Life: the ending?

[alexandral]

I have watched the last episode of "Life". . As I predicted (here), at the end it was all about the evil Russian Roman against the good American//British Charlie. And of course, the good American won and the bad Russian lost. I think what puzzles me the most is that Garret Dillahunt's charcater is so not Russian. He speaks English with a very bad Russian accent, he pronounces Russian (rare) words horribly wrong, to the point of making the words not-recognisable. He pronounces his own name in American manner. For my eyes and ears Roman is an American trying to pretend to be Russian, and not even trying too well. In inconnected - Viggo Mortensen made a great Russian in "Eastern Promises", and so did Kate Blanchett in "Indiana Jones".

Plus Roman is also "like an animal", etc. etc. I really don't like this stereotype of Russians, I am so glad that this storyline is over.

I guess it didn't help that my daughter said (in passing) last week about the kids in her school "You know, most of them don't like Russians". ** sigh ** Oh, what shall I do? I am thinking about going to a speach coach again, to get rid of my accent. I need to make an effort to fit in.

Comments

[bzoppa.livejournal.com]

I need to make an effort to fit in.

NEVER! Russian accents are sexy... not that you really want to be sexy (although I've seen some pics of you in dresses and boots ;) ).

I've never been on the receiving end of that kind of discrimination/stereotype—although I did gain 60+ pounds (4.5-ish stone, I think?)—and damn did people treat me differently... and this is a gross generalization.

We had a bunch of Russians work at the Irish pub, and I love Masha's accent.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I have never really been on the receiving end as well, mostly I think because I am not generally a person who is easy to intimidate and i don't notice negative vibes easily. My Russian friend T. had few encounters, but nothing too much neither.

I get the usual "Russian wife" jokes quite often, and it is no way that I am going to explain to every single person that my husband didn't actually find me in Russian bride catalogs (we met when i was on holidays in UK). The sad thing is that the catalogs like that exist, for example, T. found her husband this way. So yep, I see where people are coming from, but the generalizations are no less annoying

I get "sexy accent" comments quite often too . ** laughs **.

I think the comments in Sasha's school are due to the recent political events.

And **hugs ** for all you had to go through

[bzoppa.livejournal.com]

Aw, *hugs back!*

That is nothing compared to this week. I've been posting but locking them down private after a certain period of time, even when I've left comments disabled. *deliberately vague and weird*

And I am losing weight! I'm 20 pounds (1.5 stone?) under my heaviest weight and need to buy a new pair of jeans. And I plan to start eating well again this weekend once I get my kitchen back in shape.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I am so sorry to hear that someone was not nice to you. I shall come and sort them out - we Russian girls eat nasty people for breakfast and we all connected to KGB (FSB). :D

Yay! Good news!!! Plus it is always nice to have any excuse for buying new outfits, isn't it?

[dianora77.livejournal.com]

Hey, I'm thinking about watching Boys Over Flowers. I dunno which version I should watch? Any suggestion? And what is Boys Before Flowers? Same thing, different title?

P.S. Now I really wanna hear your accent! :D

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Hey, I'm thinking about watching Boys Over Flowers. I dunno which version I should watch? Any suggestion? And what is Boys Before Flowers? Same thing, different title?

YAY! "Boys Before Flowers" is a Japanese manga (graphic novel). It is about this spoilt rich boy (and his 3 friends) and a poor spunky girl. There are 4 adaptations so far: Anime, Japanese, Taiwanese and Korean. I would rec the Japanese version "Hana Yori Dango" because it is the shortest and the most liked version (please let me know if you are interested, I will message to you the source places). More detailed description is here: http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Hana_Yori_Dango

. Now I really wanna hear your accent!

I really hope we can meet one day.

[dianora77.livejournal.com]

I'm interested, I'm interested. Do you have my e-mail? Cause I have your gmail.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I am so sorry for being late . I seem to have your e-mail contact too. I have sent you an email. Please let me know if it doesn't arrive.

[baleanoptera.livejournal.com]

Oh honey, I'm so sorry you keep having to deal with this mess. For what it is worth I agree with bzoppa; keep your accent! Not only is it lovely, but also a symbol of your background and culture, which is equally lovely.

Though I get the annoyance of cultural stereotypes. Scandinavians aren't as frequently depicted as Russians, but when we are it is always as "Hilda-the sex crazed au-pair" or "Olaf - the gloomy guy in a Bergman flick". *snort*

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I usually stick to my accent but sometimes it feels nice to be not-noticed. :D But on the other hand, do I really want to be not-noticed?

"Hilda-the sex crazed au-pair" or "Olaf - the gloomy guy in a Bergman flick". *snort*

It seems that all nations are depicted with some degree of stereotyping. It was more understandable in pre-Internet age when people from different countries wasn't able to access the information about other countries easily, mix and compare. But in the present day and age I think these the stereotypes are on their way to go. This is why such a sloppy acting as Garret Dillahunt's is so jarring. I can easily find 10 places in 10 minutes that will teach you how to pronounce Russian words.

But also, there was no way I would have been able to watch "Life" in English in the past. By the time it would have been dubbed to Russian I would have never noticed it's Russian.

[miss-dian.livejournal.com]

I didn't actually think your accent was very thick ;-) A lot less than a lot of my friends who speak Russian anyway. And I'm sorry about stereotypes. I get annoyed too when I am stereotyped for wearing a headscarf and/or encounter people generalising Muslims.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I get annoyed too when I am stereotyped for wearing a headscarf and/or encounter people generalising Muslims.

I notice and dislike these stereotypes too. There is so much intolerance still, but at the same time I notice that there are many people who actively fight race/religion/culture stereotypes.

[girl-undone.livejournal.com]

I love Russians! They liberated the camps before anyone else, therefore they win forever in my book.

Plus, most of the Russians immigrants here want to marry me, which is a nice ego booster! ;)

*HUGS!* In all seriousness, however, I'm so sorry your daughter is having a hard time at school. I hate a truly miserable existence in school that I won't go into here, but I really do understand how hard it is. I wish I could make her feel more secure. Considering most people think New York is very 'Jewish', I'm sure they'd be very surprised to know that I had swastikas drawn all over my stuff every single day for four years straight, that kids used to 'heil hitler' me, that I heard the most unrepeatable (and unforgettable) 'jokes' about death camps, and whenever I tried to get a school administrator to do something, I was told I 'flaunted' my Judaism by wearing a Jewish star (which I didn't even wear every day, but that's so besides the point!) and that I was being overly sensitive. People are, for the most part, morons. :(

Also, don't go to a speech therapist or coach! Russian accents (and names) are beautiful!

Now I wish I had an Anna Karenina icon. (Vivien Leigh's film version is my favourite, if not most accurate to the novel.) Must get one.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Plus, most of the Russians immigrants here want to marry me, which is a nice ego booster! ;)

I think you are gorgeous - I would not be surprised that everyone wants to marry you.

Oh, I am sorry I didn't express this correctly - my daughter is not having hard times at school at all, in fact , she is very popular, much more than me at her age. i think this is mostly due to her ability (as her father) to let things go and not take them too seriously (I am a bit guilty of this). I think she just heard someone saying something that wasn't directed at her.

I am so sorry you had to go through all that at school - this sounds terrible!!! And it is even more terrible to hear that nothing was done by school administrator. You surely are perfectly withing your rights to wear the symbols of Judaism wherever and whenever you want to!!!

I am a bit silly with the speech therapist - I am really sorry for that!!!

[thepresidentrix.livejournal.com]

I say this not in defense of the show, but only to mitigate any fears you might have about how people see you or your fellow Russians in America: The character on Life is, I think, mostly just bad storytelling, not a representation of how Americans actually picture Russians. I could be wrong about this, but I don't think we picture Russians as being like him in real life - even in our knee-jerk prejudicial reactions. (Though I'm pretty sure there are *some* criminal 'lowlifes' of some sort in every urban culture). I don't think Roman is meant to tap into any real fear from the American popular imagination (in the way, say, we might exploit fears of middle easterners being terrorists).

But the 'scary Russian guy' *is* a familiar figure from films and tv, so they can skip giving their villain real characterization just by making him like other previous villains. It's like they don't have to bother to create a character so long as they put before us someone that we've seen before. We don't have to get to know the villain if it seems like we already know him from somewhere else. And an accent, any accent, however poor, distracts from the fact that he's just a stupid stock character.

I tend to think the situation is comparable, in some ways, to the complaint British actors often make that they always get cast as villains. For whatever reason, guys with accents tend to sound more powerful and formidable to us, and lots of villains from bad movies *are* British guys - but that is not at all how I picture British guys or British people in general - in fact, if anything I tend to romanticize them.

Anyway, I think you're right to be frustrated at the preponderance of poorly-conceived, badly-executed and potentially prejudicial images of Russians that can be found on tv - and the relative difficulty of finding really good roles for Russians, but I am pretty sure that reflects laziness more than malice.

And I like how foreign accents sound, for the record, though I can see how it might be interesting to gain the ability to drop the accent sometimes - if only because it could be fun and disarming.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I think you really summarized perfectly what bothered me - it is not that I am worried that Americans think of Russians as Roman Novakovs.

I also don't particular think that seeing many "bad Russian guy" characters will create someone's fear of Russians. However this is more complex, there still must be some connection between the image of Russians an media and instinctive prejudices.

But "Life" had a promise of a real decent show. It is disappointing to see bad stereotypes and badly drawn characters in this show.

[neva-butterfly.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry about the prejudice you and your daughter face. I remember being a little child and my father explaining to me "Russians are wonderful people with a rich culture, they are kind and loving just like anyone else, we just disagree with their government." I was so little then, that was back in the times of "We will bury you." I don't know if that was an accurate translation or not, but that's what everyone was saying.

I think living in Washington, DC, we are such an international city that it's hard for me to imagine many people here hanging onto such prejudices. But since they keep showing up in TV shows, I guess they are playing to the middle of the country. Strange and disappointing indeed.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I am so soryy that I didn't express this correctly - my daughter is not having hard times at school , this was just something some children said, not directed at her. Most likely to do with the recent coldness between USA and Russia (more on the USA side, I didn't see so much propaganda in Russin when I visited this year).


And yes, "We will bury you" is a classic example of something taken out of context (But I must admit, the real phrase is still no good) . The real quote goes like that (translation from the article on wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_will_bury_you) : "Whether you like it or not, history is on our side. We will dig you in".

Yes, I also thought the cold war is over. :D

[teh-haley.livejournal.com]

I don't think you should make an effort to "fit in". I think it's normal to have our own accent everyone. Though, some people can't think outside the box - which means, usually they apply stereotypes when they can't relate to someone who is slightly different (for pronunciation, cultural background, skin, anything) but I think the main problem is to learn how not to be too much affected by this kind of judgement. Having our own background means being lucky, it means we've known more than one place, and people who can't appreciate it shouldn't make us feel 'bad'.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

** hugs *8 I really think the same, it happens sometimes that I feel affected by a negative event, but there are so many positive ones!!!

[winterspel.livejournal.com]

*hugs* How awful for Sasha to hear that at school! I don't think you should change your accent at all - I adore accents, and I think it's terrible that anyone should make you feel like this beautiful thing you inherited from your culture and your country is something that needs to be changed because other people are stupid. Besides, you've never struck me as a person who isolates herself from the country in which she lives.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

** HUGS ** Thank you! Sasha wasn't bothered by it at all, I think this is just something she heard in passing.

I am sorry I keep returning to the silly idea of accent-free life.

[trailer-spot.livejournal.com]

I now have seen the final episode.

I'm very sorry to hear that this bothers you so much. I really wish you'd be able to not take this so much to heart. I really think it means nothing. Maybe it's not the same, but I think Germans are still in the lead when it comes to counting the villains in the 22 James Bond movies. :)

Of course, Sasha having a hard time at school because of this it something much more serious. But if I understand the way you wrote it correctly, it's just that she picked something up, it wasn't something about her personally. Which is still not fair, but not as bad as if she had to deal with it directly.

As for the finale. There was almost too much intimate Crews/Reese interaction, I think I like the connection between the two a little more subtle. ;) I mean we all know the two understand and like each other. :)
And the big question of course is, will there be another season. Apparently, nobody knows (http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/telefile/2009/04/life-sentence-damian-lewis-and.php#more).

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Hee! I doesn't bother me that much, but I think I am at the point now where I start to notice more things. Like, for example, that quite few British people I met instinctively distrust French (why???) people, German people, Russians, and any people of colour.

Seeing these types of attitudes "supported" in such a very decent show as "Life" is strange. They are better placed in something that screams "chiche-ridden", like Bond. I hope you understand what I mean .

Oh, yes! Sasha indeed doesn't have any problems at school, she is very popular. I think she inherited a bit of the relaxed attitude to life her father has.

I almost wish that "Life" will canceled. The second season was much weaker than the first. Both Crews and Reese are still awesome and this fact still saves the show, though. I hear you - the hints about marriages between two partners were not at all subtle.

[trailer-spot.livejournal.com]

quite few British people I met instinctively distrust French (why???) people, German people, Russians
I think part of the reason is still the second World War (and all European wars before that). There are still clichés that are repeated whenever there's an opportunity. Like the tabloids starting to use typical war expressions when there's a football match between England and Germany.
And I'd say one reason why thing's are currently heating up is the bad state of the economy. When everything's fine not too many people care. But once things go wrong then people are looking for scapegoats. So they start to take managers hostage, or attack foreign companies operating abroad, or just foreigners taking their jobs.

think she inherited a bit of the relaxed attitude to life her father has.
That made me smile. Seems like she has awesome parents. :)

I understand what you mean. But it's probably hard to avoid those things on a show on a major TV network.

IF, and that's a big if, there will be another season, then I really hope they will again go back to Reese and Crews being *work* partners and pretend nothing happened in the final episode (other than caring for a good partner), because otherwise it would be the end. I think the *tension* between the two is essential.

I almost wish that "Life" will canceled.
I had similar thoughts for a while, just like you, especially when comparing the second to the first season. For me it's more when I start to think about the inconsistencies. Like how Dani in the second season when she fell for Tidwell. I don't mind that they made them a couple, it's the way they showed Dani falling for him, suddenly getting all mushy when she's (at least on the outside) usually a tough woman. But as you said, there's still more than enough to enjoy (and not to think too much about other things). So if they come back for another season (which I think is at best a 50% chance) I'll certainly watch. Especially since it will be many, many months before there will be new shows.

They started showing the series on German TV a few weeks ago. I haven't watched it but I like the implication that sooner or later the DVDs of the first season will be available here. At least I hope they will.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I am so sorry for the late reply!

I think I will also watch "Life" if it comes back. I might complain a little, though. :D

[mnemo-syne.livejournal.com]

Awww, but I love accents! I bet yours is cute and/or sexy. :D I'm sorry you feel like you need to erase it.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much, dear. Most of the time I am more sensible, but sometimes I wish to be JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE.

[monanotlisa.livejournal.com]

Found this via Personal Pineapple: I hadn't considered it, but that makes me a neglectful European. You're dead-on about the negative and certainly stereotypical portrayal of Russians in the show.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I don't think this was 100% intentionl, but then again - all the history of the relationships between USA and Russia is full of distrust.