#expectations / having decided they're engaged in first grade / inertia & stifling & lack of options since then

[unproduciblesmackdown]

also found this person's summary of summer stock illuminating:

"Summer Stock Musical 🍒I know this is a bit different from what I usually post but I could not write about it! Summary: Set in the 1950s, inspired by the movie with the same name. It's about a girl named Jane and her family's farm. Jane and her father struggle to meet the work demands of their farm's summer harvest. As their employees and nearby farms are entirely bought out by the Windgates. They are the last family-owned farm standing, all hope seems lost. Until Jane's sister, Gloria gets the female lead role in her theater company. In an attempt to impress the director, Joe, Gloria suggests that she has a place for them to use. Since the group keeps bouncing from place to place, Gloria takes them from the city and to her family's farm in the country. Jane, shocked by the unexpected visit by her sister and company in tow, she's very against them using the barn for their new production. But after a music number, a deep conversation with her sister, and a failed marriage proposal by Windgates' son which reveals Windgates' true intentions. Jane agrees, as long as they help with this summer's harvest. As the barn is converted to a theater for their new show, funny antics, drama and inspiration pursue. As Jane accepts theater and her dreams back into her life, she ends up falling in love with Joe and becomes lead lady as her sister ends up becoming producer. In a last-ditch effort, they use their new show to save the farm by hosting a grand opening night for everyone in show business to come see. Even though Margaret Windgate throws multiple roadblocks in their way, these sisters and company aren't determined to give up so easily. It's an amazing musical and I haven't had this much fun at a show in a while! It's genuine and has amazing characters and dialogue. It's like a breath of fresh air. I love everything about this musical! It's so funny! I love the sisters' bond. The choreography was stunning. I love the use of old music and songs. Honestly, I didn't know it was inspired by a movie. There's just so much I want to say about it. Honestly, I really hope to see it again, and somehow it can become mainstream. It's such a feel-good musical! ♾️/ 5⭐️"

put together w/various other pieces of info (list of initial songs/scenes, highlights video, a review's details) confirming that orville does propose to jane and they just get that out of the way so soon that it's presumably the wingates' introduction, that "always" sequence being early & the first listed to take place at the wingate house. which is just funny & then potentially does free both orville & jane up to like, just clearly not be engaged, whether or not they Ostensibly are....then intrigued about how orville ends up at the barn to have an adorable meetcute probably via piano with phil; maybe he's just supposed to be convincing jane to accept the proposal & in actually not being that into that task is able to wander around & get musical with it

also shoutout to mentioning gloria further, the details of her plotline remain relatively elusive (so does pop falbury's but i kinda just figure he's more of this steadfast supportive parent out here) and i was wondering if she isn't even in that lead role that jane ends up with, here it seems that she Is, but is also clarifying that she ends up in the producer role really, and i'm gonna presume that's her discovering better what she likes to do rather than like, just that she has to get out of the way for jane, same as how idk if there's as much glorville as there is orvphil apparently lol, Again simply no info i've found yet, but i am gonna imagine that if there is it's also more "open-ended" as in like, no supposed touchstones of Official romance, but. and like Why Not figure that these two people who are both discovering their passion for behind-the-scenes theatrical goings on might just be like oh hey, on the same wavelength, working together, getting along. i imagine that the show gives both orville and gloria arcs in their own rights rather than being people basically in jane's way, and everything seeming to suggest that gloria and jane's relationship is great is like yeah thank god, crucial shift thank you