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Down to the Wire
I'm in a monstrously grumptastic mood today, and one of the things I was thinking about this morning while grumbling through getting ready for work is how annoyed I am by the disappearance of conversation in my fannish life, how few people want to actually talk about anything and how the disparity between the fannish consumer and the fannish producer has grown even more pronounced and how much I hate that (the idea that because someone isn't a writer or vidder they have no intrinsic value sends me into a frenzy of anger), and mostly, how much I resent the fact that I have no more shows to review. That was the defining thing for me in starting this LJ: the chance to write the meta, generate discussion (even if sometimes the discussions haven't been pleasant), review and critique and dissect, and I have nothing to do that with anymore. Because of the asshat executives who cancelled both Firefly and Angel, the best shows -- the Jossverse -- for reviews are gone, and there is nothing currently airing that I either enjoy, or that is the kind of show worth reviewing. Much as I love Gilmore Girls, for instance, it's not a reviewy show the way Buffy, Angel, and Firefly were for me.
I don't like Lost (mark my words, JJ Abrams will only bring you heartache and misery) and only endure it for Naveen Andrews, and even with Alias and some new eps of Spooks/MI-5 and 24 coming up, I doubt there will really be anything reviewy there either. The only things I've had the slightest passing interest in this year are Kevin Hill (watchable solely for the luscious Taye Diggs), and Veronica Mars, but it doesn't always hold my interest, and isn't so far a review the next day type show. I miss the discussion, the analysis, the whole... fun of picking things apart and looking for deeper meanings. It makes me grumpy that I haven't got anything like that. The Shield will also be coming up, but... they lost me a while ago and now I watch more out of loyalty than anything. I loathe and despise the crime procedurals with the white hot fury of a thousand burning suns, but have to watch the despicable and cretinous CSI:NY for my favorite actor, Gary Sinise. The only procedural I give a crap about is Without a Trace and it's more a tribute to that cast and the personal storylines than anything else.
The best things are all on pay cable, which I can't afford. I will be waiting for the S2 discs of Dead Like Me, for a while, I'm sure, but look forward to seeing it; can't wait to watch Carnivale on something better than the horrible rainbowed dark and murky tapes we saw first season on, and eagerly await the ability to view the second season. The idea of more Deadwood is thrilling, too. But none of these are shows I can sink teeth into because I often won't see them for months and months and months after they air. One of my favorite discoveries so far is The Wire. I really like this series and am only to episode 5. I wish I'd had the chance to watch this series as it aired; it would have been interesting to review, especially because I have no idea half the time what's happening. I can't keep about 2/3 of the characters straight, and especially the different gang street wars confuse me, as do the relationships of the hateful, venal cops that McNulty battles with. (Plus, crime! While I'm writing a crime-based WIP, it's enormously helpful as research material.)
But when I get what's going on, what a wing-ding of a show it is. It's also one of the few shows I've seen that deals with homosexuality on a fairly realistic basis and challenges assumptions about its acceptance in these very tough, often discriminatory worlds. Not they don't also play it for a little prurient interest, as well, but it's fairer than most other shows could hope to be. Omar, the one criminal character who seems to be on opposite sides of the Barksdale group, in particular fascinates me: his elaborate cornrows and his cool facial scar; his obvious tender love of his boyfriend in a world where a homosexual man is most decidedly not welcome; his sarcastic wit and wary perspicacity; his amusing idiosyncracies such as not wanting his boyfriend to swear because it's uncouth and his friendliness to the cops... I could watch him alone on this show and be happy. I've never seen a young black male character, especially a drug-dealing homicidal thug, portrayed like this, and I'm mesmerized not just by the role but by the actor (and his boyfriend, as well). I have a bad feeling subsequent episodes will bring bad things for him, but I'm enjoying these, anyway.
I also like the lesbian cop McNulty works with, whose name totally escapes me right now. The actress is up and down, not always on top of the role, but the character has a really unusual background and relationships with people that I've never seen before, especially when most shows would just have her be the dyke cop in the background. Anyway, I have quite a few more S1 discs to get through, and am looking forward to seeing Aiden Gillen when he arrives. But this is the first show that feels rich enough in characters and story arcs to be a review-worthy outside of Deadwood, but like Deadwood, I'm seeing these so much later that I never have the chance to get down and dirty with them. I miss that, a lot. Most of the time I don't miss the grind of movie reviewing, but sometimes I do, and have been feeling the loss of writing my little post-ep TV reviews in LJ a lot this fall. The Wire is definitely a series worth that kind of attention. I'm almost thinking of investing in the discs becuase it would make such a great vidding show, as well, but I'll have to think about that.
I don't like Lost (mark my words, JJ Abrams will only bring you heartache and misery) and only endure it for Naveen Andrews, and even with Alias and some new eps of Spooks/MI-5 and 24 coming up, I doubt there will really be anything reviewy there either. The only things I've had the slightest passing interest in this year are Kevin Hill (watchable solely for the luscious Taye Diggs), and Veronica Mars, but it doesn't always hold my interest, and isn't so far a review the next day type show. I miss the discussion, the analysis, the whole... fun of picking things apart and looking for deeper meanings. It makes me grumpy that I haven't got anything like that. The Shield will also be coming up, but... they lost me a while ago and now I watch more out of loyalty than anything. I loathe and despise the crime procedurals with the white hot fury of a thousand burning suns, but have to watch the despicable and cretinous CSI:NY for my favorite actor, Gary Sinise. The only procedural I give a crap about is Without a Trace and it's more a tribute to that cast and the personal storylines than anything else.
The best things are all on pay cable, which I can't afford. I will be waiting for the S2 discs of Dead Like Me, for a while, I'm sure, but look forward to seeing it; can't wait to watch Carnivale on something better than the horrible rainbowed dark and murky tapes we saw first season on, and eagerly await the ability to view the second season. The idea of more Deadwood is thrilling, too. But none of these are shows I can sink teeth into because I often won't see them for months and months and months after they air. One of my favorite discoveries so far is The Wire. I really like this series and am only to episode 5. I wish I'd had the chance to watch this series as it aired; it would have been interesting to review, especially because I have no idea half the time what's happening. I can't keep about 2/3 of the characters straight, and especially the different gang street wars confuse me, as do the relationships of the hateful, venal cops that McNulty battles with. (Plus, crime! While I'm writing a crime-based WIP, it's enormously helpful as research material.)
But when I get what's going on, what a wing-ding of a show it is. It's also one of the few shows I've seen that deals with homosexuality on a fairly realistic basis and challenges assumptions about its acceptance in these very tough, often discriminatory worlds. Not they don't also play it for a little prurient interest, as well, but it's fairer than most other shows could hope to be. Omar, the one criminal character who seems to be on opposite sides of the Barksdale group, in particular fascinates me: his elaborate cornrows and his cool facial scar; his obvious tender love of his boyfriend in a world where a homosexual man is most decidedly not welcome; his sarcastic wit and wary perspicacity; his amusing idiosyncracies such as not wanting his boyfriend to swear because it's uncouth and his friendliness to the cops... I could watch him alone on this show and be happy. I've never seen a young black male character, especially a drug-dealing homicidal thug, portrayed like this, and I'm mesmerized not just by the role but by the actor (and his boyfriend, as well). I have a bad feeling subsequent episodes will bring bad things for him, but I'm enjoying these, anyway.
I also like the lesbian cop McNulty works with, whose name totally escapes me right now. The actress is up and down, not always on top of the role, but the character has a really unusual background and relationships with people that I've never seen before, especially when most shows would just have her be the dyke cop in the background. Anyway, I have quite a few more S1 discs to get through, and am looking forward to seeing Aiden Gillen when he arrives. But this is the first show that feels rich enough in characters and story arcs to be a review-worthy outside of Deadwood, but like Deadwood, I'm seeing these so much later that I never have the chance to get down and dirty with them. I miss that, a lot. Most of the time I don't miss the grind of movie reviewing, but sometimes I do, and have been feeling the loss of writing my little post-ep TV reviews in LJ a lot this fall. The Wire is definitely a series worth that kind of attention. I'm almost thinking of investing in the discs becuase it would make such a great vidding show, as well, but I'll have to think about that.
Re: So, Gwyn...
It's an interesting way to approach the text. (Or subtext.) I pretty much trust everyone unless they give me reason not to, and even when I find them in some kind of breach of trust, it's by degrees; i.e., if you lie to me were you trying to protect me, yourself, something else, or was it tied into some sense of self-worth or self esteem that you thought by lying you'd get my approval or hide some flaw of my own. I'm not saying it's necessary or even something I like, but I figure most people are more like me than not, that they are doing the best they can with what they know. So, there's a lot of give in my relationships for the most part __ I think I cut people a lot of slack and to some extent I expect it to be reciprocated -- that is, if I do something/say something you don't like, please don't assume it was done out of malice or vindictiveness or even carelessness. I just don't *expect* people to fuck me over because they can…I expect them to treat me about like they want to be treated. Just as I generally find that if I like someone (in the friendship style like or even friendly acquaintance kind of like) they probably like me back, or at least find me tolerable enough to not run away when they see me coming.
On the other hand, I do expect a certain amount of honesty from people. So, Brian's lying to Dom doesn’t bother me as much for what it is as much as I'm more interested in, as you say, how it affects their relationship -- and I think it's reciprocal. Because Dom isn't entirely honest with Brian either. I mean, granted, Brian never comes out and asks him if he's hijacking trucks, but at the same time, when Dom is going along, being kind of enchanted by Brian, or even when he thinks Mia and Brian might actually be the real thing, he's kind of testing Brian about without actually telling him why. So the levels of honestly there are not so curt and dried as ooh, look Brian lied to Dom. Well, duh.
So, out of the actual text of the movies there's a lot to play with…no matter how you approach Dom and Brian getting together. I find it a slightly harder sell for Dom to think there's any higher ground for him to stand on if accusing Brian of lying to him about who he is, when he's into shit that could (and eventually does) get people hurt and killed. It's not an impossible sell, mind you…but for Dom to call Brian on his honesty, he'd need ot own up to his own failings too.
Leonard Nimoy and I was dead! Dead, I tell you!) I have waited for a fandom I could write that sort of "not everything was a lie" aftermath around. Because you would always be full of doubts, and you can never really truly know another person, and if they lied to you from the beginning... regardless of who you were, that would kill you. You'd never know if they truly loved *you.*
I kind of like those too in an odd way, but again I think it's more my optimism of trying to find silver in a dark cloud as opposed to the tortured not knowing part.
I'm starting to think the rest of it just wants sex, but... I love this core issue of trust and betrayal and where love can find a place to stand within it.
Clarify? Do you mean you think the rest of your concentration on this want sex [g] or the fandom is more interested in the sexy sweaty part?
Re: So, Gwyn...
Oh, I don't think he thinks that. But there's a difference, to me, of full disclosure, especially when you're getting to know someone and falling in love (and they are! they are, dammit!) and someone who is outright lying -- whether it's for a good cause or not. Dom is cagey and non disclosure guy, but Brian is undercover false identity guy. So I don't think dom would ever see himself as having a higher moral ground -- as enraged as he is when he and Brian are facing off after Race Wars, he's more angry about Brian being a cop than about anything else, because he knows damn well he's a criminal and this is a Very Bad Thing for him, and of course in my slashy world, very bad for their potential relationship -- but I do think that he rarely ever places trust in someone, and when it's wrongly placed, that's pretty important to him. I can't blame him for feeling set up and betrayed -- Brian's trust wasn't betrayed, but Dom's was, and Brian had to work it so that Dom *would* trust him and let him into his world. I just don't see it as Angel Brian and Devil Dom -- that's way too simple for me, plus I hate how the pretty guy is always the angel descended from heaven. Gah.
that fandom is more interested in the sexy sweaty stuff. i don't think they give a shit for the most part about character. i think the ratio of people who do, who want detailed, layered stories is a lot lower than in many fandoms. I'm sure it has a lot to do with 1) very hot guys 2) such obvious, intense slash that can fit into a number of favorite kink scenarios and 3) cars. Cuz cars = sex.