Why We like Jimmy and Lou
Please write in to express your thoughts and feelings on what interests you about Jimmy and Lou, and the triangle with Kid.
In Sweden, they first sent the first two seasons of TYR, then waited a year,
then sent the third, then sent reruns for a couple of years. I came in somewhere in
the middle of the first time around, so, I always thought Jimmy and Lou
where a better couple than Kid and Lou. Why? Well, let me just put it this
way. If some guy babied me the way Kid babies Lou, I'd want to hit him in
the head with a hammer. Kid is a lovely person, but he can't seem to realize
that Lou doesn't want to be protected, and I bet that'll cause them some
trouble in their future.
Since the beginning of the show I have always loved Jimmy and thought
that Lou, doing what she did, was wonderful. Could you imagine in that
time and place to have an opportunity like that, to surround yourself
with wonderful men! OK, enough drooling, on to why I like Jimmy and Lou.
I have always been more of the underdog fan rather than the supposed
"Mr. Perfect" fan. Jimmy and Kid fit that description. Jimmy was dark,
moody and tough on the outside and, face it, when it came to Lou or any
of his lady loves, he was marshmallow on the inside. Kid was just sort
of cake all the way through, pretty to look at and very sweet. I don't
know about you all, but I love spice, and that's what Jimmy had and what
Lou saw. Sure, Kid would be the "perfect" husband, father, do the
"right thing" always etc....but what I think she saw in Jimmy was
someone who could understand her completely and just accept her for who
she was. It always irritated me that Kid was never really happy with
her unless she was doing things his way. After all that she
accomplished with pretending to be a boy, riding for the Express with
all the dangers involved, how could she just meekly give it all up to
marry Kid in the end? Sure, love conquers all you say, but I think that
after a while, she would be unhappy because she changed herself for
someone else. Kid should have loved her for who she was: Lou/Louise,
not try to change her into what he wanted.
As for Jimmy, well he saw her at her worst and her best and loved her
through it all (isn't that the type of man we all want? ) :), what more
could a girl ask for? Alright, so he had that hang up about not wanting
his reputation getting her in any trouble, but they all got into plenty
of trouble without his reputation being the cause. Just another excuse
and I think the writers really blew it with this one story line! Ok,
I've stood on my soapbox long enough but I just had to get all this
out. :)
Like everyone else, I lived for those wonderful moments in the show where there was a hint of the undeniable chemistry between Jimmy and
Lou. I think there was a powerful bond between them that was meant to echo throughout their inevitably different lives. Perhaps each
represented to the other a tantalising glimpse of what life could be like, if they were to take that particular road. I'm sure my heart stopped in
'The Blood of Others' when Jimmy finally kissed her, and then my heart was wrenched out and thrown into the dirt when Elias was hanged and
Lou instinctively turned to Kid for comfort, and in that one action, made her choice between them.
The attraction and affection Jimmy and Lou felt for one another was one of those things that I think both realised could never grow into
something truly lasting. As others have mentioned, it was pre-destined from the first episode that Kid and Lou were meant to be, and in many
respects this was as it should be, for Kid was incredibly sweet and loving towards her (if a mite possessive and over-protective!) and anyone
sitting dry-eyed through their wedding night in the last episode has a heart made of stone! Perhaps Kid will never fully understand Lou in the
way Jimmy did, but he was able to offer her the kind of life that will sadly always elude Jimmy. As Cheryl put it so well, Jimmy 'loves Lou too
much to let his life hurt her'.
Of course, it won't stop us all dreaming of, writing about and replaying all their wonderful scenes together!!! The Kid-Jimmy-Lou triangle gave
the series much of its spice, a lot of its drama and a huge chunk of its heart.
I can't resist a small quibble though - WHY did they finally have to (tentatively) link up our darling Jimmy with the very unsympathetic
Rosemary??!!
Ride safe everyone!
I'm a big fan of Lou and Jimmy because I think they were made for one
another. I could never understand why on earth the show persisted in keeping
Lou and Kid together. I think it is so unfortunate that the show created
such a great character in Lou, and then ultimately defeated her in the end by
forcing her to give up "Lou" and become "Louise" just for the sake of
marrying Kid.
Everything I liked about Lou - her independence, her strength, her
courage, and her unfailing ability to keep up with the rest of the boys in
every way - was what Jimmy loved about her. Unlike Kid, he would never ask
her to stop being "Lou." He seemed to understand that she could wear a dress
and be a lady, while at the same time, ride a horse and shoot the bad guys.
With him, she would never have to choose.
And I loved Jimmy, of course, because he was gorgeous, courageous,
loyal, complicated, and heroic. While Kid was always doing the right thing, I
think Jimmy (and Lou) struggled more with issues that meant a lot to him, and
that made him so much more sympathetic, not to mention appealing.
All in all, I think if Lou and Jimmy had gotten together, they
would've made an unstoppable team. Thank goodness for fan fiction (and
especially the Sanctuary!) for helping me and all Jimmy/Lou fans continue
their characters and their stories!
Couldn't resist adding my two cents to the discussion. First of all
I like the triangle of Lou, Jimmy and Kid. But I really do think that
Lou and Jimmy would have meshed better than her and Kid. If you think
about it, Lou and Kid are really very different people. Most of their
problems are related to their different perspectives on the world, or to
being in different moods at the same time. At first Lou was shy and Kid
was coming on strong, then Kid was shy and Lou was coming on strong.
They broke up because Lou wasn't ready for marriage and Kid was being
too protective and jelouse. Then in the next episode Lou was jelouse and
wanted Kid back. But through it all you kinda had a feeling that they
were going to somehow make it through because they really loved each
other.
Ok, this wasn't supposed to be a Kid and Lou thing, so getting back
to Jimmy and Lou. The thing with Jimmy and Lou is that they are very
similar people. You get the feeling that they understand each other in a
way no one else does. Lou knows that although Jimmy's a hothead and
charged into danger at the first of the show, what he really wants is
just someone to love him and a family. Which is exactly what Lou wants.
Lou also knows where Jimmy's going to end up. I really think that she
knew he was going to die young and tragically (which he was fairly young
whe he died). Jimmy is probably the only one that knows and gives Lou
the respect she wants. Jimmy also knows how trapped Kid makes Lou feel.
And they both fall in love the same way, fast and hard. They just know
and understand each other so perfectly. Like words are never really
needed. They never do say they love each other, but they both know that
they do. Forget the writers, all you need to good actors.
But sorry to say part of what I like about Jimmy and Lou is that
they can never be. Lou's heart has already been claimed by Kid by the
time Jimmy starts to have feelings for her. There is a time in there
where I think if Jimmy had made a move and followed it up, Lou would
have gone for him. She does love him. But I really do see Jimmy as the
kind of man that for whatever reason, runs from love and happiness. He
loves Lou too much to let his life hurt her. So he sacrifices his love
for her safety. I know he's a stupid guy. Sorry I like that unfulfilled,
you'll never know if it was really meant to be thing. Anyway I've
probably rambled on enough, for more on my opinions of Lou and Jimmy
read "It Was Never Meant to Be" in Pony Tales of Riders Coming.
There are a couple of reasons why I liked the whole "relationship" and
interaction between Jimmy and Lou. One of the reasons is that I think
that the two characters are extremely alike. They are both living their
lives behind the mask of misconception. Because of this, they sometimes
lose touch with who they know they are, or want to be, inside. Jimmy
knows he is a true and faithful friend and does not take pride in taking
another's life. However, stories and rumors paint him to be a ruthless
killer, and it's these rumors that sometimes force him to conform to the
image that was first created by dime-novelist J.D. Marcus. (Although,
he did seem to want be known as a 'bad boy' in the early episodes, he
soon comes to realize that maybe that's not the way he wants to be
perceived anymore...that he doesn't always want to hide his sensitivity
behind the tough exterior.)
Lou knows she is a woman and has very feminine feelings and instincts.
She wants to be able to show people the beauty that lay hidden under her
shapeless man's clothes, pulled-down hat, and spectacles. At the same
time, Lou wants to protect herself from the dangers that the West poses
to a single, young woman, dangers that she had been forced to deal with
at an early age. So, she masquerades as a boy, and those who don't know
any better, treat her as such. Sometimes, it seems that parading as a
boy, even when around those who know she is not, causes her to be more
"rough" and take on traits typically considered masculine (which I don't
necessarily think is a bad thing, but considering the times, it was rare
and probably frowned upon in most cases). An example that comes to mind
is in "Requiem For A Hero" when Lou has just come back from a long run
and storms in to the bunkhouse, without cleaning up, and uses her hands
to shovel food onto her plate. Doesn't this sound more like something
that would be "acceptable", at least usual, behavior by Cody or the
other boys? Well, Rachel promptly tells her to take a shower. There are
many other cases where Lou is forced to do things typically masculine
because of dangers associated with her job and her wish to make
outsiders think she is no different than the other riders.
Because of the similarities between Jimmy and Lou, they are able to
understand each other on a level that maybe no one else can. Lou sees
through Jimmy...she sees his sensitivity and fears and his wish to live
a'normal' life where he can find the love a woman like Kid has found
with Lou. I think "The Blood Of Others" is a perfect example of this
insight that Lou has when it comes to Jimmy.
Another reason I like the relationship between Jimmy and Lou so much is
that there is just so much sexual tension created between them that is
never fully explored! As said before, from the very first time Jimmy
finds out Lou is a woman, there are little hints and looks between the
two of them throughout the series that are not
followed up.
Finaly, Jimmy can be seen as sort of the 'bad boy' that all the girls
like because he's tough and aloof, not to mention handsome, whereas Kid
is the guy you know you ought to be with...but you still wonder what
would happen if you could tame that bad boy! ;-)
(As you can see, I have a lot to say on the subject!)
I suspected for a long time that something would happen between Jimmy
and Lou. I often saw them flirting and hoped that they would be
together. I almost died when he suddenly kissed her. Kid is reliable and
good and that's fine, but Jimmy is exciting. He treated Lou like an equal
and I wish they could have explored the relationship more, but hey,
that's what you writers are for.
I like Jimmy and Lou because I really felt both the characters and
the actors had great on-screen chemistry. They both exhibited a lot of passion,
extreme loyalty, toughness, and daring. You could say they were made for each
other. I've spent a lot of time thinking about this, and about the Kid. I do
feel a certain respect for "the way the writers intended," however, I for one
would like to have seen Jimmy and Lou's relationship explored in more detail.
I always felt it was a "hot potato" the writers toyed with since the fourth
episode of the series, "Bad Blood." I think they should have developed this
avenue more than what they finally did in "The Blood of Others." While I was
excited to see the issue brought to the forefront, I was discouraged by their
refusal to follow through on it once the box was opened. However, because
there was no "official" resolution, I think this is what has encouraged so many
fans to write fanfiction stories telling their own versions. In this way, the
dream of Jimmy and Lou will live on forever!
Katarina
long-time fan
Yvonne
Joanne (Melbourne, Australia)
Kimberly
Cheryl
~*~*~ Beth
Ann
Tanya
