LaForge was supposed to be the "socially awkward engineer" trope and therefore awkward around romantic interests. Taken to 11 with the Reginald Barclay character who just decided to fuck reproductions of his romantic interests in the holodeck.
I haven't seen the episode in a while but it seems like you're just repeating some feminist trope.
My recollection was the problem was they wrote her as semi-austic girl, but then they cast her as "perfect girl anime love interest" - the reason was super awkward to watch was the contrast between how her character had poor ability to relate to men vastly over-reacted to everything, while the actress playing her came across "perfect sex nympthet" basically - it just didn't make any sense.
No one had a problem with riker having a holodeck wafu.
You know...you got a point there. TNG was inconsistent with what was considered "bad" in similar circumstances from episode to episode. I would attribute this to the fact ST was written by many different writers, sometimes even just spec scripts, so things like characterization and values tend to be a little shaky. But nobody was thinking too hard about minute continuity back then.
I remember running across other episodes and thinking that thpe writers must have watched this one, found it cringy, and went in 2 directions with it:
"Nerd Forgiveness": wesley crusher has almost the same episode except she's into him and also super hot and they agree to date forever or something at the end
"Reginald Barclay": I felt like they created reginald barkley based on the character geordi was "supposed" in the script in this episode. Match barkley up with like the actress who played ensign roe - psychologically kind damaged and unsteady - and the episode would make a ton more sense.
Could you be thinking of Wesley and Robin Lefler played by Ashley Judd? She was a perfect sex nymphette and sciency -- but even Wil Wheaton played the role slightly better than LeVar lol.
I guess ultimately my point here is there are different qualities of actor. With the exception Patrick Stewart and a handful of others, nobody in the show was actually a good actor. So LeVar being incapable of pulling off a romantic scene without turning off the audience isn't because of him being a victim of 'racist' writers, that's how he is in real life.
Like if he was explaining a warp bubble, took off his visor, and said "but you don't have to take my word for it" ba-dum-bum you'd think it was a perfectly natural crossover episode with Reading Rainbow.
Could you be thinking of Wesley and Robin Lefler played by Ashley Judd? She was a perfect sex nymphette and sciency
Yup.
but even Wil Wheaton played the role slightly better than LeVar lol.
Way easier to play a "she ends up with him" role.
I guess ultimately my point here is there are different qualities of actor. With the exception Patrick Stewart and a handful of others, nobody in the show was actually a good actor. So LeVar being incapable of pulling off a romantic scene without turning off the audience isn't because of him being a victim of 'racist' writers, that's how he is in real life.
He gets rejected because the script is written to have him get rejected, it's not determined by how good his performance. I think it's awkward because the woman is way to hot and normal, and they're trying to get him to play Lt Barkley basically, which is like trying to get patrick stewart to play a roided up bodybuilder - it's just not possible.
I think it's the tired "nerd gets the girl" trope which is annoying.
As for "racist writers" - who's the biggest Chad in the show? It's the other black guy with the forehead ridge. I would go as far as saying the writers were romance-phobic towards the white characters lol....worf got more action than anyone, and the only character who's lovelife wasn't just a 1-episode thing. Riker got relegated to what - a holodeck character?
Worf was the gigachad of the show.
What you're saying is funny but I don't really agree. I don't think levarr was incapable of seeming normal around a woman, I think episode was trying to get him to act like barkley and it's to much of a stretch.
He's trying to be cringy here, but part of it is that it doesn't match the character or actor: https://youtu.be/RphWASTSvJ8
The scene with the "real girl" is even wprse to me, because there's no way a girl this hot and normal-emotional reacts like this: https://youtu.be/8z31gO1YcNQ
If you imagine the scene as between reginald barkley and way more autist girl, then it makes sense. Modern SJW's are the perfect representation of what the kind of girl these lines would be written for would be like - loud, controlling, emotionally unstable, and nowhere near as attractive as they have this actress being. Pair that off with barkley and the scene would make sense.
LaForge was supposed to be the "socially awkward engineer" trope and therefore awkward around romantic interests. Taken to 11 with the Reginald Barclay character who just decided to fuck reproductions of his romantic interests in the holodeck.
Difference is Dwight Schultz actually played a socially awkward engineer, LeVar played a creepy perv.
Barclay you feel bad for the character, Geordi you feel bad for the actress.
I haven't seen the episode in a while but it seems like you're just repeating some feminist trope.
My recollection was the problem was they wrote her as semi-austic girl, but then they cast her as "perfect girl anime love interest" - the reason was super awkward to watch was the contrast between how her character had poor ability to relate to men vastly over-reacted to everything, while the actress playing her came across "perfect sex nympthet" basically - it just didn't make any sense.
No one had a problem with riker having a holodeck wafu.
You know...you got a point there. TNG was inconsistent with what was considered "bad" in similar circumstances from episode to episode. I would attribute this to the fact ST was written by many different writers, sometimes even just spec scripts, so things like characterization and values tend to be a little shaky. But nobody was thinking too hard about minute continuity back then.
I remember running across other episodes and thinking that thpe writers must have watched this one, found it cringy, and went in 2 directions with it:
"Nerd Forgiveness": wesley crusher has almost the same episode except she's into him and also super hot and they agree to date forever or something at the end
"Reginald Barclay": I felt like they created reginald barkley based on the character geordi was "supposed" in the script in this episode. Match barkley up with like the actress who played ensign roe - psychologically kind damaged and unsteady - and the episode would make a ton more sense.
Could you be thinking of Wesley and Robin Lefler played by Ashley Judd? She was a perfect sex nymphette and sciency -- but even Wil Wheaton played the role slightly better than LeVar lol.
I guess ultimately my point here is there are different qualities of actor. With the exception Patrick Stewart and a handful of others, nobody in the show was actually a good actor. So LeVar being incapable of pulling off a romantic scene without turning off the audience isn't because of him being a victim of 'racist' writers, that's how he is in real life.
Like if he was explaining a warp bubble, took off his visor, and said "but you don't have to take my word for it" ba-dum-bum you'd think it was a perfectly natural crossover episode with Reading Rainbow.
Yup.
Way easier to play a "she ends up with him" role.
He gets rejected because the script is written to have him get rejected, it's not determined by how good his performance. I think it's awkward because the woman is way to hot and normal, and they're trying to get him to play Lt Barkley basically, which is like trying to get patrick stewart to play a roided up bodybuilder - it's just not possible.
I think it's the tired "nerd gets the girl" trope which is annoying.
As for "racist writers" - who's the biggest Chad in the show? It's the other black guy with the forehead ridge. I would go as far as saying the writers were romance-phobic towards the white characters lol....worf got more action than anyone, and the only character who's lovelife wasn't just a 1-episode thing. Riker got relegated to what - a holodeck character?
Worf was the gigachad of the show.
What you're saying is funny but I don't really agree. I don't think levarr was incapable of seeming normal around a woman, I think episode was trying to get him to act like barkley and it's to much of a stretch.
He's trying to be cringy here, but part of it is that it doesn't match the character or actor:
https://youtu.be/RphWASTSvJ8
The scene with the "real girl" is even wprse to me, because there's no way a girl this hot and normal-emotional reacts like this:
https://youtu.be/8z31gO1YcNQ
If you imagine the scene as between reginald barkley and way more autist girl, then it makes sense. Modern SJW's are the perfect representation of what the kind of girl these lines would be written for would be like - loud, controlling, emotionally unstable, and nowhere near as attractive as they have this actress being. Pair that off with barkley and the scene would make sense.