Hi everyone. Sorry it took me so long to post here, but I started late, and I wanted to be sure I was caught up on all the episodes I had DVR'd before commenting on the show. For my own mental organization, I'm going to have to break this down by person:
Carmen: OK, so often when I'm watching a show (like a sitcom) where I feel the characters are acting stupid, I find myself getting up and pacing around the room, or suddenly remembering that the dishes urgently need washing. With this show, I find myself wanting to do that almost every time Carmen opens her mouth. However, I force myself to sit through it. This is not about what makes me comfortable. I totally agree with Minh that she Carmen needs to be more self-analytical. It's way too easy to just feel good about herself by looking at her husband. When she talked about the "tribal atmosphere" it reminded me a bit of when I lived in Chile and my parents came to visit. We were sitting in a park watching kids play in a fountain, and my mom decided she wanted to take a picture. That was fine, except that she said something about wanting to get a shot of the "natives playing." Now, I know my mom well enough to realize that's not what she meant. She's lived in other countries for extended periods of time and doesn't really view things in such a dichotomous way. Nevertheless, the words she chose really bugged me, and I told her so (she didn't cry). I think there is a similar situation with what Carmen said to the poetry group. She needs to examine why she chose the words she did. It's not walking on eggshells, it's learning. In fact, I'd have her go a step beyond just looking at her words. She claimed that everything she said "came from her heart." Well, what is it that her heart is really feeling/thinking? Would she have been as impressed by the eloquence of these kids if they had all been white? Even if she would have, would she have felt the need to express it in the same way? I have little faith that she will delve this deep into things, but maybe if she gets pushed hard enough, she'll run out of tears and actually start opening her eyes.
Rose: She is definitely going to get a lot out of this experience because she is open to learning about herself. She doesn't think that she came here to teach everyone else a lesson. I really wish she could articlate her understanding better to her parents, Carmen in particular (mostly because Bruno is more of a lost cause). I am waiting to see the show put her in a situation that is as difficult for her as the ones Carmen and Bruno seem to be in, but I don't know if it will happen. The difficulties her parents face are so much of their own making.
Bruno: Someone needs to take him down a peg. Or better yet, body slam him. In his case, I don't even think that his superiority complex is strictly limited to things racial. His reaction to Renee's parenting choices (when she was yelling at Nick about the watch) seemed to be more than just about her word choices ("negro"), but also about her general tone. I think he is one of those people who like to think that they managed to raise their kid without ever once losing their cool. I'm sure Cate or any other parent can vouch for how unlikely that is. He even seems to think he's better than his wife, which just raises a whole slew of issues I don't even feel like tackling right now. What does everyone think it would take to force Bruno to a breakthrough point?
Brian: In some ways he is more like Bruno than he would like to think, at least in terms of stubbornness and seeing what he wants to see. I am very interested to see how his relationship with Nick plays out. It seems to me there is a fine line between teaching Nick to be aware of the world around him, and inadvertently passing along his own (subconscious) prejudices. It's good that Brian wants to work against Nick's apathy in any way that he can, but I think it will be harder for him than he imagines to let Nick then choose his own direction, once Nick has discovered his own sense of drive.
Nick: I bet there is a lot more thinking going on behind that jaded teen exterior than he wants anyone to know. Like when Rose asked him all those questions about getting kicked out of school, and at the end asked him if he was worried about himself. He didn't say anything, but it seemed like the answer was yes (though, admittedly, that could just be skillful TV editing). I would like to see an episode that focuses a lot on Nick, ideally forcing him to actually talk about what he's thinking and feeling. Even if it has nothing to do with race.
Renee: I thought the way she only sort of spoke up when Carmen was trying to buy the dashiki earlier was interesting. You could tell from her face that she thought it was ridiculous, but all she did was act noncommital. Was this just her thinking she was clearly demonstrating her distaste for it, and Carmen not getting the signal? Or was it that Renee was secretly hoping to watch Carmen make a fool of herself? Or did Renee simply not wish to be rude? I feel like Renee has a hard time articulating her feelings and thoughts in a way that Carmen and Bruno can understand. But I also see her as being sick of having to always be the one to make an effort to cross the divide. Why should she always have to point out what's wrong and right? Shouldn't Carmen and Bruno be asking before doing or speaking sometimes? Anyway, I hope Renee doesn't slip into the background as Carmen constantly seems to take center stage with her crying and drama.
Other thoughts: I didn't realize until I sat down and started writing that I had such a beef with Carmen. Bruno actually pisses me off more, but I guess I've sort of given up on him already. I am amazed by Deanna's patience. I wonder what it is in her that drives her willingness to educate Carmen? Will she be able to keep it up. Also, I am not quite sure I believe that all these people are taking the "coming out" moments as well as they seem to be. I am convinced there is some tricky TV editing going on there. I don't know. It's just that if it were me they were coming out to, I think it would feel rather different than a close friend revealing their sexual orientation or something, but I can't put my finger on why it would feel different. Who knows? Maybe it wouldn't. In which case I wouldn't bat an eye.
Hopefully I will be more articulate the next time I write. I just had a lot to get off my chest this time, and it just sort of came tumbling out.
Comments