Ah, okay, it sounded like you were referencing criticism of this episode without saying what that criticism would be, so I thought maybe I'd missed something
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I have the feeling the show is catering to straight slash fans. I don't think it's catering to lgbt fans, which is maybe where the distinction comes from. I don't enjoy these throwaway lines either, they're there and I don't much care for them, and indeed, like you, I take much more away from intense moments than throwaway lines. Steve's reaction was great! He didn't care, and I loved that, too. It was definitely not a joke about being gay, but it did feel heavy-handed to me, as their marriage jokes so often do.
I understand what you mean about Sang Min being skeevier, but I do enjoy the way that we know both Sang Min's crimes and are shown his human side and must choose.
I don't think anything was strictly necessary in the ep, but those are the parts I tend to really enjoy about the show and it made this ep feel a little lean not to have them. But I can see your point.
tbh, I'm not sure what the line between queerbaiting and subtext is, or if H50 crosses it. Maybe it's because I can't easily separate my feelings about (some parts of) the fandom and my feelings about the content of the show itself, at least as far as homophobia is concerned. It all blurs together and feels more entrenched in fandom than, say, sexism or racism. I'm also just not really equipped to comment on how television, marketing, and fan service works, so I defer to other people when this subject comes up! I usually just go by how a scene/comment makes me feel, and I didn't feel like I was being made fun of in that scene, but if someone else feels like they are being mocked then I understand and won't argue with that. H50 does a lot of things right and a lot of things wrong. But yes, I know what you mean about it feeling heavy-handed. I was like, why would this girl automatically assume these guys are her friend's dads, then yell it across the room without asking them first?? (Also, why does no one ever seem to notice their
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I think the line between the two isn't clearly defined; it's a matter of personal opinion and very arbitrary. As for fandom, I think it isn't necessarily more entrenched, but I do think it's not open for criticism and discussion the way matters of race and gender are. But that might just be my impression.
I know what you mean about the badges (Danny's dick wears a badge, fandom always says :) they're pretty front and centre. It was clear they wanted to slip this line in, which is fine but could have been a bit more subtle.
I watch for the character stuff, even if it's a procedural, so development eps will always be a favourite :)
What I mean by entrenched is that queer baiting is so connected with fandom. It's tied up in what showrunners think fandom wants to see, that they're catering to people under the table without actually giving anyone anything. It's a symbiotic relationship between showrunners and slash fandom. So I get fed up with certain parts of fandom that lap this shit up, but it just makes it that much more confusing when I try to work out exactly what the show itself was trying to do, or is doing. With H50, most of my irritation comes from the fandom's end of things rather than the show itself. The show presents an openly caring and affectionate relationship between two men, and fandom responds with "gaaaaaaaaay." It seems to be more problematic on the fandom's side than the show's side, but if another lgbtq person sees queerbaiting where I am not then I am interested in hearing their thoughts. I don't read articles and watch interviews as often as most people, so maybe I'm missing some of the queerbaiting that goes on BTS, I don't know. But as
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Ah, like that. Yes, I think that this show is much better at trying to refrain from (openly) queerbaiting than some others. And I agree that the fandom seems to purely treat anything that can potentially be read as gay as their property and the only right way to interpret things, making lgbtq potential in canon to be solely for consumption rather than potential diversity or just a fact of life.
the fandom seems to purely treat anything that can potentially be read as gay as their property and the only right way to interpret things, making lgbtq potential in canon to be solely for consumption rather than potential diversity or just a fact of life
Yes, this is what bothers me. "Their property" is a good way of putting it!
I preferred it when canon pretended gay people didn't exist beyond subtextual reference - What subtextual references are you referring to ( ... )
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I have the feeling the show is catering to straight slash fans. I don't think it's catering to lgbt fans, which is maybe where the distinction comes from. I don't enjoy these throwaway lines either, they're there and I don't much care for them, and indeed, like you, I take much more away from intense moments than throwaway lines. Steve's reaction was great! He didn't care, and I loved that, too. It was definitely not a joke about being gay, but it did feel heavy-handed to me, as their marriage jokes so often do.
I understand what you mean about Sang Min being skeevier, but I do enjoy the way that we know both Sang Min's crimes and are shown his human side and must choose.
I don't think anything was strictly necessary in the ep, but those are the parts I tend to really enjoy about the show and it made this ep feel a little lean not to have them. But I can see your point.
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I know what you mean about the badges (Danny's dick wears a badge, fandom always says :) they're pretty front and centre. It was clear they wanted to slip this line in, which is fine but could have been a bit more subtle.
I watch for the character stuff, even if it's a procedural, so development eps will always be a favourite :)
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Yes, this is what bothers me. "Their property" is a good way of putting it!
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