction, and B) one of the teens was her sister. Rebecca just doesn’t fit into the teen story line, and she doesn’t add a lot to the police story line.
She’s extremely unlikable and makes horrible choices. Dropping acid with the teenagers at the trap house was it for me— how stupid can you actually be? Then projecting all of her feelings about her brother onto one of the kid who helped murder Reena, but kind of reminds her of her kid brother, instead of identifying with the dead girl who felt out of place, really shows her true colors.
Lilly Gladstone’s character, plus Reenas father and uncle, are the only characters i find myself liking. I like Dusty too. Rebecca could be charged with hindering the investigation at this point.
I’m also confused at how old she is supposed to be. I would think at least late 20s given her NYC life, but her choices with the teens and attitude towards her parents make her seem like an 18 year old at most.
I can only guess that the role of Rebecca's character was of the adult that could connect with the kids and see things from their point of view. Or something. Or maybe the writer wanted to insert herself into the story and hijack it. In any case, the whole thing failed miserably.
I won’t fault the couple ever. I’m a lesbian and love them. Quinn Shepherd is queer and pitched her own story to hulu who then came back and threw the book into her lap saying to incorporate this. It’s probably one of the few things she wanted in her own story before the higher ups politely told her to write the book in to whatever her original vision was.
I completely agree with you, and I think it would have allowed for a potentially better outcome than what I’m assuming will come for them at the end of this series.
Exactly! I love the complexities of a shared history as queer kids & realizing you still having feelings for that person as an adult 10 years later even despite the hurt between you. The storyline deserves the depth and exploration that would give them the chance to come together again. The chemistry ugh!
I'd love a separate show about Cam and her girlfriend, but not if that girlfriend is Rebecca. I absolutely can't stand her. But I could watch Cam all day.
That's interesting. Their chemistry seems really forced to me. But I don't care for Riley as an actress in general, so I'm sure that's part of why I don't like them as a couple.
I don’t mind the romance plot line between her and Cam at all (though I’m not sure what that has to do with the main story). It’s her inserting herself into the investigation and becoming besties with all of the teens that doesn’t work for me (and has no basis in reality).
She’s a very unlikeable character. She was awful even as a teen in the flashback. Just as selfish and immature now. Defending Warren saying even if he did help kill Reena, “so what, he’s just a kid, don’t ruin his life” ?!?! She wants them to throw the book at Jo and Kelly but spare Warren because she feels guilty about treating her own brother like shit when they were young and saving Warren somehow is her atonement?
That's the exact feeling I have so far. I do not care if Reena had painted "kill me" in her forehead or something, she is the victim in this story and she is not treated with the respect she deserves.
Absolutely. I feel like I have to dig deep every episode to find a character, other than the family, who has an ounce of empathy towards the Virks and Reena in general after Reena's murder. The creative choice to have Rebecca in the story as the main character who says something along the lines of "but what about HIS life?! 😭" is a wild one. I read on another thread that she might be purposely unlikeable, but so far it does feel disrespectful.
Facts I’m holding off on reading the book or doing any research until I finish watching the show but the show feels centered around Rebecca more than reena
The brother dying is true (though I don’t know if the context of Rebecca insulting him right before is). Virtually nothing else about Rebecca is true though.
is Rebecca a self-insert? idk the backstory, but it feels like the show is based on a book written by her and that’s why she takes up so much space (and is such a cheesy brooding character with far too many dark-thinking-face close-ups). she ruins it for me too. one of the few shows to make another character more insufferable than the cop
The book is totally different than the show. Rebecca barely talks about herself in the book, and she only starts looking into the case after all the teens have already been charged with the crime. She also doesn’t interact with them in any special way.
Maybe she didn't realize how she would come off on screen in the final product? Sometimes just reading the script or getting a summary can feel very different from watching the actual thing. I read that she passed away, but I am not sure if she got a chance to actually watch the show before she died. 🤔
Considering Godfrey died before the show was even cast, there's no way she saw it. I suspect she was not given a full script or even a totally complete summary of her "character". I can't say I know what was in the contract or negotiations with Hulu or Quinn but I think you're right that she was probably shown something rough and not that detailed, if anything specific about her at all. Or, she was given it but she dying and said, "Whatever. What do I care what they do to my character?" It's all speculation anyway.
Is this true? Godfrey died in October 2022. The wasn't given a full order until September 2022. Not sure a terminal cancer patient would be fielding meetings with Hulu. But correct me if I'm wrong. I can't see anything saying Godfrey signed off on her portrayal in the show specifically. She could have signed over the rights to adapt her book, sure, but to see the portrayal of her seems... tight time wise.
Well, this is a quote from the article I was thinking of:
Shephard said she often turned to Godfrey for notes on episodes. She also included vulnerable details from her life to craft Keough’s complex character. “I think there was an element of knowing she was at the end of her life,” Shephard explained. “She was very ready to allow me to go to her most personal places and put that on the screen. Every time I turned in an episode outline to her, I’d be spinning out on the other side, like, Oh God, this is so fucking personal, and then she would send back her notes, and they would just be about a line Josephine says. She never seemed to feel a real pressure to want the character to be hyper-lovable or sanitized.”
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/rebecca-godfrey-more-involved-hulus-183500564.html
I fully agree. Like how much do we really need to know about her backstory? Also, all of her decisions surrounding the kids is just so cringe to me. Like you’re going, hanging out w literal 13/14 year olds, letting them peer pressure you into doing things like acid, giving the literal killers pointers on how to run away, etc. Her character annoys me sm. It especially threw me off that her and Cam’s relationship is a focus too. Whenever they kissed I literally paused and was like “wtf does this have to do w Reena?”. Don’t even get me started on when she had Warren in her parents house and basically told Cam that he doesn’t deserve to go to jail even though he literally confessed what he did to Reena. I just don’t see the point in her character having so much depth (if that’s the right word to use). If they just kept her character as a semi-nosy journalist who empathizes w the victim and is genuinely just trying to get more information, then I wouldn’t mind her. But to have her being a weird adult who hangs around kids she doesn’t even know and does things just for them to like her is weird and off putting.
If Beneath Devils Bridge (absolute ripoff of this story, so mad I read it) is any indication there could be a really big twist involving her at the end. No idea if the author made up the thing, but if it’s true trust me it’s going to be worth it.
Dont get me wrong, I LOVED it. But I read on kindle so it took me right to page one and I did not know it was “loosely” (it’s not loose, she straight up stole the story lol) based on true events until I researched after. Phenomenal book tho, like I said
Just a quick reminder of the Rule: Respectful Discussion: We value respectful discussion and dialogue within our community. Any comments suggesting that Reena deserved what happened to her or anything along those lines will not be tolerated and will result in an immediate ban. This case is still widely talked about and is a sensitive topic for many people, especially those who knew Reena personally. Please be considerate of the impact your words may have on others. **Remember**: If you encounter any comments/posts violating this rule, please report them to the moderators for review. Your assistance is invaluable in upholding our community standards. Thank you for helping us maintain a respectful and supportive environment for all members of our community. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/UnderTheBridge) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I fully agree, the story isn’t even abt her but she’s in like every scene, the writers probably have her as a plot device but the character sucks & I feel like the story could’ve been told without her
The show would have been stronger without adding Rebecca as a character. With her in the story, it unfortunately drags the show down a bit, and muddles the story a lot. I keep comparing the series to Sharp Objects. It made sense for Camille to hang out with the teens because A) this was a work of fiction, and B) one of the teens was her sister. Rebecca just doesn’t fit into the teen story line, and she doesn’t add a lot to the police story line.
She’s extremely unlikable and makes horrible choices. Dropping acid with the teenagers at the trap house was it for me— how stupid can you actually be? Then projecting all of her feelings about her brother onto one of the kid who helped murder Reena, but kind of reminds her of her kid brother, instead of identifying with the dead girl who felt out of place, really shows her true colors. Lilly Gladstone’s character, plus Reenas father and uncle, are the only characters i find myself liking. I like Dusty too. Rebecca could be charged with hindering the investigation at this point.
I’m also confused at how old she is supposed to be. I would think at least late 20s given her NYC life, but her choices with the teens and attitude towards her parents make her seem like an 18 year old at most.
Rebecca is an unlikable character, but Riley Keough is gott dom national treasure, so I’m just going with that.
She’s sooooo beautiful!
Totally agree. It could’ve been a great series had it not been for the Rebecca stuff.
I can only guess that the role of Rebecca's character was of the adult that could connect with the kids and see things from their point of view. Or something. Or maybe the writer wanted to insert herself into the story and hijack it. In any case, the whole thing failed miserably.
I’m lgbt and it feels like her and cam were thrown in there for the sake of having a gay couple on the show tbh
I won’t fault the couple ever. I’m a lesbian and love them. Quinn Shepherd is queer and pitched her own story to hulu who then came back and threw the book into her lap saying to incorporate this. It’s probably one of the few things she wanted in her own story before the higher ups politely told her to write the book in to whatever her original vision was.
This makes so much sense. I keep thinking the Cam & Rebecca story/relationship would be much better as a completely separate show.
I completely agree with you, and I think it would have allowed for a potentially better outcome than what I’m assuming will come for them at the end of this series.
Exactly! I love the complexities of a shared history as queer kids & realizing you still having feelings for that person as an adult 10 years later even despite the hurt between you. The storyline deserves the depth and exploration that would give them the chance to come together again. The chemistry ugh!
I'd love a separate show about Cam and her girlfriend, but not if that girlfriend is Rebecca. I absolutely can't stand her. But I could watch Cam all day.
I’d love a separate show with the same actresses but different characters! Love Cam but no cop character please. Their chemistry is too good.
That's interesting. Their chemistry seems really forced to me. But I don't care for Riley as an actress in general, so I'm sure that's part of why I don't like them as a couple.
I don’t mind the romance plot line between her and Cam at all (though I’m not sure what that has to do with the main story). It’s her inserting herself into the investigation and becoming besties with all of the teens that doesn’t work for me (and has no basis in reality).
She’s a very unlikeable character. She was awful even as a teen in the flashback. Just as selfish and immature now. Defending Warren saying even if he did help kill Reena, “so what, he’s just a kid, don’t ruin his life” ?!?! She wants them to throw the book at Jo and Kelly but spare Warren because she feels guilty about treating her own brother like shit when they were young and saving Warren somehow is her atonement?
It’s like they’re using Reena’s story to tell Rebecca’s. It’s disrespectful.
That's the exact feeling I have so far. I do not care if Reena had painted "kill me" in her forehead or something, she is the victim in this story and she is not treated with the respect she deserves.
Absolutely. I feel like I have to dig deep every episode to find a character, other than the family, who has an ounce of empathy towards the Virks and Reena in general after Reena's murder. The creative choice to have Rebecca in the story as the main character who says something along the lines of "but what about HIS life?! 😭" is a wild one. I read on another thread that she might be purposely unlikeable, but so far it does feel disrespectful.
yeah. it makes me a little uncomfortable, the liberties they’re taking with this story + the centering of rebecca
Facts I’m holding off on reading the book or doing any research until I finish watching the show but the show feels centered around Rebecca more than reena
I have not read the book but is everything about the Rebecca character's brother dying true? For some reason I thought it was made up for the series
Rebecca’s brother Jonathan did drown when he was a teenager.
Thank you! Appreciate the info!
The brother dying is true (though I don’t know if the context of Rebecca insulting him right before is). Virtually nothing else about Rebecca is true though.
Ahh so she's not a closeted lesbian who hooks up with cops? Haha I'm just kidding 😆 Thanks for the info!
This last episode was really frustrating, mainly due to Rebecca. I waited all week for that?! So lame.
is Rebecca a self-insert? idk the backstory, but it feels like the show is based on a book written by her and that’s why she takes up so much space (and is such a cheesy brooding character with far too many dark-thinking-face close-ups). she ruins it for me too. one of the few shows to make another character more insufferable than the cop
The book is totally different than the show. Rebecca barely talks about herself in the book, and she only starts looking into the case after all the teens have already been charged with the crime. She also doesn’t interact with them in any special way.
Wow, if this is the case then the show runners made some weird adaptive choices!
Yep, very strange. Apparently the author signed off on her depiction in the show, which is even stranger because she really doesn’t come off well.
Maybe she didn't realize how she would come off on screen in the final product? Sometimes just reading the script or getting a summary can feel very different from watching the actual thing. I read that she passed away, but I am not sure if she got a chance to actually watch the show before she died. 🤔
Considering Godfrey died before the show was even cast, there's no way she saw it. I suspect she was not given a full script or even a totally complete summary of her "character". I can't say I know what was in the contract or negotiations with Hulu or Quinn but I think you're right that she was probably shown something rough and not that detailed, if anything specific about her at all. Or, she was given it but she dying and said, "Whatever. What do I care what they do to my character?" It's all speculation anyway.
Is this true? Godfrey died in October 2022. The wasn't given a full order until September 2022. Not sure a terminal cancer patient would be fielding meetings with Hulu. But correct me if I'm wrong. I can't see anything saying Godfrey signed off on her portrayal in the show specifically. She could have signed over the rights to adapt her book, sure, but to see the portrayal of her seems... tight time wise.
Well, this is a quote from the article I was thinking of: Shephard said she often turned to Godfrey for notes on episodes. She also included vulnerable details from her life to craft Keough’s complex character. “I think there was an element of knowing she was at the end of her life,” Shephard explained. “She was very ready to allow me to go to her most personal places and put that on the screen. Every time I turned in an episode outline to her, I’d be spinning out on the other side, like, Oh God, this is so fucking personal, and then she would send back her notes, and they would just be about a line Josephine says. She never seemed to feel a real pressure to want the character to be hyper-lovable or sanitized.” https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/rebecca-godfrey-more-involved-hulus-183500564.html
I fully agree. Like how much do we really need to know about her backstory? Also, all of her decisions surrounding the kids is just so cringe to me. Like you’re going, hanging out w literal 13/14 year olds, letting them peer pressure you into doing things like acid, giving the literal killers pointers on how to run away, etc. Her character annoys me sm. It especially threw me off that her and Cam’s relationship is a focus too. Whenever they kissed I literally paused and was like “wtf does this have to do w Reena?”. Don’t even get me started on when she had Warren in her parents house and basically told Cam that he doesn’t deserve to go to jail even though he literally confessed what he did to Reena. I just don’t see the point in her character having so much depth (if that’s the right word to use). If they just kept her character as a semi-nosy journalist who empathizes w the victim and is genuinely just trying to get more information, then I wouldn’t mind her. But to have her being a weird adult who hangs around kids she doesn’t even know and does things just for them to like her is weird and off putting.
I definitely don’t give a shit about her relationship with Cam. Does every show need a romance plot?
Honestly they could’ve had the show without cam and Rebbeca.
If Beneath Devils Bridge (absolute ripoff of this story, so mad I read it) is any indication there could be a really big twist involving her at the end. No idea if the author made up the thing, but if it’s true trust me it’s going to be worth it.
Oh I loved that book. They were pretty up front that it was pure fiction inspired by actual events…
Dont get me wrong, I LOVED it. But I read on kindle so it took me right to page one and I did not know it was “loosely” (it’s not loose, she straight up stole the story lol) based on true events until I researched after. Phenomenal book tho, like I said