Processing feelings through writing
Aug. 30th, 2014 07:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
icepixieThese thoughts mostly ended up being about McMurphy and the sexual revolution, actually.
3.08: China Men
Possibly I hate Vinnie slightly less now. Slightly. Or possibly I hate him more, because I don't buy that he did the whole brownies-bubble bath-satin sheets thing genuinely out of the goodness of his heart with no expectation of something in return, no matter what he said when McMurphy called him on it. That kind of thing is especially toxic when mixed with someone like McMurphy, who lives to be self-sacrificing and compassionate under her tough outer skin.
Which makes it a bit tragic that everyone eventually falls a little in love with her, because that's exactly what she doesn't need. And at this particular moment in history, she's getting caught between the new expectation that everyone can have free love, man, so she can have multiple guys at one time if she wants; and the old expectation that women owe men for paying any kind of attention to them as long as they're unattached. God, what a sucky position to be in.
Speaking of men, Bernard still annoys me. At least he's back to annoying McMurphy. MAYBE HE WILL GO AWAY SOON.
I loved that scene between McMurphy and Richard at the makeshift putting lane where she went on about how sex is all about flirting and longing looks and anticipation, and the deed itself pales in comparison, and then he gives her a longing look as she walks away. And of course the whole scene had been one long flirtation, complete with discussion of birth control, Richard wrapping his whole body around her to, ahem, help her putting, and taking her purse so she could do it better (that was a nice touch). Uuuugh, you two, you are perfect for each other, I wish you'd just realize it already.
And then a little later, he asks "Why do they do it? Why do [women] make us crazy?" Heh. (Although uuuuugghhh, guys, spying on the women's showers with a periscope? Really? Beckett, I expected better of you. But ahahaha, the nameless private is Thomas Haden Church, aka Ned from Ned & Stacy, who is possibly the most appropriate character to do this aside from perhaps David Addison of Moonlighting.)
3.09-3.11: How to Stay Alive in Vietnam and Magic
HYERS. :( I admit, I rolled my eyes at his cornpone accent when he arrived, but I grew to like the little guy. And now he's dead. Because this show lives to break my heart.
I would love to have Cat Von Seeger become a regular. She made the patrol scenes interesting, and I liked her conflict with McMurphy. (Although ultimately, wouldn't McMurphy want the world to know more about what's happening in Vietnam? I guess there are layers there.) Her and Hyers were also adorable together. Does Hyers have a thing for older women? Heh.
I also liked the injured Cambodian man, Seak Yin; McMurphy's scenes with him were great. I think I need to do some more reading on this war, because while I have a vague idea of the two Vietnamese sides, I know there's nuance here that I'm missing. I'm glad they keep having Vietnamese/Cambodian/etc. characters appear and have a real impact on the story. It's interesting to watch the different reactions, such as Holly and Hong's friendship, Frankie's sudden distaste for all Vietnamese after the Jeep blowing up on her, Beckett and Mai's relationship, etc. And it's nice that some of them get their own stories and motivations too.
Of course, I think we all suspected after a while that Seak wasn't quite who he said he was, given that McMurphy attempted to assert that he was telling the truth about his impressment to the VietCong because she knows when a man's lying to her, while all the while Bernard was lying his ass off to her and she had no idea.
Speaking of Bernard, OH THANK GOD she finally broke up with him. He was even worse news than his initial appearance suggested, lying and two-timing and generally being a jackass. McMurphy, if you're interested in commitment then maybe you should start getting something in writing from the guys you date at the beginning of a relationship, because this seems to be a problem for you.
On the other hand, Vinnie is very interested in marrying her, but she doesn't love him back (because they've interacted for BARELY AN HOUR). But sleeps with him anyway and kind of does lead him on a bit, even if she doesn't mean to, because again there's that double bind I mentioned above and her particular vulnerability to it. You guys, with free love comes the need for free communication. I guess at least McMurphy figured that out by the end.
(This whole triangle makes certain marriage-related things in A Certain Later Episode even more poignant, to know it was what she wanted in the first place, and she finally found someone she loved who wanted the same thing, but then they couldn't have it. Oh, McMurphy.)
On this subject, the "no fraternizing between officers and enlisted folks" rule doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I know it's a real thing, but it still makes no sense. It's just to ensure no impression of favoritism in the chain of command, right? So why does it affect those who have no command relationship? Lila, obviously, is crossing the line with Sarge because she's the commander of the base (or was until Otis arrived, anyway) and technically everyone's boss, but in what possible world is a nurse going to command a...whatever Vinnie is, dog search and rescue or whatever? Also, the internet suggests that there's not to be any personal relationships between officers and enlisted people, but McMurphy and Frankie have been roommates for some time now. She and Beckett are obviously buddies. Believe me, I have no love for Vinnie, but this is dumb.
Anyway. KC has become a very interesting character this season. I wasn't terribly into her before, but she's gotten quite compelling. I like watching her try to turn into a legitimate businesswoman, and it hurts watching her get knocked down because of her gender and her reputation/occupation. Her fear in "Skin Deep" that she's never going to get off her back, even if it's only supposed to be a stepping stone to financial domination, is playing out pretty strictly here.
I've enjoyed her and Otis's relationship too. It's nice to see her go up against someone who'll stand up to her, cut from the same cloth, as he says.
Finally, Boonie and Holly. Aww.
I also liked the circus, and Beckett's magic act at the end of 3.11. Very cool. I liked his decision to go out on patrol so he could understand what "his men" had been through (and I liked the decision to frame it as them "talking" to him, and how he's completely nonchalant about telling other people this and sounding like a crazy person, heh), but it didn't seem to amount to much. Maybe it was just important that he did it.
The spotlighted monologues in the first half of "How to Stay Alive in Vietnam" seemed like they were building up to something (and Sarge's were fun), but then...nothing. Buh-wha? Cool idea, but it needed follow-through. A conclusion. A point. Something.
I am so not going to make this season last all weekend. Oh well!
3.08: China Men
Possibly I hate Vinnie slightly less now. Slightly. Or possibly I hate him more, because I don't buy that he did the whole brownies-bubble bath-satin sheets thing genuinely out of the goodness of his heart with no expectation of something in return, no matter what he said when McMurphy called him on it. That kind of thing is especially toxic when mixed with someone like McMurphy, who lives to be self-sacrificing and compassionate under her tough outer skin.
Which makes it a bit tragic that everyone eventually falls a little in love with her, because that's exactly what she doesn't need. And at this particular moment in history, she's getting caught between the new expectation that everyone can have free love, man, so she can have multiple guys at one time if she wants; and the old expectation that women owe men for paying any kind of attention to them as long as they're unattached. God, what a sucky position to be in.
Speaking of men, Bernard still annoys me. At least he's back to annoying McMurphy. MAYBE HE WILL GO AWAY SOON.
I loved that scene between McMurphy and Richard at the makeshift putting lane where she went on about how sex is all about flirting and longing looks and anticipation, and the deed itself pales in comparison, and then he gives her a longing look as she walks away. And of course the whole scene had been one long flirtation, complete with discussion of birth control, Richard wrapping his whole body around her to, ahem, help her putting, and taking her purse so she could do it better (that was a nice touch). Uuuugh, you two, you are perfect for each other, I wish you'd just realize it already.
And then a little later, he asks "Why do they do it? Why do [women] make us crazy?" Heh. (Although uuuuugghhh, guys, spying on the women's showers with a periscope? Really? Beckett, I expected better of you. But ahahaha, the nameless private is Thomas Haden Church, aka Ned from Ned & Stacy, who is possibly the most appropriate character to do this aside from perhaps David Addison of Moonlighting.)
3.09-3.11: How to Stay Alive in Vietnam and Magic
HYERS. :( I admit, I rolled my eyes at his cornpone accent when he arrived, but I grew to like the little guy. And now he's dead. Because this show lives to break my heart.
I would love to have Cat Von Seeger become a regular. She made the patrol scenes interesting, and I liked her conflict with McMurphy. (Although ultimately, wouldn't McMurphy want the world to know more about what's happening in Vietnam? I guess there are layers there.) Her and Hyers were also adorable together. Does Hyers have a thing for older women? Heh.
I also liked the injured Cambodian man, Seak Yin; McMurphy's scenes with him were great. I think I need to do some more reading on this war, because while I have a vague idea of the two Vietnamese sides, I know there's nuance here that I'm missing. I'm glad they keep having Vietnamese/Cambodian/etc. characters appear and have a real impact on the story. It's interesting to watch the different reactions, such as Holly and Hong's friendship, Frankie's sudden distaste for all Vietnamese after the Jeep blowing up on her, Beckett and Mai's relationship, etc. And it's nice that some of them get their own stories and motivations too.
Of course, I think we all suspected after a while that Seak wasn't quite who he said he was, given that McMurphy attempted to assert that he was telling the truth about his impressment to the VietCong because she knows when a man's lying to her, while all the while Bernard was lying his ass off to her and she had no idea.
Speaking of Bernard, OH THANK GOD she finally broke up with him. He was even worse news than his initial appearance suggested, lying and two-timing and generally being a jackass. McMurphy, if you're interested in commitment then maybe you should start getting something in writing from the guys you date at the beginning of a relationship, because this seems to be a problem for you.
On the other hand, Vinnie is very interested in marrying her, but she doesn't love him back (because they've interacted for BARELY AN HOUR). But sleeps with him anyway and kind of does lead him on a bit, even if she doesn't mean to, because again there's that double bind I mentioned above and her particular vulnerability to it. You guys, with free love comes the need for free communication. I guess at least McMurphy figured that out by the end.
(This whole triangle makes certain marriage-related things in A Certain Later Episode even more poignant, to know it was what she wanted in the first place, and she finally found someone she loved who wanted the same thing, but then they couldn't have it. Oh, McMurphy.)
On this subject, the "no fraternizing between officers and enlisted folks" rule doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I know it's a real thing, but it still makes no sense. It's just to ensure no impression of favoritism in the chain of command, right? So why does it affect those who have no command relationship? Lila, obviously, is crossing the line with Sarge because she's the commander of the base (or was until Otis arrived, anyway) and technically everyone's boss, but in what possible world is a nurse going to command a...whatever Vinnie is, dog search and rescue or whatever? Also, the internet suggests that there's not to be any personal relationships between officers and enlisted people, but McMurphy and Frankie have been roommates for some time now. She and Beckett are obviously buddies. Believe me, I have no love for Vinnie, but this is dumb.
Anyway. KC has become a very interesting character this season. I wasn't terribly into her before, but she's gotten quite compelling. I like watching her try to turn into a legitimate businesswoman, and it hurts watching her get knocked down because of her gender and her reputation/occupation. Her fear in "Skin Deep" that she's never going to get off her back, even if it's only supposed to be a stepping stone to financial domination, is playing out pretty strictly here.
I've enjoyed her and Otis's relationship too. It's nice to see her go up against someone who'll stand up to her, cut from the same cloth, as he says.
Finally, Boonie and Holly. Aww.
I also liked the circus, and Beckett's magic act at the end of 3.11. Very cool. I liked his decision to go out on patrol so he could understand what "his men" had been through (and I liked the decision to frame it as them "talking" to him, and how he's completely nonchalant about telling other people this and sounding like a crazy person, heh), but it didn't seem to amount to much. Maybe it was just important that he did it.
The spotlighted monologues in the first half of "How to Stay Alive in Vietnam" seemed like they were building up to something (and Sarge's were fun), but then...nothing. Buh-wha? Cool idea, but it needed follow-through. A conclusion. A point. Something.
I am so not going to make this season last all weekend. Oh well!
