Journal - "iCarly and Abuse"
Nov. 16th, 2009 07:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
leskuhTrigger Warning! - Some talk beneath the cut and in the comments might end up being potentially triggering.
Okay, so I have been having a conversation on and off all day over at![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
5_4_3_2 (more specifically on THIS POST) about the way that iCarly presents and handles abuse.
I do like iCarly as a show, but I'll be the first to say that it has some problems.
There is a CONSTANT stream of violence in the show. Some of it is kind of funny - I love Sam and Freddie's 'Slap Slap Kiss' behavior. However, despite how much I love Sam, I do think she goes TOO far now and then. iMeet Fred is probably the best example, when Sam takes Freddie off stage and presumably beats the shit out of him. A lot of times, I let Sam's violence slide, because I kind of think Freddie's into it? And there are definitely times when he plays along and matches her blow-for-blow. But uh, yeah, sometimes it's TOO MUCH and painful to watch.
Also, Nevel as a character will never stop bothering me. He is still on this pseudo-sexual conquest of Carly and should have been dropped or had his motivations altered a LONG time ago. If Nevel was against iCarly as a whole without any weird strings attached to Carly specifically and it was really just the two websites pitted against one another and not about Nevel manipulating or using coercion to 'beat' Carly and get her to kiss him even though SHE DOESN'T WANT TO, then I could actually like Nevel. But the Nevel on the show is completely guided by his desire to triumph over CARLY and force her into an act that she repeatedly says 'NO' to.
Those scenes are, of course, ALWAYS played for laughs, which is also one of the main problems. Nevel stealing a kiss and being inappropriate ISN'T funny. So, I'm sorry, but I can't like Nevel.
Carly, for her part, is awesome in the ways she handles Nevel and I LOOOOOVE that there's no question that she'll always win.
Now, Saturday's episode about Lewbert, was... an okay episode. I HATE Lewbert and think that generally TV shouldn't make episodes centering around unlikable characters, but whatever. However, just because I dislike Lewbert, doesn't mean that he deserves to be held down, beaten and have his hair forcibly cut by an ex-girlfriend that he is terrified of/hates.
Yes, the kids realize that it's NOT GOOD and they need to do something, but the show CONTINUES to play the abuse scene to a laugh track. You're supposed to find it kind of funny that Lewbert is being attacked like that, but uhhh... NO. It isn't funny! It SHOULDN'T be funny.
The show also has a habit of putting Spencer in some terrible situations where he is abused or attacked. :\
So, I don't know. Talk to me about some thoughts you have on how iCarly handles itself. Am I getting my panties in a twist over nothing or does the show have some serious problems? Feel free to add/agree/disagree/yell at me/WHATEVER.
DISCUSS!
Okay, so I have been having a conversation on and off all day over at
5_4_3_2 (more specifically on THIS POST) about the way that iCarly presents and handles abuse.I do like iCarly as a show, but I'll be the first to say that it has some problems.
There is a CONSTANT stream of violence in the show. Some of it is kind of funny - I love Sam and Freddie's 'Slap Slap Kiss' behavior. However, despite how much I love Sam, I do think she goes TOO far now and then. iMeet Fred is probably the best example, when Sam takes Freddie off stage and presumably beats the shit out of him. A lot of times, I let Sam's violence slide, because I kind of think Freddie's into it? And there are definitely times when he plays along and matches her blow-for-blow. But uh, yeah, sometimes it's TOO MUCH and painful to watch.
Also, Nevel as a character will never stop bothering me. He is still on this pseudo-sexual conquest of Carly and should have been dropped or had his motivations altered a LONG time ago. If Nevel was against iCarly as a whole without any weird strings attached to Carly specifically and it was really just the two websites pitted against one another and not about Nevel manipulating or using coercion to 'beat' Carly and get her to kiss him even though SHE DOESN'T WANT TO, then I could actually like Nevel. But the Nevel on the show is completely guided by his desire to triumph over CARLY and force her into an act that she repeatedly says 'NO' to.
Those scenes are, of course, ALWAYS played for laughs, which is also one of the main problems. Nevel stealing a kiss and being inappropriate ISN'T funny. So, I'm sorry, but I can't like Nevel.
Carly, for her part, is awesome in the ways she handles Nevel and I LOOOOOVE that there's no question that she'll always win.
Now, Saturday's episode about Lewbert, was... an okay episode. I HATE Lewbert and think that generally TV shouldn't make episodes centering around unlikable characters, but whatever. However, just because I dislike Lewbert, doesn't mean that he deserves to be held down, beaten and have his hair forcibly cut by an ex-girlfriend that he is terrified of/hates.
Yes, the kids realize that it's NOT GOOD and they need to do something, but the show CONTINUES to play the abuse scene to a laugh track. You're supposed to find it kind of funny that Lewbert is being attacked like that, but uhhh... NO. It isn't funny! It SHOULDN'T be funny.
The show also has a habit of putting Spencer in some terrible situations where he is abused or attacked. :\
So, I don't know. Talk to me about some thoughts you have on how iCarly handles itself. Am I getting my panties in a twist over nothing or does the show have some serious problems? Feel free to add/agree/disagree/yell at me/WHATEVER.
DISCUSS!
