http://grassle.livejournal.com/ ([identity profile] grassle.livejournal.com) wrote in [personal profile] chamekke 2012-05-02 02:35 pm (UTC)

I can pay this no higher compliment than to say I started reading, stoppped, fetched my knitting and a cuppa, and settled back down. No gribaldis, sadly. Nor pink wafers.

What a detailed analysis. I love how you move from squee at the 70s!visual porn (Avon ladies! vol-au-vent! cheese and pineapple on a stick! Black Forest Gateau!) of 'the one with the women' to discuss the deeper (leit)motifs.

Even on first viewing I thought the use of red throughout striking and the amount of protagonism the women had. And Annie as a strong character who happens to be a female not a Moffatised strong (= superhuman) female character was great to see.

I remember thinking how 'childish' Sam was seen as in this ep - probably the pjs, but also seeming like a kid in front of Carol and the canteen lady, and even the Beauvoir ladies. I loved the 'house full of women' throwaway of his childhood, especially as we know his father left: the matriarchy expanding to colonise that space. 'The Nan generation' Russell Brand calls it.

Hadn't picked up on all Sam's costume changes, but a thing I always liked was that as early as series 1 ep 2, Sam, dressed as a Lifeguard, is already fitting in, and conflicted about it.

I would say more and be more coherent (well, try) but I'm at work. Just to say thanks so much for this photo essay. (They're probably not called that these days.) I look forward to reading your readers' thoughts too.

(Wish I'd got into this fandom! Sadly I didn't even know there were such things as fandoms at the time.)

penelope grassle is the daughter of a lady who really made hedgehogs out of melons and stuck things on sticks on them for parties. And had a Soda Stream. And a Breville.

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