There Is A Turbulent, Moon-Ridden Girl – But She Is Not Kind

[redbrunja]

This rant is kind of all over the place: bear with me.

So lately I've noticed that I am less and less into fanon couples*. By which I mean, the less canon interaction a pair has (especially if there is a canon love interest) the less invested I am in them. Which might be partially due to exhaustion - I am damn sick of getting super-invested in something I know won't happen and then watching it, you know, not happen.

In the same vein, there was a quote from the writers(?) of NCIS: LA about how season two really explored Kensi and Deek's relationship and it made me ridiculously happy. I'm not sure if in the back of my mind I thought all the conversations about their relationship partnership and that 'thing' they have were accidental or what, but hearing that there was deliberate thought put into their relationship (romantic or not) made me super-happy. As did this cute little article where the comparison is made to Bones and Daniella Ruah (Kensi) says that the comparison is flattering but that she wants to make sure that the relationship between Kensi and Deeks stays unique and its own thing. To which I snorted mentally and went, 'in that case, how about you just have lots and lots of sex while using birth control like rational human beings?!?!?!'

Which brings us to Bones. My mom watched the finale last night and I finally got to bitch about that pregnancy storyline to her (seriously, I have been holding that in for months). She was much forgiving of that plot twist, given that she still has a lot of fondness for Booth and Brennan and likes the idea of them having a kid. But even she was like, 'really? is that the ONLY plot twist writers know how to do with a female character who's been on for a couple of seasons?'

Honestly, at this point I think pregnancy in a show might be a straight-up dealbreaker for me. Because I hate it. I hate how it limits the storylines of these female characters I love and I hate how none of these women get abortions, ever. And you know what? The actress getting knocked up is no fucking excuse for writing a baby into a show. PLENTY of pregnant actresses have avoided getting their characters in the family way as well and it's not like the costuming department and the camera isn't going to be working around the baby bump for episode after episodes even if they do write the baby into the show.

Basically, I hate fictional babies and I want them to stop showing up in shows I watch (or have watched and am still kind of invested in). Because god knows, I really like IPS but have no desire whatsoever to get caught up on the last three episodes I haven't watched. Chances of me watching Bones next season? Less than zero. Do I care about the upcoming half of DW's season? Eh.

*This is in no way a statement about which is better - this is my own personal preference at this point in time.

Comments

[littlepunkryo.livejournal.com]

I think I agree on both counts. It depresses me how couples on TV can never just be HAPPY - there has to constantly be drama and they always end up broken up, so why should I care if they get together? They're just gonna break up. And as for babies - yeesh.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's like writers think that if a couple is together, there is no conflict or tension, which as most people who've been in a relationship can tell you, isn't true.

[http://users.livejournal.com/brokenrecord__/]

I have totally become the same way recently when it comes to canon vs. fanon couples. These days, I pretty much always ship either canon or nothing because it's just not as satisfying to me to ship a couple that never becomes canon. Fic alone just isn't enough to satisfy me when it comes to ships getting together.

And totally agreed about Bones. I saw a lot of Booth/Brennan shippers on my flist thrilled with that plot twist after it happened, and I was just like, "...really? Because I think this is kind of awful." Amy's pregnancy on Doctor Who was similarly pretty awful. There's a pretty good chance I'll end up giving up Bones this coming season, which is saying something for me, since I pretty much never give up shows.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

These days, I pretty much always ship either canon or nothing because it's just not as satisfying to me to ship a couple that never becomes canon.

For me, it's not so much that my pairing becomes canon as that when I can tell that (if I ship a fanon couple) in the show, the character doesn't care about the character I want them to care about... I can't forget it, you know?

[mollivanders.livejournal.com]

I'm seriously considering not bothering with IPS for the rest of the season. The baby storyline is really, really bothering me. Women get pregnant; yes, that happens. All the time. And I think I could be more forgiving of a pregnancy that had nothing to do with an actress' pregnancy; like if the woman wanted a kid, for example, instead of ~finding out she's pregnant and having to deal with it. It's old and tiring and you're right, nobody ever gets an abortion. Disturbing.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Same here. And it doesn't help that I know that the actress did not want to have her pregnancy written into the show, and that the creator insisted.

[mollivanders.livejournal.com]

Wait, what? Are you kidding me?

That is beyond disgusting.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Yep. The actress phrased it really positively and said she 'changed her mind' about it, but yeah. In the beginning she didn't want Mary Shannon to be pregnant.

[nimblnymph.livejournal.com]

I stopped watching Bones awhile ago, right about when it was revealed that Bones and Boothe had a brief thing before becoming partners. I hated that. It completely trivialized all the UST that the writers had been building up to that point and contradicted EVERYTHING about their dynamic and relationship. It pissed me off.

So, I didn't know about this whole Bones/Boothe baby thing, and in a way I'm very glad I DID stop watching before this went down because that sounds like th stupidest, most absurd, supremely overused plot twist ever. Ever. There are ways to change character dynamics without knocking up your lead female character. Fucking use some of that creativity writers are supposedly blessed with and come up with something.

Furthermore, I completely, 100% agree with you that actress getting pregnant should NOT equal character getting pregnant. I mean, hi, Mariska Hargitay on Law & Order? The media made a big, huge, massive to-do about her being pregnant and all the careful wardrobe and staging and camera angles they were doing to cover that bump. You do not need to resort to equally pregnant female character to carry on the storyline -- especially with a show like Bones where there are like five MILLION ways to disguise that through scenery and props alone. Hello? She works in a lab. That requires baggy, unflattering lab coats, lots of tables, charts to carry around, bending over things.

*sighs* I am so frustrated with television right now.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

So, I didn't know about this whole Bones/Boothe baby thing, and in a way I'm very glad I DID stop watching before this went down because that sounds like th stupidest, most absurd, supremely overused plot twist ever. Ever.

It was. Honestly, the whole set-up reads like a lame fanfic. So uncreative, so unworthy of the characters who Booth and Brennan used to be.

You do not need to resort to equally pregnant female character to carry on the storyline -- especially with a show like Bones where there are like five MILLION ways to disguise that through scenery and props alone. Hello? She works in a lab. That requires baggy, unflattering lab coats, lots of tables, charts to carry around, bending over things.


Exactly! And it's not like there are every positive reviews for babies coming onto shows! Why do the writers keep doing it!?!?!

[nimblnymph.livejournal.com]

I think in this case maybe (and keep in mind I haven't really watched this show in a loooong damn time) the writers just don't know WHAT to do anymore. How long has Bones been on? A few years now. Maybe the writers are out of ideas on how to spice the series up and create new levels of drama, so... POOF! Here's a baby. Babies are soooo dramatic. Let's see what happens here!

Making a comparative note between the writers of Bones and the writers of Castle (because Castle's been on now for a few years too, albeit not as many as Bones) there's the general feel that the writers DO have an overall plan. There's all the littel plots and cases, just like Bones, but it feels like they've also thought way ahead in terms of character direction and change catalysts. That doesn't mean every single episode is a slam dunk, but the ones that directly effect the characters have been the ones that were the most solid and well constructed.

Just my observations though. And of course, it could be very biased. *grins*

Anyway, it makes me really sad to hear you say Bones is being set up like a lame fanfic. That show had such MAJOR potential with an awesome cast and terrific dynamics. It was humorous, technical, dramatic... I just feel like the last episodes I watched that they were trying TOO hard or something.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

There's all the littel plots and cases, just like Bones, but it feels like they've also thought way ahead in terms of character direction and change catalysts.

I... don't know if I'd got that far. I mean, I definitely think the baby thing on bones happened because the writers ran out of ideas and are terrified of actually having their leads in a relationship but I'm not certain that Castle is willing to go their either. I mean, season three was when Bones started to unravel, but they had the added disadvantage of a writer's strike. If Castle and Beckett don't start dating next season, I'm going to predict that the writers, like the writers on bones, have decided to they're just going to run out the clock.

[starandvine.livejournal.com]

'Running out the clock' is a great way to put it, I think. I feel like quite a few shows that kind of toe the line between 'procedural' and 'character-driven' genres tend to do this with their would-be couples. And it never makes any sense. Characters should be put together when it makes sense within the story. Dragging it out until the very last episode of the series isn't going to do anything but bore the audience to death or make them cease caring about the two characters in question because the storytelling has become unrealistic. (Ranting, I know, but this is a big pet peeve of mine). With Bones I started to lose faith after the Zack reveal, but really it was the idea that they were purposefully putting off Booth/Brennan because they were afraid of what would happen if they became a couple- like they wouldn't know where to go from there, or something.

While the pregnancy reveal in Bones didn't disappoint me, it's only because I've had no expectations for this show for a while now. But I definitely see your point about how limiting pregnancy story lines often are for female characters. In HIMYM both actresses (playing Robin and Lily) were pregnant (around the same time) but the show didn't put it in. Robin has never wanted kids, and Lily wasn't specifically trying for one yet with her husband, so it really made sense that the show did this. Now Lily is pregnant, and it makes sense within the story (though admittedly she and her husband trying for kids had some definite cliches thrown in there).

I've never seen IPS, but from the commercials it looked like a decent show, and even from my limited info on it I can say I'd be disappointed with the decision for the main character to have a baby (especially if the actress herself admitted she didn't feel it was right for the character).

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

I feel like quite a few shows that kind of toe the line between 'procedural' and 'character-driven' genres tend to do this with their would-be couples. And it never makes any sense. Characters should be put together when it makes sense within the story. Dragging it out until the very last episode of the series isn't going to do anything but bore the audience to death or make them cease caring about the two characters in question because the storytelling has become unrealistic. (Ranting, I know, but this is a big pet peeve of mine).

You are preaching to the choir, here. Besides leading to frustrating tv, never getting main characters together really limits the number of stories that are told, which sucks.

In HIMYM both actresses (playing Robin and Lily) were pregnant (around the same time) but the show didn't put it in. Robin has never wanted kids, and Lily wasn't specifically trying for one yet with her husband, so it really made sense that the show did this. Now Lily is pregnant, and it makes sense within the story (though admittedly she and her husband trying for kids had some definite cliches thrown in there).

HIMYM is one of the examples I mention when I talk about tv shows doing it right - they didn't let a cast pregnancy manipulate the narrative arc (and as a bonus they had some really funny tv in-jokes about the pregnancies).

[whisperingwasp.livejournal.com]

So lately I've noticed that I am less and less into fanon couples*. By which I mean, the less canon interaction a pair has (especially if there is a canon love interest) the less invested I am in them. Which might be partially due to exhaustion - I am damn sick of getting super-invested in something I know won't happen and then watching it, you know, not happen.

I agree that fanon shipping can be seriously depressing, especially if the pairing has lots of potential compared to what we're actually offered by the writers. I still happily ship fanon couples if I don't like the canon couple or like the subtext behind the pairing but it can bum you out knowing that their potential shall never be tapped into outside fanfiction.

Honestly, at this point I think pregnancy in a show might be a straight-up dealbreaker for me. Because I hate it. I hate how it limits the storylines of these female characters I love and I hate how none of these women get abortions, ever. And you know what? The actress getting knocked up is no fucking excuse for writing a baby into a show. PLENTY of pregnant actresses have avoided getting their characters in the family way as well and it's not like the costuming department and the camera isn't going to be working around the baby bump for episode after episodes even if they do write the baby into the show.

I agree with all of this. Especially if the female character herself is TOO young to have even contemplated the idea of motherhood. It's ridiculous how many fictional young adults or teenagers end up getting pregnant these days.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

I agree with all of this. Especially if the female character herself is TOO young to have even contemplated the idea of motherhood. It's ridiculous how many fictional young adults or teenagers end up getting pregnant these days.

It is. I was so sad when Lane got pregnant on Gilmore Girls because it quite literally keep her from following her dreams.

Congrats! Instead of being a badass drummer, you get to be the mom of twins while you husband goes off to live your dream!

[whisperingwasp.livejournal.com]

I've only watched a few episodes of Gilmore Girls but now that I think about it, Lane had the business sense to go as far as she wanted in the music world. It also makes me sad that she didn't pull a Lorelai and become a mother and a working girl because it would have been a nice parallel between the two characters, if the writers absolutely had to use the pregnancy storyline at all. I respect women who want to stay at home and raise their children because my mother is a house wife but she had spent most of her life fighting for some independence. Why would the writers ruin that with pregnancy?

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

I don't know! It's especially tragic for Lanie because her entire arc on the show was about her struggling to be an independent young woman and for her to end up as a wife and mother (when last we heard of her sex life she didn't even enjoy it) is just.. so damn bad.

[whisperingwasp.livejournal.com]

*shakes head* I think it shows either a lack of awareness of the feminist/anti feminist themes that come from story lines like that or just bad planning altogether.

By the way, happy belated birthday!

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

To be honest in this case I think it was a narrative stumble - the rest of the show was pretty feminist and I loved the ending Rory got.

Thank you for the birthday wishes!

[whisperingwasp.livejournal.com]

You're probably right. Narrative stumbles happen even with the best of writers.

No problem.

[ivy-chan.livejournal.com]

Yes, this. partially because of what you said about the limitations of a pregnant character, partly because they treat pregnancy so horribly and the woman's reaction is almost always the same, and also because I am afraid that the baby will subsume the mother's storyline. It's all a bundle of concerns that, too often, are shown to be valid. I do feel like the babies subsume the mom's storyline- especially in the case of Amy Pond, where it was almost like the whole point of the character was to pop out River. Which, gross. What a waste of Amy Pond.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

It's all a bundle of concerns that, too often, are shown to be valid. I do feel like the babies subsume the mom's storyline- especially in the case of Amy Pond, where it was almost like the whole point of the character was to pop out River. Which, gross. What a waste of Amy Pond.

Exactly. Seriously, I can't think of one pregnancy plot-line I actually liked, and the second season with Amy Pond it really felt like her only purpose was to pop out River.

[meitah.livejournal.com]

I dislike the way babies completely derail female characters. And I really don't buy the way Brennan decided to have a kid. To be frank, it was an asspull.

But, that said, pregnancy can be handled really, really well.

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0587.html

Like there.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Oh, god, I HATED how brennan decided to have a kid. It sucked so hard.

But that comic was awesome and totally made my night, thanks.

[lady-with-cats.livejournal.com]

As much as I think the odd baby episode can be spun interestingly, we've already seen that on Bones. And tbh, putting a pregnancy in there before they've even talked about their very, very new relationship upgrade feels rushed. Especially considering the buildup.

(and I agree with one of the commenters above. I think they don't know where or how to go from s6, so they dropped the baby into the mix to add 'drama'. Which, just... *sigh*)

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

As much as I think the odd baby episode can be spun interestingly, we've already seen that on Bones. And tbh, putting a pregnancy in there before they've even talked about their very, very new relationship upgrade feels rushed. Especially considering the buildup.

Yeah, it's like you have six years and you can't be arse to let them have a first date before there is a baby in the picture?

[just-shai.livejournal.com]

Happy birthday!

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much!