It was almost a fight
Feb. 6th, 2009 03:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
perpetual_motionThe Husband and I hold the distinction of never having had a fight. There have been discussions, debates, arguments, and conversations, but not fights. Fights, in my mind, are instances of clash where, at the end, one side of the couple is sleeping somewhere else. Before that, it's all just the back-and-forth that any relationship should have.
Last night, having re-watched a fourth season episode of "The Office", I mentioned to The Husband how aggravating I find the way Pam is currently being written. I always thought the writers did a great job of showing Pam as an evolving, engaging character. I've loved watching her grow more confident and more sure of herself over the years, and I was so excited when she went to New York. And I was excited when she was having fun there, and learning things there, and possibly coming back and not working at Dunder-Mifflen anymore.
And then it all went off the fucking rails. Out of absolute left-field, Pam not only discovers that she's flunking her classes, but she also suddenly hates graphic design.
WTF, folks. First and foremost, how do you not know when you're flunking a class? Surely there were grades issues to projects. Surely Pam, having always been portrayed as smart and talented, would have the brain power to, oh, I don't know, keep up with her grades.
And then, to say that she doesn't like graphic design because it's "just designing logos" and that she just wants to be with Jim? Who is this Pam, and where is the Pam I love?
That was, in short, my point to The Husband. Why is it that the writers took a sudden u-turn with Pam? Why is it they couldn't at least let her pass her classes and return to Scranton to freelance? Why is it that I'm supposed to be okay with her failing at something she's supposed to be good at as long as she gets to snuggle with Jim? The stereotype of "Oh, it's okay, we're in wuv", drives me batty. Especially when the stereotype causes a major character fuck-up like with what's happened with Pam.
So The Husband and I fell into a discussion. It was one of those that started out really positive and then slowly derailed over a period of minutes. About a half hour into everything, we hit a bit of a wall, and The Husband asked for a moment to regroup. No problem. We do that all the time. What's good a discussion if you can't give each other time to say things properly?
And then, the bombshell [in paraphrase]:
"I think the problem I have with what you're saying is that it's "The Office". I mean, it's a comedy. I think you need to take it less seriously."
I believe the next words out of my mouth were, "You did not just fucking say that to me."
And thus the derailment continued for a few minutes, because all I could see was the bright red flash of anger in front of my eyes at getting the line. "Oh, calm down, it's just a comedy/comic book/romance novel. You gotta learn to relax." And The Husband got his ear thoroughly chewed off as I explained how insulting what he said was.
Yes, "The Office" is a comedy. And, yes, that means it's supposed to be funny. But you know what I don't find funny? Watching a character I really enjoy get pigeonholed because the writers aren't willing to allow her to evolve past a certain point.
You know what else I don't enjoy? Watching Dwight get no comeuppance in regards to sleeping with Angela while she was engaged to Andy while Angela is painted a horrid little slut for daring to lie to Dwight--the guy she's cheating with--about whether or not she was sleeping with Andy.
And you know what's really kind of difficult? Explaining to The Husband that Dwight losing Angela all together doesn't count. Because it's not because Dwight was a terrible person who happily snuck around with Angela. It was because Angela was a whore who, in Dwight's mind, cheated on him by sleeping with her fiance.
We got through it, bit by bit, and by the end of it, The Husband could see where I was coming from. Pointing out that I don't ever sit down waiting to be disappointed went a long way in helping my point. I don't go looking for reasons to dislike shows I love, but I won't deny when they're right in front of my face.
Last night, having re-watched a fourth season episode of "The Office", I mentioned to The Husband how aggravating I find the way Pam is currently being written. I always thought the writers did a great job of showing Pam as an evolving, engaging character. I've loved watching her grow more confident and more sure of herself over the years, and I was so excited when she went to New York. And I was excited when she was having fun there, and learning things there, and possibly coming back and not working at Dunder-Mifflen anymore.
And then it all went off the fucking rails. Out of absolute left-field, Pam not only discovers that she's flunking her classes, but she also suddenly hates graphic design.
WTF, folks. First and foremost, how do you not know when you're flunking a class? Surely there were grades issues to projects. Surely Pam, having always been portrayed as smart and talented, would have the brain power to, oh, I don't know, keep up with her grades.
And then, to say that she doesn't like graphic design because it's "just designing logos" and that she just wants to be with Jim? Who is this Pam, and where is the Pam I love?
That was, in short, my point to The Husband. Why is it that the writers took a sudden u-turn with Pam? Why is it they couldn't at least let her pass her classes and return to Scranton to freelance? Why is it that I'm supposed to be okay with her failing at something she's supposed to be good at as long as she gets to snuggle with Jim? The stereotype of "Oh, it's okay, we're in wuv", drives me batty. Especially when the stereotype causes a major character fuck-up like with what's happened with Pam.
So The Husband and I fell into a discussion. It was one of those that started out really positive and then slowly derailed over a period of minutes. About a half hour into everything, we hit a bit of a wall, and The Husband asked for a moment to regroup. No problem. We do that all the time. What's good a discussion if you can't give each other time to say things properly?
And then, the bombshell [in paraphrase]:
"I think the problem I have with what you're saying is that it's "The Office". I mean, it's a comedy. I think you need to take it less seriously."
I believe the next words out of my mouth were, "You did not just fucking say that to me."
And thus the derailment continued for a few minutes, because all I could see was the bright red flash of anger in front of my eyes at getting the line. "Oh, calm down, it's just a comedy/comic book/romance novel. You gotta learn to relax." And The Husband got his ear thoroughly chewed off as I explained how insulting what he said was.
Yes, "The Office" is a comedy. And, yes, that means it's supposed to be funny. But you know what I don't find funny? Watching a character I really enjoy get pigeonholed because the writers aren't willing to allow her to evolve past a certain point.
You know what else I don't enjoy? Watching Dwight get no comeuppance in regards to sleeping with Angela while she was engaged to Andy while Angela is painted a horrid little slut for daring to lie to Dwight--the guy she's cheating with--about whether or not she was sleeping with Andy.
And you know what's really kind of difficult? Explaining to The Husband that Dwight losing Angela all together doesn't count. Because it's not because Dwight was a terrible person who happily snuck around with Angela. It was because Angela was a whore who, in Dwight's mind, cheated on him by sleeping with her fiance.
We got through it, bit by bit, and by the end of it, The Husband could see where I was coming from. Pointing out that I don't ever sit down waiting to be disappointed went a long way in helping my point. I don't go looking for reasons to dislike shows I love, but I won't deny when they're right in front of my face.
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no subject
on 2009-02-07 12:07 am (UTC)Yeah. I hear ya. *hug*
no subject
on 2009-02-07 05:09 am (UTC)no subject
on 2009-02-08 08:24 pm (UTC)I completely agree with you about being disappointed by a radical change in characterization. Whether I watch a show or not, hearing that TPTB suddenly and radically altered, almost lobotomized, a character is horrible.
To me, this tends to happen more to female characters.
You are completely right in being unhappy with this.