To Our Audience -

Bump+ The Show has come to an end – but the conversation it has sparked is just beginning.

When we launched this experiment, the only thing we knew for sure was that the time for a new kind of conversation about the sensitive topic of abortion had come. We hoped that story could succeed where nearly four decades of angry rhetoric had failed. But our success depended completely on you.

As word about Bump+ spread to 64 countries across the globe, controversy and criticism from people on both sides of the debate followed; but instead of listening to them, you found the courage to listen to each other. Six weeks and more than 125,000 site visits later, your responses not only to our characters, but also to each other has proved to the world what we suspected all along – we were right to trust in the goodness and intelligence of our audience. We are intensely humbled by the stories you’ve shared and the respect you have shown to each other. Your partnership has challenged us to see this debate in new ways, and reminded the world that we don’t have to agree to listen and respond with compassion. Thank you for that gift.

You can add final thoughts to the current Bump+ comment threads through Wednesday, March 17th; but the episodes will remain online and this new comment thread will remain open indefinitely to allow the conversation to continue. We hope you will continue it elsewhere as well – and that you will commit to keep reaching out to each other to find workable solutions to help the real women and men who face this situation every day. It’s not an easy task; but you have proved to us that if anyone can do it, you can.

On behalf of everyone at Yellow Line Studio – thank you.

The Bump+ Producers

The Bump+ creative team and audience members reflect on the series and the conversation it started.

Katie, Hailey, and Denise have been through so much—so much heartbreak. Each journey has been difficult and painful. They’ve made their decisions; and in that sense, each journey is at an end. But now they have to figure out how to live with the choices they’ve made.

I worry for Katie and John. I feel like she pushed her abortion on herself. She’s allowing her guilt to eat her up and force her down a certain path. Clearly, John wanted to go in a different direction. He was willing to forgive and forget. Maybe Katie was right when she said he couldn’t—but he wanted to try, to move on with their lives together. Katie says she is a lucky girl, and she is. I don’t know how many men would forgive her like John did. It troubles me that she doesn’t think she deserves that kind of love. Regardless of their decision about the pregnancy, can their marriage last if Katie isn’t willing (or even able) to accept John’s forgiveness for the infidelity? Will she ever be able to do so?

My heart goes out to Hailey. She made an incredibly tough decision. She decided to go against all of Jason’s logical advice; she decided to make a decision by herself, and she seems to feel good about it. She’s moving on, pursuing her dream of being a nurse. In the interview, it was a pleasure to see her so bright, intelligent, and energetic. But what’s beneath the surface? When she was alone in the car, her loneliness was written all over her face. Although she didn’t do it, I could almost see her reaching out for Jason—but he wasn’t there to take her hand. How long will she be able to take it? I’m glad she’ll be working with Dr. Patterson. He will do everything he can to help her. But will it be enough? Or will the void of Jason’s absence be too much for Hailey to bear? And even though Hailey says he is no longer in the picture, he really is. He is the father of the child she’s carrying. Will he be able to handle that? Will she?

Denise, Denise! You bear so many burdens in your life. Why is it that your choice was overridden, seemingly by blind chance? Some might think it’s for the best, or at least an easier situation – but that clearly isn’t how you feel. This is a sorrow you will carry with you all your life. What can anyone say in the face of such grief? And you can’t stop to grieve, or even think about that, because your children need you. Can anyone help you? Will you let them?

This is my final blog entry on this site. I had planned to talk about what I’ve learned from Bump+, but what I was going to tell you feels superfluous now. All I can say is, I am moved by the stories I’ve seen here, both in the episodes themselves and in the conversations on the site. I am humbled by people’s openness and generosity. I am touched by the love I’ve seen. I hope that this experience, this sharing of the burdens and sorrows of others, does not leave me. I hope Bump+ has indeed changed my heart for good—showed me the importance of listening with a loving ear, of talking to people where they are, no matter how difficult and painful it may be. I hope you will be able to say the same, as well.

On Monday’s finale, the producers will talk about their experience with the series and the conversation Bump+ has begun here on the website. The comment threads will remain open until then, and a new thread will be opened for continuing dialogue. Although I’m signing off here, I’ll still be reading the comments, and maybe even jumping into the conversation from time to time.

Thank you for walking with me, with Denise, Katie, and Hailey, on this journey. Keep talking – and keep listening.

Emily

In the Season One Finale the women reveal their decisions about their pregnancies.

On the way to the airport, Katie worries about how John will react to her pregnancy.

It seems like the world is falling apart—at least Denise’s and Hailey’s worlds. They’re both facing major conflicts with the men in their lives. It may be for the best. But that doesn’t make it any less painful.

Denise has made a big step in her life. She’s starting to disentangle herself from Buzz. Thank God. The more I see of him, the more I learn about him, the more he frightens me. He has this hypnotic power over Denise. It would appear that one day she simply climbed into his RV and never looked back. And yet, she clearly loves her kids. She wants to be a good mom—she wants to fix the mistakes her mother made. Don’t we all? Doesn’t each generation try to avoid their parents’ pitfalls? More often than not, though, we simply fall into the ditches on the other side of the road. To walk in the middle of the road—that’s the challenge.

Then there’s Jason and Hailey. Their relationship doesn’t seem much better than the one between Denise and Buzz. Jason knows Hailey so well. He can predict her every move, her every thought, her every emotion. He says he loves her—but does he really? I don’t know. He says he’s giving her space so she can think this through. But is that really what he’s doing? He says he trusts her to make the right decision. But is this whole scenario just a subtle way that he’s bringing Hailey around to his decision? Maybe he does love her in his own way and want what’s best for her; but he’s let Hailey become too dependent on him. She can’t think without him anymore. Did that happen by accident? Or did Jason encourage that co-dependence? He certainly seems to be tired of digging her out of that hole she always falls into; but does he ever consider that he’s dug that hole?

I must admit, I was a little disappointed in the reaction to episode 9, The Way People Talk. When I watched it, I was profoundly moved. It made me question the way I interact with those who are facing a challenging, emotionally draining decision. Based on many of the comments, however, the episode didn’t seem to affect others in the same way. Instead of trying to figure out a way to help women like Katie, the discussion centered around cultural relativism. I’m not saying that discussions of this nature are unimportant or irrelevant; but when faced with someone else’s pain, it’s so much easier to retreat into our private corners of belief. I suppose the discussion proved the episode to be far truer than I realized. It’s easy to hold beliefs that are dear to us. It isn’t always so easy to put those beliefs into practice, to use them to lovingly help another. But I think it’s an important lesson for each of us to learn. I’m still struggling to learn it myself.

Next week is a big week. Katie’s husband, John, comes home. I honestly don’t know if she’ll be able to handle the stress. (Really, “stress” doesn’t go far enough; I don’t know what word to use to describe her heartache.) On Thursday, these three women we’ve gotten to know so well will make decisions about whether to continue their pregnancies. I don’t know how they can do it. It seems to me that none of them are any closer to a decision than they were a month ago.

Hailey panics when Jason skips one of her appointments at the clinic.

Denise makes a life-altering decision.

This week, the producer continued her invasive visits. I feel like Denise, Hailey, and Katie are now regretting their decision to sign up for Bump+. I think they’re all getting more than they bargained for—especially Hailey.

It makes me sad to see what Hailey is going through. I know, from all that I’ve seen of her, that Hailey loves Jason. But does he love her? It doesn’t look like it. Whatever his own desires and needs may be, he certainly has no desire to talk to Hailey about hers. What kind of a man is he? Does he love anyone but himself? I hate how he doesn’t want to let Hailey out of his sight. At first, it seemed possible that he just wanted to be near her, to help her. But, the more I see of him, the more I think he’s simply afraid to lose his influence over her. I’m glad to see her starting to wake up—even if that awakening is horribly painful. He knows he’s losing his power over her. And he doesn’t like it. But I don’t think she likes it, either.

The producer genuinely seems to want to help Hailey. Maybe she regrets surprising Denise last week after seeing how controlling Buzz can be. Then again, we definitely saw a controlling side of her at Dr. Patterson’s house. Is it all just entertainment to her—or does she really think she is helping these women somehow? Perhaps she believes it’s okay to control someone if she is doing it for their own good, or in their best interests. But I’m sure that’s what Jason and Buzz would say they’re doing, too. I’m beginning to think the producer might be fooling herself about how much she really cares about these women.

I was not expecting to see a priest show up to talk to Katie. I don’t think she was expecting it, either. I felt bad for her. Whatever her religious beliefs, I think it would be difficult to talk frankly to a priest about her situation—especially in front of the cameras. While I believe he is a sincere and caring man, he didn’t seem to be what Katie needed. I’m very happy to see Dr. Patterson defending Katie like he does. She said in an earlier episode that she couldn’t talk to her dad about her situation. Dr. Patterson seems to be taking her father’s place right now. And yet, it doesn’t seem to be enough. For all of his care and concern, for all of the priest’s care and concern, neither one seems to have helped her much. She’s crying out for help; yet these two men—both of whom have dedicated their lives to helping others—are too concerned with their own beliefs to really listen to her.

Katie’s situation gives me a lot to think about. Both a doctor and a priest want to help her. Given their professional credentials, one would think they would be able to help. And yet, they can’t. She needs advice, but the advice they do give her doesn’t help. It makes me wonder—what can any of us do? We each have our own beliefs. Does it do any good to simply share those beliefs with someone in pain? We have to listen to their stories, I think. But is that enough? Katie has had many people listen to her story—but has it done her any good? If Katie were my friend, my sister, I don’t know what I would do. I could hold her hand, try to feel the pain she feels, cry with her. But would that do any good? Would telling her about my own beliefs help her come to a decision, or just create more confusion? How far should anyone go to convince someone else of their own beliefs? I truly don’t know. The uncertainty is… a little scary, frankly.

Four episodes left. Last week, the producer asked Denise, “What’s going to happen when we leave here today?” Next week, she’ll find out —and so will we. In the next two weeks, decisions will be made. What do you think those decisions will be?

When the crew brings an uninvited guest to Dr. Patterson’s home, Katie gets caught in the crossfire.

A visit from the production crew reveals problems in Hailey and Jason’s relationship.

Bump+ is getting more intense with each passing week. Katie and Denise, at least, are facing appalling situations now. I suppose they were always facing these situations, but the last two episodes really brought it all home to me.

Poor Katie. Her husband, John, will be home in less than two weeks. Understandably, she wants to take care of it—now. “I just want it to go away,” she says. I was touched by Dr. Patterson’s genuine concern for Katie. I love that he was willing to defy the producer for her sake. That is exactly what a doctor should do.

Denise—with each new episode, my heart breaks a little more for her. I admit I was surprised when we met Buzz. With a name like that, I was expecting a fat, ugly, little man. He is certainly much more appealing than I anticipated, but only on the outside. Buzz scares me. His behavior toward Denise—I suppose it’s called manipulation. It’s terrifyingly effective; Denise seems completely under his spell. She’s trapped. And so are her kids.

I’m also becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the producer. Insisting that Katie have the ultrasound, despite her obvious distress, seems so heartless. And then the home visits! To show up unannounced like that is a horrible invasion of privacy—especially for Denise. The producer says it’s to give us more insight into the women. Really? It feels more like pure entertainment to me, if you can call it that…

The big news in the wide world of the Internet is the article Mary Elizabeth Williams wrote about Bump+ on Salon.com. Ms. Williams is wondering how much Yellow Line Studio is committed to true dialog. It’s a fair question – but her article skipped a few important facts. It is true that the Bump+ script was acquired from a former student at John Paul the Great Catholic University; but Yellow Line Studio is completely separate from the university. The company is privately funded by investors, not donors. Two of our three bosses here at Yellow Line are not even Catholic, and neither are many of the Bump+ cast and crew.

Because I work here, I know that Yellow Line Studio is a group of artists from many different backgrounds who want to have a positive influence on society through entertainment. But this article makes me think. Should artists be required to label their art with their religious and political affiliations? (I noticed Ms. Williams does not begin any of the articles she writes by disclosing that information about herself.) Does a writer, director, or producer (or even a doctor, pilot, or journalist) have a responsibility to explain exactly what they believe to everyone? Or should we simply judge their work on its own merits?

I have to say again that I’m touched and humbled by the comments—by the discussions—that we’re getting here at Bump+. It’s true, some of the comments have been edited and a few have been deleted. We do that only in order to keep things civil. I must say, however, that I have been very impressed by the love and understanding I’ve seen here—on both sides of the issue.

Next week, the producer pays a visit to Hailey and Jason, and follows Katie to Dr. Patterson’s house. What is Katie doing there? And how will Dr. Patterson feel about the camera crew invading his personal life?