GA 8x22: Shocker!
My first reaction: I was put off by Lexie Grey's speech!
But as I am one of the last M/L shippers, this won't do, right? So I watched it more closely. A few times.
Remember 6x22? When Mark showed up out of the blue and cornered Lexie with his pretentious confession ‟you can have a husband“? This was classic Mark Sloan: Without any attempt at anticipating her reaction. Without any idea of how relationships work.
He still hasn't learned much more. Case in point: 8x22: A confused confession to Derek: ‟She wants to have a baby. She wants to have my baby.“ No surprise here - it's entirely in character that he had no idea that Julia's biological clock is ticking. Moreover, he's still astonished that somebody wants to have his baby. Meaning: he still doesn't allow himself to believe that it's in his reach of action to actively want to have a baby WITH a woman, a PLANNED baby, created OUT OF LOVE.
Well, the way the scene with Julia plays out, there's not really much room for the out-of-love detail here, as well. Tick tick, FSH levels. Can't shake the feeling that this overkill reveal is connected to Julia's early, all-too-ready love confession - yeah, she's SO READY to LOVE someone. (Please contrast this with Lexie's kind of love for Mark.)
And I hope it's okay when I just ignore his ‟I love Julia“, given how he spends the whole day asking his friends to choose for him, whether to have a baby with her or not. So much for all the theories that Mark actively wants a wife and kids right now. (Don't even get me started. I'll never buy it.)
So the first thing that I am grateful for is that the topic of choosing a partner to share a baby with is on the table, right now, on the brink of a possible reunion. And in a M/L context, that's a return to the beginning of their break-up - the disastrous argument in 6x11, where it seemed as if he would never choose Lexie as a partner (‟I thought I missed this.“). That's a promising setup, actually.
On to Lexie in 8x22.
First of all, I just have to say it again: I adore CL's acting skills. She creates this indispensable Lexie Grey character with so much attention to detail, it's amazing. The tantrum with instruments (Derek scene) is in the same league as that unforgettable pen clicking. I just love her. So much.
In 8x22, it's Lexie's turn to show up out of the blue, not cornering Mark intentionally, but cornering him just fine as well. (Well, not exactly out of the blue, because there have been some false starts in season 8 before - but I guess Mark never allowed himself to realize that, right?)
And just like Mark in 6x22, she's firmly stuck in her own pov, without any attempt to anticipate his reaction. An important contrast, though, is that he at least had planned a speech. She didn't. (Just like Mark in 7x11, when he didn't care or dare to come up with a good speech about Sofia's existence.) Okay. This is Mark and Lexie. I'm well aware that they could never make a rational plan about something as crucial as this.
Let's have a closer look at these two minutes, what put me off, what reconciles me.
Beat 1. She seems as if she's somewhat looking for him, right? And is immediately drawn right up to him, without any thought to the very obvious context. (Why would he hang out outside the lobby, if not because he's about to meet somebody, huh?) That's just an acute image of her love in a nutshell, acted beautifully. Note how she keeps a very polite distance from him.
Beat 2. She thanks him for the work opportunity. He compliments her casually.
Beat 3. She's hovering in true Lexie fashion, which gets his attention via protective instinct.
Source
Beat 4. She blurts out the first ILY. I wouldn't have thought this possible. Mark didn't, as well. Shock ensues.
Beat 5. She wouldn't have thought this possible, either. Embarrassment and crazy babbling. Mark is dumbstruck.
Source
Beat 6. She decides to go with it, confesses her doomed attempts to remain silent about it. Needs to hear herself say it out loud to him. How does this sound to Mark? Why didn't she want to tell him? Was she trying to respect his relationship with Julia? Was she trying to not love him? We're not shown.
Source
Beat 7. She starts praising Jackson in contrast to Mark's minus points. To Mark, Jackson is very present. He perceives this as a challenge. He's hurt and expects to be blamed.
The part I love most here: She just enumerated that Jackson really liked her, as a further plus, obviously in contrast to Mark. Ha, I pounce on that for meaning by reverse: She's still convinced that Mark doesn't love her, or more likely, that she loves him far more than he'll ever love her back. (Remember 7x10? The unrequited ILY?) Thanks show, I love this little detail.
Source
Beat 8. She ties the comparison up to their recent conversation about why she broke up with Jackson. Surprise for Mark! He won the competition against perfection!
You would expect some praise for Mark now, wouldn't you?
Source
Beat 9. She indeed expands on her feelings for him, but in the most honest way possible: By choosing an even more insulting comparison and getting very emotional. Apart from his protective instinct in reaction to her tears, he just doesn't know what to make of it. Still dumbstruck.
IMO the disease simile is very fitting for Lexie indeed: outrageously inappropriate and insulting, cute (by means of CL's perfect acting), and truthful. She really is inevitably drawn to him, seemingly against all logic. And her lovesick longing for him does constrain her. And to my relief, there's still the same ‟I don't want to love you“ vibe as there was in 7x22. IMO, this is very much in character and totally plays into the theory that she is still scared of what this powerful a love could do to her.
On the other hand, I totally see why Mark might not get anything as subtle as this, but merely conclude that loving him hurts her. Diseases have to be cured, right? So her love for him is hurting her, he's bad and should stay away. He never deserved her anyway, right? One thing is certain, at least: he is not happy to hear this. Rather, he can't believe his ears.
Beat 10. She calms herself down with a final declaration of ILY. His reaction isn't shown, which means: more of above confusion.
Source
Beat 11. She comments on her relief about finally confessing. As if this was a sin she had to get rid of. Or an assignment in the course of behavior therapy (talk to him in order to let him go). Or so it may seem to Mark, who sighs, as if he's finally convinced she doesn't want to love him.
Source
Beat 12. Cue Mark's sigh: Lexie starts realizing that there was no real answer yet. Terror sets in. What did she do? Which reaction does she expect, anyway?
Beat 13. Surprise: Enter Julia. Lexie mortified. Mark still in shock.
And the outcome?
Wow, 10 ILYs in 2 minutes later, she has made it really difficult for him - and for the audience - to get what she was trying to say. Naturally, IMO (and I know more about her feelings for Mark than Mark does, that's for sure), she's trying to say that she's 100 % serious about him and wants to dare live this love again. But that's not in the text at all, right? She didn't say that she wants him back, she didn't ask for a second chance. Very close to self-sabotage, right? Or just bad writing, show?
And as much as I was initally bummed by Mark's non-reaction here, I now see that I cannot blame him for his confusion here at all. It would make good sense to see him hesitate, wanting more info from her, in the following episodes.
But on the whole, I'm still strangely grateful.
Finally we got the complementary piece to 6x22. Now, they've both sought each other out, and neither of them has shown any superior skills of problem solving or empathy in doing so. They have both phrased their respective confessions in ways which soothe their own respective insecurities: I guess they both would love to hear the other say something along the lines they themselves offered up. Mark wants to hear Lexie declare herself as his wife for all the world to see, a gesture which would enable him to know that against all odds, she wants to love him. Lexie wants to hear Mark, against all odds, consciously choose her above anyone else.
I love them both for being screwed up like that. And I'd love to watch them get to terms with their various misconceptions about the other in season 9. Please, show?
Oh, and PS to show writers.
DON'T YOU DARE KILL LEXIE OFF IN THAT DAMN FINALE. I CAN'T EVEN!!!!!
But as I am one of the last M/L shippers, this won't do, right? So I watched it more closely. A few times.
Remember 6x22? When Mark showed up out of the blue and cornered Lexie with his pretentious confession ‟you can have a husband“? This was classic Mark Sloan: Without any attempt at anticipating her reaction. Without any idea of how relationships work.
He still hasn't learned much more. Case in point: 8x22: A confused confession to Derek: ‟She wants to have a baby. She wants to have my baby.“ No surprise here - it's entirely in character that he had no idea that Julia's biological clock is ticking. Moreover, he's still astonished that somebody wants to have his baby. Meaning: he still doesn't allow himself to believe that it's in his reach of action to actively want to have a baby WITH a woman, a PLANNED baby, created OUT OF LOVE.
Well, the way the scene with Julia plays out, there's not really much room for the out-of-love detail here, as well. Tick tick, FSH levels. Can't shake the feeling that this overkill reveal is connected to Julia's early, all-too-ready love confession - yeah, she's SO READY to LOVE someone. (Please contrast this with Lexie's kind of love for Mark.)
And I hope it's okay when I just ignore his ‟I love Julia“, given how he spends the whole day asking his friends to choose for him, whether to have a baby with her or not. So much for all the theories that Mark actively wants a wife and kids right now. (Don't even get me started. I'll never buy it.)
So the first thing that I am grateful for is that the topic of choosing a partner to share a baby with is on the table, right now, on the brink of a possible reunion. And in a M/L context, that's a return to the beginning of their break-up - the disastrous argument in 6x11, where it seemed as if he would never choose Lexie as a partner (‟I thought I missed this.“). That's a promising setup, actually.
On to Lexie in 8x22.
First of all, I just have to say it again: I adore CL's acting skills. She creates this indispensable Lexie Grey character with so much attention to detail, it's amazing. The tantrum with instruments (Derek scene) is in the same league as that unforgettable pen clicking. I just love her. So much.
In 8x22, it's Lexie's turn to show up out of the blue, not cornering Mark intentionally, but cornering him just fine as well. (Well, not exactly out of the blue, because there have been some false starts in season 8 before - but I guess Mark never allowed himself to realize that, right?)
And just like Mark in 6x22, she's firmly stuck in her own pov, without any attempt to anticipate his reaction. An important contrast, though, is that he at least had planned a speech. She didn't. (Just like Mark in 7x11, when he didn't care or dare to come up with a good speech about Sofia's existence.) Okay. This is Mark and Lexie. I'm well aware that they could never make a rational plan about something as crucial as this.
Let's have a closer look at these two minutes, what put me off, what reconciles me.
Beat 1. She seems as if she's somewhat looking for him, right? And is immediately drawn right up to him, without any thought to the very obvious context. (Why would he hang out outside the lobby, if not because he's about to meet somebody, huh?) That's just an acute image of her love in a nutshell, acted beautifully. Note how she keeps a very polite distance from him.
Beat 2. She thanks him for the work opportunity. He compliments her casually.
Beat 3. She's hovering in true Lexie fashion, which gets his attention via protective instinct.
Source
Beat 4. She blurts out the first ILY. I wouldn't have thought this possible. Mark didn't, as well. Shock ensues.
Beat 5. She wouldn't have thought this possible, either. Embarrassment and crazy babbling. Mark is dumbstruck.
Source
Beat 6. She decides to go with it, confesses her doomed attempts to remain silent about it. Needs to hear herself say it out loud to him. How does this sound to Mark? Why didn't she want to tell him? Was she trying to respect his relationship with Julia? Was she trying to not love him? We're not shown.
Source
Beat 7. She starts praising Jackson in contrast to Mark's minus points. To Mark, Jackson is very present. He perceives this as a challenge. He's hurt and expects to be blamed.
The part I love most here: She just enumerated that Jackson really liked her, as a further plus, obviously in contrast to Mark. Ha, I pounce on that for meaning by reverse: She's still convinced that Mark doesn't love her, or more likely, that she loves him far more than he'll ever love her back. (Remember 7x10? The unrequited ILY?) Thanks show, I love this little detail.
Source
Beat 8. She ties the comparison up to their recent conversation about why she broke up with Jackson. Surprise for Mark! He won the competition against perfection!
You would expect some praise for Mark now, wouldn't you?
Source
Beat 9. She indeed expands on her feelings for him, but in the most honest way possible: By choosing an even more insulting comparison and getting very emotional. Apart from his protective instinct in reaction to her tears, he just doesn't know what to make of it. Still dumbstruck.
IMO the disease simile is very fitting for Lexie indeed: outrageously inappropriate and insulting, cute (by means of CL's perfect acting), and truthful. She really is inevitably drawn to him, seemingly against all logic. And her lovesick longing for him does constrain her. And to my relief, there's still the same ‟I don't want to love you“ vibe as there was in 7x22. IMO, this is very much in character and totally plays into the theory that she is still scared of what this powerful a love could do to her.
On the other hand, I totally see why Mark might not get anything as subtle as this, but merely conclude that loving him hurts her. Diseases have to be cured, right? So her love for him is hurting her, he's bad and should stay away. He never deserved her anyway, right? One thing is certain, at least: he is not happy to hear this. Rather, he can't believe his ears.
Beat 10. She calms herself down with a final declaration of ILY. His reaction isn't shown, which means: more of above confusion.
Source
Beat 11. She comments on her relief about finally confessing. As if this was a sin she had to get rid of. Or an assignment in the course of behavior therapy (talk to him in order to let him go). Or so it may seem to Mark, who sighs, as if he's finally convinced she doesn't want to love him.
Source
Beat 12. Cue Mark's sigh: Lexie starts realizing that there was no real answer yet. Terror sets in. What did she do? Which reaction does she expect, anyway?
Beat 13. Surprise: Enter Julia. Lexie mortified. Mark still in shock.
And the outcome?
Wow, 10 ILYs in 2 minutes later, she has made it really difficult for him - and for the audience - to get what she was trying to say. Naturally, IMO (and I know more about her feelings for Mark than Mark does, that's for sure), she's trying to say that she's 100 % serious about him and wants to dare live this love again. But that's not in the text at all, right? She didn't say that she wants him back, she didn't ask for a second chance. Very close to self-sabotage, right? Or just bad writing, show?
And as much as I was initally bummed by Mark's non-reaction here, I now see that I cannot blame him for his confusion here at all. It would make good sense to see him hesitate, wanting more info from her, in the following episodes.
But on the whole, I'm still strangely grateful.
Finally we got the complementary piece to 6x22. Now, they've both sought each other out, and neither of them has shown any superior skills of problem solving or empathy in doing so. They have both phrased their respective confessions in ways which soothe their own respective insecurities: I guess they both would love to hear the other say something along the lines they themselves offered up. Mark wants to hear Lexie declare herself as his wife for all the world to see, a gesture which would enable him to know that against all odds, she wants to love him. Lexie wants to hear Mark, against all odds, consciously choose her above anyone else.
I love them both for being screwed up like that. And I'd love to watch them get to terms with their various misconceptions about the other in season 9. Please, show?
Oh, and PS to show writers.
DON'T YOU DARE KILL LEXIE OFF IN THAT DAMN FINALE. I CAN'T EVEN!!!!!