#period drama rant

[tell-them-the-north-remembers]

If I hear the word "broodmare" used in a 3rd wave feminist, anti-patriarchy speech by a female character who is supposed to be from a time where bicycles aren't invented yet in one of these "historical" dramas I am going to lose my mind.

Like yes, feminists existed before the late 19th century! Good job! But am I supposed to believe that every single 16 year old princess had the exact same "I don't want to be sold off like a broodmare and bear children for my husband!" reaction to the news that they were going to have an arranged marriage, y'know the thing they have been prepared for their entire lives because children of monarchs in a pre-modern world were (and knew that they were) practically political bargaining tools?

Like showrunners of period dramas need to dial it down on the #girlboss juice and instead put more energy into historical costume research beyond typing "old timey dress" to Pinterest and running with the first five results.

[boredofboredomyy]

Honestly, my biggest gripe with modern period Drama is that the writers are always trying so hard to force "modern" viewpoints onto the characters. Or at the very least onto the wrong characters. If I see one more show about champion-of-the-working-class Empress Elisabeth, staunch Republican Livia or Girlboss Queen Victoria I'm going to rip my hair out.

If you want a historical show with a likeable main character that a modern audience can sympathize with, why not just pick a historical figure that fits the mould? Like, where's my show about Jessica Mitford, Nanny of the Maroons or Lucian of Samosata? Or a movie about Benjamin Lay or something.

I've just finished watching the Empress, so I'm more annoyed than I would usually be about this, I just don't get why so many Period Drama are whitewashing some of the most powerful / high-status people of their time so hard (usually at the expense of other figures of their time, too, like wtf did Domina do to Scribonia). I feel like it's mostly rooted in a very shallow understanding of the ideas they're trying to incorporate (especially feminism, oh my god) and it's probably not intentional, but it just feels like revisionism. Like, imagine if in 50 years someone made a movie about Margaret Thatcher or Diana Mitford and ignored everything terrible they actually stood for, slapped some currently popular political beliefs on them and called it a day. It'd just be insulting. I get wanting to elevate demographics that were historically under-represented, but please, can whoever is in charge of these shows just think about who they actually pick to do this. If you have to change everything about said figures actual belief-system to keep them likeable for a modern audience, then maybe they're not the one.

[marzipanandminutiae]

in view of Netflix and a few other networks apparently announcing that they are no longer requiring actors to wear corsets/stays, but framing it as the ultimate in feminist allyship against an Oppressive Historical Torture-Garment (and presumably typing their press releases one-handed, if you catch my drift), I have a few things to say:

1. I presume they will also be condemning Spanx, dieting, weight loss surgery, obsessive exercise, breast or pectoral or ab implants, Flat Tummy Tea, editing actors’ bodies in post, etc. since this is all about promoting healthy body image. ...right?

2. Okay, this one is not tongue-in-cheek: if a costume designer forces you to wear massively uncomfortable stays or corsets and tells you your discomfort is an inherent feature of that garment type, they are lying. All the articles on this cited reports from actresses saying they threw up because of Regency stays or couldn’t eat in Edwardian corsets. And while  I’m sure some of that is giving interview audiences the sensationalism they want to hear, I believe them in general. 

Someone needs to tell them that that’s not normal.

I have worn corsets and stays a lot in my life. I know people who wear them as everyday support garments. And neither I nor anyone I know has been seriously hindered in normal activities by them. There are even photos and videos of women from corset-intensive eras climbing glaciers, playing sports, having snowball fights, doing manual labor...living their lives

 Sure, there have always been and will always be people who find corsets or stays inherently uncomfortable- that’s why it’s good to have many support garment options available for people who need them. And there have always been and will always be ill-made, ill-fitting, or extreme examples of the type- I’m not  saying corsets are always The Most Comfortable Thing Ever For Everyone, because that’s not universally true of any garment.

But these production companies have been hurting actresses under the guise of “historical accuracy,” and this latest pronouncement is just another attempt to shift the blame. 

Don’t let them get away with it.

EDIT: Apparently the Official nature of the source for this announcement is in question, but the gist of the post still stands, so I’m leaving it up. Will edit further if new developments arise.

[lights-at-night]

i might be shot but tbh i think fiction podcasts have an issue with racial representation

[meanslackofart]

period tracker apps couldn't even figure out my cycle and this human is trying to understand my cycle is so funny 😂😂

[mejomonster]

I am going to again mention that Hikaru No Go cdrama adaptation Qi Hun is on youtube for free (iqiyi), really really good, and if you ever shipped the two rivals to partners then the cdrama decides well They Do Too and cranks it to Bad Buddy childhood rivals to desperately longing for each other to domestic and professional partners levels. (I'm not kidding, to spoil the ending out of context: they move in together with one bed, play partner go for future career, and end the show together happy). And yes, our ghost friend still absolutely decimated me emotionally. <3 ;-;

Anyway I just. While it's absolutely amazing as a show on simply the merit of quality, pacing, good storyline, solid story it's based on And solid adaptation that kept things true while putting it's own touches? It's also really really heartfelt if you like childhood enemies/friends to partners stories. And it feels as bl as Guardian or Word of Honor did, easily (so clearly shippers helped make the show lol).

Here's where to watch!

[aelfgyvaa]

every time someone in a period drama wears a corset on bare skin, no chemise, i personally lose a year off my lifespan

[love-little-lotte]

A Look Into My New Guilty Pleasure: Poldark (2015 Series)

My biggest weakness is period dramas — especially period dramas with a talented cast, sweeping romance, terrific scenes (preferably set in some kind of country/provincial side), and lots and lots and lots of just sitting around and talking.

That's probably why Poldark has captured my heart. As a big fan of Outlander, it's no surprise that I fell in love with this show. Outlander and Poldark have so many similarities that I may make a lengthy post about it, but for today, let me just rant about my new guilty pleasure. I'm so obsessed with this show that I actually finished watching the entire five seasons in one week!

Poldark is based on Winston Graham's novels and adapted by Debbie Horsfield. I was so excited to start this show, with a male protagonist originally written by a man, created and written for a series by a woman. I haven't read Graham's novels (I'm going to one of these days, I swear!), so I'm not sure how well Debbie's adaption worked. I've read many Reddit threads, though, and some fans of the novel are not that impressed with how she omitted and added details to the show (will get back to this once I've read the books or at least the seven ones that were used in the show). The show has also been adapted in the 70s, so this was not the first time Graham's novels were seen onscreen!

Despite not having read the books, I fell in love with the story, the characters, and the cast! The show follows Ross Poldark returning to Cornwall after fighting in the American War in the 1780s. He looks forward to marrying his childhood sweetheart Elizabeth but, believing him to be dead, is now engaged to his cousin Francis. He then tries to resurrect his family's mining business and hires a young girl Demelza to be his kitchen maid (whom he eventually marries) while also crossing paths with the villain George Warleggan, a corrupted banker who stops at nothing to ruin Ross's prospects and personal life. As the show progresses, we also meet other characters, including Prudie and Jud, Ross's servants, Verity, Ross's cousin and Francis's sister; Ross's friend Dr. Dwight Enys and his love interest Caroline Penvenen; Sam and Drake Carne, Demelza's brothers, and Morwenna Chynoweth, Drake's love interest.

Yes, this show has a large ensemble cast, and trust me, there always comes a point when you hate or love them. Especially our protagonist Ross Poldark. Ross... is an interesting character. He's terribly, terribly flawed and many times times, I'm so infuriated with him to the point that I want him to suffer. I swear, you cannot go through this series without screaming at Ross. (When that moment came up in Season 2, I swear I had my middle finger ready every time Ross showed up on my screen from then on.)

But my favorite character in the show is Demelza, Ross's wife who started as his kitchen maid. She's the heart of the show, the voice of reason, and even though she makes questionable decisions along the way, you can't help but get on her side no matter what. She's the perfect fiery yet gentle match to Ross's stubbornness. He treats her like shit many times in this show, which makes me angry to no end, but they eventually grow to be understanding, loving partners.

And it also helps that Aidan Turner and Eleanor Tomlinson have one of the best romantic chemistries I've ever seen. They're terrific actors as well and they bring the characters to life so effortlessly. They just seem like they have the best time shooting this show. I kind of want to rewatch Loving Vincent now just because they're in that movie, even just in supporting roles.

Poldark is a roller coaster, with so many ups and downs (mostly downs, to be honest, please give Demelza a break!) My favorite season has got to be Season 1. Season 1 had the best Ross and I loved the early stages of his relationship with Demelza. It also has my favorite episode: Season 1, Episode 8. That episode broke me so much, thanks to Aidan and Eleanor's perfect performances. It's the only time I ever cried watching this show. I usually cry in period dramas (I've cried countless times in Outlander and Downton Abbey), but for some reason, I only cried once in Poldark. Most of the time, I'm annoyed and infuriated (hahaha but I still love it!)

The romance in Poldark is also quite unique, something I haven't seen before. Ross and Demelza emotionally hurt each other many times in this show, and they don't have the best communication. It's not an ideal marriage, but that's what makes it so raw and real. It hurts when Ross sleeps with his first love Elizabeth or when Demelza falls for the much-sensitive Hugh Armitage, but these are challenges people face all the time, and it's interesting to view it in characters and circumstances through 18th-century lenses. Plus, it can be very tiring to see perfect couples onscreen all the time. So watching Ross and Demelza's relationship thrive, suffer, and reconcile is very refreshing to me.

Nevertheless, Ross and Demelza are still able to work together. Seasons 2 and 3 showcase the worst moments of their marriage, from infidelities to insecurity, but the love between them still perseveres and they learn to forgive. In the end, they realize that they belong together.

And despite the unconventional marriage, Poldark is not a stranger to grand romantic gestures. Two of my favorite Ross and Demelza moments occur in Season 2:

A real funny, old-married-couple type of bicker in The Beach Scene:

And of course, showing all intimacy in The Stocking Scene:

(Let's just not talk about what happened 2 episodes after this!)

The romance in Poldark not only ends with Ross and Demelza. We also got two really good couples in the series: Dwight and Caroline and Drake and Morwenna.

And these love stories don't just happen! They're fleshed-out characters with proper backgrounds and their own problems, especially Drake and Morwenna's relationship. Morwenna is one of my favorite characters, and she doesn't deserve all the shit thrown at her. The last season of Poldark is not the best (bordering on bad, actually, especially the last two episodes), but watching Drake and Morwenna get their happy ending is worth it.

Finishing all five seasons is bittersweet. I enjoyed most of the story and fell in love with different characters. I kind of regret watching everything in one week haha. But what can I say? As soon as I finish each episode, I'm so tempted to start another episode. I think the last time I stayed up until 5 AM the next morning to watch TV shows was Yellowjackets. Poldark's just too good to binge! It's one of my favorite TV shows now. Maybe I'll watch Sanditon next...

I want to write more about Poldark soon, maybe a comparison with Outlander or maybe just a post about each character. I realized I hadn't talked much about Elizabeth, Francis, and George in this post; I was too preoccupied with the love story aspects and Ross and Demelza. We'll see!

[total-drama-brainrot]

If you can change anything about total drama what would you do?

I'd change the writing.

My main gripe with the show's writing is how it treats it's girls.

I know it's a product of it's time, but something about how practically every girl's story arc in the show revolves around a guy (or at the very least, somehow shoehorns in something about her love life) rubs me the wrong way. The only girl who doesn't have an androcentric subplot going on is Heather, until World Tour came along and centralised her whole 'redemption' arc around Aleheather.

Even Katie and Sadie fall into this trap; their whole thing is being unhealthily co-dependant with each other, and yet they're always at odds with each other over a boy (usually Justin).

But the worst offender for me is the way Courtney is treated. Courtney's whole character revolves itself around her feelings for Duncan- to the point that her elimination is literally caused by her being his "love interest" (thanks Harold)- and all of her development as a character stems from Duncan's influence. Meanwhile, all of Duncan's development as a character is entirely introspective, Courtney doesn't really influence anything about him that wasn't already apparent. Maybe she softens his hard outer shell a bit, but we already know that he's got a "heart of gold" behind his tough guy persona so Courtney's influence doesn't really achieve much in terms of Duncan's growth. That's just in Island! In Action and World Tour, Courtney's whole character still revolves around Duncan to the point she becomes obsessive and controlling. Every conflict she faces is centred around Duncan. She's never allowed to grow and change as a person without it somehow circling back to Duncan.

Let these girls have story arcs and conflicts that don't revolve around the men in their lives.

But the writing overall is just... inconsistent? Sporadic. Weirdly paced.

The reboot is the worst victim of poor writing choices, in my opinion, which I know is probably caused by the time constraints due to a significantly shorter allotted runtime, but especially in season two of the reboot there's this constant feeling of wonky pacing and weird plotline priorities. Julia's whole plotline is stilted and the majority of her interesting actions happen off-screen. Subplots are established and built up just to be discarded within the span of an episode or two; i.e. the Rajbow cheating arc, whatever "Normal" Girl has going on, Zee's soda brand deal, Millie's teased character arc and resulting character derailment, ect.

And the main focus of the season? The most boring romantic plot of all time. Priyaleb could've been something great, and I believe that with my whole heart, but the way it actually played out just left a sour taste in my mouth. It wasn't fun to watch, it wasn't engaging or otherwise entertaining to watch, it was just painful. Again, it's the weird pacing and sporadic shifts in narrative that make it all fall apart. I could rant about how disastrous the Priyaleb plot was for hours.

And I really don't mean any disrespect towards the writing team when I say all of this. It's a hard job, made even harder by the time constraints and the limitations they've probably got set in place as a children's show. But I can't help but wonder where this show's potential could've taken it if the writing wasn't so... Like That.

[seyo]

eveytime i'm about to stan a man in a mediaval fiction, fantasy or not, and the authors immediately hit me with the "he raped [insert name]" i look at the invisible camera like this

[marianadecarlos]

came back . opinions about period dramas ? would want to watch something lately !! but my french taste its too big to watch period dramas who arent french , you may know better than me about non - french stuff ?

Thank you for your Question

I love period dramas especially if they are historically accurate and entertaining. I like how historical dramas references real life events. Example: The Crown, The Gilded age, The Ministry of time, Downton abbey, and Maria Theresia.

The historical dramas that I would not prefer are the ones that bastardize the historical timeline, costume, and characters. Example: The Tudors, Blood, Sex, and Royalty, The White Princess, and the Spanish princess. (The siesta part made me cringe) They made Margaret Beaufort and Elizabeth of york evil. The White Princess. Her affair with Richard 🤢. I hated when historical drama put modern music into a period drama and movie. ( It can work if it is instrumental and it does not take you away from the period to much example: Bridgerton) but If said music is so modern that it takes you away from the historical setting it just feels wrong Example: Gladiator 2 (A movie that did not need a sequel)

I hate it in period dramas if they decide to insert a 21st century feminist character. In a time period where women are barely educated about their rights. Don't get me wrong there are historical women who are ahead of their time and made great contributions example: Harriet Tubman, Risa Parks, Joan of Arc, Anne Frank, Catherine the Great of Russia, Maria Theresa of Austria, Mariana of Austria, and Marie Curie. There are characters I see in historical dramas that carries beliefs such as refusing to marry, A Mary sue, and I do not need any man trope. These tropes often make these characters annoying and unrealistic.

There is a Spanish Movie about Carlos III reign mainly focusing on esqhilache time as prime minister. Isabel was in the movie. she was amazing! My favorite scene is her discussion with esqhilache. Carlos III in the movie is so cute. I love him.

@chateau-de-gamin @catherinemybeloved @rmelster

[marzipanandminutiae]

having watched Karolina Zebrowska's latest video as someone who very concertedly avoids Br*dgerton...do the costume designers even LIKE Regency fashion?

like. she's being so incredibly polite and charitable, but I have no such compunctions so: if you're going to make a period drama set in- or even just inspired by! -a certain period. it should at least kind of look like that time period

and if you don't want that. why are you making media set in that period?

there's. an empire waist, I guess? the rest of it looks like Hot Topic Veronica Lake more than anything turn-of-the-19th-century. that random extra in champagne and pink behind her looks more Regency than the lead

the article I got this from called it "Old Hollywood Glamour" and like. you have your time period for the Period Drama! you picked Regency!!! why are you bringing in Vaguely 1940s Hollywood looks at the expense of the Regencyness?!?!

there were many costumes Karolina highlighted that didn't even draw inspiration from the Regency. and like. what are you even doing here at this point? why are audiences watching Thing What Doesn't Look Remotely Regency for their Regency fix?

reminds me of that Sanditon adaptation where I genuinely thought it was some modern or 1940s show (depending on the costume) the first several times I saw GIFsets.

[bastardiary]

I hate you religious self-righteous pricks. I hate it when they think they're better than you just because they pray more than you do. Just because they dress more modestly than you do. that you should listen to them and do what they say or you'll go to hell.

Religion and faith is complex. not everyone's journey is the same. and it's awful when they start telling you how you should change your ways and that what you're doing is wrong and they don't stop even when you ask them to because it's none of their business.

I don't like it. I hate it in fact. and it's even more jarring when it's your sister. I hate it when she has to be in my business. I can't even get myself to pray in peace anymore because I feel constantly watched and judged. and when I do something different or when I try to. I always get a comment or get laughed at or teased. and it never makes me feel good or nice. it makes me feel awful because whatever I do, it's a joke to others. it's something to make fun of.

[optreee]

*some C-drama spoilers*

Rant: I admit that my sample size for this is very small (five dramas) compared to all the content out there, but just based on the Chinese period dramas Unchained Love and Love is an Accident, what is with these female leads??? Like, okay, you can trend away from stereotypical female leads if you want, but make it make sense. Usually, for romantic dramas, you want the couple to feel equal in terms of ability or respectability so that it feels like they’re truly made for each other… but in both of those dramas, the female leads are annoying, come up with the stupidest ideas, and get themselves or the male lead into trouble by being so selfish. And yet, the handsomest, richest, most powerful man is falling for…her??? Like please, be serious.

On the contrary, one of the reasons why I enjoyed The Sword and the Brocade, Love Between Fairy and Devil, and Miss the Dragon were because those female leads were actually on the same level as their male leads. In The Sword and the Brocade, Yi Niang was a bit of a know-it-all, but she was smart, loyal, and brave. In Love Between Fairy and Devil, Xiao Lan Hua was annoying in the first half, but she ends up being sacrificial and willing to endure pain for her lover. And in Miss the Dragon, Liu Ying eventually reincarnates into a badass lady boss. Like, these women actually matched their male leads and were interesting and cool. Their arcs showed growth, some kind of charm and depth to their identities, and actual evidence of why these perfect male leads would fall for them and risk their lives for them.

But in Unchained Love and Love is an Accident, the female leads offer literally nothing but stupidity and annoyance. They’re not even good comic relief because it’s excruciating to watch their half-baked plans fail. When the male lead starts to become attracted to them and soft towards them, I’m like ????? Really dude? That does it for you? Like, what is the deal with these frustrating female leads? Give me a middle-class female lead who’s unimpressed by wealth and causes the male lead to change. Give me a cunning female lead who has her defenses up due to hardships she endured but has a change of heart due to the male lead’s gentleness. Give me an enemy tribe leader female lead who can beat up the male lead but finds him amusing and lets him live then eventually is charmed by his honesty and sincerity. If you don’t want a stereotypically helpless or overly feminine female lead, there are literally hundreds of other ways to do it without the idiotic, charmless, selfish brats that we’re supposed to believe made these powerful lords fall deeply in love.

Is it a trend now in period pieces to have this kind of female lead? Like an anti-hero kind of thing? So annoying and honestly, ruins the drama. I watched Unchained Love because I really liked Dylan Wang’s other dramas and Love is an Accident because of Xu Kaicheng, but I literally had to fast-forward all the parts with the female leads because I couldn’t stand them. I don’t think I even finished either of them—does it get any better? I didn’t even hang around long enough to find out.

Am I the only one feeling this way, or are other people just as annoyed???

[girltalkcollectives]

Sunday Secrets (11/2/24)

Sunday Secrets: Submission 2:

I'm so happy I stumbled across this because I have TEA that happened within my family this year (2024)

So, in February my father/best friend/favourite parent did something unforgivable - he cheated on my mother with her SISTER??? And this sister, she's nuts. I'm talking 'pretends to be suicidal when she needs attention and has slept with most of the men in my town' nuts. It completely threw me, and then within 2 months my entire family fell apart. He decided out of nowhere that he is in fact in love with the sister, and they moved to a different town without telling anyone. He went from my best friend to a complete stranger, I didn't even know his address.

Cut to 3 months after that, I get a text from him out of nowhere that he's moving to another island and that he hopes me and my mother have a nice life, and that we need to sell the house (that him and my mother own) all on our own. (My mother is very ill, she can barely use her legs to walk and struggles with emphysema etc) so that's been our project for 2024.

Our house is FINALLY sold (with no help from dad and all the help from me and my friends), and because I had him blocked on my phone after he sent me a string of really nasty texts because I didn't want to spend time with my aunty/step-mother, he refuses to talk to me at all anymore and will not send me my piece of the settlement money that he previously promised me when this all went down.

All in all, it's a SHIT SHOW in my neck of the woods, and I haven't been able to talk about it considering what a small town we live in, and news travels very fast. I hope everyone with a really good dad appreciates him because I never thought my relationship would end up like this :D

First off, we want to thank you for being brave enough to share this with us and our growing community. Both of us had to take a moment after reading your submission because wow — this is a lot to process, and we can only imagine how overwhelming it must be for you.

Your story really struck us because it shows how quickly life can change, especially when the people we trust the most make choices that hurt us. Going from having your dad as your best friend to feeling like he’s a stranger… that’s a special kind of pain that’s hard to put into words.

What really stands out to us is your incredible strength through all this. Managing a house sale (especially with zero help from your dad), taking care of your mom, and dealing with this huge family betrayal — you’re handling this with so much maturity. We want you to know that blocking those negative messages wasn’t just okay — it was a healthy choice to make.

Know that your worth is not defined by your dad’s choices. He’s showing who HE is, not who YOU are. You’re handling an impossible situation with grace, and we are so proud of you for that. You deserve so much better than what you’ve been given. This isn’t your fault, and you have every right to feel hurt and angry about it.

Our Advice to You:

With everything happening in such a small town, we totally understand wanting to keep things private. Having a simple response ready like “I’m dealing with some personal family issues” can help set boundaries when people get too curious.

Consider finding a support group or counselor (or someone you trust enough to talk to about what’s been going on). Sometimes talking to people who understand but aren’t involved can make a huge difference. 

Keep those amazing friends close — the ones who helped with the house sale are showing you what real support looks like. Sometimes the family we choose is more reliable than the one we’re born into.

About the settlement money — This can be a very tricky situation. You can always go the legal route, but unless things were set in stone in writing, it can be very difficult to prove he promised you the settlement money.

To our Girl Talk Collectives community: If you’ve dealt with family betrayal or similar situations, what helped you get through it? Share your experiences and advice below — sometimes knowing we’re not alone can make all the difference.

You can always reach out to us through our DMs. We check them regularly and are here to support you.

Much Love,

Sarah+Maya

[not-those-kids]

dude i tried with little women 2019 but the costuming is so god awful

ranting about historical fiction costuming

like how was barbie so good and this was so bad with costuming

i think ultimately my biggest problem with the film is that a) the clothing that does attempt to be accurate looks like it was glued together badly b) the main characters look so modern that it entirely destroys immersion

c) and perhaps my biggest point is the idea that its anti feminist or fucking whatever to portray women in corsets or with proper silhouettes because corsets were anti woman or whatever the fuck

not only is that based in ignorance and demeaning to women of the period, its anti feminism with a thin veneer of girlbossness slapped on top. how media portrays this is outright contemptuous and cruel and IGNORANT to women of the period and its in every fucking period fucking movie or tv show and im so fucking FUCKIN sick of it. like really? ur calling every woman who wore a corset fucking stupid? theyre so ignorant for not knowing how bad it was for them (even tho it FUCKIN WASNT)? are you fucking stupid for wearing tight jeans that press lines into ur skin? are you ignorant for wearing a bra with an underwire you shithead?without a chemise????????? huh? are you? are you fuckin stupid???

ARE YOU?