It rationalizes the narrowing of the woman's character (she hasn't gone soft, she's just fighting a different fight!), but it also has the converse effect of downplaying the dramatic potential inherent in *actual* childrearing (these babies are always so well-behaved!) and making it even more obvious that the woman has been shifted totally out of character.
Exactly. That was my problem with the kid for Scully storyline. The writers didn't handle her reactions well, partially I think, because she was embodied with all of the masculine characteristics of logic and science and reasoning and then the writer's didn't know how to also make her maternal without being absurd. It's why she was their greatest character and their greatest failure, and why (for me) other women on the show were unappealing caricatures more than strong characters.
And really, no infant or child behaves that well. Kids are noisy and messy and difficult and fascinating, and exasperating and that should be part of the interaction parents have with them. (I hate simpering precocious children as much as I hate an overabundance of female tears:)
I've always like the thought of John and Aeryn's offspring being a terminally pissed off teenager, male or female. CAn you imagine being 13 and having your parents be responsible for mass destruction? How do you reconcile their actions with the fact that they're your folks?
Re: Long-ass comment warning...
Date: 2003-09-17 02:11 pm (UTC)Exactly. That was my problem with the kid for Scully storyline. The writers didn't handle her reactions well, partially I think, because she was embodied with all of the masculine characteristics of logic and science and reasoning and then the writer's didn't know how to also make her maternal without being absurd. It's why she was their greatest character and their greatest failure, and why (for me) other women on the show were unappealing caricatures more than strong characters.
And really, no infant or child behaves that well. Kids are noisy and messy and difficult and fascinating, and exasperating and that should be part of the interaction parents have with them. (I hate simpering precocious children as much as I hate an overabundance of female tears:)
I've always like the thought of John and Aeryn's offspring being a terminally pissed off teenager, male or female. CAn you imagine being 13 and having your parents be responsible for mass destruction? How do you reconcile their actions with the fact that they're your folks?