where do they make subtext?

[bitterfig]

I just finished watching season 1 of the television show Heroes and I can honestly say I’m a little obsessed. It’s not a great show but it is totally my kind of show, a sort of sprawling mishmash of elements from X-Men, Watchmen and the Manchurian Candidate and post 9/11 paranoia with lots of grandiose themes, moral ambiguity, family dysfunction

Comments

[ninkasa]

I've just started watching Merlin from S1 over the weekend. I really rather <3 it, mostly for it's subtext. :)

(And I really love Arthur real hard.)

[bitterfig]

Arthur's just a bit too alpha-male for my tastes but he is cute.

[lawless523]

Or, as Giles once said, "I believe the subtext is rapidly becoming text."

[bitterfig]

Buffy of course had a ton o' subtext of all kinds... Not to mention text (Willow/Tara).

[lawless523]

I no longer remember what text it was he was talking about either. And subtext in Buffy was often heteroerotic. Angel and Spike fighting over Drusilla (though I suppose to some that might have seemed homoerotic). Spike sucking on Drusilla's fingers (or was it the other way around? I forget). Angel biting Buffy during the Graduation Day episode. And, of course, Tara and Willow, my favorite lesbian couple. My next favorite would be the female Zeroes (I can never remember their names) from Loveless.

[bitterfig]

I think vampirism just naturally lends itself to sexual metaphor. I remember there was a lot of Buffy/Faith subtext on the show, things like you'd see them panting and flailing around like they were having sex then you'd see they were fighting vampires. Also something that made a really strong impression on me was the fem-dom S&M element that sometimes got displayed, I think of Drusilla hypnotizing Giles, some scenes with Glory and Spike where she was torturing him, Faith torturing Wesley on Angel, vamp!Willow torturing Angel in the alternate reality. All very intense.

[amles80]

I was a little surprised when I started watching Heroes because I didn't think that it was my kind of show really - but it is addictive. ;) I liked the mystery of it in the beginning; what does all of it mean, is HRG one of the good guys or a villain, does he really love Claire or not, who know what and who is to be trusted.... I thought about these things more than about the subtexts then, but now as I'm rewatching it, I notice more details! I can't decide if I believe that Peter/Nathan is intentional or if it's just a quirk of chemistry. But they are very physically close...

I haven't watched any of the other shows you mention, except maybe two or three episodes of Merlin; not enough to catch my interest... I wanted to like it because I read books on that theme when I was younger - the fact that there's homoerotic subtext doesn't surprise me.

[bitterfig]

I was a big comic book reader for years and I always read about super-powered teams like the X-men, Teen Titans and the Legion of Superheroes so an ensemble show about people with super powers really appeals to me. I did think season 1 was really well crafted. I've heard the upcoming seasons aren't as good but I'm willing to give it a try. Last night I actually watched an episode of the current season. I wanted to watch it because I'd heard Robert Knepper, one of my favorite actors had been added to the cast as a villian. I was worried I wouldn't be able to follow the storyline but other than Niki being someone else (and she seemed to be flirting with Claire until she froze her solid) I didn't have much trouble.

I was very much into books about the Arthurian Legends when I was younger. Mists of Avalon was my favorite book for years in high school.

[amles80]

It's true, upcoming seasons aren't as good - I was actually close to stop watching because I felt that it was all becoming a little "too much", but then this strange Angela Petrelli crush hit me really hard... so I'm looking forward to the 4th season, whenever it will get here. I wonder how many diffrent "Niki" we'll get before this is over! :)

Yes, Mists of Avalon... I think I must have read that one three or four times in high school! :)

[gribouille]

I like Heroes very much, and Nathan/Peter is one of my favourite pairings in the show - especially since that subtext is always present at least once in every season. It's true that seasons 2 and 3 (especially the first part of season 3) are not as great, and are sometimes even bad - yet season 4 has so far been brilliant, except for a few things. Robert Knepper is great (I read among other comments that you saw this week's episode, haven't had the chance to see it yet, I hope his character was in it, because he's simply fascinating).

Haven't had the chance to see Merlin yet, but I've heard that the subtext is really... obvious. Might try and watch it someday ^^;;;

Anyway glad to hear you're better ! Enjoy watching all these shows !

[bitterfig]

I was so happy to find out that Robert Knepper was on Heroes. I absolutely love him. Along with Reservoir Dogs, Prison Break was the first fandom I participated in. I wrote a million stories inspired by Knepper's character T-Bag in the late winter and spring of 2006. I was definately borderline obsessed. I'm happy to say that Knepper was in this weeks episode ("Brother's Keeper" I think it was called), complete with black fingernail polish. He kills me, he really does.