"By a bullet in a train station?"
So, well, yeah. Three episodes ago, Rescue Me made me cry. Two episodes ago, quite frankly, I didn't get that much into it. One episode ago, it gripped my heart. And tonight, the finale dug its nails into it.
Everything is coming apart. And let's start with, fuck Janet! She has no right to blame Tommy like this. Being a parent isn't keeping your child in sight every minute of every day. Gods, how I wish I could have slapped some sense into her. Speaking of which, Tommy breaking down at that time was just... wow. And the part where he almost drank? Too.
Then, the Lou thing. It was too good to be true. There was something going on, it couldn't just be that good. But honestly, I didn't expect that. Well, not until she called to tell him she was heading to her parents', that was a giveaway. But, poor Lou. Because he deserved something that good. "Thank you for giving me a second chance?" I just wanna cuddle him. I wanna tell him it doesn't mean he's over, he just got really bad luck, I wanna give him faith in mankind, I wanna... I don't know, I just don't want him to just... I want him to have hope. To not be entirely, hopelessly miserable.
Laura and Franco - I loved her "I'm a girl" speech. Loved it. I'm not always the biggest Laura fan, but... that was just too good. To be aware of your mistakes, of your flaws, to admit to them so humbly. To be that strong. Kudos, Laura. I'll actually miss you. As for Franco - well, man, you screwed up. Times and times again. I think he only got what was coming to him, and it's good that Laura moved off before it ate him all up inside.
That opening scene, during which Tommy did not say a word? Absolutely brilliant. I actually wondered whether he would speak at all during the whole episode, that would have been something. Also, the scene with Katie? Harsh and funny and spot-on. The Virgin Mary thing was good too, or really mostly the "revelation" at the end. Because they're scenes that are funny, yes, with characters that are there for the comic relief, but... those scenes also touched the question of a crisis of faith, of atheism, of why we believe what we believe. Katie's "can you prove it?" was just so very right.
Jerry and his wife had a fair share in breaking my heart, too. When she went, "goodbye, Jerry," it really hurt. That she'd remember, right when he's leaving her behind. Aw.
I love Johnny as much as ever, but I didn't buy Mick's little speech. Because yes, I do believe he helped Tommy with the meetings and stuff. But talking to Chief I'm-A-Heartless-Bastard, that didn't help Tommy in any way whatsoever. Going to meetings with him, mentoring him, forcing him to keep going - that did help. But he didn't need to talk to the Chief to make sure Tommy went. He could have done it without betraying Tommy. So yeah, I'm thankful he helped Tommy, but if I were him, he'd be dead to me too.
Now, the Jesus appearance. For once, I liked him. Because he showed emotion. Because it was clearly eating him up that Tommy would do this. And so, I liked him. It was a given that Tommy would get there too late, though. The splatter of blood, like a tear...
Finally, on the Mike and Sean front - they're becoming more and more chummy, aren't they. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if they ended up shagging. I'm not at all into that pairing, though. I don't see the point. There's just nothing there for me. So I do hope S3 won't be swept away by an even gayer wave of fashion, and they won't shag. I'm just... I'm not sure whether I'd greet it, or be appalled. Because of the characterisation and everything. I think I'm getting tired of the gay frenzy.
I mean, don't get me wrong. I'm all for the incorporation of gay (and other "alternate" sexualities, but clearly we're starting with gay and moving on slowly to other alternatives) characters, storylines, arcs, plots and themes in fiction. I'm actually grateful for it, because it's bound to help some people realise that it's part of everyday life, that it's not just gonna go away, and that in time might make them accept it more easily. Which is all with the good.
But this tendency to gay everything up, well, it's starting to wear on me. Look at Rescue Me, for instance. I adore that show. But I have to wonder at the over-abundance of gay things - Jerry's son, Tommy's daughter, Sheila, all that stuff with Mike. Actually, truth be told, mostly it's Sheila's arc that got me a bit annoyed. It just felt like too much. One too many. Why the obsession? I truly don't see the point of her getting a rebound girl instead of a rebound guy. Was it just to get a new twist on that old story they spun with her? If so, well, I think it's a bit easy.
And gay what-nots are popping up everywhere in fictions these days. Nowadays you have to have something gay in your shows! Well, ok, great, but don't just put them there because it's gay and it's fashionable and stuff. Only use something gay if you're gonna do something interesting with it.
I realise that a lot of my fiction deals with sexuality issues, so you can say it's the pot calling the kettle black. But, well... let's see. An example. See Doctor Who? I adore what they did. Russel put Jack in (and, also, for the record, yeah, I know he's bi, not gay. Actually I like to call him omnisexual. It's not just boys and girls, it's every sentient, evolved life form.), and it was very, very pointy (by opposition to pointless, for those of you who don't speak Buffyspeak). Russel made it so Captain Jack wasn't just there because gay's the fashion these days. Jack was there because Russel was making a point about what fifty-first century humans would be like, and because he was making a point to have an openly let's-call-him-bisexual character in a children's show on British telly, and have him be an incredibly endearing character. Not because he was bi, not even though he was bi, but just in and of himself, with all his qualities and all his flaws.
Now, another example. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Gay Perry. He was gay. But he wasn't a wallflower. He was a character in and of himself, too. He wasn't treated any differently than any other character. They weren't afraid to have the hero of the story be regularly disgusted by references to his gayness (Robert Downey Jr makes the best faces) and then eventually not even be fazed by it anymore. And Perry was funny, and a bit of an asshole, selfish, but in the end he was there for them and stuff. And that last scene with the father, well, that was just the icing on top for that character. He was a true character... he just happened to be gay. It wasn't dismissed, it wasn't blown out of proportions, it was just a part of who he was.
I think my main problem is when this gay fashion makes it so that:
1) a character isn't defined by much but his sexuality, and/or is treated differently because of it (I mean by the writers)
2) a storyline is gayed up because it'll be better, more appealing, trendier, whatever.
Seriously. Sexuality is something that's so interesting to explore. I hate it when writers just use it for show or something.
I don't know if I'm making myself clear. I don't even really know if I have a clear position on this. I just know that sometimes, I get annoyed with stuff like that. Positive discrimination and the like. And I know I'm one of the first to see gay subtext in things, but when there is subtext (and yeah, I'm well aware sometimes it's just wishful thinking) it tends to not be annoying, because, well, it's subtext. It's not a move.
And to conclude this rant with something I'm not sure fits with any of the points I was making, guys, go check out the trailer for "Hellbent." I swear. You need to. A gay horror flick. It's bound to be fun - either because it's really bad, or because it's really good at not taking itself seriously. Cheesy gay films can just be so much fun.
Everything is coming apart. And let's start with, fuck Janet! She has no right to blame Tommy like this. Being a parent isn't keeping your child in sight every minute of every day. Gods, how I wish I could have slapped some sense into her. Speaking of which, Tommy breaking down at that time was just... wow. And the part where he almost drank? Too.
Then, the Lou thing. It was too good to be true. There was something going on, it couldn't just be that good. But honestly, I didn't expect that. Well, not until she called to tell him she was heading to her parents', that was a giveaway. But, poor Lou. Because he deserved something that good. "Thank you for giving me a second chance?" I just wanna cuddle him. I wanna tell him it doesn't mean he's over, he just got really bad luck, I wanna give him faith in mankind, I wanna... I don't know, I just don't want him to just... I want him to have hope. To not be entirely, hopelessly miserable.
Laura and Franco - I loved her "I'm a girl" speech. Loved it. I'm not always the biggest Laura fan, but... that was just too good. To be aware of your mistakes, of your flaws, to admit to them so humbly. To be that strong. Kudos, Laura. I'll actually miss you. As for Franco - well, man, you screwed up. Times and times again. I think he only got what was coming to him, and it's good that Laura moved off before it ate him all up inside.
That opening scene, during which Tommy did not say a word? Absolutely brilliant. I actually wondered whether he would speak at all during the whole episode, that would have been something. Also, the scene with Katie? Harsh and funny and spot-on. The Virgin Mary thing was good too, or really mostly the "revelation" at the end. Because they're scenes that are funny, yes, with characters that are there for the comic relief, but... those scenes also touched the question of a crisis of faith, of atheism, of why we believe what we believe. Katie's "can you prove it?" was just so very right.
Jerry and his wife had a fair share in breaking my heart, too. When she went, "goodbye, Jerry," it really hurt. That she'd remember, right when he's leaving her behind. Aw.
I love Johnny as much as ever, but I didn't buy Mick's little speech. Because yes, I do believe he helped Tommy with the meetings and stuff. But talking to Chief I'm-A-Heartless-Bastard, that didn't help Tommy in any way whatsoever. Going to meetings with him, mentoring him, forcing him to keep going - that did help. But he didn't need to talk to the Chief to make sure Tommy went. He could have done it without betraying Tommy. So yeah, I'm thankful he helped Tommy, but if I were him, he'd be dead to me too.
Now, the Jesus appearance. For once, I liked him. Because he showed emotion. Because it was clearly eating him up that Tommy would do this. And so, I liked him. It was a given that Tommy would get there too late, though. The splatter of blood, like a tear...
Finally, on the Mike and Sean front - they're becoming more and more chummy, aren't they. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if they ended up shagging. I'm not at all into that pairing, though. I don't see the point. There's just nothing there for me. So I do hope S3 won't be swept away by an even gayer wave of fashion, and they won't shag. I'm just... I'm not sure whether I'd greet it, or be appalled. Because of the characterisation and everything. I think I'm getting tired of the gay frenzy.
I mean, don't get me wrong. I'm all for the incorporation of gay (and other "alternate" sexualities, but clearly we're starting with gay and moving on slowly to other alternatives) characters, storylines, arcs, plots and themes in fiction. I'm actually grateful for it, because it's bound to help some people realise that it's part of everyday life, that it's not just gonna go away, and that in time might make them accept it more easily. Which is all with the good.
But this tendency to gay everything up, well, it's starting to wear on me. Look at Rescue Me, for instance. I adore that show. But I have to wonder at the over-abundance of gay things - Jerry's son, Tommy's daughter, Sheila, all that stuff with Mike. Actually, truth be told, mostly it's Sheila's arc that got me a bit annoyed. It just felt like too much. One too many. Why the obsession? I truly don't see the point of her getting a rebound girl instead of a rebound guy. Was it just to get a new twist on that old story they spun with her? If so, well, I think it's a bit easy.
And gay what-nots are popping up everywhere in fictions these days. Nowadays you have to have something gay in your shows! Well, ok, great, but don't just put them there because it's gay and it's fashionable and stuff. Only use something gay if you're gonna do something interesting with it.
I realise that a lot of my fiction deals with sexuality issues, so you can say it's the pot calling the kettle black. But, well... let's see. An example. See Doctor Who? I adore what they did. Russel put Jack in (and, also, for the record, yeah, I know he's bi, not gay. Actually I like to call him omnisexual. It's not just boys and girls, it's every sentient, evolved life form.), and it was very, very pointy (by opposition to pointless, for those of you who don't speak Buffyspeak). Russel made it so Captain Jack wasn't just there because gay's the fashion these days. Jack was there because Russel was making a point about what fifty-first century humans would be like, and because he was making a point to have an openly let's-call-him-bisexual character in a children's show on British telly, and have him be an incredibly endearing character. Not because he was bi, not even though he was bi, but just in and of himself, with all his qualities and all his flaws.
Now, another example. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Gay Perry. He was gay. But he wasn't a wallflower. He was a character in and of himself, too. He wasn't treated any differently than any other character. They weren't afraid to have the hero of the story be regularly disgusted by references to his gayness (Robert Downey Jr makes the best faces) and then eventually not even be fazed by it anymore. And Perry was funny, and a bit of an asshole, selfish, but in the end he was there for them and stuff. And that last scene with the father, well, that was just the icing on top for that character. He was a true character... he just happened to be gay. It wasn't dismissed, it wasn't blown out of proportions, it was just a part of who he was.
I think my main problem is when this gay fashion makes it so that:
1) a character isn't defined by much but his sexuality, and/or is treated differently because of it (I mean by the writers)
2) a storyline is gayed up because it'll be better, more appealing, trendier, whatever.
Seriously. Sexuality is something that's so interesting to explore. I hate it when writers just use it for show or something.
I don't know if I'm making myself clear. I don't even really know if I have a clear position on this. I just know that sometimes, I get annoyed with stuff like that. Positive discrimination and the like. And I know I'm one of the first to see gay subtext in things, but when there is subtext (and yeah, I'm well aware sometimes it's just wishful thinking) it tends to not be annoying, because, well, it's subtext. It's not a move.
And to conclude this rant with something I'm not sure fits with any of the points I was making, guys, go check out the trailer for "Hellbent." I swear. You need to. A gay horror flick. It's bound to be fun - either because it's really bad, or because it's really good at not taking itself seriously. Cheesy gay films can just be so much fun.