Vulnerability and guns
Nov. 6th, 2003 04:04 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hmpf(My brain's still overactive. Birmingham must be inspiring.)
Just rewatched 'What Was Lost pt. 1' on Scape Sisters duty, collecting material for a vid. When doing that, I noticed again something that I've noticed before, but never noted down here, although it may actually be at the centre of my fascination with John Crichton, and with Farscape. It is this: there are certain recurring motifs in the portrayal of John. ('Severed heads. Severed hands. It's a motif.' -- Nah, not *that* one! *g*)
The first motif is that of the *vulnerable pose*. Again and again John is shown in positions that the classic science fiction hero wouldn't be caught dead in: curled in a foetal position on a bed, kneeling on the floor hanging his head, burying his face in his hands, or, as in the episode I just watched, folded up in the typical position of a rape victim. In addition, we often see him crying. All of this is highly unusual for a 'hero', and it's hard to imagine other protagonists of action-oriented shows or movies adopting those poses, or sitting on the ground crying while talking to their enemy about what it means to be hunted, like John did in 'Family Ties'.
The other motif is that of the *gun*. Now, *that* is something you'd expect in an sf show with a fair amount of action, and indeed Farscape has guns a plenty, many of them ridiculously large (though John clearly prefers the smaller, Peacekeeper standard issue pulse pistol). Starting with 'Family Ties', John begins to handle guns, which he seemed to hate and avoid in earlier episodes, with frightening ease. While at the beginning of the series he is almost always unarmed – except for directly life-threatening situations – in later seasons it becomes increasingly strange to see him *without* a gun. Scenes like his strapping-on of the holster in 'Thanks for Sharing', or the changing of the cartridge at the beginning of 'What Was Lost', emphasise how normal these actions have become to him – there is no awkwardness in his motions anymore, only familiarity. Farscape often keeps the gun prominently in the frame, as if to remind us of it at all times.
It's hard to tell when the motif of the vulnerable pose really begins – John is pretty vulnerable all through the first season, or at least is knocked about a lot! – but I'd say it really comes to the fore after 'Nerve'. The vulnerability displayed before and after 'Nerve' are of a quite different quality. While pre-'Nerve' John is physically vulnerable but psychologically stable and in a way safe in his naivity, post-'Nerve' John is physically aggressive, but psychologically incredibly vulnerable.
The motif of the gun turns up around the same time, which suggests that they're two sides of the same coin. (Pretty obvious, that, really.) They're both a result of the damage inflicted on John in 'Nerve' and 'The Hidden Memory'. After those episodes, and especially in season 3 and 4, John grows a lot more aggressive and ruthless, and it's not at all surprising that he greets his father by pulling a gun on him in 'Terra Firma'. Much like Aeryn in season 1, John has adopted a 'shoot first, ask questions later' strategy as a survival method. He could easily have degenerated into the usual tough action hero, but by employing the motif of the vulnerable pose repeatedly throughout the whole series, the writers make sure that we never forget *why* he is behaving the way he is, and how deeply he is hurt.
Oooops. Three a.m.; need to go to bed!
Just rewatched 'What Was Lost pt. 1' on Scape Sisters duty, collecting material for a vid. When doing that, I noticed again something that I've noticed before, but never noted down here, although it may actually be at the centre of my fascination with John Crichton, and with Farscape. It is this: there are certain recurring motifs in the portrayal of John. ('Severed heads. Severed hands. It's a motif.' -- Nah, not *that* one! *g*)
The first motif is that of the *vulnerable pose*. Again and again John is shown in positions that the classic science fiction hero wouldn't be caught dead in: curled in a foetal position on a bed, kneeling on the floor hanging his head, burying his face in his hands, or, as in the episode I just watched, folded up in the typical position of a rape victim. In addition, we often see him crying. All of this is highly unusual for a 'hero', and it's hard to imagine other protagonists of action-oriented shows or movies adopting those poses, or sitting on the ground crying while talking to their enemy about what it means to be hunted, like John did in 'Family Ties'.
The other motif is that of the *gun*. Now, *that* is something you'd expect in an sf show with a fair amount of action, and indeed Farscape has guns a plenty, many of them ridiculously large (though John clearly prefers the smaller, Peacekeeper standard issue pulse pistol). Starting with 'Family Ties', John begins to handle guns, which he seemed to hate and avoid in earlier episodes, with frightening ease. While at the beginning of the series he is almost always unarmed – except for directly life-threatening situations – in later seasons it becomes increasingly strange to see him *without* a gun. Scenes like his strapping-on of the holster in 'Thanks for Sharing', or the changing of the cartridge at the beginning of 'What Was Lost', emphasise how normal these actions have become to him – there is no awkwardness in his motions anymore, only familiarity. Farscape often keeps the gun prominently in the frame, as if to remind us of it at all times.
It's hard to tell when the motif of the vulnerable pose really begins – John is pretty vulnerable all through the first season, or at least is knocked about a lot! – but I'd say it really comes to the fore after 'Nerve'. The vulnerability displayed before and after 'Nerve' are of a quite different quality. While pre-'Nerve' John is physically vulnerable but psychologically stable and in a way safe in his naivity, post-'Nerve' John is physically aggressive, but psychologically incredibly vulnerable.
The motif of the gun turns up around the same time, which suggests that they're two sides of the same coin. (Pretty obvious, that, really.) They're both a result of the damage inflicted on John in 'Nerve' and 'The Hidden Memory'. After those episodes, and especially in season 3 and 4, John grows a lot more aggressive and ruthless, and it's not at all surprising that he greets his father by pulling a gun on him in 'Terra Firma'. Much like Aeryn in season 1, John has adopted a 'shoot first, ask questions later' strategy as a survival method. He could easily have degenerated into the usual tough action hero, but by employing the motif of the vulnerable pose repeatedly throughout the whole series, the writers make sure that we never forget *why* he is behaving the way he is, and how deeply he is hurt.
Oooops. Three a.m.; need to go to bed!
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Crichton as rape victim
Date: 2003-11-06 12:07 am (UTC)Considering the usual portrayal of male Sci-Fi protagonists, it its really amazing how strongly Farscape emphasizes John's position as somebody whose mind and body have been repeatedly violated.
Though the first major turning point in this development is probably the Aurora chair, one can argue that the actual rape trend itself can be traced back as early as "Thank God It's Friday Again" (the worm), "That Old Black Magic" (Maldis), and "Rhapsody in Blue" (Delvian Priestess)
Re: Crichton as rape victim
Date: 2003-11-06 11:26 am (UTC)(I've added this post to my Memories.)
Re: Crichton as rape victim
Date: 2003-11-06 01:28 pm (UTC)Very little is ever done to John with his consent. He seems to be the punching bag of the universe.
>(I've added this post to my Memories.)
I'm honoured!
Hey! Visitors! How cool is that?!
Date: 2003-11-06 01:26 pm (UTC)Thanks! I'm occasionally lurking in your journal, btw... esp. since you posted that Cooper thing... ;-)
>Considering the usual portrayal of male Sci-Fi protagonists, it its really amazing how strongly Farscape emphasizes John's position as somebody whose mind and body have been repeatedly violated.
It just occurred to me that it would be interesting to ask a few male Scapers how they perceive this... unfortunately I don't have the time today to start another thread at Kansas. Maybe I'll do it on Monday, when the paper I should be writing now will have been handed in.
>Though the first major turning point in this development is probably the Aurora chair, one can argue that the actual rape trend itself can be traced back as early as "Thank God It's Friday Again" (the worm), "That Old Black Magic" (Maldis), and "Rhapsody in Blue" (Delvian Priestess)
Definitely. The writers of the show have had a rather disturbing 'thing' for mental rape almost since the beginning of the show. They are sick puppies.
So am I, for liking it. *g*
Re: Hey! Visitors! How cool is that?!
Date: 2003-11-08 05:59 am (UTC)Pretty much the same goes for me, since I enjoy reading your fannish musings and surely don't mind the occasional comment about lettuce *g*. What do you think? Should we dare the act of "befriending" each other? :-)
Sure, why not?
Date: 2003-11-08 09:52 am (UTC)