Well, everyone else has said it but this really is truly fantastic episode analysis... see why I wanted a whole series of these on the comm?? *nom*
I'm happily nodding agreement with a lot of this but remain caught (perhaps in a feminist fail on my part, I'm famous for them *g*) by the ways in which the profusion of women in this episode - especially women in resistance to Sam's expectations, women who clearly can't stand him - are still bringing the story back around to Sam and that loneliness that for me is always the underscoring theme of the episode with its failures at intimacy even when given outlandish opportunity. Does that function undermine women's agency as active movers in this story? I don't necessarily think so, but I also happily accept that LoM is always and forever about Sam's journey, with every other character and circumstance - men and women - playing a supporting role in framing that journey.
The way both Chris and Annie assert that women "like" Sam always amused me in this episode and in general because it's not just 2.04 where women clearly don't like Sam. Go right back to Beryl Raimes in 1.01, completely thrown by his frenetic questioning and so often thereafter it seems he just can't win with women (remember Layla/Leslie? Fuuuuuck... *facepalm*). Sam always strikes me as someone who has internalized a guidebook on how to be respectful to women, but his practical scores still suck. If anything, I think Gwen is responding to his loneliness/odd duckling sadness rather than out of any particular "like" of Sam.
Other than that, just gotta say a big fuck yeah on Sam's amazing wardrobe in this ep. Fanservice of the highest order, that :D
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branchandroot
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Date: 2012-05-03 02:17 am (UTC)I'm happily nodding agreement with a lot of this but remain caught (perhaps in a feminist fail on my part, I'm famous for them *g*) by the ways in which the profusion of women in this episode - especially women in resistance to Sam's expectations, women who clearly can't stand him - are still bringing the story back around to Sam and that loneliness that for me is always the underscoring theme of the episode with its failures at intimacy even when given outlandish opportunity. Does that function undermine women's agency as active movers in this story? I don't necessarily think so, but I also happily accept that LoM is always and forever about Sam's journey, with every other character and circumstance - men and women - playing a supporting role in framing that journey.
The way both Chris and Annie assert that women "like" Sam always amused me in this episode and in general because it's not just 2.04 where women clearly don't like Sam. Go right back to Beryl Raimes in 1.01, completely thrown by his frenetic questioning and so often thereafter it seems he just can't win with women (remember Layla/Leslie? Fuuuuuck... *facepalm*). Sam always strikes me as someone who has internalized a guidebook on how to be respectful to women, but his practical scores still suck. If anything, I think Gwen is responding to his loneliness/odd duckling sadness rather than out of any particular "like" of Sam.
Other than that, just gotta say a big fuck yeah on Sam's amazing wardrobe in this ep. Fanservice of the highest order, that :D