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eumeliaI liked the episode. It was not a good episode. It was full of fail.
Let me tell you why.
First of all, it was racist. Let me be straightforward in this. I think using an indigenous and endangered belief system in order to make a Halloween episode more “interesting” due to the exotic location of Hawaii is low, sloppy and patronising.
It’s also, once again, emblematic of the problematic race relations the show keeps running into head first and without thought.
Considering that two white kids are murdered by a white guy on what is considered sacred ground for people who are not white, tells me something about the priority of the writers and who they think we, the audience, is going to identify with – namely, dead white college morons and a self appointed guardian, who, would you look at that, happens to be white.
The Robinson Crusoe routine did not endear the poor survivalist war veteran to me. Certainly not when he’s spouting Hawaiian vernacular we should have heard the actual Kapu say (remember Kawika? Where are you Kala Alexander! I miss you!), considering the importance of the heiau to indigenous Hawaiians.
As it is, Kono and Chin trying to warn Danny from trampling the grounds came off more as a spooky ghost story rather than a request to respect the beliefs of his fellow team members and the HPD at large. The two most knowledgeable members of the team when it comes to Hawaii are used here as mouth pieces for the Hawaiian culture, but do not take him task, as opposed to Steve who is honest to god offended over what Danny did.
Chin gave him an exasperated look and Kono said her grandfather saw ghosts, but where was the emotional impact of someone desecrating holy grounf?
The writers had an opportunity to actually comment on the way indigenous culture has been exotified and diminished ever since white colonialists came to the islands and forcefully converted people; instead Danny’s disrespect was played for laughs and comedic effect and the white man guarding the burial ground was “a very special guest star”.
In the previous season Hawaiian culture is brought to the forefront in a matter of fact way (see episode 1.06 and 1.20) and an integral part of the show, this is not the case in the current run of the show.
Placing the religion and the belief in spirits and ancestors in a Halloween episode makes give the show the side-eye, as the meaning of that faith to the people who believe in it and practice is severely watered down.
Especially when you consider that the consequences of disrespecting the heiau is played up for laughs and for chastising the atheist for his insensitivity.
Danny’s own racism went unchecked. Despite professing equal disbelief in the sanctity of churches as well as heiaus, he undermines his statement by placing more value in Western religion and white culture than the religion and belief system of his non-white co-workers. Danny went about trampling on an indigenous Hawaiian holy ground, with the assurance and authority that it wasn’t a big deal, because it wasn’t a big deal to him.
It was pretty disgusting to watch.
That situation could have been an opportunity for the show to explore his current hate-on with Hawaii and his own sense of superiority as a white man from the mainland; instead we have the narrative punishing him over and over again throughout the episode for his lack of respect to Hawaiian religion and spirituality.
Pity the episode itself fell into the same trap it set for Danny.
Danny’s atheism became a source of contention and comedy in the episode, but also a sincerely great moment between Danny and Steve in the car.
Danny’s assertion of disbelief is a personal affront to Steve, he who called America “She” and invoked the authority of God and country in order to intimidate a perp, is so very disappointed that his best friend and partner has no faith and is in fact so sceptical as to not even always believe what is before his very eyes.
The show endorses the position that those with faith are right and those without are not. Or more to the point, those who are willing to come out and say without qualification that they do not believe are punished, both in the narrative and in the post-episode analysis by fandom.
Danny was an insensitive ass. What else is new?
Danny is an atheist? This is me grinning wide and happy.
The episode does not negate any kind of continuity with regards to Danny’s character with making him canonically atheist. Reading fandom this week was like getting repeatedly punched in the gut.
The double standard of disbelief was aggravating to read as were some of the assumptions made about his character due to this so-called reveal.
As mentioned, Steve’s reaction was very typical of Steve, it’s also incredibly typical of believers who come across atheists. This mix of pity and patronisation. As though the poor schmuck simply has no idea what is going on.
Danny’s own reaction to Steve’s pity and patronisation is one that I think many atheists who are vocal about their disbelief can relate you, to sarcastically reply that yeah, we’re insensitive jerks, because we refuse to believe that religion is a good thing (making stuff up to make yourself feel better about the world is not a positive thing!), no matter how progressive it is or what type of religion it is.
What believers don’t like to think about is that when atheists assert our disbelief we are saying in very few words; you are wrong. It is an inherently oppositional statement and position to take.
Danny is repeatedly punished for this in the narrative and that irks me. Because being punished for make believe shit, as the show implies, shouldn’t be a punishable offence. Danny behaved like a racist ass due to his inherent feeling of superiority as a white man.
But instead of tackling Danny’s position as an outsider on the island and his difference within Hawaii, his lack of faith is attacked as a personal shortcoming.
Reading fandom and repeatedly seeing the sentence: “he has the right not to believe, but he should have been more respectful” made me want to throw my computer across my room, as the implication that as a non-believer he doesn’t deserve the same respect.
We can also make several assumptions about Danny’s past and religious history from the eps, however there is no direct correlation between his actions and his supposed religious history.
To clarify what I mean, let me mention I am Jewish (and proud) and have lived in a non-Christian country (Israel) my entire life (the shul my family attends has been vandalized more than once because the denomination I belong to is too “progressive” for some people) and I’ve jokingly done the sign of the cross and clasped my hands together while “beseeching” the heavens. Not to mention that I’ve said “Thank God!” or “Rot in hell!” and said the Shemah. This is due to all those gestures and saying being part of a larger culture and not, actually, part of any particular religious practice.
Let’s put it this way, I have done the sign of the cross for the same reason that I have said “may the Force be with you” or raised my hand in the Cohen sign and said “live long and prosper”.
So yeah. What do we know about Danny, exactly?
As for the final scene, the vacuity of the Halloween episode strikes again, and the whole ghost thing and Danny’s lack of faith is played for laughs.
I don’t think Danny is any less atheist for being spooked.
Being easily spooked is a sign of superstition, which every good cop should be if you ask me (“no such this as a coincidence”, anyone?) and also something I identify with very strongly as a superstitious person myself.
Superstition =/= Religion. It doesn’t require any belief in the supernatural.
Religion is a tool used to hide the truth about the world, and in this episode it was used to hand wave the fucked up racial dynamics displayed between the white and non-white characters. Instead of actually tackling the disparity of portrayal, the writers went for irrational behaviour and low blow laughs.
Let me tell you why.
First of all, it was racist. Let me be straightforward in this. I think using an indigenous and endangered belief system in order to make a Halloween episode more “interesting” due to the exotic location of Hawaii is low, sloppy and patronising.
It’s also, once again, emblematic of the problematic race relations the show keeps running into head first and without thought.
Considering that two white kids are murdered by a white guy on what is considered sacred ground for people who are not white, tells me something about the priority of the writers and who they think we, the audience, is going to identify with – namely, dead white college morons and a self appointed guardian, who, would you look at that, happens to be white.
The Robinson Crusoe routine did not endear the poor survivalist war veteran to me. Certainly not when he’s spouting Hawaiian vernacular we should have heard the actual Kapu say (remember Kawika? Where are you Kala Alexander! I miss you!), considering the importance of the heiau to indigenous Hawaiians.
As it is, Kono and Chin trying to warn Danny from trampling the grounds came off more as a spooky ghost story rather than a request to respect the beliefs of his fellow team members and the HPD at large. The two most knowledgeable members of the team when it comes to Hawaii are used here as mouth pieces for the Hawaiian culture, but do not take him task, as opposed to Steve who is honest to god offended over what Danny did.
Chin gave him an exasperated look and Kono said her grandfather saw ghosts, but where was the emotional impact of someone desecrating holy grounf?
The writers had an opportunity to actually comment on the way indigenous culture has been exotified and diminished ever since white colonialists came to the islands and forcefully converted people; instead Danny’s disrespect was played for laughs and comedic effect and the white man guarding the burial ground was “a very special guest star”.
In the previous season Hawaiian culture is brought to the forefront in a matter of fact way (see episode 1.06 and 1.20) and an integral part of the show, this is not the case in the current run of the show.
Placing the religion and the belief in spirits and ancestors in a Halloween episode makes give the show the side-eye, as the meaning of that faith to the people who believe in it and practice is severely watered down.
Especially when you consider that the consequences of disrespecting the heiau is played up for laughs and for chastising the atheist for his insensitivity.
Danny’s own racism went unchecked. Despite professing equal disbelief in the sanctity of churches as well as heiaus, he undermines his statement by placing more value in Western religion and white culture than the religion and belief system of his non-white co-workers. Danny went about trampling on an indigenous Hawaiian holy ground, with the assurance and authority that it wasn’t a big deal, because it wasn’t a big deal to him.
It was pretty disgusting to watch.
That situation could have been an opportunity for the show to explore his current hate-on with Hawaii and his own sense of superiority as a white man from the mainland; instead we have the narrative punishing him over and over again throughout the episode for his lack of respect to Hawaiian religion and spirituality.
Pity the episode itself fell into the same trap it set for Danny.
Danny’s atheism became a source of contention and comedy in the episode, but also a sincerely great moment between Danny and Steve in the car.
Danny’s assertion of disbelief is a personal affront to Steve, he who called America “She” and invoked the authority of God and country in order to intimidate a perp, is so very disappointed that his best friend and partner has no faith and is in fact so sceptical as to not even always believe what is before his very eyes.
The show endorses the position that those with faith are right and those without are not. Or more to the point, those who are willing to come out and say without qualification that they do not believe are punished, both in the narrative and in the post-episode analysis by fandom.
Danny was an insensitive ass. What else is new?
Danny is an atheist? This is me grinning wide and happy.
The episode does not negate any kind of continuity with regards to Danny’s character with making him canonically atheist. Reading fandom this week was like getting repeatedly punched in the gut.
The double standard of disbelief was aggravating to read as were some of the assumptions made about his character due to this so-called reveal.
As mentioned, Steve’s reaction was very typical of Steve, it’s also incredibly typical of believers who come across atheists. This mix of pity and patronisation. As though the poor schmuck simply has no idea what is going on.
Danny’s own reaction to Steve’s pity and patronisation is one that I think many atheists who are vocal about their disbelief can relate you, to sarcastically reply that yeah, we’re insensitive jerks, because we refuse to believe that religion is a good thing (making stuff up to make yourself feel better about the world is not a positive thing!), no matter how progressive it is or what type of religion it is.
What believers don’t like to think about is that when atheists assert our disbelief we are saying in very few words; you are wrong. It is an inherently oppositional statement and position to take.
Danny is repeatedly punished for this in the narrative and that irks me. Because being punished for make believe shit, as the show implies, shouldn’t be a punishable offence. Danny behaved like a racist ass due to his inherent feeling of superiority as a white man.
But instead of tackling Danny’s position as an outsider on the island and his difference within Hawaii, his lack of faith is attacked as a personal shortcoming.
Reading fandom and repeatedly seeing the sentence: “he has the right not to believe, but he should have been more respectful” made me want to throw my computer across my room, as the implication that as a non-believer he doesn’t deserve the same respect.
We can also make several assumptions about Danny’s past and religious history from the eps, however there is no direct correlation between his actions and his supposed religious history.
To clarify what I mean, let me mention I am Jewish (and proud) and have lived in a non-Christian country (Israel) my entire life (the shul my family attends has been vandalized more than once because the denomination I belong to is too “progressive” for some people) and I’ve jokingly done the sign of the cross and clasped my hands together while “beseeching” the heavens. Not to mention that I’ve said “Thank God!” or “Rot in hell!” and said the Shemah. This is due to all those gestures and saying being part of a larger culture and not, actually, part of any particular religious practice.
Let’s put it this way, I have done the sign of the cross for the same reason that I have said “may the Force be with you” or raised my hand in the Cohen sign and said “live long and prosper”.
So yeah. What do we know about Danny, exactly?
As for the final scene, the vacuity of the Halloween episode strikes again, and the whole ghost thing and Danny’s lack of faith is played for laughs.
I don’t think Danny is any less atheist for being spooked.
Being easily spooked is a sign of superstition, which every good cop should be if you ask me (“no such this as a coincidence”, anyone?) and also something I identify with very strongly as a superstitious person myself.
Superstition =/= Religion. It doesn’t require any belief in the supernatural.
Religion is a tool used to hide the truth about the world, and in this episode it was used to hand wave the fucked up racial dynamics displayed between the white and non-white characters. Instead of actually tackling the disparity of portrayal, the writers went for irrational behaviour and low blow laughs.
no subject
Date: 2011-11-05 07:51 am (UTC)By next week, though, they'll probably all be made up, despite the gross insensitivity. And that will be another Fail in its own way.
no subject
Date: 2011-11-05 09:48 am (UTC)I have no problem with the way Danny was portrayed in this ep, he was an asshole, this is typical, but I dislike the fact that his racism was let slide due to the fact that the non-white characters were portrayed in a two dimensional way! Chin and Kono are not mouthpieces, they are people!
And yeah, it'll be forgotten because this was a "holiday" episode yada yada.
no subject
Date: 2011-11-05 03:09 pm (UTC)Chin, Kono, and Steve to some degree were behaving a bit like Gene Wilder's Willy Wonka. "Stop. Don't. Please." without really doing anything about Danny. One would think, with as much as Steve goes off the reservation as a part of an episode, that Steve would be able to step into the role that Danny normally plays for him. Or someone else would be able to step up for the role.
Somewhere in this episode, somebody nice and sane, other than Steve, should pull Danny aside and give him a solid What For lecture about how much of a jerk he's being.
no subject
Date: 2011-11-05 03:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-11-06 03:08 am (UTC)But yes, why Steve, when Chin or Kono would have been the better person? Is it because Danny's that much of an asshole that he wouldn't listen? (If that's the case, why is Detective Williams not going in for sensitivity training repeatedly since his arrival at HPD?)
no subject
Date: 2011-11-18 04:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-11-18 04:35 pm (UTC)So, yeah, thank you. I'm glad I wasn't the only one with mixed feelings here.
no subject
Date: 2011-11-18 05:20 pm (UTC)If my Sang Min icon isn't evident enough - When it comes to fiction, I think it's perfectly possible to like some pretty nasty characters (laugh). But yes, I agree - for me, Danny being a douche doesn't take away from his character of being an inherently good guy and a good character, it just means that my definition of him widens. A lot of people don't see things that way and for them I guess Danny has to be a good, clean guy or they can't like him. So they jump through mental hoops to justify what he does or says.
Not my mileage, but, eh. What I can't stand is how sidelined Chin and Kono are and many fans not noticing this. Or the minority-majority not being reflected well enough in the show's population and, again, not many people noticing. Or how Kamekona is treated is _so amusing_. Last year's Christmas episode made me desperately want to reach into the screen to throttle people and to have this as the answer to it... is ok, I guess. Not what I wanted, though. What I really wanted was Chin or Kono to be the one confronting Danny, not Steve.
The writers didn't shy away from racial confrontation earlier in the series, I'm not sure why they are now.