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Showing posts with label TV shows. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TV shows. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Friday, September 17, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
On the Generational Divide and Being an Orphaned Conan Fan
As is fairly common knowledge, Conan O'Brien's last night on The Tonight Show was this past Friday. As so many other Conan fans of a certain age can probably attest, losing Conan after all these years makes me feel a bit like I've been orphaned. Since 1993, Conan has always been there -- even if I didn't watch him every night, he was there, goofing off in the subconscious of my adolescence, then my young adulthood, and now my adulthood. It's hard to articulate how baffling it is to have him ripped away in this manner. Bye, bye, he's gone?
Still, I don't mean to make the whole thing more dramatic than it already is -- obviously there are a million problems out there worse and more deserving of attention than whoever is currently hosting The Tonight Show. But on a more superficial level that pays homage to the pop culture of my generation, Conan is a huge part of that collective history, and I can't help but be pissed off at the way he was treated -- by Jay and by NBC.
Part of this feels like the generational divide at work (and by that I mean the lack of respect that exists between the generations) -- and really, at least in some small measure, how could it not be? We see this gulf all over the place, from mass media to the workplace to politics to feminism. In all of these arenas, it's hard not to notice that the older generations often fail to respect (or even attempt to understand) the cultural perspectives of Generation X & Y (i.e. the Millennials, if that's your cup of tea). I can't even count the number of times I have turned on Public Radio to hear some caller bitching about those vapid, technology-obsessed young people, who, according to many, are on a constant texting, sexting, hook-up binge... and by God, why aren't they more ashamed of it?
It's moments like those that I feel that even though we are a society obsessed with youth culture and youthful appearances -- and older people certainly do have a right to be critical of that -- as a whole we have very little respect for the younger generations or their points of view. Sometimes we fail to recognize that they even HAVE a point of view.
This was felt so much during the 2008 election. People could not get over the fact that young people actually cared about politics and wanted a say in who got elected. Yet their support for Obama and/or Hillary was usually undermined by commentary about their impulsiveness, lack of attention span, and/or vulnerability to (and perpetuation of) so-called Internet fads.
This same phenomenon of undervaluing younger opinions is also felt in feminism, usually when 2nd-wave feminists start complaining that young women just aren't that interested in feminism anymore. Um, what? It usually turns out that these older feminists are simply looking in the wrong places. Because yeah, we are HERE. And here. And quite often that means on the Internet. As Conan would say, Dear Internet... how come many older feminists often fail to notice we are here? (Some others, however, DO get it.)
So what does this have to do with Conan and Jay? It might just be another symptom of the same problem, but these last two weeks the whole overexposed drama really held my attention. Even though there were things about Conan's show that I wish were different -- does he have any women writers? -- it was hard not to see him as the underdog and Leno as the self-entitled bully (and also, Letterman as the gleeful I-told-you-so guy, more interested in bettering his own recently scarred image). Especially when Conan signed off in a way that was so classy and generous. But Jay? What could he be thinking? I mean, how much internalized privilege do you have to have in order to believe you have the right to take back The Tonight Show? Certainly part of his thought process, whether he would admit it or not, must be based on a sense of seniority, the feeling that his audience is the only audience that matters. Otherwise, why would he be so rigid, so unwilling to step aside?
But as with the Obama phenomenon and the determination of young feminists, when there's a sense of urgency about something, young people tend to STEP UP. The Conan fiasco was no exception. NBC studios were mobbed with Team CoCo supporters, and ratings were huge (7.0! for the final show!), so much so that by the second week Conan was killing Letterman in the 18-49 age bracket. Yet, the first article I came across today was one from CNN wondering if Conan fans have the attention span to stick around if he does indeed pop up on another network. The underlying assumption of the article is one I have seen so many times before, which is that young people lack the capacity to be genuine in their support of anyone. Which is, quite frankly, insulting. The comments beneath the article say as much.
However, in the face of all this cynicism about America's young people, what did perhaps shine a light on the attitudes of Generation X & Y was the authentic and look-on-the-bright side manner in which Conan himself exited the show. After everything, after all the shit that went down, he actually pled with his young audience NOT to be cynical. And really, I think that is the most telling thing of all. Somehow, despite all the crap and bad times the younger generations have grown up with and through, including the older generations' lack of faith in us, I still believe deep down we are a pretty hopeful, creative, and genuine group. And, maybe the best quality of all -- we love to LAUGH.
See you on the other side, CoCo.
Still, I don't mean to make the whole thing more dramatic than it already is -- obviously there are a million problems out there worse and more deserving of attention than whoever is currently hosting The Tonight Show. But on a more superficial level that pays homage to the pop culture of my generation, Conan is a huge part of that collective history, and I can't help but be pissed off at the way he was treated -- by Jay and by NBC.
Part of this feels like the generational divide at work (and by that I mean the lack of respect that exists between the generations) -- and really, at least in some small measure, how could it not be? We see this gulf all over the place, from mass media to the workplace to politics to feminism. In all of these arenas, it's hard not to notice that the older generations often fail to respect (or even attempt to understand) the cultural perspectives of Generation X & Y (i.e. the Millennials, if that's your cup of tea). I can't even count the number of times I have turned on Public Radio to hear some caller bitching about those vapid, technology-obsessed young people, who, according to many, are on a constant texting, sexting, hook-up binge... and by God, why aren't they more ashamed of it?
It's moments like those that I feel that even though we are a society obsessed with youth culture and youthful appearances -- and older people certainly do have a right to be critical of that -- as a whole we have very little respect for the younger generations or their points of view. Sometimes we fail to recognize that they even HAVE a point of view.
This was felt so much during the 2008 election. People could not get over the fact that young people actually cared about politics and wanted a say in who got elected. Yet their support for Obama and/or Hillary was usually undermined by commentary about their impulsiveness, lack of attention span, and/or vulnerability to (and perpetuation of) so-called Internet fads.
This same phenomenon of undervaluing younger opinions is also felt in feminism, usually when 2nd-wave feminists start complaining that young women just aren't that interested in feminism anymore. Um, what? It usually turns out that these older feminists are simply looking in the wrong places. Because yeah, we are HERE. And here. And quite often that means on the Internet. As Conan would say, Dear Internet... how come many older feminists often fail to notice we are here? (Some others, however, DO get it.)
So what does this have to do with Conan and Jay? It might just be another symptom of the same problem, but these last two weeks the whole overexposed drama really held my attention. Even though there were things about Conan's show that I wish were different -- does he have any women writers? -- it was hard not to see him as the underdog and Leno as the self-entitled bully (and also, Letterman as the gleeful I-told-you-so guy, more interested in bettering his own recently scarred image). Especially when Conan signed off in a way that was so classy and generous. But Jay? What could he be thinking? I mean, how much internalized privilege do you have to have in order to believe you have the right to take back The Tonight Show? Certainly part of his thought process, whether he would admit it or not, must be based on a sense of seniority, the feeling that his audience is the only audience that matters. Otherwise, why would he be so rigid, so unwilling to step aside?
But as with the Obama phenomenon and the determination of young feminists, when there's a sense of urgency about something, young people tend to STEP UP. The Conan fiasco was no exception. NBC studios were mobbed with Team CoCo supporters, and ratings were huge (7.0! for the final show!), so much so that by the second week Conan was killing Letterman in the 18-49 age bracket. Yet, the first article I came across today was one from CNN wondering if Conan fans have the attention span to stick around if he does indeed pop up on another network. The underlying assumption of the article is one I have seen so many times before, which is that young people lack the capacity to be genuine in their support of anyone. Which is, quite frankly, insulting. The comments beneath the article say as much.
However, in the face of all this cynicism about America's young people, what did perhaps shine a light on the attitudes of Generation X & Y was the authentic and look-on-the-bright side manner in which Conan himself exited the show. After everything, after all the shit that went down, he actually pled with his young audience NOT to be cynical. And really, I think that is the most telling thing of all. Somehow, despite all the crap and bad times the younger generations have grown up with and through, including the older generations' lack of faith in us, I still believe deep down we are a pretty hopeful, creative, and genuine group. And, maybe the best quality of all -- we love to LAUGH.
See you on the other side, CoCo.
Crossposted at Radiant Likeness.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Sea of Love: Thoughts on "Shipping"
About a year ago now, I finally figured out the pop culture term "shipping." I know, I'm a slow study. Turns out, I've been "shipping" for years without realizing it.
Shipper (via Urban Dictionary)
relationshipper; One who believes there is, was, should, and could be a relationship between two characters in a certain fandom.
One way of getting around this problem, I've found, is shipping within daytime soaps -- these are the least insane and most enjoyable ships in the long run, at least for me. The good and bad news about shipping in the soaps world is the temporary nature of most relationships -- there's almost always the possibility of a change in circumstance, of both reconciliation and disaster (and sometimes in whiplash-inducing succession). This can have the effect of making all right with the world, but it can also leave a sour, garbage-like taste in the mouth. On the other hand, hope almost always remains that things can eventually go your way once again.
A final point about shipping. It's easy to be scornful of it (and judgmental of those who engage in it) -- until it happens to you. But when that fever hits you, you're done -- there's no point fighting it. Or in feeling guilty. Right? Just say no shame, sit back, and enjoy. Honestly, I'm telling you, it makes life a lot easier.
So, here are mine. These are an elite group, all from TV, and either instant obsessions or enduring soaps favorites.
Kevin/Scotty from Brothers & Sisters
Status: ongoing, currently together
Favorite clips: Lobster scene (2.08), Car scene (2.11), Proposal scene (2.15).
These two captured a special place in my heart early in season 1, back when Scotty was showing up at the Walker manse with red velvet cupcakes. In what seemed to be fated timing, they got committed on the season 2 finale about a week prior to same-sex marriage becoming legal in California. But then the train wreck called Prop 8 happened, which sort of tainted, well, everything. But, still, I don't care. They're married. End of story.
Carrie/Aidan from Sex and the City
Status: divided forever
Favorite clips: The Proposal (4.12), Fight scene (4.13).
This ship was driven largely by my fondness for John Corbett (dating back to "Chris in the Morning," of course, from Northern Exposure), but there was something about Carrie and Aidan together that I really loved. They had an authenticity and a great comedic flavor (sort of a theme with my ships). And that loveseat he made, where the flaw in the wood was also its strength? Pure swoon.
Felicity/Noel from Felicity
Status: divided forever
Favorite clips: Boggled First Kiss (1.04), Thanksgiving Bathroom Make-Out (1.09), Noel's Library Freak-Out (1.10).
Probably my favorite, most obsessive, and ultimately most painful ship. These two had best friendship, amazing chemistry, and a screwball comedy dynamic I absolutely adored. But not only did they not end up together, the series finale somehow managed to divide them, spectacularly, through both marriage and death. Oh my god, kill me now. The name of this ship is the Sweet Torture.
Brooke/Ridge from The Bold & the Beautiful
Status: ongoing, recently together but currently divided
Favorite clips: Reminiscing (01-18-08).
My first soaps ship, dating back to the late 80s, Brooke and Ridge are so iconic as a supercouple that it almost doesn't matter if they're actually together on any given day or not. They just are.
Nick/Sharon from The Young & the Restless
Status: ongoing, recently together but currently divided
Favorite clips: Paris scenes (11-11-08).
Nick and Sharon got together as teenagers during my own teen years, so their love story pretty much has undeniable supercouple status for me. And who could forget the tragedy of their daughter Cassie getting killed in a car accident and the gut-wrenching aftermath of Nick turning to Phyllis? Just, sob.
Luke/Noah from As the World Turns
Status: ongoing, currently together
Favorite clips: The Kiss (08-17-07), The Deed (01-12-09).
Nuke is simply adorable. And although it took forever for CBS to allow them to show much physical affection, the wait was totally worth it. They've recently moved in together and are just the cutest. thing. ever.
Gwen/Will from As the World Turns
Status: written off, together in the end
Favorite clips: Retrospective (various).
Though no longer on ATWT, I still love Willen. They were sweet, sometimes contentious, and originally interested in other people. If they ever brought this couple back, the show, which tends to struggle in the ratings, would definitely be better off, in my opinion.
Notable others: McKitty from Brothers & Sisters, Callie/Hahn from Grey's Anatomy, Miranda/Steve from Sex and the City, Jim/Pam from The Office, Joey/Pacey from Dawson's Creek, Kelly/Brandon from 90210, Billy/Mac from Y&R, Daniel/Amber from Y&R, Katherine/Murphy from Y&R, and Nick/Bridget from B&B.
Who are yours?
Shipper (via Urban Dictionary)
relationshipper; One who believes there is, was, should, and could be a relationship between two characters in a certain fandom.
That's the bare bones definition. My own experience? I've found that shipping is a lot like being in love itself -- it mostly makes you sick, with brief pockets of delirious happiness, and at least half the time you can't stand the way things turned out.
Not to mention that:
Not to mention that:
- You can't force a ship -- either there's chemistry there, or there's not.
- A particularly intense ship can cause you to do things you wouldn't normally do (like write fan fiction or register at a fan forum).
- Getting back together with a former ship can sometimes make things better... and sometimes worse.
- Finding a new ship can often help you get over an old one.
- Sometimes it takes years to discover your next big ship.
- You can be fairly judgmental of shipping until it happens to you.
My first ship? Easily Scarlett and Rhett from
Gone with the Wind, one of the most iconic ships of the 20th century. The not-so-secret success -- both the saving grace and agony -- of this particular ship? It's a cliffhanger. It's open-ended, which I've found to be a key factor in not losing my mind while shipping. Problem is, Hollywood doesn't usually agree. Fairy tale endings abound, which tend to drive me crazy even when I'm fortunate enough to champion a couple that actually ends up together.One way of getting around this problem, I've found, is shipping within daytime soaps -- these are the least insane and most enjoyable ships in the long run, at least for me. The good and bad news about shipping in the soaps world is the temporary nature of most relationships -- there's almost always the possibility of a change in circumstance, of both reconciliation and disaster (and sometimes in whiplash-inducing succession). This can have the effect of making all right with the world, but it can also leave a sour, garbage-like taste in the mouth. On the other hand, hope almost always remains that things can eventually go your way once again.
A final point about shipping. It's easy to be scornful of it (and judgmental of those who engage in it) -- until it happens to you. But when that fever hits you, you're done -- there's no point fighting it. Or in feeling guilty. Right? Just say no shame, sit back, and enjoy. Honestly, I'm telling you, it makes life a lot easier.
So, here are mine. These are an elite group, all from TV, and either instant obsessions or enduring soaps favorites.
Kevin/Scotty from Brothers & Sisters
Status: ongoing, currently together
Favorite clips: Lobster scene (2.08), Car scene (2.11), Proposal scene (2.15).
These two captured a special place in my heart early in season 1, back when Scotty was showing up at the Walker manse with red velvet cupcakes. In what seemed to be fated timing, they got committed on the season 2 finale about a week prior to same-sex marriage becoming legal in California. But then the train wreck called Prop 8 happened, which sort of tainted, well, everything. But, still, I don't care. They're married. End of story.
Carrie/Aidan from Sex and the City
Status: divided forever
Favorite clips: The Proposal (4.12), Fight scene (4.13).
This ship was driven largely by my fondness for John Corbett (dating back to "Chris in the Morning," of course, from Northern Exposure), but there was something about Carrie and Aidan together that I really loved. They had an authenticity and a great comedic flavor (sort of a theme with my ships). And that loveseat he made, where the flaw in the wood was also its strength? Pure swoon.
Felicity/Noel from Felicity
Status: divided forever
Favorite clips: Boggled First Kiss (1.04), Thanksgiving Bathroom Make-Out (1.09), Noel's Library Freak-Out (1.10).
Probably my favorite, most obsessive, and ultimately most painful ship. These two had best friendship, amazing chemistry, and a screwball comedy dynamic I absolutely adored. But not only did they not end up together, the series finale somehow managed to divide them, spectacularly, through both marriage and death. Oh my god, kill me now. The name of this ship is the Sweet Torture.
Brooke/Ridge from The Bold & the Beautiful
Status: ongoing, recently together but currently divided
Favorite clips: Reminiscing (01-18-08).
My first soaps ship, dating back to the late 80s, Brooke and Ridge are so iconic as a supercouple that it almost doesn't matter if they're actually together on any given day or not. They just are.
Nick/Sharon from The Young & the Restless
Status: ongoing, recently together but currently divided
Favorite clips: Paris scenes (11-11-08).
Nick and Sharon got together as teenagers during my own teen years, so their love story pretty much has undeniable supercouple status for me. And who could forget the tragedy of their daughter Cassie getting killed in a car accident and the gut-wrenching aftermath of Nick turning to Phyllis? Just, sob.
Luke/Noah from As the World Turns
Status: ongoing, currently together
Favorite clips: The Kiss (08-17-07), The Deed (01-12-09).
Nuke is simply adorable. And although it took forever for CBS to allow them to show much physical affection, the wait was totally worth it. They've recently moved in together and are just the cutest. thing. ever.
Gwen/Will from As the World Turns
Status: written off, together in the end
Favorite clips: Retrospective (various).
Though no longer on ATWT, I still love Willen. They were sweet, sometimes contentious, and originally interested in other people. If they ever brought this couple back, the show, which tends to struggle in the ratings, would definitely be better off, in my opinion.
Notable others: McKitty from Brothers & Sisters, Callie/Hahn from Grey's Anatomy, Miranda/Steve from Sex and the City, Jim/Pam from The Office, Joey/Pacey from Dawson's Creek, Kelly/Brandon from 90210, Billy/Mac from Y&R, Daniel/Amber from Y&R, Katherine/Murphy from Y&R, and Nick/Bridget from B&B.
Who are yours?
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Felicity Fangirl Angst: 10 Years Later
Or, why not Noel?(Spoiler warnings)
This summer I marathoned the entire Felicity series with my sister. I was in college during its 1998-2002 run, but she, seven years younger, had never seen the show (and barely heard of it, actually). I hadn't seen it in years, save for a few re-runs on the WE network, although I had always, without question, reserved for it a special place in my heart. I wasn't quite sure how she would react to it, being a devotee of more recent shows like The OC, One Tree Hill, and Grey's Anatomy, and I basically had to twist her arm to get her to watch it at all. She was skeptical, it turns out. But as we popped in disc one, and freshman year started to unfold, she was sucked in -- immediately. And then we both spiraled into a DVD-fueled obsession that would. not. die.
So, here's the thing. I still love the show. I adore it, actually, probably more so than any other series, except for maybe Brothers & Sisters. Like B&S, the characters on Felicity are so well-crafted, flawed, and endearing, and the dialogue so smart, funny, and insightful, it's hard for me not to worship this show even when I admit I'm not in love with every storyline (cough, David, cough, Maggie, cough, Natalie, cough), or when I'm despising the second theme song (as much as I treasured the first) and fast forwarding through it as if to save my own life.
As we plowed through, I discovered my memory of each season was a bit hazy. It's amazing what you can forget over time, even about your favorite show. But, there were two things I remembered clear as day -- that she ended up with Ben, and that she and Noel never got back together.
I thought maybe that my feelings about these two facts -- being rather intense at that time, while I myself was in college -- might have lessened. But upon revisiting the Ben-Noel question all these years later, I found that my already-intense (thought dormant) feelings had only intensified.
Why the hell didn't she end up with Noel?
I still -- I don't get that. In my eyes, although Ben had endearing qualities and had his own path of growth to follow as a character, and while I didn't even mind him and Felicity dating in order to answer some questions and satisfy Felicity's insufferable high school obsession (which, come on, you never end up with that person), it just always seemed to me that she and Noel had the best possible thing -- real, lasting love based on an amazing, solid friendship.
Think about it. Felicity and Ben were all grand disappointments and unrealistic expectations (as the "popular" guy and the "brainiac" girl, they were stuck in high school categories that made them insecure), while Noel and Felicity were more about idiosyncratic flaws, humor, and realistic possibilities (they could relate to each other on an equal level, in which mutual honesty about their individual shortcomings actually made them stronger). Okay, well, that's just my take on it. I know everyone can't -- and won't -- agree.
Both couples were charming, I'll admit that, but I can't help but register a major injustice when a show glorifies the most unrealistic type of relationship, while throwing away the one that could actually work. And it's not just Felicity that does this -- television and movies do it all the time, ad nauseam. I mean, talk about expectations! No wonder there's this screwed-up cultural obsession with fairy tales -- they're perpetuated every single day. As a feminist, I recognize a fundamental problem in the way a show like Felicity emphasizes the main female character's relationships with men above all else -- yet, I can't help but feel this factor could be mitigated somewhat were the main character to choose (if she must) a less stereotypically masculine, more nontraditional type of guy. Or, gasp, a girl.
And so here's where I admit that despite my love for Felicity, or maybe because of it, this show breaks my heart every time. And simultaneously pisses me off. And not just in that Felicity and Noel don't end up together. I would have enjoyed (and probably preferred) a more open-ended finale in which Felicity asserted her independence yet the possibility of a future relationship still remained for them, and in which the egalitarian nature of their relationship/friendship was stressed as romantically valuable over time (rather than as inferior to the Felicity/Ben tug of war, that so-called "force," which tended to be fueled by drama and rooted in the crisis of the moment). Because that's what Felicity and Noel felt like to me -- the real deal. Future life partners who respected (and admired) each other's spaces and choices. So when they married Noel off to Zoe and Felicity forgave Ben once again after another charismatic apology (orchestrated through the elaborate time travel dream in which Noel ends up dead, which I guess was supposed to resign us to an unquestionable Felicity/Ben "destiny" but only ended up feeling cruel for Noel, unsettling for Felicity (uh, how can she ever trust Ben again?), and bitter in that Ben seems to get everything he wants, without true sacrifice (meaning, Arizona was Lauren's chosen location, not his, so Ben "following" Felicity to his own hometown after Lauren magically agrees to move there just does NOT feel like a legitimate hardship)) -- well, that was a crushing blow, a sour pill to swallow. And hard to forgive, quite honestly.
Truth is, I've found it's almost too painful to watch the whole series beginning to end anymore. The fact that Noel ends up in therapy and on depression meds, and Felicity in a psych ward by the end of season 4, seems entirely appropriate given that by then that's also where I feel I belong. In a mental hospital. Because as I get caught up in the stories and the way the romantic arcs were set up, starting in season 1, the same thing happens -- every time. I get hopeful. Just about the time Felicity and Noel confess their love during "Docuventary," and they kind of, almost, get back together then -- I have hope. But then Ben swoops in under the pretense that he "likes" her, whoopee!, and Felicity and Ben take that mysterious road trip together, only to come back in the fall to find that Ben's utterly incompetent to be in a relationship... Well, but then hope returns in early season 2 when Felicity cuts her hair, drops pre-med, drops Ben, and wants Noel back -- well, at that point it all feels inevitable. Surely, these two must get back together. Even if they don't stay together, they must get back together at some point.
Except they don't. Although there are a few close calls, many endearing scenes, and even time travel, they never really get back together. Look in the freaking drawer, already. Damn it. But she doesn't. Or she does, but slams it shut. And so that unresolved suspense of the Felicity-Noel relationship, never satisfied, is a very particular form of storytelling torture. I think it's called hell.
It's like zoning out to your favorite song only to have the original artist come along and smash your iPod to the pavement before you can savor those last few notes of satisfying resolution.
Or, you know, it's like a held breath -- you're always waiting for them to get back together and they never do (those time travel episodes help ease the pain a little, at first, but are ultimately a bucket of salt in the wound, let's be honest). So you suffocate. You never exhale.
This all might sound a bit dramatic or overly analytical, but I have to say, in a TV landscape littered with McDreamys and Mr. Bigs, there was something really special about witnessing a relationship based on unconditional friendship and chemistry at the same time. Ben was definitely a McDreamy, a Mr. Big. But Noel was... Noel. I'm really not sure there is, still, any other male character quite like him. Not in my mind, anyway. He sort of transcends gender categories of masculinity/femininity in that he was the funny guy/computer geek/best friend/adorable boyfriend who wasn't afraid to be kind. Or talk about things. McDreamys, Bens, and Mr. Bigs -- they don't open up because at some level they're fundamentally freaked out about who they are. Which always seems to become, unfairly, the chief problem of the person they're dating, and not a problem they stand up and own and deal with themselves. In a word, they're cowards; yet because of their masculine charisma, they get away with it. Over and over again. Noel wasn't like that.
I will say, I think the appeal of Noel has a lot do with the way Scott Foley portrayed him. He was really incredible in that role. The character was written well and with depth, especially by J.J. Abrams, but I think Scott Foley was the clinching factor, in that he has that intangible something. And even my sister confessed in the middle of our marathon that on most similar shows, she would have been all about the Ben/McDreamy/Mr. Big character, no questions asked... But on Felicity she was all about Noel. Swoon.
These gripes aside, in general I feel like the show has aged well. I still, overall, adore it. The themes -- self-discovery, survival, embracing and maintaining your independence, the definition of love, finding your way, finding your passions -- still ring true, even at age 30. And since I was in college while the show was running (1998-2002), Felicity also holds this intense nostalgia that will forever be bound up with my own college years. The music, the clothes, the hair. My god. Those plaid flannels, the Lilith Fair references, the lack of cell phones, subplots involving Episode I and Late Night with Conan O'Brien. These details make Felicity priceless to me, no matter how much of a malcontent I can be about the Noel question.
Expanded version at the Feministing Community.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Top Ten TV Reasons Life Isn't Fair
(Or, how TV execs conspire to ruin my life)
10. Gizzie. Need I say more?
9. Big Brother will. not. die.
8. Beloved soap characters recast... see Lily on ATWT for starters.
7. Female comedians rarely (basically never) get late night hosting gigs.
6. My So-Called Life got cancelled after one 19-episode season. Wtf?
5. The WB became the CW. It's just -- not the same.
4. Carrie and Aidan couldn't make it work.
3. Rebecca's not a Walker anymore.
2. Two and a Half Men exists.
1. Felicity and Noel didn't end up together.
What are yours?
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Being Erica: A Feminist Review
I have a new TV addiction: Being Erica. If you haven't heard of it, it's an hour-long drama produced by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and airing on Canadian television since early January. Here in the States, I've been watching it on SoapNet, where it has quickly absorbed the Thursday night anticipation I usually reserve for Grey's Anatomy (a show that has steadily slipped in my must-see lineup the last couple years). Being Erica airs on SoapNet Thursdays at 10/9 Central.
The premise is this: Erica Strange, a 32-year-old single Jewish woman living in Toronto, periodically goes back in time to address the regrets of her life. In this endeavor she is assisted by her psychiatrist, Dr. Tom, who acts as a mentor-type character, showing up in various disguises and roles to offer her words of wisdom. He's been a janitor, bondage-style bouncer, dog-walker, and all-around lurker, in addition to his usual place behind a huge desk in a huge, dim, musty office where Erica sits opposite him during their sessions, entering and exiting abruptly due to her time-traveling (which he instigates).
Although I haven't even gotten into exactly what I like about the show yet, this is perhaps the one aspect I don't like about it. Although Dr. Tom has his enjoyable moments, overall the positioning of an older male as Erica's spiritual/psychiatric mentor creates a creepy paternalistic vibe that brings to mind the unhappy history of women being subjected to male psychiatrists who supposedly understand them better than they understand themselves. See Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique, Erica Jong's Fear of Flying, or the character of Betty Draper in the first season of the TV series Mad Men. And if Erica and Dr. Tom somehow end up together at the end of all this, that would probably ruin the entire show for me. I don't think that's going to happen, but still, yuck.
That said, there is a lot I love about this show. One of the blurbs SoapNet likes to flash around compares it to Sex and the City. I don't really agree with this, however, though it's not necessarily a bad thing. But Sex and the City was clearly a show focused on opposite-sex relationships and same-sex friendships, rather than the influences of family or life choices as a whole. Carrie was the main character, nudged slightly ahead of the other three friends, but it felt like you really only knew her through a certain scattered lens, and saw her from one particular angle that presented an incomplete picture of the character. (Did she have siblings? Did she go to college?) And of course, there was all that shoe shopping.
The character of Erica Strange feels more holistic to me... and less superficial. For one thing, Erica has a family. And that (often troubled) family takes center stage just as often, if not more so, than any of her romantic interests. We learn that Erica had an older brother Leo who died thirteen years ago; not long after that, for multiple reasons, her parents divorced. Erica also has a younger sister Sam, and the ups & downs of their sister relationship, as well as the mother-daughter/father-daughter angles, has been a major part of the family storylines. And because of the time travel flashbacks, we are able to get to know the brother Leo and see his relationship with Erica and the rest of the family. There's also a bit of a mystery angle here, since we don't have complete information at all times, and details of the past fill in gradually. As a result, the family element feels complex and layered.
The show also deals quite a bit with Erica's struggle to find a career path she can be happy with. One of the main issues examined here is how do you reconcile your true self with the compromises you often have to make in order to be successful? Erica regrets that she wasn't as cutthroat and ambitious in college as she could have been -- as a literature major, she was more into cultivating her interests, writing poetry, and finding herself, rather than lining up a solid job future. (As an English major myself, I can totally relate to this.) Yet, when she goes back in time to do just that, she finds she is unable to force herself to be someone she's not.
And then there's the romantic level -- yes, I won't lie, it's there. This is a fairly mainstream-type show, so of course the love plot is going to be hanging around. What I like, though, is how it hasn't overwhelmed the other plots, and also how Erica is neither desperate to get married nor wildly commitment phobic. The object of her affection is long-time college pal Ethan, who has either been dating someone else or married the entire time they have known each other. In the present time, he has separated from his wife and moved into Erica's apartment building, making it seem like an opportune moment for something to happen between them. So far, however, not much has. They've kissed, once; almost immediately after, Ethan's wife Claire shows up and those two sort of patch things up. Erica then starts dating another guy, Ryan, who likes her a lot -- a bit more, even, than she likes him. This all results in a fairly mild love triangle that smacks more of awkward real life than anything else.
All in all, this love plot seemed pretty heterosexist until the most recent episode, entitled Everything She Wants. In it, while in the midst of exploring her feelings for both Ethan and Ryan, Erica revisits her best friend from graduate school, Cassidy -- a relationship she describes as "one step short of a love affair." This made me sit up and take notice, as I thought for the first time the show might really surprise me in terms of where the love plot was going.
Cassidy is a lesbian who makes no secret of her feelings for Erica; in the process of going back in time and intending not to lead Cassidy on (as she did before, which led to them never speaking again), Erica realizes that her feelings for Cassidy were indeed real and intense, and that she did in fact reciprocate on a romantic level. And in spite of Erica insisting to everyone that she's straight, over and over, her feelings seem to lead her in the other direction, until she and Cassidy are stripped down to their bras in front of each other.
And while there did seem to be a small amount of male voyeurism going on, it was not at all the impetus of the storyline. Ethan walks in on them accidentally, but the incident is pretty much absent of any "whoa-ho!" girl-on-girl moments, as he's really more gently concerned about why his best friend never told him she was gay (which she still insists she's not); in general Ethan doesn't make a big deal out of it. And Dr. Tom is the one who sort of pushes Erica away from her stubborn declarations that she's straight -- "Labels are for cans, not people," he says -- though because of their unsettling shrink-patient dynamic, that advice doesn't come off as admirable or innocent as maybe it should. But in spite of these moments, overall I would say that the Erica-Cassidy attraction was presented in good faith, as being about those two people alone -- and their feelings for each other -- as well as the implied fluidity of sexual orientation. Which was pretty cool, I thought.
That said, I found that the Cassidy storyline broke down just when I thought it was getting promising. For instance, the word "bisexual" was never one uttered. There was always the sense that you were either gay or straight, even though Erica's actual experiences with Cassidy, contrasted with the two guys (all of whom she cared about, and cared about her), seemed to scream otherwise. Also, the general theme behind the episode was unrequited love, more so than really examining the fluidity of sexual experience. By the end, it was about "all or nothing" commitments, and not really about Erica being more open to partners of different genders. Going into the episode, I was hopeful it might change the direction of the love plot entirely, but by the conclusion, the Cassidy arc felt more like a one-time, one-shot occurrence that probably won't be revisited. Still, I'm glad they went there, and maybe in the long run I'll be surprised, after all.
Turning to pure entertainment value for a second, one thing I enjoy immensely about this show is the use of music and current events from the different time periods Erica revisits. This taps into a nostalgic angle that I can't help but be sucked into, being 30 years old myself (Erica is 32). So far, these past mileposts/events range from the late 1980's when she returns to her Dirty Dancing-themed Bat Mitzvah where her overweight gay uncle serenades her in a Patrick Swayze-style boogie, to the mid-2000s when she and her sister get stranded at a house party during the East Coast blackout of August 2003. These incidents range from thematically resonant to absurdly comic, the latter evident in choices such as highlighting the Y2K parties of 1999, a quip about Chumbawamba totally not being a one-hit wonder back in 1997, or Erica reciting a bit of a Britney Spears' song (pre-"Baby One More Time") rather than the poem she actually wrote, and the irony of how the pretentious, verbally abusive creative writing professor loves the plagiarized "Baby One More Time" more so than her actual work.
Overall, Being Erica has its flaws, but actress Erin Karpluk makes Erica shine -- I find her to be an extremely endearing, likable actress who, along with the writers, creates a character absent of most female stereotypes. She is neither virgin nor whore, angel nor bitch, tomboy nor fashionista. And in the context of mainstream television, where shows are still rarely centered around one female character, I find Being Erica thoughtful, funny, and refreshing in its willingness to examine the joys, heartaches, and regrets of a single, 30-something woman trying to navigate her way through life on her own terms and in her own way.
Are other people watching this show? If so, what do you think of it?
Crossposted at Radiant Likeness.
The premise is this: Erica Strange, a 32-year-old single Jewish woman living in Toronto, periodically goes back in time to address the regrets of her life. In this endeavor she is assisted by her psychiatrist, Dr. Tom, who acts as a mentor-type character, showing up in various disguises and roles to offer her words of wisdom. He's been a janitor, bondage-style bouncer, dog-walker, and all-around lurker, in addition to his usual place behind a huge desk in a huge, dim, musty office where Erica sits opposite him during their sessions, entering and exiting abruptly due to her time-traveling (which he instigates).
Although I haven't even gotten into exactly what I like about the show yet, this is perhaps the one aspect I don't like about it. Although Dr. Tom has his enjoyable moments, overall the positioning of an older male as Erica's spiritual/psychiatric mentor creates a creepy paternalistic vibe that brings to mind the unhappy history of women being subjected to male psychiatrists who supposedly understand them better than they understand themselves. See Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique, Erica Jong's Fear of Flying, or the character of Betty Draper in the first season of the TV series Mad Men. And if Erica and Dr. Tom somehow end up together at the end of all this, that would probably ruin the entire show for me. I don't think that's going to happen, but still, yuck.
That said, there is a lot I love about this show. One of the blurbs SoapNet likes to flash around compares it to Sex and the City. I don't really agree with this, however, though it's not necessarily a bad thing. But Sex and the City was clearly a show focused on opposite-sex relationships and same-sex friendships, rather than the influences of family or life choices as a whole. Carrie was the main character, nudged slightly ahead of the other three friends, but it felt like you really only knew her through a certain scattered lens, and saw her from one particular angle that presented an incomplete picture of the character. (Did she have siblings? Did she go to college?) And of course, there was all that shoe shopping.
The character of Erica Strange feels more holistic to me... and less superficial. For one thing, Erica has a family. And that (often troubled) family takes center stage just as often, if not more so, than any of her romantic interests. We learn that Erica had an older brother Leo who died thirteen years ago; not long after that, for multiple reasons, her parents divorced. Erica also has a younger sister Sam, and the ups & downs of their sister relationship, as well as the mother-daughter/father-daughter angles, has been a major part of the family storylines. And because of the time travel flashbacks, we are able to get to know the brother Leo and see his relationship with Erica and the rest of the family. There's also a bit of a mystery angle here, since we don't have complete information at all times, and details of the past fill in gradually. As a result, the family element feels complex and layered.
The show also deals quite a bit with Erica's struggle to find a career path she can be happy with. One of the main issues examined here is how do you reconcile your true self with the compromises you often have to make in order to be successful? Erica regrets that she wasn't as cutthroat and ambitious in college as she could have been -- as a literature major, she was more into cultivating her interests, writing poetry, and finding herself, rather than lining up a solid job future. (As an English major myself, I can totally relate to this.) Yet, when she goes back in time to do just that, she finds she is unable to force herself to be someone she's not.
And then there's the romantic level -- yes, I won't lie, it's there. This is a fairly mainstream-type show, so of course the love plot is going to be hanging around. What I like, though, is how it hasn't overwhelmed the other plots, and also how Erica is neither desperate to get married nor wildly commitment phobic. The object of her affection is long-time college pal Ethan, who has either been dating someone else or married the entire time they have known each other. In the present time, he has separated from his wife and moved into Erica's apartment building, making it seem like an opportune moment for something to happen between them. So far, however, not much has. They've kissed, once; almost immediately after, Ethan's wife Claire shows up and those two sort of patch things up. Erica then starts dating another guy, Ryan, who likes her a lot -- a bit more, even, than she likes him. This all results in a fairly mild love triangle that smacks more of awkward real life than anything else.
All in all, this love plot seemed pretty heterosexist until the most recent episode, entitled Everything She Wants. In it, while in the midst of exploring her feelings for both Ethan and Ryan, Erica revisits her best friend from graduate school, Cassidy -- a relationship she describes as "one step short of a love affair." This made me sit up and take notice, as I thought for the first time the show might really surprise me in terms of where the love plot was going.
Cassidy is a lesbian who makes no secret of her feelings for Erica; in the process of going back in time and intending not to lead Cassidy on (as she did before, which led to them never speaking again), Erica realizes that her feelings for Cassidy were indeed real and intense, and that she did in fact reciprocate on a romantic level. And in spite of Erica insisting to everyone that she's straight, over and over, her feelings seem to lead her in the other direction, until she and Cassidy are stripped down to their bras in front of each other.
And while there did seem to be a small amount of male voyeurism going on, it was not at all the impetus of the storyline. Ethan walks in on them accidentally, but the incident is pretty much absent of any "whoa-ho!" girl-on-girl moments, as he's really more gently concerned about why his best friend never told him she was gay (which she still insists she's not); in general Ethan doesn't make a big deal out of it. And Dr. Tom is the one who sort of pushes Erica away from her stubborn declarations that she's straight -- "Labels are for cans, not people," he says -- though because of their unsettling shrink-patient dynamic, that advice doesn't come off as admirable or innocent as maybe it should. But in spite of these moments, overall I would say that the Erica-Cassidy attraction was presented in good faith, as being about those two people alone -- and their feelings for each other -- as well as the implied fluidity of sexual orientation. Which was pretty cool, I thought.
That said, I found that the Cassidy storyline broke down just when I thought it was getting promising. For instance, the word "bisexual" was never one uttered. There was always the sense that you were either gay or straight, even though Erica's actual experiences with Cassidy, contrasted with the two guys (all of whom she cared about, and cared about her), seemed to scream otherwise. Also, the general theme behind the episode was unrequited love, more so than really examining the fluidity of sexual experience. By the end, it was about "all or nothing" commitments, and not really about Erica being more open to partners of different genders. Going into the episode, I was hopeful it might change the direction of the love plot entirely, but by the conclusion, the Cassidy arc felt more like a one-time, one-shot occurrence that probably won't be revisited. Still, I'm glad they went there, and maybe in the long run I'll be surprised, after all.
Turning to pure entertainment value for a second, one thing I enjoy immensely about this show is the use of music and current events from the different time periods Erica revisits. This taps into a nostalgic angle that I can't help but be sucked into, being 30 years old myself (Erica is 32). So far, these past mileposts/events range from the late 1980's when she returns to her Dirty Dancing-themed Bat Mitzvah where her overweight gay uncle serenades her in a Patrick Swayze-style boogie, to the mid-2000s when she and her sister get stranded at a house party during the East Coast blackout of August 2003. These incidents range from thematically resonant to absurdly comic, the latter evident in choices such as highlighting the Y2K parties of 1999, a quip about Chumbawamba totally not being a one-hit wonder back in 1997, or Erica reciting a bit of a Britney Spears' song (pre-"Baby One More Time") rather than the poem she actually wrote, and the irony of how the pretentious, verbally abusive creative writing professor loves the plagiarized "Baby One More Time" more so than her actual work.
Overall, Being Erica has its flaws, but actress Erin Karpluk makes Erica shine -- I find her to be an extremely endearing, likable actress who, along with the writers, creates a character absent of most female stereotypes. She is neither virgin nor whore, angel nor bitch, tomboy nor fashionista. And in the context of mainstream television, where shows are still rarely centered around one female character, I find Being Erica thoughtful, funny, and refreshing in its willingness to examine the joys, heartaches, and regrets of a single, 30-something woman trying to navigate her way through life on her own terms and in her own way.
Are other people watching this show? If so, what do you think of it?
Crossposted at Radiant Likeness.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Brothers & Sisters: the 2-hr Movie Event!
I love love LOVE Brothers & Sisters. Hands-down it's my favorite primetime show on network TV right now, and on my list of all-time favorite shows EVER. It's one of very few that comes close to meeting my ideals of equality and tolerance in America, right up there with Northern Exposure and The Cosby Show. And it's damn funny.
This Sunday, B&S is getting what ABC has been hyping as a "2-hr Movie Event." The promo alone is, well, oh so dramatic -- will someone really die? Uh-huh. You can almost hear the promo people winking.
This Sunday, B&S is getting what ABC has been hyping as a "2-hr Movie Event." The promo alone is, well, oh so dramatic -- will someone really die? Uh-huh. You can almost hear the promo people winking.
All of this is rather unlike the subtle, beautifully acted, down-to-earth, socially-minded show I am obsessed with. Still, aside from the pretty consistent Sally Field/Rachel Griffiths awards exposure, B&S is often largely ignored, even by its own network. (Because Grey's, DH, & Lost are all just a bit more, you know -- consumable.)
But, as a fan who wants her show to stick around into a 4th season, I can't always take the high road. So I'm all for this "Movie Event" if it means my B&S getting a little love for a change. Usually, I'm stuck waiting for a lightning-quick verbal blurb at the tail-end of a Desperate Housewives promo just to make sure it still exists. Well, not this week because B&S is taking over the DH timeslot completely! Wahoo!
I do have to say though, I think the inclusion of the word "movie" here is a little silly. Is it going to be commercial-free? Will it be shown in widescreen? Somehow, I think not. But if the ratings are high, the action is riveting, and I'm glued to my seat, I guess it's okay.
Watch the promo here. For speculation on who might be kicking the bucket, check out Terri's analyses at Watching B&S.
But, as a fan who wants her show to stick around into a 4th season, I can't always take the high road. So I'm all for this "Movie Event" if it means my B&S getting a little love for a change. Usually, I'm stuck waiting for a lightning-quick verbal blurb at the tail-end of a Desperate Housewives promo just to make sure it still exists. Well, not this week because B&S is taking over the DH timeslot completely! Wahoo!
I do have to say though, I think the inclusion of the word "movie" here is a little silly. Is it going to be commercial-free? Will it be shown in widescreen? Somehow, I think not. But if the ratings are high, the action is riveting, and I'm glued to my seat, I guess it's okay.
Watch the promo here. For speculation on who might be kicking the bucket, check out Terri's analyses at Watching B&S.
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