Discussion - Update and Women

[Eraserhead]

This quote from Lief in the Update Survivor game thread (which is still going on and could use more voters!) got me thinking:

Hobo Orgy Guy and God (whose commandments to Bushie he has more than once quoted verbatim in Update) should also be added.

Eliminated Mama Bushie (for such a longstanding character she has surprisingly little depth or development); save Inks.

Do you think Update's female characters tend to be underdeveloped? Is this a problem? Who would you say is the best developed female character? Please discuss.

[politicus]

None of the female characters are well developed, the best developed would likely be Alison, but I haven't been following it from the beginning.

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

This quote from Lief in the Update Survivor game thread (which is still going on and could use more voters!) got me thinking:

Hobo Orgy Guy and God (whose commandments to Bushie he has more than once quoted verbatim in Update) should also be added.

Eliminated Mama Bushie (for such a longstanding character she has surprisingly little depth or development); save Inks.

Do you think Update's female characters tend to be underdeveloped? Is this a problem? Who would you say is the best developed female character? Please discuss.

Way underdeveloped... but this is Oklahoma we are talking about.  Discussion and/or trotting out of the females is only appropriate for breeding times.  

That said, Tiffanye is probably the most developed, as Bushie admitted to partaking in the dirty deed.  

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Tiffanye, since we know he got laid and she stole his ring.

[Lief 🗽]

Update definitely has a problem when it comes to writing female characters. They're either under-developed ciphers (like Mama Bushie) or controlling, mentally-unstable "bitches" (Tiffanye, Susan, Aaron). The one bright spot was Allison, but unfortunately she's no longer on the show (and her motivations and actions were often poorly explained and kind of puzzling, now that I think about it).

It's also sort of problematic that all the authority figures on update (Russ Powers, the CAD(D) boss, etc.) seem to be male characters.

[memphis]

My favorite female character is Bushie's sister in law.

[politicus]

My favorite female character is Bushie's sister in law.

Sure, but we know very little about her - only what she thinks of Bushie.

[Lief 🗽]

She's a great character to be sure, but she's barely ever mentioned in Update itself. We only get to read her fantastic facebook posts.

[Eraserhead]

She's a great character to be sure, but she's barely ever mentioned in Update itself. We only get to read her fantastic facebook posts.

I don't think Bushie is a big fan of her.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Mama does nothing and Granny cooks for the mooches. That's all we know.

[Boris]

Yeah, Allison is by far the most enigmatic female character on Update. Getting her perspective on the relationship would be fascinating, but an integral part of Update is the unreliable narration and the nonsensicality of the events that transpire.

[Joe Republic]

Mama Bushie was the genetic source of the migraine and clock-watching chromosomes.

[angus]

I still like the 700-year-old Ba'ku woman from the briar patch better than any of those.  She could teach Bushie a thing or two about chromosomes.

But yeah, if we're confining ourselves to real human women from the Update, then Allison probably will win my vote.  I think her enigmatic persona is precisely what makes her well-developed.  Our imaginations fill in the gaps.  To me, she's one of Picard's woman.  Well, to be honest she's more like one of Kirk's women, but it's probably a bit early in our relationship for me to go there. 

[Eraserhead]

Mama does nothing and Granny cooks for the mooches. That's all we know.

Mama Bushie does seem to have the final say on a number of things though.

[memphis]

Mama does nothing and Granny cooks for the mooches. That's all we know.

Mama Bushie does seem to have the final say on a number of things though.

Of course. She's the boss! Bushie thinks he's going to make spaghetti? No, you know you're not allowed to use the stove. We're getting Little Caesar's.

[Bacon King]

Does the update even pass the Bechdel test

[politicus]

Does the update even pass the Bechdel test

Clearly not, but then again we don't hear of many conversations Jeff isn't partaking in - and when we do its only a general resume of what was talked about.

[Mr. Morden]

Does the update even pass the Bechdel test

It's all from Bushie's perspective, so of course not.  Have we ever even heard Bushie describe a conversation between two other characters who are not him, regardless of whether they were men or women?  I don't think so.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Update could conceivably pass the Bechdel test through a conversation for which Bushie was present but not participating, but I doubt it has.