I've said this to luz in our discussions elsewhere, but I'll say it here:
I agree that character-wise, if Bob had taken the money, we ought to have seen some effect on him. When I was assuming that the intent of the Pilot story was that he had taken the money, I think I was also mostly assuming that the fact that it never came up again and Bob didn't seem bothered by it was a lack-of-continuity issue. As luz says, DS only sort of cares about continuity, and there's often a lack of continuity between a show's pilot and the rest of it.
I'm no longer convinced that the Pilot intended us to believe Bob took the money. But I really *like* the story we get if Bob did take the money -- not that I want Bob to be a bad guy, but it's an interesting thing to have happened and creates a dramatic situation for Benton to deal with. I think it'd be interesting to see him come to terms with it and/or interact with a ghost!Bob who had done it for whatever reasons and had whatever feelings and regrets about it. Though the whole Muldoon thing -- which was made up much later, and wasn't in Pilot!Bob's history, so to speak -- plays more or less that narrative role.
no subject
I agree that character-wise, if Bob had taken the money, we ought to have seen some effect on him. When I was assuming that the intent of the Pilot story was that he had taken the money, I think I was also mostly assuming that the fact that it never came up again and Bob didn't seem bothered by it was a lack-of-continuity issue. As luz says, DS only sort of cares about continuity, and there's often a lack of continuity between a show's pilot and the rest of it.
I'm no longer convinced that the Pilot intended us to believe Bob took the money. But I really *like* the story we get if Bob did take the money -- not that I want Bob to be a bad guy, but it's an interesting thing to have happened and creates a dramatic situation for Benton to deal with. I think it'd be interesting to see him come to terms with it and/or interact with a ghost!Bob who had done it for whatever reasons and had whatever feelings and regrets about it. Though the whole Muldoon thing -- which was made up much later, and wasn't in Pilot!Bob's history, so to speak -- plays more or less that narrative role.