This is like dating. You meet someone and you take time to figure out if you like them or not. If they have the whiff of desperation, it's a turnoff.
Jeb reeks of desperation.
Jeb reeks of desperation.
That's a good analogy. Jeb is also a bit like a bad vaudeville act - he's out there in front of the crowd, just stinking the place up. The people are getting up and leaving to find a better attraction. The backstage guys have a firm grip on Jeb with the vaudeville hook, but he's fighting against being dragged off the stage.
It may take a little while to find those last few stage hands to add their muscle to the hook, but the performance is at an end.