#personally i have focused on the compartmentalizing which sort of removes the guilt from the equation

[ripclaudia]

hi! ok i was thinking about roman and gerri (as one does) and wanted to see what others think so i’m sharing my tinfoil hat theory here if that’s cool! i feel like there’s so much speculation about why gerri indulges roman and i’m a believer that she’s genuinely fond of him, often likes his company, enjoys their “encounters” etc. but i was also considering the idea that part of why she’s so close to him (and also lenient and understanding of his horrible behavior) is out of a sense of guilt? like there’s this angle to their relationship where she’s known the siblings since they were kids, seen how logan treats them, often stood by as they’re mistreated and stayed loyal to logan anyway and i think it’s possible there’s some level of shame about that. like an underlying guilt for a) the horrible things she’s done working for waystar and b) the abuse she’s seen occur to the children and within the family. maybe this is totally off-base but i could see her way of dealing with that being choosing one of the kids (one she already has some amount of affection for) and taking him under her wing, acting as a mentor, comforting presence, sexual outlet, etc. and maybe she has a hard time totally cutting ties w/ roman when he ignores her boundaries because she feels some responsibility for the person he’s turned into? i’m saying this as someone who adores both gerri and roman as characters but also of course they’re both morally bankrupt and i think that’s part of what makes it so interesting. i’m super curious to hear your thoughts! and it’s cool if you think this is totally wrong lmao

hi! it's absolutely okay to share this here, there's nothing i love more than hearing people's thoughts on roman, gerri or romangerri!! especially when the theories are super interesting, i have to say straight away that i love how your brain works.

it's an interesting point that gerri might have some level of underlying guilt or shame about the things she has done and she has witnessed but i personally don't feel like it'd be something that would lead her to mentor one of the kids. i think that she is very good at compartmentalizing and separating her work life from her personal life and the roys have been firmly part of the work life. when working, she is the stone-cold killer bitch and i think that she is self-serving enough to think that she's just doing her job (re. the horrible things she's done for waystar) and that it's not her place to intervene (re. the roy kids). i'm kind of reminded of the sin cake eater speech from 1.04.

i also don't think she consciously regrets the things she has done or hasn't done so for me, it's not guilt that drives her to mentor roman or be more lenient with him. you mentioned responsibility which is something i see working here, though in a different context: gerri is the authority figure in their relationship and i think she feels responsible for the direction their relationship has taken. so not exactly responsible for the person roman has turned into but rather for the state of their relationship, in a way?

your theory is absolutely valid though, i personally just see things differently! i see gerri's interest in roman starting as something self-serving and mostly purely professional, which then gets complicated by genuine fondness for him and obviously by introducing the sexual aspect to their relationship. for me the fondness she has for him is the key player in why she's so lenient with him, not exactly guilt. and also the fact she knows he's a little bit fucked up.

this was super interesting to think about! i haven't spent time thinking about guilt in this context and it was really cool to think about your perception of the situation. it's so nice how people have different reads and interpretations of the relationship between characters! if u have any follow-up thoughts or questions or commentary or anything feel free to send them in whenever <3