Meta: "Why I Love Wednesday Addams" Part 12: Tyler Galpin

[ysabetwordsmith]

This installment discusses Tyler Galpin and his relationship with Wednesday Addams in Wednesday.

Here is the character study:
Meta: "Why I Love Wednesday Addams" Part 1: Introduction
Meta: "Why I Love Wednesday Addams" Part 2: Ethnicity & Linguistics
Meta: "Why I Love Wednesday Addams" Part 3: An Outcast
Meta: "Why I Love Wednesday Addams" Part 4: Thoughts and Feelings
Meta: "Why I Love Wednesday Addams" Part 5: Relationships
Meta: "Why I Love Wednesday Addams" Part 6: Solitary Accomplishments
Meta: "Why I Love Wednesday Addams" Part 7: Trust and Betrayal
Meta: "Why I Love Wednesday Addams" Part 8: Connected Characters
Meta: "Why I Love Wednesday Addams" Part 9: Enid Sinclair
Meta: "Why I Love Wednesday Addams" Part 10: Eugene & Morticia
Meta: "Why I Love Wednesday Addams" Part 11: Thing
Meta: "Why I Love Wednesday Addams" Part 12: Tyler Galpin

See also:
Wednesday TV Series (The Addams Family) Overview


Tyler Galpin

Tyler Galpin is the son of Sheriff Donovan Galpin and his late wife Francoise. He works at the Weathervane café in Jericho, Vermont not far from Nevermore Academy. There Wednesday meets him while trying to escape from the town, having already escaped from the school. Tyler comes off as hapless -- she has to read the (Italian) manual for the espresso machine in order to repair it for him.

Wednesday asks, “What’s wrong with your machine?” Barista boy answers, “It’s a temperamental beast with a mind of its own, and it doesn’t help that the instructions are in Italian.” Wednesday walks around and snatches the booklet from the boy’s hands, reading it and saying, “I need a tai-wing screwdriver and a four-millimeter Allen wrench.”
The boy frowns, “Wait, you read Italian?” Wednesday looks at him like he’s said something stupid, “Of course. It’s the native tongue of Machiavelli. Here’s the deal. I’m going to fix your coffee machine, then you’re going to make my coffee and call me a taxi.”

Wednesday Addams: I'm not used to people engaging with me. Most see me coming and cross the street.
Tyler Galpin: You're not scary. You're just kinda... kooky.
Wednesday Addams: I prefer spooky.
This quote comes from a TV series ‘Wednesday’. The scene where this moment comes from is from Season 1 Episode 1, with the title of ‘Wednesday’s Child Is Full of Woe’

Tyler then decides to pursue Wednesday. She is in no way interested in romance and indicates this clearly. In fact she's bad with people in general, and is honest about that too. Tyler doesn't care; he makes persistent attempts anyway. Lots of men interpret "no" as "try harder." (Remember, if a guy won't take no for an answer about dating, then he won't with sex either. There are ways to deal with this.) Then when Wednesday continues to be herself, exactly as advertised, he acts confused and hurt. Meanwhile she just finds his adolescent male behavior opaque and annoying. If Wednesday has a sexual interest at all, inept teen boy is clearly not it. What follows is a comedy of horrors. Tyler has only himself to blame. For anyone who wishes to explore consent issues, this makes a great setup.

"I'm not friend material, let alone more-than-friend material. I will ignore you, stomp on your heart and always put my needs and interests first."
-- Wednesday Addams to Tyler

This is not helped by Thing meddling in Wednesday's life. In Episode 4, she has already asked Xavier Thorpe to the Rave'N dance (to cover up her spying on him) but Thing sets her up with Tyler anyway. It also comes out that Tyler has a history of assault and vandalism -- normally not great boyfriend credits, but Wednesday isn't bothered by that. The petty jealousy and possessiveness between Tyler and Xavier over a girl neither of them is even close with? Now that's tiresome. Despite Tyler's claim of Wednesday sending him "mixed signals," she has been crystal clear about her disinterest in him. Probably every woman has had some creepy guy interpret "standing in the same room" as "interest in him." Wednesday reminds Tyler again that she can't understand his feelings (or for that matter, probably romance in general). He continues to have no clue whatsoever.

Wednesday presses him on his mood, and he calls her out for giving him mixed signals. "It's not my fault I can't interpret your emotional Morse code," she fires back. This extremely relatable one liner is bound to be adopted by viewers. Afterward, Tyler offers to spell out his feelings to Wednesday so that she knows exactly what's going on: He likes her, and he thought she liked him too.

(Tyler sees Wednesday in her prom dress...)
Tyler Galpin: Wow, you look...
Wednesday Addams: Unrecognizable? Ridiculous? A classic example of female objectification for the male gaze?
Tyler Galpin: Amazing. I mean it, Wednesday. You look beautiful.
This quote comes from a TV series ‘Wednesday’. The scene where this moment comes from is from Season 1 Episode 4, with the title of ‘Woe What a Night’

In Episode 6, Tyler gets all huffy about Wednesday ignoring him, which is what girls generally do to a guy they don't like. Thus he sets himself up for her trap; Wednesday isn't actually a great liar, but it's easy to convince people of something they want to believe. So Wednesday entices Tyler and Enid to investigate the Gates Mansion with her, where they all get attacked by the monster. Tyler's father sensibly orders him to avoid Wednesday, but that approach never works.

In Episode 7, Tyler succeeds in pressuring Wednesday to go on a date with him. To his credit, he arranges a picnic in Joseph Crackstone’s crypt and they watch Legally Blonde, which is Wednesday's idea of a horror movie. Tyler wants more than just a date, and tries to kiss Wednesday, but his father bursts in and stops them. (This probably saves Tyler from the several knives Wednesday is undoubtedly wearing.) She returns to Nevermore only to find her room ransacked and Thing stabbed. When Wednesday finally does kiss Tyler, though, she has a vision that reveals him as the monster.

Wednesday Addams: [to Tyler] When I came to Nevermore, romance was the last thing on my mind. But when you kissed me, you opened my eyes, and suddenly it all made sense.

By the conclusion in Episode 8, things are thoroughly mangled. Wednesday meets Tyler in the woods, but she suspects him of being the Hyde. Other students help her to capture Tyler, but then flee when she proposes torturing him. These twists put a lot of strain on Wednesday's already low ability to trust or rely on other people. When Tyler transforms into the Hyde and attacks Wednesday, however, he fails to account for her allies, and a wolfed-out Enid rips into him. This allows Wednesday to escape and deal with other problems. At the end of this episode, Tyler is shown in chains, then shifting into Hyde form, so he may well return in subsequent seasons.

One scene in particular stands out. As Tyler leans into Wednesday to whisper threats, the look of horrified revulsion on her face is that of every young woman when a man rubs himself against her and says disturbing things in complete confidence that he'll get away with it. Usually that just provokes Wednesday to violence; this is the first time it actually unsettles her. Also, remember how Angel lost his soul and turned monstrous after having sex with Buffy? Tyler's transformation into the Hyde is a similar representation of how men often change after getting what they want from women; it's a common trope because it's a common problem. Gothic or other paranormal shows just add a layer of phantasmagoric mayhem to that base premise. If you want to play with the "creepy guy" motif, you can't beat Tyler.

Wednesday Addams: What do you want?
Tyler Galpin: To ask a question. What does it feel like?
Wednesday Addams: What does what feel like?
Tyler Galpin: To lose.

Of course, being Wednesday, it doesn't take her long to get back to the pursuit of violence and vengeance. Plus she has a werewolf roommate who does understand pack dynamics and is eager to maul Tyler for messing with Wednesday. But if you ever wanted to write a scene where a girl says NO by means of maiming, now's your chance. That is 100% in character here, according to canon! I'm sure we can all think of 420 ways for Wednesday to remove some of Tyler's junk, without even reusing the piranha.

On the other hoof, some viewers ship Wednesday/Tyler, and that's okay too. See the Wyler page for supporting materials on this relationship. You can take a number of different approaches. Among the easiest is to pick a favorite scene and build on it, because things don't really crash and burn until fairly late in Season 1, so you've got plenty of potential in earlier episodes. A different method is taking a pivotal moment as your turning point for Alternate Universe fanfic. (The time-travel card game Chrononauts calls these Linchpins, and their subsequent effects are Ripple Points.) For possible turning points and plot questions, see my Episodes entry in the series overview. As an example, Xavier or someone else could be the Hyde, rather than Tyler; or the monster could be something else altogether, like Enid wolfing out without realizing it, which derives really well from the rainy footprints scene in Episode 3.

Depending on when in the timeline you choose to launch your ship, you may have some work to do uncreepifying Tyler, but it's doable. He's a teen boy, he's allowed to make mistakes and learn from them and fix them. Maybe Eugene drags Tyler behind the Hummers Workshop and gives him a lesson on hive dynamics. Getting Wednesday to give Tyler the time of day may be considerably harder -- dude needs to find some serious competence somewhere for that. But hey, he works in a coffeehouse, so it's conceivable that he learned great social skills there, an area easy to top her non-existent expertise. Canon gives you at least some things to work with if this is your ship.

10 Most Popular Wednesday Ships

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Dealing with Betrayal

Tips To Create & Write Creepy Characters & Situations

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The Real Inspirations Behind 'Wednesday's' Dance Scene

Relational Transgression

Wednesday Fans Call Out Tyler Claiming She Gave Him Mixed Signals

'Wednesday' Proves Love Triangles Have to Go -- The Everygirl

Wednesday’s Lackluster Love Interests Have Fans Clamoring for Alternatives

What Are Tyler's True Intentions With Wednesday Addams? Hunter Doohan Explains

What Makes a Guy Creepy? 24 Signs & Types of Men Girls Should Avoid

Who Is Wednesday Addams in Love With? -- CBR

Wikihow Guide: How to Not Be Creepy -- USC

Women share their best tactics for scaring away 'creepy' men in public

Comments

Loved this exchange

[ng_moonmoth]

>> Tyler Galpin: You're not scary. You're just kinda... kooky.
Wednesday Addams: I prefer spooky. <<

Nifty callout to the theme song from the long-ago TV series.

Re: Loved this exchange

[ysabetwordsmith]

I loved that too. Another favorite was the "snap twice" passcode to enter the Nightshades library. <3

Really, what Wednesday needs is someone who loves her because of her quirks, not in spite of them. This was such a wonderful hint toward that, but it turned out very disappointing in the end.

[see_also_friend]

>>If Wednesday has a sexual interest at all, inept teen boy is clearly not it.<<

Some people might like ineptitude and childishness in a partner, but... :/

I also wonder if the dynamic of women disliking immature male partners but many men liking immature female partners has to do more with gender roles or power dynamics. Histrionics are much more intimidating when done by someone a foot taller and half-again as heavy as you...

>>It also comes out that Tyler has a history of assault and vandalism -- normally not great boyfriend credits, but Wednesday isn't bothered by that.<<

Also, keep in mind that he mentioned that he stopped hanging out with his friend group. On the one hand yay, they were bullies and good riddance, but on the other he doesn't mention any new social connections, and suddenly becoming a loner fits in with a mental illness (like say a Hyde manifestation). Uncontrolled mental illness* and lack of other social connections are not great signs when considering starting a new relationship either.


>>Despite Tyler's claim of Wednesday sending him "mixed signals," she has been crystal clear about her disinterest in him. Probably every woman has had some creepy guy interpret "standing in the same room" as "interest in him."<<

Yeah, if you're interested: ask nicely and then _wait_ for an answer. Also, don't push boundaries while waiting for that answer.

Women aren't dolls, sheesh.

>>To his credit, he arranges a picnic in Joseph Crackstone’s crypt and they watch Legally Blonde, which is Wednesday's idea of a horror movie. <<

So he has a decent grasp of some social skills. Creepy if you perceive him as a sociopath, has potential if you perceive him as a messed-up kid.

>>Tyler's transformation into the Hyde is a similar representation of how men often change after getting what they want from women; it's a common trope because it's a common problem.<<

I have heard it summed up as: Women understand the social investment during courtship to be a contractual 'subscription fee' to a relationship, and feel betrayed when he stops paying up. Men feel the investment during courtship is an entry fee - and once in the relationship they don't feel obligated to keep paying up.
(These are generalizations, and people aren't locked into them, but I think it is a good illustration of a widespread pattern.)

>>A different method is taking a pivotal moment as your turning point for Alternate Universe fanfic.<<

It would be interesting to see an AU where Tyler doesn't manifest the Hyde until after meeting (and making a connection with) Wednesday. Then after he whatshername tries to activate the Hyde, he ends up imprinting on Wednesday instead (someone he shares interests with, an Outcast who isn't hostile towards him, and someone who is scary enough to make all the upsetting people back off). I think we had a discussion about this in one of the earlier posts...

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> Some people might like ineptitude and childishness in a partner, but... :/

... definitely not Wednesday. She has almost no bullshit tolerance.

>> I also wonder if the dynamic of women disliking immature male partners but many men liking immature female partners has to do more with gender roles or power dynamics. Histrionics are much more intimidating when done by someone a foot taller and half-again as heavy as you... <<

It's also about reproductive strategies. A female invests much energy into few eggs; a male invests little energy into many sperm. A female gains by seeking an older mate who has more resources. A male gains by seeking a younger mate who has more fertility.

>> Also, keep in mind that he mentioned that he stopped hanging out with his friend group. On the one hand yay, they were bullies and good riddance, but on the other he doesn't mention any new social connections, and suddenly becoming a loner fits in with a mental illness (like say a Hyde manifestation). Uncontrolled mental illness* and lack of other social connections are not great signs when considering starting a new relationship either.<<

Well reasoned.

Equating mental illness with monstrosity is bothersome, but well, it's such a big part of Gothic literature that tampering with it would destabilize all the other things connected to it. :/

>>Yeah, if you're interested: ask nicely and then _wait_ for an answer. Also, don't push boundaries while waiting for that answer.

Women aren't dolls, sheesh.<<

If only.

The problem is, men do this because it works, and it works because women let it, and if you point this out then they all go apeshit.

At one point, there were a couple of people creating a mess in public space. When we got tired of it, we hemmed them in together and insisted that they talk it out. She said she didn't want to date anyone at present; he agreed to back off.

And then she went with some other guy who kept pestering her.

The guy side of me felt like I had given him bad advice by saying that if she asked for space, he should give it to her.

It's really hard to convince people to follow rules, when breaking the rules gains them much more.

>>So he has a decent grasp of some social skills. Creepy if you perceive him as a sociopath, has potential if you perceive him as a messed-up kid.<<

True on both points.

>>I have heard it summed up as: Women understand the social investment during courtship to be a contractual 'subscription fee' to a relationship, and feel betrayed when he stops paying up. Men feel the investment during courtship is an entry fee - and once in the relationship they don't feel obligated to keep paying up.<<

Interesting.

I think of courtship as a chance for people to advertise what they bring to a relationship, whether that's money or great sex or loyalty or whatever. If you don't want it to be a part of your relationship, don't bring it into the courtship. People should know what they're getting into.

Also, I note that most successful relationships are successful because the couple invest time and energy in each other, as they did in the beginning, even if the type changes with the flux of their lives. Going to movies might shift to watching TV together over supper, mountain biking might shift to city biking, maybe they have kids and do things as a family with just the occasional date night, etc. But they still have moments of romance. I've seen old couples dancing in front of a live band at a mall, just because they walked by and heard the music.

>>Then after he whatshername tries to activate the Hyde, he ends up imprinting on Wednesday instead (someone he shares interests with, an Outcast who isn't hostile towards him, and someone who is scary enough to make all the upsetting people back off). <<

I like that idea.

Re: Thoughts

[see_also_friend]

>>It's also about reproductive strategies. A female invests much energy into few eggs; a male invests little energy into many sperm. A female gains by seeking an older mate who has more resources. A male gains by seeking a younger mate who has more fertility.<<

Maybe in purely traditional evolutionary terms. Culture's where women co-raise kids with siblings or where a child will have multiple social fathers wouldn't necessarily require the bio-dad to have resources, or at least not on the level of a nuclear-family that pairbonds to raise kids.

Or in other words: women may be predisposed to be more choosy, but I suspect what women are choosy /about/ might vary across cultures, at least a bit.

>>Equating mental illness with monstrosity is bothersome, but well, it's such a big part of Gothic literature that tampering with it would destabilize all the other things connected to it. :/ <<

Maybe, but I think this series does okay. Tyler might be a mentally unstable shapeshifter with ambiguous Power Incontinence, but:

- Enid is a shapeshifter who has trouble with her powers, but she is cheerful, prosocial, and uses her abilities in a protective manner
- Xander has the whole 'tortured artist' thing, and can be kind of obnoxious / socially inept, but we never see him deliberately choosing to hurt anyone, and he seems horrified at the prospect
- something's up with Wednesday; she's unsociable and violent, but she does have a strong moral code and has positive bonds with other people...in a wildly unconventional sense
- Ajax has power incontinence, but it only temporarily inconveniences him and most of that is from being to embarrassed to explain to Enid what happened

So we have Tyler's 'monster/disturbed' traits spread out over several other characters, and none of the others are played as [metaphorical-sense] monsters, only Tyler. So at least to me it comes across as more of a 'Tyler has a dangerous problem' than 'all monsters are dangerous' or 'all disturbed people are dangerous.'

>>The problem is, men do this because it works, and it works because women let it, and if you point this out then they all go apeshit.<<

Because saying "Men act badly because women let them" is a) victim blaming and b) very annoying in the presumption that women are obligated to enforce men's behavior.

I know you are looking at it from (let's say) a logical and social-engineering perspective, but if I did not know you *I* would be very upset at hearing that argument.

>>And then she went with some other guy who kept pestering her.<<

Maybe she felt "no" had to come with a reason, or it wouldn't be respected. Maybe the other guy was a more annoying pester-er. Maybe it was long enough that whatever was going on where she didn't want a partner changed. And NONE of that matters, because the answer she gave the first guy was "No, not interested."
(I'm not thrilled about the lying, but there's a million reasons why she might have lied, and I'm not going to fuss about whatever choices she made to keep herself safe.)

>>The guy side of me felt like I had given him bad advice by saying that if she asked for space, he should give it to her.<<

And I'd say advising your guy friends to hassle people is generally bad advice. If he keeps doing that, he'll gain a reputation with the women in his social circle, might waste time dating women who are disinterested or incompatible but faking a 'likeable' persona, and might even end up committing a crime.

She didn't want to date him and went out with someone else? Fine. Be disappointed for a while, and get up and try again (politely) with someone else.

>>It's really hard to convince people to follow rules, when breaking the rules gains them much more.<<

Like when no means endless pestering and an exhausting argument, but lying about how "My husband won't like that" means they f-off?

>>Interesting.<<

It was somewhere on the Metafilter Emotional Labor thread, if you want to track down the original source.

>>I think of courtship as a chance for people to advertise what they bring to a relationship, whether that's money or great sex or loyalty or whatever. If you don't want it to be a part of your relationship, don't bring it into the courtship. People should know what they're getting into.<<

Sensible, but cultures are often very un-sensible.

>>Also, I note that most successful relationships are successful because the couple invest time and energy in each other, as they did in the beginning, even if the type changes with the flux of their lives.<<

Relationships need investment. Most of 'em don't do to well if you just coast - you will run out of goodwill eventually.

>>I like that idea.<<

Thanks, me too!