#betty hbo spoilers

[koimethehorizon]

Adventure Time and Fionna and Cake Theory: The Victimhood of Simon + How the Series Might End

Prerequisite Watching for this Theory:

Adventure Time: Temple of Mars, Betty, Come Along With Me, Broke His Crown, I Remember You, Holly Jolly Secrets Part II

Gonna start this loaded theory with a bit of a hot take. I’ve never liked how Simon and Betty’s stories concluded in Come Along With Me.

For Simon, I’ve always had trouble considering Simon and the Ice King as the same person. Holly Jolly Secrets and I Remember You, the pinnacle of depicting the dichotomy of the two characters is built on us seeing Simon as suffering irreversible memory loss and how his loved ones can grow to accept that. The context is most apt when viewed as a metaphor for dementia, Alzheimer’s, or simply old age.

The scenes in which Ice King reacts so superfluously to characters desperately wishing for his old self to return are striking because of the cruel finality of his condition. Alternatively, the ones in which his loved ones hang around with him despite his condition are sweet in their own right.

One of my favorite Ice King scenes is in Broke His Crown where Marceline invites her girlfriend to meet her surrogate father.

Bubblegum: What's this?

Ice King: It's a present, to bribe you for coming over!

Marceline: You don't have to bribe us silly, we're here because we WANT to hang out with you.

Ice King: No one has ever said that to me before.

*snatches present*

Ice King: You didn't say no takebacks.

There was a real poignancy to depicting an old man with memory-loss slowly having people come to accept him and realize that he’s still a swell guy to hang around. It may be depressing to see this good person who was once so unconditionally caring into a buffoon who could forget your name so easily and turn on you in the flip of a coin.

But even he deserved love from others. And in time, as a result of that love, he did improve.

Which is why, even in Fionna and Cake, I find myself still disturbed seeing Simon in his normal state and Ice King completely erased from Ooo. It kills me that Betty and in extension, the show itself could not accept Ice King as he was and felt that his best course was to undo it all.

All of his experiences for 1000+ years all of a sudden no longer matter, and the acceptance of his peers no longer mattered as well. He's just back to who he used to be in a world where everything he's known is gone.

Happily ever after

Even worse, however, is remembering the wish that allowed Simon to be cured. The person who sacrificed her individuality to get that good person back, because she couldn’t accept reality as it was.

And I’m going to put a second hot take. A spicy one. Simon needs to take the fault in Betty's fate and Fionna and Cake (the show not the characters) seems aware of this.

Throughout Adventure Time, Simon Petrikov was never developed as a character. As far as the audience and the characters within Adventure Time knew, the only traits about Simon that mattered were: that he was intelligent, he was a kind man, and he loved Betty.

This wouldn’t really be a compelling character on its own, but when juxtaposed with the Ice King it’s a tragedy that he lost these traits. The compelling part of Simon was his victimhood to the ice crown and not really him as a person.

It’s why Obsidian’s version of Simon feels somewhat empty, he’s back to his intelligent, kind self but there’s no real hints to how he’s mentally adjusting other than that brief glimpse in Ice King’s robes again.

And he looks really weird in this special too. Color me surprised when Simon Petrikov reads out the problems I've had for years about his ending while also making Simon into his own person. In many ways it just completely redos what we see of him in Obsidian.

He's still a kind man but even he can't handle being so maladjusted to a world so beyond his time. He's still intelligent but his passions aren't reciprocated, and that seems to have always been the case even in the past. Rather than a guy who doesn't take shit from guys like Marceline's ex or a first responder to his daughter's problems, he's a normal guy unable to handle the threats of Ooo's world even after 12 years of living in it. Rather than singing to large communities in bliss, he's a lonely alcoholic who can't even relate to his fellow humans anymore. He loves his adopted daughter but there are even some days he can't muster the courage to be honest with her. And most importantly, he doesn't seem to know how to live beyond his curse or his loneliness.

His mutual obsession with Betty is the only character trait of his that's ever had some distinct flaw and with this new show, the writers must have finally found a way to tackle the subject further. Betty is ultimately a greater victim than Simon. She ends up in a far worse fate than Simon has ever been in. Perhaps more disturbingly, she willingly chose to strip herself of her individuality.

Fionna and Cake brings a contradiction to light about Simon and Betty’s seemingly perfect relationship. Simon and Betty's love is real and they do make each other happy. But there does exist a co-dependency that has worsened throughout the series as a result of their insecurity of letting a bad memory conclude their relationship. Betty's patterns are pretty clear throughout her tenure as Magic Woman but not too much with Simon. Not until now.

In Jerry, Simon stops Betty from pursuing her dreams because he didn’t want her goodbye to be his last memory with her.

In Betty, Simon rewrites history and inadvertently summons her to Ooo because he didn’t want Betty’s look of contempt to be his last memory of her.

And through all of Fionna and Cake, Simon has turned into a suicidal man willing to resummon GOLBetty regardless of the reasons she can’t see him again. All because he didn’t want her sacrifice to be his last memory of her. Despite the fact that Betty’s final wish was to keep Simon safe.

There's also this uneven power dynamic between the two. Simon was far more accomplished as a professor with PhDs even if no one took him seriously. Betty was just a student offering some help, knowing she wouldn't take any credit for helping.

I’ll preface that Betty is a consenting adult in the relationship and made many self-determined rash choices that Simon would never approve of with full context. We’ve enough scenes to show that Simon actively refuses Betty’s help if it means endangering her.

However, Simon’s perception of Betty and his own inadequacy did influence her personality for the worse. Fionna questions Simon on two occasions about how strange it was for “someone she just met to drop everything to go with you”. Even within the flashbacks Betty verbally describes her internal conflict between her individuality vs. her infatuation with Simon and the guy never picks up on it.

Whether he’s aware of it or not, Simon always ends up becoming the center of attention during Betty’s greatest life-changing events because he’s always suffering in some way. And sadly in-character, Betty always prioritizes him first because of how sorry she feels for him.

Simon: Just hold my hand to your face, this will be my… last sensation.

Betty: Don’t be a wimp, Simon!

I don’t want to be too hard on Simon, his suffering is cosmologically depressing. An undeniable tragedy that no one deserves to be alone on. It would be unfair to say he’s being dramatic about something most if not any human would ever go through. He’s not a leech for desiring help, especially from his significant other.

But I do think it’s important to point out that he does have a major flaw in not reflecting on the consequences of Betty’s choices.

Fionna: Damn, that’s romantic. So, you got on the bus with her?

Simon: Yup. Uh what? No. No. Why would I-

This is the reason this post exists. This is the show explicitly telling us that Simon has never really thought about what Betty lost because he thinks his love was greater than the passion Betty once had.

Let's go back to Betty once again for what is honestly the most justifiable takedown you could make of Simon's character prior to the miniseries.

As stated earlier, Simon opens a portal to ask for Betty's forgiveness with a few seconds on the clock. And in that time, he essentially just unloads a giant drama bomb, trauma dump of his suffering leading Betty to ask what she can even do without him. And if the plan went as it was, Simon would've just left her a hundred questions that she'd never have answered for the rest of her life.

Simon: Just know that I love you and I forgive you for leaving me. Author's Note: I dunno, isn't there something a bit off about how he worded this?

Now Simon didn't ask for Betty to jump into the portal, but he certainly was asking for it subconsciously. How else would he have expected a person who loves him dearly to act after this?

Taking any measures necessary and finding a way back together obviously. That's what he's doing too!

And reiterating again, this is the reason why Betty goes on her ego-suicidal quest. This is Simon's greatest mistake, his greatest moral failing as a person and he doesn't seem aware of this.

He’s not wrong that Betty lived happily with him. In spite of losing her dreams, Betty and Simon did love each other unconditionally. But he’s missing the bigger picture about how he could’ve been self-centered in deciding Betty’s fate for himself.

And maybe to stretch somewhat, I think even the quest to become Ice King again is somewhat motivated by his inability to live as anything more than a victim. Some of it is because the citizens of Ooo were being a bit inconsiderate about how much they liked Ice King yes, but Simon should be perfectly aware that Marceline, Betty, and now Fionna would be extremely concerned about him for doing this. Yet, he doesn’t really consider their feelings too much on the matter. He’s too used to the suffering.

Please have one scene with Marceline, I'd be sad if we don't get to see at least one.

This leads me to how I believe Fionna and Cake may rewrite Simon’s ending.

The key is in the episode Temple of Mars.

Upon rewatching the episode, I’m convinced that the Adventure Time cast had a greater plan with the Betty and Simon arc that just never came to be due to production constraints. A lot of Betty’s history and the deconstruction of her relationship with Simon in Jerry are surprisingly details that have already been told.

I thought it was an animation error that Betty’s glasses were different in Jerry but it turns out the continuity director is just that good.

The trip in six months, Simon stopping her, and the realization that Simon superseded her identity. Seeking independence from Simon is the lesson that Normal Man was trying failed to teach her.

Betty: I’ve spent so much time dedicated on Simon that I’m not even sure if there’s any “me” left anymore.

But the most telling detail is how Betty passes Normal Man’s test.

Finn: Even if you are a lost cause, she is not!

Betty: No, Finn’s right. You’ll thank me for this later past Betty.

In an alternate pocket reality, she changes her trip to the day before, preventing Simon from stopping her. And I think Simon will have to change fate once again to do the same.

If Simon comes to realize that he was the one who set Betty to her terrible fate, that all this time his rose-colored lens of their relationship had been detrimental then he could give her identity back. But it can’t be as simple as changing the moment Betty turns into GOLB or Magic Woman or even bringing her through the portal in Betty.

He needs to let Betty go on the bus. Alone.

It’s the only way for Betty to have her life back. If not for his Betty, maybe at least to save one in the multiverse doomed to the same fate.

They both need to cherish their time on the Enchiridion trip back when it wasn’t too late for Betty to go on the trip. Back when they were both equals and not tied to Simon’s needs.

Jerry is absolutely setting up something big with Simon and Betty’s relationship for next week and now that we’re going to the GOLB dimension, we’ll see how he remembers these moments again.

Personally, as someone who has been skeptical about Simon's peace for years, Fionna and Cake's second episode was like a sigh of relief. Simon hasn't found his ending yet, and my hope is that this epilogue will help me see the man happy without having to relive Betty's sacrifice for the rest of his life. Just like the rest of Adventure Time, it'll have to end with him cherishing the time he had with Betty regardless of the inevitability of losing that relationship.

PS. Isn’t quite strange that at one point in time, Simon sought after magic objects that ostracized him from the normal world and now, he lives in a house full of 1980s-1990s objects that ostracized him from the magical world? Maybe he was never really satisfied with where he was in the present.

PSS. I really wanted to write something on Fionna for the Ep 3-6 releases, and I still have the idea, but I couldn’t make it coherent due to how much my brain overthinks everything to the point of cognitive collapse. If there’s enough interest, I’ll go back to write it again.

[maruchanart]

I miss my wife (nerd emoji)

[eternal-moss]

Even with just two episodes Fionna and Cake managed to destroy me, and I’m definitely going to be heavily posting because I love this show so much already. Spoilers and rambling under the cut!! If you want to watch it but don’t have access to HBO, dm me~

They really hammered in the depressing urban theme in episode one, and of course Fionna is incredibly relatable to the struggle of the average person. Hearing swearing in Adventure Time without their usual goofy filler-words like ‘dillweed’ or something feels SO weird, my brain could barely wrap around it.

An implication is that the world Fionna and Cake exist in is literally just a construct of Simon’s mind, which is retroactively kind of predictable, but at the same time slightly insane. This is shown pretty early in episode one, when I saw that fountain, my immediate thought was ‘Betty?!?’, and yeah, those sorts of things kept happening, until the moment Cake literally comes out of Simon’s head.

Speaking of Simon

Jesus Christ man.. he’s depressed as hell. (In my opinion, Finn is too, but they’re handling it in different ways). I was not expecting the content of the show to be much darker, considering ‘Distant Lands’ was about the same rating as regular Adventure time but damn.. seeing Simon hyperventilating hit me a little too hard, especially when he started pulling at his hair.

Be prepared for me to talk about Simon nonstop from here on out, he’s been a blorbo of mine for a long time now and this just relit that flame. Seeing him lying in mud with actually-rendered-red-blood felt so weird and harrowing. I was so happy when he decided to call Marcy and Peebs, and sad when they didn’t pick up on his obviously not too great mental state, but if they had there wouldn’t really be much of a show premise, so I’m fine with that (although sad on his behalf. Mans is suffering)

Anyway. I am a sucker for domestic Bubbline, and their silly antics at the tattoo shop did make me happy even if Simon was getting ignored. I am preparing for some heavy angst when Marcy inevitably realises what’s happening.

One theme that I felt heavily is that the show has sort of ‘grown up’. Even with Obsidian and Together again being set in the close and far off future, they didn’t feel like this. At the end of stakes, Marceline tells Peebs that she finally felt she had ‘grown up’- and that Bubblegum grew up with her (ironically they were both children at the same time, with the mothergum formed in the apocalypse).

This time period is Bubbline in their reckless young adulthood (as much as immortals can be), when the two were coded as older teenagers in the main show. They’re having fun, and trying new things. The other end of the young adult scale is Marshal Lee, Gumball (I didn’t catch his name) and Fionna of course, who are living in a bit of a grittier reality. Being surrounded by these characters who the show expects you to have grown up with is a really weird experience, but I kind of love it.

I really love the ‘modern au’ (I couldn’t think of a better phrasing, sorry) trio, Gumball (I know that’s not his name, my apd couldn’t catch it and there wasn’t subtitles) is so sweet (no pun intended) and a faithful genderbend to Bubblegum while having distinct differences.

Marshall Lee, that madman that he is, is still breaking hearts years later. I tell you, hearing his voice again made me swoon a little. I love the choice they made to make him visually black and it makes so much sense considering Marcy’s mother and also being voice acted by Donald Glover. I wonder what Hunson Abadeer is like in the Fionaverse (a better name although a bit confusing), being mentioned directly by both Lee and Fionna as his mother.

Anyway these are my primary thoughts splattered on a page, I’ll be rebloging like crazy from now on

[cyarskaren52]

Even psychics could have never saw these plot twists coming

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TVLINE'S YEAR IN REVIEW!

2023 in Review: The Year’s Biggest Plot Twists, Ranked From ‘Wow’ to ‘WTF?!’

BY TEAM TVLINE

DECEMBER 8, 2023 7:00 AM

Courtesy of Disney+, Netflix (2)

If what Taylor Swift said is true, and any great love keeps you guessing, 2023 TV might just have been your heart’s true desire. 

Even though the concurrent WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes meant there were fewer episodes of TV than usual this year, what didair still managed to surprise us with its narrative twists and turns. To that end, the list below chronicles 20 of the TV plot twists that kept us on the edge of our seats this year.

As is the case with all of TVLine’s year-end roundups: This post is FULL of spoilers. So if you’re behind on any of the shows listed here, consider this your mega, giant, very important, last chance Spoiler Alert! for:

The Afterparty, Barry, Fatal Attraction, Fear the Walking Dead, Gen V, Harley Quinn, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, Marvel’s Secret Invasion, The Night Agent, Outlander, Quantum Leap, Rabbit Hole, Riverdale, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, Silo, Star Trek: Picard, Succession, Virgin River, Wolf Pack and YOU.

Scroll down to relive the big moments and juicy plot twists that blew our minds this year, then hit the comments with your favorite “WTAF?” moments from 2023 TV.

Still to come in TVLine’s Year in Review: Character Deaths That Nearly Killed Us, Shocking Cast Exits, Dumb Things TV Did, Most Dynamic ‘Ships and much, much more!

20

Rabbit Hole (Paramount+)

Photo : Courtesy of Paramount+

In the final showdown, Weir’s “ex-wife” isn’t his ex-wife!

19

Fatal Attraction(Paramount+)

Photo : Paramount+ Screen Shot

Arthur killed Alex!

18

Fear the Walking Dead (AMC)

Photo : AMC Screen Shot

Alicia is alive!

17

Virgin River(Netflix)

Photo : Courtesy of Netflix

Mel has an estranged biological father… and he lives in Virgin River!

16

The Afterparty(Apple TV+)

Photo : Courtesy of Apple TV+

The killer intended to off Feng, but accidentally murdered the wrong person!

15

Marvel's Secret Invasion (Disney+)

Photo : Courtesy of Disney+

Fury is married! And has been for years! And his wife is a Skrull!

14

Gen V (Prime Video)

Photo : Prime Video Screen Shot

Cate has been erasing everyone’s memories and working with the dean to hide The Woods!

13

The Night Agent(Netflix)

Photo : Netflix Screen Shot

Diane Farr is a bad guy!

12

Outlander (Starz)

Photo : Courtesy of Starz

Rob Cameron knows Roger and Bree are time-travelers!

11

Riverdale (The CW)

Photo : The CW Screen Shot (2)

Archie, Betty, Veronica and Jughead were in a four-way relationship!

10

High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (Disney+)

Photo : Courtesy of Disney+ (2)

Seb cheated with Big Red!

09

Wolf Pack(Paramount+)

Photo : Courtesy of Paramount+

Kristin isn’t just a werewolf — she’s Harlan, Luna and Baron’s mother!

08

Harley Quinn (Max)

Photo : Max Screen Shot

Harley killed Nightwing! Oh, and she has a potato-based clone!

07

Silo (Apple TV+)

Photo : Apple TV+ Screen Shot

The “lie” about the outside isn’t what you think it is!

06

Barry (HBO)

Photo : Courtesy of HBO

Barry and Sally start a new life with a son years later!

05

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off

Photo : Courtesy of Netflix

Matthew Patel defeats Scott… and seemingly kills him?!

04

Quantum Leap(NBC)

Photo : NBC Screen Shot

Ben has been missing for three years!

03

Star Trek: Picard(Paramount+)

Photo : Courtesy of Paramount+

Jack is Jean-Luc and Beverly’s son!

02

Succession (HBO)

Photo : Courtesy of HBO

Logan dies in Episode 3! And he’s really dead!

01

YOU (Netflix)

Photo : Courtesy of Netflix

Rhys was a figment of Joe’s imagination all along!

READ MORE ABOUT:

HARLEY QUINN

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YEAR-IN-REVIEW

YOU

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[booasaur]

Betty - 1x02

[hedonias]

Betty 1.05 - Perstephanie

[tenderpoc]

would you be willing to summarize the latest ep of betty, please and thank you? im not able to watch for a bit but I'm dying to know what happened

Okay so I misread the message and accidentally wrote a summary of the whole entire season so far but heres what happened in s2e5!

Shelby and Kirt are having a nice time after finding Skate Church but after having a dream about the boys she mentors, Kirt pushes Shelby away and she leaves angrily.

Indigo is feeling low but Camille convinces her to to the Halloween party. Indigo and Janay fight about the skate park because Janay thinks Indigo is a spoilt girl and the proceeds from the party should go to people who actually need it.

Shelby is dancing with her bf (who is dressed up as Kirt, as with the other disciples) but is clearly unhappy/not wanting to kiss him.

Camille tries to apologise to Tai after she finds out the brands cut out Tai from the videos.

Honeybear sees Ash and Victoria and they fight, Honeybear hooks up with a random guy at the party in front of Ash

Janay is wasted and tries to get in on with Sylvester who says she’s too drunk and she gets angry and walks off saying she’ll find someone else, Sylvester tries to tell her it will happen but not now

Indigo, tripping on Molly and in a bad mindset, sees one of the men she went on a sugar baby date with, and starts screaming, Kirt’s disciples swiftly step in, echoing her words of respecting women and goes to throw the guy out, and the ep finishes with the boys beating up the guy

And it's so much! It's so good because everything weaves together, and things that were started with such vigour and happiness and with good intentions falling apart. pls watch betty hbo it's on binge in australia :)

[gayingmantis]

betty spoilers !!!

are we gonna talk about the last episode of betty and the kiss camile and indigo shared because i NEED to talk about it even though the circumstances were disgusting

[eurekavalley]

Paty's abortion just made it into my top five fictional abortions. So cozy.

[aliveandfullofjoy]

When we rang in the new year, I was super sick with what might have been Covid (but also might have been the flu? idk, I got three negative PCR test results, it’s very weird). I’m much better thankfully, so now, over halfway through the first month of 2022, I’m finally sitting down to do my yearly tradition: it’s time for my ten favorite new-to-me movies of 2021!

The rules are the same as always: no movies from this past year (2021) or the year before (2020). Every other year is free game.

All ten of these movies are wonderful and well worth your time, so consider this a strong endorsement for all of them. I’ve also included ways to watch all of the films (as of this writing: Jan. 17, 2022).

01. Yi Yi (dir. Edward Yang, 2000; Taiwan) Over nearly three hours, Yang explores the emotional struggles of a middle-class family living in Taipei. It's not quite a spoiler to say the film opens with a wedding and closes with a funeral, because the plot isn't necessarily the important thing in Yi Yi. What matters are the moments of human connection -- a casual chat with a work colleague, a one-sided conversation with a comatose grandmother -- and those nearly imperceptible turning points in our lives -- a new hobby, an unexpected tragedy, a visit to an old friend. This is the first film I've seen from Yang, but if Yi Yi is any indication, he really understood people. As a work of cinema, as a human drama, as a meditation on the act of being alive, Yi Yi is magnificent. It's as rich and empathetic a film as I've ever seen. (Yi Yi is streaming on the Criterion Channel and is available to rent online.)

02. The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek (dir. Preston Sturges, 1943; USA) I have no earthly idea how The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek got made. Mercilessly skewering practically every tenet of the American way, from motherhood to virginity to marriage to the press to the war effort, this film is a screamingly funny screwball comedy with a surprisingly huge heart. Sturges guides his phenomenal cast to a host of great performances: Eddie Bracken, Betty Hutton, Diana Lynn, and William Demarest (who delivers some shocking pratfalls) all turn in top-notch work. It’s breathlessly ridiculous and I loved it so, so, so much. (The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek is available to rent online and to view at this link.)

03. The Big City (dir. Satyajit Ray, 1963; India) At this point, I don't really feel like I'm being too hyperbolic when I call Ray one of the wisest and most empathetic dramatists of the 20th century. Anchored by a tremendous performance from Madhabi Mukherjee, The Big City follows the tension in a middle-class conservative Calcutta family after Arati, a housewife, gets a job to earn the family some extra money. It's a terrific feminist film, one that paints a vivid picture of 1960s attitudes towards womanhood in India without being too on-the-nose about it. And, like in Ray's best films, the conflict that arises from the rest of the family unfolds honestly and poetically. There are no bad people in this Big City -- just complicated people who sometimes hurt each other. A masterwork from one of the best to ever do it. (The Big City is currently streaming on the Criterion Channel and HBO Max.)

04. A Woman Under the Influence (dir. John Cassavetes, 1974; USA) I'm a little embarrassed to confess that this was my first experience with John Cassavetes. The film lives and dies by Gena Rowlands, who does GOAT-level work here. She's legendary, and rightfully so: her Mabel emerges as an unflinchingly authentic human being, a whole bunch of nervy contradictions bundled together into one woman stuck in a marriage with an emotionally stunted husband who doesn't fully understand her. Brutal and shocking, raw and warm, exhausting and devastating, this is an undeniably great -- if taxing -- film. (A Woman Under the Influence is currently streaming on the Criterion Channel and HBO Max.)

05. Three Colors: Red (dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski, 1994; Switzerland/France/Poland) I'm not proud of the fact that it took me over four years to finish watching the Three Colors trilogy, but from what I can remember, Red is by far the most satisfying chapter. With two fully-fleshed out characters played beautifully by Irène Jacob and Jean-Louis Trintignant and a script that feels comfortable wrestling with multiple big ideas (god complexes, odd couples, fate, artistry, justice, the cyclical nature of love, etc.), Red feels far more complete than its predecessors. It probably helps that it's inarguably the warmest and most optimistic film of the trilogy too. An utter joy to watch and to dig into. (Three Colors: Red is currently streaming on the Criterion Channel and HBO Max.)

06. 2046 (dir. Wong Kar-wai, 2004; Hong Kong) I was nervous it wouldn't live up to the hype. I mean, how could it? In the Mood for Love is so singular a cinematic achievement, an all-time masterpiece that was rightfully canonized almost immediately, and then Wong Kar-wai tempted fate by releasing a sequel. I shouldn’t have worried: 2046 is a marvel that blurs the lines between reality and fiction, history and the imagined future. Unlike its predecessor, which is an intimate chamber piece, this is a much larger meditation on the very experience of heartbreak, of rebuilding oneself after a love affair has turned sour. This is a deeply empathetic, almost unbearably gorgeous film. (2046 is available to rent online.)

07. Rocco and His Brothers (dir. Luchino Visconti, 1960; Italy) Rocco and His Brothers is huge, but tremendously powerful and pretty handily my favorite film from Visconti so far. Brutal, precise, tragic, and beautifully realized, this epic family drama is anchored by a slew of great performances from Alain Delon, Katina Paxinou, Max Cartier, and Annie Girardot, but it’s Renato Salvatori who walks away with the film. His devastating portrait of toxic masculinity is astonishing to watch. Essential viewing. (Rocco and His Brothers is currently streaming on the Criterion Channel.)

08. Silkwood (dir. Mike Nichols, 1983; USA) Undoubtedly one of the high points in the legendary careers of both Mike Nichols and Meryl Streep. It’s a terrifying film -- terrifying because the ways Karen Silkwood was destroyed, psychologically and physically by men in power -- but it's also utterly infuriating in its clear distillation of her injustice. From the beautifully observed interpersonal relationships around the factory to the gradual fraying of the central friendship between Streep’s Karen and Cher’s Dolly, the film's human component is always firmly front-and-center. That doesn't make it any less politically toothy though: the story of corporations trying to destroy unions and the people who run them is as American as apple pie. That truth makes Silkwood one of the most essential films this country has ever produced. (Silkwood is currently available to rent and can be viewed at this link.)

09. 35 Shots of Rum (dir. Claire Denis, 2008; France) Claire Denis is indisputably a master storyteller, but she's also one of the most perceptive, empathetic filmmakers walking the planet. Taking inspiration from Ozu's Late Spring, she infuses the mundane beauty in the world and in the day-to-day intricacies of our familial relationships with an almost cosmic grace. A lesser film might put the father-daughter relationship in the background in favor of the romance, but not Ozu, and certainly not Denis, and thank goodness for that: 35 Shots of Rum comes most alive when we linger in the bittersweet, frustrating love that Alex Descas' Lionel and Mati Diop's Josephine have for each other. By the ending, the audience feels like they've spent several months with this family rather than just 100 minutes. It's a real wonder. (35 Shots of Rum is currently streaming on MUBI.)

10. It’s Always Fair Weather (dir. Stanley Donen & Gene Kelly, 1955; USA) I can’t believe I hadn’t even heard of this film before this year. It's Always Fair Weather is like if The Best Years of Our Lives and On the Town had a baby and also that baby had depression. I mean that in the best way possible. So much happens in this film (Betty Comden and Adolph Green’s script is a miracle) that it’s hard to describe without getting lost in the weeds, but there are two elements that deserve individual recognition: first, Dolores Gray, who steals the film as a vapid, manipulative TV hostess, and brings the house down with her big number “Thanks a Lot, but No Thanks;” second, just like in Singin' in the Rain, the most wonderful moment in the film is a solo performed by Gene Kelly on the street: “I Like Myself,” an irrepressible expression of joy and one of the best numbers of Kelly’s career. (It’s Always Fair Weather is available to rent and can be viewed at this link.)

Honorable mentions (in alphabetical order): Big Deal on Madonna Street (Mario Monicelli, 1958), The Bigamist (Ida Lupino, 1953), Blood Simple (Joel Coen, 1984), The Children’s Hour (William Wyler, 1961), Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt (Rob Epstein & Jeffrey Friedman, 1989), Dance, Girl, Dance (Dorothy Arzner, 1940), Distant Voices, Still Lives (Terence Davies, 1988); The Eternal Breasts (Kinuyo Tanaka, 1955), Floating Weeds (Yasujiro Ozu, 1959), Funeral Parade of Roses (Toshio Matsumoto, 1969), The Gleaners and I (Agnès Varda, 2000), Hail the Conquering Hero (Preston Sturges, 1944), The Heartbreak Kid (Elaine May, 1972), It Should Happen to You (George Cukor, 1954), The Last Detail (Hal Ashby, 1973), Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday (Jacques Tati, 1953), Morocco (Josef von Sternberg, 1930), My Neighbors the Yamadas (Isao Takahata, 1999), News from Home (Chantal Akerman, 1977), Nights of Cabiria (Federico Fellini, 1957), One Week (Buster Keaton & Edward F. Cline, 1920), Paprika (Satoshi Kon, 2006), Point Break (Kathryn Bigelow, 1991), Popeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor (Dave Fleischer, 1936), Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (Akiva Schaffer & Jorma Taccone, 2016), A Raisin in the Sun (Daniel Petrie, 1961), Salt of the Earth (Herbert J. Biberman, 1954), The Sea Wolf (Michael Curtiz, 1941), Sweet Smell of Success (Alexander Mackendrick, 1957), The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (Joseph Sargent, 1974), To Joy (Ingmar Bergman, 1950), Touch of Evil (Orson Welles, 1958), Twenty-Four Eyes (Keisuke Kinoshita, 1954), Uptight (Jules Dassin, 1968), Wanda (Barbara Loden, 1970), and Where is My Friend’s House? (Abbas Kiarostami, 1987).

And some miscellaneous viewing stats:

First movie watched in 2021: Carmen Jones (Otto Preminger, 1954)

Final movie watched in 2021: When Harry Met Sally... (Rob Reiner, 1989)

Worst movie watched: The Snowman (Tomas Alfredson, 2017)

Oldest movie watched: Les Vampires - Episode Two: The Ring That Kills (Louis Feuillade, 1915)

Longest movie watched: War and Peace (King Vidor, 1956; 208 minutes)

Month with most amount of movies watched: April (42 movies, including shorts)

Month with least amount of movies watched: September (7 movies)

First movie from 2021 seen: Judas and the Black Messiah (Shaka King, 2021)

Total movies watched: 282

[j4gm]

Obsidian lore thread!

Sharing this thread of lore, episode connections, and Easter eggs from Adventure Time: Distant Lands: Obsidian, originally written for my Twitter.

SPOILERS AHEAD, WATCH OBSIDIAN ON HBO MAX IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY

Keep reading for the full thread!

1) We've seen bombs scattered around the Land of Ooo before, but this is the first time we've seen the word "fission", confirming that they are nukes. Although we have seen the radiation roundel plenty of times so it's pretty obvious.

2) The "magic lightning" that created the Glass Kingdom could itself have been one of the nukes. Alternatively, it could have been the catalyst comet, although Finn has no connection to this place so that's probably not the case.

3) The subtitles for the first four minutes video suggested that Glassboy was saying "crap" here. However, the HBO Max subtitles confirm he is actually saying "crack".

4) All of Marceline's classic furniture is present, but Bubblegum's influence is very visible; a doily on the couch, a flask underneath, new barstools from the Candy Kingdom, and the pink lamp in the bedroom, just to name a few examples.

5) Lady Rainicorn slippers. That is all.

6) Chocoberry on the cover of a magazine. Looks like she's been dipped in white chocolate for this shoot.

7) This is the first time we've seen Choose Goose since he appeared as "Achoos Goose" in the Elements miniseries. Last time we saw his normal form was all the way back in season five's "Blade of Grass", nearly seven years ago. Is it weird that Choose Goose was the first thing in the episode to make me cry?

8) It appears that Princess Bubblegum has not rebuilt the Gumball Guardians since they were destroyed in the battle against GOLB.

9) There are lots of familiar candy people in and around the tavern, from a variety of seasons, including Kenneth, Dirt Beer Guy, Cherry Cream Soda, a Banana Guard 500, Lollipop Girl, and Smudge.

10) Simon is of course singing "Remember You". He is also using the omnichord that was used in that episode. Interestingly, this suggests he might remember some of his experiences as the Ice King.

11) This isn't the first time Dirt Beer Guy's tavern has hosted an open mic night. He also held one in "Son of Rap Bear", and even used the same banner, although it's looking a little tattered and worn out now.

12) Simon doesn't look any older than he did in the finale. This might mean that Betty's wish made him immortal, or it simply might not have been long enough for him to visibly age.

13) This is the oversized shirt given to Marceline by her father in the episode "Marcy & Hunson". It's looking a little faded these days.

14) Bubblegum's outfit is of a similar style to the one in "The Vault", but it's not the same. The fact she's not wearing her amulet might suggest this flashback takes place after "The Vault", but nothing is known for certain.

15) There are gravestones outside Marceline's house, but these actually aren’t new. They previously appeared in “Go With Me”. So don’t worry, these don’t belong to Jake or anything like that.

16) Simon's coping mechanism would be funny if it wasn't so sad. It's going to be a long time before he fully recovers. On a lighter note, the magnets on the fridge say "M PB" which is pretty cute.

17) This is our first time seeing the outside of Elise's van. We previously saw the interior in "Everything Stays". Also, we learned from the credits and subtitles that her name is Elise!

18) Previously, it wasn't known whether or not Elise survived the Mushroom War. Turns out she did... but not for long. It's also now unclear whether the flashback from "Everything Stays" happened before or after the war.

19) A nice little timeline detail: Marceline travelling with her mother for a while explains the awkward two year gap between the Mushroom War and the events of "Simon & Marcy".

20) Here's a comparison of the parts of Marceline's song that got corrupted into the current version. The Glass People got really obsessed with the idea of the song being about coconuts for some reason.

21) PB yelling "Scree!" to summon the Morrow is a callback all the way to the season two episode "Death in Bloom", which is when the Morrow made their debut.

22) Disease is added to the long list of things that helped wipe out humanity. I wonder if this disease is related to the one that Hugo and his crew gave to the grays in the BMO special. I also wonder if Marceline is immune thanks to her demon half.

23) The mutant puppy was able to say the word "wassup". Perhaps this is a halfway stage to the talking animals that now populate the Land of Ooo.

24) Turns out Marceline discovered her demon powers before she defeated the Fool. This is the first appearance of these kinds of soulless husks since "It Came From the Nightosphere" in season two.

25) This is the first new candy power we've seen Princess Bubblegum use since she learned how to create mints and soda in "Jelly Beans Have Power".

26) Marceline not caring about the glass people is very in line with her personality in the early seasons, such as when she was happy to let her father suck souls as long as she got her bass back.

27) No Easter egg here, just an extremely good image.

28) Here's the screenshot leaked by Adam Muto last month. Like the gas station in "Bonnibel Bubblegum", the graffiti here tells an interesting story. Seems like the Land of Ooo had a bit of a Mad Max phase while the humans were still around.

29) This is (as far as I know) only the second time an Adventure Time character has ever been shown bleeding. The first was the heart monster in "The Enchiridion", but that was a lot less realistic.

30) The fact that humans survived long enough to construct a whole Fallout-style bunker confirms that the near-extinction of humanity wasn't a quick process. It makes you wonder whether any other groups made it, besides the Islanders.

31) Apart from this being one of the darkest scenes in the entire show, I like the background detail of bank notes being used as toilet paper.

32) Marceline grew up blaming herself for her mother leaving, and says she is like her dad. It sounds like Elise has told Marceline a bit about Hunson Abadeer, and is scared and angry at him.

33) This actually isn't the first time Marceline's bass has been broken. She also snapped the handle during her fight with the Vampire King. However, it's never been completely shattered like this.

34) This might be a reference to the Hall of Egress. That's the only other time we've heard Bubblegum use that word.

35) Confirmation that Princess Bubblegum doesn't have bones. I guess that counts as lore?

36) The gag of the Banana Guards slipping over each other was also done in "The Thin Yellow Line" and probably some other episodes I'm forgetting.

37) Jake’s granddaughter Bronwyn is certainly an unexpected appearance. I wonder what affiliation she has with the main cast now?

38) And of course... FINN! I would estimate he's aged about five to ten years since the finale, but it's hard to tell with Adventure Time's style. He looks younger than he did in Puhoy's alternate future.

39) Lots of people have been theorising that the tattoo implies that something unfortunate has happened to Jake. Perhaps we'll get to know more about that in Together Again. Let's not dwell on it for now.

40) A canon origin story for the shirt, plus a Bubbline first meeting! This overrides the P.B. & Marcy comic, and re-contextualises a whole bunch of the old Bubbline episodes!

That’s all for now! Let me know if you can think of anything I missed!

[wigwurq]

WIG REVIEW: PERRY MASON

It’s time for a prestige tv show wig review!! HBO’s reboot of Perry Mason has wrapped its season and I have a lot to say about it. SPOILERS AHEAD if you haven’t watched the full season. I had never watched the original Perry Mason (or read the books) but my mom did both and watching the new series with her was a lot of her comparing the new with the old. BUT WHAT ABOUT THE WIGS? Let’s discuss. Much like all HBO shows, the wig budget seems virtually nonexistent despite the fact that all HBO shows are definitely made out of money. WHAT GIVES?!?! I’ll be breaking down the hair character by character (skipping for the most part the wigless characters):

PERRY MASON

So many many of you have been trying to get me to watch The Americans, which is how most Americans were introduced to actor Matthew Rhys. AND I’M STILL NOT GONNA WATCH IT because though apparently there are many wigs, they are wigs within the narrative of the show so: WHATEVER. THEY ARE ALLOWED TO BE BAD! MOVING ON! I was introduced to Mr. Rhys first by running into him (literally) in my neighborhood (we’re neighbors!) and then seeing him as a grumpy grump in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (there is a neighborhood theme happening here...) Anyway: he is really good in this show and I was thankful every week that Perry was not played by Robert Downey, Jr (who originally was set to play him but still produced). Regardless: he doesn’t wear a wig but he does wear the shit out of some hats.

PETE STRICKLAND

Technically, Perry’s frenemy Pete is wigless as well but he wears the hell out of a mustache and that cannot go unnoticed!

DELLA STREET

Perry’s girl Friday and I guess the moral center of the show has one of the better wigs but it is still kind of the pits. Set in 1931-32, the series wigmaster clearly decided that ALL WOMEN wore fingerwave bobs and therefore all female characters have basically the same wig, with varying levels of success. Della’s is not the worst but that is mainly because she is constantly wearing hats. 

When not wearing hats...it’s another story, dog. This thing is an untamed nightmare of bends and angles. Still, compared to the other fingerwave bobs in this show, it is (sadly!) one of the best.

EMILY DODSON

First off, I’m really glad that one of my favorite characters in GLOW is on this show. However, UGH THIS WIG. We first encounter Emily as the mother of a kidnapped/murdered baby who soon becomes the #1 suspect.

Therefore, throughout the series her wig really takes a turn from bored housewife to inmate to courthouse to cemetery resurrections and back again. And through it all, this wig takes a journey from bent wig to more bent wig!

Even in the courtroom....YIKES. Look at the shine on this thing! And the texture. HORRIFIC.

No amount of prestige lighting can hide its horror!!!!

LUPE GIBBS

The only female character who is NOT running around in a fingerwave bob is Perry’s love interest/aviator/landlord, Lupe. I guess this character was supposed to be ahead of her time and kind of a Mexican Amelia Earhart but much like her characterization, this wig was kind of a mess, in fountains and out. 

PAUL DRAKE

Again, dude doesn’t have a wig but it must be noted that he wears hats well.

CLARA DRAKE

So straight up: I was worried about Paul Drake’s wife for basically ALL OF THIS SERIES. As soon as he was introduced as a black cop trying to navigate the very corrupt and even more racist LAPD and then it was revealed that he had a pregnant wife: I FEARED SHE AND THE BABY WOULD BE KILLED SOMEHOW. These fears truly crystallized when I started focusing on her wig, which is definitely the absolute worst wig on this show - the seamwork, texture, and curls are all a travesty. I knew that HBO would not be throwing wig bucks at a character that was not long for this series. BUT TWIST! Not only did she and baby live (halleluj!) but after quitting the LAPD and working for Perry, they somehow afforded a sweet new pad! I still don’t know how finances work on this show but fine! Now please get her a better wig for season 2!

LINDA MASON

First only heard as an angry voice on a phone, Perry’s ex-wife Linda, as played by the incomparable Gretchen Mol finally surfaced somewhere in the middle of this series. AND WON ALL THE WIG AWARDS. Did Gretchen Mol get to use her own hair person? Or her own hair? These mysteries still linger, as do many other mysteries in this series, but regardless: THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME ONE LADY WITH GOOD HAIR. Sadly, she was the only one. We hardly knew ye! 

BIRDIE McKEEGAN

Straight up: I LOVE LILY TAYLOR and think she can do no wrong. I was thrilled that she was in this show, even if she plays a total Mommie Dearest monster. Her wig is totally serviceable? But since we’re talking about Lily Taylor, she probably deserved better.

SISTER ALICE McKEEGAN

Yes, I left the craziest wig for last. As Lily Taylor’s daughter/evangelical lunatic/sexual assault survivor/baby resurrector/definite witch, Tatiana Maslany brought the CRAZY to this show and her wig brought it too. And no - I still haven’t watched Orphan Black and I’m fine, thanks. 

LOOK AT THIS DAMN WIG. Inspired somewhere between Elsa Lancaster’s Bride of Frankenstein, Jean Harlow, and every Halloween fright wig cut into a bob, this wig is a rumpled, crumpled MESS. 

I think I speak for us all when I say to this wig: OH HELL NO.

This trio of wigs is truly the three horsemen of the apocalypse. GET IT TOGETHER, HBO’S WIG BUDGET DEPARTMENT!!!

The real twist at the end (SPOILER!) is when Sister Alice books it out of her own baby resurrection only to resurface as a brunette, working at a diner. I did think it was hilarious that character named Alice would end up working in a diner - how many tv shows are you trying to reboot, HBO?

IF ONLY.

Anyway, this wig is just as bad as Alice’s blonde wig! The little wispy spit curls are 100% inspired by Betty Boop and the whole thing looks about as realistic as Betty Boop as well. Also: Alice gave no further information on dead or living baby wherabouts, leaving a huge gaping mystery at the end of this show which my mom found REALLY REALLY annoying but I guess the point is: this bitch is probably a witch. OK?

VERDICT: DOESN’T WURQ

[booasaur]

Anything new?

In terms of f/f content? I guess if we’re speaking about new f/f that I haven’t posted much about, there’s (varying levels of spoilers for all):

Betty on HBO - Four eps in, kind of a laid back look at female street skateboarders, at least two of the main cast, Kirt and Honeybear, are wlw, with side character love interests each

Hightown on Starz - Two eps in, lesbian lead Jackie Quinones, gonna be compared to Stumptown a lot, for obvious reasons, but the tone is much grittier

Alles was Zaht, a long-running German soap - This storyline having started building since March, Ina’s already out, Chiara’s image-conscious and going through a coming out arc

Skam France - Five eps in, I guess, I don’t know much about this, but you know how it goes with Skam, a character focus per season, this season’s main is Lola and I guess she’s having a time of it, from what it looks like, lol, the love interest being Maya

Homecoming on Amazon Prime - The second season dropped on Thursday, it’s not an anthology series but the first season’s lead was Julia Roberts and it switches to focus on an entirely new character played by Janelle Monae in the second, and while it would spoil a lot to reveal even the premise of the show I will say that Janalle Monae’s character is involved with a woman and Hong Chau, Lady Trieu in HBO’s Watchmen, is in both seasons. It’s not necessarily a happy ending, nor are the characters even particularly rootable, but I chose to take it as optimistic.

Defending Jacob on Apple+ - Seven eps in, one of the side characters, the lawyer for the suspect, is played by Cherry Jones, lesbian in real life (and Sarah Paulson’s ex), also married to a lady in the show, though we just get a mention of it, but I just thought it was nice :o

Control Z on Netflix - A LOT of spoilers on this one, lol: The first season dropped on Friday, a goddamn mess of a show, one of those Gossip Girl/Elite type high school dramas, where students keep getting their secrets revealed to the rest of the school, but one of the first and biggest secrets is revealing a popular girl is trans, and that’s just...mean. To place that on the same level as affairs and drugs and whatever. Maybe the actress, also trans, found it cathartic, obviously no judgment on her AT ALL, not like the roles out there are plenty, but it just feels cruel to put that kind of bullying on a character when it’s sensationalized and there’s so little to balance it out there. And she does seem to have a triumphant arc, so there’s that. Anyway, there’s an out lesbian, Alex, with her own secret (she’s having an affair with a teacher, yeah, like I said, that kind of show).

Snowpiercer on TNT - Two eps in, plain reboot of the movie, two of the characters introduced in the first ep, Bess and Jinju, haven’t interacted onscreen yet  (that I’ve noticed) were making out in the trailer, lol.

Run on HBO - First season finished yesterday, I guess, also not watching this, but PWB shows up in the last three eps of the season according to IMDB, with her love interest played by Tamara Podemski (who also plays a wlw on Coroner, so yay)

[dottiep]

Game of Thrones' watch has ended, Fleabag raised an eyebrow to us for the last time, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend took its final bow, and The Big Bang Theoryfinally fixed that dang elevator. The last 12 months brought fans of some of television's biggest shows the one thing they've been missing: closure.

But even after the conclusion of so many important series, thus rendering those programs ineligible for our ranking of the 100 best shows on right now (words mean stuff!), the caliber of content may be stronger than ever before. In the last month alone, viewers have been able to watch new episodes of GLOW, Succession, Dear White People, and Power, and catch up on beloved series like The Crown, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Supernatural, and The Good Fight before their new seasons premiere. And who hasn't gotten sucked into a marathon of SVU or Snapped at least once over the past year? This lineup will only grow in the future, with the launch of Disney Plus, Apple TV Plus, HBO Max, NBCUniversal's streaming platform, and, heck, even Quibi? Quibi! (Say it out loud, it's fun.)

68. Gentleman Jack

Suranne Jones is a star. That much is clear. And Suranne Jones playing Anne Lister — the real-life industrialist in the 1800s whose five-million-word coded diary forever changed the way lesbian history is viewed — is a performance you'd be remiss not to watch. Gentleman Jack creator Sally Wainwright more than does justice to the incredible true story of Lister and her romance with (and eventual marriage to) sheltered heiress Ann Walker (Sophie Walker), but it's the cheekiness and heartbreak Jones brings to the lead role that makes this historical drama so compelling. Do yourself a favor and watch this star-making turn already. -Sadie Gennis

9. GLOW

There's a scene toward the very end of GLOW's third season when Debbie (Betty Gilpin, we stan!) finally explains to her BFF-cum-frenemy, Ruth (Alison Brie), how she pulled off a seemingly impossible series of moves that left Debbie with what feels like true power for the first time (no spoilers, just watch). "It worked. It f--ing worked," Debbie says, barely holding it together, almost unable to believe she was able to thread the needle. It's perhaps the most thrilling moment yet in an absolutely riveting show — and a perfect encapsulation of what makes GLOW so powerful. What started ostensibly as a series about the fledgling launch of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling has become something so much more: a series about what happens when women force change, take what's theirs, and don't apologize for anything. -Christopher Rosen

1. Schitt’s Creek

Schitt's Creek is taking over. The nicest show on television is riding the high of its first Emmy nominations — including outstanding comedy series, lead actress (Catherine O'Hara), and lead actor (Eugene Levy) — heading into its sixth and final season, and there's no time to waste lamenting how long it's taken most American viewers to catch on to this dreamy Canadian import. The Pop TV series, created by father-son duo Eugene and Dan Levy, tells the story of a once-wealthy family inching toward happiness after they're forced to start over in a small town. "What brings so much joy to me in terms of writing this family is that all of these monumental moments for each of these characters are, to most well-adjusted people, totally everyday things. Like saying I love you and being open with your feelings," Dan Levy told TV Guide. Like the Rose family, Schitt's Creek has a knack for reinventing the ordinary. It's a comfortable sitcom packed with so much kindness that it feels brand new.

[tenderpoc]

NEW BETTY EP IM YELLING !!!!!!!!!!!