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Sunday, Nov 8, 2009
(quote)actually, i think i speak for most of us when i say that i have no problem taking care of my family, paying attention to what my government is doing, and watching the occasional cooking-related reality show.
what a pretentious, officious jackass you are, no name/no balls.(end quote)
You sure speak for me, mdw. Cripes.
What nonsense! The was nothing to indicate any race issue on this episode. There was, however, plenty of bullying and physical violence. Waking up to an assault, even one that "only" causes rug burns, is humiliating, scary and and an unfair psychological tactic in a competition such as this one. Let's not forget that the last black contestant to leave the show left after fighting with black contestant Cliff and bowing out voluntarily. What reality tv race conspiracy created that situation. Cliff is a bully, and has been the entire season. I have no respect for this column.
Marcel was a producer's dream. Haughty with a French name? A Napoleon complex topped off by a hip, just-weird-enough-to-be-sexy hairstyle? Unfortunately, what they got was a likeable guy who seems undaunted by the haters.
Though the other contestants say that his annoyingness was not on full view for the general audience, I have to wonder if it was the producers that tried to fan the flames. What we don't see are the Q&As that go on during the "confessionals," when each contestant is asked to comment on the day's happenings. They go like this "Marcel said this about you, what do you think about that? What are you going to do about it?" Most reality tv producers, if not all, take the role of schoolyard gossip, making innocent remarks seem incendiary. It seems Marcel was not only Cliff's victim, but also Bravo's.
I love Marcel, especially when I saw his reactions to all physical threats from Sam, Cliff and the other old guy who was so forgettable, I forgot his name. He just blinks back, his eyes saying "yeah, you could take me, but you so look like an ass right now." Cliff was a bully, Ilan has the maturity of a high-schooler (who makes fun of someone's sexual prowess after age 16??) and Sam is your typical New York kitchen prick (I saw your act before, dude, when it was named Rocco DiSpirito).
As far as it being a racist decision, the only one that should have thought of race was Cliff. Did he learn nothing from the ghosts of Black Reality Contestants past (Real World's David from season 2 comes to mind)? Dumbass.
I was very confused early this season by the enmity shown by the other chefs (I almost wrote characters) towards Marcel. Betty, especially, seemed immature for a woman of her obviously advanced years. He's certainly the only chef this season to take any serious risks. I guess there's always a goat (but Tiffani was H-O-T) so I hope he comes out of this experience with a lot more confidence.
Like most others here, I was dismayed to read HH's sympathetic "he was asking for it" commentary on the televised assault on Top Chef.
I recall a strong letter from a woman to a Bravo executive describing how upset and anxious for Marcel's safety her 8 year old got as he watched this unfold on the screen. I am very far from 8 years old, but this was upsetting and off-putting even to me. Marcel wasn't "asking for" anything, leave alone assault, least of all from a set of despicable characters much more inferior to him in every way but size.
I am not much of a TV watcher but I accidently discovered TC this Season. As this drama unfolded over the last two weeks, I was baffled/engaged enough to follow some reactions online in various forum/fora (especially TWoP). As an immigrant to the U.S., I was truly gratified to witness Americans' deep-seated revulsion to bullying manifest itself, even when such bullyting comes from the "popular/macho" kids whom the audience had vociferously declared their favorite and oohed and aahed over (am I generalizing too much?). Opinion about Marcel changed overnight - from being perceived as annoying, a majority of the viewers (it seemed) switched sides when the "cool kids" displayed their mean-spirited and crass bullying.
I am glad that "Lord of the Flies" makes such a deep impression and shapes the reactions of so many in such a wonderful way. (The book was referenced many many times in different Marcel vs. lan/Cliff/Sam/Betty discussions in different places.) Clearly HH didn't even bother to read the Cliff notes.
I have a starkly different opinion about the Top Chef epeisode last week. I feel that Sam, Ilan, and Cliff should all have been sent packing. I have watched with dismay this season as Betty, Sam, Cliff, et al have focused on Marcel and picked on him. It has felt rather 'lord of the flies" and makes me unimpressed with any of the finalists. Actually, the head shaving of Ilan and Elia came after the attempted head shaving of Marcel. I don't see it as the harmless prank played on a loser, but mean-spirited and felonious abuse. I for one am done with the show for this season. I also hope that Marcel sues the pants off of Bravo, Cliff, and the executive producer.
to read Heather Havrilesky's mean-spirited and lazy commentary on the recent episode of "Top Chef". Mean-spirited because, as others have pointed out, the pervasive dynamic on this show for the last several episodes has been that of the "cool kids" ganging up on the perceived "outsider". The nastiness appeared to escalate a little each week, so that last week's outburst, while disturbing, was not altogether surprising. To dismiss it by suggesting
"Besides, wasn't this the humbling experience that Marcel was unconsciously crying out for these long weeks?"
shows an appalling lack of compassion. The suggestion that race was somehow at the bottom of things seems like nothing more than a lazy invocation of a particularly tired canard.
It seems clear that "Bravo" has engaged in some pretty vigorous editing of the material, thereby manipulating viewer response to some degree. Even so, Marcel's consistently sensible response to the bullying suggests a level of maturity way beyond the others in the contest. This is not to suggest that he should win, necessarily; if the judging is based on culinary ability, Sam or Ilan-the-worm probably have the edge.
Whatever the outcome of the contest, I believe Salon readers deserve better from the resident TV critic. Since I think this was an uncharacteristic lapse, I hope that Ms. Havrilesky finds the generosity of spirit to apologize, and move on.
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