It was against all odds that Lisa survived Friday night’s eviction.
As much as any housemate in the past that has been desired to leave, Lisa’s days in the big brother house seemed to be numbered.
Lisa has come to be known as one who does nothing but sit at the bus stop smoking and moaning about other housemates. A few of the housemates have decided her as a schemer and manipulator. Her personal style and vocal expressions when in the grip of passion gives the impression of one who is hard-hearted and unrefined. The latter may accord with those who have particular expectations of refinement. However, closer observation suggests that she is hardly without empathy, dignity or honour.
The fact that she survived last week’s eviction proves that this has not escaped the notice of a significant number of the voting public who voted for her to stay.
On more than one occasion she has put herself out to defend, protect and comfort anyone that was in need, and this she did freely before securing any commitments from them in the way of friendship or loyalty. Her kindness has been invaluable to members of the house when they felt unable to handle challenges that they faced in the house as they confronted personal difficulties through their interactions with other housemates, or simply needed reassurance. Among the housemates to draw comfort from her caring nature were Sree, Angel, Noirin, Kenneth and now David.
Probably, her biggest disadvantage in the house was her intolerance for Freddie, aka Halfwit who she, along with some of the other housemates found instinctively irritating because of his condescending manner and, also suspicious because of his rather naïve declaration about having a game plan. In her usual direct approach she openly confronted Halfwit with any grievances she felt towards him. Perhaps, unused to this kind of directness, Halfwit developed a paranoia towards Lisa which has in recent times bordered on the obsessive. At some point he did manage to see his way through approaching Lisa and talking it out with her. In her simplicity, Lisa may have interpreted this as a peace-making meeting between them which she honoured and went on to exercise great restraint and refrained from further confrontations with him.
The damage was already done, however. Halfwit had won great public sympathy for his days as a victim, in those first couple of weeks, when a couple of the other housemates, namely Carly and Kris were individually intolerant of him. This, combined with the fact that Halfwit continued to promulgate false accusations of conspiracy about her, behind her back, with other housemates as well as in the diary room would be the reason why the public are anti- Lisa. One after another her friends have been removed from the house in a deliberate attempt to break up her group that formed as a natural move – the same as Halfwit has with other housemates - of people falling into smaller groups from an initial multitude.
She also nearly lost one of the last of her remaining friends in Charlie when he temporarily abandoned her after learning that she was not popular with the public. For someone who readily sticks her neck out for others this lack of support must have cut her, and hours later, an argument broke out with Charlie during a group task over some other issue.
Lisa was very surprised and happy to have not been voted out since she had prepared herself for what felt like an inevitability following Halfwit’s taunts earlier and the feeling of other housemates which she sensed; the other housemates being Marcus and Bea.
It would be good to see her survive a few more weeks. Perhaps, then we will get an opportunity to be reminded of the chilled out Lisa that she showed herself to be early on in the show.
Go Lisa…
