Stockholm Syndrome does NOT work that way! “Catch a Falling Star”
I know the icon isn't Ben 10 related. But I think this is what the writers were thinking.
You know, it’s a fucking sign when I have to put up a trigger warning for three episodes a season: religion for “The Flame-Keepers’ Circle,” rape for “Couples’ Retreat,” and Stockholm Syndrome for this!
Let me be on the record with you all: I graduated college in 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology. So when it comes to psychology? I kind of know what the fuck I’m talking about. And when I don’t? I do the research.
Clearly, they didn’t here. And because I’m too enraged to put this into words, I’m just going to copy what I said during an AIM chat when I was watching it:
Canta Akino: Oh, Jesus
Canta Akino: WHY. WHY ARE GROWN MEN LUSTING OVER A TEENAGE ACTRESS?!
Canta Akino: THIS IS SICK AND WRONG. IT IS WRONGSICK
Canta Akino: ...Oh, for the love of...
Canta Akino: SHE'S IN LOVE WITH THE GUY WHO KIDNAPPED HER ONCE?
Canta Akino: And breaks him out of jail
Canta Akino: Oh, please, don't go there
Canta Akino: Please
Canta Akino: Oh, PLEASE
Canta Akino: Poverty and child neglect are BAD, okay? You proved this in the original series
Canta Akino: We do NOT need to fucking get this beat into us
Canta Akino: Especially to justify someone's villainy
Canta Akino: They did. They totally went there. Jesus Fucking Christ
Canta Akino: Oh, please, don't go there
Canta Akino: Please
Canta Akino: Oh, PLEASE
Canta Akino: Poverty and child neglect are BAD, okay? You proved this in the original series
Canta Akino: We do NOT need to fucking get this beat into us
Canta Akino: Especially to justify someone's villainy
Canta Akino: They did. They totally went there. Jesus Fucking Christ
Canta Akino: And Ben is dead again
Canta Akino: Gwen's idea of CPR is hitting him
Canta Akino: I'm convinced that the entire cast is made up of Orphenochs
Canta Akino: ...Okay, so right after reviving, Ben screams. And then it cuts to a dog barking, and I'm confused
Canta Akino: Creepy unlicensed plastic surgeon
Canta Akino: And Ben is either sedated or outright exhausted
Canta Akino: He broke his arm along with dying
Canta Akino: Yep, sedated
Canta Akino: I don't even remember him getting hit in the arm
Canta Akino: But apparently, the doctors are all pissed at Gwen for kidnapping him from the hospital while he was out cold
Canta Akino: Thank you, for having SOMEBODY with a brain here
Canta Akino: Even if it's off-screen medical personnel
At this point, I need to add the commentary of my friends, whose names will be redacted.
Canta Akino: Oh Jesus
Canta Akino: They just ONSCREEN SHOWED A BODY IN THE FREEZER
Canta Akino: A CORPSE
Canta Akino: CALL GRISSOM. NOW
[Redacted 1]: O_o
Canta Akino: ON BEN 10
[Redacted 1]: That's just fucked up.
Canta Akino: They SHOWED it
Canta Akino: That doesn't even cover the HALF of it
Canta Akino: I don't even know what show I'm watching anymore
Canta Akino: Some bizarre hybrid of Faiz and CSI
Canta Akino: With aliens
Canta Akino: And another innocent person dies
Canta Akino: Getting blasted
Canta Akino: NO, YOU DID NOT JUST SAY THAT, GWEN
Canta Akino: NO. STEP AWAY FROM THE DSM BEFORE I BEAT YOU WITH IT
Canta Akino: Stockholm Syndrome
[Redacted 1]: ...
[Redacted 1]: She SYMPATHIZES?!
[Redacted 1]: This FAST?!
Canta Akino: Their excuse for poor writing is that the girl who was kidnapped once for a couple hours by an enemy has fallen in love with the bad guy and is being an idiot because of Stockholm
[Redacted 1]: ...couple of hours.
[Redacted 1]: COUPLE of hours.
[Redacted 1]: Who the hell is this girl, BELLA?!
Canta Akino: GO FUCK YOURSELF, BEN 10. WITH A HORSE
Canta Akino: From the FBI:
Canta Akino: Research
has suggested that hostages
may exhibit the condition
in situations that feature captors
Research
has suggested that hostages
may exhibit the condition
in situations that feature captors
Canta Akino: who do not abuse the victim, a
long duration before resolution,
continued contact between the
perpetrator and hostage, and a
high level of emotion.
Canta Akino: In fact,
experts have concluded that the
intensity, not the length of the
incident, combined with a lack
of physical abuse more likely
will create favorable conditions
for the development of Stockholm
syndrome. Apparently,
a strong emotional bond develops
between persons who
share these life-threatening
experiences.
[Redacted 2]: there is no way they could have developed Stockholm Syndrome in a COUPLE of hours. no fucking way. that is just shoddy writing.
Canta Akino: 1. There was abuse. She was held in the Gwen Stacy Choice
[Redacted 1]: Exactly!
Canta Akino: Ben had to choose whether to save her or to save Julie. VERY CLEAR ABUSE
Canta Akino: 2. A FEW FUCKING HOURS
Canta Akino: And she's high profile enough that she WOULD have gotten all kinds of therapy any fucking way
Canta Akino: What the HELL is wrong with you guys?!
Canta Akino: Another quote
Canta Akino: However, while one victim did
display feelings of compassion
for the perpetrators, most of the
hostages showed no evidence
of Stockholm syndrome. On the
contrary, because of the violent
manner in which the terrorists
treated nearly all of the victims,
most of the captives expressed
fear that their captors would kill
them and understood that their
greatest chance for survival lay
in the authorities’ hands.
Canta Akino: This is regarding a situation where violence was threatened, and somebody was killed
Canta Akino: This is closer to what happened in Ben 10, even if nobody died--because Ben found another way
Canta Akino: ON TOP OF THAT, Jennifer was HAPPY to be rescued
Canta Akino: She showed NO attachment to her captor
Canta Akino: 1) Hostages have positive
feelings for their captors.
2) Victims show fear,
distrust, and anger toward
the authorities.
3) Perpetrators display
positive feelings toward
captives as they begin to
see them as human beings.
Canta Akino: NONE OF THIS HAPPENED
Canta Akino: NO, NO, NONONO!
Canta Akino: Gwen: "Victims start to sympathize with their captors, especially if they feel like their old life was empty and meaningless." NO
Canta Akino: THAT'S NOT STOCKHOLM SYNDROME YOU STUPID ARGH
Was this episode total shit? Yes, in my professional opinion. Was there anything I liked? To be honest, yes. I liked that Ben was seriously bothered by the massive body count of the episode. This is fucking Ben 10, not CSI, not Kamen Rider 555. It shouldn’t have a body count like this. It shouldn’t have a dead body in a freezer that we see on-camera. Sure, I joke about this, but I really don’t want that much influence of darker elements in the story. It just does not fit. It’s fine in CSI and Kamen Rider because they’re aimed toward older fans (though now, Kamen Rider is gearing younger, and in the last three seasons, there are few if any deaths even from random monster attacks). Ben can’t understand why somebody would go on a killing spree, and without a clear motivation-motiveless malignity is completely foreign to him. Is it handled as well as, say, Kamen Rider? No. Is it good to see? Yes, especially given the context.
Since the show was piss-poor on describing Stockholm Syndrome accurately, here (Warning: PDF) is the source I quoted throughout my review. It’s a document put out by the FBI on how to better understand how Stockholm Syndrome develops, how rare it is, and how to aid the victims and try to get them out of a hostage situation safely. Sadly, it is not included in the DSM-IV, the diagnostic manual for the U.S. on psychological conditions, and I don’t know if it was added to the newest edition, the DSM-V.
“Catch a Falling Star” was written by Len Uhley.
You know, it’s a fucking sign when I have to put up a trigger warning for three episodes a season: religion for “The Flame-Keepers’ Circle,” rape for “Couples’ Retreat,” and Stockholm Syndrome for this!
Let me be on the record with you all: I graduated college in 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology. So when it comes to psychology? I kind of know what the fuck I’m talking about. And when I don’t? I do the research.
Clearly, they didn’t here. And because I’m too enraged to put this into words, I’m just going to copy what I said during an AIM chat when I was watching it:
Canta Akino: Oh, Jesus
Canta Akino: WHY. WHY ARE GROWN MEN LUSTING OVER A TEENAGE ACTRESS?!
Canta Akino: THIS IS SICK AND WRONG. IT IS WRONGSICK
Canta Akino: ...Oh, for the love of...
Canta Akino: SHE'S IN LOVE WITH THE GUY WHO KIDNAPPED HER ONCE?
Canta Akino: And breaks him out of jail
Canta Akino: Oh, please, don't go there
Canta Akino: Please
Canta Akino: Oh, PLEASE
Canta Akino: Poverty and child neglect are BAD, okay? You proved this in the original series
Canta Akino: We do NOT need to fucking get this beat into us
Canta Akino: Especially to justify someone's villainy
Canta Akino: They did. They totally went there. Jesus Fucking Christ
Canta Akino: Oh, please, don't go there
Canta Akino: Please
Canta Akino: Oh, PLEASE
Canta Akino: Poverty and child neglect are BAD, okay? You proved this in the original series
Canta Akino: We do NOT need to fucking get this beat into us
Canta Akino: Especially to justify someone's villainy
Canta Akino: They did. They totally went there. Jesus Fucking Christ
Canta Akino: And Ben is dead again
Canta Akino: Gwen's idea of CPR is hitting him
Canta Akino: I'm convinced that the entire cast is made up of Orphenochs
Canta Akino: ...Okay, so right after reviving, Ben screams. And then it cuts to a dog barking, and I'm confused
Canta Akino: Creepy unlicensed plastic surgeon
Canta Akino: And Ben is either sedated or outright exhausted
Canta Akino: He broke his arm along with dying
Canta Akino: Yep, sedated
Canta Akino: I don't even remember him getting hit in the arm
Canta Akino: But apparently, the doctors are all pissed at Gwen for kidnapping him from the hospital while he was out cold
Canta Akino: Thank you, for having SOMEBODY with a brain here
Canta Akino: Even if it's off-screen medical personnel
At this point, I need to add the commentary of my friends, whose names will be redacted.
Canta Akino: Oh Jesus
Canta Akino: They just ONSCREEN SHOWED A BODY IN THE FREEZER
Canta Akino: A CORPSE
Canta Akino: CALL GRISSOM. NOW
[Redacted 1]: O_o
Canta Akino: ON BEN 10
[Redacted 1]: That's just fucked up.
Canta Akino: They SHOWED it
Canta Akino: That doesn't even cover the HALF of it
Canta Akino: I don't even know what show I'm watching anymore
Canta Akino: Some bizarre hybrid of Faiz and CSI
Canta Akino: With aliens
Canta Akino: And another innocent person dies
Canta Akino: Getting blasted
Canta Akino: NO, YOU DID NOT JUST SAY THAT, GWEN
Canta Akino: NO. STEP AWAY FROM THE DSM BEFORE I BEAT YOU WITH IT
Canta Akino: Stockholm Syndrome
[Redacted 1]: ...
[Redacted 1]: She SYMPATHIZES?!
[Redacted 1]: This FAST?!
Canta Akino: Their excuse for poor writing is that the girl who was kidnapped once for a couple hours by an enemy has fallen in love with the bad guy and is being an idiot because of Stockholm
[Redacted 1]: ...couple of hours.
[Redacted 1]: COUPLE of hours.
[Redacted 1]: Who the hell is this girl, BELLA?!
Canta Akino: GO FUCK YOURSELF, BEN 10. WITH A HORSE
Canta Akino: From the FBI:
Canta Akino: Research
has suggested that hostages
may exhibit the condition
in situations that feature captors
Research
has suggested that hostages
may exhibit the condition
in situations that feature captors
Canta Akino: who do not abuse the victim, a
long duration before resolution,
continued contact between the
perpetrator and hostage, and a
high level of emotion.
Canta Akino: In fact,
experts have concluded that the
intensity, not the length of the
incident, combined with a lack
of physical abuse more likely
will create favorable conditions
for the development of Stockholm
syndrome. Apparently,
a strong emotional bond develops
between persons who
share these life-threatening
experiences.
[Redacted 2]: there is no way they could have developed Stockholm Syndrome in a COUPLE of hours. no fucking way. that is just shoddy writing.
Canta Akino: 1. There was abuse. She was held in the Gwen Stacy Choice
[Redacted 1]: Exactly!
Canta Akino: Ben had to choose whether to save her or to save Julie. VERY CLEAR ABUSE
Canta Akino: 2. A FEW FUCKING HOURS
Canta Akino: And she's high profile enough that she WOULD have gotten all kinds of therapy any fucking way
Canta Akino: What the HELL is wrong with you guys?!
Canta Akino: Another quote
Canta Akino: However, while one victim did
display feelings of compassion
for the perpetrators, most of the
hostages showed no evidence
of Stockholm syndrome. On the
contrary, because of the violent
manner in which the terrorists
treated nearly all of the victims,
most of the captives expressed
fear that their captors would kill
them and understood that their
greatest chance for survival lay
in the authorities’ hands.
Canta Akino: This is regarding a situation where violence was threatened, and somebody was killed
Canta Akino: This is closer to what happened in Ben 10, even if nobody died--because Ben found another way
Canta Akino: ON TOP OF THAT, Jennifer was HAPPY to be rescued
Canta Akino: She showed NO attachment to her captor
Canta Akino: 1) Hostages have positive
feelings for their captors.
2) Victims show fear,
distrust, and anger toward
the authorities.
3) Perpetrators display
positive feelings toward
captives as they begin to
see them as human beings.
Canta Akino: NONE OF THIS HAPPENED
Canta Akino: NO, NO, NONONO!
Canta Akino: Gwen: "Victims start to sympathize with their captors, especially if they feel like their old life was empty and meaningless." NO
Canta Akino: THAT'S NOT STOCKHOLM SYNDROME YOU STUPID ARGH
Was this episode total shit? Yes, in my professional opinion. Was there anything I liked? To be honest, yes. I liked that Ben was seriously bothered by the massive body count of the episode. This is fucking Ben 10, not CSI, not Kamen Rider 555. It shouldn’t have a body count like this. It shouldn’t have a dead body in a freezer that we see on-camera. Sure, I joke about this, but I really don’t want that much influence of darker elements in the story. It just does not fit. It’s fine in CSI and Kamen Rider because they’re aimed toward older fans (though now, Kamen Rider is gearing younger, and in the last three seasons, there are few if any deaths even from random monster attacks). Ben can’t understand why somebody would go on a killing spree, and without a clear motivation-motiveless malignity is completely foreign to him. Is it handled as well as, say, Kamen Rider? No. Is it good to see? Yes, especially given the context.
Since the show was piss-poor on describing Stockholm Syndrome accurately, here (Warning: PDF) is the source I quoted throughout my review. It’s a document put out by the FBI on how to better understand how Stockholm Syndrome develops, how rare it is, and how to aid the victims and try to get them out of a hostage situation safely. Sadly, it is not included in the DSM-IV, the diagnostic manual for the U.S. on psychological conditions, and I don’t know if it was added to the newest edition, the DSM-V.
“Catch a Falling Star” was written by Len Uhley.