Oh Jax haters, if only you could see the Jax that I see.
To preface this post, I’ve been a fan of TADC since it premiered on YouTube, and seeing the reactions to Jax mutate as the show goes on has been fascinating given we’ve had the opportunity to learn more about him and why he acts the way he does.
A lot of hate towards Jax comes from how he acts towards the other members of the circus, obviously; but, I feel that these haters are failing to analyzing him as a fictional character who, does in fact, have multiple complex layers. Folks see him as fan-bait and use Goose’s favoritism to completely gut any potential of him being a deeper character.
I think it says a lot that many of these people fail to extend empathy to his situation and immediately want to see justice served, rather than finding interest the slow progression between him and Pomni (the main characters). They don’t want to entertain the possibly of a redemption because it’s seemingly “undeserved”, while Pomni’s determination to reach out is trying to tell you the opposite.
I do understand where the sentiment comes from; Jax’s actions are inexcusable, and it is a valid stance to feel he should be unforgiven. But, the story is quite literally trying to show you how one would go about making amends with someone like Jax, and that there’s a very high likelihood there are deeper issues causing someone’s dysfunctions.
"I hate Jax, he's abusive and an all around shit guy!" That's exactly what he wants you to think. That's literally what his stunts are meant to do. YOU'RE FALLING FOR THE PERFORMANCE!
The narrative tells the audience, through Pomni, that empathy is the way to go about connecting with a person who refuses to be helped- and it's Jax's choice to continue refusing or to accept that help. We're shown Pomni has her boundaries and steps back to respect her own limits with pursuing Jax.
And yet, she's called a two-faced enabler, and that she's excusing Jax's behavior by trying to connect with him instead of telling him off for all the shit he's done. Would that not push him away further- the exact OPPOSITE thing she's trying to do?
Not to mention, Jax's actions are undoubtedly amplified due to his belief that they're all in a fictional world- his dissociation makes sense given the current situation, and they ARE in a fictional world- they're LITERALLY, PHYSICALLY cartoon characters. That doesn't excuse his actions, but considering the setting, it shows why he'd grow comfortable disregarding any and all human connection. The Digital Circus is a social hell he's stuck in, just like everyone else.
He's an edgy prick who hasn't learned how to connect with others, and the setting plays very well into his problematic coping mechanisms. Learning how to be emotionally available to others and to open up to them is a genuine skill he clearly hasn't had the opportunity to exercise.
That could be due to rejection in the past, whether it was because of his true self not being accepted, or him refusing to accept who he really wants to be. Jax feeling like he can't allow himself to feel that kind of genuine connection because he "knows" he's a bad person.
I think this reading plays extremely well into the interpretation that he’s struggling to accept the possibility that he’s a trans women, because it would explain his unbelievably strong push to distance every part of himself from anyone who might be able to see deeper.
Some people think he's completely irredeemable, and I think he feels that way too.
The fact he was originally going to be a woman and had his body changed to be male is such a good way to convey the transness of his character; the dysphoria stems from the design phase and it's absolutely genius!
This was originally a shorter ramble I posted elsewhere, and the motivation was sharing that I think it’s hysterical that there's people out there that would judge me as a person for adoring an asshole fictional character that clearly has a lot going on.
I don't like Jax because he's a misogynistic asshole, I like Jax because he's genuinely interesting and there's a lot to analyze about why he is the way he is.
I know Goose said the theme of the show is: "That there's meaning to be found in a stagnant life."
But, concerning Jax's story, I think a complementary meaning could be: "The path to recovery isn't through punishment, but through understanding."
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