Post by jemcetera on May 16, 2020 22:33:54 GMT
god okay i have so many theories and headcanons about this musical, but i'm going to start with my favorite! (also, all of these will be about Cats 1998 unless otherwise specified!)
So, here's my boldest take. Demeter is quite possibly the most developed character in this show, as well as one of the most important.
WARNING: I'll be discussing abuse and kidnapping in this post!!
Let's start with Demeter's relationship to the rest of the Jellicles. Unfortunately, we don't know a lot about most of the inter-character relationships in Cats, but there are a few that are more obvious. Some of these relationships, such as the potential romance between Tugger and Mistoffelees, or the familial relationship between Tugger, Munkustrap, and Old Deuteronomy, are very easy to pick up on. And, on the opposite side of this coin, others are a bit harder to pick up on, relying on background interactions and lore alone.
Demeter's personal relationships fall into both categories. For the sake of this post, I'll only be talking about three of them: her relationships with Macavity, Bombalurina, and Grizabella.
Let's start with what is arguably her most important connection. Her history with Macavity. Through Jacob Brent's stream yesterday, we learned a very important fact. When we see Demeter at the beginning of the show, she has just escaped from Macavity and his gang, and she is now seeking protection from the Jellicles. Though we don't know exactly how she ended up with Macavity, it has been said before that Demeter was previously in an abusive relationship with Macavity, one that she wanted out from.
Moving onto Bombalurina, there's a lot of theories about the nature of their relationship, but my own personal interpretation is that they're girlfriends/wives. No matter what, though, the fact remains that Bombalurina is visibly protective of Demeter, comforting her when things go bad, and being next to her whenever possible. Bombalurina also seems to have some sort of history with Macavity, though not one that is quite as upsetting as Demeter's.
Finally, we have Grizabella, and this is where my theories become a bit less based in what's been outright said to us. Demeter is the only adult cat that we see genuinely reaching out to Grizabella, even going so far as to run after her after Grizabella, the Glamour Cat. And, of course, she and Bombalurina are the main cats who sing that, a song which begins with Demeter speaking somewhat highly of Grizabella, only to move on to expressing what she truly feels about this Jellicle Exile — contempt. This, of course, is when Bombalurina steps in, repeating what Demeter said, and seeking to comfort her once again. Obviously, Demeter has some connection to Grizabella, and my personal opinion on this is that Grizabella is actually Demeter's estranged mother.
So, how does this all come together? Well, let's start with Demeter's personal alignment. Though it's clear she's been involved with Macavity's gang for an indeterminate amount of time, she also knew enough about the Jellicles to know when they would all be gathered. She also seems to know many of the Jellicles personally, so I think it's safe to assume that she was once a Jellicle herself — and still is, seeing as they didn't mind her being there as they did with Grizabella.
We don't know exactly when Grizabella was cast out of the Tribe, but believe that her exile may have been a factor in Demeter deciding to leave the Tribe herself. She then ends up falling in with Macavity, only to end up trapped in a terrible relationship with him. However, when she finally does escape, seeking protection from the Jellicles — and perhaps from Bombalurina specifically —this, of course, ends up being one of the reasons that Macavity attacks the Jellicle Ball, and why he attempts to take her with him. And, adding onto what is already a stressful situation for her, the return and eventual ascension of Grizabella only serves to stir up all of those old feelings that caused her to want to leave in the first place.
I'd love to hear if any of you guys have any theories like this! This is just all the stuff that I have on my mind whenever I sit down to watch Cats 98.
BONUS: this wasn't really the point of this post, but I'd just like to add that I personally HC Jemima as the adopted daughter of Bombalurina and Demeter, which when combined with my other theories, has the added effect of Jemima reaching out to her estranged grandmother during the show! I just thought that was a really fun touch that brought the rest of the show together!
So, here's my boldest take. Demeter is quite possibly the most developed character in this show, as well as one of the most important.
WARNING: I'll be discussing abuse and kidnapping in this post!!
Let's start with Demeter's relationship to the rest of the Jellicles. Unfortunately, we don't know a lot about most of the inter-character relationships in Cats, but there are a few that are more obvious. Some of these relationships, such as the potential romance between Tugger and Mistoffelees, or the familial relationship between Tugger, Munkustrap, and Old Deuteronomy, are very easy to pick up on. And, on the opposite side of this coin, others are a bit harder to pick up on, relying on background interactions and lore alone.
Demeter's personal relationships fall into both categories. For the sake of this post, I'll only be talking about three of them: her relationships with Macavity, Bombalurina, and Grizabella.
Let's start with what is arguably her most important connection. Her history with Macavity. Through Jacob Brent's stream yesterday, we learned a very important fact. When we see Demeter at the beginning of the show, she has just escaped from Macavity and his gang, and she is now seeking protection from the Jellicles. Though we don't know exactly how she ended up with Macavity, it has been said before that Demeter was previously in an abusive relationship with Macavity, one that she wanted out from.
Moving onto Bombalurina, there's a lot of theories about the nature of their relationship, but my own personal interpretation is that they're girlfriends/wives. No matter what, though, the fact remains that Bombalurina is visibly protective of Demeter, comforting her when things go bad, and being next to her whenever possible. Bombalurina also seems to have some sort of history with Macavity, though not one that is quite as upsetting as Demeter's.
Finally, we have Grizabella, and this is where my theories become a bit less based in what's been outright said to us. Demeter is the only adult cat that we see genuinely reaching out to Grizabella, even going so far as to run after her after Grizabella, the Glamour Cat. And, of course, she and Bombalurina are the main cats who sing that, a song which begins with Demeter speaking somewhat highly of Grizabella, only to move on to expressing what she truly feels about this Jellicle Exile — contempt. This, of course, is when Bombalurina steps in, repeating what Demeter said, and seeking to comfort her once again. Obviously, Demeter has some connection to Grizabella, and my personal opinion on this is that Grizabella is actually Demeter's estranged mother.
So, how does this all come together? Well, let's start with Demeter's personal alignment. Though it's clear she's been involved with Macavity's gang for an indeterminate amount of time, she also knew enough about the Jellicles to know when they would all be gathered. She also seems to know many of the Jellicles personally, so I think it's safe to assume that she was once a Jellicle herself — and still is, seeing as they didn't mind her being there as they did with Grizabella.
We don't know exactly when Grizabella was cast out of the Tribe, but believe that her exile may have been a factor in Demeter deciding to leave the Tribe herself. She then ends up falling in with Macavity, only to end up trapped in a terrible relationship with him. However, when she finally does escape, seeking protection from the Jellicles — and perhaps from Bombalurina specifically —this, of course, ends up being one of the reasons that Macavity attacks the Jellicle Ball, and why he attempts to take her with him. And, adding onto what is already a stressful situation for her, the return and eventual ascension of Grizabella only serves to stir up all of those old feelings that caused her to want to leave in the first place.
I'd love to hear if any of you guys have any theories like this! This is just all the stuff that I have on my mind whenever I sit down to watch Cats 98.
BONUS: this wasn't really the point of this post, but I'd just like to add that I personally HC Jemima as the adopted daughter of Bombalurina and Demeter, which when combined with my other theories, has the added effect of Jemima reaching out to her estranged grandmother during the show! I just thought that was a really fun touch that brought the rest of the show together!
