Two completely unrelated things
First, today's xkcd for anyone who hasn't seen it:
Second, a discussion of Life on Mars which contains spoilers, but which is mostly about general TV issues.
I finally finished watching the UK version of Life on Mars. The next to last scene consists of the main character taking a running jump off a very tall building. For incredibly complicated reasons I am not explaining here, this is actually a happy ending. Anyway, I was reading the wikipedia page for that episode, and it mentioned that there was criticism of the episode because one of the characters at one point uses a homophobic slur, and it might set a bad example for schoolchildren.
First off, the character who used the slur was clearly presented as a Neanderthal who was also sexist , racist, alcoholic, and rather obviously not a good role model for kids anyway. Secondly, if we accept that post-Watershed shows aimed at adults need to think about the example they're setting schoolkids, shouldn't we care that the episode came as close to actively glorifying suicide as anything I've seen that wasn't Goth? In a completely non-fantasy setting, a normal but emotionally numb guy kills himself and in the next scene is reunited with all of his friends and drives off to have a happy afterlife. I'm all for preventing schoolyard homophobia but I really think complaining about the phrase fairy boy in this context is like complaining about costume inacuracies in Birth of a Nation.
All in all, I come down on the side of artistic freedom anyway. I have to say that for my own reasons, this was the most disturbing ending to a movie or show I've seen since American History X. But it was also brilliantly done. John Simms really should have wone the BAFTA, the use of camera angles and music was perfect, and I can't think of an ending that would have fit better, upsetting as it was.
Second, a discussion of Life on Mars which contains spoilers, but which is mostly about general TV issues.
I finally finished watching the UK version of Life on Mars. The next to last scene consists of the main character taking a running jump off a very tall building. For incredibly complicated reasons I am not explaining here, this is actually a happy ending. Anyway, I was reading the wikipedia page for that episode, and it mentioned that there was criticism of the episode because one of the characters at one point uses a homophobic slur, and it might set a bad example for schoolchildren.
First off, the character who used the slur was clearly presented as a Neanderthal who was also sexist , racist, alcoholic, and rather obviously not a good role model for kids anyway. Secondly, if we accept that post-Watershed shows aimed at adults need to think about the example they're setting schoolkids, shouldn't we care that the episode came as close to actively glorifying suicide as anything I've seen that wasn't Goth? In a completely non-fantasy setting, a normal but emotionally numb guy kills himself and in the next scene is reunited with all of his friends and drives off to have a happy afterlife. I'm all for preventing schoolyard homophobia but I really think complaining about the phrase fairy boy in this context is like complaining about costume inacuracies in Birth of a Nation.
All in all, I come down on the side of artistic freedom anyway. I have to say that for my own reasons, this was the most disturbing ending to a movie or show I've seen since American History X. But it was also brilliantly done. John Simms really should have wone the BAFTA, the use of camera angles and music was perfect, and I can't think of an ending that would have fit better, upsetting as it was.