fresh stuff

misterjmasters:

jekoh:

misterjmasters:

lesliecrusher:

okay i promised myself i wouldn’t say any more about it because the show hasn’t even aired yet and tumblr’s endless preemptive hand-wringing over it is getting old fast but

• lucy liu
• as an incarnation of john watson
• lucy liu
• who is notably NOT A WHITE DUDE!!!!
• playing an ICONIC ROLE 
• that has time and time again been reserved for WHITE DUDES
• tumblr 
• what is your problem with this again

The fact that they’re making her not a war veteran, not wounded and a disgraced doctor who can’t get work doing anything except following around an eccentric detective.

I was excited till I found that out.

The role isn’t empowering if they remove all of the pieces that MADE that role such a strong, iconic role.  Unless one thinks that the only important parts of Watson’s character were following Holmes around, recording their experiences, and voicing mild aggravation with his habits but awe of his genius.

Hey, you know, if you take away the recording part it almost sounds like an old school depiction of a nagging adoring housewife.  Maybe they can have Watson bring Holmes his pipe and slippers after chastising him for smoking too much.

…sorry.  Was that too much snark?  But do you see my point?  They gave the role to a female of color on the condition that the character no longer be competent, complex, or accomplished.  That’s not empowerment.  That’s patronization.  That’s an insult.

Give me Lucy Liu as a Watson with a limp, a medal, and a practice.  Then I’ll be satisfied.

Also: This is not hand-wringing. This is closer to punching things.

Well said.

Also, I was really excited about it.  Until I found out they dumbed down the character.

beckyh2112:

emchelle:

beckyh2112:

emchelle:

beckyh2112:

Tumblr: America needs to stop being racist and sexist, pay more attention to women and PoC ok
CBS: Hey guys guess what we decided Watson should be played by a Taiwanese, female actress in our version of Sherlock Holmes
Tumblr: NOOOOOOOOOOOO YOU CAN’T DO THAT HOW DARE YOU I AM BOYCOTTING YOUR SHOW I HAVE NEVER SEEN THIS IS THE WORST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED

Right, because changing the characterization, and the most likely possibility that the gender swap was only for canonical hetero-romantic purposes, has absolutely nothing to do with it.

The show isn’t even airing. You can’t say they’ve changed the characterization when you haven’t even seen it yet. Also, dude, they do that all the damn time. See: every movie ever where they made Watson a stupid bumbler.

point of clarification: they’ve eliminated Watson’s history as a soldier. That’s what I was referring to.

Why they felt the need to do that…well, I have my theories (because, you know, woman are never soldiers). But being a veteran is a pretty fundamental part of Watson’s characterization. I was unaware that any other previous adaptation had changed that basic fact, but I’m totally willing to be proven wrong here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adaptations_of_Sherlock_Holmes

My eyes glazed over reading this. I think at about the point where we got to Wishbone adaptations and adventures with cryogenically-frozen-and-thawed!Sherlock and Watson’s grand-daughter, someone’s point had been made.

Yeah, I’m…not even going to attempt to read all that.

I stand by my original post, which was really just a Hey, head’s up, not all of us freaking out are racist misogynist douchebags. I totally support - nay, love - the idea of gender-and-race-bending iconic figures. But the characterization counts as much as the representation, you know? I don’t trust CBS as far as I can spit.

‘Intelligent white male lead’ meets ‘humanizing non-white female sidekick’ isn’t brave or bold: it’s status quo. I don’t see anything here but a network’s decision to seem very progressive while not actually changing anything up, except for stripping Watson of his (her) veteran status. There are so many, many ways for this to go so very, very wrong.

So I’m skeptical, if you can’t tell. But I will watch it.

I’ve rarely been surprised by network television, but when it does happen, it’s a nice feeling.

(Source: ileolai)

beckyh2112:

emchelle:

beckyh2112:

Tumblr: America needs to stop being racist and sexist, pay more attention to women and PoC ok
CBS: Hey guys guess what we decided Watson should be played by a Taiwanese, female actress in our version of Sherlock Holmes
Tumblr: NOOOOOOOOOOOO YOU CAN’T DO THAT HOW DARE YOU I AM BOYCOTTING YOUR SHOW I HAVE NEVER SEEN THIS IS THE WORST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED

Right, because changing the characterization, and the most likely possibility that the gender swap was only for canonical hetero-romantic purposes, has absolutely nothing to do with it.

The show isn’t even airing. You can’t say they’ve changed the characterization when you haven’t even seen it yet. Also, dude, they do that all the damn time. See: every movie ever where they made Watson a stupid bumbler.

point of clarification: they’ve eliminated Watson’s history as a soldier. That’s what I was referring to.

Why they felt the need to do that…well, I have my theories (because, you know, woman are never soldiers). But being a veteran is a pretty fundamental part of Watson’s characterization. I was unaware that any other previous adaptation had changed that basic fact, but I’m totally willing to be proven wrong here.

(Source: ileolai)

There’s something incredibly dynamic about their relationship, because on one hand there’s this really intense, studious guy who is almost alien. His super-intelligence is intimidating and he doesn’t seem to be on the same level as everyone else. And on the other hand there’s this guy who is more down to earth and noble; this man can pierce through the other guy’s wall with his likability and his hard-headed resolve and determination. In all respects, they shouldn’t be compatible at all, but it just works for them.

heathyr:

(via ilikethesmelloftoday)