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Miles "Tank" Conroy for Season 5!! Give A Proper Ending Please!

posted 8 years ago by Nephlim14
3 replies | jump to latest

I will confess that I am not normally an avid fan of this show, but I heard about this storyline and made sure to catch up with it. My reaction is "Oh my God, these people have made me fell bad for DAVID FRIGGIN KAROFSKY!!" And they expect us to just see that Tank is now living in shame, but Bay deserves more sympathy and attention. Why?! What is supposed to make us care more about her then the guy who is now labeled a date rapist because of this mess.

1. They say that both sides made mistakes, but why are they acting like Bay was victimised?
2. How could people say that Tank deserves it in ANY way? Because he didn't feel bad afterwards? Because he remembered more?

The claim that they both made mistakes is reasonable since they got that level of drunk. However, I find myself being more angry at Bay than Tank. Not because of what she did, but what she did afterwards. I know she felt uncomfortable the "morning after", but she had no business letting the word RAPE fly around. And she had no business trying to blame Tank. Tank didn't drug, force, trick, or take advantage of her. His only mistake was getting the same level of intoxication as her, and this just because it's dangerous in general.

As far as the event it seems to have been this.
1. Bay got drunk
2. Tank got drunk
3. They somehow met and ended up in bed.
This something they've done with adult characters from other shows and there are even real life situations of intoxicated people having consensual sex.

"This will ruin my life. Do you think I deserve that?" he asked.
"Did I deserve having something done to me when I was too drunk to give you permission?" she replied.
"I didn't know it was without your permission!" Tank said.
"Somewhere, in your mind, did some part of you know that what you were doing was wrong?"
"I was drunk, too!"
"But, did you have a feeling that you were doing something wrong?"
"I don’t know! I don’t know…"

Bay had no had no business trying to make Tank feel guilty or say he was to blame too. He was just as drunk as she was and he didn't even plan to see her that night. How was he suddenly responsible for her choices? How was he supposed to read her mind and tell what she wanted or not? especially since she was in that bar after a fight with her boyfriend. How was he supposed to magically be the first one to overcome his intoxication and rescue her from herself?
If Bay had ended up driving and hurting someone, If she punched someone, If she killed someone while under the same level impairment, It would be on her only. This means that unless Tank hauled her over his shoulder, she was still responsible for her actions.

Like I said before, Bay let this turn into a scandal where there was none. She didn't have any evidence of an actual crime aside from her regret and uncertainty. Neither of these give someone the write to say they were victimized especially since there were at least a few people that saw them and think there was nothing bad going on. She should've just admitted that she made a mistake, told Emmett, taken her break up and tried to move on. If she was still uncertain, she should have tried to figure out what happened before making complaints. She should have also just said NO when people asked her if she was raped. If Tank had raped her, he wouldn't have told her and everyone else that they had sex.

To me this whole thing seems to be a case of two people that had a drunk hookup, the girl regretting it so much she wanted to shift the blame.

What I am hoping for is at least one more appearance from him in season 5. Since their basing this on the real life case, they can do an episode where he chooses to fight through legal means and Bay is forced to give testimony. It would make sense especially since his dad might decide to get involved. Another possibility would be his suicide since they showed him depressed.

Overall, I just would like the show to either give him a more absolute conclusion, not some fanfic fuel.

If you agree or disagree please reply.

[–] MollieDanny 8 years ago

I will confess that I am not normally an avid fan of this show, but I heard about this storyline and made sure to catch up with it. My reaction is "Oh my God, these people have made me fell bad for DAVID FRIGGIN KAROFSKY!!" And they expect us to just see that Tank is now living in shame, but Bay deserves more sympathy and attention. Why?! What is supposed to make us care more about her then the guy who is now labeled a date rapist because of this mess.

1. They say that both sides made mistakes, but why are they acting like Bay was victimised?
2. How could people say that Tank deserves it in ANY way? Because he didn't feel bad afterwards? Because he remembered more?

The claim that they both made mistakes is reasonable since they got that level of drunk. However, I find myself being more angry at Bay than Tank. Not because of what she did, but what she did afterwards. I know she felt uncomfortable the "morning after", but she had no business letting the word RAPE fly around. And she had no business trying to blame Tank. Tank didn't drug, force, trick, or take advantage of her. His only mistake was getting the same level of intoxication as her, and this just because it's dangerous in general.

As far as the event it seems to have been this.
1. Bay got drunk
2. Tank got drunk
3. They somehow met and ended up in bed.
This something they've done with adult characters from other shows and there are even real life situations of intoxicated people having consensual sex.

"This will ruin my life. Do you think I deserve that?" he asked.
"Did I deserve having something done to me when I was too drunk to give you permission?" she replied.
"I didn't know it was without your permission!" Tank said.
"Somewhere, in your mind, did some part of you know that what you were doing was wrong?"
"I was drunk, too!"
"But, did you have a feeling that you were doing something wrong?"
"I don’t know! I don’t know…"

Bay had no had no business trying to make Tank feel guilty or say he was to blame too. He was just as drunk as she was and he didn't even plan to see her that night. How was he suddenly responsible for her choices? How was he supposed to read her mind and tell what she wanted or not? especially since she was in that bar after a fight with her boyfriend. How was he supposed to magically be the first one to overcome his intoxication and rescue her from herself?
If Bay had ended up driving and hurting someone, If she punched someone, If she killed someone while under the same level impairment, It would be on her only. This means that unless Tank hauled her over his shoulder, she was still responsible for her actions.

Like I said before, Bay let this turn into a scandal where there was none. She didn't have any evidence of an actual crime aside from her regret and uncertainty. Neither of these give someone the write to say they were victimized especially since there were at least a few people that saw them and think there was nothing bad going on. She should've just admitted that she made a mistake, told Emmett, taken her break up and tried to move on. If she was still uncertain, she should have tried to figure out what happened before making complaints. She should have also just said NO when people asked her if she was raped. If Tank had raped her, he wouldn't have told her and everyone else that they had sex.

To me this whole thing seems to be a case of two people that had a drunk hookup, the girl regretting it so much she wanted to shift the blame.

What I am hoping for is at least one more appearance from him in season 5. Since their basing this on the real life case, they can do an episode where he chooses to fight through legal means and Bay is forced to give testimony. It would make sense especially since his dad might decide to get involved. Another possibility would be his suicide since they showed him depressed.

Overall, I just would like the show to either give him a more absolute conclusion, not some fanfic fuel.

If you agree or disagree please reply.

I agree.

I never even liked the character of Tank, until this grave injustice happened to him, and suddenly, Tank became human to me. He went from a two-dimensional caricature of a frat boy, to a real person, fighting for his future. Everything that happened to Tank, after that night with Bay, adds depth and texture to his character. I am invested in Tank's story and still want to see how it all turns out for him.

In your post, you ask this question, "What is supposed to make us care more about her then the guy who is now labeled a date rapist because of this mess?" And I agree with you. I believe even the writers agree with you.

In Episode 4x16 "Borrowing Your Enemy's Arrows," Bay's words to Tank are so naive that they appear laughable. The writers must realize that. They must have planned that for a reason.

Here's the scene:

BAY: Tank!

TANK: I have to be somewhere.

BAY: Please talk to me.

TANK: What do you want to talk about?

BAY: How are you?

TANK: Really?

BAY: Okay. So you're working as a waiter. What's wrong with that? I'm working as barista.

TANK: Let's just say it's not the career path I thought I'd be on right now.

BAY: So you'll chart another one.

TANK: Okay.

BAY: No! Wait. (Sighs) Are you in school?

TANK: No. After I got expelled I applied to a bunch but none would take me.

BAY: Right.

TANK: This is why I didn't want to get into this with you. It's gonna sound like I'm giving you a guilt trip. I'm not.

BAY: No! Look, I was affected by what happened, too. Emmett and I broke up. I'm taking this class at UMKC, and everywhere I go people on campus keep whispering about me. But I keep telling myself that it doesn't have to define me. And that's true for you, too.

TANK: That's what I thought. And then... I got set up with this girl who I really liked and she Googled me. And that was it. It was over before it started. Do you know what it's like to realize that for the rest of your life, when someone searches your name, the word "rape" comes up next to it?

BAY: I'm sorry.

TANK: No, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I've imagined saying that a hundred times in the past few months. I would do anything to go back in time and do that night over. Anything.

BAY: Me, too. Tank. We both made mistakes. It doesn't mean our lives are over.

TANK: Feels like mine is.

Bay's lines, especially this one, are laughable: "Look, I was affected by what happened, too. Emmett and I broke up. I'm taking this class at UMKC, and everywhere I go people on campus keep whispering about me. But I keep telling myself that it doesn't have to define me. And that's true for you, too."

Cry me a river, Bay. You broke up with your boyfriend?

Bay and Tank made the same mistake. End result, Bay broke up with a boyfriend and has to endure a few whispers at college. Whereas Tank is expelled from college, denied entry into any other college, and will wear the label of sex offender for the rest of his life. Tank has quite possibly lost any hope of a successful career or a loving relationship for the remainder of his life, and Bay lost a boyfriend?

How are those two fates equal in any way, shape, or form? It's unfair.

Why are men punished so much more harshly by society than women, for the same mistake?

This business of a woman cannot consent if she is under the influence of alcohol has got to go. It's nonsense. Women can and do consent to sex while under the influence all of the time, just like men.

After this series of episodes originally aired, I'll never forget reading that Lizzy Weiss told an interviewer, "Bay may have said 'yes' to Tank that night, but that's what society has to decide. Is a drunk 'yes' good enough? Discuss."

Well, in my book, the word 'yes' is good enough.

If Bay was incoherent or incomprehensible, then I would agree that she could not consent to sex. But that's not what we saw. Bay wasn't raped. Bay had sex with Tank and regretted it the next morning.

Some people, like Bay, experience what's known as "brown-outs." It doesn't mean she was more drunk than Tank. It just means that her brain is more susceptible to not recording memories while under the influence. All of the articles that I read state that the memories can be recovered, though.

I wish the writers would craft a story where Bay fully accepts her role in what happened, rather than seeing herself as a victim. I doubt that we see that, though. Tank IS slated to return in Season 5. My fear is that we will see him further own up to his mistake. The writers may give us some sense of happiness for his character's future, but I doubt that Bay has anything to do with righting the wrong that was done to Tank.

It's a shame, too, because her character would be a lot stronger in my eyes, if she did.

In Bay's defense, it is society that is choosing to hold men responsible, rather than women, for this mistake. Bay didn't hold Tank responsible. But Bay didn't speak up to defend Tank either, well, other than when she was talking to Emmett. She defended Tank all over the place, in THAT conversation.

[–] Nephlim14 8 years ago

"We Both Made Mistakes" That phrase still irritates me somewhat. What exactly was Tank's mistake other than getting too intoxicated. And then there was the quote I posted before.
I can't exactly remember what words Tank used at first, but the overall message was that she made advances to him and told him she was leaving Emmett.

Did I deserve having something done to me when I was too drunk to give you permission?" she replied.
"I didn't know it was without your permission!" Tank said.
"Somewhere, in your mind, did some part of you know that what you were doing was wrong?"
"I was drunk, too!"
"But, did you have a feeling that you were doing something wrong?

He was just as drunk as her so he would have been unable to sense if she was lying and if he was supposed to have this feeling of wrongdoing, it would have disappeared when she stated she would leave Emmett.
As far as society is concerned, intoxication doesn't make you less responsible for your actions, just more likely to do something negative. If Bay were right in front of me, this is what I would tell her.

"Bay I am sure you felt a lot of discomfort from this event and I am sorry about that, but Tank was just as drunk as you and wasn't even planning to see you that night. Even though you were drunk, you were still functioning enough to perform actions you would still be held responsible for. So:
-If you had drove a car and hit someone, yo would have been charged with Vehicular manslaugghter
-If you had picked a fight with Tank and hurt him, you would have been charged with assault
-If you had done everything Tank said you did (and according to the writers, he wasn't lying and amnesia doesn't mean schizophrenia) and then lead/followed him to that bedroom, then you showed as much consent as he did. You have no right trying to pin blame on him for not being the first to magically sober up in that moment."

[–] MollieDanny 8 years ago

"We Both Made Mistakes" That phrase still irritates me somewhat. What exactly was Tank's mistake other than getting too intoxicated. And then there was the quote I posted before.
I can't exactly remember what words Tank used at first, but the overall message was that she made advances to him and told him she was leaving Emmett.

Did I deserve having something done to me when I was too drunk to give you permission?" she replied.
"I didn't know it was without your permission!" Tank said.
"Somewhere, in your mind, did some part of you know that what you were doing was wrong?"
"I was drunk, too!"
"But, did you have a feeling that you were doing something wrong?

He was just as drunk as her so he would have been unable to sense if she was lying and if he was supposed to have this feeling of wrongdoing, it would have disappeared when she stated she would leave Emmett.
As far as society is concerned, intoxication doesn't make you less responsible for your actions, just more likely to do something negative. If Bay were right in front of me, this is what I would tell her.

"Bay I am sure you felt a lot of discomfort from this event and I am sorry about that, but Tank was just as drunk as you and wasn't even planning to see you that night. Even though you were drunk, you were still functioning enough to perform actions you would still be held responsible for. So:
-If you had drove a car and hit someone, yo would have been charged with Vehicular manslaugghter
-If you had picked a fight with Tank and hurt him, you would have been charged with assault
-If you had done everything Tank said you did (and according to the writers, he wasn't lying and amnesia doesn't mean schizophrenia) and then lead/followed him to that bedroom, then you showed as much consent as he did. You have no right trying to pin blame on him for not being the first to magically sober up in that moment."

Oh, I agree with you 100%, and it's frustrating because the writers are not interested in taking a stand for what is right.

The writers only care about presenting the world the way that it is at this moment in time, and unfortunately, the way that it is happens to suck. The writers aren't interested in making any points or changing the world in any way for the better. All that they want to do for us is to hold up a mirror.

If you think about everything that happened from the moment happy-go-lucky Tank met the brooding Bay, it will break your heart.

Tank is still the same guy who told Bay he didn't know anything about love. Heck, the very first day that Bay met Tank, she told him, "Okay, well, maybe I want to hook up with Ledge... Cliff. And have it not mean anything."

Bay was dying inside over her heartbreak about Ty.

Tank replied to her pointed statement with the words, "Trust me, you're gonna have a million more chances to do that in the next four years, but right now... (Gagging) Okay, come on, come on. We need some air. Okay, I got your bucket right there."

So why wouldn't Tank think that Bay would want to hook up with him, when she had just told him that things were falling apart with Emmett? Of course, Tank would think that is the way that Bay deals with her heartbreak. And Tank probably felt relieved for Bay, that at least he was someone who cares about her and not a complete stranger to soothe her pain.

Bay flirted with Tank unmercifully the entire evening, even before she was drunk. She knows he nurses a HUGE crush on her, and here Bay was pouring out her soul to him about her problems with Emmett. Claiming that she wishes she had given Tank more of a chance back when they were together.

Bay is the one who asked Tank to climb into the twin bed with her and snuggle close so that they could look at ceiling stars together. What's to misinterpret?

It's within reason for Tank to believe that surely Bay would not be so heartless and cruel as to do all of that, all evening long, when she has no interest in him whatsoever.

Is Tank supposed to serve as Bay's proverbial shoulder to cry on? Is Tank supposed to be nothing more than an outlet for Bay to vent all of her emotional frustration, problems and mental unbalance?

If that's what Bay was doing, knowing that Tank has had a massive crush on her from the very beginning AND that she broke his heart by cheating on him with Emmett and dumping him, then Bay is truly a user.

I'd much rather believe that Bay does have a sincere interest in Tank and that is why Bay could never quite let Tank go, even after she rekindled her relationship with Emmett.

I don't want to think Bay is a user in that other way.

Besides, Bay told Tank all about what happened with Ty and with Emmett before that. Bay told Tank all about her potential to develop aneurysms and her dashed dreams for college. She never told Emmett about any of that stuff, because she doesn't trust Emmett after Simone.

If this story were real life, I would believe that Bay really does have feelings for Tank, ones that she is not allowing herself to feel without loosening her inhibitions through alcohol OR Bay heartlessly used Tank, someone who has been smitten with her and was an easy target, by taking all of his emotional support, without intending to share her heart.

I hope it's not that last one. That's too sad to contemplate. If it is that, then Bay really needs to find a way to make amends.

If Emmett had done the same thing to Bay, after he cheated with Simone, fans would have been livid with him. There is no way any fan would have stood for Emmett going to Bay to pour out his heartbreak over the fact that Simone doesn't want him anymore. That would have just been cruel, if he did not want a relationship with Bay.

It's the same for Bay with Tank.