The wait is over!

[gothikmaus]

I finally watched Hawaii Five-0 3x01.

My favourite part? Catherine head-butting one of the bad guys. Why, yes, I'm a big Catherine fan and I hope the writers won't mess up her character. Also, it's much more believable to have her fight than it was to have Lori fighting and shooting like a pro. I mean, I'm sure she would have to have some training, but she was a profiler, while Catherine is an active sailor, even if she mostly works for the intelligence office.

And I really want to see where the writers are going with the Steve/Cath relationship. They've mostly been on a friends with benefits basis until now, because they rarely were in the same place at the same time, so they couldn't really build a relationship. But when they said goodbye in 2x04 it was clear as day that they really cared for each other. So, yeah, I wanna see where this is going. Also because I've seen an interview where Michelle Borth said it's not gonna be easy and we all know how emotionally constipated Steve can get (and hello, trust issues), so having a serious relationship with someone who's around all the time, as opposed to once every few months, is bound to create some problems. I'm really looking forward to that.

Now allow my Sociology of Media background to show for a moment: I don't know if Americans notice this or if they're so used to it they think it's normal, but it really bothers me how the "good guys" are allowed, even encouraged, to exact their revenge on the bad guys, i.e. kill them, and everyone calls it "justice". See Chin shooting Delano, Kono shooting Toothpick, the team shooting pretty much all the villians in every single episode. Or the SEAL mission at the end of 2x03. It may seem normal in a country where the Second Amendment is still valid, but it's not the Wild West anymore, ffs.

Sorry, just ignore my European ramblings and let's all focus on the squee.

Comments

[bluedelft.livejournal.com]

I saw that interview also with Michelle Borth and has me curious.

I'm not a shipper usually but Steve/Cath is one ship/relationship that I really like.

[gothikmaus.livejournal.com]

As much as I love Steve/Danny, I think Steve and Catherine really work, or at least they did when they didn't see each other much: they're similar and wanted the same thing. It'll be interesting to see how their relationship will evolve now.

[sunnyside-up.livejournal.com]

I can totally get behind a steve/cath ship. Love them together. I get what you're saying totally re the whole shooting people for revenge issues. But I kind of grew up with eighties action movies so that's what I'm used to but in real life its a huge no no for me. I can't stand to hear about that sort of 'ends justify the means' notion of justice and revenge.

[gothikmaus.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I saw a ton of American films and TV series too, so I'm kinda used to it, but I still find it annoying. Tsk, those Americans and their Wild West Syndrome. ;)

[gyri.livejournal.com]

I do like Catherine, but I hope they don't focus on her and Steve at the expense of Steve and Danny.

I found your comment regarding the whole revenge thing very interesting. Is it really so obvious with us compared to outside the U.S.?

[gothikmaus.livejournal.com]

I'd love to see Steve struggling in the relationship and Danny giving him unwanted advice. :D

For me the whole revenge thing is very obvious, but it may be because I have a degree in Sociology of Media, so I tend to notice those things. Showing a behaviour and presenting it as normal is the most effective way to manipulate the audience. And it's the never-ending cycle: is society violent because TV shows are violent or are TV shows only depicting today's violent society? In this specific case: is revenge just a normal part of American culture and TV shows are written accordingly, or has revenge become part of American culture because it was shown as acceptable on TV?

Um, sorry, I get carried away when I talk about this stuff.

[polarforscherin.livejournal.com]

It really is obvious. But I think that's a pattern you find in German shows too. The good guys, often enough cops who should know what they are allowed to do and what they aren't, don't stick to the rules and do whatever they want to get the bad guys. And they never have to face any consequences afterwards, of course. Maybe it's more common in American shows but I'm sure that it exists here as well.

It's very interesting that you point out what all of this might do to the audience. I've never looked at it like that.

[gothikmaus.livejournal.com]

It happens here too, because TV and film productions have obviously been heavily influenced by American productions. But American shows are so over the top it's hard not to notice.

The mutual influence between media and audience is one of the things I found most interesting in university and I guess it stuck with me.

[polarforscherin.livejournal.com]

I think in German shows it's less about revenge but about being allowed to ignore every law and every rule if you're a good guy. It's alarming.

It is very interesting. I think the audience doesn't mind rule-breaking good guys. Maybe some wish that real cops could behave like that too.