More L Word...

[charmax]

This was just meant as a response to your comments xandra_ptv but as you can see I went into a bit of a rant ;) lol

I know what you mean about it not following season one at all. For starters the way they wrote out Marina’s character was appalling. A European countess? With an older husband?! And she tried to kill herself over Jenny!!! Does that sound like the Marina we knew; who was Predatory, self assured, had no money and a controlling girlfriend of long standing? Things were just never referred to again such as the killing of Mr Piddles, that uncomfortable sex scene between Bett and Tina, Tim, and that woman who broke Shane’s heart.

And as for this season train wreck is right! But still we keep watching. I think Kit and Ivan was potentially a really strong storyline about how gender and sexuality are no longer set things. Unfortunately it seems the writers backed away from that and settled on a rather outdated view on sexual politics throughout the season. Jenny was frequently used as a mouth piece for some heavy handed feminist politics. I can’t help but feel that some of the writers at least, have become stuck in a late 80’s early 90’s position on lesbian feminism.

Which brings be to another point – someone needs to learn how to write male characters! Because it is a fact not all men are bastards and not all lesbians think that. I thought Tim and “Lisa” were bad enough last season, but this season we got treated to Kit’s “inspirational” boyfriend and Mark - sometimes seedy pornographer and sometime lesbian version of “fag hag” depending on which episode and who is writing it. Do you think they have ever heard of script conferences?

xandra_ptv or astartexx can you give me a bit of a back-story on Queer as folk? I’m thinking I might give that a go…

I know a fair bit about Brian and Justin and I know the women have the standard baby and “bed death” issues but what is the story with the rest of the guys?

Comments

[astartexx.livejournal.com]

Trisha gave you some core points of the series, but what really sucked me in is that the characters stay the same and this in a good way. They face challenges and events that have an impact and evolve them, but in the core of their hearts, they are still the same. Even at the end of the fourth season. Ted and Emmett are again friends, that bicker and bitch, but truly love each other. Ted is still a man with serious self-esteem issues, Emmett is still the queen of the hill, who loves himself and everybody around him. Michael is still in love with Brian, but can have a healthy relationship with Ben, because he needs a ‘man’ in his life. Brian is still trying to not depend on other people and do everything for himself. Justin is still the sensitive artist, who starts to lead his own life. Mel and Lindsay still love each other, but that doesn’t stop them from hurting each other, because ‘just kiss and make up’ is not the way these women are build. Deb is still the glamorous centre who brings everybody together.

You recognize these characters from the first four episodes and sure, they changed but they are ultimately the same and that’s good writing for me. Sometimes they drop a storyline for five or six episodes and then pick it up again in an unexpected way. Or for example Justins bashing from 1x22 was dealt in the beginning of the second season, but only in a way, that he lost part of his bitterness and pain and could go on living. His pain over this horrible event appears and disappears in realistic manners over the course of the second and third season and is ultimately resolved when he faced his attacker with a gun in the hand and demanded an apology. He faced his greatest fear and then walks away from the pain, leave it behind.

A lot of people say that the women on the show are not as good written as the men, but to be honest, I have a soft spot for Justins mom Jennifer and I really love Mel and Deb in their own ways. Mel is smart and her cynical attitude matches with the best a.k.a. Brian Kinney. And Deb is a mother hen at her best. Still the women are able to be in a committed relationship and I feel the way only the women are able to really create a home life contrasted nicely with the fast lifestyle of the men and they come back to these homes to relax. Uhm, should I go on?

Oh, one thing about the 'bed death' issues, I think, it was not a big deal in their relationship and more a realistic note for all long term relationships especially with a child to take care of and they solved it elegant. And they show that their big problems always root in their strong personalties, they start as a dissonance which didn't go away and end in a break down of their situation, what they got and what they want and in the past they always wanted to be back together - there's a pattern here. *smirks*

[charmax.livejournal.com]

Thanks for all the Astarte!

“Justin is still the sensitive artist, who starts to lead his own life.”
Please god not another! Lol
I guess I’ll have to suck it and see. And from the videos I’ve seen it seems like that happens a lot ;)