![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
On the surface you would think that Chuck would be the perfect show for me to love. It's got spies and humor and action and talented, good-looking actors. All of my friends are madly in love with the show and it's the perfect opportunity to sit around and glee about a show everyone is on the same page with.
Yet, I just can't share the love. Parts of Chuck, I adore. Heck, entire episodes can be made of win. But there is always something that keeps me from really loving the show. Quite honestly, I don't think that I'd watch it at all except my daughter loves it and I watch it with her.
The worst part was I could never put my finger on what really bugged me about the show. The best I could come up with was that the "Buy More bits" really bothered me. And that wasn't that much of a shock, either. As much as I love humor in my shows, I'm not particularly fond of "comedy" and the Buy More portions lean strongly toward the "sit-com" feel that I don't always appreciate -- especially when it deals with the more crass/stupid humor like they do.
But it was more than that, too. Because while I'm not fond of such humor, I can usually get over it and focus on the awesome parts of the show. With Chuck, I couldn't do that. Then after watching a recent episode (the one that aired on 2/1 – the most recent ep is sitting on the DVR waiting for Myr to want to watch it), I suddenly understood exactly what bothered me.
And this time it really is all about the girls.
Don’t get me wrong, I like the female characters in the show. I adore Sara. Ellie is equally amazing (even if underused). I even like how they introduced Hanna -- I like her enough to want to see more of her, despite my fear she's most likely either just a romantic foil or a bad-guy-in-waiting. These women are complex and strong and interesting.
At least they are until they walk into the Buy More. As soon as they walk into the Buy More they become that word that my daughter hates above all others – docile. They have to be nice and polite and non-threatening while working with the lecherous mouth breathers that populate the place. Hannah is the perfect example of this.
We met her when she was flying to Paris. She was presented as intelligent, strong, and competent. She wasn’t afraid to talk to Chuck, nor was she nervous about the strange happenings on the plane. She had lost her job, but she was still strong and confident. She’s a “take charge and do it” type woman; hell, she takes a job at the Buy More even though we could assume that she’d get a severance package or unemployment. More than that, she plans to do the job well -- this “McJob” that she is obviously overqualified for. Her attitude and dress is professional and confident. She should be the character that the average female viewer can really relate, too. Someone who could, in actual fact, be one us.
But all that confidence and strength disappears when faced with the Buy More. Once there she has to stand placidly between Jeff and Lester as they drool all over her. She has to smile and make polite little noises all the while trying hard not to make eye contact them with or glance their way for fear of “encouraging” them. We’re supposed to think it’s funny that Jeff and Lester paw through her personal belongings and dream about spying on her or invading her home. We’re supposed to feel sympathetic toward (rather than creeped out by) Morgan as he pretends to be someone he’s not just so he can “get a shot” at her.
And even Chuck – the guy we are supposed to like and respect – adds to this. “I’m the only safe one here,” he says, thereby increasing the perceived danger to Hannah if she would stop docilely accepting the behavior around her. He implies that it would be “unsafe” if she would do anything to upset the status quo.
To me, it says that no matter how strong, confident or intelligent a woman you are, in the end you still need to shut up and put up with any Neanderthal that wants to leer at you. You need to be placid and accommodating. You can’t assert yourself or call an asshole and asshole because that would be “unsafe”. It would make you “bitchy” or “mean”.
And I know that I’m being irrational about this. I know it’s all done in humor and parody. I know that the Buy More is just a small part of the show put in there for some quick, brainless comedy. But you know what? That just makes it worse. That fact – the fact that this show takes the most common and insidious form disenfranchisement/marginalization of women and turns it into cheap, acceptable comedy – pisses me off on a level that taints the entire show for me.
I’m not usually the one who is sensitive about women’s roles on shows. I don’t have a problem with how women are portrayed on 24 or Supernatural. Sure they die, but at least they’re strong. At least they don’t put up with crap for the mere sake of “keeping the peace”. They don’t sacrifice who they are for the illusion of safety or belonging. There are a lot of really great female characters out there. Characters who do that fine balancing act of being assertive without being insulting, being sociable without being complacent. It’s true I tend to watch a lot of shows where strong, confident behavior (by women or men) will get that character killed. But, to me, that’s is much less offensive than laughing at some strong, confident female character as she smiles demurely and politely accepts her role as submissive sex object.
I’m not looking to convert people to my point of view on this. I just had to write this out because I haven’t been able to articulate what it was about the show that kept it off my “Squee-worthy” list. I do enjoy watching Chuck and there is so much about the show that I adore. The problem is, I just can't watch the show without being constantly aware of how much parts of it piss me off. And while my (over)reaction may be irrational, my issues with it are valid. YMMV, of course.
Yet, I just can't share the love. Parts of Chuck, I adore. Heck, entire episodes can be made of win. But there is always something that keeps me from really loving the show. Quite honestly, I don't think that I'd watch it at all except my daughter loves it and I watch it with her.
The worst part was I could never put my finger on what really bugged me about the show. The best I could come up with was that the "Buy More bits" really bothered me. And that wasn't that much of a shock, either. As much as I love humor in my shows, I'm not particularly fond of "comedy" and the Buy More portions lean strongly toward the "sit-com" feel that I don't always appreciate -- especially when it deals with the more crass/stupid humor like they do.
But it was more than that, too. Because while I'm not fond of such humor, I can usually get over it and focus on the awesome parts of the show. With Chuck, I couldn't do that. Then after watching a recent episode (the one that aired on 2/1 – the most recent ep is sitting on the DVR waiting for Myr to want to watch it), I suddenly understood exactly what bothered me.
And this time it really is all about the girls.
Don’t get me wrong, I like the female characters in the show. I adore Sara. Ellie is equally amazing (even if underused). I even like how they introduced Hanna -- I like her enough to want to see more of her, despite my fear she's most likely either just a romantic foil or a bad-guy-in-waiting. These women are complex and strong and interesting.
At least they are until they walk into the Buy More. As soon as they walk into the Buy More they become that word that my daughter hates above all others – docile. They have to be nice and polite and non-threatening while working with the lecherous mouth breathers that populate the place. Hannah is the perfect example of this.
We met her when she was flying to Paris. She was presented as intelligent, strong, and competent. She wasn’t afraid to talk to Chuck, nor was she nervous about the strange happenings on the plane. She had lost her job, but she was still strong and confident. She’s a “take charge and do it” type woman; hell, she takes a job at the Buy More even though we could assume that she’d get a severance package or unemployment. More than that, she plans to do the job well -- this “McJob” that she is obviously overqualified for. Her attitude and dress is professional and confident. She should be the character that the average female viewer can really relate, too. Someone who could, in actual fact, be one us.
But all that confidence and strength disappears when faced with the Buy More. Once there she has to stand placidly between Jeff and Lester as they drool all over her. She has to smile and make polite little noises all the while trying hard not to make eye contact them with or glance their way for fear of “encouraging” them. We’re supposed to think it’s funny that Jeff and Lester paw through her personal belongings and dream about spying on her or invading her home. We’re supposed to feel sympathetic toward (rather than creeped out by) Morgan as he pretends to be someone he’s not just so he can “get a shot” at her.
And even Chuck – the guy we are supposed to like and respect – adds to this. “I’m the only safe one here,” he says, thereby increasing the perceived danger to Hannah if she would stop docilely accepting the behavior around her. He implies that it would be “unsafe” if she would do anything to upset the status quo.
To me, it says that no matter how strong, confident or intelligent a woman you are, in the end you still need to shut up and put up with any Neanderthal that wants to leer at you. You need to be placid and accommodating. You can’t assert yourself or call an asshole and asshole because that would be “unsafe”. It would make you “bitchy” or “mean”.
And I know that I’m being irrational about this. I know it’s all done in humor and parody. I know that the Buy More is just a small part of the show put in there for some quick, brainless comedy. But you know what? That just makes it worse. That fact – the fact that this show takes the most common and insidious form disenfranchisement/marginalization of women and turns it into cheap, acceptable comedy – pisses me off on a level that taints the entire show for me.
I’m not usually the one who is sensitive about women’s roles on shows. I don’t have a problem with how women are portrayed on 24 or Supernatural. Sure they die, but at least they’re strong. At least they don’t put up with crap for the mere sake of “keeping the peace”. They don’t sacrifice who they are for the illusion of safety or belonging. There are a lot of really great female characters out there. Characters who do that fine balancing act of being assertive without being insulting, being sociable without being complacent. It’s true I tend to watch a lot of shows where strong, confident behavior (by women or men) will get that character killed. But, to me, that’s is much less offensive than laughing at some strong, confident female character as she smiles demurely and politely accepts her role as submissive sex object.
I’m not looking to convert people to my point of view on this. I just had to write this out because I haven’t been able to articulate what it was about the show that kept it off my “Squee-worthy” list. I do enjoy watching Chuck and there is so much about the show that I adore. The problem is, I just can't watch the show without being constantly aware of how much parts of it piss me off. And while my (over)reaction may be irrational, my issues with it are valid. YMMV, of course.
