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Mrs Perry, the 50s Housewife & Neil

This entire post is inspired by a discord discussion so I can't take all the credit, but Mrs Perry gives off alllll the signals of a 50s housewife reliant on emotional suppression and prescription pills to cope with the demands of post-war society.

'They used barbiturates to aid in sleep, minor tranquilizers to ease anxiety, and amphetamines to help lose weight and boost energy. [...] Women’s pill consumption signals their difficulties, at times, before feminism of the era explicitly touched upon them' - Erin Brown, You Go to My Head: Women's Prescription Pill Use in Postwar America

Her smoking while she waits for Neil to return with Mr Perry from the play suggests a habit to cope with stress. It’s also notable that she hurries to put it out. Is this a further sign she’s smoking to relieve anticipation, or is it something she doesn’t want Neil to see?

And Mr Perry? His treatment of her can partly be explained by patriarchal family structure. What Mr Perry wants, Mr Perry gets. He is head of the family, and takes the lead in family communications with Neil, so much that beneath Mr Perry's repeated use of 'we,' it's difficult to discern how Neil's mother feels.

In the scenes set in the Perry house, we mainly see the family in Mr Perry's study. This direct parallel to Nolan's office INSIDE Neil's home emphasises the rule of authority over his life, and the extent of how trapped he is.

The parallel is important because Nolan's office is shown as a place of punishment for the students, and a reinforcement of their lack of agency.

More specifically, the deleted scenes show school clubs being dictated to the boys as they stand in front of Nolan’s desk. This confirms that school annual - and the editorial position that Neil earned - is taken from him on Mr Perry's whim, just as his whole life is ripped away the next time he stands beside a desk in Mr Perry’s office.

The hurt and betrayal Neil feels in these early scenes is hidden from Nolan, and he submits to the authority of his father. But Neil can no longer hide his hurt by the end. He has gained and then lost too much to accept the stricter controls Mr Perry is imposing.

So what does Mrs Perry do when faced with her son's obvious distress? Almost nothing.

Her worry for her son is real, but she shows no true support that Neil can rely on. He looks to her for help and comfort twice. The first time, she looks down, then back at Neil, and says nothing. The second time is after she begins to speak, but her one attempt fails, and she falls back into passivity.

She stands aside. It's as if Mrs Perry isn't really there, stuck behind an invisible boundary observing the damage as the scene unfolds.

It's only when Mr Perry leaves that she provides some fleeting comfort - but this comfort doesn't feel present to Neil. She doesn't articulate her support, doesn't touch him, or make signs that Neil can grasp without doubting her belief in him.

Instead of prioritising her son, she follows Mr Perry without complaint, leaving Neil to grieve alone for the loss of everything he holds dear.

This tiny scene says so much about the dysfunctional family dynamic Neil has been raised in. It's impossible to say when it started, or when his mother stopped advocating for Neil's emotional wellbeing, but there's definitely a bond - however strained - between mother and son that isn't shared with Mr Perry.

As @desire-mona has said, Mr Perry uses his wife and possibly her health to guilt and manipulate Neil into following his demands. There's definitely an argument to made for Mrs Perry having fragile health. If this is physical, or a 'nervous' ailment historically diagnosed in housewives, or a combination of the two isn't clear. Whatever it is, she must not be upset.

This puts a lot of pressure on a child, and Neil (understandably) complies under the threat. As the above scene implies, Neil is blamed, and likely blames himself, if Mrs Perry's symptoms get worse around the time he disobeys, or just fails to please his parents.

The Perrys different reactions to stress are clearest at the discovery of Neil's death. The shock causes Mr Perry to bypass anger (although anger returns in his search for someone - i.e. Keating - to blame) and his care for Neil surfaces. This is the first time his care is shown through sympathetic emotion rather than demands for Neil to succeed.

Mrs Perry hurtles into denial. Her body is reacting to distress, but she can't comprehend reality. 'He's alright,' she repeats, retreating into a fragile imagined safety to cope.

@pencileraser1 has also linked the parallels between Mrs Perry and Neil smoking to the possibility of an inherited mental illness.

Being raised in an emotionally abusive household, and internalising the shame of not conforming to Mr Perry's ideal would be enough to contribute to depression in Neil. But I think both mother and son could share dissatisfaction and a desire for escapism.

When faced with the constraints of the larger system they live under, their mental illness plays out in different ways.

Neil finds a healthier outlet behind the backs of authority through the club, acting, and finding an adult mentor to support him, while Mrs Perry has little to no opportunities to escape the confines of the home or the scrutiny of her community.

Once these opportunities (and coping mechanisms) are taken from him, Neil doesn't turn to smoking, escapist poetry, or other forms of temporary numbing. He's seen his parents suburban lives, seen the life they want for him, and perhaps he can't and won't live in quiet compliance the way Mrs Perry does.

I wonder how Mrs Perry copes afterwards? Does she see a decent therapist? Separate (but not divorce) from Mr Perry? Does she take pills and numb herself further? I don't think I want to know.

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Oxford, England

Don’t repost

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merlin straight up inventing the legend of the sword in the stone to make his gay crush feel better about himself is the best take on arthuriana ever actually

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2x08 | Untapped Potential THE ARTFUL DODGER

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never ask a woman her age a man his salary your mutual how late it is in her timezone when she starts posting about that bisexual man

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Fragments of a Beethovenfest deko I found at a thrift store in Vienna - 2020

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Sharon Olds, from "Something Is Happening", One Secret Thing: Poems

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OH MY GOD DOES THAT THING SHES STANDING BY HAVE THE TTPD SYMBOL ON IT🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨

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what they say: im fine

what they mean: there's a deleted scene from dps where todd reads a poem in the cave for the first time, fully confident in his abilities. he's breaking out of his shell and has found his voice thanks to the poets, thanks to neil. this scene was supposed to be shown in between the cuts of neil's suicide, followed by a scene of the poets dancing and reciting poetry with mr. keating by a frozen waterfall. todd gains his voice at the exact same moment neil loses his forever. what the fuck. todd and the poets celebrate their life while neil loses his.

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hi I really loved your ttpd analysis and would love to know your top 3 best/worst songs! 🫶🏻

thank you <33

and only 3??? impossible. i’d have to rate them by lyrics or theme or feelings just to narrow it down.

but the songs i listen to least are definitely imgonnagetyouback, so high school, and robin

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There is no friend as loyal as a book.

- Ernest Hemingway

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Dead Poets Society as Stranger Things Characters

including my reasons for why :))

Neil Perry as Nancy Wheeler

I feel like no one ever really expects much of these characters so when they turn out to actually be batshit crazy everyone takes a moment and just goes ‘what’

Todd Anderson as Will Byers

quiet and queer, need I say more?

Charlie Dalton as Steve Harrington

I feel like this doesn’t need any explanation. The term ‘big dick is back in town’ applies to both.

Knox Overstreet as Mike Wheeler

both fall in love with a girl just from seeing her once

Richard Cameron as Billy Hargrove

misunderstood asshole, need I say more?

Steven Meeks as Dustin Henderson

my smartie boys (also both adore their counterpart Steve/Charlie)

Gerard Pitts as Barb

irrelevant bestfriend (sadly 🥲)

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All I Wanna Do

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every time the ghosts sing it feels like my childhood favourite band have reunited

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carolyn

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i love you glass breaking at the end of babooshka i love you ocean waves in and dream of sheep i love you flies buzzing during delius i love you footsteps in all we ever look for i love you random animal noises in the dreaming i love you prelude to lily i love you whispering in stereo in jig of life i love you whale songs in waking the witch

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I love finding clips of the dead poets society cast doing random ass side quest movies and TV shows in the 80s and 90s. This is Dylan Kussman playing a burger joint employee ?? 😭