Update: has it really been half a month since I posted? (Life, TV)

[butterfly]

School is going well -- there are two classes where I know I'm getting A's, two others where I'm pretty sure I'm getting B's, and one class where the teacher has failed to mention that letter grades exist (he just says that we get 'credit' for everything we turn in). More details possibly to follow in my school filter.

Fandom-wise, Stargate: Atlantis has been filling me with joy. This season has been, like, pure joy. I love having Sam on Atlantis, even more than I was expecting to, and I'm really enjoying what Keller's bringing to the group as well. I've been going through a surge of reading John/Rodney fic, because the pining from John's direction has been off the scale this season. I love the notion of Jennifer Keller and Ronon getting together as well -- they were adorable in "Quarantine". So, there's a lot of joy this season. The next two episodes of Torchwood were just as excellent as the first. Every episode so far this season is hitting the same levels of quality as the better episodes last season ("Ghost Machine", "Out of Time", "They Keep Killing Suzie", "Captain Jack Harkness"). Jack is definitely happier now that he's sorted things out with the Doctor and that's making everyone else a bit happier as well, I think. Plus, everything Owen went through last season, from experiencing what it's like to be raped and murdered through losing Diane to killing and then being forgiven by Jack, has made him a better person without eliminating the snark. Yay for positive character growth. And Ianto is really kinda snarky when he has sex prospects on the horizon, which I find enjoyable. And I still adore Gwen and Tosh. Then, last night, Smallville and Supernatural returned.

Smallville continues its season seven trend of being absolutely excellent. I really felt for Lana, who so much wanted Clark to confide in her and be open with her that she didn't notice the little things that made Bizarro not Clark, but was so proud of her when she had the strength to take him out. Lana has become such a strong person. Chloe was really great in this episode and I found the Grant (Julian)/Lex/Lionel plotline to be heartbreaking. It was obvious that Grant was going to get killed, but I didn't know which of them was going to kill him until I saw the 'mugger' pull out his phone to make a call.

Dean was really putting me off in the first half of the episode, so much so that I was firmly on Ruby's side during their first group meeting together (when he tries to shoot her). His gender-based hate language really felt much stronger and more frequent than normal and I was getting very uncomfortable with him (and grateful whenever Sam would say something to diffuse what Dean had just said). But then we got some kick-ass Ruby moments ("Don't call me 'bitch'."), so I think they were doing the Dean thing on purpose and as something that is shown not to be good. I still hate that all the women of the book club (but especially Elizabeth, who I really liked) died. And both of the first killings felt exploitive to me -- with Janet and the Amanda (?) both dying in black shifts, with cleavage and a lot of leg showing. Plus, the Winchesters managed to save the husband, I noticed. So, there's some personal uncomfortableness there.

I'm curious as to whether or not Ruby was really lying to Sam or if she's lying to Dean now (or, perhaps, which percentage of the truth is present in each conversation). Because she's telling both guys the thing that's going to motivate them best.

Comments

[ivy03.livejournal.com]

His gender-based hate language really felt much stronger and more frequent than normal and I was getting very uncomfortable with him
I was having that problem with the whole episode. The women keep calling each other whores and bitches and pigs. I like the idea of witches-as-whores--it seems apropos--but even though Dean has done the exact same thing and Sam pointed out men can be witches too, we only saw women being referred to as whores. Plus, the witches seemed to be selling themselves for very housewifey things--the husband getting a promotion or winning craft fairs. Obviously this was meant to show their idiocy, but couldn't one of them have been using black magic for something a little more important, or at least a little more selfish?

All the girl-on-girl fighting seemed like a very male idea of what closed female societies are like.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Yeah. It was very uncomfortable. And, like you said, felt like it was coming from a very male point of view. I definitely felt the male gaze lying heavy on this episode.

[spiletta42.livejournal.com]

I don't do Supernatural, but it sounds like I'd have hated that episode. As for Torchwood, it's really stepped up its game, and I'm enjoying it greatly. And I'm working on catching up with Atlantis.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

I don't do Supernatural, but it sounds like I'd have hated that episode.

There were a lot of good things in it, but as far as the female presence goes... only one made it out alive and she's a demon. And the words 'bitch' and 'whore' really got thrown around and made me very uncomfortable. So far, for me, the good things outweigh the bad, but that always has a chance of shifting (I stopped watching Prison Break for that reason).

As for Torchwood, it's really stepped up its game, and I'm enjoying it greatly.

They're having a really strong season so far! I'm really happy with it.

And I'm working on catching up with Atlantis.

Sam really adds some great things to Atlantis (I mentioned to my mom that Sam joins in S4 and now she wishes she could skip ahead to see that -- she's a big Sam fan).

[fodian.livejournal.com]

Yay for Torchwood! It is joy.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Torchwood is all kinds of joy. I really need to get or make myself an icon of the second Jack/John kiss, because that was squeeful.

[blacksquirrel.livejournal.com]

Yeah, this was not Supernatural's best ep for gender. I've seen several people sketch the narrative arc you describe, as in Dean's gendered hate-speech marked as unacceptable by Ruby's refusal, but I was then further enraged by the way that the demon undercut that moment - *She* calls Ruby bitch and whore with authority because she's known her since she was human. So I think the actual trajectory starts with Dean's bitchfest, then Ruby's refusal, then the female demon's affirmation. About which - grrrrr

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Yeah, this was not Supernatural's best ep for gender.

Five dead women and the only person that the boys managed to save was the cheating husband. Yeah, they've definitely had better episodes for women.

I've seen several people sketch the narrative arc you describe, as in Dean's gendered hate-speech marked as unacceptable by Ruby's refusal, but I was then further enraged by the way that the demon undercut that moment - *She* calls Ruby bitch and whore with authority because she's known her since she was human. So I think the actual trajectory starts with Dean's bitchfest, then Ruby's refusal, then the female demon's affirmation. About which - grrrrr

Grrr is right. Right now, SPN is wavering on the brink for me. Because there are other shows that I enjoy that handle women much better, I may end up dropping SPN. I love the boys... but I don't want to watch a show where I feel as though I'm an unwanted element.

[blacksquirrel.livejournal.com]

Well, I've always watched SPN at a bit of a remove - I've always found it *interesting* more than engaging, so I think I'm in for the long haul. If I came to it from the perspective of really loving the characters - or really loving Dean in particular - then I would have a difficult choice at this juncture.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

That probably helps a lot, to have some distance. Because in S1, I really did feel that Dean loved women. Not just lusted after them, but had a genuine appreciation. Now, I feel like the only person he respects or appreciates is Sam and that he actively disrespects women and sees them primarily as objects (unless they're mothers and then they get to be saints).