#new jane

Which is...not fine, but I can buy it, as far as it goes (see also: Caroline).  But now I'm getting told that I have to buy the Domino videos just because?

I mean, I really, really want more Gigi and Fitz and Darcy - but not at the expense of things that I was told explicitly were the reasons I was disappointed in other changes.  I mean, I am just feeling yanked around here - I have to accept this change because of the format, but I have to accept this unbelievable action in regards to the format because of the story.

3) New Jane

Okay, so now we get to the heart of my anger and dissappintment.  Jane says two things that Lizzie classifies as being distinctly different from her past behavior: a) blaming Bing for not taking responsibility for his own relationships; b) not being defined by one failed relationship (which is apparently kickass).

a) I can understand.  I think we still need to wait and see about Bing (and I am deeply uncomfortable with the absolute rage I've seen directed at him sometimes), but I do think that Bing as seen in LBD has to make choices to be more responsible for his own relationships.

b) Even though I like kyrie-anne's excellent "Owing and Seeing" defining Jane being defined as "Jane having Bing make her incredibly happy," I absolutely reject the idea that Jane was letting herself be defined by a failed relationship.  Jane was there for Lydia and Lizzie via care packages and counsel and cookies to teachers - she was working incredibly hard at a new job - she was cleaning her house with awesome cute roller hair (okay, that last is just because I love Jane's roller hair).  How is she defining herself by Bing or even by her relationship with Bing?  Book Jane didn't - she took care of her nieces and nephews, she made every effort not to wallow in self pity, even though she was desperately unhappy.

Having a broken heart is not the same as being defined by your failed relationship.

4) Ending

I really dislike the way they tie "Old Jane" to snickerdoodles and craft projects - directly connecting "Old Jane" to the lowest, most self-destructively self-denying portion of Old Jane - to emphasize the way we "need" New Jane?  I feel like that's a cheap way of trying to emphasize character development.

There's some redeeming features - the hitch in voice at "snickerdoodles," the fact that she does miss Bing and wish it had worked out, and that she says that Old Jane will be back - that she's not a different person, just a growing one.

I think that these things could have worked, but I think that the fandom has taken this episode to mean some really wretched thing:

"Old Jane" as weak.  See also my first point 3) b).  Jane was never weak.  She was kind.  If this is a fandom where kindness is weakness, that...well, I hope it's not.

I don't think the episode necessarily has to be read this way, but I don't think it does enough to make it clear that Jane has ALWAYS been kickass, not just when she is blaming people and weirdly "not defining herself by failed relationships" that she was never defining herself by in the first place.