I always thought Belle Watling in Gone With the Wind was a fantastic character and I would have liked to have learned more of her story. In the book, she mentions she has a son away at school, and Rhett tells Scarlett that he has a young boy he visits in New Orleans, and that the boy is a terror. Are they the same child? Is it Rhett’s? Did Rhett know Belle from before she came to Atlanta? It was implied he set her up in business…telling Scarlett she was like Belle, they were both good businesswomen and he didn’t mind risking his money on them.
I’ve read the novelization of Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan and the book states that Saavik is the result of a rape between a Romulan male and a Vulcan female. That was never explored in the movie, so I don’t know if it was artistic license, but it’s still an interesting insight into her character.
What secondary characters would you have liked to have learned more about?
Scarlett also finds out that Rhett visits a boy in New Orleans and that he is his ward. It was strongly implied, but never flat out stated that he is his son. Maybe Belle was a friend from way back and Rhett is helping her as an old family friend?
I would also love a back story of Ellen and Gerald. Ellen was in love with her cousin, Phillippe, and I think a story of Phillippe and then Ellen and Gerald’s courtship would also be fascinating.
There is no way in heck that Rhett was the father of Belle’s child. As we can see by his devotion to Bonnie, he would never ever leave a child of his to be raised without being under his watchful eye. He didn’t much care about reputation so that argument wouldn’t hold water.
I agree with those who said that Rhett took responsibility for the child for some other reason, whether his friendship with Belle or maybe it was the son of a friend or his brother.
He was also very kind to Wade and Ella, Scarlett’s other children. I think part of his devotion to Bonnie was that he loved Scarlett so much, but he couldn’t let her know it. So he lavished it all on Bonnie.
Heh. My friends and I used to say the The Gimp from *PF *deserved a movie all his own. Seriously, just think of the questions he raises, in his two minutes of screen time, to wit:
Who the fuck is this?
How did he get this way?
Is he mute, or is there a bit or a gag in that mask?
There are some minor characters in the Peter Wimsey novels who keep reappearing (such as the Hon. Freddy Arbuthnot), and then there are those who only appear once, maybe twice, but I would have loved to see more of or at least find out what happened to afterwards: young Hillary in The Nine Tailors, Ann Dorland in The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club, and Lord Peter’s sometime-girlfriend before Harriet Vane showed up, pottery sculptress Majorie Phelps. And of course the further investigations of Miss Catherine Climpson!!!
In The Hobbit, I am always intrigued by Bilbo’s mother, the fabulous Belladonna Took.* There’s just the tiniest hint that she had an adventure or two before she married Bilbo’s father, and I always get the impression that Gandalf seeks Bilbo out because he’s Belladonna’s son.
*Some editions say “famous” rather than “fabulous,” but fabulous is what I’ve always called her, and fabulous she remains to me.
Read the Star Trek: New Frontier novels by Peter “Incredible Hulk” David. He does a lot of great stuff with Saavik and her background. But then, he does a lot of great stuff with all of his characters…
:eek: