Pleasantville Part 6 - Spotlight on the Benoits

 I spent some time with the Benoit family this week - especially Danica. I was really feeling sorry for her as her parents treat her like an unpaid nanny. She has aged up into a young adult, so I sent her out on that ultimate adventure known as college. 

Danica's lifetime wish is golden fingers and golden tongue, but she scored highest in athletics, so she went off to major in physical education. 

At the meet-and-greet, Danica met her PE professor Lewis Rogers, who is a vampire who seems to like to buddy up to his students. He would call her late at night just to chat. 

She also met Troy Francis, and they were drawn to each other. 

He's kind of a hard guy to get to know. All she really learned about him is he has no sense of humor. I'm assuming he's an art major, . . . 

Or maybe he's into politics. At any rate, Danica decided she really liked him. 

One of the sorority girls Danica met earlier that day invited her out to a party at the sorority house. 

There she met a very irritating guy who insisted she was stupid. They quickly became enemies. 

She decided to handle the argument the way she had seen her parents do it countless times. 

The guy's name is Ray Wise, and she will be seeing a lot of him as she soon learns they live in the same dorm. Another interesting guy she came across was Gary Clyde. She first encountered him as the police was hauling him away from the sorority in handcuffs. (I have never seen this happen before.) I'm not sure what he was arrested for. Certainly not streaking as that was rampant at the party. 

Maybe he was a Peeping Tom? The cop got his jollies out of arresting Gary at any rate. 

One thing Danica realized was she never felt this free and unencumbered in her entire life!

 

She soon learned college was no piece of cake. She took a heavy load, and her Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays were so busy that she didn't have time to eat or use the bathroom. (She had one bladder accident during this time, but quickly learned it was better to get to class late than unable to function.) She also made a trip to the grocery store to stock up on apples and bananas to choke down between classes. 

Professor Rogers was a little put out at her showing up late, unalert, and with a bad attitude.  

"Miss Benoit, are you following along?"

Danica's favorite class by far was the Physical Education Lab class. 

She wasn't so thrilled about her living situation. After she was out at class the first day, she came home to this. 

We have no idea who did it, but Danica wasn't about to pay for it - except maybe the coffee maker because she REALLY needed her coffee in the morning. She's vegetarian, so most of what she eats doesn't require cooking, or she can use a grill to make it. 

She soon learned that her roommates were also disgusting slobs, constantly leaving dirty dishes, spoiled food, and smelly cartons laying around, expecting her to clean up after them. Which she did, because she was used to having to do it at home anyway. 

One of the first mornings at the dorm, she thought she walked in on an intruder! It was the guy she saw arrested at the sorority party!

"What are you doing in my house?!" she yelled. "I grew up fighting, and I'm not afraid to fight you!"

"Take it easy. I live here! My name's Gary Clyde, by the way. I'm just getting some breakfast. I assume you're doing the same?" 

They settled into their breakfast and got to know each other a bit. 

"I just want you to know, that arrest at the sorority house was just a case of mistaken identity. I have one of those faces that looks like any other face. I think they call it 'potato face' or 'pudding face' or something like that. 

Danica thought he had a very nice face, and he liked hers too. 

"Maybe if you're not too busy sometime, I can take you out to a nice dinner. Do you like steak?" he asked. 

"Actually a steak dinner would be wasted on me. I'm a vegetarian," she replied. 

"Maybe you could take me to a concert instead," she suggested.

Gary thought she might be too high-maintenance for him. But at least he helped her with the dishes. 

Danica got the opportunity to get to know Troy Francis more when he showed up on her doorstep under the pretense of needing to borrow some laundry detergent. 

She kissed him, and I was told that Danica has a naughty reputation! What?! Anyway, they settled into having a study date. 

It was getting really late, and after some more flirting, Danica asked Troy if he wanted to stay over. (They didn't do anything untoward, but they did sleep in the same bed.)

Troy woke up hungry and went to the fridge to get some bread and jam. 

Danica followed him a few minutes later. She asked him how often she could get away with skipping classes. 

He put his plate down and admonished her to be diligent in attending classes because professors often include information that will be on the test in class, and it's information that isn't always included in the textbooks.

While Troy was dispensing this advice, that annoying Ray Wise, (Danica's enemy), snuck up behind them and made off with Troy's bread and jam! What a jerk!

Danica gave him "what for" while Troy was distracted by another roommate who likes to run around in her underwear. 

The lady in question was later wooed by Ray. 

I guess there's a lid for every pot. 

Danica appointed herself the custodian of the house as no one else seemed willing to do anything. She fixed the plumbing issues, but shied away from the electrical issues for fear of being electrocuted. 

 

She also turned off all the stereos that people constantly turned on and walked away from. She even had to move her stereo out of her bedroom because people kept coming in and turning it on while she tried to sleep! How rude!

Danica's and Troy's relationship grew, and she asked him to go steady. She had the "confess to cheating" option, so I sifted through her contacts for an elusive boyfriend. I swear no one told ME she had gotten engaged to Alex Blackmon before going off to college! No wonder she has a naughty reputation!

I was thinking I would go along with her wants in this situation. She has no wants to chat with Alex and she has a want to move in with Troy. She tried to set the stage about asking to move in with Troy by complaining about her roommates. She is living with her enemy as well as a possible felon, and a whole bunch of slobs who expect her to do all the housework after all. However, Troy wasn't amused and didn't want to hear about it. 

Danica decided to let him stew in his own juices for awhile and decided to dabble in metal working.

She created a Magical Mr. Gnome - which surprised me because I didn't think they created anything by dabbling. She also got a Graduation Gnome that "fell out of a book" she was studying. She may have to become a collector of gnomes. 

Leisure Day came around, but Danica still had to attend class. At least is was on a day when she only had one class to worry about. After class she threw a pool party at the public pool. I guess it was a lame party. Probably because this dude nearly drown. 

 

He was too tired to swim. 

To be fair, Danica was so exhausted that she wasn't the best hostess. She took a nap during most of the party. 

She had invited Troy, but he never showed up. She called him later to see why he didn't attend. 

She invited him to go grab some supper with her, but I think he was too tired. She went to The Grind to grab a hot meal for a change. She got onion rings I think. 

There she met Josue Pimentel, a hopeless romantic with a fiancé, but I guess he wanted to keep his options open. They flirted a bit, but when he became too pushy, Danica told him to back off. 

She still wants to become good friends with him, however. 

Back at the dorm Danica and Ray formed an uneasy truce. Ray said he didn't want to fight anymore.

He even helped her clean up the dishes. She still thinks he's a creep though. 

However, the real creep might actually be Troy. He finally came over to see Danica, and as she stood in front of the couch, she came around behind her, sat down, and ogled her backside. 

Gary Clyde came in and found Troy's behavior offensive. 

He gave Troy a piece of his mind. 

"There's more to Danica than perfect buttocks, and you're an idiot for not seeing that!" Gary blustered. (Maybe Danica should overlook the arrest and give ol' Gary a chance.)

To be fair, Troy didn't give a second thought to Danica's cringy bot obsession. 

 Danica's school performance was hit and miss, but she's learning how to be a better student.

 

She seems to be doing better in science than physical education, but live and learn I guess. Lewis Rogers gave her some parting words of encouragement. 

The term is over, and it's time to return home, but first Danica and Troy spent some time on the beach, despite the chill in the air. 

Danica burned the tofu dogs, but Troy ate some anyway. 

Time to go get some sleep. Danica has an early plane to catch in the morning. 

Danica returned to a winter wonderland. Snowflake Day is just a few days away. 

Danica's mom Katrina is proud of all the progress Danica made in her area of study. Danica thinks she mostly just cleaned up after her roommates like she cleans up after her family. 

She spend the first few days fixing the TV, sinks, and toilets. . . 

while her parents were nestled all snug in their bed with visions of turkey legs dancing in their heads. 

"When I graduate, I want to go to college and major in physical education like Danica," Kelvin told Katrina. 

"If you want to do that, you'll need to do well in school and get some scholarships like Danica did. It wouldn't hurt for you to do some volunteer work while you're at it. Volunteer work looks good on a college application." 

Kelvin took his mother's advice to heart. (Anything to escape this dysfunctional home!) He dyed his hair white and put on a fake mustache because there is apparently a city ordinance that forbids teens from wearing fake beards, and volunteered as Santa Clause at Santa's Toyland (the winter festival.)

  

I had to make him read a book in order to stay seated. I tried to get Danica to take some pictures of him with Zoe, but I don't think any of them came out well. Anyway, the building on the lot has a back room where kids can see Santa and get their picture taken with him. It is supposed to have snowflakes in the background, but they only seem visible from a distance. 

The Butlers are blocking my shot. The room the Butlers are in serves as a toy shop for those wanting to purchase Christmas gifts for the kids. 

Danica wasn't impressed with the stuffed animal collection - especially those ugly unicorns. Yuck!

Santa's Toyland also includes spring rides, face painting, a concession stand, a photo tent, karaoke, 

skeeball, and a place to create your own gifts. 

Danica decided to make a bracelet for her mom.

 

We went there on two occasions. 

Bubba and Zoe singing karaoke.

Zoe also made the alien snowman. Kathy Butler sings karaoke . . . 

on the night of a full moon. (Don't worry about the toddler; he's intact - we're just having a "snowpocalyse.")

Danica is reading her PE textbook to Bubba. 

I was really proud of myself for adding this second floor to this house, but apparently it's not insulated. There's frost on the floor even though it doesn't seem to be snowing inside. The floor that the boys sleep on seems to be okay for sleeping, but the girl's room is just too cold! 

Something had to be done, and quickly! I removed one of the cribs in the babies' room and put a bed down there for Zoe. 

I woke her up and sent her down there to sleep. I added a fireplace in Danica's room, hoping she would get up and start a fire and warm herself.

But it was too late! She got out of bed and froze solid! I sent one of her brothers up to thaw her out. For some reason the brothers' room doesn't get this cold. Poor Danica and Zoe had frostbite for awhile, but it was less obvious with Zoe due to her green complexion. 

The problem with fireplaces is that they cause fires. This particular one starts fires in the boys' room. 

Lawrence managed to put it out, but Katrina came up and blamed him for putting the fireplace in in the first place. A fight ensued. 

I think Kelvin was rooting for his mom and Danica was rooting for her dad. 

Katrina was clearly winning. 

She is a force to be reckoned with. 

Then Lawrence snuck up and scared Danica for laughing at him.  Lawrence is a daredevil, and I've caught him upstairs playing with the fire in the fireplace, which has gotten him into trouble on at least one occasion. 

He started a house fire. Luckily he put it out, but he caught on fire too.

Kids can't use fire extinguishers, Lawrence couldn't go down the stairs and ladder to the bathroom, and the bathroom only has a tub. I was prepared to lose him, but he would not give up, so I took pity on him and sent Kelvin up to try his luck. (The screams were getting to be just too much.) I don't know where Katrina was or if she'd even care, and Danica wasn't on the lot. 

Kelvin managed to put Lawrence out, but then Lawrence went right back to playing with fire, having learned nothing from this experience. I think he's not long for this world. 

Danica found her own solution to the freezing bedroom. She went to the park and built herself an igloo. 

This way she can sleep warm while also avoiding all the family drama. 

I think Katrina wants another baby. 

Lawrence clearly thinks they have enough kids. 

They are still enemies and autonomously fight with each other, so it's better that they don't traumatize any more children. 

I think Zoe is the kid that gets along with her father the best, but even she doesn't understand his fascination with fire. 

She also helps take care of the babies. What a good girl! 

Ever since she arrived home, Danica has been trying to get together with Alex. I was thinking she should probably confess to cheating and possibly call things off. But Alex is strangely detached. He hasn't called her or come over to visit. He often turns her down when she asks him to come over or asks him out, . . . 

and even when he agrees to meet up with her, he doesn't stay long enough to let her confess to cheating - it's something she would want to broach carefully, maybe chat a little first. She might chat and maybe admire him, then he runs off. He doesn't accuse her of cheating, so I don't think he knows about her escapades while away at college, but something has got his goat. 

They went to a movie, talked a little about the house fires and upcoming wedding, and Danica got the wish to marry him, so maybe she doesn't want to break things off. 

I just don't think he's interested in her anymore. 

I'm not sure what to do. Should I have her call Troy and talk? Maybe invite him for a visit? Try having a wedding and see if Alex shows up? Tell Alex he's the one with issues and break things off? I'm going to try and be as hands-off as possible and see what they decide to do. Snowflake day is coming, and I thought we'd throw a community gift-giving party a the city hall and invite nearly everyone and see if he shows up. There's a wedding arch on the lot. Maybe Danica can try once to see if he'll marry her and break it off if he doesn't? 

She and Alex's brother were also getting a little flirty at the gym, despite him having a girlfriend. 

Decisions,  decisions!