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Theory of Love Episode 4: Crazy Stupid Love

Finally, a decent movie! Crazy Stupid Love is a solidly written film with a ridiculously talented cast, and while there are not really any direct character parallels to Third like in previous films, I can see why its themes would speak to him. A brief synopsis of the movie:

Cal is a middle-aged family man whose wife Emily suddenly announces that she cheated on him and wants a divorce. This sends him into a tailspin until he meets Jacob, a local hoe who has perfected his routine for hitting on women, who decides to help Cal rebuild his confidence. Cal gets into hookup culture but is still miserably pining for his ex wife, Emily tries to move on but can't let go of Cal, and Jacob meets Hannah, who breaks through his player persona and changes his perspective on relationships. Meanwhile, Cal's son Robbie inappropriately tries to pursue his babysitter Jessica, while Jessica has her (far too young) eyes on Cal. In the end, Cal and Emily are still separated, but everyone's emotions are out in the open and there's hope they may reconcile.

The film believes that earnest expressions of love are always worthwhile and can change people, and also that feeling deep love for someone when your feelings are not mutual can be a torment. I can see both of these ideas speaking to Third, and I think there are multiple characters in the film that he can connect to in some way. Cal, who is pining for the person he believes is his soulmate. Robbie and Jessica, who are both hopelessly in love with someone they can never have, but can't seem to let go. Jacob, who meets someone who takes over his brain and steals all his attention. But most of all, I think Third would want to see himself in Hannah, the girl who shook Jacob up so much that he stopped playing around and fell in love.

And in this episode, Third starts to get a taste of that reality, only to have the rug cruelly pulled out from under him when he realizes Khai has been intentionally testing him to figure out his feelings. The episode is constructed to bring us along with Third as Khai's behavior toward him suddenly becomes more attentive and solicitous. Third struggles with himself as he begins to believe Khai's feelings for him are changing in the way he hoped, and also tries not to let himself believe it. We wonder right alongside Third what's driving the change in Khai's behavior and start letting our guard down, only to have it revealed that this is all a scheme Bone and Khai cooked up because Bone thinks Third likes Khai, and Khai wants to prove that he doesn't.

There's no defending this behavior: Khai is wrong to test Third in this way, no matter what he believes is true (and Bone is also an asshole for suggesting and encouraging it). To try to trick his friend into revealing something about himself, including things about his sexuality that he has every right to keep private, is horrifying, and Khai shouldn't have done it. He is telling himself there's no harm done because he's just confirming what he already wants to believe--that Third doesn't like him like that--but there's a big element to this that is more about assuaging Khai's own fear and anxiety, and he's prioritizing that over being decent to Third. If nothing else, being messed with and manipulated this way is humiliating and hurtful, and Third deserves much better treatment from his best friend.

That said, I like the way this scheme between Khai and Bone parallels the way Third and Two have been scheming in the previous couple episodes; Bone begins to suspect Third's feelings because of all of Third's attempts to get Khai's attention without actually confessing. All of these boys need to grow up and talk to each other rather than playing these games, and it's telling that Third and Khai were both led down this stupid path of manipulation and lies based on advice from their mutual friends. These dudes are simply not equipped to be helping each other through these emotionally complex situations. Their behavior feels right for emotionally immature young men fueled by toxic masculinity, but lord do I want to give them all a good slap.

This is the first time in this story that Third's anger feels proportional to what Khai did, and I appreciate that the way the episode is shot and framed makes it feel different than his previous self-inflicted sadness. Crazy Stupid Love is a smartly constructed movie that intentionally holds back information and uses surprise reveals to reframe character interactions and relationships in crucial moments, and I love that the show borrowed from that style for this episode. As a result, we experience the same emotional whiplash that Third does, and his sense of betrayed anguish at the end lands much stronger than any previous iteration we've seen from him. I continue to be really impressed with how the show is using these films to inform the themes and construction of the story for each episode, it's well done.

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CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE (2011)

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Crazy, Stupid, Love dir. Glenn Ficarra, John Requa | 2011

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Severance fanart: Tabletop Team-Building Day at Macrodata Refinement!

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Mangione remained shackled despite attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo (@KFALegal) requesting they be removed.

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Luigi pre-trial main points

(Source BBC)

- Luigi Mangione has appeared at a New York City courthouse, charged with the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson

- He (Luigi) arrived shackled and wearing a bulletproof vest, with at least six security guards surrounding him

- Kicking off proceedings, Mangione's lawyer said he has been a "model prisoner" and asked for his shackles to be removed, to which the judge refused

- Mangione's supporters are both inside and outside the courtroom, and shouts could be heard throughout proceedings

- It's the first time Mangione has appeared in court since December, when he pleaded not guilty to murder and terrorism charges

- Prosecutors allege Mangione shot Thompson, a father of two, outside a hotel in Manhattan before going on the run. He was arrested five days later while eating at a McDonald's in Pennsylvania

- The killing of Thompson, who led a major health insurance company, caused anger among many Americans against the trillion-dollar industry

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"Luigi's right to a fair trial is being infringed upon because he is being publicly treated as having the presumption of guilt as opposed to the presumption of innocence, which is what he is entitled to." – Karen Friedman Agnifilo

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my colorwork yoke is DONE! :D i’m diverting from the pattern by doing the rest in pure stockinette stitch instead. i’m so proud of how this turned out - i can’t believe i pulled this off so well! now i just need to knit the rest on my 3.5 mm needles :’)

editing to add that the pattern is ghost horses by caitlin hunter, on ravelry!

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I'm sorry, but I don't want that anymore.

+ bonus 😭💔

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Let us be a part of each other's everyday life.

THAMEPO | EP11

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Just focus only on yourself, okay? Don’t make such a decision just for me. Please? Just give yourself an answer on whether you still want to be with me or not. I’ll go through the rest on my own. Let me handle it myself. Let me feel tired myself.

THAMEPO | EP11

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