Haven does romance.
Nov. 24th, 2013 10:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rheasilviaI am enjoying many things about Haven this season, but in some ways, it's not working for me. This is due in large part to the romance(s).
Vague spoilers up to S04E11 under the cut.
Audrey and Nathan
I thought Audrey and Nathan were amazing as friends and partners, and loved watching them grow closer and closer in the early seasons. They had a fascinating and multi-faceted push-and-pull relationship that I could never get enough of, and that was a large part of the show's appeal for me. And then, their relationship went from platonic to romantic, and in short order it no longer worked well for me.
Unfortunately, it's still not working for me now.
Obviously, this is a highly subjective thing, and many fans do see it, but: I never saw the romantic kind of chemistry between Nathan and Audrey. As a result, the entire romance has failed to engage me. It feels flat to me – a disappointing let-down compared to the lovely, believable, fascinating and interesting friendship that they used to have.
Also, it is still a problem for me that Nathan's interest in Audrey appeared to become sexual the moment he realized he can feel it when she touches him. Don't get me wrong, it makes absolute sense for a man who can't feel touch to react this way, particularly since Nathan already loved Audrey as a friend. But to me, the "holy shit I could feel it if I had sex with her OMG you know what I think I'm in love with her" train of thought is not exactly the basis for undying romance. Does it make sense in psychological terms? Yes. Do I want the show to actually build an "undying romance" plot from this premise? Hell no.
All of this combines to make the premise of "Audrey and Nathan have such an incredibly deep and true, tragically star-crossed deathless undying love!!" – which the show appears to be trying to push – fall completely flat for me. I just can't buy it, even though I honestly want to, because not being able to buy it is getting in the way of my enjoyment of the series.
Take the absurd angsting Angstbot!Nathan did in this week's ep over how he will never be able to compete with Audrey's "bond" to the murderous psychopathic William. (Oh noes!!) Ridiculous enough under any circumstances, but when you factor in that I never felt the romance between the angstmeister and Audrey in the first place, it's just... actively painful to watch.
Jennifer and Duke
To make matters worse, I find the introduction of Jennifer as a consolation prize for Duke so he won't end up alone – aka the "solution" to the love triangle between Nathan, Audrey and Duke – a failure, as well.
I like Jennifer as a character. She does seem to have the potential to become interesting, plot- and character-wise, although she's not really there yet, and at this point there's no telling whether she will blossom or turn into an embarrassing deus ex machina hat trick. Also, she's cute in the unoriginal, but tried-and-true "endearingly awkward beautiful woman" way. As a love interest for Duke, however… not only do I not see true romantic chemistry between these two, either, but I also don't buy this sudden "falling in love with the next woman to come along" from Duke's side.
If the relationship with Jennifer were meant to be seen as an attempt on Duke's part to get over Audrey (who has clearly chosen Nathan), then yes, that might work. But I don't get the sense that this is what the show intends. To me, it looks as though the show simply decided that Duke would now no longer be in love with Audrey, but be free and clear for new romantic entanglements. Clean cut. Duke can't have Audrey, so hey presto, he stops loving her and proceeds to fall in love with his "savior" Jennifer. Easy, straightforward and uncomplicated!
And that, errrm. Just, *no*. Duke has always had severe intimacy issues. In the interest of not going into too much depth here (when this post is already too long), suffice it to say:
One, I do not believe he would abruptly stop being in love with Audrey just because he is now certain she will never turn to him.
Two, I do not believe he has it in him to easily and uncomplicatedly fall in love with anyone at all (with "easily and uncomplicatedly" being the operative phrase here).
Three, while I applaud the attempt to establish some kind of "backstory" for Duke and Jennifer in the form of her helping him after he fell from the Barn, I do not buy that his sense of indebtedness and gratitude (and guilt) is so deep he would fall in love with her because of it. Yes, Duke *would* fall in love out of indebtedness, gratitude and guilt, so the basic idea isn't bad, but as I said, I don't see nearly the required magnitude of emotion here.
And four, I simply don't think he and Jennifer work as a couple. For all that Jennifer is a cute kid, she is no more than that at this point – a sweet, awkward, smart kid with no real bite and no sharp edges. While she is somehow tangled up in the Haven mystery, she herself is not mysterious. This is not someone that Duke would fall in love with, IMO. He is a "moth to the flame" kind of guy who always seems to gravitate towards brilliant, remarkable and dangerous people who have edges sharp enough to cut him until he bleeds. Evi, Nathan, Audrey… and Jennifer? Doesn't fit.
The end of the love triangle
I never thought I would say this, since I am not a fan of the hackneyed love triangle plot device, but:
I question the narrative wisdom of doing away with the established love triangle in favor of two of the least interesting and suspenseful relationships I can imagine. To me, both Nathan + Audrey and Jennifer + Duke are simply boring as couples. I am not interested in their trials and tribulations. I don't want to see them agonize over their feelings, and their happy couply moments leave me cold. I would be actively happy if they broke up, because that might lead to more interesting romantic plotlines.
Not the best premise for a season that is evidently trying just as hard as it can to build suspense from impediments and threats to the Nathan+Audrey romance - and even, to a lesser extent, from the Jennifer + Duke one.
Vague spoilers up to S04E11 under the cut.
Audrey and Nathan
I thought Audrey and Nathan were amazing as friends and partners, and loved watching them grow closer and closer in the early seasons. They had a fascinating and multi-faceted push-and-pull relationship that I could never get enough of, and that was a large part of the show's appeal for me. And then, their relationship went from platonic to romantic, and in short order it no longer worked well for me.
Unfortunately, it's still not working for me now.
Obviously, this is a highly subjective thing, and many fans do see it, but: I never saw the romantic kind of chemistry between Nathan and Audrey. As a result, the entire romance has failed to engage me. It feels flat to me – a disappointing let-down compared to the lovely, believable, fascinating and interesting friendship that they used to have.
Also, it is still a problem for me that Nathan's interest in Audrey appeared to become sexual the moment he realized he can feel it when she touches him. Don't get me wrong, it makes absolute sense for a man who can't feel touch to react this way, particularly since Nathan already loved Audrey as a friend. But to me, the "holy shit I could feel it if I had sex with her OMG you know what I think I'm in love with her" train of thought is not exactly the basis for undying romance. Does it make sense in psychological terms? Yes. Do I want the show to actually build an "undying romance" plot from this premise? Hell no.
All of this combines to make the premise of "Audrey and Nathan have such an incredibly deep and true, tragically star-crossed deathless undying love!!" – which the show appears to be trying to push – fall completely flat for me. I just can't buy it, even though I honestly want to, because not being able to buy it is getting in the way of my enjoyment of the series.
Take the absurd angsting Angstbot!Nathan did in this week's ep over how he will never be able to compete with Audrey's "bond" to the murderous psychopathic William. (Oh noes!!) Ridiculous enough under any circumstances, but when you factor in that I never felt the romance between the angstmeister and Audrey in the first place, it's just... actively painful to watch.
Jennifer and Duke
To make matters worse, I find the introduction of Jennifer as a consolation prize for Duke so he won't end up alone – aka the "solution" to the love triangle between Nathan, Audrey and Duke – a failure, as well.
I like Jennifer as a character. She does seem to have the potential to become interesting, plot- and character-wise, although she's not really there yet, and at this point there's no telling whether she will blossom or turn into an embarrassing deus ex machina hat trick. Also, she's cute in the unoriginal, but tried-and-true "endearingly awkward beautiful woman" way. As a love interest for Duke, however… not only do I not see true romantic chemistry between these two, either, but I also don't buy this sudden "falling in love with the next woman to come along" from Duke's side.
If the relationship with Jennifer were meant to be seen as an attempt on Duke's part to get over Audrey (who has clearly chosen Nathan), then yes, that might work. But I don't get the sense that this is what the show intends. To me, it looks as though the show simply decided that Duke would now no longer be in love with Audrey, but be free and clear for new romantic entanglements. Clean cut. Duke can't have Audrey, so hey presto, he stops loving her and proceeds to fall in love with his "savior" Jennifer. Easy, straightforward and uncomplicated!
And that, errrm. Just, *no*. Duke has always had severe intimacy issues. In the interest of not going into too much depth here (when this post is already too long), suffice it to say:
One, I do not believe he would abruptly stop being in love with Audrey just because he is now certain she will never turn to him.
Two, I do not believe he has it in him to easily and uncomplicatedly fall in love with anyone at all (with "easily and uncomplicatedly" being the operative phrase here).
Three, while I applaud the attempt to establish some kind of "backstory" for Duke and Jennifer in the form of her helping him after he fell from the Barn, I do not buy that his sense of indebtedness and gratitude (and guilt) is so deep he would fall in love with her because of it. Yes, Duke *would* fall in love out of indebtedness, gratitude and guilt, so the basic idea isn't bad, but as I said, I don't see nearly the required magnitude of emotion here.
And four, I simply don't think he and Jennifer work as a couple. For all that Jennifer is a cute kid, she is no more than that at this point – a sweet, awkward, smart kid with no real bite and no sharp edges. While she is somehow tangled up in the Haven mystery, she herself is not mysterious. This is not someone that Duke would fall in love with, IMO. He is a "moth to the flame" kind of guy who always seems to gravitate towards brilliant, remarkable and dangerous people who have edges sharp enough to cut him until he bleeds. Evi, Nathan, Audrey… and Jennifer? Doesn't fit.
The end of the love triangle
I never thought I would say this, since I am not a fan of the hackneyed love triangle plot device, but:
I question the narrative wisdom of doing away with the established love triangle in favor of two of the least interesting and suspenseful relationships I can imagine. To me, both Nathan + Audrey and Jennifer + Duke are simply boring as couples. I am not interested in their trials and tribulations. I don't want to see them agonize over their feelings, and their happy couply moments leave me cold. I would be actively happy if they broke up, because that might lead to more interesting romantic plotlines.
Not the best premise for a season that is evidently trying just as hard as it can to build suspense from impediments and threats to the Nathan+Audrey romance - and even, to a lesser extent, from the Jennifer + Duke one.
no subject
Date: 2013-11-29 09:41 pm (UTC)But to me, the "holy shit I could feel it if I had sex with her OMG you know what I think I'm in love with her" train of thought is not exactly the basis for undying romance. Does it make sense in psychological terms? Yes. Do I want the show to actually build an "undying romance" plot from this premise? Hell no.
Exactly! Especially with Nathan being so OTT jealous, I feel like they've lost a lot of what I found appealing about them.
And re: Duke/Jennifer, in the episode where Duke was helping Jennifer "meditate" so she could hear the voices from the barn, they were touching each other -- at one point he held her upside-down by her ankles, I think? -- and I didn't get any sense of sexual attraction or tension between them. It was much more like siblings, with her as little sister. So when the sudden romance happened, it felt pasted on to me. And I agree that their relationship seems weirdly uncomplicated, given... well, Duke.
Duke can't have Audrey, so hey presto, he stops loving her and proceeds to fall in love with his "savior" Jennifer.
See, I don't know that he's stopped being in love with Audrey. (Maybe I'm in denial.) He still prioritises Audrey and Nathan most of the time -- it's almost like he's in love with them as a couple, but he can't see any way he can be a part of it.
But then, I'm an OT3er, so I think the "solution" to the love triangle is OT3. *dares the show to go there*
no subject
Date: 2013-11-30 05:49 pm (UTC)And I agree that their relationship seems weirdly uncomplicated, given... well, Duke.
In a way, how easy and uncomplicated his relationship with Jennifer seems to be for Duke reads as a huge, blinking sign of "it's not serious" to me. If Duke's emotions were actually engaged, then - Duke being Duke -, this would not be anywhere *near* easy or uncomplicated. But the show is making it clear that this is meant to be read as far more than a casual "just sex" arrangement, and... it just doesn't work for me.
Duke wouldn't try for a casually sexual relationship with Jennifer because she doesn't seem like the kind of woman who would go for that, and Duke isn't the kind of man who likes to break hearts. And I just don't see the spark of romance between Duke and Jennifer, or understand why Jennifer would be someone Duke would fall in love with.
it's almost like he's in love with them as a couple, but he can't see any way he can be a part of it.
Hmm. Well, I do think it's possible that he's still in love with Audrey; he did throw several looks her way that suggest he might not be as completely okay with not being the one she loves most as he has been pretending to be. And it would certainly make far more sense to me if he were still meant to be in love (although then I understand even less what the show thinks it's doing with Jennifer and Duke, because Duke is neither callous nor cruel).
But I never got the impression that he's in love with Audrey and Nathan as a couple, exactly. I would buy that Duke is in love with Audrey, and loves Nathan (sexually or not), and thinks that they might be happy together, and genuinely hopes that they will be... that he has decided to do what he can to ensure that they are happy together, now that Audrey has made her choice, because he loves them both. (Oh, Duke. Puppy.)
Oh, how I wish the show would go into OT3-land, but unfortunately I am very certain that they won't. Personally, I feel that Duke and Nathan's relationship only makes sense if there is sexual attraction involved on some level, especially from Nathan's side, but the show doesn't seem aware of this; it's also not the kind of show that ever seemed interested in pushing boundaries in that way.
no subject
Date: 2013-11-30 10:08 pm (UTC)*nods* It's like they decided to skip showing us all the fun UST and falling-for-each-other parts and jump straight into Established Relationship Drama. Don't they know that developing the attraction is half the fun?!
he did throw several looks her way that suggest he might not be as completely okay with not being the one she loves most as he has been pretending to be.
Or that he wants to be someone she loves too? I mean, she clearly cares about him and there's some attraction (hence the kiss in Colorado). This whole "loves the most" thing seems like a red herring to me, as well as impossible to quantify. (I still think it should apply to her son or something.) Everyone's assumption that it's Nathan bugs me so much. :-P
that he has decided to do what he can to ensure that they are happy together, now that Audrey has made her choice, because he loves them both.
Yeah, that's what I meant, though I expressed it poorly.
it's also not the kind of show that ever seemed interested in pushing boundaries in that way.
Except that late in last season, Audrey kissed Duke, and she's since referred to it not as a mistake but as a moment of connection. On most shows, if Audrey and Nathan were a clear-cut OTP, you wouldn't have Audrey kissing someone else, surely? And given Jennifer's hallucinations and various other hints, the show is fully aware that there's still something between them.
Yeah, I have no idea what Duke's doing with Jennifer. Making a good faith effort to make the best of his situation? That's my best guess.
no subject
Date: 2013-12-02 12:31 am (UTC)Unfortunately, I fear it's worse: My theory is that they think they *have* developed the attraction. Stick attractive people of the opposite sex in close proximity for a bit, show that they like each other - bingo! What else could there be to show? (Maybe I'm being too harsh, but given that this seems to have been their approach with both Audrey + Nathan and Jennifer + Duke...)
It's odd, but then the show has been oddly heavy-handed with a number of other characterization issues, as well - first among them Nathan's inexplicable mood swings when it comes to Duke. At this point I am tempted to think that we owe most believable characterization and relationship development to the actors rather than the writers.
This whole "loves the most" thing seems like a red herring to me, as well as impossible to quantify.
YES, I absolutely agree. The person she loves the most should still be her son, even though I am glad he seems to be out of the show for good (because frankly I thought he was incredibly uninteresting). But this is another way in which the show fails to show relationships realistically, in my opinion. The minute the Audrey-Nathan romance got off the ground properly, it was as though Audrey lost interest in anyone else, romantically and non-romantically. Now, when Duke gets shot in front of her, she hardly flinches, despite the fact that she should still love him as a friend if nothing else. But only imagine what she would have done if that had been Nathan!
On most shows, if Audrey and Nathan were a clear-cut OTP, you wouldn't have Audrey kissing someone else, surely?
They would if it was in the lead-up to the OTP getting together, to add some dramatic tension. Which was exactly what I thought this kiss was about; another brief snag on the way to Audrey+Nathan OTP land.
I honestly can't see any network show doing a stable, romantic OT3 relationship in canon - I wish I did, in Haven's case, but...
Yeah, I have no idea what Duke's doing with Jennifer. Making a good faith effort to make the best of his situation? That's my best guess.
My best guess too. And she *is* a nice kid. But still.
And speaking purely from the point of view of the audience: This is a boring relationship, show. Bo-ring.
no subject
Date: 2013-12-02 01:45 am (UTC)Yeah, I don't think I necessarily need it to be romantic, you know? I would be happy if they could find some way to resolve it that reinforced how important they all are to each other, with or without smooches. (There's always fanfic for smooches.)
But we probably won't get that either, because apparently everyone has to be paired off, two by two. ;-P
no subject
Date: 2013-12-03 02:13 am (UTC)Yeah, I would be totally on-board with a non-romantic OT3; in fact, I would welcome it more than a romantic version, considering how badly this show does with romance. It'd have to be totally non-romantic, though, and not Audrey+Nathan in boring eternal!luv with Duke the odd man out, playing support team.
And that's the problem, IMO. It'd be hard to go back to pre-romance times. Jennifer could be written out easily enough, but the Audrey+Nathan thing?