jedi_of_urth (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
jedi_of_urth) wrote2013-08-16 06:29 pm
jedi_of_urth) wrote2013-08-16 06:29 pm
Entry tags:
Saving Hope and shipping issues
Okay so I need to talk about love....polygon issues on Saving Hope for a moment. And maybe a few other things, but mostly this mess.
Okay show, I’ve never been entirely against this love triangle. Although I really only enjoyed it in its main form of Charlie/Alex as the show’s OTP and Joel quietly pining on the sidelines, knowing he missed his shot with her and mostly respecting boundaries. And I always saw plenty of ways the show could go about changing the situation and maybe I wouldn’t like it but it could be written well enough to take me along with it.
This way we seem to be getting, was not one of those ways. There *are* legitimate issues with Charlie and Alex’s relationship that could have her questioning whether they’re going to work out, could have him pulling away and her feeling like he’s never fully come back to her, they could be stressed and snippy with each other because after everything she’s done to help him he won’t let her in now. And he could be worried about her reaction if she found out what’s going on with him, could not want to tie her into his impending mental breakdown, could be keeping her at arm’s length because of any number of reasons.
But we’ve barely gotten any of that this year. There have been hints sure, but mostly just hints that the cracks exist but not whether either Alex or Charlie are worried about them. And even Joel’s old flame for Alex hasn’t gotten that much attention this season; I’m not saying him being with someone else seemed like proof the old flame was dying but the status of his lingering feelings for Alex have barely been touched on.
I get the feeling like 2x08 was designed to push the love triangle issue, but it never felt like it actually did so. The opening scenes feel designed to remind us these two had a past, but it’s done consistent with the way they’ve been portrayed this season as people who can’t quite comfortably be friends because they have a past but are trying to figure out what they are now. The main body of the episode came across as professional with a side of friends with a past. I actually expected there to be more undertones to their behavior than I saw in this, the opening had after all kind of hinted we were going to be dealing with their history and possible lingering feelings but the main story did not actually seem to go there as far as I saw it. The very end...was just a little awkward narratively; I could practically hear the story saying the love triangle was heating up but what was happening on screen was not selling it. They just seemed like people who had been through an intense day and weren’t sure what to say at the end of it. In not for the behind the scenes chorus saying it was more than that I wouldn’t have gotten any romance vibes off them at all.
And the preview for 2x09 basically confirmed that things are going to get weird on that front next episode. And I have to say, as someone who has since day 1 been expecting the love triangle to be a thing I’m mostly surprised it’s taken them this long. But I’m also disappointed, because there were a lot better ways to have it become a thing than they seem to have gone with. Yeah maybe we’ll be told it has to do with problems between Alex and Charlie, but we weren’t shown them developing so it would seem natural.
All that said, I should probably address the Dawn side of this polygon. For one, I’m glad we haven’t had Joel and Dawn hookups like I feared in 2x01, but I suspect that’s because Dawn hasn’t gotten much to do at all. I do think she’s gotten a somewhat more sympathetic treatment this season than last, but we aren’t really given any reason to invest in her either. And deciding to make out with Charlie a couple eps ago doesn’t work for me. Her subtly trying to win him back made more sense than her actually taking that kind of leap. And that scene makes shifting the status quo on the Charlie/Alex/Joel triangle even more unfortunate, because that’s the kind of scene where they could have done more to acknowledge the issues between Charlie and Alex but really didn’t do much with.
I do like Joel and what’s her name that he’s been dating. On a TV show they’re probably doomed to failure by virtue of her not being at the hospital to get involved in the plot of the week, but I have liked what they’ve done with them. I am glad they haven’t really brought Joel/Maggie back up (acknowledged that it happened but left it in the past) because this show – for not really being about the relationships – has more than enough shipping drama as is.
On non-polygon ships:
-Maggie and Gavin aren’t exactly exciting but I like them that way.
-Um...did we know Shaheer and Victor had broken up before this? I guess they hadn’t exactly gotten any focus but I hadn’t picked up on them being broken up. Aww, they seemed so functional.
-Undecided on Mel and Zack. It could work, I’m not really invested in it.
On other things:
-I’m glad Dana’s back, I missed her.
-If there’s any character on this show I really identify with it’s Shaheer, your social issues are mine buddy (sure he’s a gay Indian (I think) man and I’m a straight white gal, but I consider our biggest difference that he’s a genius neurosurgeon and I’m...not).
-I approve of the show giving us multiple episodes where Joel wears a suit this season, I very much approve of that. Although I’m developing a fondness for dressed down Joel too, or of course shirtless Joel, I’m down with that too. But I’m kind of here for the suit wearing.
-I don’t know if it’s a matter of I’ve just been too into TVD recently or it involving Gillies is what makes me trip up occasionally, but I was having some serious cross-fandom issue with the wrist cutting blood transfusion thing this episode. It’s not wrist biting for blood healing power and I had to kind of remind myself Joel isn’t a vampire here.
I suspect there’s going to be a mid season break in a week or two so I may leave some of my thoughts on the situation as a whole until then, but I mainly needed to get my love polygon issues out there at this stage, then I can discuss the impending ship meltdown after it happens and compare it to my thoughts pre-implosion.
Okay show, I’ve never been entirely against this love triangle. Although I really only enjoyed it in its main form of Charlie/Alex as the show’s OTP and Joel quietly pining on the sidelines, knowing he missed his shot with her and mostly respecting boundaries. And I always saw plenty of ways the show could go about changing the situation and maybe I wouldn’t like it but it could be written well enough to take me along with it.
This way we seem to be getting, was not one of those ways. There *are* legitimate issues with Charlie and Alex’s relationship that could have her questioning whether they’re going to work out, could have him pulling away and her feeling like he’s never fully come back to her, they could be stressed and snippy with each other because after everything she’s done to help him he won’t let her in now. And he could be worried about her reaction if she found out what’s going on with him, could not want to tie her into his impending mental breakdown, could be keeping her at arm’s length because of any number of reasons.
But we’ve barely gotten any of that this year. There have been hints sure, but mostly just hints that the cracks exist but not whether either Alex or Charlie are worried about them. And even Joel’s old flame for Alex hasn’t gotten that much attention this season; I’m not saying him being with someone else seemed like proof the old flame was dying but the status of his lingering feelings for Alex have barely been touched on.
I get the feeling like 2x08 was designed to push the love triangle issue, but it never felt like it actually did so. The opening scenes feel designed to remind us these two had a past, but it’s done consistent with the way they’ve been portrayed this season as people who can’t quite comfortably be friends because they have a past but are trying to figure out what they are now. The main body of the episode came across as professional with a side of friends with a past. I actually expected there to be more undertones to their behavior than I saw in this, the opening had after all kind of hinted we were going to be dealing with their history and possible lingering feelings but the main story did not actually seem to go there as far as I saw it. The very end...was just a little awkward narratively; I could practically hear the story saying the love triangle was heating up but what was happening on screen was not selling it. They just seemed like people who had been through an intense day and weren’t sure what to say at the end of it. In not for the behind the scenes chorus saying it was more than that I wouldn’t have gotten any romance vibes off them at all.
And the preview for 2x09 basically confirmed that things are going to get weird on that front next episode. And I have to say, as someone who has since day 1 been expecting the love triangle to be a thing I’m mostly surprised it’s taken them this long. But I’m also disappointed, because there were a lot better ways to have it become a thing than they seem to have gone with. Yeah maybe we’ll be told it has to do with problems between Alex and Charlie, but we weren’t shown them developing so it would seem natural.
All that said, I should probably address the Dawn side of this polygon. For one, I’m glad we haven’t had Joel and Dawn hookups like I feared in 2x01, but I suspect that’s because Dawn hasn’t gotten much to do at all. I do think she’s gotten a somewhat more sympathetic treatment this season than last, but we aren’t really given any reason to invest in her either. And deciding to make out with Charlie a couple eps ago doesn’t work for me. Her subtly trying to win him back made more sense than her actually taking that kind of leap. And that scene makes shifting the status quo on the Charlie/Alex/Joel triangle even more unfortunate, because that’s the kind of scene where they could have done more to acknowledge the issues between Charlie and Alex but really didn’t do much with.
I do like Joel and what’s her name that he’s been dating. On a TV show they’re probably doomed to failure by virtue of her not being at the hospital to get involved in the plot of the week, but I have liked what they’ve done with them. I am glad they haven’t really brought Joel/Maggie back up (acknowledged that it happened but left it in the past) because this show – for not really being about the relationships – has more than enough shipping drama as is.
On non-polygon ships:
-Maggie and Gavin aren’t exactly exciting but I like them that way.
-Um...did we know Shaheer and Victor had broken up before this? I guess they hadn’t exactly gotten any focus but I hadn’t picked up on them being broken up. Aww, they seemed so functional.
-Undecided on Mel and Zack. It could work, I’m not really invested in it.
On other things:
-I’m glad Dana’s back, I missed her.
-If there’s any character on this show I really identify with it’s Shaheer, your social issues are mine buddy (sure he’s a gay Indian (I think) man and I’m a straight white gal, but I consider our biggest difference that he’s a genius neurosurgeon and I’m...not).
-I approve of the show giving us multiple episodes where Joel wears a suit this season, I very much approve of that. Although I’m developing a fondness for dressed down Joel too, or of course shirtless Joel, I’m down with that too. But I’m kind of here for the suit wearing.
-I don’t know if it’s a matter of I’ve just been too into TVD recently or it involving Gillies is what makes me trip up occasionally, but I was having some serious cross-fandom issue with the wrist cutting blood transfusion thing this episode. It’s not wrist biting for blood healing power and I had to kind of remind myself Joel isn’t a vampire here.
I suspect there’s going to be a mid season break in a week or two so I may leave some of my thoughts on the situation as a whole until then, but I mainly needed to get my love polygon issues out there at this stage, then I can discuss the impending ship meltdown after it happens and compare it to my thoughts pre-implosion.
no subject
I don't remember them breaking up. I remember they argued about Shaheer being too emotionally distant, but there was nothing to indicate that it was anything more than an argument.
I kind of liked the Joel/Alex in this week's episode, because I got the feeling that it was mostly one- sided. It felt to me like Joel watched her do something amazing, and was completely awed by her and reminded once again how badly he screwed things up. From Alex I felt mostly nostalgia (and maybe a physical attraction, it's Daniel Gillies, DUH) but still got the sense that she's devoted to Charlie. I think next week we'll see some more stirrings of problems in that relationship.
(no subject)