The heart of a fangirl

Interestingly, I hardly ever write about TV shows on this blog. I’m not much of a TV girl in the first place, I’ll confess, but my boyfriend is―a TV girl? ha ha, oops―and he’s made me discover a lot of shows in the past year and a half we’ve been together. Today isn’t the day I’m going to make a list of all the shows we’ve watched, or give your a review of every single one of them. Instead, I’ll focus on three of the last ones we’ve found, which also happen to have one thing in common: they’re British. (We’re not the only North-Americans who know about British TV, far from it, but… among the innumerable cool things about my hubby is the fact that he went to boarding school in Cambridge for two years.)

1) Jeeves and Wooster

Adapted from P. G. Wodehouse’s “Jeeves” stories, the show was filmed in the early 90′s and features Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie in the title roles. You may also know the double act for their sketch comedy show A Bit of Fry & Laurie…

Jeeves and Wooster tells a series of events, adventures and accidents in the life of Bertie Wooster, a rich idle young man, and his valet extraordinaire Jeeves. Most stories involve Wooster’s friends trying to attract a lady’s attention, or one of his aunts asking him for a service, or various people trying to marry him off. Wooster always comes up with plans that end up failing or making the situation worse, while Jeeves is there to save the day and make it all better again. Though the show is funny enough, it’s the context I like the most, the atmosphere of the 30′s and all the little details that used to make up these people’s lives. It is really well done, especially in the first season. The second season so far hasn’t been as appealing to me… One of the reasons may be Laurie’s slight change in acting style (Bertie has gone more “shrill” all of a sudden).

2) Sherlock

You’ve probably heard about this one, though it’s only a year or two old. I was very skeptical at first―how does Sherlock Holmes work in a contemporary setting? Am I happy with the technological side they added to the character? It’s all about smartphones, tracking devices, cool apps, and Internet search nowadays. The thing that bothered me the most, though, was the cast. Not only did this 2010 Sherlock look completely different from what I used to have in mind, but I found the actor’s looks disturbing and unpleasant (actor’s name is Benedict Cumberbatch, for the record). I guess I eventually got used to it. It’s not like I ever was a Sherlock Holmes fan and knew much about the original stories, anyway.

The second season is what really convinced me. They’re not showing us how Sherlock works as much anymore, as delving deeper into his character, in his relationship with Watson (Martin Freeman) and revealing higher stakes. I’ll definitely be there for the third season.

3) Torchwood

Okay, now comes the explanation of the blog title. Just so I don’t have to go into the details of what this show is about and what it’s like, I’ll link you to an article that does it well enough: Why is ‘Torchwood’ so boring? I know, it’s a critical piece. The worst part is, I mostly agree with its author. He is a Doctor Who fan, and Torchwood didn’t live up to the expectations he’d based on the former. I’ve never watched Doctor Who―it’s on my life’s to-do list―but I knew it was cult, and Torchwood‘s first episodes didn’t live up to my idea of a cult show, either. In fact, the only thing I can’t support is his opinion on the use of sexuality, simply because it didn’t come across to me that way. Not that I would notice, as I still haven’t even watched most of the first and second seasons.

So what’s left to love, you ask? To be honest, I’m not sure. It doesn’t seem like the first show that gains a cult following in spite of being semi-interesting and semi-well done. (I’m thinking of Battlestar Galactica, or Merlin. Couldn’t watch past the first few episodes of either, different as they are.) Except this time, I am part of the following. And this leads me to address another point our Torchwood reviewer makes:

And while the British press raved about the show’s controversial inclusion of an openly bisexual character (Captain Jack), he was a chronic sex addict who wanted to sleep with everyone! I wouldn’t necessarily call that good PR for the GLBT community.

Like I said, haven’t watched all the episodes. I still feel like Captain Jack’s “omnisexuality” was toned down in Torchwood. What, in the end of the second season and the entirety of the third, he could have passed off as a regular gay! (Which I initially assumed him to be when I caught up on the show.) Sure, like he’s made to say in Children of Earth (season 3), he’s “lived a long time; [he has] done a lot of things”. But right then and there, he’s caught up in a relationship with one man, and it feels kind of serious. Not exactly the sort of attitude you’d expect from someone who’s always intent on shagging everything he meets. But of course it made the fans rave…

As I’ve suggested in my post on supporting/secondary characters, they are often more likeable, because more caricatural and simple. But make them into the MC, and it becomes almost necessary to reveal their many layers or facets. As they become more human, so they often become more normal, therefore more boring. On the other hand, one has to wonder if it’s even possible to keep people interested in the adventures of a clown without feelings… Torchwood‘s Captain Jack Harkness (played by John Barrowman) may not be exactly the same as the one who originally showed up in Doctor Who, but viewers don’t seem to mind very much. I know I don’t.

Regardless of his dubious morals (which are clearly not limited to his sexuality), just the fact that they showed him getting involved with another guy has triggered a whole lot of questions regarding the sexual orientation of my own characters… There’s a part of me that also thinks: just because we’ve finally got a non-heterosexual lead character doesn’t mean he should be perfect and realistic. The whole GLBT community’s image should not have to rely on him.* I mean, getting rid of heteronormativity also implies that we get non-heterosexuals who aren’t necessarily the upstanding type. Putting him centre stage is already damn cool. There is an insidious and patronizing sort of discrimination that always wants “minorities” to both be impeccable and stay on the sidelines. But you’re going to hear a lot more about that next week…

What’s your fangirl heart breaking over these days? Any other good TV shows to recommend us? How do you really feel about Captain Jack Harkness?

* Maybe the “British press” were all secret shippers, who either campaigned for Gwen/Jack, or couldn’t get enough of him and Ianto getting it on!

couldn’t get enough of him and Ianto getting it on

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