"Nonsequential Bills, My Favorite!"

[redbrunja]

I really, really thought that I was going to be one of those obnoxious people who finished their Yuletide in the first week after assignments went out. Yeah..... that didn't happen. The good news is that I'm finished with it now and pretty pleased with what I wrote. Now it's just hanging around waiting until AO3 will let me upload it.

On the subject of the holidays, I was really surprised this year at how many shows did a Christmas episode. Warehouse 13 (which I don't watch regularly but watched this one with my mom), Glee (which I stopped watching right before the Christmas episode), Community (WHOSE CHRISTMAS EPISODE I WILL BE WATCHING EVERY DECEMBER 24TH FROM NOW UNTIL FOREVER), and Leverage (whose x-mas episode I watched last night).

And frankly, really disliked.

It was just not a good episode. There were some character touches that were nice but only because I have grown to love these characters. The plot sucked and I just found myself totally not caring through much of the episode. Plus, I found Parker's love of Christmas, frankly, quite out of character. Like, I could have believed it if they told me why she was like this about this particular holiday and there was a dark flashback related. 

I'm going to quote the review of Mixology Certification that I already did in a previous post because it sums up why this episode didn't work:

See, there's a kind of melancholy that bubbles up around the holidays, a melancholy that unites all of the greatest Christmas stories, from A Charlie Brown Christmas to It's a Wonderful Life to A Christmas Carol. I realize this is such a snobby thing to say, but the people who think Christmas is about unalloyed joy, about smiling until you're gritting your teeth, I don't think they GET IT, not really. Christmas is about another year coming to a close and drawing the people you love closer to you because you don't know what you'd be without them.

That is why Leverage's Christmas episode sucked; there was none of the melancholy of the holidays. That's why HIMYM's Christmas episode from a few seasons past was also so good: you thought that the episode was about the trappings of Christmas and a screwball attempt to "steal" Christmas and only realize at the end the emotional propelling the story was, really, about Ted's anger and resentment at Lily for leaving not just Marshal, but him.

Comments

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen the Warehouse 13 one yet, but I adored Leverage. I mean, separate from the show and all, kind of like fanfiction we got to see (unlike tonight's episodes, which will be "real"). Of course, I am a sucker for that sort of thing, and the expression on Eliot's face after Parker's "Happy Birthday, Jesus!" just killed me.

Also, Wil Wheaton cracks me up.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Yeah, most of the people on my flist really enjoy The Ho Ho Ho Job. *sigh* I guess I'm just too much of a bitchy cynic.

[fairest1.livejournal.com]

Just finished my own Yuletide. Getting an awesome fandom can result in things being hella intimidating when you realize you actually need to live up to it.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

You've mentioned that; I'm getting very curious to find out what fandom you're writing for.

[fairest1.livejournal.com]

Heh heh heh.

[systemaurora.livejournal.com]

yeah. generally people who have any sort of traumatic childhood don't care much for Christmas. It usually ranges from intensely disliking the holiday and becoming suicidal over it to just being kind of "meh" and going along with the motions.

I feel that the producers don't really understand Parker's childhood, even though they set it up. =/ I had the same thought as well.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Preach.

As much as I adored Parker's holiday outfits, I do not think the writers though through that narrative choice AT ALL.

[hungrytiger11.livejournal.com]

YAY for Yuletide being done!


Interesting quote. I'd never thought of that as a particular theme that united all those types of stories. Of course, I'm not sure I agree with it 100% either. I mean, pure joy doesn't really make for good stories, because there's nowhere for a story like that to go. No climax or resolution because things are all resolved already. On the one hand, I think mabe the quote is perhaps unfair to those who "who think Christmas is about unalloyed joy." Why shouldn't it be, if that's how they choose to see it, if they've been lucky enough to meet the season without loss or need? Personally, I love the idea that things could be "like a picture postcard out of Currier and Ives" where people could be enjoying spending time with loved ones. Then again, Christmas (at least from a religious perspective) is both joyful, in that Christ is born, but also somber, in that he came to earth to die for people's sins. So, even from the first it was never meant to be unalloyed joy...or, all in all, maybe I'm undecided and just rambling?

Either way, congrats on getting writing done and enjoy the rest of the weekend!

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

No climax or resolution because things are all resolved already. On the one hand, I think mabe the quote is perhaps unfair to those who "who think Christmas is about unalloyed joy." Why shouldn't it be, if that's how they choose to see it, if they've been lucky enough to meet the season without loss or need?

I think you hit the two reasons that I would argue that the quote is accurate right here. The first is that, frankly, pure joy is hard to turn into compelling storytelling. The second is that very few people DO have a holiday season free of all loss or need + a lot of people have trouble or conflict with their family but usually have to spend more time with them at the holidays or deal with NOT spending more time with them at the holidays. So a lot of the more sweet holiday stories feel disingenuous.

[digthenym.livejournal.com]

The Parker Christmas loving really threw me off too. Especially since the whole time I was watching it I couldn't help but think it would be a hell of a lot cooler if it were Hardison instead.

The Christmas presents part was awesome though.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Now HARDISON, it would make sense that he was all into Christmas. Even Sophie. But Parker? Not so much.