Random Fuzzy
Richie : Jan. 7 Golden Globes with Angelina, Jan. 6 Haiti Gala with Brad.
They sent an
unmissable and unequivocal message:
- With his chief personal bodyguard acting as Angelina's close in security in two
very high profile events, Brad is
broadcasting that she is
his. She belongs to him. He is possessive and protective of her. Her well-being and security are as valuable to him as his own. And of course he owes her
a lot. He loves her dearly.
- Angelina is content with Brad looking after her and seeing to her protection. She trusts him. She has
kept her faith in him. She is happy to be the object of his affection and she is basking in his love. He is her big love.
- Mr. Brad Pitt and
Mrs. Angelina Jolie-Pitt are as happy and as in love with each other as they’ve ever been -- if not more.
They've weathered a huge storm
together. They've made their family
stronger and closer. They are partners
for life.
Their relationship is the same as it was in 2015 when Richie accompanied her to the Critics Choice Awards for
Unbroken -- right down to Brad's
possessiveness.
Critics Choice Awards 2018, left and 2015, right
The problem --
the events that led to the filing and to a
self-inflicted weird journey for Brad -- was never between them but between Brad and the children. His April 2017
GQ mea culpa enumerated his many faults and shortcomings primarily impacting the children: He needed to
listen to them, let them know his
self-doubt and struggles, "gotta be more for them, need to show them." He was
boozing too much, he tended to
run things to the ground and make things s
o calamitous. He was an
asshole wasting time on
hallow pursuits when he knows he
hit the lottery. Every time he got into trouble it was because of his
hubris. He was
tired of himself and had to face that
he was what he didn't like.
In the
summer of 2016, "Things became
‘difficult.'" His boozing
had become a problem, he didn't have
feelings in his
fingertips.
It all served to give the lie to Lance Spiegel's November 2016 assertions that
his rampage on the plane was simply an isolated incident and he had otherwise been
a great father. There was evidently already a lack of empathy and understanding between
him and the kids due to festering issues that deepened the impact of his drunken rage.
Angelina was upset with his behavior but she knew that he was in the
grip of substance abuse and she had some understanding of what was
happening to him. The children had no such understanding and they were left badly
traumatized, distrustful of and disillusioned with him. His boozing was
the biggest problem but other simmering issues exacerbated its effect.
They were both on their
backs and chained to a system when Child Services was called. The filing was
not something she wanted -- she saw
nothing good about it, it was
just hard.
Laura Wasser noted in November 2016 that the therapeutic process was
expected to enable the family's reunification within six months to a
year. But Brad's abortive attempts to circumvent the
legally binding custody stipulation which was drafted and signed at the
DCFS' behest likely had
far ranging consequences that lengthened the process.
Brad halted boozing right after the plane incident when the DCFS became involved and he was immediately subject to random drug and alcohol testing. It took him much longer to comprehend the children's PTSD and the damage done to their relationship, to accept his shortcomings as a father that magnified the problem, and to understanding the need to strictly follow the therapists' recommendations during the therapeutic process.
Brad thought that by simply getting more facetime
with the kids he could quickly restore their old relationship. He was frustrated that the therapists were limiting his access and in his mind slowing his progress. After Crested Butte, he realized that just spending time with the kids
was not enough, there were many issues that needed to be addressed to enable his relationship with the
children to rebuild on solid footing, and he better understood the need
for the therapists to guide and supervise the process.
After they returned from Crested Butte, Angelina was convinced
that Brad was truly committed to abiding by the custody stipulation and to following the therapists' advice on
what was in the children's best interests. It paved the way for them to hire Judge Ouderkirk as their private judge to help
effectuate recovery and reunification.
Brad had
volunteered the provision in
the custody stipulation that required him to continue to undergo random drug and
alcohol testing in order to show Angelina that he was committed to being clean and sober.
He had
gone through two therapists before finding the right one. He learned to be introspective,
own his side of the street and accept that he
needed to deal with his faults and failures. He accepted that he had not been the great father
he imagined himself to be and that the
pain of the process
offers an opportunity for
growth, betterment and an epiphany.
The therapy sessions that have become an important and integral part of their lives should continue to help them address all future issues promptly.
They are all very eager to emerge from this and they are letting the public
know they believe they are close. Much closer than where they were even
just last
month. Closer to having their
full normal lives back. They hinted as much in the quotes they gave
People in late December:
She is doing fine and working with Brad on ways to continue their lives
so everyone is happy. The process has been difficult (for him). But he is OK and remains committed to his family."
We can
see the return of familiar routines and everyone is visibly happy.
Happy, relaxed and confident enough to reveal more to the public.
Richie fetched her from the airport when she returned from London last
March 2017, but it had been months since he was last seen with her before the
Globes. She skipped the red carpets at the AMPAS Governors' Awards in
mid-November and THR's Women in Entertainment Breakfast in early
December so we don't have any shots of her entering the venues. But
there was no sign of Richie in the audience photos at either event or at
the earlier Hollywood Film Awards. Now, however, his looming presence
is impossible to miss.
Richie has appeared with her in the biggest awards shows she's attended this year. In the past, he almost always looked detached and serious on awards red carpets, so it was a bit surprising to see him engaged and smiling. Richie is happy too.
Everyone is happy 😀
They
didn't get along with the publicists they hired right after the emergency, that it
never worked out. So their authorized reps are again principally Cynthia Pett-Dante and Robert Offer, both of whom rarely speak to the press. They've
totally shut down the flow of info to all tabloid sites -- as evidenced by
ET's unsuccessful effort to obtain from them the facts behind Shiloh's injury. With Pett-Dante and Offer leading their reps, with their closest friends being people like Loung Ung and David Fincher, and with Richie heading their security, there is
no bonafide insider who will leak
any info about them, least of all to a
tabloid. They've always maintained a
very, very tight-lipped circle. So as to
any tabloid report, as Doug Pitt said, "Just remember, they're the tabloids."
They've provided
People the text of a few of her speeches, but outside of the brief quotes, they've not offered anything about the two of them. This is likely to continue until they're ready to tell their story.
They've always had a good relationship with Jack Coyle of the
AP but their story cannot fit into an AP report. They've had a long relationship with Mary Green, but
People is a tabloid and as such is only suitable for sharing family photos.
An Op-Ed in the
NY Times conveys the seriousness of their story and is the only way they can ensure that it is presented accurately in its entirety. It allows them
to explain the very sensitive and very complex situation they faced, the
decisions and actions they made. and what was really happening behind the scenes. It would typically include an encouraging message for other families faced with similar problems, that they too can emerge successful.
They've skipped a few red carpets and neither wants to walk through a gauntlet of extremely frenzied reporters. It may be something they are taking into consideration with BAFTA looming.
-- Fussy
