The Bishop and Aidan was unfathomably hot and I'm pretty sure all that sexual subtext is at least partially on purpose by someone on the show, if not the actors themselves. It's good to see it's not going to be shy about the more cesty vampire connections.
As for Sally, I think she was understandably in shock after realizing she'd been murdered by the guy she'd been heartbroken over. I also think it's unfair to blame her for not immediately finding a way to warn her friend about Danny. First of all, it's Danny's fault for abusing Sally and his fault again if he abuses Bridget. Sally might have known her experience with him, but she would have had no idea how badly it went until she remembered her death. She spent years with Danny, and while it might have had some harsh, possibly violent moments, he was also seemingly capable of being a normal boyfriend. There was no reason to think it was an emergency, though I certainly hope something is done about Danny. I think Sally had every right to have an initial reaction that was about her own murder, not her friend possibly being abused. She was in shock, and then she was angry. Now she will be in a proper state to think about what she'll do next.
Sorry for the rant, but I find it offensive when female victims are asked why they didn't do more to report violence, and if they didn't feel it was their responsibility to prevent other women from being similarly abused. Men don't really get asked that question unless it's a case of sexual abuse, which brings us right back to the problem of female sexuality as a symptom of societal ills.
IMO, Fault and realizing you have the power to possibly prevent something bad from happening aren't the same thing, or at least they shouldn't be. If Sally fails to warn Bridget, or Bridget fails to listen, it's still Danny's fault for abusing both of them. There is an annoyingly prevalent notion that the burden of not getting raped or abused falls on women (putting male rape/abuse aside), and that's bullshit, but though it may be a fine line I think there's a difference between placing that burden on the victim and having her realize that should these situations arise she's not entirely powerless. We all want to feel like we have some control and ability to stop terrible things from happening to ourselves and the people we care about. I mean, that's the worst thing, right? When there's nothing you can do. There being something Sally, via her boys, can do doesn't change the fact of Danny's guilt. Sure Sally has a right to freak out and take time to process, but wanting to protect your friend - especially when Danny is being an ass right in front of her - is such a natural thought I was surprised it didn't occur to Sally. It very well might later, and I hope it does, but it would have been my first thought in Sally's shoes, again especially after he was showing that side of himself to Bridget in front of her. Maybe not otherwise. Maybe it would have taken some time if not for that scene, but it just seemed a little bit of an oversight to me, because again it's such a natural thought.
In any other situation, when someone knows of a danger, regardless of whether or not they are the victim of it themselves, people would wonder "Well why doesn't s/he warn someone?" It doesn't make them responsible for causing the danger, it's just a natural question. It is offensive to imply women are to blame for abusers and rapists, certainly, but it's equally offensive, IMO, to put women in some special category of being overwhelmed by victimhood and difficult emotions to the point where they can't do what would be taken for granted in another character.
Also, Aiden and Josh could also do something. And I'm sure this plotline isn't going away.
I definitely believe Sally should protect her friend, but the problem is that Sally is a ghost. She could do her ghostly message thing again, only that seems to be more of a sensation of intent than an actual message with useful details. I suppose she could use her ability to move things to write a message to Bridget, but I don't know if Sally's powers have a mode for fine detailed work. Either way, it's easy to say she could do something herself, but also possible the message wouldn't come across to Bridget.
As for enlisting Aidan and Josh, it might work out, since Bridget at least knows who they are, but they have no proof. Unless they are willing to physically interfere with Danny and Bridget being together, they have to count on Bridget being willing to listen to them. Honestly, this is where the supernatural elements of the plot will trip up the morality of the characters, which is why it's so problematic for me to hear questions about Sally's inaction. She needs a good plan, or everyone she might send is going to seem like a crazy person. This is a long-standing trope, going back to Greek tragedies and Cassandra. In Sally's case, ghost does equal helpless unless her powers allow her to do something more focused than trashing Danny's apartment. A big secret like this is going to require a lot more trust than sending the guys who now live in Sally's old house.
(On a personal note, I've read enough of your fics and comments to know that you know there's a fine line between blame and the onus to protect others, I just felt it needed to be said that there is another angle on Sally's actions as of yet. I get all your points as well, and no offense meant by any of mine.)
Maybe that's partly why Sally bugs me a little - not Sally herself, but the idea of her character - that the one who has no power, happens to be the one female main character. Whereas the other two main chars have great power. It's a little too close to women = nice, but useless for my tastes.
That's the thing for her character to work on though, finding power in a powerless situation. Trying to communicate with Bridget is a good way to explore that. And Danny's got to be brought to justice. I assume they won't let this plot lie, so I hope they deal with it in a way where Sally can be proactive to some degree, instead of just a helpless victim.
I think the weakness you see in the character is something I actually like. If you read some interviews, the whole point of the show was to point a supernatural spin on debilitating weaknesses, i.e. anger management (werewolf), addiction (vampire), and agoraphobia (ghost). Sally's come a long way, and while her inaction is annoying, the strenght is in the journey. So, of course, they aren't exactly going for instant love of the character because that kind of thing (being a victim) is just not something anyone wants to see.
And it can be frustrating because it's another case of "oh great! another weak woman on tv! this is what I get to watch?!" but dependinging on how it's handled, it can be very compelling. I liked Sally's performance, but I think Annie's (from the UK version) was much better. At any rate, Sally has, essentially, been violated twice; once as the human and again as the ghost so she's dealing with it all over again. I can forgive her (even as I shout at her to save her friend) for not immediately thinking of someone else.
The other thing I really enjoy is how these characters are really in a position of stasis. How much can Sally actually progress? She's a ghost, her life is over, she's forever frozen as she was. That's the nature of a ghost. With Aidan, it's also how much can he truly progress? Something will always snap him back to his base nature of being a vampire. And Josh is reset every time a full moon comes. He has to again learn how to be the human and whatever progress he makes is pretty well undone by the change to wolf.
So I guess, maybe, it's just a matter of most certainly not blaming the victim, but being really annoyed/disappointed/frustrated that the victim didn't make bigger and better strides.
I don't necessarily think she should have thought of her friend *immediately* but just at some point I would think it would have occurred to her, because Danny was being assy toward Bridget too. But So I guess, maybe, it's just a matter of most certainly not blaming the victim, but being really annoyed/disappointed/frustrated that the victim didn't make bigger and better strides.
That's a good way of putting it. And when we watch TV, we maybe don't want to see the victimization, because it's uncomfortable or too close to real life or something. We want see people do something, be proactive, etc. Okay Danny's victimized and violated her, twice over as you say. That's not Sally's fault, but I don't want to see her stay that way. I want to see her overcome her victimization, somehow. It seems impossible in her situation, but if that's it, if it is impossible for her to have any useful control or power over her own existence, then what's the point of her? "Well sometimes stuff just sucks" isn't really a satisfying solution to her predicament. And that is what she needs, a journey, a journey of having power taken away from her and of reclaiming or finding power. Aiden isn't nearly powerless to the same degree. He *can* exercise his free will in not harming others or in how he wants to live, it's just hard. Josh I would put somewhere in the middle.
As for Sally, I think she was understandably in shock after realizing she'd been murdered by the guy she'd been heartbroken over. I also think it's unfair to blame her for not immediately finding a way to warn her friend about Danny. First of all, it's Danny's fault for abusing Sally and his fault again if he abuses Bridget. Sally might have known her experience with him, but she would have had no idea how badly it went until she remembered her death. She spent years with Danny, and while it might have had some harsh, possibly violent moments, he was also seemingly capable of being a normal boyfriend. There was no reason to think it was an emergency, though I certainly hope something is done about Danny. I think Sally had every right to have an initial reaction that was about her own murder, not her friend possibly being abused. She was in shock, and then she was angry. Now she will be in a proper state to think about what she'll do next.
Sorry for the rant, but I find it offensive when female victims are asked why they didn't do more to report violence, and if they didn't feel it was their responsibility to prevent other women from being similarly abused. Men don't really get asked that question unless it's a case of sexual abuse, which brings us right back to the problem of female sexuality as a symptom of societal ills.
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In any other situation, when someone knows of a danger, regardless of whether or not they are the victim of it themselves, people would wonder "Well why doesn't s/he warn someone?" It doesn't make them responsible for causing the danger, it's just a natural question. It is offensive to imply women are to blame for abusers and rapists, certainly, but it's equally offensive, IMO, to put women in some special category of being overwhelmed by victimhood and difficult emotions to the point where they can't do what would be taken for granted in another character.
Also, Aiden and Josh could also do something. And I'm sure this plotline isn't going away.
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As for enlisting Aidan and Josh, it might work out, since Bridget at least knows who they are, but they have no proof. Unless they are willing to physically interfere with Danny and Bridget being together, they have to count on Bridget being willing to listen to them. Honestly, this is where the supernatural elements of the plot will trip up the morality of the characters, which is why it's so problematic for me to hear questions about Sally's inaction. She needs a good plan, or everyone she might send is going to seem like a crazy person. This is a long-standing trope, going back to Greek tragedies and Cassandra. In Sally's case, ghost does equal helpless unless her powers allow her to do something more focused than trashing Danny's apartment. A big secret like this is going to require a lot more trust than sending the guys who now live in Sally's old house.
(On a personal note, I've read enough of your fics and comments to know that you know there's a fine line between blame and the onus to protect others, I just felt it needed to be said that there is another angle on Sally's actions as of yet. I get all your points as well, and no offense meant by any of mine.)
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Maybe that's partly why Sally bugs me a little - not Sally herself, but the idea of her character - that the one who has no power, happens to be the one female main character. Whereas the other two main chars have great power. It's a little too close to women = nice, but useless for my tastes.
That's the thing for her character to work on though, finding power in a powerless situation. Trying to communicate with Bridget is a good way to explore that. And Danny's got to be brought to justice. I assume they won't let this plot lie, so I hope they deal with it in a way where Sally can be proactive to some degree, instead of just a helpless victim.
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And it can be frustrating because it's another case of "oh great! another weak woman on tv! this is what I get to watch?!" but dependinging on how it's handled, it can be very compelling. I liked Sally's performance, but I think Annie's (from the UK version) was much better. At any rate, Sally has, essentially, been violated twice; once as the human and again as the ghost so she's dealing with it all over again. I can forgive her (even as I shout at her to save her friend) for not immediately thinking of someone else.
The other thing I really enjoy is how these characters are really in a position of stasis. How much can Sally actually progress? She's a ghost, her life is over, she's forever frozen as she was. That's the nature of a ghost. With Aidan, it's also how much can he truly progress? Something will always snap him back to his base nature of being a vampire. And Josh is reset every time a full moon comes. He has to again learn how to be the human and whatever progress he makes is pretty well undone by the change to wolf.
So I guess, maybe, it's just a matter of most certainly not blaming the victim, but being really annoyed/disappointed/frustrated that the victim didn't make bigger and better strides.
Reply
That's a good way of putting it. And when we watch TV, we maybe don't want to see the victimization, because it's uncomfortable or too close to real life or something. We want see people do something, be proactive, etc. Okay Danny's victimized and violated her, twice over as you say. That's not Sally's fault, but I don't want to see her stay that way. I want to see her overcome her victimization, somehow. It seems impossible in her situation, but if that's it, if it is impossible for her to have any useful control or power over her own existence, then what's the point of her? "Well sometimes stuff just sucks" isn't really a satisfying solution to her predicament. And that is what she needs, a journey, a journey of having power taken away from her and of reclaiming or finding power. Aiden isn't nearly powerless to the same degree. He *can* exercise his free will in not harming others or in how he wants to live, it's just hard. Josh I would put somewhere in the middle.
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