TV Shows...and Misogyny
Sep. 4th, 2004 04:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkatOkay, those who know me - know that I tend to turn a blind eye to things that some people might find hateful in a tv show. As long as it is about the characters journey, and their over-coming something, it doesn't bug me. I had no problems with Archie Bunker in All in The Family for example. Nor did I flinch while watching MASH (the Movie) or MASH (the TV series). Nip/Tuck also doesn't bug me. Why? All these series had strong female characters. The negative comments came from the character not the show as a whole, it told me something about the character, and did not in any way shape or form overwhelm the show.
I unfortunately cannot say the same about the new Dennis Leary series Rescue Me, which after the fifth episode (I think it's the fifth) I've decided never to watch again.
.
It takes a lot to offend me. And this show does. So much so, that I may never watch another movie featuring Leary, especially anything written by him. Why? What happened?
There is a scene half-way through last week's episode, where a fireman is flirting with a tall, somewhat big shouldered, muscular woman, the flirtation is seen from a distance. Dennis Leary and the other characters get off on this. They even make a bet. Why? Because they are convinced this woman is a man. She has to be a man. Because she is tall. She is big. She is muscular. And all women in their eyes are smaller than men. Alone this scene wouldn't have bugged me too much - in fact it occurred to me that the character, Tommy, that Leary was playing, would be put in his place once it was discovered that this person was a woman, but I knew this was unlikely to happen and even if it did, it wouldn't mean much. Why? It is followed by a scene between a fireman and his counselor - discussing how horrible his wife is for telling him his poetry sucks. Then we have a scene with Leary's wife ignoring her kids for her lover Roger, then of course the previous week the tipsy widow flirting with LEary and whom Leary thinks is gay, as well as Leary's father with the whores. In between - a woman whom Leary bangs, but he just can't remember her name, a woman into S&M who abandons her child, it goes on and on. I have yet to see one woman portrayed postively on this show or developed in any way. Women are shit this series states. They can't save lives. They can't be firemen. They have no point.
It's sad, because I was enjoying the series when it first started. Found the Leary character to be compelling and well-acted. Enjoyed the anti-hero aspects and the complexity. It had such potential. The Sheild, I've been told is similar to Rescue Me, but it has incredibly strong female supporting characters. And from what I've seen of it, is not misogynistic. Same with Nip/Tuck which is also fairly dark, with a complex anti-hero, but again not misogynistic. Women are shown as human beings. As characters. Just like the men. Rescue Me? Does not come close to accomplishing what these shows do. Perhaps if there was one strong female lead or supporting character? Or they toned down the anti-female comedy and ribaldry? Even the sex scenes on this show feel misogynistic and brutal.
Thinking I was overreacting, I discussed this with Wales the other day. Mentioned my concerns. And she said, with a patient sigh: "Yep, it's completely misogynistic. Been saying for years how Leary is a misogynist...you know he wrote and co-produced it right?" Yes, okay. Feeling like a complete and utter fool for ever liking the guy. Don't any more. I know, it's crazy, but I don't tend to like people who don't like women. Call it what you will.
I unfortunately cannot say the same about the new Dennis Leary series Rescue Me, which after the fifth episode (I think it's the fifth) I've decided never to watch again.
.
It takes a lot to offend me. And this show does. So much so, that I may never watch another movie featuring Leary, especially anything written by him. Why? What happened?
There is a scene half-way through last week's episode, where a fireman is flirting with a tall, somewhat big shouldered, muscular woman, the flirtation is seen from a distance. Dennis Leary and the other characters get off on this. They even make a bet. Why? Because they are convinced this woman is a man. She has to be a man. Because she is tall. She is big. She is muscular. And all women in their eyes are smaller than men. Alone this scene wouldn't have bugged me too much - in fact it occurred to me that the character, Tommy, that Leary was playing, would be put in his place once it was discovered that this person was a woman, but I knew this was unlikely to happen and even if it did, it wouldn't mean much. Why? It is followed by a scene between a fireman and his counselor - discussing how horrible his wife is for telling him his poetry sucks. Then we have a scene with Leary's wife ignoring her kids for her lover Roger, then of course the previous week the tipsy widow flirting with LEary and whom Leary thinks is gay, as well as Leary's father with the whores. In between - a woman whom Leary bangs, but he just can't remember her name, a woman into S&M who abandons her child, it goes on and on. I have yet to see one woman portrayed postively on this show or developed in any way. Women are shit this series states. They can't save lives. They can't be firemen. They have no point.
It's sad, because I was enjoying the series when it first started. Found the Leary character to be compelling and well-acted. Enjoyed the anti-hero aspects and the complexity. It had such potential. The Sheild, I've been told is similar to Rescue Me, but it has incredibly strong female supporting characters. And from what I've seen of it, is not misogynistic. Same with Nip/Tuck which is also fairly dark, with a complex anti-hero, but again not misogynistic. Women are shown as human beings. As characters. Just like the men. Rescue Me? Does not come close to accomplishing what these shows do. Perhaps if there was one strong female lead or supporting character? Or they toned down the anti-female comedy and ribaldry? Even the sex scenes on this show feel misogynistic and brutal.
Thinking I was overreacting, I discussed this with Wales the other day. Mentioned my concerns. And she said, with a patient sigh: "Yep, it's completely misogynistic. Been saying for years how Leary is a misogynist...you know he wrote and co-produced it right?" Yes, okay. Feeling like a complete and utter fool for ever liking the guy. Don't any more. I know, it's crazy, but I don't tend to like people who don't like women. Call it what you will.
no subject
Date: 2004-09-06 02:48 pm (UTC)Under her hands, Buffy turned into a domestic abuser. The bad girlfriend that we should warn our brothers and sons away from. Uncaring, heartless...
The kind of woman that would beat up a guy, and then go play the poor little victim.
That's not empowerment.
See, my dislike of Marti Noxon has nothing to do with her being a woman, it has to do with her turning my favorite character into a monster.
Noxon took a group of likeable characters and turned them into people I can no longer stand. Not to say that Joss was that much better, considering he didn't even bother to try and redeem those chars, chosing to try and wipe their bad behavior under the mat as if it never happened, while of course it did.
As a consequence, by the end of Chosen, the only chars I could still stand were Spike, Anya and well... that's about it.
All of which are unfortunately in great part caused by Noxon and her desire to get therapy through the show.
See, I wanted to love Buffy, up to middle S6 I was a bigger Buffy fan than I was a Spike fan, and she took that away from me to such a level that right now the only way I can keep liking Buffy, is by believing that she truly loved Spike...
And it's hard to forgive Noxon for that.
But none of that has anything to do with Noxon being a woman.
no subject
Date: 2004-09-06 02:52 pm (UTC)So to put all the blame on Marti? When she was one player admist eight, is sort of interesting. Whedon/Fury had quite a bit of input in Season 6. Invisible Buffy was entirely Whedon and Fury's idea.
Yet, viewers give Whedon credit for the nicer episodes and blame Marti for the un-empowering ones. It's weird. Very weird.
no subject
Date: 2004-09-06 03:06 pm (UTC)(and yep, I do have serious issues with Gone, Spike's basically raped and it's all ok, cause it has funny music. *grumble*)
Joss has made serious mistakes, I'll never deny that, and his outdated idea of feminisme as portrayed in Chosen is just horrifying. Cause the problem is, at the end of Buffy, I didn't need to see the few get empowered, no matter how female they were. I needed to see Buffy growing up, maturing. I like to think that she'll finally be able to unclose her heart and get over the pain that Angel caused her. That she'll finally be able to love again. But the problem is, we didn't see that. Too much time was wasted on Joss' socalled feminist message, that there was very little actual feminisme on the show.
The one thing they did do, and I'll have to give them credit for that, is turn around the genderroles. Placing Spike in the female role, and Buffy in the male one. And seen as such, well...
Makes me wonder if Joss even likes his own gender*g*
no subject
Date: 2004-09-07 03:55 pm (UTC)Poor Marti. The reason she gets so much flack is well she puts her foot in her mouth during interviews. But if you ignore the interviews during the season, which were mostly fluff anyway, and pay attention to what aired, who wrote what, and the commentary after-wards, including insider takes on who was responsible for what over the past S7 years? Marti looks pretty amazing.
Season 2 - Marti wrote the majority of the episodes, they had a short staff.
Season 3, she co-wrote and produced several episodes, as well as wrote quite a few
Season 4, co-executive producer
Season 5, co-executive producer
Season 6, co-executive producer
Season 7, co-executive producer
(The only season Marti wasn't involved in was Season 1, which was mostly male writer nd admittedly the weakest of the series).
David Fury wrote and directed Gone. Joss Whedon and Fury came up with the story which Marti went on record as being squicked by. (She didn't like that episode any more than you did.)
She did have a part in Dead Things, but then I happen to think Dead Things is a fascinating episode that is all about how we deal with power and the negative impact of that. Not a black and white one by far and one of my favorites.
(But hey, I love S6, it's one of my favorite seasons. My least favorite are Season 7 and 1. 5 and 6 are my favorites.)