Agents of SHIELD. Season 1 Discussion Thread

Discussion in 'Science Fiction & Fantasy' started by Trekker4747, Sep 25, 2013.

  1. Guy Gardener

    Guy Gardener Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    To be fair, how many "ugly" actors are there?
     
  2. JoeZhang

    JoeZhang Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Never seen Common as Muck?
     
  3. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    No, of course not. But there have been plenty of other shows where the entire cast was supermodel-pretty.

    And really, I don't see this cast as being more exceptionally attractive than most. Certainly all three female leads are lovely, but I don't consider them the most gorgeous actresses on the air. I wouldn't put them on quite the same level as, say, Person of Interest's Sarah Shahi or Doctor Who's Jenna Coleman. And I'm no judge of male attractiveness, but the men don't look that exceptional to me either.


    You don't consider casting Ming-Na Wen to count as diversity? :confused::wtf: Not only ethnic diversity, but age diversity: Wen is nearly 50 while the other two women are in their 20s. And while she's undeniably a beautiful woman, I've never thought of her looks as being particularly conventional.

    And of course there's the man this show was built around, Clark Gregg -- a fiftysomething everyman with a receding hairline. He's pleasant-looking, but I'd hardly consider him a supermodel type.
     
  4. Forbin

    Forbin Admiral Admiral

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    I said out, dammit!
    Coulson is pretty? :cardie:
     
  5. LaxScrutiny

    LaxScrutiny Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    No, I don't.

    [yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWynJkN5HbQ&feature=youtu.be&t=1s[/yt]
     
    Last edited: Oct 28, 2013
  6. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    ^Umm... that link is not an explanation. My point was not just about her ethnicity, but about her age difference from the rest of the cast and her distinctive look as an individual. We have a cast where four members are in their twenties (well, at least three -- Brett Dalton's age is not listed anywhere I can find) and two are around fifty, yet you call it a completely homogeneous cast. That is, at the very least, an oversimplification.
     
  7. sojourner

    sojourner Admiral In Memoriam

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    So, then what would you consider diversity? Are you saying that Ming-Na doesn't count as asian? That's some odd reverse racism there.
     
  8. Aragorn

    Aragorn Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    This reminds me of the Chaos thread where someone didn't think Freddy Rodriguez's skin was dark enough for him to be a minority.
     
  9. Guy Gardener

    Guy Gardener Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Have you ever listened to the oath naturalized citizens have to take?

    It's essentially "Fuck where I came from, they're dead to me."
     
  10. LaxScrutiny

    LaxScrutiny Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    In this genre, an Asian woman represents fetishism, not "diversity." I completely disagree with you.

    Given that this is from Whedon, there is a percentage chance he is presenting this fetishism on purpose. Or maybe he is just casting to appeal to the nerd fetishists. That remains to be seen.

    Do you think Asian women are hawt?
     
  11. Trekker4747

    Trekker4747 Boldly going... Premium Member

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    :wtf:
     
  12. stj

    stj Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Next you'll be claiming that Wen Ming-Na's character wears black leather or acts all hostile and domineering because that's fetishistic! Whereas we know she dresses inconspicuously and acts normal because that's good spy cover. Shame on you!
     
  13. sojourner

    sojourner Admiral In Memoriam

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    Your point might have some merit if Ming-Na was being presented as the "hawt" girl on the show. And really, can't she portray fetishism and diversity at the same time?

    I find all women attractive. Race doesn't come into it for me.
     
  14. CorporalClegg

    CorporalClegg Admiral Admiral

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    Do I think Asian women are beautiful? Yes. Then again, I think every woman is beautiful. Ethnicity has nothing to do with it.

    Until this week, I didn't know Bennet was half Chinese. It's a piece of trivia I noted for a minute an moved on.

    As far as Wen goes, is she there to fill appeal to a certain fetish? Probably. It's a Whedon show. But not any more or in any way different than Willow, Fred, or Kaylee were. And I'd argue that anyone who segregates May from Hannigan, Acker, or Jewel solely on her race shouldn't be throwing too many stones.
     
  15. Thestral

    Thestral Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Wut?
     
  16. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    Good grief, what an offensive thing to say. Ming-Na Wen is a respected and accomplished actress, yet you're unable to see her as anything other than her race? You accuse others of fetishism, but the only one here who's objectifying her -- indeed, objectifying and dismissing the worth of an entire category of actresses -- is you. "Lax Scrutiny" indeed. Try applying some scrutiny to your own moral judgments.
     
  17. Guy Gardener

    Guy Gardener Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Being recognized as an American is completely about sound.

    It's a country of immigrants, who all look like they're from somewhere else, because you don't have to go that far back to see that they did.

    Except the Native American Indians of course.

    Ming Na sounds American, so she is American, even though she was born in China.

    But for all we know her character could be Asian Canadian and not Asian American... What's more important pigment or behaviour?

    Are we positive that any of them are American?

    Case in point... Do you really think that Natasha Romanov has a "real" Green Card no matter her "assumed" accent?

    Is Melinda's American accent real, or is it just something that makes life at work easier?
     
  18. Trekker4747

    Trekker4747 Boldly going... Premium Member

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    No new episode tomorrow, likely because of The World Series.
     
  19. Guy Gardener

    Guy Gardener Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    #### YOU WORLD SERIES!!!!
     
  20. bbjeg

    bbjeg Admiral Admiral

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    Right here buddy.
    You got some Americans, a couple of UK and Scottish actors, and a Chinese actress. Is it not diverse if you don't hit every base?