watching X-files with the lights on; and organic chemistry

[xparrot]

Saw the new X-files movie last night. gnine told me it was random about two dozen times. This was not enough to convince me of how random it really was. If you're wondering how random was it? Just so you know, it was RANDOM.

The plot - plots - plot and a half - what the heck did Scully's storyline have to do with the price of fish, or two-headed dogs, as it were? - they weren't even X-files, hardly. Stem cell research, modern Frankenstein - ummm, not really, no. Sorry.

But who cares?

Battle!Scully and her mad surgical skillz! CKR as a crazy gay Russian! Caldwell Skinner snuggling drugged!Mulder to keep him warm! Sunflower seeds and pencils in the ceiling! And most importantly, Mulder and Scully curled up together in a big bed calling each other by their last names and discussing icky pseudoscience! Oh you crazy kids and your spooky pillow-talk! ♥♥♥

Sometimes, it's really, really nice to have a het OTP.


And speaking of het...


In SGA - this came up in the comments on my post on "Tracker", but it's a thought I've had before, concerning Rodney, and Rodney/Keller, and romance in SGA in general. Putting aside my other feelings on the McKeller pairing - does anyone see sexual chemistry there? Because I don't. And I've kind of got a problem with that.

I had the same problem with Rodney/Katie Brown - more so, really, because they were both adults, pushing middle age, who supposedly had been dating on and off for a couple years. Yet they seemed awkward even holding hands; they were oddly adverse to touching even in private, and the only kiss we saw between them was when Cadman was in control, and was totally camp besides. Likewise, in "The Last Man," the McKeller kiss is sweet, but terribly chaste, and when Jennifer is on her deathbed they only hold hands.

It's not like Rodney doesn't have a sex drive - there's him and Sam, obviously; also he's openly attracted to the Wraith in "Aurora" and the scientist in "Inferno." And it's not that DH can't do sexual chemistry - he and Amanda Tapping are pretty crackling in "Grace Under Pressure" (not to mention various other performances; he heats it up underwater in Boa vs Python, about the only convincing thing in that entire movie; and he's pretty damn hot with the gay making out in Century Hotel) And Jewel Staite had no problems being both cute and sexual in Firefly. But together I don't get a sense of physical attraction. (It's almost to the point that I wonder if David and Jewel are uncomfortable playing it for some reason, perhaps the age difference? Or else it's the directors' choices.)

Especially with Rodney, it annoys me because (and I admit I might be oversensitive here, but) I get the impression the writers have a difficult time conceiving of Rodney as being sexually desirable. Both him being attracted to women, and women being attracted to him physically, are played more for laughs than anything else; while he's allowed awkward flirting and occasional obnoxiously sexist drooling, his actual sex life is purely theoretical and a matter of cheap jokes. The writers seem able to understand Keller liking Rodney's vulnerable woobie side, but struggle to imagine her or any woman actually wanting him physically. (In spite of much evidence to the contrary out here in the real world!) (Rodney's one of the few adult characters on TV who I could see as being a virgin; I don't think he's intended to be seen that way, but it's not that difficult to so interpret his inexperience and juvenile confusion with relationships.)

I'd be more offended on Rodney/DH's behalf if it weren't that the writers/directors have trouble portraying sexual chemistry, period. While Rodney gets it the worst (he's never actually kissed anyone in this timeline while in his right mind), no one's got much of an active or believable sex life. The weirdly uncomfortable hesitancy with most of Sheppard's hook-ups is partly how JFlan plays them, but partly the writing. With Ronon they've neatly skirted the issue (though his flashbacks of Melena are about the most explicitly sexual scene in the show), and for all Teyla's belly and cleavage shots, she managed to get pregnant entirely off-screen. Carson's had the most active love-life, but that's been mostly off-screen as well.

This wasn't an issue for me before (as I've said many times, I am quite happy with sex staying totally behind the scenes in SGA; it's not what I'm watching for) but now, when they're trying to write "romance," it's all confessions of love and statements of intentions, bizarrely separate from sexual desire, like they're all living in a Rogers & Hammerstein musical.

It also causes confusion when there is more of a physical (if platonic) connection between, say, John and Rodney (in "The Shrine") or the sparring between John, Teyla, and Ronon (any combination has quite sexually charged matches.) The romance comes across as less believable and meaningful
than the other relationships when it's missing the physical component that is essential to any adult romantic relationship.

Comments

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

I think you're stretching a bit to accommodate your own interpretations

Heh - absolutely true; McKeller gets me sulky and depressed and puts me in danger of stopping liking the show (yes, I am really sensitive ^^;) so I try to put the spin on it that's most satisfying for me. I am biased - and I'm honestly not trying to change anyone's mind, just trying to work things out for myself. (And yes, I admit that agreement from people similarly biased as myself makes me feel better! In all honesty, I'm jealous of all of you who really are enjoying the McKeller - I wish I could just switch myself over to it, but I can't...)

the SGA writers have all kinds of trouble with women (which is where I think the problem stems from in the first place.)

Oh, totally, I agree. The specific problems with writing/showing sexuality I fear might also be low-level homophobia - I've met guys before who cannot understand what women see in men, who refuse to acknowledge that men can be physically attractive. It's got to be difficult to write relationships from that perspective.

[argosy.livejournal.com]

puts me in danger of stopping liking the show

I've seen that from a bunch of people, and even have a few on my flist that pretty much did quit, which really makes me sad. I think they've kept the ship really restrained so far, and they built up Ronon/Keller a bit in the last ep (which makes me go wha?--Quarantine notwithstanding). I guess I understand. If they'd wanted to put John with someone else I might very well be like--no he belongs to Rodney! But, still, I'm sad to see this dividing us a bit. :-( I'm a McShepper through and through, but they're just so cute. And it's so far in the bg, I doubt it's ever going to take center stage too much (thank goodness).

ETA: I guess what I'm trying to say (badly) is that I think maybe people are worried about what's *going* to happen on the show, rather than what actually has (which is really only Rodney declaring heterosexual interest in a woman). And I doubt much really *is* going to happen, so I think we'll all be okay in the end. *hopeful*

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

But, still, I'm sad to see this dividing us a bit.

Me, too...*hugs*

I think part of the problem is that people experience OTPs in different ways - some people like one pairing but are happy to see the characters happy, however it works out; other people become attached to a specific relationship even more than the characters in it, so a threat to that relationship hurts and drives them from canon. (I fan both ways, depending on the show - the couple fandoms I haven't had any OTPs I've enjoyed the hell out of, but I have a tendency to get attached to relationships without meaning to.)

I think maybe people are worried about what's *going* to happen on the show, rather than what actually has

Definitely - Gnine reads spoilers and is always panicking about things that maybe/might/could happen, but a lot of them when they show aren't as bad as she feared. I think some of the panic now is because Mallozzi specifically said there was going to be more romance than ever before this season - "more" for SGA could still mean "not very much" but...it worries people.

[argosy.livejournal.com]

other people become attached to a specific relationship even more than the characters in it

See, now that's interesting. Oh, you wise fandom veteran, you. I was working with a theory that the people who viscerally hated McKeller were probably people that deep-down-gun-to-the-head-forced-to-choose preferred John over Rodney. I love them both, but it's Rodney for me when it comes down to it, and as a side consequence (I think), I can't read/tolerate fics that pair John with anyone else, or that involve John cheating on Rodney in any way. I will however (on occasion) read Rodney/Other, and I've even written Rodney/Teyla. So that's what I thought must be going on with all the gut-level McKeller hate I was seeing, but I like your take. *thinks*

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Oh, it's definitely not this - I am a Rodney-fangirl through and through; I do love John, but it's nothing like my wild adoration for Rodney and DH; and I primarily love John in relation to Rodney. I don't read fics with John in other pairings (I usually don't read fics where Rodney's not a major char); much as the McKeller irritates me, John/someone else serious would bother me much more (flirting with Larrin's one thing, he needs some outlet before he and Rodney hook up, but it'd break my heart if John started to love someone more than Rodney.) As it is, John's outrageous and obvious jealousy is one of the few pluses of the McKeller, for me. And I'm not alone; I know several other Rodney fans who are tetchy about the McKeller.

The thing is, in spite of my OTP, I actually do enjoy Rodney/other on occasion - Rodney/Teyla has its appeal, I've liked some Rodney/Ronon, and I have an unhealthy and dysfunctional love for Rodney/Sam (it could never work in the end, but the train wreck would be spectacularly sexy!) But I don't know if I'd want to see any of these happen in canon. I don't like McKeller for a variety of reasons (partly because it's taking away potential screentime from other relationships - like Rodney-Teyla - that I prefer; partly because I deeply dislike the "kinder, gentler Rodney McKay" and can't imagine Rodney being truly happy with someone he's not comfortable being himself around; partly it's a knee-jerk distaste for any textual pairings). But the OTP-breakage is a big sticking point for me, I can't deny that.

I intellectually understand the "I love this char and want to see them happy" school of fanning, but it's not the way I do it, or *can* do it, usually.

(Heh...I am way too entertained by analyzing ways of fanning, my own and everyone else's. All the different ways we love our shows and chars fascinate me!)

[argosy.livejournal.com]

and can't imagine Rodney being truly happy with someone he's not comfortable being himself around

See this is exactly why I like McKeller--they're both awkward geeks who have always been the smartest people in the room. I think Rodney can(potentially) completely be himself around her--and she would be amused/charmed/tolerant. I think we saw this in "Trio," for example. We haven't yet had a chance to see what they would be as an established couple--or even as real "buddies" yet--they're still in the first flush of awkward 'I really like this person,' let me overthink every second of every interaction with them mode. Which was the wrong place to be for Rodney/Katie after two years or whatever, but is the right place for McKay/Keller right now.

Even if the show goes there (and I have *serious* doubts they will), we're probably never going to get a chance to see McKeller as an established couple, damn tptb, so I don't think there will ever be a fair test of whether they can be themselves around each other (or compatibility, is that a better word?). So the conflation I've been seeing around (not necessarily here) between Rodney/Katie and Rodney/Jennifer confuses me. Rodney's still trying to impress Jennifer (in Tracker) as well he should be, bless him. It doesn't equate to how he was hopelessly unsexual and stiff around Katie after they'd known each other for so long. I could really see Rodney and Jennifer being good together in the long run.

Wow, Rodney/Jennifer really brings out the meta in me. I usually just nod along in the meta discussions, but it feels like there's so few people speaking up for McKay/Keller (on my flist, anyway, maybe I should plumb yours), that I seem to be compelled. Ah well, maybe now that I've stuck my feet in the meta waters I'll start speaking up more often about other things. *g*

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Yeah, "Trio" is the closest I've seen to an actual functional relationship between them; it implied that they found each other attractive, and Keller came across as genuinely amused by and fond of Rodney's foot-in-mouth disease. It just seems odd to me that well over six months later, they haven't progressed. (It also disturbs me a bit that Keller by her own admission was initially "taken" by the early-stage-infection Rodney of "The Shrine" - yes, he was cute like that, but she's known him over a year, she knew that was out of character for him, and she liked him better that way. I don't blame her for not diagnosing him, because if someone is acting extra chipper, evil brain-parasite would not be my first thought, either; but if you're most attracted to someone when he's not himself, that's not the best foundation for a relationship.)

I also admit that I have a hard time understanding what Rodney sees in Jennifer, other than that she's a cute girl who expressed an interest him. Which is the same thing that happened with Katie Brown - I never got the feeling with Katie that Rodney actually knew her as a person; he was just thrilled to have a pretty girlfriend who didn't detest him. (It made me sorry for Katie, because she did seem to genuinely like him.) And now I'm getting the same feeling with him and Jennifer. I don't know what they'd enjoy doing together or what they'd talk about, after the first blush of flirting. Which isn't to say that they *don't* have any common interests, or that I can't imagine any for them - just that we haven't *seen* any, except beer. (This is where the writers' weaknesses with romance and female characters really comes into play - John & Rodney are established as friends because we see them hanging out and having interests in common; but the writers don't really know how to create a romantic relationship beyond mutual liking.)

Erm, and I'm sincerely sorry if I'm forcing you into uncomfortable levels of meta! I enjoy a good polite debate, but not everyone fans this way (especially when it's all circular arguments; I'm not out to change your mind and am not expecting my own to be changed, I'm more just curious about the differences of interpretation. I don't think my interpretation of McKeller is any more valid - actually I think your interpretation is more valid, because it's probably how the writers are intending us to see it. I just can't get my mind/heart around it myself.)

You're not alone, though - my flist has quite a few gen fans, who tend to be friendlier toward the McKeller. horridporrid loves Keller and McKeller and posts extensive positive meta about them in her episode reviews, and friendshipper and tipper_green are partial to both as well.

[argosy.livejournal.com]

You didn't make me uncomfortable. I'm proud of myself for getting all meta. I always want to, but it hasn't usually worked out for one reason or another. :)

I think Keller was "taken" by Rodney in the sense that she was like, "Wow, guy I like is flirting with me, and he's really cute doing it," not, "wow, Rodney is suddenly much more likable than he ever was before." As for six months? I agree that would be a problem in RL (maybe? I've kept up flirtations longer than that), but it's weird nebulous TV-time, so who knows?

I just think there's not enough empirical evidence to judge yet. Rodney and Katie were supposed to be established as *dating* each other, Rodney and Jennifer are still circling around each other.

But yes, I'm all for discussion. Lets discuss more in future!

[winter-elf.livejournal.com]

Heh - absolutely true; McKeller gets me sulky and depressed and puts me in danger of stopping liking the show (yes, I am really sensitive ^^;) so I try to put the spin on it that's most satisfying for me.

yea, me too. I have the same knee jerk reaction, and I'm very unhappy as well with the way things are heading via the episodes :( But, I hope that instead of leaving, more people actually write 'fix-it' fics. That's what I really want, because OMG- John is sure playing up the jealous boyfriend there.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Heh - John's outrageous, obvious jealousy does make the McKeller almost worthwhile (almost). And yes, I hope for lots of cute fix-it fics (there's been a couple sweet ones, but I want mooooore!)