Almost? You're more patient than I am. I think the emphasis on "ships" (as much as I heart Buffy and Spike in S7) has challenged me to think and write about other aspects of the show and other characters. Which is good thing, but trying to write about Buffy's story and BtVS as a whole without mentioning Spike - or S6 - or anything that could possibly, ever ever offend or upset anyone? MAJOR challenge.
Maybe that's also why I've started to read B/A/S fics, like Elisi's. I agree with her - shipping the three of them at once eliminates lots of headaches.
Ringer was a let-down. So many interesting possibilities in the pilot.
Weirdly enough the very end of the season was when my interest perked up again (evil/crazy lesbians to the contrary) because there was a shift in the narrative; originally Siobhan was a 2-dimensional villainess and Bridget the warm loveable protagonist, but then the story started to give Siobhan more depth and delved into their backstory more - by which point I realized that Bridget was really in deep in her own rationalizations and fantasies despite the shiny new moral compass provided by NA. I mean - basically doing to her sister's husband what Faith did to Riley in AYW. And that's actually what got me watching it was an interview with Sarah where she talked about the moral ambiguities, and hey, I'm always up for that. Which is to say I agree with you - a lot of wasted promise and not even trashy enough to be a true guilty pleasure.
Perhaps it's due to a lack of lesbian showrunners? Straight people who don't really know how to write them, so they go back to tropes.
You may be right (aren't there more power lesbians by now, or is there no trickle-down effect from Ellen and Melissa and etc?) OTOH it's not just the tropes, it's the fact that lesbian characters still don't even exist. Period. There were more lesbians "under cover" back in the 1960's, disguised as librarians and teachers and working girls and nosy neighbors, it feels like. And don't forget Roseanne in the 1980's.
I think our culture and our media, or those who run our media, aren't interested in women to begin with; but doubly-so with lesbians - no men in our beds, ergo no interest from those who "run the show". IMO
Most US TV writers and showrunners are as disconnected from society as our politicians are. Most grew up in Hollywood, 2nd or 3rd generation screenwriters.
But lesbians aren't a weird, exotic species of bird in Madagascar that they've only seen in picture-books. (ok, I just make myself giggle.)
Re: I knew I forgot to say something last time!
Maybe that's also why I've started to read B/A/S fics, like Elisi's. I agree with her - shipping the three of them at once eliminates lots of headaches.
Ringer was a let-down. So many interesting possibilities in the pilot.
Weirdly enough the very end of the season was when my interest perked up again (evil/crazy lesbians to the contrary) because there was a shift in the narrative; originally Siobhan was a 2-dimensional villainess and Bridget the warm loveable protagonist, but then the story started to give Siobhan more depth and delved into their backstory more - by which point I realized that Bridget was really in deep in her own rationalizations and fantasies despite the shiny new moral compass provided by NA. I mean - basically doing to her sister's husband what Faith did to Riley in AYW. And that's actually what got me watching it was an interview with Sarah where she talked about the moral ambiguities, and hey, I'm always up for that. Which is to say I agree with you - a lot of wasted promise and not even trashy enough to be a true guilty pleasure.
Perhaps it's due to a lack of lesbian showrunners? Straight people who don't really know how to write them, so they go back to tropes.
You may be right (aren't there more power lesbians by now, or is there no trickle-down effect from Ellen and Melissa and etc?) OTOH it's not just the tropes, it's the fact that lesbian characters still don't even exist. Period. There were more lesbians "under cover" back in the 1960's, disguised as librarians and teachers and working girls and nosy neighbors, it feels like. And don't forget Roseanne in the 1980's.
I think our culture and our media, or those who run our media, aren't interested in women to begin with; but doubly-so with lesbians - no men in our beds, ergo no interest from those who "run the show". IMO
Most US TV writers and showrunners are as disconnected from society as our politicians are. Most grew up in Hollywood, 2nd or 3rd generation screenwriters.
But lesbians aren't a weird, exotic species of bird in Madagascar that they've only seen in picture-books. (ok, I just make myself giggle.)