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cest_whatThe thing about Person of Interest is that I really, really like almost every single thing about it, except the main character.
Which is a problem. And the reason it's taken me so long to finish watching season 1. (I currently have the finale paused, because attention spans are for people without laptops.)
And it's not even Reese's fault, really. As representations of his trope go, he's a good one. It's just that his trope - the insanely competent, unassailably confident white male superman - has been shoved down my throat as an admirable hero in too much media over the course of my life for me to have any patience for it at all.
It's the self-confidence that's the problem. Finch is also insanely competent, but he wears his insecurities and vulnerabilities on his sleeve, even as he tries to keep himself unassailable, so it's easy to sympathise with him. But Reese is always right, and knows he's always right. There is no possible way to be the person who's right in a conversation with Reese, unless you're agreeing with him. And he's quiet about it, he'll give ground as a courtesy if you seem to really want it, he's not out to dominate people for kicks, but that's because he can afford to be courteous and give ground. All of the ground is his, he doesn't need to bluster to be taken seriously, he has never not been taken seriously in his life.
I take it kind of personally.
(Also he does honestly freak me out, with the quiet menace, and I think that that's probably deliberate, another tilting of expectations and moral ambiguity, but having the main character be a character who scares me, without making me like or connect with him, doesn't make for uncomplicated enjoyment.)
But I really like Finch, and I freaking adore Carter - she is like no other character on my screen. I really like the aesthetic, I like the plots, I like the moral ambiguity and the way it's handled, I really love the way the show messes with communication and intersecting incomplete knowledge bases in the different POVs, and I'm excited for the greater proportion of women in the central cast that the fandom implies I'll get in later seasons. I even like the relationship between Reese and Finch, despite my problems with Reese. I think this is an excellent show. I just wish it wasn't about a male power fantasy character, no matter how nuanced and interesting he is.
Whoops, apparently this is a "shows fandom loves that I have issues with" series. Next up: Night Vale! (Not really, I love Night Vale.)
_________________
Favourite fanwork from this week:
I'm already on the topic, so this piece of Night Vale as a dating sim fanart by![[tumblr.com profile]](https://www.tumblr.com/favicon.ico)
ajmartinsson, which is freaking adorable in an appropriately creepy way. I don't dating sim but I'm kind of fascinated by the idea, and I would definitely play this one if it existed.
Which is a problem. And the reason it's taken me so long to finish watching season 1. (I currently have the finale paused, because attention spans are for people without laptops.)
And it's not even Reese's fault, really. As representations of his trope go, he's a good one. It's just that his trope - the insanely competent, unassailably confident white male superman - has been shoved down my throat as an admirable hero in too much media over the course of my life for me to have any patience for it at all.
It's the self-confidence that's the problem. Finch is also insanely competent, but he wears his insecurities and vulnerabilities on his sleeve, even as he tries to keep himself unassailable, so it's easy to sympathise with him. But Reese is always right, and knows he's always right. There is no possible way to be the person who's right in a conversation with Reese, unless you're agreeing with him. And he's quiet about it, he'll give ground as a courtesy if you seem to really want it, he's not out to dominate people for kicks, but that's because he can afford to be courteous and give ground. All of the ground is his, he doesn't need to bluster to be taken seriously, he has never not been taken seriously in his life.
I take it kind of personally.
(Also he does honestly freak me out, with the quiet menace, and I think that that's probably deliberate, another tilting of expectations and moral ambiguity, but having the main character be a character who scares me, without making me like or connect with him, doesn't make for uncomplicated enjoyment.)
But I really like Finch, and I freaking adore Carter - she is like no other character on my screen. I really like the aesthetic, I like the plots, I like the moral ambiguity and the way it's handled, I really love the way the show messes with communication and intersecting incomplete knowledge bases in the different POVs, and I'm excited for the greater proportion of women in the central cast that the fandom implies I'll get in later seasons. I even like the relationship between Reese and Finch, despite my problems with Reese. I think this is an excellent show. I just wish it wasn't about a male power fantasy character, no matter how nuanced and interesting he is.
Whoops, apparently this is a "shows fandom loves that I have issues with" series. Next up: Night Vale! (Not really, I love Night Vale.)
_________________
Favourite fanwork from this week:
I'm already on the topic, so this piece of Night Vale as a dating sim fanart by
