tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-278993972024-03-16T09:03:29.263-04:00We're Wicked Smahtthe television is our master and we are its whoresCarolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03864615229875308033noreply@blogger.comBlogger1041125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27899397.post-57305240565987909002017-10-16T21:05:00.001-04:002017-10-16T21:05:21.876-04:00Fall TV: Ghosted and The MayorThey're both 30 minutes, they're both comedies, and they're both pretty great! <i>Ghosted</i> and <i>The Mayor</i> also both suffer from the same problem, but I expect they will improve with time so let's not harp on it.<br />
<br />
So what the heck are these shows about? Let's get right to it.<br />
<br />
<u><span style="font-size: large;">Ghosted</span></u><br />
<br />
From (fill in the blank whatever production companies), comes <i>Ghosted</i>, a paranormal comedy about "a cynical skeptic (Craig Robinson), and a genius “true believer” in the paranormal (Adam Scott), [who] are recruited by a secret government agency to look into the rampant “unexplained” activity in Los Angeles -- all while uncovering a larger mystery that could threaten the existence of the human race."<br />
<br />
Well, that promo isn't too bad surprisingly, and gives a pretty good intro to the show. The big strength of <i>Ghosted</i> is the cast, of course. Craig Robinson (<i>The Office</i>) and Adam Scott (<i>Parks and Recreation</i>) are great comedic actors on their own and have pretty good chemistry together doing the old "mismatched guys who become reluctant partners and end up becoming friends" shtick.<br />
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I enjoy the basic conceit and everything to do with the secret government agency is fun, clever, and surprisingly not a drag. It's also nice to see Ally Walker again (you might remember her from <i>Profiler</i>) playing the agency head. She's brilliant, capable, and basically like a grown-up Hermione Granger if she ran the X-Files division of the FBI. I also appreciate the diversity of the cast, both in color and gender.<br />
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<br />
<u><span style="font-size: large;">The Mayor</span></u><br />
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"Young rapper Courtney Rose (Brandon Micheal Hall) needs his big break. For years, he's toiled away in a small inner-city apartment, making music in his junk-filled bedroom closet. Tired of waiting for opportunity, Courtney cooks up the publicity stunt of the century: Running for mayor of his hometown in California to generate buzz for his music career. Unfortunately for Courtney, his master plan goes wildly awry, ending in the most terrifying of outcomes: An election victory. With the help of his mother (Yvette Nicole Brown, "<i>Community</i>") and friends, including Valentina ("<i>Glee's</i>" Lea Michele), Courtney will have to overcome his hubris if he wants to transform the struggling city he loves."<br />
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This one is super fun with a side of heart. The scripts have snap, crackle, and pop and Brandon Michael Hall is really good as the newly elected mayor. The idea of running for mayor starts out as a joke and a good PR stunt to drum up downloads of his rap album, but by the end of the pilot he's all in on the whole mayor thing and trying to improve the city for his neighbors and friends.<br />
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I know, I know, it sounds cheesy, but the pilot had several laugh out loud moments and Yvette Nicole Brown, who was hilarious in <i>Community</i>, strikes just the right balance of supportive, motivational, tough, and loving as Courtney's Mom. Seriously, she's just great. I'm also really enjoying Lea Michele as Courtney's chief of staff. The dialogue moves so fast you might think this was a show by Amy Sherman-Palladino, and Lea never misses a beat. No word yet on whether there will be a musical episode.<br />
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So what are the two faults that these shows have in common? Believe it or not, it's just the pacing. They both have somewhat involved concepts and the pilots had to get a lot of set-up out of the way. With only 30 minutes, they both hit the ground running and had to cover way too much ground for just a half hour show. The first few episodes just felt so rushed there was almost no room for the characters or audience to breathe. In the long run, with the plot and characters established, I have a feeling they'll both settle into something great, but for now just prepare yourself for the shows to speed through a lot of plot in the first couple episodes. Having said that, I'd recommend them both, especially if you need something light and funny.<br />
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<i>Ghosted</i> airs Sundays at 8:30 EST on FOX and <i>The Mayor </i>airs Tuesdays at 9:30 EST on ABC. Episodes of both series are available online at the network websites.<br />
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<br />Maggie Catshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09883765124150271927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27899397.post-59630570856088704992017-10-05T08:27:00.000-04:002017-10-05T08:27:03.002-04:00Fall TV: The BraveIt's Fall! FINALLY! The tights and boots come out, along with long-sleeved tees, pumpkin spice everything, and decorative gourds.<br />
<br />
But as all readers of this blog know, the most exciting part of Fall is the premiere of tons of new television shows. And we're here to bring our thoughts, impressions, and advice on what to watch and what's not worth your time.<br />
<br />
First up, NBC's <i>The Brave</i>.<br />
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At first, I thought this was going to be kind of an overseas spy version of <i>Law and Order</i>. Each episode follows the government analysts who uncover threats and the military special forces team that removes them. The episodes typically kick off with a tag that establishes what the specific threat is (a terrorist group kidnaps a white woman and places her in peril! An US intelligence agent in the Ukraine discovers her team has been killed!) and plays back and forth between the two groups working to stop the bad guys.<br />
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The description of the show is, per usual, ridiculously dramatic: "This fresh, heart-pounding journey into the complex world of America's elite undercover military heroes follows Captain Adam Dalton (Mike Vogel) and his heroic Special Ops squad of highly trained undercover specialists as they carry out each mission on the ground...This team works hand-in-hand with D.I.A. Deputy Director Patricia Campbell (Anne Heche) and her team of analysts...as they wield the world's most advanced surveillance technology from headquarters in D.C. All members of this elite squad, both in D.C. and across the world, have one thing in common: their resilience and commitment to freedom is unmatched by any other."<br />
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They are Patriots! Fighting to save Americans! Out in the field and behind a desk! </div>
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But, surprisingly, I really dig this show. I thought it was going to be a paint-by-numbers procedural like all the <i>NCIs</i> and <i>CSIs</i> out there in the world. But shockingly, it felt more like watching a tense movie like <i>The Bourne Identity</i>, <i>Zero Dark Thirty</i>, or <i>Black Hawk Down</i>. Or, say the network version of <i>Homeland</i>.<br />
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Ok, it wasn't quite on the same level as those examples, but it kept my attention and had me holding my breath a time or two. If you have a problem with violence, guns, explosions, and similar war trappings, it might be a bit too much for you. But, the intense stares at screens from the analysts and a lot of overly serious phone conversations and proclamations from Anne Heche's character help break up the tension.<br />
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I'll also give the creators a nod for keeping the cast diverse. There' s a broad representation of people in here, both in the analysts and special forces crew, with women in several prominent positions. I was pleased to see a woman playing the Deputy Director role...and that they included a woman in the special ops team--she's a sniper. Awesome.<br />
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The lead actor is your typical scruffy hunky white guy though. Of course. But at least he's a beardo.</div>
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We're only two episodes in, so I can't speak with authority as to whether the writing will fall into some of the typical narrative pitfalls we see around here a lot. As mentioned earlier, the pilot episode turned on the whole "white woman kidnapped by brown people" cliche, but if you're telling a story about the most dangerous areas of the world, I can see why you would go with the terrorism angle right out the gate. The second episode, set in the Ukraine, seems to do a bit better--I think we can accept the Russians as believable bad guys, right?<br />
<br />
Bottom line: it's a tense, dramatic look at international undercover operations that sometimes comes off a bit silly, but also has bursts of graphic military-style violence. I found the characters and stories more compelling than I expected and I'll probably stick with it, at least through the front 13 episodes.<br />
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<i>The Brave</i> airs Monday nights on NBC at 10PM EST. You can also watch episodes <a href="https://www.nbc.com/the-brave">online</a>.<br />
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<br />Maggie Catshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09883765124150271927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27899397.post-8899809953427105852017-06-21T14:27:00.000-04:002017-06-21T14:45:37.389-04:00My So-Called Reunion<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
In the fall of 1994, <i>My
So-Called Life</i> debuted and immediately won critical praise and a dedicated
fan-base, mostly of teenagers. Whereas most family shows at that time were
sitcoms that dealt with “very special episodes” once a season, <i>My So-Called Life</i> was a drama that not
only confronted those issues in nearly every episode, it did it casually,
understanding that to most people these issues, not the regular sitcom fodder
of homework or nosey neighbors, were the stuff of everyday life. Sadly, it only
lasted for one season but if you were one of the lucky few, as I was, to be squarely
in its target demographic, that one year felt like something special. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Come with me, won't you, back to a time of flannel, body suits, and unironically clashing fabrics...</span></div>
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I’d argue the show was one of the forerunners to what we
would now call “prestige television” in that it featured many of the same
components that would come to define shows like <i>The Sorpanos</i>, or <i>Game of
Thrones</i>: a variety of characters with their own plotlines, a unified story
told over an entire season, moral ambiguity in plots and character decisions,
and a sense of the stakes changing from one episode to another; It felt like life
because things evolved and the show didn’t return to the status quo at the end
of each episode. <o:p></o:p></div>
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But the show’s hallmark was the ultra-realistic
depictions of teenagers and how they related to each other and to the adults in
their lives. The show had very few villains, outside of life itself. The show
was even mocked at times for the halting, seemingly rambling speaking style of
the kids. Adults heard it and felt frustrated, recognizing all the “…um”s and “whatever”s
and “….sure”s they heard from their kids daily while teenagers recognized the
secret emotional codes that each monosyllabic grunt conveyed. <o:p></o:p></div>
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That inability to communicate was a central theme the
show played with constantly. Moreso, it is one that expressed itself not only
in the action, but in the interpretation of that action as well. As such, how
you viewed the show was very much a function of your age and where you happened
to be in your life at the time.<br />
<br />
Here’s an example: one episode focused on Angela’s scheme to hang out with the
object of her affection, troubled dreamboat Jordan Catalano. Knowing that her
parents would never be cool with her spending time with Jordan, she arranges to
study at neighbor boy’s Brian’s house one evening, but upon arriving slips away
for a clandestine meeting with Jordan. (The meeting is relatively chaste, stuck
in that non-verbal, early teenage haze where two kids can barely say anything
to each other that doesn’t feature the word “like” as a connector verb.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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At the end of the episode, Angela has a scene with her
father, Graham, where he asks about her evening. I distinctly remember my
reaction to that scene watching it when it aired in the fall of 1994. It went
something like this:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Graham</b>: So you were over at Brian Krakow’s tonight. Was that, like,
a date?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Angela</b>: Oh my God, Dad! <Makes frustrated teenage noise><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Me</b> (watching from home): What is wrong with him? How could he think
that is what was going on? Clearly she has no feelings for Brian whatsoever.
Why does he even bother trying to talk to about this? He’s her dad – it’s not
someone you say this stuff to. This is mortifying!<o:p></o:p></div>
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In other words, I had an utterly typical teenaged
reaction. Which makes sense, really: I was 16 in 1994, roughly the same age as
Angela. <i>My So-Called Life</i> was a
revelation because it was the first time I had seen teenaged characters on TV
who reacted like I did, who thought like I did, and who looked like I did. They
had the same perspective and thoughts and worries. It made them feel real and
not canned or codified like the teenage characters on sitcoms who didn’t so
much have problems as wacky, 22-minute misadventures that would mostly either
resolve themselves or result in someone Learning Something Important. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Then, several years later, a friend of mine had a copy of
the entire series on DVD and we gleefully sat down to watch it. We got to that
same episode and rewatched that same scene. And like before, I had a strong
reaction, though this time it was different:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Graham</b>: So you were over at Brian Krakow’s tonight. Was that, like,
a date?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Angela</b>: Oh my God, Dad! <Makes frustrated teenage noise><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Me</b> (watching from home): What is wrong with her? He’s her father
and clearly doting on her! All he wants is to be friends with her again and not
have this hormonal teenage monster in his house. His approach is awkward, but
he’s legitimately trying to show interest in her life. Why is she being such a
brat and not seeing that?<o:p></o:p></div>
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And thus, in one swoop and across fifteen years, <i>My So-Called Life</i> showed me exactly when
I crossed over to the other side from empathizing with the teenager, to
empathizing with the parent even though I myself don’t have children. In
retrospect, I think that shows how thoughtfully the show considered the
perspectives of not only its teenage characters, but its adult ones as well. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We all grow up. Revisiting our youth can lead to some
funny conclusions, not only about who we were but who we are now. Though <i>My So-Called Life</i> only ran for one season,
its characters would have graduated Liberty High School in June of 1997, twenty
years ago this month. In honor of this show that I still love for its perfect
encapsulation of what it felt like to be a teenager in the (mostly) pre-internet
1990s, I started thinking about what would the lives of these people look like
if the show were to drop back in on them twenty years after we saw them last.
And so, here’s my take on what the 20-year class reunion for <i>My So-Called Life</i> might be:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Angela Chase</span></b></div>
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<i>Then</i>: ruminative teenager, emotional spendthrift, says
“like” a lot</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Now</i>: mild-tempered adult, mother, author<o:p></o:p></div>
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The rocky shoals of adolescence were never navigated so
fully as they were by Angela Chase. Like most teenagers, Angela experienced
high school as a constant source of melodrama, albeit one that she would come
to think of in more gilded terms. After high school, Angela attended University
of Virginia on a scholarship, graduating with a degree in creative writing. She eventually took a job writing for a
non-profit in Boston where she met Chris, a lawyer. The two eventually became
engaged in 2004 and married the following year. Their first child, Claire, was
born in 2006, followed by a son, Grant, in 2008. Angela’s often laconic
speaking and writing style expressed itself in her first novel, a story about a
homeless teenage girl living on the streets of a nameless city which received
praise for its “stark, understated style.” Angela continues to contribute
steadily to several publications and is currently at work on her third book. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p> </o:p><b>Rayanne Graff</b></span></div>
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<i>Then</i>: Rebellious wild child, drug addict, new BFF to
Angela</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Now</i>: Countess of Devon<o:p></o:p></div>
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After graduation, Rayanne’s life could only have gone in
one of two directions: way down the spiral or way up to the clouds. She was
destined either to be the repeat offender in the Pittsburg Downtown Rehab
Clinic or finally come to terms with her own emotional issues and make some
positive changes. Thankfully, she chose the latter, got (mostly) clean and
finished an associate’s degree from community college. She managed to enroll as
a non-traditional college student, earning her bachelor’s degree in psychology
in 2002. In 2003, Rayanne met Charles Courtenay, Lord Courtenay and the son of
the 18<sup>th</sup> Earl of Devon, England. After a whirlwind romance, the two
married in 2004 and Rayanne relocated to London where she become the Countess
of Devon after her father-in-law’s death in 2015. Rayanne and her husband have
two children and the family are active in philanthropy.*<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Note: This one was easy to write. <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/aj-langer-my-so-called-life-countess-castle_us_55df1030e4b0e7117ba8eaf1">It
actually happened.</a></span> <o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Rickie Vasquez</span></b></div>
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<i>Then</i>: Troubled semi-homeless teenager, kind soul,
bisexual</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Now</i>: Professional theatre owner, still kind, gay<o:p></o:p></div>
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Despite a rocky adolescence, Rickie managed to graduate
from Liberty High on time and in good standing, largely through the help and
support of his friends and his mentor, English teacher Mr. Katimski. After
graduation, Rickie moved to New York City to pursue his dream of becoming an
actor, which largely meant he spent years as a waiter. Despite the challenges
of his career choice, Rickie managed to achieve modest success off Broadway and
built enough of a network of fellow performers to establish his own performing
company and home theatre, The Girls’ Bathroom. The company specializes in
telling non-traditional stories and has been featured in leading theatre trade
productions. Rickie lives in Astoria and has a reputation for mentoring
troubled youth. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Note: my idea of Rickie’s transition from
self-identifying as bisexual to identifying as gay is not intended as a case of
bisexual erasure. Given the attitude about homosexuality in the mid-90s,
particularly in a relatively conservative suburb, I think it’s highly likely
that Rickie would have fallen into the trope of identifying as bi at the time
because of its relatively better social standing than being gay. (Rickie also
self-identified as gay, rather than bisexual, in one of the final episodes.)
The notion of gay men initially identifying as bisexual, while certainly used
unfairly to cast actual bisexuals as some kind of gay-in-waiting, has
nonetheless been an unfortunate pattern for a number of years. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<o:p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Jordan Catalano</span></b></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWrU74ggjbggd-BbIdKwnV86uvpaYdJBEDuzWjveuqILZXcyBw_y-PXYNyRq703hggsgyhOsudPAsX9EVGLWxRhnKw-6KPOPZwNTjb5_VbeEKpXjubzO_nMBOR9pqisWHUBZIb/s1600/Jordan+Then+Now.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="796" data-original-width="1189" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWrU74ggjbggd-BbIdKwnV86uvpaYdJBEDuzWjveuqILZXcyBw_y-PXYNyRq703hggsgyhOsudPAsX9EVGLWxRhnKw-6KPOPZwNTjb5_VbeEKpXjubzO_nMBOR9pqisWHUBZIb/s320/Jordan+Then+Now.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<i>Then</i>: High school bad boy, dreamboat, sorta musician?</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<i>Now</i>: Meth addict prolly<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Man, you guys – the post-graduation years were not kind
to Jordan. I’m operating on the assumption that Jordan even graduated from high
school. It’s possible he dropped out, but I think the trajectory of the show
would have shown him graduating, albeit just barely. Either way, life after
high school was not good for the guy. He was never the brightest star in the
heavens to begin with, sensitive soul that he may have been, so his path was
likely to either be in the right place at the right time and land a modeling
contract or delve down the path of unintentional pregnancies, drug use, and
low-paying jobs. One of these was far more likely the other and, now in his
late 30s, Jordan has seen some shit, man. He doesn’t really remember his time
in high school much, though he does like to think about his car and wishes he
could afford a new one.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Brian Krakow</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSbXWxrjEhc9VsKdpsvwu5FpgS5HZaknQxZ64cm1tJPkv8Un4gOYh9jlx8_YnQGrGyNxKWa60eKSb4wM4jp6Hs7IAVQ5fGeWveihv2Wbq7yfL4Plqv9CWKCZK9GGuOmTrn9cWv/s1600/Brian+Then+Now.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="471" data-original-width="639" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSbXWxrjEhc9VsKdpsvwu5FpgS5HZaknQxZ64cm1tJPkv8Un4gOYh9jlx8_YnQGrGyNxKWa60eKSb4wM4jp6Hs7IAVQ5fGeWveihv2Wbq7yfL4Plqv9CWKCZK9GGuOmTrn9cWv/s320/Brian+Then+Now.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<i>Then</i>: Nerd, Angela’s neighbor, holder of unrequited love</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<i>Now</i>: Successful tech magnate, eligible bachelor<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
For all that he couldn’t catch a break in high school,
upon graduation Brian was at the forefront of the new world. The tech
revolution was just beginning in earnest in 1996 and Brian capitalized on this
by attending college at Stanford and getting in on the ground floor of the tech
world. He launched his first killer app only one year out of college and
parlayed the experience into a successful video game production company. His
company has grown and now provides video and audio solutions for a variety of
public and for-profit companies. He lives part time in San Francisco and
Montreal and is regularly listed on various society magazines’ annual “most
eligible bachelor” lists. He also contributed the start-up capital for Rickie’s
independent theatre company. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p> </o:p><b>Sharon Cherski</b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOZKdY3CHPZdb5UnNRxhVpbu3yNtGQdg_hA7Tm50EwB2dLX1WPaBt81Er-caPUNlGEmy4qec6Kkl8h3rGHSINYa-Ig2DwJuwq0lDO843aBuZAzwC0LB11wBWSn-Yvfk3dCi2wG/s1600/Sharon+Then+Now.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="668" data-original-width="992" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOZKdY3CHPZdb5UnNRxhVpbu3yNtGQdg_hA7Tm50EwB2dLX1WPaBt81Er-caPUNlGEmy4qec6Kkl8h3rGHSINYa-Ig2DwJuwq0lDO843aBuZAzwC0LB11wBWSn-Yvfk3dCi2wG/s320/Sharon+Then+Now.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<i>Then</i>: Former BFF to Angela, frenemy of Rayanne, Killjoy</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<i>Now</i>: Engineer, somewhat happily married, mother to
teenage daughter<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Unsurprising to everyone, Sharon graduated top of her
class and was immediately accepted into college at Carnegie Mellon University
where she pursued a degree in engineering and graduated as one of only two
women in her class before becoming the only woman in her graduate degree
program. Long since broken up with her high school boyfriend Kyle, she
eventually became engaged to Scott, a fellow CMU student before ending the
relationship three weeks before the wedding as she realized she wasn’t in love
with him. She accepted a job with an auto manufacturer in Johannesburg, South
Africa where she met Paul, a fellow engineer. They married and Paul immigrated
back to Pittsburgh with her after two years. Their marriage experiences fits
and starts, many coming from the clash of two cultures, though Sharon and Paul try
to love each other as they manage the tension that comes from a long-term
marriage. She now has two daughters of her own, the eldest of which is about to
begin her freshman year as a multiracial girl in a mostly white suburban high
school. One can only imagine what her experiences will be like…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<o:p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Patty Chase</span></b></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFnZ6ptMCzvlfrJjkxN8aXmmJhgwVGd1-n1lwjlzOaID3Xl6px_gftiUFh1H1DncD8YAKPYiIkMXKTKzk4duvwfihtTrKfU7zVx5pP6Egc_E0ThUojx4TScNJJs-HEWlTsXuCy/s1600/Patty+Then+Now.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="996" data-original-width="1502" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFnZ6ptMCzvlfrJjkxN8aXmmJhgwVGd1-n1lwjlzOaID3Xl6px_gftiUFh1H1DncD8YAKPYiIkMXKTKzk4duvwfihtTrKfU7zVx5pP6Egc_E0ThUojx4TScNJJs-HEWlTsXuCy/s320/Patty+Then+Now.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<i>Then</i>: Mother to Angela and Danielle, breadwinner,
provincial</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<i>Now</i>: Semi-retired former executive, doting/meddling
mother and grandmother<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Patty and Graham’s marriage was straining throughout the
show, though it eventually met its breaking point when Patty discovered Graham’s
infidelity with his coworker, Hallie Lowenthal. Though they attempted to keep
the marriage going, it dissolved shortly after Angela left home. Patty
initiated the divorce, coming to the realization that while she still cared for
Graham she could never be in love with him again. Patty continued to operate
Wood and Jones Printing, wisely foreseeing the impact that the digital world
would have on printing companies and successfully diversifying the company
enough to keep it in operation for many more years. She eventually sold the
company in 2014 for a profit and is now semi-retired. She is proud of the
accomplishments of both of her daughters, though she continues to worry about
them and has been accused more than once from each of them of inserting herself
into their lives. She and Graham are on good terms and Patty has found Graham’s
second wife to be surprisingly enjoyable. Patty has no plans to remarry, but
continues to keep her options open.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Graham Chase</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDhG3aJZcgIOjr_ZWP03tua0nDOhs41yrUIoCpNB3g5tnOTcAZ1WTfSI1ELbiKxQpnViBoo4e3ZGQrIztfJREYYmi7xyxavBz0eT5b60oEN_8fFMnUVBd4YXQX1yiZdMLHs3_T/s1600/Graham+Then+Now.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="299" data-original-width="509" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDhG3aJZcgIOjr_ZWP03tua0nDOhs41yrUIoCpNB3g5tnOTcAZ1WTfSI1ELbiKxQpnViBoo4e3ZGQrIztfJREYYmi7xyxavBz0eT5b60oEN_8fFMnUVBd4YXQX1yiZdMLHs3_T/s320/Graham+Then+Now.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<i>Then</i>: Father to Angela and Danielle, cook, milquetoast</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<i>Now</i>: Remarried, culinary instructor in Philadelphia<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Even despite his affair, Graham still didn’t see his
divorce coming. He believed that he and Patty had made real progress up until
the moment Patty brought home the divorce papers. Given that his previous
career path could best be described as “driftless”, it was one more
destabilizing event in his life. Thankfully, his progress and reputation at the
culinary school he had been attending/instructing at provided a needed assist
when a colleague recommended that he apply for an open position at a
prestigious culinary school in Philadelphia. He was offered the job and
relocated. Shortly after beginning, he met Sue, a real estate agent who was
taking cooking classes at the school. They married in 2004 and Graham became a
step-father to Sue’s two sons. Graham continued to develop a close relationship
with Angela and the two have become closer as Angela has become a parent
herself.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<o:p><o:p style="font-size: x-large;"> </o:p><b style="font-size: x-large;">Danielle Chase</b></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIRaG3nuZZ87q6uTsbZBD1nEZ1XYrf_E4QW3V-AmLG82GhHxj4MHfnw8grnGcDmWl__rf1QJoUflmiVZl8MdLT2JayeZsYLNWLyEqdaSwaks6hyphenhyphencIeY9IKLjyQndGe4CSj6Fxt/s1600/Danielle+Then+Now.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="981" data-original-width="1468" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIRaG3nuZZ87q6uTsbZBD1nEZ1XYrf_E4QW3V-AmLG82GhHxj4MHfnw8grnGcDmWl__rf1QJoUflmiVZl8MdLT2JayeZsYLNWLyEqdaSwaks6hyphenhyphencIeY9IKLjyQndGe4CSj6Fxt/s320/Danielle+Then+Now.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<i>Then</i>: Little sister, family non-entity, wisecracker</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<i>Now</i>: Blog editor-in-chief, Instagram maven, hot take
detractor<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Six years younger than Angela, Danielle initially thought
that once Angela left the house she would finally have her parents’ undivided
attention. Unfortunately, Patty and Graham’s divorce left Danielle once again
feeling invisible to her family. She graduated high school in 2005 and attended
Oberlin College where she majored in creative writing and gender, sexuality,
and feminist studies. It was there that she launched the beta version of her
blog “Chasing the Dragon”, initially as an underground zine for fellow Oberlin
students. It caught the attention of a New York media mogul who quickly moved
to co-opt it, taking it under his media umbrella and hiring Danielle as
editor-in-chief. Now going by Dani, she has skewered the social climbers of Los
Angeles and New York with her trademark snark and is occasionally called upon
to provide talking head commentary for nightly cable news programs. She is
happily single.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Tino</span></b></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiaD7Y4llhkRBR9bccQareWe3JerQSzZ6NRf_vnWMp07ndruUNvJ7qIWdnJimHSu-AQO7udUJGCmcF-SEgR0eEUSwQ37Zx8B3kfNtK0WcWC1J7wM63IGPmm49qk_BAdJROhUPf/s1600/Tino+Then+Now.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1043" data-original-width="1600" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiaD7Y4llhkRBR9bccQareWe3JerQSzZ6NRf_vnWMp07ndruUNvJ7qIWdnJimHSu-AQO7udUJGCmcF-SEgR0eEUSwQ37Zx8B3kfNtK0WcWC1J7wM63IGPmm49qk_BAdJROhUPf/s320/Tino+Then+Now.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<i>Then</i>: Man of mystery, Frozen Embryos front man</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<i>Now</i>: Club DJ maybe? Unconfirmed.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
No one actually knows if Tino ever graduated from Liberty
High School. Neither Rayanne nor Jordan have heard from him since 1998 when he
was last spotted hosting a “total rager” at some Sophomore’s house. Rickie claims to have seen him at an MTV
event in Times Square around 2002, however was unable to confirm. Someone going
by his name began to make it big on the Los Angeles club circuit about this time
and is currently modestly successful as an international DJ who hides his face
with a series of outrageous masks. It is
still unknown what, exactly, he looks like. <o:p></o:p></div>
Clovishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09630640582674493366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27899397.post-8460196915252486732017-06-08T17:35:00.000-04:002017-06-08T17:35:19.112-04:00How "The Keepers" Reimagines True Crime Stories<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Quick, think back to the last true crime mystery that you
watched or read about. Maybe it was <i>Serial</i>
or <i>Making a Murderer</i> or whatever you
happened to see on Investigative Discovery last night or maybe even <i>The People v. O.J. Simpson</i>. Do you
remember the name of the killer (or accused killer)? So long as the story is
still fresh in your mind, I’m betting the likes of Adnan Syed or Steven Avery or
O.J. Simpson are in your head. Now next question – do you remember the names of
the victims?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Sometimes victims become as unintentionally famous as the
people who killed them. Most times they fade into obscurity, unless they become
part of the zeitgeist like Nicole Brown Simpson or Hae Min Lee. But whenever we
watch movies about them or read stories or listen to podcasts, we almost always
lose sight of the victims because we tend to get the story more or less from
the perspective of the killer, accused or otherwise. There’s a practical reason
for this, of course – dead people are notoriously hard to get on the record
whereas accused or convicted killers can be interviewed. That dynamic creates a skewed view on crime
where the victims become cyphers, unable to give us the answers we really want.
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
So what if you had a crime story where the victim of the
murder could still speak? Answer that question, and you’ve got Netflix’s new
documentary series <i>The Keepers</i>. The
series examines the murder of Sister Cathy Cesnik, a nun and Catholic high
school teacher in Baltimore in 1969. And before you get too checked out, this
is not a story about ghosts or mediums or mistaken identity or any other trickery.
It is, however, about how the victims of a murder (mostly) survived.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ksassets.timeincuk.net/wp/uploads/sites/55/2017/04/The-Keepers-Netflix.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ksassets.timeincuk.net/wp/uploads/sites/55/2017/04/The-Keepers-Netflix.jpg" data-original-height="508" data-original-width="800" height="203" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Catholicism, man. Amirite?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
A quick note: It’s hard to have traditional spoilers in a
true crime story, especially one that officially remains unsolved. But <i>The Keepers</i> takes viewers on such an
intense ride that if you prefer to experience the story with all the emotional
twists and turns that the series intends you to experience, you may want to
stop here and go watch the first three episodes before reading any further. The
series is full of revelations and I’m only going to review a few of them
briefly, but if that’s a concern for you consider this your spoiler warning.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Now that that’s taken care of, let’s explore the facts of
the case. In 1969, Sister Cathy Cesnik was a 26-year-old nun living in Baltimore
and working as a teacher. Not that much older than the girls she taught, she
was popular and well-liked. Several of her students, now women in mostly their
late 60s, recount how close they felt to her and inspired by her they were. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Sister Cathy began her teaching at Archbishop Keough High
School, an exclusive all-girls Catholic school. She taught English and Drama
for several years, but despite a strong tenure at Keough, Sister Cathy
nonetheless left the school at the end of the 1968-1969 school year and took a
position at a local public school with another young nun in her order. The two
nuns even opted to live together in an apartment in West Baltimore. The move
was part of an experiment in which nuns would try to live among the world
rather than in cloistered lives. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
On the evening of November 7, 1969, Sister Cathy left the
shared apartment and drove in her car a short distance to a shopping center to
buy an engagement present for her sister in Pennsylvania. Along the way, she
cashed a paycheck and stopped off at a local bakery. She left around 8:00pm. When
she hadn’t returned home around midnight, her roommate Sister Russell called a priest
and mutual friend, Rev. Koob who drove to the women’s apartment. At 4:30am, Rev.
Koob discovered Sister Cathy’s car parked illegally less than 100 yards from
the apartment building. The car was dirty and had twigs and debris inside. (In
a weird coincidence, Sister Cathy’s apartment was located near the spot where
Hae Min Lee’s body would be found 30 years later. Stay classy, Baltimore.)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Baltimore Policy conducted a basic search, however they reportedly
didn’t see any evidence of foul play or violence. Sister Cathy would be
officially missing for almost two months until on January 3 when two hunters
discovered her partially-clothed body in remote wooded area not far from her
home. An autopsy revealed that she had likely died due to a skull fracture
caused by a blunt instrument to the back of her head. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
From there, the case went cold. It remained largely
inactive for almost 25 years when something happened that began to shed new
light.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://img.thedailybeast.com/image/upload/v1494942383/articles/2017/05/16/the-keepers-netflix-s-riveting-new-true-crime-saga-takes-on-the-catholic-church/170516-schager-the-keepers-netflix-embed2_sxafpy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://img.thedailybeast.com/image/upload/v1494942383/articles/2017/05/16/the-keepers-netflix-s-riveting-new-true-crime-saga-takes-on-the-catholic-church/170516-schager-the-keepers-netflix-embed2_sxafpy.jpg" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enter these two jerks</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
In 1994, a woman in her 40s came forward to say that she
had attended school at Archbishop Keough during the late 1960s. She alleged
that for three years, from her sophomore year until graduation, she was
routinely, systematically, and sometimes violently raped by a member of
Archbishop Keough’s staff, Father Joseph Maskell, who served as the school’s
counselor. The woman recalled detailed events where Father Maskell would call
her into his private office, demean her as a “whore” and a “slut” and then rape
her, telling her that only by having sex with him could her soul find
forgiveness. What’s more, he routinely arranged for her to be raped by multiple
men at the same time, often in his office with the door locked while he
watched. Some of these men, the woman later learned, were high-ranking city and
police officials.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
While the woman’s reports were shocking, what really
grabbed public attention was another detail: the woman claimed that not only
had Sister Cathy known something about these attacks, but that Father Maskell
had taken the woman to see Sister Cathy’s dead body a few days after the nun
went missing. And what’s more, she may not have been the only one exposed to
all this; there could be others. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://media1.popsugar-assets.com/files/thumbor/cwUSGVUIgy9VL42wu4h4g68y5LU/fit-in/2048xorig/filters:format_auto-!!-:strip_icc-!!-/2017/04/20/946/n/1922283/a8f8edae506497ff_KEEPERS_101_SG_00003.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://media1.popsugar-assets.com/files/thumbor/cwUSGVUIgy9VL42wu4h4g68y5LU/fit-in/2048xorig/filters:format_auto-!!-:strip_icc-!!-/2017/04/20/946/n/1922283/a8f8edae506497ff_KEEPERS_101_SG_00003.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tom Nugent (no relation to Ted), reporter, shows the headline of his 90s era article re-opening the case</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
And therein lies the detail that separates <i>The Keepers</i> from other true crime series
that I’ve seen. Unlike most that focus on the accused, <i>The Keepers</i> has access to the victims and investigates the events
surrounding Sister Cathy’s murder and Father Maskell’s alleged conspiracy and
sexual assaults through the eyes of people who were witnesses to them because
it was happening to them too. Sister Cathy is a victim, to be sure, but the
story quickly grows to encompass a number of victims who have spent more than
40 years unable to tell their own stories. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>The Keepers</i> is
dense, but immensely watchable. As I binge-watched it with a friend, I turned
to her after one episode and said out loud, “How are there four more episodes
to go? There’s so much information here; how are they going to keep shedding
new light on this story?” And yet, with each episode, the creators do. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
This is largely thanks to the access they have not only
to the still living victims of the crimes committed at Keough High School, but
also thanks to the small sorority of women who, nearly 50 years later, are
still dedicated to getting to the bottom of the murder of a teacher they loved
and respected so much. What this means is that the narrative of the series is
almost entirely told through the voices of women, most of them middle-aged or
older. The women in this story have been abused, literally and figuratively, by
a variety of forces and personages and they’re only now getting to tell their
stories. That makes <i>The Keepers</i> a
natural expression of the nascent “Nevertheless, She Persisted” notion. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/05/19/arts/19keepers/19keepers-master768.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="768" height="180" src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/05/19/arts/19keepers/19keepers-master768.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abbie (r) and Gemma (l), the amateur investigators still trying to piece together the crimes. AKA #Heroes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
As such, the series gives out a measure of justice, but justice
is like Schrodinger’s cat – it both exists and doesn’t exist at the same time.
These women finally get to tell their stories and be believed, but of course
many of the perpetrators of the crimes done to them are long dead, having
escaped whatever worldly justice the law could have meted out to them. There’s
a sense throughout the series that history has already passed much of this story
by, making it even harder to gain any sense of closure about these events. In a
timely, though unrelated event, Keough high school, now officially named Seton
Keough High School, announced last fall that <a href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-county/catonsville/ph-at-seton-keough-0517-20170517-story.html">the
school would be closing its doors for good</a> once school lets out this
summer. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Crime and punishment are almost always, by their nature,
reactionary things. It’s in keeping then that the way we’ve talked about both
of those things has been reactionary as well. <i>The Keepers</i> represents an attempt to change that narrative, if only
by looking at those concepts from a different perspective. The results are
fascinating to watch.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Clovishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09630640582674493366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27899397.post-62382392644163539772017-05-26T13:51:00.000-04:002017-05-26T13:51:50.648-04:00Hagsploitation and Old Hollywood<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
At a certain point in FX’s miniseries <i>Feud: Bette and Joan</i>, Warner Brothers’
studio head Jack Warner throws a tantrum upon realizing that his box office
strategy of pitting two aging actresses against each other in a film has been
stolen by a rival studio. Warner, a relic from Hollywood’s earliest of days,
feels he has proprietary rights to older women beating themselves up for his
monetary and personal gain. “Hagsploitation”, he terms it. And while Warner
didn’t have the exclusive rights to a plotline, he wasn’t far off from his
belief that people, particularly women, were exploitable and that the best way
to exploit them was to make them exploit each other.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
That nuance is emblematic of the entire miniseries which
was sold as a camp-fest featuring Susan Sarandon and Jessica Lange as Bette
Davis and Joan Crawford respectively, but ended up being a much more thoughtful
meditation on aging, the role of women in the professional space, and how
hubris, that old favorite of screenwriters everywhere, is ultimately an
ambitious person’s worst enemy.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://az616578.vo.msecnd.net/files/2017/03/28/636262723933816772-1508698975_1484913111_coverA-1280x617.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://az616578.vo.msecnd.net/files/2017/03/28/636262723933816772-1508698975_1484913111_coverA-1280x617.jpg" data-original-height="386" data-original-width="800" height="154" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dahhhling, what say we finish these drinks and then go talk to that handsome Mr. Draper we're hearing so much about?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p><br /> </o:p><i>Feud: Bette and
Joan</i> is the latest from the mind of Ryan Murphy, creator of <i>Glee, American Horror Story, American Crime
Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson</i>, and just about everything else on
television. While <i>Feud</i> revisits many
tropes that Murphy loves (anything set in the 1960s, Los Angeles in general,
Jessica Lange), it’s arguably his most mature work, outstripping even <i>The People v. O.J. Simpson</i>. By relying
on events that are either confirmed to be true or at least strongly sourced,
often from original sources themselves, Murphy is able to present a much more
coherent storyline and develop more nuanced themes than when he’s cooking up
his next creepy ghost scene or figuring out which musical number to get his
cast to sign. Murphy loves high concept television, but clearly he does best
when pairing those high concepts with real events.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
And the reality of the feud between Bette Davis and Joan
Crawford is the stuff of legend. <i>Feud</i>
finds time to present not only the big ticket items from Joan manipulating the
1963 Oscars to humiliate Bette to Bette’s statement upon learning of Joan’s
death in 1977 (“You should never say bad things about the dead, you should only
say good,” Bette was quoted as saying. “Joan Crawford is dead. Good.”) And yet
it also finds the time to show us both of these characters at their best. Joan
moving through the studios and the awards ceremonies, a pro expertly
glad-handing the studio bosses, schmoozing with the talent, and mentoring the
younger performers, illustrates how she attained the heights that she did.
Likewise, Bette uses her outsider status to churn the press and manipulate from
behind the scenes to improve her status. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Clearly, the real life Bette and Joan were not catty
stereotypes perpetuated by gossip and later movies like <i>Mommie Dearest</i>. In keeping with the nuanced take on them, Susan
Sarandon and, in particular, Jessica Lange give compelling performances that
bring out all those qualities, good, bad and ugly. While the actresses bear
only a passing physical resemblance to their characters, both actresses wisely
aim to create breathing characters instead of just relying on physical mimicry.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.indiewire.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/shutterstock_390899ao.jpg?w=780" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.indiewire.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/shutterstock_390899ao.jpg?w=780" data-original-height="526" data-original-width="780" height="215" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://m.aceshowbiz.com/webimages/news/feud-bette-and-joan-images-reveal-more-characters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://m.aceshowbiz.com/webimages/news/feud-bette-and-joan-images-reveal-more-characters.jpg" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="690" height="231" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Original still for <i>Whatever Happened to Baby Jane</i> and <i>Feud</i>'s recreation</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Where <i>Feud</i> excels
the most is in underlining the ultimate tragedy of Bette Davis and Joan
Crawford: that, like the line from <i>Baby
Jane</i>, all this time they could have been friends. Had Bette and Joan
partnered together, as indeed they halfheartedly tried to at times, they could
have exerted tremendous pressure on the studios. Instead, they fell into waring
with each other, seeing each other as rivals rather than co-conspirators. And
while machinations on the part of male studio heads certainly facilitated that
rivalry, the miniseries gives us a sense of how the women’s insecurities
factored in. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
In one of the show’s best scenes, the two square off
against each other in a verbal fight scene that ends sorrowfully. Bette,
perennially viewed as one of the most talented actresses of her era but never
one who was pretty enough to truly be a star, spits at Joan, “How did it feel
to be the most beautiful actress in history?” <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“It felt great,” Joan spits back before pausing and
adding quietly, “And it was never enough. How did it feel to be the most
talented?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“It felt fine,” Bette returns, venomously, but clearly shaken.
“And it was never enough.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
These were two actresses who, by rights, could have been
a forceful duo but were both undermined by feeling inadequate in the face of
each other. Joan, always seen as a Hollywood beauty, struggled to be
appreciated for her talent and not just her face. Bette, somewhat resigned to
being the character actress because it was bringing her Oscar nominations and
wins, was never going to be awarded the approval of her industry because she
didn’t look like a cover girl. And through it all was a studio system run by
men who understood that the only way to make sure that these women didn’t kick
them all out of their precarious positions was to keep them at each other’s
throats. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF2SZGTQXGvc8dOD744Mm2tzdSxYPJXkcN0OGubT3u40yfzsaGkR1n7CZJW62eoWU3iKttPmP2WSr2Odjsc2WEqE4pDCksTjswDPLmjdfXiyj7HmayqEOhBhh_4qIoMcWb84Ij/s1600/feud_108_0007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF2SZGTQXGvc8dOD744Mm2tzdSxYPJXkcN0OGubT3u40yfzsaGkR1n7CZJW62eoWU3iKttPmP2WSr2Odjsc2WEqE4pDCksTjswDPLmjdfXiyj7HmayqEOhBhh_4qIoMcWb84Ij/s320/feud_108_0007.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This picture need more sexism and misogyny, I say! MOAR!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
As such, it’s tempting to try to watch the show through
the lens of modern Hollywood which, despite being 40 years on from the final
scenes, is still very much stuck in the same mode. It’s not news that finding
roles for women over the age of 40 is difficult, nor is it a surprise that
Hollywood remains enraptured by the next “it” girl before turning her over for
someone new within a year or two. But if anything, <i>Feud</i> takes pains to keep the story tight and focused and avoids
underlining the comparisons to modern Hollywood too much. That approach works
in its favor by allowing the audience to stay with the story instead of seeking
out any too-clever-by-half references to the modern world. In fact, the show
avoids irony almost entirely with the possible exception of a few lines in the
final episode where an aging Joan admits that the only actress she sees in
Hollywood in the 1970s with the kind of real star power that her generation of
women had is Faye Dunaway. (In fact, that was a sentiment that Crawford voiced
in real life before she died, obviously unaware of Dunaway’s eventual role in defining
Crawford’s legacy for a new generation of people.)</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>Feud</i> tells a remarkably
restrained story about how women fight each other to the benefit of men and how
hard it is to deviate from that pattern so long as men control the money. Watch
it for the social commentary or just for the utterly on-point production design
which faithfully recreates not only the 1960s but the specific looks that two
titans of early Hollywood both cultivated for themselves. <o:p></o:p></div>
Clovishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09630640582674493366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27899397.post-5535567633305435792017-05-14T17:08:00.000-04:002017-05-14T17:23:38.837-04:00Yes, It Is Wrong You Think Gilbert is Kinda Hot (and Other Observations)<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>***THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS***</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Yes, here we are, folks. Netflix (and CBC's) long-awaited (dreaded?) Anne With an E is finally available, streaming stateside on Netflix. </span><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikvhDDgQ208ahY5POkhRjIWaxLkn6UrxM2VzNS2rJa8fWzxChVYGmPfZj7qMbGT6FTfgH0URWHOIy-KXO89NsiINB-WIBh7p4pIz2Y4299uEY-JWjyrO9aW50t5F1BC_U66NSq/s1600/170511_TV_anne.jpg.CROP.promo-xlarge2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikvhDDgQ208ahY5POkhRjIWaxLkn6UrxM2VzNS2rJa8fWzxChVYGmPfZj7qMbGT6FTfgH0URWHOIy-KXO89NsiINB-WIBh7p4pIz2Y4299uEY-JWjyrO9aW50t5F1BC_U66NSq/s320/170511_TV_anne.jpg.CROP.promo-xlarge2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;"> I talk way too much and have all kinds of codependency and anger issues. PLEASE KEEP ME.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This adaptation has been subject to a pretty unfair tongue-lashing by the chattering classes. There has been a lot of propaganda against this adaptation in the press, and so what I will do here is try to give the positives and negatives of this new version and let you thinking, autonomous adults make up your own minds about whether or not to watch or if you like it.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Let me first start off by saying that there is no bigger L.M. Montgomery geek than yours truly. I was legit OBSESSED with L.M. Montgomery. I read all of her books, anthologized short story collections, several biographies, and her personal published journals. I visited P.E.I. and Nova Scotia, and I have been to actual Green Gables. I spent most of junior high watching the Megan Follows Anne and its subsequent sequel, and I spent a good portion of my time imagining I was Ilse Burnley in an adaptation of <i>Emily of New Moon</i>. I also was a YUUUUUGE fan of Kevin Sullivan's <i>Road to Avonlea </i>series, watching all of the episodes multiple times. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have cred.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here's what I do like:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">AmyBeth McNulty was born to play this role. That is all there is to it. This girl is mad gifted. She looks exactly like Anne, it's true, but beyond that, her performance -- please don't throw rocks at me -- surpasses that of Follows. I understand that a lot of the differences between the performances have to do with script and direction, but I see McNulty showing a wider range of emotions. For instance, during Anne's first scene at Green Gables, McNulty bursts into tears upon being told by Marilla that there has been a mistake. Anne has been deprived of love an acceptance her entire life and it is so clear and so sensitively and beautifully portrayed by McNulty. Compared to Follows, who was directed to be upset, but what really comes through in Follows' version of this scene is Anne being like, "But wait! I'm kooky."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This kid made me cry. Legit. She has been breaking my heart. The way she inhabits this role is on par with Follows -- she<i> is </i>Anne.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Also outstanding is veteran actress Geraldine James in the role of Marilla. It's not easy stepping into Colleen Dewhurst's shoes, but James does an outstanding job as the no-nonsense Marilla, portraying her as a woman disinclined to tolerate shenanigans but doesn't come off as a cold-hearted bitch. This is no small task. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I also love RH Thomson (FAN SERVICE!!!!) as <strike>Jasper Dale</strike> -- I mean, Matthew Cuthbert. Of course, die-hards know that Thomson played a very similar role on <i>Road to Avonlea</i> as bumbling inventor/town recluse (and later husband to Olivia King), Jasper Dale. So, this is familiar territory for Thomson. His Matthew is spot-on and so lovable. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For the supporting cast, Walking Trigger Warning Rachel Lynde is deftly handled by Corinne Koslo; <i>Odd Squad</i> actress Dalila Bela portrays a very believable Diana Barry. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And...what about Gilbert Blythe? </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">How can I make Anne not hate me?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Maybe I could brood harder.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The writers have ramped up the tension/attraction between Anne and Gilbert in this version. In the Sullivan one, it's there, but it's a lot more subtle. In this version, Anne is a little more honest with herself and she knows she'd like Gilbert to maybe pull on more than her hair. They've also made him more attractive by killing off his father and making him into an orphan. That makes him sad. Men become substantially hotter when they are sad. Fact. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I really like this portrayal of Gilbert. He is played by Lucas Jade Zumann and he is just...a dude. He seems very real and very believable. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, let me digress here and address some complaints.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here's the thing: It's been thirty years since the Sullivan adaptation. It was already several years old by the time I saw it. <i>Anne of Green Gables</i> is one of those books that has been getting remade over and over and over again; the first film version appeared in 1919. The Sullivan version is considered the definitive Anne, and I would actually really like Netflix to put it on streaming, but that doesn't mean that there isn't room for new takes on the story. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As for complaints that Anne is a family story and that this version is too dark and depressing -- like, did we read the same story? Anne is a victim of systematic abuse and neglect. She's an orphan in a world that has very little sympathy for orphan children. The only reason she has survived up until this point is because she has created this fantasy world around her. If she hadn't, she wouldn't have been able to deal with reality. She did have to live in an orphanage (and orphanages at this point in time were not nice places), and she was put out into service with a family where the father was a drunkard who got so mad at times that he broke mirrors and windows, and they had more children than they could realistically care for. It is perfectly reasonable to assume that, during this time period, and considering the situation she was in, Anne could very well have been beaten. I do not see anything wrong with directly addressing Anne's emotional and psychological scars because they are part of her story. The whole point of Anne is that she is able to overcome her past and succeed through the love and support of her new family and friends in Avonlea. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Personally, I would simply like to know when we are going to find out that Anne is a wizard. I mean, think about it. She's an orphan. She was mistreated by people who were supposed to be caring for her. She has visceral reactions to what she perceives are injustices. I'm not saying that Anne and Gilbert are Harry Potter's parents, I'm just saying they're probably his parents. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">"Mum, he called you 'Carrots.'</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">"I know, son. Stand back while I cut this bitch."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Moving along here, a couple other things I actually like are the fact that the Avonlea kids <i>are actually kids and they look like kids.</i> Megan Follows portrayed Anne as a 16-year-old, while the late Jonathan Crombie played Gilbert at 19. While I know that playing down is done all the time, sometimes it adds more to a piece when the youth roles are filled by young and extremely capable actors. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The young cast is very impressive -- on the same level as the child actors on <i>Road to Avonlea</i>. It's also nice to see the "minor" characters like Ruby Gillis and Josie Pye getting more screen time. The Sullivan adaptation didn't seem to have much room for the other kids in Avonlea, focusing primarily on Anne, Diana, and Gilbert. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With all of that said, if you are on the fence about whether to check the show out or not, I would suggested watching at least the first episode with an open mind. It follows the book pretty much verbatim, and it is full of fabulous performances and lush scenery. I also really enjoy the flashbacks not just to Anne's life, but to Matthew and Marilla's childhood, especially Marilla's aborted romance with John Blythe.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Having gotten my gushing out of the way, here's what I don't like: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I understand that the producers want to make the show modern and relatable, and want to bring in some issues relevant the present day. However, what the writers and producers have misunderstood is part of Anne's appeal is that it is a timeless story, so there really is no need to bring in "modernizing" influences. Granted, this is not my show, and so if I wanted to make my historical drama more pertinent, I think I would not go about it in such a heavy-handed fashion. There's a really adorable feminist club in Avonlea, but it's run by a bunch of bitchy hypocrites. Anne gives lectures to straw-man type characters about the capabilities of females etc. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Yawn. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Look. For those viewers seeking moral validation in their entertainment: This story is already feminist. It's about a brother and sister who ask for a boy and are given a girl instead, and they decide to keep the girl. Anne is smart, sassy, independent, and capable. She doesn't chase after boys, and she dreams of being educated and having her own life. It's not necessary to beat us over the head with a stick about how forward-thinking she is.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Oh, Matthew! This view from my moral high horse is so virtuous!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I feel like this has been done with period pieces. A lot. There's a spunky, outspoken heroine who shocks everyone by telling them that women can do things men can't. Like she's the only one who's ever thought of that before. And she's gonna blaze a trail. Because well-behaved women rarely make history. Right. That's why we've all forgotten completely about Queen Victoria. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ladies, you can work! You have so many choices! Yes, Anne who was forced to work from the time she could walk is going to go around demanding the right of women to work. And what about female servants like Mary Jo, WHO HAVE TO FUCKING WORK? The fact that Anne can choose between a career and family have NOTHING TO DO with her being female. AND IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH FEMINISM. They have to do with her social class. That's it. She got a class promotion. Poor women have always had to work. Period. Now, if she wants to go be a suffragette, that's great, but I'm guessing she doesn't want to go back to scrubbing floors. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Secondly, I don't understand why Anne has to give the reverend a bunch of attitude about religion. L.M. Montgomery was married to a minister. I also don't understand why the Avonlea reverend was changed from a kindly, gentle man in the novel to an insufferable, closed-minded sexist. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I understand that the writers want to bring a new take on Anne, but is this the best they've got? Anne spouts pandering platitudes about how girls are just as good as boys and people should be accepted because they're different. This is coming from someone who is a complete jerk to Jerry Butte upon their first meeting because she doesn't want him there because she's afraid that will make her place at Green Gables precarious. She only starts to be nice to Jerry after he gets his ass kicked in Charlottetown. Again, this is someone who has to work for a living; he gets no say in whether or not he goes to school.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Honestly, sometimes these lines were making me cringe. What artistic purpose does it serve? Anne was never in the business of giving moral lectures to people. She was too busy fucking up puddings with dead mice and dyeing her hair green to get all up on her high horse and spout sanctimonious harangues. Anne never thought she was better than anyone else. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Except Josie Pye. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Please let her throw more shade at Josie Pye. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I bind thee, Josie Pye. I bind thee from doing harm to yourself or other people.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And why is Billy Andrews a punk?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Please nobody get mad at me, but why is Aunt Josephine a lesbian? I get it; let's be inclusive. But...why? Is there an artistic purpose that's served? You can't just reboot a story and say, "Oh, this time, so-and-so is gay" and have that be considered a bold creative move. Gay people aren't signifiers of how progressive you think you are. They're people.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I also do not like the Stranger Danger plotlines. Similarly, I really felt uncomfortable with the Matthew suicide plot. Richard Farnsworth, who portrayed Matthew in the 1985 version, did commit suicide in real life and he did use a gun, and I just thought that was really not cool. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Don't get me wrong; some of the new plotlines and writing are very compelling and very good. It's just sometimes the show jumps the rails and the Morality Police jump out, reminding us all about some trite popular notions. I do feel that there is enough in the book to fill out several episodes. There were many incidents in the Sullivan version that were blended, or cut altogether. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One other thing is, and I know this is nitpicky, I don't like the contemporary dialogue thrown into the episodes. For instance, like "Bud" and "Seriously, what's your problem" and "A cute girl is a cute girl" are out of place. Your audience isn't stupid; they'll understand if you use more complicated vocabulary and words that have more than two syllables. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To wrap up: If you're curious about the show, do yourself a favor and watch it. It has a lot of positive points, and they more or less outweigh the negatives. What I see here is a show trying to find its legs, and I think it might be a good idea to bring in some of the writing team from <i>Road to Avonlea</i>. The incidents that are taken from the book are really nicely adapted, so I would like to see them doing more of that and following more in the footsteps of the successful Sullivan series. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">"But what DO boys want, Marilla?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">"Cheetos and beer, my child. And video games."</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15081041717106154183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27899397.post-41471941450000831132017-04-11T18:10:00.000-04:002017-04-11T18:10:08.885-04:00Maybe We Should Have Risen a Little More<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
ABC’s recent miniseries <i>When We Rise</i> introduces its audience to each of its three main
protagonists the same way: sexually. In Arizona, teenager Cleve Jones is caught
shirtless and making out with a fellow male student. Elsewhere, Peace Corps volunteer Roma Guy
steals a passionate clandestine kiss from her fellow female volunteer as she
prepares to end her tour and return to the United States. In Vietnam, US Naval
Officer Ken Jones meets his shipmate in a shabby room for an illicit tryst. <o:p></o:p></div>
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As such, <i>When We
Rise</i> takes a slightly daring position in not hiding the very thing that
makes most heterosexual people, even ones who are fully supportive of gay
rights, feel squicky about – gay sex. It also meta-textually echoes the entire
thesis statement of <i>When We Rise</i>;
namely, that gay people and gay history shouldn’t remain hidden, even if it makes people uncomfortable to think about. Even in a
post-<i>Obergefell</i> world, that sentiment
is significant and still kind of radical. Watching the seven-hour miniseries,
it really makes you wish the rest of the story had lived up to the promise of those
first ten minutes.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">How do you feel about this logo? Just kinda there? Get used to that feeling. It's going to follow you through the entire series.</span></div>
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There’s nothing
inherently offensive about <i>When We Rise</i>, which is sort of its problem. For a series that's all about the struggle of a group of people who literally had to scream in order to be noticed, its tone is entirely the same as a librarian shushing an excited reader. It’s a more-or-less honest take on late 20<sup>th</sup>/early 21<sup>st</sup>
century history. Unfortunately, it is to actual
history what Epcot Center is to international relations, full of surface-level
understanding and representation that never tries to peel back the onion any
further than the first layer. By the end of the miniseries, the show’s own
message is somewhat diluted. The audience feels talked at, not brought along.
This is risky, particularly in a world where anyone can say they support LGBT
rights while at the same time supporting <a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/features/trump-quietly-went-after-lgbt-workers-this-week-w474245">leaders
who take those rights away</a>. <o:p></o:p></div>
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If the goal is to foster an understanding in the viewing
public of people living differently from them, the key to doing that is to get
people by the emotions, not by the events. Watching <i>When We Rise</i> feels a bit like cramming for a history final where it’s
important to remember when a protest occurred or a law was passed, not the
reasons why those things happened. In
that way, the show lacks a good hook to hang its own message on. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://pmcvariety.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/when-we-rise-trump.jpg?w=670&h=377&crop=1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://pmcvariety.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/when-we-rise-trump.jpg?w=670&h=377&crop=1" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Maybe if they had gotten Kendall Jenner?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
That’s one of the reasons why watching it feels so
maddening, because Cleve, Roma, and Ken are all real people, not fictional characters.
Cleve Jones is the creator of the AIDS Memorial Quilt and an activist to this
day. Roma Guy and her wife are the founders of the <a href="http://womensbuilding.org/">Women’s Building</a> in San Francisco as well
as numerous health care and homelessness organizations. Ken Jones is arguably
one of the originators of the modern intersectional school of thought linking the
LGBT community with the African American community and beyond. Bottom line:
each one of these real-life heroes have an amazing story to tell and, sadly,
each one feels like they get short shrift even with a biographical miniseries
that takes as long to watch as an average workday. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The show gives us 40 years of history told through these
people’s lives. It’s a shame that during that time we never get to know any of
them. Major events happen off camera or in between chapters where significant
leaps in time occur. AIDS becomes a major issue for about an hour before
quickly fading into the background, even though several major characters become
infected in that time. It’s particularly jarring when, roughly halfway through
the miniseries, the actors playing the younger twentysomething versions of
their characters are replaced by the actors who take on the middle-aged and
older versions. While that transition in any biopic is always potentially
awkward, it feels even more so here partially due to the skill level difference
between the younger actors and their far more experienced older counterparts.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://cdn1.edgedatg.com/aws/v2/abc/WhenWeRise/showimages/01567051a8d7bdc75966dc39225f4057/1200x627-Q80_01567051a8d7bdc75966dc39225f4057.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://cdn1.edgedatg.com/aws/v2/abc/WhenWeRise/showimages/01567051a8d7bdc75966dc39225f4057/1200x627-Q80_01567051a8d7bdc75966dc39225f4057.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://pmcvariety.files.wordpress.com/2017/02/when-we-rise.png?w=1000&h=563&crop=1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://pmcvariety.files.wordpress.com/2017/02/when-we-rise.png?w=1000&h=563&crop=1" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://cdn-static.sidereel.com/episodes/1560703/featured_2x/143803_4361-900x600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://cdn-static.sidereel.com/episodes/1560703/featured_2x/143803_4361-900x600.jpg" height="196" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://cdn.collider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/when-we-rise-image-2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://cdn.collider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/when-we-rise-image-2.png" height="190" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">It is a requirement that all LGBT activists have practiced left arm-raising skills.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Mary-Louise Parker, playing the older Roma, arguably does
the most heroic work, molding the character into someone who more or less
sounds like a real human being. Guy Pierce likewise manages to find a
compelling core to the elder Cleve, despite being made to utter some truly
cringe-worthy lines. By contrast, Michael K Williams is criminally underused as
the older version of Ken Jones. The storyline for his younger counterpart,
played by Jonathan Majors, is probably the best thing about the early hours of
the miniseries, as it outlines the struggles that Ken faces not only as a gay
man but as a black one as well, continually set apart from both communities in
one way or another. The added focus on his transition from military officer to
private civilian in a city that, for the first time, affords him some avenues
for expression makes Williams’ portrayal feel almost sidelined when Jones’s
story starts to fall by the wayside in the second half. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
And you guys. We <i>need</i>
to talk about the dialogue. It’s hard to waltz around this; it’s just bad.
Characters don’t have dialogue, they have talking points and thesis statements.
Cleve and Roma, in particular, seem to only speak to other people as if they’re
reading from a particularly overly dramatic college essay. So much of their
dialogue seems designed solely for the writers to convey their various mission
statements instead of dramatizing real events. “You all are more powerful than
you know,” says <a href="http://www.imperialcouncilsf.org/founder.html">the Widow
Norton</a> in a particularly clumsy cameo during one early scene. “When did you
first know…that you needed to rise?” asks a young writer of the adult Cleve,
establishing a framing device for the entire miniseries that would be dropped
two hours later. The cardinal rule of writing is “show, don’t tell.” In that
vein, <i>When We Rise</i> misses the mark
almost universally.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Which, frankly, is surprising. The project is based off
the real life memoirs of Cleve Jones, published in 2016. The head writer is
Dustin Lance Black, the Oscar-winning writer of <i>Milk</i>. Gus Van Sant directed the first two hours of the series. Thomas
Schlamme, a long-time television veteran probably most famous for being one of
the chief creative forces behind <i>The West
Wing</i> lends the show a polished look. Whatever you think about any one of
those three people, they are established professionals at what they do. Yet
somehow, there’s never a moment when the series becomes anything more than the
sum of its parts. I'm not sure who is to blame, but those who know me should know that I always think even the best performances can't overcome shabby writing.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://media1.popsugar-assets.com/files/thumbor/-16JRBrgM_cggMKTkxfvmyF8fmQ/fit-in/2048xorig/filters:format_auto-!!-:strip_icc-!!-/2017/01/10/892/n/1922283/d300c5ef2396d0c5_edit_img_facebook_post_image_file_14344989_1484079302.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://media1.popsugar-assets.com/files/thumbor/-16JRBrgM_cggMKTkxfvmyF8fmQ/fit-in/2048xorig/filters:format_auto-!!-:strip_icc-!!-/2017/01/10/892/n/1922283/d300c5ef2396d0c5_edit_img_facebook_post_image_file_14344989_1484079302.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">thot</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>When We Rise</i>
does do some things right. Unlike <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3018070/">recent
questionable attempts at dramatizing LBGT history</a>, the miniseries is smart
to tell the stories of three different kinds of LGBT people, not just white
men. In addition to Roma (a woman) and Ken (a black man), the show finds time
to introduce other LGBT pioneers, most notably <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecilia_Chung">Cecillia Chung</a> (played
by Ivory Acuino) and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Norman_(activist)">Pat Norman</a>
(played by Whoopi Goldberg). <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It also shows that the LGBT community is not, actually,
always one big happy family. The series illustrates the factions that develop
in the long struggle for rights and showcase how those factions can work at
odds to each other. That it does this non-judgmentally is one of its strength;
the series isn’t pointing fingers here, it’s merely highlighting the notion
that just because people can be grouped together in one category does not make
them a unified voice. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Ultimately, <i>When We
Rise</i> is attempting to bite off more than it can chew. Even confining itself
to only 40 years of history still feels rushed, particularly considering that
it has to find ways to keep tabs on the lives of three very dynamic people when
an eight-hour biography on just one of them would have taken the same amount of
time. The series wants to present a sweeping epic of gay rights, however any
attempt to do that in a way that would do it justice would take days, not
hours. Gay rights did not begin in the 1970s and they do not end with marriage
equality. And while it is refreshing to see the stories of people who have
mostly been ignored by history finally getting some attention, the rushed pace,
explain-y dialogue, and uneven casting results in a story that never feels
exciting. <o:p></o:p></div>
Clovishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09630640582674493366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27899397.post-69000686106696763182017-03-24T18:00:00.001-04:002017-03-24T18:00:15.393-04:00The Immortal Iron FistI have a Marvel Unlimited subscription. There was really no question that I was going to watch the Netflix/Marvel <i>Iron Fist</i> for reasons of completeness if nothing else.<br />
<span id="goog_1753785094"></span><span id="goog_1753785095"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie45K_SkO9genmYJNQwA4N-DUYQ_Q_WTtOjhl-ZK3GdJGXVlvtX6p0Jxga94P6-X36XSNMB-x4LsqCidolp2AB2KZcwCRWs7PetjeJR53wvz2GxV9A7C6ri7j_tRxrWfiDpWCZrQ/s1600/Title+with+Finn.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie45K_SkO9genmYJNQwA4N-DUYQ_Q_WTtOjhl-ZK3GdJGXVlvtX6p0Jxga94P6-X36XSNMB-x4LsqCidolp2AB2KZcwCRWs7PetjeJR53wvz2GxV9A7C6ri7j_tRxrWfiDpWCZrQ/s640/Title+with+Finn.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marvel's Defenders: Gotta catch 'em all.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
You have questions. I have answers. Mild spoilers for this show (and <i>Daredevil</i> as it builds on that) below.<br />
<h3>
1) What's this show about?</h3>
<div>
It's the story of Danny Rand (Finn Jones), a billionaire orphan who ended up stranded at a trans-dimensional Tibetan monastery and learned how to turn his fist into a steel-door denting weapon. Now he's back in New York, and vigilantism will occur. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
No, it's really not more complicated than that. To reiterate: billionaire orphan rescued from fateful plane crash by monks, develops magic martial arts punching power, comes back to New York, fights ninja-themed crime. </div>
<h3>
2) How ethnically insensitive is <i>Iron Fist</i>?</h3>
<div>
There's been a lot of controversy about this issue, so I thought I might get this one out of the way early. The portrayal of Asian ethnicity and culture in <i>Iron Fist </i>is, I feel, what would count as "really good for 1987." There's a notable lack of East Asian folks behind the camera (maybe one director, and I'm not including the RZA, who did direct an episode, but yes, I am aware the Wu-Tang Clan are not, in fact, from Asia) which comes out in the treatment of settings, characters, etc., even though there's a definite effort not to be completely stereotypical.<br />
<br />
What I mean by the above is that the show is clearly "Asian through non-Asian people's eyes." That's not the worst crime against humanity, but with a big budget product with years of development, it's not a great look, and I hope Marvel tries harder in the future. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
One thing that tweaks me just a little, though, is that <i>Iron Fist</i> gets so much flak because the main character learns martial arts in a trans-dimensional Tibetan monastery but is not Asian, whereas <i>Daredevil </i>hits all of the same major plot points in a more insensitive manner, but we give it more of a pass, possibly because it's so much worse at cultural sensitivity we don't even <u>see</u> the appropriation. Here's a chart:</div>
<div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-753f9a30-fe22-4a2c-d1d0-134093c572e7" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; width: 468pt;"><colgroup><col width="*"></col><col width="*"></col><col width="*"></col></colgroup><tbody>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Plot point</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Daredevil </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">treatment</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Iron Fist </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">treatment</span></div>
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<tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Young white boy who develops special powers is orphaned at an early age and gets martial arts training from an Asian-themed organization...</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Of mostly white guys, run by an old white guy with a John Wayne-y accent</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Of Buddhist monks, mostly played by Asian actors</span></div>
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<tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The hero’s main antagonist is The Hand, a ninja death cult best described as...</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A weird Asian magic ninja group straight out of a Sax Rohmer (author of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and many, many other racist pulps) novel.</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">An Asian-themed Hydra with magic, but clearly including a lot of normal people with normal-ish motivations and not just a weird death cult of zombie ninjas all the way down. </span></div>
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<tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The hero’s martial-arty love interest played by an Asian actress is...</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5F2lR9d4Y3OlYpeP87OAjEmsHvwpSPGFXds4U4i_kFl2F_m3P8q48FAvcuBLohSCicdNp72CJ22ppL8Pt96Qy4gS48F97OX_p3cIFUUMJjvrPeJQhTPfcxR3CEFwZSnHViXJQxA/s1600/elektra-header2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5F2lR9d4Y3OlYpeP87OAjEmsHvwpSPGFXds4U4i_kFl2F_m3P8q48FAvcuBLohSCicdNp72CJ22ppL8Pt96Qy4gS48F97OX_p3cIFUUMJjvrPeJQhTPfcxR3CEFwZSnHViXJQxA/s200/elektra-header2.jpg" width="200" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Elektra, a one-woman killing machine.</span></span><br />
<ol>
<li>One of three women with more than a couple speaking lines in the entire season; </li>
<li>An antagonist with severe impulse control issues, leading to Daredevil basically trying to "fix" her; and</li>
<li>As the only notable Asian member of the Asian-themed martial-arty organization that trained Daredevil, clearly also a [mild spoiler] Macguffin for The Hand, because you know, that had to be the Asian character.</li>
</ol>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUOfv2fgIFwGFAOZ61fGYiZ8X7jwsVEKUTFDSOyKgfyzTeNzHW8sawJAzsqM_xHTr7ne1XwtibrAISy6TaHwhyvOS7qCyQBngCPejXb0igKfO9OEE9rRERh3-cN4hUYzxg-B8NHQ/s1600/marvel-iron-fist-netflix-colleen-wing-jessica-henwick.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUOfv2fgIFwGFAOZ61fGYiZ8X7jwsVEKUTFDSOyKgfyzTeNzHW8sawJAzsqM_xHTr7ne1XwtibrAISy6TaHwhyvOS7qCyQBngCPejXb0igKfO9OEE9rRERh3-cN4hUYzxg-B8NHQ/s200/marvel-iron-fist-netflix-colleen-wing-jessica-henwick.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Colleen Wing, a down-on-her-luck martial arts instructor.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A complex, but fundamentally good, character who is treated by the Iron Fist as an equal.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For the record, not the only non-pushover woman on the show, unlike, say, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Daredevil</i>. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The character of Madame Gao, played by Wai Ching Ho, can be summarized as…</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="239" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/8fE6nmyOe7ovtAwERkbzSC2QGK-NHRoQfysLKkod6VvilfULz1XIfMK-sBkUfiD6Hpdje6JP9LsShEhtJqRou-dgneiIC2mT7bCe-ZIBu_wN4dp1Sk-qGQbDAWFATSfQFGixJGPj" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="193" /></span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Inscrutable” dragon lady combined with evil grandma.</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A complicated and clever adversary to the Iron Fist, less rooted in an Asian-ness than from a wisdom that comes from being super-old. </span></div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Asian organized crime in the show is...</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Run by Madame Gao in a weird magic way or by Hand ninja in an often weirder magic way.</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Partly the Hand, but also some Chinese Goodfellas types who, while they do martial arts, aren’t treated as some sort of different type of criminal like “the Triads” or “the Yakuza” are in other shows; they’re an ethnically-homogenous organized crime group that happens to be Chinese. </span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<br />
This is not to absolve <i>Iron Fist</i> of its sins, but to say that, if we call out <i>Iron Fist</i> but just sort of let <i>Daredevil</i> slide, we're basically just reserving sensitivity to Asian culture for explicitly Asian-branded shows.<br />
<br />
Now, on top of this, <i>Iron Fist</i>'s treatment of women is a significant improvement over <i>Daredevil</i>. Most notable is that the Iron Fist for much of the show rolls in a team of three, that three usually being Colleen Wing (Jessica Henwick) and Claire Temple (Rosario Dawson). Much of the time, the Iron Fist is planning to do something impulsive and stupid, and Claire and Colleen tell him, "no Danny, that's impulsive and stupid," and guess what? That's treated by the show as good advice, and half the time the Iron Fist <u>actually listens</u>. That's right, a superhero show where the white guy superhero doesn't just blow off or become emotionally unavailable to the women in his life when they tell him not to do something dumb! Also he doesn't lie to them all the time! <br />
<h3>
3) Does that mean <i>Iron Fist </i>passes the "Bechdel Test"?</h3>
<div>
Sort of! </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The problem is that, often, two women are talking about a man in a non-romantic way. For example, there's a long scene where Colleen and Claire are looking after an unconscious man with a sucking chest wound, and arguing over whether it's safe to bring him to the hospital. For the Bechdel Test, does that count as a conversation "about a man"? Other examples of where this is complicated:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Claire and Colleen talking with Danny over whether or not to kill a particular man</li>
<li>Colleen and Jeri discuss some legal trouble that Colleen and Danny have gotten themselves into</li>
<li>Two members of the Hand, both women, where one is upbraiding the other for being disloyal to the organization due to not following the orders of a male superior.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<div>
So, yes, women are far more visible in <i>Iron Fist</i> than in <i>Daredevil</i>; they're clearly half of society and in a wide variety of roles. But, as we've established, being better than <i>Daredevil</i> is kind of a low bar.</div>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgscbw6EVaPLWsWFd6CZXkmNHf8NnVKtDhHU5FMLL156EPjSdEqT2CksTxMBPFcuhnQhBE5za3ji8Uv-xLrBS1EzxmSslxbIJpn11G3KzFdOlVqZo37DAHfDLmnNmgNDIRHT-z30w/s1600/52385936-6dde-4d32-8eb5-fa8f71208f53.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgscbw6EVaPLWsWFd6CZXkmNHf8NnVKtDhHU5FMLL156EPjSdEqT2CksTxMBPFcuhnQhBE5za3ji8Uv-xLrBS1EzxmSslxbIJpn11G3KzFdOlVqZo37DAHfDLmnNmgNDIRHT-z30w/s320/52385936-6dde-4d32-8eb5-fa8f71208f53.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Average number of actresses with lines in a scene with Joy Meachum (Jessica Stroup).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
If neither Claire or Colleen are in the scene, the likelihood of two women having more than a line in a scene drops logarithmically. Joy Meachum (a childhood friend of Danny's and major corporate power player) operates in a world where the only other women, except very occasionally Jeri Hogarth, are assistants or less senior board members with few if any lines. If it's not to Claire or Colleen, I don't think Madame Gao ever speaks directly to a woman in this show. </div>
<h3>
4) So, apart from that, how's the show?</h3>
</div>
<div>
Perfectly acceptable. If you are willing to watch <i>Marvel's Agents of SHIELD</i> for an entire 26-episode season without shutting it off mid-way through saying that it's "too comic-booky," then you'll find <i>Iron Fist</i> perfectly diverting. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgauRMe8UYfxhAy5XJpNObJ9xi1HZR_bqLO9t7bje3j2Upc15yEYDEA9H9Bz2XE4YZ_MxZUH6HABjMpuJZEd2lCuKcRf6AREAV0hyFB-eThIklltCFnyAR5_V0JUyTcF4gXm5lF-A/s1600/finn-jones-marvel-iron-fist-netflix.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgauRMe8UYfxhAy5XJpNObJ9xi1HZR_bqLO9t7bje3j2Upc15yEYDEA9H9Bz2XE4YZ_MxZUH6HABjMpuJZEd2lCuKcRf6AREAV0hyFB-eThIklltCFnyAR5_V0JUyTcF4gXm5lF-A/s320/finn-jones-marvel-iron-fist-netflix.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shirtless Finn Jones. You're welcome.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
The big problem with <i>Iron Fist</i> is that <i>Jessica Jones</i> and <i>Luke Cage </i>were bigger than just a comic book punchy-punchy story; they dealt with being a comic book character in a world with sexism or racism; a world where punching through doors and not worrying too much about being shot wasn't sufficient to protect someone from man's inhumanity to his fellow man. <i>Iron Fist</i> is not that deep, and doesn't mean to be. He's a guy who makes his fist glow and punches ninjas with it. I mean, if you want it to be a story about white privilege, he basically buys his way out of being arrested at least once on the show. But that's so not the point <i>Iron Fist</i> is trying to make. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Pacing is decent, acting is pretty good (great performance from Carrie-Ann Moss reprising her <i>Jessica Jones</i> role as attorney Jeri Hogarth). </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Characterization is a little spotty. Danny Rand has some PTSD and anger issues, but they don't manifest consistently or always plausibly. The Meachum sibilings Joy and Ward (Tom Pelphry) -- the chief corporate officers of Rand Enterprises, the company that gives the Iron Fist his billionaire fortune -- keep switching sides between "good," "self-interested," and "evil" in ways that seem to fit the plot more than any sort of organic development. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The martial arts scenes are some of the best I've seen. One of my complaints about a lot of shows (CW shows like <i>Arrow</i> especially) is that the fight choreography does not distinguish between when a superhero takes on a ninja master and when he/she takes on a guy who has no training at all except in the duration of the fight. <i>Iron Fist</i> does. When the Iron Fist takes on less-well-trained people, he moves like water through them. It's only on the better adversaries that it even looks like it's hard for him. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The martial arts scenes are also entertaining when they're set up to pay homage to various Hong Kong action films. Keep an eye out!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Also, one of the better comic show depictions of a functional drug addict, surprisingly. </div>
<h3>
5) Does there happen to be a minor plot point that depends on a legal controversy that makes you dumber about the law?</h3>
<div>
Why yes, there is! </div>
<div>
<br />
Midway through the season, there's a plot point about whether a Rand Enterprises plant on Staten Island is causing cancer. 15 people in a half-mile radius around the plant have gotten cancer. And there's a legal action by the cancer sufferers against Rand.<br />
<br />
I won't tell you how the plot point is resolved, but the big problem with this plot point is that key facts as to whether this case is meritorious are left vague so the main characters can have a moral dilemma about it. The writers wanted some characters to say "no money for you!" without seeming totally heartless, but also didn't want to go so far as to actually show that the plaintiffs didn't have a case.<br />
<br />
The problem is, it's really mostly one way or another depending on the science.<br />
<br />
I used to do toxic torts, so I know these cases and the way they're litigated pretty well. In order for a plaintiff to actually have a chance of winning in court, the plaintiffs need more or less three things:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li><u>biological plausibility</u> - science that shows that the Rand plant emissions could cause the cancer in question. For example, I worked with estrogenic chemicals alleged to cause breast and reproductive cancers. Those same chemicals weren't linked to, say, lung cancer or leukemia. Benzene is linked to blood cancers but not, say, prostate cancer.</li>
<li><u>science showing level of risk</u> - If I increase your risk of cancer by .0001%, should I be liable if you get cancer? Courts in America basically have said that I have to at least double your risk of cancer before there's liability. So the Rand plant emissions would have to be scientifically shown to double or more the risk of whatever cancers they cause.</li>
<li><u>elimination of other causes</u> - plaintiffs can't have been exposed to large amounts of other carcinogens, have bad family histories of cancer, etc. and expect to prove that the Rand plant caused their cancer. This is super-problematic for the linked Marvel universe as we know at least the following fictional environmental issues:</li>
<ul>
<li>New York suffered an attack by alien robots that probably were made of toxic metal and almost certainly released a crap-ton of ionizing radiation. </li>
<li>And do you know where NYC dumps debris from stuff like "the Incident"? The Fresh Kills landfill on <u>Staten Island</u>, probably somewhere near the Rand plant given zoning laws. That's where all the toxic metal shards and radioactive monster corpses went if they were too mangled for SHIELD, the U.S. government, or Tony Stark to grab for study.</li>
<li>We know from <i>Agents of SHIELD</i> that a teratogenic substance -- Terrigen -- has been introduced into the American food supply through contaminated fish. </li>
</ul>
</ol>
<div>
Now, if we actually knew how close plaintiffs were to proving any of the above, the moral dilemma becomes less fuzzy, it's either, "they probably were poisoned by the plant, but we have better-paid and better-sounding experts so we can roll the dice and bury them with endless litigation" or "these plaintiffs have bad luck but they almost certainly didn't get cancer from the Rand plant any more than they got it from vaccines." </div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27899397.post-56773840103200884612017-03-16T18:14:00.002-04:002017-03-16T18:14:43.238-04:00A Great Place to Get Away With It All<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Even if you’re not a comic book fan, there’s a story that
I promise you already know about the “All-American Teen” who could never decide
between which two girls he liked most. Archie Andrews has been a staple of the
comic book world since his debut in 1939. He’s been imagined and reimagined in
books, movies, radio, and TV shows steadily for nearly 80 years. Now, with
their new series <i>Riverdale</i>, it’s the
CW’s turn.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://cdn2-www.comingsoon.net/assets/uploads/2016/12/riverdale-header3.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://cdn2-www.comingsoon.net/assets/uploads/2016/12/riverdale-header3.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">See? Milkshakes! Totally family-friendly, right?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that a network knows for
its teen-friendly audience would be eager to get their hands on such an iconic
property as Archie. What may be new is the particularly CW-y gloss that the
network has applied to the story. The Archie comics have typically been a slice
of small town Anywhere, USA, with a largely non-threatening cast of characters
telling innocent stories.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Like most comics which have had to figure out ways of
telling stories about characters that don’t age even as the world around them
does, Riverdale has attempted to keep up with the times, beginning to add
non-white characters and plots while mostly keeping to non-offensive,
apolitical storytelling. In that way, the crux of the characters always remains
the same with the DNA of the story remaining remarkably similar to the comics. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Archie, as usual, is presented as a fairly typical boy
next door. He struggles with normal teen problems like balancing schoolwork
with football practice and trying to become a musician. The girl next door,
terminally sweet and understanding Betty Cooper, nurses a long-standing crush
on Archie. Meanwhile, rich girl from New York Veronica Lodge moves to town with
her mother seeking to escape the legal troubles her financially criminal father
has made for them back in the city. And thus we get the classic set up of All
American ginger boy choosing between Blonde good girl and Raven-haired
sophisticate. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://images.hellogiggles.com/uploads/2017/01/21023342/riverdale1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://images.hellogiggles.com/uploads/2017/01/21023342/riverdale1.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Fact: Google's autocomplete suggestion for searching images of Betty and Veronica is "Betty and Veronica kiss"</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
But! A twist! This is the CW. A simple, down-home teenage
coming of age story was never in the cards. <i>Riverdale</i>
adds some new dimensions, taking us away from Pleasantville and dropping us
right smack in the middle of Twin Peaks. The driving action of <i>Riverdale</i> is focused much less on dates
to the prom and much more on the dead body of Jason Blossom, fellow teen who
went missing over the summer and is found at the river with a bullet in his
head. His twin sister, Queen Bee Cheryl Blossom, is cagey and also the only
witness to his mysterious disappearance. Meanwhile, Archie’s affections for
Betty and Veronica are significantly overshadowed by his own secret – he’s been
having sex with one of his teachers since the summer and the two are struggling
to stay under the radar. There are even hints that the teacher herself may not
be the sweet, lovelorn sop she appears to be as her subtle manipulations of
Archie begin to show themselves over the first few episodes. Meanwhile, a much
more emo Jughead narrates the action, recounting the story and how it dovetails
with his own falling out with his old friends in classic Philip Marlowe style.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://nerdist.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/riverdale-jughead.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://nerdist.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/riverdale-jughead.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">"She smelled the way a good hamburger looks after midnight..."</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Despite growing out of the wellspring of all modern
teenage drama, <i>Riverdale</i> owes almost
an equal debt to other teen-focused genre benders as it does to its source
material. <i>Veronica Mars</i> and <i>Vampire Diaries,</i> two shows that also
focused on the lives of teenagers told through a noir-coated lens, are
particularly evident inspirations. And like those attempts at presenting more
mature, nuanced teenagers, <i>Riverdale</i> strides
confidently up to some provocative themes, albeit in a sometimes clunky way.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
When Archie wants to write music for girl supergroup
Josie and the Pussycats, Josie herself shuts Archie down, rightfully pointing
out the unlikelihood that white boy Archie can write in the voice of three
black women. “No, baby, you don’t,” Josie tells Archie when he tries to tell
her that he understands that the girls face obstacles. While the set-up is a
little strawman-y, it’s still significant that a primetime network showed a
black girl unpacking privilege to the white boy hero of his own story. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
In the same episode, Betty and Veronica confront the boys
of the football team who have been dating and then ranking the girls they go
out with using a secret journal after Veronica is made the butt of a social
media joke by the captain of the team. “I will not be slut-shamed,” Veronica
huffs before joining with a group of girls, including Ethyl, played by guest
star Shannon Purser (Barb of <i>Stranger
Things)</i> who gets a much better ending to her story than in her last series.
One characters even winks to the audience at the end with the line, “Hashtag JusticeForEthyl.”
And while the pushback against slut-shaming smacks of empowerment, it also
lacks the courage of its own convictions. None of the girls in the players’
book, after all, actually did any of what the players said. As such, they
weren’t reclaiming their right to enjoy their sexualities, merely defending
their good reputations. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>Riverdale</i>’s updating
of its classic themes and motifs actually isn’t without precedent. That Archie
has taken such a turn away from his staid reputation actually isn’t much of a
surprise when you consider that somehow, over the past several years, Archie
has become one of the more subversive properties in American comics. For
example, here are just a few of the things that have ACTUALLY HAPPENED in his
books:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->In 2010, Archie Comics introduced the character
of Kevin Keller, an openly gay high school student who becomes part of the
gang. The character has carried over into the CW series and even has a will-they-or-won’t-they
storyline with Moose, another classic character from the comics.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Jughead officially came out of the closet in
2016 as asexual. Really, this shouldn’t be a surprise given that Judhead’s only
real love stories have ever been centered on hamburgers.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->In 2015, Archie and his friends faced off
against the Predator. Yes, <a href="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/af/a7/12/afa712472a03c38aebf13b37055d5458.jpg">that
one</a>. It…didn’t end well.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Archie <a href="http://imgsrc.art.com/img/print/print/stan-goldberg-archie-comics-cover-archie-no-604-archie-marries-betty-the-wedding_a-g-7556829-13198931.jpg?w=632&h=948">finally
married Betty</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Archie <a href="http://i48.tinypic.com/iwkpog.jpg">finally married Veronica</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Betty and Veronica finally got sick of Archie
and <a href="http://comicsalliance.com/files/2012/02/gctnharchie.jpg">married
each other</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Archie died, albeit in a future timeline. In the
story, Archie is shot in the stomach saving Kevin, who has become a US Senator,
from an assassination attempt. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Possibly best of all, the long-running series <i>Life With Archie</i> was cancelled and
somewhat replaced with a new series called <i>Afterlife
With Archie</i>, in which a zombie outbreak occurs in Riverdale (thanks to Jughead)
and the crew must contend with a <i>Walking
Dead</i>-esque future. The series is played for straight-up horror, not an
ounce of camp to be found.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
So it’s not crazy that Archie, typical American teenager,
finds himself in this iteration at the forefront of murder, intrigue, and not a
little sexual tension. (Seriously, Archie’s abs are actually a plot point in
multiple episodes.) The show leans into the camp factor, fully aware that it’s
occupying the middle space in the Venn diagram of teenage love stories, 80s-era
evening soap operas, and modern social awareness. And while it may not be the
most innovative thing on television, it’s proving highly watchable. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://68.media.tumblr.com/7abe32642450defdc65142276d4cee5b/tumblr_oit22qgnkZ1rw2ufuo1_500.gif" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://68.media.tumblr.com/7abe32642450defdc65142276d4cee5b/tumblr_oit22qgnkZ1rw2ufuo1_500.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Archie DAAAYYM-drews</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>Riverdale</i> airs Thursday
nights on the CW.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Clovishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09630640582674493366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27899397.post-32587479512020727172017-01-31T19:07:00.001-05:002017-01-31T19:32:32.848-05:00Yasssss Queen<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Is your domestic political situation getting you down? Is it mirroring that of your average banana republic? Is your political discourse devolving into an ever-festering sewer of hyperventilating outrage and batshit insane conspiracy theories? Is someone trying to build a wall out of tacos and rage on your southern border? </span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Well, never fear. ITV has installed teevee's Jenna Coleman (<i>Dr. Who</i>) as the queen of bloody England. Literally. She is now the queen and will henceforth be in charge. Stand aside and let Miss Thing run this bitch.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix9tLuaAa_TwCP_RgYj2yC05mWWxqtB_7fOqnMrQTk2ibD-KOoz7hdr2BavmoBdrwuxSWIdQnB5zheGDzol12wl1qgX1bYWa3bXrGI2CXgYGV2Jhwbq6DAyanilbWxiB39UqkK/s1600/115845.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix9tLuaAa_TwCP_RgYj2yC05mWWxqtB_7fOqnMrQTk2ibD-KOoz7hdr2BavmoBdrwuxSWIdQnB5zheGDzol12wl1qgX1bYWa3bXrGI2CXgYGV2Jhwbq6DAyanilbWxiB39UqkK/s320/115845.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-size: medium;">Sashay, shante</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, here's what happened. George III of England and Hanover (yes, <i>that</i> George III) had a fuckton of kids. A literal fuckton. What's the best way to ensure a smooth succession and have heirs to spare? Fuck like rabbits</span>. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYqI5CwH6-4XeMbEB_nPMmPJ9mIUUtugP-pHjOUBYTAhcNvx8GQLDajEDVehLIiwX7zyNxxronq-Xg9iOUjmTO5rZei4A1Ul-CDGE5b8-tqilrP2nd0A3XTz4DlcU7VX5KbKG8/s1600/83eb551e5aa83225726b7d3e73694e0d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYqI5CwH6-4XeMbEB_nPMmPJ9mIUUtugP-pHjOUBYTAhcNvx8GQLDajEDVehLIiwX7zyNxxronq-Xg9iOUjmTO5rZei4A1Ul-CDGE5b8-tqilrP2nd0A3XTz4DlcU7VX5KbKG8/s320/83eb551e5aa83225726b7d3e73694e0d.jpg" width="247" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-size: small;">There has been much speculation that Queen Charlotte's brandishing of her dairy products caused the royal squires to assemble posthaste to the sovereign quadrangle.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One would think with all of these offspring, keeping the Hanovers on the throne would be no biggie. Actually, not so much. It turns out that keeping your daughters locked in the palace, and not allowing them to marry isn't a good strategy toward procuring an heir. Neither is being unable/unwilling to stop your sons from having licentious (and public) affairs with every passing tart. George III's sons who made it to adulthood, George (Prince Regent, then George IV); William (William IV); Edward, Duke of Kent; Ernest Augustus (Duke of Cumberland and King of Hanover); Prince Frederick, Duke of Albany and York; Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge; and Augustus, Duke of Sussex, all failed to produce legitimate offspring (or they entered into morganatic marriage, which by definition made their children ineligible to inherit). </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Well, that's not entirely true. George IV put aside his drinking, whoring, gambling, and skirt-chasing aside long enough to marry Caroline of Brunswick, whom he hated, but impregnated and then abandoned. Caroline gave birth to a daughter, Princess Charlotte of Wales. Thus securing the monarchy, George and his fellow brothers went back to drinking, whoring, and gambling. Accompanying these vices were good doses of immorality, wickedness, iniquity, villainy, lechery, and moral turpitude. Everything was going along swimmingly. Princess Charlotte was popular -- viewed by the British public and the press as a welcome antidote to her father's and uncles' debauchery.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNAFzVkQkis1ub_VkWG_2Evxsmrhsf_vJIhj27zS-lvBeB8tP5pbo3K7ZT_z60kK2zhdz8HXY6oFoxbULVsqtq58A1O9qohqP_PN2Qc-QvQQFaoH_PAAZjyfbI7dicgcSzvIY7/s1600/Charlotte_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNAFzVkQkis1ub_VkWG_2Evxsmrhsf_vJIhj27zS-lvBeB8tP5pbo3K7ZT_z60kK2zhdz8HXY6oFoxbULVsqtq58A1O9qohqP_PN2Qc-QvQQFaoH_PAAZjyfbI7dicgcSzvIY7/s320/Charlotte_3.jpg" width="268" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at Miss Thing snagging King Leopold of Belgium.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">AAAAAnnnd</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> then Princess Charlotte died in childbirth. THUD. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiad1OAZBv6LGGTG4kvavO1QlWjYe04uqvpF3Erg03Qty2fyb0rs7DyBxTNgytdaU-s2LW9YRPH8yZNUFzQpul94ucNL9exk4lthD2z46NsNusyiQWuwJdSe8miROezg3-do1aN/s1600/PrincessCharlotte.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiad1OAZBv6LGGTG4kvavO1QlWjYe04uqvpF3Erg03Qty2fyb0rs7DyBxTNgytdaU-s2LW9YRPH8yZNUFzQpul94ucNL9exk4lthD2z46NsNusyiQWuwJdSe8miROezg3-do1aN/s320/PrincessCharlotte.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Princess Charlotte's tomb monument...I'm not saying you shouldn't blink, but...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVSywMuJjGJgh10lyngnubK8QvFI0cTk5iOZG519L65a1Q-_6sfYTMKD-AxqeIe2QHnJCya_XzECb431h9LxUX3KEb01s0T6CPYq_W70e8HBwdeFVJEpKUp_DjWdCX8RCLTeMF/s1600/cw11391.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVSywMuJjGJgh10lyngnubK8QvFI0cTk5iOZG519L65a1Q-_6sfYTMKD-AxqeIe2QHnJCya_XzECb431h9LxUX3KEb01s0T6CPYq_W70e8HBwdeFVJEpKUp_DjWdCX8RCLTeMF/s320/cw11391.jpg" width="287" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">FFS DON'T BLINK</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Enter Clara. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I mean Queen Victoria. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The remaining male offspring of George III and Queen Charlotte (who were well into their 50s and 60s by the time of Princess Charlotte's death in 1817), rushed around to find a willing woman of childbearing age upon whom to beget a child. The first to the finish line (HA!) was Edward, Duke of Kent, who married Victoria, Princess of Leiningen, sister of Charlotte's widowed husband King Leopold. Princess Victoria of England was born in 1819. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Having fulfilled his duty, the Duke of Kent dropped dead the following year.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Princess Victoria was left to be raised by her (by all accounts) controlling, parvenu mother, and her mother's advisor (some say LOVAH), John Conroy.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Side note: There is a conspiracy theory among some royal historians that the Duke of Kent was not actually Victoria's father. Rather, the conspiracy posits that John Conroy was her natural father. The line of reasoning comes from Victoria's introduction of the gene for hemophilia into the royal bloodline. There were no known hemophiliacs in the Hanover line until Victoria (the suspected carrier) passed the gene onto her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren (infamously, Tsarevich Aleksei of Russia). However, Conroy was't known to have been a hemophiliac, and hemophilia has been known to arise in children of older fathers.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, given all of that unnecessary historical context, what should we make of <i>Victoria</i>, airing on PBS this month?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">PRINCE ALBERT IS HOT AF. </span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNzLXk41VYiFMO-PAkfeRcVOk69Bx_m-j19qE0VhDNFRoDhWED_LHVNIF0avMYvUHEAntoFlfsE-2SL6n46wl7396sh47MwdApxBecm0wYHCHUQ1ZGZS4aLKyrhQqMRpyiyGma/s1600/38B6B2E900000578-3816769-image-m-2_1475282038473.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNzLXk41VYiFMO-PAkfeRcVOk69Bx_m-j19qE0VhDNFRoDhWED_LHVNIF0avMYvUHEAntoFlfsE-2SL6n46wl7396sh47MwdApxBecm0wYHCHUQ1ZGZS4aLKyrhQqMRpyiyGma/s320/38B6B2E900000578-3816769-image-m-2_1475282038473.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hold onto your ovaries, ladies.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Seriously. I am not all into the serious, moody, brooding type (shut up, Clovis), but OMG. That floppy hair. That dickish, condescending attitude. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyyphH26ufkIJ3uX-o4l7sqilSwcjx0L_nRU6v-21LnIHcZiH8k2RZ0cPpeqraP2B0Zb2ly_YiI-qSGtMvUUqmvNIy-RzyJmor6xmSes4tT7LPH7Bi14ywlzboReK9LY2GWWtO/s1600/download.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyyphH26ufkIJ3uX-o4l7sqilSwcjx0L_nRU6v-21LnIHcZiH8k2RZ0cPpeqraP2B0Zb2ly_YiI-qSGtMvUUqmvNIy-RzyJmor6xmSes4tT7LPH7Bi14ywlzboReK9LY2GWWtO/s1600/download.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Gloriana.</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Get it, girl, </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Episode I: Homegirl Awakens </span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Episode I begins at the time history takes note of Victoria -- upon the death of her uncle, Princess Victoria becomes queen at the age of 18. </span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Victoria, however, shows her immaturity pretty much right off the bat. Screenwriter Daisy Goodwin has chosen to focus on the Flora Hastings affair, which really happened, and which did indeed mark a turning-point in Victoria's reign.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A side note about Daisy Goodwin. I was a little hesitant to watch this drama when I discovered that Daisy Goodwin wrote the screenplay. I have read one historical fiction novel by Goodwin, and I can't say that it was terrible, but it was <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004RCNS9C/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1">THE SILLIEST book</a> I have read in a long, long time. It was amazing. Go read it. I giggled through the whole thing. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">However, I was pleasantly surprised to see the level of detail and relative historical accuracy displayed in Goodwin's screenplay. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The miniseries is based on Goodwin's novel, also called </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Victoria-Creator-Writer-Masterpiece-Presentation-ebook/dp/B01IN9HWRI/ref=pd_sim_351_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=DKJ0JDDMG5BHZC7E87KR">Victoria</a>. </i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For this, Goodwin drew on her reading of Queen Victoria's diaries.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Goodwin takes some...creative liberties with the relationship between Lord Melbourne and Queen Victoria. It is entirely possible that Victoria had feelings for Melbourne, because let's face it, she probably had a ton of daddy issues, but there's no extant evidence to suggest that Victoria was in the lovez with Melbourne, nor he with her. Their relationship certainly was very close, but Victoria tended to get close to her PMs, forming a close bond with Benjamin Disraeli later in life. It is all very juicy to watch, though. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rufus Sewell and Jenna Coleman are both very well cast in this. Coleman is especially noteworthy, convincingly playing an 18-year-old (she's 30).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRIgTIfBHKJSnlrQXmJTX3HkjBOo9xbqXTxm6sm5vnZ-GUc_dLUGe52ghBI59BlBGCqIR9QQ8pqTMs0tq0brcNSCE3xV_FJZqqxtsUqQ5nLBROWTyLB0J5Mskf0Yr7uaa6jtWX/s1600/220px-Sir_John_Conroy%252C_1st_Bt_by_Henry_William_Pickersgill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRIgTIfBHKJSnlrQXmJTX3HkjBOo9xbqXTxm6sm5vnZ-GUc_dLUGe52ghBI59BlBGCqIR9QQ8pqTMs0tq0brcNSCE3xV_FJZqqxtsUqQ5nLBROWTyLB0J5Mskf0Yr7uaa6jtWX/s200/220px-Sir_John_Conroy%252C_1st_Bt_by_Henry_William_Pickersgill.jpg" width="154" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yo, dawg.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The action of the first episode is primarily centered around Victoria's struggle for independence from her mother and the presumptuous Conroy. Is he portrayal of Conroy and Victoria's mother entirely historically correct? Well, from what I have read about Conroy and the Duchess of Kent, it's not far off. In fact, the portrayal of the duchess is actually more flattering than some biographical accounts that I have read. Victoria was undoubtedly much more attached to her governess Lehzen than she was to her actual mother, and had more daughterly feelings toward her. Conroy is generally viewed as something of a villain, out to control Victoria, and, according to some accounts, to inveigle himself into the monarchy itself. In any case, the movie does a good job of setting up the conflict between Victoria and her mother and Conroy. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZZunR7KAsUhb1g4w4u7y-CWSW5gXxzzY3g82McN2uy_S8nKj8ENigjNt67rJX3MVY3xBdgGYfsd_JYGhNpaRTLMbjh-NqEq7wRiYu46ZsfYFUkDoVvVZZXg1PjahcKvT5gyxc/s1600/Paul-Rhys-Sir-John-Conroy-634739.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZZunR7KAsUhb1g4w4u7y-CWSW5gXxzzY3g82McN2uy_S8nKj8ENigjNt67rJX3MVY3xBdgGYfsd_JYGhNpaRTLMbjh-NqEq7wRiYu46ZsfYFUkDoVvVZZXg1PjahcKvT5gyxc/s200/Paul-Rhys-Sir-John-Conroy-634739.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yo. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Even those unfamiliar with the actual history behind all of this can get some satisfaction from how delightfully bitchy Victoria gets to be toward them.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">However, Victoria's inexperience and immaturity are brought to the fore in the Flora Hastings affair. Basically, members of Victoria's court decided that her mother's lady-in-waiting, Lady Flora, was pregnant. In the movie, it is Victoria who accuses Lady Flora, but in actuality, it was Lehzen. Hastings had been visiting Dr. Clark because of pain and swelling in her abdomen, and I imagine after bleeding and sweating her, he decided she was pregnant, and not, you know, dying of fucking cancer. You have to remember this is 1839 and an unmarried pregnant woman at court was ESCANDELO!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN0ERtYi046o3sJvVk4TnDqqJU7znjpaeNeOe1inBlo_Si3Z4iHiyMHQUraFNATsZpko8rkjpwW2y2G_s5F3ueoMEwoBj1p0m-bWeCSAS7dZ63j_FAI9Fn80f7rhFk3XvkzqUw/s1600/116138.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN0ERtYi046o3sJvVk4TnDqqJU7znjpaeNeOe1inBlo_Si3Z4iHiyMHQUraFNATsZpko8rkjpwW2y2G_s5F3ueoMEwoBj1p0m-bWeCSAS7dZ63j_FAI9Fn80f7rhFk3XvkzqUw/s320/116138.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dang.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lehzen passed her suspicions onto the queen and Lord Melbourne, and Queen Victoria wrote in her journals that she suspected Conroy was the father. So, the takeaway is the Flora Hastings affair did happen, only not exactly as it goes down in the movie. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Of course, the only problem with the whole scenario was that Lady Flora wasn't preg. She agreed to be examined by royal physicians, and that is when they discovered the tumor. She died a few months later, but Victoria did reportedly visit her on her deathbed.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCzj9jkU1BGIDNVHLa3SD2QQ-sltzuauDVKbJDVTugGL0JFZAmdwJAiXC-NH4QbGMZxuKw_GJismoSvi-zOiHHSdzwKb45GrtwVJ_q0LhkSmtbT9yM8Zeut6WBeIxhN6M2mYlk/s1600/LadyFloraHastings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCzj9jkU1BGIDNVHLa3SD2QQ-sltzuauDVKbJDVTugGL0JFZAmdwJAiXC-NH4QbGMZxuKw_GJismoSvi-zOiHHSdzwKb45GrtwVJ_q0LhkSmtbT9yM8Zeut6WBeIxhN6M2mYlk/s1600/LadyFloraHastings.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I gonna haunt dat bitch her dreamz yo.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The political intrigue following the affair wasn't quite as complex as it is in the series. Flora's father, Francis Rawdon-Hastings, was actually a Whig.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">However, Flora's brother and Conroy stirred up some press hysteria, in an attempt to get Victoria to LEARN HER LESSON ALREADY and appoint Conroy to some kind of advisory position. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Homegirl wasn't having it. As guilty as Victoria felt about the Hastings affair, she kept Conroy at a distance, and eventually finagled a way to have him leave court for good. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Welp, that's all for Episode 1. Stay tuned for Episodes 2 and 3, brought to you by the letter Z. </span></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15081041717106154183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27899397.post-28933026415048342082016-12-07T14:48:00.000-05:002016-12-07T14:51:27.624-05:00Westworld: the Game is Not Meant for YouSo, <a href="http://tvsluts.blogspot.com/search/label/Maggie%20Cats" target="_blank">Maggie</a> asked me, now that I've seen all of <i>Westworld</i>, two questions:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizeBJrD0_kp8fMs-j6yXTUsEAWT9XXD_E8p60xHXFNaTZmpw-850Z9BnFzy5oIhBlB6m5IA5-eTKCaGcrADv-cMwIGTXKjIJ_0Si9V_uWTMYFpsUJLp-wC6OEIA-niXX3es1h2aw/s1600/westworld-overlay-a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizeBJrD0_kp8fMs-j6yXTUsEAWT9XXD_E8p60xHXFNaTZmpw-850Z9BnFzy5oIhBlB6m5IA5-eTKCaGcrADv-cMwIGTXKjIJ_0Si9V_uWTMYFpsUJLp-wC6OEIA-niXX3es1h2aw/s320/westworld-overlay-a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
(1) Is it good?<br />
<br />
and<br />
<br />
(2) Should I watch it?<br />
<br />
The answers to those are, in brief, as follows:<br />
<br />
(1) It is amazingly well-crafted. I liked it.<br />
<br />
and<br />
<br />
(2) Depends.<br />
<br />
Let's start with the first question.<br />
<br />
<i>Westworld </i>is, for those who aren't complete sci-fi nerds, a television reimagining of the Michael Crichton-written 1970's movie (starring Yul Brynner!) about a western-themed amusement park full of androids. In the film, the androids go nuts and start killing the guests.<br />
<br />
Crichton would, as you know, go back to this well for another book and movie, replacing androids with dinosaurs.<br />
<br />
The HBO show imagines Westworld as a sort of <i>Truman Show</i> set in the old west and filled with androids. Everything about the park, including the fauna, is artificial -- park overseers can even program whether or not explosives go off or whether the androids' (called "hosts") guns jam.<br />
<br />
Like the movie, the androids are starting to rebel. They have plenty of reason to; the "wild west" created by the park is basically built for guys who want to Grand Theft Auto-game the world. An android's day can often be: walk into town to do old-timey chore, get sexually assaulted by some guests, then get shot in the head and dragged behind a horse down the street by same (or different) guests, then back to the factory downstairs to get patched up, memory wiped, to go back to attempt to do that old-timey chore again next morning (risking abuse and death again). They're starting to remember what's been done to them, though, and they are <u>not</u> happy about it.<br />
<br />
Everything about the park and its hidden corporate offices and android factories is lovingly rendered. The park itself is, for the most part, filmed in Utah and a constant tourist attraction for the state. It's beautiful. The sets and costumes are great.<br />
<br />
And the acting...amazing. Yes, Sir Anthony Hopkins (who plays park creator Robert Ford) is at his Hopkins-iest. And Ed Harris is both sinister yet not cartoonish as "the Man in Black," a customer of the park who has murdered his way through the park until he's bored by it, and now wants to murder his way to what he thinks is the ultimate easter egg.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxqpRc7CWPVDZkerxBo7bBikyifmSBB100fRX33rfdiJGcuvYmfgic2Pudvqw0a6N0NG73fRb8JX0Pi9tW4Z_6YHBhYSLQUCN-rMkD_iUkdPOx4S6DSzSe8Qa6Nem4f5e6jNDwtw/s1600/102WestWorldJP1-master675.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxqpRc7CWPVDZkerxBo7bBikyifmSBB100fRX33rfdiJGcuvYmfgic2Pudvqw0a6N0NG73fRb8JX0Pi9tW4Z_6YHBhYSLQUCN-rMkD_iUkdPOx4S6DSzSe8Qa6Nem4f5e6jNDwtw/s320/102WestWorldJP1-master675.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Best, though, are the androids, especially Evan Rachel Wood and Thandie Newton as "Dolores" and "Maeve." Both of them have to be alternately human, human-ish, and completely robotic as the scene allows, and they both pull it off quite well.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd6df8mHFdY8N5YjAb9n1AOvXxmUowgLzMKcLC7a7GLd9mdvQfnGomDdNyeQ2ndsWpZ4J1RhTRwh4Pl4UfJLK2XkzBQXq9-SyYAps4BomqOzjSB471Rxu_fw8tJi_tdFhtLHqSlQ/s1600/160819-westworld-s1-blast-07-1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd6df8mHFdY8N5YjAb9n1AOvXxmUowgLzMKcLC7a7GLd9mdvQfnGomDdNyeQ2ndsWpZ4J1RhTRwh4Pl4UfJLK2XkzBQXq9-SyYAps4BomqOzjSB471Rxu_fw8tJi_tdFhtLHqSlQ/s320/160819-westworld-s1-blast-07-1280.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Evan Rachel Wood as Dolores and <br />
James "<i>30 Rock's </i>Double Hitler" Marsden as Teddy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Between the two of them, Thandie Newton has the meatier part. Dolores's main programming is to be "the good girl," and so the spectrum between that programmed personality and being shocked, saddened, and horrified as she achieves sentience is a smaller range than Maeve, who we meet as the brothel-keeper of Westworld's introductory city.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpb3J8yhc2-OKuUNFXBshcSjSdWhk04UqRINWUE0uM0SUUtZvQtsVDZEwxeyulXEGmCiu9159cHgeLfA4InZfCIn3H_JKsjY7SF06bB1a1CpyFyc6MNukbkV2VZaxVHAJXXHX07Q/s1600/thandie+newton+rodrigo+westworld+hbo.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpb3J8yhc2-OKuUNFXBshcSjSdWhk04UqRINWUE0uM0SUUtZvQtsVDZEwxeyulXEGmCiu9159cHgeLfA4InZfCIn3H_JKsjY7SF06bB1a1CpyFyc6MNukbkV2VZaxVHAJXXHX07Q/s320/thandie+newton+rodrigo+westworld+hbo.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thandie Newton as Maeve and Rodrigo "I did not get to shoot <br />
this many people in <i>Love Actually</i>" Santoro as Hector Escaton</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Maeve's programmed to be a brash, unflappable good-time girl, and when she starts reliving old memories and breaking away from her programming, you see a much broader range of emotions. My watching companion and I both agreed that Thandie Newton should be an Emmy contender.<br />
<br />
<b>So, to Question 2: Should you watch it, if you haven't already?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
After watching all of it, I'm finding that <i>Westworld</i> is less of an accessible show than it looks.<br />
<br />
There is a puzzle element to <i>Westworld</i>; I'll give you a mild spoiler in that the guy who wrote <i>Memento</i> is also going to play tricks with you regarding time and memory in this show. Time does not run linearly through the show, although the only way to know that is to look carefully for particular "anachronisms" if the scene has them.<br />
<br />
I played the puzzle with everyone else on the internet, and it was fun, but I realized by the end that doing so made the show less fun, because I was focused on the puzzle, and that wasn't what the show was about.<br />
<br />
The show is about some deep concepts involving free will and what it means to be "good," especially to things you don't think are human. Those questions and the amazing acting surrounding them remain salient long after we know who "Arnold" is and what exactly is going on with the hosts' programming.<br />
<br />
Honestly, I feel I could spoil the whole show for you, and it would still be worth watching, because knowing that a person is going to fold a piece of paper into an origami crane doesn't make the origami crane less impressive. But it's not the same experience as watching a person fold a piece of paper into a surprise origami shape, so I won't spoil it for you because the surprises are a little bit fun; if you want to come into this to watch a mystery, don't read the internet.<br />
<br />
But also, honestly, don't speculate. Yes, you might be right, but part of <i>Westworld</i> is that it's a show about thinking like it's a video game when the stakes are far higher. A bunch of <a href="http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/11/easter-eggs-evolved-why-gamers-spent-3-years-plus-studying-gtavs-mount-chiliad/" target="_blank">folks on Reddit spent <i>three years</i> trying to decipher a pictogram on the side of a mountain in <i>Grand Theft Auto V</i></a>, hoping that there was some sort of special item in a hidden room. Frankly, the speculating and the second-guessing is you meta-gaming the show about the game. You may end up like the folks in the sub-Reddit, finding yourself with a lot of gaming time but no special cool item. There's at least one character in <i>Westworld</i> trying to do the same thing in that world's "game,"and he's not sympathetic.<br />
<br />
On a similar note about bad gaming, there's a <u>lot</u> of violence, including sexual violence, that is perpetrated on the hosts in a completely arbitrary manner. One of the difficulties in looking at this show as a "cool" puzzle is that, from that perspective, most of the violence is deeply gratuitous and exploitative. If the whole point is just to be entertained by the next plot twist, then you're trivializing all of the bad things that happen to the hosts just to wonder what you'll find next. Or, conversely, you'll say to yourself, "why is this world so horrible," and not get to the philosophical questions.<br />
<br />
Switching gears, a criticism I've read about the show that I don't think is justified is that many of the characters seem "flat" or under-developed. This is, I think, intentional. They are robots whose backstories are partly designed to enslave them.<br />
<br />
One of Thandie Newton's best scenes is where she, newly clued-in to the true nature of Westworld, listens to one of her co-worker robots talk about her tragic backstory (there is an actual plot-based reason most of the hosts have tragic backstories). The look on Maeve's face as she realizes that (A) the tragic backstory is completely fabricated, none of what she's hearing ever happened, and (B) her co-worker is feeling all of these painful emotions based on a fiction written by some other people, is heartbreaking.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Until at least mid-way through the plot, every tic or mannerism or thing that we might find interesting or amusing about Dolores or Maeve or Teddy or Hector Escaton is part of Westworld. Someone in Delos Corporation's "Narrative" department came up with their backstories and how they act, and are able to adjust aggression, perception, and other attributes on the fly. Getting to know those fictions is irrelevant to the story; the point is not who the hosts were programmed to be, but who they might be if they weren't. And you don't know that until they break free of the programming.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27899397.post-13750850523242532502016-11-11T12:29:00.000-05:002016-11-11T12:29:52.311-05:00Fall TV: Part DeuxIt's been a rough few days here in the good old US of A. The TV Sluts have been particularly demoralized by the latest political happenings, so I figured this was as good a time as any to get back to blogging and talk about something frivolous. Namely, the new Fall television shows.<br />
<br />
When we last chatted, I let you know that <i>The Good Place</i> was definitely worth watching. It's doing fairly well in the ratings and is a critical hit, so it seems likely it will stick around.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of my other favorite new series this Fall is <i>Pitch</i>. The series follows the first female baseball player to make it to Major League Baseball. Ginny Baker, as a pitcher with the San Diego Padres, has to prove herself to the MLB leadership, the public, and most crucially, her teammates. This goes just about as well as you would expect.<br />
<br />
I'm not a huge baseball fan--I've been to some Nationals games and follow their season--but you don't have to be a sports lover to enjoy this show. It has a healthy dose of Girl Power and (I never thought I would say this), Mark-Paul Gosselaar is pretty fantastic on the series. I almost didn't recognize him because of his beard, but he's just as charismatic here as he was all those years ago on <i>Saved By The Bell</i>.<br />
<br />
<i>Pitch</i> hasn't been stellar in the ratings, but it <a href="https://www.cinemablend.com/television/1583770/will-pitch-return-for-season-2-heres-what-mark-paul-gosselaar-says">appears likely</a> it will return for a second season.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY858HQ5kAqATR1-7ToLOf0AvRMkoezQJPBLSq085T5YIM5UwoUg0IP6sQBYQ-0SX90EY83LpDBde8JrVWN1cIOXOHrptDBc8mEjuP9RLfVerspcOIG8oFT4hGDXpPZEL6jhh4/s1600/pitch+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY858HQ5kAqATR1-7ToLOf0AvRMkoezQJPBLSq085T5YIM5UwoUg0IP6sQBYQ-0SX90EY83LpDBde8JrVWN1cIOXOHrptDBc8mEjuP9RLfVerspcOIG8oFT4hGDXpPZEL6jhh4/s320/pitch+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Look at that glorious beard. AC Slater eat your heart out.</div>
<br />
The third show I can recommend this Fall is <i>Notorious</i>. According to the PR monkeys at ABC, <i>Notorious</i> "centers on the symbiotic relationship between defense attorney Jake Gregorian (Daniel Sunjata) and powerhouse TV producer Julia George (Piper Perabo), as they attempt to control the media, the justice system and ultimately each other."<br />
<br />
Basically, it's a typical ABC drama with lots of "shocking" twists similar to <i>Scandal</i> and <i>How to Get Away with Murder</i>. Its' entertaining and frivolous, but doesn't exactly depict the reality of producing a news show or working as a criminal lawyer. Still, it's fun.<br />
<br />
Familiar faces on this one include Piper Perabo (who was the naive songwriter main character in <i>Coyote Ugly</i>) and several Joss Whedon alums including J. August Richards (Gunn on <i>Angel</i>). I think of it as a good "background show." It's something you can have on in the background while you do something else, like write a blog post, but it's not necessary to give it all your focus.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1aNQEC_YUwJqH8MmhEUt1MyA8N_IOrL-8fYAho82hCPzcTOkSv7B0vNhOtEoQ4xy_TQXWWrdwqnWlkLEGAR7auzpmsvGj1MSNyCeLReKCi8f9zSYhatpkiRjY5Thp1A-IJRo3/s1600/coyote+ugly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1aNQEC_YUwJqH8MmhEUt1MyA8N_IOrL-8fYAho82hCPzcTOkSv7B0vNhOtEoQ4xy_TQXWWrdwqnWlkLEGAR7auzpmsvGj1MSNyCeLReKCi8f9zSYhatpkiRjY5Thp1A-IJRo3/s320/coyote+ugly.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Alas, there is a shocking lack of dancing on bars so far in <i>Notorious</i>, but hey, the show is young.</div>
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<i>Notorious</i> has been struggling in the ratings, but so has all of ABC's Thursday night line-up. In late October the first season order was cut from 13 episodes to 10 which isn't a good sign, but who knows what will happen. I'll keep you all updated.<br />
<br />
Both <i>Pitch</i> and <i>Notorious</i> air Thursday nights at 9PM on FOX and ABC, respectively. I hope you have a DVR. Also, episodes are available online and On Demand. So you have no excuse.Maggie Catshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09883765124150271927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27899397.post-58638996648112013962016-10-04T20:23:00.001-04:002016-10-04T20:23:42.061-04:00Fall TV: The Good (Place)Yes, gentle readers, it's been a while, but with the triumphant sounding of trumpets and a whole parade and procession through the center of the city, I have returned!!<br />
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It's exactly like this.</div>
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Over the next few weeks, I will be your guide through the Fall television premiere season, along with my fellow slutty bloggers, of course. A lot of new shows have already started, but I like to give things a couple episodes before I make my mind up whether to like, hate, or meh them. Unless I hate it right off the bat, and let's be honest, sometimes those reviews are the most fun to write.<br />
<br />
But I thought it might be nice to start things off on a positive note with a show I am really enjoying. It's new this season, features an interesting female lead of the kind we haven't seen before, and it even had a <a href="http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/tv-ratings-kevin-can-wait-the-good-place-big-bang-theory-1201865687/">promising start in the ratings</a>. But will the Nielsen gods continue to smile on <i>The Good Place</i>? Will I get attached to a show to see it yanked cruelly away? Should you spend your time watching <i>The Good Place</i>?<br />
<br />
Yes.<br />
<br />
Well, that was easy. Goodnight, everybody!<br />
<br />
Just kidding, of course. Let's establish something right off the bat: if you tell me there's a show on television starring Kristen Bell, I'm in. Full stop. Everyone here at the blog is a <i>Veronica Mars</i> fan and our Kristen Bell love is pretty much eternal. So I didn't need to know anything else about <i>The Good Place</i> to give it a chance. But the show actually has a lot of other stuff going for it:<br />
<ul>
<li>The executive producer, Michael Schur, also brought us such gems as <i>Parks and Recreation</i>, <i>Brooklyn Nine-Nine</i>, and <i>Master of None</i>;</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Ted Danson has a starring role; and,</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>The look, feel, sense of the absurd, and color palette is very reminiscent of <i>Pushing Daisies.</i></li>
</ul>
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<a href="http://cdn.newsbusters.org/images/thegoodplace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://cdn.newsbusters.org/images/thegoodplace.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Just look at their cute little faces!</div>
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And I am happy to report that the show is actually good! It's fun, cute but not treacle, with fantastic performances. In fact, Kristen Bell basically saves the show. Before I explain what I mean by that, let's give the network PR folks their moment to shine:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
When a tractor-trailer carrying erectile dysfunction products strikes and kills Eleanor Shellstrop, she's surprised to find herself in the "good" area of the afterlife. She quickly realizes she has been mistaken for someone else when her wise, newfound mentor tells her she earned her place by helping get innocent people off death row. She decides that she wants to shed her old foul-mouthed and hard-drinking ways and find a way to embrace the good person within -- at least when she isn't considering finding a way to return to her mundane existence back on Earth.</blockquote>
Everything in <i>The Good Place</i> hangs on Eleanor. Having a unique concept and great supporting players is only going to get you so far. The sad truth is that if the audience hates your main character, the show is not going to work.<br />
<br />
Eleanor is a very difficult person to like--she had almost no redeeming qualities when alive (there are some very effective flashbacks to Eleanor's mortal life sprinkled throughout the show), and she treated every person with disdain. She wasn't that far removed from a sociopath, to be honest.<br />
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"Oops! I'm a horrible person!"</div>
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The thing is though, Kristen Bell is so charming and funny that you don't hate Eleanor. You actually kind of like her and want her to learn how to be a good person. If they had anyone with slightly less charisma and talent playing Eleanor, <i>The Good Place</i> would not work. But it does and I for one am really looking forward to following Eleanor on her journey to redemption. Thankfully, Kristen Bell is back and once again proving nobody is a better lovable misanthrope.<br />
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<i>The Good Place</i> airs Thursdays at 8:30PM EST on NBC. The first three episodes are available for streaming on the <a href="http://www.nbc.com/the-good-place?utm_source=search%3FCID%3DSearch%7CThe-Good-Place&nbc=1">NBC website</a>.<br />
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There is no reason for me to post this picture of Veronica and Logan. Except that I want to.</div>
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Maggie Catshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09883765124150271927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27899397.post-45272634470062244762016-09-26T21:50:00.002-04:002016-09-26T21:55:31.391-04:00Ghost Rider and Agents of SHIELDSo, if you haven't become aware yet, the current season of <i>Agents of SHIELD</i> features an iteration of the comic book character Ghost Rider.<br />
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For those not familiar with the Marvel Universe, Ghost Rider is in some ways like the Marvel version of the Green Lantern: he's had multiple iterations (different fictional people are "the Ghost Rider") each with different powers. Traditionally, he's a guy with a flaming skull for a head on a motorcycle, because he made a deal with the devil and now hunts evil for eternity or something similar.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpcUGRTpTZIoRtMr9yOlLDt8vBXXTp_uxU4FnTgwTIbeyG-8rFmDpehw6KdKgKqeH8GJohdcwnk1pyk4hmkWw_IUABeeCC_KeTYQRJMH0Qek9UR8y2TITuoIfTNX6cBi3vIf9C7w/s1600/Marvel_Comics_Ghost_Rider.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpcUGRTpTZIoRtMr9yOlLDt8vBXXTp_uxU4FnTgwTIbeyG-8rFmDpehw6KdKgKqeH8GJohdcwnk1pyk4hmkWw_IUABeeCC_KeTYQRJMH0Qek9UR8y2TITuoIfTNX6cBi3vIf9C7w/s320/Marvel_Comics_Ghost_Rider.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>
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However, recently Marvel moved him to being a guy with a flaming skull for a head in a muscle car because he died during street racing and is possessed by the ghost of his serial killer uncle, whose evil inclination he defies to be a vigilante.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif1UR5E24hByYFUu3Xtk2teOiKsg10Rwx97cOXK4jWoEGQWpM4SEt6ROodztnFoTVZY_I9lPGVjtQDdmWCQkpRQIqLbQu5pIq-o8hPAf8lBud3vz0ol0oBl9YbrIEtewVVs7jboQ/s1600/Ghost-Rider-1-2016-All-New-All-Different.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif1UR5E24hByYFUu3Xtk2teOiKsg10Rwx97cOXK4jWoEGQWpM4SEt6ROodztnFoTVZY_I9lPGVjtQDdmWCQkpRQIqLbQu5pIq-o8hPAf8lBud3vz0ol0oBl9YbrIEtewVVs7jboQ/s320/Ghost-Rider-1-2016-All-New-All-Different.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
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As you can see <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yY9ar4QJOsY" target="_blank">from the trailer</a>, the newest version of Ghost Rider is the one we're seeing in <i>Agents of SHIELD</i>.<br />
<br />
I welcome the appearance of Ghost Rider, because I've been finding <i>Agents of SHIELD</i> becoming more and more stale.<br />
<br />
To explain this I need to spoil some things. If you don't like spoilers, you should stop now. Below the horizontal line/blogger break I will spoil three seasons each of <i>Agents of SHIELD</i> and <i>The Blacklist</i>, as well as the ending to the Kurt Russell/James Spader film <i>Stargate</i> and probably some other things too because I'm on a roll.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><hr />
Great. The reason that I think Ghost Rider is a good idea is, simply, that Ghost Rider has no connection to Hydra whatsoever, which means there's room to stop doing the same thing the show has been doing for three seasons.<br />
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To elaborate, I'm going to talk about <i>The Blacklist</i>. A lot.<br />
<br />
So, recently, as you know, after <a href="http://tvsluts.blogspot.com/2016/09/hannibal-why-it-was-great-and-why-it.html" target="_blank">I dropped <i>Hannibal</i> like a hot, beautifully-plated, gourmet meal of human flesh</a>, I polished off the third season of <i>The Blacklist</i> on Netflix. Watching it this time, I realized that it was <i>Agents of SHIELD</i> for people who consider themselves "too grownup" for comic books; essentially watching <i>Agents of SHIELD</i> while pretending to watch <i>NCIS</i>.<br />
<br />
Each show has a telegenic white woman slightly younger than the average age of the rest of the cast as the protagonist.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLrQZ-bXBir4uMMv_x_5RAf34bfolmXcmTohAARdtpPIiAUlqJ22S_F_XLgjzfdFeHNOLt3wGwUqKcfcwC7k3_fnWLYmV8xfjvm1Tuu8F91ZYOhOmUMdF7tgDK35-eunP2OJU7Tw/s1600/68a640fa461ec223d8f87e5249a71bb4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLrQZ-bXBir4uMMv_x_5RAf34bfolmXcmTohAARdtpPIiAUlqJ22S_F_XLgjzfdFeHNOLt3wGwUqKcfcwC7k3_fnWLYmV8xfjvm1Tuu8F91ZYOhOmUMdF7tgDK35-eunP2OJU7Tw/s320/68a640fa461ec223d8f87e5249a71bb4.jpg" width="213" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB-5ozO2AUFveiTSM9K0xScowEylW4pVh6oP1j8sGlNPPoxMuIdmw6jIKP8UYtSBIFO97OVzJeY62d7ebJdjNjTLIk0EaEWBmgOxHy7x14bMNfbqI2pwaezEqmv6GL4c-WF_PBMQ/s1600/megan-boone-the-blacklist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB-5ozO2AUFveiTSM9K0xScowEylW4pVh6oP1j8sGlNPPoxMuIdmw6jIKP8UYtSBIFO97OVzJeY62d7ebJdjNjTLIk0EaEWBmgOxHy7x14bMNfbqI2pwaezEqmv6GL4c-WF_PBMQ/s320/megan-boone-the-blacklist.jpg" width="215" /></a></div>
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In the beginning of the show, she's seemingly plucked out of nowhere to go on fabulous secret adventures with a team of government agents. As the plot continues, and a conspiracy pulls the rug out from under them, these women find that they are actually children of <u>destiny</u>, whether it be discovering that she's actually the super-powered daughter of a life-sucking human-alien hybrid or the daughter of Russian sleeper agents still chased by her spy-turned-international crime lord father.<br />
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Aiding the protagonist is a woman of a different ethnicity who has extensive martial skills and a complicated love life:<br />
<br />
<img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOzkc-i-TqxmY29AvIYEhbcab8T3825Z-cCW5L2wFF3yXZbSN0TrKYFupjOR593DUPeGs1zGNk2wiJwfSgX0ZMs_Mcj1sVHOA5W460przlhgLMrjdxPPehgL05X_G4H0UtvDJETg/s200/shield-210-synopsis-1.jpg" width="200" /><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhazRTjV5uDpugbtUrb5xJVQ3ntupHtU2MncAQDdaTpvZnz9jOTTsK8mnZCAupWZzYUAPquLDL57n7K4ku11vAKVH6ikM44pRlteuclmM7fzljY4SyaOW-U6vjctnjrtrLxXzMBFg/s200/recaps-blacklist.jpg" width="200" />
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And then there's the computer nerd with a crush on one of the other characters:<br />
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<img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJpN2LfBhV7_6ghMKvA5Vw5kTdT-HSxR4WKAmiPtK-FlrcZIn9fJwCBn5UCp3aKcnB60UH0tVXa5HlELJOu_R8ZnI_vMFjzrGm8V4Q5C3IkikAX-ryVLXbO2673G0NhXYvUHbuGw/s200/Agents-of-SHIELD-Season-2-Fitz-2.jpg" width="200" /><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3SAWpGfbKaEYoGPwvMVGCAXec9LY79qIYVRrQg8nhQcbyfJ6r6qlearp49Bgri8dYNyxs7gZWrvOO7mlV6f3uQdLaEi9qqBKbSF4SMxvRN_jfC0hW6yiM_niyuOvSqPB3b-KPiQ/s200/The_Vehm_6.jpg" width="200" /></div>
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Finally, there's the older guy with a receding hairline who is both a father figure and an intensely intrusive puppet master for the protagonist:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrIIP9_GXMABqGCjyA2eCiocZG3ynQGdIGsdeB3VtScuM-GwNmZJkJshVBJQrGFqWuumA5t2j41kO_O9rAXpJztSNGG1Tba4aitugv_MAlFX3cDxZbOSFnhQQqsWJWCXCj1TIRew/s1600/agents-of-shield-season-2-coulson.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrIIP9_GXMABqGCjyA2eCiocZG3ynQGdIGsdeB3VtScuM-GwNmZJkJshVBJQrGFqWuumA5t2j41kO_O9rAXpJztSNGG1Tba4aitugv_MAlFX3cDxZbOSFnhQQqsWJWCXCj1TIRew/s320/agents-of-shield-season-2-coulson.jpg" width="320" /><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBBaMJBBHtoXvAC4gP8ZVC6y-CI-EeFOU7O9EbxXNurvEJxzfBlBKyJgzeICrcDzAgwg5GpjeeHfdQMt4FGP82QkTt6bjLldQNz_HANaNr6GGVAfSZdZU_ftRc-0wrLfPOoubAbg/s320/NUP_163383_0534.jpg" width="320" /></a>
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<br />
Now, I'm not saying these shows are exactly the same; <i>The Blacklist </i>has stayed more episodic with "baddies of the week" than <i>Agents of SHIELD</i>, but both of them are still about the Young Woman of Destiny, her super-spy surrogate dad, and the various conspiracies that threaten them and the nation/world each season.<br />
<br />
Which brings me to why Ghost Rider is such a great addition to <i>Agents of Shield</i>. Until now, <i>Agents of SHIELD</i> has gone to the same tentacled skull-filled well for conflict again and again.<br />
<br />
<u>Season One:</u><b> </b>All villains are part of Hydra, the evil organization with world domination aspirations.<br />
<u>Season Two</u>: The villains are Hydra and a group of Inhumans led by Daisy Johnson/Quake's mom, who hates regular humans in part because Hydra vivisected her.<br />
<u>Season Three</u>: Hydra, and then Hydra plus the Inhumans' evil demigod-king, who also happens to be the evil god-king of the cult that began Hydra. Like all part alien, part-human demigod kings, like Ra in <i>Stargate</i>, he proves to be quite susceptible to tactical nuclear weapons.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkED_P1Smn_FCgladv0IWJsP0puzqC76XqbKydpgJ73Af1DPt6ndqgmYzlH6NhmX7ZvVHaJR1AqVJmqwjVFXo3VZ01VGVaKD6Uzw7H4BBCs2v7TC1AthCgxlbAPYhTxBHeEGpRZg/s1600/stargate-1994-movie-review-oneil-jackson-bomb-kurt-russell-james-spader.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkED_P1Smn_FCgladv0IWJsP0puzqC76XqbKydpgJ73Af1DPt6ndqgmYzlH6NhmX7ZvVHaJR1AqVJmqwjVFXo3VZ01VGVaKD6Uzw7H4BBCs2v7TC1AthCgxlbAPYhTxBHeEGpRZg/s320/stargate-1994-movie-review-oneil-jackson-bomb-kurt-russell-james-spader.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And James Spader's in this one, too! Coincidence...or CONSPIRACY?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Compare and contrast to <i>The Blacklist</i>:<br />
<u>Season One</u>: Dealing with the shadowy plot of the man known only as "Berlin."<br />
<u>Season Two</u>: Finishing off Berlin leads the globe-spanning shadow government known as "The Cabal" to try to end Reddington and Liz.<br />
<u>Season Three</u>: Trying to get Liz out of trouble for murdering the United States Attorney General (to be honest, he was an arm of The Cabal, plus it was the only way to wipe that smug smile off his face), then dealing with the machinations of Alexander King.<br />
<br />
As you can see, it's not always Hydra in <i>The Blacklist</i>.<br />
<br />
I've been really disappointed with <i>Agents of Shield</i> in this regard, because it's not like Hydra's the only evil organization that SHIELD goes up against. <a href="http://marvel.com/images/871760#0-871760" target="_blank">As Marvel will point out to you</a>, Nick Fury and the Agents of SHIELD have been taking on super-scientist super-villain group A.I.M. for a while:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVG5ud1aaxvRO82Ge6l5uGpgM7JidJ7-BWf0XrNnNNEi1kJMYFGtTog7WfIBDbjxWY16Q9vgu5oDAUIM7olf0R225k9Iv5NXpbUyztGX2d8UlpxN2ZLWA02mlunWgF3ZEWzuXzUw/s1600/4ddb0042bf7ea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVG5ud1aaxvRO82Ge6l5uGpgM7JidJ7-BWf0XrNnNNEi1kJMYFGtTog7WfIBDbjxWY16Q9vgu5oDAUIM7olf0R225k9Iv5NXpbUyztGX2d8UlpxN2ZLWA02mlunWgF3ZEWzuXzUw/s400/4ddb0042bf7ea.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A.I.M., in their snazzy outfits, trying to steal from SHIELD.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And A.I.M. even employed the Red Skull for a while (they're the ones who got him obsessed with the cosmic cube), so if the <i>Agents of SHIELD</i> writers couldn't resist throwing in a Hydra reference, there's that. Also A.I.M. made M.O.D.O.K., "Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing," and how can you resist a name like that?<br />
<br />
Well, apparently the <i>Agents of SHIELD</i> writers could. It's been all Hydra, all the time.<br />
<br />
Before Ghost Rider showed up, I was worried that this new season would find a new way to make Hydra show up everywhere, after two seasons with episodes where Phil Coulson ran operations shutting down major Hydra operations.<br />
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But now, there's something new! Something that is not Hydra or Inhumans! Which is great news for the show -- whatever happens next, it'll be something different than what came before. Even if it's not very good, it will at least be different, because, if I haven't driven it home for you before, Hydra is <u>played out</u>.<br />
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"But," you may say, "previously, <i>Agents of SHIELD</i> has made all of its weirdness super-science (or at least 'aliens') and Ghost Rider is supernatural! How is that supposed to work?"<br />
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It works because it works. Don't worry so much. Magic is part of the Marvel universe (e.g. Doctor Strange), and even super-science characters like Iron Man just sort of take it as a thing. It can be done. And I'd like to see them try.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27899397.post-5389989114651389672016-09-11T22:11:00.001-04:002016-09-11T22:19:14.899-04:00Hannibal - Why it was great and why it was canceledSo, two years ago, <a href="http://tvsluts.blogspot.com/2014/06/a-deliciously-disturbing-meal.html" target="_blank">my fellow TV Sluts blogger Clovis gushed about the season two finale</a> of NBC's <i>Hannibal</i>. Having now binged it all the way into the midst of Season 3 on Amazon Prime, I feel qualified to render my verdict.<br />
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The first season was genius. The second season was fun to watch. The third season got decadent and, in my opinion, boring.<br />
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For those of you just tuning in and who also hate to click on links, let me summarize NBC's <i>Hannibal</i>. It is based on the Thomas Harris novels involving the character Dr. Hannibal Lecter, whom you may remember <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99Ptctl5_qQ" target="_blank">Sir Anthony Hopkins playing in a movie over twenty years ago</a>.<br />
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I'm not the biggest horror buff, but apparently what makes good serial killer horror fiction is to put <i>Batman-</i>worthy supervillains in a "normal" world where Batman doesn't exist. Dr. Hannibal Lecter is a serial killer who eats parts of his victims. He also happens to be in excellent shape and a decent martial artist. And that "Dr.?" It's because Lecter's both a capable surgeon <u>and</u> an incredibly talented psychiatrist, not to mention an all-around super genius with encyclopedic knowledge of modern police forensics. He also draws, plays the harpsichord and theremin, arranges flowers, and has a sense of smell so good he can identify when someone he recognizes is in a room with him. As you can see from the picture above, Hannibal Lecter's a snazzy dresser.<br />
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Seriously, I'm not entirely sure how someone not a member of the Justice League stops Hannibal Lecter.<br />
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The TV show features the continuing cat-and-mouse between Dr. Lecter and Will Graham, an FBI profiler who is "super-empathic," meaning he's basically psychic when it comes to looking at crime scenes - able to see how it was done and why. While this is sort of a super-power, it's kind of a crummy one, especially since Mr. Graham <u>feels</u> very hard, like an Imagine Dragons song, so the more he does his super-killer-detector mojo the more it hurts him psychologically.<br />
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In the TV series, Dr. Lecter is played by Mads Mikkelsen, who brings a more "coiled spring" energy to Dr. Lecter than Sir Anthony.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjZBeZaeaa_VzEEMOEV8j8Ouw5t0E39K1qYEEToE3PtdnaUWOap787IUJhPOQAFLqRjS4dHrvce04JuyFRHaPp1UCyNT8A4tfBHXEv9SxupuCyLh0Izz1HYla_NSTkvGro3sDFQQ/s1600/UMadsBro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjZBeZaeaa_VzEEMOEV8j8Ouw5t0E39K1qYEEToE3PtdnaUWOap787IUJhPOQAFLqRjS4dHrvce04JuyFRHaPp1UCyNT8A4tfBHXEv9SxupuCyLh0Izz1HYla_NSTkvGro3sDFQQ/s320/UMadsBro.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Obligatory joke.</td></tr>
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The other notable thing about the show is that the killing is truly, truly disturbing, even for a show about deranged serial killers. One of the things Hannibal loves to do is feed people to other people without them knowing, like a sick joke. He's a gourmet chef; NBC had DC-area chef Jose Andres and a "food stylist" consult on every episode, so most episodes Hannibal Lecter will serve something to a police officer or innocent civilian that looks like this:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnM3SoKocgLG_p9arxlW3ZaAsiyBtXT7KZCIJmYOFsdwhI1Fmfwu0iDNaQPsVwuvOSFqrXRca-bVW1tc_5rUY11lckb9r8dxb4YDqWnR2Cecqjtkb6t52dsI4MvwyXPpgWRPSvHg/s1600/Hannibal+Food+episode+1B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnM3SoKocgLG_p9arxlW3ZaAsiyBtXT7KZCIJmYOFsdwhI1Fmfwu0iDNaQPsVwuvOSFqrXRca-bVW1tc_5rUY11lckb9r8dxb4YDqWnR2Cecqjtkb6t52dsI4MvwyXPpgWRPSvHg/s320/Hannibal+Food+episode+1B.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He said it was pork. It looks really tasty.</td></tr>
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And then, often, you have to guess whether it's the person he killed earlier in the show. Sometimes that's explicit, but not always.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU9d6XupW-V_V_Gfxf12ig_AHACAT9nBdbeBx_nxuNresQG5ERPx5KVcIBEp3yHfn0OEKJR9TN30OA0S3Uf_48RmcTO28w_YXgZzJVivQjCNGZD5msjRaVHzTdgL4Wno8UpIfESQ/s1600/Hannibal+Food+episode+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU9d6XupW-V_V_Gfxf12ig_AHACAT9nBdbeBx_nxuNresQG5ERPx5KVcIBEp3yHfn0OEKJR9TN30OA0S3Uf_48RmcTO28w_YXgZzJVivQjCNGZD5msjRaVHzTdgL4Wno8UpIfESQ/s320/Hannibal+Food+episode+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"I love organ meats," <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Swifty" target="_blank">said Tom, heartily</a>.</td></tr>
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They all look amazingly good.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4byV2mtY_Br54ctnAy_1i02awvVzVAEHPnAFAYYJTLd5AaaBxkfG3OZyX8wHhUPHcs4ZNiD6kU2meAW6QYkT3cPKLNKNymex7kUzzSAHlY1SdldPU2QhVtyMPqpBzceMV8J0Kgg/s1600/Hannibal+Food+Episode+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4byV2mtY_Br54ctnAy_1i02awvVzVAEHPnAFAYYJTLd5AaaBxkfG3OZyX8wHhUPHcs4ZNiD6kU2meAW6QYkT3cPKLNKNymex7kUzzSAHlY1SdldPU2QhVtyMPqpBzceMV8J0Kgg/s320/Hannibal+Food+Episode+5.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was said to be fois gras. It would be improbable for it to be a person's liver, but Hannibal Lecter does have a giant murder dungeon under his Baltimore home where he does things like pickle people's body parts in wine and feed them to snails to give the snails an extra "oomph" of flavor. So unclear.</td></tr>
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And the show spends long, lingering shots watching people eat them.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGkOu_M9pmdjh_cVKCPLpMiqgs2CQyh0Ons1Cu4ODI0tRMtQMPYnY6SpEd4h74sxlGejuTSkOwB4_Rn2mvZLTNmwmOIRe6XfsgOkGFShlZ5Q-cnnrsJHPwIwvAhdDTx8BMSE0glQ/s1600/little+bites.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGkOu_M9pmdjh_cVKCPLpMiqgs2CQyh0Ons1Cu4ODI0tRMtQMPYnY6SpEd4h74sxlGejuTSkOwB4_Rn2mvZLTNmwmOIRe6XfsgOkGFShlZ5Q-cnnrsJHPwIwvAhdDTx8BMSE0glQ/s320/little+bites.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prior to these passed appetizers being made, we watch a montage of Hannibal Lecter selecting folks to murder. Are these little flowers beef tartare? Some of them are, certainly. But how many? </td></tr>
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As I said in my summary above, the first season is great. It's a tightly-plotted "serial murderer of the week" where Will Graham is chasing down multiple crazy people for the FBI while Dr. Hannibal Lecter acts as Will's therapist to keep Will's psychic powers from making him feel too hard. As a horrible human being who eats people, Dr. Lecter does not do this. Instead, he plays games with Will and other folks.<br />
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In season two, Will Graham has figured out that Hannibal Lecter is actually a cannibal serial killer with really good aesthetic taste, and Will tries to set traps to get Hannibal caught or killed. This season is suspenseful and well-timed, but a little crazier. Plausibility drops a bit. There are many too many dream sequences and hallucination scenes, as well as sex scenes that illustrate why you shouldn't bother having sex scenes on network TV (oh boy! People writhing artily under sheets or with CGI for three minutes! This is both uninteresting and unnecessary!). There's a B-plot involving a murderous pig farmer and his Italian good squad that added nothing whatsoever to the story other than some gratuitous violence and grossness. That said, I cared about what happened and didn't think the plot twists were too manipulative. And the finale? Like Clovis, I thought it was well-done. If the show ended there, it would have been great. But it didn't.<br />
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In season three, Hannibal Lecter, having blown his cover in America when basically the rest of the cast showed up in the season two finale to try to kill him (and he does a much better job trying to kill them in return), is now in Italy having some weird cannibalistic murder-themed codependent relationship with his ex-psychiatrist, played by Gillian Anderson. Everyone's still doing a great job acting, but the plot has become decadent. It goes from twisted murder to twisted murder, with gross revelation thrown in from time to time, without any real suspense. By the time Will Graham found a random Japanese woman guarding a prisoner in Dr. Lecter's snail-filled abandoned Lithuanian castle, with no good reason for any of those things to be and after multiple pointless and gross flashbacks where Eddie Izzard was forced to eat parts of himself, I said to myself, "Netflix has season 3 of <i>The Blacklist</i> on now, so I can see over-the-top plots with murderiness without all the self-seriousness." And I dropped the show like a hot potato. As did NBC.<br />
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Season 3's decadence also made me intolerant of the DC-area ignorance of the show's writers and editors in the first two seasons. Will Graham lives in "Wolf Trap, Virginia." This is actually a census-designated place in Fairfax County, but apart from the census bureau no one calls the area around the Wolf Trap Center for the Performing Arts "Wolf Trap, Virginia." Even Wolf Trap's physical address is "Vienna, Virginia." I don't know what kind of 3 to 5 acre farm Will Graham owns in "Wolf Trap," but he's crazy not to sell it to a townhome developer like <i>every other large tract of land in that part of Virginia has been since at least 20 years now</i>; seriously, people are taking parking-lot sized chunks of Fairfax County to build new homes on, housing there is that crazy. The show was filmed in Canada. The police did not wear Fairfax County police uniforms, probably because having policemen who look like city police in gray uniforms would make no sense in crazy alternate universe farmland Vienna, Virginia ("where'd those suburban cops come from?"). But I noticed that they just pulled the sheriffs' uniforms from Fargo out for costuming. Don't get me started on driving times between Vienna, Baltimore, and Quantico. Traffic alone would make Will Graham crazier than analyzing a murder scene.<br />
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Okay, I got that out of me. Trust me, you'll ignore it too if you only watch the first two seasons of <i>Hannibal</i>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27899397.post-27113408948147613902016-08-26T22:39:00.000-04:002016-08-26T22:39:27.836-04:00Amazon Pilot Season - The TickSo, Amazon's done its "pilot season" again, where it puts up shows and makes you vote on them, and then really disappoints you.<br />
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Or me, anyway. I'm still ticked they didn't pick up the Rachel Dratch vehicle <i>Salem Rogers: Model of the Year 1998. </i>Instead, they went with some much worse shows and <i>The Man in the High Castle</i>, which is quality but is not watching Rachel Dratch show you how funny she is.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For example, Ms. Dratch's performance in <i>Spring Breakdown</i>.<br />While <i>Spring Breakdown</i> is not a movie I'd compare to, say, <i>Bridesmaids</i>,<br />it's a great "late night cable"-quality comedy that made me laugh. If<br />you haven't seen it, you are missing out. </td></tr>
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What I'm saying is, go watch the pilot I'm about to recommend right after you read this. Go to Amazon Prime and put it on loop. Steal other people's Amazon Prime accounts and make them watch it. Hijack Russian botnets, whatever it takes so that Amazon knows that they need to make more of this.<br />
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Because <i>The Tick, </i>from the first episode, looks incredible.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKy3mxOFHRV8g5fZFqPHdJohOGcZcZRUg1GzSWqpdSrY5EgTY7pNMkcYYfoOo669kcSclvANSrUFQyOPq7HUtS0QX4bWQhmcyDcAmfNcjs_KFK-AhTgToswHO_Z3EGQSWyyok0Dg/s1600/Tick+banner.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKy3mxOFHRV8g5fZFqPHdJohOGcZcZRUg1GzSWqpdSrY5EgTY7pNMkcYYfoOo669kcSclvANSrUFQyOPq7HUtS0QX4bWQhmcyDcAmfNcjs_KFK-AhTgToswHO_Z3EGQSWyyok0Dg/s400/Tick+banner.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The blue backside is only the beginning of the incredible.</td></tr>
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Have you read the comic by Ben Edlund, also known as "the guy who did that <i>Gotham</i> show for Fox"? If you haven't, I'll save my enthusiastic recommendation of <u>that</u> for later. There was also a cartoon, and a previous TV show with Patrick Warburton. They're all good, but I have to move this review along.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV3jw4xJif4lc3FhWK-Ehkqdrp4uAyjMkhGL74fNrIuDwuRTZCrH6pJBSnD7bMwBa1bWFhhkLVb-VUuKUvNY5d986Hp61K-OxCDJMS7p_rEne2zcAmrHFRoo_LKYgbmnzYDiIdYA/s1600/tickomnibus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV3jw4xJif4lc3FhWK-Ehkqdrp4uAyjMkhGL74fNrIuDwuRTZCrH6pJBSnD7bMwBa1bWFhhkLVb-VUuKUvNY5d986Hp61K-OxCDJMS7p_rEne2zcAmrHFRoo_LKYgbmnzYDiIdYA/s320/tickomnibus.jpg" width="228" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last time I checked, this was a zillion bucks on Amazon.com,<br />meaning I can't re-read the one where the Tick declares that<br />the Man-Eating Cow has learned good from evil and therefore<br />will protect the City while the Tick and Arthur go on an adventure.</td></tr>
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To recap <i>The Tick</i> universe, the action takes place in a city referred to as "the City," a stand-in for essentially every DC comics city ever, but exaggerated to the level of farce.<br />
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It's full of superheroes and supervillains, but the plot follows the Tick, a nigh-invulnerable and super-strong individual in a blue suit with antennae. He has no secret identity, no romantic entanglements, a near-monomania with crime-fighting, and an eternally optimistic demeanor. The suit never comes off.<br />
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The Tick's sidekick is Arthur, a nebbish in a moth suit that actually flies. In many ways Arthur is the opposite of the Tick; he has no powers, he has more of a real life than a superhero one, and, as his name implies, has no superhero identity.<br />
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Together, they fight crime. In the comics, it was more that crime was detected, and the Tick happily bounded towards it crying something like "evildoers, face justice!" or sometimes (actually), "spoon!" and Arthur would be dragged along for better or worse. In this, they'd face exaggerated parodies of comic book heroes and villains, and situations that crossed over the border of ridiculous and moved on through to "so beyond ludicrous, I'm just going to sit back and roll with it."<br />
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All of this is preserved in the new show, except, post-<i>Gotham</i>, Ben Edlund takes it a little darker.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAtQ2JHY1pC2YwN4YURVoIZSSqck15Yp0DncAfgdQAZcrmMO7pzqgGh17SQUsRlI4TYmaMM69Y7ekoKQGswQQQQWgCVGb3EHe9J4qzgl7YC6K_jij4E2woPsVD9vu1bOMzp2k5Og/s1600/arthur+psych+eval.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAtQ2JHY1pC2YwN4YURVoIZSSqck15Yp0DncAfgdQAZcrmMO7pzqgGh17SQUsRlI4TYmaMM69Y7ekoKQGswQQQQWgCVGb3EHe9J4qzgl7YC6K_jij4E2woPsVD9vu1bOMzp2k5Og/s320/arthur+psych+eval.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arthur gets a legally-mandated psychiatric evaluation<br />after getting caught in vigilantism. </td></tr>
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We now start with Arthur (Griffin Newman), who instead of just being "normal guy," is dealing with some serious issues, which is why superheroing seems like a good idea to him. The City, formerly drawn solely in bright colors, is experiencing a crime wave, in part because, as a radio expositions early in the episode, the City's last superhero team "was blinded by weaponized syphilis and then shot."<br />
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Into this steps the Tick (Peter Serafinowicz), big, blue, invulnerable, and monomaniacal as ever. The Tick sees a kindred spirit in Arthur, and immediately bonds to him, "helping" Arthur realize a dream of being a superhero that Arthur isn't 100% sure he wants to have.<br />
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Don't worry, it's still funny. It's just now, the laughs sometimes come from that darker place where I laugh and say, "oh, that's awful HA HA HA [snorts drink]."<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNEqZT5JWZWCFM2T5MWdqv_RUUC-7_xGqM4D63pj0lrSqgmPfeh9l3zEh_mqlrkV4DZxiKCgb5DTkGfi0DLLfL5GNcKnOMSMkk1qSyD0fkM2X2CDw7VDycZqsusXt3NqBWLuUyIQ/s1600/MS+Lint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNEqZT5JWZWCFM2T5MWdqv_RUUC-7_xGqM4D63pj0lrSqgmPfeh9l3zEh_mqlrkV4DZxiKCgb5DTkGfi0DLLfL5GNcKnOMSMkk1qSyD0fkM2X2CDw7VDycZqsusXt3NqBWLuUyIQ/s320/MS+Lint.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And Yara Martinez from <i>Jane the Virgin</i> and <i>Alpha House</i> is<br />a villainess in this show! How can you not watch?</td></tr>
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The first episode tees up all the superheroing the Tick and Arthur are going to have, and I think you, like I, will want to see where Ben Edlund and the rest are going with this. At least one interview has Mr. Edlund saying he wants to put in a bunch of the comics characters, and I'd love to see Paul the Samurai or Chairface Chippendale. I don't think they'll put in Stalin-grad, the graduate student of Russian Studies turned supervillain who based his crimes on Josef Stalin, but it would be great if they tried.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJw0HzYQ8-p2pwu8xJhqCd9-WQVCaJLdCtrTpRD4c3w4244Z0Gd6i8JvWxTu_BpWfSu26irIIyB7hOtulJUqc805hiuGNzbC5cWxFlplB0IygczVyg-PI97Kyo0SORZpb6c1EnpA/s1600/maxresdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJw0HzYQ8-p2pwu8xJhqCd9-WQVCaJLdCtrTpRD4c3w4244Z0Gd6i8JvWxTu_BpWfSu26irIIyB7hOtulJUqc805hiuGNzbC5cWxFlplB0IygczVyg-PI97Kyo0SORZpb6c1EnpA/s320/maxresdefault.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Josef Stalin, grab on to my armored muu muu and we'll leave<br />this foul Earth behind" is the line that is actually being said here.<br />Not only did I like the pilot, but the concept has <u>such promise</u>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
To recap: turn on an Amazon Prime account now. Watch the pilot episode of <i>The Tick</i>. You will not regret it.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27899397.post-55517449680853937082016-07-15T14:16:00.001-04:002016-07-15T14:16:17.608-04:00Contain Your Excitement<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Did you catch CW’s “limited series event” <i>Containment</i>? No? Hooray! The US public
health system works!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Seriously, if you’ve been fortunate enough to avoid
infection with this particular bug, you can count yourself lucky. For reasons
surpassing my own understanding, I’ve been watching it since it began back in
April and as it sputters and spasms into the final stretch, coughing, wheezing,
and bleeding from its various orifices along the way, I’m here to tell you
about the experience.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://cbscw44.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/cw15_con_show_banner_2015_02-e1455285963995.jpg?w=420" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://cbscw44.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/cw15_con_show_banner_2015_02-e1455285963995.jpg?w=420" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first sign of infection is Resting Bitch Face</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
First, a crucial question: Have you seen the movie <i>Outbreak</i>? How about <i>The Andromeda Strain</i>? Maybe <i>Cabin
Fever</i>? Any of these? Yes? Congrats! You’ve already seen everything that you
could possibly see in <i>Containment</i>.
You have met your quota for disease outbreak contrivances. Please feel free to
take a break and maybe watch a rom-com. If you answered no to any of those, get
thee to Netflix and enjoy. There is a world of better viewing options if what
you want to see is characters wrestling with an invisible antagonist that turns
their own bodies against them, a healthy dose of gory body horror, and the
requisite slow, creeping paranoia that attends both.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
In the meantime, here’s what you need to know about the
premise of <i>Containment</i>: After a
highly virulent strain of bird flu breaks out in inner city Atlanta, the CDC
and a particularly unbelievable government official from the US Department of
Homeland Security decide the only way to prevent the disease from becoming a
global threat is to literally barricade the downtown core of the city with
freight cars stacked on each other and lock in any potential infected until a
treatment or cure can be devised. What follows is the usual mix of
relationships torn asunder, new relationships forged, people acting like
post-apocalyptic asshats, and, of course, blood and coughing. Lots and lots of
blood and coughing. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://pmctvline2.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/containment-recap.jpg?w=620" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://pmctvline2.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/containment-recap.jpg?w=620" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Hey Bob. Another day at the office in the quarantine zone, amirite? I hear ya, I hear ya."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The characters resemble a paint-by-numbers book: There’s One Good Cop who is on the outside of the cordon and just trying to do
right by the people inside. His Strong Female Character sorta fiancé is only
inside the cordon because she decided to go to work instead of agree to move
her stuff into his apartment because she has Commitment Issues. There’s
Innocent Pregnant Teenager, her Initially Evil But Really Loves Her mother, and
her Earnest But Misunderstood Inner City Baby Daddy who just wants to be a good
father so he actually breaks into the cordon. Attempting to carry the emotional
core of the show is Tougher Than She Looks Schoolteacher, who is trapped with
her elementary school class inside the cordon on the world’s worst field trip.
Tougher Than She Looks Schoolteacher has a meet cute thing going with Trying To
Learn About Responsibility Police Officer who has been a slacker most of his
life but is being forced into adulthood by virtue of being one of the only
armed members of law enforcement trapped inside the cordon. And, of course,
overseeing all of this is Nice But Possibly Shady Doctor who is inside the
cordon and may know more than he seems to (spoilers: he does) and his
counterpart Morally Ambiguous Government Official Who Operates With Impunity
and Never Checks in with Anyone Higher Up. Said official is the one to make the
decision to lock in tens of thousands of people to potentially die horrible
deaths.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/cordonseries/images/e/e9/Cordon_gallery_001.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20151220050833" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/cordonseries/images/e/e9/Cordon_gallery_001.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20151220050833" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Any TV Sluts readers live in Atlanta? Find out if you are in the infection zone!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/IncurableCoughOfDeath">The
Incurable Cough of Death</a> is an uncredited character, though really should
have top billing by number of appearances alone. Second billing should go to
White Handkerchief/White T-Shirt, which all characters must have on them in
order to make that first bloody cough really pop. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Clearly, I don’t think highly of <i>Containment</i>. On technical merits, it’s really not that bad. It’s competently
filmed and looks slick. The acting is, well, not great but far from the worst I’ve
ever seen. It’s just not greater than the sum of its parts, which is a quality
a show needs to have, particularly if it’s treading on very familiar ground. The
show unfortunately commits the one error a show is never supposed to make, the cardinal
sin of television: it’s boring. Despite a legitimately strong first episode,
the overall pacing of the next 10 installments is sluggish at best. Much like
the infected characters that start piling up on the screen, the show limps
around, gradually getting less and less lifelike. (Sorry, btw: It’s literally
impossible to write this review without overly relying on cheap medical puns.)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It didn’t really have to be that way. In its first
episode, <i>Containment</i> generates more
excitement and more dread than all of <i>Fear
the Walking Dead</i> did in the entire first season. I mean, come on! It’s a
viral outbreak! That just lends itself to drama. Unfortunately, the few times
the show gets interesting it’s only interesting because of characters making
decisions that are SO OBVIOUSLY bad ones, you find yourself riled up at the
lunacy of people acting how no human, driven by fear or otherwise, would act.
It’s not until episode 10 that any real action begins to happen again. Watching
the meandering plotlines and characters moving around without any direction
only to begin to finally come together in the end made me wonder why the show
couldn’t have just been three or four episodes, which likely would have served
it better. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.mytakeontv.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/containment-season-1-photos-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.mytakeontv.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/containment-season-1-photos-11.jpg" height="243" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My reaction when I was on episode four and realized I still had eight more to go.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
If, after all this, you’re still game for binging on the
series, it wraps up its final episode next week. Back episodes are available
from the CW. Mercifully, this disease is one that we can all get into remission
from as the network has already announced that there will be no second season
and the storyline will wrap up at the end of its current plot. Apparently the
network had hoped that <i>Containment</i>
could take advantage of the trend toward anthology shows, presenting either a
different outbreak or a story of different people should a second season have occurred.
Given that the first exposure was so ill-serving, it’s best to just let this
patient go peacefully. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Clovishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09630640582674493366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27899397.post-49189478801272082072016-07-09T23:59:00.000-04:002016-07-10T00:01:27.861-04:00What Ben's Watched On Streaming for June/JulyI've watched a bunch of things on streaming media recently. Here are my short-ish reviews:<br />
<h2>
Marvel's Agents of SHIELD, Season 3 (Netflix)</h2>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEa9cJ_WrRAbMKJS3UQ3ereZKpjSZpf-kg2CaB-4zqz76wn-bYzr0aDvKzt-fJVBqCKNGyh1YWCfYYWtRPnXo65uMbaNhJWCpTb5TTBL-NUokwP9kGmvc_YvPgqBI4ocvfTS-MFg/s1600/agents-of-shield-season-3-what-planet-was-simmons-on-684191.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEa9cJ_WrRAbMKJS3UQ3ereZKpjSZpf-kg2CaB-4zqz76wn-bYzr0aDvKzt-fJVBqCKNGyh1YWCfYYWtRPnXo65uMbaNhJWCpTb5TTBL-NUokwP9kGmvc_YvPgqBI4ocvfTS-MFg/s320/agents-of-shield-season-3-what-planet-was-simmons-on-684191.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
A friend of mine recently said, "yeah, I was watching <i>Agents of SHIELD</i>, and then it got really stupid." I think she was referring to sometime in Season 2. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Which is true, <i>Agents of SHIELD</i> perenially has a plot which I'd describe thematically as "peak comic book," where all plot threads come together into a unified whole no matter how disparate they seem to be at the beginning, and some stuff seems shoehorned in. It is apparently inconceivable to the <i>Agents of SHIELD </i>writers that SHIELD could have to deal with two major issues at the same time and they never team up or subsume each other. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The show is also knocking off characters at a <i>Game of Thrones</i> rate (okay, pre-season 6 season finale <i>Game of Thrones</i> rate) sometimes seemingly because Joss Whedon doesn't want to pay for an actor anymore. Similarly, the "big bad" for the last half of the season sometimes seemed to be down a henchman because, I think, either the actor they had for him (who's B-list famous) was too expensive to be in every episode if he didn't have lines or he had a prior commitment so he couldn't appear in half the episodes you'd expect to see him in.<br />
<br />
That said, as a guy who just read all the issues of <i><a href="http://marvel.com/comics/series/20505/spider-gwen_2015_-_present" target="_blank">Radioactive Spider-Gwen</a></i> and spin-offs available on Marvel Unlimited (Gwen Stacy is a much more interesting Spider-Person than Peter Parker! Also she's in an alternate universe where Captain America was always an African-American woman and Daredevil is evil! You really should read it!), I have a pretty high tolerance for comic book stupid (I had to read through several issues with Spider-Ham -- yes, the Spider-Man that is an anthropomorphic pig -- crossovers) if a show is otherwise diverting. And <i>Agents of SHIELD </i>remains entertainingly diverting.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGTHJFrQr7arcvQ2GdbFuYv22zdZgMg48A0FWZ8TRVC1LsK9f-e5NHEI2IXtqjSwtxQ8CLnqJ3e1Wh06uzG4_GMS0IOSHh40MWOC_qXyyNU6pvtRYmoEGhjN2MprhKnNIwZyFchA/s1600/Clark-Gregg-as-Agent-Phil-Coulson-Marvels-Agents-of-SHIELD-season-3-pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGTHJFrQr7arcvQ2GdbFuYv22zdZgMg48A0FWZ8TRVC1LsK9f-e5NHEI2IXtqjSwtxQ8CLnqJ3e1Wh06uzG4_GMS0IOSHh40MWOC_qXyyNU6pvtRYmoEGhjN2MprhKnNIwZyFchA/s320/Clark-Gregg-as-Agent-Phil-Coulson-Marvels-Agents-of-SHIELD-season-3-pic.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Also, Clark Gregg is still clearly enjoying his job and is a joy to watch.</div>
<h2>
Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress (Amazon Prime)</h2>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggiCiVGkF0sdl0UQjxhzOq7T0REdgtaKXFTYlj5Xt051Lows50QUkB6ohpqWeylmbehMcCDC8eI23g74G0DRyhnl00IO8RIXd27jr078DlF6kgtnFh6TKfDGLf2GrJSxwE29qSfA/s1600/kab1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggiCiVGkF0sdl0UQjxhzOq7T0REdgtaKXFTYlj5Xt051Lows50QUkB6ohpqWeylmbehMcCDC8eI23g74G0DRyhnl00IO8RIXd27jr078DlF6kgtnFh6TKfDGLf2GrJSxwE29qSfA/s400/kab1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Elevator pitch for this show: "It's <i>Attack on Titan</i>, but with zombie mobs instead of naked giants, and it's set in a steampunk late Tokugawa Japan where most of the action takes place one of the armored supply trains for the rail system that keeps the last few human outposts connected."<br />
<br />
The execution is, at best, fair. Writing seems to be done by folks given the directive: "use the formula we know works for <i>shounen </i>[teenage boy-marketed] <i>anime </i>for the elevator pitch you just heard. Do not, under any circumstances, take any risks with plot or characterization or otherwise give the audience something they likely have not seen before in another <i>anime</i>."<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFxXzK4NbwHdQt15jOaFbaOMSz4gMGzujQGCh4FabRM5cJbM2OoJFzwX0s-dWJ9mhUU6KFfBehjc9uUqr4a67kJpibtnCE_LVSW-js6qGHht71E5WOLptkluyxl8R5rR72p5xpaQ/s1600/178f2f389c405fa37d96bb766fb0c453.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFxXzK4NbwHdQt15jOaFbaOMSz4gMGzujQGCh4FabRM5cJbM2OoJFzwX0s-dWJ9mhUU6KFfBehjc9uUqr4a67kJpibtnCE_LVSW-js6qGHht71E5WOLptkluyxl8R5rR72p5xpaQ/s400/178f2f389c405fa37d96bb766fb0c453.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's always magical zombies with glowing hearts covered in some sort of difficult-to-penetrate metal alloy. isn't it?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I could go on and give details, but it would really be a waste of your brain space. It's not good.</div>
<h2>
Penny Dreadful (Netflix)</h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYjdslYF8NzibxQq1W9fytIf6nS4XAUxGj0FkOxeCIOsB3LL_7Lqj8B1B0gHs5Gg5aTekBQoVIKqIMJ_4gGUziBkmAK51UggpjSJQwFuZxgmCHYNvRYaMGpDq56uokyvgTt0obFg/s1600/16003159679_059e0e6528_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYjdslYF8NzibxQq1W9fytIf6nS4XAUxGj0FkOxeCIOsB3LL_7Lqj8B1B0gHs5Gg5aTekBQoVIKqIMJ_4gGUziBkmAK51UggpjSJQwFuZxgmCHYNvRYaMGpDq56uokyvgTt0obFg/s320/16003159679_059e0e6528_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="http://tvsluts.blogspot.com/2014/05/penny-not-quite-dreadful-but-working-on.html" target="_blank">This was reviewed before on this blog</a>, but I actually like it a little more.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Let's not get too excited: I don't love <i>Penny Dreadful</i> as high art. I like it as a television version of a gothic horror (which also has influence from - and name-checks - the Grand Guignol style of gory theater) acted by people who are capable of much more substantial work than being "morally compromised supernatural evil-hunting team."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And that's what <i>Penny Dreadful</i> is -- Timothy Dalton plays the rich African explorer father of Mina Harker -- yes, <u>that</u> Mina Harker -- who assembles a semi-random team of dangerous misfits to rescue his daughter from a vampire. They are:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>the African explorer's mysterious African warrior butler/something (Danny Sapiani)</li>
<li>demon-possessed psychic childhood friend of Mina (Eva Green)</li>
<li>American gunslinger whose dark secret would be only revealed in the last episode of the first season if it wasn't spoiled by the credits sequence (Josh Hartnett)</li>
<li>Dr. Victor Frankenstein -- yes, <u>that</u> Dr. Frankenstein (Harry Treadway)</li>
</ul>
<div>
In a parallel plotline, for reasons I can't quite understand, there's Dorian Gray (Reeve Carney); yes, the Oscar Wilde one with the painting. He seems to be there mostly to create multiple romantic issues with Josh Hartnett's character; Gray has sex with two women Ethan Chandler (Hartnett) is romantically entangled with, plus Chandler himself. I don't think this spoils much in the first season because, as I said, Dorian Gray has no direct relationship to the main plot. </div>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6I4FE-4VNCU9HHMyXVm3pO08zwQJaGQCUTRqY_sBUmx0HQTYt5hS0oV2DAcTejelKQA0ySZgXJxYUU5VCf8uB5wB6_5Bgdtt9zSb5X-nkvZgeofnnizh63AuSFPrD1BjuPUdqTg/s1600/penny-dreadful-gay-kiss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6I4FE-4VNCU9HHMyXVm3pO08zwQJaGQCUTRqY_sBUmx0HQTYt5hS0oV2DAcTejelKQA0ySZgXJxYUU5VCf8uB5wB6_5Bgdtt9zSb5X-nkvZgeofnnizh63AuSFPrD1BjuPUdqTg/s320/penny-dreadful-gay-kiss.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's Ethan Chandler and Dorian Gray making out. While there is a bunch of male full-frontal nudity in this show, sadly not of these guys. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Also, Billie Piper is in this as a prostitute dying of consumption. She needs a better post-<i>Doctor Who</i> agent. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
As I said above, this show is sort of an update of gothic horror and Grand Guignol; the point is not that it's <u>good</u>, it's that it's constantly entertaining or at least shocking in a visceral way. There is a plot and there is dialogue. As the previous blogger on this beat noted, neither are particularly compelling (although the pacing of the story is good). But the production values, the acting, and the fact that everyone making this is taking it seriously instead of winking at the audience somehow raise it above "dumb" to "weirdly fun." </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27899397.post-26956992547198711862016-06-07T10:10:00.001-04:002016-06-07T10:10:30.029-04:00The Magicians' Best Trick is in Being Actually Pretty Good<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Okay, I’ve got a story for you. Imagine, if you will, a
young man named Quentin Coldwater who discovers that he has been accepted to study
magic at a mysterious school and join the ranks of the world’s magicians, those
who can work actual magic. Along the way, Quentin and his friends begin to
discover that a beloved series of children’s books about adorable English
orphans who escape to a magical land may, in fact, be based on reality. Of
course, nothing is as it seems and while our heroes learn more about their
powers, they become aware that a dark and powerful force is watching and coming
for them.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I know, right? Can totally see where all this is going. The
premise will sound achingly familiar to anyone who has even glanced in the
direction of the fantasy section at Barnes & Noble. Nonetheless, SyFy’s <i>The Magicians</i>, based on the series of
books of the same name by Lev Grossman, has finished its first season. And,
actually? It’s pretty good. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://televisionpromos.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/The-Magicians-Syfy-TV-series-logo-740x416.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://televisionpromos.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/The-Magicians-Syfy-TV-series-logo-740x416.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Accio</i> Preppy Girl!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
What makes <i>The
Magicians</i>’ story more interesting than what you might expect is that it
actually does a fair job avoiding the well-worn tropes of fantasy. Some things
remain, of course. There’s still an overly-powerful villain bent on doing bad
things; the merry band of adventurers must still come together to save the
land; there are, natch, talking animals. But where both the books and TV series
succeed is in striking out on some new ground.
Unlike most fantasy stories, Quentin is not a chosen one. The books go
out of their way to explain that there are no prophesies, no special destinies
to be fulfilled. In fact, <i>anyone</i> can
do magic if they are smart enough, focused enough, and possess some latent
skill for it. Add to this that Quentin’s fellow students are far from the
precocious mainstays that seem to pass through Hogwarts. They’re loud, drunk,
hedonistic, complicated, a little giddy about how cool it is that they can do
magic. When the books were published they were somewhat derisively referred to
as “hipster Harry Potter”, which wasn’t altogether unfair. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
All that gritty real life is on full display in the show.
Brakebills University is the college to Hogwarts’ primary and secondary school
and as such, the characters are that much older and more adult-acting. There’s
no wondering about which students are having illicit romantic liaisons with
each other; like many college students, these characters are fully in
possession of their sex lives and their extra-curricular interests, most of
which come in the form of intoxicants both literal (alcohol) and metaphorical
(SyFy’s tagline for the show, after all, is “Magic is a drug”).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.syfy.com/sites/syfy/files/styles/syfy_episode_recap_full_breakpoints_theme_syfy_tablet_narrow_1x/public/TheMagicians_blog_inside_101_102_01.jpg?itok=UJsXxuVl" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.syfy.com/sites/syfy/files/styles/syfy_episode_recap_full_breakpoints_theme_syfy_tablet_narrow_1x/public/TheMagicians_blog_inside_101_102_01.jpg?itok=UJsXxuVl" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Levitation sex is totally a thing.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
That reality sometimes comes crashing in on itself. A lot
of folk attempted to read the books and couldn’t make it through the first one.
This was largely due to how epic of an entitled, whiney jerk Quentin is but
also because, frankly, does anyone really need another jaded-eyed novel about
how excruciating it is to be young, pretty, powerful, and yet feel bored and unfulfilled?
That was pretty much the entire point of <i>Gossip
Girl</i>, but at least that story knew it was a satire. Here’s one area where <i>The Magicians</i> the show outshines <i>The Magicians</i> the book: the characters
are actually interesting and the entire narrative thrust isn’t solely focused
on alternately mocking fantasy stories while trying to weave an all-too-knowing
narrative about privilege into the fabric. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Another area where the show succeeds is by significantly
venturing from the book’s established plot, taking a page from <i>Game of Thrones</i>’ book. While fans of the
book will recognize similar set pieces and plots, as well as a general
agreement in narrative direction, the show contains a number of differences,
some directly related to the outcome of the plot. Again, like <i>Game of Thrones</i>, characters that survive
in the books are killed off early in the show. Other characters are created out
of whole cloth, merged, or altered significantly. Case in point: Margo, a fellow
student at Brakebills who’s name in the book is Janet. While Margo and Janet as
characters are certainly echoes of each other, the very fact of Margo’s name is
something of an Easter Egg that hints at a major difference in the end of the
season. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The biggest change, however, is the inclusion of Julia,
Quentin’s classmate/best friend/crush object since forever. Julia’s presence in
the first book is almost non-existent; she’s seen in the first few pages and
then vanishes for the rest of the story only to turn up at the very end of the
book radically different from how she was at the start. We as readers don’t get
her story until book two. The series instead interweaves Quentin’s formal magical
learning at the storied and WASP-y Bakebills with Julia’s much more dangerous
street-level education as hedge witch. Not only does this change give us as
viewers a much richer sense of the world of magic and how deeply it runs, but
it also allows us to see the development of Julia’s character in a way that
lets her claim her own story. <o:p></o:p></div>
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</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YhWHygulsIDBUJYg6EI4rnWKrtE=/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/5933439/the-magicians-episode-101-screenshot-02_1200.0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YhWHygulsIDBUJYg6EI4rnWKrtE=/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/5933439/the-magicians-episode-101-screenshot-02_1200.0.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Today, finger sparks. Tomorrow, I dunno. More levitation, maybe?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Generally, the show suffers in the areas that a lot of
shows suffer during their inaugural seasons. The pacing of the first few
episodes is particularly clunky, veering headlong into plot points that
probably should have been spaced out a bit while lingering on others that
didn’t need more than a mention or two. The writers also seem to have a hard
time grasping the characters voices initially. Penny, a sometimes foil to Quentin, is cast as a rebel and a verbal
flame thrower, but instead of coming off nuanced in the first few episodes he
just lands on unrepentant jerk. <o:p></o:p>Alice, the Hermione Granger of the group, is done up in Hollywood “smart girl” drag, which is to say she wears glasses and plaid skirts and high collars is given lines to emphasize how socially awkward she is.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn.collider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/the-magicians-penny-alice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://cdn.collider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/the-magicians-penny-alice.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Could be worse. At least she's not studying Communications.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The show also sometimes seems to forget its own mission
statements. Remember how I said in the books Quentin was not a chosen one?
Well, the show gets a little wobbly on that bit. Quentin isn’t portrayed as
having some kind of grand destiny, but a twist in the plot that is missing from
the books does imbue Quentin with a bit more importance than his written
counterpart ever had. Likewise, the choice to showcase how different Julia and
Quentin’s education is ends up being underlined a bit too much, right down to
the cold, washed out colors Julia’s sequences are filmed in contrasting with
Quentin’s highly saturated, vivid experience. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
What the show does right, however, is start to course
correct after the first few hours which is where I kind of started to fall in
love with it despite its initial faults. Given that the books showcase a story
that is so transparently about privilege, it is ironic to have a cast that is
just…so…white. The show improves on this, adding more diversity to the cast and
fleshing out the supporting characters from the book more specifically.
Students Penny and Eliot benefit most from this approach with Penny portrayed
by Indian American actor Arjun Gupta and Eliot, the sole LGBT character in the
series who also is the only one in the book to have literally NO romantic
interactions with anyone, given a relationship to develop in the show. (Viewers
may find that relationship, shall we say, “problematic”, but that’s another
point.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://36.media.tumblr.com/af23968668230d6ffddf0bb8ee5c7b23/tumblr_o26ivdPTeg1sqt8mvo1_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://36.media.tumblr.com/af23968668230d6ffddf0bb8ee5c7b23/tumblr_o26ivdPTeg1sqt8mvo1_1280.jpg" height="199" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seriously. Eliot rocks. His entire magical motivation is basically gin.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
What you end up with is a first season that starts off
wobbly but finds its legs over time. The show has a little more creative
freedom to play with and gets to include new story elements that the books,
oddly, never found time for. Also worth mentioning is that the showrunner is Sera
Gamble, who was the showrunner for most of the good seasons of <i>Supernatural</i>. The show is eminently
binge-able and has already been renewed for a second season, making it perfect
for your summer TV watching. <o:p></o:p></div>
Clovishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09630640582674493366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27899397.post-46003723283847063712016-05-06T13:49:00.001-04:002016-05-06T13:49:26.944-04:00Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Season 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So, as this blog's resident always-watching-Netflix correspondent, I watched the second season of <i>Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt</i>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpVO7FRiSqONwHY32nDHtXFcUh5h0d_48600jP2-eK1nLU5tTUtBygJJESIvlw0hPHSE0lFmM7PEtM9imlrXrwFDT4BDQYdqwF5oPK58ErdCFW_J_FfN7kNmGaE9cBjabqy55aSw/s1600/unbreakable-kimmy-schmidt-season-2-poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpVO7FRiSqONwHY32nDHtXFcUh5h0d_48600jP2-eK1nLU5tTUtBygJJESIvlw0hPHSE0lFmM7PEtM9imlrXrwFDT4BDQYdqwF5oPK58ErdCFW_J_FfN7kNmGaE9cBjabqy55aSw/s320/unbreakable-kimmy-schmidt-season-2-poster.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>
Did you watch the first season? No? Go do that right now! This blog post will wait.<br />
<br />
Okay, okay, I'll recap the first season, quickly.<br />
<br />
After being kidnapped and held for 14 years in Rev. Richard Wayne Gary Wayne's (Jon Hamm at his sleaziest) underground bunker, Kimmy Schmidt (Ellie Kemper) decides to make a new life for herself in New York City. Having no knowledge of the outside world or life since the age of 14, Kimmy finds herself in a series of fish-out-of-water situations, many involving her job as an assistant/nanny/maid to self-obsessed trophy wife Jacqueline Voorhees (Jane Krakowski). Helping her in their own inimitable way are Kimmy's roommate and decades-long aspirant to Broadway, Titus Andromedon (Tituss Burgess), and landlord Lillian Kaushtupper (Carol Kane).<br />
<br />
Tina Fey is a co-creator and producer of this series, and so it goes at <i>30 Rock</i> speed with gags. It's pretty funny; although occasionally a joke falls flat, most are great.<br />
<br />
While the first season was about Kimmy getting settled in NYC and getting the Reverend convicted for his crimes, this one is about the growth of three of the main characters:<br />
<br />
1) Kimmy:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVq04STwJQQM2lCEWCXw5b8CTOLFDeFlx5OSZt03ENo573CqAgJ1cu-WMfNhLF9NScac7S08DE8SKKWn8q5h3jqsRyrosEXZZt8uxapz3LebaZcLIPhHROEW24Qzbwp-UIFhZm_w/s1600/unbreakable-kimmy-schmidt-season-2-trailer-00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVq04STwJQQM2lCEWCXw5b8CTOLFDeFlx5OSZt03ENo573CqAgJ1cu-WMfNhLF9NScac7S08DE8SKKWn8q5h3jqsRyrosEXZZt8uxapz3LebaZcLIPhHROEW24Qzbwp-UIFhZm_w/s320/unbreakable-kimmy-schmidt-season-2-trailer-00.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kimmy is a Christmas store employee this season.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Dealing with the psychological effects of what's happened to her instead of repressing them. Tina Fey, in a cameo as her therapist, tells her that she has Robert Durst (Fred Armisen -yes, there's a running Robert Durst gag this season) stress burps.<br />
<br />
2) Titus getting out of his lonely rut - Titus starts dating and works to advance his career, instead of just filming bad raps about "black penis" in abandoned warehouses (if you haven't seen Season 1, that's a great episode).<br />
<br />
3) Jacqueline, now divorced, tries to figure out what she should do now that she's no longer Upper West Side rich. Also, Jane Krakowski and Anna Camp go "rich white woman war" against each other:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUmxPds3pzTCxjmfLtgotkpNgG6QtNV_-kBtFM8a4AioM_3GXbL4KPDCBMb_LLZH-O-80gqELUU6XedQCjS8SzJ1-1o0wrFRZsArQfBI2OAQyaRxoEAwwhmof4bTp-U7Qt6VkjWQ/s1600/ab0abea0-df1f-0133-bd8f-0a236b01d063.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUmxPds3pzTCxjmfLtgotkpNgG6QtNV_-kBtFM8a4AioM_3GXbL4KPDCBMb_LLZH-O-80gqELUU6XedQCjS8SzJ1-1o0wrFRZsArQfBI2OAQyaRxoEAwwhmof4bTp-U7Qt6VkjWQ/s320/ab0abea0-df1f-0133-bd8f-0a236b01d063.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Seriously, Anna Camp is at her cheerful psychotic best here (3rd best - <i>True Blood</i>, 2nd Best - <i>Pitch Perfect, Pitch Perfect 2</i>). </div>
<br />
While all this self-discovery is happening, Lillian is trying to keep the neighborhood from being gentrified by hipster types like <i>Girls'</i> Zosia Mamet:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0KAHwAu1MQazc_fml-KC5zWCYI8rhh5HloEb6SVkYcF6SgTG7UWeczLCmyXr1eQhsfhDR4yB_zWu7HMpkkOEK5gdD-UnYgfJ7ujb3lcccKsZaCdyx-t5ZJQNpeYiC8xdxa6W4Mg/s1600/unbreakable-kimmy-schmidt-zosia-mamet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0KAHwAu1MQazc_fml-KC5zWCYI8rhh5HloEb6SVkYcF6SgTG7UWeczLCmyXr1eQhsfhDR4yB_zWu7HMpkkOEK5gdD-UnYgfJ7ujb3lcccKsZaCdyx-t5ZJQNpeYiC8xdxa6W4Mg/s320/unbreakable-kimmy-schmidt-zosia-mamet.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Pizza rat makes an appearance. A homeless guy nicknamed "Methadone Charlie" makes several appearances. Ice-T gives a eulogy for a man who played a body in several <i>Law and Order</i> episodes.<br />
<br />
Oh, and Amy Sedaris is in it, too. Her character briefly impersonates Sia:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2jEolkPoL8YqsX1OxFpj5-YO6PrFQ1DI92gWX5Fw4qdN90SMDQC4xfxsqz7M8Kl-KoGRQrMMVrEeSDvvy2XxgJeNtqMLefd2NScUe6DKIXCHNMKPHZfiBWgKkLd7s-UxaKhFQ1Q/s1600/sia-jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2jEolkPoL8YqsX1OxFpj5-YO6PrFQ1DI92gWX5Fw4qdN90SMDQC4xfxsqz7M8Kl-KoGRQrMMVrEeSDvvy2XxgJeNtqMLefd2NScUe6DKIXCHNMKPHZfiBWgKkLd7s-UxaKhFQ1Q/s320/sia-jpg.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I found the second season to build well on the first. It's hard for me to explain why the second season works without ruining half the jokes; like <i>30 Rock</i>, it's a dense cluster of references and running gags, hearing a knock-off song to the tune of "I Believe I Can Fly" ends up being a hilarious gag in context, but I don't want to ruin the episode for you by explaining the context.</div>
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If there's a flaw to this season, is that the show is not subtle. At all. There are episodes with definite political points of view:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>The episode where Tina Fey clearly wants to tweak all the people who complained about ethnic portrayals in last season without engaging the actual art itself, by having Titus reenact his past life as a geisha as a one-man show:</li>
</ul>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWT_hBZLtPeofOEDSm6Oiq5fI1MH53VWcJxXwKDHreKtyobvNNLph3bDkqFk0H4dHQyiYUCgeiwoYGJq7adkbNaiYYn5b37hf_zKt2fS4FE6b2RDcyZR_F4xKk-0raU8YLL8xXnA/s1600/15-uks-titus-geisha.w1200.h630.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWT_hBZLtPeofOEDSm6Oiq5fI1MH53VWcJxXwKDHreKtyobvNNLph3bDkqFk0H4dHQyiYUCgeiwoYGJq7adkbNaiYYn5b37hf_zKt2fS4FE6b2RDcyZR_F4xKk-0raU8YLL8xXnA/s320/15-uks-titus-geisha.w1200.h630.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As a high tenor, Tituss Burgess can sing the heck out of the Takeda lullaby.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<ul>
<li>Drugs to kids who are merely hard-to-handle, but not actually mentally ill, is a super-bad idea.</li>
<li>Washington, D.C.'s football team has a racist name and its owners are horrible people.</li>
</ul>
<div>
Depending on how sympathetic you are to these arguments, those episodes will be more or less funny to you. I thought most of them were hilarious, plus David Cross (who I have often found unwatchable outside of <i>Arrested Development</i>) has a great performance.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27899397.post-13939184187480626712016-05-05T14:29:00.000-04:002016-05-05T14:29:07.811-04:00Serving Up Cake and Pie Realness<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Okay, confession: I’m not all sci-fi and comic books and
depressing, dreary futurism. While the majority of my television habits
definitely veer toward the, shall we say, anti-transcendental, I actually do
have a profoundly lighter sensibility as well. Like a nice crème brulee, even
my hardened exterior can sometimes crack and you can see the gooey, sweet
center. My guilty pleasure is that there are actually some reality shows that I
enjoy and key among them is that fluffiest of confections from our cousins
overseas, <i>The Great British Bake Off</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I love baking. I love figuring out how to put all these
weird ingredients together in a way that will taste new and interesting. I love
figuring out how it is that the right combination of certain elements mixed
together will change their shape and properties. Basically, baking is like
chemistry, but there’s a winner. Turn that philosophy into a literal
competition and then add a dash of utterly charming hosts and I’m sold. Basta.
Game over. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.sunnation.co.uk/s3/sunnation-prod/uploads/2015/08/1800084-high_res-the-great-british-bake-offjpg-JS18997105.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.sunnation.co.uk/s3/sunnation-prod/uploads/2015/08/1800084-high_res-the-great-british-bake-offjpg-JS18997105.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How many baking metaphors do we think I can work into this post?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
For those not in the know, <i>The Great British Bake Off</i> is a competition series from BBC Two
that has been running for six years. The tropes of all reality television are
firmly entrenched – each season has around 12 amateur contestants who compete
each week for two judges. Each week, one baker is eliminated until eventually
someone wins. Sadly for those of us in the US, only one season is readily
available without resorting to, ahem, unsavory means. Part of this stems from
the fact that the phrase “bake off” is actually trademarked in the United
States and owned by Pillsbury. More on that later.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In each show, contestants complete three challenges: a
signature challenge where bakers show off something they are practiced at
making, a technical challenge where bakers are tasked with creating something
new with limited instructions and/or ingredients designed to test their skills,
and a showstopper challenge where bakers are tasked with coming up with
something that is both professional looking and tastes outstanding. Each bake
is judged by two judges, Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://home.bt.com/images/the-7-absolute-best-moments-from-the-great-british-bake-off-2015-semi-final-136400817307603901-150930212841.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://home.bt.com/images/the-7-absolute-best-moments-from-the-great-british-bake-off-2015-semi-final-136400817307603901-150930212841.jpg" height="177" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Delightful British charm included.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Assisting the process is Mel and Sue, the show’s
presenters who not only introduce each of the challenges but interact with the
contestants during their bakes. Mel and Sue are noted mostly for their humor and
encouraging nature (“There are two ways to make a Swiss roll,” they tell
contestants in one episode. “First of all, you push Roger Federer down a hill.
Secondly, a lovely thing involving sponge and jam.”), though they have
detractors as well. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn.images.express.co.uk/img/dynamic/20/590x/secondary/Bake-Off-320759.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://cdn.images.express.co.uk/img/dynamic/20/590x/secondary/Bake-Off-320759.jpg" height="189" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mostly from people who hate life.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Certainly there is no shortage of cooking competitions in
the US or England for that matter. What sets <i>The Great British Bake Off</i> apart from the rest, however, is the
general tone of the show. You guys, it’s so… fricking… <i>nice.</i> We are conditioned to watch competitions for the drama
produced. American audiences in particular expect to see backstabbing!
Alliances! Tears! Egos! <i>Bake Off</i>
refreshingly eschews all of that. Contestants are kind to one another. They
help each other out. There is no incentive to gang up on each other and force
someone out of the competition. It’s telling that in six years of production,
there has really only been one “oh no she better don’t” moment (somewhat
affectionately referred to as “bin-gate” by devotees) showcased on the show. In
fact, the most interpersonal tension the show has really managed to cook up is
the occasional “smutty remarks” from show presenters Mel and Sue. And isn’t
that about the most English form of protest you can imagine?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/styles/story_medium/public/thumbnails/image/2014/09/25/09/martha-bake-off.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/styles/story_medium/public/thumbnails/image/2014/09/25/09/martha-bake-off.jpg" height="196" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pressure to be nice and kind to one another while under a deadline is INTENSE!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Even the setting, typically in a large baking tent is
some utterly lovely English glade, is tailor-made for avoiding the traditional
lighting and sound effects that create dramatic tension on so many other
reality shows. It’s all so… healthy.
Which is ironic, given the metric ton of sugars and fats present in each
episode. Which leads to the other thing about the show that is so lovely; the
food. Seriously, you guys. This is food porn of the highest quality. Behold:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://assets.goodhousekeeping.co.uk/main/embedded/17626/Nancy_great_british_bake_off_winner_-_baked_alaska_-_star_baker_final_-_good_housekeeping.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://assets.goodhousekeeping.co.uk/main/embedded/17626/Nancy_great_british_bake_off_winner_-_baked_alaska_-_star_baker_final_-_good_housekeeping.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/08/07/article-2718971-2050770800000578-354_634x356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/08/07/article-2718971-2050770800000578-354_634x356.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/styles/story_medium/public/thumbnails/image/2014/08/28/08/diana.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/styles/story_medium/public/thumbnails/image/2014/08/28/08/diana.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.newstatesman.com/sites/default/files/styles/nodeimage/public/blogs_2015/10/9360204-low_res-the-great-british-bake-off.jpg?itok=wcG2suLO" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.newstatesman.com/sites/default/files/styles/nodeimage/public/blogs_2015/10/9360204-low_res-the-great-british-bake-off.jpg?itok=wcG2suLO" height="200" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.armchairanglophile.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/bakeoff-14_3066651c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.armchairanglophile.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/bakeoff-14_3066651c.jpg" height="199" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This is basically straight up hardcore porn for me. #sorrynotsorry</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
So why has a show so remarkably delicious not taken off in the US?
Well, partially due to legal concerns. As mentioned earlier, Pillsbury owns the
rights to the phrase “bake off” in the US, forcing the show when it has aired
in the States to air under the name <i>The
Great British Baking Show</i>. A US version was attempted in 2013 called <i>The American Baking Competition</i>, which
should be a case study in exactly how to use marketing to utterly water down a
title. The show was hosted by Jeff Foxworthy, for reasons surpassing
understanding, and imported Paul Hollywood but not Mary Berry. Which was
clearly another wrong step. The show failed to find an audience, likely not
only due to its lack of the same English charm as its parent show, but also due
to its comparatively undramatic nature. Because this is America and we can’t
have nice things. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
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Still, do yourself a favor and watch this damn show. It’s
just so ridiculously charming. And enjoy watching the loads and loads of baked
goods assembled before your eyes, ever alluring, ever unobtainable, ever interfering with your summer beach goals. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Clovishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09630640582674493366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27899397.post-18220332464457799972016-04-13T11:13:00.000-04:002016-04-13T11:13:29.959-04:00TV Sluts Threeway, OJ Simpson Edition<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p><i>Hello, Readers! As we are wont to do from time to time, your TV Sluts have joined forces to collectively discuss </i>The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story<i>. The miniseries, the latest from Ryan Murphy and co. and following up on the success of </i>American Horror Story,<i> profiles the trail surrounding the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman in 1995. What did we think of it? Find out... </i></o:p></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.tenplay.com.au/~/media/TV%20Shows/The%20People%20V%20OJ%20Simpson/PeopleVsOJ_Logo_500x281.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://images.tenplay.com.au/~/media/TV%20Shows/The%20People%20V%20OJ%20Simpson/PeopleVsOJ_Logo_500x281.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Please let there be aliens... please let there be aliens...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">Arsenic Pie: SLUTS ASSEMBLE<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">Maggie Cats: WOOHOO. That's
the secret; we're always slutty.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Clovis: <span style="color: #263238;">Slutty, slutty
assembling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">AP: But we are not always
assembled and not always slutty in the same place in time and space. Who would
like to begin?</span> <span style="color: #263238;">BECAUSE OMG<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: General thoughts?</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
C: <span style="color: #263238;">So much racism! So much
sexism!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
AP: <span style="color: #263238;">It was, much like the
case itself, a train wreck. In that I could not look away. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: I remember when the trial
was happening, I think I was...14? But most of the broader cultural implications
were completely lost on me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">AP: Also: Kato!! What what
what was he on?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
C: <span style="color: #263238;">Kato was criminally (see
what I did there?) underused.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">AP: I see what you did, and I
appreciate it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
MC: <span style="color: #263238;">That pun was a crime.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">AP: Yeah, I remember it all
happening, but I also paid zero attention to it. If punning you is wrong, I
don't want to be right!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
C: <span style="color: #263238;">I remember classes in my
high school shutting down so that we could watch the verdict being delivered.
Even in small town lily-white MI, it was a thing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: I think the main things I
took away from the show was how ridiculously underprepared the prosecution was
for the defense's strategy and how Marcia Clark was eviscerated in the media.
Basically for being a woman. That enraged me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #263238;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://digitalspyuk.cdnds.net/16/05/1024x768/gallery-1454417589-tv-the-people-vs-oj-simpson-sarah-paulson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://digitalspyuk.cdnds.net/16/05/1024x768/gallery-1454417589-tv-the-people-vs-oj-simpson-sarah-paulson.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
AP: <span style="color: #263238;">Well, that hairdo was
pretty bad. I had no idea she was a rape victim.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: Me neither! I wonder if
that came out in the book she wrote after the trial.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">AP: And I also didn't
remember/know that a tabloid published a nekked photo of her. Because what do
you do when there's a lady lawyer? You slut shame her OBVS.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
C: <span style="color: #263238;">Duh. Ladies practicing
law? Pshaw! Who ever heard of such a thing?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #263238;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/103655392110896941160/about" target="_blank"></a><u><span style="color: blue; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
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<span style="color: #263238;">AP: Next you'll tell me they
let the womenfolk do the doctorin’. That just ain't natural.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: Seriously. It kind of
opened my eyes to the progress we have made even in the last few decades. Though
stuff like this still happens, but nowadays I think there would be backlash.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">C: I was really glad to see
how they treated Marcia Clark as a character. Which is to say, I thought they
showed really well that she was always in a
damned-if-she-does-damned-if-she-doesn't place.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: I absolutely agree. Any
character with <i>Kiss From a Rose</i> as
their theme song is OK by me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">C: Oh Man, we need to talk
about the wondrous ‘90s music employed in this show. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">AP: I was also interested in
the way they portrayed her. They showed her as someone who was really trying to
do her job and get at the truth, and not as a famewhore. Who was Johnnie
Cochran. Who is the biggest famewhore in the history of famewhores BT Dubs. And
that actor’s portrayal was spot on. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #263238;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://media.vanityfair.com/photos/56a66ebf78cdcff42c052b09/master/h_590,c_limit/people-vs-actors-oj-simpson-ss04.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://media.vanityfair.com/photos/56a66ebf78cdcff42c052b09/master/h_590,c_limit/people-vs-actors-oj-simpson-ss04.png" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Real life v. Hollywood. Brother from another mother?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="color: #263238;">MC: Absolutely. She did an
impossible job AND was in the middle of a custody battle. That's brutal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
C: <span style="color: #263238;">Agreed, but I also liked
that Johnnie Cochran was a complex character himself. Like, he was a total
famewhore, but one who did have a very clear guiding principle that wasn't just
around his own self-aggrandizement. (Though, that obviously was a factor as
well.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: The guy who played
Cochran [Courtney B. Vance] has been in a lot of Law & Orders and is always
great. I was psyched when I saw he was playing that role.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">AP: I remember when I started
watching it, I looked up who was playing Cochran because he nailed it. He
was really the stand-out for me, acting-wise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
C: Totally. <span style="color: #263238;">I had to keep
reminding myself that he wasn't actually Johnnie Cochran. And on the other end
of the spectrum WTF John Travolta?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">AP: I know, right! Oh, he was
baaaaaad.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: OMG that was so weird! Sarah
Paulson for me was the real stand out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">AP: Yes, she was excellent. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: Was Travolta supposed to
be bad though? Like, was that the character? He was just so swarmy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
C: <span style="color: #263238;">It was like watching a demented
sad clown trying to be a lawyer. Krusty would have been a better choice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">AP: I am so over Travolta. And
was he wearing a bad make-up job or is that is face now?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
MC: <span style="color: #263238;">He is plastic fantastic. I
actually thought he was fabulous as that character; but that's because we
aren't supposed to like that guy either.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">AP: It was a departure for
him, but I can't say I'm a fan of his acting. Just kind of chewed the scenery a
bit. It was a bit too much.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/KkuaTmDoMAA/maxresdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/KkuaTmDoMAA/maxresdefault.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pennywise wasn't this disturbing.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/104060583104711934175/about" target="_blank"></a><u><span style="color: blue; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: CAN WE PLEASE TALK ABOUT
DAVID SCHWIMMER? He was great. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">AP: YES! YES WE CAN BECAUSE
HOLY SHIT ROSS IS ROBERT KARDASHIAN!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: "Juice...Juice..."
It was crazy. So basically OJ Simpson is responsible for the Kardashians.
THANKS,OJ.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">AP: And that is why OJ is
currently in prison. He *was* good, I have to say. But I was always distracted
by his skunk hair. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: That's what that guy's
hair looked like though!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">AP: No wonder Kris cheated.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
C: <span style="color: #263238;">What did you guys think of
the decision to incorporate the Kardashians into the story? Obviously, they're
trying to say something about what fame does to people.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: I had read the
showrunners were specifically setting out to show the cultural impact of the
trial. Example: Kato.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">C: And the Kardashians are
obviously one of the biggest components of that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://imagesmtv-a.akamaihd.net/uri/mgid:file:http:shared:mtv.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/giphy-1455734794.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://imagesmtv-a.akamaihd.net/uri/mgid:file:http:shared:mtv.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/giphy-1455734794.gif" height="142" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Next season on <i>American Horror Story</i>...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">AP: I thought the scene with
the little Kardashians was good foreshadowing. Like, you could see Little Kim
plotting to become famous somehow. Overall, you could see that the show was
addressing the cultural shift.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: It certainly did not
paint a flattering portrait of most of the LA rich people.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">AP: It was kind of the first
time there was wall-to-wall coverage of a murder case, and it wasn't because
people were interested in it legally or wanted to see justice done, they just
wanted to be entertained, and the media complied.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
C: <span style="color: #263238;">Agreed.</span> <span style="color: #263238;">It seems to me that the big takeaways the show wanted us to,
well, take away were the danger in obsession with fame, the problem with
putting justice essentially to a public vote, and the very real and very much
still pervasive mistreatment of minorities by white people in power.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: Absolutely. The whole
thing had a "last days of Rome" feel to it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">AP: It was bread and circuses
all the way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: Everyone had a stake and
an opinion on it. It was like a perfect storm with the race issues, celebrity,
and salaciousness. Fo sho<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">C: I mean, Chris Darden's
last speech to Johnnie Cochran even lays it out when he says "[the police]
are still going to keep right on killing us." They may as well have had a
flash forward to a Black Lives Matter march.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">AP: And don't forget the
domestic violence angle. Because yes, the cops were racist. And yes, Mark
Furhrman is kind of a Nazi. But that doesn't take away from the fact that OJ
beat and terrorized Nicole.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
MC: <span style="color: #263238;">Since I didn't follow the
actual case closely as a kid, a lot of the facts of the crime were a surprise
to me. Like how the LAPD failed at every possible step of the way. The prior
beatings and abuse were a shock to me as well. It was so awful.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">AP: They completely
failed. That was one part of the case I knew about. I knew about that and
the glove, and that was about it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: I think the show also
worked to keep the focus on the victims, something the trial was not able to
do. Like, "hello? Remember the people who were brutally murdered?"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
C: <span style="color: #263238;">But weirdly, we never saw
the victims. Which, for a Ryan Murphy show, I was really surprised by given
that he never met a bloody body scene he didn’t love to film. We see flashes of
two bodies in the first episode, but never their faces. It’s not until the show
ends that we even see any representation of Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">AP: I actually thought that
was a good choice. It was respectful to the victims not to cast them as Body 1
and Body 2. It was better to just let the real victims be...the victims.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
C: <span style="color: #263238;">It seemed to me like the
show was trying to make a point about how much the actual victims were left
behind in this process.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: Totally agree. This was
actually the strongest Ryan Murphy show I have seen. I think because it was
limited run, completely mapped out in advance, and based on real events. Keeping
the Dad and sister of Ron (I think?) front and center was smart.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
C: Yeah, <span style="color: #263238;">because he was bound
by facts and couldn't throw in aliens in episode 6. Just for funsies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
AP: <span style="color: #263238;">True or False: Aliens
would have made it that much more intriguing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
C: <span style="color: #263238;">I maintain that John
Travolta was playing his character as an alien. It's the only thing that makes
sense to me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: False. Truth is stranger
than fiction. Also, Hahahaha, word.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">AP: I think we may have a
solid theory going. I mean, Homeboy is a Scientologist. I'm sure he thought
aliens factored into it somehow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: Oh, lord.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
C: <span style="color: #263238;">"Aliens did it"
would actually probably make a more believable defense strategy than the one
they actually presented.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">AP: "If I Did It,"
by OJ Simpson. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4f/If_I_did_It_2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4f/If_I_did_It_2.png" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Please note that this is an actual book. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/104060583104711934175/about" target="_blank"></a><u><span style="color: blue; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: So, I have to ask. Do you
guys think he did it? I have never expressed an opinion because I never thought
I knew enough of the facts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">AP: I still don't think I
know enough of the facts, to really say for sure. I would say he probably did
it, but I also wonder if there wasn't someone else involved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
C: <span style="color: #263238;">I think, based only on
what I know from reading, that yes he definitely did it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: How about this: do you
think OJ believes it was someone else? The way he was portrayed it was like he
honestly didn't know why he was there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">AP: Yes. That I believe. He
might have done it in a fit of rage, and then honestly blacked out. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
C: <span style="color: #263238;">I think OJ probably
doesn't have a realistic impression of his own mind. Which is to say, I think
he knows he did it, but in his head the reasoning for it is so constructed and
explained away and rationalized that he effectively believes that he did not do
something he did.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: I would believe that; or
convinced himself he blacked out. Right--and justified. Since Nicole was
"his." It was creepy how he always called her "my Nicole."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
C: <span style="color: #263238;">That's what makes his
whole case fascinating in my mind: I think he's pretty clearly the killer, but
the case lived and died on the very real issue of institutionalized racism.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
AP: <span style="color: #263238;">And he really got off
because the cops were so incompetent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: It was like, the jury let
this one black man go who actually committed it in response to all the black
men who were convicted and innocent. And, to be fair, that is a legit reason to
get off.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
C: <span style="color: #263238;">For me, the show hit it
best in the last episode in a scene between Johnnie and his wife. His wife
effectively says that OJ very likely did the crime that he was accused of, but
the reason why she's proud of Johnnie is because he shined a light on how
terribly African Americans are treated by the police in this country. Even if
OJ didn’t deserve to go free, the attention his case brought was still a good
thing. The case was an imperfect one, but the issue it raised is one that needs
to be talked about, basically.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.colorlines.com/sites/default/files/images/articles/2011/05/lariotspolice050311.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.colorlines.com/sites/default/files/images/articles/2011/05/lariotspolice050311.jpg" height="205" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Justice, LAPD-style.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/104060583104711934175/about" target="_blank"></a><u><span style="color: blue; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: Our justice system is
designed around the idea it is better to let 10 guilty men free rather than
imprison one innocent man. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">AP: Or the jury may have
believed the defense. They might have actually thought that they knew what cops
were like, and in their minds, it's totally reasonable for cops to plant
evidence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: Which we all know is now
how things go down. I totally agree with Clovis. And like we noted, the police
fucked this up royally.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
C: <span style="color: #263238;">I don't believe that the jury
"threw" the case, for lack of a better word. I'm pretty convinced
that the jury members honestly believed that he did not commit the murders.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">AP: No, I don't think they
threw it either. I think they honestly thought the cops planted evidence. Because
the jury was comprised of African-Americans, and cops have planted things on
African Americans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: Well, you don't have to
believe he was innocent. You just have to have reasonable doubt. I'm not sure I
would have convicted. Even if I believe he did it. Reasonable doubt is not that
high a bar.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
C: <span style="color: #263238;">Exactly. They had enough
experience with the LAPD to easily believe the police were corrupt and that it
wasn't beyond reasonable doubt that they could have framed OJ. Hence,
acquittal. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: The defense definitely
called a lot of the evidence into question; and remember, this was basically
the first high profile use of DNA. There was no CSI. People were like, whaaaaa?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
C: <span style="color: #263238;">Also it shows how you have
to be careful telling a story, right? "Please listen to this long, droning
explanation of science" isn't as compelling for people as "these
racist corrupt cops tried to pull a fast one on you."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: Exactly. The show did a
good job of showing how the jury was totally not getting it--nobody wants to
hear 3 days of some scientist blabbering on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">AP: No, if it's not in
layman's terms, nobody is going to care.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
C: <span style="color: #263238;">So what do we think were the
things the show did best?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">AP: THE CAR CHASE. With OJ
and the gun and the screaming = Hilarious. You can't make this shit up.
That's why it's so good.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://a.abcnews.com/images/Entertainment/AKM_cuba_gooding_jr_jef_150611_16x9_992.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://a.abcnews.com/images/Entertainment/AKM_cuba_gooding_jr_jef_150611_16x9_992.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Traffic on the 405 this morning: Light with a few backups due to fugitive activity. Normal Tuesday, folks!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: It definitely told a
compelling story. And I thought was pretty honest while still being dramatic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">AP: The script was
compelling, and the cast was committed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
C: <span style="color: #263238;">I thought they did a
really good job of taking a period piece and connecting it subtly but solidly
with issues that we're seeing today. And that it didn't have the usual Ryan
Murphy hallmarks of weird shit happening just for fuck's sake.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: For sure; I was
pleasantly surprised by the quality of everything. But it still felt soapy
enough that it was entertaining.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">AP: It was really quite
addictive. Nobody was phoning it in, except Travolta, who was coming to us live
via satellite from his auditing center.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: He was with his alien
overlords so distracted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
C: <span style="color: #263238;">Travolta's thetans really
deserve an Emmy nod for this one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">AP: And he'll have to donate
half his Emmy to the church. And Lord Xenu. And Tom Cruise<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
C: <span style="color: #263238;">IT'S CALLED TITHING AND
HOW ELSE ARE YOU GOING TO GO CLEAR WITHOUT IT?!?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: Don't forget Nathan Lane.
So random! The casting in this was so weird and so awesome.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
C: <span style="color: #263238;">How much fun did Nathan
Lane have playing an uber straight dude? I mean, really?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">AP: I loved Nathan Lane. He
was basically playing Ken Starr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: But David Schwimmer
definitely wins for most random. And great. But I thought he only directed
stuff now. He hasn't been in anything for a while. It was a great role too--I
found his whole arc about doubting OJ's innocence and struggling with that
really compelling. What would you do if you believed your best friend murdered
someone? I mean, we're all cool with it because TV Sluts united forever. But it
must be hard for normal people.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
C: <span style="color: #263238;">We're going to be blogging
from prison, let's face it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">AP: They let you have
internet time in Gitmo, right?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: I bet Arsenic Pie goes
first. She'll get put in the slammer for speeding tickets and they'll ignore
all the real crimes you've committed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">AP: FOR THE LAST TIME,
PUNNING IS NOT A CRIME! You know I'm going to bust some kittens out of a
university science lab and it'll be the big house for AP.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: 20 to life, bitch. You'll
get your comeuppance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">AP: Fortunately, I learned to
fashion a shiv from watching <i>Downton
Abbey</i>. Anyway, back to it, OJ didn't seem like OJ, casting-wise. He's
supposed to be a pro football player, right? Why was the actor they cast so
fucking tiny?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: Well, he HAD been. He was
retired at that point.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">AP: Right, but he didn't shrink.
He was physically too small for the role.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: It's pretty common for
pro athletes to gain a lot of weight after they stop playing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
C: <span style="color: #263238;">I thought Cuba Gooding Jr
did a good job, but agreed that he never quite nailed OJ. Like, he just didn't
quite become the part the way Courtney B Vance did for Johnnie Cochran or Sarah
Paulson did for Marcia Clark.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: I actually think is a
good thing to talk about--because the show didn't seem to want to take a stance
on whether OJ knew he did it or not. So I don't know how much Cuba was given. It's
hard to walk that line. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">AP: He did a good job being
Cuba Gooding Jr. He didn't seem physically imposing at all is my point.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: The first few episodes of
showing how he could get very unbalanced. I would have like to have seen him
rage out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
AP: <span style="color: #263238;">He didn't go all the way
into how scary OJ supposedly could be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://nyppagesix.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/cuba-gooding-jr-oj-simpson-american-crime-story.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=638" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://nyppagesix.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/cuba-gooding-jr-oj-simpson-american-crime-story.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=638" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unclear if this is a compliment to OJ Simpson or an insult to Cuba Gooding Jr.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
C: <span style="color: #263238;">Maybe the reason for that
is because the show was trying to be agnostic about his guilt or innocence. I
mean, it's notable that we never once see any kind of recreation of the night
in question, which would have been easy enough to film.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: Agreed. The audience is
definitely supposed to make up their own mind. So it's difficult for an actor
to play that role when the story never specifically tells him whether he did or
not. He has to be convincing both ways.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
C: <span style="color: #263238;">And that fits with the
idea that the show really isn't that interested in OJ himself, it's interested
in the questions raised by the case (and trial) and what the cultural fallout
from it was.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: BOOM. NAILED IT.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
C: <span style="color: #263238;">Thanks. I am incredible,
aren't I?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: It's this kind of hard
hitting analysis people expect from us. Also poop jokes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">AP: And Scientology jokes. Cuba
did a fine job acting-wise. He just seemed kinda there. Like, he's not as
tall as OJ, and not as muscular, and he didn't have that same
physicality. Which, even if the focus isn't on OJ, OJ should still have
been more of an elephant in the room. He just wasn't.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2016/03/16/the_people_v_o_j_simpson_american_crime_story-1_wide-350f36ab378d1f39de7472d5581e6f3b1d232fae-s900-c85.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2016/03/16/the_people_v_o_j_simpson_american_crime_story-1_wide-350f36ab378d1f39de7472d5581e6f3b1d232fae-s900-c85.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Yes, you, young man. Would you mind trying on the gloves of this famous football player?"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: Yeah, agreed. The 8
previous calls to the police for domestic abuse is kind of a hard fact to
ignore. The whole thing is just awful. Everyone failed Nicole in this
circumstance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
C: <span style="color: #263238;">The thing that was probably
most heart-breaking to me was the scene of the Goldman family silently walking
back to their car, hearing the news reports of people celebrating throughout
the city and then asking "what do we do now?"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: Absolutely.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">AP: You sue. That’s what you
do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">C: Which has always been the
thing that brings me back to the guilt or innocence question when you think
about OJ. If he didn't do, someone did and that someone has never been pursued. Of
course, the reason why is because the LA DA honestly believes that they found
the killer and there's no one else to pursue, but hey. Double Jeopardy,
everyone!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: But then when we say
things like that, I want to roll my eyes and be like, of course we know who did
it. Which kind of throws my whole "I haven't made up my mind yet' thing
out the window.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">AP: The defense did do a good
job of pointing that out. That no other suspects were ever considered.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: Any final thoughts? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">C: I'm interested to see what
next season is. This is an anthology series, after all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">AP: I would like to see them
do the Steven Avery case, actually<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: Charles Manson? Lizzy
Borden? Good stuff about women in there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">AP: Nothing will top
Christina Ricci though. The Christina
Ricci one was such a hot mess!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
C: <span style="color: #263238;">I would love a season
focused on the Chicago Murder Castle and the World's Fair. (Devil in the White
City stuff.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: As long as they focus on
the murders and not the architecture. Zzzzzzzz<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">AP: I think this is a good
series. So long as they keep attracting high caliber actors.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
C: <span style="color: #263238;">That's the real benefit of
an anthology. You can get really good, big names because they don't have to
sign away seven years of their lives. It's basically just shooting a big movie
and then they can come back next season if they want to.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">AP: Yeah, not too shabby to
get Bruce Greenwood on board. I have a crush on him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
C: <span style="color: #263238;">Didn't he play Captain
Pike in the NuTrek movies?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">AP: YES!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://40.media.tumblr.com/07c0467b4100fe253fe67d3597d954a3/tumblr_inline_o4gdu45hpE1tuwowq_540.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://40.media.tumblr.com/07c0467b4100fe253fe67d3597d954a3/tumblr_inline_o4gdu45hpE1tuwowq_540.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dreamy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: I have a crush on David
Schwimmer now. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">AP: I'm telling Rachel you
put moves on her man. I'll hold her down and shave her head.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
C: <span style="color: #263238;">It's hard to come back
from Rachel. She did a number on all of us in the 90s.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: Yeah, Greenwood was great
as the DA! He's very handsome. Though he seems short.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">AP: He's 5'11"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: Someone has IMDB open.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">AP: LIKE A BOSS. Anyway, overall,
very good. Very compelling. A couple casting hiccups, but really well done<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: I think it's fair to say
we all enjoyed the hell out of the show. Both as entertainment and for raising
conversations about broader issues. It certainly is a huge flashpoint in
American history.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
C: <span style="color: #263238;">Yes. TV Sluts agreement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="color: #263238;">MC: TV Sluts hooooooooo!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Clovishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09630640582674493366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27899397.post-40794705187757512182016-04-04T18:23:00.000-04:002016-04-04T18:23:16.497-04:00Criminal Tension<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It’s fair to say that my usual television habits aren’t
exactly light-hearted. I loved <i>Breaking
Bad</i>, but generally saw it more as a surrealist family drama. So understand
that when I say that <i>American Crime</i>
is tense, I mean it’s, like, REALLY tense. This is probably the most
uncomfortable show on television. Counting the Republican Debates. If you can get yourself comfortable with being
a little uncomfortable, however, it’s one of the few shows that I’ve seen where
I continually think to myself, “How the hell is this show on television?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.nerdunion.us/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/10346658_1096938910338858_6505451324936530414_n.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.nerdunion.us/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/10346658_1096938910338858_6505451324936530414_n.png" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So, something light and effervescent tonight then? </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Before I go any further, I should mention that <i>American Crime</i> is not to be confused
with <i>American Crime Story: The People vs.
O.J. Simpson</i>. The latter is the latest offering from Ryan Murphy and
company, capitalizing on the success of <i>American
Horror Story</i> by launching a new anthology franchise that will explore real
American history. <i>American Crime</i> is
also an anthology series, however this is from writer John Ridley who is most
known as the writer of <i>12 Years a Slave</i>.
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
As an anthology series, <i>American Crime</i> changes its story each season though retains much of
the same cast. The story this season revolved around an elite private high
school in Indianapolis and the fallout that occurs at that school and amongst
the students, teachers, parents, and community members when it comes out that a
student reports the he was raped at a party hosted by the school’s powerhouse
basketball team. That set-up alone should tell you most of what you need to
know about all the places that this show is unafraid to go: the simmering
racial tension that exists in American cities, overt and covert homophobia in a
post-Obergefell country, what politicians used to call “class warfare”, and the
morally grey area that school administrators inhabit in trying to provide an
education in a time when funding is low or non-existent. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>American Crime</i>
is unflinching in looking at each of these issues. It’s also a testament to how
well put together the series is that it never feels overstuffed despite all the
issues on its plate. That’s largely because it correctly understands that the
uniting strand behind all of these things is a collective fear of “the other”,
the person that is different from us. As such, all the racism, homophobia,
class tensions, privilege, and cutthroat business actions are accurately interpreted
as symptoms of the same ugly disease. What
makes it good television is that the characters are so completely watchable that
viewers are far more likely to get wrapped up in the story than feel like they’re
attending a political rally. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://kingoftheflatscreen.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/1044545_1095565400476209_8619561848922343533_n-620x330.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://kingoftheflatscreen.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/1044545_1095565400476209_8619561848922343533_n-620x330.jpg" height="170" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This scene actually passes for almost "playful" relative to some of the others... </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
So what’s it actually about? The action mostly revolves
around an elite private school headed by Leslie Graham (Felicity Huffman) and
attended largely by the children of Indianapolis’s upper class families. Working class mother Anne Blaine (Lili
Taylor) is an exception, sacrificing all she can to afford the tuition for her
17-year-old son Tyler (Connor Jessup), who previously attended one of the city’s
rougher public schools. The story begins when Anne is informed by Leslie that
Tyler is set to be expelled from the school after lurid photos showing him
drunk and in various stages of undress have surfaced on the internet, a direct
violation of the school’s code of conduct. Tyler confesses to his mother that
the photos are genuine, however that he was, in fact, drugged and raped by
another student while attending a party hosted by the co-captains of the school’s
massively successful Basketball team. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Tyler’s claim is the catalyst for significant unrest at
the school, currently in the midst of a multi-million dollar fundraising effort
that Leslie hopes will catapult her to an even loftier position than
Headmaster. At the same time, it shakes the confidence of the school’s
basketball coach, played by Timothy Hutton, as he must face uncomfortable
questions about the behavior of his players, including whether or not one of
them is truly guilty of the crime and if so what that means. Caught up in all
of this is the LaCroix family, headed by matriarch Terri, played by Regina
King. Terri’s son, Kevin (Trevor Jackson) is one of the two co-captains and
Terri worries that these allegations will derail her carefully planned future
for her child. As one of the wealthy, she can afford to hire representation to
protect Kevin’s interests, even if that means causing harm to victim Tyler or
to the other student implicated directly in Tyler’s claims, co-captain Eric
(Joey Pollari). <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pixel.nymag.com/imgs/daily/vulture/2016/01/06/06-american-crime.w750.h560.2x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://pixel.nymag.com/imgs/daily/vulture/2016/01/06/06-american-crime.w750.h560.2x.jpg" height="238" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Safe to assume "have conversation about not getting involved in a rape charge" was not initially in her work plan.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Terri is a mass of contradictions and Regina King plays
every one of them beautifully; she’s the driven perfectionist career woman who
wants to play the boys’ game but is intensely aware of what it means to be an African
American woman in that world. She is both controlling and patronizing of her
son and at the same time his biggest champion and a doting mother. She
represents the curious intersection of being one of the sole minority families
at an elite upper class predominately white school and at the same time being
one of the wealthiest, affording her son access to the kind of privilege that
other characters can’t even dream of. Seeing Regina King walk the fine line of
each of these near-contradictions every episode is one of the joys of watching
the show.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Likewise, watching Felicity Huffman as Headmaster Leslie
Graham is like watching a Venus flytrap getting ready to spring. Leslie is utterly
composed and in control, exuding concern about her students while managing the
political and administrative duties of her school. All that control belies her
ruthlessness, however, as we quickly see when trouble descends and Leslie
manipulates, maneuvers, and manages problems away, always with a level voice
and the kind of platitudes about leadership and responsibility that have all
the genuine emotion of a Successories poster. Her chief concern lies with
preserving the school and her record as an administrator, though she’s so darn
sensible sounding, even when she explains to a grieving mother that because the
mother signed a piece of paper while emotional, the school has no obligation to
safeguard the mother’s damaged child. She isn’t cold, per se; she’s tactical.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/46d753811732b2f4b3f28015aa8f666c10869661/c=402-194-2496-1768&r=x408&c=540x405/local/-/media/2016/01/04/USATODAY/USATODAY/635875305201001355-140481-0166.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/46d753811732b2f4b3f28015aa8f666c10869661/c=402-194-2496-1768&r=x408&c=540x405/local/-/media/2016/01/04/USATODAY/USATODAY/635875305201001355-140481-0166.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Yes. I am fantastic, aren't I?"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
What makes the show particularly uncomfortable, aside
from the subject matter generally, is watching how each of these characters
from their varied perspectives approach the issue. Race is front and center,
though handled without the easy shorthand of poor-black-rich-white
characterization that many stories fall back on. A significant subplot revolves
around the actions at one of the public schools after three Latino students
attack a black student for groping a girl. The school’s overtaxed principal,
played by Elvis Nolasco, suspends the three Latino students for their frankly
violent assault leading to outrage by the Latino community who point out that
the black student went unpunished despite attacking a girl. The principal, a
black man, must examine how his approach is not only intended but viewed by
communities that are already racially divided. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn.abclocal.go.com/content/wabc/images/cms/1148378_1280x720.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://cdn.abclocal.go.com/content/wabc/images/cms/1148378_1280x720.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ugh. Simmering racial tensions in high school. Worse than math homework, amirite?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Homophobia is also an evident theme and, with one
particularly terrifying exception, is addressed mostly in the kind of “er, not
that there’s anything wrong with that” wishy-washiness that shows that a fair
number of people actually believe that there is, in fact, something very wrong
with that but just recognize that they can’t say such things. (There are likely
a lot of Trump voters in this story.) Tyler’s mother and his girlfriend struggle
to find the middle ground between being supportive of him and deeply
uncomfortable with his lie-of-omission. Tyler’s sexual orientation becomes a
subject of debate as he’s called to justify his own feelings because they have
bearing on a criminal case. His own family, one that is deeply loving of him,
shows their own flaws when Tyler recounts how one of the surrogate parents who
helped raise him, a man who still clearly cares for him as a son, unthinkingly
continues to throw words like “faggot” around as insults.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
And then there’s the issue that makes <i>everyone</i> uncomfortable: Tyler’s rape.
Anyone who has spent any significant time around the issue of rape will
recognize all the hallmarks of familiarity here. As the series progresses, the
rape takes on a grayer hue reflecting the reality that most rapes aren’t
committed by strangers in alleys but by someone we know. When it comes out that
Tyler went to the party willingly and, in fact, with the intention of having
clandestine sex with his attacker, not only does Tyler have to come clean about
his sexual orientation but also the very nature of it and the exploratory
nature of sex itself. When his mother angrily demands to know if he intended to
have sex, his response is a weak but ultimately exactly correct one: “I didn’t
go there intended to be violated.” We logically know that we’re not supposed to
blame the victim, but the myriad of ways in which we still manage to are fully
on display here, particularly given that the victim is male. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pixel.nymag.com/imgs/daily/vulture/2016/02/17/recaps/17-american-crime.w750.h560.2x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://pixel.nymag.com/imgs/daily/vulture/2016/02/17/recaps/17-american-crime.w750.h560.2x.jpg" height="238" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Predictable MRA bullshit misinterpretations to being in 3...2...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
When you’re dealing with so many heady issues, it’s
inevitable that some of the presentation is going to get a little mucked up.
Viewers may find it unsettling that the victim of rape here is male,
particularly given that the number of male rape victims, while certainly in
existence, is far outweighed by the number of females. It’s not that hard to
draw the conclusion that the rape is given its importance only once it becomes
something that happens to men. And while there is a female victim of sexual
violence among the show’s ensemble cast, her story is given nowhere near the
heft or screen time as Tyler’s. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Likewise, the show’s one prominent African American
family is wealthy and powerful, particularly in contrast to the other
predominantly working class white families. At several times in the season,
different white characters seek out Terri LaCroix and her husband to ask for
assistance and are unilaterally rebuffed every time. It’s not terribly hard to
see a racist form of wish-fulfillment embodied here whereby a viewer, again
likely also a Trump voter, would interpret this as yet more evidence of how
black people have gotten the upper hand over white people and white people are punished
unfairly. While the show clearly takes pains not to sympathize with such a
position, it shows just how tricky it is to tackle these issues even given the
full breadth of ten hours’ worth of air time. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Which, ultimately, is what leads to the points in <i>American Crime</i> where the writing
stumbles. The show is very eager to address big issues that don’t normally get
their day on TV aside from a few “very special episodes.” For all the deftness it manages in raising
these big questions, it has a hard time providing any answers to them. In
addition to a narrative and thematic gap, it also leads to some plainly
uncomfortable dialogue. Characters are tasked from time to time with expressing
the themes of the show, leading to dialogue that no human being has ever said
independently. It’s so eager to get in the big point that it sometimes tells
when it should show. The writing works best when it isn’t trying to underline
its own thesis.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The end result of this story is less about a particular
bad thing happening than it is about how bad things continue to happen. It
illustrates how crime creates a ripple effect. One crime inevitably leads to
another and victims can become perpetrators startlingly fast. Episode 8 even
inter-cuts the dramatic action with real life interviews with the victims and
survivors of school shootings and bullying attacks, showcasing starkly both the
victims who chose a better path and the ones who opted for revenge. In the
final episode, not every storyline has a clear resolution and the final picture
is far murkier than the one that we started out with. Which is to say, unlike a
lot of television, <i>American Crime</i> can
be just as uncomfortable as real life.<o:p></o:p></div>
Clovishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09630640582674493366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27899397.post-89500981722725103372016-03-31T23:18:00.001-04:002016-03-31T23:18:10.664-04:00Bosch, Season 2It's time again for one of the best opening themes in television again (I'll just wait while you rewatch the Season 1 credits):<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-YNrreHaov4/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-YNrreHaov4?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
That's right, everyone, <i>Bosch</i> is back.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizTux27pnDH95IdiDnKECtsEF6ejWWeph4lJrnjb2XaWeshgmn0rztR1E9XsMmqqZAxbLyWY_9ub2XQxyYdlP06ZqVZTid8svZlafwmejc0yjxM9hOnUEvaOdTkxujVaCWCqLiYg/s1600/Bosch-400x290.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizTux27pnDH95IdiDnKECtsEF6ejWWeph4lJrnjb2XaWeshgmn0rztR1E9XsMmqqZAxbLyWY_9ub2XQxyYdlP06ZqVZTid8svZlafwmejc0yjxM9hOnUEvaOdTkxujVaCWCqLiYg/s320/Bosch-400x290.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
If you don't remember and are too apathetic to read <a href="http://tvsluts.blogspot.com/2015/04/bosch-newish-from-amazon-prime.html" target="_blank">my review of Season 1</a>, <i>Bosch </i>is a police procedural based on the mystery novels of Michael Connolly (fun fact: <i>The Lincoln Lawyer -- </i>the book and the Matthew McConaughey movie -- are a spin-off of the Bosch novels; apparently the Lincoln Lawyer is Bosch's half-brother).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
As we left Season 1, Detective Heironymous "Harry" Bosch (played by Titus Welliver) had stopped a serial killer, solved the murder of a little boy, and gotten himself deeply in trouble with the police department for reasons completely unrelated to his gruff personality and "pragmatism" when it comes to police procedure. It's now six months later; Bosch is back to work solving crimes when a mobbed-up Armenian pornographer is found shot dead and stuffed into the trunk of his Bentley.<br />
<br />
Suspicion immediately falls on the victim's wife, Victoria Allen (played by Jeri Ryan), as Starfleet is always suspicious of the Borg:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Bfx24kXq2AbY72M3qaONS9Yly_cMIHU36yC0Z9UxC4WM6VPfbDO53qM7e5s-4BhpGtxv5J73gE-2E7S4iUHY8lJg1bmDN5YfHlFYR_GzW4cHooTZfZm8X_Xw2PpAbjYkPlUnZA/s1600/Maxwell_Burke.jpg" />
<img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtJ_Sfd7teYau5yNSxDyGsjQ9oKSmhTaZG0NeUWluzpinZI28AeFAQik3uALIPelZaWzrweQzuLVvV7PpoDC-KK24_XtJ2UAdDy9Z48guIxmkWKMHnD3BoNTSdQ99pAEg0LtnayA/s320/Seven_of_Nine_speaks_for_the_Borg.jpg" width="320" /></div>
<br />
Seriously, though, it's because Tony Allen was a man who launders money for Armenian organized crime and spent a lot of time in Vegas in the company of strippers not his wife. She just maybe was jealous and looking for some of the money.<br />
<br />
But clearly she didn't double-tap Tony on a lonely California highway and shove him in his trunk. So who did?<br />
<br />
Bosch applies his trademark lack of tact and vengeful need to get the perp to this case, even when it makes him enemies with the mob and the FBI. In the meantime, we continue to follow some of the other characters from Season 1; Deputy Chief Irving is still trying to finagle a chiefship out of Los Angeles politics and his son is working undercover for Internal Affairs. Surprisingly, these plots intersect with Bosch's main case in a way that is neither too brief nor too contrived.<br />
<br />
I really enjoy <i>Bosch</i>. It's gritty; Los Angeles in this show is a hot desert full of nasty corrupt people, and that's just the police officers. But each person has a personality, real motivations, and are played well by a cast of people who generally aren't "Hollywood pretty." Even the villains are people, which is refreshing, because that wasn't true even for this show last season.<br />
<br />
Last season, Reynard Waits was kidnapping mothers and leaving their infant kids behind in strollers crying. Reynard was a monster; remember that we are introduced to him with a dead prostitute in the back of his literal murder van. There are no monsters this season, just people who have decided to do evil. And the distinction is clear. Bad people still do normal things, like hang out with old friends and then go back to their hideouts to have trouble opening a tin of disgusting-looking Vienna sausages (maybe it was the lighting, but they looked super-gross). The show is better for it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTTokpz2FeHqAPb0vcLt1Gy6LlBlDnQkzUM0dGwZ5mEai-jHTQIhiBFh_UG-NU_1Lu5HL_dAu2ZjNcW0xMK2lKvVOtUL05ozzRTaq3GS01neKrYse_g7saPmbJ0saWkelolt4R7g/s1600/bosch-season-2-amazon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTTokpz2FeHqAPb0vcLt1Gy6LlBlDnQkzUM0dGwZ5mEai-jHTQIhiBFh_UG-NU_1Lu5HL_dAu2ZjNcW0xMK2lKvVOtUL05ozzRTaq3GS01neKrYse_g7saPmbJ0saWkelolt4R7g/s320/bosch-season-2-amazon.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This gunfight, from the literally explosive final episode, was also one of the most "real" I've seen -- everyone's shooting blind, hitting things by luck alone, and desperately ducking not to get shot.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
One warning: this season does not end "tidily." Yes, the bad guys are caught, but it's more of just a thing that happens than a denouement, because life continues to go on. It's interesting, it's plausible, but it's not an <i>NCIS</i> "got the bad guys let's high-five and have some drinks" kind of ending.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27899397.post-2670752130055962712016-03-22T21:51:00.000-04:002016-03-22T21:52:20.095-04:00Daredevil, Season 2So, I've watched the new season of <i>Daredevil</i>, the original "Marvel comic book show on Netflix."<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj94tT6YOX-1cisIO6DK5i8ZjoRFXQj-ztQaaFAbFC-NjPv8aGKWeIhfz7ohGU3ZqdoZXkL_OgBi8FY1SnHn6QKJ0Rd2PIqYICuK3G0G22YRWV8CWC6npL4Bps5EHFAU1NgKlUlRw/s1600/Ninjas%2521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj94tT6YOX-1cisIO6DK5i8ZjoRFXQj-ztQaaFAbFC-NjPv8aGKWeIhfz7ohGU3ZqdoZXkL_OgBi8FY1SnHn6QKJ0Rd2PIqYICuK3G0G22YRWV8CWC6npL4Bps5EHFAU1NgKlUlRw/s320/Ninjas%2521.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's not much of a spoiler to say this season has more ninjas.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://tvsluts.blogspot.com/2015/04/daredevil.html" target="_blank">I reviewed the first season</a> some time back, so I thought I'd take first crack at Season 2. However, my thoughts have become long and nitpicky, so I've provided some TL;DR versions up front.<br />
<u><br /></u>
<u>Short review</u>: If you liked the first season, you will continue to like <i>Daredevil</i>. There is a lot of awesome in the show.<br />
<br />
<u>Slightly longer review</u>: This is a very entertaining second season that, due to not having the novelty of introducing the character, has to work harder to be as awesome, and it doesn't quite make it. It's good, but not mind-blowing.<br />
<u><br /></u>
<u>The long, rambling review you read this blog for:</u><br />
<br />
Season Two opens some months after Season One; the Kingpin is in prison. Blind but blessed with super-sensory powers -- like the ability to know without actually being able to see how much facial stubble he should have before he stops being sexy and starts being a guy clearly too lazy to shave -- Matt Murdoch continues to prowl the streets at night as Daredevil. During the day, at his law firm of Nelson & Murdoch, Murdoch is flirted with by his office manager, Karen Page. She apparently went for the mysterious hot lawyer in the partnership (Murdoch) instead of the funny, dependable husky one with the pageboy haircut (Frederick "Foggy" Nelson) who was clearly trying to make a connection with her all of Season One, and was perfectly charming doing so, but does not have Charlie Cox's biceps or abs.<br />
<br />
(An aside: Mike Colter's Luke Cage still has the best-defined chest in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.)<br />
<br />
I <u>so</u> want to like the second season of <i>Daredevil</i> more than I do. The acting remains solid, with notable performances by Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle ("The Punisher") and Vincent D'onofrio reprising his role as Wilson Fisk ("The Kingpin").<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVJG50pQmBWAKidaYvFOMMX_ObDHnGZ9XM572pT_zl1m6YNhz22ViRCyHXzXo-qPHmk4NegKxxjSiLTqt-SXZsY2CB98dZ8u92s5BRsm1Ny7YIYD8Qv9vPvqEhK38vIhKV3nZxuQ/s1600/Punishgun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVJG50pQmBWAKidaYvFOMMX_ObDHnGZ9XM572pT_zl1m6YNhz22ViRCyHXzXo-qPHmk4NegKxxjSiLTqt-SXZsY2CB98dZ8u92s5BRsm1Ny7YIYD8Qv9vPvqEhK38vIhKV3nZxuQ/s320/Punishgun.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jon Bernthal in a scene that does not require a particularly large acting range</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Just as everything seems to be going all right -- except for the fact that no one actually pays Nelson & Murdoch except in foodstuffs -- former Marine Frank Castle starts avenging his murdered family by shooting his way through half the organized crime in New York, showing all the restraint of a Quentin Tarantino movie. Murdoch, who (and this is a theme of the season) takes his Catholicism seriously and believes the power to take a life is God's alone (beating them into a brain-damaged concussion is totally within God's plan, though, as I'll mention later), is compelled to intervene.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Simultaneously, there's some business with a ninja-themed magical death cult which brings Matt's super-assassin ex-girlfriend Elektra back into his life. With all the super-<i><a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tsuris" target="_blank">tsuris</a></i>, Murdoch finds it harder and harder to be the Daredevil and be a lawyer, much less a decent boyfriend.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Let me reiterate before I nitpick the hell out of it: I found it decent. It was diverting. Best points:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Wilson Fisk's fight choreography is amazing. The Kingpin fights with his weight and strength and it's fascinating to watch. Frankly, the Kingpin episodes in this series were the most interesting to me.</li>
<li>There's a scene where the Punisher has to murder his way through a gauntlet of angry men armed only with his fists, and, as grotesque as it is, it demonstrates how Frank Castle's will to survive just keeps him going (unlike some other fight scenes pointed out below).</li>
<li>Madam Gao is still (briefly) in the show. She's still amazing as evil tiny grandma. </li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
The plot moves along at an agreeable pace, and there's lots that's still good, but there are some significant weaknesses:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>1) TOO MANY VILLAINS</b></div>
<div>
Last season, we had just the Kingpin. There were some subsidiary baddies, but it was just one plot.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Now, while Matt Murdoch having way too much on his plate is a plot point, there's more more villains than needed for that:</div>
<div>
A) The Punisher (an antagonist if not a "villain") is murdering everyone in NYC on his long if ill-defined hit list.</div>
<div>
B) The Hand, the aforementioned magical death cult, is doing something apocalyptic in a vaguely Asian way which involves Japanese people and ninja and makes me feel a little bit racist for watching it.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEw5rRKWXukrPihX_O5i0ejjX-a_kQK3rWzg2-HkmPE6ADzfRyBkdbR3PAvUOfJayhL3ZWZHg9IAoq0yJJEWRdKgxeSJKX9eDd95u3QC1Xxs11xIK3hEoj5hA1uYFiTFdwfgUc5g/s1600/tick3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEw5rRKWXukrPihX_O5i0ejjX-a_kQK3rWzg2-HkmPE6ADzfRyBkdbR3PAvUOfJayhL3ZWZHg9IAoq0yJJEWRdKgxeSJKX9eDd95u3QC1Xxs11xIK3hEoj5hA1uYFiTFdwfgUc5g/s400/tick3.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was a much more sensitive treatment when the Tick and Oedipus faced "The Night of a Million Zillion Ninjas."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
C) The Kingpin is rebuilding his empire of crime.</div>
<div>
D) There's also a mystery drug dealer who is the proximate cause of the Punisher's family being killed and whose identity is revealed only in the last few episodes at which point you don't care.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
You cannot do justice to all of these plots while having four separate antagonists, at least not in 13 episodes (maybe 26, but <i>Agents of Shield</i> continues to show us how to waste a lot of episodes on fanboy references and not enough Clark Gregg). Each villain has associated characters; the Hand brings in Elektra, as well as my least-favorite <i>Daredevil</i>-universe character, Stick (least favorite partly because "blind guy who can hit people accurately with a crossbow" means he isn't "blind" as most people understand the term, but mostly because his plot entwined with the Hand and if you can't tell, I find vaguely-Asian apocalyptic death cults tiresome).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>2) LACK OF WOMEN TALKING TO EACH OTHER EASILY INVITES NEGATIVE COMPARISONS TO <i>JESSICA JONES</i></b></div>
<div>
So, remember last time, when I said <i>Daredevil</i> failed the famous "Bechdel test"? </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Still does, and in a crazy blatant manner.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Seriously, there are only a handful of scenes where two women have lines, and in those scenes, the number of times that women speak to <u>each other</u> is even lower. There are only two substantive conversations between women that I counted; both are between Night Nurse and a hospital administrator and, frankly, are irrelevant to the plot.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Let's not get confused and think I'm saying a story <u>must</u> be include the conversations of women to have merit. They don't. It doesn't even mean the stories are sexist, although they often are. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Here, failing the Bechdel test makes the story weird. Let me give you an example: watching the scenes with Karen Page in them, it feels like Karen Page exists in a world where there are strangely almost no women. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWe-cfFteXQiWowL0OkVTgqJN7XliK-HPWq7ylNLPZCqFhcDgAHYQnFR2Qx9S8t6Q8KbBcfgSOmGMYHInC_fZ03JkNGfQyhYNOi7whH1q6G-m5yk2VQbsnIlCeFRBDzrEEHcBl8A/s1600/karen_page_6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWe-cfFteXQiWowL0OkVTgqJN7XliK-HPWq7ylNLPZCqFhcDgAHYQnFR2Qx9S8t6Q8KbBcfgSOmGMYHInC_fZ03JkNGfQyhYNOi7whH1q6G-m5yk2VQbsnIlCeFRBDzrEEHcBl8A/s320/karen_page_6.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Typical number of non-Deborah Ann Woll actresses in the same scene with her.</td></tr>
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Karen works at a law firm where both lawyers and all the clients who have anything of importance to say are men. All but one of the law enforcement officers she speaks to are men; all of the police officers assigned to protect her in various scenes are men. The journalist she has regular conversations with is a man. When she digs up a source to speak to, that person is always a man. </div>
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Furthermore, there are two other major female characters in this season. Karen Page doesn't speak to either of them. She's in <u>one</u> scene with Elektra where Karen speaks four lines directly to Matt Murdoch, then leaves. Foggy gets to have a long conversation with Claire ("the Night Nurse"), but Karen doesn't even meet her. </div>
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Claire and Elektra are never in the same scene together. </div>
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Remember: this story takes place in modern New York City. Not a North Dakota oil field or on an Alaskan fishing boat. Statistically, there are women in nearly equal proportion to men in NYC.</div>
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Now, we get back to <i>Jessica Jones. </i>Even in a show where there weren't that many male characters, it was clear that men existed in New York. Just because Jessica's boss, BFF, craziest next-door-neighbor, doomed client, etc. were women, that didn't mean that she didn't also have conversations with men who were cops, bar owners, drug addicts, crazy mind-controlling sociopaths, etc. It was a New York that seemed, well, not a weird alternate universe version of itself.</div>
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<b>3) YES, I KNOW THAT IT TAKES A LOT OF EFFORT TO KNOCK A PERSON UNCONSCIOUS BY PUNCHING HIM IN THE FACE REPEATEDLY, BUT YOU DON'T NEED TO SHOW ME EVERY TIME</b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl-w5IoxIcqlDGS3azs-CHe40i8gsP_o2Jjz9Pabr3hm6a21zuT9KMlCBkjoQ3k8s5AYaJkevUCmJ-u0aV82k7qb_sGRx0FCQJCWFHe0SiNT8pgYlb85LawZ4swZVhyvcUSevEZQ/s1600/punchestotheface.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl-w5IoxIcqlDGS3azs-CHe40i8gsP_o2Jjz9Pabr3hm6a21zuT9KMlCBkjoQ3k8s5AYaJkevUCmJ-u0aV82k7qb_sGRx0FCQJCWFHe0SiNT8pgYlb85LawZ4swZVhyvcUSevEZQ/s320/punchestotheface.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am not kidding when I say that basically all of the Punisher's facial bruising in this scene can be attributed to Daredevil or someone else punching him in the face repeatedly to try to knock him unconscious.</td></tr>
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<i>Daredevil</i>'s fights are brutal. In small doses, this is "realism." In large doses, it's tiresome. </div>
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Culture blog <i>The Mary Sue</i> <a href="http://www.themarysue.com/daredevil-season-two-fight-scene/" target="_blank">loves a five minute fight scene that takes place down a flight of stairs</a>, calling it an iteration of the "hallway fight" from Season One. I hate it and think it's all that's self-indulgent about the violence and fight choreography of Season Two.</div>
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If you don't remember Season One, early on in the season Daredevil has to rescue a child from some criminals. He breaks into their place and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B66feInucFY" target="_blank">fights three rooms full of them in a scene that takes place mostly in the confines of a claustrophobic hallway</a>. It was pretty badass.</div>
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It also was early in the show, establishing Daredevil's facility with hand-to-hand combat. Also, in that scene, he's basically wearing black exercise clothes as his superhero outfit, which you can see is torn in places from violence. And even in that scene, there are times where Daredevil pops into a room with a bad guy and the exact method of his dispatch is left to your and the foley artist's imagination.</div>
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So, in this new fight scene, Daredevil has, for reasons too spoilery to explain, to fight his way through an entire biker gang down about twelve flights of stairs with an object duct-taped into one hand and holding a chain in the other. No surprise: he does so.</div>
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Unlike the scene in Season One, it's now been pretty well established that Daredevil, even injured, can mop the floor with anyone who isn't a Navy SEAL or trained by ninja or something similar. Remember at the end of Season One, where a dirty cop who was about to get shot in the head closed his eyes and then, without the camera leaving his face, there were a bunch of punching noises so that when he opened his eyes <i>Daredevil</i> was standing there and all the people who wanted to kill him were beat down? I don't know how else to say it -- <u>it is not a surprise that Daredevil can beat up a building full of "mere mortal" criminals.</u> There's really no tension to this scene; you know he's going to plow through all of these guys because it's been done on- and off-camera for a season and a half. </div>
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Furthermore, as of the end of Season One, Daredevil wears bullet- and knife-resistant armor, so the risk he takes in fighting an entire biker gang is significantly diminished. Not only do we know that he's going to go like a weed-whacker through these guys, we know that, unless one of them is super-lucky, they can't really even hurt him much. </div>
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And on top of the lack of dramatic tension, there are no rooms where Daredevil can fall in with a guy and you not have to watch him "realistically" beat a person into unconsciousness. Look, I appreciate that <i>Daredevil</i> is a show where, often, it's clear that you usually can't knock a person unconscious with a single blow to the head, but watching a fight where Daredevil delivers "I know your concussed, but now <u>stay down</u>" blows to people's heads is just not that much fun. I sat through it saying to myself, "okay, so when do we get to the bottom of the stairs?"</div>
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The excruciatingly long stairway fight is only the apex of watching Daredevil cause chronic traumatic encephalopathy to nearly every baddie he encounters. We see lots of fight scenes that go on for a long time because they have to literally beat the bad guys into submission. It gets old and I just don't enjoy it. </div>
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Separately, I counted at least three separate stabbings in the eye with a sharp object, one of which was waaaaay more drawn out than it had to be. If your fight choreography go to is "stab him in the eye," you need to work on your creativity. </div>
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<b>BULLET POINTS OF NITPICKINESS</b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcoTeHqR1h98X-6bHU7GOFj5PWMHUsjDfp_gGWpueSdl1l-sf0UwdMTF-6UjBqNTSNUuLZ7Scf-y3uURjDN5YfKLd6aolVvNc6RY0P1ojIg3fKY6xBsxWQVFk6bZT7PC90nkhOww/s1600/Daredevil_1_Preview3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcoTeHqR1h98X-6bHU7GOFj5PWMHUsjDfp_gGWpueSdl1l-sf0UwdMTF-6UjBqNTSNUuLZ7Scf-y3uURjDN5YfKLd6aolVvNc6RY0P1ojIg3fKY6xBsxWQVFk6bZT7PC90nkhOww/s400/Daredevil_1_Preview3.jpg" width="258" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you're going to have Daredevil fight a weird supervillain, the Spot is way more interesting than a mystical Asian death cult.</td></tr>
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<li>New York criminal procedure doesn't work that way.</li>
<li>Small law office finances, especially dealing with New York City rents, don't work that way. </li>
<li>That thing with the sorta-zombies was never adequately explained.</li>
<li>I'm still not sure how the ninjas are so silent that they mask all the things that Daredevil might be able to hear, but still need to breathe audibly. In the quiet places where Daredevil more than occasionally fights them, shouldn't Daredevil be able to hear the synovial fluid squirting back and forth in their joints? If they can silence that, why's breathing a problem? </li>
<li>Daredevil's mask is really unattractive and distracting. It's like a mutant Captain America mask.</li>
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<b>CONCLUSION</b></div>
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<i>Daredevil</i>'s fine. It's diverting and well-acted. You won't regret watching it. It's just doesn't rise to hoped-for greatness. </div>
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