Christy and David: Only One

[ifonlyclanax33]

Is it just me, or did MacNeill never tend to respect her wuite right? He was always mean to her. David was the nice guy!

So....

I like to pretend Christy and David lived happily ever after. ♥

[ifonlyclanax33]

David is just the best! He and Christy are so similar and they don't argue about *EVERYTHING* like Christy and Doc MacNeill (ACK!). Why isn't there more David-love? Not just 'cause he's uber-cute... They loved each other! I know he has flaws, but he's still growing up just like Christy. Plus, the poor guy pours out all his love to protect and care for her and she plays with it. Silly girl. His frustration is understandable. I just love David to pieces. The Doc should have been a father-figure.

[BrownEyedKris]

the clip of them actually getting married at the end when was that? Was someone dreaming?

[Cheetah00155]

I wanted her to marry David.....but at the end of this episode you hear the click of the little ring box closing.....so that gave it away for me.

[churchmousie]

Really, Cheetah00155? Great attention to detail there! I figured that was likely the way it was going to go, had the series continued -- Christy was just too emotionally taken with the doctor -- but I'll have to go back and listen for it.

[char4him99]

great video, but if you read the book, it becomes clear why it is Neil in the end. An absolute beautiful moment. It has been a while since I have read the book, but doesn't David decide that mission is not his calling??

Thru-out the series, I was actually torn between the two lol

[churchmousie]

As I recall, David often struggled with indecision regarding his calling to the ministry; but in chapter 45 of the book, he tells Christy (during her typhoid fever-induced delirium) that he's decided to stay.on, that he "just can't run like [the propher] Jonah. Now I know--I have to stand my ground and find myself right here..." Not sure if he changed his mind in the PAX movie sequels, as I haven't seen those.

[hollywoodhunny91]

David all the way!

[mickeypickme]

I can't remember watching the end of this movie when I heard she chose Neil I was so sad

[instantstargirl1993]

I love her with Neil they r amazing but, i always loved that David was aways saving her.

[livebyGod]

Actually, it is based off of her mother's life. And her mother married the preacher. I WISH SHE WOULD HAVE MARRIED DAVID! he is so fun loving, he never fights with her and he truly loves her. Plus, Neil is still married :S . And Neil is wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy too old for her! in my mind, David and Christy got married...

[char4him99]

got a point. lol

[churchmousie]

@livebyGod: How old was Neil in the TV series? like mid-30's? Back then around the turn of the century, it was more common for older men to marry younger women. Although a bit unusual, the age difference wasn't really what bothered me about the Neil/Christy-ship. It was -- you said it, Neil is still married. Otherwise, I do see where Neil and Christy are better suited to one another emotionally and personality-wise -- if only the director(s)/producer(s) hadn't brought Margaret back into it.

[abffchick17]

@churchmousie I think that the series if had not been cancelled was either going to have Margret divorce Neil or possibly still die from the illness that she had spent all of her money being treated for the first time, The novel does have her marry Neil. I think he was supposed to be like you said around early to mid thirties and by the time they got married she would have been around 22 or so, that wouldn't be unusual then and not really now either.

[abffchick17]

@livebyGod In the novel he is a widower and his wife didn't fake her own death, The series was cancelled before they could either have Margret die from the illness she had been previously treated for or have her officially divorce him as she had already given him back his wedding ring. In the TV movies they were based on the novel and his wife had been dead for years. He is less than 10 years her senior and that isn't so unusual now and wasn't back then at all. I did feel for David though,

[xLaura81x]

can someone tell me the order of the films and books?

[Mekana14]

I have to say I personally like David better, but for Christy I think Neil works better with her. They argue, they challenge each other, they bring out the best in each other, listen to each other. There is a great sense of respect between the two and that grows into love. With David, I found it was forced. He loved her but he didn't always respect her or her decisions (whether they were good or bad). Although I do love that he always wants to rescue her! :)

[churchmousie]

Although I think both men have their respective good and bad points, from a Christian perspective (which plays a central part of the story), Christy couldn't marry Neil because he is already (still) married. (I Cor. 7:39). It is different in the book, because Neil is actually a widower. Other than that, it is really a toss-up and extremely difficult to choose between the two of them! :) Glad I wasn't the one who had to make that decision.

[char4him99]

Well his wife died, didn't she?? I did debate this issue, but I saw the show recently where she came back and in the end, she didn't go get the treatment and in those days treatment was essential for even a chance at survival.

[churchmousie]

Not in the TV series, she didn't. Margaret confessed to Neil that she was *afraid* of dying; and that she didn't want to be alone (if/when she did). Whatever her motives, she was willing to reconcile, in which case the Bible instructs "let him not divorce her." (1 Cor. 7 v. 12). The TV series pushed this big drama about who Christy was going to choose, but at the time there was no "choice" to be made (see also 2 Cor. 6 vs. 14-18). Only David was free to pursue a relationship with her.

[churchmousie]

Don't get me wrong -- I'm a "romantic" just as much as the next person. I like Neil too; and he's been through so much. If anyone (of the story characters) deserves some happiness in life, it's him. But in God's world, life is not about us. Our primary goal and purpose is to glorify Him, which ultimately is the only way to find true happiness, anyway. In addition, back then divorce was still a societal no-no -- discouraged, stigmatized and seldom practiced. The TV series totally ignores this.

[char4him99]

I also understand what the Bible has to say. God's rules don't change. In fact, my mom tells me that Catherine Marshall never seemed the same after she remarried and the man was a divorced man. But Catherine Marshall herself said that she wrote Christy as fiction because having heard the story from her mother many times, she could not determine if her 'memories' were fact or her interpretation of the story. Fiction is just that fiction...some fact may be thrown in but there is a lot of leeway.

[churchmousie]

I didn't know that about Marshall -- did you mean LeSourd? My point was, the TV series didn't follow the book very well; and in the changes they made (i.e., bringing Margaret back), they caused the characters to be *out of character* re their faith and moral convictions. If you recall, Miss Alice felt that Neil's affections for Christy were out of place, even when she believed Margaret *was* gone. Fact or fiction, it was just sad to see Hollywood misrepresent the Christian faith like they did.

[char4him99]

The tv series especially the later ones did not keep at all with the book. My favorite Catherine Marshall story was the movie, "Joy Comes In the Morning" which is the story of Catherine herself and her marriage and life with the late great Rev. Peter Marshall. That I think was very true to the real story about them. And I love to read or listen to recordings of Peter Marshall.

[abffchick17]

@churchmousie I don't believe they misrepresented Christianity at all. They never did anything immoral at all. Yes, I don't know if I liked the whole Margaret story line but the Miss Alice says later that Neil wasn't doing anything wrong. He saw a part of Margaret in Christy and so did she. She was angry with Neil long before Christy arrived because of issues with Margaret.

[abffchick17]

@char4him99 In the series she came back at the end and told her mother that she was broke from paying for her treatments. Alice asks if she is 'well' she never really answered her straight so we don't know, Plus with what they eluded to about her original condition her prognosis probably wasn't too good. It was cancelled and I don't know what time line the movies were supposed to start at so it's possible that it had been more than a year or two and Margaret had passed.

[Jediana]

Really? She marries the preacher in the book?? I have never read the book before, just watched the shows. Or do you mean that it's a true story about a real woman?

[SJBarra]

Oh, you should definitely read the book. Christy Huddleston chooses the Doc at the end of the novel... but in real life, the author's grandmother -Leonara, who Christy is based on, married the Preacher. I think I've got that right.

[Lissy818]

@SJBarra ugh why would she change it from real life? i like david way better. neal is jsut too...old

[abffchick17]

@SJBarra In reality her mother did marry a preacher but for all we know her father's personally may have been more like the fictional character of Dr. McNeil. I don't even know if in her mom's real life if there was a two way choice for her the way it was for Christy,

[char4him99]

I have read the book many times and in the end, Neil is praying over her as she comes out of a coma and they kiss. I thought David left the mission around that time?? In the BOOK.. Been a LONG time. Now the real life story might be different as it is actually based on Catherine Marshall's mother's story I believe.. .I need to research this more. I have read many of Catherine Marshall's books. In fact my favorite movie of all time is Joy Comes In the Morning which is her story with Peter Marshall

[singinstar48]

@Jediana Okay to clear up things for you in real life Catherine Marshall's mother married a preacher. However in the book the romance between Christy/David is fictional as is the Doctor and Christy. In the book we are left to believe that Christy and Neil marry. Not all of the story is fact, the only part that is fact are the teaching experiances and the typhoid experiances that Christy had.

[Jediana]

Ahhh, I wanted Christy to marry David sooo badly. Neil is kind of cool but he is just way too old for her and he's not as handsome as David !!!

[SJBarra]

Well, the character she's based on married the Preacher! Neil is the most fictional of the three. I love Neil, but David is also a fascinating and much more godly character.

[abffchick17]

@SJBarra Mc Neil is no more than 10 years her senior since he started college at 16 and both that and medical school would have been a fraction of the time as they are now, plus he was only in practice not too many years before she came to Cutter Gap. That many years isn't that unusual now and definitely not back then,

[abffchick17]

@SJBarra In the tv movies which I believe were more true to the novel McNeil finally accepted GOD in his life, he prayed for forgiveness as Christy lie at his side deathly ill from a raging fever. She was conscious long enough to hear him. I think that was one of the main reasons she was conflicted about her feelings because of his original anger with GOD and how he wanted nothing to do with him before. In the novel she marries McNeil.

[ionman200]

@Jediana That is what I think to!

[nobledaughter]

Thanks for making this! I know so many people who watch this series today and wish that David and Christy would have married. :-) I certainly do. Neil is a nice guy, but much too old for her, and with David it was love at first sight. Her marrying Neil seemed rather forced. Oh, well. :-) That's the way the novel goes.

[SJBarra]

I think one of the main reasons that the character ends up with Neil is because Catherine Marshall wanted her to marry into Cutter Gap. They've both changed for the better and put their trust in God by the end of the novel :) (I feel sorry for David, too, though!)

[spaciousgalaxy]

Yay! A Christy and David video! How nice to have a video about something other than the Christy/Neil story! Although I like Neil's personality better overall, I am definitely a fan of Christy and David's relationship. I wish Christy had married David, instead! They make a hott couple!

[SJBarra]

Hi :) I know that she marries Neil. This is an Alternate Universe vid. Don't you love how Catherine Marshall ends the novel? Neil admits he can't save her in his own strength and turns to Christ. She realises that he loves her 'like that'. I also love the line when he sees that she is alive - "the joy of the children was in his voice." Oops, I just posted pro-Neil stuff on my David vid!

[Avril126]

Christy marries Neil.