#a bit melodramatic and soap opera-like

[celuloideycarbono]

Hidetoshi Nishijima in Asunaro Hakusho (TV series, 1993)

[mousy-nona]

I feel like a fic potentially focusing on Lucifer’s depression would be really interesting! That is, like.. Alastor can’t let the hotel be seen with a king (who’s a sniffling whiny bitch). Its sadly more beneficial to have him revered in this particular instance, so he’s determined to “fix” it? Idk how in character that prompt is, but I figured sending it to you wouldn’t hurt!!

TW: heavy stuff halfway through -- depression; angst.

There were some days Lucifer couldn’t get out of bed.

There was nothing particularly wrong with him. Which made it all the more embarrassing, which made it harder to explain, which made it easier to stay in bed and hide from the world, and so on and so forth…

Get up, the Stern Lucifer in his head said, sternly. You have the Assembly today. What’ll the Sins think if you don’t show up?

“Don’ wanna,” he groaned and tossed the covers over his head. The darkness was soothing. He let his eyes slip closed. Just one more minute…

“People are beginning to talk.” 

He bolted upright, his eyes growing so wide he was worried they might actually pop out of his skull.

“Alastor? What the Hell are you doing on my bed?”

Because he was. On the far edge. Sitting with his legs crossed. As casually as if this was the kind of thing regular people did every day: break into the King of Hell’s room and sit on his bed.

(Not that Lucifer hadn’t thought about the demon in his bed before, but usually it was in the damn thing and with a lot less clothes and what the actual Hell was he thinking right now?) 

“People are beginning to talk.”

“You’ve said that already.”

“Yes. Because I don’t think you heard me the first time.” Alastor eyed him, clearly unimpressed by what he saw. It had the odd effect of making Lucifer want to punch the demon in the nose and pull the covers over his head at the same time. “If you don’t get up in the next five minutes, you’ll be late for the meeting.”

“Oh, who cares?” Lucifer sighed, rubbing his tired eyes. “It doesn’t matter whether I’m there or not. They’ll squabble and Ozzie will flirt and Beezlebub will try to get everyone drunk and Mammon will drive everyone up the wall with new pyramid schemes.” 

Alastor tilted his head almost a full 45 degrees. It was disconcerting, to say the least. Was the man half-owl? A mean gleam shimmered just below the surface, turning his eyes into bloody rubies. “If you hate ruling so much, why not just give up the crown? Let someone better take it.”

“Oh?” Lucifer snorted. “Sounds like you have someone in mind.” 

Alastor sighed, as melodramatic as a soap opera. “Alas, I would – but I doubt the six Sins would listen to lil’ ol’ me.” His accent slipped from transatlantic to all New Orleans, and Lucifer found himself hanging on every word. Southern suited the demon, was just as much Alastor as the color red and his old fashioned suits.

He shook himself out of it, snorting. “Please. Try the humble pie act somewhere else. You’ve never thought of yourself as little even once in your life.” 

“Caught in the act!” The demon sang.

There was a long moment of silence as Lucifer hugged his blankets to himself and Alastor hummed some blues under his breath.

“How do you do it?” Lucifer said suddenly, and blushed, ducking his head back into his knees.

“Do what?” 

If Alastor had looked even the tiniest bit mocking, or teasing, or annoyed, Lucifer would have dove into his blankets and that would have been that. No meeting, no big Assembly, the entirety of Hell could go to…well, Hell, for all he cared. 

But Alastor seemed honestly curious. Not soft, never that, but he was looking at Lucifer as if he actually cared what he had to say. 

“How do you keep going every day?” 

With anyone else, he would have apologized immediately for worrying them. Charlie would have started crying and immediately urging him to go see someone about his problem. Lilith would have listened, but a part of her would have been writing up her list of to-dos for the day. And anyone else – well. 

He didn’t have anyone else. 

That was part of the problem though, wasn’t it? 

But because Alastor was a cold, callous bastard, he didn’t have to apologize. He could just be honest. Already he was starting to feel some of the weight fall off his shoulders, as if carrying the words around had been half the battle. 

Alastor tapped his cane on the ground. “Because I have half a doe in the fridge, plans with Rosie next Tuesday, and in a few months I fully intend to rule Hell.”

The last one caught Lucifer completely by surprise. He half-snorted, half-coughed into the crook of his arm. “Excuse me?” He squeaked. “Should I be alarmed?” 

“Absolutely not, my dear.” When Alastor grinned, there was something remarkably predator about it. “Didn’t you hear me say the Sins would never listen to me? I couldn't do it alone.”

“But then how do you intend…” Lucifer stopped, and his cheeks turned an absolutely brilliant shade of scarlet. “You– you– you don’t mean?”

“Ah, there we go,” Alastor said. “Took you long enough. It’s a good thing you’ve got a pretty face, hmm?”

“I’m married!” 

Alastor leaned forward. For one brief second Lucifer thought he was going to kiss him – but instead, he pat him on the head, as if he was an overgrown toddler. “My dear…one wedding ring does not a marriage make.”

Lucifer scrambled out of bed and tumbled to the floor in his hurry to get away from the complete and utter madman. 

“Ah, good! You’re up!” Alastor snapped to attention, bustling about as he got Lucifer’s outfit prepared for the day with the grace and ease of a seasoned valet. 

Lucifer took the proffered outfit, gaping up at the demon looming above him like – a nightmare? A dream? You could never tell which was which when it came to the Radio Demon. “Were you trying to get me out of bed this entire time?” 

“Wasn’t it obvious?”

“No!” He spluttered, his cheeks once against stained wine-red. “So all that stuff about – wanting to rule Hell was…?” He would absolutely explode if he had to complete the sentence.

“Perhaps if you get up in the next–” Alastor checked his bare wrist, no watch in sight. “Two minutes, I’ll let you know.” 

The man is absolutely bonkers, Lucifer thought, but he did pick himself up off the ground and start getting ready. For some reason, it wasn’t nearly as hard as it had been earlier this morning – not when Alastor was there to confuse, entice, confuse, ridicule him. 

Alastor walked jauntily towards the door, but paused with his hand on the knob. 

“One step at a time,” he said suddenly. 

“Excuse me?” 

Alastor graced him with his patented I have been saddled with an idiot look. “You asked me how I keep going. I take it one step at a time.” 

Then he was gone. Lucifer stared at the outfit he’d left for him -- it was his favorite suit, with gold accents and ruby highlights. When had Alastor bothered to notice?

Deep breath in. Deep breath out.

One step at a time, huh? He could do that.

[victoriansnakearts]

So was a pretty decent episode, but I guess cause it wasn't focusing on the...'romance' part. I figured though this was just gonna be like Truth Seekers honestly....S2 seems to be doing everything to rewrite S1, despite that's not how a show should be written. I get it's one thing to maybe tweak a few things, but THIS? Seems a bit much considering you can chuck S1 out the window.

I will say though anyway, finally some Millie content even if it was....just showing her as she always was and not feeling insecure or what have you. Which that's fine, give me more action Millie, that's how she's always been and I like that for her character! Not to say she can't have anything else to her mind you, I just didn't feel what they were going for in Unhappy Campers.

But also with regards to that flashback. Maybe I'm the minority on this? But thanks to that flashback and Blitz n Millie's relationship within the rest of the show....

I ship them? Not the current iterations mind you, I realize obviously that Millie n Moxxie are married, I do like them as a couple.

But flashback Mercenary Blitz and flashback Mercenary Millie? I could jive with them being in a relationship. Alternate Universe, why not right? Comics do it all the time! Plus honestly, this fandom seems to pair Moxxie with EVERYONE in the show already.

Frankly the flashback really seemed to push them together, which I get it's more like being a best friends thing and I really understand that.

But part of my brain could see them as a pretty awesome, asskicking AU couple.

Didn't mean to go on a rant, my mind is a buzz with this AU coupling.

I’m glad we got Millie content, that’s probably the highlight of this episode and it goes to show that helluva boss can still be fun when it doesn’t have melodramatic owl content.

Yeah a good majority of season two either retreads season one or just wants to retcon it and I can’t understand why (season one is flawed but it’s still a fun watch why are they changing everything??? I just want a silly show about imps killing not a soap opera 😭)

Also blitz x Millie does sound like a fun AU ship! I never really shipped Millie with anyone besides moxie since she was kinda a nothing character but this episode does make me see the appeal!

[literary-illuminati]

oh thought of another book series you might enjoy reading-- the house of niccolo books by dorothy dunnet. it's basically renaissance economic scheming intrigue about this guy who goes from nothing to like the richest banker in europe through Plots and Schemes. book 1 is about the alum import market. it's got a level of historical detail and intricacy that's an order of magnitude, maybe two orders of magnitude, above pretty much every other historical fiction book I've read.

HOWEVER I cannot Recommend recommend it because it's operating on fantastic levels of orientalism and homophobia. Plus the reason I thought of recommending it was that bit you reblogged about preferring messy melodramatic soap opera relationships over the standard romance plot. (The character interpersonal relationships are extremely melodramatic and tend to end badly.) Not sure you'll Like these, but I think you'd have a lot of fun writing thousand word essays about them.

Someone else actually recommended a..prequel? sequel? series by the same author about a Scottish nobleman in response to the exact same post lol. Is one better than the other to start with?

and normal '80s homophobia and orientalism or like Orson Scott Card/Lovecraft levels?

[boltlightning]

What things have you watched for more Davenport stuff, and what did you think about it?

I'm considering buying a DVD set of Smash, and see if I can watch 10 percent, The Wedding Date and Next of Kin online.

I've already seen Kingsman (not just for him), The Journey of Mary Bryant but have yet to watch The Talented Mr. Ripley.

lmao. the amount of time i have spent on this dude...i'm gonna put this below a cut on the off-chance this won't show up in the tags, but here, in an orderly categorized list, is what i've watched for this dude

i would recommend:

p.irates of the caribbean — lmao

the t.alented mr ripley — this movie is not scary but it is haunting. it will stick with you like carrion to bones. highly recommend

why w.omen kill — he and lucy liu steal the show in season 1, which is very good, and he's the narrator in season 2, which is less good, but still entertaining. this show is so so good. please watch it

the incredible journey of m.ary bryant — it's probably a whole hour longer than it needs to be but everyone is putting their whole hearts into their performances

haven't we met before? this extremely cute commercial with f.elicity jones — it's five minutes long. it's adorable. it's even a little saucy. he's got the smash-era hair without being in smash. very good.

the m.oth 1997 — this was very early in his career and you can really tell, but he is adorable, and the writing itself perfectly embodies that hokey, melodramatic period drama bullshit that i so love

e.roica 2003 — 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 THE 19TH CENTURY FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

i wouldn't recommend, and he's not in them very much, but they're alright:

the m.orning show — check for triggers. he's only in the first season but he's great. and it turns into a soap opera in the second season on and not in a good way

k.ingsmen — justice for my guy. RIP

p.irate radio — b.ill nighy is great in this! jdav is in a gorgeous longcoat. but then there is the misogyny

a u.nited kingdom — gorgeous film, killer cast, oversimplification of history but very good for what it is. jdav leans into the sneering brit archetype so hard it makes you realize he definitely could sound more sinister than he already does, he just rarely drops his voice to the bottom of his register

i wouldn't recommend, but you may like them if you go in with more information:

s.mash — given all the talent on this show, it is baffling that it's so bad. jdav plays a genuinely awful man who is by far the most interesting character in the show, which means every conflict centers around him, and not always in a good way. watch this show to see jdav handsomely draped across furniture serving cunt alongside c.hristian borle and a.njelica houston and m.egan hilty and enjoy some of the the greatest musical performances ever conceived. ignore everything else. it is not worth your brain cells

the w.edding date — maybe the worst romcom i've ever seen? jdav is adorable and playing an atypical idiot. he has more chemistry with the romantic interest then the actual lead, to the point where i thought they'd end up together

f.lashforward — i enjoyed this show and will be thinking about it for a long time. it's a nostalgic 2000s 24-alike, but it won't be for everyone. his character is very sweet, which is a rarity and a boon.

g.uernica — i would rate this movie a c- but jdav's accent in this needs to be heard to be believed. also burn gorman is there. burn my beloved

you should not watch:

he was in a netflix western set in australia that was so bad i'm not going to bother looking up the name. it is GORGEOUS but you should watch this movie muted and with the captions off and you will inevitably come up with a better plot. listen to a little bit of his accent though.

don't watch smash. please god. don't do it. i know what category i put it in but don't do it. listen to me. i'm begging you.

i have heard good things about w.hy women kill and g.uernica though! and i've been trying to track down the m.oth, they've been on my list forever. definitely let me know about 10 percent, i have no way of finding that as an american lol

july 2024 edit: list has been updated. still haven't tracked down 10 percent <3

[dramavixen]

watch this! – provoke

In times like these, when so many high production-value dramas vie over the spotlight with their intense plots and flashy names, you occasionally need a low-budget show that's just vibing in the corner—a bit of a wallflower and rough around the edges, but it's doing its own thing, doing it quite well, and will provide respite for your overwhelmed brain.

What is Provoke?

A romance-revenge webdrama set in the Republican era. A woman marries the geezer responsible for her parents' death, plotting to ruin him and restore her family's sullied name. Said geezer's son becomes suspicious of her and decides that creating the greatest amount of sexual tension possible with her is the best course of action. Also, he clearly has plans of his own since he's not the guy's real son.

This show is as cheesy and melodramatic as it gets and none of it can be considered logical. It's awesome.

Why watch?

--

We be trendsetters

You got your friends-to-lovers and enemies-to-lovers stories. As timeless as those tropes may be, might I suggest "stepmom-to-lover" as the new trend? (Or how about all three at once?) It's fresh! It's forbidden! It's so ludicrous that the mere existence of the premise is spicy!

In my personal opinion, the execution should have been much spicier. I only very gently clutched my pearls when what I wanted was to feel scandalized through every blood vessel of this tiny body of mine. But alas, I can't bring myself to dislike the love story we did receive. I graciously accept all over-the-top romances.

Ahem. What I meant to say was, ew, gross. What kind of weirdo thought that such an offensive idea could make for good television? Someone classy like me would never.

--

That romance story you wrote as a twelve-year-old after watching an episode of a soap opera...this is that

Rain pours down against the window. A pretty young woman sits in front of her vanity, brushing on a thick layer of makeup even though it's time to go to bed.

Lightning sets the skies aflame, outlining a silhouette that appears in the doorway. It's him, the dashing young master of the household. His dark eyes glint as he leans awkwardly against the wall in an attempt to come off as intimidating. He's soaked from being outside the rain and drops of water fall from the tips of his hair. He kind of looks like an infuriated feline.

She stands when she sees him. He crosses the room.

"What are you—" she stammers, her words catching in her throat as he corners her against the vanity and wraps an arm around her waist, pulling her body against his. He grabs her wrist with his other hand and pins it to the table, knocking over an open container of rouge. Its contents burst into a firework of glimmering powder.

His face is close enough that she can feel his breath on her cheek. She tries to lean away from him, but he's too strong. He is a lion, and she a gazelle.

"Have you forgotten?" she says as she struggles against him. "I'm your father's concubine."

"And have you forgotten?" His voice is deep; some might even consider it sultry. "I'm the one who brought you into this family."

They stare at one another. Then he brings his lips crashing down on hers, or whatever the standard cliché for "kissing" is nowadays.

Such goes the first few minutes of the first episode, which also happens to be what's pictured in our provocative poster. Wait until you see the whole scene.

My fanfiction past feels so seen right now.

--

There is exactly one brain cell present

You think that because this is a revenge drama, you're going to get a super intricate plot? Heck no. We don't have the time or brainpower for that, remember? We're here for the fun of it.

Everything about this show is smooth sailing because all of the characters are of mediocre intelligence and ability. Your brain does not need to be in operation at any point. Our female lead? She's probably the smartest one, but it's not like that's impressive when her husband is oddly easy to seduce. His actual wife tries so, so hard to be mean to the new girl in the house but fails with flying colors. Meanwhile, the male lead spends most of his time making heart-eyes at his dad's new concubine. It's like watching a bunch of wild geese chase each other and somehow accomplish things along the way.

--

[insert pun about chemistry and chemistry class here]

These two lead actors could perform all the tropes in the world and I would love it. They bulldoze through a lot in this show and every moment has me grinning like a total creep. That's what low-budget dramas bless us with: shameless clichés. They don't need to make up excuses for why a bridal carry or eye contact that lasts ten minutes exists. After all, we know what we're here for: to satiate our cravings for unrestrained, cheesy-as-heck romance.

The level of acting is higher than you should ask for from a production of this scale. The tension between the two is palpable at every moment, and they truly bring their characters to life. It helps that they're very easy on the eyes. I mean, just look at this pair of bloodthirsty impostors:

When they start falling for one another...oh boy. My weak heart.

--

Cinematography 101

I would include screenshots of how stunning this drama is, but I'm not sure how many would do it justice. The set isn't particularly breathtaking and there aren't many flashy assets otherwise, but the director makes smart decisions with what he has to produce fantastic results. A lot of it is based on motion, which is why still screenshots can't really suffice in displaying his techniques.

Nifty camera angles or tricks aren't what caught my attention, but the combination of basic props, movement, and lighting did. A lot can be accomplished through simplicity to craft a specific atmosphere, which is exactly what makes this drama feel like a large-scale production. You really have to see it in motion to believe it.

--

I'm going to be humming the theme song to myself for the next week as I get this drama out of my system. It grabbed me by the throat and dragged me from the depths of my drama slump. Maybe I need to relive my tacky romance phase.

[mitochondriaandbunnies]

You Should Watch Wiseguy:

The show that changed the face of television while no one was paying attention

If you've ever watched and enjoyed anything that gets tossed around as “prestige television—”  you know what I’m talking about— long form narratives, high stakes, actors with something to prove— shows like The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, The Wire, etc.— you have Wiseguy to thank. While largely forgotten by mainstream audiences (for a variety of reasons, including sheer lack of availability), Wiseguy was one of the first non-soap-opera shows with a fully serialized story— one that expected you to see every episode, in order. When it began airing in September of 1987, really the only other thing on TV like it was Michael Mann’s Crime Story (also worth a watch), and Crime Story would be canceled before Wiseguy even hit its second season.

Writers, actors, and industry types of all kinds cite Wiseguy as a major influence— Vince Gilligan and Tom Schnauz credit watching Wiseguy in the 80’s as why they cast Jonathan Banks as Mike— Chris Carter hired writers from Wiseguy when he started the X-Files— actors like Stanley Tucci made their names on the show— and hell, David Chase wrote an angry letter to the New York Times claiming he was absolutely under no circumstances at all influenced by Wiseguy ever, which feels like the kind of thing you don’t need to write a letter about if it’s true. 

Of course, just because something is influential doesn’t mean it’s good. 

Wiseguy is really damn good.

Much like Miami Vice (and some of the later shows that took influence from Wiseguy), Wiseguy takes the position that there’s very little difference between criminals and the police, and that the justice system is wildly ill-equipped to create justice. Mafia movie blood, with all its inherent moral ambiguity, runs through Wiseguy’s veins, and then after episode nine, it asks you to think about how that blood would pump in a different milieu— corporate espionage and the destabilization of the global south by American capitalists, insular rural politics and the easy rise of small-time dictators, congressional politics and Twelve-Angry-Men-worthy courtroom drama, the music industry and the cutthroat disposal of talented young people. Money and power structures are always suspect, and good-hearted tough guy lead Vinnie is constantly torn between doing his job, doing the right thing, and doing the thing that makes sense to him emotionally.

The show is heartfelt, tense, funny, and above all else, incredibly human. The characters behave irrationally— they self-sabotage, they struggle with moral decisions, they lash out at people they care about— because they’re people, not plot devices. Little things will come back to haunt them, often many episodes later, in believable and sometimes gutting—but rarely shocking— ways. Despite this realism, and a deep sense of cynicism about our institutions, Wiseguy never falls into the trap of wallowing in grim bleakness. The writers and the actors clearly believe in people— it’s a show that says— ‘yeah, the world sucks. So how do we keep going, together?’ The characters are lovable not because they’re all good, but because you feel like you could know them, with realistic flaws and foibles and senses of humor. Sometimes it’s a little silly, and sometimes it’s a little melodramatic— but it works, because sometimes that’s how real life is, too.

Wiseguy is four (well. three and a half) seasons [cross out— and a terrible TV movie that disregards canon], and is notably divided into 4-11 episode arcs within those seasons, and occasional “breather” episodes between arcs. It’s actually a brilliant bit of plotting that I wish more shows would do today— it allows for overarching narratives and real stakes without running into DBZ-like “the next threat has to be BIGGER and MORE DANGEROUS” power level bullshittery that’s common to a lot of long running serialized shows. One of my favorite aspects of this design is that the cast partially rotates every few episodes, but the show still expects you to remember what was going on with the characters from the previous arcs— because they often return later in unexpected and narratively satisfying ways.

The three characters that remain more-or-less consistent throughout the show are Vinnie Terranova, an undercover agent for the Organized Crime Bureau, Frank McPike, his handler, and Dan “Lifeguard” Burroughs, the OCB call-center operator who gives Vinnie field instructions. 

Vinnie Terranova is just on the border of thirty when the series begins, a gregarious kid-from-the-neighborhood, just out of a cover-establishing 18-month stint in prison. He is a bundle of contradictions— quick to fall but slow to trust, a practicing Catholic who chose a job in the field of lying and murder, a 50’s hood irritated by bigotry. Vinnie is both far smarter and more sensitive than anyone gives him credit for, which is both his greatest strength and his fatal flaw— empathetic undercover agents burn out fast. He spends a surprising amount of the series trying and failing to quit his job. He has a marshmallow center, a steel-trap mind, and the general affect of your cousin who dropped out of college to marry his pregnant high school sweetheart. He also has no idea that his type is “angry asshole” and keeps being surprised when he falls for them. 

Frank McPike is a curmudgeon's curmudgeon, a career fed with a chip on his shoulder, a fathoms-deep sense of cynicism, and a collapsing marriage. He and Vinnie begin the series at odds, and as you watch the first few episodes, you're going to seriously struggle to believe me when I say that the affection between Frank and Vinnie becomes the absolute thematic and emotional heart of the series. Frank is also a genuine oddball failing to pose as a tough guy; he makes noises, he lurks in strange costumes, and the words he chooses when he’s irritated beggar normal human understanding.

We don’t get to know Dan as quickly or as deeply as we get to know Vinnie and Frank (in fact, he’s introduced as “Mike”), but he’s the man behind the curtain, a guiding moral and emotional star for Vinnie, a talented musician, and a cheerful face with a lot of anger bubbling just below the surface. He offers life advice even as his own home life is in constant meltdown, and loves both Vinnie and Frank with a fierce, sarcastic weariness. Dan is also an amputee, and his disability is portrayed with respect and without pity— a rarity for television even now, but especially in 1988. 

You’ll absolutely fall in love with these three, but one of the things that makes Wiseguy so special is its fantastic supporting cast. The world is fleshed out and lived in, and you get the distinct sense that all the recurring characters have their own lives we don’t get to see off screen. There’s Carlotta— Vinnie’s mother, as contradictory and sharp as her son, Pete— Vinnie’s brother, a progressive basketball-playing priest, Roger Lococco— a killer-for-hire who refers to every person on the planet as Buckwheat, Rudy Aiuppo— an elderly don with the heart of a trickster spirit, and a whole host of others who enter and exit the narrative throughout the arcs of the show. There are also a whole host of wonderful arc-based characters played by incredible actors, journeymen and and famous alike— including turns from Tim Curry, Debbie Harry, Jerry Lewis, Stanley Tucci, Patti D’Arbanville, Stephen Bauer, and Billy Dee Williams. You can tell everyone involved in the show had a fantastic time working on it, and nearly every actor who comes aboard really puts their whole Wisegussy into it gives it their all.

You notice that as I’ve been speaking, the lights have dimmed slightly, and the strains of an organetto have started to play quietly in the background. A man in a rumpled suit is smoking nearby, though you are fairly certain smoking indoors hasn’t been legal in a number of years. I pass you a plate of espresso and biscotti. 

Let’s talk arcs.

The first arc of the show, known as the Steelgrave arc, is a lot of fans’ favorite arc of the show, and for good reason. Vinnie infiltrates a New Jersey mob organization, and gets very, very close* to this man:

Sonny Steelgrave, human Knife Cat, is a complicated man, and Vinnie has complicated feelings about him. He’s very nearly a co-protagonist to Vinnie in this arc, and the show artfully toes the line between condemning him and making it clear that he’s not always entirely wrong. Vinnie’s goal is to get Sonny into prison and take down the entire family— how and whether he achieves this goal is best left unspoiled. Sonny may not have been the first complicated, likable villain on television, but his arc is intense, heart-wrenching, and splendidly morally grey. I don’t think it’s an overstatement to say that the Steelgrave arc is the best nine hour mob movie ever aired on television.  

*I’m really not kidding about the closeness. There’s an episode where Sonny announces he’s getting married and literally all the other mobsters are like ‘oh, now I understand why Vinnie has been in a bad mood all day.’ They are as close to canonically in love as a federal agent and a mobster have ever been portrayed on screen.

Lest you get Kevin-Spacey-jumpscared, the following arc unfortunately has Kevin Spacey in it. Thankfully he plays a slimy sister-kissing coked-up hypercapitalist, so it’s fairly easy to just hate his character in the same way you hate the actor and move on with your life. 

This arc, the Profitt arc— in which Vinnie is tasked with taking down a wealthy business mogul who is suspected of drug-and-gun-running— is, for many fans, a close second to the Steelgrave arc. It’s an interesting change of tone and locale, and introduces Roger Lococco, who is a really stellar supporting character. Personally, I rank a bunch of other arcs above Profitt, because no matter how much I like Roger, Mel and Susan are bananas, and they wear out their welcome before they exit the narrative. Regardless, it’s a stylish arc— one that rather  kicks truth, justice, and the American way in the teeth— and Mel’s machinations have serious reverberations later in the show. The Roger subplot is also genuinely excellent, and good old Corey Matthews’ Dad plays him with aplomb.

Back home, after trying to quit his job and failing, Vinnie has to deal with a threat with much smaller, but far more personal stakes. A white supremacy group has moved into his neighborhood and is attempting to recruit working-class Italians to their cause, pitting an older immigrant group against a newer one, pitting Catholics against Jews, and pitting a previously “ethnic” group’s newly acquired “whiteness” against people of color. I have mixed feelings about the Pilgrims of Promise/White Supremacy arc, because it’s truly quite good, and it pulls no punches about the kind of people fascists are and prey on, but it’s also exceptionally fucking upsetting that nothing has changed at all since 1988. Literally you could remake this arc word for word today and a) it would be exactly as believable, and b) your show would be immediately boycotted and canceled for being too “woke.” Great writing, great stakes, great character motivation; so, so uncomfortable to watch.

And then Ken Wahl breaks his leg in real life, and they have to replace him for a few weeks. 

The Garment Trade arc starts off pretty promising— Vinnie meets with the son of a clothing manufacturer, they have great (borderline meet-cute) chemistry, it’s a wonderfully New-York-in-the-80’s kind of storyline, Jerry Lewis is there, and I think it’s the only time I’ve ever seen Sukkot represented on TV— and then Vinnie has to leave for the next four episodes because of Wahl’s broken leg. They rewrote the arc on the fly, and considering that, it’s pretty good. Jerry Lewis is still there, and he gives the serious, dramatic performance of a lifetime, and Stanley Tucci chews scenery as The World’s Slimiest Businessman. We meet Vinnie’s childhood bestie, “Mooch,” whose actor, delightfully, starred beside Ken Wahl in 1979’s The Wanderers. My beautiful and talented wife Joan Chen even shows up for an episode. However, all of this is undercut by the lack of Vinnie; his replacement, a semi-retired agent named Raglin, is… a bit milquetoast. He’s okay, and he’s given some interesting backstory in his final episode, but he’s no Vinnie.

Once again sporting a functional leg, Vinnie returns, and my favorite arc other than Steelgrave follows. 

In the Dead Dog arc, Vinnie has to pose as a music producer, because the OCB traded an airplane for a music label. It’s the dumbest, most fantastic plot device of all time, and brings me incalculable joy. I literally made Dead Dog t-shirts because I love this stupid fake music label owned by a fictional government agency so much. 

The Dead Dog arc sees Vinnie at his happiest (the poor man really, really just wants to quit undercover work and stop being involved with Murder Organizations), and the crime he’s investigating is… wait for it… bootleg CDs. You would think this would be a ridiculously boring premise for an investigation, but the Dead Dog arc has Tim Curry, Debbie Harry, Glenn Frey, and Patty D’Arbanville playing a cadre of unhinged music industry moguls all attempting to stab each other in the back, and it is exactly as chaotic as you would expect based on that cast. This arc also had a bunch of original music produced for it, which is extremely fucking cool, except that then the studio lost the rights to the music it created and this arc became inaccessible and unwatchable except through circulating the tapes, so to speak, of early 90’s TV rips. (The irony is not lost on me that the arc about the Evils of Piracy is the arc that one must pirate.) Miraculously, in the last year, Wiseguy’s rights have been renegotiated, and the newest sets of the show have Dead Dog restored. Accessibility via streaming is still a bit of a mixed bag— the episodes were streaming on Tubi and Youtube briefly, but now appear to have been taken down again.

After his turn as a surprisingly successful music producer, Vinnie returns to his roots: the mob. In the Mob Wars/Trash Wars arc, Vinnie unintentionally becomes the temporary leader of the local mafia commission (I will not spoil how.) The OCB wants to use this as an opportunity to take down the entire organization from the inside out, and Vinnie must deal with mafia backstabbing, pressure from Frank and the OCB, and surprisingly personal stakes. It’s an unspectacular but solid arc that regrounds the series, and the interpersonal aspects of the story— and its examination of fathers and sons and generational inheritance of social rules and expectations— are excellent. The Mafia Wars storyline won’t blow your pants off, but it’s thoughtful and well-executed and reminds us of who Vinnie is and where he came from.

What follows is another of my favorite arcs, referred to as the DC or Counterfeit Yen arc, but perhaps better described as the Mr. Terranova Goes to Washington arc. Vinnie is summoned by the federal government to investigate counterfeiting, and thus unfolds a multinational conspiracy that ties back to the Profitt arc. Much like the White Supremacy arc, this arc is distressingly current— Vinnie is a patsy for a group of corrupt republican senators who want to destabilize the currency of a perceived East Asian economic rival. It’s Yen here, but all you’d need to do to bring this arc into 2023 is swap out references to Japan for China, because the American government has changed very little from the 80’s and has to be awful about some country somewhere or, I don’t know, a bunch of horrible old racist politicians will shit themselves. Vinnie enters talking like Jimmy Stewart, and leaves with one more thing to be crushed and disillusioned about. We get some riveting and stomach-churning courtroom drama, the bad guy turns out to be capitalism all along, and Frank threatens to shoot a Howard Hughes stand-in on a ski lift.

And then somehow we end up in Twin Peaks. The Lynchboro arc predates Twin Peaks by a whopping two months, indicating a total coincidence of premise similarities, but it does take place in a corrupt rural Pacific Northwest town unduly influenced by one large family/company, wherein an outsider has to investigate a tangled conspiracy and deal with strange townsfolk and some spooky happenings. There’s no way either show could’ve plagiarized the other— they were assuredly written and in production at the same time— but it is deeply bizarre. In the Lynchboro arc, Vinnie goes undercover as a local beat cop, and finds himself faced with both a serial killer and a land-rights and building-contracts espionage plot. He also has to deal with Mark Volchek, the ostensible “owner” of the town, and his eccentricity and decreasing grip on reality. Roger returns, and Vinnie must finally confront the enormity of his trauma. One major character is literally brought back from the edge of death by another character’s crushing love for them, expressed via church bells. It doesn’t exactly end on a cliffhanger, but it doesn’t not, either.

And then Ken Wahl quit.

Season Four begins with a deeply depressed, heavily bearded Frank struggling to find the will to live after Vinnie has disappeared. (I don’t think I’m really at risk of spoiling anything serious by saying that we are “supposed” to think Vinnie is permanently gone, but that there are a huge number of blatantly spotlighted contradictions in that story. Wahl left on decent terms, and I firmly believe the Wiseguy staff was expecting to eventually win him back to the show and have his absence turn out to be a ruse. Unfortunately, Wiseguy got cancelled before this could happen.) Frank spends the first (and only complete) arc of this season investigating his partner’s disappearance, eventually working with the supposedly-corrupt DA who helped establish Vinnie’s cover back before Season One. 

It’s not an uncommon opinion to say, ‘hey, just skip S4’— and honestly, if you chose to watch S1-3, you’d have consumed a wonderful story with a reasonably coherent ending. But I don’t actually hate Season Four. The “new Vinnie—” Michael Santana, played by pretty-boy Scarface alum Stephen Bauer— is exceptionally likeable, and he brings with him a new set of characters who are also quite compelling. Furthermore, if you’re a Frank fan, he really gets the spotlight in this season, and if you’re a Frank/Vinnie fan, Vinnie may not be around, but Frank’s despair is really fucking something else. It’s almost worth it just to see him lie to the FBI and tell them he “never crossed the line” of professionalism with Vinnie.

Unfortunately, the next arc sets up something really compelling and unique, but it’s only 3 (unaired on TV) episodes, and ends on a complete cliffhanger, because the show was unceremoniously cancelled. After his niece is shot in the midst of teenage gang violence, Michael teams up with Billy Dee Lando Calrissian Fucking Williams to investigate red-lining and racist underfunding of schools. Oliver Stone shows up in the last like, ten minutes of the last episode?? I would be all over this storyline if it wasn’t just dropped like a moldy tomato, but I guess that’s what fanfiction is for. It’s not how Wiseguy deserved to go out, but hey, it was really aiming for the stars even as the plug got pulled.

Oh, and if anyone tells you there’s a 1996 TV movie, no, there isn’t.* 

(*The movie is so deeply mediocre that it’s worse than any of the controversy surrounding Season Four. It essentially retcons all of S4 and, frankly, really the last few episodes of S3, and presents a bland, uninspired “getting the gang back together” story that retreads thematic materials from the show without saying anything new. Vinnie has apparently been doing wiretapping for 6 years, which is completely at odds with everything we know about his character, and he and Frank are treated as “dinosaurs” that the OCB doesn’t know what to do with, and yet they are also simultaneously the only ones who can take care of a nearly-kidnapped child. It’s rushed, it’s emotionally hollow, the actors are phoning it in, and it ignores all of the character development from the series in a way that renders its plot nearly nonsensical. Furthermore, Ken Wahl had been in a seriously disabling motorcycle accident a few years before, so his apparent discomfort and stiffness throughout the film is because he’s genuinely in significant pain. Don’t watch the movie. You can always write fix-it fic for how Vinnie manages to come back after Season Four. It’s much harder to write fix-it fic for boring character assassination written by the 'due-process-is-for-pussies-and-torture-works' 24 guy.)

One of the other delightful things about Wiseguy is that Vinnie is both a big softie and yet is also saddled with a bizarre sort of erotic smolder, and therefore he has ridiculous chemistry with basically half the cast of the show. Vinnie very much seems a guy like you could say some blandly nice things to and buy him dinner, and you’d wake up, exhausted and satisfied, the next morning to him cooking breakfast. You’d think, wow, this guy is so thoughtful, he must be the one— and then you’d turn your head and he���d have immediately been seduced by the next schmuck down the line. He’s a good boy, but his “acceptable romantic target” sensors are so wildly mistuned as to render him, affectionately, a tragic slut. Will he end up with a mobster? One of a number of widows? His boss? No one knows but god.

Vinnie is also heavily bi-coded— his relationship with Sonny is almost explicitly romantic, he calls out Roger for homophobia (in 1989), one of his old friend asks if the reason he’s not married is because he ‘likes boys,’ and he doesn’t say no, and he has a borderline I-love-you moment with Frank. The boy just wants someone to love him, goddammit. 

I’m also really not kidding about Vinnie and Frank developing into the emotional core of the series. They live together for a period of time. They both imply they can’t live without the other. They go shopping for Dan’s birthday together. They pick up Frank’s ailing father from the nursing home together. Frank picks out Vinnie’s tie.

You pick at the plate of spaghetti that appeared in front of you, unsure of either its provenance or why it came after dessert. It’s the best spaghetti you’ve ever had, and that frightens you, somehow. 

I lean in close to whisper to you about crime. You note that at some point I changed into a pinstriped suit. You don’t remember me changing, or even getting up— you console yourself with the notion that maybe I’d been wearing it from the start, even though you know that isn’t true.

So, the thing about Wiseguy is— well— it’s more available than it used to be. The whole series was recently released on blu-ray, and both that set and the most recent DVD sets actually have every episode, a change from the previous releases. As of August 2023, all of the series except Dead Dog is available, legally, on Youtube. This is a vast improvement from even two or three years ago, when multiple episodes weren’t available through any means but blurry, VHS-tracking-laden downloads of TV rips. 

Unfortunately, the most recent renegotiation of the series home video and streaming rights still failed on the music rights front. Dead Dog has been spared the hammer, but there are still places where the series has gaps. Notably, there’s an episode (Stairway to Heaven) where Frank murders a jukebox, and looks completely fucking insane, because the original (thematically meaningful) music the jukebox was playing was replaced with generic elevator music. Worse, the final episode of the Steelgrave arc (No One Gets Out of Here Alive) is missing two musical cues: in one instance, Sonny himself is singing, in a fit of mania, and the footage has straight up been cut from the episode because they couldn’t get the rights to The Young Rascals’ Good Lovin’.  Equally egregious, The Moody Blues’ Nights in White Satin, which originally played over nearly a minute of sustained, silent eye contact between Sonny and Vinnie— has been replaced with the Wiseguy opening theme. It renders a scene which should be quite clearly devastating and unsubtly romantic instead utterly awkward and bizarre. It’s hard to demonstrate just how jarring the change is unless you’ve seen the scene, but suffice to say that everyone I know who has seen both versions— in either order— has expressed horror and bafflement at the substitution. 

Which is to say: there’s a couple of episodes of Wiseguy you’re probably going to want to locate those shitty old TV rips of. It’s worth it, even if it seems like it wouldn’t be.

I place my hand over yours. You jump a little. I have a number of large, dark-stoned signet rings, and my hand is strangely cold. 

I make you an offer you can’t refuse.

You’re going to watch Wiseguy. 

[eliziarts]

It really gets me how you can't say shit about Helluva Boss (or Hazbin Hotel for that matter) to actually critique without fans getting buthurt, and the only people agreeing with you people who just hate Vivzipop (for the record i dont lol). But here are my gripes that I wish people were actually talking about (btw I really *want* to love Helluva Boss and none of this is mean-spirited, just things I've noticed that I wish the team would fix, or I believe are beyond fixing):

1. The very confused tone. I know a lot of people deflect any criticism from the show by saying 'oh but it's a comedy you shouldn't take it too seriously'. Here's the thing- it's literally taking itself too seriously. There's a balance that a show can have between dark elements and humor, but Helluva Boss consistently tries to tackle very, VERY heavy subjects. This combined with the Brandon Rodgers-essque d!ck joke comedy doesn't.. work. At least not in the way they're attempting. I think the most egregious example of this is the scene in the latest episode when Moxie's dad is literally threatening to kill him if he doesn't follow through with an arranged marriage... immeadiatly followed by Moxie walking though a hall of wall d!ldos. It kind of says, 'hey, we were taking this really seriously 2 seconds ago, but jk actually now you should laugh!'

Juxtaposition doesn't work if it actively confuses its audience on what to feel. I'm not sure how much influence Vivzie and Brandon have on the outcome of the show vs the rest of the writing team, but it seems like Brandon's humor and Vivzie's tendency to write melodramatic soap opera scenes just aren't really meshing together quite right. I wish it had more similar pacing and tone shifts that HH had, because it felt more sudden in a purposeful way, rather than 'we're too lazy to find a good transition between these two scenes.'

2. Why does Vivziepop never write interesting female characters? I know this is talked about a bit more, but it's growing increasingly prevalent in Helluva Boss. We still haven't gotten an episode focused on any of the female leads that's actually about *them*.

Millie is practically nonexistent without her relationship to Moxie. Even the episode where we meet her family, it doesn't give us any insight about her. Every time she goes feral(tm) it's either to save her husband or it's part of a group fight. The only backstory we got for Loona was there to service Blitzo's character, and show us *his* reaction. The only things we've seen with Octavia were put there to help us learn more about Stolas. Even in the scene where they only had Loona and Octavia on the screen, it didn't feel like it was about them at all. It didn't feel like the scene existed to show us them bonding about their shitty dads. It felt like the scene was there to once again ask the audience to give Blitzo and Stolas pity points. Which- brings me to my next problem.

3. Its justifications of abuse. I know they're in hell. Most of them should be shitty people, and they are! But I wish the story would stop trying to pretend they're not. Helluva Boss keeps doing this thing where it draws a line between 'good' abuse and 'bad' abuse. And this kind of completely changed Stolas and Blitzo's relationship. Ik some people may like this change but I personally don't.

Earlier on, we were made to believe Stolas kind of fucked up by cheating on his wife. Not only did this affect Stella (tho ofc we later learn it's due to image reasons) but his daughter as well. It's just generally an uncomfortable and tricky situation. And I liked it! It was interesting and had levels of nuance. However, now that we know that he was basically being abused by Stella this entire time, and met Blitzo when they were kids (which is a WHOLE OTHER UNCOMFORTABLE CAN OF WORMS LMAO) the audience no longer feels like Stolas did anything wrong. Now his actions feel justified.

As much as I loved his confrontational scene with Stella the first time I watched it, as I know many people did, I also know that it kind of ruined any sense of nuance that whole situation had. Now, Stolas suddenly has been absolved from any previously implied mistakes. And, Stella is portrayed as this 1 dimensional cruel monster.

Which brings me to the point of abuse in this show. It's a very prevalent theme, and it's a heavy one for a show branded as a sit-com to portray (hard, but not impossible). But it fails on the end that it doesn't stay consistent in its condemnation of it. Every time a character does something 'bad', as soon as we find out there is a reason for this bad behavior, the show suddenly makes it seem like we should feel bad for them and that their actions are justified because they're a broken person. See: the narrative around Stolas' affair suddenly being changed as soon as we find out he was being abused by Stella.

Inconsistent emotional consequences in writing is lazy for sure. But the real problem is when it gets to the abuse side of things, it can actually become harmful. It's implied that Blitzo had an emotionally abusive relationship with Verosika. But ohh we know he had a fucked up childhood and has fear of forming emotional bonds so! Geuss it's okay! But when it comes to Stella, she's just downright mean, 1 dimensional, and literally says she's doing things for no reason other than to make Stolas suffer.

It's important to note that every single time a character gets a *reason* for their assholery, it becomes a *justification* in the way the show frames it. But whenever a character doesn't have a reason for being as asshole, like Stella (at least not one that's shown), that's where the show then draws the line.

This is harmful! Hate to break it to you but the bulk of abusive people out there were abused themselves. They have multitudes of reasons for why they are the way they are. But that doesn't excuse their actions! And I really hate that this is the standard of framing Helluva Boss has set up for their show because now, no matter how bad a character's actions are, they can slap on a sad backstory and suddenly make that character a sympathetic one.

Yeah but anyways idk. If you read all of that I thank you for taking ur time to listen to my 2 cents. The last episode I really enjoyed was the Ozzie's one and I'm just kinda bummed at a lot of this stuff I mentioned.

[kris-and-the-pnictogens]

I've been avoiding tokusatsu a bit, recently, and I'm not exactly sure why. I suppose that a lot of my memories of watching toku are mixed up with episodes in my past life that I've been reluctant to remember in detail. I was far more of a wreck in those days, although I still feel like a wreck...in some ways I feel even less able to function. Back then if I needed to make myself do something unpleasant I'd just...hurt myself in some way until I could do what was needed. Simple! I'll avoid getting into details on that stuff. Back then, watching movies and TV was one of the few things that made life more bearable. I wanted to watch stuff that was meaningful, that felt substantial, but I don't remember that I ever imagined in those earlier 200x days that tokusatsu would ever come to feel pertinent and even important to my life. It's like when I was reading anguished comic books at Caltech in a previous decade; I could read about grim magical struggles and the doings of gods and demigods, but I don't remember thinking that I'd ever get mixed up in such things myself. I suppose we are unused to feeling like we've got agency. Only very late in life, comparatively speaking, did we first realize that we were capable of being more than a speck of dust on the margins of human affairs, a powerless and meaningless observer. At some point...heroism began to matter again. I have only the dimmest memories of early childhood faith in heroes and knighthood and justice. My sibling and I also picked up some frail but enduring spark of revolutionary leftist ardor from our RL mother, a true passion for social justice. But slowly all that got beaten down and stifled, curdled into cynicism and misanthropy—but not quite. At least in my case, the cynicism never took deep roots. Even when I'd gotten disappointed with mainstream U.S. superheroes, for example, I found that I could still believe in the heroes of Japanese television. Super Sentai and Kamen Rider kept alive that frail spark of passion for justice. Choujin Sentai Jetman was one of my early favorites from when my partner Daria was first introducing me to the genre; she's much more knowledgeable about it than I am. Even though I disdained the daytime soap operas that my mother liked watching on TV when she was knitting or reading or whatnot, I revelled in the unabashed soapiness of Jetman. (I think what I mostly dislike about U.S. soaps is that they unreel at a glacial pace.) It allows Jetman to be a bit more adult in its themes than most Super Sentai shows, while making it so melodramatic and stagy that it's acceptable kids' TV. So you've got angsty love-triangle plots, massive PTSD, a high body count for Sentai...good stuff. ~Chara of Pnictogen

[geenawrites]

[Letterboxd Review, 8/30/23]

Blue Beetle was a 2006 comic book title I kinda stumbled upon back in 2010. DC Comic's answer to Spider-Man, while nowhere near such aged heights, was the best bit of reading I got from a pre-Nu52 era DC. He's a character I've wanted to see on the big screen as much as Milestone Comics' Static Shock, but the current era of comic book films had me praying the opposite. That no one would touch my guy, and he would remain safe in obscurity.

Then I saw Charm City Kings, and they tentatively won me over. As far as debut works go, CCK at the very least convinced me the director (Ángel Manuel Soto) would understand Jaime as a character, even if the executives didn't.

So, yeah, I've been waiting to see this film since I saw Charm City Kings, and the use of Meek Mill ("Uptown Vibes") in the last trailer sent me into the stratosphere with hype. I watched that trailer to death.

Much like Mutant Mayham (TMNT), Blue Beetle was some good-ass fun. I aint get half the jokes that weren't explained (like the soap opera they reffed twice, lmao), but the jokes landed more than not (and for once the tone felt balanced, even the very melodramatic moments).

Blue Beetle is geeky as hell and revels in it. From the questionably synthy soundtrack to Buster sword send-up. My boy damn near goes Super Sayain and pulls off a Kamehameha on the bad guy. I loved every moment.

There were stories about how the greater story was a commentary on American interventionism, most of which is wrapped up in Susan Sarandon's Victoria Kord. Kord hides practical slavery, child exploitation, and war crimes behind white feminism (her entitlement to her family's corporation and suffering industry sexism). The character is flatly antagonistic, unfeeling, and casually racist. She plays it with ease and clearly appeared to enjoy chewing the scenery.

I've never seen Cobra Kai, but Jaime Reyes's actor (Xolo Mariduena) was such an excellent choice for the character. I want to see more of him.

I cannot recommend this movie enough. Check it out, and give the 2006 trade paperback series a read, too. Also, watch Charm City Kings.

[brandwhorestarscream]

I know basically nothing about soap operas. Saying that, whichever character that represents Orion/Optimus is the resident lore dumper.

Like, someone mentioned the shadowy things and Preceptor, Orion would know what those shadowy things are for no explainable reason. Maybe even other random lore bits, like, say, I dunno... why that specific frog caused the problem of the episode/day.

(I don't know where the frog thing came from, it was the first thing that came to mind.)

Idk anything about soap operas either, just that they're super over the top melodramatic, and have a lot of concurrent storylines that interweave at least semi-frequently. They're like bad fanfiction made into a tv show

I love this idea of Orion's character just being Like That. Bonus points if he's also the narrator and regularly breaks the 4th wall. The other characters think he's crazy and talking to no one, and Ratchet thinks he ought to be medicated. It's a running gag that the writers never retire

Also. I would like to hear about The Frog Incident 👀

[adelledelacruz]

Introduction ♡

Hello! A warm welcome to my page, it's a pleasure having you here ~

Dprodigy is an avenue for people that adore comedic, romantic, traumatic, melodramatic, and thriller korean dramas. It features commentaries, ratings, reviews, and recommendations for everyone. Additionally, it showcases intense love and appreciation for the creation of all these masterpieces.

Here are some additional information that may guide you a little bit about me and this blog!

Story behind dprodigy

Dprodigy actually originated from two words, which is "drama" and "prodigy". It is a combination of both words as I am a self-proclaimed drama prodigy. However, dprodigy can also stand as "delusional prodigy" considering that I am delulu (of course, not at an extreme level where it becomes unhealthy) when it comes to dramas.

About the Content

Korean Dramas (hangeuk deurama) - refers to televised dramas in the Korean Language, made in South Korea, mostly in a miniseries format, with distinctive features that differentiate them from other tv series or soap operas.

PS. Note that the commentaries, ratings, and reviews posted in this blog are all based on my wonderful taste, perception, and personal preference. What I enjoy may not be your cup of tea, so please, if ever you disagree with my views, at least respect what I like.

About the Blogger

Annyeong! This is Adelle, your dprodigy admin. I am sixteen, and I am an avid fan of korean dramas long before I can even remember.

In view of my age, I know that some of you may doubt my validity as a drama prodigy. However, I can assure you that I am knowledgeable enough in korean dramas. Don't worry, you can trust me!

PS. A flashback during lockdown; I used to finish one series everyday. Therefore, I've approximately watched kdramas more than 500 times (though, some of them were just a rewatch), and that may at least qualify me as a drama prodigy.

Credits ♡

"Korean Dramas" - https://www.slideshare.net/MeleidySantiago/korean-drama-71236026

Courtesy to Canva for the Intro template

[eyestumblin]

I can still clearly remember the first time i saw Naoki Urasawa's manga Monster advertised in the thick magazine my art teacher brought back from Japan when i was in 8th grade. Which is unusual, I dont remember much clearly. The semi realistic style looked stuffy or dull and with the title Monster, it promised me something dark and unpleasant. I'd recently seen Jin Roh and remember thinking, if you just want realism, shoot a film! So at the time my tastes were much more tuned into exaggerated, cool stylization, and Monster never interested me because of that.

Ironically, its that semi realism that draws me to Urasawa now. Facial and body diversity feel like water in a desert sometimes. Simplifying reality without homogenizing it is a skill Ryoko Kui has recently showcased masterfully, and Urasawa is another such artist. Reflecting qualities people have and letting them exist in the narrative without reduction to a caricature or joke is a power many artists and writers haven't put in the work to aquire. It adds a great amount of depth. An artist is always telling you more than they realize they are, and when it reflects reality, it avoids pitfalls of the artist's own unavoidable biases or ignorance.

I haven't been up to reading the lengthy manga, but I enjoyed the adaptation of Pluto and have had an easy time getting into the Monster anime. Watching the adaptation as an adult, its funny how much more lighthearted it often is than I imagined from that first impression in 8th grade. There have been a few episodes in the first 23 that feel a little corny even, a bit fluffy and sentimental. Those are my favorite episodes so far. The balance of sweet to bitter. Its all a little melodramatic and winding like a soap opera, but also very straightforward. The characters are clean cut in who they are and what kinds of choices they'll make. Its lacking some of the cynical metagaming that writers seem prone to in more recent years, relying on the audience's familiarity with tropes and then having their characters reverse them to create twists. I've gotten kind of tired of that to be honest. Being able to see what's probably coming next and then that is what happens doesn't diminish from my enjoyment when the tropes are ones that hit a satisfying spot for me, like those reminiscent of Lone Wolf and Cub or Blackjack. The characters feel more human for not somehow knowing the story they're in and acting in ways to surprise or wink and nod at the audience.

It is falling on some old tropes i don't love (serial killers in fiction are rife with these), but there is enough love for a wide range of people inbetween to keep me engaged. I'm interested to see what Urasawa has to say about this conflict between "ultimate good" and "ultimate evil" in a world established as pleasantly muddled somewhere in the middle.

[project1939]

200 Films of 1952

Film number 159: Lure of the Wilderness

Release date: July 16th, 1952 

Studio: 20th Century Foz 

Genre: drama/adventure 

Director: Jean Negulesco 

Producer: Robert L. Jacks 

Actors: Jean Peters, Jeffrey Hunter, Constance Smith, Walter Brennan 

Plot summary: While looking for his lost dog in the remote swamps of Georgia, Ben comes across a father and daughter who have lived hidden away for almost a decade. Jim, the father, was accused of a murder he claims was self-defense, and he won’t go back to town until he can get a fair trial. Ben is recruited to help, despite the objections of Jim’s wild and untrusting daughter Laurie. 

My rating (out of 5 stars): ***¼  

Who knew the swamps down in Georgia were so soapy? Because this was essentially a soap opera/romance novel disguised as an adventure film! After only about 10 minutes, I was writing “so over the top!!” in my notes, and for the next 80 minutes it never relented. The acting was over the top, the music was over the top, the preposterous story was over the top... but I smiled the whole way through. It was good campy fun. (some minor spoilers) 

The Good: 

Walter Brennan. He’s a great character actor, and he put his skills to good use here, even if he did get a bit melodramatic at times. But literally everyone in the film did! 

Jeffrey Hunter. Damn he is something beautiful to look at, and he looked so much better without the army buzz cut he had in Red Skies of Montana. He was one of the worst offenders when it came to overemotional acting, but I found that entertaining for some reason. 

I liked Jean Peters more in this than other things I’ve seen her in. 

The story was pretty crazy, but it was always interesting and clearly told. 

It was so campy! I loved it. That was seriously my favorite part of the entire movie. 

The events were well plotted with an effective pace, which made it easy to get invested in. The minutes ticked by quickly. 

I liked Careless the good ol’ hunting dog. I’d run into a dangerous swamp to find him, too. 

No way! This movie also had a pet racoon named Henry?! The pet racoon in Red Skies of Montana was named Henry too! 

The Bad: 

The crazy preposterous story. Yes, it was both a good and a bad thing to me! 

The way one of the bad guys was dispensed with at the end. That was the fastest quicksand I’ve ever seen! It reminded me of the witch’s death in The Wizard of Oz! 

The scene where the bad guys held Ben underwater to torture him into talking. It was traumatic to watch, and all I could think about was waterboarding, which was nightmarish. The whole sequence made me so uncomfortable; I almost had to fast-forward it. 

The bad guys had no character traits besides “bad.” They were one-dimensional to say the least. I still actively hated them, though! 

The music was composed by Franz Waxman, a Hollywood legend known for exceptional work in films like Sunset Boulevard, Rebecca, Rear Window, A Place in the Sun... Here the music went off the rails with everything else- it was almost histrionic. Sometimes it sounded like a Stravinsky imitation, and then it would suddenly veer into schmaltz. Other times it just sounded like the music in a TV western.  

The acting was as affected and stagy as the story and the music. 

“Let's cram in any animal we can!” The swamp was basically a zoo- we saw snakes, panthers, alligators, owls, deer, otters, a bull... It started to feel unrealistic, and it reminded me of The Jungle. In that film the plot kept coming to a halt for animals to either be pointed out or to fight with each other. This wasn’t that bad, but it was reminiscent of it!  

Jean Peters had such an amazing makeup kit for someone living in a desolate isolated shack in the middle of a swamp! She miraculously managed to always have full eye makeup, lipstick, blush, foundation, and perfectly groomed eyebrows! Her Pa must have taught her, of course!

[cadybear420]

Cadybear's Reviews- The Nanny Affair

Welcome to the twenty-sixth official Cadybear's Reviews! Today I'll be talking about The Nanny Affair, which I have ranked on the "Stone Tier" at 4 stars out of a possible 10.

I have a very love-hate relationship with this trilogy. 

Why “love”? Well, I do kind of have a soft nostalgic spot for it, as Book 1 was the first Choices book I ever completed. And I was very intrigued by the story. Even though it was a cliched mess, it was kind of a fun cliched mess? It was fun to make fun of, that’s for sure. Like in the LEGO Batman movie when Batman watches tacky melodramatic romance movies to laugh at them. It’s like that for me. 

For the most part, I do think Book 1 is pretty average. Don’t get me wrong though, it did also have a lot of outrageous moments. Through most of the book, Sofia is pushed as an obvious straw loser villain, presented as the type of mother figure that the kids don’t like while MC is the one that they do like. She does eventually start to get along with the kids better, but it’s still so obvious what they were going for. They clearly wanted us to see Sofia as the enemy.

Like, it’s fine if she wants the kids to eat healthier, but of course the story has to have her throw out the “unhealthy” breakfast MC made for them into the trash. Y’know, to show how “meanie stinky pooface evil” she is and how “nice and kind and loving” the MC is in comparison. 

Sam is also probably one of the most heavily male-coded LIs I’ve ever seen. Mainly in that the whole motive for marrying Sofia off to Sam is so blatantly meant for male Sam. Paolo straight up says women are “unstable” in the workplace and that having Sofia become a wife and mother would “diffuse her ticking biological clock bomb”. 

It makes no sense with female Sam, no matter how much mental gymnastics you try to do. You believe women don’t belong in the workplace and “need to fulfill their roles as wives and mothers”, so in order to obtain that with your own daughter, you marry her off to… a literal female CEO? What?

Also, Sam saying that the kids have been “without a mother figure” after Addi seemingly died. Was it too hard to just say “without a second parent figure”???

But yeah. For the most part, Book 1 is functional. I still hate how contrived the whole arranged marriage aspect is (it’s very weird to imagine arranged marriages taking place in modern-day America), but other than that, it is pretty solid and coherent. It’s ultimately exactly what it was on the cover. And the ending with Sam and MC anticipating the upcoming news drama storm of their affair was fitting and even has a touch of self-awareness, and could work as a book AND series finale. 

But instead… we had to get two more books, because dollar-store YA smut sells. 

And Books 2 and 3 just drag everything on unnecessarily. Book 1 did kind of force me to take Sam and MC's feelings a bit seriously, but there was still enough of a lighthearted tone and a little bit of self-awareness at the end, that you could take it as a trashy soap opera story. And as poorly executed as it was, it being an affair did add some spice to it. Again, it was exactly what it was on the cover.

But the following books don't work at all. Sam fires MC from her nanny position in the very first chapter of Book 2 and they're pretty much an official relationship now, so right off the bat, it’s not a nanny affair anymore. It has them go on to eventually get married, and it tries so goddamn hard to push them as a loving couple when their relationship is completely empty and purely lust-based. 

Not to mention, Sam and MC are some of the biggest hypocrites in the world, condemning Sofia for her affair and disowning Robin for "betraying Sam" by having an affair with Sofia, even though Sam and MC did the exact same shit: having an affair, in an arranged marriage that was loveless on both parties’ halves.

And the following scandals in these next books are so contrived. Jordan is pushed as this super important character in Chapter 1 of Book 2, but just when it seems like we're able to have something kinda scandalous with them, MC immediately wants to go back with Sam, because potatoes, and Jordan turns out to be nothing more than a plot device working for Robin, because potatoes.

Book 3 is the worst of all because of how it treated Addison- given she was presumed dead for 5 years, had amnesia within that time, only just now remembered everything and has found her family again only to find her beloved spouse engaged to another woman, she should be the type of character we want to sympathize with. 

But even though the book does give us options to be nicer to her, it's so painfully obvious they want us to root against her with how over-the-top petty and scheming she is towards MC. 

Addison being a little overly pushy about wanting to reconnect with her family and holding some resentment towards MC is fine, but PB just went over-the-top in making her a jerk by having her deliberately sabotaging MC, accusing her of deliberately trying to steal her family, and more. Like Sofia, she's nothing more than a straw loser villain, made exaggeratedly bad for the sole purpose of making MC seem like the "better woman" for Sam. Even though we all know they're gonna end up together whichever way. Except it’s done even worse here than it was with Sofia. 

That being said though, I do think Sofia got some good character development in the second book, allowing her to move on from the affair stuff. And I think Book 3 is also notable for being the first book in Choices history to allow a female MC to penetrate a male LI’s bootyhole. Granted it was like one brief line of dialogue, but we’re getting there. And of course I did enjoy the twins and Carter; we can all agree they’re the best characters in the series. 

So overall… I have mixed feelings on this series. Hence why I’ve ranked each of the three books separately. Book 1 was a mixed bag but competent and enjoyable enough. Book 2 was just empty and meandering. And Book 3 was just petty and annoying. 

So I’d deem the series as a whole as a serviceable but empty and formulaic trilogy.

[daisyneptune]

Hello, it’s Sunny! Good news, my Secret Santa gave me a visit yesterday. I like the fact we’re all classic rock blogs or fans. It does help us find something talk about and bond over. Other fandoms should do it too. So I see you like anime. I do too but I’ve been watching less lately. What shows do you like? Do you like Studio Ghibli films? I’ve watched quite a few of them myself starting with either Spirited Away or Kiki’s Delivery Service. They are so stunning visually. The music in them is wonderful too. As for shows, I didn’t watching them until I watched the original Fruits Basket show with my brother and then eventually Naruto and Naruto Shippuden (which I still haven’t finished). I’d like to hunt for new shows to watch so recommendations would be nice. :)

There’s another 60s band that reminds me of The Zombies called The Left Banke. They’re a lot more obscure but very very good. The lead singer also reminds me of Colin Blunstone a bit. They had good hits like Walk Away Renee, Pretty Ballerina, and Desiree. Shadows Breaking Over My Head is really good too.

I’ve never listened to 60s music from other countries besides US and UK. I’m curious to know what music in Japan sounded like. By the way do you have any favorite anime openings/endings or anime music in general? I really like the classic Pokemon theme song myself.

By the way, the types of history I love the most is US history, European history, and Ancient history (esp Greece, Rome, Egypt), film history, women’s history,and black history. This semester I took classes about The Holocaust, Modern Europe, and California History. Very interesting and but also very sad at times. How do you like your classes? What exactly do you learn in emergency management? My dad’s an EMT/Ambulance driver. I’m guessing you probably learn how to work with people like him. Anyways, I got class. Talk to you later! Bye! ☀️

I do like anime and manga! Most of the things I like are older, though. I'm pretty bad about keeping up with new things in all forms of media ;; I do like Ghibli films! Kiki's Delivery Service is probably my favorite. Right now, it's about the time of year I start wanting to rewatch Dear Brother, which is a gorgeously animated soap-opera-levels-of-melodramatic show from the early 90s. (It's based on a manga from the 70s, which is when shoujo melodrama was at its peak, so that explains it.) I feel like a grandma having to watch her "stories" when I put that one on. I can't stop watching!

Look at it! Even little moments like this just look so nice. :3

Ooh, I love the Left Banke and baroque pop from the 60s in general! Walk Away Renee was one of my favorite songs I heard on the oldies station as a kid, and Pretty Ballerina sometimes makes me legitimately emotional (but a lot of things do tbh).

Music in Japan in the 60s was a lot of covers of US/UK artists, but a lot of the time, lyrics were translated into Japanese. If you have Spotify, a few compilation albums you can check out are Monster A-Go-Go, Slitherama, Big Lizard Stomp!, and Sixties Japanese Garage-Psych Sampler. The first three have some weird interludes of music from kaiju films that the person who put the compilations together threw in, but they're still really good. Also, you can find whole albums by The Mops and The Tempters on there.

There are also some compilations put out a while ago called Nippon Girls (vol. 1 / vol. 2) and G.S. I Love You, which I found on YouTube. As far as music from all over, a compilation I really like is Nuggets II: Original Artyfacts from the British Empire and Beyond. I found that one on CD on eBay so I listen to it in my car sometimes.

I was always interested in natural disasters and things like that when I was a kid (I was a nerd who would read the 'what to do in case of emergency' manual we had at home), so I thought emergency management would be an interesting thing to pursue. Basically, emergency managers are the ones who create response plans for disasters in their areas, coordinate the response when the disaster does occur, and keep everyone up-to-date with the latest information gathered from people on the front lines (like EMTs). I'm good with organizing information and things like that, so I thought it would be a good fit.

Now that I've gone on for way too long ... I hope you have a lovely Wednesday and the rest of your classes go well!