#al-fayed

[nando161mando]

Harrods refuses to engage with the workers or the United Voices of Labour union representing them. The company has been in the spotlight over serious allegations of rape and sexual abuse against its former owner, Mohammed Al Fayed.

https://freedomnews.org.uk/2024/12/04/harrods-workers-vote-for-xmas-strike/

[verniedk]

moral dilemma

[morgenstern16]

Elaine: Van, please don't take these children anywhere dangerous.

Van: Elaine, you have my word that I will make sure they're not in real danger.

[Two hours later]

Van: Alright kids, our next assignment is to fight The Monster That Fucks Up Your Shit And Then Kills You Horribly. Any objections?

Agnes: If it will help solve the mystery of the Genesis orbments, I'll do it.

Feri: I love violence! 😊

Aaron: We'll make sure you don't break your hips, old man.

Van: Perfect.

[octoberwitchsblog]

Just finished the first episodes of the Crown's last season and it's safe to say that a more vulgar shitshow never saw the sight of the screen. Everything, from the treatment of Diana into this constant victim, to the villainization of the Al-Fayed family (as if Mohammed would give two fucks about anything else than justice for his only boy), without forgetting Charles' whitewashing, is absolutely vulgar in every way. Representing the only Arab characters of your show like literal fame-diggers in order to make the royal family appear more "dignified" is honestly borderline racist.

It's amazing to me how those writers take such a distorted version of the truth and treat Diana and Dodi, and even Mohammed Al-Fayed, DEAD PEOPLE, like pawns in their romanticization of the royal family. I mean, Diana appearing as a ghost to Charles to absolve him of literaly destroying years of her life ? Really ? The first seasons of the show got us used to better quality and better respect of the complexity of these characters. This is just becoming a cheesy and biased documentary instead of being the nuanced portrait of one of the most complex institutions in the world. What a disappointment. The whole thing is barely saved by the exceptional performances of all of these actors, but even they deserves better than this fanfiction writing.

[royal-confessions]

“Now that the truth about Mr Al Fayed has come out, maybe we can start analysing the company Diana kept without being shouted down. She was a dark horse.” - Submitted by Anonymous

“If they want to condemn Andrew for maintaining relations with Epstein after he had been convicted of sexual abuse we must keep the same attitude for Diana who had no problem being seen in the public with Mohammed Al-fayed who had been investigated for sexual assault in the 80s.” - Submitted by Anonymous

[thecrownnetflixuk]

Diana gave people what they needed. All over the world, in their thousands. And they adored her for it.

The Crown Season 6 Pt 1 Trailer

Streaming 16th Nov 2023 | Netflix

[shezgaming]

[alparlaboratories]

Trails, being a jrpg series, understandably has shoved a hand into the bucket of shonen tropes and pulled out its favorites, and it so happens that most of them are ones I like too, even if there are some notable stinkers in there that most people agree are not great.

One that a lot of people dislike that I don't really care about is the constant 'Oh no, this person is actually super strong for reals, believe us this time!' because most characters that are presented this way are either done really well (Sigmund, Arianrhod, etc.) or I like their personality so much that I can overlook it (Aurelia, McBurn, etc.). Overall I don't really give a shit about power-scaling or anything similar, reason why I avoid most talk about shonens nowadays.

But then in the current trails game there's this random-ass dude who appears on screen for the first time and the character reactions are immediately:

And he doesn't do anything!! I honestly wouldn't have cared if he appeared and beat the protagonists up like previous 'strongest' characters did, because at least that's something. But this random twink shows up and just charges his giant laser gun (that takes an eternity to fire) and everyone's losing their shit like we're supposed to know him already.

I think half the problem is that the game says 'warrior' instead of 'jaeger' (mercenary) which makes sense because that's what they call jaegers in their culture, but it really comes across as them saying this guy is literally the strongest ever. And the other half is that this game was so tightly packed already that they didn't have time to include him fighting anyone, so they saved that for the second game, where I hear he actually does do cool stuff.

It's pretty bizarre, and the first time something like this actually made me raise an eyebrow. The game is still great. Easily the best 'first game of arc' we've had so far, but I had to mention Kasim and his stolen valor.

At least for once the memes are pretty good:

[duchessofostergotlands]

I've always hated Harrods. I mean, sure, it was because when I was about 10 or 11 one of the workers told me off for trying to pick up a handbag from a shelf and not because I had any kind of inside knowledge about Al Fayed's sexual harassment, but still. Bad vibes from that place.

[maledettadaunangelo]

Al tuo primo sguardo ho pensato di affogare. Ma la tua luce, quella che hai dentro, mi ha fatto sentire così vivo. E ora desidero soltanto starle vicino. Vicino a te, insieme.

Elemental, Disney

[nonogalego]

Noel's B-Side

No dia em que Lady Diana faleceu, a primeira tiragem do tabloide The People trazia na capa Noel Gallagher mostrando a bunda em um iate para os paparazzi, enquanto estava acompanhado de sua recém-esposa Meg Mathews! Além das primeiras páginas trazerem mais fotos e matérias diversas relacionadas ao Oasis. Para a princesa, apenas uma notinha informando seu acidente e anunciando a morte de seu namorado Dodi.

A morte de Lady Di ainda não havia sido confirmada quando essa tiragem saiu, é verdade, mas dada a sua relevância e considerando que já era certa a morte de Dodi Al-Fayed, já eram motivos o suficiente para ser o destaque da publicação... mas não foi! Isso nos dá um vislumbre sobre o quão grande era a importância do Oasis nos anos 90, onde a foto do traseiro desnudo do guitarrista da banda ganhava mais destaque que o grave acidente da Princesa de Gales!

Então não estranhe todo esse hype pelo retorno do Oasis, eles sempre foram famosos, gigantes e relevantes na indústria cultural mundial!

[user-needs-new-hyperfixation]

Frantically stuffing one-eyed, queer, vampire-coded characters into my pockets like I'm taking all the breadsticks from olive garden

[morgenstern16]

trails through daybreak (2021)

[nando161mando]

As it faces serious questions about its handling of Mohamed Al Fayed’s sexual abuse, workers at luxury department store Harrods are preparing to strike over Christmas. Hundreds of retail, restaurant, kitchen and cleaning staff at the are balloting for strikes to start on 19 December, right in the middle of the store’s busiest season.

https://freedomnews.org.uk/2024/11/20/harrods-workers-balloting-for-xmas-strike/

[royal-confessions]

“Princess Diana’s death really saved her reputation. Imagine if she didn’t die and maintained a friendship with the Al Fayeds while Mohamed got accused of rape. Imagine is he did fund her charity like some rumors said they planned to do. Her legacy would’ve been tarnished.” - Submitted by Anonymous

[thecrownnetflixuk]

Goodbye to Diana, Goddess of the Hunt

Pt 1 of The Crown S6 Will Stand as the Definitive Dramatised Version of Diana & Dodi’s Final Days

Review (& gifs) by L.L @The Crown TV

Having seen Pt 1 of The Crown S6 before its official release, I can understand why Netflix decided to split the final season. The first 4 episodes are almost exclusively dedicated to the events surrounding the tragic deaths of Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed.

It's first-rate drama, but it's not always an easy watch. The series does have some lighter moments too, but it makes sense for The Crown to take a short pause before moving forward in December.

To be clear, Diana and Dodi's car crash is not portrayed in a voyeuristic way. We don't see the moment of impact; hearing it is traumatic enough. Diana's body is not shown. The show doesn't delve into what caused the accident. This is still The Crown, not CSI Paris.

Kudos to Peter Morgan and his research team who somehow scrutinised all reports of Diana and Dodi's final days and managed to turn no doubt conflicting accounts and opinions into 4 brilliantly dramatised episodes which feel like a definitive screen version.

I prefer the sharpened pace of S6 after a disjointed S5. All the cast seem more comfortable in their respective roles ... except ... Dominic West is a great actor, his grief and regret is so believable in these episodes, but for me, West's natural charm and roguishness still doesn't fit well with Charles. Perhaps Camilla would disagree!

There are no such issues with Diana. It's a difficult task playing an icon hunted by the paparazzi, but Elizabeth Debicki radiates the right emotional intelligence and effortless star quality of the princess. In fact, Debicki's empathetic and assured performance largely carries these pivotal episodes and tops her earlier impressive work in S5.

Warning - long read: more detailed spoilers ahead! GO & WATCH THE EPISODES FIRST (NOW ON NETFLIX)

Interview/images: courtesy of Netflix & Elizabeth Debicki.

The final season of The Crown begins in Paris with a bold flash forward to a dog-walker who witnesses the crash at the Pont de l'Alma tunnel. It's a jarring change of tone after S5, but effective.

From the start, we know where this story is headed. But first, it's back to Diana on her summer hols, impertinent rodents scurrying in the palace and Charles getting grumpy over the Queen not showing up for Camilla's birthday. Reassuringly, it's royal business as usual.

^ Happy 50th, Camilla. I'm with the Queen about this pair; still not quite on board.

Enter Dodi Fayed, who could not be more different to his overbearing father. Khalid Abdalla infuses the shy son-of-a-billionaire with an engaging soulfulness which contradicts Dodi's two-timing behaviour.

Dodi starts out romancing his fiancée, Kelly Fisher (Erin Richards), but after being bullied into it by his father Mohamed Al-Fayed, Dodi pursues Princess Diana. For a while, Dodi juggles both women, before redeeming himself and confessing the truth to Diana.

^ Diana & Dodi. This time, it's Diana herself who ends up not quite on board this ship.

BAFTA nominee Salim Daw is a force of nature as a magnificently Machiavellian Mohamed Al-Fayed. Daw's performance, along with Elizabeth Debicki's note-perfect Diana, is a standout in S6.

Those who had concerns that The Crown was too generous towards the real Al-Fayed in S5 have no such worries about S6. By episode 3, Mohamed almost crosses into arch villain territory, bribing Dodi into marrying Diana to get British citizenship and raise his social status.

^ Mohamed Al-Fayed. Give him a cat & he'd be the perfect future Bond villain.

It's a controversial post-death chat with a 'ghost' which (nearly) absolves The Crown's Mohamed. Salim Daw is tremendously genuine during his imagined conversation with Dodi, sobbing for forgiveness. Too little, too late, but we feel his real pain about the loss of his son.

Before watching these episodes, the idea of Ghost!Dodi and Diana in the show did seem off-putting. Confession: I didn’t make it through the surrealistic film ��Spencer’, where Diana talks to the ghost of Anne Boleyn (although Kristen Stewart seemed well cast in her role.)

Now that I've actually seen the 'ghost' scenes in The Crown, they don't feel ghoulish or disrespectful. Following the crash, both Charles (Dominic West) and Imelda Staunton’s Queen have small conversations with Diana, as though the princess is still with them.

You could take that to mean they’ve gone full royal-bats-in-the-belfry, but as a person who recently lost my dad, I talk to the dead all the time. It’s often what happens when you lose somebody you love. To see this depicted on The Crown felt honest. And human.

^ Wassup, Betty? Just chillin', chatting w/dead Di* (*not dialogue from The Crown)

As the show wades through the aftermath of the crash, dealing with public sorrow, funerals and grief-stricken young William and Harry, it becomes heartbreaking. However, The Crown does handle heavy subject matter very well, as shown in episodes such as ‘Aberfan.’

With a golden jubilee coming up, hopefully Pt 2 of this final season will be more uplifting, and feature more scenes with Imelda Staunton as Elizabeth II. When we do see the Queen in Pt 1, her intonation is superb. There’s continuity too, with Staunton merging Claire Foy’s vulnerability and regality with Olivia Colman’s steely durability.

I'm no ardent monarchist, but now that we've said goodbye to Diana, I can't imagine that The Crown would end without paying tribute to another Queen of Hearts who reigned for over 70 years.

THE CROWN S6 PT 2:-premieres on Netflix | Thurs 14th Dec 2023

N.B: These are just my (humble) opinions at this point in time. No offence is intended. Agreement = lovely; not compulsory. Disagreement = happens; kindly coexist. Ta!