And now, more fannishment ...

[apocalypsos]

Verdict: Boy, that was just really ludicrously awful, wasn't it?

Let's see ... I don't like the characters (I don't even like Miguel Ferrer and I adore Miguel Ferrer, and while I didn't get to see the entire original pilot where the little sister was deaf and Mae Whitman, I liked what I saw of her a lot more than I do now that she's a bratty computer hacker -- ooo, edgy! -- and a low-rate Rachel Bilson), the episode didn't flow at all as if the scenes were hastily chopped together, and the dialogue made me want to gag. "I'll bury one guy after the next"? Urgh.

And let's not even talk about the little girl saying pretty much directly into the camera, "I just thought it was cool a girl could do that," which offended some part of me so deeply I would have thrown my laptop across the room if it hadn't been, you know, my BABY. I imagine it's supposed to be some sort of thinly veiled feminist statement, but it fails so miserably I can't even comprehend. I mean, really, didn't we all think only boys could run sixty miles per hour?! (That's not what she meant, of course, but considering that was the first reaction that popped into my head, that's not good.)

And there are so very many things about the relationship between Jaime and Will that are skin-crawlingly skeevy I don't even want to think about it.

I just ... ugh. I would think I couldn't possibly hate this show any more than I already do but then I remember the PTB hired Isaiah Washington as if it were some great fucking casting coup and then I realize, no, actually, it COULD get worse.

Verdict: AWESOME. Oh, man, that's a great followup to suffering through The Bionic Woman. Charlie's great, the partner's great (the Woman in White! *squeaks*), and I maybe spazzed out at Alan Arkin (EDIT: ARGH. Meant to type Adam Arkin, typed Alan. I know the difference, I swear. That's what they get for having similar names. Hmph.) being the financial advisor/best buddy, especially during that last scene. "You want to drive the tractor." "You know, I think I kinda do." *snickers*

It inspires great fannish glee in me so I am most definitely torrenting it again next week.

Comments

[budclare.livejournal.com]

I mean, I've already said that I think they meant for this to be a feminist show, which at least means they had good intentions, but by my own judgment I think that based on the pilot they've failed so miserably on that count that they've offended me past the point of wanting to watch anymore.

But that's assuming that the pilot itself was meant to be feminist, rather than the series overall. She started out fairly lame, but at the end showed some signs of growing a backbone. "Watch a feminist kick ass" and "Watch a doormat become a feminist (and kick ass)" are two totally different shows, but they are both certainly feminist. Whether the shows passes for feminist or not will be determined by her character arc, not just the pilot. They do seem as if they intend to do an empowerment (god, I hate that word) sort of arc, in which case everything is shiny. Except for the part where they could have gotten off to a better start, even taking into consideration that she was (I'm guessing) meant to start out fairly doormatish.

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

Yes, but this is where the bad writing is the problem -- because I don't care enough about these characters to find out if there's some big feminist arc or not. They're not interesting, there's never a loose funny moment, they tell rather than show. I don't care if they're doing an empowerment arc if it's going to be written badly. From what I've seen in the pilot, I don't expect it to be written well, and I'm not about to sit through a bad feminist arc just because it's a feminist arc. If I want to see a great doormat-to-kickass feminist transformation, I'll go watch the first two Terminator movies.

[sixersfan.livejournal.com]

They do seem as if they intend to do an empowerment...sort of arc
I agree that seemed to be their intent, but I think their execution undermined it.