Marvelous Meta Monday -- Miss Parker and a can of worms

[nyias]

Let’s talk about Pretender, specifically Miss Parker. Pretender is a show about a guy who is kidnapped as a child and raised as a science experiment at a think tank called The Centre. Eventually he gets fed up and runs away, and goes off to help random people. This is the A plot. Miss Parker, who works at the Centre, is tasked with hunting him down

Comments

[blademistress]

Maybe she’s a progressive woman character in a show of conservatism. She is tough, she doesn’t want her own family, she’s focused on herself and doing what’s best for her. I’ve admired those facets of her character for a long time. But all of a sudden, I’m not sure that’s what’s going on.I think in a lot of ways Miss Parker is embodying the butch lesbian female character trope, whereas Brigette and Catherine Parker are the whore and the mother. I think the aspects you mentioned are possibly the most important progressive elements of Miss Parker's character if not the only ones. I've been trying to think of characters with those same facets that exist on our television today and have come up with only one: Robin from How I Met Your Mother. Miss Parker is never 'punished' for her sexuality, though in some respects I think maybe Brigette is

[nyias]

Thank you so much for your thoughtful reply. I can't believe I am so slow answering. Shame on me.

I'd argue that she is possibly progressive as well from the view that her story through the series is in getting agency over herself.

That is a good point, and I like how you've broken down the concept season by season. Still, at the end of everything she hasn't succeeded. I wonder what would have happened if the show had continued.

I'm not familiar with your examples of women characters on other shows, except Supernatural. At the very least, the love and respect the Winchester men have for two women (their mom and Jess) is what initially sets the plot of the show in motion, and I think that's a positive thing in some ways. However, it doesn't make up for how, in so many subsequent episodes, female characters are just damsels in distress.

[kirbyfest]

Hm.

It is a deeply conservative show in many ways, but they actually subvert this in a major way relative to family. The text of the show is constantly "FAMILY FAMILY FAMILY BLOOD IS EVERYTHING FAMILY BLOOD FAMILY FAMILY OMG DID I MENTION FAMILY?"

The constant undercurrent, however, is the idea that families are not just born, but are chosen. Sydney and Jarod. Miss P, Broots and Sydney. Even young Jarod/Miss P. The families of choice on the show are (often) more loving, more supportive, and more honest than the blood families. I find that fascinating, and it's one of the reasons I watched.

They're out there searching for their blood families, and if they'd look next to them, they'd find they already have the family they need.

I can't even analyze their treatment of women overall, because IMO they hadn't the faintest what to do with women in general. Ever.

[nyias]

Major apologies that it's taken me so long to reply to this comment. Also, for posting it twice in an effort to fix the formatting

[somethingelse__]

I'm totally going to read this when I have a moment,

but omg. Thanks.

[nyias]

No worries! It will be here for the forseeable future.