True. David had been in an odd state where she was concerned for years. We know what he thought about her, and if you're observant you know it developed fairly early, but although he constantly hinted and joked around the fact of being attracted to her, he was not able, or perhaps not
ready, to say in so many words that the feelings went deeper until much later. We know what he thinks, but he has to be threatened by outside forces in order to feel provoked that
it's now or never.
Look to that scene early in "Blonde on Blonde," when all of a sudden he switches from the fun of the poker game to noticing that Maddie's acting a little strange. So he
kneels down and
pleads for her to tell him the truth. "
If anything's causing you pain, I definitely want to know about it..."
Pretty close right there. And with what follows. You don't go chasing somebody all over town out of fear for their safety--and desire for them to be with
you instead--unless there is something very serious going on.
It does take (literally) a beating and a stint in jail for Dave to get rattled enough to admit that it's
that word. Although I half wonder if he really knew it already, he just didn't want to say it because then he knew he'd have to confront her. And possibly be rejected, lose his job, who knows...perhaps he was already thinking about this, but kept it secret because like anybody else, like
her in fact, he didn't want to be embarrassed in the event that he should lose or her interest not be the same. This had to become worse when she actually tells him she's looking for someone else.
Although they actually did 'go out' for the evening in "Symphony in Knocked Flat," that one is almost in the atmosphere of a friendly dare. At other times I seem to remember random mentions of somebody grabbing some dinner at the end of the day, though this would seem to be just the average thing people from the same office always do. So it almost has to become a threat that,
watch it, pal, she could be gone!--before David is pushed to go into motion.
I watched some of this part of the series recently and noticed two things. One, Sam seemed to be a bit more jumpy than I'd ever thought before. Kind of something about his eyes. He usually projects this attitude of being laconic and supposedly the perfect match 'on paper,' but watch him here and there and see if he isn't nervous and fidgety every so often. Hmmm. (In the restaurant, he just
glares, and when he's at the house to ask her, I don't know, I just get this funny look.) Disturbing.
I am almost convinced that he was in a hurry to propose to Maddie in order to head David off at the pass. From the moment David showed up at the door--and do you think Sam noticed the flowers?--to the interruption at the restaurant, Sam had to figure that
something was going on. He'd immediately contrast himself with David, then, and probably reason he'd better do something David hadn't. Sam considers himself
a better person than David, more high class if you know what I mean, and his jump statement forced Maddie to suddenly compare which one of them was really right for her. It also shocked David into a sense of desperation, that time was really running out.
What ramps up the shock even
more is the fact that David almost didn't know about the big announcement. Maddie was not inclined to tell him, and I'm sure Sam wasn't going to let him know. What if she and Sam had just gone away for the weekend and...you know?
Would have been the end of the world for poor David.
This isn't the first time in the show that David was cornered and didn't know what to do. As much as he kids Maddie about different things, in a crisis, he also turns to her for help. Look at the fight with his father in "The Son Also Rises." But now, since the issue is about Maddie herself, he doesn't have her to finish solving the problem and must go it on his own.
I believe Mr. Caron says something in one of the commentaries about the different effect the characters have on each other.
"He gives her a sense of humor," he says, and then she gets him to edge from being the raffish party boy to a forthright, confident man.
"The truth will out." And thank goodness for it.
(26 days and counting--four weeks from last Tuesday!... ;D)