Thanks and the L Word
Thanks to everyone who answered my fandom for a title question, they've come in very handy. Although as I didn't know half the fandoms it's made me once again realise how piss poor my tv watching has become lately. I would have answered individually but it would just have ended up with me writing 'cheers' fourteen times and that's a little mind
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As far as the handling of the 'politics' I do not agree that there was much political grandstanding apart from some of the music choices. It is hardly grandstanding to note that war is a nasty business and that it has serious effects on those unfortunate enough to be involved.
From the point of view of the scripts for once everyone acted in character with regard to their political views and how they expressed them. The lesbians and hollywood types all took a fairly predictable line that is exactly what you would hear in any gathering of liberal left-leaning educated people and they weren't made to look that good. Their views were mostly presented as too facile and as easy T-shirt sloganning, knee-jerk politics. The only person presented as having a more complex understanding of the war is Tasha.
I also think Alice's lack of understanding of Tasha's position in the military was bang-on. It's one thing to hear about 'Don't ask. Don't tell.' but when you live your entire gay life openly and without fear it is extremely disconcerting when you encounter environments where that is not the case. I had a rude reminder of that recently. I live in London, I'm out and no-one gives a shit, not at work, not in my family, not my neighbours. I went on holiday to Scotland and bumped straight up against good old fashioned homophobia. I had forgotten what it was like to have to be careful about what you say and do. It simply did not compute for me. I think Alice has a similar problem. I'm sure she knows about the US military policy but it just doesn't make any sense to her and for a child born of Hollywood and living her whole life amongst free-wheeling, free thinkers 'Don't ask. Don't tell.' is a wholly alien way to think and behave.
I'm going to shut up now - just know I will not hear a word against Talice...
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What got me about Alice and Tasha's argument about the war - after the t-shirt scene - was that they were actually arguing about two seperate, but related, issues and neither was listening to the other. Which is exactly how it is in real life, so they got it right, but as with real life it tends to annoy me and I want to scream at the tv for them to shut up and listen.
I still think Alice's behaviour towards the military closet was out of character. I can see her making the mistake at first, coming from a very open environment, but to keep doing it when Tasha had pointedly explained the problem, just seemed wrong. She might live in a bubble of acceptance but she also lives in a country where the political and religious right have a very strong and vocal agenda and, as a journalist, she would be more than aware of what can and does happen outside of her closed world.
Of all the new relationships Alice and Tasha is the only one that I feel could grow on me - if we're given more time to get to know Tasha and them as a couple - but only time will tell.
Talice? Not Alasha?
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Unrelatedly - I hope that Helena gets a better run next season cause that really was a useless storyline. Although I enjoyed the season a lot there were too many storylines and not enough time for each one - there was too much flotsam that should have been jetsam. Why introduce Catherine at all? Wouldn't it have been more fun to introduce Helena to the world of poverty and shoes that only cost $50 and grifting via say Papi?
Damn it Ralst we should be the writers! (As long as someone else writes the endings for us...)
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If only we were the writes you could have your Talice and we could both make sure Helena got a decent storyline and love interest. And we wouldn't have to worry about endings as this show never really seems to do them.
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