Quote (7high @ Nov 6 2012 11:35pm)
I find it interesting that no one has mentioned a major difference in this season
at least to me, it seemed to be steeped in social commentary
maybe its just me
but the whole God vs Science is a big theme
and obv mental illness, humane treatment, etc
also the stigma of being falsely accused, IE the bloodyface kid, and the reporter who believed the lies
then changed her mind
it doesnt seem as "horror" centered as season 1
but i love the new direction,
again, thats just how i saw it
but its good to explore those topics, especially in the context of the 60's
thoughts?
anyone else notice this?
I think this season is fascinating because it revolves around the old school treatment of mental illness. Even though the show is dramatized, not long ago people were treated similarly (in a barbaric or religious oriented) way. If you actually look into the history of mental illness it's quite sickening and scary how people were treated... drilling into your skull, lobotomy (using an instrument like an icepick and hammering it through the top of the eye socket to pierce the brain and sever their emotion-controlling center to control violence), punishment, blood-letting, chaining them to walls where it's just tight enough that they have to sleep upright standing in their own excrement. People were treated like animals. Treatment nowadays is much more technologically advanced and humane.
And so it seems that part of the theme of this season is some of that realism. Another huge theme still current in mental illness is the stigma that it carries. When you are labelled as a person with a mental condition you carry it wherever you go. The saddest part is that I've been in the psych ward and a lot of the patients I wouldn't be able to pick off the street and say they have a problem until I really questioned them or saw their psych history. But if I told you they were schizophrenic you probably wouldn't want to approach them.
I like this season better than the first.
This post was edited by Hysteria on Nov 7 2012 03:38pm