I get what you mean on a lot of these points. I've definitely heard other people bring up some of these things in relation to a particular point. And I think it's fair to say that this is how it pings you, and it's not about trying to convince you otherwise with argument, because how you react/feel is a visceral thing not often swayable by argument.
So, just to offer my own perspective...
I agree with you about Jack as emotionally very closed and guarded. I tend to dislike stories that show Jack being too externally emotionally articulate. But, what I get out of Jack's closed-offness is... tremendous *intensity* of feeling hidden behind it. (And for me, that explains why it often comes out in touch rather than in words.) I find the way his emotional reactions are usually downplayed to be incredibly intense, and it's very easy for me to be convinced by linking that intensity to eroticism.
The best examples (I feel) on the show of intense emotions bottled up behind Jack's facade occasionally spilling over, and hinting that there is a *lot* under there: his anger. I think it's instructive that Jack on the show is often grumpy, pissy, irritated, or angry -- slices of emotion that he is willing to show -- but that only on a few occasions do we see him blow his top. Usually even his expressions of anger are cold and sarcastic, but there have been a few notable times where he boiled over: at Cromwell in "A Matter of Time", at that guy in "Red Sky". Similarly, he has on very few occasions not just offered touch or comfort, but let what I think are true strong emotions to be openly expressed -- the famed spacemonkey hug in "Serpent's Lair", for example.
For me, the few examples of Jack slipping his control (one way or another) work very well to sell me on the idea of a deeply-feeling guy who keeps a lid on it (rather than on a naturally inexpressive one, or a non-feeling one). And I therefore find it relatively easy to be convinced by slash or ship writers who suggest that his control can slip in regards romance/sex with the right combination of catalysts. Plus, I truly believe in his very strong attachment to all of his team, his deep caring for them, and thus I don't find it a huge leap to imagine them having the power to be that strong a catalyst. (Conversely, I don't have such an easy time with OCs.)
This is why Jack's non-openness in fact probably works *better* for me, in shipping him, than a more open character would. (Thinking about it -- there have been a lot of more open male characters on shows, who I wasn't as attracted to reading about.) And I think the bottom line for me is that it captures my imagination, and I think we get enough canon hints of really deep, intense things going on underneath, that it seriously intrigues me and makes me want to see things get underneath his walls.
For me, too, the military thing and the "he's depicted as being so straight" and "he's too much of a *guy*" thing -- those are non-issues. For one thing, while I don't disbelieve that he strikes some people that way (you're not the only person I've seen say this), RDA's performance *doesn't* strike me as all that typically straight. *shrug* YMMV, clearly.
However, I do agree that Jack reads as very much a "guy" -- however, I just don't see that as having any bearing on the believability of Jack as gay or bi. (I believe in bi, because I believe his relationship with Sara was real, at that time.) Gay comes in may forms, and it's just not as outwardly obvious as a lot of people presume it to be. Therefore, I don't see a contradiction between "a guy's guy" and being homosexual. Which dovetails with my knowledge that while the career military thing is a logistical obstacle, the truth is there's lots of straight-acting gay men in our military *right now*, and we can't tell who *they* are, either.
But, as I say, these are just my reactions. I think it's entirely reasonable for others to look at the same show, and performance, and come away with a different set of feelings about it.
no subject
So, just to offer my own perspective...
I agree with you about Jack as emotionally very closed and guarded. I tend to dislike stories that show Jack being too externally emotionally articulate. But, what I get out of Jack's closed-offness is... tremendous *intensity* of feeling hidden behind it. (And for me, that explains why it often comes out in touch rather than in words.) I find the way his emotional reactions are usually downplayed to be incredibly intense, and it's very easy for me to be convinced by linking that intensity to eroticism.
The best examples (I feel) on the show of intense emotions bottled up behind Jack's facade occasionally spilling over, and hinting that there is a *lot* under there: his anger. I think it's instructive that Jack on the show is often grumpy, pissy, irritated, or angry -- slices of emotion that he is willing to show -- but that only on a few occasions do we see him blow his top. Usually even his expressions of anger are cold and sarcastic, but there have been a few notable times where he boiled over: at Cromwell in "A Matter of Time", at that guy in "Red Sky". Similarly, he has on very few occasions not just offered touch or comfort, but let what I think are true strong emotions to be openly expressed -- the famed spacemonkey hug in "Serpent's Lair", for example.
For me, the few examples of Jack slipping his control (one way or another) work very well to sell me on the idea of a deeply-feeling guy who keeps a lid on it (rather than on a naturally inexpressive one, or a non-feeling one). And I therefore find it relatively easy to be convinced by slash or ship writers who suggest that his control can slip in regards romance/sex with the right combination of catalysts. Plus, I truly believe in his very strong attachment to all of his team, his deep caring for them, and thus I don't find it a huge leap to imagine them having the power to be that strong a catalyst. (Conversely, I don't have such an easy time with OCs.)
This is why Jack's non-openness in fact probably works *better* for me, in shipping him, than a more open character would. (Thinking about it -- there have been a lot of more open male characters on shows, who I wasn't as attracted to reading about.) And I think the bottom line for me is that it captures my imagination, and I think we get enough canon hints of really deep, intense things going on underneath, that it seriously intrigues me and makes me want to see things get underneath his walls.
For me, too, the military thing and the "he's depicted as being so straight" and "he's too much of a *guy*" thing -- those are non-issues. For one thing, while I don't disbelieve that he strikes some people that way (you're not the only person I've seen say this), RDA's performance *doesn't* strike me as all that typically straight. *shrug* YMMV, clearly.
However, I do agree that Jack reads as very much a "guy" -- however, I just don't see that as having any bearing on the believability of Jack as gay or bi. (I believe in bi, because I believe his relationship with Sara was real, at that time.) Gay comes in may forms, and it's just not as outwardly obvious as a lot of people presume it to be. Therefore, I don't see a contradiction between "a guy's guy" and being homosexual. Which dovetails with my knowledge that while the career military thing is a logistical obstacle, the truth is there's lots of straight-acting gay men in our military *right now*, and we can't tell who *they* are, either.
But, as I say, these are just my reactions. I think it's entirely reasonable for others to look at the same show, and performance, and come away with a different set of feelings about it.