{"id":4966,"date":"2015-09-23T13:00:18","date_gmt":"2015-09-23T20:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=4966"},"modified":"2015-09-14T08:43:16","modified_gmt":"2015-09-14T15:43:16","slug":"mark-watches-the-next-generation-s04e23-the-host","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2015\/09\/mark-watches-the-next-generation-s04e23-the-host\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘The Next Generation’: S04E23 – The Host"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the twenty-third episode of the fourth season of The Next Generation<\/i>, Dr. Crusher\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s love life is complicated by a secret. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch Star Trek<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Trigger Warning: For cissexism, homophobia, consent<\/b><\/p>\n

Oh, I wanted to like this so much more than I did. And I was board \u00e2\u20ac\u201c utterly on board! \u00e2\u20ac\u201c right until the end, when a poor writing decision just tanks the entire thing. I know that there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a complicated dance that many of us have to do when watching television or films from twenty, thirty, forty, and such years ago. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re simply not going to get some things right. Now, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not going to trod out that whole \u00e2\u20ac\u0153product of their time\u00e2\u20ac\u009d nonsense because I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m often bored by that logic. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s especially<\/i> the case here, since The Next Generation<\/i> is trying to give us a utopian future (or as close to one as possible), a glimpse of what our world can be like when we conquer most of the prejudices that have plagued us. And then\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 this? Really<\/i>?<\/p>\n

Here\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the thing. Prior to that abysmal, deplorable ending, this was a GREAT episode. I think that this was meant to be an exploration of desire and attraction. Is love attraction to a body or to a personality? What would happen if the person you loved suddenly and rapidly changed their appearance? Would you still love them? These are great questions to ask! And Dr. Crusher has to deal with this in an admittedly upsetting way. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not like she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s gotten much of a chance to romance anyone<\/i> on the ship in the last four years, so I get why this was so jarring to her. I understand on some level why she was angered by Odan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s secret, too, especially since it calls into question what part of Odan she was attracted to.<\/p>\n

Look, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not a comfortable question to ask, and I think some self reflection is absolutely crucial here. I know this issue is compounded for me because I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m a gay man. What kind of men have I been attracted to? Am I attracted to them because I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been conditioned to find a specific kind of guy attractive? Where does that attractiveness come<\/i> from?<\/p>\n

Here\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s where \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Host\u00e2\u20ac\u009d loses me. I think I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m fine with the challenge here being presented to Dr. Crusher through<\/i> Riker. Yes, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s awkward that she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s now made out with a commanding officer, but hey, at least it was with someone she knew. It feels a lot safer than with a stranger in that context. But when Odan is finally returned to a Trill body and this time, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s someone who presents as a woman, suddenly, attraction is off the table. Oh, so now<\/i> the chance of fostering a relationship is gone? Once we invoke a possible same-gender pairing, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all about discomfort. Look, I get that Dr. Crusher is straight, and no one\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s sexuality should be forcibly changed. But these are fictional characters, and in this instance, a more courageous writer would have at least done something<\/i> with this opportunity. Confirmed the existence of bisexuality? Mentioned gender reassignment surgery? Trans people? Talked about any<\/i> possibility that would have made Dr. Crusher\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s love for Odan possibly in their new body? Instead, we get a wishy-washy excuse that humans simply aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t evolved enough to withstand these kind of changes.<\/p>\n

Oh, honey, some of us long ago evolved. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t put this on the entire human race. This isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t a human<\/i> problem. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the problem of cis people and straight people.<\/p>\n

Blah. That did not leave a good taste in my mouth.<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Host\u00e2\u20ac\u009d can be downloaded here for $0.99<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n

– I am now on Patreon<\/a><\/b>!!! MANY SURPRISES ARE IN STORE FOR YOU IF YOU SUPPORT ME<\/a>.
\n– The Mark Does Stuff Tour 2015 is now live and includes dates across the U.S. this summer and fall Check the full list of events on my Tour Dates \/ Appearances page.<\/a>
\n– My Master Schedule<\/a> is updated for the near and distant future for most projects, so please check it often.\u00c2\u00a0My next Double Features for Mark Watches will be the remainder of\u00c2\u00a0The Legend of Korra<\/i>, series 8 of\u00c2\u00a0Doctor Who<\/i>, and Kings<\/i>. On Mark Reads, Diane Duane’s Young Wizards<\/i> series will replace the Emelan books.
\n<\/b>-\u00c2\u00a0Mark Does Stuff is on Facebook!<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0I’ve got a community page up that I’m running. Guaranteed shenanigans!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"