Gus's New Fiancé

[Timothy]

In a September 1994 interview with Jackie Burroughs, Alexandra Heilbron revealed publicity materials to Jackie for the upcoming events of season six. One of the events provided a startling revelation:

AH: There's something here about Gus being with another woman; about him coming back to Avonlea with his new fiancé.

Apparently, 'Return of Gus Pike' was going to feature Gus returning to Avonlea engaged to another woman, despite giving his ring to Felicity in 'Otherwise Engaged' and pledging his committed devotion. The story was obviously changed to a misunderstanding concerning Charlotte Aimes, but it's interesting to wonder how this would have played out.

If Gus did return with a new fiancé, how would it have changed your perception of Gus Pike, if at all?

~

[Margherita]

I´ve been thinking about this since I read it in a rush last Friday, but I just can´t see it happening. It seems so totally out of character for him!
I can imagine him having his head turned by some other lady, yes, but asking her to marry him?? I can´t see him do that without remembering he promised himself to Felicity, even if she wasn´t ready yet and had him waiting for years.

All I can say on how I think it would have affected the plot is that I imagine the entire King family being shocked to the core... and Felicity ready to claw the girl´s eyes out!

And yes... unless Gus came up with a real good explanation (one I haven´t been able to come up with yet), it would have damaged my opinion of him severely... Glad they didn´t go through with it!


Margherita

[jvbolhui]

It would have been completely shocking had they gone this route! I think it was wise for them to rethink this plot device. It certainly would have altered my opinion of Gus--but at the same time it would just seem completely out of character for him.

Very interesting topic, though!

[hannikan]

Wow, that's interesting! I'm kind of not surprised they considered the idea. I really thought Charlotte Ames was a tremendous flirt and Gus did seem to enjoy her attention. I wasn't surprised Felicity was mad. This other idea would have made ROGP a completely different episode because it wouldn't have taken place in Halifax. Does that mean that it wouldn't have involved Eliza Pike? Maybe that would have not happened at all or in a different episode. And he wouldn't have encountered Felicity at all if she was in med school (not Avonlea) at the time. Probably they were planning to have the family undecided about whether to tell Felicity about Gus's engagement to someone else when she returned for a break. And if Gus had returned to Avonlea would he not have been aboard the Maid of Calais? It would have been a completely different conflict. I really would like to see these alternate scripts if they exist. It might have been a good storyline and it might have meant there would have been no Stuart. Don't get me wrong I like most of what they did with Felicity and Gus in the last 2 seasons but I would be curious what other ideas were out there.

[Gwendolene]

I think it was an anti-spoiler (a la LOST), so that everyone would think he was engaged to Charlotte, (thus upping the ratings), while they never intended to actually pursue Gus being engaged to someone else.

[hannikan]

So wait, were these publicity materials actually distributed/advertised, then? I don't remember that at all.

[Timothy]

Typically the materials/press kits are distributed to the press/newspeople and associates.

[hannikan]

Mmm, I wonder if it was only released in Canada, then.

[Marina]

I`m really glad they didn`t do that! Felicity and Gus had many ups and downs, but I never thought that Gus could ever love anyone else that much. And it would be totally out of character for him to get engaged with another woman while his ring was on Felicity`s hand. Noooo....No way!

[hannikan]

I was thinking the same thing Marina until I realized that this would have happened instead of/in ROGP, which is the episode where they get engaged. When he left Avonlea in Otherwise Engaged, he gave her the ring and said "with no strings attached". That means at that point, it was not an engagement ring. He told her he loved her, she said she loved him but they were not engaged then. They were both supposed to be finding themselves during that time. So I think it is possible that he could have found someone else during the time he found himself. But I do think it would have been a very different show for S6 and & 7 if he had.

[Marina]

Yes, you`re right about the ring hannikan, but still... I`m glad they didn`t do that! It would be too painful for me to watch Gus with another woman!

[Shelly]

For some reason, I'm getting the suspicion that the press stuff Alexandra was reading to Jackie may've been Disney's doing. I don't know if I can picture CBC conjuring that up.

[Timothy]

It's also possible that this story line came from Sullivan and is now stored in his box of abandoned ideas. I recall Sullivan saying that he started removing himself from the series writing/story development, so perhaps this story line was changed by other writers by the time the episode was filmed.

There are times too when the summary for an abandoned idea does not get changed by the time of the episode airing, or later. An example is the CBC description for Hope Chest of Arabella King:

"A mysterious chest in the attic of the King Farm captivates the imaginations of Felix and Andrew. Believing there is treasure in the chest, Felix convinces himself that there are ghosts in the attic. As a result, he accidentally discovers that a romance has developed between the recluse Jasper Dale and Olivia King."

This erroneous description was even repeated during the Bravo airing of the episode.

[Miss Lewis]

Probably they were planning to have the family undecided about whether to tell Felicity about Gus's engagement to someone else when she returned for a break. And if Gus had returned to Avonlea would he not have been aboard the Maid of Calais? It would have been a completely different conflict. I really would like to see these alternate scripts if they exist. It might have been a good storyline and it might have meant there would have been no Stuart.

An episode of the King family trying to hide Gus's new Fiancé from Felicity, sounds too much like a Seventh Heaven episode. No Thank-you.

A new plotline that gets rid of Staurt has my vote, though.

If there was a fiance’ put into the plot, Gus Pike would really have to love her and want to marry her. It would have to be a several episode saga plotline. Because, at this point in the series, we (the fans) have invested to much time into Gus and Felicity as a couple, to see Gus go off and get engage with another girl one episode and break up with that girl in the same episode. Gus getting engaged and unengaged in one episode WOULD be out of character for him. Gus is very loyal and he doesn’t fall in and out of love easily.
.

If Gus did return with a new fiancé, how would it have changed your perception of Gus Pike, if at all?

No, It won’t change my perception of him. I could see him falling in love with someone else, if his desire to have a family were stronger then his desire to marry Felicity. It is a romantic notion that there is only one right person for Gus and only one right person for Felicity--that Gus and Felicity were meant for each other. In truth, they both could have married other people and have been perfectly happy. Of course, if that had happened, all the RTA fans would have been in utter shock and depressed--I know I would have been. I like RTA fairy-tale ending with the two young people growing up together and falling in love with each other.

[hannikan]

An episode of the King family trying to hide Gus's new Fiancé from Felicity, sounds too much like a Seventh Heaven episode. No Thank-you.

Fortunately I never watched that show. I imagine they would have struggled with it within one episode but ultimately told her.

A new plotline that gets rid of Staurt has my vote, though.

If there was a fiance’ put into the plot, Gus Pike would really have to love her and want to marry her. It would have to be a several episode saga plotline. Because, at this point in the series, we (the fans) have invested to much time into Gus and Felicity as a couple, to see Gus go off and get engage with another girl one episode and break up with that girl in the same episode. Gus getting engaged and unengaged in one episode WOULD be out of character for him. Gus is very loyal and he doesn’t fall in and out of love easily.

I agree with you it would be very out of character to jump from woman to woman. Gus associated womanizing with Abe Pike and we all know how much Gus liked him... I think this whole conflict would have had to be a long term issue that might have replaced the explosion/reported dead storyline. And as such it would had to be done quite delicately... not sure how exactly but it's got me thinking...

If Gus did return with a new fiancé, how would it have changed your perception of Gus Pike, if at all?

No, It won’t change my perception of him. I could see him falling in love with someone else, if his desire to have a family were stronger then his desire to marry Felicity. It is a romantic notion that there is only one right person for Gus and only one right person for Felicity--that Gus and Felicity were meant for each other. In truth, they both could have married other people and have been perfectly happy. Of course, if that had happened, all the RTA fans would have been in utter shock and depressed--I know I would have been. I like RTA fairy-tale ending with the two young people growing up together and falling in love with each other.

Yeah I don't know if it would have changed my perception of him or not. If it shown him taking up with someone else too quickly or if he'd tried to get out of telling Felicity he was engaged to someone else I think it would have made me dislike him temporarily. It would have seemed out of character, too. Depending on what they did/how they did it he could have redeemed himself. After all not telling Felicity he was alive after the explosion was not fair to her but given the circumstances it made sense why he did/it was realistic and she understood and he worked through it. I don't really see their relationship as being that fairy tale like really. It had a lot of ups and downs that were rooted in too much reality to be fairy tale like to me. And in that era a lot of couples did know each other all their lives.