InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "do the noodle dance!"

Christy (fun_demented) wrote in qaf_coffeeclub,
@ 2009-05-05 22:43:00

Entry tags:

brian, episode 301, s3

Brian 301
While watching the scene in 301 where Brian punches Michael, until tonight, I'd never thought about the fact that Brian was physically abused while growing up. I imagine Brian was as surprised as everybody else that he hit Michael. And that must have been pretty difficult for Brian to process. Any thoughts?

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merkuria
2009-05-06 01:08 am UTC (link)

I actually am not sure if Brian was abused physically. Except for the occassional push and shove, I don't think Jack hit him, or Joan, I always had a feeling the abuse was psychological. In canon Joan tells Brian she protected him, let Jack beat her instead of Brian, and he does not contradict her, so there's some canon to back that.

The surprise at hitting Michael might have been more because it was Michael, of all people.

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fun_demented
2009-05-06 01:21 am UTC (link)

Interesting! I know Brian never said it explicitly, but I always imagined he was hit by his father. Perhaps not. I know the mom says she protected Brian, but I perceive Joan as an unreliable narrator (http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O56-unreliablenarrator.html). But that's not necessarily an accurate interpretation on my part. I do find your take interesting and it certainly makes sense.

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merkuria
2009-05-06 02:45 am UTC (link)

Yes, of course Joan is not to be too trusted, but I rely here more on Brian not telling her it was bullshit - I just think he would if what she said was not true, he certainly had no qualms about calling his sister's bullshit after the funeral.
Also, Joan strikes me as the martyr type, "sacrificing" herself for the child, in her catholic mind protecting him from the father, and failing to see the myriad ways in which the family dynamics ruined him.

But of course, the question of whether Brian was physically abused remains a matter of interpretation, but I always felt he never was abused in this way. His incredible pride in his body and the free and unashamed manner in which he uses it for pleasure also makes me think he was not hit. Although I am hardly an expert on the subject.

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darla-isabelle.livejournal.com
2009-05-06 11:57 am UTC (link)

I'm not sure Brian's silence is a confirmation of Joan's claims here, considering the situation he might not want to antagonize her further or maybe he's heard the speech before and doesn't see the point or he could just be speechless; anyway, I didn't get the impression that he agrees with her view of the past.

Concerning Joan's martyrdom, from what we can see I'd say it consists mostly of whining about how bad she is and the rest of the world not appreciating her - her husband never being home and calling her "the warden", her son neglecting her, no one coming to visit her, I'm sure she has some complains about Claire as well - it's more that she likes to see herself in the martyr role than actually "sacrificing" for something. (Maybe she sees having Brian in the first place as a sacrifice.) I'm not saying she never stopped Jack from hitting Brian, but I think that she gave it up before Brian was really old enough to remember it in favor of drowning her sorrows in prayer and wine.

I agree with you on the physical abuse though. Jack probably didn't put much effort into holding back when he was angry, but I think for the most part the abuse consisted of absence, desinterest, verbal put-downs and a general lack of love, warmth and security from both his parents.

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	merkuria 2009-05-06 12:09 pm UTC (link)
	but I think for the most part the abuse consisted of absence, desinterest, verbal put-downs and a general lack of love, warmth and security from both his parents YES! That's what I have always felt, and we'll never really know about Joan. God, what a horrible family.... (Reply to this) (Parent)

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