What defining characteristic is it that these series all do share in common?
Other than the fact that they all are glorified soap operas, that is.
And besides the obvious sleaze factor, of course.
Two words:
Gutter Machiavellianism!
Think of it as the opposite of Bertrand Russell's enlightened self-interest.
While some critics have praised the make-believe Leo-Straussian fictional universes of these series for their cynicism and self proclaimed "gritty realism" (they wish), the description is mostly misleading. And realistic they are not.
David Farland refers to it as the dark side of wisdom:
I do notice that half the woman on these things have arms bigger than mine.
ReplyDeleteAh! They must be working out, I guess.
DeleteDon't feel bad. This is what these actresses do. They go to the gym.
It's all the rage, nowadays.
The pressure has been on for blokes to keep up.
I remember first observing this as I was watching SG-1 and all of a sudden Dr. Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks) who started as a bit of a muscularly unimpressive scientist geek at the beginning of the show, suddenly started getting all buff, to a degree, I though was a bit out of character, and borderline ridiculous, if you ask me.
Don't get me wrong. I think muscles are nice. And healthy. They looked good in Atlantis on Teyla Emmagan (Rachel Luttrell) and on Ronon Dex (Jason Momoa---Isn't he cute ❤ - those were the days, he didn't look nearly as good in the role of Khal Drogo in Games of Thrones), there again, this was all well and good, but when Dr. Rodney McKay (David Hewlett) started to put on muscles, it felt odd.
I mean, I am aware that there is no reason to it. I realize Doctors (no, not this Doctor) just have as much right as anyone else to spend as much time at the gym as they want to. It must be an old stereotype I acquired while playing D&D and the like: class construction systems are a bitch.
These two healthy well-endowed gals—my, would you just look at them arms?—at each other's throats, above, on that picture are Zuleikha Robinson (Gaia) & Chiara Mastalli (Eirene) from Rome, a British-American series set in the 1st century BC, during Ancient Rome's transition from Republic to Empire.
DeleteGaia is a slave who maybe loves Pullo and also seduces him only to have an advantage over his wife, Eirene.
I don't know, Jerry. "Them arms" don't look so big to me.
Delete(@_@)
That's because you are looking in all the wrong places, Nausicaa.
DeleteI give you Natalie Dormer: Exhibit A.
Here she is in The Tudors: Exhibit B
And here again, in Game of Thrones: Exhibit C
And the woman has real talent. Size is not everything, you know. It takes true dedication being an actor nowadays.
As Natalie Dormer herself candidly shared it with the press, "they put [them] all in the same hotel whether [they]'re (filming) in Croatia or Belfast, so pretty much the person who has a sex scene at the end of the week is the person who's in the gym or not coming out for dinner."
Now, what has that to do with "gritty realism," or even just plain "realism." I do not know.
DeleteBut I'll tell you one thing. I sure wouldn't have gone to the trouble of keeping on watching some of these shows if Natalie Dormer was not in them.
I go to the bar and do alot of reps. Tone is more important to me than size. I keep telling myself that anyway.
ReplyDeleteI know, right?
DeleteWhat about that for "realism."
Furthermore, despite what anyone might tell you to the contrary, the bar is a way cooler place to pick up a chick. Trying to stop a hardcore Gym Bunnie mid half marathon on the treadmill to run the cube on her is unrealistic and unnatural.