Was That Supposed To Be Cool?

[rionaleonhart]

Oh, Alex Drake. I wanted to like you; I really did.


Now, here is a question that is troubling me: why did I not particularly like Alex Drake? Is it just because she's not Sam?

Is it because she's a woman? This is something that concerns me quite a lot: do I tend to judge female characters more harshly purely because they are not men? There are many female characters I love - Cuddy, Cameron, Celes, Carla, Crescent, Carter, Cartwright and maybe even a few who don't begin with 'C' - but I can't help noticing that I tend to focus on and talk about the male characters more often. Am I more drawn to male characters? Were Alex a man, would I like him more?

I think I'm going to assume that I'm being harsh on Alex because she is not Sam, and Ashes to Ashes is so very similar to its predecessor (which distresses me, by the way; Life on Mars was brilliant and original, and the first episode of Ashes to Ashes just feels far too like a photocopy with breasts drawn on) that any main character would inevitably have been compared to Sam and probably come up short. Possibly I am merely assuming this because it is the explanation that makes me feel less like a horrible sexist, but shh. (Or, you know, maybe she really was a bit of a pain, but as a number of people on my friendslist seem to have liked her very much I think I have to question that.)

ALSO, THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT: WAS I IMAGINING IT OR WAS THERE A SCENE FAIRLY NEAR THE BEGINNING IN WHICH GENE AND COMPANY WERE TALKING AND YET ALEX WAS NOT PRESENT?


In conclusion, I need to make more entries of appreciation for the many awesome females in my fandoms, and Ashes to Ashes needs to move away from Life on Mars if it doesn't want to keep being overshadowed by it. Had I never watched the original series, I might have thought that was brilliant. (Well, actually, had I never watched the original series I would probably just have been really confused. STILL. BECOME A SERIES IN YOUR OWN RIGHT, ASHES TO ASHES. WE DO NOT NEED LIFE ON MARS II: ONCE MORE, WITH HETEROSEXUALITY.)

Comments

[cryforthemoon.livejournal.com]

Maybe it's because she screams like a banshee.

[rionaleonhart]

The banshee-screaming just amused me. In fact, there were quite a lot of parts in the episode that I found hilarious without quite knowing whether that was what was intended.

[wanttobeatree.livejournal.com]

I really didn't like her at all. Horrible sexists unite?

[rionaleonhart]

I hope so very much that I'm not a horrible sexist. But I am reassured to hear that there are others who didn't take to her!

[wanttobeatree.livejournal.com]

Everything about her just made me want Sam back D: Although probably if she'd been too much like Sam, I'd have found that horribly annoying to. There's just no pleasing me.

[darthfi.livejournal.com]

There were lots of scenes without Alex. I commented on that to m31andy tonight (real life, so links!)

I dunno. I liked Alex. Yes, she's annoying, but I apply my key requirement - which of the pair would I rather work with? And I'd rather work with Alex - and I'd also rather go down the pub with her yes, okay, for me that is part of work, but you know what I mean.

She's no more emo than Sam, but she's got even more cause to be. I mean, yes, Sam is worried about Maya in the first episode, but Maya is an adult woman and a fully trained police officer - Molly is a little girl on her own with a crap dad. Yes, she's got a good godfather, but it's not the same.

Just, please, writers, *stop* with the Gene worship. Really. I'm a Gene fangirl (hell, he reminds me of people I've worked with!) and you're not doing the character a service that way.

That's what annoyed me. Alex's knowledge of Gene is based on what she had from Sam. Sam's interpretation in those tapes is unlikely to include the words "sexy bastard" (unless Alex misheard "sexist bastard"...)

Of course, though, even though it didn't show for another three years, the whole thing has a Dempsey and Makepeace vibe, which may well send me off to Play.com to buy a box set...

[rionaleonhart]

I have to agree; Gene seemed far more awesome before the show started going LOOK, LOOK AT HOW AWESOME HE IS, EVERYONE BOW DOWN TO GENE. I admired the Doctor more before they slathered on the God/Jesus (NOT A PAIRING) symbolism, too. Look, writers, I will quickly get fed up with the character traits you wish to portray if you stick them in the foreground with a giant blinking arrow.

[amy-wolf.livejournal.com]

I was worried they'd overdo the "Gene is awesome!". He's got so many ugly/unpleasant aspects that if they go with idealization instead of improvement, it comes out creepy. Making all the improvement happen off-screen while we're away is something, but still not good (I like watching character development, dammit!)

And I'm with you on the whole Doctor/God/Jesus thing not going well. Although I'd make an exception to my 'no incest fic' rule for a Doctor/God/Jesus threesome.

[suzie-shooter.livejournal.com]

God/Jesus (NOT A PAIRING)

*wine/screen*

[dancesontrains.livejournal.com]

I agree with Darthfi, although I've never seen Dempsey and Makepeace.
Really, I'm just posting for the icon.

[rionaleonhart]

...that icon is brilliant. A 'Saxon Is Your Man' poster would have improved the episode times infinity.

[halotolerant.livejournal.com]

The buddy cop thing doesn't work with women. Sad. True. This is utterly sexist but the whole point of buddy cop is utter sexism and only having proper relationships with other men. But Alex may turn out well, I still have some faith (Annie rocked, after all. I'd watch the Gene & Annie show very happily)

WE DO NOT NEED LIFE ON MARS II: ONCE MORE, WITH HETEROSEXUALITY.)
Bwa ha ha! Exactly. Also, loving the fact that Gene's wife has now left him not only in almost every fic known to man but also in canon. There was a character we will never appreciate the hidden depths of.

There were several scenes where Alex wasn't present. And how on earth could she ask what happened to Sam in Sam's coma whilst she was in her own coma? And why did she believe the answer? All this supports the theory that they are actually travelling back in time and Gene is a Time Agent and/or (based on quattro driving) The Stig (with alien time powers, obviously)

But oh it was so pretty and well-filmed. I want the people who film Torchwood to be forced to take lessons from this series. :D

[culf.livejournal.com]

Gene as The Stig!
I need to write fic! Or someone else has to!

[th-esaurus.livejournal.com]

I got the feeling it was very much LoM: THE SEQUEL too. Although I think LoM: THE MUSICAL would've been far superior. Chris and Ray would be back-up singers, with finger clicking and everything.





oh my god this is an amazing idea

[rionaleonhart]

I AM REALLY UPSET THAT THIS DOESN'T EXIST NOW. During future episodes of Ashes to Ashes, I may have to imagine that they are all singing. And also that Alex is Sam.

[amy-wolf.livejournal.com]

I've heard a lot of people doing the, "Why do I tend to like female characters less?" thing, and I don't think it's all fannish sexism. I mean I've seen some sexism; it's usually becoming hyper-critical of a powerful woman while completely excusing the violent bastard male character. But a lot of TV writers haven't learned what The Avengers discovered back when they introduced Honor Blackman; writing a female character basically the same way you write a male one can be a good thing.

A lot of the time, writers divide the characters into people and women. The former gets defined by their self (their cause, their job, their environment, their beliefs), the latter by their gender (their romance and child-rearing, her female biology). And women who aren't being written as people don't appeal.

I confess, I haven't seen Alex Drake yet, being American, so I can't say how she's written. Judging by Annie, they'll likely straddle the line just enough to bother me.

[draegonhawke.livejournal.com]

I second this. Most screenwriters are men, most men don't know how to deal with female characters. So there aren't nearly to many Totally Rawksome female characters out there as male ones.

Which is, you know, deeply annoying.

[emmarrrrr.livejournal.com]

LIFE ON MARS II: ONCE MORE, WITH HETEROSEXUALITY
you know i love you right?

i really can't comment other than that.

alex annoyed me a bit but i couldn't say why.

[the-funmonkey.livejournal.com]

the first episode of Ashes to Ashes just feels far too like a photocopy with breasts drawn on
This is the BESTEST description I've seen of it so far.

Alex was annoying, but so was Sam, and I liked Sam, and I sort of like Alex. I like difficult characters though, and the thought of Alex being a mental, uncompromising bitch makes me go :D

Saying that, I still do not like Gwen.

Can I join in the Carla love? Because wheee Carla.

[denorios.livejournal.com]

Life on Mars was brilliant and original, and the first episode of Ashes to Ashes just feels far too like a photocopy with breasts drawn on

That was exactly my reaction too. And like you I was a bit worried that I was against Alex just because she was a woman. I think I probably am harder on female characters than male ones, and yet there are plenty of female characters who are awesome. Alex Drake wasn't one of them. And yes, perhaps I was against her from the start for the unforgiveable reason that she isn't Sam.

I was very very disappointed with A2A and it'll honestly be an effort sticking with it, but bizarrely I feel like I owe it to Gene, if nothing else.

[serriadh.livejournal.com]

It's easier for female viewers to be harsher on women characteres because we expect them to be 'like us' in some way. (Probably because there are still far more totally excellent male characters than female) We're also more likely to spot mistakes than we are with 'male' characterisation.

And a lot of male writers don't write women quite as well as they write men (though there are exceptions, of course).

[wolfenkahlon.livejournal.com]

the first episode of Ashes to Ashes just feels far too like a photocopy with breasts drawn on

It had to be done:



I blame lack of sleep.

I haven't watched Ashes to Ashes yet... mostly I have a deep seated feeling of: "What's the point?"

I suspect Alex dislike may stem from a sort of loyalty to Sam, here comes this interloper replacing Sam, the best thing to do to be sure is to find yourself in another dimension where Alex was a man and and discuss responses to the character... er, wait... that might not work too well...

[rionaleonhart]

Hee! I clearly need to make bizarre visual metaphors more often if people are going to draw them for me.

AND BY METAPHORS I MEAN SIMILES, YOU SAW NOTHING, I AM A GOOD ENGLISH STUDENT.

And the main problem probably is the lack of Sam, yes. RETURN TO US, SAM; WE MISS YOU. Also that I still haven't quite got my head around the fact that Ashes to Ashes actually exists and is not, in fact, a joke.

[amy-wolf.livejournal.com]

Boobies! Sam-boobies! Yay!

[strangeumbrella.livejournal.com]

and Ashes to Ashes is so very similar to its predecessor (which distresses me, by the way; Life on Mars was brilliant and original, and the first episode of Ashes to Ashes just feels far too like a photocopy with breasts drawn on)
YES GOD YES. Watching the first episode of LOM for the first time was such a bizarre and amazing experience, filled with, who are these people? and FUCK HE JUST GOT RUN OVER WHAT and unexpected 1973! etc, etc; whereas absolutely nothing that happened in this opening episode surprised me, because... it's all happened before. D:

[newbie1990.livejournal.com]

Hey, I feel like a homophobe (WHAT, firefox, why do you not list this as a word?) for liking Gene/Alex, if that makes you feel any better? I GUESS WE ARE EVEN.