All the logic says I shouldn't be filled with glee at every episode.

[innerbrat]

Oh, Heroes.

Just to sum up what happened to women that weren't feudal Japan this week, and the lessons we can learn from them.

Comments

[sdelmonte]

Does it matter that I don't think the men are faring much better? And that the clumsy and careless treatment of womena and minorities - including Hiro the cute little sexless Asian - is part of a larger inability to let anyone actually gain control over their lives for more than one week?

[innerbrat]

It probably does matter, yeah.

But even Matt the incompetent was being competant,and I never once yelled "oh shut up, Mohinder!" at the screen.

This episode was just a bad example.

[buongiornodaisy]

Women are at their best when they're mothers.

You know, this is one of the problems I have with The Sarah Jane Adventures, as much as I enjoy the heck out of it, because now all of a sudden in order to be a whole and complete person Sarah Jane Smith needs a kid to look after. Yes, it's a children's show, and children can't relate to a woman pushing 60 no matter how awesome she may be, but seriously, does she have to have a son in order to get through the long and lonely days without the Doctor? It's really rather dumb. I keep getting images of moronic television execs sitting around a table, brainstorming for this new Doctor Who spin-off, and light bulb goes off over one's head right before he lets out the brilliant idea, "I know, let's give her a son!"

OK!

[bentley]

I agree with everything except the Claire conclusion; I don't think West is 'stalking' her, as much as I dislike him, he's been portrayed as a bit of an anarchist since he appeared, and that apparently extends to the seemingly senseless rule that he not meet Claire's parents. I think he just wants to be in her life. And he definitely gives Claire the choice of what to do with her body - when she expresses that she's uncomfortable after kissing he apologises for moving too fast and tells her moving further is her choice (though of course, that wasn't the issue.) I think their relationship is being handled very clumsily, but I think Claire's importance to the series despite her bratty teenage ways emphasises girl-power, instead of detracting from it

[innerbrat]

West's 'relationship' with Claire has involved

[davegodfrey]

They could still have had her giving up her power as the only thing she thought she could do to get Matt's dad out of her brain, but approached it in the "I have learnt to live with this -by joining the company- and now it takes just as much strength to give it up to save myself/others".

Swordsmith's daughters rock however.

[faeriecween]

The thing that's really annoying me so far in season two is Peter- whine, whine, moan, bitch, i don't know, i don't understand, I don't want to know, Caitlin, Caitlin etc etc Where's his "Come on Nathan we're HEROES" attitude gone? I know he's lost his memory and all but that doesn't make him a big ol whiny wuss!

Just because Monica wasn't in this episode doesn't mean we won't see her again- there've been several episodes with Petrellis, Hiro and Niki missing.

Even the episodes and characters that bug me are still awesome. I haven't <3'd a series this much since Buffy!

[innerbrat]

there've been several episodes with Petrellis, Hiro and Niki missing.
Except they have stories in their own right we've seen them return to, and know they will return. Monica's story was first 'Micah's cousin', then 'Mohinder's conscience', but she doesn'thave a story of her own to return to. I hope they will, but it's not as open ended as say, Sylar and the Wonderkids.

[lienne]

I never see misogynistic or racist undertones in fiction until other people point them out to me.

I still don't see most of these.

Perhaps it's just my desire to ascribe the best possible intentions to people, but I don't look at any of what you describe and see marginalization of women.

I see Claire acting like a teenaged girl - I was a lot like that not so very long ago.

I see Niki being a hallucinating nutcase who takes away her own powers because, well, she's insane and doesn't know what she's doing. The fact that she's a woman doesn't really impact that for me. She's utterly bugfuck and thinks her dead husband is talking to her

two cents

[shati]

I think the writers have good intentions. I don't think they sat down and said, "Since we have trouble imagining a story about a physically powerful female character who is sane and in control of her own life, let's be totally sexist about how we write Niki," but they still made the woman with superstrength -- the only adult female main character in a cast of at least ten -- a mentally ill stripper whose plot through both seasons consists of being horrified by her power, and giving up control of herself. (The other female main character was a kid. Both of them were pretty much introduced with sexual assaults. See also: Maya, Caitlin.)

I think it is about Niki being a woman. Niki has deliberately used her ability exactly once over the entire course of the show so far; Peter has used it more. The writers have done at least three subplots about Niki giving up her control of herself in fear of her power -- why do their imaginations give out there? "She's a hallucinating nutcase" only explains so much -- the writers decided to make her a

Re: two cents

[lienne]

Okay, Niki. What about Jessica? She is in control of herself. She might be a crazy bitch, but she has a heart (as proven by the S1 finale), an internally consistent moral system (again), and she doesn't take shit from anyone. And I'm pretty sure Niki doesn't fear her superstrength even slightly. She fears Jessica using her superstrength to, y'know, kill people. Which in my opinion is legitimate. If I had superpowers and a bloodthirsty murderer living in my head, I too would tend to err on the side of locking myself the fuck away from society.

I don't think it's about Niki being a woman. I can't look at a character and see nothing but a - body with certain characteristics. Yes, the writers decided to make her a hallucinating nutcase. But I'm pretty sure that's because hallucinations and superstrength combine amusingly, not because she has boobs.

The only character who was attacked by Maury and didn't react with terror and whimpering (or personality-appropriate analogue) was Matt. Because the whole Maury thing was about Matt. You

more and more cents *jingles pocket* [pt. I]

[shati]

Okay, Niki. What about Jessica?

Well, it really doesn't make me feel better that the evil one is the only one who uses the superstrength. And yes, Jessica is more complicated than pure evil, but she is still the psychotic mass-slaughtering split personality, and the show doesn't condone her use of physical force -- or Maya's use of her ability -- or even Claire crashing the car of the serial rapist who killed her (she has to apologize afterward and say she was wrong) -- the way it does Hiro's swordfighting, Peter's TK and superstrength and electricity-throwing, or even Nathan's or Matt's occasional non-powered violence.

I can't think of very many examples of female characters using force in a deliberate, sane, and justified way. I can think of plenty from the male characters. This wouldn't stand out so much if it didn't look they've (subconsciously) gone way out of their way to avoid Niki using her strength.

And I'm pretty sure Niki doesn't fear her superstrength even slightly. She fears Jessica using her superstrength to, y'know,