bbm
It took me awhile to understand why they seemed to embrace Misty in the beginning, going so far as to sanction the wedding. Once I took a closer look at TN and granny, however, I gained a better perspective of the situation. IMO, they (TN and GGS) were not terribly concerned about Misty squealing because she was in deep enough that implicating Ron would mean incriminating herself. Whether that was by device or Misty's own doing, I'm not sure. I think their greater concern was to dispel suspicions about Ron. They knew if dirt came out about Misty, it would reflect poorly on Ron, and he would become guilty by association. And they were right. When the skinny on Misty and her wild weekend came to light later, "we" (the general public) were all aghast. That's what they tried to avoid because they're shrewd enough to know that public outrage often does drive a legal investigation. (That aside, I happen to think saving face is important to the old dowager in any situation.)
So, the goal was to let the story fade away. Haleigh would become just another forgotten missing child, and they would go on with their lives unscathed by scandal. To ensure their objective, they attempted to create the picture of a nice young guy and his gal victimized by crime. Perpetuating the Ronjelina image, they hoped, would stave off controversy and gain public favor. Thus the betrothal. Despite Ron's poor overacting and public displays of ignorance, the plan seemed to be working for awhile. Whatever points they lost with Ron were made up by KP who brought the custody issue to the forefront and drew the attention to Crystal and the Sheffields.
Meanwhile, Cobra was snooping around, but even he started to back off after the little romp through the woods with TN. What they didn't count on was NayNay dishing to AH. That was the crucible, in my opinion, that turned the story around and brought the focus squarely back to the blushing couple. The carp hit the fan, and the runaway train went over the hill. Ron, et al suffered a big blow from the fallout of AH's bombshell. After all, what kind of guy rolls a girl into a ball and throws her out of a car!? What kind of father leaves his children with a girl like Misty!? What kind of gm or ggm accepts a girl like that into the family!? Gives her an heirloom ring, no less, and praises her maternal abilities!? Uh-oh! Nothing left to do but ditch or bailout.
From that point they started distancing themselves from Misty. It was pretty subtle at first, but as the pressure mounted and spurned the events of summer and fall, it became increasingly evident that the facade was eroding. Suspicion threw the whole bunch into a frenzy. First Ratgate, then Misty left the gate, leaving them holding the bag while she cavorted with DB. The divorce followed, and all ties with Misty were severed (at least as far as TN and GGS were concerned). By the time of the drug arrest, the image they worked so hard to protect no longer included Misty. It was all about salvaging Ron; evidenced by a pathetic attempt on the part of TN and GGS to blame Misty for leading Ronnie boy astray, and the outlandish statement lauding him as the hero who put that wicked little Croslin girl behind bars. Hypocrisy is very big in the South. I get it.
