#izzy hands is a disability icon

[a-sassy-bench]

what does being disabled mean to me?

it means i get to answer my phone like this for the rest of my life

[thymeyyy]

to a certain degree, i understand people justifying izzy's death through saying it's narratively cohesive or it makes sense thematically. cause like from the way they set up his arc i could def see a conclusion in which he dies and it is narratively satisfying (don't get me wrong id still be heartbroken, but it COULD work thematically) but only if it was given the proper amount of TIME. a SIGNIFICANT amount of time. like that shit shouldve been saved for the s3 finale.

there are good thematic foundations in the beginning of s3. lots of foreshadowing and initial new character arcs that were intriguing. but people are picking up on those foundations and justifying the later actions of the show based on the themes that were set up initially. but the problem is that the show skipped right to the payoff of those foundations. and when you cut out the middle man, you lose the entire story. all you're left with is those initial themes and then a cut straight to the conclusion.

especially in the case of izzy, this leaves a LOT of bad implications since his arc was so sensitive and required so much more care than it was given. and like im not just focusing on him cause i like his tits (i do like his tits tho dgmw). a story arc so sensitive about a character becoming disabled as he struggles with abuse, alcoholism, and suicide cannot be rushed like that. the other arcs were disappointing, but this one honestly felt harmful. and thats such a shame.

imo it's a problem of too many good ideas and too little time to execute them, as so many shows being released recently are. and thats especially common in ensemble heavy tv like OFMD. i can see what they were trying to do, and of course i want all the characters to be developed and have their own stories. but when you're making an ensemble story, you have to go into it knowing that there are certain areas you just won't be able to cover because of time. that isn't to say you can't have an ensemble show that develops everyone well and thoroughly, but you should also be cognizant of whether the stories you want to tell REALLY NEED the extra time you might not have. and thats where s2 failed i think :(

i still love OFMD, and frankly, i didn't hate season 2. there were a lot of aspects and new characters that were very strong (zheng in particualr is ICONIC and might be my new favorite character). i commend the writers and actors for the work they did in creating it, especially under the conditions that eventually led to the strike. and frankly, if the first and only people you blame for an unsuccessful season of a show are the writers, you probably have a very skewed idea of how TV is created and released. but like its okay to critique the things u love while acknowledging that

(i accidentally wrote an essay under @blue-b-bro 's post in the tags that got SO out of hand lmao i am sorry 😭😭 so heres just the post version that they said i should make)

[long-suffering-little-spoon]

I JUST REALIZED THAT YOU WATCHED THE OFMD FINALE

H-

How are you feeling 🥲🥲🥲

Pahaha not swimmingly, I'll just say. First I have been doing a bit of the ol' menstruating which means everything is immediately more extreme lol. I've been very conflicted and I'm still not 100% sure how I feel about *THE THING* especially, but this is where I stand right here right now at like 11PM lmao

Under the cut cos this ended up being exponentially longer than I thought it could ever be sorry

Overall I've loved season 2!! It has been so much fun to interact with the community and convert everyone to the Izzy hands cult engage with the fandom week by week. We've had some incredibly beautiful high moments and some lovely refreshing queer joy. I adore the new characters and the developments of our existing ones. I know my negative thoughts here are much more substantial than my positives but this doesn't mean I didn't like it!! I just don't feel the need to describe the positives because I feel like they're pretty obvious and universally recognised, agreed upon and beloved, y'know? (if you want a purely positive thoughts autistic happy flappy hands rant™, i can oblige dw)

Izzy's death is not the only reason I have mixed feelings on the finale. Obviously the episode cuts were a result of HBO'S meddling and isn't the fault of the crew, but the pacing still felt off and everything that happened just kinda washed over me like white noise (haha will wo-). The loose ends were tied up in wholesome ways and if we don't get a season 3 this would be a mostly decent way to end our characters' journeys, if a bit rushed. But then...

Izzy's death. A lot of people feel very very betrayed and hurt by Izzy being killed off, some people don't feel the comfort they used to from this show because of it and no longer want to engage. I don't wanna discount these people's views, more power to them; I cannot stop them from feeling what they feel and doing what they choose. I haven't given up hope on this show but Izzy's death just felt pretty unsatisfying to me?? Putting my bias towards him aside, I get the "killing off mentor at end of second act" trope but I just feel and wish way more could've been done with Izzy. I wanted to see more of him being happy and secure in himself and his found family and his queerness and his disability!! But now I don't get that and it very much stings. I think I could've come to terms more with his death if there had been more time to dwell on it all and get to see the individual characters mourn, but again episode cuts, thanks HBO!! /s. And I know they had the funeral but it still feels like we didn't really get a chance to mourn or treat Izzy's death with the weight it warranted. And I am far too tired especially right now to engage in "is this/is this not bury your gays/disabled character" but I will say I've seen pretty compelling arguments on both sides. As an able-bodied disabled person I don't feel it's fully my place to dictate, but I am upset Izzy was killed right after some big moments in his healing process and being a disabled person and in general just enjoying his life.

Personally I'm not giving up on the show as a whole because the finale left a sour taste in my mouth. I still very much like this show and I'm willing to stick around for a potential season 3 and on future rewatches I'll be able to see the stuff I loved separate from the stuff I didn't. But since looking back now, the latter is most recent, it kind of casts an unpleasant shadow on a very enjoyable season of television.

RIP Izzy Hands you deserved better sweetie, you would've loved Drag Race. And also shoutout to Con O'Neill for a fucking phenomenal performance last season, but especially this one. Izzy was absolutely iconic and a fan favourite for a very good reason, even if imo the writers did him dirty. He was hilarious and a petty little bitch man but then deeply broken and compelling and a genuinely beautiful character with a beautiful journey despite an unfortunate and unjust end?? He slayed.

Wow this was a lot!! Sorry if you were expecting silly goofiness lmfao I got very analysi-ish and a bit melancholic. Thank you so much for the ask JJ, it was a good opportunity to try and express all my thoughts and squish them into something cohesive for both you and me. (And thanks to my friend who I was discussing this with earlier; they helped me get a new perspective by sharing some of his thoughts. Dude, if you're reading this you know who you are, thanks a bunch!!!!)

[john-cardoza]

okay I have uh feelings that need to be expressed right now. no facts we die like idiot who don’t do any actual research. Have a super long post of mostly positivity except when I went off about the tony awards and that one show

So the prom is closing on broadway. 

I really probably should have seen this coming, but whatever I’m a dumbass and I didn’t. When the show first opened I was like shit it’s probably going to close after like a month and will get no publicity and I’ll be sad and alone in this permanently tiny fandom, but then thanksgiving happened! and numerous performances! and a book was announced! and a movie! (both of which i have mixed feeling about) and I was like hey this show is gaining publicity, and it might actually stay open and I might even get to see it someday. Sadly enough those dreams have kinda been crushed, I really don’t think I can make it to new york with only 2 months warning and the only way I’ll ever see this show is through shitty bootlegs. But we have so many things to be proud about!! and I want to talk about them!!

The tony awards- the prom was nominated for 7 tonys! which in comparison to some shows isn’t a lot, but to others its a bunch. Also the prom stayed open through the worst part of the broadway season! (like between christmas and summer) and the show survived through and past the tony awards! some shows that open in april can’t even do that. They performed at the tonys!! Do I wish the prom had actually won some of those awards? absolutely. But like I am personally very glad that hadestown did so well and I am not going to say that hadestown didn’t deserve any of their awards because they did, it’s an amazing show and I want it to do well. On the other hand I’ve tried to not spread negativity towards any show because that isn’t what this blog is about, but emotions are feeling a but high now and it doesn’t seem worth it to stay neutral towards an awful show. So like fuck t*otsie. t*osie does not deserve to be respected by a community that has a high number of trans individuals. the show should not have won best book and it definitely should not have won best leading actor. The award should have gone to either beetlejuice or it would’ve been cool if brooks won. The idea that that show is going to stay open while the prom closes is so horrible and I can’t really believe it. I also do believe that caitlin kinnunen should have won best leading actress. She is doing justice to such a hard part, she is portraying heartbreak and the hopelessness wonderfully while not bringing down a lighthearted show. She’s also young and is doing an amazing job with less experience than a lot of other actors who have gotten recognition. 

But here’s the thing, let's say that of the 7 awards the prom was nominated for the won half. I'll be generous and say that was four tony awards. That still isnt a lot. And let’s say none of those awards were best musical. true any tony awards are better than zero! but that wouldn’t have made any difference. I think that even if the prom won a couple of awards the show would still be closing. Sure maybe if they won all seven they would be staying open longer, but how long would that really be? I don’t think we can place all the blame of the prom closing on the tony awards. The show is inclusive! it is a show that is primarily geared towards teens and young adults! (I’m not saying adults can’t like the show just from a marketing perspective) the main thing they have been advertising is a cute lesbian love story! These are all great things to see in media and it’s why I love the show, but it’s also something that doesn’t do well with the primary broadway audience (old white people who have money). the thing to blame isn’t the tony awards! its the bias people have unconscious and conscious! (I know thats so much better)

representation in media!- The prom was the first show to show a lesbian (and maybe same-sex? I don’t remember) kiss at the macys thanksgiving parade which is a huge thing to be proud of!! so many kids saw that and it might help them understand themselves better in the future which is so so important! Also the prom performed the same song with the kiss in other places! They threw in a kiss at the end of you happened when they performed it! All of that is such positive representation of a cute lesbian high school couple being in love!! The prom performed tonight belongs to you and the end of its time to dance at the tonys! which again is national television!!

caitlin kinnunen- Caitlin kinnunen likes girls! she was dating a girl! and she’s playing a lesbian on broadway! what an icon! Shecame out at an interview and said that she was dating a woman a couple of months after the show opened! If I remember correctly she also said that one thing that gave her the courage to do so was playing emma nolan every night! which is cool! She is also super open about her mental health issues (anyone follow her on instagram) and about her disabilities(she wore her medical bracelet at the tony performance) which is so cool! as a confused teenager struggling with anxiety, to see that you can have mental health issues and still be on broadway is so inspiring! I don’t even want to be an actress and it’s still super inspiring!

original cast recording- We got a soundtrack!! I can now listen to lesbian duets on my phone randomly! thats important! that means that the show can still reach people when its closed! they might see the cd on a shelf and be like hey that sounds interesting. More people can discover this show even by total accident!!

izzy mccalla- of the two main lesbian in the show one is not white! thats also super awesome! also izzy seems like a super sweet person and I’m so glad that she got to make her leading(ish) broadway debut with this show(I think??). also shes a great dancer and actor and singer! I love her!

uh honestly all of the older actor/characters are fantastic. I mean I’m mostly here for the lesbian love story but like beth leavel! brooks ashmanskas! michael potts! christopher sieber! angie shworer! they’re all great! I think a couple of them are also gay! which once again: is cool!

love thy neighbor- sorry I need to mention this it’s a song about the discrimination pushed by super religious people because of their religion! and it talks about how they really shouldn’t do that! also the whole back and forth of: don’t you feel even slightly bad for emma? you guys used to hang out / that was before she turned gay! / well maybe she was always gay. Yeah I love that its great!

Okay my final note is- when I first discovered this show it was like over a year (or maybe even two?) ago, there were like ten people in the fandom, I wasn’t even on tumblr, and this was way before anything had been announced for the broadway run. I followed the prom on instagram and I got so! happy! when the account started becoming active again because they were preparing to open on broadway. This show has helped me along the complicated road of discovering my sexuality and discovering who I am. I know that when this show leaves broadway there will still be a fandom, there will still be people who love the show, and I am so so thankful for that.