Bunheads -- Fanny's POV

Since the show had the week off for the holiday, I thought I'd take up for Fanny. The show is catered so the viewer sees things from Michelle's point of view. And from that point of view, at times Fanny can come off horrible for the way she's treated Michelle. But if you look at things from Fanny's point of view it's a whole other story.

Fanny gave up everything, including her dancing career, to insure that Hubbell had a good life. I would hope he'd be aware of this fact or at least have some understanding of it. But if he did, he didn't treat Fanny with much regard or gratitude for her sacrifices for him.

He totally sprung Michelle on Fanny without any warning. He didn't even have the decency to give Fanny a call and tell her he was getting married. He apparently told his friend Jerry all about Michelle, but he didn't mention one word to her to his own mother. Nope. But then Fanny probably wouldn't have been that supportive of him acting like a Stage Door Johnny pursuing a woman who had absolutely no interest in him until her life was so sucky she gave into his persistent pursuit by finally agreeing to go out with him. And the only reason she married him was because she was so drunk her entire judgement was affected. I highly doubt Michelle would have married Hubbell if she'd been stone cold sober at the time.

Anyway, there's Fanny blissfully unaware of what her son's been up to while he's been out of town and comes home to have a new bride thrown at her. I don't think many mothers would take that news well. I think Fanny was pretty hurt and angry for what Hubbell did, but she gave a free pass to Hubbell and put the blame on Michelle for what Hubbell did. Michelle is a stranger and Hubbell is the son she knows, loves and raised. Fanny expresses that anger by throwing a party that's more a roast for Michelle than a welcome. Fanny's anger boils over when she's very insulting to Michelle when she asks if she knows how to read, which causes Michelle to storm out and for Hubbell to put his foot down.

Fanny, ultimately, takes Michelle out to get to know her better and to try and find a way to get along with her. Things are actually going pretty well between them when Truly shows up to announce Hubbell is dead. Let me say I think Hubbell was out looking for Michelle and not his mother. He's shown Fanny no regard in this entire situation, so why should he show her any care or loving at this point.

Fanny must feel a great deal of guilt over Hubbell's death, since if she hadn't been so nasty to Michelle that she stormed out of the party, Hubbell would never have been on the road looking for her. He'd have been at home. And mixed with that guilt must also be a feeling he died for nothing since Michelle admitted she didn't love Hubbell.

That scene where Fanny was going on about Truly and Hubbell having true love seemed pretty insensitive to Michelle, but by Michelle's own admission she didn't love Hubbell, so it shouldn't bother her. It would be a different case if Fanny had gone on like that if Michelle was in love with Hubbell. And when Michelle shows more caring for Fanny's feelings than Hubbell did by throwing the memorial service for Hubbell at Fanny's studio, the ice between them began to thaw again. She even gave Michelle the same treatment with Jerry as she did with Truly earlier, acknowledging Michelle's place in Hubbell's life.

Of course, just when things are going smoother between Fanny and Michelle, Hubbell's latest knife is plunged into Fanny's back when she learns the second he married Michelle he put everything [including Fanny's studio] in Michelle's name. Then to make matters worse she sees Michelle going around the property with a realtor. She doesn't know Michelle. Michelle is a stranger to her. So it's very possible her house and studio will be sold out from under her without her being able to do anything to stop it. But in Fanny's good favor was when Michelle got arrested, Fanny got her out of trouble.

If Michelle wants to do the right thing, when she get legal ownership of the land, she should sign the property where the house and studio stand on over to Fanny. The right thing is for Fanny to be given ownership of her house and her ballet studio.

It's too bad Hubbell didn't get all that Fanny sacrificed to raise him and be grateful and thankful for it. She could have aborted him when she got pregnant so he wouldn't jeopardize her dance career. She could have given him up for adoption when his father abandoned her. Instead, she gave up her career for him and he apparently never got the great sacrifice she made, or he wouldn't have given the property her dance studio and house stand on to a woman who didn't even want anything to do with him until he bought her a fancy watch and only married him because she was bombed out of her gourd.

So Fanny's behavior isn't out of line, it's pretty understandable. She's taking out on Michelle what she should be taking out on Hubbell. The sad thing is if Hubbell was alive, she probably still would be taking it out on Michelle instead of her ungrateful son. Of course the irony is Michelle may end up being a better daughter to Fanny than Hubbell was a good son. Thanks, Hubbell. In your selfish cruel behavior to your mother, you may actually end up doing her a favor.