Does anyone else remember The Tribe?

Go on, you know you do. It was this show from New Zealand and it used to be on Five, back when it was Channel 5 (which was prior to it being Channel Five, by the way).

Regardless, it was about a bunch of teenagers living in a world where all the adults had been wiped out by The Virus.

Anyways, in the first five episodes, we have (in no particular order): a tech geek, the heroine, a birth, teenagers joyriding in a police car with others hanging onto the sides (they have rollerblades on. Natch) and the introduction of LEX, who I always detested.

Does anyone remember it? I used to watch the later seasons especially, in my Dad's house of a morning when we stayed for the weekend.

I think my first crush (or at least first crush on a fictional character, my memory is fuzzy) was on Jack, loveable nerd and All Grown Up (well, more grown up) by season 3.

Ah-HA! That's it. I can now officially blame Michael Wesley-Smith (who played Jack, and was born in the same year as BetterHalf) for my love of the skinny geek boy.

All. His. Fault.

Not that I mind. Smart + Geeky + Hot = Very, Very Good Indeed.

Oh...I am So Ill it's not even funny. However, the ibuprofen (yes, yes, I managed to butch up and take two) has helped with my skin aching (why does my skin ache?). And I don't feel like I'm going to throw up any more. Yay me.

I've been lying in bed most of the day either sleeping or watching Robin Hood or watching The Tribe.

I LOVED that show. Actually, both of those shows (though only the first season and a half of Robin Hood, to be honest. It goes a bit downhill...anyway, the first episodes are a riot of anachronistic hilarity, and I love them dearly.)

And The Tribe has about fourteen thousand episodes, so you know, it'll keep me occupied for a while yet. Yay!

I've got a 2x2 matrix (or, why chick flicks suck if you're a guy)

So here's my theory. I was reading on TV Tropes (tvtropes.org, I'm not linking, I'll be there all day) and a comment made by one troper struck me (I paraphrase):

In chick flicks, the guys are either nice guys, jerks with a heart of gold, a bitch in sheep's clothing or flat-out evil. Not a lot of nuanced characterisation there.

So!

I have come up with my own little scale. NO! Even better! A 2x2 matrix!

Ok, I did a business module a year for my entire degree. The 2x2 matrix is engraved on my psyche. Live with it.

Ahem.



Your chances of ending up with the heroine depend on what sort of movie you're in. Bitch in Sheep's Clothing (aka Crouching Nice Guy Hidden Jerkass)? You're probably dating her already, but she'll see you for what you are and dump you before we finish the jumbo bag of Minstrels. Bad Guy? Well, you're probably a secondary character anyway. Your chances were never good. Nice Guy? Pretty good chance, the trope being Single Woman Seeks Good Man. But...

Come in Jerk with a Heart of Gold, your time is up. If one of these exists in a chick flick, he will trump all other possible combinations. Because, apparently, no woman can resist a man who's mean to everyone but her. And cute kittens. And When A Jerk Loves A Tsundere makes up half of all chick flick plots, ever.

Sadly, unlike business matrices, I don't think this matrix will make me rich. Oh well.

Anyway, examples!

Nice Guy: Ryan Reynolds in The Proposal, Emmett in Legally Blonde, that guy in The Devil Wears Prada (which is mostly an excuse for Anne Hathaway to wear Chanel boots, but whatever). Hugh Grant in...pretty much anything (About A Boy and Bridget Jones's Diary excepted, when he's The Jerk).
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: That guy in He's Just Not That Into You. Wossname in How to lose a guy in 10 days. Mr Darcy in Pride and Prejudice. Mark Darcy in Bridget Jones's Diary.
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Too many to name. First Guy/current boyfriend in most chick flicks. Warner in Legally Blonde...
The Bad Guy (aka Villain): Cal in Titanic.

See, if you read that list, you'll understand my point. These men, for the most part, have little to no actual personality. I remembered maybe two or three names without looking them up. They exist merely as foils for the heroine, who is...well, she has personality traits...after a fashion. Ok, klutzy is not a personality trait, but you know. The women's characterisation generally sucks too, but at least there is some attempt made at it.

More examples! We must have more examples!

I wish I was back in Brisbane...

Okay, so I came home to find a new housemate who really loves to cook and is absolutely fabulous at it. So it's not all bad.

But Brisbane was totally awesome and so lovely and warm and full of friendly people and...sigh.

I miss it. And now it's back to work and trouble 't mill and whatever.

No rest for the wicked, I'm told.

I've now gotten over the jet lag though. Took several days. I really don't recommend doing Brisbane to Birmingham back to back. Brisbane-Singapore-Dubai-Birmingham-collapse with exhaustion.

And now I'm packing again, to move again. Oh frabjous day.