In the interests of getting this thread to a record 50 pages...
The first BB brother to have Sex, if you don't count Teen or Europian BB's
Or a blow job, anyway. (Incidentally, I was reading somewhere recently that 'blow job' comes from the Victorian slang 'below job' - which explains by it's generally more about sucking...).
It was a more intresting mix of characters than in previous years.
It could hardly have been less interesting, could it? They really pushed the boat out, though.
I think BB were tryig to play up the Homo/Hetro sex angle and ended up with a The jungle Cats. But it wasnt just a mix of diffrent sexual prefences, there were some definete clashes of presonalty.
Oh yeah, absolutely. The two were very much connected, though, and the interesting thing for me, this year, was the fact that the psychosexual elements were so near the surface, so easy to read. At times, it was like watching a particularly intense Freudian psychodrama (projection, ambivalence, paranoia as a defence against (possible) homosexuality, fear/fascination with the cock, etc., etc.). I made the point, early on, that this year's selection formed a spectrum or continuum of sexualities - at least notionally (the bis, other than - ho ho - Jayboy, were neither here nor there) - and this threw up conflicts of sexuality, personality and (subliminally) gender.
Now speaking as a hetro male the whole exess of screen nudity. Mowing the lawn Naked, Baps baps and more baps, Mud westling and icing bilkinis-Did't do anything for me. In some instances it was like watching a TV programme with nudity in it with your parents. A whole "Eurg, put some clothes on quickly please" (And Ganesh can make of that what you will)
Shown in a concentrated burst at the end, yes, it was something of a parade of flesh. Usually, for me, it's the cynical exhibitionism that makes me gag, rather than the expanse of skin itself - and although there was plenty of exhibitionism, I actually didn't think it was as cynical as previous years. It seemed genuinely connected to individuals' characters, rather than played up for the cameras, which made it interesting speculating on the reasons for the exhibitionism. Michelle's Jordan-wannabe baps-ootness had its moments, notably the aggressive topless admonishing of Ahmed (which I felt was quite a thrilling woman-as-authoritarian Breast Power moment). Nadia's tit-baring was a form of persona-building, or defence against vulnerability. Jayboy's was the same, but with the added buttock-flashing mixed message (and the rather sad pseudo-paradox that he spent hours on his physical appearance, but didn't seem any more able to take confidence in - or even objectively on-camera look at - himself). Shell's exhibitionism perhaps served as a sort of outlet for the rest of her terrified-of-conflict, agree-with-anyone character.
So... I guess I didn't mind the flesh-baring too much.
High points.
Fight Night (even though BB are trying to brus it under the carpet)
I kind of wish they wouldn't. Perhaps they're saving it for the uncut DVD?
Slient Protest.
I preferred the subsequent glimpse into Stu's emotional priorities: The Man Who Mistook The Love Of His Life For A Hat.
Michelle and Stu (awwwww. Heres hoping for a much publicised wedding and divorce in the space of 18 months)
*shiver*
One would hope that, if he's able to resist a mock-wedding, Stu's able to resist the real thing. Particularly when his putative bride has already named the kids, and sold the whole experience, in advance to OK! magazine...
Dan talking sense/mediator (WTF was he doing in there in the first place)
Yes, that really sealed his role in the house, didn't it? I wish Dan had revealed a little more of himself, though; he remained something of a cipher. It was notable that, when Davina asked Nadia who'd been her best friend(s) in the house, she needed prompting to recall Dan, even though he'd been her most recent comforter. I think that reflects the fact that he always held something back; he remained semi-detached. I'd have liked to know a little more about him.
Low points.
Ahmed, (plate smashing hyprocondriac. Trying to Fuck up the milltary challange deliberatly)
God yeah. Tosspot. At one point, I surfed a couple of UK Muslim boards, and there was widespread lamentation along 'why, out of all other possibilities, did they pick this arse' lines. Other than a couple of telling interactions (which provided small insights on the way even the most 'liberal' Britons stereotype/Other the Foreigner), I feel Ahmed was limited by a ridiculously narrow way of viewing human encounters, and a hair-trigger readiness to assume the role of victim.
Vic (Makes Emienem look like a credible Gangster)
Yes, I think paranoid, misogynistic, homophobic/homofascinated VicWorld was the most poisonous addition to the house. It sucked in already-insecure men, and effectively stymied any sort of personal or social growth for weeks on end. For me, this squashed any peripheral amusement his carefully-rehearsed gangsta-posturing might've provided.
The Jungle Cat converations.
Insightless and boring. Boring boring boring.
Big Brothers Inconsistency regarding rule breaking.
Mmmm, not sure I'd agree. I got the impression the combination of housemates outdid themselves, and were a major handful in terms of keeping control. I think Big Brother was, at times, a nervous supply teacher, a hair's breadth away from anarchy, and was making things up on the hoof. I think that, not infrequently, they must've been shitting themselves, and I don't blame them. Under the circumstances, I reckon they did okay. |
