iamfitzwilliamdarcy:

i made a comment about wirt’s reaction to beatrice’s betrayal last year but i never got around to actually posting about it, so here are (finally) some thoughts:

@allieinarden has a great post considering Wirt’s dad and his own insecurities that have led us all, instinctively, to conclude he’s been left (rather than his dad has died), and i’m just gonna quote a small part of it here rather than paraphrase bc she’s Too Smart to not read:

It fascinates me that with all the guesses I’ve run across, even in a series fraught with specters of all shapes, I’ve never seen anyone speculate that Wirt’s father might be dead. There’s nothing to contradict it–we only have mention of a remarriage, not of a separation–and Wirt’s attitude toward his mother’s new husband could just as easily be explained by a stubborn, Hamletesque devotion to his father’s memory. But no one’s gone there, because we instinctively feel that Wirt was not merely bereaved but abandoned. His particular line of insecurity–namely, an almost total lack of trust in his fellow human beings–is very telling, as is his refusal to make a stir in the world. That children of divorce commonly blame themselves and their own actions for the separation is proverbial to the point of cliché. Wirt has survived the years since his father’s departure by keeping his head down, beset by the fear that if he does anything noticeable–confess to his crush, play the clarinet in public–something bad will happen.

Going off that, Wirt doesn’t really seem to have friends. He keeps people at a distance, and it’s more than just being nervous to talk to his crush. He watches the football game (or, well, mostly Sarah) from the other side of the fence before Greg steals his tape and forces his hand to talk to the other girls; he won’t go into the party because he wasn’t invited even though everyone seems super cool about him being there and they all say hi to him. He won’t go to the graveyard bc Jason Funderburker will be accompanying Sarah. 

As Allie points out his particular brand of insecurities, too–he’s constantly explaining why he does the things he does, like he’s trying to justify it. He’s proud of his costume until someone asks him what he’s supposed to be and he just stammers out some “I just thought”s and never even gives an actual answer. He’s terrified of being Known, of, as Allie says, even being Noticed. 

But Wirt opens up to Beatrice. He tells her his Secrets that are Too Secret (and she validates them! He’s normal, not Too Weird for her!). He talks about things he knows–housing styles, clarinet. He even sings and dances around her when they’re on the Frog Ferry, happy enough about almost being home that he doesn’t seem to remember to be insecure–even better! She encourages him to play the Basoon after he protests he’ll be bad at it and “nobody wants to hear that” (albeit bc she thinks it WILL be bad and she’s trying to get them kicked off the ferry but he doesn’t know that)…and…he does!! he plays the basoon in front of someone! 

Her betrayal, I think, is the start of his despair. It’s funny because he’s definitely mad at her, but what he says is “I thought we were friends” and then, later, “I shouldn’t have trusted anyone.” It’s self-recrimination–he’s mad because he knew, he knew, not to trust anyone, he knew (if anyone knew him) he’d be abandoned again. As Allie reminds us: His particular line of insecurity–namely, an almost total lack of trust in his fellow human beings–is very telling

The one time he does trust someone, she betrays him. He’s angry enough to leave, but he thinks she’s left them first. He doesn’t need her, he tells Greg. He tells Greg he, Greg, can do whatever he wants. It’s an implicit he doesn’t need Greg either. Wirt doesn’t need anyone (but, lol, if that were true he would’ve been lost to the Unknown a long time ago). 

(The immediate next episode, he finds Lorna and as soon as he starts kinda liking her, she tries to eat him. He manages to save Lorna, which you’d think would be a positive! But it’s not his to stay with her, or Lorna’s to leave Auntie Whipsers, and so she never really Knows him. I’m inclined to think he wouldn’t let her even if they had more time together.)

And that’s when he starts despairing–he’s been betrayed by Beatrice, who he never should have trusted or let Know him in the first place. Beatrice was also their Only ticket home–she’d promised Adelaide would help them. Their other option was to follow the Woodsman, and Wirt thinks he’s the Beast. Without Beatrice, Wirt has no plan–he can’t trust anyone to get them out of the Unknown, but as much as he says he doesn’t need anyone, he can’t get them out himself either. What else is there to do but lay down and submit to fate?

But Beatrice comes back. Greg being taken is already a wake up call for Wirt, and he’s terrified and recognizes how much he’s failed his brother, but he also has to be rescued by Beatrice and she’s the one who helps him find Greg again.