sometimes I talk about television (really!)

[pellucid]

The problem, I think, is that most of the television I've been watching lately isn't worth talking about. For a good part of the last year or so, that's exactly what I've needed--the more brainless, the better! I'm starting to miss good, thinky TV, though, and I suspect that soon enough I'll be tapping my fingers impatiently: where is my shiny, new

Comments

[pellucid]

I thought the show was definitely trying to have some cake and eat it too. Flirt with the almost-textual relationship of Maura and Jane, but then still deny it at the same time.

I agree, and I do see how that's perhaps a bit unfair** and certainly frustrating to the shippers. But ALL shows that depend on this kind of UST relationship do exactly this: see every pairing ever. So I've been a little surprised to see, here and there, some outright anger and offense that the show is pulling this move--and I wonder what I'm missing. Maybe this is more of a trope in among slashers in general, and I'm not aware of that because I don't spend much time in those circles? (Though if so, I'd think it would get old, since how often do any slashers get their subtext validated by the text?)

**On the other hand, I'm not sure I'd argue that a romantic or sexual attraction between Jane and Maura is particularly evident. Sure, there's enough to read it there if one is so inclined, but I can't think of anything I've seen in their relationship that is not also part of my non-romantic/non-sexual relationships with my closest women friends. I've shared a bed with most of my closest friends at one time or another, we choose to spend time with one another rather than men we might be attracted to, at least some of to much of the time, we say "I love you," we hug and touch each other (my best friend in NY is a hand-holder, actually, and we often walk around holding hands). More than one person has asked if gabolange and I are dating (no, for the record!). Basically, I think it's a classic YMMV kind of thing: lots of people see slashy subtext, and I see, at long last, a fictional friendship that I actually recognize. *shrugs*

[callmeonetrack]

I agree that I don't particularly read the relationship as slashy but I certainly understand why others do too. They're very careful with toeing the line for the most part and I almost felt that that particular episode was a way to address it without fully addressing it and then move past it almost? Like, we're going to make it canon that JANE DOES NOT FEEL THAT WAY OFFICIALLY.

But you're absolutely right that that's what all or most pairings on TV explore. I mean Rizzoli and Isles and Peter and Neal (from White Collar) are pretty similar in the amount of almost-slash they engage in. For that matter, I haven't seen anyone get upset about it on White Collar, instead they seem to relish it. So that's a kind of interesting distinction.