every hero walks alone
Last night, I finished The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz. What a fantastic read. Compelling, heartbreaking and hilarious, with a great narrative voice, a strong sense of place, and an epic tale of family tragedy. Plus, all the hardcore geek references that feel true and natural and not at all forced.
Oscar's behavior with women was discomfiting in many ways (stalkery much?), but not played for laughs (though other characters do laugh at him and his lack of sexual success) - I think it was clearly recognized by his family and friends as problematic. Nor was Yunior's (or anyone else's) womanizing glorified or treated as a good thing. In fact, via Yunior, I think the book spends quite a bit of time examining the ramifications of being a player and the destruction it causes.
highly recommended.
***
I read what is allegedly the original script for the pilot of Dollhouse (thanks to numerous folks on my flist for the link), and while it still skeeves me out, at least it sounds like a Joss Whedon production, and it gave me some reason to invest in Echo herself as a character, rather than just rooting for her because of the awful things being done to her. What's aired so far has been curiously unWhedonlike in its utter lack of wit and snappy dialogue, not to mention its lame predictability.
I've seen a couple of people compare it to the ball of suck that was last season's remake of Bionic Woman, and talk about how at least in that suckfest we got Katee Sackhoff being awesome and insane as Sarah Corvus, how she was a rogue and how she was a loose cannon, and how she was aware of how she'd been used and violated and discarded and how she was striking back at those who'd harmed her. And how unfortunate it is that thus far Alpha, the apparent rogue Active in Dollhouse, is male, and how that means that when Echo fights and/or joins him, she'll be doing it at the behest of yet another man.
I just...there are ways to mitigate the skeeviness of the whole thing, and I think Joss himself is clearly aware of it and has some intention of addressing it, but I am not at all sanguine that that will actually make it to the screen (and that even if it does that it won't make me cringe anyway).
Heh. Unless it shows a marked improvement in the next couple of weeks, this could be the most I ever write about Dollhouse.
***
Speaking of shows whose gender politics often make me cringe, this was a really interesting read: Latchkey Hero: Masculinity, Class and the Gothic in Eric Kripke's Supernatural by Julia M. Wright. (link via my delicious network)
It focuses mainly on Dean and class, and the common construct of blue-collar masculinity and how it intersects with gothic tropes, though it also touches on the show's skanky race issues. I am still absorbing it, because I do think Dean's performative masculinity is fascinating, though this article doesn't touch on the most interesting bits of it (the tension between the bad boy persona he adopts and his role as the maternal co-parent in the Winchester family). I don't necessarily agree with all the conclusions (and there are a couple of small canon errors that made me grit my teeth), but it was definitely an interesting read.
***
Here's an updated BSG timeline, taking the revelations of "No Exit" into account. (thanks to quirkies for the link!)
***
My taxes are done, and I am getting a tidy sum back from both the state and the fed. \o/
***
Oscar's behavior with women was discomfiting in many ways (stalkery much?), but not played for laughs (though other characters do laugh at him and his lack of sexual success) - I think it was clearly recognized by his family and friends as problematic. Nor was Yunior's (or anyone else's) womanizing glorified or treated as a good thing. In fact, via Yunior, I think the book spends quite a bit of time examining the ramifications of being a player and the destruction it causes.
highly recommended.
***
I read what is allegedly the original script for the pilot of Dollhouse (thanks to numerous folks on my flist for the link), and while it still skeeves me out, at least it sounds like a Joss Whedon production, and it gave me some reason to invest in Echo herself as a character, rather than just rooting for her because of the awful things being done to her. What's aired so far has been curiously unWhedonlike in its utter lack of wit and snappy dialogue, not to mention its lame predictability.
I've seen a couple of people compare it to the ball of suck that was last season's remake of Bionic Woman, and talk about how at least in that suckfest we got Katee Sackhoff being awesome and insane as Sarah Corvus, how she was a rogue and how she was a loose cannon, and how she was aware of how she'd been used and violated and discarded and how she was striking back at those who'd harmed her. And how unfortunate it is that thus far Alpha, the apparent rogue Active in Dollhouse, is male, and how that means that when Echo fights and/or joins him, she'll be doing it at the behest of yet another man.
I just...there are ways to mitigate the skeeviness of the whole thing, and I think Joss himself is clearly aware of it and has some intention of addressing it, but I am not at all sanguine that that will actually make it to the screen (and that even if it does that it won't make me cringe anyway).
Heh. Unless it shows a marked improvement in the next couple of weeks, this could be the most I ever write about Dollhouse.
***
Speaking of shows whose gender politics often make me cringe, this was a really interesting read: Latchkey Hero: Masculinity, Class and the Gothic in Eric Kripke's Supernatural by Julia M. Wright. (link via my delicious network)
It focuses mainly on Dean and class, and the common construct of blue-collar masculinity and how it intersects with gothic tropes, though it also touches on the show's skanky race issues. I am still absorbing it, because I do think Dean's performative masculinity is fascinating, though this article doesn't touch on the most interesting bits of it (the tension between the bad boy persona he adopts and his role as the maternal co-parent in the Winchester family). I don't necessarily agree with all the conclusions (and there are a couple of small canon errors that made me grit my teeth), but it was definitely an interesting read.
***
Here's an updated BSG timeline, taking the revelations of "No Exit" into account. (thanks to quirkies for the link!)
***
My taxes are done, and I am getting a tidy sum back from both the state and the fed. \o/
***