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mandarinastronaut · 6 years ago

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Homoromantic subtext in ‘The Goldfinch’

The Goldfinch is a novel written by Donna Tartt, published in 2013. It follows the characters Theodore Decker and Boris Pavlikovsky. The relationship between the two is a bit controversial. Literary critics have completely ignored the implications of a romance.

Let’s start with Theo’s toxic masculinity and internalized homophobia. Since the Tumblr user @borispav has already made an excellent analysis regarding the subject, I’m going to quote them.

”…Internalized homophobia is a fear and aversion toward homosexuality that is felt by a member of said sexuality. It’s an inclination toward projection, a way of securing confidence and self-image (two things which are threatened both systematically and socially) by registering one’s own sexual identity as a flaw in other people.

Toxic masculinity (or hegemonic masculinity) is a series of behaviors and traits found in men who have been molded by the ideologies of patriarchy. This mode of thinking presents a set of standards and conventions which men are expected to both adhere to and promote interpersonally.

When it comes to men, the ultimate goal—in both these cases— is to embody the widely advertised image of what is considered to be a ‘normal’ or ‘average’ man. This man is able-bodied and strong (both physically and mentally). This man fulfills the roles expected of his gender. He is ‘masculine’ in that he does not cry nor outwardly express any emotions outside of anger and lust. As a child he is sociable and sporty. He has many friends and does not struggle with fitting in. As a teen he is rowdy and full of life, armed to the teeth with a ‘healthy’ sex drive; the ultimate manifestation of the phrase “boys will be boys”. As an adult he is married and financially stable. He is on his way to achieving the American Dream: a white picket fence, 2.5 kids, and a wife that he feels responsible for protecting. He is straight and always has been.”

”Naturally interwoven amongst the pillars of toxic masculinity sits homophobia and its internalized counterpart. Heterosexuality, after all, is a core part of being a ‘normal’ male. Any other errant attraction is therefore meant to be deftly identified and expunged.

Given the sexual nature several of Theo’s fears toward masculinity take on, I believe it is more than safe to assume that he struggles with accepting and acknowledging his own sexuality (whether it be bisexuality or homosexuality, I don’t have a definite stance) as it is at odds with what has been presented as ‘normal’ male behavior.

Sexuality very nearly serves as an antagonist in this novel. It’s depicted as an emotionally draining entity, a wildness, a physical allure, tangible threat, and elusive dream. Theo is almost always at war with it—a sort of subplot to the story that mainly reveals itself in behavior and attitude, rather than direct dialogue or thought.

Sometimes the terror Theo harbors toward homosexuality (and, at its core, his own sexuality) is visceral enough to manifest itself as a palpable real-life danger. For example, aside from being verbally and emotionally abused by kids at school, Theo is also able to recall an instance where several boys held him down and attempted to sodomize him with a stick of deodorant (615). This memory, like the other, is mentioned in a passing, blasé, way. However, the fact that Theo remembers it at all as an adult—and in enough detail to recall the exact names of his aggressors— speaks to the experience’s traumatic weight.

In a similar vein, we have Theo’s negative re-entry into New York: the two different adult men who were implied child molesters (who cornered Theo and physically chased him down the street) serving as more literal manifestations of his own homophobia (404-409). This is the fear, and false pretense, that gay men are ‘perverts’ or ‘child molesters’ brought to life. It’s Theo’s repressed sexuality taunting and confronting him in a brutal, nightmarish, form; an expected effect of having been taught that a part of his identity is inherently ‘bad’ and unremovable.

This, and the bullying incident, are two prime examples of a fairly common literary technique used in which a character’s strongest fears or desires are made physical, rather than just emotional. Such a device works to symbolize/convey their fervency, demonstrate just how pressing and real they are to the afflicted character.”

A few examples of Theo’s internalized homophobia:

He can’t tell his doormen he’s going to miss them, because he thinks it would sound ”gay”. (238)

He feels uncomfortable in the cab because the driver saw Boris kissing him. (396)

He’s embarrassed to be seen with Popper because the breed is seen as ”feminine ” or “gay”. (402)

He’s distraught when Boris asks if he’s Hobie’s partner. (615)

“As for the internalized homophobia, it’s as ever-present as ever in his adulthood. In fact, I think it actually might even be morepronounced and focused than it was in his youth, when his fears primarily manifested themselves in vague and ambiguous ways. As an adult, his aversion is blunt and easy to identify. He graduates from steering clear of things that might insinuate homosexuality, to steering clear of gay men almost altogether. He’s able to acknowledge that they tend to make him uncomfortable, but in terms of trying to understand or mediate on why this is so, little is done. Instead he deems it suffice to drop in a few cursory sentences here and there whilst on the subject of something else, leaving it at that. No bigger picture is addressed, and no critical issue is implied.

For example, what we get are brief and loaded anecdotes like the following:

“I’d inherited my mother’s light-colored eyes, which short of sunglasses at gallery openings made it pretty much impossible to hide pinned pupils—not that anybody in Hobie’s crowd seemed to notice, except (sometimes) a few of the younger, more with-it gay guys— ‘You’re a bad boy,’ the bodybuilder boyfriend of a client had whispered into my ear at a formal dinner, freaking me out thoroughly. And I dreaded going up to the Accounts department at one of the auction houses because one of the guys there—older, British, an addict himself—was always hitting on me.” (472)

The sheer weariness and disdain with which he views threats to his heterosexuality is palpable here. There’s something almost sinister and deceptive about the way he chooses to portray these scenarios, something nightmarish in the way both men seem to be implicitly taunting him, confronting or incriminating him with the knowledge of a secret he pretends not to know. Both cases are clearly sources of great distress to him, as he feels the need to bring them up in context of something that didn’t exactly need the reference. It’s all fine and good that he mentions the "younger gay guys” noticing his pinned pupils, since the topic of thought was drugs, but then to go off and suddenly engage in the quotation of very specific dialogue (“you’re a bad boy”), and the discussion of very specific fears (being hit on by a guy), suggests that there is some deeper trauma demanding acknowledgment at the root. Theo is bothered by this. He is tormented by this. He uses the word dread (dread!!) to try and convey just how much he does not want to be in the same vicinity as someone who may act upon the assumption that he’s gay. (He wants us to assume that’s only because he’s confidently straight and doesn’t want the attention, but we know, in truth, that it’s because he’s both afraid and enraged at someone knowing and confronting him with such an unbidden part of himself).

Either way, it’s clear that he’s aware of the irrational severity of these fears, otherwise he wouldn’t have brought them up of his own volition or chosen to detail the day-to-day effects of their disproportionally crippling nature (i.e. him now despairing a certain department of his work environment). So yes, at some subconscious level, he knows that this isn’t normal, that he is stunted, emotionally, in some way. However, as I said before, he doesn’t ever think about why this is. He doesn’t try to find the problem, or even allude to there possibly being some small discrepancy in the way he’s always perceived his sexual identity. His aversion toward gay men simply remains a ‘mystery issue’, something of obvious weight that Theo wants us to feel, but not know. (Though, we know what it is anyway.)

And as if all this wasn’t obvious enough, we also get the very particular way in which Boris is framed in reference to Kitsey. He reenters Theo’s life right as Theo’s in a crisis over her, the engagement, and the fact that he’s not in love. And I mean this literally; Theo runs into Boris at St. Marks because he’d been on a walk in efforts to find ease of mind, a refuge from the daunting prospect of upcoming marriage (525). What he does find is Boris. Boris, who then, briefly, assumes the role of a hero— the knight in shining armor who’s come to sweep Theo up and away from the worldly snares of expectation and social-rule. This image is only further enforced when Boris comes billowing into his life again at the engagement party, graciously saving him from what (to Theo) was a downright nightmarish scenario. “Let’s get out of here,” is what Boris implores of him, leading them both to the door excitedly (635). Theo’s immediate response is to recognize that this is what he’s been unknowingly hoping this entire time, that Boris’ plea to run away from the engagement party with him is the “only thing that has made sense” to him all night (635). This is the ever-warring sides of illusion and reality at direct confrontation with each other. Choosing to stay at the party would imply that he has an unwavering loyalty to Kitsey (as in to heterosexuality/convention), while choosing to leave would imply that there are other, more genuine, desires drawing him away to something else at heart (his love for Boris, his lust for that wild edge; life without restraint and rule).

Theo chooses to leave. Or, I should probably say, he has no choice but to leave. When given such an enchanting window of escape, at such a precise moment of emotional distress and internal turmoil, it is impossible to resist. Of course his instinct would be to leave with Boris, even without knowing the details of their destination or circumstance. There’s an innate trust and draw that has been built up inside him from their Vegas years; Boris knows the deepest parts of Theo inside and out, and there are little to no other people in his life that he is tied to like that, little to no people that would provide the same type of relief from social-performance and self-deception as Boris would. On instinct (on instinct) Theo is true to himself for once. He physically runs after the thing he prefers, the thing it is that he actually wants. However, I do emphasize ‘on instinct’ because this is certainly more of a one-time, impulsive, occurrence than it is anything else. In the end it’s still Kitsey who Theo deems worthy of a suicide-note, not Boris. It’s still Kitsey who, despite everything, he continues to remain on the fence about all the way through the end of the novel. So, yes, it’s evident that the instinct (to be honest with himself, to go after what he wants etc.) is there, that—even after all these years—it still remains strong enough to be acknowledged and acted upon. However, the pressures of compulsive heterosexuality and toxic masculinity have not lessened their grip either, and, in the end, they are the ones that win.”

(all of this was from the amazing @borispav ‘s blog, thank you for letting me quote you!)

The story is told in retrospect and therefore is completely dependent on memory. Well memory, as we all know, isn’t very reliable. You forget, remember something incorrectly, manipulate and so forth. It is also sort of implied that Theo’s been using all sorts of substances, from hard drugs to alcohol. On the pages 622-623 we find out that Theo’s a ‘black-out’ drunk (he passes out and forgets things). Boris brings up the painting which baffles Theo since he himself has shown it to Boris but completely forgotten about it. Just the fact that he’s forgotten something so insanely important and significant, makes it more than possible that there are other important things he’s forgotten about. Theo tells us that he’s written the book for his mother, and in the hopes that Pippa would read it one day. This makes him quite biased and sets up an agenda for him, therefore implying that he’s willing to manipulate the story to fit his purposes. And because he’s trying to convince everyone (mostly himself, but also the reader) that he’s in love with Pippa, it wouldn’t make much sense for him to write about the true feelings he has for Boris. Though it’s very clear that he doesn’t actually love her. He even says this on page 570;

”Worse: my love for Pippa was muddied-up below the waterline with my mother, with my mother’s death, with losing my mother and not being able to get her back. All that blind, infantile hunger to save and be saved, to repeat the past and make it different, had somehow attached itself, ravenously, to her. There was an instability in it, a sickness. I was seeing things that weren’t there. I was only one step away from some trailer park loner stalking a girl he’d spotted in the mall. For the truth of it was: Pippa and I saw each other maybe twice a year; we e-mailed and texted, though with no great regularity; when she was in town we loaned each other books and went to the movies; we were friends; nothing more. My hopes for a relationship with her where wholly unreal, whereas my ongoing misery, and frustration, were an all-too-horrible reality. Was groundless, hopeless, unrequited obsession any way to waste the rest of my life?”

Even if you were to interpret it differently (Theo actually being in love with her, or at least being sexually attracted to her) it still doesn’t overrule Theo’s love for Boris (Theo could be bi-, pan-, or polysexual etc.).

Now when talking about Boris’ internalized homophobia, it’s not as severe as Theo’s. He’s a lot more accepting and openminded. On page 314. Boris brings up homosexuality;

”…Old poofter?” he asked. I was taken aback. ”No,” I said swiftly, and then; ”I don’t know.” ”Doesn’t matter,” said Boris, offering me the jar. ”I’ve known some sweet olf poofters.” ”I don’t think he is,” I said uncertainly. Boris shrugged. ”Who cares? if he is good to you? None of us ever find enough kindness in the world, do we?“

It’s very clear that by bringing up homosexuality casually like this, he wants to hear how Theo feels about it. This dialogue also tells us that Boris is a lot more accepting than Theo, who’s shocked and troubled by the idea of Hobie being gay.

Boris doesn’t have trouble expressing his feelings, he often even exaggerates them.

Boris says he’s in love with Kotku even though he doesn’t know her (326)

Boris says that he ”loves” Kotku and that she’s ”the truestthing that has ever happened” to him (328).

Boris says that the 'fight’ he and Kotku had, was ”only out of love”, and that they realized ”how much they loved each other” (360).

Boris tells Theo how he and KT became ”so close” in one night, and how they ”opened up their hearts” for each other (602).

Boris says that Bobo was like a father to him (613).

Boris is telling Theo about his tattoo, and says this; ”…This is for Katya, love of my life. I loved her more than any woman I ever knew.” To which Theo responds with; ”You say that about everybody.” Theo’s comment proves that this is something Boris does all the time.

But with Theo, he can express himself only through action, rather than words. It’s important to bear this in mind whenever interpreting his actions.

Quoting the Tumblr user @queer-deckovskij ;

”…Part II of The Goldfinch Book contains the chapters Badr al-Dine and Wind, Sand and Stars, in which Boris and Theo meet, go on adventures, live a pair of year together, fight, love each other, then say goodbye. These 200 pages are introduced by a quote Donna put right before chapter 5, that comes from the poet Arthur Rimbaud and says,

When we are very strong, - who draws back? very gay*, - who cares for ridicule? When we are very bad, - what would they do with us?

So where do I start? This quote accurately depicts Boris’ and Theo’s friendship in a way that takes my breath away. It contains all the force and stubbornness and courage of the angry youth they represent. She couldn’t have picked a better quote to represent them. But that’s not all. The small poem doesn’t end here - Donna cut the second part of it, which says,

Deck yourself, dance, laugh. I could never throw Love out of the window.

Yes, the poem used to represent Theo and Boris’ relationship is a love poem. I think it’s really important the notion of who Arthur Rimbaud was. He lived in France during the 19th century and while still very young he had a homosexual affair with another poet, named Paul Verlaine; they ran off together and for quite some time they shared a really unhealthy and irregular life, mostly based on drugs and alcohol and dangerous experiences. Les Poètes maudits, yes? They lived in the same house for a few years and ended up splitting up in quite a violent way (Verlaine shot Rimbaud twice). Does this experience remind you of someone? A couple of guys who drank beer and did drugs like it was a packet of chips and a bottle of pepsi? Inserting that quote, Donna Tartt literally compared Theo and Boris to Rimbaud and Verlaine. Which means that, officially, Theo and Boris’s love was not a platonic one.

*I do not know if Donna inserted this translation or a more neutral one, like cheerful or jolly; the original French poem uses the word gai, which literal translates as gay.”

When Boris starts dating Kotku, Theo is forced to think about what his and Boris’ relationship was for the first time. Though, it’s already been implied earlier that Theo might have a crush on Boris.

Subtext of Theo’s attraction toward Boris;

He’s staring at Boris’ stomach (272).

He’s staring at Boris’ neck (284).

He’s staring at Boris who’s wearing nothing but Theo’s underwear (307).

He’s staring at Boris’ shirtless chest (308).

He’s staring at Boris’ lower abdomen (383).

Theo is jealous of Kotku, he’s even depicted as a pissed ‘house-wife’.

Page 327; ”…But what did bother me -a lot- was how Kotku (I’ll continue to call her by the name Boris gave her, since I can’t now remember her real name) had stepped in overnight and virtually assumed ownership of Boris. First he was busy on Friday night. Then it was the whole weekend–not just the night, but the day too. Pretty soon, it was Kotku this and Kotku that, and the next thing I knew, Popper and I were eating dinner and watching movies by ourselves.”

(Theo’s been depicted as a ‘house-wife’ before on page 277.)

Even though he’s feeling jealous and left behind, he still tries to convince himself and the reader that their relationship was nothing but platonic, that he doesn’t really care whether Boris has a girlfriend or not. Still, it isn’t so simple. He can’t find a right word to describe their relationship.

”…But who cared what crappy girl Boris liked? Weren’t we still friends? Best friends? Brothers practically? Then again: there was not exactly a word for Boris and me. Until Kotku came along, I had never thought too much about it.” (333)

If their relationship was really platonic, Boris having a girlfriend wouldn’t affect their “friendship” or “brotherhood” in the slightest.

Theo’s projecting into Boris because of his internalized homophobia. We find out that Theo doesn’t mind Boris showing physical affection, and that he even enjoys it (it’s the only thing that calms him down from his nightly terrors). This is something that he doesn’t want to admit. He’s constantly trying to convince the reader that there aren’t any stronger, possibly romantic, feelings attached. It’s actually quite comedic.

”The funny thing: I’d worried, if anything, that Boris was the one who was a little too affectionate, if affectionate is the right word. The first time he’d turned in bed and draped an arm over my waist, I lay there half-asleep for a moment, not knowing what to do: staring at my old socks on the floor, empty beer bottles, my paperbacked copy of The Red Badge of Courage. At last–embarrassed–I faked a yawn and tried to roll away, but instead he sighed and pulled me closer, with a sleepy, snuggling motion. Shh, Potter, he whispered, into the back of my neck. Is only me. It was weird. Was it weird? It was; and it wasn’t. I’d fallen back to sleep shortly after, lulled by his bitter, beery unwashed smell and his breath easy in my ear. I was aware I couldn’t explain it without making it sound like more than it was. On nights when I woke strangled with fear there he was, catching me when I started up terrified from the bed, pulling me back in the covers beside him, muttering in nonsense Polish, his voice throaty and strange with sleep. We’d drowse off in each other’s arms, listening to music from my iPod (Thelonious Monk, The Velvet Underground, music my mother had liked) and sometimes wake clutching each other like castaways or much younger children.” (335)

In the end, we finally find out that they’ve even been sexually intimate. Since this is something they’ve done regularly, it’s more than safe to say that they’re at least sexually attracted to each other. Still, Theo keeps projecting into Boris, saying that he’s the one ”who might have the wrong idea”.

“…And yet (this was the murky part, this was what bothered me) there had also been other, way more confusing and fucked-up nights, grappling around half-dressed, weak light from the bathroom and everything haloed and unstable without my glasses: hands on each other, rough and fast, kicked-over beers foaming on the carpet–fun and not that big of a deal when it as actually happening, more than worth it for the sharp gasp when my eyes rolled back and I forgot about everything; but when we woke the next morning stomach-down and groaning on opposite sides of the bed it receded into an incoherence of backlit flickers, choppy and poorly lit like some experimental film, theunfamiliar twist of Boris’s features fading from memory already and none of it with any more bearing on our actual lives than a dream. We never spoke of it; it wasn’t quite real; getting ready for school we threw shoes, splashed water at each other, chewed aspirin for our hangovers, laughed and joked around all the way to the bus stop. I knew people would think the wrong thing if they knew, I didn’t want anyone to find out and I knew Boris didn’t either, but all the same he seemed so completely untroubled by it that I was sure it was just a laugh, nothing to take too seriously or get worked up about. And yet, more than once, I had wondered if I should step up my nerve and say something: draw some kind of line, make things clear, just to make absolutely sure he didn’t have the wrong idea. But the moment had never come. Now there was no point in speaking up and being awkward about the whole thing, though I scarcely took comfort in the fact.” (335-336)

Boris feels troubled because his and Theo’s relationship has become so intimate. He’s not sure if Theo feels the same way about him, and that creates a lot of stress and confusion for him. He makes a subconscious decision to resolve the situation by jumping into an impulsive relationship with Kotku (there aren’t any strong feelings attached). The relationship is completely physical, (they’re sexually attracted to each other, that’s it) even though Boris tries to convince Theo it isn’t so. Soon after they start dating, they begin to argue like an old married couple. It even goes so far that Boris punches Kotku (in the face).

Then Theo’s dad dies, and Theo has to leave Vegas in order to avoid his worst nightmare; social workers. Tartt depicts the 'goodbye’ scene quite dramatically, starting it with Boris humming a song by The Velvet Underground called After Hours. The song is about, you guessed it, unwilling goodbyes, love etc. By inserting this song to the very start, Tartt creates the perfect atmosphere for the whole scene, implying that there are strong romantic feelings between the two. They’ve listened to the song together, and so, Boris tries to manipulate Theo into staying by humming it.

”…Boris, I realized, was looking up at the sky and humming to himself, a line from one of my mother’s Velvet Underground songs: but if you close the door… the night could last forever…” (392)

The certainty of the situation starts to sink in on Theo, and he starts expressing his true feelings for the first and last time in the novel, in fact, he’s lost all control over himself. Boris realizes that Theo’s expressing his real feelings (probably predicting a confession) and since Boris has stolen the painting (something Theo’s completely unaware of) he’s accepted that he’s completely ruined any chances of continuing the relationship, (knowing that Theo would hate him after finding out) and just can’t bear to hear any more of what Theo’s saying. So, he interrupts Theo by kissing him on the lips. Now, besides the suggestive placement of the kiss, (not only is it in the goodbye scene but its right before Theo’s confession as well) the way Theo reacts to it makes it very clear that this is unusual behavior, and not something Boris has done before, (Theo wouldn’t have missed a chance to make the whole situation seem as platonic as possible, he would have tried to pull some bullshit like ”oh yeah this is something Boris does all the time lmao doesn’t mean anything”. And they know each other so well that they can communicate without words, so I think it’s safe to say that Theo would’ve known about it if it was usual behavior for Boris.) the kiss is clearly more than platonic, to say the least.

”…Really, you have to come. We can go to Brighton Beach—that’s where all the Russians hang out. Well, I’ve never been there. But the train goes there—it’s the last stop on the line. There’s a big Russian community, restaurants with smoked fish and sturgeon roe. My mother and I always talked about going out there to eat one day, this jeweler she worked with told her all the good places to go, but we never did. It’s supposed to be great. Also, I mean—I have money for school—you can go to my school. No—you totally can. I have a scholarship. Well, I did. But the guy said as long as the money in my fund was used for education—it could be anybody’s education. Not just mine. There’s more than enough for the both of us. Though, I mean, public school, the public schools are good in New York, I know people there, public school’s fine with me.” I was still babbling when Boris said: “Potter.” Before I could answer him he put both hands on my face and kissed me on the mouth. And while I stood blinking—it was over almost before I knew what had happened—he picked up Popper under the forelegs and kissed him too, in midair, smack on the tip of his nose. Then he handed him to me. ”Your car’s over there,” he said, giving him one last ruffle on the head. And—sure enough—when I turned, a town car was creeping up the other side of the street, surveying the addresses. We stood looking at each other—me breathing hard, completely stunned. ”Good luck,” said Boris. ”I won’t forget you.” then he patted Popper on the head. ”Bye, Popchyk. Look after him, will you?” he said to me.” (394-395)

When Theo gets in the cab, he acknowledges his feelings for Boris and confesses his love for him. This is the first and last time he does this (at least according to Theo’s narrative, which as we know, isn’t very reliable).

”Later—in the cab, and afterward—I would replay that moment, and marvel that I’d waved and walked away quite so casually. Why hadn’t I grabbed his arm and begged him one last time to get in the car, come on, fuck it Boris, just like skipping school, we’ll be eating breakfast over cornfields when the sun comes up? I knew him well enough to know that if you asked him the right way, at the right moment, he would do almost anything; and in the very act of turning away I knew he would have run after me and hopped in the car laughing if I’d asked one last time. But I didn’t. And, in truth, it was maybe better that I didn’t—I say that now, though it was something I regretted bitterly for a while. More than anything I was relieved that in my unfamiliar babbling-and-wanting-to-talk state I’d stopped myself from blurting the thing on the edge of my tongue, the thing I’d never said, even though it was something we both knew well enough without me saying it out loud to him in the street—which was, of course, I love you.” (395)

When they run into each other as adults, Theo starts commenting on Boris’ appearance almost immediately. This isn’t something Theo’s done before, his internalized homophobia won’t allow him to. Boris is the only male he depicts this way.

”…There he was, sliding in across from me, slingin the hair from his face in a gesture that brought the past ringing back. “I was just about to leave.” “Sorry.” Same dirty, charming smile. “Had something to do. Didn’t Myriam explain?” “No she didn’t.” “Well. Is not like I work in accounting office. Look,” He said leaning forward, palms on the table, “don’t be mad! Was not expecting to run into you! I came as quick as I could! Ran, practically!” He reached across with cupped hands and slapped me gently on the cheek. “My God! Such a long time it is! Glad to see you! You’re not glad to see me too?” He’d grown up to be good-looking. Even at his gawkiest and most pinched he’d always had a likable shrewdness about him, lively eyes and quick intelligence, but he’d lost that half-starved rawness and everything else had come together the right way.” (596)

Then we find out that Boris has been embittered this whole time because he ruined his and Theo’s relationship (Thinking that Theo holds a grudge for him because of the painting). So, Boris projects onto Theo. He brings up their sexual intimacy, and offends him;

”…why do I feel like you’re trying to change the subject?” ”Not trying to judge! It’s just—we did crazy things back then. Things I think maybe you don’t remember. No, no!” he said quickly, shaking his head, when he saw the look on my face. ”Not that. Although I will say, you are the only boy I have ever been in bed with!” My laugh spluttered out angrily, as if I’d coughed or choked on something. ”With that—” Boris leaned back disdainfully in his chair, pinched his nostrils shut—”pfah. I think it happens at that age sometimes. We were young, and needed girls. I think maybe you thought it was something else. But, no, wait” he said quickly, his expression changing—I’d scraped back my chair to go— ”wait,” he said again, catching my sleeve, “don’t, please, listen to what I’m trying to tell you, you don’t at all remember the night when we were watching Dr. No?” I was getting my coat from the back of my chair…” (622)

Theo is clearly hurt by Boris’ words, even though he doesn’t admit it.

As if all of this wasn’t already obvious enough, Tartt’s sprinkled all sorts of subtext all over the novel;

Theo takes extraordinary notice of the sex books his therapist has. Tartt is already, this early into the book, implying that sexuality might be a theme for Theo. (162)

During Theo’s and Boris’ first conversation, Theo asks Boris to say something in one of the multiple languages Boris speaks and he decides to say something quite suggestive, which is; ”fuck you up the ass”. (265)

Theo’s internalized homophobia is taunting him, he says he feels ”shameful”, ”worthless”, ”tainted” and ”wrong”, and that he doesn’t know the origin for these emotions. (440-441)

Theo thinks about Boris every day and everything reminds him of Boris. (465)

Theo still remembers Boris’ home phone number in Vegas and even uses the last digits of it for the combination padlock that’s securing the painting. (532)

Theo confesses that he has googled Boris in the past. (595)

”You know what I did in college?” I was telling him. ”I took Conversational Russian for a year. Totally because of you. I did really shitty in it, actually. Never got good enough to read it, you know, sit down with Eugene Onegin—you have to read it in Russian, they say, it doesn’t come through in translation. But—I thought of you so much! I used to remember little things you’d say—all sorts of things came back to me—oh, wow, listen, they’re playing 'Comfy in Nautica,’ do you remember that? Panda Bear! I totally forgot that album. Anyway. I wrote a term paper on The Idiot for my Russian Literature class—Russian Literature in translation—I mean, the whole time I was reading it I thought about you, up in my bedroom smoking my dad’s cigarettes. It was so much easier to keep track of the names if I imagined you saying them in my head … actually, it was like I heard the whole book in your voice! Back in Vegas you were reading The Idiot for like six months, remember? In Russian. For a long time it was all you did. Remember how for a long time you couldn’t go downstairs because of Xandra, I had to bring you food, it was like Anne Frank? Anyway, I read it in English, The Idiot, but I wanted to get there too, to that point, you know, where my Russian was good enough. But I never did.” (614-615)

Theo depicts Pippa by referring to Boris. (678)

Tartt has placed a character from one of her earlier novels The secret history, Francis Abernathy, a homosexual man who was forced by circumstance to marry a woman, in Theo’s engagement party as a parallel for him. (710)

”Only what is that thing? Why am I the way I am? Why do I care about all the wrong things, and nothing at all for the right ones? Or, to tip it another way: how can I see so clearly that everything I love or care about is illusion, and yet—for me, anyway—all that’s worth living for lies in that charm? A great sorrow, and one I am only beginning to understand: we don’t get to choose our own hearts. We can’t make ourselves want what’s good for us or what’s good for other people. We don’t get to choose the people we are. Because—isn’t it drilled into us constantly, from childhood on, an unquestioned platitude in the culture—? From Willian Blake to Lady Gaga, from Rousseau to Rumi to Tosca to Mister Rogers, it’s a curiously uniform message, accepted from high to low: when in doubt, what to do? How do we know what’s right for us? Every shrink every career counselor, every Disney princess knows the answer: ”Be yourself.” ”Follow your heart.” Only here’s what I really, really want someone to explain to me. What if one happens to be possessed of a heart that can’t be trusted—? What if the heart, for its own unfathomable reasons, leads one willfully and in a cloud of unspeakable radiance away from health, domesticity, civic responsibility and strong social connections and all the blandly-held common virtues and instead straight toward the bonfire, is it better to turn away? Stop your ears with wax? Ignore all the perverse glory your heart is screaming at you? Set yourself on the course that will lead you dutifully towards the norm, reasonable hours and regular medical check-ups, stable relationships and steady career advancement, the New York Times and brunch on Sunday, all with the promise of being somehow a better person? Or—like Boris—is it better to throw yourself head first and laughing into the holy rage calling your name? It’s not about outward appearances but inward significance. A grandeur in the world, but not of the world, a grandeur that the world doesn’t understand. That first glimpse of pure otherness, in whose presence you bloom out and out and out. A self one does not want. A heart one cannot help.” (852-853). Since the main themes of the novel are authenticity and unauthenticity (good and bad, right and wrong) it makes perfect sense to have sexuality be a subtheme.

Love restricts one’s personal life. Committing to something so uncertain and scary, as serious romantic relationships are, is impossible for Boris due to his traumatic childhood. This (aside from thinking he’s ruined their relatonship) is the reason why he’s stayed out of Theo’s life for all these years.

”…Boris laughed. “And you love her, yes. But not too much.” “Why do you say that?” “Because you are not mad, or wild, or grieving! You are not roaring out to choke her with your own bare hands! Which means your soul is not too mixed up with hers. And that is good. Here is my experience. Stay away from the ones you love too much. Those are the ones who will kill you. What you want to live and be happy in the world is a woman who has her own life and lets you have yours.” (667)

Later, in Amsterdam, during the shootout, Boris physically follows this ideology and his true feelings- he’s ready to die for Theo. Theo confessed his love verbally, this is Boris confessing his love in the way most natural to him, through action;

”…Again Boris moaned, as the guy yanked his hair once more, and from across the car threw me an unmistakable look—which I understood just as plainly as if he’d spoken the words aloud, an urgent and very specific cut of the eyes straight from our shoplifting days: run for it, Potter, go.” (760)

Can a Pulitzer prize-winning author write this blatant subtext accidentally? Is this just another case of cheap queerbaiting? It’s up to you to decide.

———————————————————————————————————–

A look at internalized homophobia and toxic masculinity as presented in the character of Theodore Decker; https://borispav.tumblr.com/post/179768610308/a-look-at-internalized-homophobia-and-toxic

by https://borispav.tumblr.com/

Post on Arthur Rimbaud’s poem; http://queer-deckovskij.tumblr.com/post/171833208225/so-very-important-detail-i-dont-know-if-any-of

by http://queer-deckovskij.tumblr.com/

All page numbers are from my copy of the book, meaning that I’ve changed the ones in the quotations from the original ones to my own.

I received technical writing help from a friend of mine, as I am dyslexic and have trouble expressing myself sometimes, who wants to stay anonymous, thank you anonymous!

#the goldfinch #boreo #theo decker #boris pavlikovsky #donna tartt #theodore decker #tgf #rin's analysis

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olehistorian · 5 years ago

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PHYLLIS Logan is only minutes back from New York where the actress has been promoting the new Downton Abbey movie. The national station PBS has been beaming out interviews across the nation, given the series about toffs and toff-servers has been such an success in the classless land of the free.

Logan’s voice is soft and a little subdued. She speaks in thumbnails, not given to flourishes at all. I factor in that the expansive, often dramatic language of hyperbole was spoken by very few in Renfrewshire in the 1950s and 1960s (yet actors tend to be more effusive). And I factor in jetlag of course.

But then again, perhaps there’s a little more of her laconic head housekeeper character Mrs Hughes in Phyllis Logan than we’d suspected? “Well, I can be a bit snippy, a bit terse,” she offers, smiling. “But only to my nearest and dearest.” Would Kevin (actor husband Kevin McNally) agree with that? “Probably,” she says, dryly.

Logan’s thoughts on the Mrs Hughes comparison continues: “She was written down in the script, of course, but I like to think I gave her the legs to run. But when you play a character there are always elements of you in that person. You can’t completely step away from yourself.”

Downton is a phenomenal television success story. The series, which began eight years ago featuring the Crawley family and their legion of servants, began with the Titanic going down, and has covered plague, rape, murder, interwoven with romance, often crossing the class barriers.

Logan’s character was voted No 1 Ever in a 2014 Radio Times poll; no mean feat given the subdued nature of Mrs H, a woman to whom flashes of excitement are to be discouraged as much as relations with those upstairs.

Yet, the original script described Elsie Hughes as a Yorkshire woman. Logan reveals it was only when the casting directors heard the Scot’s natural voice that they asked her to read in her own accent. “I was happy when she was cast as a Scot. She had that Scottish bluntness and I felt right because I have known women like her.”

During the six series of Downton, Mrs Hughes negotiated Branson the chauffeur’s assassination attempt, Carson’s Spanish flu and helped Ethel with her illegitimate Upstairs son, Charlie. The psychologist with an apron also sorted out Thomas’s homosexuality. And although she fell for Mr Carson, (or at least lurched slightly in his direction) it took a bit of persuasion before she agreed to a “full” marriage, where he would make occasional visits downstairs.

“We all know those types,” grins Logan. “But what’s nice about her is she does have a sense of humour. And she’s quite forward thinking. She’s a republican, and has a socialist bent to her for sure.”

Does Logan have left-wing sympathies, considering her late father, an engineer, was a trade unionist? She deflects by referring to Mrs Hughes. “She was of a different type. She knew people were thrown into a caste system but had to make the best of it.”

Yes, but what about you, Phyllis? Did you feel working class containment in Johnstone, where most people’s horizons didn't stretch beyond Rootes car plant or the local carpet factory (where John Byrne took inspiration for The Slab Boys – Logan appeared in the sequel, Cuttin’ A Rug)?

“You just accepted the way things were,” she says, sounding ever so Mrs Hughes. “I never thought I’d break out and become posh. But I did think it would be nice to spread my wings a little.”

Just a little? She smiles and adds: “But I didn’t audition for some of the big London drama schools. I thought that was a step too far for me at the time so I went to Glasgow.”

Not a risk taker. Not a wild child. But very, very good at what she does. Despite her careers teacher declaring the teenager was wasting her time with acting, Logan picked up the James Bridie Gold Medal at the RSAMD. On leaving she landed work at Dundee Rep and worked continuously throughout the 1970s and 1980s with the likes of Borderline Theatre. Real talent was revealed. Yet few would have expected her to land the role of Britain’s most popular posh totty in dodgy antiques dealer series Lovejoy.

Aged 30 in 1986, Logan walked into an audition room as Lady Felsham. Logan’s Lady had a cut-glass accent, spoke authoritatively of renaissance art and invoked a world of stately homes and castles. But in reality, Logan’s only castle connection was her housing scheme, Johnstone Castle, where the recognised art on living room walls was a classic Sara Moon picture. This new cut-glass accent had somehow emerged from a world where ginger bottles were a form of currency.

Logan’s clever deception (aided by being forced to speak RP at drama college) revealed that you don’t have to be a loud extrovert to be emboldened enough to convince you are actually blue blooded: you just need to be talented. “I can’t believe looking back now that 20 million were watching us on Sunday nights. The show was so huge.”

Many other drama successes followed such as Mike Leigh’s Secrets and Lies. But did she feel Downton would be the massive success it became? “I read the scripts and loved them. And when I heard Maggie Smith and Hugh (Bonneville) and Penelope (Wilton) were on board it looked good. Then we signed an option for three series but there was always the chance it could have gone down the pan after one.” Her voice lifts. “And then six came along.”

Did this kill the fear, the insecurity that comes with being an actor waiting to be hired? She answers indirectly. “It used to be that you always knew that when one job was finishing another would be on its way. But that seems to be far less the case these days. That’s why it was great having that guarantee of six months' work each year. And each time it was like going back to school after the summer holidays and seeing your friends.”

Logan seems the worrying type, so why volunteer for a life of insecurity? “And rejection,” she adds in soft voice. “And I’ve had a certain amount of that.” She thinks for a second and makes a dramatic statement that seems out of character. “You know, I wanted this part in Downton so badly I think I might have given up [acting] had I not got it. I don’t often feel that. Usually I have a what’s-for-you-will-not-go-by-you outlook.”

She laughs and allows herself a little flightiness: “Somehow I felt, ‘This is mine! It’s meant to be.'" She then contains herself and becomes more Mrs Hughes. “No, I felt I’d like to give it a bash.”

Logan certainly didn’t get into acting for the glory. She doesn’t seem to be consumed by ambition or the fripperies of acting success. She had genuinely forgotten she’d won a Bridie Gold Medal, and mention of her Bafta for Another Time, Another Place, (the 1983 Scotswoman falls for Italian POW tragic romance) doesn’t swell her head in the slightest. What she does want, however, is to act. All the time. In all the best roles.

“I just wanted to be the best I could. To find the truth in every role. You don’t think about awards. Acting has been the only thing that remotely interested me since I played Mary in the Nativity play at primary school. Then at Johnstone High I’d join every club that had anything to do with acting and take trips to the Citizens'. I’d be in any play going, starting in the chorus and working my way up to playing Polly in the Boyfriend.”

But, of course, there have been set backs. “My dad [David] didn’t live to see me graduate, [he died, aged 59] and that was a real shame but my mum would come and see all my shows.”

Logan’s voice becomes more upbeat as she tells of how her mum and aunt landed roles in one of her films, when the actress appeared in a drama set in Spain, The Legendary Life of Ernest Hemingway (1989). “My mum Betty and my auntie Margaret came on set to have a look around, and they were asked if they wanted to be extras. They loved the idea of this, and were dressed up as posh ladies with big frocks and they had all the make-up done.

“But it was a night shoot, and the second night as they should have been getting picked up they declared, ‘Oh, pet, we don’t think we’ll bother tonight.’ I thought ‘Have you never heard of continuity? Do you know what this means? I had to tell the director they’d both eaten something dodgy.”

Betty and Margaret clearly weren’t captivated by the acting world. Logan herself once claimed she wasn’t captivated by actors. She said she wouldn’t have one in the house, that they were vain people. But then she met McNally while filming the 1993 miniseries Love and Reason and they fell in love and married.

“What I meant was I’d never get together with one,” she backtracks, grinning. “But in a way it makes real sense. We know the business. And we can help each other. Recently, Kevin was doing three episodes of the missing Dad’s Army scripts (playing Captain Mainwaring) and I read lines with him every night. It meant I got to play every other character in the cast.” McNally must have found it a delight, given his wife’s talent. (She slips into a remarkable Clive Dunn/Corporal Jones voice. “Don’t panic, don’t panic Mr Mannering.”

But if all that sounds a little perfunctory, Logan, who lives in west London, once declared: “There’s an excitement in discovering that you can still fall in love when you’re an ancient old trout.”

There’s little doubt the relationship really works. But the Mrs Hughes cross voice emerges when I ask if Pirates of the Caribbean star McNally, who has appeared in Downton in the past, playing Horace Bryant, has a role this time around? “No, he does not,” she says emphatically, (subtext: he’s had his shot and should be thankful, a sentiment which sits neatly against her husband’s quote of the time: “Phyllis said it was like take-your-husband-to-work day.”

Was she a bit territorial? “Yes,” she smiles. “I was thinking: ‘You don’t get me a part as Johnny Depp’s mother and take me to the Caribbean. So why are you here?’”

What of the Downton film, set in 1927, two years after the end of the series? It transpires tiaras and silver will be polished until they sparkle. “We get a visit from the King and Queen (George V and Queen Mary) and there’s a bit of friction between the Downton team and the Royal household staff. Mr Carson (now on gardening duty) is begged by Lady Mary to help out. The cavalry ride into town!”

And, of course, there will be lashings of scandal, romance and intrigue “that will leave the future of Downton hanging in the balance,” says the official movie site.

But what of the future for Phyllis Logan? Despite running up continuous film and TV series, success, from Taggarts to Rab C Nesbitt, from the more recent The Good Karma Hospital to Girlfriends – and attracting great crits for her West End role earlier this year as Patricia Highsmith in Switzerland – she certainly has Elsie Hughes’ worry gene.

Logan’s run, she feels, could end at any minute.

“It’s a snakes and ladders life,” she says in Mrs Hughes' tones. “Your career can be going really well and suddenly the snake appears. But I guess I’ve been lucky because I persevered.”

Nonsense, Phyllis. Talent kicked in. You don’t get Bridies and Baftas and almost continuous work for perseverance. “It’s lovely of you to say so, but I’m not sure that’s really the case.”

Downton Abbey is out on September 13

#phyllis logan #downton abbey #interview #elsie hughes #lady jane felsham

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subvertingyourexpectations · 5 years ago

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Top Ten Films of 2019

2019 was… I’m gonna be honest, not a very great year for cinema. Aside from a handful of standouts, I have seen very few things that completely blew me away. Especially given the past few years, we haven’t gotten a Roma, or a Phantom Thread, or a Denis Villeneuve movie. Anyway, this is my top ten favorite films of 2019.

But first…

Films That Would Make It But Didn’t “Technically” Come Out in 2019

Long Day’s Journey into Night

I already talked at length about this film, but I love it to pieces. It has twisted the visual language of cinema into its own beautiful and bizarre version, crafting a puzzle box of a movie that I absolutely adored. But, it technically came out at the end of 2018, so it can’t be on the list.

Tigers Are Not Afraid

If you like foreign films, this is a must-see. If you like tragic dramas anchored by some terrific child actor performances, this is a must-see. If you like horror movies, well, it’s not really a horror movie but people keep describing it as one, so you should probably see it. It’s a beautiful little imaginative tale about the effects of the drug war on orphaned kids, and if you can catch it on streaming I would definitely check it out. But, even though it came out in limited release in August, it came out in Mexico in 2017, so I can’t include it.

One Cut of the Dead

Maybe the most original film I’ve seen in years? The first half is a terrific little zombie flick all in one camera shot, and somehow the second half expands on this and is ten times better. Watching this in a packed house was one of my favorite moviegoing experiences of the year. It’s one of the most funny and, again, original movies I’ve seen in years.

Shadow

UGH ALL THE GREAT FOREIGN FILMS DIDN’T COME OUT IN 2019. Anyway this movie is incredible and is maybe the best use of grayscale I’ve seen in any film.

Movies That Might’ve Made the List But I Sadly Have Not Seen Them Yet

Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Pain and Glory

1917

Bad Education

Little Women

The Souvenir

Okay, now onto the actual list…

10. Ad Astra

Brad Pitt and James Gray’s remake of Apocalypse Now in space is maybe the weirdest premise for a movie, and yet I really enjoyed Ad Astra. There’s clearly some touches of studio interference that make this movie worse (read: Brad Pitt’s narration), but the underlying themes of anxiety and depression are some of the best I’ve seen on screen. Couple that with Brad Pitt’s best performance of the year (yes), the visual splendor on display, and this movie is an easy inclusion in my top ten of the year.

9. Uncut Gems

I need to go lie down. After really enjoying the Safdie Brothers’ previous films (Good Time and Heaven Knows What), I was really excited for this movie, and I was not let down. The frenetic, dare-I-say crackhead energy that the Safdies are able to convey in their films is immensely satisfying to watch, and the way Adam Sandler channels it is one of my favorite performances of the year. The last twenty minutes of this movie is just pure panic attack.

8. The Irishman

Somehow Scorsese’s 209-minute long epic is one of the most watchable films of the year. This is just a terrific example of everyone firing on all cylinders; the performances are great, the script is great, the editing is unbelievable (this movie feels like it is two hours long), and the directing and thematic development towards the third act is some of Scorsese’s best.

7. The Farewell

A calling card for director Lulu Wang as much as it is for Awkwafina in dramatic roles, The Farewell is an absolute delight. The family dynamics throughout all feel refreshingly authentic, and the film masterfully weaves between its comedic moments and tragic undertones. If it wasn’t for some choices made at the ending, this would probably rank higher on my list.

6. El Camino

How bad was 2019 for film? A Breaking Bad movie is my sixth favorite film of the year. It doesn’t matter if we “needed” this movie or not, El Camino is just so incredibly well-made and enjoyable. It’s always a pleasure seeing something new in the Breaking Bad universe, but more than that I think this film is a genuinely beautiful swan song for one of the greatest characters in television.

5. Waves

This movie is meandering, aimless, pretentious, and completely style over substance. And yet, the last half hour of this movie hit me harder than almost anything this year. Regardless of how you feel about the characters, I feel like Waves has an overwhelmingly positive message in the end, which is to grow away from your hatred and learn to forgive and love. I’m sure many people will find the way this movie gets to that message to be kind of pointless and wandering, but to me it just turned a pretty good film into one of my favorites of the year.

4. The Mustang

My local 3-screen art house closed in April of this year. I went there as often as I could, because they were the only theater in town that would play a lot of independent and foreign films. It was the first place I saw Roma, and the first (and, let’s face it, last) time I saw Stalker on the big screen. The last night they were open, I went and saw The Mustang, not based on anything to do with the movie, just because I wanted to be there one last time. It was completely sold out, far busier than I’d ever seen them. In the past I’d always had free roam of where to sit, but that last night I was in the third row from the front.

If Ad Astra is about depression, then The Mustang is about anger, and learning to overcome your anger and grow as a person. It’s about a prison in Nevada that has a rehabilitation program where violent convicts train wild Mustangs, which are later sold to local ranches and farms. Roman (a terrific performance from Matthias Schoenaerts) is one such convict, and his personal struggle to overcome his anger is beautifully realized against the backdrop of having to fight a wild animal. (Seriously, he goes in swinging and it does not end well for him.) It’s a great story, and it’s a must-watch if you haven’t seen it. The emotional ending coupled with the fact that my favorite theater was closing left me a complete wreck when the credits rolled. (I’m starting to realize my top five films all just boil down to “the ending wrecked me”.)

3. The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part

This is like The Mustang but for kids.

Okay okay, hear me out, I only saw this movie once when it first came out 11 months ago, and I’m not ever watching it again because I thought it was perfection. I feel like on a repeat visit the songs will become grating, the plot will feel ridiculous, and the themes of toxic masculinity that I appreciated so dearly will seem like faint whispers instead of clear subtext. And yet in the theater, I absolutely adored the songs and the plot and the clear subtext about being a better brother/man. The real-world parallels that were a surprise twist at the end of the first film are used beautifully in The Second Part, because the plot is simply just one big metaphor for a little sister who wants to play with her older brother. It’s touching, it’s funny, and it gets stuck inside your heart. It’s such a shame that the LEGO film franchise is all but dead, because if we had kept getting films like this, children’s movies would definitely be better for it.

2. Parasite

Everything fantastic about this film has already been said about it by people far smarter than me, so I’ll just say this: it is every bit as amazing as people hyped it up to be. This movie is a biting satire, a laugh-out-loud comedy, and an edge of your seat thriller. It has left an imprint on my brain since I first saw it back in October, to the point where as much as I have tried to analyze and dissect, this film, I don’t know if there’s a single flaw with it, there’s genuinely nothing I would change about this movie. If you see one movie this year, it should be Parasite.

1. The Last Black Man in San Francisco

In July of 2019, I had to make probably the biggest decision of my (brief) career thus far. I was going to leave my management position at a 24-screen theater I’d loved dearly to go work in an office. I loved everything about the movie theater, I’d worked there for almost four years, but at a certain point it just had diminishing returns. Newer upper management and constant changes coming down from the big-whigs had turned my favorite building into a place I started to resent, a place I didn’t recognize. I tried to fight the change, and re-institute everything I loved about this building that I practically grew up in, but you can’t fight change, and you shouldn’t romanticize the past.

I’ve never seen these themes more realized in film than in The Last Black Man in San Francisco. It tells the story of Jimmie Fails, a native San Franciscan who has to watch the city he’s loved his whole life descend into a rapidly gentrified hellscape that leaves many homeless and helpless. He often visits his childhood home, a beautiful three-story house with a “witch hat” on top, now owned by an older white couple. This doesn’t stop him from romanticizing the house, romanticizing the past, as he constantly visits and attempts to fix up the house, oftentimes clashing with the current inhabitants.

This disdain from the couple is an all-too-real parallel message that he’s getting from the city itself: You’re not welcome here anymore. Much as Jimmie has tied his identity to this home, and this city, he is hardly welcome in either. But for one brief instant, he gets to live his dream. The house gets stuck in a familial dispute, causing the older couple to move out. Leaving behind a big empty house that no one is occupying, Jimmie and his best friend Montgomery decide to just move right in, and have their way. They bring in all the old furniture from Jimmie’s childhood, they paint the walls, repair the original woodworking, all in service of Jimmie’s dream to simply exist in this space, and preserve something sacred.

Eventually though, reality comes crashing down, and try as he might, Jimmie can’t stay in the house, and he has to learn a hard truth: you cannot tie yourself emotionally to a physical space. Whether it’s a house, a city, a job, you simply cannot love something that doesn’t love you back. You will get hurt every time.

But it’s so easy to love. It’s so easy to play the piano in the entranceway of your childhood home. It’s so easy to relax in the sauna upstairs, or smoke on the balcony, or just lay on the floor and admire the witch hat. The Last Black Man in San Francisco makes you fall in love with this house, and with Jimmie and Montgomery, and as much as we see ourselves in them, we too have to learn the same lessons. As much as we want to inhabit a space, and get the fullest potential out of it, you cannot ever stop change, and you cannot stand in the way of it without going insane.

And maybe it was just because I was going through this personal development the first time I saw this movie, but it hit me like a ton of bricks. It stuck in my brain so much that by the time I saw it a second time, I was a complete mess; I cried four times. I cried for Jimmie, I cried for the house, and I cried for myself. I cried for the things we all lost, the things that would never be the same, and because we would have to learn to accept that. This is what’s so beautiful about The Last Black Man in San Francisco, and on top of the phenomenal acting, emotional script, and gorgeous visuals, it’s what made it my favorite film of the year.

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nenastrology · 6 years ago

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if you're still doing the character ask, yuki and kyo please! also, did you see the new furuba trailer that recently came out??

oooh i hadnt seen the trailer but u made me like wanna go look it up and while im still not wild about like the character design the backgrounds and colors are soooooo gorgeous i really feel like the love and care into it im sooo excited you cannot believe also i love that u sent this finally i can return to my roots fruits basket blogging

How I feel about this character

kyo: god its really funny i remember really not liking him as a kid i was just like baby man hating lesbian who had it out for all the like love interests for main girls and somehow even him being a cat could never overcome that ironically even tho like usually all i need to like a character is some kind of connection with cats.. but then i like softened on him a lot i know i have like a little orange cat kyo somewhere that like i know i started to like him a lot more and when i reread it most recently i really really started to love him like his entire arc and how he really begins to open up and find connection and heal from trauma and like genuinely how his and tohrus relationship develops is sooo touching i really really love him hes sooo fun and like he makes you laugh he makes you cry and hes got a lot of really deep set pain and the way he goes about reconciling with yuki and how their conflict is resolved is really ugh poetry and genuinely the like whole themes of like you cant do things alone that you need others and others need you and how you improve each others lives and like idk he really means a lot to me now i love him dearly

yuki: i remember when i was little i was like contrarian and thought tohru and yuki should be together like somewhere halfway through and like i liked him but i also didnt really get him all that much like it didnt make all that much sense to me but like when i revisited fruits basket i realized i really really really love this character and god how the whole love triangle business is resolved and how like close yuki and tohru become and how he heals from his own trauma in his own way and how like kind and giving tohru is with him and the ways they like give each other what they need and like when he gets more social and confident and can goof off with the student council a bit and his friendship with kakeru whos like in many ways like kyo and ayame people who drive yuki kinda crazy and yet he like actually really gets along with him and comes out of his shell and can like be a person away from all the crazy bullshit and just be a normal teen it really hits you ya know god thank u fruits basket for such good characters

All the people I ship romantically with this character

kyo: tohru like god i really think straights should have rights actually tohru and kyo are soooo sweet and like they make each other laugh and they see each other as like idk the actual real kinda messy ugly people they can be and accept that when both of them often arent really seen fully as themselves that its like liberating to be seen as someone who hurts and to like let that out to each other and i really like cry when i read that final bit that they never stopped holding hands and its like them as old people with their grandkids visiting THEY ARE SOOO IN LOVE ;W; and they make each other sooo happy and bring out the best in each other this is how you write romance god

yuki: ok well i actually do really like how machi and yukis story is written that like he finally meets someone who doesnt idolize him and they really like understand each others pain and trauma in a way they dont even like need to talk about and like ok you know what they can be valid hets but like i need to take a moment for gay yuki theory here like genuinely that yuki realizes he was never attracted to tohru he just thought he had to be to like fill the role he saw that boys and girls that close should like hello hes not attracted to women hes literally a gay man thats like hes gay and the way he and kakeru like bond and open up in like such a fun way i think its very different from him and machi but its like really good that like he kinda drives him nuts but they have so much fun and he really brings out the fun sides of yuki and like THEYRE GOING TO COLLEGE TOGETHER like if miss takaya had brains they would date for a while in college and like very amicably break up and like always stay close like she really wrote half a coming out story there and like i KNOW theres some fucking line about him feeling comfortable or something really like the subtext is there i cant remember all the moments but yukis literally gay and like i think we gotta see that

My non-romantic OTP for this character

kyo: god arisa and kyo as friends is sooo fucking funny but like they arent close enough for that she just bullies him because she thinks hes not good enough for tohru like i like that yuki and kyo become friends but idk hes always gonna have a bit of a barrier between him and the rest of the zodiac i hate that this question is phrased otp cuz like the closest person in his life besides tohrus like his master and i dont wanna make it weird

yuki: tohru!!!! they matter so much to each other they really do love each other so much their friendship makes me wanna cry and then like also i guess machi here cuz i love their whole thing but like yukis gay so

My unpopular opinion about this character

kyo: when i was little i didnt like him so that was probably unpopular hm idk like what anybody says about him i just live in my own bubble where i am the only person to ever have a fruits basket opinion in the past 6 years

yuki: hes gay i just feel like straight girls arent big brained enough to pick up on this

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

kyo: god i wanna see arisa and saki say theyre his mother in laws now that they are tohrus moms and hes gotta impress them because thats extremely funny to me

yuki: hm i cant think of anything i just love his whole arc ;w;

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marshmallow-phd · 7 years ago

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A Royal Excursion

A/N: @noona-clock Admin T, this one’s for you! I couldn’t get it out of my head, so I just started typing and... oops, my fingers slipped! Hope you enjoy! (I might turn this into a miniseries)

Genre: Royalty AU

Pairing: Jongdae x Reader

Part 1 I Part 2 I Part 3 I Part 4

moodboard by @kreactionsentertainment (admin eva!)

All day you found any excuse to stay home. You convinced your stepmother to take your sister to the market instead of you to buy a new shawl and when a few of your friends came by to see if you wanted to spend some time down by the river, you feigned a headache. To throw off possible suspicion, you stayed in a day dress, one that wasn’t ragged like the one you had worn the previous day but also not one too fancy to make your family think you were trying to sneak off somewhere. You didn’t need the interrogation.

It seemed, though, that your efforts were in vain. He never showed. Of course, he was the prince so it was quite possible that something very important had come up and he was no longer able to meet you. You just wished that he had sent word about it.

Giving up, you left your family in the front parlor after dinner and settled in the backyard, sitting on the swing your father had built when you were still a small child and watching the sun sink slowly in the horizon. You let out a heavy sigh and tried not to let your imagination run wild.

It would have too easy to imagine yourself as the lucky maiden the Prince chose to dance with at the ball or him coming disguised in the night and throwing rocks at your window. You couldn’t quite figure out what was wrong with you. In all your years, you weren’t the kind to fantasize about romantic situations. But now, oh now, a thousand were going through your head at once, just adding to your disappointment.

“(y/n)?”

Your ears perked up. Surely that had just been your imagination. Searching around your still deserted backyard, you concluded that’s exactly what it was. Until a familiar silhouette popped up on your wall.

Jumping up, you ran rather un-lady-like to the other side of the yard. This time, Jongdae gracefully dropped himself down to the ground, avoiding your stepmother’s garden. He turned to face you and, even in the dimming light, you could see his blinding smile shining at you.

Realizing how eager you must seem, you contorted your face into a neutral expression and crossed your arms.

“When you said tomorrow, I hadn’t realized you meant in the evening. I gave up on you coming.”

Jongdae turned bashful, clearly understanding that you were upset. “I’m sorry. Mother had me under her watchful eye all day since I snuck out of the ball. She’s worried that I might cause a scandal.”

“Like sneaking into a merchant’s backyard to see his daughter?” you pointed out.

Jongdae laughed. It was deep, chest laugh full of joy and genuine surprise. It was the kind of laugh you wanted to hear for the rest of your days, knowing full well that it was you that had been it’s source.

Hold on, (y/n). Don’t get ahead of yourself. This only your second day of even knowing him.

Yes, listen to reason. Besides, as far as you knew, he’d simply found a new friend in you, nothing more.

Jongdae motioned towards the wall. “Let’s go.”

Your eyes widened. “What?”

Grabbing you hand, he pulled you closer to the wall. His skin felt warm against yours, coarse from the years of wielding a sword. It was oddly comforting, different from your father’s soft hands from when you were little.

“I have something I want to show you,” he explained vaguely.

You frowned. “I’m in a dress.”

He sent you a look before sighing. “I won’t look.” When you were still defiant, he shrugged. “Or I guess we could leave through your front door but then I’m sure you would have to explain to your family why the Prince is suddenly waltzing around the house in plain clothes.”

“Alright, alright!” you gave in. He was right and you did want to see whatever surprise he had in store.

Cupping his hands together, Jongdae bent down and told you to step into his hands. As soon as you did, with barely a stable grip on the top of the wall, he bolstered you up. A small squeak escaped from your mouth and you quickly covered it covered it to try and hide the noise. Jongdae laughed at you as he pulled himself up beside you.

“I’ll go down first and catch you,” he said.

You wanted to argue that it wasn’t that far of a jump and you were perfectly fine getting down on your own, but he was already landing on his feet and turning to you with his arms opened wide. With a gulp, you swung your legs over the wall and shuffled to the other side so you were sitting on the ledge.

Jongdae sent you a warm look. “Don’t worry, I’ll catch you.”

Nodding, you pushed yourself off the wall with just a little too much force. Yes, Jongdae caught you, but the two of you landed with a hard thud on the ground. Well, Jongdae landed on the ground on his back. You ended on top of him, a much softer landing.

“Okay, tell me the truth,” he laughed. His hands were resting on your hips, making your face blush. “The real reason you didn’t go to the ball was because of your lack of grace, am I right?”

Irritated and embarrassed, you slapped his chest before shoving yourself off of him and to your feet. You were a fine dancer, thank you very much. But you decided against arguing with him. Maybe someday you could show him.

You brushed yourself off as Jongdae stood up. Taking your hand, he pulled you towards the woods, making you freeze.

“We can’t go in there,” you said, panicking. The woods were full of wolves and bears and was especially dangerous at night when you could lose your way.

“Don’t worry, (y/n),” Jongdae reassured you, squeezing your hand. “I know where we’re going and besides,” he patted the sword at his side, “I’ll protect you.”

Still hesitant, you allowed him to pull you towards the foreboding trees and into the cover of darkness.

The two of you kept a steady pace as you went deeper into the woods. To calm your obvious nerves, while he kept your hand in his, Jongdae told you about his day, mostly spent with his father in the throne room seeing the subjects who’d come to ask the King for favors or to solve mild disputes. It seemed that his father was giving more and more of that responsibility to him, allowing the decision to be made by him while his father simply approved or guided him in a different direction if needed. The latter half of his day was spent in the war room, strategizing with the generals on how to better secure the border to the south. Though the war had ended years before either of you were born, there were still tension between the two kingdoms.

“Where is Minseok?” you asked during a brief pause in the conversation, wanting to change the subject to a lighter tone.

Jongdae chuckled. “Visiting a friend.”

You blushed, comprehending the subtext. “A lady friend?”

Again, he laughed. “Yes. Perhaps future wife is a better term.”

“So, they’ve known each other a long time?” you guessed.

“No,” Jongdae shook his head. “They only just met at the last festival.”

The last festival was only a month and a half ago. “Isn’t it a bit soon to be assuming marriage?”

Stopping in his tracks, Jongdae turned to look at you. “No. Why?”

Something about his gaze on you made you feel very meek. “Well, they can’t know each other that well, can they? It takes time to understand someone.”

“That’s true,” he agreed. “But, sometimes, you meet someone and just know.” His eyes pierced through you as if they were trying convey a hidden message. One that, unfortunately, you weren’t able to decipher before he started walking again.

Before too long, you came to your destination.

Hidden in the foliage and overgrown trees were the ruins of an old mansion or castle. Vines wrapped around the crumbling brick. Moss grew on the now dull edges of the walls. The top floor had fallen away long ago and only the vague outline of the rooms remained.

Cautiously, you followed Jongdae through the arched gate, the wooden door have rotted away long ago.

“My cousins and I – along with Minseok – used to play here as kids.” By now he’d let go of your hand, both of his now resting together behind his back as he walked about the room, staring up at the sky. “Overtime, they stopped coming, but I still enjoy it here. It’s a nice place to think.”

Feeling just a tad cheeky, you asked playfully, “And what it is that you think about?”

You leaned against the corner a pillar that was still standing in the room, hiding half your body as you drew nonsensical pictures in the dust and grime at the level of your eye.

Jongdae shrugged. “Lots of things. Answers to riddles, replies to subjects’ concerns. The future.”

It couldn’t be explained, but as soon as he mentioned the future, you heart leapt in your chest. What did he mean when he said he thought about the future? Did he mean when he would become king? Did he mean the future of the kingdom as a whole? Or did he mean something much more personal?

“(y/n)?”

Snapping out of your thoughts, you found Jongdae standing just in front of you with that unreadable expression again.

“Yes?” your voice was small when you spoke.

He took a step closer to you. “Can we… get to know each other more? Like you said earlier?”

You blinked. Like you said earlier?

It takes time to understand someone.

Did he mean that? Was he really thinking of that kind of future?

You couldn’t help but ask, “Why me?”

The corners of his mouth turned down and his eyebrows knit together. “What do you mean?”

Biting your bottom lip, you replied, “Why the sudden interest in me? I’m simply a merchant’s daughter. I have no title. There are many daughters of dukes and barons throughout the kingdom to choose from. I’m sure they are much prettier than I am.”

Jongdae shook his head, grasping your right hand in his left. He held it gently, giving you room to pull away if you so wished. You kept it there, taking in the comfort.

“Maybe that’s exactly why. To you, I’m not a conquest or a prize. You’ve acknowledged my standing, but you still treat as just… Jongdae. I feel like I can be myself with you. And that’s all I’ve ever wanted to be.”

Heat rose in your cheeks at a fiery rate with his confession.

The truth was you were also oddly comfortable with him. He never reprimanded you when you lashed out and seemed to genuinely listen to you. No, you still believed that one should get to know someone before talks of forever, but you certainly would like to get to know him more, get to know the thoughts behind those hypnotizing eyes.

Letting a small smile stretch your lips just a bit, you asked, “Does this mean that you’ll come see meagain tomorrow?”

Without any warning, Jongdae wrapped his arms around your waist, lifting you up and twirling you around in glee. You let out a squeal that mixed with his bubbly laugh and the sounds bounced off the old brick and throughout the empty building.

He set you down on your feet, loosening his grip from your hips. Bringing his hands up to cup your jaw, he gave you a soft smile before leaning down. Using just the lightest pressure, he pressed his lips to yours, stealing your first kiss. When he pulled back, he searched your eyes for any sign that you didn’t want it.

You did.

In fact, you couldn’t stop giggling.

“Can you meet me here tomorrow?” he asked.

You nodded, not holding back any enthusiasm. “When?”

He thought for a moment. “Noon. I have an important meeting in the morning, but I should be able to make here by then.”

Jongdae was still here in your presence, but you couldn’t wait for tomorrow.

#exo #exo fanfic #exo royalty au #exo royalty!au #jongdae fanfic #jongdae x reader #exo scenarios #jongdae #kim jongdae #chen

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gascon-en-exil · 6 years ago

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I Liked Fates Before It Was Cool!: Conquest Part 1

Prologue

Opening Chapters

Chapters 6-14, in which if you squint really hard there might be a plot in there somewhere.

Chapter 6

But let’s not be unfair right from the start. Conquest offers what I consider the best version of Chapter 6, both as a narrative introduction to the route and as a gameplay challenge fitting the difficulty of what’s to come. Birthright is basically just Ryoma soloing Xander and Revelation throws you against generics, but here you have to make use of all the Nohr royals to defeat all but one unit on the Hoshidan side - and being able to take care of Ryoma quickly enough nets you a prize of sorts in that you don’t have to beat up an unarmed Sakura. The chapter also sets up the tense undercurrent of Conquest that Corrin chose wrong, that the Hoshidans (except Takumi) think they’ve been brainwashed and that their love for their adopted siblings is meaningless. On the one hand it feels rather spineless that what is supposedly a villain campaign is hesitant to allow Corrin to own their choice and makes it sound like blatant railroading by the player, but on the other there’s something to be said for the contrast between how Xander and Ryoma deal with Corrin’s decision. After two refusals in Birthright Xander is happy to label Corrin a traitor and becomes determined to kill them for their choice, whereas Ryoma persists in his brainwashing theory and in so doing denies Corrin’s agency completely. That actually works fairly well as setup for an antagonist - if we allow that Ryoma is one, of course, and the game itself seems uncomfortable with the concept.

Chapter 7

...And all my goodwill toward this story dries up almost immediately. There’s flat villainy, there’s a bunch of self-doubt from Corrin over their choice, and there’s foreshadowing that only adds to the confusion if you already know what’s going on. It’s kind of a mess, and it’s pretty much all downhill from here.

I have little to say about this chapter as it stands, except that it’s appropriately difficult and that the conflict feels fitting in terms of tone and atmosphere...even though it only exists because of the aforementioned flat villainy. I instead want to zero in on the moment pictured above, in which Garon “prays” to Anankos to deliver unto him the plot of the next few chapters in front of Corrin and Iago and the Nohr royals. Bizarrely, it’s Iago who goes furthest in calling Garon out on how absurd this is, though not even he bothers to ask who or what Anankos is or if he’s the same entity as Nohr’s Dusk Dragon.

Ok, I know I might be the only person in the fandom who regularly complains about the absence of pseudo-Catholic elements in Fates when they’re present in every other game in the series, but on a fundamental level I do get it. The priest -> sage/war monk class line from Awakening was given to Hoshido, so it makes perfect sense that those classes would be shifted over to the blend of Shintoism and Buddhism that comprises Japanese spirituality. It’s also not unheard of for a nation or group of people in FE to worship a dark dragon/god in lieu of the main organized faith, ex. the Lopytrians from Jugdral, Rigel’s Duma Faithful, and Plegia’s Grimleal. As seen with Salem from FE5 and Tharja and Henry from 13 it’s even fairly common for playable dark magic users in the games to come from the ranks of those faiths. I therefore don’t have a problem with the theory that there’s a theological element to Nohr’s dark mages and that it ties into the Dusk Dragon - who may or may not also be Anankos - in some way. The problem is that we never see any definitive evidence that this is the case, not even enough to understand how unusual it is in this scene to see Garon praying to Anankos. When Iago sounds like the closest thing to a voice of a reason you know the plot’s got some problems. For all we’re told Nohr’s clergy are just bookworms moonlighting as strippers with a crow feather fetish.

Chapter 8

It’s strange how easy it is to forget this guy exists since he only appears in Conquest in this one chapter, but the Ice Tribe maids do indeed have a father. Where was he during Chapter 17 of Birthright?

This brings up an interesting - or as some would probably call it, lazy - quirk of Fates’s map design. The early and midgame sections of all three routes are full of maps that get reused across routes, or different maps of the same location like the previous one and Birthright Chapter 18. I’m feeling rather charitable about this decision personally, for two reasons:

1) In most cases the reused maps are approached from different angles and feature different, sometimes opposing gimmicks. The Ice Tribe village map, for example, sees you racing to visit as many villages as possible in Conquest but encourages you to avoid them in Birthright, and the function of the Dragon Veins in the middle of the route differs depending on the route.

2) Fates’s worldbuilding needs all the help it can get, and visiting the same locations in multiple routes adds a degree of continuity that the story on its own often struggles to display.

See, cost-cutting measures don’t have to be a bad thing if you use them creatively!

This chapter also deserves some praise for having a more plausible point of conflict than its Wind Tribe counterpart in Birthright. Instead of Iago’s shenanigans Elise grabs the conflict ball because no one taught her basic diplomacy, and Corrin saves the day through their first of many acts of pacifism on this route. It is a bit strange to have the characters talking about how Corrin’s army spared everyone just after you’ve finished mowing down a bunch of generics, but not unlike Niles I can use my imagination.

Chapter 9

A wild loli appears! Ugh...Nyx is one of several characters in Fates who could have been interesting with better execution. As it is, her best use is as a punchline or somebody’s fap material of course.

This chapter has nothing to do with her though really. Instead it’s just a set of contrivances - how did a Hoshidan force make it so deeply into Nohr so quickly (for comparison, Corrin’s army reaches the same location in Birthright by Chapter 20), and why did they bring Azura all this way with them if their only plan was to kill her? I do appreciate the reminder that Nohr and Hoshido are actually at war now as the rest of the Conquest’s early plot is more concerned with putting down rebellions, but some kind of logical reason for Azura’s reappearance would have been nice.

Still, this chapter goes further than most at showing an explicit example of Hoshidan racism, even if Azura is quick to absolve the royals (except Takumi, I assume) of any wrongdoing. I genuinely have no idea if we’re meant to interpret this as Stockholm Syndrome, or if the writers couldn’t bear to vilify all of Hoshido even for one chapter.

Chapter 10

Like a number of other defense maps in the series, this is the most infamous chapter of its game, and depending on who you’re using and how it can indeed live up to its reputation. I don’t care for how this makes for an uneven bump in Conquest’s difficulty curve, but with such varied chapter goals and mechanics on this route that was likely inevitable at some point.

For all that it’s a memorable piece of gameplay though there’s not too much to talk about in terms of story. Takumi is established as a strong and motivated antagonist right from his first reappearance after the route split, and as I said back in Birthright it’s a good look for him. He and Oboro are among the few Hoshidans who really make more sense as antagonists than as allies, and even though it devolves into yet another round of possession in the end there’s something very real to Takumi’s feelings of betrayal and inadequacy, to say nothing of his grief over his mother which unlike in Birthright barely comes up otherwise.

Also, Camilla is here, but with only a bit of retainer banter to flesh her out she’s more or less the same as FE10 Haar in Chapter 2-E of that game: overleveled flying death, with only a few stray bits of effective damage to worry about.

Chapter 11

The Sevenfold Sanctuary appears again, this time with tricky skill combos to contend with like archers with Counter and ninjas with Lunge as well as more of the by now common enemy pair-ups and a boss with an unfair enemy-only weapon. Does anyone else find it strange just how many such weapons exist in Fates?

In this route it’s the Hoshidans who get to troll Corrin, dragging the Rainbow Sage up Mount Sagesse for no real reason and doing their best to not sound like they’re invading a sovereign territory and kidnapping its most venerable inhabitant who also happens to be an ancient dragon. Granted the Nohrians’ mission feels a bit confused as well, as dialogue vacillates between Garon wanting to conquer Notre Sagesse and everyone else wanting the Rainbow Sage’s power. The two sort of come together in the end with Iago ordering the Sage’s death, though if there’s a logical explanation for Garon/Anankos’s continued desire to see Corrin suffer but not die it’s beyond me. That Corrin gets an eventual sword power-up out of the deal feels almost accidental on this route.

Incidentally, while he doesn’t get the gravity of a potential death scene in this version I do like how Kaze joins up with the Nohrians. It conveys the subtext of his connection to Corrin while not coming across as a weird obsession like his approximate counterpart Silas does in Birthright. Speaking of which, I’ve noticed that Silas gets a decent amount of the protagonist chorus roles in Conquest even when some of the royals are available. Eh...they are supposed to be BFFs.

Chapter 12

Now that’s just not as funny as the version of this picture with Takumi.

Elise comes down with a case of the plot, and as a consequence we bear witness to Ryoma’s most infamous act of dickishly non-heroic behavior. I’ve seen it argued back and forth that Ryoma withholding medicine from Elise in an attempt to coerce Corrin into returning to Hoshido constitutes a war crime, but regardless of semantics it is a surprisingly underhanded tactic for someone like him. Now that I think about it Birthright shows off this side of him as well, when he disguises himself as a Nohrian soldier at Cheve to ambush Leo. Not exactly becoming a shining exemplar of heroism here awkwardly forced into the antagonist role...but then he goes off about how his retainers have a more righteous cause than Xander’s and suddenly I lose what little sympathy I had for him. Sure, one of the retainers he’s insulted is Peri, but on the whole that’s an eminently hateable level of self-righteous posturing.

This chapter is quite fun, if a bit chaotic with all the random effects from the pots. For some reason I always forget about the turn limit, which can become an unexpected source of stress when there are shrine maidens spamming status staves to slow you down and such. Fates (and Conquest specifically) is the one game other than Thracia that frequently turns enemy staff wielders into serious threats, and this chapter combined with Azama’s Hexing Rod in the previous one show that off thoroughly.

Chapter 13

Pictured: a subtle and nuanced depiction of villainy.

Aside from his sudden reappearance and this one still, Hans is actually...not that bad here though? Corrin points out how weird it is that they (and the player) are expected to forgive him after he attempted to kill Corrin at the Bottomless Canyon, and the worst atrocities of Hans’s army - particularly Scarlet’s death - are effectively gruesome because they’re left for the player to imagine. It’s comparable to how FE8 handles the ghastly presence of Orson’s wife. It is pretty silly how much is made over Hans clearly enjoying his work when Peri was recruited in the last chapter and Reina is also in this game (in this chapter, even), or that explicit bloodlust among the playable cast has shown up before in past FEs in characters like FE7 Karel. Player-centered morality, yay!

In any case, there’s also a good deal of genuine character complexity on display in this chapter too. Takumi is still consumed by grief and rage and lashes out specifically at the bond Corrin shares with the Nohrian sisters, calling attention to his increasing isolation from even his own siblings. Between taking an arrow in a cutscene and last chapter’s illness Elise just can’t catch a break, can she? Camilla too gets to show a rare bit of character for this route, encouraging Corrin to keep their head down and go along with Garon’s orders because self-centered pragmatism is how she’s learned to survive in situations where she can’t solve problems with violence and/or sex.

Chapter 14

What an incredibly effective disguise. No one would ever recognize her.

Ok, ok, the audience at the opera is seeing her from a distance and obscured by all the water effects, but it’s still pretty dumb that Corrin of all people can’t put two and two together here.

Honestly, as much as I enjoy the opera house setting and praised its appearance in Birthright this chapter all falls into that same generally silly vein. There’s again no logical explanation provided for Garon’s trip to Nestra, the enemy combatants on this map are a random squad of Hoshidans unrelated to the unfolding story, Keaton’s recruitment has even less buildup than Kaden’s did, and everything culminates in Leo teaching Corrin the obscure and arcane art of lying and in so doing bequeathing him with a sword upgrade because that’s what passes for (anti)heroism on this route. There’s not even much in the way of gameplay to discuss, which is disappointing when contrasted against the Birthright version.

I would however like to close this post by reiterating the point I made at the start: so far, this route is severely lacking in an actual plot. All of Corrin’s movements since returning to Nohr have been directed by Garon (and Anankos by extension, though his motives remain vague even if you know the full story). In a way this helps to reinforce the feeling that the Nohrian royals are trapped in abusive situation, though that would be an unusually deep psychological reading of what is in reality an unfocused plot. The following chapter and what comes of it ought to be proof enough that any similarities between Conquest’s narrative structure and the familial issues of its main cast are purely coincidental.

Next time: Conquest Chapter 15 - 20

#Fire Emblem #Fire Emblem Fates #Fire Emblem Conquest #FE14

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blamebrampton · 7 years ago

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Eurovision 2018 final

And now, 12 hours after the rest of the world, and startlingly unspoiled, I hit the finals! I’ve not been recapping the touristy bits in the ‘postcards’, but if you’re thinking about visiting Lisbon, or Portugal in general, get to it; it’s utterly gorgeous. I’m hoping for somewhere in the top 10 for Jess, and I wouldn’t mind seeing Denmark win. They won’t. It’ll be someone awful, I just know it.

We open with fado music and it is pretty bloody splendid: melodic twanging steel strings and a heart-rending woman’s voice singing a song that is almost certainly of woe but resilience (my Portuguese is terrible). There are no unattractive people in this broadcast, it should be mentioned. Yet another reason to visit!

Another hot fado female vocalist, this time with drummers. She sounds more political, but again, I have no idea. I do know that Portugal is a country that has an amazing tradition of vocalists and narrative music, and I think we are seeing it shown well tonight. I like this a lot better than the usual blather from presenters. Though I like the women, they are admirably quick at moving things along.

And now some local DJs. Look, it was never going to stay glorious. Flags go past. There are many. We are welcomed to the grand final and the crowd goes wild. Hello contestants, I’m thrilled you get a moment in the sun before the horror of the contest descends. They are all smiling and lovely and I hope they all go on to have happy lives. Denmark are actually amusing! Bless their hairy hipster hearts!

You know, I can honestly say that everyone I’ve heard in this final can actually sing and on that basis alone, 2018 is already a good year.

The presenters are back. NCIS is dressed like a Goth prom queen, Blondie is wearing a beaded shower curtain, Saintly is cosplaying a tall Kylie Minogue (I loathe the fact I need to specify Kylies these days) and Little One has come dressed as an entrant from Greece. I actually know all their names now, but they’re longer, so it’s nicknames for me, I’m afraid.

I’m not going to repeat performance notes from the semi finals, but if you’ve missed every other piece of Eurovision commentary, a. Well done! b. What the hell are you doing here? c. I’ll let you know if anything new happens.

Ukraine, Melovin, Under the Ladder. Now I’m not focusing on the madness of the staging, I can mention that he and his backing singers are selling the hell out of this one. I like it a lot better the second time around, and the vocals are tight. It’s still a totally nuts Dracula moment, but if it wins I will not be at all upset.

Spain, Amaia y Alfred, Tu Cancion. Arena full of people holding up their lit phones. Young people singing to each other from opposite sides of the stage. It’s all very sweet. Now they are holding hands. Now they are hugging. Keep it nice, kids, you’ve got two minutes to go. They are lovely, but so wholesome that I feel listening to this song represents 100% of my daily intake of Vitamin C and roughage. Nice climbing crescendos and key change towards the end. Big lights, earnest singing into each other’s faces… this is a song that speaks of carefully studied microphone angles and breath mints. Bless.

Slovenia, Lea Sirk, Hvala, ne! This is the one that stuck with me since I last saw it, but more for the snappiness of the staging and performances than for the song itself. They are enormously charismatic and the choreography is very well put out there. She changes it up tonight and tells them to stop the music and has the audience sing the refrain with her, which I really liked and thought much more successful than the fake cut in the semis, even if the chap in the audience the camera cut to was clearly wondering what the hell was happening and whether he had accidentally eaten the wrong brownies before he headed out tonight. I’m keen on these girls and hope they do well!

Lithuania, Ieva Zasimauskaite, When We’re Old. Sweet whispering song girl is back. She remains sweet and whispery. She and Joanna Newsome would make a lovely duet. Her voice is genuinely delightful, though there is a little more assist in the reverb than she needs: makes it all sound a bit more Jared Leto than is optimal. But I quibble, she is a delight. Her husband comes to join her at the end again and she seems deeply moved. Bodes well for their future.

Austria, Cesar Sampson, Nobody But You. I resent Cesar’s bad T-shirt more than in the semis, because he is a hot young man and we should be allowed to enjoy him in all his loveliness and that plasticky bit is very distracting. The backing vocals in this track are probably the best in the whole contest, and he has a beautiful voice that I hope to hear more of. In a perfect world, John Legend writes a better version of La La Land in which this chap and his best friend come to LA to pursue their dreams and both succeed without hurting each other. It’s actually a decent song, it just sounds like a lot of other decent songs. But his performance is something very special.

Estonia, Elina Necheyava, La forza. She is lovely, her frock is lovely, her voice is lovely, this song is not going to win. Which is a shame, because I would like to see the ECS back in Tallinn. If they had a European Frock Contest, this would be douze points from everyone.

Norway, Alexander Rybak, That’s How You Write A Song. He is a super chap and I hope he does win Eurovision twice, but if he does it with this song, I will be looking at the countries that vote for it with thinly veiled disdain. This is the sort of song that would have had Paula Abdul dancing with an animated cat in the 1980s. But I will say that it is lovely to have him back so that Nigel Kennedy will finally have to give up any idea that he’s the hot young man with the violin. The crown, which was never really Nigel’s, is clearly Alexander’s.

Portugal, Claudia Pasqoal, O Jardim. Pink hair gets an extra 10 points from me to start with. Sounds like London Grammar, in both tune and delivery, but since I love them, that’s fine. Her frock is a nice wrap-around black number with thigh split. She’s joined on stage by a woman who looks a bit like Kirsten Stewart, and the two of them are in fact much cooler than practically everyone else in the stadium. That was a nice soft song that you would wrap up a big night or start a romance with and I liked it a lot. I want to see it in the top five, but not winning, because it’s too expensive to do this two years in a row!

The presenters make a knowing reference to the queerness of Eurovision and it comes off as an inside joke not an arch piece of commentary, and this is the point at which I accept that I have fallen for their charms and will never be free of this annual horror.

United Kingdom, SuRie, Storm. We’ve done something unusual this year and sent someone good. It won’t help, but it’s a pleasant change. More pink hair, with a sort of Annie Lennox hair and jumpsuit arrangement. I hate to say this, but this song is actually pretty damned good. What the hell? We’re usually awful. The staging is admirably simple and the performance is a cracker, and there is some fuckwit invading the stage to shout something and WELL DONE YOU, YOUNG WOMAN, you held that together amazingly! She is in fact bringing it even more strongly, even though the incident clearly affected her. How amazing is she! ‘Some absolute cockhead’ is the Australian boy commentator’s description of the stage invader and he is 100% on the money.

They skip to the green room with Little One while they deal with the stage invader situation and she is talking to vampire boy from the Ukraine who offers to bite her neck and talks about his personal brand. If he doesn’t have 100,000 followers on Instagram and a YouTube ‘presence’, I will be very surprised.

Back to the show!

Serbia, Sanja Ilic & Balkanika, Nova Deca. This song remains as OTT and epic as in the semis with costumes and wailing mysticism that puts me in mind of nothing so much as one of those epic episodes of Xena that your girlfriends used to trot out in the 90s to talk about when lesbian subtext becomes text. It’s classic Eurovision and if it wins I will be thrilled.

Germany, Michael Schulte, You Let Me Walk Alone. It’s apparently a song to his father, who died when he was young, and it’s got a hell of a dose of the Ed Sheerans, from the hair to the singing style. It’s saved from the annoying side of the Sheerans by the personal message, which comes through strongly. Though it’s a little unfair in the ‘you will never know, because you let me walk this road alone’, unless his father took his own life. Just saying. Exactly the right mix of sentiment and ten-year-old newness that could win, thanks to a very strong performance.

Albania, Eugent Bushpepa, Mall. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this song in the semis and I am still surprised about it now. It’s everything I would usually mock, including a safe 80s chord sequence and handclapping, but it somehow works superbly and he looks a little nervous, yet has an actually superior classic rock voice, instead of the standard ‘thinks is great, is OK’ frontman. I think the dungaree drummer, who has done both of his straps up tonight, has won me over.

France, Madame Monsieur, Mercy. It’s political! And about refugees. And my French isn’t good enough to follow it entirely, but she is all the children, her name is Mercy and she is fleeing war and is alive and she needs our help. It’s actually a cracker of a tune, and the Jean-Paul Gaultier outfits are the classiest of the evening. Far too attractive for this shindig.

Czech Republic, Mikolas Josef, Lie to Me. I think what troubles me most about this song is that I keep expecting Will Smith to appear. Much as in the semis. They are perfectly good, it is just not my cup of tea. Nice little flip at the end, and the dancing is excellent. Bless em.

Denmark, Rasmussen, Higher Ground. I’m putting this out there: I think I want these guys to win. But it’s entirely based on the fact they are singing about pacifist vikings and I have mentally built them up into a rejection of toxic masculinity in favour of human decency and manliness meaning things like facing your fears and having integrity, which I can get behind. If there is a MeToo/Weinstein moment for any of these chaps, I’m coming after them with an axe. I do like a Wailing Medjeval Epic though.

Australia, Jessica Mauboy, We Got Love. Jess is gorgeous and she loves a crowd, which is good because the crowd loves her. Every lovely thing I said about her in the semis remains true. Alas, it also remains true that this song could be better. But it’s grown on me. We may be powerless to bring down the US government, and its lesser evils the UK and Australian governments, but we’ve got love and regular elections, and New Zealand, and it will be OK in the end. She’s a champion and I hope she makes the top five!

Saintly and Blondie are back mocking social media and rightly so.

Now NCIS is eulogising the first winner of the Eurovision Song Contest, Lys Assia, who died at the age of 94 in March. For five seconds. There’s efficient and there’s cold, ladies.

Finland, Saara Aalto, Monsters. This is the other song I want to win, though I have to confess I wouldn’t mind if the UK won, after SuRie’s amazing turn. But Saara’s voice fills the stadium and sails up and down the scale. Still with the Annie Lennox Bondage Backup Dancers, which makes two tributes to Scotland’s finest Oscar winner in the one show. I’m slightly less convinced by the song the second time round, but the performance is great. Her backwards death dive at the end is a cracker!

Bulgaria, Equinox, Bones. This song remains all about the girl’s Heey-yays for me and nothing has changed. It’s another one that is very good, just not for me. Cup of tea time! Good lighting at the end. T2’s Turkish Apple is definitely the right tea for tonight!

Moldova, DoReDoS, My Lucky Day. Kids, I am all for polyamory, but it should be based on mutual communication, not sneaking about. It turns out well for them, though, and it’s a fun song.

Little One is here with the audience and everyone is Very Drunk. I think she is trying to pick up a tall British girl, and I like her even more.

Sweden, Benjamin Ingrosso, Dance You Off. This is a favourite with the punters but not with me. Soz, Ben.

Hungary, AWS, Viszlát Nyár. It’s the lovely Lordi Lite lads and while I respect his vocal cords for surviving the sustained abuse, I am skipping through this one as it’s getting late here and there are hours of judging to go.

Israel, Netta, Toy. The Aussie commentators have mentioned that she would have broken a stage invader and I think this true. She looks as though she would have enjoyed it, too. I feel you, Netta. The chicken bits are a bit distracting, but she sells the hell out of this and it’s bright and bouncy. Another one I won’t mind winning. Also, more pink hair. I was clearly two years ahead of the curve on that one.

The Netherlands, Waylon, Outlaw in ’Em. Apparently, Waylon is cool with people who don’t really like country. Which is good news. I do like country if it’s Johnny Cash or Dolly Parton, but yeah, on this one we’re just going to have to quietly share a beer and talk about something else, Waylon. You’re a good chap and your band is excellent, so if you win I won’t be upset, even if I still don’t like this song. It’s just my taste rather than there being anything objectively bad about it. Hang on: turns out the band are the dancers. They are going off and taking the piss in epic quantities and I like it quite a bit more after that.

Ireland, Ryan O’Shaugnessey, Together. Apparently China cut the broadcast of this one due to the gay backup dancers and Eurovision cut their contract in response. Well done, Eurovision! This song remains sweet and beautifully performed, with the backup dancers really carrying the whole show. But there’s not a lot to it aside from the lovely staging.

Cyprus, Eleni Fouriera, Fuego. Another one I will not be surprised if it wins. Spectacular combination of song and performance, with fabulous backing dancers/singers (again, the best combo set). If Beyonce came to Eurovision in disguise, this would be her performance, and I am reading the whole thing as a tribute to Queen Bey, which is pretty easy given that practically every aspect of it references her. She is nervous as hell at the end, but the performance was stonkingly good.

Italy, Ermal Meta and Fabrizio Moro, Non me avete fatto niente. Written in response to the bombing in Manchester, this is a strongly serious track from a country that can often be flippant at Eurovision and in the first thirty seconds we see the passionate political engagement that explains the entirety of Italian politics. It’s a strong piece and well performed, including wailing hero notes towards the end and overlays in the various languages of Europe declaring defiance to terrorism. I think it might be in with a shot.

Presenters have had a costume change. NCIS is Morticia Addams, Blondie is Meryl Streep circa 1988, Saintly is Sophia Loren circa 1968 and Little One has come as a Glomesh handbag. Oh, holy moly, it’s recap time before the votes. We learn that SuRie was invited to perform again and has decided not to. Bless her toughness! I am fast forwarding through this as life is too short.

Blondie’s cleavage is plunging to her belly button and I am just impressed by the amount of double-sided tape holding that outfit together. The interval act is local musicians, who are splendid, but I need to get a few things done while I listen, so you go and download it from the official site. Worth your time!

Another recap, more fast forwarding. Australia’s commentary team are doubling as the royal wedding commentators and I think I might actually catch that on SBS as it would be a bit of a giggle. It’s Australia’s multicultural channel and I love it because it’s full of international films and news, but I have an American friend who refers to it as ‘That channel where your government gives you free soft porn.’ Mate, it’s Swedish film and you just need to expand your horizons!

Blondie is with the audience and she has found some Irish people who are delightful. And now they are doing Portuguese pop culture things that go over my head, and recapping Junior Eurovsion, which is like Senior Eurovision, but with more sedate images and sober contestants. The Junior winner sings a little of last year’s Senior winner, which is apparently a new condition for entry into Lisbon as every man and his dog as been trotting it out. Saintly presenter might be a little drunk, you know.

NCIS and Little One are in the Green Room, introducing Salvador Sobral, last year’s winner, and he’s looking a bit healthier, which is good! Still as fey as ever, but find your schtick and stick with it, I say. Lovely new song, you should download it, too, as I need to put a load of dishes on, so won’t be describing it. Ah, he’s had a heart transplant. Excellent! That is good news!

He’s joined by the legendary Caetano Veloso and they (Caetano for the most part) sing last year’s winning song and it’s quite lovely. Salvador is visibly moved by the whole thing. Where is his sister? Apparently he’s been slagging off some of the other songs and it’s caused an upset, but seriously, Sir Terry Wogan made a career out of that and there are thousands if not millions of us who do it on an amateur basis, so why should he miss out?

Little One has some fans pretending to do some last-minute voting, and she has been the hardest working presenter. I hope that tall British girl she was chatting up earlier has a cold bottle of gin and a big cake for the two of them later tonight, she’s earned it!

Jon Ola Sand says votes are ready to go! Jury votes first.

Ukraine first: 8 The Netherlands, 10 Israel, 12 France.

Azerbaijan, 8 Hungary, 10 Serbia, 12 to Albania.

They are FLYING through this.

Belarus, 8 Norway, 10 Austria, Australia is nowhere at the moment, 12 to Cyprus!

San Marino, 8 Sweden, 10 Germany, 12 to Israel. He’s chattier than the others.

The Netherlands, 8 Sweden, 10 Austria, 12 Germany.

FYR Macedonia, 8 Serbia, 10 Cyprus, 12 ESTONIA! YAY

Malta, 8 France, 10 Italy, 12 Cyprus, which is starting to pull ahead. Australia still nowhere.

Georgia, 8 Austria, 10 Estonia, 12 Sweden, who take the lead. Meh.

Spain 8 Austria, 10, Israel, 12 Cyprus. UK still on 0, which is for once entirely unfair.

Austria, 8 Sweden, 10 Germany, 12 Israel, who pop in front. It’s a big battle tonight!

Denmark, 8 Austria, 10 Australia, THANK YOU! 12 to Germany.

UK, 8 Bulgaria, 10 Israel, She cracks onto Jon Ola and I respect that, 12 Austria. Not a sausage to Oz, you bastards.

Sweden, 8 Australia, 10 Austria, 12 Cyprus.

Latvia, 8 Estonia, 10 France, 12 Sweden.

Albania, 8 Bulgaria, 10 Cyprus, 12 Italy!

Croatia, 8 Moldova, 10 Israel, 12 Lithuania. The UK has 4, which is not enough, but there we go.

Ireland, 8 Germany, 10 Bulgaria, 12 Cyprus. Nothing for Oz. I’m reading this as a protest against Peter Dutton’s appalling treatment of refugees.

Romania, 8 The Netherlands, 10 Spain, 12 Austria.

Czech Republic, 8 Sweden, 10 Ireland (nice!), 12 Israel.

Iceland 8 Israel, 10 Albania, 12 Austria. Denmark is down on 7, alas.

Moldova 8 Bulgaria, 10 Israel, 12 Estonia!

Belgium, 8 Sweden, 10 The Netherlands, 12 Austria, which is terrific given how good his voice is!

Norway, 8 Austria, 10 Sweden, 12 Germany.

France, 8 Germany, 10 Australia, Merci!, 12 Israel. They and Austria are creeping ahead.

Italy, 8 Denmark, 10 Germany, 12 Norway.

Australia, 8 Estonia, 10 Germany, and Ricardo Gonzales’s Aussie Portuguese accent is a cracker. 12 to Sweden and FUCK YOU ALL the Australian jury. This is how we get Turnbull and Dutton.

Estonia, 8 Cyprus, 10 Lithuania, 12 Austria.

Serbia, 8 Italy, 10 Germany, 12 Sweden.

Cyprus, 8 Italy, 10 Moldova, 12 Sweden and you are all clearly drunk. The jury votes are all over the shop.

Armenia, 8 Israel, 10 Moldova, 12 Sweden.

Bulgaria, 8 Czech Republic, 10 Lithuania, 12 Austria.

Greece, 8 Sweden, 10 Moldova, 12 Cyprus. I typed that 30 seconds before she said it. No need for correction.

Hungary, 8 Austria, 10 Albania, 12 Denmark! YAY! The Vikings go off! They are chuffed.

Montenegro, 8 Moldova, 10 Albania, 12 Serbia. Big surprise!

Germany, 8 Ireland, 10 Austria, 12 Sweden because they are all drunk. But Austria is still ahead!

Finland, 8 Sweden, 1o Bulgaria, 12 Israel.

Russia, 8 Israel, 10 Sweden, 12 Moldova; look, they were fun.

Switzerland, 8 Lithuania, 10 Estonia, 12 Germany.

Israel, 8 UK THANKS, 10 Sweden, 12 Austria.

Poland, 8 The Netherlands, 10 Germany, 12 Austria.

Lithuania, 8 Sweden, 10 France, 12 Austria.

Slovenia, 8 Cyprus, 10 Austria, 12 Sweden.

Portugal, 8 Austria, 10 Albania, 12 ESTONIA! Oh, Portugal, you are so delightfully odd. I love you guys.

That’s it for juries, but we have the popular votes to go. Australia currently in 12th, Denmark and UK nowhere, which is cruel on both counts. Austria in first place, which I think is down to a great performance. Sweden second, probs down to the drink. The Israel song is third, which I think will go up with the popular vote.

Jon Ola Sand is back. He says the public votes are exciting. Here we go! They are reading them out from lowest to highest.

9 to Australia. Fuck the lot of you. Unless that’s a protest against Australian refugee policy and black deaths in custody, in which case, fair enough. 18 to Portugal and Spain 21 Sweden YES! Good! Sorry, I mean, Oh well. 23 Slovenia 23 Finland Rude. Should have been more. 25 UK Very rude! Should have been lots more! 32 The Netherlands 58 Albania A joke. The people are morons. 59 France Ripped off. 62 Ireland 65 Hungary 66 Bulgaria 71 Austria NO!!!! WOE!! Sorry, mate. You were triff. 75 Serbia Should have been more. 84 Norway 91 Lithuania 102 Estonia 115 Moldova 119 Ukraine Fair, they deserved some points for that show. 136 Germany Surprised it wasn’t more, he’s rather good. 180 Denmark I’m good with that one. They are stoked. 215 Czech Republic 249 Italy and they are also thrilled. 253 Cyprus I think she is both heartbroken at not winning and thrilled at not bankrupting a Cypriot TV station with the cost. ISRAEL HAS WON! (though I missed how many popular points they got. More than 253)

(This will be a tiny bit awkward if the whole Iran war thing kicks off. Maybe this will be the kick up the bum that Netanyahu needs to pull his head in. I would very much like my friends in Israel to have fewer things to worry about, so not starting wars seems like an excellent idea.)

Netta is thrilled, the ladies are a little drunk, Jessica Mauboy has snuck off to party with the Irish mob and fingers crossed Mr Austria’s phone is already running hot with people who want to put that glorious voice with better songs. But keep the backing singers. They were ace. Netta sings us out and we are DONE for another year. Goodnight, Eurovision. Why can’t I quit you?

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brilliantorinsane · 7 years ago

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The Speckled Band (1931): a.k.a. Sherlock Wilde

Note: For this meta I tagged everyone who reblogged earlier posts in the series. However, as I certainly don’t want to shove my work at anyone who isn’t interested, from this point forward I will only only tag individuals who have shown continued interest by reblogging multiple posts, or who have specifically asked to be tagged. Thank you to anyone who has been or continues to be interested in any part of this series <3

Guys, I did it. I found the Gayest Holmes. Not the best Holmes, nor the best adaptation by any stretch of the imagination; but most definitely the gayest. Well, okay, the most stereotypically gay, and one of the most nearly confirmed as such in the explicit text of the film—a fact which has me reeling given that this film was released in 1931.

This is the third installment of my series on obscure Holmes adaptations and their depiction of our beloved duo both individually and in relation to each other. For the first two installments, see below:

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Stoll Pitures, 1921–1923)

The Speckled Band on Stage: Yep, Still Gay

Production and Reception:

[Spoilers ahead. But unless you want to avoid spoiling the ACD cannon story The Speckled Band or his play of the same name, I wouldn’t worry about it. There’s really nothing worth spoiling in this film]

This adaptation, released the year after Doyle’s death, is derived less from the cannon story of the same name than from a stage adaptation also written by Doyle. The play is wonderful, featuring a genuinely chilling villain, well-realized side characters, laugh-out-loud humor, the best Holmes and Watson, and allllll the gay subtext. You can read the script here, and my discussion of the play is linked above.

Unfortunately, the filmmakers’ 5 step adaptation plan appears to have been the following:

1. Keep the bare bones of the play, including some of the name changes, the emphasis on the Rylott household, etc.

2. Take the play’s uncomfortable undertone of Orientalism and make it the film’s prevailing atmosphere, then add casual pro-slavery rhetoric, just ‘cause.

3. Remove approximately 3/4s of what made Doyle’s script so good, then creatively undermine, dilute, and/or convolute the remaining 1/4.

4. Hire a promising actor to play Holmes, and then give him minimal interesting content.

5. Hire the actor who played Rylott in the stage play, because it can’t hurt to have one good thing.

Yeah … I’m exaggerating, but its not good. Which is disappointing on many levels, because it would have been fascinating to know how a flagrantly gay Holmes would have fared in the early 1930s. But as it is, this adaptation fails on so many levels that it seems impossible to theorize whether homophobia played a significant role in the fact that it made scarcely any impact in its day and has been entirely forgotten now. Sure, homophobia might have aided the process of erasure, but this film didn’t need any help sinking into oblivion.

Nevertheless, although the blaring racism makes it difficult to fully appreciate the filmmaker’s courage in not abandoning the play’s subtext, it is still worth being aware that filmmakers were paying attention to and actively portraying the ACD cannon subtext as early as 1931.

Raymond Massey as Sherlock Holmes

It really is a pity that this film didn’t give Raymond Massey the chance to show what he could have done with Sherlock Holmes. In his book Sherlock Holmes on Screen, Alan Barns argues that Massey might have created a Holmes to rival all his contemporaries, and whenever he appeared I paid close attention, always feeling as if he were about to get interesting. Unfortunately, he never quite did.

Massey’s Holmes spends the majority of the film in a deeply lethargic state. Depressive moods are as much a part of Sherlock’s character as his boundless curiosity, and I would have found it a rather interesting portrayal if he had ever woken up from his stupor. But although he has flashes of intensity, in the end he lounges about the crime scene as listlessly as he does 221B. Further, because we know too little about this Holmes to understand his lethargy, he never quite solidifies into a concrete or compelling individual.

In dearth of anything else, the most interesting thing about this Holmes is that he is definitely, definitively, flagrantly gay. To Massey’s credit, this is instantly apparent—my initial impression that, “wow, this Holmes is kinda a lazy dick,” was paralleled with a rather flabbergasted, “wait … is he playing him as gay???”

If I’d seen Massey’s Holmes without context, I may well have thought I was watching a film about Oscar Wilde—the stereotypical epitome of Victorian homosexuality. Even Barns, who has excellent things to say about Holmes adaptations but seems vaguely allergic to discussing the detective’s sexuality, describes Massey’s Holmes as an “aesthete” and speaks of his “almost Oscar Wilde approach” (266). And all of that registers before Holmes starts examining his fingernails, resting his hand on Watson’s leg a good few inches above his knee, and talking about marriage. But we will return to that last point shortly.

Athole Stewart as John Watson

Stewart as Watson in this film is … fine. Even good, comparatively speaking—Stewart’s Watson is hearty and kind and is not portrayed as an idiot, which really is an anomaly at this stage of Holmes adaptations. This is probably due in large part to his excellent role in Doyle’s stage play. Unfortunately, the film consistently sets up Watson’s strengths only to erase them.

Watson in the film is kind to Helen—that’s the one good quality that doesn’t get undermined. So, yay. But while in the play Watson stands up against Rylott’s tyrannical demands when he is summoned to examine the body of the first murdered sister, the film begins to replicate that scene only to have Watson give in after his initial protest. In both the play and film he initially appears to be a decidedly intelligent man who guesses exactly what is going on in the the Rylott household, but in the film this is undermined by his subsequent conversation with Holmes, in which it appears that he was entirely clueless and took everything at face value after all. The film makes an interesting but half-hearted attempt at introducing modern technology into 221B, and most of this has been installed by Watson; but Holmes finds it essentially useless for his work and relies on different tools entirely. In the play Watson himself kills the snake; in the film he … shines a light so Holmes can attack it.

In short, Stewart’s Watson goes through the motions of being a partner, but he is never quite allowed to do anything useful.

So … What About Johnlock?

Eh. I guess?

By all rights an adaptation with a gay Holmes ought to at least have one-sided unrequited Johnlock. But while its clear that Holmes is gay, it is not clear that he is in love with Watson.

Beyond the character’s aestheticism, mannerisms, and thigh grab, evidence of Holmes’s sexuality is blatantly but clumsily contained in two brief exchanges with Watson regarding Helen’s marriage to her fiancee. The first comes at the end of Holmes’s first scene, when he abruptly asks Watson to inform him when Helen becomes engaged, with an intensity which demonstrates some emotional investment in the event.

My initial (annoyed) assumption was that they were going to make Holmes out to be in love with Helen. But when Helen comes to Holmes for help two years later, it is clear that they have never met. Nor is there anything in Holmes’s treatment of her to imply some creepy at-a-distance infatuation. And yet we are definitely supposed to pay attention to his preoccupation with the wedding, because the final scene consists of Watson announcing Helen’s engagement to Glen Sternum, to which Holmes responds: “I was afraid that might happen.” Then when Watson, taking Holmes’s response for generalized cynicism, leaves the room with the amused assertion that “we all come to it [i.e. marriage],” Holmes waits until he is gone to respond with a melancholy, “not all, my dear Watson. Not all.” And that, apart from a final line about filing away the details of the case, is the end.

So what are we to make of Holmes’s sorrowful preoccupation with Helen’s marriage? Honestly, I’ve been unable to work it out. Is it is meant to refer to a generalized inability to attach a girl? But there’s no hint of that in the plot; and besides, why then would he be so concerned with this particular marriage? No, it makes more sense to suppose that Holmes’s queer-coded mannerisms are fully intentional, and he knows he will never marry because society will not allow him to marry a man. So was he afraid that Watson, a good friend of the family, might marry her? But then why is he still so sorry when she marries someone else? Is he secretly in love with the man she married (who, fun fact, is a slave-owner)??? Weirdly enough, that is my only theory which doesn’t directly contradict any of the facts, although it would make for incredibly vague and sloppy storytelling.

Just to complicate this further, Doyle’s play also contains a subplot about Holmes being sorrowful about a marriage (although the sorrow is a bit more subtextual)—but in the play it is Watson’s marriage. So basically … the filmmakers appear to have gotten the “Holmes is upset about Watson’s marriage because Holmes is in love with him but cannot marry a man because Homophobia” subtext, but—perhaps because showing Holmes being openly sorrowful over Watson’s marriage felt too obvious?—they clumsily redirected Holmes’s sorrow to a different marriage with which he textually has no connection.

As for Watson, there’s not much to say. There is an odd line in which Holmes asks Watson whether the housekeeper was good-looking and Watson answers “no” before pausing and, with an air of surprise, amending, “yes.” This could be seen as indicating that he is uninterested in the attractiveness of women. (This would make him out to be gay and not bi, which I suppose makes sense for the time). But it could just as easily be put down to the film’s sloppy writing, and if Watson is gay his cheery assurance that he and Holmes both will come round to marriage in the end indicates that he is entirely unaware of it, so … *shrugs.*

In conclusion: this film was probably made by people who Knew, at least about Holmes, but instead of creating Johnlock they gave us a Holmes who is almost definitely gay but only maybe in love with Watson; he could just as easily be in love with a slave-owner he never sees during the film or be sad about not being able to marry a man in general. Then they tossed in a narratively irrelevant Watson who might maybe possibly be gay but he definitely doesn’t know it.

It’s a mess.

Conclusion: Should You Watch It?

I mean … you could. A decent-ish recording is available on YouTube here. But while I feel like we ought to be aware of this first (as far I know) stumbling attempt at subtext, I’m not trying to talk anyone into watching it. If you’re interested in Raymond Massey’s portrayal of Holmes I suggest just skipping to his scenes, which add up to slightly over half of the 50min film. In particular I recommend his first scene, from 7.15–12.35, and the final scene, which begins at 47.30. And if you find a more coherent means of interpreting Holmes’s lines about marriage, please do let me know!

Well then. Yep. That is a thing. Which exists.

The End

@devoursjohnlock @thespiritualmultinerd @ellinorosterberg @kajepan @spenglernot @materialofonebeing @possiblyimbiassed @oysters-and-gingernuts @sosukana @maniclemons @materialof1being @persnicketypea @cuttydarke @newshea @a-candle-for-sherlock @tjlcisthenewsexy @sarahthecoat @the-elephant-is-pink @bluebluenova @hewascharming @battledress @cumberlocked221 @victorianfantasywatson @sherlockisgayaf @alemizu @infodumpingground @believein-johnlock @disregardedletters @accuratebutunsystematic @artemisastarte @inevitably-johnlocked

#the speckled band 1931 #sherlock flim #Raymond Massey #Athole Stewart #sherlock holmes #John watson #johnlock #film adaptation #film criticism

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antimatterpod · 4 years ago

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Transcript - Transcript - 57. A Tale of Two Romulan Commanders

You can listen to the original episode here.

Anika: It seems like everyone is maneuvering and everyone is looking out for themselves or their interests.

Liz: I mean, hashtag Romulans.

Liz: Welcome to Antimatter Pod, a Star Trek podcast where we discuss fashion, feminism, subtext and subspace, hosted by Anika and Liz. That's me.

This week, we're talking about the only two episodes of The Original Series to feature Romulans: "Balance of Terror" and "The Enterprise Incident".

Anika: A first season episode and a third season episode.

Liz: Isn't it wild that the Romulans are so important to Star Trek and yet they only appear twice?

Anika: I think it's -- they're very memorable.

Liz: Yeah. And unlike the Klingons, they have that connection with Vulcan and--

Anika: Vulcan.

Liz: Spock, basically.

Anika: Yes, precisely. And the Klingons took over. As soon as the movies and Next Generation were around, the Romulans had much -- the Romulans were almost working for the Klingons in those later--

Liz: Yeah, they were sidelined.

Anika: It's interesting. It's interesting. And we've discussed how thrilled I am that they're having a renaissance.

Liz: This is a pro-Romulan podcast.

Anika: It's interesting to go back to the beginning of the Romulans and try to really watch it from a perspective of, you know, not "these are my favorite aliens since I was--"

Liz: Yes.

Anika: "--twelve." You know, it's interesting.

Liz: Sort of trying to piece together how we would feel about them without the baggage of everything else.

Anika: Right. It's hard, especially "The Enterprise Incident", it's really hard.

Liz: Oh, I know. I know.

Anika: "Balance of Terror" is more -- even within the context of that episode, we learn so little about Romulans in that episode, and it's much more about the personalities of the Romulans and the humans than it is about the race.

Liz: We get intriguing glimpses though, the business about the Praetor, and the junior officer who is more loyal to the politics and the Praetor than to his own commander, and so forth. I really love that stuff. And it feels like the foundation for everything that will come.

Anika: Those Roman Romulans!

Liz: I'm on the record as saying that I -- like, I think "Balance of Terror" is good, and I respect it, but I don't enjoy watching it. I was surprised at how much fun I had this time. And I think that's, in part, because I've watched a lot of submarine movies since the last time I watched the episode, and I have more appreciation for the tropes.

Anika: I was gonna say, so you see that that part of it? And respect it as a genre as opposed to just Star Trek?

Liz: Yes. And submarine movies are not really something that I watch because I love the characters, they're because I love the tension. So that that really worked this time.

But also, in talking to you about the character of Kirk, I really enjoyed what they did with him in "Balance of Terror", and the way he's so young, but he's so paternal with his officers. It's so interesting. McCoy's whole, "don't destroy the one named Kirk," you know, "there are millions of galaxies and billions of people, and only one James Kirk" felt like such a wonderful statement of the series' humanism.

Anika: Yes, I agree. And I think this episode does a lot of heavy lifting for the relationships between Kirk and McCoy, and how Spock is viewed by the rest of the crew. You know, how even if he didn't have a connection to the Romulans, like, he's sort of an -- he's the outsider. And I know that intellectually, like, that's his character description. But, again, because Spock has now been around for so long, and he's so central to Star Trek, it's hard to think of him as the underdog.

Liz: Yes, yes. And it's interesting to me that we have "Balance of Terror", where Spock is subject to the bigotry of another crewman, and then we have "The Enterprise Incident" two years later, where the Romulans are sort of trying to play on his experience of bigotry to say, "Wouldn't you be happier among Romulans?" and he's going, "Actually, no, I belong with the Federation. I'm not not fully human and not fully Vulcan, but I'm totally Federation."

Anika: It's definitely clear in "The Enterprise Incident" that they have a giant file on everybody in the Enterprise and that's what I want to know [about]. I want all of the details on how they are getting this information, and how it's presented to the Romulans, you know, to the Praetor and then the military, and then to the individuals. There's these layers there. That's why I'm so obsessed with these Romulans, there are just so many layers to it.

Liz: I was wondering if the Romulan officers have standing orders to try to recruit any Vulcan they encounter. Like, ideally high ranked Starfleet officers, but literally any Vulcan they can get their hands on. I think that feels very political, and sort of in line with the allegations that North Korea is very into abducting South Koreans when they can, and also ties in with Diane Duane's plot about the Romulans sort of being a bit obsessed with Vulcans and their abilities, and hating and fearing them, but also really wanting to be part of them.

Anika: I think that that is definitely a throughline through the Romulan stories, even in the first, in "Balance of Terror", when all they know about each other is this military intel spy stuff, right? They don't have any personal interactions or knowledge.

And the Romulan Commander -- Not Spock's Dad -- he envies the Federation, in that he -- this is gonna sound not to be super political, but I'm very political these days. Because I'd like to, you know, here's my world. It's horrible, and very political, literally everything you do is political. And with this pandemic, all of the problems existed before the pandemic, but now they are exposed for literally everyone to see, like, no one can escape them at this point. And one of those is that we force people to work until they die.

So this guy, this one Romulan Commander, he just wants to go home and be a farmer, and live out his life. He reminds me of people who are, like, forced into the military for whatever reason, either because it's actually a mandate for their culture, or because they can't afford to, like, go to medical school otherwise, kind of thing. And then they're stuck, you know, working off this debt to their society. And it's like, they've done it, he's done it.

This guy should be allowed to retire and have his wife and his family and his farm, and instead, he dies. And it's just like, why? Why did that happen? Other than that we don't care about people. And so, you know, not to say that America has more in common with the Romulans. But...

Liz: But...

What strikes me is that, between these two episodes, the Federation doesn't really necessarily have much of a moral high ground? Like, yes, the Romulans have been carrying out these unprovoked attacks on what appears to be civilian outposts along the neutral zone.

But two years later, Kirk is just literally going into Romulan space to conduct an espionage mission, and plausible deniability is literally discussed. It's interesting that the Federation has not held up as morally superior to the Romulans.

Anika: I mean, you don't think it is? Because I got the impression that, because it was Kirk and Spock, we were on their side and they're doing the right thing.

Liz: Oh, yeah, absolutely.

Anika: So it didn't seem to me, like, if there is a moral we -- it was definitely, "the Romulans are bad and whatever we have to do to beat them is okay". Which isn't something I agree with on any level, but--

Liz: I don't know if it's necessarily that black and white, because if it were, the Romulans would not be so likable.

You know, we really respect the Mark Lenard Romulan Commander, and he's been basically carrying out terrorist attacks along the border. And the Joanne Linville Romulan Commander is so smart and charming, and a character you really enjoy spending time with. I don't think they would be that likable if the intent was for us to hate them.

Anika: I can see that. They're definitely likable. I don't know that they're -- well, yeah, no. Okay. I will concede the point.

Liz: Not necessarily admirable. But...

Anika: Maybe sympathetic.

Liz: I think that's it. I think, you know, Spock genuinely hurts the Linville Commander when he betrays her. And you get the impression, that in another life, the Lenard Commander would have been a really stand up, decent guy.

Anika: Right? Yes. If he wasn't stuck being that guy? Yeah.

Liz: Yeah. Well, that's the thing. He is so decent and honorable that we just overlook all the people he's killed.

I just want to say the Linville Commander doesn't have a body count.

Anika: Well, I mean, even if I completely erase Diane Duane's take on it from my mind, the Linville Commander, simply because she's a woman in the '60s...

Liz: Yes.

Anika: I assume that she had to work three times as much for every inch of power that she got in that society. Now, I know that, since then, we've seen the Romulans as kind of matriarchal, that they definitely have a lot of women in high places.

Liz: But that's a new thing. And it's sort of evolved from the force of Linville's presence.

Anika: Right. And definitely, in this one, again, simply because it was made in, you know, 1969, and where feminism was at that point, I just assume that she's this ... I don't know, like a Hillary Clinton figure, who, by the time she gets to be in power, everyone hates her because of all the things she had to do to get there.

Liz: You certainly don't get the impression that her subcommander has any strong feelings for her either way. Subcommander Tal, who looks like Peter Capaldi.

Speaking of feminism in the '60s, I was going through old zines, and I was really surprised to learn that the fans, the female fans of the '70s really, really hated this character. And it was partially that she made the moves on Spock, and how dare she, and partially because she does lose in the end, and they felt like it was a story about putting a woman in her place and depriving her of her power.

Anika: I mean, I guess I can see that argument, but I didn't -- I don't know. It probably is because I am biased, but I never felt like -- I felt like she -- her power is very tenuous to begin with. And honestly, Mark Lenard's, too.

Liz: Yeah, you constantly expect them to get a knife in the back.

Anika: Neither of them seem to be, like, commanding their crews in a way -- they're not they're not Kirk, you know? People aren't going to line up to fall on a bomb for him. Like, neither of them seem to have that ... Loyalty? I don't know. That … that presence. They just have the--

Liz: The camaraderie comes from being part of a democracy.

Anika: Yeah. Yes. It seems like everyone is maneuvering and everyone is looking out for themselves or their interests.

Liz: I mean, hashtag Romulans.

Anika: Right, exactly. But it doesn't feel to me like Spock put this woman in her place, who -- no, she wasn't she wasn't a woman in power to begin with.

Liz: But I think it's also that, but also, that sort of urge that any female character must be perfect and flawless and never make mistakes. And she does make mistakes -- she's attracted to Spock, she lets that interfere with her judgement. And he is also attracted to her, but he is a Vulcan and therefore doesn't. And I guess one point to logic, zero points to Romulans.

Anika: But don't you think Spock would be happier if he ... just saying.

Liz: I would love to see AOS Spock where the AOS Romulan Commander is somehow helping Spock with the rebirth of Vulcan.

Anika: Oh yeah, you know what? In AOS they definitely got to make up with the Romans much quicker.

Liz: Yeah, I realise that at this point in time, they still don't know that the Romulans are related to Vulcans. But that could be a whole movie. Call me, Paramount!

Anika: Apparently it was trending on Twitter earlier that Zachary Quinto wants to play Spock again. So let's go.

Liz: Yeah, yeah, we'll go for it. I love his work.

Anika: And I should say it was trending on Star Trek Twitter. Actual Twitter is very busy right now.

Liz: There's some stuff going on.

Anika: Yeah, just a few things.

Liz: But yeah, I think despite her flaws -- maybe because of her flaws -- I love the Romulan Commander, the Linville one. I quite like Sarek Commander, and I like to think that he has a nice husband at home. And he's a really, really good dad, and he has a great relationship with all of his kids. And...

Anika: He's the anti-Sarek. I mean, I love the Romulan -- wait. The Linville Romulan -- this is hard. They need names.

Liz: I'm very mad that neither of them have names. Why does her subcommander have a name, and she doesn't?

Anika: Right? Because if you they were trying to make a whole, you know, the commanders don't have -- this is one of those things that it's like, now we, the fandom and, and the authors in -- the [tie-in] authors, in particular, but everybody has come up with reasons why all of these things are. And we've made it part of Romulan culture, but in reality, I think it was just that they didn't give them names.

Liz: It's weird. I wish Dorothy Fontana was around to ask.

Anika: Like, why, what is this? What is going on here? Because, yeah, other people do have names. It's just them.

Liz: Yeah. And all the Klingons we meet have names. So I guess it's part of that whole Romulan secrecy thing, and, you know, their public name and their family name and their secret name. Thank you very much, Michael Chabon, you're forgiven on this count.

But couldn't we at least find out their public names so we don't have to refer to them by their actors'?

Anika: Right. Because it's annoying, especially, like, Lenard Romulan Commander and Linville. It just sounds -- it takes me out of the discussion.

Liz: I'm always on the verge of saying Linley instead of Linville. And I believe Joanne Linley was a different actress altogether. So...

Anika: Whoops! Right.

Liz: This is just one of the things I would change if I could go back in time to fix Star Trek, but it's on my list.

I'm really interested in how Kirk is mirrored with the Lenard Commander, who is -- I won't say logical, but he's sort of stoic and duty bound like Spock. Spock is mirrored with the Linville Commander, who is emotional and sensuous and strategic like Kirk.

Anika: Interesting, I like this.

Liz: It just occurred to me this morning as I was making our outline, and I thought, my goodness, that would be an amazing double date. And it's just -- shipping aside, it's just really interesting how these character types bounce so well off each other.

And, of course, there's also a great deal in common between Kirk and the Lenard Commander, and whereas Spock and the Linville Commander have the sort of contrast you get in a really spiky het pairing. It's a very 1960s seduction.

Anika: It reminds me of how,, in James Bond, there's always like the hot girl that is a tragic figure or a side piece. And then there's the hot girl that is like, he can't be with her for some reason. And, and in the best Bond films, it's that she's on the other side, that she's the enemy. And it reminds me of that kind of relationship.

Liz: So what you're saying is that Mark Lenard is a Bond girl?

Anika: Yes. I mean, I think it can work, you know?

Liz: No, I think I think it makes sense. And I don't really ship anyone with Lenard Commander, because, like, he doesn't even meet these people face to face. And he kills a lot of people, but still, I--

Anika: You keep saying that! I don't even think of it. Like, yes, he's the enemy, and he's the Romulan, and he is -- because he's at that level, like, he's -- again, he's at retirement age, so of course he must have killed people that our crew knew. He's that level of person. And yet it does not factor into my appreciation of him at all.

Liz: That's the thing! It has not factored into mine either! And I'm so interested in how willing I am to overlook that. And will I change my opinion if I keep reiterating, to myself as much as our listeners, that he killed a bunch of people?

And it's kind of like, No, I think he's a great character and I wish he hadn't died, or we could have spent more time with him and ... yeah. Adventures of Romulans in Federation Captivity.

Anika: It reminds me of my strong feelings for the defector Romulan.

Liz: Yes.

Anika: And how I like he is -- in that episode, they straight up say, like, this is his resume of death. Here are all the people he personally killed. And yet, I'm so upset that he dies. I'm so upset that --, you know, his family won't remember him, and they'll destroy his name. And he won't get that Romulan legacy thing. And I'm just really distraught that he -- that the one good thing that he does, in defecting to the Federation and trying to save both sides, is what destroys him. Both physically and, you know, spiritually, I guess. It's just really upsetting.

Liz: Well, you know, we love a redemption arc.

And I think -- we know that the Lenard Commander and the defector whose name I'm blanking on, even though I should know it, neither of them actually had a choice in following out their orders. Romulus is not the sort of state where you can go, "Uh, sir, that is an illegal order, and I'm entitled to not follow it." That's the sort of thing that will get you and your family killed.

It's like the thing we discussed, I think, in our episode about, you know, odo being a terrible fascist collaborator, and how living under a totalitarian regime compromises everyone? [Transcriber's note: That was episode 46: #MeToo: Terok Nor - https://antimatterpod.tumblr.com/post/616682290664357888/46-metoo-terok-nor]

Anika: Yes. And it's -- anytime we bring up Emperor Georgiou, it's like, Emperor Georgiou is a horrible person, yes, but that doesn't mean that she can't have a redemption arc, because she didn't have a choice. That was it. That was the only choice she had.

Liz: Even as a person in power, if she wanted to live, and she wanted her family to live, then, yeah, she had to go along with it. She probably didn't need to eat so many people. But this is why she needs a redemption arc.

Anika: Right. It's just -- I'm always on the side of the people who are terrible, but want to be -- like, for me, all it takes is that you want to be better. That's all. That's all I need from you, and I will be on your side, and I will help you do it.

So, of course, the worse the things you've done -- it's gonna take longer. There's gonna be a lot you have to make up for, you know, but I just -- I always come from a place of, if you're going to go on this road, then I will help you on the road. I will be on the road with you.

Liz: Yeah, yeah, exactly. And so I don't think that Lenard Commander is irredeemable. I just -- I'm so interested that we overlook his crimes.

Let's talk about Lieutenant Riley, the bigoted dickhead on the bridge.

[Liz's note: yes, obviously I meant Lieutenant Stiles. In my defence, Stiles and Riley are basically identical, in that they both have hair and faces and wear the same outfits. Yes, Stiles is addressed by name in dialogue. No, I don't know what difference that makes.]

Anika: Yeah. Well, I -- yes. So I put in our notes here, like, two seconds before we started, that the line -- it's, like, famous, really, at this point, that Kirk says to our bigot, that "bigotry doesn't belong in the bridge. Keep that in your quarters."

Liz: Yes.

Anika: Something like that. And you know, it's like, "Oh, what an amazing, progressive thought to have in the '60s."

First of all, the '60s were progressive, so let's just put that aside. But second of all, it's not actually super progressive to be like, hide your bigotry and it's okay. That's not it, guys.

Liz: It's sort of the starting point for being in a professional environment where there are no telepaths, but...

Anika: It's sort of like sexual harassment in the workplace. You know, I'm sure anyone, everyone, everywhere has had one of those trainings, sexual harassment in the workplace trainings, and like what they hammer into you is that it doesn't matter if you think it's sexual harassment, if the person who's being sexually harassed does, and you are creating a hostile environment by ignoring it, then you are in the wrong.

Liz: Yeah. And there's no need for Riley to confront his bigotry. Like, he's rude about Spock, and then Spock saves his life, regardless of that. And then we're friends again. And it's kind of like ... it's just a bit weak.

Anika: Yeah. I understand that they only had, whatever, 15 minutes to do this whole thing. And he's not in any other episode. He's just this random guy. I understand the shortcomings of the medium for this.

Liz: But to have it still held up in 2020 as an aspirational high point is really...

Anika: Exactly. It's really sad. We really need to progress, guys.

Liz: Yeah. Guys. Come on.

Anika: We need to move forward. Because the truth of the matter is, is that we're probably more bigoted as a society, or -- not as a society, but as individuals with individual groups within the society, because we're so partisan, and we're so entrenched.

The people who are bigots are, you know, we've been fighting against them for forty, fifty, sixty, eighty years, right? So they've become very defensive. They're very entrenched in their beliefs. And it just makes us all become more vocal and more loud. And I'm not saying that's a bad thing. I am super for being as loud and as vocal as possible in opposition to their open bigotry.

But because of that, we can't look at this one moment from 1966, where Kirk says, "Hide your bigotry," as if it's a good thing. Like, we just can't -- we need to say no, no hiding. Get rid of that.

Liz: I also want to say that it's just bizarre to me that Riley is holding a grudge about a war a hundred years ago. Like, my great grandfather fought in the First World War. I don't have any negative feelings towards Germans because of that.

Anika: There's the people who worship the Confederacy, and they're upset about getting rid of their Confederate statues, or saying that you shouldn't fly the Confederate flag at, like, national sporting events. Like, those people exist, and they are those loud, entrenched bigots. And so it's weird. It's weird. It's like that is not unbelievable to me. That, if he was raised in that community of people that -- and he was taught from a very young age that, you know, you hate Romulans.

Liz: Also, I wonder, on a worldbuilding level, is it -- is there this sense of unfinished business? Because we don't know anything about them, we don't know what they look like, we've never met a Romulan face to face, so it's very easy for them to become this terrible boogeyman.

Anika: Oh, absolutely. I mean, imagine if your grandfather fought the Germans, but you never learned about them? Like you never--

Liz: Yeah.

Anika: You never learned about Snow White. You know, like, you only ever learned about people who killed your grandfather's friends.

Liz: Yeah.

Anika: I don't know.

Liz: That is a really interesting way to look at it. I like it a lot.

Anika: I mean, as I said, like, five minutes ago, I am the opposite of this. However, I understand it, or I understand why it would happen. And again, it's all environmental, and what you're brought up with, and what you learn, and what you're surrounded by at all times. Those are the things that are going to affect you the most. Not to be all nature versus nurture, but I think we all have the natural ability to be open minded. But if you're only ever told one story, then that's the story that you're going to cling to.

Liz: Yeah, that's a really good point. And it's sort of -- I'm trying to bring it back to the actual episode and I can't. The pollen is in my brain and it's reproducing.

Fashion!

Anika: Yes! I love it. Okay. So Romulans had terrible fashion.

Liz: Oh, I think it's great.

Anika: As a rule, Romulans have terrible fashion, like, they are the worst. And these episodes are no different. Like, it's worse in TNG, and their ridiculous shoulder pads, and the fact that they all look like they're wearing, you know, used car leather outfits.

Liz: And their pants always look like culottes.

Anika: Oh my god, they're so bad. Everything is bad in The Next Generation. But the tweed, the different layers of bronze and magenta. Like, I don't even know what to call that color blue. But that blue--

Liz: It's like a deep electric blue.

Anika: --tweed is also a bad -- they all look like they kinda -- it kind of reminds me of T'Pol's sofa jumpsuit that she wears for the first two seasons. And so I kind of like that. It's like, oh, look, the Vulcans and the Romulans both wear ridiculous--

Liz: Upholstery....

Anika: Right. Exactly. Upholstery clothes instead of actual fabrics. You know, clothing fabrics, as opposed to making what you make your furniture out of. But...

Liz: But.

Anika: But.

Liz: I always thought that the Romulan costumes, the Romulan uniforms, were crochet. And I finally watched it in HD and I was so disappointed to learn that it's just the print on the fabric. I loved the idea of this evil empire wearing grandma's blankets,

Anika: Me too. Oh my goodness. Like, that's another point in the matriarchy.

Liz: Yes. I guess...

Anika: There we go. But then they also have that ridiculous helmet. Amazing, ridiculous helmet.

Liz: Can we assume the helmet is because they couldn't afford ears for everyone?

Anika: Yes, definitely. We can. But it's also hilarious in every way. I mean, it's, like, spray painted gold. It is so good and so bad. I love it. And then, obviously, I love Linville Romulan Commander. All of her outfits, they're both amazing. She is like, "I'm going to make this tweet work for me, so you better be ready for my tall boots and short skirt."

Liz: It's [the] 1960[s] so she's going to command in thigh high leather boots and a skirt so short that, at one point, it rides up to show her undies.

Anika: It is so ridiculous. But again, this is why I can't take her completely -- I can't take -- like I can take her completely seriously, but I can't take the idea that everyone on that ship respects her as the captain completely seriously.

Liz: I think we just have to uspend disbelief. Like, everyone takes Uhura seriously, and she's wearing an equally brief skirt. I feel like we've become more prudish in the ensuing decades about showing vast expanses of thigh.

Anika: But then she wears that other dress with the swirls.

Liz: I love that dress so much.

Anika: That dress is amazing. That's dress I would wear now--

Liz: I was about to say that!

Anika: --with no qualms. I am ready to wear it. It is perfection and it's timeless.

Liz: It's really wonderful. And I look at the way the print on the fabric works, and how it follows the lines of the dress, and I'm just so impressed with that piece of dressmaking. Like, you know, how HD sometimes makes the costumes look a bit shite? Aside from a little wobbliness in the seams on that dress, I think it holds up really nicely.

Anika: So are we -- do you have anything else to say about fashion? Because I have a ridiculous comment.

Liz: I just enjoy how Spock is kind of offended at Kirk running around in what I'm gonna call earface.

Anika: Yes. I mean, I'm kind of offended. But it's not the ears, it's the makeup.

Liz: Yeah, it really...

Anika: The ears, you know, whatever, even the eyebrows are, you know, passable, but the fact they make him very swarthy is a little upsetting.

Liz: Yeah. And I think they've done the same with Linville, too. Harder to say with Lenard. I don't think he's in so much bronzer, but that -- this was very much an era where they're like, "Hmm. aliens. Let's get some white people and paint them brown."

Anika: It's not great. It's not great, guys.

Liz: I understand that, like, our perception of what brownface is has expanded since the '60s. Like, blackface and brownface, I'm sure, were controversial at the time. But no one would have looked at, for example, T'Kuvma wearing full-length, black latex and gone, "Oh my God, this man is in blackface," which happened with Discovery. And I'm not saying that's an incorrect reaction. I just think that our standards have shifted, and we've become more sensitive to this sort of thing.

Anika: I mean, I think that's probably true that we definitely -- I mean, I would hope.

Liz: Oh, yeah.

Anika: And I hope that we're getting better. I hope that we will continue to grow in this area. And you're right, I think that at that time, it was just makeup.

Liz: Yeah.

Anika: They weren't trying -- I don't even think they were -- like, maybe they were, I'm not gonna say -- I don't know. But it's possible that they weren't consciously trying to be racist, or they weren't saying that this kind of person is evil, and so we're going to color our white people to look like that. I think they were just using the -- again, using the story they knew.

Liz: Yeah, I think it is that -- the makeup for the Klingons and the Romulans is steeped in Orientalism, but I don't think that was a conscious choice.

Anika: Right, exactly. That's what I'm trying to say, that it was definitely true that it was -- that it happened. But it wasn't like they were going out of their way to do it. It just happened because they didn't know any better. And that is not an excuse. And that is a good thing. But it's a reason. I understand, again, where it comes from.

Liz: Exactly.

Anika: I'm not gonna be angry at Joanne Linville for -- she didn't have any control over that. You know, William Shatner didn't have any control over that. So you know, whatever. It's not his fault. I'm not mad at Kirk and I'm not mad at William Shatner. But I am mad at the fact that it happens.

Liz: Mad at the world in general for -- yeah, yeah.

Anika: I'm all over the place today. I'm sorry.

Liz: No, me too. And I guess this is a good time to give our listeners a heads up that I am moving house in a couple of weeks. And for the next two weekends, I will be painting the house I'm moving into. So our next episode could be a little scattershot. Because I'm probably going to have to get up very early in the morning to record it before we go and paint. So sorry.

Anika: Oh my goodness. Well, good luck with all of that.

Liz: Thank you. I've never painted anything except, you know, a canvas. So it's exciting!

Anika: It's a lot of fun, actually to paint walls. You're painting, like, walls and --?

Liz: Yeah.

Anika: It's actually very relaxing. And then, when you're done, you have an amazing sense of accomplishment. In my experience.

[Liz's note: I had an amazing sense of exhaustion. And fresh walls.]

Liz: I'm thinking of putting in, like, a bright magenta feature wall so I can make my study feel like the Linville Commander's office.

Anika: Yes, do it.

Liz: Divide it with a trendy with a translucent pink curtain for Spock to hide behind.

Anika: I really, I mean, you know, I ship them a lot.

Liz: I know.

Anika: That's where I was gonna go earlier. And so I know you have a headcanon that Laris is related to the Romulan Commander, and I'm one hundred percent for that. That's great. And I just want to say that I definitely at one point plotted a whole arc about how Saavik was their daughter.

Liz: I mean, she was half-Romulan, half-Vulcan!

Anika: Right. She was half-Romulan and half-Vulcan and like, Kirstie Alley kinda has the facial features. And then Robin Curtis has the hair. So it's sort of like, I can see it.

Liz: No, I can see it.

Anika: It works.

Liz: And it's like, "Well, I've had this kid and I don't think she's going to be very happy, she's not very happy growing up as a Romulan, maybe you would like to take care of her.". And Sarek is like, "A surprise grandchild?!"

Anika: Exactly! See, like, I think it would actually -- we wouldn't have to change anything in canon, although except maybe when she helped him through Pon Farr.

Liz: I was gonna say, we have to change the bit where they have sex.

Anika: But we can just ignore that.

Liz: I already do.

Anika: David can help him through Pon Farr.

Liz: Oh no, that's a new pairing.

Anika: I think it's kind of sweet.

Liz: I think Kirk is going to have some issues.

Anika: Anyway, I think that my main comment is that I'm really sad that she's never mentioned ever again in canon. Like, there's this whole book series, which I love. We've discussed that. [See episode 47: Pride and Prejudice in the Original Romulan - https://antimatterpod.tumblr.com/post/617951478179676160/47-pride-and-prejudice-in-the-original-romulan] But even there, she's gone, she's exiled. And so she's like a ghost, she's not actually physically there.

And then, like you and I have come up with, like, hey-- and people are like, "Oh, the universe is too small if everyone's related to everyone." And it's like, yeah, okay, but also...

Liz: Which I believe! But some opportunities are too good to pass up.

Anika: Right? And if Harry Mudd gets to have a Renaissance, where is my Romulan Commander? That's all I have to say.

Liz: Okay, concept. Concept, concept. The next AOS movie features the Romulan Commander, Jennifer Garner plays her.

Anika: Yes!

Liz: You know, she's a bit older than Quinto, and she has that sort of sexy maternal vibe. We know she can handle an action scene, but she also has buckets of charisma.

Anika: And we all met her as a spy!

Liz: Yes!

Anika: It's perfect.

Liz: Yep. As usual, it's a mystery to me why the entertainment industry isn't literally beating down my door

Anika: You know what, I wouldn't -- like, they don't even have to pay me at this point.

Liz: Oh, no, they have to pay me. I don't work for free. But I will accept payment in Australian dollars, which is a great deal if you're American. I was going to say, do we have much more to say? Could we just make this a short episode and I can take my pollen-filled head and--

Anika: The only thing I want to say is that I -- I wanted to discuss McCoy. Because I think he has an interesting role in both of these episodes.

Liz: More than usually, he's the voice of reason and humanity.

Anika: Yes. And I think I said earlier that "Balance of Terror" does a lot of heavy lifting for the McCoy and Kirk relationship. And I think just establishing McCoy as that, you know, center, heart and conscience of the Enterprise crew.

Liz: It's actually interesting how little Spock has in terms of an emotional arc in "Balance of Terror".

Anika: What's interesting about Spock in "Balance of Terror" is that it's not about him.

Liz: Yeah. Which I think is sort of a metaphor for bigotry, in a way, that it doesn't really matter who a person is.

But the most interesting thing for Spock in this episode is that he makes a mistake and gives away their location. And that's so unlike him, and it's the closest hint we ever get to the emotional turmoil he may or may not be suffering in terms of the revelations about the Romulans.

I'm sorry, I just need to duck out for five minutes, but just keep recording and resume when I get back?

Anika: Okay.

Liz: Sorry.

Anika: That's okay.

Liz: Are you there?

Anika: Yes.

Liz: So sorry, my breakfast all of a sudden disagreed with me.

I was going to say, it is so interesting how there are things that have sort of been tacked on to the Romulans later on, like the cultural drive for privacy and secrecy, they're sort of present in this episode, particularly the bit in "The Enterprise Incident" where the Romulan Commander receives a message from one of her officers. And it's not an intercom. It's like, conveyed through an earpiece. And just little things like that really pull it all together and make it consistent accidentally.

Anika: But those are the bones that we built all of our canon on.

Liz: I know. And it's great!

Anika: And those headcanons became Romulan culture, because, you know, it's sort of like [how] Hikaru Sulu wasn't Sulu's name until Star Trek VI. Like, he didn't have a first name, but it became his name. It was like the fandom's accepted name. I think it was in a novel at one point. And then in Star Trek VI, he was like, I'm Captain Hikaru Sulu. And that was his name from then on, you know, it was like, it became canon.

And in similar ways, like, everybody talks about Romulan culture until a point where it becomes real, and it becomes part of the actual story.

Liz: Yes, I just love being able to go back and see the seeds of these ideas.

Anika: That's, yeah, absolutely. That's super fun. But so what I was saying about McCoy--

Liz: Oh, yeah, I'm so sorry.

Anika: It's, it's fine. You have to edit this.

It's just that it's interesting to me that in the first episode in "Balance of Terror", he is very, like, "Hey, we should, you know, be friendly, and we shouldn't go to war, we shouldn't assume that they're going to attack us, we definitely shouldn't attack first." And, "Hey, everybody, you know, and let's take some steps back and take a breather."

And in "The Enterprise Incident", he's like, so "I'm meant to pretend that Kirk dies, and then we're going to turn him into a Romulan, so he can totally steal a cloaking device."

And it's like, Okay, what happened to Dr McCoy? But I think it was the first episode, like, I can sort of see an arc for it. And I think that's interesting.

Liz: Yes, and also, I think that there's still a cloaking device mission. If they pull it off, which they did, there are very few casualties. Like, I think one guy's injured, and that's it. And I feel like McCoy--

Anika: From the McCoy standpoint, I think this is what I was getting at poorly. But now I'm going to get at it well. From a McCoy standpoint, "If I help, you know, Kirk plan the trademark Kirk plan, to work and and not kill off anybody on our side or their side, and have this bloodless battle and war, then I will have helped the cause and stopped the battle that would have occurred and the deaths that would have occurred if I didn't do this." I can totally see McCoy talking himself into that.

Liz: Yes, yes. And I also wonder if he came up with the ruse of faking Kirk's death, because it seems to be kind of a go-to move for him generally.

Anika: He did that. He knows how to do that well.

Liz: Yeah. He's had a lot of experience!

Anika: And he's now tricked Vulcans and Romulans into thinking that Kirk's dead, which is, I think, a particular achievement.

Liz: Hashtag goals. Am I right?

Anika: I like that. I mean, obviously, Kirk, Spock and McCoy are the trinity. And so obviously, they're gonna have big roles and stuff, but I liked that they did all get something to do in each of these episodes.

Liz: Yes. I also felt very bad for Chekov, the way Kirk snaps at him in the opening scene. Like, the poor boy is just doing his job, but he doesn't know you're playing a role. Maybe we need some sort of Original Series Lower Decks that's just Chekov going, "Why is the captain picking on me?"

Anika: Poor Chekov. Honestly, Chekov gets yelled at a lot.

Liz: Justice for Chekov.

Anika: He could form a support group with Harry Kim. Which I would love to read if anyone wants to write that for me.

Liz: Yeah, I would go for that. Please, someone write it and send it to us.

Anika: And then, you know, in "Balance of Terror", we have Janice Rand [being] sort of like, "Hey, Captain Kirk, I'm here for you." And then, in "The Enterprise Incident", we sort of have the, "Hey, I know that I've already lost Spock but I'm still gonna keep trying to get Spock" scene with Chapel. It's like, I don't know, they both have this weird -- it's both sort of sad and desperate, but also, you know, okay.

Liz: Yeah, I think it's a mistake to have both the significant recurring female characters in positions of unrequited love. Put it that way.

Anika: Unrequited love. Yeah. And they both had a sort of similar aesthetic. They're very feminine. They're very, like, I don't know, I guess -- it's not like Uhura isn't feminine, so it's all of them, all women on the show.

Liz: I think, particularly, Rand and Chapel seem similar because they're both blonde and they're both a little older than you would expect for that sort of ingenue role. Which is not a criticism. It's just an interesting casting choice.

Anika: I can see that. And they're both in pretty subservient roles. Supportive roles. And because, again, because it was the '60s, they were more subservient than they should have been, perhaps.

Liz: Yes. And they both go on to positions of more authority in the movies.

Anika: Right.

Liz: Not that we ever see much of Chapel as a doctor, but...

Anika: But we know that it happens. And Rand, too, you know, we only get a few glimpses of her, but--

Liz: And the whole Voyager episode--

Anika: The Voyager episode is really -- like, I love that that's our last view of Rand. And it's it's such -- it really, like, repairs her legacy for me, because I can I can imagine everything she was doing in between. And it makes me happy.

Liz: And the way we know Grace Lee Whitney was mistreated on set, it feels like a vindication for her as well. That she gets to have a position of authority, and she gets to have scenes with the first female captain.

Anika: Okay, I'm gonna cry. Anyway--

Liz: Oh, one final thing before we wrap up! You know all these scenes in "Balance of Terror" in phaser control, and manually charging the phasers?

Anika: Yes.

Liz: I think that's really cool. And I really wish that it had been a regular thing in Discovery.

Anika: I mean, that's a super, like, submarine plot thing, right? I feel like every -- and I don't go out of my way to watch submarine movies, but I've definitely seen the popular ones. And I those are the scenes I remember--

Liz: Yeah.

Anika: It takes so long to do everything on a submarine.

Liz: Yes! If that had been incorporated into Discovery, I feel like it would have been a really good way to demonstrate that, even though the effects and the sets and the trappings are much more modern than The Original Series--

Anika: Yes! You know, you're right.

Liz: --this is still an older setting than what we're used to.

Anika: And, you know what, you could even have, like, everything except the spore drive be that way. So the spore drive is its own thing, like, you could have this instantaneous dangerous side. But everything else would be in the old style. I like that idea for grounding Discovery.

Liz: And also for ramping up the tension, and I can just imagine, you know, Lorca drilling the phaser crews endlessly. Not that that show really needs more side characters, but what if it had more side characters?

Anika: Well, I mean, yeah.

Liz: Yeah.

Anika: It'd be good. It'd be good. I like it.

Alright, so do you have any final thoughts on TOS Romulans before we wrap up?

Liz: Mainly that I'm just really glad that Picard has returned us to an era where Romulans can have a variety of hairstyles.

Anika: Yes. I mean, and personalities.

Liz: Yeah! And also, I think Elnor would look super cute in the electric blue uniform with the culottes and the crochet and ... yeah.

Anika: That's kind of cute. Someone out there, draw that for us. Okay? I'll commission you. 'Cos Liz is right and we shouldn't work for free.

Liz: Yeah, yeah. Art is valuable. Even if it's really silly.

Anika: Send me your requirements, and I'll get back to you.

Thank you for listening to Antimatter Pod. You can find our show notes at antimatterpod.tumblr.com, including links to our social media and credits for our theme music.

You can also follow us on Twitter at @antimatterpod, and at Facebook -- search for Antimatter Pod.

If you like us, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you consume your podcasts. The more reviews, the easier it is for new listeners to find us. We get raised up.

Liz: Yeah.

Anika: And join us in two weeks we'll be discussing the season premiere of Star Trek: Discovery. It's back, guys!

Liz: I'm so, so excited to move on from my feelings about season two. New Trek, new hair, it's going to be great.

Anika: Yes, exactly. I want to put it all down because I continuously get annoyed with Discovery, and I want to go back to loving it.

Liz: I would like have new things to be annoyed at

Anika: That too! That'll work. I just want to be passionate. Any passion is good.

Liz: It's 2020 and I just want to feel something.

Anika: Oh my gosh.

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