TV Thursday

[102bb]

Comments

[apis_cerana]

I'm sort of getting into Misfits, a UK TV show that is most definitely NOT feminist-friendly for the most part -- it can often be be triggery (one "superpower" a character has is that she makes anyone she touches want to fuck her -- which leads to quite a few scenes where it appears as if she is about to be raped) and features violence and pretty coarse/dark humor

[shadowpiranha]

I love Misfits, despite the serious problem I have with Alisha's power. It scares the crap out of me to even imagine having it, and I think it says a whole lot about rape culture and victim blaming that I'm not sure I like - actually, I'm sure I don't. And I agree that it's not very feminist friendly, but I do like (like you said) that the girls' bodies are 'normal' bodies and not stick thin size zeroes, and that it's an ensemble cast for real despite the fact that Nathan is 'the main one' in the promotional material. It must be because he's the loud comic relief. I do like what the show does in terms of race and interracial relationships though, at least there's that. All-white casts are a) boring and b) not realistic, like we're somehow denying the existence of other races. It bothers me when that happens, and in this show it doesn't. And I love how it's developing

[trenchcoatedson]

"It scares the crap out of me to even imagine having it, and I think it says a whole lot about rape culture and victim blaming that I'm not sure I like - actually, I'm sure I don't"

I've never seen the show, but when I read about it, that's what instantly hit me. I was like, "Wow, so basically, people touch her, and if they rape her, then they can blame it on her?"

I really enjoy things with premises like Misfits (sci-fi -type things but focusing on the characters and their lives), but that just put me off.

[shadowpiranha]

I don't know about blaming it on her, the times it happened in the show all the guys were very confused and didn't remember a thing (it puts them in a deep sort of trance state, I guess; they're 'not themselves') but they ended up apologizing, but still, yeah, I think that's the main thing behind it. She, apparently, has the power to manipulate pheromones. It's not pretty to see, but luckily we don't see it often. I think the feel they try to transmit, though, is that it's a horrible power to have, more like a curse. It certainly feels that way and looks to me like it's treated that way. In my opinion, yeah, that's the shittiest super power anyone can have

[trenchcoatedson]

Well, it sounds like they've handled it much better than it COULD have been, at least. Because I could easily see them doing a lot of victim blaming with it, you know? I definitely wouldn't put that past most writers.

The whole idea of the superpower just irks me though, but I might give it a shot. I've watched plenty of shows that are not exactly feminist friendly (like House, for instance, which is pretty much the opposite of feminist friendly, and I'm not just talking about House's sexist remarks, which I can understand, because he's House. I've actually stopped watching it recently, got into Criminal Minds instead. The whole thing with Cuddy and trying to make her from this badass female boss yet who still is human to basically this submissive woman who is now dating House and the whole thing plays up as her being his inferior when she's supposed to be his boss just really, really irks me also- and I actually liked the pairing.)

[shadowpiranha]

They really did, because - at least from what I remember - any time it happens the guys look very ashamed and confused. And she used her powers deliberately twice, which I'm not sure I liked but I guess I can understand, you need to use them in order to understand them better (despite the lack of consequences for her except everyone turning to look at her as she walked by and ran her fingers across everyone's arms in a busy hallway, and the other time she really just wanted to have sex with her boyfriend, I guess), but then she seemed to have started realizing it wasn't a good thing to do and all of that stopped. So, yeah, it's not treated as bad as it could've been, despite it being icky and freaking me out anyway - just the idea of it does, you know

[shadowpiranha]

I totally forgot they hadn't been dating yet by then (I haven't seen the first season in a good while). And even then, yeah, you're right. I suppose she was just experimenting, and Alisha wasn't exactly a responsible individual at that time. It was fucked up and irresponsible, and I think she did it once again to a younger guy who had some sort of job at the community centre, but that's when she starts realizing it isn't fun and it isn't supposed to happen like that. The next time he touches her, she's not into it and he can't stop himself - they never can - so Curtis shows up and gets her out of there and she never does it again. What I think differs in this show from others is that I do think it shows the rape culture and its many fine nuances (those technicalities with which make many people like to think certain situations weren't rape) in a very negative light. At least I could understand how fucked up it all was, to coarse someone into having sex with you when they might not want to. Or even if they do; if you alter their

[shadowpiranha]

No, she was never blamed for it, that I saw. And thank God for that. But it is the absolutely shittiest fucking power I've ever seen, there's no doubt about it. It's just shit.

[apis_cerana]

IAWTC x1000

I think I personally like it a lot because the characters are not played-out cliches -- which is kind of sad because there are so many characters in so many shows out there that SHOULD be treated better by the writers and are not, but they are in THIS particular show (which features a lot of gratuitous violence, sex, etc etc). Lol.

[shadowpiranha]

Yes, exactly! In a show where there's violence, sex and overall 'bad behavior', the characters are a lot better developed than in most other shows. And boy am I glad that there's little to no racial stereotyping going on, you know? The villain has only been anything other than white once - and because of the storm/his powers. Before that he was a good guy.

Hell, they even did every chav in the world a favor by casting the 'benefit of the doubt' on them because of Kelly, whom I love. :P

[madeline_may]

... size 0 bodies are normal bodies too. Just saying.

[shadowpiranha]

...hence why it's 'like this'. I know that, don't worry.

[madeline_may]

that the girls' bodies are 'normal' bodies and not stick thin size zeroes

I dunno, that's just pretty negative. That's what I was pointing out. There's an underlying current of "Ugh, skinny girls."

[shadowpiranha]

Well, if it's there, it's not meant to be. I guess I should have specified body types, since that's what's in variety concerning the females on Misfits, not really sizes per se. And isn't it true that a lot of shows usually cast thin women so it's kind of the "default" body type, if you will? It's nothing against any body type, more against lack of variety. I apologize if I caused any distress, I really did not mean to.