#MY OLIVIA POPE CARES ABOUT JUSTICE.

[trumpetnista]

CMW2/Trumpetnista: Shattering Expectations (156/?)

Summary from FFN: “Ideally, a Presidency lasts 8 years. Ideally, a marriage lasts 50. 8 years of a job, even the highest job in the Land is not worth 42 years of misery…”;“What kind of coward was I to marry her and not wait for you to show up…why didn’t I meet you sooner…"These two lines will be at the core of my latest AU Olitz fic;Rated for language and spice;7th in my 2013 SSS Project

Teaser from Chapter 156:  "Liv?"

"Hey, Cyrus. Did Susan come and talk to you?"

"How'd you know that...never mind, you're Olivia Pope-Grant. You see and know all."

"Not always. Governor Vargas will be here for the dinner in a few days so we'll see about bringing it up then. If he's receptive, then The Trail is going to be even more interesting than it already is."

"It'll be a shut out."

"Not necessarily."

"Liv, Susan and Frankie are the most competent candidates in the pool. Putting them together will make them unstoppable."

"In a sensible world. A lot of people aren't sensible. A lot of people are gonna vote with their hate instead of their common sense. They've been waiting 8 years to do it and if someone comes and rubs them the right way, says all the things that they want to hear? Well..."

"We can't let that happen."

"No, we can't but we've still got to do it clean, Cyrus. Win or lose, you know the Rules..."

Disclaimer for the full story: “Honestly, it’s not mine!”

One Month Later...

The End of an Era pt. 1

"I want to be Frankie Vargas' running mate. Is that doable?"

"Of course...I'll have to run it by Fitz and everyone else first but yeah, that's doable and actually a good idea but I thought that you wanted the Oval next. It's waiting for you."

"I do want it but I'm not ready for it. I know that I'm not but I also know that I can be a damned good Vice President. Everyone knows that now, even you, Cyrus. I can do the most good as a Vice President right now and Frankie needs a good running mate. Honestly, I want him to win. It would be so cool if he won. He'd be the first Latino President of the United States and I've worked with him before. He's a good man with a good family and a good head on his shoulders so I know that he won't undo the good Fitz has done just because he's a Democrat and Fitz is a Republican. People can be petty like that around here. Party over Country is a thing. It shouldn't be but it is."

"Damned straight...are you sure about this, Susan?"

"Very. Will you come with me to tell Fitz? I don't want to do it by myself. He's a great boss but The Oval still makes me a little nervous sometimes..."

Cyrus chuckled and nodded, following Susan Ross out of his office. When Fitz had first pitched the idea of her being Nichols' replacement, he and everyone else had been aghast. Susan Ross was competent, very competent. She had done a lot of good for her state but did she really have what it took to be Veep? She was a single mother with an ex-husband doing hard time. She was idealistic to the point of being naive and known to be socially awkward, endearingly so nowadays but still...her? Of all people?

However, Susan had come in and proven her worth tenfold, twentyfold. Her idealism was compatible with Fitz's but she had a spine of steel that reminded him of Olivia's. She could be objective and she would always speak her mind. She would make herself be heard and even when she was wrong overall, her ideas could be built on easily. Susan could and would get the job done. And she was a good person, a genuinely good person, and that was a rarity in their line of work, in Washington, D.C.

Cyrus had been wrong before and he had been wrong about Susan Ross in all the best ways.

"Mr. President, we... oh..."

"It's okay, you two. Come on in."

The Great Seal was the centerpiece of the Oval office. It was a legendary symbol of freedom and of patriotism. Apparently, it also made a lovely play and napping area for babies. Alexander was napping in his carrier but Madeline was laying on her back, contently suckling at her pacifier while looking up at her father contently. Alexander was in a panda bear sleeper, complete with ear hood and Madeline in a fuzzy bunny one, her hood down.

Fitz was sitting on the floor between them with a security briefing in his hands and an empty baby bottle on his left. His suit jacket was off and he was barefoot, showing off painted toenails courtesy of Krishna Rose, each toe painted a different shade of pink. Cyrus knew that a picture would surface on the internet soon, possibly before noon but definitely in time for the evening news cycle. Fitz was known for being a loving and hands on father and it was always instant political gold...

"They're getting so big."

"I know, right? What did you need, Susan?"

"Well, I... I'd like to talk to you about the Election, sir. If possible, instead of a Candidate, I would like to be Frankie Vargas' running mate. I know that everyone is expecting me to run for the Oval now but after thinking about things, I realized that I'm not ready for it yet and that I feel like I can do the most good for this country as a Vice President."

"I understand."

"You do? I-I don't want to let you and Olivia down..."

"You couldn't if you tried."

"Is she doing better? Olivia? I know that after everything that went down with that Baker scumbag, she's been really sad and the Media is so ridiculous..."

"She's doing much better, now. You know, Alex is about to wake up for his midmorning snack. Would you like to feed him?"

"God, yes..."

Cyrus nodded to himself and quietly took his leave of them, heading for Olivia's East Wing office. As the Grant Administration came closer to ending, the relocating had started. Moving was a big to-do as normal people but passing the Presidential torch was pure insanity. Olivia was planning to keep her office in DC open but mainly, she would be up in Vermont. There were talks of her teaching up there or writing a book and maybe that would happen but Cyrus knew that all she really wanted was to be a mom for a while.

Olivia Pope-Grant was still The Fixer. Even though she had turned day to day things and a lot of ownership over to her People, she was still and would always be The Fixer. When things really hit the fan, she would jump in and find a way to save the day. That would never change but, every Interview, every conversation talked about her being with her kids or doing something like gardening or beekeeping. The house...the estate in Vermont was move in ready and absolutely gorgeous. All that was left to do was to ride out the last of Fitz's final Term and then, all of the Grants/Pope-Grants would be ready to go, leaving 1600 Penn behind forever.

The staff was already in mourning and Cyrus would be lying if he said he wasn't among them. If it were up to him, them and quite frankly, most of the country, Fitz and Olivia Grant would be their POTUS and FLOTUS for the rest of their lives. Even with the infighting caused chaos, the Grant Administration had been historically successful. Everyone was glad to say that they were a part of it and it would be bittersweet for it all to end.

All good things came to an end and god knows that Fitz, Olivia, and their brood of kids deserved to happy and out of the fishbowl that was DC.

His friends...his family deserved that so he and everyone else would have to suck it up.

That was just how things worked...

"Liv?"

"Hey, Cyrus. Did Susan come and talk to you?"

"How'd you know that...never mind, you're Olivia Pope-Grant. You see and know all."

"Not always. Governor Vargas will be here for the dinner in a few days so we'll see about bringing it up then. If he's receptive, then The Trail is going to be even more interesting than it already is."

"It'll be a shut out."

"Not necessarily."

"Liv, Susan and Frankie are the most competent candidates in the pool. Putting them together will make them unstoppable."

"In a sensible world. A lot of people aren't sensible. A lot of people are gonna vote with their hate instead of their common sense. They've been waiting 8 years to do it and if someone comes and rubs them the right way, says all the things that they want to hear? Well..."

"We can't let that happen."

"No, we can't but we've still got to do it clean, Cyrus. Win or lose, you know the Rules."

He did. All too well. Playing by the Rules was a pain in the ass but better long term. Most, if not all scandals in politics, happened because someone went out of their lane and got caught. Cyrus was no stranger to the Game and it was unlikely he would be caught but...well, as he said all those years ago, The Grant/Grant-Pope household had given his Tin Man self a heart. They had given him access to a working conscience again and honestly, it came in handy with dragon slaying. A conscience could just as effective as having no scruples. Not to mention, it made for a happier home life. James and Ella, the Gladiators, the Grants...if he was still an outright monster, he wouldn't have any of them and Cyrus wanted to keep them in his life. Love, friendship, everything that he had once scoffed at...

"The times, they are a changing."

"Change isn't always bad, my friend. Are the twins still with Fitz?"

"They are."

"I'm gonna go see them and go get some Gettysburger before picking up Krissy and Gerry. Wanna come with?"

"Sure. Just don't tell James. He's been on my ass about my cholesterol."

"My lips are sealed. Let's go."

[ladybugsimblr]

Simshaderoom We knew it was over for the three stooges when we heard Ms. Olivia Pope joined Bailey Kay’s team, but we didn’t know it was going to go down like this. According to court transcripts everybody is going to JAIL jail and Mizuki will be in the longest- 16 months!! Plenty of time to work on that music... The only thing missing from this glorious day was Bailey herself. She was not present in court and we heard she might not have even come back to DSV. Where is BK? We’re going to send out a search party soon.

D-Lo das my baby mama so i’mma stick beside her. gotta hold her down. wish it didn’t have to come to this and i hope you learned your lesson. stay up miz!

rubberbandshan Don’t play with my Queen!!!! 🦋 And y’all can forget ever knowing anything about BK that she doesn’t want put out again. She’s going to make you sign an NDA if you just think about her. 

rubberbandshan and d-lo sirrrr. today is a day of celebration and rejoicing. please take your woe is my baby mama feelings somewhere else. we don’t care about MizuNoMusicEverAgainExceptForThePenitentiaryTalentShow. and didn’t she try to take you down with her?! 🤦🏾‍♀️

BKForever yessss! you can’t keep BK down! read the name! Bailey Kay Forever!

bflyhive hive, are we ready for BK’s return? i think we need a party or something! the countdown begins....

queenb i just had this scary feeling. i know technically b has gotten some justice, but what if she’s still so upset she doesn’t share and interact with us anymore? 

BaileyStan 😨

BKForever 😭

bflyhive noooooooo

queentings i would die and then come back to life and haunt midooki

rubberbandshan not gonna happen! that would mean the haters win. she might move a little differently but there’s no way she doesn’t come back. i think...

[oneweekoneband]

cehryl, “disconnected”

The buildings of Los Angeles were blurring past me on the freeway when I first heard this track, Spotify’s shuffle algorithm finally doing something right by introducing me to cehryl. My flight from LAX was supposedly in two hours at the time (chronic delays would turn that into three by the time I fell asleep in the terminal), but I feel like I could’ve driven to the sun that day under the pink fluff of dawn, those bird chirps near the end a reminder of an imminent sunrise.

Looking back on the experience, I realize I couldn’t truly appreciate what “Disconnect(Ed)” meant, and as I tried searching for words to distill the song into at 1:34AM last night, I still can’t. I mean, the atmosphere is actually meant for a sunset, the bittersweet end of a chapter, but the real reason why my appreciation doesn’t run deep enough is because broken hearts don’t bleed the same way for the unrequited as for the loved-and-lost. After all, their hearts were never ours to begin with.

I’ll try my best to discuss what almost drove me to tears on “Disconnect(Ed)” (something even Frank Ocean can’t do *gasp*), but as someone who’s only ever known the unrequited, who’s never had to go through the melancholia of a break-up, just know that what’s about to be written here can never do the song justice.

If you listen closely at the beginning, a dissonant (synth?) chord wavers before cehryl’s lush voice emerges in accompanied by guitar. Easy to dismiss, of course, but the opening sound is — at least in this case — the single most important detail sonically. The instrument recurs in each chorus, and although soft, its delayed resolution from F#/A to E speaks volumes to the changing feelings encapsulated in the lyrics, the gradual way you cradle yourself with mourning’s tears before regaining composure to smile through the pain.

“Disconnect(Ed)” isn’t your archetypal “New Rules” anthem or “Too Good at Goodbyes” mope-fest though; it’s not so much about the (process of getting through the) break-up as it is about the ebb and flow between letting go of and holding onto the past. The first verse is a step forward, cehryl pushing herself to be unapologetic with her goodbye (“Please be careful not to leave things at my place”), before the chorus comes in, a soft cloud you could float away in with angelic harps and flutes.

A whomping bass shatters the ambience before long as cehryl’s lyric-production synergy emerge again with the lines “You’re moving up onto the second floor/ And your music’s louder than it was before.” You almost feel in the room with cehryl herself, the ceiling vibrating with constant reminders of her ex like a knife that seems to twist deeper with each thump. And maybe you even cry with her as she asks herself, “Were we not what you were looking for?” and reminisces (“Running miles and miles through the grocery store”), the harmonies braiding in an echo chamber of yearning.

The word “disconnect” also becomes tangible through the phasing/lagging of cehryl’s voice, following a bridge that could’ve been played by the same guitar from Frank Ocean’s “Ivy” if it went to heaven, but what captivates me is how the song ends with a third verse:

I’m sick of cleaning up the aftertaste And I’m always listening to “Rose Parade” I hope I see you at the corner store When I’m back to traveling the world by train

Because at the end of the day, the grandiose gestures and excruciating pain of your past relationship(s) don’t matter, no matter how many times you play Adele. Before the night falls and it’s too late, you have to take that second and last step forward, “stand in the sun,” as Olivia Pope said, and move on to see the world in that tinge of hope you had when you first fell in love.

[katrinapavela]

#Black Panther Themes Applied to #Scandal (#ICMABAS)

Black Panther gives us an opportunity to watch a film by and about black people, enveloping ourselves in the warm fibres of its tapestry of topics. Needless to say, the conversations go well beyond the usual fodder about representation and its attending anxieties about the white gaze on black work. I’ve heard a few discussions on the topics of black feminism, black radicalism, hair, fashion, cinematography, joy and pain—all inspired by this one film. I’ve tried to keep my thoughts to myself, or to the group chat, but I can’t anymore. I’m making the time today to touch on a few of Black Panther’s themes that made me draw some (clear) parallels with Scandal. Some of them are ones that I have talked about before. But because Black Panther is a rare, internationally shared moment that distills the themes so clearly, I just have to do a Wakanda edition of I Can Make Anything Be About Scandal (#ICMABAS).  This is super spoilerific, so I don’t wanna hear from you if you get spoiled.

A Nation and a People Come to Understand their Place in the World:

In Black Panther, the proud people of Wakanda begin their journey, in the film, with a strong national presence, but it is an insular one. They believe their greatest resource is vibranium, the strongest substance known to man. Sitting on this wealth causes them to hide in plain sight from the outside world, as a form of protection. In the words of Olivia Pope, a woman who falters in living up to the values she implores others to follow: “Sometimes fear keeps us safe; but sometimes it holds us back” (416). By the end of Black Panther, the Wakandans come to understand that they are not just an African nation, but they are part of the African Diaspora. They become black people. And as Black people, free from the scars of colonialism they never experienced, they take up the responsibility of alleviating the pain and suffering of Black people who do have those scars. The film’s end shows us the declaration of this and that they start where one of their own (Killmonger) was deeply emotionally wounded: Oakland, California.

Sometimes we begin to understand who we are by seeing those who so distinctly represent who we are not; or who we do not wish to be. The gap between where we are and where we want to be is more easily traversed when we understand who we are. Without that latter piece, the journey seems meandering and purposeless. The tragic figure of Eric Killmonger evidenced for King T’Challa and Wakandans that they were connected to a Black world outside of their nation, and that true freedom means being able to serve your people to the best of your abilities. This very idea came not from Killmonger, but from Nakia—Wakandan international spy and T’Challa’s person/trusted advisor.

As a friend (@yrisaacs) recently said to me: knowing who you are is the place from which you can do the most good.  That applies to yourself and others. Nakia understood this, and T’Challa, being the baby kind that he was, took time to come to see Nakia was right. Two things here: I am reminded of my Fitzgerald and Olivia. Fitz now knows who he is and his (privileged) place in the world. And what is he doing with that? He’s putting it to use to help people—namely Black people (finding missing Black girls, and tackling the criminal (in)justice system which is disproportionately cruel to Black people). Olivia Pope has accomplished great things in deceptive and untruthful ways because, ultimately, she doesn’t know where she’s going in life, because she doesn’t know who she is yet. In my preamble to S7, I remarked that the poster of Olivia Pope on a bench, overlooking Washington, DC gave me the impression of Olivia searching for her proper place as a Black woman in the nation. Olivia has sided with the Republic, again and again, to her own detriment and disengagement precisely because she does not know who she is, and is probably afraid to uncover. She is lost and can’t admit it. And in the gap of a loss not dissimilar to Eric Killmonger’s, an overzealous dedication to an abusive nation becomes a stand in for what is actually missing: a grounded sense of self. The identity, which Olivia’s father, Rowan, has emphasized, has failed her. Killmonger, too, was failed by fathers—both N’Jobu and T’Chaka. Olivia will not understand her place in the nation until she reconciles with the black feminine presence (preferably her own mother, Maya), perhaps starting in the upcoming HTGAWM crossover wherein she will interact with three generations of Black women: Analise Keating, AK’s mother, and Michaela. In both Black Panther and Scandal, the absence of the black maternal figure is strategic narration.

Disappointing Fathers & Absent Mothers

Another theme that looms large in both Black Panther and Scandal is the failure of fathers and the absence of mothers. These related issues produce lost children whose disengagement masks a profound search for true connection. My dear friend and scholar, Schuyler Esprit (@thatmaroongirl ) introduced me to Pauline Hopkins’ work in 2013, noting her influence in Shonda Rhymes’ style of drama. In Jill Bergman’s treatment on the trope of the motherless African American child in the novels of Pauline Hopkins (1859-1930), she notes that motherlessness is a motif that runs through all of Hopkin’s novels. Bergman (2012) asserts that the motherless trope resonates for African Americans dealing with the profound loss of having been abducted from a motherland, and the ensuing familial fragmentation that occurs as a result of slavery. For African Americans, post-Reconstruction, this results in alienation from a country in which they reside, but are not loved. Furthermore, it produces a profound longing for the missing maternal figure, which can manifest as a desire to connect with a literal lost parent or heritage (of the motherland).

Both Olivia and Eric Killmonger are left motherless, as children, and in the care of their fathers. We do not know the circumstance under which leaves Killmonger motherless. Olivia, however, is lied to by her father, at the age of 12 that her mother is dead, when in fact she is taken prisoner by her father as punishment for betrayal (308). Olivia is soon sent off to an expensive European boarding school and never lives with her father again (301, 306). This is effectively a double abandonment. Eric Killmonger, too, is abandoned by his father (N’Jobu) through his murder at the hands his brother, King T’Chaka. The reason for N’Jobu and Maya’s death/”death” are ostensibly the same: protecting a nation by punishing the individual betraying it. In the case of both children, their own family members are to blame for their abandonment. Neither family provides any true consolation for the loss these children experience.

The Scars of Disengagement

The childhood abandonment increases the sense of alienation for both Killmonger and Olivia well-into adulthood, where it has metastasized. Born N’Jadaku, he becomes Eric Killmonger, and wears the evidence of his scarred childhood on his literal body. The scars are supposed to resemble tribal markings, but they are effectively empty in Killmonger’s case, as each represents the death of someone at his hands. All of it done to reach Wakanda to exact revenge for his father’s death. In Olivia’s case, as is for many women, the scars of her childhood pain are all internal. On the outside she radiates ‘bad bitch’, but that flawlessness has always been a deflection. The disengagement comes off as aloof coolness, but that too is armor. It keeps people from getting too close.

But T’Challa does eventually get close enough to see Killmonger. Having defeated Killmonger for the soul of Wakanda and path to freedom for the rest of the diaspora (the battle takes place in a futuristic, underground railway!), T’Challa sees the extent to which Killmonger is damaged by what his father, King T’Chaka did. T’Challa tries to save Killmonger, but he baselessly assumes that this help comes in the form of bondage, and instead chooses death, citing his kidnapped ancestors who jumped overboard instead of facing a lifetime of bondage. I wondered if he chose to stick with the dependable pain that he knew, rather than being made vulnerable, which accepting help requires.

Death is a way out of bondage—a fate seen as worse than death. This theme has popped up on Scandal repeatedly since Olivia was kidnapped in the 4th season. At that time, one of her captors told her “There are many things far worse than death” (410).  The time in bondage, however brief, has returned an Olivia who has become increasingly alienated from the people and relationships around her. Each ensuing season has seen this compounded. She, like Killmonger, mistook help as a form of bondage (509), choosing instead to hold on to the familiarity of her fears through the death of a relationship. Both these characters see vulnerability as a kind of bondage.

Black Feminism as a Check on Toxic Masculinity:

One of my favourite things about Black Panther is the balance of the masculine and feminine. Perhaps because of the absence of colonialism, and the European Enlightenment ideas upon which it operated, Wakanda is not a society dominated by patriarchy. There is a king, but T’Challa’s visit to the spirit world to reunite with T’Chaka revealed there were female Black Panthers, too. There’s also Okoye, the General of the Dora Milaje—the best warriors in the land. And there are female members of the king’s counsel, including the Queen mother, Ramonda. Female leaders of tribes. The best engineer in the land is a 16 year old princess, Shuri. And the person who shows the king the future of Wakandan leadership is Nakia. Every single one of these women is different, and what’s more none of them believe in a self-reliance that alienates love or other relationships. Community and country are important to them, but so are individuals. Black women play pivotal roles as fully formed humans who lead. It’s a film white feminists should study.

I bring up the role of Wakandan women not just because they are sovereign beings and equal citizens, but because there is a clear point being made in the film with regard to how T’Challa and Killmonger treat these women. The contrast in treatment aligns seamlessly with each man’s political philosophy on the liberation of Black people. Earlier I wrote about the strategic absence of Black femininity in both Olivia and Killmonger’s life.  T’Challa, by contrast, is surrounded by women (his mother, sister, Okoye, Nakia, etc). He loves, respects and values their counsel, especially as he is finding his footing as a new king in the wake of his father’s death. Meanwhile, Killmonger, who doesn’t grow up with that influence, is seen with a girlfriend, whom he soon kills when she stands in the way of his mission. Having arrived in Wakanda, he disrespects, chokes, or kills Wakandan women. Killmonger may have had a point, but his overall philosophy of liberation was fucked up. Killmonger’s was a toxic masculinity that ultimately consumed him and obviously harmed those around him.

“Masculinity without the combination of the feminine is weak. It is all bravado. It is not true power. It is anger without control. That’s the message [of Black Panther] to me”–@rodimusprime, TBGWT 

Toxic masculinity has all but consumed and ruined the life of Olivia Pope, too. Olivia has been questing to find out what true power is, and along with the way she has increasingly adopted the primary model of power in her life: that of her father, Rowan. His is a toxic masculinity that reads power in terms of domination and violence, particularly toward black women. Black women whose names end the letter ‘a’ have had their lives ruined by Rowan. He separated is wife Maya from Olivia for over twenty years. Before Maya, we learn he had a paleontologist girlfriend who he seemed to love. Her name was Sandra. She ended up dead, shot in the head by Rowan.  And now Olivia has adopted so many of her father’s traits, including a disregard for things deemed ‘weak’ or ‘feminine’, except the cut of her clothing.  She threatens people’s children to get what she wants. She kills lovers to teach a lesson and maintain her power. She lies to the people who, somehow, still love and care for her, to prove she can outsmart anyone. The adage ‘hurt people hurt people’ is completely true in this portrait of generational abuse in the Pope family. And the absence of the Black mother (as well as any black female friends) is a key to understanding how the toxicity of this type of masculinity, which masquerades as Black power, is ultimately weak and unsustainable. It is disengaged and alienated. It has no friends or intimate relationships, even of the non-romantic kind. It is lonely and fragile.

What will save Olivia from becoming Killmonger (because Rowan is already Killmonger and can’t be saved. I feel this in my bones.), is a change in her understanding of her own power. She will have to draw on a feminine source for that. The relationship with Fitzgerald is a source of feminine power, as Fitz himself represents masculinity that embraces the feminine . That is the balance that attracts Olivia to him, but that relationship will not succeed until Olivia sees possibility and power in the black feminine presence—in someone who mirrors that for her so that she can see it in herself. The Olivia we have at present is someone stomping around with a lot of hurt and insecurity inside. She has not truly embraced her inner ‘bad bitch’ because that comes with understanding vulnerability as a necessary part of life and love.

The Master’s Tools

“For the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house. They may allow us to temporarily beat him at his own game, but they will never enable us to bring about genuine change.”—Audre Lorde (1979)

Olivia is not Killmonger, but I see some of the same pain inside them, and the same misguided ideas about power, which are aligned with the masculine. Killmonger’s plan to fight oppression by arming Black people around the world was untenable and dripping in the same violent domination colonizers use to put people in bondage. But, you know, it sounded cool. I guess. When was the violence supposed to end? When the oppressors were overthrown, then what? Killmonger is an extreme example of Black patriarchy-masquerading-as-black-radicalism.  And it’s why it cannot lead us into the future.

The true radical, to me, in Black Panther was Nakia. She is the one who thought that Wakanda could show the rest of the world what it meant to provide aide. After all, Wakanda was not a nation which had made itself rich off the backs of oppressing people and stealing the resources of their countries, only to turn around to offer pitiable aide and blame them for their own poverty. So, for Wakanda to help Black people around the world, from a position of love for those people would be radical indeed. In a white supremacist world, loving black people is a radical concept.

Vulnerability as True Power:  The Importance of the Heart & Governing

Speaking of loving black people as a radical act, I want to conclude by talking about the heart shaped herb and its relationship to strength and power. When T’Challa undergoes the ritual to become king, the other tribes are entitled to challenge him. He has to prove he is worthy of the crown, through their agreement. T’Challa is stripped of his Black Panther power before he fights for the crown. This means he has to make himself vulnerable as a man (not a super hero) to prove his worthiness as leader. This is a contrast to how Killmonger conceives of leadership and power. Later this idea reinforced when the heart-shaped herb restores T’Challa’s panther powers. When he enters the spirit plane to consult his dead father, T’Challa asks T’Chaka if he will make a good king. T’Chaka tells him that he will be challenged because “you are a good man, with a good heart. And it’s hard for a good man to be king”. It was then that I understood why the flower, which provides strength, is shaped like a heart. The combination of the delicacy of the flower and the heart shape, both associated with the feminine, are conveyed as sources of strength and power. It reminded me of another character who’s a good man with a good heart:

“Weakness is our strength. It’s what makes us human. It’s where our compassion lies.”—Fitzgerald Grant (211)

The ‘bit of sweetness’ Maya saw in her daughter, Olivia, is something the daughter sought to eradicate, thinking doing so would make it easier to rule her “empire”. But to eliminate vulnerability makes one a tyrant. It makes one less of a human. Wakandans understood that. At one point Okoye tells Killmonger that his heart is full of hate, and so he cannot be an effective leader. A good leader needs heart because they must understand the struggles of the people they are leading.  I think Olivia is, underneath it all, a good woman with a good heart. Someone emotionally browbeaten by fear, trauma and years of emotional abuse that have led her to cope through addiction. Unlike Killmonger, I don’t think she’s given up on life or love. She just has to work at embracing vulnerability and her full potential as a black woman. It’s the key to seeing new possibilities in life, as the Wakandans did.

What themes did you guys see?

[mshelenahandbag]

Best of ‘17 — TV

TV

This year’s best include a wide variety: historical recreations of Hollywood, a fantasy medieval world on the brink of all out war, two separate shows with drag queens, the secret lives of soccer moms, a revival 25 years in the making, a documentary about America’s greatest shame and an Emmy-winning adaptation of a book hitting a little too close to home.

Honorable Mention: Scandal (ABC)

Shonda Rhimes finally got her damn groove back. After watching The Catch and Still Star-Crossed fizzle out and a less-than-stellar third season of How To Get Away With Murder, Shonda’s flagship Scandal was back on track after two seasons of stagnant WTF-dom. Season six brought us back into the world of Olivia Pope with a bang when president-elect Frankie Vargas is assassinated. And it just gets crazy in the best way possible from there. We really get a glimpse again of the Olivia we all have loved since the first season and probably the best performances to date for Bellamy Young as Mellie Grant and Darby Stanchfield as Abby. And with Shonda announcing season seven will be the show’s last, this season could have served as its conclusion, but now we get to see Shonda’s gloves off for this final season with nothing held back, and a darker Olivia Pope with no white hat, now running B-613.

Outstanding Episode: “Trojan Horse” (Original airdate: 4/20/2017)

Mellie’s future to the White House is suddenly in doubt when Cyrus is pardoned for Frankie’s assassination and makes his pwn play for the White House, despite a massive campaign against him. Olivia wants to help Cyrus, even as her father warns her not to, for so many reasons, the biggest of which remains the shadow cabal who arranged for Frankie’s assassination and Mellie’s eventual win. The meat of this episode comes when Mellie meets her unexpected benefactors, Plus and Ruland, who she tries to threaten, only for Ruland to off her chief of staff, Elizabeth North (Portia de Rossi) via a golf club to the skull. Mellie is broken down and a total pawn for whatever they want to her to do. Elsewhere, Fitz breaks it off with his girlfriend, the FBI director, who pushes for Rowan’s arrest, which Fitz has already done, for his protection. Fitz and Olivia FINALLY get back together as everyone gets ready to take the shadowy organization down once and for all.

Honorable Mention: American Horror Story: Cult (FX)

I was not expecting to put this back on my best of list. Roanoke was disappointing in so many aspects. So when season seven was announced, and a theme element of the 2016 election announced, I was already ready to tune out. But something about this season is a brilliant commentary on our hive mind ideology of democrat vs republican, liberal v conservative, etc. It’s also just flat out scary. We see the lives of a lesbian couple Ally (Paulson) and Ivy (Alison Pill) as they adjust to the post-election realities, especially since Ally is damn near afraid of everything. We also meet the charismatic Kai Anderson (Evan Peters in his best AHS role to date) - a cult leader who seems to be able to read his followers and get exactly what he wants out of them. Unlike the prior six seasons, there’s nothing supernatural here, it’s all things that, could, can and have happened in the last year. What I love is that the show is not just skewed to show the evils of the alt-right, we see the exaggeration on both sides. And yet it’s still got its funny moments (“lesbians we’re under attack”) and true terror. I was ready to dismiss this season but it has truly become the show’s best since its inaugural season.

Outstanding Episode: “Drink the Kool-Aid” (Original airdate: 10/31/2017)

First off, props to Evan Peters. He played not only his role of Kai, but four additional roles in this one episode. In a massive flashback tapestry we see Peters’ Kai tell the stories of the Branch-Davidians (Peters playing David Koresh), Heaven’s Gate (Peters playing Marshall Applewhite) and finally the People’s Temple (Peters playing Jim Jones and later Jesus in a lie Kai tells his cult about Jones’s fate). Through these stories we see how Kai has managed to shape his own cult from the past and learn from what has worked and what hasn’t. Kai announces his intent to run for Senate but also forces his cult members to truly declare that they would do anything for him in the times to come. So he brings the men and women together and has them literally drink the kool-aid. The men do it willingly, the women at gunpoint, all nervous about sacrificing themselves only for Kai to reveal there was nothing in the drink. The sheer terror at so many of those involved in this scene truly sell its horror (special shoutout goes to Adina Porter’s Beverly Johnson for finally cracking amid her to-date strength). The other standout is the “B plot” as it seems all is well again with Ally and Ivy - as Ally explains that she has conquered her phobias by using her energy on getting revenge. So, yeah, Ally has poisoned her wife’s wine and pasta as revenge for institutionalizing her. And then she plays her next card deftly forging donor records that claim Kai is her son’s father. Sarah Paulson continues to be the show’s MVP every year because her range shows so many different sides every time. In this one episode Ally stops being a victim and starts to plot her way out of the cult, and taking Kai down with her.

10) Game of Thrones (HBO)

Winter has finally arrived in Westeros and shit just hits the fan from here on out. Even with a HUGE threat to the entire region from the White Walkers, we watch as Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) FINALLY lands on her home soil and proceeds to try and make her claim for the Iron Throne. Cersei (Lena Headey) allies with Euron Greyjoy to cement her hold on the Seven Kingdoms; in the North, Sansa (Sophie Turner) tries to keep things together while Littlefinger (Aiden Gillen) schemes. Basically we get a season’s worth of plot in seven episodes, and they all were so fantastic. Lots of action, but for the final season I want Benioff and Weiss to remember their prior six seasons had far better writings and less contrived coincidences. But the stage is set for a truly epic finale that will determine once and for all who will hold the Iron Throne…if the White Walkers don’t kill everyone first.

Outstanding Episode: The Queen’s Justice (Original airdate: 7/30/2017)

The long-awaited meeting between Dany and Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) is just one of the many highlights of this episode. We see Dany overtly trying to get Jon to “bend the knee”in fealty to her. Jon tries to convince Daenerys to abandon her quest for the Throne and aid their fight against the White Walkers. It’s a very frosty exchange between the two, and it looks like the alliance we all want may not actually be happening. Cersei enacts her revenge on Ellaria Sand (Indira Varma) for murdering her daughter Myrcella. The scene excels with a beautiful monologue performed by Headey where you see Cersei’s pain and anger. You might hate her like I do, but there’s times like this, you can’t say you’d do the same for your child. Cersei kisses Ellaria’s daughter Tyene with the same poison they used on Myrcella, and forces the guards to keep her eyes open so she can watch her die. Tyrion, meanwhile, gives Dany an inside scope of where to attack to let Cersei know about their presence: the Lannister stronghold of Casterly Rock. The Unsullied take the castle with little resistance, only to learn that Lannister forces have marched on Highgarden and taken it, and with it, Targaryen ally Olenna Tyrell (Diana Rigg). Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and Olenna have probably one of the most epic scenes in series history. Olenna takes her fate - death by poison - as she has everything in the series, with her trademark wit and devil may care attitude. She flat-out tells Jaime she arranged Joffrey’s death and that she wants Cersei to know it was her. Diana Rigg’s performance in the series and this final episode are just one of the many things I’ve loved about Olenna and was so heartbroken when her time was up.

9) Feud: Bette and Joan (FX)

Ryan Murphy continues a streak on FX that translates into brilliance…as long as he isn't the sole writer. We’ve all known about this infamous feud between Hollywood legends Bette Davis and Joan Crawford that exploded during the filming of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane. This new series from Murphy really highlights the sexism of Hollywood, the way the two stars were baited against each other and the lasting effect it left on the two of them. This is just a star vehicle of excellence for both Jessica Lange’s Crawford - obsessive, scheming, paranoid but refined and Susan Sarandon’s Davis - witty, shrewd and blunt. The supporting players like Alfred Molina’s Robert Aldrich and Stanley Tucci’s Jack Warner all help support them (but special note given to Jackie Hoffman’s Mamacita, Crawford’s long suffering and lovely maid, and Judy Davis’s pitch-perfect portrayal of gossip columnist Hedda Hopper) but it’s just a tour-de-force from both leading ladies. You almost feel pulled in both directions on who to root for: Crawford or Davis, but the end result shows how Hollywood works. One day you’re the talk of the town, the next you can't even get arrested and make the papers. Brilliant work!

Outstanding Episode: And The Winner Is-The Oscars of 1963 (Original airdate: 4/2/2017)

After Joan is denied a nomination for her work on Baby Jane, she and Hedda set out to ensure that Bette’s nomination is not going to get her a win. Crawford makes the rounds with the other nominees, convincing Geraldine Page (Sarah Paulson in a brief cameo) and Anne Bancroft to not attend the ceremony and allow her (Crawford, that is) to accept the award on their behalf if they win. Hedda, meanwhile, buries Bette with the Academy and the press with stories from the set of Baby Jane, some true and some not. Oscar night comes and Jessica Lange’s Crawford is in a full tour-de-force of rubbing it in. She presents the Oscar she is slated to, then in a brilliant tracking shot, goes backstage and gets ready for the Best Actress category. When Anne Bancroft wins, seeing Sarandon portray Bette’s heartbreak as Lange’s Crawford struts past, victorious, is the high point of this beautiful series.

8) The Boulet Brothers’ DRAGULA: The Search for The Next Drag Supermonster (YouTube)

This series has upped its game in a big way for 2017. After a very cool and very punk season one (voted one of the best year by IMDB), season two took off like a rocket. Bigger budget, bigger guest judges, more intense extermination challenges and a cast that spans the country. The Boulet Brothers have definitely made their little-series-that-could into the little-series-that-IS. We’ve upped the game, and these queens want to truly show the world they’re the next supermonster, whether it’s fashionable yet fierce Abhorra, the completely wacky Disasterina or the cosplay-themed-yet-fierce Erika Klash. This cast brought it and made this show even better, and that’s before you factor in how bigger the show got in a year. With the Boulets saying that anyone can audition, we may have something to answer the call for those who don’t fit the mold for other drag TV competition series. And that’s a good thing!

Outstanding Episode: Episode Three (Original airdate: 11/14/2017)

My fav on season two was Biqtch Puddin, and I’m 100 percent biased because she’s my sister. And she had a rough start to her run on Dragula - a misunderstood outfit week one and a low performance week two that led her to face her first extermination challenge. Going into week three, the Boulets wanted to give Biqtch a challenge, so in announcing the rock band challenge, both Victoria Elizabeth Black (the winner of the challenge) and Biqtch (who had performed low beyond the Boulets’ expectations) were given the role of lead singer for the two groups’ rock bands. And BIQTCH. TURNED. IT. OUT. For one she was the only contestant to turn out big ‘80s rock hair, and her outfit was a loving tribute to Pete Burns, glam rock and more. Her performance as lead singer, along with her entire group’s synchronicity boosted them to the top and gave Biqtch a much needed win after two low weeks. She really did it and I was so happy to see that. In general this week was a great episode: fun challenge, lots of tributes to punk and grunge rock and you can really tell the girls enjoyed this one. We also got to hear a little bit about Dahli’s touring with Blood on the Dance Floor - and how she quit touring with the band because of an HIV diagnosis. I love that this show is able to play with soft and hard so beautifully. We can be talking about real issues one minute, and the next you see these beautiful super monsters taking their pain and using it to their benefit on the runway. Sadly for Kendra Onixx, her time was up after missing the mark in her runway, performance and not being able to grin and bear the extermination challenge of getting the most embarrassing/trashy tattoo. This series continues to just be all pleasure and no guilt, and I love every second of it.

7) American Gods (Starz)

Neil Gaiman’s best non angelic/devil story (which has its own series coming soon to Amazon) took off like a bandit this year with this show that made me actually watch Star for the first time ever. The combination of Bryan Fuller’s beautiful creative direction with Gaiman’s text and imagination result in the one of the most creative and innovative shows this year. Ricky Whittle gives a star making turn as our lead Shadow Moon, released from jail as his wife has died, and meets a mysterious stranger.  Ian McShane was the perfect choice for Mr. Wednesday, as we begin to get into the (literal) mythology, setting up the war to come between the Old Gods and the New. Gillian Anderson also must be praised for her seamless portrayals as Media in the forms of Lucille Ball, David Bowie, Marilyn Monroe and Judy Garland. I love that we learn about the origins of so many gods coming to America, and setting up what’s to come for the second season and beyond!

Outstanding Episode: “Come to Jesus” (Original airdate: 6/18/17)

There were so many fantastic episodes in the first season, it was really hard to narrow down to what truly was the best. But seeing Shadow finally realize what world is was finally apart of is a thrill. Wednesday and Shadow make their way to a celebration thrown by Ostara (Kristin Chenoweth) for spring, just as Media, Mr. World and Tech Boy  **and** the same time as Shadow’s not-dead wife Laura (Emily Browning) and leprechaun Mad Sweeney (Pablo Schreiber). So shit gets real VERY quick as Shadow finally catches on he’s among gods. And this is where the most amazing things happen. We learn Wednesday was behind Laura’s death in a car accident and when Media tries to persuade Ostara to join the New Gods, let’s just say shit get biblical. Odin, that is Wednesday, unleashes his power, and encourages Ostara to do the same. We get to see Ostara make things bloom…and wither. From here, Odin and Ostara — and Shadow have drawn their line in the sand that will be the big focus of season two!

6) RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1)

Hot off a fantastic year of season 8 AND All Stars 2, Drag Race had won its first Emmy for mama Ru’s hosting AND made the switch to VH1. Season 9 upped the game with Lady Gaga as the show’s first guest judge and brought us some of the series’ best contestants to date, whether it was the slaytastic Shea Coulee, artsy Sasha Velour or even the amazing tucking talents of Trinity Taylor. The judges were bigger and better (Kesha, The B-52s, Joan Smalls, Cheyenne Jackson!), the challenges upped the stakes and the eliminations got more and more WTF as the season went on. PLUS mama Ru had had enough half-assed lip-syncs and completely changed the format of the finale to make the finalists TRULY work for the crown.

Outstanding Episode: “Your Pilot’s On Fire” (Original air date: 5/19/2017)

Bitch if ever we were to surpass “what did Willam do” - I’m pretty sure we did with this episode. Ru tasks the final seven to come up their own pilots for network TV. Sasha and Shea, whose chemistry and partnership worked previously in the season, slayed with their spy-comedy Teets And Asky; Peppermint, Trinity Taylor and Alexis Michelle were good for all the wrong reasons (But Trinity’s Sister Mary Kuhnt was HILARIOUS!) due to a lot of infighting mostly from Alexis’s perfectionist tendencies and capacity to throw her other team members right in the path of any oncoming bus. And then there was Valentina and Nina Bo’nina Brown. Woefully underprepared with no script, their attempts to ad-lib don’t wow Michelle Visage and Carson Kressley. The runway theme, club kid, is a true standout among the nine seasons of the show, but big shock, Val and Nina are bottom two, and lip-syncing to Ariana Grande’s “Greedy.” Valentina’s mask stays on at the beginning, and we ALL noticed. And for the first time ever, RuPaul has to stop a lip-sync to ask Valentina to take her mask off. Valentina, to that point, had been portrayed as the sweetest girl in the cast. So when “I’d like to keep it on please” came out of her mouth, the fanbase was shook (we’d be even more shook at the Reunion by her behavior). Valentina throwing in the towel officially, to me, ties Willam’s elimination for the most shocking moment in the show’s history. It also happens in one of this season’s best episodes, and just truly shook up who I thought would make it to the finale.

5) The Vietnam War (PBS)

If you are my age, and you were in high school learning U.S. history - your teacher probably rushed through the 20th century in the span of two weeks or less. If that. Vietnam is usually a day, or two, maybe a week if you’re lucky. And we don’t know nearly enough, my generation that is, about one of the greatest embarrassments in our lifetime. Ken Burns and Lynn Novick’s 10-part, 18 hour masterpiece truly encompasses every single facet of the Vietnam War - the U.S.’s involvement, the North and South Vietnamese armies and governments, the anti-war protests, the U.S.government. There’s so much to unpack and Ken Burns and Lynn Novick’s interviews, research, set to the music of the ‘60s and ‘70s and guided by Peter Coyote’s steady narration. By the end of it all it feels like you’re gone through the war your self and you will most definitely ask what the fuck were we doing there as so many have over the years. Ken Burns may be known for his Civil War documentary but I truly believe because he was able to tell these stories from the sources, that this will be his masterpiece.

Outstanding Episode: “Part 6: Things Fall Apart” (Original air date: 9/24/2017)

Most episodes cover a few years of the 20+ year war but this part covers one event that would change so much of the war. The Tet Offensive from January to July 1968. Hearing the stories of American veterans who were stuck on hills for months while the Vietcong rained down on them, and hearing the same stories from the other side is just incredible. But I think the point that this episode drives home is the perception and appearance of the fake activities of the war. We see one of the most iconic images of the war - the execution of Nguyễn Văn Lém. It’s a photo we’ve all seen in our history books, but we learn the whole story about this execution from this episode. I didn’t know there was video of this - color video. We learn Lém was found near a mass grave of bodies and that a general executed him on his own decision. Despite my very desensitized nature, seeing the video put a giant pit in my stomach…and if I wasn’t already against the war from the first five parts, this convinced me so much that this war was being fought for the wrong reasons.

4) Big Little Lies (HBO)

Limited series are completely in vogue right now, and this is without a doubt one of the best ever. A whodunit murder in Monterrey, California, occurs at a trivia night and we backtrack to meet all the players and suspects. You have high-strung Madeline (Reese Witherspoon), perfectionist Celeste (Nicole Kidman) meeting new single mom Jane (Shaleine Woodley). Things seems off when Jane’s son Ziggy is accused of attacking the daughter of Renata Klein (Laura Dern in what more than easily netted her an Emmy in my opinion) and a series of misunderstandings and power plays occur. (You think corporate greed is bad and under-handed? You haven't seen Witherspoon’s Martha outdo Dern’s Renata on a birthday party Jane’s son wasn’t invited to!) I am always in love with shows that show the dark underside of those “perfect, ideal suburbs.” And this is no exception. Everyone here fires on all cylinders, but the cream of the crop here is Kidman’s Celeste, especially when you learn her husband Perry (Alexander Skarsgard) is beating her. The way Kidman’s confidence is put on and later crumbles is haunting. But I also must give props to Laura Dern is truly having the best year of her career ever (more on this later in the list, twice, no less) and Renata is just a juicy and perfect role for her. People want a second season of this, but I strongly disagree. The majesty and brilliance of this show is in its limited form, and as much as I’d love to see more from all involved, it’s way better and far more powerful as a standalone limited miniseries.

Outstanding Episode: Burning Love (Original airdate: 3/26/2017)

It’s so hard for me to pick one episode, because literally every single of these episodes were brilliant. But the setup right before the epic revelations in the finale was just too perfect. Jane’s search for her rapist (and Ziggy’s father) hits a dead-end, just as Renata draws up a petition to suspend Ziggy. Woodley and Dern going toe-to-toe is just absolutely epic and I couldn't take my eyes off their confrontation. Kidman also excels this hour as Perry’s beatings finally give her courage to look for an apartment, in the first step to leaving him. Martha is livid that her daughter is auctioning her virginity off online, AND her affair from years back is still obsessed with her. Witherspoon more than makes up for lost time the other ladies have gained with this one scene. It’s just once again a complete tour de force of shade and style and substance.

3) Twin Peaks (Showtime)

I’ve waited patiently for this - since I first started watching the original on Netflix three years ago. And it’s so hard to try and describe this without giving crucial plot points away…AND because David Lynch’s brilliant work is sometimes so hard to dissect. OK, so…after the ending of season two, NegaCoop/Evil Cooper/BOB is still in our world, Dale Cooper himself is still stuck in the Black Lodge. And some transference has to happen for Nega to go back and Dale to exit…but Nega has planned for this and created dimwitted Dougie Jones, whose body Dale switches places with. Does that make any sense? No…well it’s David Lynch so fuck it! Now CONFIDENTLY, I can say that Kyle MacLachlan delivers three fantastic performances, that we connect to the original two seasons wonderfully and Fire Walk With Me perfectly and the entire thing is shot to Lynchian perfection. Everyone involved with this, from Sherilyn Fenn’s return as Audrey, to Robert Forster as new Twin Peaks sheriff Frank Truman (Harry’s brother) fire on all cylinders, but my hat goes off to Laura Dern as the previously mentioned but never seen Diane for delivering a chic character with a LOT of panache. (Special mention also has to be given to the late Catherine Coulson’s Log Lady and Miguel Ferrer’s Albert Rosenfeld for giving their characters more depth and final performances that will continue to make their stars shine). This limited series was something I was looking forward to each Sunday and feel honestly honored to watch a true work of art play out every week. Even if the ending was beyond frustrating, it was all about the journey this summer and honestly one of the best summer TV journeys I’ve ever had.

Outstanding Episode: “Part 16” (Original airdate: 8/27/2017)

The first fifteen weeks were amazing Lynchian art, but the penultimate week had plot development for days. After Dougie stuck a fork in an outlet (it’s a very long story, just watch this brilliant season), he’s in a coma BUT wakes up as the Dale Cooper we’ve all loved. And he’s ready to head back to Twin Peaks. Meanwhile, NegaCoop (he’s called Mr. C in most press but it’s just more fun for me) takes wayward fuckup Richard Horne (Eamon Ferren), Audrey’s (and later revealed HIS) son with him to coordinates given to him. Richard dies by electrocution meant for NegaCoop and knows that one set of coordinates is false, and the other will lead him back to Twin Peaks and to a showdown with his doppelgänger. Meanwhile (see what I did there, Peaks fans?) in North Dakota, Diane Evans (Dern) is contacted by NegaCoop and seems to convulse. She meets with her FBI allies Gordon Cole (David Lynch), Albert (Ferrer) and Tammy Preston (Chrysta Bell) revealing what happened when she met “Cooper” years ago. In short, NegaCoop raped her, took her. And then Diane freaks, saying she’s in the sheriff’s station and pulls a gun on her company, only to be shot by Albert and Tammy. Diane then vanishes to the Red Room, where MIKE (Al Strobel) realizes she’s been manufactured. Meanwhile meanwhile, Audrey Horne (Sherilynn Fenn) after two episodes of will she/won't she FINALLY goes to the Roadhouse with her husband. After a performance by Eddie Vedder, it’s announced the band will play “Audrey’s Dance.” Audrey then recreates her iconic dance from the pilot episode only to be interrupted by a sparring match between two men. “Get me out of here” Audrey says to Charlie, only to awake in a white room somewhere in front a mirror, crackling with electricity. And we still don't know where THAT is! (Seriously, David Lynch, do what you want but why include Audrey only to leave us hanging?!)

2) Stranger Things (Netflix)

One of the best surprises of last year has rightfully become a pop culture phenomenon and become one of the best made, best acted and just most fun shows on any medium right now. Set a year after the Vanishing of Will Byers, we rejoin the gang in Hawkins as Lucas and Dustin (Caleb McLaughlin, Gaten Matarazzzo) vie for the attention of new girl Max (Sadie Sink) who just might be able to hang with the gang, Mike (Finn Wolfhard) still coping with the loss of Eleven (Millie Bobbie Brown), Joyce (Winona Ryder) has a new beau (Sean Astin in a role that is just awkward HIL. AR. ITY.) oh and Will (Noah Schnapp) is having episodes (flashes of the Upside Down) on the regular. Things all begin coming to a head as something new from the Upside Down is coming, and it’s not going to stop with Will, it wants Hawkins, it wants the world. And it provides some of the best TV this year. This show’s word-of-mouth in season one is what contributed to its success, and I think the Duffer Brothers were able to build on that and make this season a standout, a great companion to the first and reset everything for its next two seasons.

Outstanding Episode: Chapter Two-Trick or Treat, Freak (Original airdate: 10/27/2017)

After we find out that not only is Eleven alive, but out of the Upside Down AND LIVING WITH HOPPER - you know I clicked NEXT EPISODE and FAST! We learn how El escaped, setting up a great set of small flashbacks for the rest of the season. But the main event here is Halloween with our heroes, taking full splendor of 1984 with Ghostbusters. (And being the only kids in Hawkins to wear their costumes to school - didn’t you hate when this happened to you?) I really enjoyed seeing the gang begin to try and let Max (Sadie Sink) into their ranks. But our focus this episode is two fold. We first get to see the boys trick-or-treating and we see Will being bullied as “zombie boy” and other nicknames (kids are the worst and its even driven home more later when Joyce, knocked back into the Upside Down. But this time with a video camera that will prove to be very crucial later. We also are privy to the high school’s Halloween party as Nancy (Natalia Dyer) and Steve (Joe Keery) begin to have issues. Nancy, especially, still wracked by guilt over the death and disappearance of her best friend Barb. It’s weird to see the dynamics shift of Steve being the responsible one and Nancy spiraling out of control. We’re still setting a lot of things up here, but the binge continues as Halloween winds down as Dustin finds something in his trashcan that changes the course of the entire season.

1) The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu)

Even if the election of 2016 hadn’t essentially made this work of fiction a bit more real, I would still have given this the #1 slot. Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel has been a favorite of mine for years and the world of Gilead has needed an onscreen revival after its entertaining but bare ‘90s adaptation. Enter creator and show runner Bruce Miller who took the novel and made a series that is equal parts terrifying, inspiring and breathtaking. The world of Gilead is expanded, lived in, and utterly terrifying in a post-11/8 “45” presidency. But it’s the best show on any platform right now. This is Elisabeth Moss’s show, because she absolutely vanishes into the role of Offred. We get to see how Gilead came to be, through Offred’s eyes and it’s one of the many strengths Miller has made for the series. A first person narrative is amazing, but can only go so far. The series goes beyond only what Offred sees in the novel - we see WAY more here and it sets a lot up. And it’s not just Moss, the entire cast is just fantastic, whether it’s Yvonne Strahovski’s cold and calculating performance as Serena Joy, Samira Wiley’s inspiring Moira - a Handmaid that has escaped, or the Emmy-winning talents of Ann Dowd as the cruel Aunt Lydia. Atwood’s novel is seen during season one and I’m curious what season two is gonna bring us with things never seen in the novel. This is the best 2017 gave us and I knew on its first day of release. The series is a warning, it’s a rally cry, and it is also an inspiring message to never give in, even when things are absolutely horrid. As was written by a Handmaid, and found by Offred: nolite te bastardes carborundum.

Outstanding Episode: “Late” (Original airdate: 4/26/2017)

This isn’t even Elisabeth Moss’ best episode. The reason this episode is the best of the year is because of Alexis Bledel’s Emmy winning performance. AND DOESNT EVEN SAY A WORD DURING THE WHOLE HOUR. We focus on Offred adjusting to the new Ofglen that has replaced Bledel’s. Aunt Lydia interrogates her and Serena assumes Offred is pregnant and defends her against her treatment. (She’s not.) Later when Serena finds this out, Strahovski’s anger and malice play beautifully as she forcibly drags Offred upstairs to confine her to her room. But that’s not the highlight and not why this is the best episode of TV this year. For this we must go back to Ofglen/Emily and Alexis Bledel. She’s been removed from her assigned residence for being a lesbian, a gender traitor and a crime in Gilead, especially the fact that she’s had a secret relationship. She and the Martha (another class of female servants) are sentenced - the Martha hanged (in a tracking shot as a van pulls Bledel away to her own punishment and sentence. We don’t see that until the episode’s end when Dowd’s pious Aunt Lydia comes in to tell Emily she won't want for what she can’t have. We then look down to see she has under gone genital mutilation. Bledel’s silence is finally broken as she screams, and it’s a chilling end to a brilliantly tragic hour of TV.

[trumpetnista]

CMW2/Trumpetnista: Shattering Expectations (157/?)

Summary from FFN: “Ideally, a Presidency lasts 8 years. Ideally, a marriage lasts 50. 8 years of a job, even the highest job in the Land is not worth 42 years of misery…”;“What kind of coward was I to marry her and not wait for you to show up…why didn’t I meet you sooner…"These two lines will be at the core of my latest AU Olitz fic;Rated for language and spice;7th in my 2013 SSS Project

Teaser from Chapter 157: “...if you want Susan as your Veep, ask her and reach out to Cyrus. Now, I know that he's Cyrus Beene but he's proven himself to be invaluable to many a politician's campaign and this Administration. Just keep a close eye on him. Sometimes, he does things..."

"You would know better than anyone. You're Olivia Pope-Grant."

"I don't understand why people say things like that. I'm not infallible. I am the best at what I do but I'm not all seeing or knowing. I'm just observant with good timing and I have good people around me who will help me out or rein me in. They will always keep me grounded and I'm grateful for that. That is critical. Being in DC, being in the White House, it is very easy to get too ruthless, too callous. Local politics is difficult but around here? It's intense. Rewarding but intense. Win or lose, once you toss your hat in, you're going to need a good support system and people who you know want the best for you around. It'll save your life..."

Disclaimer for the full story: “Honestly, it’s not mine!”

The End of an Era pt. 2

"...how do I know that I'll get just Susan Ross? After all, it's a known fact that she is very loyal to you and your husband..."

"Not as loyal as she is to America. Susan Ross is her own person with her own ideas. She's not a mouthpiece or a puppet. She's too smart to fall for that sort of thing and anyone who tries to do that to her will definitely regret it."

"I didn't mean to offend you, Madame First Lady..."

"Please call me Olivia and you didn't offend me. Actually, the fact that you immediately asked that question is a good sign. It means that you're serious about going to the next level and that you know the Game. You're already protecting yourself. Governor..."

"Frankie, please."

"Frankie, as much as everyone wants to think otherwise, Fitz and I... once he's out of the Oval, national politics is not much of a factor in our future plans. Okay, yes. I still have my business and we still have friends here. We will still have Secret Service and the Media is still going to follow us around but overall, we just want to be parents and to try to do good things locally. Local work is just as important as the national level stuff, if not more."

"Not a lot of people understand that, anymore. They focus on the big picture and the big wigs but they forget about the details, the little guy. It's sad."

"It is. If you want Susan as your Veep, ask her and reach out to Cyrus. Now, I know that he's Cyrus Beene but he's proven himself to be invaluable to many a politician's campaign and this Administration. Just keep a close eye on him. Sometimes, he does things..."

"You would know better than anyone. You're Olivia Pope-Grant."

"I don't understand why people say things like that. I'm not infallible. I am the best at what I do but I'm not all seeing or knowing. I'm just observant with good timing and I have good people around me who will help me out or rein me in. They will always keep me grounded and I'm grateful for that. That is critical. Being in DC, being in the White House, it is very easy to get too ruthless, too callous. Local politics is difficult but around here? It's intense. Rewarding but intense. Win or lose, once you toss your hat in, you're going to need a good support system and people who you know want the best for you around. It'll save your life."

"And if I'd like you to be one of those people?"

"OPGA still has an office here for a reason. If you get into a tight spot that your staff can't handle, go to my People for help and if things are really bad, I'll jump in."

"...you've given me a lot to think about, Olivia. Thanks for taking the time to speak with me."

"Thanks for listening. Have a good rest of the evening and if you can, see if you can have some more of the bacon wrapped shrimp alfredo before you leave. Jose really outdid himself on it."

"He did and Luna already got the recipe. Good night."

"Good night."

Once Frankie was safely back in the ballroom, Olivia sighed softly and nodded in satisfaction. Provided that nothing untoward happened, Vargas-Ross 2016 would go forward. It was going to be quite a shock and it would shake up everyone's expectations. Everyone was expecting Susan and Frankie to compete for 1600 Penn. After all, she was a Republican and he was a Democrat. He was a Latino male and she was a white woman. Nobody really expected two polar opposites to work together, even in the diverse times they all lived in and Olivia was looking forward to the reactions. Well, most of them.

Once it became clear that Vargas-Ross would be on the Ticket and very viable? All of the hate groups, the sexists, and every sort of degenerate would be ready and willing to raise hell all the way to November. There would be dirt digging, mudslinging, and candidates from both parties willing to say anything to the lowest common denominators to get their Vote. People were going to turn out to the Polls in record numbers (again) and it was up to them to make sure that common sense would prevail or if it didn't, that they would keep fighting to do what was right.

Olivia fervently hoped that common sense would prevail...

"Livvie?"

"Hi."

"How'd it go?"

"Pretty well. He really wants to work with Susan. He just wanted to make sure that there weren't any strings attached first. I think they'll announce it in the next couple of days, maybe sooner."

"Good. Come on. Last dance is coming up."

"Yay. I want to check on the kids and go to bed."

"...to bed or to sleep?"

Olivia grinned at the reference to one of their shared favorite series and replied, "Well..."

In order to stoke the fire a bit higher, she let her fingertips skim over his chest and kissed his cheek on the way back to the ballroom.

She knew he would follow her.

Fitz would follow her to hell and back.

She would do the same.