#the barbara episode is *so good* to analyze if you want to think about dorothy's character & the way she approaches relationships

[the-eclectic-wonderer]

I read your fic and this is just a part of the fic but the Barbara stuff is so on point, Dorothy's canon reaction to her can so easily be read as repressed queerness. And every time she's worried the others are pulling a cruel prank and gonna be disgusted with her (because of course its different when it's her, of course she thinks she's the weird wrong one)? Oh honey.

Hi anon, thank you so much for reading my fic!!

I agree!! I remember that the *first* time I watched the Barbara episode (before I knew what Barbara's whole deal was), the whole situation struck me as very queer-coded (you know, Dorothy gets a new special friend, they have long and profound conversations, they go on 'dates' to the theater and the restaurant...). Dorothy got very close to her in a very short time! In canon I suppose this can be explained as excitement -- she has a new interesting friend and she's also a bit in awe of her, because she met her as a fan of her works -- but a (repressed) queer reading seems very appropriate to me too. I rewatched some of S3 to do some research for this fic, and when I got to this episode, I knew I had to do something with it. :)

Ah, I know -- it's painful. Poor Dorothy has a lot to work through when it comes to accepting affection! I understand where she's coming from very well -- I would also think of a prank if anyone were to show any interest in me 😂 and honestly, after the life she's lived, it's no wonder! You got it right -- of course she thinks the problem is all with her; the idea that Blanche and Rose might actually be interested in her is simply absurd. This also plays into how she avoids the issue with Sophia -- her Ma tells her clearly and openly that she wouldn't love her children one bit less if they were gay, but of course she doesn't really believe that applies to her too! Or, at least, not until the end of the fic. :)

My answer got a bit lengthy, I apologize -- and thank you so much for telling me what you thought! If you have any other thoughts you'd like to share, I'd love to read them!! <3

[where-fading-princesses-live]

Either 1. Analyze Jimmy’s dream sequence from The Eds are Comin. It can be whatever length, with or without screenshots. OR If you don’t want to do an analysis you may answer this question: How do you interpret Jimmy’s dream in The Eds are Comin? (If you have any questions look at the post on my page)

OK, so I thinkthis dream is meant to be as weird as possible, not unlike ‘’One + One = Ed’’but that doesn’t mean it can’t be analyzed.

So it opens in a picturesque cornfield. Nothing unusual here.

But if we want to get deep, we can draw the conclusion that maybe this iswhere Jimmy is from? We find out later, after he wakes up from said dream, thathe gets a post card from Nebraska, so it’s implied Jimmy may not originally be fromPeach Creek, the only other two kids we know this to be true are Edd (fromLemon Brooke) and Rolf (from Europe). Maybe the postcard is from a relative? Wedon’t really know. 

And I guess if we want to get ever deeper, ‘’To dream that you are in a cornfield refers to your desireto escape from your daily demands and/or problems. Alternatively, being in acornfield suggests that someone one is listening in on you. All ears are onyou.’’ [x]Hm, if that is true, what can that mean? Jimmy dreams of this luxuriouscornfield, probably because it signifies happiness and true friends, hisexpectation of what he wants his relationship to the cul-de-sac to be likeversus the reality of what it actually is. Despite Jimmy’s dark side, he stillhas a pure child’s heart, and this is the Walgreen’s Perfect World he wants,where everyone lives in peace and harmony with each other, where outsidethreats (such as the Eds) are rightfully punished and justice is served. (Willget to that in a moment).

Thatbeing said, the cornfield can have yet a third meaning. I always found itstrange that, though this episode’s main conflict centers on Rolf, they decidedto open the episode with Jimmy. As the episode goes on, the POV is no longerfrom Jimmy’s as focus shifts from him to the other kids and their concern forthe absence of their dear foreign friend and what ever’s going on at his house.So the dream sequence can be a little misleading. This isn’t Jimmy’s story, sowhy begin with Jimmy? Why spend so much time on establishing this dream? Becauseit’s a special, maybe it’s just to fill up run-time, who knows? But I don’ttotally rule out its importance either. Because this episode was made forCartoon Network Invaded, that may also explain the significance of thecornfield. Cornfields are often associated with alien invasions, so this is a foreshadow of what’s to come. Still, I never knew why the writersdecided to start with Jimmy. His role in the episode’s main plot isn’t very big,and though the dream is briefly mentioned again, it isn’t the main focus.Ironically, Rolf doesn’t appear until the very end, and yet the episode isactually about him, seen through the POV of the other kids, of course. I alwaysthought this was a weird creative choice, switching POV��s. But this isn’t thefirst time EEnE has done this. They often have seemingly unrelated openings to episodesthat have nothing to do with the main story. A good example is ‘’Rambling Ed’’,where it begins with the Eds’ usual scam, but then the episode becomes moreabout Ed running away from home and crashing at Rolf’s place. The episodereally doesn’t become more of Rolf’s story until the middle. So I guess this isjust their strange writing formula, that they follow and do very well. In anyother show, this wouldn’t slide.

So nowJimmy’s skipping through the cornfield…

Now a sentient Mr. Yum-Yum joinshim, and I’m getting strange A.I. Artificial Intelligence vibes from this.What are you smoking, Jimmy?

Is it too muchof a stretch to say the creative team is paying homage to various sci-fielements here? It’s fitting.

As if one wasn’tenough…

Aaaawww  a butterfly. And Jimmy’s night cap is doingvery Double D-like motions here. Butterflies represent metamorphosis, soanother foreshadow that things are going to change, if not necessarily forJimmy in particular, then for the cul-de-sac.

Little birdscomb his hair, and I just love the face Jimmy makes here. Birds represent joy, harmony, ecstasy, balance, and love.Nothing too deep here, Jimmy’s just happy. Seems all very innocent and typicalJimmy right now.

Caterpillartrain. Creative. Caterpillars also symbolize change and transition, as theybecome butterflies, but because this is a train, it’s probably just the naturalcycle of life. Just as a caterpillar becomes a butterfly, Jimmy will eventuallygrow up. He won’t be a child forever.

DannyAntonucci sun. My favorite thing. Especially love the old Inkblot Cartoon Stylewith the 1920s, 1930s pie eyes.

Candy land andsunshine and rainbows. This is all typical Jimmy. This is all very Willy Wonkamagical chocolate factory. You can even eat the dishes! I love the gingerbreadmen in the background, a nod to ‘’Jingle Jingle Jangle’’.

Now we canargue whether this is Roald Dahl Willy Wonka, or Gene Wilder Willy Wonka, whichDahl himself thought was ‘’‘pretentious’ and insufficiently ‘gay[in the old-fashioned sense of the word] and bouncy’.’’ This is veryWizard of Oz, ‘’Somewhere Over theRainbow’’, a songthat’s been a symbol for pride. We’ll get more into the gay themes later.

Nope, uh, we’rethere. Here we go! AsI mentioned before, A LOT of people use this dream as evidence towardsJimmy’s sexuality.

I guess I cansee why. Being gay myself, it’s no joke there are things in this scene alonethat are nothing but elements of camp gay culture. Representation? I wouldn’tgo that far. Nebulous homoeroticism? Eh. Is the creative team just making gayjokes for the sake of gay jokes? Maybe. It wouldn’t be the first time. On thesurface, I think it’s meant to be innocent, nurturing the nostalgia ofchildhood, but at the same this may have been slipped in for the adults, andboy, did this shit get past the radar. There is gay imagery all over thisscene. 

Look, friends of Dorothy! The Delightful ChildrenFrom Down the Lane! Jimmy was enjoying a cobbler on a sunny afternoon. Gaymarriage is as American as Apple Pie. I’ll stop.

Let’s start with Nazz. Remind you ofanyone? What does Nazz represent other than the Doris Day quintessential Girl-Next-Doortype? Other than the unattainable love interest? Hm. I know. How bout the Diva and the Men whoWorship her? Ethel Merman, Barbara Streisand, Pearl Bailey, Angela Lansbury,Bette Midler, Bernadette Peters, Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli, Chita Rivera,Audra McDonald, Carol Channing…these straight women are all gay icons, especially in themusical theatre community which has a large LGBTQIA+ following. Gay Icon doesn’tnecessarily mean that person is gay, it just means they’re popular in the gaycommunity because they have something that pushes a gay agenda. For straightwomen, it’s gay men who admire them. Nazz has everything: flamboyance, glamour,strength, and androgyny. She can be both a tomboy and feminine, and EVERYONEloves her. Here, her femininity is exaggerated on purpose. Jimmy is the onlyboy, other than Rolf, in the cul-de-sac, who’s not in love with her, but heidolizes her. I’m not saying Jimmy’s gay, I like to think of him as ambiguous.But still, boys like Jimmy love their divas. Jimmy ‘’adores the glamorous,fabulous show diva who ALL the chorus boys swoon over’’ (chorus boys in thiscase being Kevin, Jonny, and the Eds). Nazz in this dream is ‘’capitalizing onthe camp appeal’’ ‘’who wears her femininity like drag’’. She is the Ethel ofthe cul-de-sac, she is probably someone Jimmy aspires to be. Everyone lovesNazz, and Jimmy is picked on. Nazz is a diva who ‘’turns her femininity intopower’’ rather than ‘’get lambasted for sissiness’’. This is the origin of DragQueens, and though Jimmy, other than Rolf and Kevin, is the only boy in theshow not ever seen in drag, I imagine he wants to cope with his own expresseddelicacy. He wants to live that openly flamboyant lifestyle and be worshipedlike Nazz (hence why everyone in this dream seems to worship him). For that,Nazz is a role model for him.  

Thenthere’s Rolf. It’s not news that sailorsare often depicted as pop culture symbols in gay culture. ‘’Hello, Sailor’’ is a runninggag that plays on the conception that many sailors are gay. Remember Jimmy’sshirtless sailor gingerbread men in ‘’Jingle Jingle Jangle’’? So why Rolf in asailor boy uniform? It seems innocent enough. Rolf isas undefined as Jimmy concerning his sexual orientation. He could be asexual,but he doesn’t fall for Nazz, or any girl for that matter, mainly because he’sold-fashioned. At the risk of sounding racist, I think it’s just a play on theforeigner stereotype that he is sexually ambiguous. Kinda like the Borat thing. Concerning his sexuality,or lack, thereof, as well as his origins, the less you know the better. Gayand being a sailor. Yeah, I dunno Jimmy. There’s a lot we don’t know aboutRolf, and that’s actually what marine life is. Men go out at sea, and there’s ahidden culture that goes on there, a secret double life. I don’t think Jimmydreamed up Rolf as a sailor to suggest he’s gay, I think it just means thatRolf is such a fish out of water. ‘’When seafarers come ashore theywere like colourful butterflies in a drab world.’’  They’re outsiders, trying toassimilate back into this life they left behind, but the sea becomes so familiarto them that life on land is just alien. This theme fits well with Rolf, who’san immigrant, who has trouble assimilating because he comes from another worldentirely, not unlike the life the sailors lead. He’s an alien, not literally, and they use this status as a very creativeplot for their Invaded episode.

There’s not much to say about Kevinother than yeah, he’s in swimwear, which isn’t particularly part of gayculture. But the fact that’s he’s shirtless makes a lot of people think Jimmyhas a crush on him. It’s just swim trunks, though. There’s really no hiddenmeaning, although yeah, Kev’s popular and a hunk. Maybe this is contributing to the stereotype that gay men, well, like to look at attractivemen, especially if they’re in swimsuits, and Kevin is…very good looking. ButI don’t think Jimmy has a crush on the guy.

Jimmy says goodbye to them…

Last stop for the caterpillartrain…End of life’s journey?

Lo and behold, the Eds are being spankedby Talky Tina from The Twilight Zone.This is where the dream takes a darker turn. There really is no deeperexplanation to this other then yeah, Jimmy wants to make the Eds pay foreverything they did, as if ‘’If It Smells Like An Ed’’ wasn’t already enough.But keep in mind, the Eds have never learned their lesson and never stoppedscamming, and Jimmy hasn’t stopped paying the price, so you can understand hisanimosity.

‘’My name is Talky Tina and I love you very much!’’

Danny knows what scares us…that giantdoll is the stuff of nightmares.

Oh, Jimmy, you sadistic lil shit.

Good Ed faces. Ed doesn’t even react togetting spanked which I just love. MAN OF STEEL.  

Wait…what? Now Jimmy has wings?Indeed, the caterpillar becomes a butterfly.

Somewhere over the rainbow…gingerbread men fly.

Everyone’s favorite brat has arrived…

Sarah gets the best introduction though.She’s literally sprouting flowers from the soles of her feet every time shetakes a step. This is how Jimmy sees her: in his own words, his ‘’guardianangel’’.

They run towards each other…dawweverything’s going well…

Oh shit.

Every time a machine sings, a fairyloses his wings.

The cul-de-sac literally tornapart…maybe this is Jimmy’s worst fear? That their once peaceful life will bethreatened? That everything they know and love will come to an end? Isn’t thatevery child’s worst fear: change?

Obviously, the War of the Worlds imagery is a foreshadow of the episode’s theme,but think what this dream may be reflecting back in Jimmy’s subconscious.

The rest of the dream, I think, echoesJimmy’s worst fears of losing Sarah. Sarah is always rescuing Jimmy, and here,he fails to protect her and save her from her doom. He loses his wings, so heloses his power.

Jimmy is powerless…

And that’s the end of the dream. Such agood shot of Jimmy by the way.

So that’s all I got to say about the dream. Sorry I didn’t go super deep on some parts.