Oz - let the addiction begin

[cmk418]

So I was talking to the boss' wife yesterday - I do that sometimes, I can be quite civil, thank you. We were on the subject of television so naturally I ask her if she's seen "Oz". She says she hasn't really watched it, but she wouldn't mind seeing it. I offer to lend her my Season One DVDs (after Thanksgiving when my project to get my sister hooked finishes the first stage). Honestly, I should get her started on S4 (fill in epi number - those of you who've been reading know where this is going) so that she can see the beauty of the show. Must stop this train of thought now or they'll come to revoke my rainbow card. But still, I would consider it a great success to get her into Oz. My boss would probably like it too. He likes things that are violent and well written.

Which leads me to a question, are there men addicted to this show? Seems like most of the folks out here in the LJ Oz community are women, so I've got to wonder. Maybe they just don't go searching for or writing slash-fic. And somehow I don't see my boss swooning over Ryan O'Reily. Although if he does, I can change my matchmaking plans - LOL.

Glad the Dodgers clinched the playoffs today - timezone convenient postseason play - hooray. The Cards just have to win one more or Houston lose one more and they're in. And my Hawks are winning 4-1 at this point (nice that they could rebound after a loss like that). They have the best record in preseason play. I'm very proud even though it won't mean a thing next week.

Comments

[colleendetroit.livejournal.com]

Which leads me to a question, are there men addicted to this show?

If they are, they're either gay, or will never admit it, because people will think...they're gay. O_o


Glad the Dodgers clinched the playoffs today - timezone convenient postseason play - hooray.

Suhweeeeeeeeeeeet...that totally rocked.

[cmk418]

If they are, they're either gay, or will never admit it, because people will think...they're gay. O_o

Come to think of it, the two guys that I got addicted to Oz were gay (but that's just my circle of friends).

My dad watched the show. He had high compliments for the writing & could not get over Adebisi's death scene. He enjoys describing it in detail. Of course, he never once mentioned that he had to tune in next week to see what was going on in the B/K storyline. But he's not addicted. He'd watch it if there was nothing else on television, but other than that, he's pretty well done with it.

[colleendetroit.livejournal.com]

Of course, he never once mentioned that he had to tune in next week to see what was going on in the B/K storyline.

Yeah, I think that if a guy WAS addicted, he would NEVER mention B/K, and just play up the violence and killings...yeah, because that's like, *manly* and shit. O_o

[ralu-1982.livejournal.com]

When the show was aired on TV in my country, there were LOTS of people at my college watching every episode of it (and that says something about the level of interest the show had, since most college kids don't watch TV show regurarly over here) - some of them were girls, but most were guys, which always made me feel kind of weird since I was pretty much the only chick getting into discussions about Oz in the group. But as for obsession over the show, nah, not really. They were more into the violence and power games (and on this subject, I distinctly remember one guy saying how he HATED Oz because of "the level of filth and violence" - which put me in a really weird position of defending the violence of the show as the only girl in the group) and naturally, they liked O'Reily and Adebisi.

As for the B/K storyline, the opinions I've heard went from the classic homophobic shit to some pretty interesting observations on relationships in prison (and they usually came from guys who had relatives/friends behind bars) that were not exclusively linked to the sexual side of the relationship, but more to the circumstances, the context in which the B/K relationship evolved.

On the message boards/formus, I've noticed that yes, there are males who are BIG fans of the show, B/K included, and who do not identify themselves as gay. Honestly, I don't think sexual orientation or gender play a big part in the aspect of appreciation and love for the show. Having some guy ranting about some character's dick like he's seen God or something doesn't really count as being a fan of the show...just maybe a fan of the character's dick... :)

[cmk418]

Interesting. I just think it's strange that a show written by a man/group of men with subject matter for men (violence/power plays/prison life in general) has such a strong, devoted/obsessed female following. I wonder if "Prisoner Cell Block H" (women's prison soap that ran in syndication in the US during the late 70s/early 80s) was still on or available on DVD if it would be the opposite.

Having some guy ranting about some character's dick like he's seen God or something doesn't really count as being a fan of the show...just maybe a fan of the character's dick... :)
::pausing to rewind the end of "A Word to the Wise" to the closeup of Dean Winters lying in bed then pressing play:: I don't know anybody who would ever do this. LOL.
I could do without the nudity because it's not really integral to anything except making the setting/lack of privacy, etc. more realistic. The high quality of writing and acting is what draws me in and what keeps me interested. Everything else is secondary.

[ralu-1982.livejournal.com]

Interesting. I just think it's strange that a show written by a man/group of men with subject matter for men (violence/power plays/prison life in general) has such a strong, devoted/obsessed female following.

There was a big article written about Oz (published by the Duke University Press, I think) which posed the same dilemma concerning the large number of female fans that the show has, and it was partially explained/hinted at by the fact that Oz presents a huge appeal for women interested in slash, on one side, and also the fact that Oz knocks off the standard male-dominated understanding of gender role and sexuality.

And yeah, I have to completely agree with this theory on the subject, at least from my part: I am interested in Oz because of the interesting and quite unique twist on displaying male/female roles (just think of Claire Howell - in that Hill identity-based monologue when she's chosen to represent femininity) and the fact that one of the biggest storylines of the show, if not the biggest, is centered on a gay relationship in which both characters are NOT gay (I definitely don't see Beecher as gay or even bisexual, and Keller's...well, gender or sexual orientation seem like meaningless, nonsensical terms when it comes to this guy) nor - and I find this particular aspect the most interesting and appealing to me - do they ever COME OUT as gay, in one of those scenes which are supposed to somehow *define* the character to us, the viewers, as "gay".

I don't know if I'd find this just as appealing if I were a (straight) man, because I've noticed that these elements tend to be a turn off for men, probably because the standard male perception over gender and sexuality (a standard which isn't in no way representative of all males, or ONLY males...that's why it's called "standard", right?) is turned upside down in Oz. The fun part is that this process isn't artificial, forced - because of the fact that the show's centered on a prison, a confined space, where forced proximity gives way to a numerous and extremely diverse relationships...with the major and crucial peculiarity represented by the absence of women as a balancing force of some sort.
And because you've mentioned the nudity issue, that's another problem that straight men (and I say straight because I've never seen a gay man saying something like "I don't like seeing all those dicks on the show 'cause I'm gay") have with the show and, more or less indirectly, with Keller. Why Keller? Beats me.

But it seems that Keller sort of brought in nudity as an aspect which is not strictly related to degradation, emasculation and lack of privacy, but also as a symbol of...well, some kind of a exhibitionistic display of manhood, in lack of a better word. Which is kind of weird, not only because the very same thing's done by Adebisi, for instance, but also because men seem to have this fear of male nudity as a symbol of something which is otherwise highly enjoyed by men as expressed though, let's say, murder and violence.

The final, big, if not *erect* question that pops in my head is this: are men afraid of their own dicks?
Man, why do I feel like Carrie fucking Bradshaw by asking this question?...