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error_cascadeContent notes: Has not been edited. Has not been written in a way that facilitates comprehension. Some discussion of racism & sexism.
Anyways, it's been half a year since I watched TUA series and I think the thing that's stuck with me the most is Allison's... moral situation. But in a good way! She's such a fun character because she really is pushing the bounds of the good person category while being utterly beautifully sympathetic and heroic.
Just, the contrast in the first season between her husband/children and her having the breakdown in the car, a la I heard a rumour that you loved me and her almost foolishly selfless forgiveness of Vanya. Like, ah! The layers. I generally find the subject of temptation to leave me cold, but in the case of Allison it's so fascinating. There's a very low barrier of entry for her to use her powers; it's not something she needs to premeditate and ruminate on the morality of to become "tempted." Less Macbeth, more a mistake you could make in a short burst of anger or emotion. That line leaves her whole relationship in disarray - would it be accurate to think of it as her sexually assaulting her husband? Maybe? But, g0d, if you had the power to make someone love you, and then you saw the results, could you convince yourself that it wasn't real? Does the rumour last for years? Or could we conceive of it as Allison giving their romance a push for momentum where the love that came after was genuine?
Allison's violations of her family's autonomy is sharply contrasted in how she treats Vanya. And why? Is it because she's trying to offer Vanya something that she didn't get (i.e. forgiveness)? Is it that with her power temporarily taken away, she can let her true self (compassionate) shine through? Is it that with Vanya she's no longer playing the sunk-cost fallacy game where she tried to convince herself that her actions were fine so she keeps doing them? The contrast in this absolutely caring, loving action, and whatever was going on with her first family. There's a dozen different ways to see it and I want to see them all
I also find it interesting that the Dark Horse comics version of Allison Hargreeves (rumor) is a white woman. Part of me wonders at whether being adapted from a source where the character had the presumed good intentions of a white woman (think, Agnes Jurati) allowed the same intentions and complexities to be extended to the character when played by a black actress. Sort of similar to how delightfully fucked up Jerryn Hogarth was in Jessica Jones. There's probably more fucked up lesbian lit/film/television I haven't got around to, but would a Netflix series like JJ write in a very fucked-up noir character like Jerryn Hogarth if she wasn't genderbent from a male source? IDK.
And the second season. There was so much going on for Allison. The things that stuck with me include her drinking with Klaus, but especially the scenes where she physically removed the white racist from the barber shop & when she rumored the racist restaurant owner into burning himself. The drinking scene because it was so bittersweet and kind of joyful. The first fight scene because she was so undeniably heroic and kind of. A power fantasy. And the character work of not needing to use her powers per-se to solve a problem.
And the restaurant scene. It was interesting because I found it very hard to have empathy for the shop owner until late in the scene. At first it feels heady and intoxicating, and then you see that Allison's gone cold and that everyone wants her to stop and that it's so addictive. The fundamental conflict of how Allison approaches her powers was so apparent. It was interesting because I don't know if the framing of it was meant to make the viewer see it through Allison's eyes, but that's how it felt. Like, justified rage by using her abilities to do the same thing the man had done to her earlier, followed by the moment of regret, was that too far, was that too much, do you understand what I am now, what this is?
Allison you're so problematic I love you. I want her to have hundreds of beautiful happy endings and I want to see her go completely off the rails evil. :)
Anyways, it's been half a year since I watched TUA series and I think the thing that's stuck with me the most is Allison's... moral situation. But in a good way! She's such a fun character because she really is pushing the bounds of the good person category while being utterly beautifully sympathetic and heroic.
Just, the contrast in the first season between her husband/children and her having the breakdown in the car, a la I heard a rumour that you loved me and her almost foolishly selfless forgiveness of Vanya. Like, ah! The layers. I generally find the subject of temptation to leave me cold, but in the case of Allison it's so fascinating. There's a very low barrier of entry for her to use her powers; it's not something she needs to premeditate and ruminate on the morality of to become "tempted." Less Macbeth, more a mistake you could make in a short burst of anger or emotion. That line leaves her whole relationship in disarray - would it be accurate to think of it as her sexually assaulting her husband? Maybe? But, g0d, if you had the power to make someone love you, and then you saw the results, could you convince yourself that it wasn't real? Does the rumour last for years? Or could we conceive of it as Allison giving their romance a push for momentum where the love that came after was genuine?
Allison's violations of her family's autonomy is sharply contrasted in how she treats Vanya. And why? Is it because she's trying to offer Vanya something that she didn't get (i.e. forgiveness)? Is it that with her power temporarily taken away, she can let her true self (compassionate) shine through? Is it that with Vanya she's no longer playing the sunk-cost fallacy game where she tried to convince herself that her actions were fine so she keeps doing them? The contrast in this absolutely caring, loving action, and whatever was going on with her first family. There's a dozen different ways to see it and I want to see them all
I also find it interesting that the Dark Horse comics version of Allison Hargreeves (rumor) is a white woman. Part of me wonders at whether being adapted from a source where the character had the presumed good intentions of a white woman (think, Agnes Jurati) allowed the same intentions and complexities to be extended to the character when played by a black actress. Sort of similar to how delightfully fucked up Jerryn Hogarth was in Jessica Jones. There's probably more fucked up lesbian lit/film/television I haven't got around to, but would a Netflix series like JJ write in a very fucked-up noir character like Jerryn Hogarth if she wasn't genderbent from a male source? IDK.
And the second season. There was so much going on for Allison. The things that stuck with me include her drinking with Klaus, but especially the scenes where she physically removed the white racist from the barber shop & when she rumored the racist restaurant owner into burning himself. The drinking scene because it was so bittersweet and kind of joyful. The first fight scene because she was so undeniably heroic and kind of. A power fantasy. And the character work of not needing to use her powers per-se to solve a problem.
And the restaurant scene. It was interesting because I found it very hard to have empathy for the shop owner until late in the scene. At first it feels heady and intoxicating, and then you see that Allison's gone cold and that everyone wants her to stop and that it's so addictive. The fundamental conflict of how Allison approaches her powers was so apparent. It was interesting because I don't know if the framing of it was meant to make the viewer see it through Allison's eyes, but that's how it felt. Like, justified rage by using her abilities to do the same thing the man had done to her earlier, followed by the moment of regret, was that too far, was that too much, do you understand what I am now, what this is?
Allison you're so problematic I love you. I want her to have hundreds of beautiful happy endings and I want to see her go completely off the rails evil. :)
