Comments | hyacinthian: "Uh-uh. Do not snap at me. I have a name!"

hyacinthian

"Uh-uh. Do not snap at me. I have a name!"

Nov 13, 2010 19:47

So there's a 'thirty day characters of color' meme floating around that I want to do at some point, and a post for day three came up on my tumblr dash, and it was about Tara from True Blood.

I have a lot of feelings on Tara.

( under the cut. )

loving characters no one else does, tv: true blood, do you even watch your own shit?

Comments 5

marketchippie November 14 2010, 00:52:44 UTC

Yes. So much yes.

I think my favorite part of her story has always been the pieces we get to see of her and Lafayette-because they're emotionally true but not too maudlin, because they can live comfortably in that human happy/sad place. Also because they both need more screen time.

That and I think Rutina Wesley has moments of being really goddamn great.

hyacinthian November 14 2010, 00:57:55 UTC

Oh Rutina Wesley is gorgeous and such a great actress, but they always like making her cry on camera.

I think my favorite part of her story has always been the pieces we get to see of her and Lafayette-because they're emotionally true but not too maudlin, because they can live comfortably in that human happy/sad place. Also because they both need more screen time.

Yes. They're cousins and bffs and they're all they have in the world, and it's a perfect relationship and the portrayal is just so fucking gorgeous and real and I love it. And it totally disappeared in S3 aside from him saving her from committing suicide.

eevilalice February 5 2011, 01:30:27 UTC

Pretty much yes. You really articulated and helped me think through my frustrations with where the writers have taken Tara. I so miss that young woman we saw in the first episode. I thought there was a light at the end of the tunnel of season 3, and I got excited about it, but that got dashed. I was trying to work through the narrative and her arc, but even if the story went the way I'd hoped, it would still have been saying something like a woman needs to be victimized to become strong. And I think you're absolutely right about Tara (and Lafayette) as poc. Alan Ball definitely likes to make his characters suffer, but he needs to recognize the consequences.

(followed from halfamoon)

hyacinthian February 5 2011, 01:33:43 UTC

Alan Ball definitely likes to make his characters suffer, but he needs to recognize the consequences.

But I think it's so much that her suffering renders her as a victim more than anyone else. Even when Grams died, Sookie wasn't portrayed as a victim. It was just something that she had to ~overcome. Same with Bill's dying in S1 or 2 - whatever, I can't remember.

Godric dying didn't render Eric as anything close to a victim.

Everyone else's hardship is pretty much portrayed as this heroic struggle - even Arlene's, for fuck's sake - except when it comes to Tara and Lafayette. Lafayette rises almost in spite of the shit that happens to him. But it's worst with Tara because for Tara, this stuff defines her, and it shows her how much stronger she isn't compared to the rest of the characters.

eevilalice February 5 2011, 01:52:29 UTC

Yes, that's what I was implying, kind of that not all suffering is created equal. That how a character's suffering is handled in the narrative and in their character arc matters (as does their race), so that should be attended to by someone like Alan Ball, who loves to pile it on. I was too vague, I know.