Comments

1. J.J. wrote:

   No, I noticed. They definitely name dropped so we’d remember her name since all she does is mull around. I agree with this post (and would be down for the drinking game) except for a few things:

   1. I can’t shake my Heroes addiction, even tho they are pushing ALOT of my racism/tokenism buttons and that Ali Larter reintro was ridiculous (why not DL? lol) but I think they used her to further the plot line they revealed last night about how and why ppl have abilities (I hope that wasn’t too much of a spoil!! )

   2. They introduced Astrid as Dunham’s Junior Agent Assistant. . . . I’m guessing to imply (like many jobs) Junior FBI Agents must shadow a Senior Agent to advance.

   Def reeking of tokenisms though!

   Posted 07 Oct 2008 at 8:01 am ¶

2. pika wrote:

   Nope–your radar is finely attuned and not excessively so in this case. Even in a show that’s not yet succeeded in demonstrating any of the characters’ human complexity, the character of Astrid is striking in the flatness she’s given by the script and action.

   Posted 07 Oct 2008 at 8:04 am ¶

3. Jess wrote:

   I noticed.

   I propose another drinking game on the number of times women characters are tortured and/or naked.

   Also, it’s really bad television and has that bloke from Dawson’s Creek in it.

   Posted 07 Oct 2008 at 8:28 am ¶

4. Rob Schmidt wrote:

   I noticed too. But I’m not sure the problem is because she’s black. It just seems they haven’t thought her character through.

   Also, what about the new (?) black and Asian girls on “Gossip Girl”? They’re even getting some lines. And in one scene, we saw two black girls (gasp!) at the same time.

   Incidentally, I don’t think “Fringe” is that good. I’m about to drop it from my Season Passes. I suggest you watch “The Mentalist” and “Life” (from last season) instead.

   Posted 07 Oct 2008 at 8:49 am ¶

5. Tasha wrote:

   Yes I noticed. It’s ridiculous, give the woman some lines already. I really can’t remember her characters name but i dunno if that means anyway i still call pacey…pacey…

   Posted 07 Oct 2008 at 8:52 am ¶

6. Jess wrote:

   Another one! the other Jess…

   Maybe they are trying for the big reveal, tho. I mean, it’s possible they are going to have some big deal with her later and are pulling the “Didn’t you notice the unassuming person in the background?” trick.

   Posted 07 Oct 2008 at 9:26 am ¶

7. E Sledge wrote:

   Comparitively she had a lot of lines in the third episode- it ebbs and flows. My bet is that they are planning a sneak attack with Astrid’s character. Think about it- she doesnt say a lot in the first several episodes, all you know is that she is smart and soaking up everything she is learning from Dr. Bishop, and you get immersed in all the drama thats happening with all the other characters, and then, all of a sudden…BAM! Astrid is actually Dr. William Bell.

   Posted 07 Oct 2008 at 9:29 am ¶

8. atlasien wrote:

   I could barely make it through the pilot episode of Fringe. It was a mess of mediocre acting, ridiculous plot and a bland blond heroine.

   It would be much better if it was full of energetic, gratuitous sex, like True Blood. Otherwise… boring.

   Posted 07 Oct 2008 at 9:30 am ¶

9. Carmen Van Kerckhove wrote:

   > all of a sudden…BAM! Astrid is actually Dr. William Bell.

   LOL! Yes that would be a hell of a plot twist, but somehow I don’t think that’ll be happening.

   Posted 07 Oct 2008 at 9:31 am ¶

10. OTM wrote:

    I noticed, too! I was actually really annoyed at Dr. Bell because he could NEVER remember her name. I guess that was the plot device of repeatedly introducing the character, but I thought it was not cool the way the ONLY other person whose name he continually forgot also happened to be the only black woman on the show.

    I’m still on the fence about Fringe. I will surely watch the entire season, to give it a fair chance, but atlasien – it’s pretty trite, the acting is grating, and if they repeat the same Pacey-doesn’t-want-to-help-but-wait-he-has-a-change-of-heart-and-helps-this-one-last-time plot device one more time, I’m going to scream.

    Posted 07 Oct 2008 at 9:46 am ¶

11. Alissabeth wrote:

    I have noticed that. I keep wondering/hoping that Astrid is going to end up being a big player of some sort, possibly way more involved in the “pattern” and what-not than we are supposed to think given her here-but-invisible status so far. But I have been a little disturbed by the gorgeous/servile/silent thing they have going on with her.

    Posted 07 Oct 2008 at 10:47 am ¶

12. Tasha wrote:

    @ OTM – you might as wel be annoyed at me as well because ‘I’ could never remember her name.

    Posted 07 Oct 2008 at 11:00 am ¶

13. Renee wrote:

    I have been watching Fringe and loving it. I actually thought last weeks silent treatment was excellent. Sometimes a look can convey so much more than words. To me it was like she told him that he was dead to her for what he did to her.
    If he did not see her as human enough not to violate in that manner she did not consider him human enough to validate that he even existed. I thought it was great that she did not engage.

    Posted 07 Oct 2008 at 12:39 pm ¶

14. David wrote:

    Haha, YEAH. Nice post, because while I’m a huge Fringe fan at this post, her character is getting kinda ridiculous. And ditto on the Heroes stoppage also.

    Posted 07 Oct 2008 at 1:19 pm ¶

15. Persia wrote:

    I’m finding it more enjoyable than True Blood and am definitely hanging in. I’m hoping the apology at the end of episode 3 leads to more Astrid, and more interaction/respect between her and Dr. Bell– there could be a really interesting relationship there, where she starts getting involved in the science-y bits of the Pattern as Bland White Heroine (I can’t remember anyone’s name on this show yet) is getting involved in the action-y bits.

    Posted 07 Oct 2008 at 1:21 pm ¶

16. shah8 wrote:

    Atlasien, can we hook up or something? Over some fake TrueBlood?

    I would really freakin’ LOVE to talk about True Blood, more than some wimpy show like Fringe because–shiiiiiiiiny–Singularity—Nerd Eschaton–ooooooooOOOoohh….

    And Heroes? It’s not the tokenism and magical negro assistant that gets me, it’s the completely brutal sexism.

    Posted 07 Oct 2008 at 2:21 pm ¶

17. ding wrote:

    omg, yes. at first, i thought she was just a random harvard student who wandered into the lab by mistake. imagine my surprise when i realized she was an agent!

    Posted 07 Oct 2008 at 2:54 pm ¶

18. Andrea R. wrote:

    Yeah, I noticed. But I think the problem is that it’s a sucky show that’s badly written and poorly acted (especially by Joshua Jackson, and I really wanted to like this show cuz it was the “new” X-Files. It’s like they’re *trying* to be multicultural, but they get all hung up on the fact that she’s person of color and don’t know how to write her. Here’s an idea, writer her like a person, not a freakin shadow!
    I for one am still hooked on Heroes cuz I have soft spot for all the originals, including Ali Larter. I think she does a great job as all the multiple personalities, but I think she does an even BETTER job when she has her family around her, Micah AND DL. Can’t they bring him back!
    I agree on the Mentalist. Only caught it once, but I like it. Plus, the lead is not to hard on they eyes . . .

    Posted 07 Oct 2008 at 2:55 pm ¶

19. Joseph wrote:

    @ding
    LoL
    Me too…

    Posted 07 Oct 2008 at 3:15 pm ¶

20. loveless wrote:

    I haven’t watched the show, but the picture looked familiar.
    It is brave of Jasika Nicole to be “out”. The ramifications could effect future jobs.

    Posted 07 Oct 2008 at 4:46 pm ¶

21. ding wrote:

    i want to like Heroes more but i’m afraid all the characters’ glaring stupidity makes me want to scream. (especially Suresh – he is the most unscientific, most irrational man on earth – next to Peter Petrelli who needs a serious dose of smarts. or maybe the cop, Parkman – he is seriously dumb.)

    gaah. even thinking about it makes me get tense.

    Posted 07 Oct 2008 at 5:15 pm ¶

22. heyhey wrote:

    I feel ya, Carmen. I think I said as much on the “Heroes” thread. Please give her something more to do, particularly because the lead kinda bores me to tears. Other procedurals seem to give the whole cast some shine, why not this one.

    I’m hoping for an episode where they have to split up the gang and Astrid gets pushed into field-work (as opposed to lab) situation. Preferably with NotDawson (okay, now I feel bad for forgetting is name).

    And word to whomever upthread mentioned “Life”. That one’s not too shabby, and the female lead who was on “The L Word” for a while is (I think) Iranian. They don’t address that at all in the series, but it’s still nice to see.

    Posted 07 Oct 2008 at 6:24 pm ¶

23. Juan wrote:

    Along with the archetype of the black boss as antagonist/obstacle to the white hero(ine), yeah poor Jasika Nicole’s role annoys me too about the show. That and those two seem to feel like the only Black people in existence on the show, along with probably two of three PoC as well. At least with actual repeating and/or speaking roles.

    Has anyone else noticed this? Or do I just need to turn my racism/tokenism radar down a couple levels?

    I don’t think you should turn it down. If you look at your handbook it should be tuned at the standard level. =p

    Along with OTM, the whole Dr. Bell CONSTANTLY forgetting her name rings a bell of annoyance–flashback to a few personal experiences–and is pretty much the only name he seems to forget.

    That along with the flatness and background extra feeling her role is written for, I most certainly expect her ultimate role is to die somewhere around a season finale though maybe not before have quick fling with the white male lead before said male finally romantically connects with the white female star of the show.

    Though I’m wondering whether or not she’s supposed to be in tonight’s episode after Dr. Bell stabbed her with a sedative or something before going on the lamb. And while he was apologizing to her at the end of the episode–she had no lines!

    She just sat there. Head down. Still writing her report of something. I can understand that as a resonable reaction, but given how little her character spoke in the past three or four episode… =/

    Posted 07 Oct 2008 at 6:32 pm ¶

24. August wrote:

    Aw, I was really looking forward to your take on last night’s episode of Heroes. Maybe just one more, for old times’ sake?

    Posted 07 Oct 2008 at 7:40 pm ¶

25. jen* wrote:

    Heroes is still on my list, but I’m starting to get confused – no one’s answering the question of how everybody got so stupid. And then it intensified, so they’re even MORE stupid in the future.

    I really like Fringe, though, and I really like Jasika. I’m hoping her part will expand, because, right now, she seems light years ahead of the blond girl [at least in intelligence]. I think there is the possibility for her to emerge as a bigger player in the show, but I don’t know how things will go.

    Posted 07 Oct 2008 at 8:49 pm ¶

26. Persephone wrote:

    I’m really glad you posted about this. I was REALLY annoyed by last week’s episode, with the whole syringe-assault thing. I have been arguing about it with my husband — he thought it was supposed to show that Walter can be dangerous and untrustworthy, and to keep him from being a sympathetic-but-wacky character. On the other hand, I felt like it was brushed off as “just one of Walter’s crazy hijinks” and would have been a way bigger deal if the victim had been, say, Olivia.

    I wasn’t sure about Walter forgetting her name, or someone (I think it was both Walter and Peter) being surprised that she knew Latin — I thought that might be because the writers assumed that the audience would automatically dismiss her out of racism/sexism, but it might also be to point out that both Walter and Peter have some nasty racist and elitist tendencies that go hand-in-hand with their intellectual ambition.

    Posted 07 Oct 2008 at 9:49 pm ¶

27. Asada wrote:

    number one reason I could not do hollywood or modeling. THE racism and second classism that goes on is too much for me to handles. Sadly , Im a Black person with delicate sensibilities and I’m rather insecure. The blacks in show business who have any success are tough cookies and very flexible, regardless of how much hollywierd and non-famous blacks punk them about the roles they play.

    Could not be me…..

    Posted 08 Oct 2008 at 12:00 am ¶

28. Eva wrote:

    I only watch the show for John Noble anyway.

    Posted 08 Oct 2008 at 9:06 am ¶

29. evilbunnytoo wrote:

    I watched the first episode and couldn’t watch again because of the white female lead – she was vacuous, unprofessional, and the dream/psychic connection with her boyfriend was over the top. Plus the lack of people of color was grating.

    I was really disappointed because I could see how the show had great potential if they just replaced the white FBI lead and dumped the love angle crap. Instead all I could think was “oh nooz I must saves my lover!” I couldn’t bring myself to watch the second episode.

    Posted 08 Oct 2008 at 9:56 am ¶

30. Wren wrote:

    heyhey–Not to derail the topic, but Sarah Shahi–from the programme “Life” is of Spanish and Iranian descent.

    Tried viewing “Fringe” and the whole psychic link stuff bummed me out as well, evilbunnytoo. After reading Jasika Nichols’ backstory on afterellen.com, I couldn’t help but be intrigued and yet again, was bummed because of her lack of active involvement in the goings-on. Silence does not equal particpation….

    Posted 09 Oct 2008 at 9:59 pm ¶

31. Natalie wrote:

    “I thought that might be because the writers assumed that the audience would automatically dismiss her out of racism/sexism, but it might also be to point out that both Walter and Peter have some nasty racist and elitist tendencies that go hand-in-hand with their intellectual ambition.”

    I thought this was just a continuance of the “Latin is haaard” idea that goes through tv. I took a lot of a Latin in college, and it’s super easy, especially if you speak another romance language to begin with.

    I’ve been annoyed with Astrid’s treatment as well. In particular, it bothered me when Olivia brought peter along as her back up to find magical old man baby. Sure, bring the guy you’ll have to talk through how to use a gun, not the other trained FBI agent, that makes sense.

    I was very bothered by the syringe incident, particularly that Walter left her crumpled up on the floor of the lab. I guess it would have been a lot creepier to see an old white guy arranging a young unconscious black woman’s body on a bed, but damn, way to signify that Walter doesn’t think she deserves even a minute’s consideration.

    At first I just attributed it to her being a woman, but there’s olivia and ms. massive dynamics (whose name I’m forgetting) who seem to be able to occupy positions of power. So yeah, I’m sure being a black woman is not helping her get lines. Unfortunately.

    Posted 10 Oct 2008 at 5:45 pm ¶

32. SolShine7 wrote:

    I noticed. I’ve been wishing she’d get some more lines but I’m not sure if she’s going to be on the show for the whole season. Is her name listed on the opening credits? Anyhow, she has a cool hair style.

    Posted 12 Oct 2008 at 12:41 pm ¶

33. Cicely wrote:

    I’ve gotten frustrated with her character because she seems so dumb. She may be an inexperienced junior agent, but she seems distinctly slow on the uptake. It’s like she’s there to “help” the viewer — Dr. Bishop says something kind of obscurely scientific, but really not THAT bad, just requiring clarification. Clue a “Huh?” from Astrid and a “Pseudoscience for Dummies” explanation from Josh Jackson’s character. It didn’t occur to me to put it down to racism, however subtle (and I’m not sure that’s the case), but I do feel they need to get their act together to justify her role.

    It’s sad because on the other hand, JJ Abrams has always had strong, believable female characters. Rather than a new “X-Files,” I think of this more like a sci-fi “Alias.”

    Posted 12 Oct 2008 at 11:08 pm ¶