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dormarunt · 2 years

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So trigger warning for rape/sexual assault talk re Pina's shows and regarding the character of Berlin under the cut.

I never knew that about Hannibal but now that I do, I have all the more respect for it. I know it's a far more common occurrence than anyone thinks or even is comfortable to talk about, but it's not-- necessary? Unless the story or the character arc is directly impacted by/related to that.

But let me just say, okay. I've seen three of Pina's shows, and I hope that it was just an unconscious choice, but all of them depict rape in one form or other, and - with the exception, maybe, of one character in Sky Rojo - it usually isn't "about" the character being raped, but the men perpetrating the abuse.

Take Vis a Vis - Saray, the character played by Alba Flores, is raped by one of the guards. Most, if not all of the woman inmates are abused by the prison's doctor - and that's just in the first two seasons that I've watched. Sky Rojo is, maybe through the nature of the show, absolutely full of this. You can argue that it makes sense since the show it's about women that are held captive in a brothel and abused by clients and the brothel owner alike, but it’s just-- too much.

And LCdP... Arturo assaults Amanda then tries to drug Manilla too - and we're not going into the power dynamic of him cheating with his secretary and then, as soon as she's pregnant, renege the child and any responsibility. I think the whole rape subplot was only added to make Arturo even more despicable - even the actor spoke about how he disliked that choice for his character - and I feel like it added nothing to the story or to the character, frankly. (and to get ahead of myself, but what about the victims? We don't see the effect it had on Amanda and only dlightly on Ariadna, they were primarily objects to further establish a male character's "despicable" side)

Berlin, though. He's been shown from the very start and consistently - at least through seasons 1 and 2 - to act lecherously and predatory around women. And he knows the effect he has on women, which is compounded in the context of the heist. He knows all along and enjoys "playing" that power on women. So I die inside whenever someone (usually on the LCdP subreddit) claim that he didn't rape Ariadna because she said she wanted to do it. Andres knew what he was doing, him asking her was maybe to superficially fool himself that it was consensual, but he can't have gone completely ignorant at that very second, of the power he knew he had all along. He asks her once, when she was watching him sleep, if she didn't feel like harming him (or something like that). The man knew of their dynamic and his effect on her.

Graphic imagery I suppose, but - Andres is portrayed as a man who enjoys sex and who’s had five wives. He must know that having the woman do a short striptease - we’re not talking of how she’s terrified while doing it - is NOT enough to get her wet enough to just-- go straight in. He knows he’s hurting her.

Also - I'll talk for a minute about his "Madonna - whore" complex. I think the only woman he didn't act like a fucking sexual predator around (although he was still terrifying and he knew it) was the 8-months pregnant hostage in episode 1. And that's a very real typology of men.

His speech regarding virginity, that he has with Allison and her teacher, right after he rapes Ariadna, and in that very same office, it’s--

But I get you, I like Berlin as a character too, and they worked HARD to redeem him, with his sacrifice and his flashbacks and with his story with Martin. But we must remember that towards the end of his life, Andres wasn't the happy-go-lucky, tragically brilliant and dying man who serenades his bride at their wedding and for whom Martin goes into the bank and has a heartfelt moment reliving their times together; he was the man that terrified all the women he came into contact with when he was in an undeniable position of power over them, culminating with raping one. (and sliding his hand in Monica's panties to get that phone, coupled with Tokio's voiceover.... it's implied he's always been that much of a creep).

When it comes to a character arc, seeing him who he was and who he turned into, we see Berlin’s storyline out of sync. And yet, it’s the story of a man who at the end of his life - and focusing on this aspect of him - is truly vile. A sexual predator.

He's an awful, awful character (his story with his own child that he "forgives" for being born because he basically ruined his sex life? His view on women post-birth?? YIKES). But he's a much more complex character, and the later seasons don't show that much of his lecherous side anymore. I choose not to focus the "rapist" side of Andres when I'm writing - unless I'm writing something specifically addressing that - but I do not and will not, for a second, forget who he really is.

(additionally it would be interesting to go into what exactly did that scene bring to Berlin’s character? Was it there to prove some sort of “change” he underwent towards the end of his life? Was it him compounding as many horrible things as he can because he knows that it will all either not matter since he’ll die, or will be “forgiven” by his sacrifice? Or is it a way to further add to his character, how he perceives himself - declaratively and proudly not a rapist - and his actions that prove he’s exactly that, in a way to show that he’s got a completely wrong view of his own self? Or-- or was it all added, just like Arturo’s sexual assault, just to further make him more despicable? I guess we’ll never know, and that’s not Good Writing, imo.)

Yeah, I ranted too, sorry. I don't know how to feel about this. I know that not covering a sensitive subject in media doesn't mean that it's no longer happening, but I don't see the value of including it either. Especially since, more often than not, it's used to further villanize a (usually) male character. I agree - make them killers, do anything else. Sometimes it feels like the victims are just props, and their suffering is played just to give awful characters more depth and I do not like that. I do not have an answer on this; it's a topic way bigger than myself, but I am sick and tired to see it - especially, as you say, when written by men. And - just my luck, the tree shows written by Alex Pina that I've watched all portray this, and-- why??

#asks #sensitive topics #thank you for giving me the opportunity to rant #not a lot of people talk about this and I GET IT #but it happened. it did. it's part of a character that we love and ~stan #and WHY.#sorry for the enormous rant. I have Opinions and not few of them #la casa de papel

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