Should have been hot :'(

[gorgonesque]

So I saw annabelle's post on the general board, about how the episode of Glee with the quad cutie ( www.examiner.com/x-34131-NY-DVD-Examiner~y2010m5d12-Glee-makes-quadriplegic-actor-Zack-Weinsteins-dream-come-true-in-Laryngitis-episode-videos ) should have been hot, but wasn't because they made him out to be an object of pity, and he never got out of bed, and the moral of the story was "Gee, I'm so lucky to not be HIM. His life is OVER." Blech.

I don't watch Glee, but I have read Lady Chatterley's Lover, and felt similarly: I was excited to see a character in a chair, especially in a book that I knew would have lots and lots of sex in it, and in my mind assumed he was hot. He wasn't - he's basically a plot device to show how much Lady C's life sucks to be married to him, and he's weak and sexless and all around pathetic. Another thing that should have been hot.

Have you ever been disappointed by a character or medium that should have been hot, but wasn't?

[annabelle]

May 14, 2010 18:59:49 GMT -5 gorgonesque said:

So I saw annabelle's post on the general board, about how the episode of Glee with the quad cutie ( www.examiner.com/x-34131-NY-DVD-Examiner~y2010m5d12-Glee-makes-quadriplegic-actor-Zack-Weinsteins-dream-come-true-in-Laryngitis-episode-videos ) should have been hot, but wasn't because they made him out to be an object of pity, and he never got out of bed, and the moral of the story was "Gee, I'm so lucky to not be HIM. His life is OVER." Blech.

I don't watch Glee, but I have read Lady Chatterley's Lover, and felt similarly: I was excited to see a character in a chair, especially in a book that I knew would have lots and lots of sex in it, and in my mind assumed he was hot. He wasn't - he's basically a plot device to show how much Lady C's life sucks to be married to him, and he's weak and sexless and all around pathetic. Another thing that should have been hot.

Have you ever been disappointed by a character or medium that should have been hot, but wasn't?

Any show where the guy is just lying in bed feeling sorry for himself is a turn off. I mean, Denzel Washington as a quad should have been mega hot (Bone Collector) but it wasn't. Ditto with Jude Law playing a para in Gataca.

I was also kind of disappointed by Avatar, but I might be in the minority here.

[devogirl]

Ugh, there are SO MANY of those moments, basically my whole childhood/teen years, before internet, trying in vain to find anything even faintly devo-friendly.

The one that STILL pisses me off is The Stand by Stephen King, I slogged through that whole freaking mess because of the deaf guy Nick, only to find out at the very end that he was nothing but a plot device. In the TV version they even had Rob Lowe playing that part, but it still sucked.

I agree about any movie/TV show where the SCI character commits suicide. (spoiler alert, I guess)

Jude Law in Gattaca... IDK, the ending did suck, but that scene of him pulling himself up the stairs was HOT.

On the other hand, Peter Sarsgaard as a quad in Freak City was definitely a "should have been hot" opportunity that was totally wasted.

And the crushing disappointment that was the second half of the second season of Dark Angel. (sniff)

I'm sure I can recall more later.

[Cake]

I loved Jude Law in Gattaca. The fact that he's so cynical makes the character even more intriguing for me.
In films in general I don't mind if a dis guys is a little depressed. I wouldn't want such a guy in reality, but in fiction I think it's hot. Adds to the drama.

And the stairs scene...... well, it's a real classic!

[annabelle]

I guess I'm a weirdo for not liking Jude Law in Gattaca. I usually like Jude Law, so I don't know. I guess I didn't like how completely unhappy he was and how he'd just given up on life (especially considering how it ended), and that just ruined it for me, even the hot parts.

[Dee Dee]

I had hoped that Stellan Skarsgård as the paralyzed character Jan Nyman in "Breaking the Waves" would be hot, but was quite disappointed .

In fact, I turned off the TV, before the film ended (and I´m normally a great fan of writer and director Lars von Trier)

[devogirl]

Yes, Breaking the Waves was another one for sure. That movie was so disturbing and upsetting to me, I really wished I hadn't watched it.

And there are so many crappy romance novels that fall in this category, basically every one with a "miracle cure." I could also add the book Stolen Shadows by Mary King, the first in a trilogy about a couple, both doctors, who set up their house as a kind of group home for recently injured SCI teen boys, with some other disabilities thrown in as well. The medical details are all very accurate, but there's something so creepy and disturbing about the book, in part because so many of the characters are the victims of horrific sex abuse in addition to their injuries, it left me with a crappy feeling for days. And the writing is just dreadful, what a waste. I usually never get rid of books, I have a huge library and I'm something of a hoarder, but I had to get this one out of my house, it was that bad.

[Dee Dee]

Thanks for warning us in advance, DevoGirl .

[Neffie]

HMMM Breaking the Waves added to the guilt for me, Gattaca compounded it and Glee last week made me want to hand in my Dev badge!
I have seen a lot and I can't say that there is much out there for us. I mean I loved Freak City (not available anywhere) but it's much the same in the way the guy's so miserable.
I did love that scene in Gattaca and it's something i crack out on special occasions.

Avatar was the same old stuff though...my friends all loved it but when I said I fast forwarded through the blue bits they thought I was mad. I just wanted to see Jake how he should be and he is sooooooo fucking hot!!!! OMG The fact they change him is a travesty to me.

I don't think there is any story or film where it's not going to be an issue. I mean it IS an issue but it would be nice to see a guy in a chair who just WAS. He wasn't trying to be anything else, he was just himself and not even discussing it. Just being.

I live in hope

[Neffie]

did we see Glee this week???
Tina rocked the dev vibe but poor old Archie??? And the writers....i dunno....

[annabelle]

Neffie, I hated that Glee episode till the very end. It seemed like Artie shouldn't have been so easily convinced that the research would help him walk again. I would think this is something he would have researched on his own many times. I would also think he'd have realized the crutches wouldn't work. I wasn't sure if that scene was supposed to be funny or sad.

Mostly, I think Artie just needs to be hotter.

[Valkyrja]

I never watched Glee, but I saw the post and youtube Annabelle post. I don´t like it.
About Avatar: I think it was extraordinary the way Jake´s legs look, wonderfull! My dev inside was crying "WOOOOWWW!!" LOL
I never heard about "Breaking the waves"