Zalyn

I'm a big fan of booby traps. And I could see Felicity inventing and setting up some great ones in ArrowCave 2.0. Learning basic self defense and, more importantly, how to move effectively in one's own body would be perfectly reasonable and effective; paired with a well-set up ArrowCave, Felicity could be very good on defending in a pinch.

Well goodness, I missed a bit this past week! I'm glad I've now been educated on what the bitterness tag is for; how ironic that there was pretty mellow bitterness until recently. Anyway, I also appreciate your eloquent counterarguments regarding Felicity - I agree with everything, from the way her character interacts with others to EBR's portrayal. It also doesn't hurt to see how well Felicity works with Diggle and Oliver too. One thing I haven't seen reflected on as much is her relative lack of power - sociologists would talk about how she is in a socially disadvantaged position: woman, low-level employee, IT worker (greatly exploited in terms of wages, labor, etc), no family support or social capital (networks with powerful people) in a city ruled by oligarchs. In the beginning, when Walter asks her to do some digging into the finances, Felicity really can't say no because she is at such a power disadvantage. Likewise, while interpersonal equity develops between Oliver and her, in the beginning (and arguably even now) there is a palpable social power difference. That adds a unique level of vulnerability when she gets involved with Moira - Moira could basically crush her like a bug, and both actors definitely played on that aspect. If anything, the only person with less social capital on the show is Roy. (Diggle not only is older and self-assured, but his military background gives him access to a lot of powerful networks of support and action) I really admire the character personally and in terms of writing for that reason; that probably explains why the character resonates so much with many (but clearly not all) viewers. And that's what I would have put in the earlier conversation if responses to bitterness were allowed. :) *whistles* I'll just leave this here... http://archiveofourown.org/works/1398274/chapters/2930767 (Nope, wasn't checking out the Felicity-oriented fanfic, nu uh...)

After recovering from the "WTF"ery, I'm pleased to see that JibJab knows who does not belong on Team Arrow.

I agree with these and the other points. The claim of realism is really hollow when there is not only a lack of realism regarding the threat men face in homosocial situations, but also the lack of writing of it by GRRM. Additionally, and I've only read the books once, I am having trouble recalling a case where one of the female characters who is raped is able to come back from that and become stronger (Dany is debateable since she arguably consented with Drogo at their wedding). My point is that rape narratively takes women out of commission in the story - Lollys is worthless and is just given to Bronn, a low ranking sellsword, Gilly serves as a witness for Sam's bravery and later loses her baby, etc. And that isn't realistic or in good conscience, IMO. You can show terrible things, like rape and maiming, and you can make a choice as an author/writer to focus on details of those events or not, and to show that people come back from that or not. One character I think of is Athena in Battlestar Galactica. She is raped/almost raped (depends on whether you watched the extended cut of an episode), and two of her friends save her by yanking her attacker off and throwing him against the wall, where he hits his head on a bolt and dies instantly. In the events that follow, that event becomes part of her narrative as she becomes not only a full person to the society but also develops an incredibly strong core of strength and conviction. This portrayal of rape included a clear message that 1) rape is not okay and bad things happen to rapists and 2) people can, with love and help from others, regain a sense of self despite the hurt. Another example is The Deed of Paksennarion, a gritty, realistic military story about a woman who becomes a paladin. This happens only after an extended series of torture (and probably rape), and I remember it being very hard to read. But her suffering is her crucible, and she dedicates herself afterwards to being someone who saves others who are hurting and in need. Both of these include rape as a realistic part of the world but also continue the character's story and thinks about what they are going through sympathetically and energetically. Back to topic: Besides in its own execution being highly unpleasant, the Cersei Slut-Shaming Walk also effectively neutralizes her as a person. She can no longer appear in public, because she has become public property. I don't see her lasting much longer, and so there probably won't be an opportunity for her to regain any inner sense of self or outward dignity. And the worst part is that I know there are readers/viewers who have found/will find that immensely satisfying, just as they'll find Shae being killed by Tyrion satisfying and appropriate. With events that have happened recently IRL (UCSB), it's upsetting that these stories will just support the ideas that some have that revenge is best taken against women through violence and shaming.

Count me as apprehensive too. I risk offending some devoted book readers, but some moments like those make me not particularly bothered at the delay in the final books. I do feel that there was more... loving attention paid to details of that scene when comparable or more devastating events happening to men (Theon) happened completely off the page. Cersei is a villain, yes, but this treatment just confirms and justifies why she's so angry and bitter (hell, I would be too!). Robert B. would never have been trotted out as a whore despite doing plenty of it himself.

Regarding how Show!Jorah expressed his feelings - I actually read Sir Iain Glen as loving and soon being in love with Dany from the first episodes. I started watching the show first, then started marathoning the books around S1E6, so my vision of Jorah was heavily influenced by Glen's portrayal. It doesn't hurt that he's prettied up from how he's described in the books, but the actor pretty much oozed love and adoration every moment on screen to me. I kind of wish there had been a bit of an emotional coda in an reaction shot from Dany later, but I buy Clarke's interpretation - I especially like how once she saw his actions potentially endangered her baby that it was the final straw for her.

You know you're watching too much Arrow when you find parallels to things that happened five years ago.

House Martell: it's all about the spicy food. And the sex. And the spears.

I'm guessing Tommen, after being turned into a wraith?

I wish Jaqen H'ghar would come back and train Arya to be a faceless assassin. Wish Granted! Jaqen H'ghar comes back and trains Arya to be able to move silently and blend in and strike quickly to kill. But since he is so impressed with her potential, he has her go assassinate the person who killed Jon Arryn. She's sent to the Aerie (climbs all the way up herself because she's badass) and kills Sansa, thinking she's Lysa. Petyr Baelish, who was creeping around outside Sansa's bedchamber (as he does every night), catches Arya and decides not to settle for the less hot and more crazy sister yet again, so he chucks her out the Moon Door. The flying lesson was next week, sadly. I wish Joffrey was a nice guy who was totally into Sansa.

I like this! I got a similar feel - there seemed to be an intentional glam vibe in that scene (I'm thinking Dark Frozen, including Sansa's "coming out as a woman"). This is a place where the TV medium could be used very effectively where the book wasn't (because I just can't see GRRM writing the type of description that was conveyed in that short scene with the Mockingjay dress). I have been really antsy about Sansa's story in the books, because as annoying as I found her at the start, she really seems set up for some good character development; sadly, I just can't feel enough trust in GRRM to do it well (maybe why he's waited so long to write her), but with the show, I think they're doing her story justice.

I love this theory, and I agree with the narrative strength of Sansa being the downfall of Cersei. I actually see the first objection as being a mark for this since it would be nice irony for Sansa to get the job she previously wanted out of naivety but now doesn't want from personal experience. A new, hardened Sansa would suck it up and rule if that was needed. The second objection is a question for me - I don't see how it would work out logistically (and frankly don't care to spend the time pondering it until GRRM crushes a few more beetles). I also found their scenes dreadfully dull and am looking forward to what they do with it. They'll have to change things somewhat since Sir Iain Glen is much prettier and less bearish than Book!Jorah. But still, I never really found myself rooting for Tyrion; I feel like he is too cynical to be a hero and is destined to be a commentator on events. I just can't see him interacting in any heroic way with Danaerys.

Wow. This episode was like a stale Oreo that had been used to squash one of those dang beetles: The edges weren't so great, but the filling was super awesome. Top part: boring. Mole Town, Roose-fasa and Ramsimba, etc. Alfie Allen did a nice job of just being precarious. Flayed man was a bit excessive, but oh well, compared to the end, it was bunnies. Delicious creamy filling: The ladies owned the ep, IMO. SANSA OMG. I loved this set of scenes; Sophie was brilliant, and the writing was another great twist for book readers that I really appreciate. I like how they helped the audience out with Sansa's look over the shoulder at Petyr - she was intentional, but was it her idea or her checking in with him on their plan? The following scene with Sansa calling out Petyr and showing up in Mockingjay Dress (and dyed hair) was a great bookend - I suspect it was one of Lysa's dresses, which makes her transformation from "looking like Catelyn Stark" (honest mother/wife) to now resembling Lysa (crazy dark lady in the Eyrie) very interesting. I am so glad that I at least get to see this move on screen since it clearly stalled out in the books. Add me to the TV!Sansa fan club Also, the resolution on my vid was iffy, but it looked like the Lady of the Vale questioning Petyr and Sansa had a shifty-eyed look when Sansa commented on how "I did what he told me, as we all do" as if she totally got it. Very nice touch - Sansa played that Lady especially well (again, a nice suggestion about Sansa's growing talents). Arya cracking up was absolutely perfect; I laughed along with Maisie just because I had to. Daenarys' and Jorah's scene was good, but as someone pointed out, lacked a good emotional coda - a scene of Daenarys' emotional reaction afterwards (hopefully upset) would have helped a great deal. It would have helped justify her refusal to look at him. Sir Iain Glen was amazing, as always - I could tell from his first scene back in Season 1 that Jorah was in love with Daenarys, and he has been in love with her in every scene since. On a superficial note, I confess to being happy that they prettied up both Littlefinger and Ser Jorah for TV; it makes scenes like the ones in this ep much more interesting. End of creme filling. Tyrion and Jaime - most boring, pointless scene I've seen yet (aka lower cookie part). I was waiting to hear something like, "The beetles smelled like lemon when you crushed them! And that helped his asthma!" or something. But no. Pointless filler. But wait! You get the squishy yucky bug guts as the chaser to it all in the form of dead Oberyn. I had no one to watch the scene for me, so I had to choke it down so I wouldn't miss anything. Coincidentally, I just had a conversation with a friend curious about my thoughts on whether there was gratuitous sex and violence in GoT; that, sir, was probably gratuitous (along with the flayed corpse). Nice in book, probably not needed on screen if you're not going to deliver emotionally on it.

Here: http://on.msnbc.com/1iyScMw ("Bloomberg speaks out against university bias") Precisely. One thing I am noticing is that "critical thinking" is grossly misunderstood by many students, and they instead try to criticize readings and material I give them. It's quite cute watching them try to counter renowned sociologists with anecdata - "Kimmel said that on average women face more pressures about career and home than men. Well, I have a friend who's female and she never had problems, so he's wrong and there's no sexism." Plus, they usually don't even do the readings so they don't even understand the ideas they're trying to criticize. I also find it hilarious when students who are vehemently against social support programs come and beg for extensions because they were too lazy to do the work like they were supposed to; they completely miss the irony there. One tendency that is arguably more attributable to liberal-minded people is more relativism - that there is more recognition of the potential legitimacy of perspectives different from one's own. And in that sense, learning about different theories and positions regarding social issues is going to be done more effectively from liberal-minded instructors (and among liberal-inclined students). I'm not saying that conservatively-inclined instructors can't, but that in an environment where you are supposed to discuss different perspectives (like Hobbes', Locke's, and Rousseau's different Social Contracts), there needs to be a willingness to represent different ideological stances respectfully.

I call bullshit on the university bias topic. First, there's no scrutiny of other demographics, like corporate CEOs or religious authority figures and their giving, which is certainly heavily biased. Second, it's clearly not hurting anything since plenty of students graduate from top schools and end up highly conservative business people. Third, there are fewer people with more conservative leanings who stay in academia because the pay is shitty compared to private business, so if they want to leave to make more money, then whose fault is that? Free market - if you want to work someplace, then you make it work - whether you are a minimum wage worker, a corporate person who has to conform to the company image, or a professor. Fourth, it would have been nice if they had described some conservative viewpoints that should be promoted at university. I teach at university, and I'm trying to identify what conservative values I'm supposed to impart to students that would help make things balanced - do I tell the female students they should go home and forget about getting a degree? Should I only talk about Christianity as a source of religious authority? I do talk about how the free market is broken and that we need to actually read Adam Smith and other foundational texts to understand what "free market" actually entails. I promote values of hard work and personal responsibility in following assignment standards and meeting deadlines. And I explain to them that it's inaccurate to talk about "the feminists" since there are different eras, division between activists, theorists, and organizations - so it's lazy and destructive to good discussion. Of course, I got to spend several years surrounded by hyper-conservative military people, so I probably don't count as one of the flamingly liberal professors at an Ivy League. Also, I have issues with how tenure is determined, but the increasing corporatization of the university is what is cutting down on academic freedom, not the more laissez faire system that used to predominate.

Dang, I got to #34 reason and now I need to do a rewatch. I love the internet - it's my favorite research monkey ! I used to coach speech and debate, so I'm really sensitive to voices - tone, timbre, resonance. I mentioned before that SA really uses a wide range, especially when talking to Felicity (almost too wide sometimes). That "Felicity's name" vid is as engrossing to me as a ball of string for a cat. ETA: #69 - SO TRUE.

At least they sucked at "I know you like I know my own name." I put that all on the writers. Maybe they don't like the character either.

*commence Captain Planet jokes*

From the context of the post, it looks like the author is attributing that quote to KC on a panel. That is just too much awesome; the cameras would explode.

The imprecise language on "loneliness" and "human connection" used by Joe was frustrating - he didn't once refer to male friends and male contact, just (sexual/romantic) connections to women. That right there is part of the problem that Ann Hornaday was trying to start a conversation on - that women in many types of media exist as a way for men to address a particular hunger or need and to fulfill themselves, rather than to be interacted with as peers and fellow human beings first. It reminds me of this great TED talk on what movies teach about masculinity and men's journeys: http://www.ted.com/talks/colin_stokes_how_movies_teach_manhood On the other hand, Joe is treading really carefully because of the Asperger's connection and the dead sons as well as daughters. I think it's expecting too much from a morning news show to really dig into this issue, but I am very glad that they at least tried to start a discussion.

It's really awesome that he does that! JA comes from doing romantic soap operas, which explains his ability to emote (and cry) at the drop of a shotgun shell, and probably his sensitivity on shooting those types of scenes too. I find it interesting to see this trend of bringing in male actors into action / scifi roles from romantic genres - definitely seems to bring good skillsets that may not have been as present before.

Here, have an internet, because you won one with that comment (I saw it before and loved it too). I am saving Orphan Black for a time when I can binge watch it, because it sounds totally awesome. Orphan Black brings up a good point for me - Laurel just doesn't exist as her own character, despite being "the female lead" (according to various entities of the show, not me), and she should. At the start, she was a lawyer helping people, then lost that. Then she became Tommy's gf and source of angst and jealousy between Tommy and Oliver. Then she became her dad's problem with the drugs, for him to show how much he's recovered since S1. And she ends S2 as the recipient of Sara/Canary's jacket. She is defined by others, and that means she doesn't stand on her own as a character. As other characters gain depth, Laurel keeps losing depth over time, which shouldn't happen in long-arc television shows. What does Laurel want? What does Laurel like? Why did she become a lawyer? I don't feel like I know any of this, and it's fine for a side character, but I don't want an empty shell shoved down my throat as a "lead" or "endgame romance."

I have to join the Jack Gleeson love train; I hear that he would apologize to other actors after particularly douchey scenes. Too bad he's quitting acting, but I'm psyched that he wants to be a philosopher. The next quote got me: *crickets*

At the risk of appearing to be a SA apologist, I'll bring in a RL gender element that could be relevant (I teach gender studies and emphasize masculinity theory). I'm seeing a lot of men becoming much more aware and conscientious about interactions with women nowadays, and I can easily imagine that someone like SA (who used to do really porny soap operas and other explicit sex scenes with men and women) would be very sensitive to the comfort of a costar in such physically intimate scenes. If KC isn't comfortable with kissing scenes, then he's not only going to feel uncomfortable (on her behalf), but also would be reluctant to turn on the passion (since it would be really creepy and gross). I'm not blaming KC, but I am identifying how her particular hangup could have a ripple effect to SA, who could have chemistry with a tree as long as it was consenting. The amazing eye contact between SA and EBR really sells (or oversells) their connection, while the many times KC or SA are looking away (even while hugging - they each get the "I'm plotting something while pretending to like this person" look, probably inadvertently in the over-the-shoulder shot). Is it just me, or do there seem to be more shots with both EBR and SA in the picture (over the shoulder) than with KC and SA? I'm not sure if that means that KC and SA were doing more standard shooting of dialogue scenes, but there is more texture in the EBR/SA scenes, possibly due to height difference, but I feel there are some differences too. ETA: Great minds, Carrie Ann! *hi5*

That's part of why I like the Thea character; the writers seem to do a good job of laying some plot-mines that blow up at interesting times to keep things going. First, it was the daddy issue, which was reaped in the finale to give us something to look forward to, now it's this. In this case, I think it would be MM's interest to not let Thea know ever, but I predict if she did go head-to-head with Arrow, she'll find out, and that will give some nice options on where to go character-wise from there. This is something I'm quite passionate about - but it would be a long discussion. There are some interesting books out there about how childhood and adolescence were unknown until fairly recently in Western history (see Vikings and read Game of Thrones for how children are expected to fight early on). I think part of the problem is that we draw such a sharp line - at 17 you're as much of a child as a 7 year old*, but on your 18th birthday, credit card companies can target you, anything you sign is legally binding, and yes, guys can be drafted and sent off to war. But of course, you can't drink, and you can't get certain other things done (childfree people have trouble getting voluntary sterilizations until they're at least 25 or so) that adults should be able to do. And I think that the lack of mentorship for 16-25 year olds makes it even harder for young adults to figure out how to be adults. *We just had an incident at my school where the school paper released a well-written and informative issue on sexuality - including asexuality, contraception, transgender issues - and it was banned from release during a large public event because "think of the children!". It was resolved to allow distribution at one table, but only if the recipient had ID showing they were 18+. Although the issue was framed as a 5 year old grabbing a copy (who lets their child do that?) and flipping to the one page that had medical illustrations of anatomy, the policy was also excluding 14-17 year olds, many of whom are sexually active, know how to use the internet, and would have benefited from the information. So to come back to Thea - I find it interesting when we have young people working in establishments that sell alcohol even if they aren't allowed to drink it. The laws that we have in place keep power and responsibility away from young people until their 18th birthday, at which point they're thrown completely into the ring with no training wheels, but they're still seen as sub-adults in many cases. So they bear all the responsibility but not all of the privileges. Basically, we went with a really impoverished binary system of "child-adult" that does disservice to everyone and proves to be really leaky all over the place. But one thing I keep needing to remember with Thea is that her story started at 12 - which is a very formative time - and that she and her mother gelled into a certain type of interaction over those five years that is really hard to break out of. It doesn't change when you turn 18; my parents still had trouble treating me like an adult even when I was 25 and had come back from the Navy - part of it was that they hadn't seen me much between 18-25 since I was away at college and then overseas. We tend to get stuck at the emotional stage we were at when we last were with a person regularly. So likewise, I think Thea would regress to being 12 around Oliver and has struggled to break away from that.