#“LOVE” Returns for Season 2 on Netflix HOME | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

thelostgirl21 · 2 months ago

Text

So, you are telling me that Jaskier used to wear outfits the color of the sea in Season 1...

That he constantly complains about his feet hurting, or struggling with keeping his footing while having to wear boots (is the problem his actual boots or a lack of early practice in life?!)...

That he got all excited at the thought that Geralt might catch him a fish to eat...

That a huge part of his identity and the pride he takes in himself is tied to his singing voice and abilities...

That his songs have been described as having the power to sing a king off his clothes...

That helping his best friend in the whole wide world bathe after rubbing soothing chamomile onto his lovely bottom is typical friendship behavior to him...

That he vulnerably asked for Geralt to get away for a while with him, and head to the (west?) coast, in the hopes that he might be able to prove himself a worthy [travel] companion (works whether you interpret the interest as romantic or queerplatonic).

And then he basically implied that (returning home with Geralt?) might be what would please him most.

That the very first thing he did after Geralt returned to him and got him out of his cell in Season 2, is take off his top and jump into the freaking nearest body of water!

That he's hypersensitive to the way people on land start stinking after a while (including himself), and will openly suggest they should bathe (or downright bathe them himself)!

That he talks with animals...

That you had him fall in love with a human prince in Season 3...

... then had him sing a song about a human prince that falls in love with a siren to Ciri right before you had him go meet with said prince, share his first kiss with him, and make love to him in a woodshed!

... only to show a clip from "Sirens of the Deep" revealing that the Netflix version of Jaskier is from

Bremervoord

a.k.a. The vassal state of Cidaris and one of the places that goes the furthest west into the sea on the Continent!

Bremervoord, with an economy running primarily on pearls fishing.

Bremervoord, the place where the story of Jaskier's Season 3 song, "A Little Sacrifice" takes place...

A place where a prince (though I think it's a duke in the actual short story) meets a siren, falls in love with her, and willingly leaves his human life behind to follow her at sea.*

*according to the song, at least! And I'm not sure it ends well for the prince of the song, because that part about him sinking to darkest night sounds a bit ominous if you ask me... The book's short story has a different conclusion.

You're basically telling me that Jaskier comes from a place on the coast that goes far into the sea to the west, a place where merpeople and humans occasionally interact, and that he didn't really feel like talking about where he's from, because he felt like the only way for him to ever be able to "become himself" was to leave his home behind...

... AND YOU EXPECT ME NOT TO LATCH ONTO THAT POPULAR MERMAN!JASKIER THEORY?!

OR INSTINCTIVELY START DEVELOPING A BUNCH OF HEADCANONS ABOUT IT?

For example :

What if Jaskier keeps repeating that "he's just a bard" not because he's actually dismissing how good, influential, or powerful he is...

... but because he chose to give up his tail to permanently become a human, and he doesn't like to be reminded that he doesn't quite "fully belong" with humanity, because there's something a bit different and "unique" about his singing.

What if, growing up as a merboy, he'd kept feeling like he was born in the wrong body and with the wrong species given his brethren's attitude about singing as an artform.

What if when merpeople sing, they typically rely on pure melodies without lyrics, and argue that only humans and other species of the land - with their inferior vocal capabilities - must rely on something as primitive as words and lyrics to inspire emotions and make ideas take root into other people's minds.

What if they do have a singing speech pattern, but when it comes to artistic expression, the songs are purely melodic.

But Jaskier, after listening to some of the folk songs that the local bards enjoy singing by the fire at the beach, often accompanied by a lute or other instruments, fell in love with the way the words of those songs flow and sound.

Perhaps he revealed himself to Essi then, and that, instead of being scared of him, she agreed to show him how to play the lute, speak her language, and sing the way humans do.

And when he did fully grasp the beauty and the power of using verbal poetry into songs, he knew he could never look back.

What if Essi was the first person to ever really see him for who he was and treat him as family, hence why he loves her like a little sister.

Maybe "the Lettenhoves" are basically a group of merpeople with no actual blood relation, that lost their own families and were rejected by them when they chose to make the full transition from merperson to human.

By pretending to be blood relatives, they've managed, however, to realistically pass as a large human noble family, acquire a bunch of lands and estates over the years that is passed to each new generation that wants them, and each new member is given a certain amount of money when they become one of the Lettenhoves to begin their new life on land!

They aren't extremely close, because they each have their own lives and personal ventures (very few go into singing careers), but they are still people that understand what being a human born at sea feels like, and that will be there to offer each other help and support if need be!

And so, Jaskier was able to go study at the University of Oxenfurt and learn as much of the human world and its arts as he could!

But, while his voice remains a bit more powerful and influential than most humans that were born on land, that influence comes with a "curse"...

Most people that instinctively fall under the charm of his melodies (note: Jaskier can use his voice to make an audience more susceptible to anger and annoyance when he sings, too. An especially useful skill to have when you're relying on food being thrown at you to eat... Hence why Geralt's lack of emotional response to his singing when they met was so intriguing!) will typically only care about how they make them feel, rather than how Jaskier himself was feeling when he wrote his songs.

Geralt, Yennefer and Ciri are all immune to his siren charms - and dwarves appear to be more resistant as well - but, while his songs inspire people, and hearing him sing them "live" with his actual voice tends to make people become instantly infatuated with him (or immediately hate him, should Jaskier wish to repel rather than attract them)...

... they rarely ever see him or seemingly attempt to connect with him on an intimate, emotional level, like they would with another human being.

And so, every time Jaskier is reminded of how much influence he appears to have over how people see the world when he uses his voice, Jaskier's tendency to remind them that he's "just a bard" is because he wishes people would connect with his humanity, too, rather than what he can do.

Regardless of him being able to pass as someone that was born on land and started his life in a fully human body, he knows that his voice will always carry some remnant of his siren abilities.

And that this difference appears to be preventing him from emotionally and physically connecting with other human beings that weren't born at sea like him, the way he wishes he could.

And so, that's why he was initially hesitant to sing for Radovid, and he kept insisting that he wasn't in a "singing mood" that day.

Because he knew that, the moment Radovid heard his singing voice, he might stop listening to him and trying to connect.

But there was something in the way Radovid insisted - while asking for Jaskier to pick his favorite song and showing a sincere curiosity about listening to what pleased him most - that made Jaskier ultimately choose to risk it.

And, while Radovid was obviously affected by the sound of his voice (to the point where he felt the need to pretend his speechlessness was caused by drunkenness), it was also very clear that he'd been listening.

Not only was his gaze very sharp and his eyes clear and bright while Jaskier was singing - seemingly attempting to analyse every note and word - but, for once, the things Radovid was complimenting him about weren't related to his ability to make people feel and experience things...

For once, what Radovid was claiming made Jaskier so special wasn't the beauty or power of his voice, or how catchy the melodies of the songs he'd sang to him were.

It wasn't even about how Jaskier's lyrics had made him feel.

He'd told Jaskier that what made him so special was his ability to see people for who they really are rather than who they pretend to be.

He'd essentially told him that his ability to truly comprehend those around him was his gift - that he had a unique ability to connect with them at the core... the very thing Jaskier had always felt that he was lacking.

And when Jaskier pushed him for more, all Radovid told him was that he didn't know yet, but was determined to figure it out.

"You connect strongly with others and my desire is to understand and connect with you."

That is what Radovid had taken away from who he was, even after having heard him sing, and Jaskier couldn't help but feel like he'd found a kindred spirit in that human.

Someone stuck in a world and a birth family that simply couldn't understand and accept him as he was - constantly hiding parts of himself to survive.

Radovid had then agreed to help him with the whole situation with Rience - despite the fact that Jaskier hadn't used any song to attempt to suggest he should, just genuinely asked for his help.

And - if that hadn't been enough - that prince had gone one step even further by asking him if Geralt knew how lucky he was to have him, after Jaskier had been singing about his self-worth issues when it came to relationships and his fear of never being good enough - or human enough - for a fellow human (or mutated human) partner.

He'd been listening to him.

He might have been born on land, and he might not have been immune to Jaskier's siren abilities, but Radovid still hadn't lost sight of who he was, nor been tempted to start obsessing about owning him or treating him like a prized possession.

And so, Jaskier tentatively begins to allow himself to hope...

Until Radovid does something truly unexpected that none of his prior human, elven or dwarven suitors or lovers had ever done before...

Learn his song.

Sirens are typically immune to the power that another siren's voices carry... until they fall in love.

One of the ways to know if a fellow merperson is alterously or romantically drawn to you is to sing back one of their own melodies to them, and see how they will respond.

Should they feel that instinctive, near irresistible pull towards the melody, and vice versa, then the two sirens will often start trying to discover and explore different ways they can learn to harmonize and use their voices to complement each other's, and create new shared melodies that will resound through the sea.

And, for the very first time in his life, Jaskier finally understands how people feel when they listen to him sing.

Despite the fact that the "siren's melody" being sung back to him is a human song he wrote, with human lyrics, accompanied by human instruments...

Despite the fact that Radovid himself is most definitely not a siren but very much human - fumbling a bit with Jaskier's lute, visibly nervous, too shy to allow his voice to rise above a whisper...

To Jaskier, it's the most beautifully mesmerizing "siren's melody" he's ever heard in his existence! It's filled with warmth, love, understanding, a promise of unconditional acceptance and safety...

It's absolutely intoxicating, he can barely breathe, feels like he's on the very edge of losing his sanity, and it takes all the power he has to avoid launching himself right at him!

And if a human can make him feel this way singing back to him a song filled with poetry and lyrics - rather than a classic, traditional siren's melody - then maybe there's never been anything wrong with Jaskier or the way he's always preferred to sing!

His people made him feel unwanted, but the sea never did! It probably would have been welcoming to a lute-playing merman singing like a bard, if his people hadn't been such close-minded arses!

Jaskier feels at home on land and has never once regretted his choice, but maybe he still has a right to also be a child of the sea, regardless of him having ultimately chosen a pair of legs over his fins!

And maybe Radovid would love to see parts of his old home some day - even if they can only access the surface of it, rather than go explore everything hidden in the water's depths (unless Yennefer has a spell that would allow Radovid to breathe under water as he does. Because Jaskier would never trust a sea witch with Radovid's life!).

And if Jaskier himself can be mesmerized by Radovid's song and feel like he would let that man lead him anywhere and do whatever he wants with him, without any desire to own and control him; maybe he'd simply been trying to connect with the wrong people.

Radovid is the first person he's ever met that seems to be able to connect with both the human and the siren part of him. And when Jaskier offers to help him work on his lute playing and singing, what he's truly saying is that he wants them to learn to harmonize their voices together and create their own melodies...

It's an intimate need Jaskier still has, and he's finally found himself a mate that appears to fully get him, and be able to fulfil those needs.

Of course, then the whole mess with Cirilla happens, and for a moment there Jaskier loses faith that any of it was ever real!

Who was he kidding!? The Redanian Intelligence kept insisting that they knew everything about everyone! Maybe they'd figured out Jaskier used to be a merman, done their research, noticed that Jaskier "fancied" the prince, and instructed him to surprise him and trick him into lowering his defenses, by courting him the way a fellow merman would!

He really should have known!

But then, when he finds Radovid alone, lost, and hiding, he realizes that Radovid had never meant to trick or hurt him.

Radovid had just been genuinely afraid, and trying to deal with the threat of a looming war as best he could by seeking Ciri's help.

And now, the war he'd attempted preventing from happening had begun, he'd clearly internalized Jaskier's earlier blame, and that spoon of a man was sufficiently bonded to him by now that he might just allow himself to be captured and killed if he doesn't do something about it!

And then, Jaskier himself might end up symbolically 'washing ashore' somewhere and letting himself die of heartbreak, for fuck's sake!

Because merpeople are dramatic as fuck and they feel the loss of friends and family in a way that's devastatingly sharp. Being rejected by a queerplatonic or romantic partner - or having them die on them - is the worst type of injury one could inflict upon them!

When he'd sung about having also survived, no thanks to Geralt, he'd fully meant it! That loss had nearly killed him!

If he wants to survive this, he needs to figure out a way to keep Radovid safe, and then make sure that Geralt and the rest of his family are safe also, because he doesn't know how he'd manage to continue to live in this world if the war ends up taking everything from him in a way where all hope would be lost of ever getting any of them back!

#Jaskier #Radovid #Radskier #Geraskier #Merman!Jaskier #My Posts #My Thoughts #Seriously Netflix why did you do this to me!#I'm supposed to be trying to get shit done right now to prepare for the new dance session starting next week #And finishing writing those WIP fics #And answering to a bunch of stuff (haven't forgotten about you #@my-jokes-are-my-armour #I swear!)#NOT having a little merman!Jaskier gleefully swimming and running around my brain hijacking everything and ensuring nothing else get done!!#Fucking hell!#Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?!

106 notes · View notes

scotianostra · 13 days ago

Text

Happy Birthday the Scottish actor Peter Mullan born 2 November 1959 in Peterhead. I love Peter’s work and rate him as highly as Brian Cox and If ever there was a story of rags to riches it is Peter Mullan, born in Peterhead the family later moved to Mosspark in Glasgow. Mullans father was a drunken violent man but despite this Peter did well at school, at least till the age of 14 when the climate at home forced him out onto the streets and into a gang, spending less and less time at school. In his own words he was aggressively lobotomising himself but admitted he kept up his reading on the sly “You couldnae tell the gang you were reading Carl Jung.” he said. I’m not sure his heart was in the gang culture as he says he was “kicked out” after a couple of years, he returned to school and sailed through his Highers and started at Glasgow University at 17. His dad died of lung cancer on his first day. Mullan studied economic history and drama and despite suffering a nervous breakdown in his final year still managed to graduate. He went on to teach drama at Borstals, prisons and community centres while becoming involved in the left-wing theatre movement that flourished in Scotland in the 1980s. In 1987 he made his professional acting debut with the Wildcat theatre company in a political pantomime. Bit parts in Scottish films and TV series followed, The Steamie, Taggart, of course, and Rab C Nesbitt, as well as The Big Man and in Braveheart, he uttered the words, “We didn’t come here to fight for the” Danny Boyle, Shallow Grave and Trainspotting were another two films that Mullan served his apprenticeship in. The breakthrough came when Ken Loach chose him in the title role of “My Name is Joe” he gave a brilliant portrayal Jekyll-and-Hyde character , a recovering alcoholic whose humanity and warmth masked a frightening capacity for brutality. He won his first award at Cannes as Best Actor for the role. Around the same time Mullan was starting to get into directing, three surreal comic dramas set in the Glaswegian working-class world and then his first full length film, he not only directed but wrote the excellent Orphans an odyssey of four working-class siblings roving round Glasgow in the 24 hours after their mother dies. Channel Four, who funded the film chose not to distribute it as they didn’t think it would attract a large commercial audience. The film however was shown at Film festivals around Europe and won numerous awards, in interviews, Mullan has said that once Orphans started winning awards Channel Four apologised and asked if they could distribute it, an offer he refused. Since then Peter Mullan has not looked back, directing and penning The Magdalene Sisters and Neds as well as starring in amongst others, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, War Horse, Hector and Tommy’s Honour, on the small screen he was one of the main characters in ITV series The Fixer, The BBC Two drama Top of the Lake, and in the excellent drama series Gunpowder. More up to date Peter has appeared as Jacob Snell in the first two seasons of the Netflix series Ozark, all three series of the BBC Two sitcom Mum and a recurring role in the popular TV reboot of Westworld. He has also starred in the Netflix fantasy drama Cursed. We will next see Mullan alongside Colin Farrell and Tom Courtney in the BBC series The North Water. Peter was also one of the participants of the National Theatre of Scotland’s Scenes For Survival project, which featured talents from the country’s arts industry making lockdown-related short films as a response to the country’s theatres having to close during the coronavirus pandemic.

Mullan has been busy in the past few years, appearing in TV shows Liaison, Payback, After the Party and LOTR: Rings of Power, as well as the film, Baghead a Horror film which has average reviews on IMDb. Outlander fans look out for him in the spin off series Outlander: Blood of My Blood, a prequel to the popular Starz show, it follows the parents of both protagonists from the original series. Tony Curran is also cast as a younger Lord Lovatt. It is follows the parents of both protagonists from the original series it is expected to premiere in 2025 on Starz. He has a few oter projects on the go, the most hard hitting will no doubt be an ITV mini series called Lockerbie which will focus on the investigation into the crash on both sides of the Atlantic and the devastating effect it had on the small town and the families who lost loved ones.

#scotland #scottish #history #actor #happy birthday

11 notes · View notes

wrestletotheground · 1 year ago

Text

~ promptober day 3 ~

scary movies - ross macdonald fluff

no cws just cute boyfriend ross

the buzz of the doorbell rang through the house, waking me up from my nap. I tapped on my phone to check the time. 7pm. 'shit', I muttered, jumping out of bed and hurrying down the stairs to answer. I swung the door open to see ross standing there with a huge smile on his face. he looked so adorable in his black hoodie and grey tracksuit bottoms, hair tied back into a clean ponytail, the leaves and trees of the garden framing him in red, brown and orange.

'hi baby', I said, diving straight into his open arms, letting him envelop me in him. I breathed in his scent, warm and comforting in the chill of the october air. 'i missed you darling', he said, pulling away slightly to look down into my eyes. 'I missed you too, the 9 hours you've been gone felt like too long', I replied truthfully. we'd been living together for 3 months and it still felt surreal, waking up beside the love of my life every day and spending more time with him than ever on days we had off from work (and in his case, touring).

it was then I noticed the shopping bag on the ground by his side. he saw me looking, and without me having to ask, said 'I thought we could have a little movie night to kick off the start of spooky season. I went to tesco on the way home and got all of our favourite snacks'.

my heart melted at the gesture. after the long week I'd had this was just what I needed. 'ross,' i cooed, pouting my bottom lip. 'what did i do to deserve you?' I asked, resting my chin on his chest. he smile at me before leaning down to kiss me gently. 'go in and pick a film love, ill get food sorted'.

10 minutes later he reappeared from the kitchen balancing a bowl of buttered popcorn, 2 cans of cherry coke, a bag of chilli heatwave doritos under his arm, sour cream dip and a bag of m&ms between his teeth. 'jesus, someone took advantage of their clubcard', I laughed, getting up to help him put everything down. 'I got it, I got it', he said around the m&m packet, squatting down to the coffee table. he flicked off the big light, leaving just the warm glow of the lamp in the corner and the tv screen. he then produced a lighter from his pocket and bent down to light the scented candle across from us.

once everything was set up he sat down beside me on the couch. the atmosphere was so cosy and cute, it truly felt like halloween season now.

I returned my gaze to the tv, flicking through the endless films under "halloween" on netflix. 'have you still not decided?' he asked. 'listen. there's a lot of options', I started, looking over to see him looking at me incredulously. 'fifteen minutes I was gone for, unbelievable', he replied, shaking his head. 'ten', I mumbled, pushing his arm playfully, still swiping through the catalogue of spooky films.

'what about one of them tim burton ones you have on dvd?' I snapped my head around, gasping theatrically. 'ross. you're a genius' I replied. I practically ran over to turn on the dvd player. I picked up the corpse bride, my favourite, and showed it to him. 'perfect, whatever you want darling', he said, grinning.

I put it on and sat back beside him. he put his arm around me and I lay into him contently as the opening credits played. I pulled the blanket down from the end of the couch over us and snuggled into him. his thumb rubbed up and down on my arm comfortingly, a constant reminder of his love for me.

I took a moment to look around the room. everything was perfect. ross, the film, the seasonal decorations, the pumpkin spice candle burning on the fireplace in our living room. our home. together.

{s/o to @abiiors for the cutest prompts I'm having sm fun reading n writing them 🤭}

#promptober75 #ross macdonald #scary movies #ross macdonald fluff #ross macdonald fanfiction #the 1975 #he's so bf coded #halloween #spooky season

69 notes · View notes

sageandred · 7 months ago

Text

Some LGBTQ+ Shows + Movies that aren't talked about enough

□ Key : ❤️Netflix 💚Hulu+ 🧡Max 💙Amazon

Sense 8- a sci-fi series featuring queer and polyamorous relationships that follows 8 strangers, who become connected mentally and must survive as hunters view them as a threat to the world's order

Nuovo Olimpo- a story through the years that follows two 25 year old men who fall in love, get separated, and try to find each other again over 30 years

Mutt- a transgender man is swept into a whirlwind of emotions when people from the past return to his life over 24 hours

Merlí- a drama surrounding a philosophy teacher, along with his gay son, and the unconventional methods taken to influence the student's rebellion

Heartbreak High- an Australian tv series that features asexual, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and nonbinary characters navigating the ups and downs of high school, life, and romance

In the Flesh- a post-apocolyptic short series in which zombies get rehabilitated back into the normal world (disclaimer: was cancelled after 2 seasons)

Plan B- a comedy movie about a girl and her best friend who have 24 hours to track down the morning after pill following her regrettable first time experience, with commentary on women's sexuality + double standards

Pose- an upbeat drama mostly about trans women and gay men who are POC building a community in New York City during the late 80s and early 90s (disclaimer: season 2 gets darker, but it's still got some happier moments)

Vida- a story about 2 Mexican-American sisters who return home following their mother's death unearthing her secrets as one sister goes on journey of exploring her own repressed feelings

Gentleman Jack- a historic lesbian love story within the British monarchy

Looking- an intense look on how internalized homophobia can deeply impact life and love; there's some negative critiques in some areas, but it's a realistic look at how the way you grew up can affect, particularly in regards to gay relationships

Animal Kingdom (2016)- a crime drama centered around the dealings of a family involved in shady business when a teenager goes to live with them following his mom's od

Anne+ - Anne examines multiple past relationships and how they have contributed to who she is

The Blue Caftan- a middle aged man and his wife run a store where they hire a young apprentice that he falls for

Demain Nous Appartient (Tomorrow is Ours)- soap opera that features gay storyline after a plane crash accident in which a boy has lost his eyesight

Eismayer- openly gay soldier and a tough officer in the Austrian army fall in love

Glue (2014)- crime drama series that features a bl relationship (warning: tragic love story)

Le Paradis (The Lost Boys 2023)- a forbidden love story in which it is prohibited to engage in physical contact for boys at a detention center

The Trace of Your Lips- lockdown movie where 2 men living across the hall from each other break the rules

#putting this here for me to come back to #movies and tv #lgbt movies #lgbt shows #recommended #lgbtqia #heartbreak high #merlí #mine #lists #lgbt

33 notes · View notes

happy-mokka · 3 months ago

Text

Late to a party (as always... story of my life), but I just finished

Dead End: Paranormal Park

on Netflix...

Wikipedia: here you go

What a beautiful show! Kind of animated fantasy horror comedy playing in a supernatural theme park with the cutest, most diverse and queer cast imaginable:

Barney Guttman, a 17-year-old gay and transgender Jewish American boy who runs away to the theme park because of his complicated relationship with his family.

Norma Khan, a 17-year-old bisexual and autistic Pakistani-American girl who gets a job at the park because of her adoration of the films made by the park's founder.

Pugsley, Barney's pug. As a result of being possessed by a demon king called Temeluchus, he can speak and possesses magical abilities.

Courtney, a thousand-year-old demon. She has been banished from her home and hopes to find a way to return.

Logan Nguyen, a health and safety officer at the park. He is a gay Vietnamese-American who develops feelings for Barney.

Badyah Hassan, Norma's friendly and sardonic best friend. She is Iranian-American and Muslim.

It is fun, dramatic, cute, adorable, romantic and sooo queer...full of small little details and nice sidekicks. I really loved it. Sadly, as so many good shows, it got cancelled after 2 seasons.

Still, go, watch it!

@uncleadelheid-will-eat-your-soul thanks, once again, for a great recommendation... 😘🤗

#dead end paranormal park #netflix #queer #lgbtqia #transgender #bisexual #diversity #pugsley #norma khan #barney guttman #courtney the demon #logan nguyen #badyah hassan #cute #adorable #animated #comic #love it

16 notes · View notes

letsgofullpogue · 2 months ago

Text

via tv line

The Pogues will be sitting pretty as Season 4 opens, thanks to their newly found wealth and fame following the El Dorado caper. “They really recreate what they had on the island [at the start of Season 3] when they had this idyllic life, but they do it in a supersized way, because they have a bit of money,” series co-creator/executive producer Josh Pate tells TVLine. “They build the perfect paradise home for themselves, and then the season is about how that paradise is threatened and what they have to do to save it.” His fellow series co-creator/EP Shannon Burke calls Season 4 a “reset,” coming off the Royal Merchant adventure and where it led for the first three seasons. John B. & Co. are “a little older, and they’re all together as couples,” he notes, confirming that John B. and Sara, Pope and Cleo, and JJ and Kiara all are still dating. “When the season starts, they’re all happily in love, and they’ve built this beautiful dream life for themselves in a very Pogue-y way,” Pate adds. Just checking: Does that life include a flag of a chicken wearing Crocs and a coconut bra and smoking a joint? “Of course,” Pate says, laughing. “That was the first thing they put out.”

BONUS SPOILER!: When we query the EPs about Season 4 cast additions like Dalia, a worldly pirate (played by The Walking Dead’s Pollyanna McIntosh), and Chandler, a widower involved in the Pogues’ new adventure (played by Billions’ J. Anthony Crane), Burke and Pate get quiet quickly. “That’s a tough one to answer,” Pate eventually says, adding cryptically: “The way you meet them is not the way they end up.”

RETURN DATE: Thursday, Oct. 10 (Part 1), and Thursday, Nov. 7 (Part 2) (Netflix)

#outer banks #obx #obx season 4 #obx spoilers #tv line

13 notes · View notes

lokiondisneyplus · 1 year ago

Text

‘Totally Killer,’ ‘Loki’ Top Weekly Whip U.S. Streaming Charts

Prime Video’s Totally Killer led the Whip Media chart of streaming movies, while Disney+’s “Loki” topped the Whip Media chart of streaming originals among U.S. consumers for the week ended Oct. 15.

Rising from No. 3 on the streaming originals chart the previous week, “Loki” is based on the Marvel character of the same name. The series — season two of which began streaming Oct. 5 — stars Tom Hiddleston reprising his role from the films. In the series, an alternate Loki is on a new timeline.

Rising from No. 2 on the streaming movies chart the previous week, Totally Killer started streaming Oct. 6. In the comedy-horror film, 35 years after the shocking murders of three teens, an infamous killer returns on Halloween night to claim a fourth victim.

TV Time, a Whip Media company, is a free TV and movie viewership tracking app with more than 25 million global users. The streaming originals chart rankings are determined by streaming original TV series with the greatest share of views in the given week, among a balanced panel of U.S. users of the TV Time app. The movie rankings are determined from streaming movies with the greatest share of views in the given week, among a balanced panel of U.S. users of the TV Time app.

Falling from the top spot to No. 2 on the streaming movies chart was Haunted Mansion, which started streaming on Disney+ Oct. 4. Starring LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson, Danny DeVito, Rosario Dawson, Chase W. Dillon, Daniel Levy, Jamie Lee Curtis and Jared Leto, the film — based on the Disneyland ride — follows the story of a woman and her son who enlist a motley crew of so-called spiritual experts to help them rid their home of supernatural squatters.

Debuting at No. 3 on the streaming movies chart was The Burial, which began streaming on Prime Video Oct. 13. The legal drama, loosely based on a true story, stars Tommy Lee Jones and Jamie Foxx.

Rising from No. 4 to No. 2 on the streaming originals chart was “Gen V,” a spin-off of Prime Video’s superhero series “The Boys.” The series, which began streaming on Prime Video Sept. 29, is about next-gen antiheroes putting their physical, sexual and moral boundaries to the test.

Rising from No. 6 to No. 3 on the streaming originals chart was “The Morning Show,” season three of which started streaming on Apple TV+ Sept. 13. It follows the exploits of anchors and other participants in a morning TV program.

Top Streaming Originals Among U.S. Consumers for the Week Ended Oct. 15:

“Loki” — Disney+

“Gen V” — Prime Video

“The Morning Show” — Apple TV+

“Love Is Blind” — Netflix

“Only Murders in the Building” — Hulu

“The Fall of the House of Usher” — Netflix (Series Premiere)

“Star Trek: Lower Decks” — Paramount+

“Invasion” (2021) — Apple TV+

“Ahsoka” — Disney+

“Our Flag Means Death” — Max

#loki #streaming #no idea how accurate this site is #but seems reasonable??

49 notes · View notes

amailboxlemur · 4 months ago

Text

Three years ago today I watched Young Royals for the first time.

Story time/long post incoming. I wasn’t in a great headspace at the time, but let me try to set the scene.

Spring of 2021 was still pretty deep in the pandemic. My province had been on lockdown (number 3) since the beginning of April and I hated working from home. Partly because teaching online piano lessons sucks. But also I live alone, and lockdown is too much alone time no matter how introverted you are. I think that spring I went about 6 weeks without speaking to someone in person who wasn’t like a grocery store cashier.

I decided to go stay with my parents for a few weeks so I could get some human interaction. At the time, I was mooching off my former roommate’s Netflix that was still signed in to our living room TV, so I didn’t have Netflix access.

I also love Red White and Royal Blue, and all of a sudden in early July the fandom got flooded. There were gifs of two unfamiliar teenage boys all over my dash. Fanart of two boys who looked like Alex and Henry captioned “Wilhelm and Simon”. There were a bunch of crossover fics popping up on AO3. I was curious, but mostly I just wanted to get a feel for the characters so I could read said crossover fics.

July 12th was my first day back teaching in person. (Side note: the health precautions we had in place for those lessons were WILD). I came back from my parents place in the morning, taught in the late afternoon/evening and returned home around 8 pm. I made supper and figured I’d try watching an episode of this “Young Royals” thing. I started it and remember groaning when I realized it was in Swedish so I’d have to focus and read subtitles instead of watching mindlessly (I’m too pretentious to watch the dubbed version, but it had been a long day)

“Oh that’s a beautiful boy with a beautiful voice singing… I can keep going…”

“Ohhh they’re about to kiss… wait what? How does episode 1 just end there??? I have to watch another episode!”

“Yay they finally kissed!! But how will Wilhelm react?? It’s not even 11 yet, I think I can watch one more”

“Erik is dead. I knew this was coming because I saw the “beta read but Erik’s still dead” tag on AO3 but totally forgot! How will this affect my boys?? One more episode, just to see if wilhelm pushes Simon away again”

“Ok good, they’re together. August sucks though, I can see where this is going and why there seem to be so many comparisons to rwrb. But it’s past midnight so I’ll have to keep watching tomorrow… wait there’s only two more episodes?? Might as well finish”

Before I knew it, it was 2 am and I was crying on my living room couch. I NEVER get into new shows, I have tons of things I watched 1-3 episodes of and then quit, so I couldn’t believe I binged the entire thing. It was late so I went to sleep.

In the morning I woke up and the rabbit hole began. I read all the fics on AO3, I started following young royals stuff on tumblr. I googled the actor who played Simon and found out he’s an actual Swedish pop star? I think he was among the first artists I followed using my then brand new Spotify account. I followed both Omar and Edvin on instagram, along with Lisa (other actors followed later). I watched all the young royals promo videos on YouTube, including the Hillerska choir performance. That entire summer was spent diving down Omar’s back catalog of Foo vlogs. Some of them are in Swedish, but I remember watching them intensely, as if I would magically understand if I tried hard enough. I started learning Swedish on duolingo.

When season 2 was released, I fully quit all social media for WEEKS to avoid spoilers. I spent 3 days carefully messing up my sleep schedule so I could wake up and watch it at 3 am. When season 3 was released I was such an excited puppy dog that I didn’t sleep at all. I watched it at 3 am and spent the whole rest of the day amped up and on tumblr.

I remember all kinds of fun and significant days in the fandom: Rockbjörnen 2021, musikhjälpan 2021. The lead up and release of Mi Casa Su Casa. The release of OMR. Omar gave me a birthday present in 2022 when he performed “breathe” on Nyhetsmorgon on my birthday. Gay gala 2022 but especially 2023. Both boys have done incredible sommarpratar. So many other galas and performances and photoshoots I’d be here all day listing them all out.

Becoming an Omar fangirl was also surprising. I don’t listen to or follow pop music (my definition of which is incredibly broad so yes, Omar’s music qualifies). Like, I’ve never had a favourite artist before? One who’s work I actively follow and whose releases I know about in advance and look forward to?

Omar announced his concert at Cirkus in November of 2023 and it fell at the end of a semester break from work. I could go without needing to refund or makeup any missed lessons. It felt like a sign. That week was genuinely one of the best in my life, words can’t even describe it. A transatlantic flight, a week in Europe. I got to see Kaggeholm. I met Omar at Lyko. I stood in general admission 3 rows back from the stage and heard Omar sing live and sang along with other fans. It was surreal. Shout out to @yrblogbaby @the-words-we-sung @crownedwille and @omarsimp, wow you’re all amazing. There was a queer joy to hanging out with y’all that weekend that I don’t get too often irl.

Since then, I’ve tried to internalize a little bit more the idea of community in fandom. I’m still not super out there, but I try to interact more. I lurked in this fandom (and so many others) for years. I made this account in something like 2011 and until recently I probably had less than 50 posts.

So yeah… saying this show changed my life feels dramatic but also accurate. Hopefully here’s to more years to come, and more good memories when I head to New York this fall!

#this got away from me #and made me emotional #but I realized not a single day has gone by in the last 3 years #that I didn’t think of yr or omar #which is insane to think about #personal #young royals #omar rudberg

17 notes · View notes

athetos · 4 months ago

Text

It still doesn’t feel real that my brother died. I keep hearing my mom’s voice over the phone saying he died and the awful sob as she said that last word, “died”, the most broken noise. And she is on vacation and won’t be able to get home until Sunday night. I don’t have any tears left to cry. He turned 26 last month. Nobody expected this. He was a partier but he had gotten a lot better. He died presumably in his sleep after 4th of July. He was with his friends but he got home early before midnight. It’s not right. I don’t know what autopsy will say or when that will even be. He didn’t want to die. He had plans for after the weekend he was working a few hours away for the state and had a new job lined up too. I highly doubt there’s foul play but I wish there was so I would have somebody to blame. But there’s nobody to blame.

My roommate is out of state so I’m by myself. At least I fly home tomorrow and I get to meet my parents at their house. My mom is so strong and I love her so much. I know her heart is breaking far worse than mine. It’s going to be different now. I’m going to text her every day and call her often. My brother traveled for work but he lived with them and I know the house must feel so lonely and empty. I’m glad my stepfather is there for her, I know his heart is breaking too because he saw my brother and I as his kids even though we were teens when he started seeing my mom. My brother’s gone. I wish I lived closer to home but there’s directly flights now so I can be there in 2 hours but they only leave certain days of the week. I bought a ticket there but not one back yet. I’ll probably stay a week. I don’t know. I don’t care about work my boss said I have bereavement it’s 3 or 5 days but I don’t care about that either fuck it if I don’t get paid. I want to see the dogs and I wonder if they understand what happened or not. I even want to see my father for once. I talked to my mom but didn’t call the others because I didn’t know what to say and I feel kind of helpless that I can’t do anything and I don’t want to hear them cry when I can’t be there to hug them. But they understand and we’ve been texting and I’ll see them tomorrow. Idk it’s like… it doesn’t make sense I guess why this even happened he was 26 but there isn’t a reason things just happen but now we have to live with it and if I expected either of us to die it would probably be me because god knows I tried but I’m in a good place now and this happens and it just isn’t right.

I’m going to be okay I’m going to take it easy and go to the library to return my book and get another for the flight so I don’t stare out the window and cry the whole time and I’ll get lunch too because I don’t want to cook but I need to eat. And then I’ll rest and pack and call a friend or two and then I’ll try to sleep. I dreamt there was a second futurama movie I don’t remember anything else but it was on directv and my brother and I watched like the first 6 seasons of futurama together on Netflix when we were teens and I have fond memories of the show and laughing with him. At least I hugged him and told him I loved him last time I saw him in December so he knows that at least.

#this is so fucked up.

9 notes · View notes

blluespirit · 11 days ago

Text

It continues.... the Big NATLA Analysis; (s01e02 - WARRIORS)

Oh man. I did not expect to dislike this episode so much. The more I thought about things, the more there was to talk about. I am writing this at 10:30pm on a work night, so I apologise for any spelling or grammatical errors.

Any way if you're interested in a (probably unnecessary) deep dive into the netflix atla series, come with me on this journey.

You can find Ep1 here

1 - Intro scene - Zuko's journal is missing

I did enjoy the overall vibe of this scene; Zuko tearing his room a part, loosing his cool coupled with Iroh trying (and failing) to placate him was great. Funny, but not trying to hard, revealing Zuko's drive and intensity, and Iroh's attempt to calm him through Logic all makes a great scene. Plus Zuko's "he rAN" actually made me laugh the first time I watched it.

Things I didn't like:

a) ah yes. Zuko's drive to become Fire Lord is the reason he's after the Avatar... right? I mentioned this in part 1: Aang. The show uses establishing scenes to have Zuko talk about his want for the throne, which is not true to Zuko's character or motivations. In season 1, he mentions this only two times - once when he's been antagonised by Zhao and again when he finds out that Zhao is now also hunting the Avatar. Two moments where his emotions are heightened, either in anger/shame or hopelessness.

Even in season 2 he doesn't mention it very often. He mentions being royalty, being a prince, but rarely ever talks about being the heir and wanting the throne. You may think I'm being pedantic, but the reason I keep harping on about it is that this show keeps insisting that the reason that Zuko wants to capture the Avatar is so he can take his place as the crown prince. Whereas, in the OG, Zuko only mentions being the heir often in emotional moments or as an afterthought. Zuko wants to go home (*cough* his father's love *cough*)

In The Avatar Returns, after Aang gives himself up, Zuko says:

ZUKO: [Determined] Head a course for the Fire Nation. I'm going home.

Right from the offset, the writers frame Zuko's hunt for the Avatar as something other than a want for power.

Compare this to the third line of dialogue Zuko says this episode:

ZUKO: I'm still the heir to the throne, that's got to mean something... even in this dustbin corner of the world.

It's too early in our introduction to Zuko for the audience to understand any nuance to his words - which is why the OG goes out of it's way to make sure we don't misconstrue that.

2 - the Gaang at the SAT

Things I liked:

a) Sokka's hesitance to continue on their journey; Katara's ability to see the bigger picture and an opportunity to help others It's very fitting to their characters and Katara actually talks about herself for like... the first time lol

KATARA: It’s about more than just helping Aang. Ever since he came into our lives, things have changed for me. Before I met him, I couldn’t bend enough water to fill a thimble. And now look what I can do! And that’s after a single day! Look around. Look where we are now. I don’t know about you, but I can’t go back.

FINALLY!! A glimpse at that drive! She actually stands up to Sokka in this scene too, even - dare I say it - getting frustrated at him. To Katara, she is willing to leave home and put everything on the line to help save the world, learn waterbending and help Aang. Is it idealist? Is it unrealistic? yeah i mean she's 14 and the Avatar is some kid who's even younger than her with no combat training (aside from learning bending) but she doesn't care!! I love her so much, words cannot describe.

I'm also so glad she just walks away from Sokka after she delivers this speech. It's clear she's made her mind up and there's nothing Sokka could say that would change it.

b) Momo He looks so cute... we needed more of him 🥺

c) sokka & momo rivalry/friendship Wouldn't be atla without it lol

Things I didn't like:

a) the waterbending scroll being gifted from Kanna Okay, I get it. I never really expected to keep in the pirates subplot since there's only 8 episodes, but I did expect them to show us what we learnt in some other way in The Waterbending Scroll - that learning waterbending is something that's important to Katara. It's a massive part of her identity as a warrior, a fighter (I think it's so important that healing is something she stumbles upon and being a fighter is something she seeks). It's her culture, something she has been robbed of. Coupled with comparing herself to Aang, who picks up the skills that Katara has spent seemingly years trying to learn almost instantly, we get to see that Katara is just a person. She gets jealous. She wants, so desperately to be a good waterbender, and when raw talent is thrown in front of you like that it's a hard pill to swallow.

It's a shame that we seemingly don't get to explore any of this - Katara's drive to learn and teach, Aang's raw talent, Katara's jealous streak, Aang learning waterbending. I haven't yet gotten through all the episodes on my re-watch, but from what I've seen, they don't convey this all.

So TLDR for this point; removing side plots is fine if you don't sacrifice the character moments that make the show what it is. Continuing to rob Katara of any personality traits (favourable or not) does not serve anyone. It's interesting that despite her extremely strong sense of justice and right and wrong she's willing to steal in this instance! That's an interesting thing to explore!!! DEPTH!!!!!!!

3 - The Kyoshi Warriors storyline.

Things I liked:

FR the only thing I liked was Kyoshi appearing through Aang and scaring the shit out of everyone.

Things I didn't like:

a) Sokka and Suki Sokka tries to (awkwardly) flirt with Suki and she immediately is rude to him and talks down on him, despite the show trying to show they're interested in each other.

SOKKA: I get it. I know why you wanted us off your island. I’d have done the same thing. It’s a big responsibility, all these people’s lives in your hands. Personally, I take that responsibility very seriously. I, uh… I’m the guardian of my village, too, so… SUKI: [incredulous] You? SOKKA: Yep. SUKI: A guardian? So how are you protecting your people if you’re here? SOKKA: [bumbling and awkward; visibly nervous] What? I’m not. I mean, I am. I may… I may not physically be there, but still… That is, I’m… I have to save the world first. Katara, how does it go again? I’m protecting Aang, so I’m protecting the village… [Suki begins to walk away; Sokka rushes after her] SOKKA: Hey! Hey! Um… The point is we have a lot in common. We’re both warriors, right? SUKI: [irritated, aggressive] Before she died, Avatar Kyoshi trained an elite force in her image. One ready to protect not only our homes but our way of life. That tradition has been passed down through the generations, and it is now my honour to protect this community and to uphold the values of the Avatar. That is why I’m not just a warrior. I’m a Kyoshi Warrior.

Suki's harshness makes sense in the original because Sokka is busy being a sexist asshole to her and she doesn't let him walk all over her. But here it feels very out of place, especially considering it was her words that convinced Yukari to let them stay in the village.

And then the next scene being Suki seeking him out to oogle at him getting dressed?????? hELLP It's fine to make her a little awkward and out of her depth with this new, interesting person here that, given their isolation, she just doesn't know what to do with herself, but now they've managed to make almost her whole motivation be she finds Sokka physically attractive. She's the one who seeks Sokka out (for seemingly no other reason than foreign boy = hot), rather than Sokka being the one to seek her out to prove a misguided point to himself.

That's NOT Suki. By skirting around the sexism issue, they managed to make Suki less of herself.

They could have had a real powerful moment here. I absolutely adore OG Suki's line to Sokka:

SOKKA: I should've treated you like a warrior but I treated you like a girl SUKI: I am a warrior... But I'm also a girl.

At least from what I've seen, media tends to forget that badass women can be and often are feminine as well. Being strong does not equal being more masculine/manly. And Suki owns that.

Yeah she's a warrior, a protector. She can handle herself, and she's a girl as well.

The Suki and Sokka subplot was short. It was not an arc, more of a moment, but it had meaning. Suki began the process of Sokka realising his internalised misogyny and humbled him. By the end of the episode, Sokka faces up to his mistreatment of Suki and apologises. He respects her as a warrior and as a person. We see the impact that left on him.

All of this is gone. This version is not better. Sokka and Suki are not more interesting in this. The conflict forced Sokka to grow and learn and we got to meet this incredible, underrated strong female character without her presence feeling obnoxious or mary sue.

Once again, the substance is gone. They took all the growth, the real-world issues (even if handled simply - it's a kids show, after all) and interest away and made it all about that Suki and Sokka find each other physically attractive.

b) Making the head of the village Suki's mum I just don't really understand why they made this change... it doesn't really add anything to Suki's character. I'm happy we have another female character - especially a leader. But, I just wish they didn't make her Suki's mum! Yukari doesn't need to be Suki's mother in order for Suki to advocate for the Gaang, or have a strong connection to her. I think it might have been more impactful if Suki had reached out to Yukari, the head of village, as a protector rather than it be Suki reaching out to her mother - therefore adding to how Suki is respected in the village as a warrior and protector; her word is respected. Because Yukari is her mother, it doesn't come off like that. Did Yukari listen just because Suki is her daughter? Would she have done the same if a different person was leading the Kyoshi Warriors? And their whole interaction just felt way to personal to me to be just... having in front of everyone?

SUKI: [crouches down] What harm is there in letting him look through some books? YUKARI: [stern] It’s not about them. SUKI: It’s about who else may come. I know. But if he is the Avatar, how can we turn our back on him? YUKARI: [softer] Such a fierce warrior. And yet such a kind heart. SUKI: [frustrated] Mother. YUKARI: Suki, you’re too young to know that there are many in this world who would take advantage of that kind heart. SUKI: I’m not too young. I just haven’t seen the world. [she stands up]

This is in front of everyone. Yes they're whispering, but it just feels weird to me.

I've read a lot of posts where people really liked this change, so I don't expect everyone to agree... just my feeling on this one.

c) Aang's characterisation

I'm not going to say much here because i have been struggling to put my feelings into words here.

Ultimately: Aang feels too serious to have his silly moments make sense.

He's deeply troubled by the death of his people, and therefore, is desperate to make a difference in this world. He's running towards his problems so far. Yet, the show keeps trying to say that he's avoiding it by having him refuse to even attempt any waterbending and have these 'silly' moments that remind of me of OG Aang but the whole thing just doesn't feel right in this adaption.

On one hand, Aang is monologuing about his responsibility and what he has to do and how he has to save the world, and then on the hand the story is trying to tell us he's not trying to do that.

(Because they did not want Aang to learn apparently, any waterbending, we miss the idea that Aang has this crazy raw talent. Yes, we know he's a good airbender, but The Waterbending Scroll shows he's a good waterbender too and picks it up almost immediately. But we don't have that, so instead we get this information in monologue and dialogue form from Aang in episode 1, telling Gyatso he doesn't need to train and again here, when he tells Katara the other kids were scared of him because of his raw talent and power. Not a bad thing on its own, but I keep noticing that a lot of moments are sacrificed and replaced with exposition to communicate this.)

This is the best explanation I can do for this one. Would genuinely love people's thoughts on Aang; whether you agree or not!!

d) Zuko continues to have decisions and agency taken away from him to seemingly make him seem 'better' He doesn't burn down the village and he says like two (2) sentences to Zhao. Iroh makes 99% of the decisions for him in this episode and Zhao is the one who does most of the damage, leaving Zuko to be largely uninteresting and not at all impactful to the story.

It seems like they're trying to make Zuko less bad than in the original (a lot of his outbursts and personality is dialled down as well), but it's truly a talent how they can make this so utterly uninteresting and actually manage to remove a lot of Zuko's passion, intensity and drive.

The problem can be explained largely through the fact that Zuko just doesn't actually do anything: 1 - He follows Iroh's lead when approaching the Naval Commander (Zhao); and Iroh interrupts him anyway when he snaps at Zhao and Zuko never interrupts again and instead stands in next to Iroh looking mildly annoyed the whole time. 2 - when Zuko realises Zhao got to Kyoshi before they did, he seemingly feels close to giving up, before Iroh points out he may not be in the village, but at the Kyoshi statue. Zuko listens and goes there. 3 - Zuko sort of gets a Decision when he fights Katara who tries to stop him from passing; finally something I guess??? But then Kyoshi appears and that's over so whatever I guess. 4 - Zuko has this outburst in front of Zhao that just pisses me off so bad.

ZUKO: [abruptly to Zhao, as he's walking away] Don’t tell anyone... About the Avatar. No one else can know. ZHAO: [ominously] But of course. I fully understand the sensitive nature of this information. And if you’ll permit me, working together, we’d be able to devote twice as many resources to the hunt. Obviously, with Your Highness taking the lead in all matters… ZUKO: [steps towards Zhao] Wait, we don’t- IROH: [Cuts Zuko off. Stern] An excellent suggestion, Commander. We would be honoured to have your partnership and your loyalty. ZHAO: Believe me, there’s nothing more important than knowing where to place my loyalties. [immediately cuts to Zhao writing a letter about the Avatar's existence to Ozai]

OG Zuko would never do this lol. He'd challenge Zhao to an Agni Kai before he believed a single word that came out of Zhao's mouth.

This Zuko is boring. The OG made Zuko burn Suki's village down and yet, we were still cheering for him in the agni kai against Zhao, because they pinned them against each other in a way that was impactful to the audience.

I'm going to go into more detail below:

4 - The Zuko & Iroh vs Zhao storyline

I will tolerate the Zuko and Iroh and street vendor moment because it's kind of cute. I like that the vendor caught the vibe and rolls with it with Zuko's expression being pure agony watching the whole thing play out... golden. Plus, Uncle Iroh telling Zuko he needs to use ✨tact✨ and ✨empathy✨ to trick Zhao into telling him what he wants (if anything unusual has happened in the area) and immediately getting distracted by sticky rice, plus Zuko's voice trailing after him trying to get him to focus... valid and perfectly on brand.

This is the end of things I liked. Now buckle in.

My disappointment is endless:

The Zuko and Zhao dynamic just... isn't good. I've been writing and re-writing this section over and over trying to get my words out about this but I think ultimately the issue is here is that it's just.... boring. The interactions between Zuko and Zhao are not as tense, lack an intriguing history and I think ultimately it robs Zuko of personality and does not set him up to be liked by the audience as well, despite him being the antagonist.

Once again, I'm adding the caveat that a 1:1 copy of the original is not at all what I'm asking for - it's an adaption, after all - but changes should NOT take away from the story or make it worse.

Now with that out of the way, I'd like to compare the introductory scenes respectively:

ORIGINAL:

ZHAO: Prince Zuko? ZUKO: [disdainfully] Captain Zhao. ZHAO [smirks] It's commander now. And [he bows slightly to Iroh] General Iroh. Great hero of our nation. IROH: [bows back] Retired general. ZHAO: The Fire Lord's brother and son are welcome guests anytime. What brings you to my harbour? IROH: Our ship is being repaired. ZHAO: That's quite a bit of damage. ZUKO: Yes. You wouldn't believe what happened. [He glances at his uncle, and angrily commands him as he gestures at Zhao.] Uncle! Tell Commander Zhao what happened. IROH: [startled] Yes. I will do that. [with enthusiasm] It was incredible! [Hesitates. To Zuko, confused whispering] What? Did we crash or something? ZUKO: [uncomfortable] Yes! Right into ... an Earth Kingdom ship! ZHAO: [In disbelief] Really? You must regale me with all of the thrilling details. [smirks and gets into Zuko's face] Join me for a drink? ZUKO: [averts his gaze and begins to walk away] Sorry, but we have to go. IROH: [stops Zuko with a hand on his shoulder] Prince Zuko, show Commander Zhao your respect. [Iroh removes his hand and faces Zhao. Zuko narrows his eyes] We would be honoured to join you. Do you have any ginseng tea? It's my favourite.

LIVE ACTION:

ZUKO: [stern] Where’s your commander? I need recent surveillance reports. Right now. FIRE NATION SEAMAN: Excuse me? ZUKO: And maps. Nautical maps. The more detailed, the better. [Zhao is in another room and hears the discussion. He appears to recognise the voice. He moves to the door] SEAMAN: And you are? ZHAO: [entering the room. calmly] Prince Zuko. What an honour to welcome actual royalty to our humble base. What can I do for the crown prince? ZUKO: [irritated] As I was saying, I need- IROH: [interrupts him] Please excuse my nephew. We’ve been at sea a long time, and our manners have grown as rusty as our anchors. ZHAO: [intrigued, but remains calm] General Iroh, no need to apologise, and please forgive our lapses as well. We don’t get many VIP visitors around here. Much less the famed [puts on emphasis] “Dragon of the West.” IROH: [pauses awkwardly] As my nephew was saying, we are in search of maps and surveillance reports. We’re hoping to track schools of jumping.... [hesitates] shark squids. ZHAO: [confused] Sh… shark squids? IROH: Mmm. They’re migrating this time of year. Oh, they’re delicious, grilled with a touch of lemon. [chuckles] ZHAO: [suspicious] Huh. I see. Anything I can do to help. If you wouldn’t mind giving me until the morning, we can track down what you need. IROH: Very kind, Commander… [seeking Zhao's name] ZHAO: Zhao. Commander Zhao. At your service.

All the depth is GONE babe. The IMMEDIATE hostility between Zhao and Zuko that speaks of a turbulent history between them is completely erased and somehow after all this time on sea, Zuko and Iroh... don't know the Navy's commanders? They would have inevitably ran into them in their travels.

But regardless of that, Zuko and Zhao's history is not something we ever learn, but remains intriguing. I mean, this animosity runs so deep that Zhao literally tries to have Zuko assassinated and Zuko commits actual TREASON to stop Zhao from capturing the Avatar. It's not like these two think the other is kinda off - they hate each other.

This show is BLAND.

The only other interaction that Zhao and Zuko have is when he has that outburst at the end of the episode, basically asking Zhao "hey pretty please don't tell anyone about the Avatar... pretty please.... 🥺" and Zhao is like *very clearly lying is ass off* "of course not my liege..... my loyalty is to youuuu".

Let's compare the scenes when Zhao realises Zuko is hunting the Avatar to illustrate this point:

LIVE ACTION:

ZHAO: The Avatar? SEAMAN: Yes, sir. ZHAO: [shocked] He thinks he’s found the Avatar? SEAMAN: According to his crew. They claimed to have discovered him at a small Water Tribe village. Prince Zuko captured him but then lost him. ZHAO: If Zuko’s looking to us for information, it means he thinks he’s still in the area. Gather any reports of unusual sightings in the last few days, anything out of the ordinary, no matter how small. And do it fast. SEAMAN: Sir.

ORIGINAL:

ZHAO: [irritated] So a twelve-year-old boy bested you and your firebenders. You're more pathetic than I thought. ZUKO: [angrily] I underestimated him once, but it will not happen again! ZHAO: [aggressively] No, it will not. Because you won't have a second chance. ZUKO: [alarmed.] Commander Zhao, I've been hunting the Avatar for two years and I - ZHAO: [cuts Zuko off and firebends over his head in an arc.] And you failed! [He walks intimidatingly up to Zuko.] Capturing the Avatar is too important to leave in a teenager's hands. He's mine now.

Zhao's cocky enough to stand there and insult Prince Zuko and the Dragon of the West with no fear of repercussion. That speaks volumes to how people view Zuko. Iroh may refer to Zuko as Prince, but Zuko is not someone who's respected or even liked by other members of his nation - including outside of his crew.

And Zhao does not stop trying to humiliate Zuko. The next scene goes like this:

ZHAO: My search party is ready. Once I'm out to sea, my guards will escort you back to your ship and you'll be free to go. ZUKO: [angrily] Why? Are you worried I'm going to try and stop you? ZHAO: [laughs mockingly] You? Stop me? Impossible. ZUKO: [stands up, enraged] Don't underestimate me, Zhao! I will capture the Avatar before you! IROH: [stands up, sternly] Prince Zuko, that's enough. ZHAO: [confidently] You can't compete with me. I have hundreds of war ships under my command and you? You're just a banished prince. No home, no allies. Your own father doesn't even want you. ZUKO: [angrily] You're wrong! Once I deliver the Avatar to my father, he will welcome me home with honour, and restore my rightful place on the throne! ZHAO: If your father really wanted you home, he would have let you return by now, Avatar or no Avatar. But in his eyes you are a failure and a disgrace to the Fire Nation. ZUKO: That's not true. ZHAO: You have the scar to prove it. [Zuko yells in frustration and jolts up from his chair, into Zhao's face. The two stare at each other, furious] ZUKO: Maybe you'd like one to match! ZHAO: [mockingly] Is that a challenge? ZUKO: An Agni Kai. At sunset.

Like babeeeee. this is so intense and SO revealing. There's so history between them. In the OG, Zhao hears Zuko's voice and hones onto him like a shark. He addresses Zuko as mockingly as possible while still using his title and Zuko replies, just as sardonic which is made worse when Zhao corrects him - he's a commander now, not a captain.

In the live action, Iroh doesn't even know Zhao's name, and Zuko barely even speaks to him. I am genuinely baffled at this change.

The live action sucks the life out of this dynamic. Iroh and Zhao have more lines than Zuko, and half of those is Iroh interrupting Zuko when he snaps back. In the OG, Zhao's soldiers are both scrambling to grab Zuko's arms to stop him physically attacking Zhao and when Zuko realises he can't get to Zhao, he breaks a table with his foot.

That's at least interesting. At least Zuko has lines with Zhao. At least Zuko is y'know making decisions, even if they're bad ones that he'll ultimately come to regret.

Zuko is not more likeable. He is not interesting to the audience. He just follows after Iroh like a lost puppy and is Sad About Zhao trying to get to Aang before him.

5 - Aang speaks to Kyoshi

I don't like anything about the entire Kyoshi and Aang interaction. I have three main issues with it.

Kyoshi's personality is weirdly different.

There's a continued discrepancy between what Aang is doing vs what characters/the story are saying Aang is doing (re: responsibility)

Avatar = strong (live action) vs Avatar = balance keeper (original)

Let me explain:

1) Kyoshi This is Kyoshi's speech to Aang:

KYOSHI: [tern] It’s about time. AANG: [apologetic] Uh, I’m sorry.I didn’t know how to reach you. I didn’t know I could reach you. KYOSHI: There’s a lot you don’t know. [scene ends - new scene] KYOSHI: [irritated] There are many dimensions to being the Avatar. You need to be a guardian, a general, a mediator, a guide. You must fill several roles, and many of them require unparalleled strength. AANG: That’s why I need to master all the bending disciplines? To become strong? KYOSHI: Yes. And to help you gain control over the ultimate power. The Avatar State is the combination of all your past lives, focusing their energy through you. The Avatar State gives you the strength of a thousand benders. AANG: I’ve seen it. It’s dangerous. KYOSHI: If uncontrolled, yes, but it can also be the ultimate weapon, and it can save your life. [scene ends - scene starts] KYOSHI: [stern] You wanna know what is the Avatar? I can’t tell you that. Every Avatar is different. We are shaped by the different demands of our times. AANG: [hesitant] So I have to figure this out myself? KYOSHI: That is part of the journey. AANG: [frustrated] But what if I hurt someone along the way? KYOSHI: [angry] And how many have already been hurt because you haven’t been here? [Kyoshi gradually raises her voice and begins to approach Aang] Run away from your responsibilities again, and even more will be hurt! Being the Avatar means putting your duties above all else. Even your life! [sighs, frustrated. She crouches down and her voice lowers, calmer] I was like you once. But then I saw what was at stake, and I will show you what will happen if you fail. Tragedy awaits the North, and unless you do something about it, another race of benders will be wiped out just as the Air Nomads were. You asked me what it means to be the Avatar. It means being a warrior. [distorted, her voice grows angrier] A mighty, merciless warrior.

What is this!!!! I've not read the Kyoshi books, so I'm going off OG atla canon, but girl. this is not Kyoshi. In every scene in the OG, Kyoshi is frustratingly calm. She doesn't baby Aang, but she's not mean. She is honest, frank. Brutally logical. Evil men cannot live. That is justice. In this version, she swings from stern to irate to frustrated to furious. She rags on him about things he cannot control and it even comes of threatening at times.

Her anger at Aang just feels so weird an out of place, especially considering in this version, Aang didn't even run away.

2) Aang So far, Aang keeps spiralling about how he's not doing enough to save the world and he needs to help as many people as he can and he needs to train and he needs to figure it all out - etc. etc.

Aang is doing everything but avoid his responsibility.

But then the story tries to shoehorn these points in - Aang avoiding waterbending, Katara interpreting Aang's nervousness that he won't find the answers as giving up (i.e. avoiding responsibility) and now Kyoshi, telling him he needs to face the truth:

KYOSHI: [...] Run away from your responsibilities again, and even more will be hurt! Being the Avatar means putting your duties above all else. Even your life!

Aang avoiding responsibility has not been an issue to warrant this kind of reaction. It just does not make sense to me.

And the whole the Avatar = Strong Person is not very avatar-esq. Yes, the Avatar is the strongest, but being the strongest is not the point, maintaining balance is.

3) Avatar = strongest (and that's all there is to it) In the original, we learn that the Avatar is the one who must restore and maintain balance to the world. The Avatar is the bridge between worlds.

It's one of the reasons I loved atla so much - that the main 'chosen one' was yes, extremely strong, but their strength is not the point of their existence.

The first Avatar we meet in this series explicitly tells us this is not the case:

KYOSHI: [irritated] There are many dimensions to being the Avatar. You need to be a guardian, a general, a mediator, a guide. You must fill several roles, and many of them require unparalleled strength. AANG: That’s why I need to master all the bending disciplines? To become strong? KYOSHI: Yes. And to help you gain control over the ultimate power. The Avatar State is the combination of all your past lives, focusing their energy through you. The Avatar State gives you the strength of a thousand benders.

Yangchen and Roku frame being the Avatar and the Avatar State differently (respectively):

YANGCHEN: The Avatar must be compassionate towards all people, and the only way to do that is to live with them. The Avatar must experience sadness, anger, joy, and happiness. By feeling all these emotions, it helps you understand how precious human life is, so you will do anything to protect it.

ROKU: The Avatar State is a defence mechanism, designed to empower you with the skills and knowledge of all the past Avatars. The glow is the combination of all your past lives, focusing their energy through your body. In the Avatar State, you are at your most powerful, but you are also at your most vulnerable. If you are killed in the Avatar State, the reincarnation cycle will be broken and the Avatar will cease to exist.

Over and over again, we are told that an Avatar's purpose is to essentially keep the world balance and protect the people within it.

In this series, it takes the least interesting angle possible: to be the Avatar, is to be strong.

Wow. So compelling 😐

---

This episode is a combination of boring and disappointing for me.

All respect to you if you enjoyed it - please don't let my ramblings upset you. These are just my opinions and feelings that i need to analyse and get off my chest.

I can't remember happens in episode three so I'll see you then :)

#zuko #katara #aang #toph #sokka #suki #atla suki #avatar: the last airbender #netflix avatar the last airbender #natla #atla #netflix avatar #iroh #zhao #atla zhao #hattie's natla ramblings #hattie talks

6 notes · View notes

laresearchette · 4 months ago

Text

Friday, July 26, 2024 Canadian TV Listings (Times Eastern)

WHERE CAN I FIND THOSE PREMIERES?: THE BOY IN THE WOODS (Paramount+ Canada) HELP! I’M IN A SECRET RELATIONSHIP (Season 3) (Paramount+ Canada) LOVE RAT (Paramount+ Canada)

NEW TO AMAZON PRIME CANADA/CBC GEM/CRAVE TV/DISNEY + STAR/NETFLIX CANADA:

CRAVE TV THE EVIL DEAD (1983) HOSTEL TROOP BEVERLY HILLS

DISNEY + STAR CLOTILDA: THE RETURN HOME

NETFLIX CANADA BLOCKERS THE DRAGON PRINCE (Season 6) ELITE (Season 3) (ES) HOUSE OF GA’A (NG) NON NEGOTIABLE (MX)

2024 SUMMER OLYMPICS (CBC/TSN/TSN4) 1:00pm: Countdown to the Opening Ceremony (CBC/SN/TSN/TSN4) 1:30pm: Opening Ceremony (SN) 7:00pm: Olympic Primetime

MLB BASEBALL (SN1) 7:00pm: Yankees vs. Red Sox (SN Now) 7:00pm: Atlanta vs. Mets

CFL FOOTBALL (TSN/TSN5) 7:30pm: Stamps vs. Redblacks

WHITE MEN CAN'T JUMP (2023) (Crave) 9:00pm: Two ballers, opposites who are seemingly miles apart, find they might have more in common than they imagined possible.

CANADA'S DRAG RACE: CANADA VS. THE WORLD (Crave 2) 9:00pm

CRIME BEAT: MOST WANTED (Global) 10:00pm: An upscale neighbourhood in Saskatoon is rattled after a man is found zip-tied and murdered in the middle of the afternoon; when two other men show up at a local hospital at the same time, it quickly becomes apparent to the police that a violent gun battle had ensued.

#cdntv #cancon #canadian tv #canadian tv listings #canada's drag race: canada vs. the world #crime beat: most wanted #summer olympics #mlb baseball #cfl football

3 notes · View notes

what-gs-watching · 1 year ago

Text

“It’s Christmas time, pretty baby, and the snow is falling on the ground…”

Well, now I’m in the interview prep portion of the bootcamp thing I’m doing and y’all, I don’t loveeee trying to practice talking about my experience. I really am one of those people that just shows up and says whatever tumbles out of my mouth and that has worked, so far, mostly, I guess. But apparently now I need to really try and that is a bummer.

But it’s November, which means I have carte blanche to throw myself into the Christmas season. Gang, I love Christmas. I really do. I have a big family and it was always a fucking mess at my parents’ house but it makes me feel cozy and warm and so every year the Saturday before Thanksgiving I drag my husband to the tree farm because we have to have a real tree, and by the time we’re eating turkey, my entire house is decked out and it’s time for CHRISTMAS MOVIES.

I started this blog because I had been rambling at my engineering team at the time about my complete and utter obsession with Good Omens and I’d described my “What G’s Watching” game. One of the engineers said he’d absolutely read this trifling mess, and we had talked about Christmas movies, I forget why, and he said he could imagine curling up with a cup of tea and reading my rant on said movies. It was part of what ultimately convinced me to do this stupid thing, obviously.

So Kevin, if you’re out there, this is for you.

Welcome to my ultimate list of basic bitch Christmas movies (OTHER than the typical ones, we don’t need to talk through those do we?) you can stream this season. All previously released, because we’re gonna have to talk about the new ones as they come. You’re welcome.

______

The Christmas Chronicles (2 movies, Netflix)

KURT RUSSELL is Santa and he’s caught by a brother and a sister while delivering presents and they end up going on a crazy adventure to save Christmas after something obviously goes wrong.

YOU GUYS, IT’S KURT RUSSELL AS SANTA. That should be enough for you. Because he is literally the PERFECT Santa Claus and I will defend that ‘til the end. The beard is perfect! And he plays Santa like a super cool badass! And there’s a fucking musical number!!!!!!!

The first one is better than the second one, but the second one is still fun and has GOLDIE HAWN as Mrs. Claus and it’s so cute I could literally die.

I straight up love Christmas Chronicles and I don’t care who knows it. It has the right amount of emotion and it reminds me of being a kid kind of and really, we’ve always needed a COOL santa. I have no idea why I’m so obsessed with Kurt Russell in this situation, but I really, really am. Absolutely no shame here.

WATCH IT.

A Christmas Prince (3 movies, Netflix)

A prince of a made-up country needs to return home before Christmas Eve so he can assume the throne after his father died, and a wanna-be reporter of a magazine? I think? Is assigned to cover the story. She pretends to be the new nanny for the family and OBVIOUSLY hijinks ensue. Obviously.

Y’all, there are three movies in this series. They made THREE of them. And they’re all ridiculous. But also kinda charming. Like, something to put on while you wrap presents and then you find yourself, like, halfway through the second one and you’re like “well I’m here now, might as well get through the entire thing, I weirdly need to know how this ends.”

It’s pure fluff. It’s a perfect Hallmark-esque situation, but better than the Hallmark movies because the heroine doesn’t actually need to give up anything for love like Hallmark always makes them do. Like, girl, why can’t you have a career while your husband does XYZ small-town job? WHY NOT BOTH.

The point is, ya girl likes a happy ending. All of these have a happy ending. Everything on this list will have a happy ending.

Let It Snow (Netflix)

It snows on Christmas Eve and a group of kids in a small town, including a pop star for some reason, deal with that, and their issues, and it builds to a big ol’ party.

This one is way better than it sounds. There is an adorable queer relationship, and two friends figuring out they’re in love, and one girl realizing she should go away to college because she can’t just stay and shoulder all the issues her family has, and friends prioritizing their friendship, and Joan Cusack playing the town’s crazy lady.

I’m clearly still like 17 at heart so I enjoy a good ‘random teens figuring shit out’ movie. It’s just cute as hell.

Holidate (Netflix)

Emma Roberts hates holidays because her boyfriend broke up with her so while she returns shitty Christmas presents she meets a dude who agrees to be her random ‘date’ for all of the holidays that year.

Okay, this is not strictly a Christmas movie but it starts and ends at Christmas, and it’s fucking hilarious. This is not for kids, but oh my god, I laughed way more than I expected to. And the dude is Australian which is sooo up my alley, and of course the point is that they randomly end up falling for each other and sometimes I need a good romance that is kind of, sort of realistic (in how awkward it gets at times) even if the premise is ridiculous.

Like, if you wanna get drunk on some wine with some adults that are not easily offended after the kids are in bed, this is the one.

Single All The Way (Netflix)

A guy doesn’t want to go home for the holidays because his family is gonna be judgmental about his taste in dudes and the fact that he’s perpetually single, so he drags his roommate along for the ride.

Y’all. This is just a really, really adorable love story. No bullshit tricks, no stupid plot, just two friends falling in love.

I very clearly love boys falling in love, and this one is sweet as hell. Also, it’s got Jennifer Coolidge as the crazy aunt! And Kathy Najimy! The family is hilarious and the boys are relatable and of course there’s a point where the main character is set up with a super hottie but like, they figure it out eventually. And not in a stupid, cheesy movie way. It just feels really cozy.

This was hands down my absolute favorite the year it came out. Hard recommend.

Spirited (Apple TV)

A re-telling (kind of?) of a Christmas Carol, but make it a musical with Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds.

Okay I’m gonna admit it: this one is so WEIRD! It absolutely did NOT need to be a musical whatsoever but I could not look away. I will watch anything with Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds though, and it was funny. And I did not expect the twist they worked in.

Do you have two hours to be strangely pulled into this and then feel weird ways about stuff? You should. This year, I’m gonna eat a gummie first. It’ll be worth it.

Zoey's Extraordinary Christmas (Roku Channel with ads, but it’s not horrible)

A woman who’s gained the power to see/learn people’s emotions through witnessing them do elaborate musical numbers, has an unsettling family christmas.

Hear me out on this one. I was absolutely obsessed with Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist (it’s on Peacock; go watch it, like, right now. Immediately). It was such a ridiculous concept for a show but it was really so effing charming. And heartwarming, and also heartbreaking. If you haven’t seen the show, the Christmas movie is not going to be as emotional for you, but it’s still extremely cute. The pageantry! The musical numbers! The family dynamics!

I’ll admit this is niche as hell, but Zoey is my bish and I will tell anyone who will listen they should watch. I miss that show terribly.

Somewhat Honorable Mentions

Netflix did two random movies last year that I did watch: Christmas with You, starring Freddie Prinze Jr (!!!!!!) and Falling for Christmas with Lindsay Lohan.

Listen, I support random actors I have loved since I was a kid doing Christmas movies. Especially since they haven’t gotten up to a whole lot else. I want Lindsay Lohan to figure her fucking life out, because I can’t let go of Mean Girls or The Parent Trap. She could have been a whole damn thing and I’m sad about how things went for her and I just want her to be okay, you guys.

Is her Christmas movie mostly terrible? Yes. But it’s good background noise, just like Freddie Prinze Jr’s, and I want them both to keep doing things. So watch them while you’re cleaning the house, because why not?

______

Because I literally have all of the time in the world on my hands, I’ll probably watch almost all of these, and my favorite old standards too.

I’ll save Elf and A Muppet’s Christmas Carol to watch with my little nephews when I head home. We’ll do the George C. Scott version of A Christmas Carol on Christmas Eve as a weirdo family. I’ll put on White Christmas while I get the tree decorated and I’ll be singing ‘when I’m worried and I can’t sleep, I count my blessings instead of sheep..’ for days. I’ll put on The Holiday in between Christmas and New Year’s because I am very much Kate Winslet in that movie, always the best friend, never the leading lady. I might be able to tempt my Christmas-avoidant husband into Home Alone.

The point is, Christmas movies are such a wonderful and ridiculous genre of content. Because let’s be honest, no one’s holiday season is ever like that. No one, in the history of the world, has Christmases like they do in these ridiculous movies. But it’s nice to pretend. It’s nice to get that warm fuzzy feeling, it’s nice to imagine having the perfect decorations, or a crazy adventure, or a surprising romance. Because we all know, winter is bleak. It’s dark at 4:30 in the afternoon and it’s sludgy and wet and gray and unappealing. But it’s never that in Christmas movies - it’s always magical and exciting and twinkly. And we all deserve something magical and exciting and twinkly. At least until we can make it out of the dark.

So, stream it all, y’all, it’s that time of year.

#what g's watching #christmas chronicles #christmas movies #comfort movies #zoey's extraordinary playlist #spirited 2022 #a christmas prince #merry christmas

8 notes · View notes

rosered282 · 2 years ago

Text

Dragon Age Absolution!

Beware of Spoilers! And Dragons! Under this read more

Somehow Meredith Stannard has returned

*cue groaning from the entirety of Kirkwall*

I thought the show was cool, could’ve def benefited from a longer run time to give us more time to get to know the characters, especially Miri and Hira’s relationship given that at the end we’re expected to be fully invested in it and feel as betrayed as Miri but… nope! I’m just kinda meh about it (as opposed to when Miri and Qwydion hugged that had me melting)

Genuinely hoping that they don’t have Miri get back together with the woman who tried to sell her back into slavery (even if it was only “temporary” using Hira’s own words) because that’s a big yikers island moment.

I was mostly invested in the other members of the group, Roland, Lacklon, Qwydion, and of course our tragic Fairbanks (rip you fine Orleasian, I am so sad about your death). Mostly because of their personalities and how well they meshed together, Roland and Lacklon stole the show for me, that dip was *fans self*.

I did very much enjoy Miri’s arc of confronting her past and coming to terms with her brothers death, it was great and I loved the scene between her and her brother, the acting there was great.

Tevinters be vinting, the guy failed his harrowing and only survived because his mother forced the demon out of him and into the body of Neb, I was not surprised when he did blood magic he went off the deep end (also because of Miri’s rejection of him calling her his family when she was really his property but I’m not gonna psychoanalyze Rezaren, we’ll save that for never). Tassia was really cool! We’ve never seen a Tevinter Templar before and it was interesting to see how compared to southern templars they don’t seem to do much fighting at all. Tessia really did appear like the most battle hardened out of all the other templars there (as befits her Knight Commander status), or were those just recruits?

The animation when it came to fighting and doing magic was great, the blood magic especially was amazing and I can’t help but imagine what my own characters look like while doing these cool spells without the limits of a game engine. The only part it was kind of off with was when the dragon showed up, very jarring 3d animation there, it didn’t blend well for me.

Of course there’s also the extra lore bits we got!! The fact that the person that made the circulum was a Pavus?? Did NOT slip my attention BioWare, Dorian told the inquisition about this artifact I know it!! Only a bit sad that Rolland, Lacklon, and Qwydion disrupted the ritual at the end because I wanted to see what happened next. Oh and the spirit of Wisdom having those eyes that are the same as the wolf that’s behind Solas all the time 👀 I see you BioWare. Also the connection between Qwyndion and the dragon 😭,

A little bit miffed on the Meredith reveal honestly, like… is she just under Kirkwall? Hanging out with a bunch of red templars? How has she been running a whole espionage thing underground with them and Varric, who is Viscount of Kirkwall and also knows almost everything going on there, just has no idea??? (Especially when we know her body is still in the Gallows, does Varric just let her chill there? “Yeah don’t mind the red templars rowing to the gallows, it’s just Meredith trying to start a war again” What's going on???) I know it’s bait for a season 2 but like… can no antagonist Hawke kills stay dead???

Also mad about Fairbanks’s death, he was a fav side character, a good man that wanted to do right by his people and he dies thousands of miles from home by a traitor, who will probably end up being redeemed I guess idk.

Anyways those are my rambling thoughts, stay tuned for more if Netflix decides not to can it after this one season. 6.5-7/10

#dragon age #dragon age absolution #dragon age absolution spoilers #daa #Miriam dragon age #Hira dragon age #roland dragon age #lacklan dragon age #qwydion dragon age #fairbanks dragon age #rezaren ammosine #Rezaren I knew you were gonna be a bad guy but why did they have to give you a design that I'm weak for #makes you even more of a bitch #BioWare back at again with the don't trust mages rhetoric lmao #feel free to chat with me if you wanna talk about the show #I noticed not a lot of people are talking about it so thought I'd put my thoughts out there

36 notes · View notes

denimbex1986 · 7 months ago

Text

'Premiered on 4 April 2024, this period thriller drama will take viewers back to 1960s Italy with Andrew Scott stepping into the shoes of notorious grifter Tom Ripley in the new Netflix series.

While Patricia Highsmith’s bestselling Tom Ripley novels have been morphed for page-to-screen adaptation several times, it is the 1999 film The Talented Mr Ripley, starring Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jude Law, that has become a classic favourite among cinephiles. If you have seen it, you might have a fair idea of what you’re getting into.

The TV series, helmed by Academy Award winner Steven Zaillian, depicts a compelling journey back in time via black-and-white frames. Coupled with gripping performances by the entire cast, the new take on The Talented Mr Ripley renders a rather ominous vibe to the plot.

With so much being talked about and mystery swelling around the complex life of Tom Ripley, the natural question is are any more seasons scheduled for release?

Will there be a season 2 of Ripley on Netflix? Here’s what we know

What is Ripley about?

Though viewers are no strangers to the dark world of Highsmith’s morally dubious character Tom Ripley, the story gets an episodic makeover as a 2024 Netflix show.

The eight-part story revolves around the protagonist Tom Ripley (Scott), a small-time swindler in 1960s New York. His life turns around when a wealthy man hires him to travel to Italy and convince his trifler son, Dickie Greenleaf (Johnny Flynn), to return home. Accepting this offer was just the first step towards a descent into a world of deception, fraud and murder. When he reaches the serene town of Atrani where Dickie is perfectly settled with his writer girlfriend Marge Sherwood (Dakota Fanning), Tom is awe-struck by his lavish lifestyle. A clever presentation of truth with an unmissable charm is enough to get the master con artist into Dickie’s good books. From here, Tom climbs his way up into Dickie’s close quarters and ends up going to extreme lengths to make that life his own.

Each episode has a runtime of about 50 minutes, while the finale is 74 minutes long.

Ripley is based on which book?

Highsmith’s Ripley books make up a series of five novels, dubbed ‘Ripliad’, which debuted in 1955 with The Talented Mr Ripley.

Netflix’s Ripley is based on this first book. It is followed by other titles — Ripley Under Ground (1970), Ripley’s Game (1974), The Boy Who Followed Ripley (1980) and Ripley Under Water (1981).

Speaking to Vanity Fair in December 2023, Zaillian said, “Almost 70 years after Highsmith created him, contemporary figures are still being compared to him. He won’t go away.”

Interestingly enough, the book also led to the evocative monochrome filming style. “The edition of the Ripley book I had on my desk had an evocative black-and-white photograph on the cover,” Zaillian said.

“As I was writing, I held that image in my mind. Black and white fits this story — and it’s gorgeous,” he added.

The Ripley cast and crew

Besides Andrew Scott, Johnny Flynn and Dakota Fanning the cast also includes Eliot Sumner as Freddie Miles, who suspected the diabolical nature of Tom’s congeniality, Maurizio Lombardi as Inspector Ravini and John Malkovich as Reeves Minot.

In March 2024, Town & Country quoted Scott commenting about portraying the titular character. He said, “I feel like you’re required to love and advocate for your characters, and your job is to go, Why? What’s that? You don’t play the opinions, the previous attitudes that people might have about Tom Ripley. You have to throw all those out, try not to listen to them, and go, Okay, well, I have to have the courage to create our own version and my own understanding of the character.”

The project is written, directed and executive produced by Zaillian. Besides him, other executive producers include Garrett Basch, Clayton Townsend, Guymon Casady, Benjamin Forkner, Sharon Levy and Philipp Keel.

How does Ripley end?

The brilliant chiaroscuro acts as an omnipresent cast member throughout the series, accentuating the sombre tone, which almost reaches a crescendo in the eighth episode. By the end of the final episode, titled Narcissus, Tom Ripley has a body count of two — Freddie Miles and Dickie Greenleaf — and has successfully ripped off Dickie’s life by using his name and money. However, the Italian police are after him for one crime he didn’t commit, the murder of Tom Ripley.

Seizing the perfect opportunity, Tom plays another card by conveniently walking into the police resuming his own identity. He manages to convince Inspector Ravini, Marge and Mr Greenleaf that Dickie died, albeit with strong undercurrents of suspense and tension that could make viewers sit up anxiously, as there are pressing moments when his deceit is on the verge of spilling out.

Once the dust is settled and mystery is buried like Dickie’s corpse at sea, Tom Ripley plays another con trick to begin his new life as Timothy Fanshaw, but that is another story to tell.

Production and filming of Ripley

The Ripley series was originally being developed by Showtime, but Netflix picked it up in 2023 while it was in post-production. The principal shooting took place in Italy — Rome and Venice — in accordance with the book’s setting. Certain portions were also filmed in New York to capture the 1960s vibe of the city.

Economic Times states that although production was slated to begin in 2020, it got delayed until 2021 for certain reasons.

Will there be a Ripley season 2?

Netflix has billed it as a limited series. The episodes have rounded up both the plot quite well, though certain creative liberties from the book make it somewhat ambiguous.

Although there is no official nod from Netflix about a second season, the OTT platform states, “But given the opportunity, Zaillian would love to continue to adapt the affectionately nicknamed ‘Ripliad’.”

Speaking to Tudum in April 2024, Zaillian said, “I think that the other books are good, and we see Tom in a lot of different ways as he grows up.” Who knows, this can be a step towards creating a ‘Ripliad’ franchise by expanding Tom Ripley’s world.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

-Is there a second Mr Ripley? Released in 1955, The Talented Mr Ripley did not have a sequel. The 2024 Netflix series, too, is a limited series. However, there is a wide scope to explore other Tom Ripley stories and make them into new seasons.

-How many Ripley episodes are there? Netflix’s Ripley has eight episodes.

-What is the 2024 Ripley series about? Netflix’s Ripley is the latest screen adaptation of The Talented Mr Ripley. It follows grifter Tom Ripley who is hired by a wealthy man to go to Italy and convince his dilettante son to return home. However, when he sees Dickie’s lavish life, Tom decides to make it his own.

-What is the ending of Ripley? Ripley is based on Patricia Highsmith’s novel The Talented Mr Ripley. It follows Tom Ripley (played by Andrew Scott) arriving in Italy to convince Dickie Greenleaf (Johnny Flynn) to return to the US. However, his life and opulence captivate Tom. He hatches a plan to overthrow Dickie and live his life. The series revolves around the heinous crimes committed by Tom and the ensuing investigation.'

2 notes · View notes