The Host Chapter 31

So before we start this chapter, I just have to clarify something. I have no idea who I'm supposed to be rooting for here. Back when I just heard the synopsis, I thought I was supposed to be cheering for Melanie to find a way to regain her body. Since she never speaks, I don't even really count her as a main character. So that leaves Wanderer, who I want to kill. I'm assuming that's who we're supposed to be cheering for. Now, are we supposed to be shipping Wanderer and Pedobear? Because it seems like that's where she's going here but Pedobear is a huge douchebag and I pretty much want him to die as well. But Edward was a huge douchebag and apparently we were supposed to be rooting for him. So I guess I'm supposed to be a Pedobear/Wanderer shipper. And then there's Ian, who I don't hate. Is he the male lead? Am I supposed to love him more than Pedobear? Or is he more like a Jacob, introduced solely to introduce false conflict even though there is no doubt who Wanderer loves more? TELL ME WHAT TO FEEL.

Chapter 31- Needed

So Jamie says that Gladys was Walter's wife, who didn't escape. Apparently he married a 20 year old and it seems to me that he's like 40, although maybe this just came from my own mind.

“I guess I should say, it's too bad Wanda
didn't have more of an interest in medicine.”
“I'm sorry,” I murmured. Iwas careless to reap the benefits of perfect health without ever being
curious about the cause. Oh just shut up Wanderer. No one wants to hear you feel sorry for yourself.

I stretched my arm to the limit, trying not to jostle Walter, so that Ian could arrange the cot under it. Then he grabbed me up just as easily and set me on the cot beside Walter. For God's sake, I'm fairly certain she's capable of getting onto a cot by herself. She's not two years old. If anybody did that to me I would be like, "Okay. Dude. It's a cot that's like three feet from the ground. I can get onto it by myself. No need to lift me. I'm not a child."

Some of it trickled out the side of his mouth and onto his pillow. The
smell stung my nose. She's talking about brandy or some such. That reminds me of when Maria put some kind of alcohol, I'm not sure what it was, under Major's nose and he would wrinkle his nose and look away. It was kind of cruel, but funny. She did that to him a bunch of times and we laughed at him.

“The pain's too much for him to stay conscious. Let him be,” Doc said. "Okay, Nowhere Man. You be the Fool on the Hill. See if I care." Oh, Veronica Mars. How I miss you.

HEY. Unrelated, but I'm watching X-Files right now and Caleb from the OC is in it! YES!

So anyway, there's just a whole bunch of stuff where Walter thinks Wanderer is Gladys for some reason and he's just saying a bunch of delusional stuff. Is it significant? Who knows.

And here's Brandt again. WHO IS HE? Is he a ghost? He's just like Jake in the early seasons of One Tree Hill, where I was SURE he was a ghost but no one knew it and it would be revealed in a super special awesome plot twist. Which it wasn't.

He was running–no, sprinting. Running, sprinting, same thing. You don't need to make the distinction. Anyway, Ghost Brandt randomly wants to see Wanderer.

Finally. FINALLY. Something is happening! The Seeker is outside with helicopters. DEAR JESUS THANK YOU FOR SOME ACTION, FINALLY. Never mind, never mind. The Seeker is just doing sweeps and apparently it's nothing new for them. I should have KNOWN there wouldn't be anything exciting. I mean, we've gone 286 pages without anything happening, why start now? Brandt asks for rope, I guess to tie up Wanderer and hand her over to the Seeker because Kyle says so. Never mind, he just wants to secure her so she doesn't signal the Seeker.

Bunch of stuff about the helicopter, the suspicious stares, Walter, blah de blah. I would never condone utilitarian bioethics, but I say, just put him out of his misery. Where's Preston Maddoc when you need him?

Now Pedobear is in the hospital and Melanie and Wanderer freak out, as per usual.

“Jared, you're the miracle man!” Are we in a fifties time warp? Seriously.

And I guess I spoke too soon earlier. Pedobear is saying, in classic Smeyer roundabout fashion, that they should make Walter OD on morphine and kill him. Wanderer's stupid and doesn't know what he's talking about. But I can guess that when she finally figures it out she will not be happy.

And she's not, but she doesn't freak out. And Pedobear is looking at her. End of chapter.