#me & my jumping to conclusions on the plot of the drama on the title alone strikes again

[dengswei]

deffo on me for going into dangerous romance blind but the bullying took me off guard

[beeblackburn]

Top 5 favourite films?

Thank you, @hiddenlookingglass!

Before I continue, I have to give the obvious caveat that I haven't watched a ton of films, relatively speaking. I think most of these films were watched last year alone. And, making this list, I have to give honorable mentions, because, fuck me, originally this list was seven entries and, short of cheating this ask to write out top seven or ten, it was never going to happen without title-dropping the runner-ups, so here goes:

You Were Never Really Here: Take the premise of John Wick, drain it of all the orchestra and slickness, ground it in broken people, scarred by violence in childhood to adulthood, and polish it off with some of the tightest film editing and sound design in the industry, and you get my unquestionably favorite anti-violence film.

The Final Exit of the Disciples of Ascenscia: A lovely and tragic indie gem of an animated film about a cult, one that finally clicked the appeal of them without diminishing their harm, and one that breaks me in touching on my own questions of loneliness... and whether being in an unhealthy dynamic is better than being alone.

Paddington: The second one is undeniably an even better film, but this one's rain scenes and leisurely narrative feels cozier to me. Whenever I feel like complete dogshit, I rewatch this, because Paddington's charm and earnestness winning over the Browns before realizing he found his family and home with them is hrrgh.

The Green Knight: A visually sumptuous banquet of the senses, trippy and wondrous in how it depicts Gawain's knightly trials, with moral and literary themes that scratch my itches and a fantastic leading actor who carries the film, complete with an ending that brings it all home, landing with such an earned emotional punch.

The Witch: Eggers' mastery at inhabiting the psychological reality of his time periods is impeccable, and it all started with this horror tale of a family plagued by the supernatural outside their walls... and religious anguish and Puritan misogyny among its members. Paired with a hell of an ending and arresting last shot? Delicious.

And, now, onto the proper top five!

1. Everything Everywhere All at Once

Look, is the script overstuffed with exposition about how the multiverse works? Yes. Is it ultimately narratively unwieldly, even faking us out with a false climax, and increasingly uneven to the end? Yes. Are some of the jokes pretty juvenile in the "haha, dildos are funny" realm? Yes. Could it have been more queer? Yes. Is the conclusion a little too tidy and pat, especially for my Chinese childhood abused-ass? Yes, yes, yes. There are definitely fair criticisms that I can agree to, but...

Every time I revisit this film, it wrecks me a whole another way. I never escape this film emotionally unscathed, I philosophically and morally match to it like an alternate version of me jumped into my mind, slipped into my flesh. There are at least five scenes in it that crack me open like a chestnut and I'm left a blubbering mess and astonished at how it manages to tie together all the chaos at the end in such believable catharsis that I can still buy into.

It's still an amazingly-acted film that allows for a rough, unpleasant, and embittered middle-aged female protagonist to lead the events, quite a few ladies dictate and command the plot, and manages to juggle a ton of disparate tones, balancing genuine pathos with bathos, and emotional weight undergirding every bit of silliness and goofy concepts it throws at you. It's still a multiversal familial drama that, at the heart of it, is centered around the experience of what if our first-generation immigrant parents made different choices, that failure can be its own positive experience in a lifetime full of not living up to your parents-demanded potential, and that, in depressive ennui, loneliness, and intense nihilism, all we can do is love, embrace what little joys our speck of lives get, and be there for each other. That, despite the material hardships and pain of a life, our connections still matter enough to keep at it.

It throws the totality of everything beyond the universe at our minds and senses, even down to "talking" rocks and sausage-fingers people, calling to the sheer information overload that most everyone in 2022 felt keenly, acknowledging that it can be such a burden that threatens to hollow us out with existential indifference... and earnestly makes its own case against that. If nothing matters, if all we do and are is worthless in the grander scope of the universe, then these moments we're facing right now, the people in our lives, they matter.

We're not built to attend to everything everywhere all at once. We'll always feel the whisper of what-ifs, the weight of different paths not taken. We might even be useless alone. All we can really do, in the end, is be there for these moments and people around our present. I can't help, but cherish this film on those grounds, but it offered such an awe-inspiring, emotionally resonant experience that it jumps up to my favorite as a result.

2. Pig

How has this masterpiece of a debut, depicting grief, human connection, the heart and art being hollowed by loss and commercial concerns, and masculine vulnerability with such finesse, flown under the radar, nor been nominated for any major accolades? I'm genuinely asking, because, aside from maybe one particular scene that tries to fake us out into thinking it'll become a more conventional John Wickesque revenge thriller, I don't see any crucial flaws that wouldn't warrant it in the discussion as one of 2021's best films. If you haven't yet, treat yourself to one of the best films I've watched.

I watched one of its mid-section scenes, that speech, you know the one if you've watched it, on its own, and wept at the power of its acting, dialogue, and direction by itself. The fact that I still broke down, despite primed, when watching it in the context of the full film should tell you how good Sarnoski's hands are at his first try as director. He brings an intimacy and restraint to the camera in capturing the events in the film, often situating his central characters against the wider scope of his landscapes and environments through a wider lens, showing them as small people against the greater beasts of being scored by grief and loneliness.

Though, given I brought up John Wick, one facet these two share, despite the bait-and-switch of premise, is that almost every character, no matter how minor, has a personality and some texture of history with the protagonist, by direction or sheer acting. Sarnoski just trusts us to infer the weight of history between our characters and, if you want to know how well that approach turns out, Cage's performance should be the clear-cut sign. If you have any doubts of how good Nicholas Cage could be, and trust me, I had a few, this is easily his subtlest, most restrained performance. No signs of a Cage hamfest, this is him at his best and minutely controlled, portraying a stoic man whose hardened demeanor and lack of social graces belies a painful past and years spent in intentional human disconnect.

And how we disconnect from other people bleeds into this narrative, permeates like an unspoken wound that won't scar and heal without proper treatment. Our central characters are haunted by ghosts in the narrative, unable to process what they've lost or reach out to others, for fear of surrendering to the totality of pain from that absence. But there's also disconnect from retreating to what others want, never showing ourselves and only what's acceptable to our social peers, our patrons, or our families, and it costs us piece-by-piece until there's slowly nothing left of us.

And it ends up on an unexpected climax and such a gentle note about masculinity, about how men suffer in trying to bear their griefs stoically, instead of permitting a chink of vulnerability. I dare not spoil more, you have to see it for yourself in how it succeeds in defining its own terms for masculinity and how much emotion cracks through the narrative. It's a film that divulges into the nature of art and food, and how they can bring forth an invitation of connection to others, and it deserves so much consideration and attention, given how much of a powerhouse it is.

3. A Ghost Story

Oh, this sleeper hit of heartache. I knew, going in, that the ending scene would cut to the emotional bone, having checked it out in a clip before, but the knife this slid between my ribs was unexpected in its depth and sharpness, especially given when I watched it. This was after I watched both Pig and The Green Knight, both stellar, emotional films, and while I think Lowery's later work there is better put-together in both pacing and visuals (A Ghost Story absolutely has scenes that drag, and I genuinely think one in particular suffered from overstaying its moment and not fitting Lowery's strengths as a visual/atmospheric director), this touched me so much more in its statement of grief and time.

I've watched enough films to get a decent grasp on my tastes, and its meandering, contemplative, more mundane fares that let scenes breathe in their silence without a quippy aside. This one suffused me in its haunting, contemplative atmosphere from the halfway point, lingering onwards and well after it ended. Lowery's direction is grounded in its intimacy, choosing to focus long stretches on mundanities other directors would've skipped past, as if to say these small moments, daily and common as they are, are what's most important in the grand scope of life and what we focus on, despite the vastness on time upon us all.

And the time spent during grief is where the film guts me in its first half. Going from cozier domesticity, full of lived-in marital discussions and intimacies, to the tangle of strangers sorting through the post-death ceremonies and the silences in the griever's life, booming from the absence of their beloved. Those long, uninterrupted shots, from then on, serve to point out how life persists after our bereavements. There is such attention and empathy to the camera, in how the director wants to show how people cope with grief, how it dogs our every movement, weighs down our limbs, loosens out the tears inside, and make us focus our energies on such simple things like eating food in the dark, to fill the hole our losses leave behind.

But if some trace of us survive as ghosts, upon death, then loss cuts both ways, and it's here that this film truly unmakes me in how it handles grief and remembrance on the ethereal side. Using ghosts as a speculative vehicle, it invites us to see how differently they experience the passage of time, as these beings are temporally untethered, but stay geographically tethered to a particular land. There's such a bitter loneliness to their existences, how being unravaged by time means they are unable to grieve being left alone themselves, they cannot move on by the temporal march by itself.

It's a beautiful, tender film, where centuries can pass by in the blink of a transition, but tiny affections take up whole minutes. A quiet narrative where snapshots of marriage and the tolls of grief take up uninterrupted stretches, letting them sit inside us and linger. A poignant story that ponders, sincerely, if something, anything survives of us after we are gone from this earth, or if we are doomed to have our impact on this mortal plane swept aside and forgotten after we pass away and time moves on from us.

4. The Last Duel

I have a confession: this is my first and, so far, only Ridley Scott joint for various reasons. I don't love R-rated films, I easily get squeamish over live-action gore, and his biggest film and the one most people remember him by was Alien, which wasn't The Thing graphic, but definitely still above my comfort level! So I never touched him for a decade and a half. Now, later, I watched some of the earlier grisly parts of Game of Thrones and found out he directed plenty of period dramas, which was more my speed, and I got the opportunity to check his The Last Duel out with a group viewing. Now, given that preamble, imagine how I felt at its opening scene: a slow-burn of an opening with a lady being dressed before a duel between two men, shot in the same way they are being armored, as if she bears her life as well on the line, and bears witness to two knights charging at each other, before they converge, both hoping to break bones and shed blood.

That, and the subsequent Battle of Limoges, would absolutely impressed onto me that holy shit, Scott directs action in two minutes unquestionably better than some directors do in entire films. He portrays the inherent viciousness, filth, and ferocity of battle in a way that immediately clicked to me as a fan of Joe Abercrombie and a lesser one of Miles Cameron. And armor matters! But that, by itself, wouldn't have made for a favorite of mine. No, it's how this is a proper medieval legal drama with three central, compelling characters at its heart, each explored through a Rashomon-style framing device, and a heartbreakingly timeless message of what a rape victim's choices are in the patriarchy. Does it have its flaws? A few admittedly key ones of editing and dialogue that give away its directorial intent, but nothing so critical to weigh it down from its vaulted highs.

What's amazing about this film, and one of the key things I respect about it as someone who wants to write in that age, is how much, for the majority of its narrative, it is grounded in its medieval realities without turning its characters into anachronic mouthpieces. It has a showcase of warriors scarred and visually worn down by the wars they waged, discusses how the Black Death affected medieval economics and taxes, deals with betrothals and the dowries involved, and how waning wartime fortunes in a lord can sour the pot there, and the turmoil of marriage life, especially how reproductive knowledge intersected with beliefs about rape and love at the time. It admirably enmeshes itself so utterly in the culture of that age, that it's depressing to consider just how much patriarchal culture hasn't changed since then.

And how it divulges into patriarchal culture with nuance, and how women become victimized by it, is so key to making the proceeding duel all the more impactful. Because, as the framing device shows, these men don't come from a vacuum of their medieval culture, their egos and entitlements and self-justifications were shaped by their sexual circumstances and chivalric tales, and there are countless others like them who've done just as bad, if not worse, to others. It's why, even before the duel's outcome is set in stone, the crushing truth of the matter is... no matter the result, at least one individual dies, but the patriarchal apparatus stands, grinding up women in the future as it did the one witnessing the duel.

It's unflinching in its depiction of medieval culture, it's brutal in its violence, both warfare and sexual, and it demands an expectation of ambiguity in the character psychologies and gives no easy answers on how to deal with the patriarchy, especially when, as a lady of the time, you were dependent on the men who uphold it, at the mercy of their actions for your justice. It's why the last third is so harrowing: before the duel, before the trial, even before the incident, countless women went through similar horrors without the spectacle of public scrutiny. The final emotional context leaches the initial excitement when we return to the opening, leaving behind only cold understanding and terrible tension, no matter how much thrilling combat clashes and clangs in the winter air. It's my favorite period drama so far, and I don't expect it to be beat anytime soon.

5. The Secret of Nimh

Another confession: I didn't watch this, front to back, until the 30th Anniversary screening at my local Cineplex theater last year. Not that I didn't love what I saw in clips and pictures, but when the full film was on Youtube when I was in my teens, I neglected to watch it all the way, then it got taken down for a long while. There were other animated films and I didn't relish checking it out in separated clips. So, I knew a bit of what to expect, but boy, this whole film on the big screen was a greater feast for the eyes than any recent Pixar film I checked out. Does it have its problems? Yes, it's definitely narratively uneven, even rushed at times. I do wish some characters got more fleshed out and more time was given to the runtime, as a result. And I can 100% get the criticism of that climax resolution being a deus ex machina, even if I don't agree with it.

But, also, it's fucking The Secret of Nimh. Every frame here feels like it was downloaded from my mind, every sketchy bit of animated linework like it was distilled from my meaty head pulp. Its gothic and dark sci-fi aesthetics are unimpeachable to me, no other animated film comes close to approaching how much I viscerally crave their visual trappings. Say what you will about Bluth, and I certainly have my opinions about his stinkers, but even in them, the man and his team can draw up gorgeous, magical backgrounds and artistry. They're fascinating, lovingly animated and/or goddamn horny messes, bless them. You get a consistent grainy sort of texture in the linework, in the animation models themselves, that I can't help, but always adore with my eyes, hitting a sweet spot with me in this particular feature animation of his.

Even through the more childish trappings like Jeremy and the simplicity of the quest structure, how it balances those with its more heady themes always intrigues me further as an adult, like how we'll uplift our lesser animals before disregarding them, leaving them with the alienation and consequences of those experiments, and how the arrogance and selfishness of humanity manifests in our creations as a result. There's also bits of understated worldbuilding one catches better as an adult, like the fact that the non-Nimh associated female animals have no first names and are surname-defined by species (Auntie Shrew) or by male partner (Mrs. Brisby), suggesting a patriarchal ecological system. And, even before all that, the poignancy of a mother's quest to suck in her fears to protect and save her child from death only enriches with age.

None of this would hit as well, if not for the characters, even the supporting cast being animated to give them such fluid energy and expressive body language in the best of Bluth fashion. Most are dimensional enough in script to make the overall cast a cut above the typical animated fare, even the one-offs or the minor ones that appear in one scene or two. But the crown that completes the jewel of this production is the lead herself, Mrs. Brisby. She's easily one of the best, if not straight-up so, animated protagonists ever. Female leads weren't unknown back then, but mother leads? Almost unheard of, back then. And a huge part of that best status, what cements her place as such is that she's vulnerable throughout the movie. She's just a small mouse in a world full of giants and monsters, and she never fails to be scared at the vastness of the obstacles in her path. Yet, she doesn't whine, nor cower when the chips are down. By all accounts, her storied husband should've been the hero here, carrying out this mission to help cure his child... but he's gone, and Mrs. Brisby has to rise up to the occasion, stir up her courage to go on this sprawling quest, face down horrors and ancients again and again, all for her child. No one expected this of her, and she's always fearful every step of the way, but her conduct always reminds me of the GRRM quote, that being afraid "is the only time a man can be brave," which Mrs. Brisby demonstrates so much, with such earnest vulnerability.

The Secret of Nimh is a lot of things. It's a story about the vastness of the world as a little person in it through the perspective of a mouse, with horrors and monsters beyond your comprehension and understanding. It's a cautionary tale about human hubris towards nature and how our creations risk being condemned by the same flaws we ourselves succumb to. It's a three-way struggle between nature, science, and the unknown beyond our knowing grasp. It's a beautiful series of nature and grotesque sci-fi backgrounds and animation work, through some of the most expressive body language, facial emotions, and voice acting with talking animals, worthy of being Disney's creative challenge at the time, and especially now. It's a dreamy fairy tale narrative, where the hero must undertake a quest for a reward at the end, except this protagonist dwells in the shadow of the hero that should've been. Deep down, at its very beating heart, it's a mother journeying to the ends of her earth to protect and save her child, with fierce fear and clear courage. It's my favorite animated film.

[sparklycitrus]

Giant Wall of Text, about Mo Dao Zu Shi

So....my small trek into Link Click got me into Chinese animation, and of course I stepped into the black hole that is Mo Dao Zu Shi (or Founder of Diabolism, or The Untamed, or more weird names. You know, if it were up to me I'd call the show something like Rise of the Necromancer, because, my dudes, that's what Wei Ying is, a necromancer. We already have a perfectly good word in English and 'diabolism' ain't it). And...yeah...I am so stuck haha. I have a lot of thoughts. But first, let me talk about the animation, because that's my foot into this particular door.

The animation, what can I say? It's absolutely stunning. Beautiful. Completely captured my attention since episode 1. The voice acting is top notch. I thought Link Click's VA work is already great, this one is better. China doesn't have as much of a robust animation department compared to Japan, and even less so with voice acting, so I am very pleasantly surprised. The music, oh my god, drove the whole show for me. Especially the flute/guqin parts. It made everything more vibrant and the fight scenes much more intense. Seriously, whoever did the music accompaniment and sound editing deserves a raise/promotion. I would recommend this show on these three things alone, if only to have something gorgeous and very enjoyable to watch.

But of course, a show's not just those things, right?

(Seriously giant wall of text of my thoughts, and spoilers ahead)

So, in general, I really like the show. I found the characters amazing and the plot very enticing. The side story with Xiao Xingchen and Song Lan and Xue Yang is one of the most tragic things I've seen in a while, with just the perfect amount of love and loss. (I'm actually listening to the audio drama right now and, yeah, those chapters definitely broke my heart.) The main storyline, and I mean the past one with Sunshot and not the less depressing current one, is great, especially the part about Jiang Cheng's golden core. That reveal was so sad and...wonderful haha. I was like "I knew there was something fishy about that whole mountain hermit restoration bit!" Jiang Cheng really made it out terribly in, uh, everything, huh? (That boy was broken after the Lotus Pier saga, and ain't quite right ever since imo.)

However, I do have some complains about...plot structure haha. It's the writer in me, really. So, first of all, the whole thing with names in this story. Look, all the main characters already have two names (just ancient Chinese tradition things?) They also have a title relating to the place they're from, another one for their status, and some locally acquired nicknames. So that's at least 4 different names for each character that they use interchangeably throughout. It would be one thing if there're only like a handful of characters, but no, there's a giant cast that span two generations with a 15-year time jump. Yeah...many times I had to go back to the first episode to figure out who was who and how they're related, and I actually speak Chinese! I imagine there's a handy-dandy flow chart for non-Chinese speakers? It feels so unnecessary. Second, the plot really could use some restructuring. There were times I was like "why the hell are they doing what they're currently doing??" that I imagine were unexplained due to time constraints. Many times I was watching them chase the demonic hand and I was like, why the hell do we care??? (Like, if they actually said it belonged to Nie Mingjue from the get go I would be more invested, but then I guess you couldn't have the "surprise it's Nie Mingjue motherfucker!" at the end.) A lot of times I feel like there's a lack of proper setup and foreshadowing. I would like to get some hint of what comes next, not just watch people go from one plot point to the other for very arbitrary reasons. I feel like season 2 actually did an okay job with build up and conclusion, but being so short probably helped.

I watched the show in Chinese, with Chinese subtitles, but I did switch to English a bit with difficult, ancient Chinese phrases, and I have to say the official English translation is, uh, just okay? It's not great, because it's missing a ton of nuance and mood. You know how you read some beautiful paragraph in a book and it gives you this "feel" of the story? Well, the English translation doesn't do that at all. Chinese, especially ancient Chinese in this kind of setting, is all about using various metaphors and phrases with hidden meanings. That's the beauty of it. But this show's translation just tells you the meaning right away and I find that kind of lacking. I'm sure if you don't speak Chinese it's perfectly fine, but since I do, the comparison is a bit glaring. (I've only experienced the official Tencent version. Maybe fansubs would actually fare better.)

But I guess those are very minor and specific complaints. Again, overall I recommend this animation, and I have not stopped at that, ever since I learned that there's also the manhua, the live action, the audio drama, and of course the original novel. However, because of censorship I will only recommend the animation and the audio drama for now. I will 100% talk about why in another entry, because this entry has gotten a bit crazy long.

[steven-falls]

The Strengths of serialization: A Disenchantment analysis

Note: this is a script for a video I’m making. There are some generalised statements in this script, that will be accompanied with visuals in the final video to help specify what I am referring to.

So, Netflix just dropped part 3 of disenchantment, and with the new batch of episodes came a slew of worldbuilding, lore, characterization, laughs, adventures, and Elfo abuse. But, instead of giving an overview of everything that happened in the season (or part) I want to focus on one specific aspect of part 3 and compare this to parts 1 and 2 and that is, the serialisation of Disenchantment.

In television shows, there are two main formats a show can take: A serialized format and an episodic format. A serialized format has continuing storylines that span over the course of the entire season. Think of pretty much every drama show. By contrast, an episodic TV show presents each episode as a self contained story. Meaning you could jump in at any point in the series without needing much prior knowledge to understand what’s happening. This is the format that most animated sitcoms, such as Disenchantment’s contemporaries, The Simpsons and Futurama, went for.

Disenchantment was an interesting case as it seemed to be going for a mix of both serialization and self contained episodes throughout its first two parts, which made up season 1. The first few and last few episodes of both parts 1 and 2 had a serialized format, where the cliffhanger ending of one episode would lead directly into the opening of the next. For example part 2’s opening episode ‘The disenchantress’ ends with Bean walking down a staircase to hell, which is picked straight back up on again in the next episode, aptly titled ‘Staircase to hell’. It’s required that an audience member watches these two episodes in order, otherwise they would be confused by the opening of the latter.

But then the middle episodes of parts 1 and 2 were stand alone episodic adventures, that didn’t always directly tie into each other. For instance, the heist plot of ‘the Dreamland job’ has little to nothing to do with Derrik’s character journey in the following episode, ‘Love’s Slimy Embrace’. So not much would be lost on an audience member who watched these two episodes out of order. The main throughline between them is Lucie buying and owning the bar. But that’s a rather minor element of ‘Love's Slimby embrace’, it’s not like you need an explanation of why Lucie owns the bar to understand what’s happening in that episode.

Where Part 3 really differs from the previous two parts, is that it sticks to a more serilized format for most of its run. Pretty much every episode develops on something meaningful established in prior episodes. For instance, In the first episode of part 3 it’s revealed that Pendegast has been murdered, so the third episode ‘Beanie get your gun’ is spent investigating what happened to him. They find out it’s the priestess, and chase her down in the next episode, which naturally leads into the steam land sega covered in episodes 4 and 5, and then the boat trip back to Dreamland in episode 6. Even when an episode doesn’t end in a cliffhanger, the events that occurred in the previous episode will still be playing on the character’s mind in the next, keeping a constant narrative flow throughout part 3.

Now, I do not believe that serialized Television is inherently better than episodic Television. There are shows that owe their success to their episodic format.

But I think in Disenchantment’s case, serialization fits the tone and scope it’s going for.

Disenchantment is basically a mystery show, Part 3 opens with several overarching mysteries that are investigated over the course of the season, and Bean literally plays detective in two episodes.

Part 2 also presented several mysteries in its opening episodes, like Bean’s heritage and the secret treasure the elfs are looking for. But this became a frustration I had with part 2, as it felt like it was presenting the audience with several tantalising mysteries, but then avoided expanding on them, in favour of more non sequitur adventures. Take the episode ‘the lonely heart is a hunter’ for example. That episode has a subplot about Bean investigating some old runes that are hinted to have a connection to her mother. But this basically leads nowhere as Bean gets scared and gives up on investigating them. We don’t find out anything about them for the rest of part 2, halting that story in its tracks. What the episode chooses to develop instead is the relationship between Zogg and a bear woman named Ursula, a character who has only appeared in this single episode to date. I do actually enjoy this plot line, I think it’s funny and gives Zogg some decent character development. But when the episode prioritises a somewhat frivolous love affair over expanding on the mysteries it’s already set up, it can be frustrating to sit through, because I’m just waiting for them to get back to that mystery.

There are still some instances in part 3 where they bring up an unresolved mystery or plot line but don’t follow up on it straight away. Like it should annoy me that they mention Leaveos quest early in the season, only for it to not develop any further until the last episode.

But it doesn’t, because there’s a narrative excuse for the other character’s to abandon Leaveo and his plot line. They have the more pressing issue of Dagmar to deal with in that moment, and after that I’m so swept up in the murder and betrayl stuff that I don’t mind them leaving Leavo’s plot thread for a little longer.

Another result of part 3 taking a more serialised approach is that it makes meaningful changes to the Disenchantments status quo

After part 1 ended with several series altering cliffhangers, that seemed like it was taking the show in a radically different direction, I was disappointed by how in part 2 everything reverted back to normal by the end of episode 3. Sure, there were a few status quo changes, but for the most part, part 2 still followed Bean, Elfo and Lucie’s shenanigans around Dreamland, not that fundamentally different from part 1.

But this isn’t a criticism I can level at part 3. For one thing there are no episodes of Bean just goofing around drinking, she’s always trying to get somewhere, figure something out, or face some threat to the kingdom. The constant rising urgency prevents the show from feeling as if it’s in some stagnant status quo.

The only time I was in fear of Disenchantment resetting to a status quo was at the beginning of episode 3, ‘Beanie get your gun’, when Derrik reinstates power to Zogg, the towns people don’t care about Bean supposedly being a witch, and Zogg’s forgotten about Odvals and the priestess’s coup attempt

The characters even comment on how weird the situation is.

With Bean and Zogg being reinstated it almost seemed like the whole coup subplot had been entirely pointless, especially as the opening of the episode hinted that Pendergast might not actually have been killed.

But the episode’s ending underlines the lasting impact this coup had, by confirming Pendergast’s death and having the priestess become a fugitive from the kingdom, basically writing out two major supporting characters.

On the subject, Pendergast’s death is the first one in Disenchantment that I was genuinely shocked by. Just because of the show’s willingness to kill off a recurring character without going back on it. They have done similar deaths before, like when Jerry was killed. But Jerry was divorced enough from the main cast and the setting of Dreamland that his absence didn’t feel as noticeable. It’s not like his death bared any repercussions on how Dreamland functioned as a kingdom for example. But Pendergast’s death does, you’re reminded of his absence any time you watch a scene with Zogg losing his mind, or see turbish and Mertz without their commander. Even if Pendergast is somehow brought back later, his death was still felt throughout the whole of this season.

Part 3 of Disenchantment managed to capture my intrigue, by taking its story and characters to interesting new places. My hope for part 4 is that everything part 3 built toward gets a decent payoff. By the end of part 3 most of the plotlines have still been left open ended, with even more opening up and others being teased at. In one case it looks like they might be rehashing an older plotline.

My fear for part 4 is that all these storylines are going to trip over each other. That part four has to juggle so many different plotlines that it’s not going to be able to devote enough time to each of them, making their resolutions feel rushed and underdeveloped.

I think its on part 4 to intertwine all these plot threads, so everything comes together to form one satisfying conclusion. Unless they’re planning on continuing the show after part 4, in which case I hope part 4 is a more streamlined and focused version of part 3.

Speaking of satisfying conclusions… I couldn’t think of one for this video! So let’s end off by discussing three times Disenchantment part 3 referenced 3 other Matt Greoning cartoons.

Starting with the most obvious, the ‘Trip to the moon’ rollercoaster seen in the episode ‘Freak out’ is a reference to the second Futurama episode ‘’The series has landed’, where the planet express crew visit a theme park on the moon. In particular the rollercoaster’s moon face bares resemblance to the mascot crater face. Look, it even has part of the rollercoaster going through its eye, just like how craterface always has a beer bottle shoved through their eye. Which itself is a reference to a silent film from 1920 called ‘A Trip to the moon’. Wait actually maybe the rollercoaster is just supposed to be a reference to that.

Seconally, the joke about the kings servants Vip and Vap living in unlawful cohabitation is a reference to the characters Arkbah and Jeff, who are a gay couple from Matt Groening’s comic, Life in Hell. They also share similar character designs.

And finally, I don’t think this was intentional, but Elfo skating on Dagmars oily back reminded me of Bart Simpson skateboarding. Now try and get that image out of your mind! Good night everybody.

[rentalboos]

My fanfics, a list, presented, by me

I don’t know how to sneakily hide links, so you’ll have to live with them in all their uglyness.

Also, disclaimer, all of them are Doctor/Master! Surprise bitches! No one’s shocked? Ah.

Three/Delgado

- Just another plan backfired... Or has it?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18707188

Oneshot, ~3400 words

PG-13 , Fluff

The Master got poisoned by an alien race he had tried to use against Earth yet again, and the Doctor needs to take care of him. C’mon. I don’t need to tell you. We all know how sick fics work.

Five/Ainley

- Stay

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18722806/chapters/44408026

WIP (1/?), currently ~ 2000 words

Explicit, BDSM, Pet/Master, Romance, Porn with Plot, Fluff is gonna happen

The Doctor makes the Master an offer that he cannot refuse. In return, the Master does the same.

Ten/Simm

- A Cosmos Without the Doctor

https://archiveofourown.org/works/11531784/chapters/25888320

WIP (11/?) , currently ~ 19k words

M, Angst, Drama

The Master hid himself from the war but when he finally returns to himself, he has to face a cosmos without the Timelords, without Gallifrey, without the Doctor. So how will he cope, being the last of the Timelords?

- The Sinner and the King

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12974460/chapters/29661105

WIP (4/?) , currently ~ 7000 words

PG-13, Angst, Drama

The Doctor and Rose end up in a parallel version of London and even though it's scary, dark and dangerous, the Doctor can't help but being happy the second he lays eyes on this universe's Master. It's wrong and it's twisted, but it's his chance of a new start with an old friend. There is, however, still that little problem of a destructive, evil Time Lord race to consider.

- Can you fill the silence?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12205068/chapters/27717246

WIP (4/?) , currently ~ 4000 words

PG-13, Drama, Angst

The Doctor didn't imagine bringing Gallifrey back like this. After being trapped in his own confession dial for more than a billion years, he ends up chased on his home planet. Until the Master finds him. | S9 AU with Ten & Simm!Master (Because I can’t write Twelve for the life of me)

- Adrift

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15955769/chapters/37211771

WIP (3/?) , currently ~ 5500 words

PG-13, Fluff & Humor, has creepy undertones ... or is supposed to have them. Hard to explain without spoilers. You’ll see.

The Master comes to visit the Doctor in his TARDIS. Everything is perfect. Everything is very, very wrong.

- Home

https://archiveofourown.org/works/14060256

Oneshot, ~ 4300 Words

PG-13

The Master fled from the war - Straight into Rose’s parallel universe. Where a confusing Metacrisis Doctor picks him up and shows him the way home. (+ Implied Metacrisis Doc/Rose)

Twelve/Missy

- Tea with Mr. Razor

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18225071

Oneshot, ~ 1800 words

PG-13, Humor, bit of Angst? Doctor/Master more implied than anything

Bill is trying to learn about Mr. Razor. He’s her only friends after all. But he keeps on acting weird, whenever the Doctor or Missy are brought up.

Thirteen/Simm

- Battle Scars

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13332675/chapters/30519465

WIP (12/?) , currently ~ 26k words

PG-13, Drama, Angst, the attempt of a slow burn, I guess?

The Master is responsible for what the Doctor did to Gallifrey. And he now has to try and earn her forgiveness. | S3 AU where Thirteen travels with Rose and finds the Master at the End of the Universe

- Dancing

https://archiveofourown.org/works/14739458

Oneshot , ~ 3300 words

PG-13, The fluffiest fluff of all fluffs

Rassilon didn't believe his eyes, as two mortal enemies danced, Borusa froze in fear as two eternal lovers danced and everyone in between just didn't know what was going on.

- Confetti Trails

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15193052

Oneshot , ~ 3000 words

PG-13, Fluff

The Master is teaching Time Lords how to be soldiers. The Doctor is watching him every day and he doesn’t know who she is, so naturally.... He invites her to join (gets annoyed and tries to humiliate her).

- Was it worth it?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/11820750/chapters/26672982

Finished, ~ 5000 words

PG-13, Fluffangst

They meet again several times and everytime the Doctor fails to mention something important, the Master already seems to know.

Theta/Koschei (Academy Era)

- Drowning

https://archiveofourown.org/works/17555711

Oneshot , ~ 3000 words

PG-13, Angst, Drama, it’s only masking as fluff, I’m sorry

On his first day, Theta had chosen Koschei, whether he wanted to or not. On their last day, Theta had chosen to get away.

- Smile

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12612220

Oneshot, ~ 1500 words

PG-13, Fluff

Theta has been observing Koschei for a very long time. Koschei never even noticed. At least that's what he thought. And then he smiled.

- Enchanted

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13984821

Oneshot, ~ 3000 words

PG-13, Fluff

When you fall in love with a stranger, there's a good chance, the next time you meet him, he's your soulmate.

- “We were friends then, what happened?” - “Nothing.”

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13017909/chapters/29771979

Finished , ~ 4600 words

PG-13, Fluff, Humor

Faculty Dance had Laser Slugs, Stag Night left him tied up in a cupboard and let's not even talk about his wedding. The one thing all of these events had in common, however, was Koschei. | (Based on the scene they never filmed where Missy and Twelve talk about their friendship. It’s quoted above the fic.)

Multi Doctor/Master:

(Meaning I make time jumps, not that they’re all doing it together. People are doing it together in my fanfics very rarely.)

- Tradition

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13124901

Oneshot, ~ 3800 words

PG-13, Christmassy Fluff

They had a tradition. The Master guessed it would have died with everything else their relationship had contained all these centuries ago, if it wasn’t for his own stubbornness in regards of upholding it.

- Psychic Paper

https://archiveofourown.org/works/14081184

Oneshot, ~ 2800 words

PG-13, Humour, fluff

The Doctor's new device doesn't quite work how it should. Whenever he faces the Master, he simply sees through it. When The Doctor finally figures out why, she uses it to get an answer she has long waited for.

Mismatched Doctor/Master

Nine/Missy

- “I was a hologram once.”

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16620368

Oneshot, ~ 5000 words

PG-13, Fluff, Humor

„I was a hologram once, for three weeks. The gossip I picked up!” || Nine just wanted to record a little something for Rose in case of emergencies, and accidently ends up as a hologram inside of Missy's TARDIS. He's intrigued. She's annoyed. 

Ten/Missy

- How Missy paid the Doctor back for Frozen aka the night Ten watched all of Saw

https://archiveofourown.org/works/17232473

Oneshot , ~ 3400 words

PG-13, Fluff

The Doctor doesn't want to die, Missy doesn't want to be alone, and the Saw movies really just wanted to exist in peace. (The title really says it all. It’s long enough.)

Nine/Jacobi

- Plastic Daffodils

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18696346

Oneshot, ~ 3000 words

PG-13, Fluff, bit of post-war angst, ‘cuz it’s Nine, c’mon.

Based on RTD’s Target Novel of “Rose”, where one of the Autons wears the Master’s Yellow Daffodil - The Doctor notices and draws the right conclusions and the Master is in the middle of the Auton invasion... Because who else would he be?

Ten/Ainley

- Drunk Dracula

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18758530

Oneshot, ~ 2400 words

M, Fluff, Humor, so tiny smut you can barely see it

The Doctor gets drunk. And apparently has some things to talk about. So the Master listens.

[londontheatre]

To Be Or Not To Be Scarlett O ‘Hara

The plot, or at least its conclusion, is clearly of little consequence in To Be Or Not To Be Scarlett O’Hara, in which Vivien Leigh (Sophia Eleni) goes on to play the iconic role in Gone With The Wind. At a rudimentary level, one could quite easily deduce that the sort of question posed by the show’s title is silly, even vacuous: why audition for a role, why go through the application process for a job, if the applicant ultimately has reservations about it? But an added element to the question is thrown in by film director George Cukor (Tino Orsini) – if Leigh were to turn down this role, because of the way Hollywood operated at the time, this would close doors to the movie industry permanently for her.

Vivien’s reaction to securing the part, which she seems to know is going to be “the role of the century” is certainly an unusual one. Larry (Federico Moro) – not yet Sir Laurence Olivier let alone Baron Olivier of Brighton – is not exactly jumping for joy at her announcement, but neither is she. The clipped tones of the era are quite a delight to listen to, and with a little more wry humour, this might have passed as a Noel Coward-esque play.

The script is riddled with personal details, which are more than permissible given the setting – after hours, in a hotel room. But this private conversation is very much a construct of the imagination, rather like Peter Morgan’s play The Audience, in which HM Queen Elizabeth II holds a private weekly audience with the Prime Minister. And like that other play, there’s always an element of knowing and consciously remembering that the conversation that takes place on stage may well be radically different to what was actually said that night.

An almost forensic dissection by Larry of a portion of the script for Gone With The Wind may have been quite tedious for some, or else pompous. This play becomes, for a while, a show about acting itself, a drama about drama. A line could be improved with different emphasis or a pause for effect, and so on.

And so on, and so on. It is, I suppose, the sort of creative process of redrafting and re-redrafting that occurs in the industry to this day, but to sit and watch a blow by blow account of it only made me think of the iconic line (not featured in this play): “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.”

Relations between Vivien and Larry are volatile, lurching from the heights of civility to all out sniping, and back again. Only the relatively late arrival of Cukor to the hotel room (having knocked first, of course) brings some order, even if only in the name of politeness in front of a guest. Their earlier vehement disagreements, however, come across as healthy – they are, after all, each able to understand what the other goes through in the audition process.

At a deeper level, the play’s critical incident poses a dilemma for Vivien, and it is here (without giving it all away) that the play’s title becomes a genuine conundrum. This show had, as I say, moments which I cared little, if anything, for. Nonetheless, it is a good show, with near-universal applicability. Very many people at some point have been asked or invited to do so something they have never done before, and have had to weigh up their options accordingly. A confident and compelling production.

Review by Chris Omaweng

To be or not to be Scarlett O’Hara’ tackles, with imagination, the moment immediately following the Christmas dinner of 1938 at George Cukor’s (the first director-in-charge of “Gone With The Wind”) home. In Donald Spoto’s biography of Laurence Olivier it’s told that, while dining, Cukor took Vivien to one side to tell her that she had been chosen for the role of Scarlett O’Hara and that everyone was happy for her “except, maybe, Larry”.

In this one act play, we meet the two famous actors back at their hotel room after the infamous dinner and see them deal with the shift that a golden opportunity such as interpreting the eternal role of Scarlett would have on their relationship. Just when the couple seems to find a balance, an unforeseen twist reveals itself. Fact or fiction? We will never know…

“To be or not to be” was Hamlet’s torment. Vivien’s. Or anybody’s.

More info on website: http://ift.tt/2oN5JcW

Venue: The Etcetera Theatre http://ift.tt/IyHGSw

http://ift.tt/2oN046A LondonTheatre1.com