Kalicia Breakfast Club 5x12 -- The One With the Dashed Hopes

[sweetjamielee]

Hey clubbers, your opportunity to discuss your crushing disappointment starts now. Will your icy heart thaw in time for the show returning on March 9?

Comments

[schwarmerei1]

In terms of the episode overall, well I quite enjoyed the comedy of errors, even though (as has been typical of S5 IMO) the writers were a little in love with their own joke. But, sheesh, am I over the Willicia show! Can't there please be something about the other relationships on the show?

I had no faith that there would be A/K, so I had no hopes to dash. I'm just relieved (and was so once the press release was out) that Kalinda's repair job was with Cary and not Jenna.

Aside: I am loathing Jenna with violent passion. If we had to have Kalinda/shady law enforcement why OH WHY couldn't they bring back Lana? Jill Flint is done with shooting the first order of her new series and is cooling her heels in NYC. This storyline might actually have some interest if they wove Lana into it. Throw in her previous background investigating Peter's political corruption, tie her into the vote fraud, and we'd have a deliciously intriguing mess of relationships. I weep for the wasted opportunity!

*phew* Now that I'm done with that rant, I'm glad

[sweetjamielee]

"Gotta love #CaryAgos handling #Kalinda. #mattczuchry #ArchiePanjabi"

This infuriated me too!! Is that really how the writers feel about her? That she somehow needs or deserves to be put in her place? No. No writers, I do not love it. I do not like seeing the only decent-hearted character who is desperate for connection and friendship being put in a position of having to beg for it and having to choose between that or being good at her job. Is Will "handling" Alicia when he is messing with her in court? Is Peter "handling" her when he calms her little feeling by lying about the voter fraud? I somehow do not think they'd use such implied misogynistic language with their main character.

[schwarmerei1]

I don't even think the misogyny is implied! Handling is what you do with animals, not people. And no, they would not say it about Alicia. This might be cynical and sound defensive, but I think it's also because Kalinda is queer and a WOC. Sorry - I think those issues lurk in that kind of language.

I like the scenes as written and played -- or at least I liked how I received them! Kalinda shouldn't have to beg, no. But sometimes in real life one has to suck something up and let it be water under the bridge to allow a situation to move on. I am happy for Kalinda to do this rather than continue in a miserable friendless existence. If it becomes a relationship dependent on Kalinda making concession after concession and Cary never reciprocating that's different.

There was a bit more along the same line from RK at the TCA's:

Regarding the scene in Sunday’s episode that hinted at a rekindling of a romance between Kalinda and Cary, King said, “It’s a version of the hate that Will and Alica have, especially because they’re at [different]

[schwarmerei1]

Actually, in America it's common usage to use the verb handle in reference to people, and it's applied to all ages, genders, and ethnicities. I can easily see Eli saying that he'll handle Alicia. (And I can easily see Alicia saying she'll handle some client of hers.) People are also employed as handlers, whose entire job is to handle somebody (usually a celebrity, athlete or such).

I find the "Cary has balls" phrase far more annoying, since it's gender-based.

[sweetjamielee]

I think the context matters here (or at least it did to me, and for my reaction to it). I read the writers' comment not as "Cary dealing with Kalinda" (the way I commonly hear it used in America), but rather "Cary putting Kalinda in her place," or "Cary taming Kalinda."

I'll admit I'm probably biased toward interpreting bad or ignorant intentions, but it rubbed me the wrong way. >:(

[schwarmerei1]

I know its usage particularly in contemporary ways like for politicians, but if you look at the word's origins it has three basic meanings:
NOUN
1 [USUALLY WITH MODIFIER] a person who handles or deals with certain articles or commodities:
a baggage handler
a food handler
2 a person who trains or has charge of an animal, in particular a police officer in charge of a dog.
3 a person who trains or manages another person, in particular:
3.1 a person who trains and acts as second to a boxer.
3.2 a publicity agent.
3.3 a person who directs the activities of a spy or other freelance agent.

1 is for objects, 2 is for animals, 3 are for specific professions that "need" controlling by a supervisory / objective person.

As used in the context of two adults in a sexual relationship it's gross. The semantics of the words people choose to use are often revealing and I think this is an example.

[tamoline]

Women being marginalised/handled by men actually seems to be a theme running throughout this series - in addition to Cary and Cary meeting behind Alicia's back to decide policy before presenting it to her in a way that maes it hard for her to refuse, we've got Damian and Will doing exactly the same thing to Diane (though Diane handles it a lot better, the fact remains that they did it very publicly and ended up getting their way, which would make it look to the other partners like Will won). And even with Peter and Eli shuffling Marilyn off to another post in the first episode

[schwarmerei1]

Apparently the TCA quote above was from Michelle not Robert. My bad. My criticism still stands though.