Friday Barnes Spam

Extensive Ian analysis no one asked for.

Exactly the title. By the way, you either have to listen to young and beautiful or the Ian playlist, which I linked while reading.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0oEo84T2gHDKY2wuQbzdqD?si=0203ccc08d014e11

THIS IS NOT SPRATT BASHING well it kinda is but doesn't take it too seriously. Ian bashing too but I love him so it's okay.

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Subject: Ian Friedericks Wainscott.

My main topic for this analysis of canon (emphasis on canon because I'll go onto my redesign of him later and how my redesign resolves some canon stuff) Ian is that he is nothing without Friday and is only a relevant character because of her since he has nothing else to support him.

His Development (or lack of):

Ian's victimisation is out of control and is used as an excuse for him being a dickhead. No one is saying his trauma is not important. In fact, I feel like it's underdeveloped and should be important to the story but the fact it's not really touched on is really upsetting and feels like a total missed opportunity to add depth to his character. He has mountains of trauma that we only know because it was barely mentioned. His mother was neglectful in his young childhood and, in words from the book, "at parties". This could be hinting at drinking or cheating. His father we know is a deadbeat. He never had hung out with Ian and was a 'workaholic'. Putting two together, probably means Ian was left to fend for himself a lot. Left home alone with a rabid dog that was dangerously violent. He has major parental issues and when it could've been touched on, it's instead used as an excuse for him being a horrible person. He made Friday feel so bad she wanted to move schools. Sure, his actions are understandable at first, but they never get better, and when they do it's random and without explanation. He has never once apologised for his actions (which include harassment, attempted involuntary manslaughter, social humiliation, and more that will be touched on later). The one time where he 'almost' did, he tried to shift the blame by saying it was good that he framed her for making ricin and almost sent her to jail! Saying it would've been bad if he didn't because therefore Friday would've never met Malcolm. This isn't an apology, and he has never once apologised for any of his actions (Friday hasn't either but I'll touch on that later too). Ian could've been a complex character, but his character is like the saying 'the abused becomes the abuser'. We, as the audience, are supposed to ignore all of this and sympathise with him. Console him and act as though it's all fine that he lashes out on Friday and he's just a poor baby with a horrible father. The reality is that it's not an excuse for his actions and he should've apologised for them ages ago.

But now let's put ourselves in Ian's shoes. He's a preteen boy who's never had a good home life. An only child, absent, con artist father, and neglectful mother. He craves parental love and care, specifically from his father. He'd do anything to get it. Then, one day, his beloved father is arrested. Ian is enraged. Even though he knows his father is a bad person, he still wants him to love him. He just wants his father to love him, he's enraged now because he'll be left alone with his absent mother that could care less about him. Then he goes to school, his safe place, scared sick someone will find out he's a scholarship student and expose him. He'll just be even more distant from his peers. And then Friday comes along. Friday Barnes, the girl who ruined his life. Ian's angry. He despises the girl even though he's never met her, and now here she was in his school. In his class. So, he does what he's always known, and lashes out because he doesn't understand his feelings. From that point, he vows to ruin her. Then he's fucked because uh oh! Now he needs her help, and so a neutral bond is formed (even though it could've been done much better). Slowly, he starts to realise that she was not as cruel as a beast as he imagined, and slowly, they become somewhat friends. Until his father comes again and crashes any platform of friendship they had created. Ian is torn and humiliated. The girl who he had started to like had just ruined his chance to be with his father, the one man he wanted validation from. Ian, the boy who would talk back to anyone and didn't need anyone's approval, craved validation. And yet, all this is brushed past with a few interactions and everyone's happy again. The way in book 7, they're just suddenly in love irks me. Ian is jealous and Friday denies it has been going on since book 2. Then, we just have to presume one singular kiss made them fall in love. The scene before the meeting with Dr Belcredi at the end also irked me. Ian acts like he's always liked her and has wanted to kiss her and yet we hardly see it (besides how desperate and bold he was in book 6 at camp, I saw all that). Would it kill the author to have given Ian some redemption?