I started this post AGES ago, but I'm going to try and finish it. Finder has come out, and was a bust (unsurprisingly, though a little sadly).
I was thinking about House the other day because Bones did a potential pilot (more on this possibly later in a separate post) and one of the comments from Hart Hanson was they wanted to make a House like character -- someone who is in many ways unlikable. I find this idea intriguing, and I certainly find characters who are not all sunshine and roses all the time to be the ones I gravitate towards.
It occurred to me then that if I like this sort of character, I should write this sort of character. I've never gone full out and made a House, or Sheldon Cooper -- at least I don't think so -- but then again I rarely find either of these characters unlikable. But this is a product of relatively good writing, and I am nervous to go full out with what I would like to do. Anyways, the thought was then -- I write, for the most part, from the view point of women. Not that I am particularly girly, or that I don't write men, but I am a woman, so it makes sense for me to write women. With this in mind, I started thinking about women in media (TV specifically) and how they interact and if it would be possible to write a woman who was House-like.
There's a line in Studio Sixty about how the world tells women they shouldn't be funny. I can't remember exactly what it was, but Harriet's face when she says it keeps coming back to me. And it occurred to me that I couldn't think of any examples, at the time, for a woman who takes on a role that is generally unlikable because women, as a general rule, are supposed to be eternally pleasant and good.
My initial thought was of Temperance Brennan from Bones, because she is loud, and smart and not afraid to say what she thinks. She is not likable when you first meet her (indeed, she was not the main reason I continued to watch the show, it was the squints). If there was someone who was going to be House-like, it would be Temperance Brennan you would think. But when you look at her, and you watch the show, there are some things that set them apart. Temperance Brennan's story is codified into the societal norms that make it okay for her, as a woman, to be the way she is -- something that doesn't happen for House for six seasons. Example: Temperance is cold because she was abandoned as a child. Her story is one of melting the ice queen, learning to be more feminine and accepting Booth's love.
Compare this with House, who may have had some emotional damage from his family, but in truth, is more plagued by his intelligence than anything else. His story may also be about learning to accept love, but as season six has shown -- Cuddy doesn't love unconditionally, and he ends up pushing her away and being a hero for it. Temperance ends up going through psychosis before she can deal with Booth dating Hannah.
I'm not saying that Temperance Brennan is any more likable as a result of her history -- but there is a sense that her behavior has to be explained, while House just is and you accept him or you don't. And this is the crux of my problem -- Temperance Brennan has to make up for being smart.
This is seen in Kara from Legend of the Seeker as well, where her emotional stuntedness is explained by being tortured as a child. Now I know, there is a certain amount that this has to have happened for her character, but when you see her in the alternate universe where she was never a Mord Sith, she is totally feminine -- her personality is stripped to a bare minimum making the torture the only reason for her crass sensibility in-universe. Again -- its the fact that she had to be tortured to act like that bothers me, because it implies that women can't be as complex as men without having had something terrible happen to them.
Robin from How I Met Your Mother has a tendency towards this, though I wouldn't call her unlikable. Robin's personality, tendency towards guns, her ability to 'bro-out' and everything that makes her less feminine, is attributed to her distant relationship with her father (that and the fact that she is from Canada). Her lack of female like qualities is again codified in a way that males would not have to go through. Men who are distant from their fathers, may have an episode devoted to it (think Wesley from Angel), but it doesn't define their personality.
I found this to be especially annoying when it came to Starbuck, in Battlestar Galactica. She wasn't allowed to be awesome just because she was dealing with losing her entire life, and the variety of things that happened to her in the show, no she had to have a backstory of abuse to explain why she's unfeminine.
Indeed, the only character that came to mind who was unfeminine who had no abusive or terrible past that I could think of, was Faith from Buffy/Angel. But that's cause Joss Whedon is good.
More on that later.
Showing posts with label Bones. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bones. Show all posts
Friday, July 27, 2012
Friday, May 20, 2011
Season Finales
My response to each of the season finales I have seen in five words or less* per show.
30 Rock: Liz Lemon rocks.
Grey's Anatomy: Surprisingly undramatic (good thing).
HIMYM: I knew it was Barney's wedding.
Big Bang Theory: CHANDLER AND MONICA! MY EYES! (prompted by an article that spoiled me. I am not actually that upset about it)
Bones: WHAT?!?!?!? WHAT?!?!?!?!??!?!
Castle: THAT'S HOW YOU DO IT!
I feel as if I am missing shows, but I am pretty sure that's all of them. STRANGE.
BONUS:
Doctor Who ('The Doctor's Wife' not a finale): Awwwwwwwwwwww.
*This statement may or may not be an accurate count of the words in the response.
30 Rock: Liz Lemon rocks.
Grey's Anatomy: Surprisingly undramatic (good thing).
HIMYM: I knew it was Barney's wedding.
Big Bang Theory: CHANDLER AND MONICA! MY EYES! (prompted by an article that spoiled me. I am not actually that upset about it)
Bones: WHAT?!?!?!? WHAT?!?!?!?!??!?!
Castle: THAT'S HOW YOU DO IT!
I feel as if I am missing shows, but I am pretty sure that's all of them. STRANGE.
BONUS:
Doctor Who ('The Doctor's Wife' not a finale): Awwwwwwwwwwww.
*This statement may or may not be an accurate count of the words in the response.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Two Episodes In
Who was excited by this TV season? Me, that's who. How did the season do as compared to my predictions? Well, some of the shows I haven't gotten around to watching. Anything on Monday at 8 gets cut into by my biochemistry class, so I haven't watched House yet. HIMYM I have watched, because I like doing it with BBT. So lets start with these two.
HIMYM --
This show did well for the first episode. The frame within the frame within the frame was excellent. Robin was still not pleasing as a character, but I have given up on her a little, and am just giggling at the show now. Having given up on standard characterization, the show has fallen prey to the characteristics of sitcom -- over generalization and flanderization. Barney has lost control, Ted is repeatedly placed into positions that make him seem more and more ridiculous. Lily has become shrewish, and Marshall has become more small town, if that is possible. Robin has degenerated into typical femaleness. Still, having these character tropes is not necessarily bad. They can still be funny and lovable, and I'm going to keep watching because... well who is the mother.
I think that they have to reveal who the mother is finally, or its going to stretch the premise to the breaking point. Sure its just the frame, but there is something to be said to remaining true to what you began. I would lose an enormous amount of respect (probably all they have left from me) for the writers if they tried to pull a fast on us again like they did last season with the information about how the mother was in that classroom.
Season six will be interesting to watch and see how they shape things towards that wedding where Ted is the best man. (My prediction is that Barney is getting married. To who? Robin of course. Clearly I am slightly delusional).
Big Bang Theory --
Solid start to the fourth season. Despite the fact that it has been proclaimed that Penny and Sheldon will never be together (and there was something of a jibe about it in the episode), I still think that it could lead somewhere what with that awkward date with Sheldon, his date and Penny. I mean, come on. My fear of the loss of ensembleness that was with this show has been slightly alleviated, though not completely. Howard got face time (hilariously), but Leonard hasn't really had a story in a while, nor has Raj. It continues to be a Sheldon/Penny show. As a character person it bothers me that there isn't a lot of development for the side characters, but for the show it probably works, because most of the humor is found in Sheldon's behavior.
Bones --
Oh Bones! "Gather your squinterns!" Back to the witty banter and Brennan being slightly out there, and just Bonesy goodness. Gotta say the fact that they all got called back for Cam was good, but a little contrived. Still, the first episode was excellent and amusing (though, it annoyed me that the kidnapping case had the father as the bad guy, because I was like "But no! Colby would never do such a thing!" since Dylan Bruno was the actor). The second episode was actually amazing. I dislike Hannah because of the way she speaks, but appreciate that she speaks like she is writing something, which humanizes and characterizes her. But the really amazing part of the second episode was the way that the writers could finally begin to pull on some of the emotional strings they have been playing with for the past five years. Brennan's "I am the only one who is where they expected to be" and her in the bar at the end was heartbreakingly good. Way to have pay off for your hard work Bones. Now, don't blow it, as you are prone to do.
Glee I'm not going to talk about because they upset me by falling back into their usual annoying pattern. 30 Rock was done well, but nothing in particular to talk about with them. I think that's all I've watched. Maybe I'll do an episode recap soon. Maybe not. We'll see. ;)
HIMYM --
This show did well for the first episode. The frame within the frame within the frame was excellent. Robin was still not pleasing as a character, but I have given up on her a little, and am just giggling at the show now. Having given up on standard characterization, the show has fallen prey to the characteristics of sitcom -- over generalization and flanderization. Barney has lost control, Ted is repeatedly placed into positions that make him seem more and more ridiculous. Lily has become shrewish, and Marshall has become more small town, if that is possible. Robin has degenerated into typical femaleness. Still, having these character tropes is not necessarily bad. They can still be funny and lovable, and I'm going to keep watching because... well who is the mother.
I think that they have to reveal who the mother is finally, or its going to stretch the premise to the breaking point. Sure its just the frame, but there is something to be said to remaining true to what you began. I would lose an enormous amount of respect (probably all they have left from me) for the writers if they tried to pull a fast on us again like they did last season with the information about how the mother was in that classroom.
Season six will be interesting to watch and see how they shape things towards that wedding where Ted is the best man. (My prediction is that Barney is getting married. To who? Robin of course. Clearly I am slightly delusional).
Big Bang Theory --
Solid start to the fourth season. Despite the fact that it has been proclaimed that Penny and Sheldon will never be together (and there was something of a jibe about it in the episode), I still think that it could lead somewhere what with that awkward date with Sheldon, his date and Penny. I mean, come on. My fear of the loss of ensembleness that was with this show has been slightly alleviated, though not completely. Howard got face time (hilariously), but Leonard hasn't really had a story in a while, nor has Raj. It continues to be a Sheldon/Penny show. As a character person it bothers me that there isn't a lot of development for the side characters, but for the show it probably works, because most of the humor is found in Sheldon's behavior.
Bones --
Oh Bones! "Gather your squinterns!" Back to the witty banter and Brennan being slightly out there, and just Bonesy goodness. Gotta say the fact that they all got called back for Cam was good, but a little contrived. Still, the first episode was excellent and amusing (though, it annoyed me that the kidnapping case had the father as the bad guy, because I was like "But no! Colby would never do such a thing!" since Dylan Bruno was the actor). The second episode was actually amazing. I dislike Hannah because of the way she speaks, but appreciate that she speaks like she is writing something, which humanizes and characterizes her. But the really amazing part of the second episode was the way that the writers could finally begin to pull on some of the emotional strings they have been playing with for the past five years. Brennan's "I am the only one who is where they expected to be" and her in the bar at the end was heartbreakingly good. Way to have pay off for your hard work Bones. Now, don't blow it, as you are prone to do.
Glee I'm not going to talk about because they upset me by falling back into their usual annoying pattern. 30 Rock was done well, but nothing in particular to talk about with them. I think that's all I've watched. Maybe I'll do an episode recap soon. Maybe not. We'll see. ;)
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Gearing Up
The 2010 - 2011 TV season begins Monday. I believe some shows have started but the majority of the shows I watch are getting their first episode next week. Here's what I'm following and why.
MONDAY:
House, MD --
We left off last season with House and Cuddy making out. WHAT?! Six years and now they start making out? HOW WILL THEY MANAGE SEASON SEVEN? I am curious to see what kind of things they can put House through while still keeping him House. However, I have been scared by How I Met Your Mother's treatment of characters who get together who should be together, so I am unsure if they will manage to pull through this drastic change. Still, it will be exciting and different and could re-energize the show.
How I Met Your Mother --
So, I hated season 5 of this show. Maybe it was the way I watched it, spread out like it is, or possibly its that the writers decided to ruin Robin, who is my favorite female on television, but either way, season 5 was not a good season for me. The last episode was probably the best (because DON IS GONE!) And it was a good place to be leaving off, with change in the air. I think the next season may be able to lift me out of the funk I am in with this show, but we shall see.
Castle --
A third season for Nathan Fillion? SHOCK. But this show has so much excellent, and raw, potential. They had the sense in the finale to have Kate realize she might like Castle enough to give it a go. They are pushing the boundaries they have set up with the week to week stuff and I like it. How far they can go, we will see, but I think that they are clever enough to make it work, and Nathan and Stana are going to make it work with the chemistry enough for me to give up on the writing and still love the show.
TUESDAY:
Glee --
We all know I don't like Glee about 75% of the time. I had my rant before. In my season finale episode wrap up post, which never got published, I mentioned that the finale of Glee was where the writers really got some pay off, and THAT IS HOW PACING IS DONE GUYS. Maybe they will take it from there, but I worry that its a once in a blue moon kind of thing. I have also heard they are cutting down on music and that is not okay with me. But, on the plus side, Kurt is getting a boyfriend and I think this season may have potential, we will have to see.
THURSDAY:
This is the big night.
Bones --
This past season bored me a little, gotta say. It wasn't that it wasn't good, but the little things started to get at me that didn't used to. Like the palm trees that DO NOT EXIST IN WASHINGTON, or the fact that the Washington Metro has a very specific look, and they ignored it, or the fact that that building that was at "American University" could not exist on this campus. But, I like that they have managed to move into a new place with the Bones/Booth relationship. The taking a year break I think is actually an amazing idea. I thought it was well conceived, if not thought out. I will be interested to see where they take it and what's going to happen.
30 Rock --
Oh Tina Fey. I am so hoping that she gets to have a boyfriend this season. I think it would be more fun to see her doing stuff like learning to accommodate someone else into Liz Lemon's life, then her doing the stereotypical ridiculousness they make her do on the show. I will probably be disappointed on this point, but I will continue to watch because its smart and funny.
Big Bang Theory --
Sheldon and a girl. I am a huge Sheldon/Penny shipper, but I think that the relationship that is going to unfold (spoiler) is going to be interesting to behold. I believe that it will, in fact, help my Shenny cause, as it will allow Sheldon to grow and become someone new. Leonard, Raj and Howard must also have face time, but I believe that the real draw of the show now is Sheldon. I worry, however, that BBT will lose its sense of who the show is about like HIMYM did, going from ensemble show to the Barney/Sheldon show. They may not make the same mistakes though, and we can hope that is true.
Grey's Anatomy --
Why? Why, you ask me. Well, Grey's has been a battle for me. I sometimes watch and I sometimes don't, but I believe there could be some interesting stuff coming from this season. It may also be heading towards its conclusion, as Ellen wants to get out of the Grey's business, and I am unsure if Lexie Grey can be the Grey in the title. Its going to be an interesting season, and may result in strangely good episodes.
Private Practice --
See, you should have waited until I said this show to ask me why. Not only is this worse then Grey's, all of the show has turned into a horrible mess of "WHO'RE YOU SLEEPING WITH?". But CHARLOTTE AND COOPER ARE GETTING MARRIED. LOVE.
So that's the new season for me. Maybe a new show will catch my eye. I am debating Nikita, as a new show, but I'm unsure if I'll have time, slash it looks a little trashy. So we'll see. If anyone has suggestions, I'd love to hear them.
MONDAY:
House, MD --
We left off last season with House and Cuddy making out. WHAT?! Six years and now they start making out? HOW WILL THEY MANAGE SEASON SEVEN? I am curious to see what kind of things they can put House through while still keeping him House. However, I have been scared by How I Met Your Mother's treatment of characters who get together who should be together, so I am unsure if they will manage to pull through this drastic change. Still, it will be exciting and different and could re-energize the show.
How I Met Your Mother --
So, I hated season 5 of this show. Maybe it was the way I watched it, spread out like it is, or possibly its that the writers decided to ruin Robin, who is my favorite female on television, but either way, season 5 was not a good season for me. The last episode was probably the best (because DON IS GONE!) And it was a good place to be leaving off, with change in the air. I think the next season may be able to lift me out of the funk I am in with this show, but we shall see.
Castle --
A third season for Nathan Fillion? SHOCK. But this show has so much excellent, and raw, potential. They had the sense in the finale to have Kate realize she might like Castle enough to give it a go. They are pushing the boundaries they have set up with the week to week stuff and I like it. How far they can go, we will see, but I think that they are clever enough to make it work, and Nathan and Stana are going to make it work with the chemistry enough for me to give up on the writing and still love the show.
TUESDAY:
Glee --
We all know I don't like Glee about 75% of the time. I had my rant before. In my season finale episode wrap up post, which never got published, I mentioned that the finale of Glee was where the writers really got some pay off, and THAT IS HOW PACING IS DONE GUYS. Maybe they will take it from there, but I worry that its a once in a blue moon kind of thing. I have also heard they are cutting down on music and that is not okay with me. But, on the plus side, Kurt is getting a boyfriend and I think this season may have potential, we will have to see.
THURSDAY:
This is the big night.
Bones --
This past season bored me a little, gotta say. It wasn't that it wasn't good, but the little things started to get at me that didn't used to. Like the palm trees that DO NOT EXIST IN WASHINGTON, or the fact that the Washington Metro has a very specific look, and they ignored it, or the fact that that building that was at "American University" could not exist on this campus. But, I like that they have managed to move into a new place with the Bones/Booth relationship. The taking a year break I think is actually an amazing idea. I thought it was well conceived, if not thought out. I will be interested to see where they take it and what's going to happen.
30 Rock --
Oh Tina Fey. I am so hoping that she gets to have a boyfriend this season. I think it would be more fun to see her doing stuff like learning to accommodate someone else into Liz Lemon's life, then her doing the stereotypical ridiculousness they make her do on the show. I will probably be disappointed on this point, but I will continue to watch because its smart and funny.
Big Bang Theory --
Sheldon and a girl. I am a huge Sheldon/Penny shipper, but I think that the relationship that is going to unfold (spoiler) is going to be interesting to behold. I believe that it will, in fact, help my Shenny cause, as it will allow Sheldon to grow and become someone new. Leonard, Raj and Howard must also have face time, but I believe that the real draw of the show now is Sheldon. I worry, however, that BBT will lose its sense of who the show is about like HIMYM did, going from ensemble show to the Barney/Sheldon show. They may not make the same mistakes though, and we can hope that is true.
Grey's Anatomy --
Why? Why, you ask me. Well, Grey's has been a battle for me. I sometimes watch and I sometimes don't, but I believe there could be some interesting stuff coming from this season. It may also be heading towards its conclusion, as Ellen wants to get out of the Grey's business, and I am unsure if Lexie Grey can be the Grey in the title. Its going to be an interesting season, and may result in strangely good episodes.
Private Practice --
See, you should have waited until I said this show to ask me why. Not only is this worse then Grey's, all of the show has turned into a horrible mess of "WHO'RE YOU SLEEPING WITH?". But CHARLOTTE AND COOPER ARE GETTING MARRIED. LOVE.
So that's the new season for me. Maybe a new show will catch my eye. I am debating Nikita, as a new show, but I'm unsure if I'll have time, slash it looks a little trashy. So we'll see. If anyone has suggestions, I'd love to hear them.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)