idk, I think that fandom tends to conflate interpreting certain characters as indulging in apologia. Like, there is nothing wrong with using markers given by a show to create a coherent narrative for a character rather than being all "THIS PERSON IS BAD AND IF YOU TRY TO BRING UP THEIR HISTORY THEN YOU ARE AN APOLOGIST". For some reason people assume that a bad past/childhood etc. necessarily excuses all future actions of an individual, which, of course, is ridiculous. Understanding why someone does something is not the same as excusing why someone does something. You can understanding a victim of childhood abuse perpetuating a cycle of abuse, but that in no way implies that their abuse is any less condemnable. ONE DOES NOT MEAN THE OTHER. And to pass value judgments on "types" of characters w/o paying attention to individual presentation/narrative is just as limited a viewpoint and apologizing for these types would be
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The most generous interpretation is that people just hadn't recognized these aspects of Elijah (his misogyny, racialized misogyny, Madonna Whore Complex) in previous seasons, which is totes understandable (though I think there's enough history to suggest that if he'd superficially presented as a different kind of character, then fandom would've spotted his gross aspects pretty much immediately--and I think that's worth noting. Like, remember your Littlefinger meta? :D)
I do remember my Littlefinger meta! And of course ITA that Elijah is the kind of character that fandom responds well too. Nevertheless, I don't wonder if the change in fandom reaction has more to do with Elena than it does Elijah. In S2 and S3, Elena was framed as Objectively Super Special and Different, whereas that had largely diminished by the time that S4 Elejah interactions happened, so fans themselves were less likely to look upon Elena as the Madonna vis a vis Katherine's whore, and therefore more likely to judge Elijah for doing so?
For some reason people assume that a bad past/childhood etc. necessarily excuses all future actions of an individual, which, of course, is ridiculous.
Yeah, I'm really only being a little facetious when I talk about Universal Misery Chips. It's like "X amount of experiential suffering in the bank gives an equivalent right to dish out that much pain," and the DON'T TALK ABOUT FIGHT CLUB attitude toward certain types of suffering by certain types of characters doesn't actually challenge that, it just strives to create the impression that the character is broke and inflicting way beyond his means.
I am completely in favor of the argument that lots of shows tend to handwave problematic shit or romanticize them, but to dislike things that present such a damaged dynamic honestly seems to almost be the same as saying that these dynamics shouldn't be represented at all in fiction, which is some heavyweight policing.It gets more than a little shoot-the-messenger, too. The narratives that problematize or deconstruct something that usually
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idk, I think that fandom tends to conflate interpreting certain characters as indulging in apologia. Like, there is nothing wrong with using markers given by a show to create a coherent narrative for a character rather than being all "THIS PERSON IS BAD AND IF YOU TRY TO BRING UP THEIR HISTORY THEN YOU ARE AN APOLOGIST". For some reason people assume that a bad past/childhood etc. necessarily excuses all future actions of an individual, which, of course, is ridiculous. Understanding why someone does something is not the same as excusing why someone does something. You can understanding a victim of childhood abuse perpetuating a cycle of abuse, but that in no way implies that their abuse is any less condemnable. ONE DOES NOT MEAN THE OTHER. And to pass value judgments on "types" of characters w/o paying attention to individual presentation/narrative is just as limited a viewpoint and apologizing for these types would be ( ... )
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I do remember my Littlefinger meta! And of course ITA that Elijah is the kind of character that fandom responds well too. Nevertheless, I don't wonder if the change in fandom reaction has more to do with Elena than it does Elijah. In S2 and S3, Elena was framed as Objectively Super Special and Different, whereas that had largely diminished by the time that S4 Elejah interactions happened, so fans themselves were less likely to look upon Elena as the Madonna vis a vis Katherine's whore, and therefore more likely to judge Elijah for doing so?
(1) Elijah's floppiness ( ... )
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Yeah, I'm really only being a little facetious when I talk about Universal Misery Chips. It's like "X amount of experiential suffering in the bank gives an equivalent right to dish out that much pain," and the DON'T TALK ABOUT FIGHT CLUB attitude toward certain types of suffering by certain types of characters doesn't actually challenge that, it just strives to create the impression that the character is broke and inflicting way beyond his means.
I am completely in favor of the argument that lots of shows tend to handwave problematic shit or romanticize them, but to dislike things that present such a damaged dynamic honestly seems to almost be the same as saying that these dynamics shouldn't be represented at all in fiction, which is some heavyweight policing.It gets more than a little shoot-the-messenger, too. The narratives that problematize or deconstruct something that usually ( ... )
Reply
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