#a lot of spoilers for the first 45 episodes there so bear that in mind

[punkrock-furiosa]

I just got back from the dentist and once again possess the full command of my lip muscles. (Which is great. Drinking while being unable to feel your face is. Hard.) So with that settled, let’s get into Welcome to Night Vale!

(My thoughts under the cut because this got long.)

- First off, I thought it was written Nightvale, and labelled all my corresponding folders that way. I was so annoyed when I discovered that I’d listened to 40 episodes and didn’t even notice how it’s written.

- Hilariously, through the whole beginning of the show, I thought Carlos of all people was somehow the weird one and his perfection was some sort of magical glamour. Cecil narrates his arrival with such deep suspicion, and makes the “He was perfect,” sound so absolute. I genuinely expected his devastating beauty to lead into a “There’s something wrong with that man,” subplot but no. The guy’s just really pretty. And Cecil’s really gay.

- When I listened to Kevin’s side of the Sandstorm, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop and it kept not dropping. There must be something terribly wrong, surely? But no -- the constant mentions of productivity seemed iffy and the “why would you ever want to leave this town? It can’t possibly get better than this,” set off about 3 different alarm bells, but it let nowhere. Desert Bluffs genuinely seemed as strange as Night Vale but infinitely nicer. They were making sand angels! Hugging! Helping each other! My exact thoughts were “Sorry, Cecil, I love you guys, but given a choice, I’d live in the Bluffs, no question. They don’t solve all of their problems with attempted murder.”

And then, of course, the switch happened.

It was inevitable, right? But I honestly didn’t think so by the time it came. I’m pretty impressed the creators managed that. That’s no small feat.

- Cecil is either the best or the worst at covert resistance and I’m really not sure which. At first he was quite subtle, but later I was just surprised Strex didn’t kick his butt out sooner. As in, waaay sooner.

- Ah, Fey. I’m so sorry for her. Will she show up again? They wouldn’t devote an entire episode to her if that was the last we’d seen of her. Right? Right?

- The Man in the Tan Jacket seems... cool, actually? Discovering he’s probably pretty nice and benign was the exact opposite of how such things normally go. It was a nice surprise.

- Also what the frick are librarians? I probably don’t want to know, but I also do want to know.

- “Suck it, newbie omnipotent entity!” is one of my favourite quotes now. The whole bit was gold.

- The initial stage of Strex takeover was both intimidating and really funny.

“What are those new helicopters? Did they abduct our children?”

“We, scary black helicopters are here to say we did not abduct your children.”

“We, scary blue helicopters are here to say we also did not abduct your children.”

“We, scary bird helicopters are here to say we also did not abduct your children this time. Oh come on. Sheesh. It was just once. And we gave back almost all of them.”

- On the other hand, Old Woman Josie’s light going out as the yellow helicopters descended was genuinely terrifying. I am so glad she turned out to be alright eventually.

- Also, Tamika is insanely badass. But I was still incredibly worried about her. There’s an advertisement at the end of some episodes where Tamika’s voice actor (Symphony Sanders) says: “Listen [to a different podcast] to learn more about Cardi B and my exact wishes for the disposal of my body when I die!” and like... bold of you to assume Tamika Flynn can die.

[bettsfic]

betts your obiwan posting makes me want to watch it, as a prequel fan. i havent looked at star wars in ages and dont have disney+ is this worth pursuing??????

i was certain, CERTAIN, i would be immune to Obi-Wan Kenobi (dir. Deborah Chow, 2022). for 17 miserable years i've been adamant that should disney exhume hayden christensen's acting career for the sake of new darth vader content, i would not be among its audience.

i've been angry most of my life about the prequels--not just that i loved them while recognizing they didn't live up to their potential and that the success of the franchise was largely because a mediocre dude had the right idea at the right time 45 years ago. but also what i loved about the prequels went totally unseen by many fans and made me feel very alone and like i was just making things up (i've since found a lot of people who love the prequels in the same way i do).

what made me angriest though was the unfair and wildly offbase criticism of hayden's acting. i can agree the dialogue is weak. the direction is weak. but hayden christiensen chews the scenery and spits it out. he's phenomenal. so i just couldn't bear the thought of even more of that in the year of our porg 2022, after the hatred for the prequels had finally died down in the wake of rise of skywalker which i think many of us can agree sunk star wars to a new low. not to mention the disneyfication of the franchise which pushes out new shiny happy content nonstop so that star wars is no longer an eagerly anticipated event, just another show on tv, fighting for attention against all the other content out there.

i can't tell you what exactly changed my mind. it wasn't like i saw any positive reviews or a ton of gifsets or anything. in fact it might have been the total absence of hype that sparked my interest. four of six episodes had aired and my feeds were still mostly ofmd and tgcf. so i gave the first episode a shot.

as expected, i was not wholly impressed. the first episode is a lot of plot setup. a little boring. i didn't end up watching the second episode that night. but for days after i kept thinking--isn't this what i've always wanted from star wars? a well-crafted character study that takes its time? a thoughtful story about the aftermath of revenge of the sith, the more intricate economic and social consequences of the clone war and the rise of the empire? ewan mcgregor being a dilf???

i guess until now i didn't believe i'd ever see live action prequel-related star wars content made by someone with more respect for the source material than shock value or high tech explosions. and that was silly of me--i loved rogue one and solo. i wasn't super into the mandalorian but i watched it and recognized it was trying to do something new. those were all different to me though. i wasn't emotionally attached to the original trilogy and its adjacent stories the way i'm attached to the prequels.

[some spoilers after this but nothing you couldn't piece together from the fact hayden has been on the press tour]

i finally watched the second episode. darth vader was there. i thought, did they really bring hayden back just to be the dude in the suit? and they did. they did bring hayden back just to be the dude in the suit. and the bacta tank. and a heartbreaking mirage in the desert. i was expecting just random high-stakes plot content until the very end of the series when we'd finally get an ominous peek at vader. but no. he's like. a main character. obi-wan's love for him and his regret at the events of RotS is overt. his love for padme is there too. like Deborah Chow really said "padobikin is canon lol." it's emotionally devastating in a way i didn't think any new live action prequel content could be.

[spoilers for episode 5 here but i've also reblogged about a thousand gifsets of what i'm talking about so if you've seen those you've already been spoiled]

then in episode five we get a flashback. pre-AotC. and i don't know why this was the thing that really sealed the deal for me but it just meant a lot to me that they didn't fully de-age hayden back to 19. maybe they couldn't or maybe it was a Choice. they might have done a little polishing but but for the most part you look at him and know you're looking at a 41 year old man. it's a flashback, yeah, but i can't help but think "this is what he would have looked like."

and so there i was imprinting onto darth vader again the way i did when i was 15. but whereas back then i related to his eternal struggle to have agency in a society that only wanted to exploit his gifts while denying him any real personhood, now i relate to the abysmal feeling of regret, the long-term consequences of a million wrong choices. and i guess i'm just impressed that despite the disney backing, the show leans into the real tragedy of the whole thing and doesn't let up. it assumes that the thing we care about most isn't the fate of the galaxy but the fate of one man in it, and we already know how his story ends.

the finale airs tomorrow and i'm not nervous. it follows the canon so closely that you can easily deduce where the story is going, and even though many dudebros would have you believe predictability is bad, personally i find it exciting to see the cause and effect sequence of a story told over many generations totally out of chronological order.

and what's more, i've been watching interviews with ewan and hayden and getting the sense that they enjoyed filming the show, and that it wasn't filmed on green screen but on something called The Volume and that seemed to make a big difference. i think it was moses (reva) who said, "you get on set and you're in star wars."

on a personal note though, what i'm most excited about is that after nearly a year struggling with the motivation to write and a total lack of inspiration, somehow i managed to pound out 12k words in 3 days of a longform RotS fix-it fic i've been wanting to write for 17 years.

tl;dr Kenobi isn't a perfect show and it does fall prey to the overbloated nature of the undying big budget franchise disease, but it's thoughtfully made, entertaining for casual fans, and cathartic for diehard prequels fans.

ps i can't stop thinking about middle-aged wifeguy anakin skywalker and that will be my undoing.

[teenybeanielinguine]

Outlander S4 - A Reflection

With that explosive finale behind us and a long Droughtlander ahead, I’m taking a moment to look back on this season and reflect on the good, the bad, and the ugly.

(I’ve had some time to unpack and process, so be warned: this is a LONG review, with mild spoilers for The Fiery Cross.)

The Good:

I understand that this was a divisive season for many fans, but I personally loved it!  I could write a whole book about everything I loved, but for the sake of time, I’ll confine my praise to the best part of this season: the amazing cast of actors who bring my favorite characters to life.

Caitriona Balfe reprised her role as Claire Fraser with stunning success, and really sparkled when she shared the screen with her fellow cast members; her most powerful moments this season were definitely the mother/daughter conversations she had with Bree and Marsali.  Though she handles tragic scenes with ease, I hope she is given a chance to enact lighter, happier sequences in Season 5; Jamie and Claire need more laughter and teasing, less heart-felt speeches and drama.

As our leading man, Sam Heughan played Jamie to perfection; he managed to tell entire stories with his eyes alone.  Same as with Balfe, he captures tragedy easily, but I want him to stretch out a little and show off his acting chops.  There will always be drama in Claire and Jamie’s lives, but please sprinkle in some more fluffy moments, so we can see Heughan laugh!  Jamie’s roles as patriarch and leader are also going to be significantly expanded in the next season (the last few moments of the finale teased that a bit), and I can’t wait to see Heughan tackle that challenge.

I’ve been tentative about Sophie Skelton in the past; after all, Brianna is one of my favorite characters, despite her polarizing nature, and I was worried about her portrayal.  But Skelton nailed everything (the rape scene and its aftermath, in particular, were deeply chilling), and I have complete confidence that Bree is in safe hands.  In the finale, we saw Bree finally become a mother and reunite with her husband (not gonna lie, I’ve had that reunion on a loop ever since it aired); these two events are going to play major roles in her character growth (so excited for next season!).

Richard Rankin was a tour-de-force as Roger; I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the screen every time he appeared.  Any issues I had with his character were purely a result of writing and production choices, and despite those issues, Rankin still managed to make the character wonderfully, emotionally, lovably human (for further evidence, please refer to the idiot hut).  Roger’s journey is one of the most difficult transformations in the series, and next season will be challenging for Rankin; I’m particularly interested to see how he handles Roger’s growing relationship with Jamie.

All the leads were supported by a strong set of secondary characters, from Duncan Lacroix as the miraculously resurrected Murtagh to David Berry as the fabulous Lord John Grey.  John Bell was one of my absolute favorites, with his spot-on portrayal of Young Ian (that proposal! the emotional goodbye!! running the gauntlet!!!).  Ed Speelers played Stephen Bonnet in a way that brought back shivery memories of Black Jack.  Honestly, there was no weak link in this cast.  Special shoutout to Braeden Clarke (Kaheroton) and Tantoo Cardinal (Adawehi/Nayawenne in the books); hopefully we’ll be able to see even more powerful and complex First Nations characters in the coming season (to this effect, may I humbly suggest showing Young Ian’s time among the Mohawk?  Would love to see that first-hand rather than having the character describe it after the fact; also, you can never have too much John Bell).

This Season’s MVPs: Lauren Lyle and César Domboy.  Marsali and Fergus are never more than side characters in the books; you never hear the story from their POV.  Thankfully, the show saw a chance to expand their roles and took it.  And oh boy, did Domboy and Lyle deliver! Their nuanced performances just blew me away (”If Not For Hope” comes to mind).  I hope that we see even more of them going forward.

The Bad:

No adaptation is perfect (although if you have found one that is, please message me immediately).  It is especially difficult when the adaptation in question has to fit an 880-page book into a mere 13 hours; to put it into perspective, the audiobook version of Drums of Autumn is a whopping 45 hours long!  Though I like to nitpick and criticize, I am not so arrogant as to think that I could have done a better job, and I am very grateful to the writing and production teams who tackle this impossible task. I am also strangely content with most of the deviations they’ve made from the source material (Murtagh as a regulator is particularly genius, with really interesting implications for next season).

That being said, there is some room for improvement.  And one area that definitely needs some fine tuning is Claire and Jamie.  This year, some very vocal fans found issue with the fact that we didn’t see our main lovebirds enough, and there weren’t enough sex scenes, and why weren’t they in this episode?!  For me, none of those things were an issue, especially given that we saw Jamie and Claire way more than any other characters this season.  I don’t think we need more J/C time; I think we need better J/C time.

I wish the show would stop beating us over the head with Jamie and Claire’s epic love; we know their love is deep and everlasting, that’s why we keep coming back! (That, and the kilts.)  But we need to move on from soap-operatic speeches and tender love-making; those were more interesting in the early days of their marriage, when their love was a new, fragile thing.  Show me instead the easy comfort of a long-married couple: the teasing, the laughter, the bone-deep happiness.  Balfe and Heughan have such great chemistry when it comes to that kind of thing, but we’ve only gotten snippets of it this season!  Rather than another over-the-top, tear-jerking scene where Jamie and Claire reassure each other and reaffirm their love (again), give me Claire cuddling up to Jamie under a snowbank after his back gives out and telling him stories.  Or exchanging amused looks with him when Young Ian does/says something silly.  Or Jamie teasing Claire about that time she hit him in the head with a fish while he was trying to fight off a bear (true story).  Or Claire teasing Jamie with her new breeches (I’m not going to say no to sex scenes entirely).  Get rid of the excessive drama (this couple already has more drama than they know what to do with); bring on the fluff!

Speaking of moving on, the show needs to let Frank Randall go.  By this point in the series, he’s been dead for a few years, and quite frankly, good riddance (pardon the pun).  His character was cast in a sympathetic light for narrative purposes; the producers wanted to make him the antithesis of his ancestor, Black Jack Randall, so they carefully omitted the fact that he was at times a racist ass with a string of mistresses (my apologies to any Frank fans; as you can see, he’s not one of my favorite characters).  The problem is that they took it too far, painting Frank as a martyr and putting first Claire, then Jamie, at a big disadvantage.  Despite this mistake, I’m fine with using Frank to flesh out Brianna’s character (his only redeeming quality is his aptitude for fatherhood), but that should have happened very early on in the season, before Bree makes the journey through the stones.  That journey is a pivotal point for Bree; she is driven not only by a need to save her mother, but also by a deep curiosity and longing for this birth father that she’s never met.  In the book, she even goes so far as to abandon the name “Randall” and adopt “Fraser” for the journey.  But that sentiment was lost entirely by the decision to have Frank accompany her on the voyage, narratively speaking.  We no longer get the feeling that she’s eager to meet/bond with Jamie; even worse, the writers had her casually dropping Frank’s name into every conversation!  No matter how great Tobias Menzies is, we have neither the time nor the will to keep devoting so much energy to a deceased character (who isn’t that critical to the future story, btw).  Heading into Season 5, we need to make our final, belated goodbyes to Frank Randall.

One 20th century man we should have seen more of instead was Roger Mackenzie.  As we dove into Season 4, I was so excited to see his developing relationship with Brianna; remember when they were super cute together, a million years ago in Season 3?  But too much focus on exposition meant that we didn’t see them until three episodes in, and instead of the slow burn I had anticipated, we got a lot of unnecessary drama.  Why on Earth is Roger a misogynist all of a sudden?  What happened to the sweet proposal where they both decide they’re not yet ready for marriage?  The lack of screen time meant that Bree and Roger’s entire relationship development was crammed into one episode; coupled with poor writing choices, the result was a shaky romance that was hard to root for.  I was lucky enough to have the books as a safety net; I know exactly how deeply they love and respect each other, despite the mayhem onscreen.  But the fans who hadn’t read the series (and even some who had) didn’t understand why these two were an endgame couple, and I don’t blame them.  That last reunion scene helped cement their relationship a little, but not enough; unfortunately, Season 5 is going to have to waste some of its precious time rectifying this misstep.

Which brings me to my last point: the pacing.  With so many new characters and so little time, it is more important than ever that the show learn to juggle all the storylines more smoothly.  The pacing of this season was so uneven, it gave me whiplash.  Gone are the days when Claire and Jamie were the only focus; from now on, their ever-growing family is going to continue complicating matters.  Outlander needs to evolve to meet this need if it wants to keep up. (Also, could we revert back to a 16-episode format, like in Season 1?  Please and thank you.)

The Ugly:

I will readily admit that I am new to this fandom.  I got hooked on the show during summer 2018 and devoured the books shortly thereafter.  When I joined Tumblr in the fall, it was because I wanted to celebrate this story with likeminded people and geek out over the upcoming season.

The actual experience was a bit more jarring (suffice it to say, I didn’t know hate-watching was a real thing that people did).  I don’t want to chastise or implore certain fans to adopt a more positive outlook; I’ve seen a lot of posts about that already, and I’m not inclined to add to them.  Instead, I’d like to share some of the guidelines I impose on myself when I contribute to any fandom (I’m not saying these will or should work for everyone, but they have worked for me):

Love, not hate.  To me, a fandom is a community that comes together out of love.  Knowing this, I try my best not to express any feelings of hate within that community; I don’t think it’s an appropriate place to share those feelings, and I don’t want to diminish the fandom experience for anyone else.  If I find that I no longer love or even like the show/book/movie that the fandom is centered on, I disengage from the community entirely, because I no longer consider myself a fan.  And that’s perfectly fine; there is no rule that says that once you’re in a fandom, you’re in it for life.

If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.  Despite the fact that I love the subject matter, it is not an absolute, unconditional sort of love.  I often find myself disliking certain aspects or getting frustrated by opposing views (this is doubly true when it comes to adaptations).  I let myself express these dislikes and frustrations only if I can see the silver lining; in other words, I allow myself to say a few negative things about a character/scene only if I can supplement them with a good dose of positivity as well.  Too much uninterrupted negativity borders on hate.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T.  I’m a very anxious person with self-confidence issues, so I have a hard time expressing my opinion online, even anonymously.  That’s why I’m never going to tear anyone else down for doing so.  I may disagree with you, or dislike the way you expressed yourself, but I’m going to be respectful even if it kills me, because that’s how I would want other people to interact with me.  Even with the Internet as a buffer, I think it’s important to remember that we are all human, and all equally capable of hurting others and being hurt ourselves.

Again, these guidelines work for me, but it’s completely subjective.  And even though my experience in the OL fandom hasn’t been a bed of roses so far, I’ve still met some amazing people with incredible things to say.  My favorite fandom moments of the season? @futurelounging‘s beautiful thoughts on episode 12 and @breefraser‘s hilarious criticism of Roger’s sartorial choices.

I’d love to hear from other fans!  What worked for you this season?  What would you have changed?  Favorite fandom moments?  If you choose to reply, please be kind and respectful.

[sinfulavenue]

Episode 45, Outside the Walls of the Orvud District, Review

(Manga spoilers)

So before episode 46 airs later today, I thought I’d quickly review last week’s episode. When I first watched it I felt really quite bitter about the removal of one of my favourite moments and I was ready to write a really salty review. However after watching it a second time I realised there was so much I loved about the episode so I toned the saltiness down.

However there will still be a fair bit of ranting in the middle of this review so bear with me 😂 I’ve been very patient with this season, letting the story play out before jumping to any harsh conclusions but we’re getting near the end of the Uprising arc now so I think it’s fair to raise a few criticisms.

This review should be pretty simple to structure as I can easily split this episode into three sections.

1. The beginning part that was excellent!

2. The middle part that disappointed me.

3. And the ending which I have mixed feelings about.

So I guess I’ll do this in chronological order and start with the beginning part that was excellent.

Eren finally gets hard!

I refuse to apologise for that subtitle.😂

So this is the part of the episode that I did love. Like last week I was amazed by the superb animation and Yuki Kaji’s emotional performance as Eren. What also made me emotional is the joy of Historia’s growth. She has gone from being the ‘good girl’ who wished she’d never been born, to a girl who is in charge of her own destiny and stands up for others.

Also what a great moment it was when Mikasa swooped in and caught Historia before she got hurt and thank God she went straight for Historia and didnt run in yelling Erenereneren! (based on how Wit portrayed her at the end of the kidnap scene that really wouldn’t have been surprising!)

So yaay! Finally some God damn self control! Mikasa stayed with Historia, trusting that Levi, Jean and Connie would get Eren out and they did. Oh my God I laughed hard at Jean calling Eren a ‘topless wimp.’ 🤣 Although I still think I prefer the manga’s version ‘shirtless wonder.’

What followed was very powerful. The cave is crumbling and death looks certain unless Eren does something but he and breaks down again under the pressure, believing himself worthless.

I think my favourite part of this whole episode was the throwback to another difficult decision he had to make.

Back in season 1 I remember what a crucial moment this was when Eren learned to trust. Even Levi looked shocked by his decision not to transform, showing how much of a turning point this was for Eren’s character.

Back then, Levi was the only one who empathised with Eren’s moral dilemma and this time around it was no different. While the others were getting a impatient with his hysterics in the cave, Levi acknowledged the impossible situation he was faced with and urged him to make a choice.

And he made the right one! I loved the animation of Eren crystalising. What a mesmerising scene, I’m glad they animated the full process.

I also thought this part looked cool.

After Eren’s friends broke him free I’m sure the praise from Levi, someone he looks up to, meant a lot to him.

Hmm but what exactly does Levi find ‘pretty impressive’ here? 😏the crystalised titan or Eren’s abs?

Also Sasha laying on the ground and thanking Eren was hilarious and this little Eremin moment was beyond adorable! ❤️

All in all the first half of the episode was excellent, definitely of the same high quality of last week’s episode.

The rest of the episode however I have a few small issues with ...

The Journey to the Orvud District

Brace yourselves! This is the salty part! For weeks I’ve been balanced and fair in my reviews so I think I’m entitled to a bit of a rant!

So in case you hadn’t noticed this season (haha) a lot of the manga material has been cut. Many times I have been disappointed when I realised a certain scene hadn’t made it into the anime but I tried not to dwell on it and let it spoil my enjoyment of this season. However (and maybe I’m being biased because this was a personal favourite moment of mine) this time there was just one deleted scene too many and I need to vent!

If you haven’t figured out by now which scene I’m talking about it’s this one.

Yes it’s the part where Eren yells at Rod Reiss, calling him a midget only to remember that Levi, (a man who stands at just five foot three) is right behind him and damn you can feel the burn from that side eye! 😂

Now I know what some of you might be thinking. Oh my God, get over it, who cares? It’s not like it’s important to the plot or anything!

And ok, yes you are right. No, it is not essential to the plot but you know something it was funny, it was cute and it humanises the characters i.e. Eren doesn’t always think before he opens his big mouth and Levi, while he’s never said anything about it, might actually be self conscious about his height.

What made the loss of this moment even sorer was the fact that another cute moment was cut immediately after. I’m talking about the moment where Hanji, despite being injured, leaps up like a complete goof and yells “Heya Erwin.”

Once again, not essential to the plot but it showed us how well the veterans know one another. Erwin immediately recognised that Hanji wasn’t badly hurt as she was acting like her usual crazy self! So many subtle character details can be picked up from such fleeting interactions ... but I guess Wit just don’t care. All they care about is concluding the Uprising arc in as few episodes as possible!!! 😤😤😤

Honestly it feels like all the heart and soul was sucked out of this scene. I have to ask, was this one of the changes Isayma insisted on? Did he want this scene to be so dry and devoid of character? I get that Snk is not a comedy but it doesn’t always have to be doom and gloom. Sometimes I like to see the characters slip up and do stupid idiotic things that make me laugh. It makes them more human and relatable.

This made me realise something about season 3 as a whole. Sometimes I feel like this season is doing the bare minimum. All boxes are being ticked, all the essential plot points are being covered ... but nothing more. The result = emotional detachment!

So I’m sorry Wit but I’m very disappointed in you for taking these small but meaningful moments away from us.

Rant over!

Thank you for coming to my TED talk!

As for the Rod Reiss CGI chicken/worm titan, I personally don’t see anything wrong with it. It looked weird and gross in the manga and it also looks weird and gross in the anime 😂.

“Become the Queen”

Now here is the part I have mixed feelings about.

On one hand I am glad we got this scene at last because at least now we know we’ll get to see Historia punch Levi at the end.

But on the other hand the scene was quite awkwardly shoehorned back into the plot with half the impact it originally had.

Now see here’s the thing. I’m glad that in this version they didn’t have Levi attack Historia as it wouldn’t make sense this late in the plot and it would just undo all the character development she’s just had, but on the other hand the ending of the Uprising arc won’t be half as satisfying because Levi hasn’t done anything to deserve a punch.

In this version it feels like just a childish dare played on for laughs, without the enjoyment of seeing Levi getting a taste of his own medicine.

Although I have to say (other people might disagree) but I actually like that it was Mikasa who suggested the idea. It never ever crossed my mind that it would be her yet somehow it makes perfect sense! Payback for kicking the shit out of Eren in court maybe? 😏 Nah, I’m joking, I know Mikasa has moved on from that and she just suggested punching him to relieve the tension. Since joining his squad it’s clear Mikasa has come to respect Levi but at the same time she knows he’s far from perfect so I reckon she’d secretly quite like to see him on the receiving end of a punch. That’s just my take on it. I’m perfectly happy with the punch being Mikasa’s idea.

Despite the “become the queen” scene being pretty underwhelming compared to the manga, hopefully we’ll still get to see Levi’s beautiful smile.

Additional Thoughts

So I was wrong about potential flashbacks to the rest of Eren’s titan experiments at the cabin. I guess they are well and truly gone and I will say that without them, Eren finally gaining the hardening ability wasn’t as satisfying.

I realise that every week my opinion of the season seems to change. I’ve gone from praising it last week to complaining about it this week but I’m just being honest about how I feel in the moment. I just judge each episode as it airs and sometimes all it takes is one episode to make me completely revaluate my opinion of the whole season. It really is that unpredictable.

Ok so I was a little salty this week but hopefully today’s episode is one of those episodes that is so amazing that I forget how bitter I was feeling the previous week 🙂.

[the-desolated-quill]

Vincent And The Doctor - Doctor Who blog (People Like This Episode?)

(SPOILER WARNING: The following is an in-depth critical analysis. If you haven’t seen this episode yet, you may want to before reading this review)

Oh I hate talking about these kinds of stories! The ones that receive critical acclaim and are adored by fans because of how deep and meaningful they supposedly are, and then I have to come along and explain why those episodes are nothing but pretentious, patronising bollocks.

Okay. Two disclaimers. I’m not very fond of Doctor Who’s celebrity historical episodes because they’re usually just an excuse for the writers to wank themselves silly to a famous historical person as opposed to telling a compelling story (see The Unicorn And The Wasp and Victory of The Daleks), and I’m not a big fan of Richard Curtis. I do like Blackadder for the most part, but his other stuff I just don’t care for. (I don’t even like The Vicar of Dibley very much, which is positively sacrilegious I know). If you’re into either, fair enough. They’re just not to my taste. But the thing to bear in mind is my hatred for Vincent And The Doctor goes beyond personal taste issues. Not only do I think this episode is monumentally crap, I also found it to be extremely insulting, and I’ll explain why in a bit.

In the previous episode Rory was erased from existence, which means Amy can no longer remember him, although she still feels occasionally sad without knowing why. To cheer Amy up, the Doctor takes her to an art gallery to look at Vincent Van Gogh’s painting. This surprised me ever so slightly. I honestly didn’t think Amy would be the type to be into all this artsy fartsy stuff, but that’s only because we’re 10 episodes in and I still don’t actually know anything about her. Think about it. What have we actually learned about her? How has she grown since the first episode? First person to come up with a satisfactory answer wins a fiver. 

It’s almost as if she’s suddenly obsessed with Vincent Van Gogh not because that’s part of her character but because the plot requires her to be. Also, since Rory was erased by the light shining out of Moffat’s crack (teehee), Amy seems to have been reduced to a wide-eyed, innocent little bunny rabbit in this episode. I can’t help but feel sorry for Karen Gillan. She’s a good actor, but Moffat rarely gives her any good material to work with.

Anyway the Doctor spots some weird creature in one of the paintings and decides to travel back to 1890 to meet Vincent Van Gogh, played by Tony Curran who admittedly does a marvellous job with the material he’s been given, although the less said about his awful pantomime-esque performance when he’s required to fight the invisible monster, the better. Here’s the problem with celebrity historicals, and I mentioned this in my review of The Unicorn And The Wasp. Usually these episodes are only entertaining to those who are interested in the historical celebrity. To everyone else, it’s just monumentally dull. I’ve never been that interested in Agatha Christie, so having to listen to the Doctor constantly talk about what a great writer she is made me feel a little bit nauseous. I’ve seen Van Gogh’s paintings. They’re okay. I’m not that much of an art lover, so I can’t really comment further, but to listen to the Doctor and Amy talking, you’d think Van Gogh was the reincarnation of Christ. It all feels utterly self indulgent. Like with Agatha Christie and Winston Churchill in their respective episodes, there’s no effort to actually explore what his life was like or anything. Instead we’re given this romanticised version of him that Richard Curtis can spend 45 minutes pouring his admiration over. It’s fine if you like Van Gogh, but spare a thought for the uncultured swines like myself who have to suffer through this too.

‘Oh look! There’s all his famous paintings! And they’re still wet! Oh no! Don’t put the coffee pot down on them! You’ll leave a stain! How can you not see how utterly perfect and amazing you are Van Gogh?! OMG! Look at his bedroom! Just like the painting! (Even though the bedroom wasn’t actually in that town. Also have you noticed that they built the bedroom to look exactly like the painting to the point where the proportions look really weird when the Doctor walks around in it?). Oh did you hear that? He doesn’t like sunflowers! How hilarious! And he fancies Amy! How sweet! Go PondGogh!’ And so on for another 40 excruciating minutes.

For the record, I don’t buy Van Gogh and Amy’s feelings for each other even for a second considering that they’ve only known each other for a day. Plus the whole thing feels less romantic when you remember that Van Gogh most probably had syphilis at the time.

But wait. This is Doctor Who, isn’t it? Better shove a monster in for no reason. What do we have this week? The Krafayis. An invisible monster that only Van Gogh can see and resembles a giant, mutant CGI turkey. Not exactly one of Doctor Who’s best monsters, now is it? So how’s the Doctor planning to see it? With some tech of course. But not something sensible like a pair of goggles or something. No. Instead he uses this awkward looking harness thing with a rear view mirror attached so that the only chance you can see the Krafayis is if it’s standing right behind you. What a stupid idea!

But as I said, this is all a taste issue. If you like it, good for you. I’m glad someone does. Where I absolutely draw the line however is when Richard Curtis starts giving us his patronising views on the blind and the mentally ill.

Yes the big twist is that the Krafayis is blind, and in one fell swoop it goes from being a savage creature of hate to being a cuddly little bundle of joy in its condescending death scene. They also perpetuate the age old myth that blind people have excellent hearing (which is not true by the way. it’s a lie created by the sighted to make themselves feel better). Oh and the reason why only Van Gogh can see him? Because he’s mentally ill and therefore can see things other people can’t. 

How anyone can find this episode to be anything other than insufferable I don’t know.

There’s been a lot of debate as to what kind of mental illness Van Gogh may have had, but Curtis decides to go for bipolar with a touch of synesthesia. This is very dark and sensitive territory for Doctor Who, but with careful handling it could potentially be emotionally rewarding, spreading awareness to important issues surrounding mental health. This is not the case here. Curtis’ portrayal of mentally ill people consists of nothing but patronising and insulting cliches. He’s bipolar, which means he’s fine now even though he was sad a few minutes ago. Being mentally ill makes you a genius. Being manic makes you a loveable eccentric. Having mental health problems allows you to see the wonders of the world in a way ‘normal’ people can only dream of.

For those of you who don’t know, I suffer from manic depression. Do you see now why I might have a bit of a problem with this? Yes there’s a correlation between those with mental health problems and those who enter creative fields like art and writing, often because art and writing are an excellent way to express ourselves and to make sense of the world around us. I myself am a writer and have had a lot of time to refine my craft. Spending nearly three years stuck at home whilst recovering from alcohol addiction gives you a lot of free time to do such things. But I absolutely resent the idea that artists, writers and other creative people are good at what they do because of their mental illnesses, as though it’s some special gift bestowed upon us by the Art Gods. People who think that are either ignorant, pretentious or stupid, and I would be more than happy to give those pricks my mental illness so they can see what it’s fucking like to be me. I can assure you it isn’t pleasant.

But wait! It gets worse!

It’s tragic that Van Gogh never knew just how successful he would become, right? if only we could tell him or show him how famous and well regarded he would be. That in my opinion is all the more reason not to do it here, but Curtis just can’t help himself at this point. The Doctor and Amy take Van Gogh to the art gallery in the future, they all stand on this turntable thing as Van Gogh cries while Bill Nighy talks about how not only is Van Gogh the greatest artist who ever lived, but is also the greatest, most awesomest person ever born in the entire universe, all while some awful pop ballad plays in the background to drown us in slush.

Good God, this is fucking awful! Who the hell thought this would be a good idea?! Talk about over-egging the pudding.

And then, big shock, Van Gogh kills himself. Amy is surprised because she thought showing him the future might inspire him to keep working. Me? I’m not in the least bit surprised. He gets taken into a blue box that’s bigger on the inside than the outside and travels to the future where he sees all the success and fame he will never get to experience in his lifetime. That’s more likely to cause his suicide than prevent it, if you think about it. And I HATE the Doctor’s speech about how life is split into good things and bad things. What is he, a fucking primary school teacher now? Depression is a little bit more complicated than that. But then again this is written by the same fucking moron who believes being mentally ill makes you a badass painter, so I guess I shouldn’t be too shocked.

Richard Curtis clearly thinks he’s written a sensitive and sympathetic tribute to a renowned artist who tragically took his own life due to mental health problems. I think Curtis royally fucked up with a paper-thin story that’s both patronising and insulting. And remember I have mental health problems, so according to Richard Curtis, I’m a genius. So basically if you disagree with me... you’re wrong :)

[thegloober]

10 Shows to Watch This Fall

by Brian Tallerico

September 24, 2018   |  

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For almost two decades now, I’ve used this time of year to pick out the best of the new offerings from the broadcast networks, adhering to the tradition of the standard “Fall Preview” that one would find in magazines like Entertainment Weekly and TV Guide. Part of it was being old-fashioned, but another part was that the broadcasts still adhere to a September/October launch schedule for a great deal of their returning and new programming, making a look at their entire slates easier than a company like FX or AMC, who sprinkle debuts throughout the year. Well, we all know that the broadcast nets don’t mean what they used to—the fact that no regular primetime show on them won an Emmy last week may be the final nail in this particular coffin—and the 2018-19 new shows just aren’t worth writing about at length. Trust me. So we’re mixing it up this year. With so much to watch across all the cable and streaming services, what should you pay attention to? What do you want to pick out from the crowd?

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10. Something on Network TV?

Odds are there will be at least one hit in the crop from CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, and The CW. Last year it was “The Good Doctor”; the year before it was “This is Us.” People will probably watch “Magnum P.I.” but not feel good about it. On CBS, “FBI” has the chance to breakout as it’s very much in the model of the “NCIS” procedural that has done so well for the network. The CBS sitcoms (“The Neighborhood,” “Happy Together”) are atrocious, but so are the FOX ones (“The Cool Kids,” “REL”). For a sitcom hit you might like, ABC offers “The Kids Are Alright” and “Single Parents” both ensemble comedies in the ABC Family Sitcom mold—and I don’t mean that as an insult as shows like “The Goldbergs,” “The Middle,” and “Black-ish” have found fresh material within it. Having only seen one episode of each, they’re impossible to judge as a whole but are two of the few shows on the nets I want to watch again. NBC’s “I Feel Bad” is halfway decent, but again, too soon to tell. “Manifest” is not the “LOST” clone you’re hoping for and “New Amsterdam” is smug nonsense. Speaking of smug, “A Million Little Things” really wants to be your new “This is Us” and the cast is strong enough to possibly make it so, but this is a daytime soap masquerading as something more profound. So, to recap, maybe ABC’s “Single Parents” & “The Kids Are Alright” and CBS’s “FBI.” That’s all I got.

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9. Big Mouth (Netflix, 10/5)

Netflix has suddenly become an adult animation powerhouse with hits like “Bojack Horseman” and “Disenchantment,” but my favorite is this Nick Kroll and John Mulaney odyssey into teen hormones. The first season was ridiculously raunchy and hysterical, featuring a fantastic voice cast that includes Kroll, Mulaney, Jenny Slate, Fred Armisen, Jason Mantzoukas, and a show-stealing Maya Rudolph. It’s incredibly for adults only but also truthful about adolescence in ways that most shows aren’t.

[embedded content]

8. Into the Dark (Hulu, 10/5)

Shows like “Black Mirror” and “Sherlock” have stretched the definition of a limited series, actually winning the “TV Movie” Emmys in recent years, but this feels like what could more honestly be called a series of films for television than anything else. Jason Blum produces a series of horror flicks for Hulu, premiering one a month, and each offering is a horror tale inspired by the holiday of the month in which it premieres. So the October premiere, “The Body,” has a Halloween feel; November’s “Flesh & Blood” will be set at Thanksgiving. Could be fascinating. Could be just a bad straight-to-video horror a month under a neat banner. We’ll see.

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[embedded content]

7. The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (Netflix, 10/26)

Kiernan Shipka seems born to play the title role in this adaptation of the hit comic series of the same name, a dark reimagining of “Sabrina the Teenage Witch.” I may have been more skeptical before “Riverdale,” which shares a creator with this series and remains one of the most consistently interesting shows on network TV. (Yes, I’m serious. It’s much better than you think it is.) There are also rumors that this is going to be honestly dark—not just CW Dark—as the series was reportedly inspired by ‘70s horror, including “The Exorcist” and “Rosemary’s Baby.” Sign us up.

[embedded content]

6. Forever (Amazon Prime, on now)

There aren’t enough people talking about this excellent streaming dramedy, probably because Amazon made it so hard for critics to do so before it airs. I’ll avoid complete spoilers, but the cuffs are off a little bit now that it’s on the air, and I think it would actually draw people to know that this is more “The Good Place” than a standard relationship drama. It’s smart, funny, and insightful about modern marriage. And it contains Maya Rudolph’s career-best work to date. Our Allison Shoemaker has already reviewed this excellent show.

[embedded content]

5. Camping (HBO, 10/14)

We can all forgive Jennifer Garner for that “Peppermint” nonsense if this new HBO comedy ends up being half as good as it could be. Surprisingly low on buzz given it premieres in a couple weeks, this Garner vehicle was created by Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner and co-stars David Tennant, Janicza Bravo, Brett Gelman, Juliette Lewis, and Ione Skye. Garner plays a perfectionist who takes her husband, played by Tennant, on a camping trip for his 45th birthday. Chaos ensues. Plus, bears.

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[embedded content]

4. Homecoming (Amazon Prime, 11/2)

This thriller from the creator of “Mr. Robot” got a lot of buzz after premiering a few episodes at TIFF this year and it’s easy to see why. Look at that cast—Julia Roberts, Stephan James, Bobby Cannavale, Shea Wigham, Alex Karpovsky, Dermot Mulroney, Hong Chau, Jeremy Allen White, Sydney Poitier, and Sissy Spacek star in a show about “a caseworker at a secret government facility, and a soldier eager to rejoin civilian life.” Amazon took another step this year with its first series Emmy win for “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” Could this be its second?

[embedded content]

3. The Romanoffs (Amazon Prime, 10/12)

Matthew Weiner’s first show since “Mad Men” sounds like a fascinating experiment, billed as an anthology series that will follow multiple characters who may have a shared ancestry in the Russian royal family. Of course, everyone wanted to work with Weiner, which means another ludicrously stacked TV cast. This one includes Aaron Eckhart, Corey Stoll, Noah Wyle, Christina Hendricks, Isabelle Huppert, Jack Huston, Amanda Peet, John Slattery, Diane Lane, Ron Livingston, Radha Mitchell, Griffin Dunne, and Kathryn Hahn.

[embedded content]

2. The Haunting of Hill House (Netflix, 10/12)

Mike Flanagan has become one of the hottest young horror directors with films like “Hush” and “Gerald’s Game,” and he’s going back to a holy text in Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House, already adapted twice as feature films called simply “The Haunting” (the first one rules, the second one not so much). With the room to expand on his style and storytelling skill in a series, this could easily be one of the best shows of the Fall.

[embedded content]

1. Maniac (Netflix, on now)

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I’ve already made it clear how strongly I feel about Cary Joji Fukunaga’s daring mind f**k of a TV series, and it’s been fascinating to see how people are responding to it now that it’s available. As I suspected, there are people who think it’s just about the best thing on television, and just as many who think it’s just about the worst. And I love it. The most memorable shows are often the ones that create the most conversation and people are talking about “Maniac.” And I suspect they will be all season long.

[embedded content]

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Source: https://bloghyped.com/10-shows-to-watch-this-fall/

[mrmichaelchadler]

10 Shows to Watch This Fall

For almost two decades now, I’ve used this time of year to pick out the best of the new offerings from the broadcast networks, adhering to the tradition of the standard “Fall Preview” that one would find in magazines like Entertainment Weekly and TV Guide. Part of it was being old-fashioned, but another part was that the broadcasts still adhere to a September/October launch schedule for a great deal of their returning and new programming, making a look at their entire slates easier than a company like FX or AMC, who sprinkle debuts throughout the year. Well, we all know that the broadcast nets don’t mean what they used to—the fact that no regular primetime show on them won an Emmy last week may be the final nail in this particular coffin—and the 2018-19 new shows just aren’t worth writing about at length. Trust me. So we’re mixing it up this year. With so much to watch across all the cable and streaming services, what should you pay attention to? What do you want to pick out from the crowd?

10. Something on Network TV?

Odds are there will be at least one hit in the crop from CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, and The CW. Last year it was “The Good Doctor”; the year before it was “This is Us.” People will probably watch “Magnum P.I.” but not feel good about it. On CBS, “FBI” has the chance to breakout as it’s very much in the model of the “NCIS” procedural that has done so well for the network. The CBS sitcoms (“The Neighborhood,” “Happy Together”) are atrocious, but so are the FOX ones (“The Cool Kids,” “REL”). For a sitcom hit you might like, ABC offers “The Kids Are Alright” and “Single Parents” both ensemble comedies in the ABC Family Sitcom mold—and I don’t mean that as an insult as shows like “The Goldbergs,” “The Middle,” and “Black-ish” have found fresh material within it. Having only seen one episode of each, they’re impossible to judge as a whole but are two of the few shows on the nets I want to watch again. NBC’s “I Feel Bad” is halfway decent, but again, too soon to tell. “Manifest” is not the “LOST” clone you’re hoping for and “New Amsterdam” is smug nonsense. Speaking of smug, “A Million Little Things” really wants to be your new “This is Us” and the cast is strong enough to possibly make it so, but this is a daytime soap masquerading as something more profound. So, to recap, maybe ABC’s “Single Parents” & “The Kids Are Alright” and CBS’s “FBI.” That’s all I got.

9. Big Mouth (Netflix, 10/5)

Netflix has suddenly become an adult animation powerhouse with hits like “Bojack Horseman” and “Disenchantment,” but my favorite is this Nick Kroll and John Mulaney odyssey into teen hormones. The first season was ridiculously raunchy and hysterical, featuring a fantastic voice cast that includes Kroll, Mulaney, Jenny Slate, Fred Armisen, Jason Mantzoukas, and a show-stealing Maya Rudolph. It’s incredibly for adults only but also truthful about adolescence in ways that most shows aren’t.

8. Into the Dark (Hulu, 10/5)

Shows like “Black Mirror” and “Sherlock” have stretched the definition of a limited series, actually winning the “TV Movie” Emmys in recent years, but this feels like what could more honestly be called a series of films for television than anything else. Jason Blum produces a series of horror flicks for Hulu, premiering one a month, and each offering is a horror tale inspired by the holiday of the month in which it premieres. So the October premiere, “The Body,” has a Halloween feel; November’s “Flesh & Blood” will be set at Thanksgiving. Could be fascinating. Could be just a bad straight-to-video horror a month under a neat banner. We’ll see.

7. The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (Netflix, 10/26)

Kiernan Shipka seems born to play the title role in this adaptation of the hit comic series of the same name, a dark reimagining of “Sabrina the Teenage Witch.” I may have been more skeptical before “Riverdale,” which shares a creator with this series and remains one of the most consistently interesting shows on network TV. (Yes, I’m serious. It’s much better than you think it is.) There are also rumors that this is going to be honestly dark—not just CW Dark—as the series was reportedly inspired by ‘70s horror, including “The Exorcist” and “Rosemary’s Baby.” Sign us up.

6. Forever (Amazon Prime, on now)

There aren’t enough people talking about this excellent streaming dramedy, probably because Amazon made it so hard for critics to do so before it airs. I’ll avoid complete spoilers, but the cuffs are off a little bit now that it’s on the air, and I think it would actually draw people to know that this is more “The Good Place” than a standard relationship drama. It’s smart, funny, and insightful about modern marriage. And it contains Maya Rudolph’s career-best work to date. Our Allison Shoemaker has already reviewed this excellent show.

5. Camping (HBO, 10/14)

We can all forgive Jennifer Garner for that “Peppermint” nonsense if this new HBO comedy ends up being half as good as it could be. Surprisingly low on buzz given it premieres in a couple weeks, this Garner vehicle was created by Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner and co-stars David Tennant, Janicza Bravo, Brett Gelman, Juliette Lewis, and Ione Skye. Garner plays a perfectionist who takes her husband, played by Tennant, on a camping trip for his 45th birthday. Chaos ensues. Plus, bears.

4. Homecoming (Amazon Prime, 11/2)

This thriller from the creator of “Mr. Robot” got a lot of buzz after premiering a few episodes at TIFF this year and it’s easy to see why. Look at that cast—Julia Roberts, Stephan James, Bobby Cannavale, Shea Wigham, Alex Karpovsky, Dermot Mulroney, Hong Chau, Jeremy Allen White, Sydney Poitier, and Sissy Spacek star in a show about “a caseworker at a secret government facility, and a soldier eager to rejoin civilian life.” Amazon took another step this year with its first series Emmy win for “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” Could this be its second?

3. The Romanoffs (Amazon Prime, 10/12)

Matthew Weiner’s first show since “Mad Men” sounds like a fascinating experiment, billed as an anthology series that will follow multiple characters who may have a shared ancestry in the Russian royal family. Of course, everyone wanted to work with Weiner, which means another ludicrously stacked TV cast. This one includes Aaron Eckhart, Corey Stoll, Noah Wyle, Christina Hendricks, Isabelle Huppert, Jack Huston, Amanda Peet, John Slattery, Diane Lane, Ron Livingston, Radha Mitchell, Griffin Dunne, and Kathryn Hahn.

2. The Haunting of Hill House (Netflix, 10/12)

Mike Flanagan has become one of the hottest young horror directors with films like “Hush” and “Gerald’s Game,” and he’s going back to a holy text in Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House, already adapted twice as feature films called simply “The Haunting” (the first one rules, the second one not so much). With the room to expand on his style and storytelling skill in a series, this could easily be one of the best shows of the Fall.

1. Maniac (Netflix, on now)

I’ve already made it clear how strongly I feel about Cary Joji Fukunaga’s daring mind f**k of a TV series, and it’s been fascinating to see how people are responding to it now that it’s available. As I suspected, there are people who think it’s just about the best thing on television, and just as many who think it’s just about the worst. And I love it. The most memorable shows are often the ones that create the most conversation and people are talking about “Maniac.” And I suspect they will be all season long.

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