#Sarah Shelson

[nettvnow-blog]

All For One | Episodes 16-30

Episode 16: Fish in a Barrel

Characters: Dorothy (Gwenlyn Cumyn), Portia (Claire Gagnon-King), Ariana (Xavier Lopez), Miller (Dan Mousseau), Rochefort (Damien Doepping)

Plot: So we’ve upgraded from foam swords to Nerf guns, I’m not mad about it. We’re 16 episodes in and honestly, who would have thought that Portia would be looking to rally the group together. We’ve got lots of cute Portiana moments including some action in the back from Miller and Dorothy but what we’re mostly focused on is Portia’s concern that her MST sisters thinks she’s a ditz and think that she slept with Rochefort if you remember correctly is because of the scheming everyone else put her up to. SMH.

Portia’s phone goes off, it’s an email from Rick inviting Portia to his office, the other three are excited while Portia isn’t having it. She’s clearly uncomfortable and I hate that everyone ignores it!

We get a secret moment between Miller and Dorothy, Dorothy goes back to catching up with the Inseparables until none other than Rochefort makes an appearance, a drunk appearance. I love the writers for this moment because I actually feel for Douchecanoe and that takes a lot! So it looks like Douchefort came to see if Dorothy knows who “he” is, he, referring to Miller who just left and there are suddenly red flags everywhere and I mean EVERYWHERE! Dorothy being naive as she is doesn’t get it, blaming it on Rochefort being drunk but he tries again before he leaves.

Episode Takeaway: Portia can do anything except outrun a clown on a unicycle.

Best Inseparable Line: Portia is the Queen of Baes, yas sometimesawesome

First thought: More Portia in my life is a good thing.

Final thought: Dorothy, hunny...Let’s get your head out of your ass, yeah?

Episode 17: The Good Guys

Characters: Dorothy, Portia, Ariana, Miller

Plot: Things are not well at Dumas and it’s pretty clearly written on Portia’s face. The gang is in celebration mode, something they seem to be doing quite often, which means that the next step in their Rick take down must have been successful. Ariana’s getting cockier by the episode, Portia’s getting more uncomfortable by the episode and WHY ISN’T ANYONE SEEING THIS.

Back to the plan, Portia convinces Rick to leave his office and endured some very much unwanted advances while Ariana hacked into Rick’s computer, finally. Thinking they’re finally going to get a break from the scheming, Portia’s proven wrong when she gets filled in that Ariana left something in Rick’s office, a little meth, NBD. A LITTLE METH. Which we now know is the secret that Dorothy and Miller were chatting about in episode 16.

This plan is the straw that breaks the camel’s back and Portia’s on her feet finally blowing up at everyone the way they deserve and they are shooketh. Ariana tries to justify their decision, Dorothy and Miller don’t care, Rick’s computer is finally decrypted and it looks like he’s got a ton of weird/unexplainable photoshopped photos of himself and...photos of Anne, naked photos of Anne.

Now that we know what he’s holding over her, what does our lovely team do next? Portia wants to stop and we’re team Portia right now. She’s the voice of reason and everyone else seems to ignore her, her girlfriend included. Miller gets a call on his super duper flip phone informing him that Rick’s been let go by campus security. Things are far deeper than anyone’s prepared for and one can only imagine what’s happening from here.

Portiana gets into a fight, for reasons completely valid. Ariana completely ignores what Portia is saying and a very awkward break up ensues in front of Dorothy and Miller. This is when I know Miller’s some sort of shady. While the conversation goes on in the background, Dorothy looks sad, probably wondering if she had a hand in this while Miller smirks and Ariana fights back tears as Portia walks out.

Episode Takeaway: There are no good guys.

Best Inseparable Line: It’s the 21st century! Liberate women’s bodies. We see you cookiemonster.

First thought: Once again, Portia is sad and no one is paying attention to her. Miller I truly do hate you. Dorothy, what has happened to you?

Final thought: Miller’s the real douchecanoe. Portia deserves a lot better.

Episode 18: Midnight

Characters: Dorothy, Ariana, Miller, Connie (Linnea Currie-Roberts)

Plot: Well hello Ariana, looks like someone get a makeover! I love the wardrobe choices for Ariana after the blowout with Portia, I think it goes to show how much she’s changed from the beginning of the season. Ah, they’re drinking again and that never leads to anything good. So we get an update on how they’ve been toying with Rick using the information on his computer and he doesn’t know who’s doing it, yet.

The team is losing sight of what the initial plan was which means that their downfall has yet to happen. Miller and Ariana are in this maniacal supervillain glow and I think Dorothy is finally seeing how far they truly have gone. She’s updating the Inseparables on what’s been going on until she’s interrupted by a tired-looking Connie who was up late talking to Monty (are you even real?).

Connie brings the harsh truth to Dorothy asking her what’s really going on what with Miller never in class and Ariana avoiding her MST responsibilities. Connie’s genuinely worried and there seems to be something going on with her too but try as she might, Dorothy can’t seem to get it out of her.

Connie heads to bed, Ariana comes back and Dorothy looks like she’s finally going to Mom up and lay down the hammer. Ariana’s neglecting everything and Dorothy’s trying to help her realize what she’s been doing and in typical Ariana fashion she leaves in huff of smoke but not before giving Dorothy a thumb drive of the latest data she’s stolen from Rick’s computer, only this time, on Miller and perhaps his true reasoning for helping the girls.

Episode Takeaway: Ariana has a past of hacking which she gave up after joining MST.

Best Inseparable Line: I’M ALWAYS A SLUT FOR RECAPS. Same chiefofmemes, same.

First thought: Where do I get that jacket, Ariana?

Final thought: I lowkey wanna slap Ariana in the face. Is that allowed?

Episode 19: It Hits the Fan

Characters: Dorothy, Miller, Connie

Plot: After looking through what Ariana gave her, Dorothy finally sees Miller for who he really is and admits how much she really was in denial and speak of the devil, Miller walks in toting snacks. Dorothy confronts Miller and tells him to stop lying once and for all and he laughs. He actually freaking laughs.

So it turns out Miller’s been lying the entire time, he’s actually been working for Rick pretty much as one of his goonies. For example, he helped Rick sabotage a girl that Rick didn’t like during exam week, also that thing with the professor’s wife and much more. It’s actually disgusting the worst part about it, he actually tries to justify what he’s been doing and I hope Dorothy doesn’t eat this up.

Miller plays it all off like he’s some hotshot badass but then Dorothy reveals she’s seen the older files too. Police reports no doubt involving Miller and that’s when we see him finally show his true colors. Police seem to be on the hunt for Anton hence the change to Miller so why is Miller still doing all of this? Oh because he loves Dorothy and confesses it in a rather shitty and manipulative way, in my opinion at least. Dorothy doesn’t get it, she’s confused and Miller seems to be feeding her shovel after shovel of shit.

Turns out, Anne turned down a proposal from Rick and Miller, knowing he had to take down MST was just trying to protect Dorothy and I absolutely hate it but kudos to Dorothy for pushing him away! She threatens to take Miller down if he doesn’t leave and in a very dramatic fashion he leaves with a, “You’ll change your mind.”

Dorothy finally breaks down and who comes to her rescue? Connie. CONNIE MOTHER FUCKING BONACIEUX! It’s finally over with Miller, Dorothy blames herself and Dornie hugs.

Episode Takeaway: Miller gets paid a lot to do something that he’s really good at. So how much to pay him to go away?

Best Inseparable Line: BREAK HIS ARMS. sometimesawesome is my spirity animal.

First thought: Miller is disgusting.

Final thought: DORNIE HUGS. Miller is still disgusting.

Episode 20: Last Dance with Miller Winters

Characters: Dorothy, Miller

Plot: Dorothy’s dealing with her messy break up as much as best as she can and honestly I’m just glad we don’t have another Burrito Blanket disaster. She misses Miller and as crazy as it sounds, it’s understandable, she honestly thought he was being genuine and maybe a part of him was but, meh. So the Inseparables try to get her to keep positive and Dorothy does what’s probably the most responsible thing I’ve seen her do all season, writer her college paper.

When the live stream comes back up it’s nighttime and Miller is creepily hovering over the computer and we officially hate how he calls them digital beans. Dorothy comes back threatening to break his arms and Miller looks deranged with power. We say punch him.

Miller came to erase the files Dorothy had on him and Dorothy can’t believe he’s actually that stupid to think she’d hold things over his head that he did when he was 15. Miller in a very aggressive, creepy way, tries to manipulate Dorothy to get back together with him and all of a sudden the Miller that Alex and Rochefort mentioned before is in front of us. Dorothy almost falls for the Miller bullshit but our girl knows better and kicks him to the curb, again. Oh but also, we get a Dorothy slap and an enraged Dorothy is back and with a plan!

Episode Takeaway: Dan Mousseau is a genius at playing the villain.

Best Inseparable Line: She dumped u dude get OVER it #desperate. You tell ‘em emblue!

First thought: Sad Dorothy is sad.

Final thought: The writers really know how to throw a punch in this episode.

Episode 21: We’ll Do It Live

Characters: Dorothy, Alex, Ariana, Portia, Treville (Denise Yuen)

Plot: Before I go on, we have to note that the cast and crew behind All For One is absolutely phenomenal. In episode 21 we get not only a 20-minute episode, but a live episode at that and with chatties from fans of the show.

So we have all of the people back for this episode and a new venue, in Dorothy’s attempt to fix basically everything. We get a great little monologue from Dorothy on how she thinks her family, mainly her mom and gran would react to the mess she’s gotten herself into.

So while Dorothy waits for the girls to show up she tries her best to remain calm and collected, by that I mean she feng shuis the room like a million times and with some moral cyber support from Connie, Dorothy finally starts to feel like she has things under control, kinda.

Ariana’s the first to show up, looking darker than usual in her black on black ensemble that even I’m envious of. She’s still playing the bitter card and it’s really getting to Dorothy but she tries to reel Ariana back in and they actually get into a bit of an emotional conversation, until Portia shows up (yay)! Portia admits she’s only there to fill Alex in on what’s been going on and in a not so subtle way, Dorothy leaves to “check on something” leaving Portiana alone.

Portia’s back at the computer catching up with the Inseparables while Ariana broods in the corner. I like that the writers gave the characters times to interact with the Inseparables, really showing off the abilities of the actors. Things get emotional and Ariana finally speaks up, where they both realize what went wrong in their relationship and the overall theme is COMMUNICATION.

Next to enter the scene is Alex and by enter, I mean pop up from behind one of the lounge couches in a very short dress and clearly intoxicated. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE ALEX WE KNEW? Well she’s clearly gone off the deep end and if Alex can do it, it can happen to anyone. Dorothy returns and she starts what I like to call, the rambliest of ramble apologies ever, as she should. Portia is the first to forgive her, while Alex and Ariana are next in line to admit that a lot of what happened with Miller isn’t her fault. So in an attempt to save what’s left of Anne’s image, the girls are banding together again to protect her with Portia volunteering as leader and we are here for it folks. We are here for it.

Episode Takeaway: This wasn’t a literal, figurative disaster as Dorothy thought. The actors are freaking phenomenal.

Best Inseparable Line: You’re going to need a strong drink for this. We should all have one. Sassyinspanish, also my spirit animal.

First thought: NEW VENUE! NEW VENUE! A live episode and Dorothy’s wearing...Overalls?

Final thought: THE GANG IS BACK TOGETHER AGAIN.

Episode 22: Caper

Characters: Portia

Plot: We get a Portia-centric episode with a brand new confident Portia and we love it. She’s taking the lead and she’s manning the group via walkie talkie from Dorothy’s apartment, in an attempt to get the stolen pictures back from Rick.

Alex goes against the plan and finds an open window and decides to climb inside, obviously. Ariana sounds like a pod person, very robotic as she reports back to Portia and we finally get to see Portia’s reaction to Ariana’s new demeanor and while she says she doesn’t care, we all know she cares. Alex continues on with a plan of her own and Portia tries not to have an aneurysm at Mission Control.

Dorothy has no idea what to do to distract a guard but she’s caw-cawing on the walkie and then there’s silence. I know I should be worried and not laugh but I am, I’m laughing so hard. Portia finally takes the reins back on Mission Control, the girls make it to Rick’s office and then the walkie goes dead.

Episode Takeaway: We need more Portia in the future.

Best Inseparable Line: Kitten, let’s not pretend you don’t care enormously. Sica_inimicis calling it like it is.

First thought: PORTIA! PORTIA WITH GLASSES!

Final thought: Boss Portia is a thing, but nervous Portia is still a thing and I love it.

Episode 23: Rough at the Edges

Characters: Dorothy, Alex, Portia, Ariana, Rochefort

Plot: Following the plot to get into Rick’s office the girls regroup back at home base and Portia fills us in on what we missed. In attempt to save Dorothy from the guards, Portia had to climb through the window Alex did in episode 22 and she pulled the fire alarm to distract the guards (something we don’t recommend doing).

Ariana wasn’t able to get to the photos but she was able to disable the cameras, Dorothy tries to salvage the setback in their mission but the other girls aren’t having it. They look pretty defeated and Dorothy does her best to perk the girls up. Ariana leaves and Portia admits to Dorothy her doubts about being a leader and it’s honestly endearing. Dorothy cheers her up and it’s so great to see how much Dorothy has gone back to being the girl we saw in the first episode.

So the team regroups for attempt number two to get the stolen photos back and it was a failure to say the least. Alex fell out of a tree amd Miller was disguised as a guard with a fake mustache. We see a bit of the old Alex when Miller gets brought up and I just want her to come back! Ariana gets grumpy and leaves to meet Portia for coffee, coffee where they discuss being friends and never touch each other below the waist again coffee, Ariana’s words, not mine!

Alex leaves too after some not so great words are exchanged and then we’re back with Ariana post-Portia coffee. There aren’t any updates on accessing Rick’s files so Dorothy tries to get her to take a break and after a bit of opposition, she finally succeeds but not without a knock on the door from Rochefort.

Episode Takeaway: Dumas has hidden tunnels.

Best Inseparable Line: I would do anything you say #QueenPortia. I’m starting to think chiefofmemes has a crush.

First thought: Why is Alex on the floor.

Final thought: The Ariana we know seems to be coming back!

Episode 24: Underhanded

Characters: Dorothy, Ariana, Rochefort, Portia, Alex, Treville (Denise Yuen)

Plot: We pick up with Rochefort at the door and he actually asks to come in, which is...weird. Portia and Ariana come back into the room and Rochefort offers up information on Miller’s next play which is also looking for the Dumas tunnels. As it turns out Owen isn’t so stupid after all handing over the map of the tunnels and his building keys, now we wait for the other shoe to drop.

The only thing Rochefort wants is for all of Miller’s files and without hesitation, Dorothy accepts. PLEASE tell me there are copies of Miller’s files. Ariana thinks it’s a trap, Portia thinks he actually might be genuine, Alex doesn’t care and Dorothy refuses to be the deciding factor but the girls actually have valid reasons as to why she should vote on what to do next.

The live stream kicks back up and we’re at a new venue, the MST house! So update! The girls wiped Rick’s cloud, broke into his office, cracked into his safe and found the remaining files that Rick has against Anne. I’d call that a win. The girls break the thumb drive together, using a flowerpot, causing Treville (YES) to walk in with a sword, a real freaking Musketeer sword, as if she couldn’t get more badass.

Treville’s looking for an explanation, Dorothy tells her they’ve wiped the photos clean and Treville looks rather relieved but also confused. Dorothy, once again not aware of social cues, asks if this means she could be an MST sister and Ariana asks to play with her sword. Timing guys, timing.

Episode Takeaway: Treville is a badass and I didn’t realize how much I missed her until now, the rapport between the girls is amazing!

Best Inseparable Line: Never underestimate a douchecanoe, they might grow up and become douchekayaks. Breton FTW.

First thought: Hello, Owen - you’re looking very smug today.

Final thought: TREVILLE!

Episode 25: Dorothy the Sigma

Characters: Dorothy, Connie, Treville, Miller

Plot: From the title I think it’s pretty obvious to say what happens. Our beloved Dorothy Castlemore, is finally a Mu Sigma Theta pledge. She breaks out into a happy dance which Treville so happily interrupts until she realizes that Dorothy and Connie are live streaming and insists that they need permission. Plot twist. Dorothy has been texting with Anne, including emojis and Treville does not look impressed. Control, much? Also making an appearance in the chatties this episode are Ariana, Alex and Portia, how great is that?

So on another note, why is Connie there? Not that we’re mad. Somehow Monty comes up and Connie reveals that they broke up and Dorothy tries to be supportive without flailing her arms in gay. We get some great Dornie conversation and I’ve missed this so much, it starts to feel like the conversation’s about to take a serious turn when Miller shows up (seriously, do these people not lock their doors!).

So he swaggers in and eyes Connie in a very uncomfortable way. Turns out he’s been hanging out with Monty...comforting her in her break up. WHAT A FREAKING ASSHOLE. Something isn’t right and cue the phone ringing. Connie gets a call from Treville and it looks like she’s been kicked from her sorority after photos of Connie have been leaked, making its way around the university.

Episode Takeaway: Dornie

Best Inseparable Line: HELLO MY FLAWLESS QUEEN. SHARE WITH US YOUR DARK SECRETS!! sassyinspanish...I just...I love you.

First thought: DOROTHY’S A SIGMA! DOROTHY’S A SIGMA!

Final thought: Dorothy’s going to protect her girl, dont’ worry.

Episode 26: The Connie Conundrum

Characters: Dorothy, Connie, Treville

Plot: Dorothy has a black eye (again), picking fights left and right, protecting anyone who makes fun of Connie. It’s cute how protective Dorothy is over her girlfriend. Miller seems to have dropped off the map and he’s lucky, because Dorothy would end him. Rick resigned and it isn’t enough for Dorothy because he really should have suffered.

Dorothy’s worked up, Connie tries to calm her but can’t get through to her. Dorothy returns with Treville and our newest pledge is trying fix Connie’s sorority situation by getting her into MST and oh would you look at that, Anne sends Treville an email telling her to make Connie a pledge. What’re the odds? So now Connie’s a Sigma and Dorothy’s giving her these, “don’t be mad at me eyes” and Connie loves it.

After reveling in the joy of being an MST for a whole 20 seconds, Connie finally decides to answer her parents’ incessant calls and comes back very not joyous. It looks like her parents are pulling her out of Dumas, end of story.

Episode Takeaway: Revenge porn is a thing and slut shaming isn’t okay.

Best Inseparable Line: Dorothy “I don’t know how calm works” Castlemore - love you sometimesawesome

First thought: Oof, the fallout. I hate sad Connie.

Final thought: Dorothy is just...kiss Connie already!

Episode 27: But What If

Characters: Dorothy, Connie,

Plot: We’re back at Dorothy’s place and Connie’s lugging her suitcases to the door much to Dorothy’s dismay. I don’t understand how Connie can be so...relaxed about the whole situation and Dorothy is trying to hard to get her to fight to stay.

Brainstorming ensues and a brilliant plan comes to fruition!

Episode Takeaway: Operation get Connie to stay is in full action mode!

Best Inseparable Line: Connie. There are some choice in life that test the scrotum of our character. Sassyinspanish, I was with you until now...

First thought: Don’t leave Connie!

Final thought: What is this plan?!

Episode 28: Bonacieux Bonanza

Characters: Dorothy, Alex, Ariana, Connie, Portia, Treville, Miller, Rochefort

Plot: So this brilliant plot of theirs to raise money for Connie to stay? An MST carnival, complete with the ladies of MST in bathing suits to promote body positivity! I have to say this plan is pretty brilliant, after the slut shaminG/victim blaming going on at Dumas, I love that MST came together to support body positivity and fighting the bullies!

Everyone seems to be going back to normal, kind of and we get a rare Portiana moment alone. Awkward Ariana is so cute and it’s so clear that she wants to work on things with Portia and honestly, may the odds be ever in her favor. They finally reach some middle ground and they agree to work on their friendship.

Treville appears to quickly shut down the camera and when we’re back we get some paint-covered MST girls after the day’s festitivies. Things are going great until Miller appears (ugh) and he’s got some news. There’s an interim student union President and it’s...drumroll please...FREAKING ROCHEFORT.

Episode Takeaway: Rochefort is literally the worst.

Best Inseparable Line: That is not how a selfie stick works. It truly isn’t ai_firestarter.

First thought: Look at all these happy people!

Final thought: Um Rochefort...what about your deal with Dorothy?

Episode 29: Douche Heel Turn

Characters: Dorothy, Connie, Portia, Ariana, Alex, Rochefort, Miller, Treville

Plot: So it looks like the deal’s off after Rochefort realized having Miller on his side would be more useful, alas our girls got played. Miller, being the stupid henchman that he is follows orders to tear down the fundraiser and leave it to the girls to talk some sense into Rochefort. Manipulation from the other side doesn’t look so bad.

Alex takes her stand against Miller calling him a user, a parasite and I AM LIVING FOR THIS MOMENT, it’s been such a long time coming. Rochefort finally comes to his senses and stands up to Miller too and does what we’ve all been waiting for. HE’S FIRED! Rochefort’s obviously shaken up by standing up to his cousin, we don’t blame him but it’s honestly for the best.

Episode Takeaway: ALEX IS BACK.

Best Inseparable Line: Slay Alex Slaaaay. chiefofmemes

First thought: Ugh, come on Owen.

Final thought: Did we raise the money? Did we help Connie?

Episode 30: Inseparable

Characters: Dorothy, Connie, Ariana, Alex, Portia, Treville

Plot: So the fundraising event only raised half of what Connie needed and since they weren’t going to meet their goal, they started refunding their money. Dorothy calls Connie a pretty lady and there are feelings. We get a cute Dornie moment and it actually hurts.

In a twist of events, we have a sincere moment in which Dorothy finally tells Connie how she feels and I am screaming. Dorothy basically confesses her love for her and the timing sucks but here we are. Connie’s hesitant, I totally get it but Dorothy’s looking at her with her sad eyes saying what they have is worth fighting for and then it happens. Connie grabs Dorothy’s face and they’re KISSING.

So they kiss a bit more until the MST girls show up with drinks to distract what’s going on and Portia calls out the new energy in the air because TA-DA Dornie is a thing! The girls hug it out and Portia laughs because they’re going to be sisters soon and Ariana is quick to point out she never wants to think of Portia that way.

We get the cutest all for one and one for all moment, find out that Dorothy is moving into the house next semester, Treville is running for MST president after Anne leaves and Portia reveals she’s looking to run too. SO MANY OPTIONS. WE WANT THEM ALL TO WIN.

The Nerf guns make an appearance, shenanigans ensue and Treville shows up to let Connie and Dorothy know that they are both officially Mu Sigma Theta sisters. Treville, ever the professional looks like she’s going to leave when Dorothy tells her to stay and Treville is the cutest when she asks if she means it! Dorothy hands her a Nerf gun which Treville shoots with great aim and we can’t not love this group more.

But that’s not all. The Inseparables have an announcement, they’ve banded together to help fundraise for Connie to stay. All is well at Dumas and this has been one hell of a journey.

That’s not at all again...There’s a knock on the door and well...it’s Monty. WELL F@#$!

Episode Takeaway: DORNIE IS CANON.

Best Inseparable Line: This is more fun! Cookiemonster, yes it is.

First thought: Dornie.

Final thought: DORNIE and season two premiered today!

[rjlackie]

Hi! I’m RJ!

I’m a gay screenwriter & wannabe TTRPG designer, who has made a bunch of Tumblrs over the years and had trouble making it stick. But with the recent... pending ownership shift of Twitter, I’m making a new one of these, to make sure I have a space to connect with people, make friends, and share cool shit!

I created Inhuman Condition (a queer supernatural series starring Torri Higginson & Cara Gee among other awesome thespianfolk), and co-created All For One (a queer reimagining of The Three Musketeers set in a modern-day sorority, which I co-created with the awesome Sarah Shelson). I also wrote for both seasons of Couple-ish, the fake-dating webseries created by my friend K Alexander. I’m hoping to make two big career shifts over the next year or two: TTRPG designer, and legit TV writer. (Been working on the latter for, gulp, over a decade. And I’m pretty close....)

I like TV dramas, queer genre lit, Critical Role, TTRPGs, ranting about queer rep in media, and Henry Cavill punching me in the face lots of other things. This space will probably be a combo of me rambling about things I like, sharing things I think are cool, and occasionally trying to shill my professional work (because I am very proud of it!!).

Let’s have some fun out there, folks. 

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4 Reasons To Love #AllForOne

   earlier this week the indiegogo campaign went up  to raise money for season two of my favourite web series, ( yes, it even surpasses carmilla by 0.99% ) all for one. i figured i should signal boost some good reasons to empty your pockets for season two. here we go.

1. LGBTQ+ Representation is STRONG in this one:

all for one is very strong with the representation, dorothy is bisexual, ( and they show that very clearly ) connie is gay, portia is queer, ( they writers didn’t explicitly mention portia’s sexuality, as far as i know ) ariana is gay, monty is queer, ( never specified, as far as i know ) and this may just be me but, anne and treville seemed very close to me ( + the fact that in a production vlog, the  writers mentioned that none of the characters were actually straight, sooo ) ...but the main point is that this webseries gets that queer characters are important and then they stuffed this one with a bunch of them. the only thing that they could include in the second season that would make the representation even more inclusive is add a trans or non-gender ( other than the all magical breton ) conforming character into the mix, and i hear that there will be three new characters this season so *COUGH COUGH*

2. Power to the WOMEN:

this show’s cast is 90% female and throughout the first season, they proved time and time again that they are powerful, independent women who don’t need no man/woman to support them. some of them got screwed over by men and then got back up and kicked ass and got the girl in the end. i am of course speaking of dorothy “punches walls and douchecanoes” castlemore, our heroic leader and badass woman of the year in my opinion. dorothy, ariana, connie, portia, and alex in the end did save the day and have another nerf gun fight. this show just shows so much strength of women and my favourite part..... there are no cat fights about men/women, looks or stupid fights about stupid stuff. the fights in this show are valid arguments about the way people are being treated in a relationship, both platonic and romantic. basically, this show is full of strong ass women with awesome morals, identities, and feelings.

3. Cute people are part of A4O:

all i’m gonna say about this one is that all of people involved in this show are really *freakin* awesome, so now i’m just gonna list them and their twitters....GO!

Gwenlyn Cumyn ( Dorothy ) - @ gwenlyn_cumyn

AJ Simmons ( Alex ) - @ JeniferAleja_S

 Xavier Lopez ( Ariana ) - xavier’s twitter is private, but cool dude )

Claire Gagnon-King ( Portia ) - @ clairegk

Dan Mousseau ( Miller/Anton ) - @ danielmousseau

Linnea Currie-Roberts ( Connie ) - @ Linnea_Jane_

Denise Yuen ( Treville ) - @ nedise

Damien Doepping ( Rochefort/DoucheCanoe ) - ( no twitter but still awesome person )

Lauren Evans ( Producer ) - @ LaurenEvansTV 

Sarah Shelson ( Writer, Producer ) - @ SarahShelson

Wil Noack ( Editor ) - @ Wilasauraus

RJ Lackie ( Writer ) - @ rjlackie

Shannon Litt ( Director ) - @ ShannonLitt

and of course the production crew, makeup, camera people and everyone else involved with this amazing show.

4. Hella Queer Relationships and of course..... DORNIE!!

for this one, i’m just gonna put cute gifs of dornie, portiana,  and some of the inseparables cute shit... ( i’m ignoring miller and dorothy bc that shit was garbage compared to the gold dornie is )...ready, set, go!

dornie being single and coy

original portiana

cuddly portiana

bonus dornie cuteness

some monochrome/emblue cuteness

so in conclusion, DONATE! help get this AMAZING web series with FANTASTIC queer representation a WELL-EARNED second season. they defintely deserve it. ( also, to the fans of carmilla and couple-ish who find this....please support this amazing show that deserves your attention, show the rest of the world that we got a queer movie funded, a queer webseries a second season that airs this month, and we can do it AGAIN with this one! )

     love, 

 a fan who got through the last school year purely off the fact that i could come home and see my favourite badass bisexual woman on my TV and let go of all the bad shit that happened during my school day. thank you so much for this and everything else you’ve done for me.

Here’s how to do your part:

Watch the show - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbvYWjKFvS5qyYxEacn4vk6tDeMYMnGOD

Watch the donation video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPytEWnTeyo

DONATE TO THE CAUSE - https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/all-for-one-webseries-season-2

@a4oseries @a4o-headquarters @coupleish @carmillaseries @carmilla-feels-hq @bellabooks @starrymag 

[sundance-ish]

I don’t know, I don’t know. Someone said it in an interview for ‘All for One’ (this amazing webseries created by Sarah Shelson & RJ Lackie based on Dumas’ ‘The Three Musketeers’ - it’s available on YouTube and I highly recommend it, like A LOT).

Anyway... one of the cast asid this in an interview and I just... I couldn’t help myself. So the incredible Treville, Portia and Ariana are fighting vampires now. Alex is off being a badass elsewhere. <3

[ellebowmac]

I'm not even surviving season one. Please don't.

[a4o-headquarters]

Thanks, Sarah and RJ!

A4O HQ once again sends a big ol’ thank you and hugs to Sarah Shelson and RJ Lackie for taking the time to answer our questions. You guys are amazing and we really appreciate it!

Please keep up with their creative shenanigans via their socials below:

Sarah’s Tumblr: @sometimesawesome Sarah’s Twitter: @SarahShelson

RJ’s Tumblr: @ai-firestarter RJ’s Twitter: @rjlackie

[nettvnow-blog]

All For One | Episodes 7-15

Episode 7: Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One

Characters: Dorothy (Gwenlyn Cumyn), Ariana (Xavier Lopez), Portia (Claire Gagnon-King), Alex (AJ Simmons)

Plot: In this episode Portia so happily welcomes everyone and by that she means everyone to this inclusive event for a good old fashioned, Girls Night*

It’s been a week of Dorothy being MIA with her friends, though she’s not necessarily missing out on any action with Miller (oops, my hand slipped). Alex being Alex throws down the third degree on wanting more deets on her friend’s boyfriend but Portia’s quick to put everyone back on track because she has an agenda for the night. Of course she does and Alex is OBVIOUSLY loving it...see below for loving it expression.

It’s a valiant effort from Portia to host a night to help show Dorothy that she doesn’t need a sorority to make her feel like she has sisters and truthfully, we have to agree with Portia! MST or not, she’s got these girls for life. Dorothy’s still a bit of a downer but she’s fully on track to recover from the Blanket Burrito incident of 2K16 and is ready to get this party started. We start off with a 90s karaoke event which Alex is quick to turn off the camera for (rude) but we pick back up just in time for truth or dare, where the Inseparables get to take a hold of the reins for a bit!

Ariana is the clear winner in the ‘Who Wishes They Were Anywhere but Here’ category as we’re met with one snarky comment after another and it finally gets under Alex’s skin when Ariana provokes her during her choice of picking truth, sparking some not so great memories from Alex’s past.

The night takes an awkward turn and in an attempt to salvage what’s left of the their night Alex slowly but sure begins to open up. There was a boy, they dated in high school and it ended badly, end of story. So why is this different than any other high school fling? Well, he was a runaway and Alex was supposed to help protect him but instead ended up hurting him and let him down, making him disappear. Guys, we’re gearing up for some really great character development, especially with Alex, so let her grow on you.

Portia, taking the reins once again transitions from this sad moment to a round of crank calling and just like that, we’re back on track!

*A gender inclusive sleepover event!

Episode Takeaway: Portia is too good for this earth, what did we ever do to deserve this cinnamon roll?

Best Inseparable Line: I like to feel the cool breeze between my toes because breton needs to give us more of a reason to think he’s weird.

First thought: Hi, hi, hi how do I get invited to one of these inclusive sleepovers also Portia, where can I get that onesie?

Final thought: I still don’t know where to get that onesie and Dorothy, I promise you, no one wants to hear what you and Miller might get up to over the phone. Gross.

Episode 8: A Revelation or Two

Characters: Dorothy, Ariana, Portia, Alex, Connie (Linnea Currie-Roberts)

Plot: So things are about to get heavy and not hot and heavy in the way that we’d hope (Dornie!) but something’s going down in Connie’s sorority, Psi Pi Alpha and Dorothy is ready to help her through it. So we find out that Connie did in fact put MST down as her first choice and was rejected which is bizarre given that her cousin, Anne, is the President. Legacies don’t just get shut down like that guys!

So as it turns out, Rick, President of the Student Union and infamous ex-boyfriend of Anne, told her to reject Connie, for what reason? We’re not so sure but it smells like blackmail to me. Connie being Connie says she doesn’t want to react because she loves Anne and of course she doesn't want to do anything to make matters worse for her. Now here, we get a firsthand view of a not lover’s quarrel, the first of many I’m sure, when Connie so straightforwardly yells, “Dorothy, you’re not my girlfriend!”

And...scene…

Except that it isn’t...Because Connie reveals that Anne was told to block two pledge and guess who pledge number two was...All because of Douchcanoe, Owen Rochefort. We shouldn’t be surprised at this revelation but we are and I’m shookth (am I using that right?) at Cumyn’s performance to keep it together when I’d be a baby crying on the floor.

Dorothy shares her news with the trio we’ve come to love and you can only imagine where they each stand on this. Alex is for ‘Team Don’t Do Anything!’ While Ariana is on Team ‘Let’s Rock This Shit! Personally,’ I’m on ‘Team Let’s Rock This Shit.’ Nevertheless, Alex talks some sense into Dorothy and they plan to take Rick down at the next Student Union gathering.

Episode Takeaway: Alex’s moral compass seems to be rubbing off on Dorothy...kinda and Ariana is definitely a lot more dark than we thought she was...Hacking the Pentagon, what?!

Best Inseparable Line: This is why I don’t date guys, from our favorite cookiemonster *cough* Laure Hollis, with an honorable mention from monochrome stating the obvious, ur a lesbian.

First thought: GUYS CONNIE IS BACK!

Final thought: Rick the Dick is a thing, also I want to see these hyena videos that Ariana’s talking about.

Episode 9: Vengeance Interruptus

Characters: Dorothy, Alex, Ariana, Portia, Treville

Plot: So that went well...not. As you can see, our beloved leading ladies are covered in what appears to be...fruit, so I’m assuming their non-violent, Rick the Dick, confrontation went well. So you guys ready for the rundown? After getting cleaned up, Alex lets us know she was well prepared, cue cards and all until they realized that everyone at the student union...LOVES and I mean LOVES the student union in a not cool scientology way, yikes.

They’re two hours into the meeting and Alex finally gets her chance to speak but Rick and being the charming man that he is, diplomatically states he’d love a sit down. It should’ve ended there right? But it didn’t because Dorothy, oh our sweet and firecracker of a girl, decided to pick a fight with Rochefort in hope of provoking him in front of Rick.

As if her night couldn’t get any worse, Treville springs a surprise visit and Dorothy is not prepared. Straight to the point, Treville asks for an explanation of Dorothy’s earlier antics and boy were we not prepared for this version of Treville because she is ON IT, even shooting Alex down as she tries to be a good friend and explain but on the premise that Rick is evil, Treville grants her permission to continue the validation of her earlier outburst but despite her best rebuttal Treville is once again ON IT. She gives off some, “don’t mess with me vibes,” and guys, I AM HERE FOR IT.

Episode Takeaway: Treville is a badass, Dorothy still has a lot to learn and Alex is pretty great despite her motherly antics.

Best Inseparable Line: So gang, let’s regroup: how do we get Dorothy into MST? sometimesawesome asking the important questions in life but also, agreed.

First thought: *nods absentmindedly to The Beatles, Revolution*

Final thought: I need more Treville in my life.

Episode 10: I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good

Characters: Dorothy, Portia, Ariana, Alex, Miller (Dan Mousseau)

Plot: Welcome back viewers and oh...gross...kissing. Now I know that I said I loved the chemistry between Miller and Dorothy because it’s there, absolutely! But after the not-lovers spat that Dornie had in episode 8 how can I not be rooting for them? So Miller finally removes his face from Dorothy’s long enough for us to get an update, I’m all about new love, romance and all that jazz but c’mon you gotta remember your friends. We find out there isn’t any updates on Rick, but judging from the episode title, we’re in store for something good and oh if it isn't Miller with the interruption suggesting that maybe Dorothy can do something about it just on the DL.

So Miller comes up with a brilliant plan to take down Rick by exposing him for his other misdeeds, but this time be smarter about it by going after him for something the team can actually prove. I hate to admit it, but Miller’s onto something, let the sucking face continue.

And we’re back, with Miller and Dorothy a respectable distance away from each other, we finally get to hear this diabolical plan of theirs which now includes Portiana and Alex! This moment also strikes the first time that Miller meets Dorothy’s friends and it’s all great until Alex shows up...Because it turns out she knows Miller and she knows him by Anton. We’re with Breton on this one, wtf?!

Episode Takeaway: Portia’s a Hufflepuff, Ariana’s a Slytherin, Alex is a Ravenclaw and Miller is a hippogriff.

Best Inseparable Line: I don’t think u 2 attacking each other’s faces will stop Rick, preach on monochrome, preach on!

First thought: Gross, turn the camera off if you’re gonna mack.

Final thought: Shit just hit the fan, cue dramatic zoom in and zoom out on Alex’s face!

Episode 11: Don’t You Dare Look Back

Characters: Dorothy, Portia, Ariana, Alex, Anton/Miller

Plot: So Anton...Anton is Miller and Miller is Anton. Got it? Okay, good. Well whoever he is, is doing a shit job at trying to save face as he tries to hurdle Alex outside away from prying eyes and ears but leave it to Dorothy to intervene at the right time.

So here’s what we find out, Anton is Miller’s middle name and he knew Alex in high school, are you guys thinking what I’m thinking? Absolutely, he was totally Alex’s high school runaway boyfriend. Dorothy, trying to continue the conversation gets shut down hard and I mean hard as Anton/Miller loses his cool and yells for them to drop it. Strike one bruh...strike one.

The episode takes a bit more of a serious turn as Alex confesses that she thought he was dead, Anton/Miller takes a step forward, his hand going straight to comfort her by grabbing her forearm, a very intimate and affectionate move might I add. In front of Dorothy. Strike two.

Dorothy quite literally inserts herself into the conversation, standing between Alex and Anton/Miller and tries to reel the conversation back to herself, naturally. She turns to Anton/Miller looking for some sort of clarity and he at least has the decency to reply with, “it’s complicated.”

Okay, now every time I’ve seen this episode I’ve had to pause at this moment (1:41). The acting is phenomenal and not much is even being said. There are three things I love especially about this moment, 1) Ariana’s reaction to watching this go down. 2) Dorothy’s stance after confronting Anton/Miller and 3) Anton/Miller might be the tallest one in the room, but right now he’s looking very, very small.

The scene continues with Alex powerfully taking control of the situation, kicking everyone out of the room to talk to Anton/Miller. Some go quietly, some go kicking and screaming, Dorothy.

The gloves come off and underneath all that macho, pie-baking, scruff, there is a real human in there who felt things. Anton/Miller admits how dejected he felt after being dumped, to which Alex reminds him that she didn’t break up with him, she just told him that he might be better off with a better family that could care for him. Honestly, both sides are pretty heavy to take in but I feel for both of them, I really do. The acting from Simmons and Mousseau are phenomenal and it’s quite possible one of the shortest episodes of the series thus far and just wow.

Episode Takeaway: Anton/Miller might not be such a bad guy after all.

Best Inseparable Line: I think Akari^89 takes the cake with this one...

First thought: Anton/Miller is TOTALLY trying to save face right now and I hope no one buys it. Especially Dorothy and Alex.

Final thought: Where does this leave Alex and Dorothy but also Dorothy and Anton/Miller?

Episode 12: Bugaboo

Characters: Dorothy, Ariana, Portia, Alex, Miller

Plot: Things seem to be going swimmingly as the entire gang (Miller and Alex included) have banded together to help take down Rick. Miller seems to be handling it better than Alex, if the way Alex’s pacing gives anything away.

Portia makes drinks, because of course she does and Miller continues to rattle off any ideas to take Rick down, but it’s Alex with the not-so-legal tactic to get what they need, by bugging Rick’s office. Miller has this devlish gleam in his eye and it most definitely does not go unnoticed by Dorothy. The plan takes on a life of its own with Portia and Miller placing the bug, Ariana hacking the video camera and Dorothy in the least bitter way possible (yeah, right), asks Mom what her role is and we can totally tell she’s not having it with being shafted to backup for Miller and Portia while Alex heads up everything from base AKA Dorothy/Connie’s apartment. Speaking of Connie, where is she? I miss her.

Six hours later the plan is moving forward and we’ve got Alex at the helm alongside the Inseparables which spark the conversation on what’s been going on with Alex and Dorothy. You have to feel for them because this really isn’t anyone’s fault but when feelings are involved well, I’m sure you guys know how it goes.

The walkie talkie banter is pretty solid in this episode, in addition to the Miller backstory Alex divulges too. Long story short but they met at a mall, Miller’s parents had just passed away and he left to avoid getting stuck in a group home. We can’t blame him there, but unbeknownst to us, he had an aunt and uncle ready and willing to take him in, he just didn’t want them. Oh and not to leave you guys hanging but the bugging of Rick’s office was a success!

Episode Takeaway: Alex is a boss at executing plans, walkie talkies need to become a thing again, jealous Dorothy is probably one of my favorites and Alex admits that the Inseparables are real friends!

Best Inseparable Line: So how did teeny bopper Alex meet Anton and faaaalll in loo~ooove. Breton, I despise you but I also love you.

First thought: Dorothy has some feelings.

Final thought: Dorothy still has some feelings.

Episode 13: 100% Success Rate

Characters: Dorothy, Ariana, Alex, Portia, Connie, Miller

Plot: The squad is in full celebration mode after the successful hacking/bugging of Rick’s office and it appears that foam swords are now part of this crew’s celebration. You do you! Alex takes this moment to confront Dorothy and clear the air, quite frankly I’m a bit peeved at how standoffish Dorothy is being, when Alex has been nothing but kind to her, given the circumstances. Dorothy is awkward as hell and Alex is still the best for being so supportive. Plot twist though: Alex tells her to be careful because Miller is cool but the Anton she knew wanted to set the world on fire. Another plot twist, apparently Rick might be involved in some heavy coke smuggling ring, things sure have changed since I was in college.

This is probably a great time for Connie to show up. HI CONNIE! After a quick rundown on what’s been going down, Connie doesn’t exactly disapprove but she doesn’t exactly approve either. Either way, we’re just happy to see Connie back in our lives and in Dorothy’s (squeal). So naturally, this is a great time for Monty to be brought back up and for Connie to even ask about Miller. The roomie reconciliation ends and everyone comes out of Dorothy’s room to get back to celebrating. There’s an awkward conversation between Dorothy and Miller about Connie that honestly leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth but I suppose time will tell and Miller officially goes back on my Do Not Trust list. The episode segues into a group dance because why not and the episode ends in a rather dramatic way with a dark room and Alex back at the helm with a message to the Inseparables: Keep an eye on Dorothy and don’t trust Miller. This doesn’t feel right.

Episode Takeaway: Dorothy doesn’t know how to be cool. CONNIE IS BACK. Ariana and Miller fake sword fighting is everything, fake sword fighting in general is awesome.

Best Inseparable Line: And as usual Dorothy has the subtlety of a hammer. Sassyinspanish is quickly becoming my favorite.

First thought: Do we get another episode of Jealous Dorothy?

Final thought: Alex is the real MVP.

Episode 14: The Red Pill

Characters: Dorothy, Alex, Ariana, Portia, Miller

Plot: To say things are getting out of hand would be an understatement. There hasn’t been any incriminating evidence on Rick, Douchcanoe seems to be a very willing participant to do whatever Rick tell him to do and our Musketeers are once again left asking themselves what more can they do? Alex and Miller are at each other’s throats because once again one of Alex’s plans haven’t flourished so the overall frustration is understandable. Ariana’s dark side is showing again and I’m starting to feel like things may not be so great in the foreseeable future.

The bug seems to be useless right now and instead of trying to think of a more strategic approach Miller goes 0 to 100 real quick. I do however agree with one approach that they’re going for, and that’s making Rochefort look weak to Rick. The way to do that? By using Portia as bait and I am NOT here for this, especially with how Ariana is pushing her to do this.

Episode Takeaway: Rick the Dick drinks cherry coke. Ariana’s quick with the quips.

Best Inseparable Line: Ariana SWEETHEART pls save it for fanfiction.net. Akari^89 with the mic drop!

First thought: Why are Alex and Miller fighting?

Final thought: I am NOT here for Portia being pushed into a corner and being used as bait. Not one freaking bit.

Episode 15: Backstab in the Back

Characters: Dorothy, Portia, Ariana, Miller, Alex

Plot: It’s party time back at Casa de Castlemore, the drinks are flowing and everyone seems to be in a great mood except, Portia. Can you blame the girl? We get a rundown from Rick himself as Dorothy plays the tape of Rick tearing into Rochefort after his let up AKA being seduced by Portia. Plot twist, but not a surprise at all: Alex still doesn’t know about the plan.

Now can I please introduce you to the highlight of this episode? This reenactment from Portia and Miller who are being puppeteered by their significant other. Is it hilarious? Oh it is by far one of the best things this season, expect it’s pretty obvious that Portia doesn’t think so judging by her annoyed face.

Alex appears and things take yet another bad turn and this time there’s no telling what Rick will do and Portia may face the brunt of it. Alex has a point, their plan wasn’t thought through in the slightest. Alex lashes out at Miller, calling him out on his Anton bullshit (YAS), she calls out Dorothy and her lack of brains and she even calls out Portia for going along with it, which poor Portia, she so doesn’t deserve it but she did go along with it. Alex leaves in a huff only to be stopped by Dorothy asking her not to tell Treville which tells me that she absolutely cares and wasn’t fully comfortable...Yikes.

Episode Takeaway: Ariana and Dorothy are not the best reenactors, but A for effort, also A for hilarity.

Best Inseparable Line: Ariana’s kinda skeezy when she’s wasted. Breton, I actually agree with you for once.

First thought: Why is Portia sad and why isn’t anyone paying attention to her.

Final thought: When is Portia going to snap and when is Dorothy going to get her head out of her ass?

[nettvnow-blog]

All For One Has Something For Everyone

All For One is yet another Canadian web series. I’m mostly very sick of them, and most of them are bad. Luckily, this one is not. Produced by Cherrydale Productions, distributed by KindaTV, and written by Sarah Shelson  and RJ Lackie (Inhuman Condition), All For One invites inevitable comparison to Kinda’s most famous property by manifesting as a queer-tinted modern-day remake of a classic literary work captured entirely by webcam. I originally planned to write this review without acknowledging that comparison, partly because doing so would be a pain in the ass, but moreso because A4O does not have the same problem with being compared to Carmilla most other web series might: it doesn’t pale in comparison. It’s not really fair to either show to say one is better than the other (A4O has one season, Carmilla has three), but for those of you who keep fandom power rankings, I’d take A4O’s first season over Carm’s, which is the only apples-to-apples comparison to be made. Inevitable comparison over with, let’s talk about the actual show now. It’s The Three Musketeers, but about sororities and super queer. You wanna know more about the plot than that, go watch the damn thing; this is a review, not a summary. Structurally, the show revolves around nominal main character Dorothy’s webcam, with her never-seen-except-as-IMs crew of internet besties (“the Inseparables”) serving as a modern day Greek chorus, chirping away in the margins. This is a very smart creative decision for a few reasons*. First, it allows the writers to manipulate tone and pace on the fly by injecting comic relief, self-awareness, and/or cheap pathos whenever the fuck they feel like it without eating up that most precious of web series resources: screentime. Second, it allows them to multi-task; one plot line may be advancing on-screen while a second plays out quietly among the Inseparables (occasionally joined by whichever lead characters aren’t appearing in a given episode). Third, it gives the writing team (Lackie/Shelson) an easy counter to one of Lackie’s writerly crutches; almost all of Lackie’s characters are prone to bouts of plot-centric myopia, and in the past his shows have allowed, if not downright enabled, them to get away it, but with an ever-present jury firing off incisive running commentary, characters are generally (and effectively) called out when they start to go down that road. Not all of them course correct, but once the issue’s been dragged into the narrative, that becomes a feature, not a bug. Speaking of writing…

*Worth noting is that many, maybe even all, of the Inseparables are characters from other shows. I only caught two of them myself, but I’m assured that there are others. One is from Carmilla, making me feel better about giving in to the cheap comparison above, and the best of the bunch is from Lackie’s older web series, Santiago. It’s likewise worth noting that neither Lackie nor Shelson has (to my knowledge) ever admitted to either of those, but I’m not an idiot and hopefully neither are you, dear reader, so let’s call a cameo a cameo and move on with the review.

A4O is an excellently written show, and not just by the admittedly low bar set by web series. I haven’t seen any of Shelson’s other work, so I can’t speak to how the partnership affects her, but what I can say is that she seems to have a knack for allowing Lackie to be Lackie (which, my own pot shots at his previous monomaniacal characters non-withstanding, is a very good thing) while subtly steering him away from his bad habits and injecting her own high-energy voice and full-auto black market machine-gun pacing. A4O does an exceptional job of serving a way over-sized cast (five main characters, at least three major supporting roles, a few off-screen-but-still-developed side characters, plus the Inseparables) in a relatively brisk three hours or so; not only does every major player in the show have an arc (or several, in some cases), even the off-screen ghosts and most of the text-only Inseparables are gifted with pathos, progression, and payoff. It’s an absolute masterclass in using every available bit of narrative real-estate to build your characters and tell your story*. *Bringing up the vampiric elephant in the room one (hopefully) last time, this is something that even Carmilla never totally figured out in its three seasons, largely punting on giving its supporting players any real meat in exchange for more time with its leads. That was probably the right play for that specific show (they were really great leads), but it’s refreshing to see a web series have its cakes and eat it too in a kitchen where most of its peers, far from either having or eating cake, accidentally added salt instead of sugar to the batter and have long-since retreated to the vomitorium. For that matter, even most twenty-minute TV sitcoms with more than five or six characters generally can’t serve them all nearly as consistently/artfully as A4O**, either. ** Footnote to a footnote! Brooklyn Nine-Nine is probably the current show that comes the closest, with seven principles, two consistently present supporting players, and a large tertiary library who usually get strong, character-driven notes to play, though of course Brooklyn has roughly quadruple the screentime to work with that A4O does.  

Beyond that big-picture high-concept goodness, Lackie/Shelson also have a strong ear for banter (though both clearly watched way too much Buffy in highschool); A4O has a comedic batting average that hangs with all but the strongest of its TV brethren. They may be shorter on A+ knock-you-off-the-couch laugh grenades, but they’re firing off laugh bullets near-constantly and score at least a glancing blow with most of them. Their dramatic beats also mostly land, and they generally obey one the most oft-broken cardinal rules of good writing: thou shalt not sell-out thy characters* for either plot convenience or lazy comic beats. The writing isn’t perfect—as great as the overall pacing is, there are a couple conversations that overstay their welcome long past the point of narrative utility (occasionally to the point of undercutting what had up till then been a home-run scene), and Shelson/Lackie have never written a conversation they felt couldn’t be improved by an awkward pause or seven—but I can count on my thumbs the number of web series pilot seasons that get closer. *There’s one major exception to this, and I’ll bitch about it later when I get to the part of the review where I’m hateful jerk who ruins things I like.

Given the size of the cast, I don’t have the ink to spill to cover everybody individually, either as a character or an actor, but top-to-bottom the cast is stellar, and every single one of them should be proud of the work they did. The worst performance in the show is probably still in the B+ to A- range. Gun to my head, I’d shout out Alejandra Simmons (Alex) as the MVP of the leads and Denise Yuen (Treville) as the top dog among the supporting players, but sincerely, I’ve got nothing bad to say about the cast as a whole in twenty-nine out of thirty episodes*. *We’re almost there, pessimists. I have nothing terribly interesting to say about the direction. The cast act in front of a stationary webcam. The blocking is functional. They mostly use the setup to their advantage, cutting off scenes that work just fine implied (except as noted above). Solid, functional work that does the job, but doesn’t exactly leave you racing to the director’s IMDB. Alright, before I get into the higher-concept thematic stuff, let’s get the part where I piss all over something I really like out of the way (we all knew this was coming and when I do alone we’ll all understand why).

The show does have two major warts, and one begets the other. The first is the live episode, coming in right around the 2/3s mark of the season. It’s by far the show’s longest episode, and neither the writers nor the actors are up to the sudden formula shift, the unscripted environment, or the awkward necessity of combining what probably should have been three or four separate major sequences into one clunky stationary set-piece. One conceit of this…look, I like the cast and crew a lot here, but calling this episode anything kinder than a tire fire is being a disingenuous reviewer so… one conceit of this tire fire is that, as it aired, fans were able to masquerade as Inseparables and ask the cast live questions in-character. I’m sure it was great fun for the fans involved, but the fans involved had nothing interesting to say, and the actresses were stuck and-yessing responses without either the help of the writing staff or the freedom to really riff (as I assume the rest of the season was already pretty thoroughly structured or maybe even filmed and they couldn’t risk contradicting or redirecting anything with a careless opinion or anecdote). Oh, also, the single-set-for-twenty-minutes-and-also-they-all-need-to-get-their-turn-talking-to-the-fans setup necessitates a whole lot of contrived entering, exiting, and maneuvering that does nothing for the story and everything to remind you that you’re watching a manufactured production, and could only feel less authentic if accompanied by flashing text to the effect of “fuck your suspension of disbelief, loser.”

The episode is an amazing technical achievement in that they did it at all, but to paraphrase one of the least annoying iterations of Jeff Goldblum, they were so excited to see if they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should. While I’m sure the episode was effective as a gimmick to goose the fanbase, removed from the context of the twenty minutes where it was accomplishing that goal, it mostly just saps the narrative momentum of the show right as it was cresting, takes its actresses away from doing what they do best, and introduces the single biggest creative misstep (in this not-so-humble reviewers estimation, anyhow) of the season in Alex’s sudden, dramatic, and inorganic character shift.

…which brings us to wart number two, wherein the show’s strongest character, fed up with being the responsible one, suddenly morphs from nuanced character into a party-girl pastiche that seems more at home on MadTV than KindaTV. While the idea behind the change is a decent one (Alex lashes out against her role as “Mom”) it scans totally false for the character we’ve been given, doesn’t fit the tone of the show, and doesn’t serve much narrative purpose beyond forcing one of the other leads into the leadership role (there were better ways to get there), and letting actress Simmons show off her comic chops (which, granted, are sharp). It’s also completely devoid of the nuance and verisimilitude that otherwise permeates not only Simmons’ work but the show’s character-writing in general. In a world where every other character is consistently, painfully, beautifully themselves at their own expense, turning the best of the bunch into a cartoonish punchline for three episodes or so fucks up the emotional feng shui something fierce. I suspect the writers might even agree with me, as the gimmick is quietly dropped a few episodes later with no lasting consequences.

Now, that was a negative couple paragraphs, but let’s put it all in perspective: ultimately, A4O has one bad episode out of thirty. Show me another show with a better batting average and I’ll show you Banshee, which I’ve previously described as “the best show on television*”. *And as “The Ballad of Sheriff Punch,” though that’s neither here nor there. Beyond that, the show’s only real creative misfire happens to its best character and isn’t bad enough to keep her from staying its best character. I’m picking nits here, and I’m using some very precise tweezers and a microscope to pick them. I’m also done doing it. Onto the abstraction! One of the most incredible things about A4O is how many hats it manages to wear. It’s a comedy and a drama, sure, but it’s also a character study… scratch that, six or seven character studies. It’s also The Three Musketeers and sometimes it’s Animal House. It’s a virtuoso performance of an increasingly well-traveled formula, but thanks to its Inseparable gimmickry, it’s also the only show of its kind. It’s about persistence, and friendship, and admitting when you’re wrong, but it’s also about ambition, and narrative, and perspective, and bikini fund-raisers that end when one of the show’s stronger supporting players marches in cheerfully proclaiming “Hi. I’m here to ruin everything.” This is a show that tries to do about three-hundred* more things than any other web series out there**, and somehow feels less rushed, crowded, or inept than any of its competitors. * Estimated. I’m not a math person, I swear on my thirteenth finger. ** Well, beside Next Time On Lonny, I guess, but the whole point of that show was that it did everything. All that narrative ambition and versatility feeds back into the show’s characters, allowing them to exist in more dimensions than their screentime ought to allow. Pay attention to Yuen’s Treville, and note how much we learn about her simply from the things she owns or the way her eyes react to a certain name or an unexpected offer. I doubt she’s on-screen more than seven or eight minutes in the whole show, but she’s got more depth and nuance than anyone outside of the two leads on that apparently inescapable point of comparison*. This is something Lackie’s shown before in flashes (the bodyguard from Inhuman Condition is arguably its most interesting character and might not have ten lines), but here its displayed consistently. Almost all of the Inseparables have at least two or three layers to them, and that’s without the benefit of an performer to embody them or any capacity to meaningfully interact with the A-plot. *Last time, I swear. For the record, I do *really* like Carmilla, and it’s because I like it so much (and because it’s so much better than web series have any right to be**) that it’s such a useful measuring stick to show exactly how impressive A4O is at its best. ** I’ve previously compared its second season favorably and mostly sincerely to Shakespeare.

That’s not to say the leads are underdeveloped, either; in contrast to, say, Parks and Rec, where every character seems to exist solely to populate the Parks Department, all of A4Os feel lived in, with rich personal histories and plenty of implicit relationships and interests we don’t need to see or even hear about to take as read. Shelson & Lackie do an excellent job of letting the things they do reveal or spend time on imply a thousand more they don’t, and it’s the sort of expansive and elegant world-building you never get from web series* and rarely get from anything.  *Credit where its due, Inhuman Condition was similarly economical at building its world, but not nearly as adept at bread-crumbing the personal histories of its principles. More than all that, though, at the end of the day, A4O is just fucking fun. The heroes have Sepinwall’s oft-discussed but rarely attained “I don’t even care if they’re not being funny right now, I like them and I just wanna hang out with them,” vibe, the villains are enthusiastic and memorable without succumbing to camp, and even the damn theme music is smiley. The emotional moments (mostly) feel earned and make you feel feelings, and they’re paced properly to do it without burning you out or risking diminishing returns.

Since it’s nominally a KindaTV show and I didn’t spend any time on the gender politics, I’ll awkwardly pause here to quickly note that A4O is pleasantly open-minded and inclusive. These people care about telling these stories respectfully and for as many people as possible, and it shows.

End of day, A4O is television in microcosm. It’s funny and cute and sad and angry and it’s still got time for both nerf gun duels and planted meth. It’s got close friends and bitter rivals, will-they-won’t-they’s and wish-they-wouldn’ts. It’s a pleasant place to escape to when you’re feeling shitty, and it’s a great neighborhood to show your friends around when you’re feeling good. It’s inventive and ambitious and yet familiar and comfortable. It’s great actresses (and actors) giving strong performances of sharp lines equally charged with uniquely subtle character biases and peppy Lackie-banter, all done at Shelson’s bullet-train pace that somehow never feels rushed and always gets you to exactly where you need to be. It’s fearless but rarely reckless, smart but never condescending, and sweet without ever veering into twee-town. It’s got all your favorite things from classic literature and modern television, and yet it’s something you’ve never quite seen before. It’s one of a kind, for now, and that’s a shame. Incidentally, it’s also currently fundraising to make another season. How’s that old Musketeer mantra go again?  All for one and whatever amount you feel comfortable donating for All For One…  

Written by Nick Feldman.  

[nettvnow-blog]

Funding Friday | All For One S2

What Is It? What's that? Do you hear that? It sounds like foam swords clashing in the background...Oh...Nope IT'S THE INSEPARABLES! Cherrydale Productions is back with a second season of All For One! *throws confetti in the air*

The modern web series adaptation of The Three Musketeers picks up right where last season left off, with Dorothy's (Gwenlyn Cumyn) second semester at Dumas College. In addition to Cumyn returning, the rest of stellar cast will also be reprising their roles! So prepare yourselves for more Portia (Claire Gagnon-King), Ariana (Angie Lopez), Alex (AJ Simmons), Miller (Dan Mousseau), Treville (Denise Yuen), Connie (Linnea Currie-Roberts) and Rochefort (Damien Doepping)! But that's not all as the A4O team has already begun teasing three new mystery characters (our money's on Monty and Anne for sure).

And just to remind ya'll where we left off last, Dorothy was accepted into MST, Dornie FINALLY became a thing and the other MST's are duking it out over the President election. So hurry, grab your swords and let's help the Inseparables return to the Interwebs! For more information on their campaign, check out the video above to learn more from the Cherrydale Team and head over to their campaign page for even more information. All for one and one for all!

How Can I Help? The series is looking to raise a flexible goal of $55,000 CAD and after just launching the crowdfunding campaign earlier this week, $6,900 has already been raised from over 150 backers with just one month left to go!

What Do I Get? In addition to another season of All For One, you can also get some great perks. Check out a few of the popular ones below and be sure to check out even more awesome perks on their Indiegogo.

Follow All For One Facebook | Indiegogo | Tumblr | Twitter | YouTube

[nettvnow-blog]

RJ Lackie & Stéphane Lachance | Dorian Gray

RJ Lackie and Stéphane Lachance, two of the forces behind Dorian Gray spoke with netTVnow on their current Phase One journey of IPF. Lachance and Lackie are no strangers to web series. The duo teamed up for Cycle 66's first series, The Soliloquies of Santiago and are currently in the works on Dorian. In addition to Cycle 66's works, Lackie can add writer/creator to KindaTV's Canadian Screen Award-nominated web series, Inhuman Condition, Streamy-nominated series All For One (co-created with Sarah Shelson), with other works seen in Couple-ish, V Morgan is Dead, IRL: The Series and upcoming sci-fi feature film Darken. Check out what else Lacki and Lachance have been up to below the jump and be sure to give their trailer a watch!

netTVnow: Let’s talk Dorian Gray, where did the concept for this series come from?    

RJ Lackie: Dorian Gray is actually a kind of modernized sequel to Oscar Wilde’s famous The Picture of Dorian Gray, one of the most prominent pieces of ‘queer but not explicitly queer’ literature out there. This was actually one of the things that drew me to it. Queer characters in literature - and projects that explicitly or subtextually queer classic characters - fascinate me. It’s a reminder that LGBTQIA folk have always existed, even if our stories weren’t always safe to tell.

In 2014, it was in vogue to develop vlog-style Literary-Inspired Web series (LIW) concepts to see if another could be a similar flashpoint for the genre. Like many of my favourite projects, Dorian Gray started out of a pragmatic question: If I were to pursue an LIW, which public domain works spoke to me? I was particularly interested in finding queer male protagonists to explore, as one of my longstanding pet peeves in web series has been the dearth of queer men in shows not focused around identity or romance, an issue that was even more pronounced a few years ago. I was also interested in seeing whether an LIW could succeed with a queer male lead, particularly a queer man of colour, given the genre’s up-to-then preference for focusing on white, straight protagonists. This is how I first developed the concepts for The Soliloquies of Santiago, Cycle 66’s queer LIW modernisation of Othello, and the seed that would turn into Dorian Gray.

Stéphane Lachance: In 2015, I approached RJ about producing a web series, as I was interested in making one as part of the final project for my Master’s degree. We brought this idea to Adam Tepperman and Gavin Phillips, with whom we’d founded Cycle 66 to pursue a graphic novel project, and with their blessing Santiago became Cycle 66’s first web series project.

RJ: Around the time we were producing The Soliloquies of Santiago, my friend Steph Ouaknine helped launch Carmilla, and we got to see that show turn into a veritable hit. It demonstrated that there was the potential for a web series audience hungry for queer protagonists engaged in supernatural shenanigans. The audience who grew up on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, just like me, who wanted to see creators take what that show started and make it more diverse, more progressive, and more, well, gay. Around the same time we saw fandom build on canon by exploring the untapped potential of subtextual queer m/m pairings in shows like Supernatural and Teen Wolf. We realised that Dorian Gray, which we had already begun early development on, might be able to do for queer male audiences (like myself) what that show offered queer women: an exciting, badass show with a canon gay couple at its centre.

SL: So after we completed Santiago, realizing the limitations of self-funding, we decided to pitch Dorian to the Cogeco Fund’s all-new Development Program for Digital Drama Series. They offer funding to develop scripts, a series bible, a proof-of-concept video and other materials. They accepted us and thus, we were able to make our trailer.

NTN: And in short, how would you describe the series to those who haven’t seen your trailer?

RJ: Dorian Gray is a visually- and tonally-ambitious queer supernatural drama, full of action and sexuality. At its core, it is the story of two broken souls who find themselves entangled with one another: Heath, an artist who saw a hint of another world and was shattered by that glimpse of the unnatural sublime; and Dorian, an immortal hedonist who, in seeing how empty his search for greater and greater pleasure became, has turned into a bitter recluse hunting for the secret that will allow him to die. The two become bound together when Heath’s search to reconnect with the supernatural stirs up the attentions of Johanna Vane, Dorian’s most dangerous enemy… and as they work to fight a common foe, they realise their new bond runs deeper than either ever expected. 

It is, in short, Buffy with a touch of the Gothic influences of Penny Dreadful, made for a generation who’s ready for the very queerness Wilde was forced to keep subtextual in the original novel.

NTN: What are your roles for the series?

SL: I’ll be producing the series alongside Adam and Gavin.

RJ: I’ll be acting as showrunner, helping my Cycle 66 partners oversee a talented group of cast, crew, and writers. Our key creative team also includes All For One director Shannon Litt, who directed our trailer and will return for the series, and Carmilla’s Ellen Simpson as story editor and writer. 

NTN: I know you guys went through the IPF cycle last year and I’m so glad to see that Cycle 66 is doing it again, have you done anything differently this time around, if so what?

SL: The big change, production-wise, is that we’ve partnered with REVRY, an LGBTQ-focused streaming service, to produce the series. Over the last year, and during the last IPF cycle, we were looking for a distribution partner for Dorian Gray. REVRY approached us in August after having seen the trailer and we started working with them, first by making The Soliloquies of Santiago available on their service. They’re such a great match for the project and we feel that their involvement will definitely help us make Dorian Gray a reality. 

RJ: We’ve also taken the opportunity to revamp our creative in subtle but hugely important ways. By embracing the rich heart of darkness from Wilde’s original novel, and the themes of morality, sexuality, and aestheticism from the world Wilde built, we found that the show’s creative really started to shine. Part of this was in how we thought about format: originally, we saw the show as a vlog/traditional hybrid optimised for a long-tail 20+-episode YouTube run. By dropping the vlog elements and focusing on shorter seasons where we could spend the money making the show as visually and thematically rich as possible, it shifted the tone away from an earnest hero’s journey and allowed us to find the poetry and dark humour we’d always wanted to explore. This led to some adjustments in how we approached the character of Heath, who - rather than the innocent-yet-heroic protagonist you find in many conventional tales - is now a more lost, complex POV character who connects with Dorian on a much deeper level. And we’ve found that REVRY is an amazing partner in allowing the show to own its mature elements, rather than shying away from them.

NTN: Since we're on the subject of Cycle 66 and REVRY, what is REVRY and what can folks expect with that partnership?

SL: REVRY is a paid streaming service based out of LA that offers LGBTQ content, which has recently launched their first original series Gayborhood. The series would be a REVRY Original, which means that digitally, it would be available exclusively through their service. In terms of partnership, they will guide Cycle 66 through the development of the series and offer us significant support with the crowdfunding campaign we will be launching if the IPF selects us for funding. They’ll also be promoting the series and the campaign. They’ve been invaluable in guiding us up until now and I don’t expect that to change.

NTN: Can you talk about the importance of having an organization like IPF?

SL: They are unquestionably important to webseries creators and, by extension, Canada’s media industry. During my Master’s, I did some research into web series monetization and funding and got the chance to ask questions to web series producers and creators. While many of them have been finding great ways to monetize their series, the notion of being full-on profitable is still elusive. And that’s a shame because the webseries space offers the chance for new voices to crop up and for new creatives to hone their skills. 

RJ: The fact that the Fund is willing to take chances like it does means that Canada is developing a passionate core of experienced web series talent, from writers to cast to crew, who know the field and are discovering what works and what doesn’t. I hear from people all the time, how strong the web series coming out of Canada are, and I think the IPF - and its sister fund the Cogeco Fund - are a big part of that. If not for the Cogeco Fund, we would not have had the resources to produce our trailer for Dorian Gray, which has been a game-changer for us as a company in terms of visibility and industry respect.

NTN: Can you talk about the IPF submission process and what that’s been like?

RJ: The IPF process has been a trial by fire for our young company. It’s really tested our skills, especially going to Phase Two last year and demonstrating our abilities as producers: budgeting, audience engagement strategies, building producible creative. It’s a massive - and massively valuable - undertaking, which is why I appreciate that the IPF has asked first-time applicants to include a mentor in submissions as of this year. It really is a reminder that you can’t just love your project: you need to be able to make others believe in it, and that requires a whole lot of numbers and figures. It’s really cool to be returning to the IPF process with more experience and, in the form of REVRY, more support from a platform that is as excited about the project as we are.

NTN: Back to the series, what creative differences will you be taking with this series that differ from the original literary adaptation?

RJ: The main two changes from our approach last year both come down to prioritizing quality over quantity: reducing our episode count to maximise our budget-per-minute, and dropping the vlog-style elements from the show. While we adore the LIW genre and think it works fantastically for some stories, for us, stepping away from vlogging as a stylistic choice unexpectedly opened up a ton of creative opportunities that kind of took us by surprise. Tonally, it allowed us to commit to a darker, stranger vision for the show - and a more complex, less earnest vision of Heath at its centre. Once we reworked Heath as a lost, damaged soul with real stakes involved in his search for Dorian and the ‘other world’, the rest of the show - including the show’s supporting cast, tone, and sense of humour - snapped into place like it was meant to be from day one.

NTN: What are you most excited for audiences to see from the series?

RJ: There are so many things, honestly. This is the series I’ve craved for years: supernatural, fun, dark, with characters standing on the very edge of another world they don’t completely understand. Huge, powerful emotions. An examination of what it means to connect with that part of the world that is so beautiful that it can destroy you, which ties so interestingly into a lot of Wilde’s thoughts on aestheticism and the value of beauty. And a queer romance at the centre of it! Between two strong-willed, interesting men whose bond is genuinely powerful. I know why fans read Destiel and Sterek fanfiction because I do too - we crave a gay romance that has that much chemistry and potency at the centre of a show like this, not just subtext. Just generally, I want to show that you can make a show with queer men at its heart that is fun, badass, and moving without forcing queer audiences to only see themselves at the sidelines. It’s something I’ve always wanted to see on TV, I’m so excited to be able to bring this to life.

SL: Just as a producer, I can’t wait for folks to see what we can do with more resources. We’ve already worked with great casts and crews on Santiago and the Dorian Gray trailer. We’ll be upping our game for this series, and that is exciting in and of itself.

RJ: Also: fight sequences! Our villain Vane, who is terrifying and fascinating and strangely sympathetic - and so, so fun to write. Our ensemble cast of supporting players, who I think will be a ton of fun to see build a rapport. While we loved producing Santiago - like Stéphane says - it is such a great opportunity to try new, bigger things. Things not shot entirely in my apartment.

NTN: Where do you hope the web series community will be in the next 5 years?

SL: In terms of making web series, I hope there are more opportunities and avenues for them to become profitable. More distributors, more buyers and more sponsors. If more creators can make money making these series, and even better, make a living doing it, there’s going to be more great shows for everyone to enjoy.

RJ: This might be a pipe dream - particularly for only five years down the line - but I’d love to reach the point where making a web series is primarily a creative choice rather than a choice coming down to resources. While I think that, as long as the form exists it offers a chance for emerging teams to show what they can do on a microbudget, I’m also really looking forward to the day when a creator or producer will be able to look at TV and web series as equally valid forms and select the one that’s creatively best for the project. Once upon a time, TV was seen as an inherently lesser art form, and I think that’s where web series are right now. If we can crack the profitability question, with all the inventive and interesting creators developing in the space, maybe reaching that point in five years is more possible than any of us realize.

NTN: Any upcoming projects that you guys can share? Or anything else to add?

RJ: Obviously, as a super-indie company, we don’t have a massive development budget for new projects, and our primary focus right now is getting Dorian Gray made. But we’re also constantly developing new concepts - for digital and beyond. We’re really excited about the opportunities for low-budget creative innovation in the podcasting space, which is one area we’re actively developing projects in. In terms of digital series, we’re exploring funding options for two really cool projects: an action-oriented queer supernatural drama with a focus on immersive worldbuilding called Dead City Blues, and an interactive sci-fi series focused on questions of AI and personhood called Beautiful Max. 

SL: As for Dorian Gray specifically, we’re hard at work preparing for Phase Two, ahead of the IPF’s shortlist. We want to get ahead of everything so that we’re able to receive funding from the IPF. They typically contribute most but not all of a series’ funding, so we’re going to need fans of supernatural and queer series to get the word out to the world, so we can make sure this series gets made - and gets made right. If selected, we’ll be launching a crowdfunding campaign to secure the last portion of our budget.

RJ: And, if you guys get really excited and help us go above and beyond our ask, well, we’re still writing the scripts, but let’s just say we’ll make every single dollar count. We want to make a show so awesome it redefines what people think webseries can be: sexy, fun, dark, and honestly, better than TV. If we get the chance.

Follow RJ Lackie Twitter

Follow Stéphane Lachance Twitter

Follow Cycle 66 Instagram | Tumblr | Twitter

Follow Dorian Gray Tumblr | Website

[nettvnow-blog]

Denise Yuen - All For One

She plays the cold but appealing Treville in Cherrydale's All For One but she's probably the sweetest little cinnamon roll to exist! Check out our chat with Denise Yuen to learn more about what it was like bringing Treville to life!

netTVnow: How did you get involved with All For One?

Denise Yuen: I originally heard about the series from a friend and who told me about how the series was looking for, I don’t remember if it was specifically an Asian actor, but definitely a non-Caucasian actor. So I sent in a reel and then they sent me the breakdown for Treville and as soon as I read for her it just clicked really well for me.

netTVnow: What drew you to the character of Treville?

DY: Originally she was actually a little bit different. They rewrote her character a little bit, originally she was a little bit more maternal and a lot more warm [laughs]. My audition for her was very different than the way I played her in the show. I think it was much more closer to me, much more empathetic and definitely had a vibe of wanting to mentor Dorothy, which she kinda does in the show but she has much a more distant approach. Still she kind of had this air of strength to her which I really liked and she was still very caring.

I think Treville, deep down is very caring and a nurturing person. She just has a bit of a wall and doesn’t quite know how to break through that wall and connect with others. I think it’s the strength mainly and also I remember when we were emailing back and forth and I found out that RJ (Lackie) was the writer on the show, I remember a breakdown for another show that he had written before, Inhuman Condition, and I remember actually reading with a friend because she was going in for an audition for that and I remember really loving his writing. So that was another appeal for me.

netTVnow: What is your favorite part of Treville? She’s a very complex character.

DY: I know that deep down she has a heart of gold and she really cares for the girls. She doesn’t quite know how to show it. I connect really well with that aspect of her and I think that’s why it’s my favorite thing about her. I moved around a lot growing up, I left home in Hong Kong at a young age and went to boarding school but when I came to the States, I sort of bounced around a bit too. So I really understand that aspect of trying to connect all the time with groups of people who may already have their own friend groups and it’s not easy! I understand how Treville feels like she’s on the outside of things and yet, she’s actually a total sweetheart and I love that about her.

netTVnow: Was All For One your first web series and what did you find most surprising about it?

DY: Yes, this was! I was just really surprised by how short the episodes were, first of all, but I know that’s a very trendy thing right now. Web series tend to be quite short but back when I auditioned I think the only web series I was familiar with was Carmilla. So I actually auditioned for a part in season two, so I zipped through all of the first season to prepare and that was kind of my first experience and I remember thinking, “Wow, this is great!”

There are so many things about web series in general and All For One that I find interesting and different from anything that I’ve ever experienced. Even the set being that one shot and then scenes happening in front of it and talking directly to the camera, all of that stuff is novel to me and is just a brand new format. I was never trained for that. It’s a little bit like theater actually, which I really like. It’s this one stage and you’re just acting with people.

I also found that the storytelling is also so different because of how it’s just the five minutes and then presumably a bunch of stuff happens off camera and then it’s another five minute episode. It’s such a fascinating way of storytelling that’s so different.

netTVnow: I’m glad you pointed that out because a lot of things happen off camera. We never get to meet Anne but it’s pretty noticeable early on that Treville is very protective of her and they’re very close and a lot of what we learn about Anne is learned through Treville. So what was it like for you to essentially bring that character to life?

DY: It’s never established in the show what kind of relationship Anne and Treville have. There’s speculation on if they’re together and all that. I actually never had a conversation with RJ or Sarah (Shelson) on their relationship, we never specified that. So to me, I played it as if she was a close friend to me and someone I really respected and someone I was possessive over because she is my President and it was partly a power thing. So you know the scene when Dorothy is texting Anne there’s a bit of personal jealousy but professional jealousy too.

I think it’s one of those things that feels like I’m the gatekeeper to the queen, that’s how I painted her in my work. And the extra layer of protectiveness comes after we find out that scandalous secret of Anne’s. So there’s an aspect of Treville not wanting Anne to be more exposed than she already has because she’s already in a dangerous place.

netTVnow: In preparation for the role, did you make up any backstory for Treville?

DY: I think the backstory I created was basically what I told you about bringing my life into it, because it was so easy [laughs]. Because just looking at her character and how she’s so hard and seemingly so cold, and quite tough. I can imagine that she had to go through some difficult times growing up and had to learn to be independent very quickly, to be that strong and also have that protective guard. She has a particularly cold veneer and that’s gotta be some kind of defense mechanism that was fostered throughout her childhood.

I just related so well to her that I brought myself into it knowing that she’s not a bitch. She’s cold and she’s got some hang ups and she really likes control! I love that about her [laughs]. It’s one of my favorite parts and I think it’s so funny because when she loses control it’s hilarious!

netTVnow: She gets so uncomfortable and I love it! You played it perfectly.

DY: Thank you [laughs]. Her control issues are great, something I really like about the character because it adds comedy because she’s so serious. You know originally, when I first read my audition sides, Treville was the President, there was no mention of Anne. So she was the President and there was a lot more natural confidence that I brought into that audition, being comfortable in the throne kind of thing [laughs] but I love Treville is not the queen bee, that she does answer to someone and as a result she wants that power but she doesn’t actually quite have it and so when she sees Dorothy go over her and text Anne, there’s something about that where she grips onto it extra tightly and it’s hilarious.

We don’t know if there’s going to be a season two, but I’m very fascinated by the idea of Treville campaigning for President, in terms of how she’s going to do it, the approach she’s going to take and how much she really wants it. And what her intentions really are, whether it’s a power thing or if it’s doing good for the sorority. And I think seeing her campaign against Portia would be interesting.

netTVnow: Knowing the kind of person Treville is, it’s interesting to me that she even wanted to be in a sorority to begin with.

DY: That’s true [laughs]! It’s interesting because I think I could figure out how she decided to go through recruitment so easily but how she made it through is like a conundrum! I can imagine Treville probably watched Legally Blonde and thought, “That’s how I make friends.” How she made it through recruitment? She probably made herself incredibly useful, I bet she was very strategic about it. I think she knows better than to think she can rely on her social graces [laughs] so I think she’s a lot more thoughtful and strategic way to go about it.

netTVnow: That’s interesting because in the book Treville is a warrior and pretty ruthless.

DY: Oh, a bit ruthless? I bet Treville has a bit of ruthlessness to her, I think she does actually and I don’t think it’s a ruthlessness that’s very well thought out. I don’t think she’s a mean or cruel person but I think she can be ruthless because she’s not entirely socially tactful and so sometimes to get what she wants, she might have one idea of how to do that.

netTVnow: If we were to get a season two, where would you like to see Treville’s storyline to go?

DY: I would love to see her campaign for President against Portia and see how that develops. I feel like that would be a storyline that would be very revealing of her character. I’d like to know more about her background as well and kind of what her story is. Why Treville is the way she is and what is underneath that icy veneer. I’m very curious to know the complexity of that, the dynamic of that, how cold she is deep down and what the key is to open up that tightly wound aspect of her. And also what her relationship is with Anne. I’d like to see that! Are they together? Who knows? Maybe we’d see a completely different side of Treville. Maybe if you unlock her she’s just a complete mush you know [laughs]? Maybe she’s a total kitten, who knows!

netTVnow: She might be a total sap!

DY: Yeah! I think that when people are that protective, they have something to protect.

netTVnow: If you could have play any other character, who would you ahve wanted to play and why?

DY: Oh! Either Dorothy or Ariana, hard choice. I have a side of me that’s really tomboyish. I don’t think it really comes across when you see Treville [laughs]. She’s very well put together, but there’s a side of me that’s boyish that likes to get aggressive or play aggressive at least. I’d probably pick Dorothy, I’m not as cool as Ariana [laughs]. If I was cast as Ariana, I’d be terribly miscast. She would not come off as cool as she does now [laughs] because Angie (Lopez) is super cool.

netTVnow: Lastly, do you have any upcoming projects that you’d like to share?

DY: I have a couple upcoming projects that I can’t share at the moment, but I will keep you guys posted when I can!

Follow Denise Yuen Instagram | Twitter

[nettvnow-blog]

Claire Gagnon-King - All For One

You know her as half the ship that is Portiana but the lovely Claire Gagnon-King is so much more than that. She brought a fierce and kickass side to a lovely, light and bubbly character by nature, proving that people can be both. Check out our interview with the actress below on all things Portia, Portiana and All For One.

netTVnow: Was this your first web series, if so what was this experience like for you compared to other projects you've done?

Claire Gagnon-King: Yes this was my first web series and it was interesting because it was this weird mix of theatre and film because we were going so quickly. So we memorized the entire episode and just had to go for it all in one take. Usually you do a couple of takes and then switch camera angles and other things. So it was really interesting to just have one go at it and it was neat to have to adjust your acting, accordingly.

netTVnow: How did you initially get involved with the series?

CGK: I saw a post for the audition online, contacted them and they brought me in for an audition. Then weirdly I found out later that I knew two of the crew members who didn’t even know I was on it until after all the casting had been done.

netTVnow: What attracted you to Portia?

CGK: I really liked the character description for her. She’s this outgoing, bubbly person that kind of brings the whole group together in this weird way. I’ve always been more attracted to comedy and comedic type characters so I was looking forward to playing a very light person.

netTVnow: For someone who was so light, she had some really emotional episodes as well. You portray her so well that when she has this huge epiphany moment she completely changes. What was that like for you to tap into that different side of Portia?

CGK: It was really cool and an amazing gift to me on the writers’ part. Both RJ (Lackie) and Sarah (Shelon) really crafted this character that didn’t let much faze her and is super go with the flow. Then she had way too much of it and had this huge outburst and it was really cool because I was waiting for that moment because enough was enough and I really wanted Portia to have that for herself. It was really great to bring a different side of her into the episodes. You only really see one side of her when she was with the rest of the group but I think that Portia’s a really strong person invidivudally as well. She just lets herself get swept up into whatever’s happening at the time too often.

netTVnow: What would be one thing that you would want audiences to know about her that we don’t get to see on screen?

CGK: In the episode where it was just Portia talking through the walkie talkie, a lot of her strength is shown but I think a lot of her anxiety came through in that too. She really has a hard time believing that people might actually want to listen to her. And I think that kind of self consciousness doesn’t come through as often, especially in the beginning because Portia was very much a one to two line character who just kind of threw things in and everybody would laugh because it was hilarious, but she has a really great strength that she isn’t aware of. I would’ve loved to explore more who her and Ariana were as a couple because you never just see them together.

netTVnow: We know that a lot of things happen off screen and in between episodes, Portia and Ariana’s break up being one of them. There was very little of the breakup that we did get to see, was there a process that you and Angie (Lopez) went through to prep for that?

CGK: It’s kind of funny actually. I think Angie and I put more work into Portia and Ariana’s initial relationship than we did the breakup part. When we first got started on things we came up with this whole backstory idea that we had and tried to explain why they were together and what drew them to each other. By the time we shot the breakup episode, which was one of the last days of shooting, we were pretty close, so the breakup itself came out in a really organic way. We rehearsed it a couple times and I just remember saying, “Whatever happens is what happens,” in the scene and because we had become closer and were pretty good friends at that point it was almost like it was actually happening. It was like a friend breakup in a way, so I started crying in the middle of the scene and afterwards Angie was like, “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe you cried that was crazy!” [laughs] so I think it really came out organically because we had developed such a closeness throughout the days of shooting.

netTVnow:  Because we never saw Portia and Ariana’s interaction together, how do you think it happened? You mentioned building out this backstory!

CGK: Our backstory probably doesn’t match what the actual backstory is [laughs] but the whole idea we came up with was that they were maybe childhood friends who were just so close and eventually went to school together and developed feelings for each other later on. I think that’s sort of what we went for because we needed to find a reason for why two people who seem to be so opposite could be together.

Our idea was knowing each other as kids, kids don’t really care about that kind of things. Kids are just friends with whoever happens to be around at the time. So we thought that interests like computer hacking and crazy adventures that Portia’s into, probably developed at a later point in their lives and they ended up being around each other for them. And that’s how they were able to handle the fact that they were completely opposite. I’m pretty sure Sarah and RJ told us they met at school [laughs] so we were wrong with that one, but it did help in creating a very natural feel between the two of us, thinking that we already had this friendship that just developed into a relationship.

netTVnow: What was the hardest episode for you to shoot?

CGK: Definitely the walkie talkie one [laughs] it was just so consistently high energy and there were quite a few lines and I don’t have much experience acting where I’m not interacting with another person with me. I’ve always been a part of group scenes or shows or films where maybe you’re alone the whole time but you don’t talk much. So having to interact with the other girls and not be able to see them and just hear them it was throwing me off a little bit because I couldn’t see their body language for when they were about to start talking. So that episode was really hard and it was hard to stay frantic for all of three minutes [laughs].

netTVnow: Was there someone off to the side feeding you the lines?

CGK: No, basically what we had was a setup where they had Portia at the computer and way far off to the left was Angie, Gwen (Cumlyn) and Alejandra (Simmons) standing in front of a microphone just saying their lines. So I still had them in their character voices and timing was the same, I just couldn’t see them because I was looking straight into the camera.

netTVnow: Speaking of filming, what was it like doing the live episode?

CGK: It was so crazy. That was a lot of fun to do and the show already felt like theatre to me but that one automatically felt like being on a stage. It was really interesting having to interact with people live. We tested it out in a couple of rehearsals just in case something failed during the live shoot and we wanted to still be bale to provide the context of that episode. So we tested out a bunch of the interaction parts but I didn’t realize how quickly we’d be interacting or what people would even be saying, so that was extremely interesting. Also knowing that if we messed up, that was it [laughs]. Everyone did an amazing job though, I don't think anyone messed up and it was the best one out of all the rehearsals we did.

netTVnow: I have to ask, would you have wanted Portia and Ariana to end up together?

CGK: That’s a good question, I don’t know if I do. At first when I got the scripts and found out they were breaking up, because we didn’t know that in the audition, we found out when we did our first table read that they were breaking up. I think they just became so different throughout the season that a breakup made sense. I think they had grown apart as people and needed to figure themselves out and figure out how to get back to who they were and they had to do that separately. I think their friendship could be a lot greater than their relationship.

I think Ariana forgot maybe, what Portia meant to her because she got so caught up in the drama. She needed to remind herself of what Portia meant to her.

Follow Claire Gagnon-King Instagram | Twitter

[nettvnow-blog]

#TBT to All For One

From the brilliant minds that brought you The March Family Letters and The Soliloquies of Santiago, Sarah Shelson and RJ Lackie brought to life one of this year's most talked about web series, All For One.

A modern adaptation of the novel The Three Musketeers, this series takes place in modern day university where Dorothy Castlemore, portrayed by Gwenlyn Cumyn, arrives at Dumas College in hopes of joining her beloved grandmother's sorority, Mu Sigma Theta (MST). It's definitely no easy ride for Dorothy as she quickly learns she will NOT be joining MST and instead finds herself in a blossoming relationship while simultaneously trying to take down the evil Student Union President.

Befriending herself a solid group of MST's, Dorothy works with Portia (Claire Gagnon-King), Ariana (Angie Lopez), Treville (Denise Yuen) and Alex (Alejandra Simmons) to get as much dirt as she can on the Student Union President in an effort to clear MST's president's name. The 30-episode series includes nerf gun fights, a 22-minute live episode, lady kisses and so much more. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll cry from laughing and so much more as this web series delivers everything you never thought you needed.

Honestly if the storyline doesn't sell you, perhaps the amazing production value and the integration of a live chat feed that can visibly be seen on screen will, adding a whole new layer of story arcs and themes as these Inseparables become intertwined into the daily lives of Dorothy and her friends.

Check out the series and be sure to stay tuned on August 13th at 5 PM EST, for an official live rewatch with the cast and crew from your beloved series!

Follow All For One Facebook | Tumblr | Twitter | YouTube

[ellebowmac]

Cherrydale Production Vlog - Endings (Temporarily)

[a4o-headquarters]

Sarah and RJ Chat with A4O HQ!

Hiatus? What hiatus? That’s right, Inseparables! Our super-special Wednesday surprise is a Q&A with the writing wizards behind All For One, Sarah Shelson and RJ Lackie! We asked for their thoughts on bringing A4O from page to screen, their fave A4O characters, and loads more. Find the full interview after the jump.

HQ: As a writer, what is liberating about writing for a webseries? What is challenging?

Sarah: There is so much about the form of webseries that as a writer is liberating - there aren’t these decades of standards that you’re expected to meet for external reasons. Like, on a TV show you have to write to act breaks and they have to be precisely timed because of commercial breaks or on films it has to be of a certain length in order to sell. Webseries don’t have that. You can make a scene/episode as long as it needs to be. There’s always “common knowledge” out there about the “right” way to do a webseries, but that’s constantly shifting and changing because the industry is so young. Like, 6 years ago it was the golden rule to keep webseries episodes as short as possible for best viewership - if you went over 2 minutes it was the death knell. Then other webseries showed that viewers will tune in for longer episodes, and things shifted. Really, it’s what’s right for your webseries and the audience that you’re trying to reach and that’s nice. The trend right now is that more episodes is better than less and as a writer that’s lovely to have. And obviously the fact that there’s less gatekeepers and we’re speaking with a young, web-savvy audience. When we want to have diverse characters in our work it’s not like we’re fighting layers upon layers of old boys clubs.

RJ: I’m right with Sarah on a lot of this. I like to say - “Why be a participant when you can be a pioneer?”, and that’s a lot of why I’ve found myself drawn to webseries over the course of my (relatively short) career. I love that we're establishing norms for the medium - and that those norms will evolve and change within the next few years as the form naturally finds its best practices. For example: In TV, 3+ minute scenes are rare and saved for big moments. But in webseries, there’s opportunity to be a little more theatre-inspired, with character interplay that evolves over the course of 6-8 minute scenes in some cases. And each series is a huge learning experience when it comes to that, because you won't learn how to write a 6-minute scene that stands alone as an episodic experience from observing TV. Early on, webseries was thought of as just "small TV", but - just as short stories and novels are wildly different, so are webseries and TV. I love TV, and I want to work in it, but I gotta say: I kinda love the new world we’re building here. Even if the creative freedom comes with a lot of budgetary limitations and monetisation issues that make it nearly impossible to build a career where you can pay your rent.

Sarah: Budget is definitely a challenge (although no matter the project, trust me, it never feels like enough). It’s always a forefront consideration and dictates what you’re able to do on-screen - how many characters you can afford to cast, how many locations, what action can be seen, etc. I honestly enjoy working with those challenges because it forces you to come up with creative writing solutions, but sometimes you just want to yell at the Money Tree to start sprouting.

HQ: Do you prefer working on non-literary-inspired webseries, or literary-inspired webseries, and why?

Sarah: I’ve actually only written literary-inspired webseries (LIW), so I think you should start this one RJ.

RJ: Well, to be fair, Sarah has a lot more knowledge and background in the LIW format and scene. I’ve written two LIWs (The Soliloquies of Santiago and All For One), but both are only in that format kind of tenuously - Santiago uses a lot of surveillance cam rather than the classic vlogging format, and All For One is a lot more ensemble-driven than many classic LIWs. Plus, neither's episodes are facing a public in-world audience, which is where many of the tropes and familiar rhythms of LIW come from. I think that kind of shows that, as much as I like watching LIWs, I'm more comfortable outside of the genre. Of course, I like to think that means that when I do dig into the LIW genre, I'm more prone to creative innovation.

Sarah: What’s nice about LIWs is that there’s already some baked-in engagement on a meta-level because they’re either adaptations or have ties to literature. There’s a fun framework there, as a writer, where you’re approaching it as someone looking to take the original story’s groundwork and figure out how you’re going to change it, pay homage to it or comment on it.

RJ: Yes! That’s one of my favourite parts of the LIW adaptation process. For example, in episode nine of The Soliloquies of Santiago, I got to have two adapted Shakespeare characters recite lines from another Shakespeare play, then discuss that play, ending that conversation with one character (who has a bit of a grisly fate in the original Othello, from which Santiago is tenuously adapted) exclaiming that she “hates” Shakespeare. Building that sequence, as a writer who loves metacommentary, was one of my favourites as a writer. Did you have any similar experiences on MFL, Sarah?

Sarah: Oh yes. There are some anachronisms in the original Little Women novel (MFL = March Family Letters = based on Little Women) that we played around with in our episodes. For example, one of the characters, Amy, is obsessed in one chapter with a new fad at her school - pickled limes. We could’ve changed that into a direct modern equivalent, but decided it would be funnier to still have her be very interested in purchasing limes. We knew a lot of our audience would be very familiar with these classic beats in the novel, so we used that to play with expectations - teasing a dramatic ice skating scene and then having it actually be a different incident, things like that.

RJ: I love both LIW and original webseries fairly equally, though each has their unique engaging qualities. For LIW, it’s the art of adapting characters and dynamics in interesting ways, and interrogating the original work: forcing an audience to think about why you’ve been faithful in x spot and diverged in y. I prefer a bit of a radical approach to adaptation for LIW, using the source material as a starting point and a guide but not as a mandate, and I think for some folks that’s refreshing and provides some meat to chew with regard to the storytelling choices made. I always prioritise, for example, the story of Dorothy (or Santiago) over a need to be faithful to D’Artagnan (or Iago) in ways that might undermine the adapted world. I love originals because I can build that from the ground up, but I really like having the base of an original work to comment on and argue with as well. I’d really like to try an LIW with a more classic vlog-and-social-media set up, a la the works of Pemberley or the Candle Wasters, sometime in the next couple years. (I have an adaptation of Austen’s Persuasion that I’m really gung ho about adapting…)

Sarah: My current ideas/plans for future series are all also LIWs so I think I have an MO. I like them as a space because web series by their very nature are very structureless so doing an adaptation helps impose some sense of order on all the possible choices and decisions you could make. Like fanfiction, it gives you a bit of a shorthand. I’d totally be interested in working on a non-LIW project (and I enjoy watching them), but right now all my “original” ideas are toooo big a scale for webseries so...someone hire me please to work on theirs?

HQ: Why The 3 Musketeers? What about this classic story made it prime for web series adaptation?

Sarah: What initially drew me to the story was its fun, playful narrative and its episodicness. A lot of LIWs hit a wall when they reach the end of the book, but 3 Musketeers is full of so much intrigue and interesting characters & power structures, that we could easily keep the story going past where the novel ends or diverge and tell our own stories within the confines of what the book sets up.

RJ: When Sarah approached me with the concept of the show, and the seeds of how she wanted to adapt the central foursome, my interest started with the gender-flipping of the cast, and exploring the themes of friendship and loyalty in modern day with a group of female friends. Through high school and college, the majority of my friends have been young women, and I feel like I know a lot more about how female friends interact with one another than with how guys do. So getting to write a story about friendship with four women at the centre of it really excited me.

Sarah: The original novel is such a traditionally masculine tale. Like, it’s all hot-headedness and fighting and honour and womanizing. Credit to Dumas, that the female characters are distinct and interesting, but they also (SPOILER ALERT) both end up dead at the end of the novel. ANYWAY. Taking that narrative and giving it to female characters, opened up the story in new and interesting ways. And swords of course.

RJ: Swords are awesome.

HQ: Was the show always written with the "livecast" format in mind? How did that come about?

Sarah: The show was originally a completely different show! It was much closer to a traditional vlog-style and had like...a very different plot. I think there was a security camera aspect to it? To get around characters filming themselves while all this intrigue and shady stuff was happening.

RJ: I actually went back and checked out the old scripts a few weeks back, and honestly it was such a different show. The seeds of the characters’ voices and dynamics were there, but I’d say the eventual show is much richer, much smarter, and a lot darker because we got the chance to shift the tone and dig further into the group dynamic.

Sarah: Oh, and Connie became a thing!

RJ: Yes! Originally, we were flirting with introducing Connie at the end of season one, as a potential season two love interest for Dorothy. Making the decision to introduce her from the jump was invaluable, both in helping amp up the fun and flirtatious side of the show, and in how Connie and Dorothy are ultimately able to influence each other over the course of the season.

Sarah: So anyway, we ended up blowing up most of that structure and plot and redeveloping the show. And we were moving away from the whole security cam thing but were still bumping up against this wall of why is Dorothy vlogging especially with all the dramatic things that happen in the series. And, I got this great transmedia writing advice once that was, everything you build should be an extension of the emotional core of your story. And the emotional core of our story is right there in the title - all for one and one for all. So I struck upon livecasting as a way that would involve the audience in that theme and I pitched it to RJ. But it wasn’t very good, it was like, she’ll pretend to see a chat and then parrot it back to the audience. And RJ came up with and really pushed for the idea of having the chats be on-screen. So we tried a couple scripts in that format and it really really worked. And it slowly became so baked into the show and such an integral piece of it, that I can’t imagine what the show would’ve been like without them.

HQ: For those who have not read the original books, how different are your adaptations of the characters? Can you tell us a bit about the discussion behind those characterization decisions? What you kept, what you changed, and why?

Sarah: I feel like we kept a lot of the roles/dynamics the characters had in the original novel. Alex/Athos is our angsty leader, Portia/Porthos is boisterous comic relief, Ariana/Aramis is the badass, etc. But I think we deconstruct some of those expectations and tropes through our narrative. Dorothy is probably the closest to her book counterpart. Literally in the first chapter D’Artagnan is getting into fights with people who’ve offended him and tripping over himself to fight for justice. And like, falling in love at first sight and navigating the world with these very strong classic hero morals.

RJ: Probably my favourite adaptation choice we made for season one was actually gender-flipping the devious Milady into Miller, a choice we spent a few days talking through when we were in early development. Milady is a fascinating character, and how she's treated in the main text has a lot to do with how women were viewed when Dumas was writing. Milady is constructed as a classic manipulative, sexualised femme fatale, and that made me wonder what an 'homme fatale' (the male equivalent) would look like, bundled into a lot of our modern conversations about emotional manipulation and toxic masculinity. The dynamic of Miller and Rochefort, in particular, has a lot of layers that I really loved digging into; questions of masculinity and how social ideas of gender dynamics influence us, a lot of which I dug into my own experiences growing up as a queer guy and wrestling with performing masculinity.

HQ: Do you have a favorite character to write for? Either a main character or member of the Inseparables?

Sarah: Am I allowed to say the Episode Description Writer?

RJ: I mean, if you want that to be your only answer to this very interesting question...

Sarah: Fine. (But the EDW is so interesting…)

RJ: I love the Episode Description Writer too. Their awkward place between universes introduces so many questions about our series’ universe! And also, Doctor Who references are the best.

Sarah: It’s quite possibly, the most unfiltered Sarah-esque character in the show… But anyway, characters that actually appear on-screen!

RJ: Gah, this question is so hard because, while Sarah and I definitely drift towards certain characters, I adore writing our whole cast. To the point that, when scripts were done and we went into production, I legitimately ached to write them again. (While Sarah was in the thrum of production, I was sitting at home reading through the sequel to the book and emailing her season two ideas.) I think my favourite to plot for is Miller, because I find his psychology and point of view so fascinating. I love writing Treville, because I just love how her specific patter of dialogue feels coming out of my brain; she is so fun to build scenes around. A lot of my proudest moments came from writing for Miller and Portia, actually, in episodes 17-20; the Portiana and Winmore break up scenes were probably the highlight of the season one writing experience for me.

Sarah: Yeah, I’d have to agree that all our characters are really fun to play with, so literally it’s whoever I’m writing in a given moment that’s my favourite. That’s a terrible answer though, so I will actually pick one for you! Dorothy is a lot of fun, especially after we cast Gwenlyn in the role. She has a very distinct way of speaking when she acts Dorothy that as a writer you can just hear in your mind as you write and it’s a joy to hear what she pulls out of the dialogue. Also, Gwen, I’m sorry for all the lines we give you to memorize….sorry.

RJ: As for favourite Inseparable… I love that we have such a varied group of voices in the chat! I feel like the breakout is of course breton, whose mix of offbeat humour, grumpiness, and genuine caring for Dorothy is such a fun POV to dig into. Beyond that I love the dynamics between various Inseparables: the hostility and tentative alliance of sica_inimicis and cookiemonster; the chaste online will-they-won't-they of monochrome and emblue; the subtle metacommentary from sometimesawesome and ai-firestarter (which, I can note, are indeed stand-ins for Sarah and myself, and their conversations are occasionally ripped from our own conversations during overnight binge writing sessions). They're just a ton of fun.

Sarah: breton 5evar

HQ: We're just over the halfway point of Season 1. What do you think of the fan response so far?

RJ: We’re ecstatic! We’re blown away not just by the passion of the fandom, but the intelligence and insight they bring to the table when it comes to our characters and their world. I’ve read a lot of commentary on Dorothy’s motivations, on the dynamics of Miller’s emotional manipulation of various characters, on Alex’s psychology and backstory, and so much fun exploring the dynamic between Portiana. There’s a lot going on underneath the surface for these characters, and our audience has demonstrated a lot of thoughtfulness in examining those underpinnings - and, occasionally, making me see things from a completely new angle.

Sarah: Yeah, I agree with all that. I’ve also loved seeing what everyone has been creating - the art, the gifs, the shitposts (which are like my favourite thing), the number of fanfiction increasing (cause I’m not allowed to actually read them). The fans are all so creative and hilarious, it honestly blows my mind.

HQ: Can you give us any teasers for the rest of Season 1? Spoiler-free of course!

Sarah: Longer episodes. Also our shortest episode. RJ: Treville being flawless! Sarah: Naturally. RJ: A fake mustache! Sarah: A real sword. RJ: New Inseparables! Sarah: Kissing. RJ: Someone falls out of a tree! Sarah: Eleven people in one scene. RJ: And sexiest of all: Financial negotiations. Sarah: We’re jerks. RJ: But we’re your jerks.