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toongrrl-blog · 4 years ago

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Perpetua: A Potential Heroine for our times.

Hi everyone we are going to rant about the Bridget Jones series once again and talk about a character, who I feel came too early before our current zeitgeist of bad bitch feminism and the #GirlBoss: Perpetua.

Perpetua is not intended to be likable. She is very posh, snooty, a bit arrogant, and demanding of Bridget and people she works with, greeting Bridget with a slight sneer as she comes into work and Bridget’s inner monologue voices a desire to staple stuff to her head for having gained a bit of power over Bridget in the publishing company Pemberley Press. Gee, let’s see what we have: entitled, snooty, fancy, having the attitude they are above it all, who has those traits? I’ll wait *sipping tea*

But we notice something about Perpetua; after Bridget’s relationship with Daniel implodes because he was using her as his side piece and decides to find a better job elsewhere, Bridget goes to Daniel to tell him she is quitting. Perpetua overhears and picks up on what has been going on (she is appalled at what she is hearing) and as soon as Daniel tries to beg Bridget to stay, Perpetua gets up to defend Bridget: “I want to hear this, because if she gives one inch, I’m going to fire her bony arse for being totally spineless!” To her smiling pride, she sees Bridget tell Daniel off and leave the publishing company...and that’s the last we see of Perpetua. Even after that (awesome) scene, my teenage self got the message that it’s better to be a Bridget over a Perpetua, a bubbly but insecure girl who tries to conform to the male gaze over a stoic and IDGAF woman who does what she wants. I also heard messages from people, like my parents, telling me how important it was to act and look a certain way to be “likable”; it was better to be insecure and conventionally feminine rather than to be confident not very popular but self-assured. Also Bridget was the rom-com heroine who had people fall in love with her, Perpetua was seen as stuck-up and she was thrown to the wayside. Who stood to reap the benefits of our society?

Looking back, I found out that after almost 20 years of trying to be a Bridget: the “relatable” insecure girl next door type who is vulnerable and needs the validation of those to find her desirable and “worth it” that I’m wasn’t the likable, conventionally pretty and feminine Bridget...I was Perpetua: not always likable, assertive, willing to put her neck out there, not always sociable, but assured of her intelligence and her ability to turn heads. Plus we have our signature style and know how to work accessories. While Bridget dresses basic and in miniskirts (she wants to blend in but also attract men), Perpetua stands out in her headbands, pearls, cardigans, and pie-crust collars combining the elements that I loved in a younger Hillary Rodham Clinton, Peggy Olson, Nancy Wheeler, and Raquel Rodriguez Orozco from Destinos: An Introduction to Spanish. Just a Power Preppie who figured out how to stick out and take her place in a male-dominated workplace, with no apologies.

After watching Tee Noir’s video on women who were declared to be problematic but upon second viewing and reading were raising valid points about their situation or the situations they observed but lacked the likability or popularity to be taken seriously, I was inspired to finally write this post. As Perpetua was a woman who showcased what it was like to live life on your terms and not ask for the permission of anyone to validate you. A woman who may have envied Bridget’s “bony arse” but didn’t let her size or peoples’ perceptions of her appearance get in the way of getting what she wanted from others.

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Here are some tropes and issues I will be referring to in this order, as they relate to Perpetua’s role in the films and books and how they regard her.

Fatphobia: Being Targeted by Internalized Hatred

“Ah. Introduce people with thoughtful details. Perpetua, this is Mark Darcy. Mark is a prematurely middle-aged prick with a cruel raced ex-wife. Perpetua is a fat-ass old bag who spends her time bossing me around.” Bridget Jones’s inner monologue, Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001)

We all know that Bridget Jones is notoriously famous for obsessing over her weight (134 lbs. at 5′4″, which is pretty fine) and that there have been reviews of the books and the movies condemning her or passive-aggressively noting that she isn’t Hollywood Thin and how it was remarkable for she (with hourglass curves, wears a small to medium size, blonde and blue eyed, average pretty at her worst) to get Colin Firth and Hugh Grant (in their prime) to fight over her. Whether we go by the timeline of the books (her birth year being 1962, Marilyn Monroe’s death) or the movies (her birth year being 1969 in the first film, post Jayne Mansfield), we see that Bridget grew up in and became an adult in an age where the female standard of beauty had gotten thinner and thinner, with even models having their pores air-brushed away from their faces. To paraphrase a Mad Men fan when she was talking about the culture of the mid-1960s, when she was a kid and women wanted to look curvaceous as Marilyn and Elizabeth Taylor, she looked like Twiggy; when she developed the voluptuous curves, everyone wanted to look like Twiggy. The 1970s and 1980s was an age of self-improvement as female empowerment (feminism co-opted by capitalism) where dieting and getting thinner was seen as “bettering” oneself. Suddenly it wasn’t cool for Bridget to strut her stuff in a pencil skirt a la Joan Holloway, it wasn’t enough to be a junior partner or to create your own safety net, even the irresistible Veronica Lodge worried about her weight.

*WARNING: Most of my sources refer to Fat Black Women but I feel like the arguments hold up here*

Then we go to Bridget and Perpetua, aside from their personality clash, Bridget is secretly envious and outwardly disgusted by how Perpetua can be much heavier than Bridget, yet wear curve-hugging clothes and go shopping and not give a shit about how her body looked. Perpetua knows that her boyfriend appreciates her good pussy under her gut! Bridget comforts herself by telling herself that happiness comes from reaching attainable goals....like changing one’s body rather than making money or procuring items....sigh Capitalism is a son of a gun. Clearly Bridget has animosity towards Perpetua for being plump and not feeling like she needs to hide for not looking like a supermodel. But why?

Fatphobia is one way of expressing internalized hatred against one’s body and their own self. In fact, Perpetua committed the sin of loving herself (or being neutral to oneself) as she is, and stands out from the rest of the cast who are obsessed with living up to certain standards to putting forward a certain image to the world that everything is fine. In a fatphobic capitalist patriarchy, it’s quite maddening that she would develop the arrogance and entitlement that she puts on display, especially because she is a...woman! Katie Wee, in her essay for Huffington Post, talked about how it was hard for her to play a fat-shaming exercise instructor in an episode of Shrill because she wouldn’t fat shame another person, but she had practice internalizing that cruelty. Wee talks about her history of eating disorders and over-exercising, all in a bid to become a ballerina, well into her twenties. Currently she works at a body-inclusive fitness studio and that Lindy West and Aidy Bryant were very encouraging in her performance. She also said:

When Annie writes her off, I made the decision that for Tanya this hits something much deeper. It’s as if Annie is saying Tanya’s life’s work is for nothing, or her religion is bullshit. Annie is feeling content in the body she is in, and for Tanya this feels like a personal attack. The subtext to what Tanya is saying is, “If I don’t get to be happy in my body, neither do you! Especially not you.”

This was also explored in the Room 104 episode “The Hikers” where college graduates and childhood best friends go on a hiking trip before they start working or looking for work. Megan (the fabulous Shannon Purser) is plump, freckled, down to earth and happy to have gotten a job offer right after she accepted her degree while her friend Casey (Kendra Carelli) is thin, has excelled on Instagram artifice, and hasn’t procured her own job yet but is triumphant over her past popularity. Yet a placed pebble in Megan’s boot reveals that Casey has been feeling disgust over how her fat friend would thrive in a larger body and not cover up and how she was burdened with making sure she was included in social gatherings growing up, soon Casey’s angry rant after Megan voiced her disgust over Casey’s sense of superiority over her reveals that Casey is angry that being conventionally beautiful and popular hasn’t made her any happier with herself or her own life, while Megan has excelled in their young adulthood in spite of her appearance and lack of popularity. Bridget is angry that Perpetua is thriving and content with her own life despite not looking a certain way while Bridget has been trying to get down to 110 lbs since she was a teenager and has been backing out of rooms after getting laid so the menfolk wouldn’t notice her behind isn’t scrawny (what would she think of Kim Kardashian’s or Nicki Minaj’s behinds?). Bridget, who poured energy into fitting an ideal of an adult woman, is miserable while Perpetua, who isn’t the “ideal woman”, is successful.

There is also some egocentrism on Bridget’s part: she is a heroine of a rom com so the story centers on her, with her friends being mere satellites. There has been a tradition of the fat best friend who exists to support the leading lady or gent who will fall in love while the fat person gets to sass and serve as cheerleader, with no insight on their inner life. Especially if they are Black. Tee Noir noted that most of the funny fat friends tend to be more engaging and likable or just plain compelling than the conventionally attractive main character, but their characterization is often neglected, to the point of sometimes even lacking a last name. In fact society, and even fat people, are internalized towards thinking that if you don’t fit the standard of desirability (thin, white, young-ish, cis, wealthy), you have to settle for less in your relationships and in entitlements, like how Annie in Shrill goes out with a boy who is too mediocre for her, all because she got the message that a fat girl like her shouldn’t expect a hunk or even a guy who is going to treat her decently and see her as a goddess. The show centered on Annie bringing out her inner fat bitch. Bridget hears constantly from her smug married male pals that women of a certain age shouldn’t be too picky because they aren’t as attractive and fertile as younger women (ring, ring, I am calling Tarana Burke on their asses, can I be the hype man?) and that triggers her insecurities about being single and 130 something pounds. Perpetua, who is a bit older than Bridget, medically overweight, single (but with a boyfriend) and less conventionally attractive than her...and is thriving in her life with no rush to the altar and she is free to voice demands in her relationship. I guess Bridget isn’t as nice as we were supposed to think she is, no shade, but be upfront about it Bridget (or writers).

But I can go easy on our hapless blonde, because Bridget (and probably Perpetua) internalized the notion that fat is disgusting and that women who aren’t thin enough have to shrink themselves and blend in, not causing waves. Perpetua lets us in on some hints that perhaps she is jealous of Bridget’s looks and figure, referring to her as having a “bony arse” for one, but it’s not a driving trait of her character. In her seminal book on female Baby Boom pop culture history, Where the Girls Are: Growing Up Female with the Mass Media, she noted that from a young age women were encouraged to see other women as competition, and if one woman is victorious in one area, we are defeated “And we had grown up with a notion of a female hierarchy in which some women---the Waspy, wealthy, young, and beautiful---were at the top of the pyramid and other women---the poor, the dark-skinned, the ugly, the old, the fat---were at the bottom and this is something that advertising (a source that sells Perpetua her image of wealth and sells Bridget’s insecurities) capitalizes on. Media in the 1970s have even applied the same dichotomy to some feminists where Germaine Greer (before she was all TERFy) and Gloria Steinem were held up as exceptions to the stereotype of ugly, nagging, and/or mannish feminists (something that Betty Freidan, Kate Millet, and the OG Bella Abzug got slapped with). It’s the ugly side affect of individualism.

One can hope that Bridget got the shameless and joyful spirit of that little girl who ran around the paddling pool in her underwear back.

Who’s Afraid of “Fat ass old bags”?: Backlash against non-insecure women

“Do what you feel in your heart to be right – for you'll be criticized anyway.” Eleanor Roosevelt

Let’s be clear: arrogance isn’t confidence. I use the term “non-insecure” as an umbrella term for Perpetua and for confident women who have faced backlash for their lack of willingness to act like they are less than to appease the patriarchy. But...men get to be arrogant and admired for their drive and accomplishments, hell they don’t even have to accomplish much unless you count bankruptcies (look at who is President of the United States at the time of this writing). So why do women who act arrogantly, aggressively, cut throat, authoritative, or just plain assert their needs and personal boundaries are so vilified? So I will try to look for how we could all learn to be confident as Perpetua.

Ever since Peggy Olson was promoted to Junior Copywriter, and even before, women in the workplace have been scrutinized from the secretarial pool to even top positions as CEO or junior partner. Like McCann-Erickson in the final season of Mad Men, Pemberley Press is something of a toxic workplace where underlings fight to get noticed for their achievements in dull lighting, men like Daniel Cleaver and Mr. Fitzherbert (more like Tits Pervert, right Bridget?) feel free to sexually harass women who haven’t developed the skills to defend themselves and demand respect, and where the characters we are closest to, don’t really like her. Women in power tend to confuse a white cis male hierarchy with a pecking order where the men try to undermine her authority either because they find her too attractive or make her feel unattractive, sometimes other women would undermine women because their success threatens their own self-image as women. A toxic workplace can also be why Bridget cannot excel at the work she does (she jumps from one toxic workplace to another in the movie); this can also be why Perpetua comes off as a hardass, she has to put up a shield to protect herself and the years working at Pemberley Press have hardened her to the point where Bridget couldn’t relate to her.

Bridget, according to Daniel Cleaver and the viewers of the films, is likable while Perpetua is not. Bridget is very feminine, sexy, witty, self-deprecating, supportive, warm, and non-intimidating while Perpetua may be feminine (look at them pearls and long hair), she isn’t conventionally attractive as Bridget and her size and age have kept her out of the “sexy box” and while Perpetua is clever, the woman doesn’t ease her way into conversations at parties like Bridget pretty much demanding to be introduced and included in them and she walks with the ease and assumption that she belongs everywhere she goes. Perpetua just also isn’t cuddly, but men get to be aloof like Mark to the point of being insulting or irreverent like Daniel to the point of toxicity, why is Perpetua being judged so harshly for traits that we see in these two high-status men? Forbes magazine once quoted that women are affected by two types of bias at work: prescriptive and descriptive bias.

Descriptive bias is the labels we attach and associate with certain social groups and communities, and prescriptive bias is how they are expected to behave. And, when someone does not conform to these prescribed roles and behaviors they can be penalized or punished. Women, for instance, are traditionally expected to be caring, warm, deferential, emotional, sensitive, and so on, and men are expected to be assertive, rational, competent and objective. So, when it comes to promotion, these traits are sometimes automatically prescribed to people as per their gender without detailed information about their personalities, thereby a man, in general, is assumed to be a better fit as a leader.

The other side of this is prescriptive bias is when a woman does not fit the role that is traditionally assigned to her and attempts to claim a traditionally male position is seen as breaking the norm. So, when a woman is decisive, she might be perceived as "brusque" and "abrupt". Therefore, for the same kind of leadership behavior, women might be penalized while a man is commended.

Women who are traditionally feminine (passive, self-effacing, caring), are considered “likable” but not leadership material while women who display traditionally masculine traits (assertiveness, self-preservation, ambition) are considered ball-busters. Both women are less likely to get promoted because of both bias, while what’s “bossy” or, sometimes, “hysterical” for women, get’s men promoted (*cough* Brett Kavanaugh crying that he likes beer *cough*). Women who help out at work aren’t seen for what those caring and proactive qualities can benefit the workplace, it’s expected that a woman would be so domestic. Even female candidates for Head of State are subjected to the tyranny of likability....for a position where the focus has to be on achieving safety and stability for a nation, even if no one likes them, a position that will be decisive no matter what they do. The work can be done by women supporting one another and both genders checking their biases at the door. Men can call out another man for describing their appropriately authoritative female boss as a “bitch” and women can examine why other women demanding more in their relationships or being promiscuous is so threatening to them. Women can even decide who takes turns at office domestic tasks like making coffee and getting birthday cards signed, making it a universal effort by the work site and network with each other as they celebrate each other’s triumphs and different traits.

Bridget’s passivity doesn’t help her in being taken seriously at work by her male peers either. Whereas Perpetua is disparaged for being older, heavier, and less conventionally attractive as she is criticized for being authoritative, Bridget is reduced to her sex appeal by Daniel to her face and even described as “fannying about with the press releases” (hearing about this treatment incenses Perpetua to Bridget’s side), thereby reducing Bridget’s femininity into something frivolous and not a endearing trait that helps her navigate the world. Bridget has proved in a deleted scene that she can give a brilliant advertising pitch for a horror novel, sadly the assignment was for a children’s book but it was maddening that the men wouldn’t give Bridget that credit (watch it, I can see Peggy Olson smiling somewhere). Bridget is also hampered by what is called “Imposter Syndrome”: according to Wikipedia, it “is a psychological pattern in which an individual doubts their skills, talents or accomplishments and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a 'fraud'” despite have external skills and a number of accomplishments. Aside from her own appearance, Bridget puts her own abilities and intellect down, and it’s no surprise as how her society puts an emphasis on the physical appearance of women: “If you've grown up with messages that you're only valued for your looks and your body, not your skills or intelligence, you may end up getting a certain job or position and wondering whether you truly deserve it or if the hiring manager just thought you were a pretty face”, said clinical psychologist Emily Hu for the BBC (not to mention it’s much harder for women of color who deal with their cultural expectations and prejudice from a white supremacist patriarchy). Bridget’s own outrageous mother hasn’t passed down her bolder traits to her daughter and often makes Bridget feel small as she berates her for “not getting your colours done” or being unmarried.

In a world where tomboys and girly girls are pitted against each other, what would have happened if Perpetua and Bridget have let go of their preconceived notions of one another? Perpetua does seem to see Bridget as more than “blonde hair and big boobs”. It’s worth seeing that when the Bustle wrote about how to combat workplace misogyny, that they emphasized how important it was to support other women in the workplace as Perpetua did for Bridget at the last minute, alongside feeling free to disagree with men and demand a raise. Once again I want to note, Bridget and Perpetua are both white cis able-bodied women from upper-middle class backgrounds, so if their professional journey is fraught just imagine what it’s like for women of color.

Tough Women

“You can stand me up at the gates of hell. But I won't back down.” I Won’t Back Down, Tom Petty

Bridget learns, as we all do, and like Perpetua might have done that if she wanted to overcome her issues, she really has to confront her own discomfort and take risks as she demands more from life. Perpetua is a tough woman: she doesn’t appear to soften, even when she is greeting Bridget or Mark Darcy, who she is impressed by and she seems to encourage Natasha’s efforts to snatch him up. Granted a woman like Perpetua probably learned she had to tough, if she wanted to make it in a male-dominated workspace, I would not be surprised if she had parents who instilled a sense of ambition and toughness in her from a young age, or like Megan from Bridesmaids, she had to deal with a childhood of bullying and took that pain to transform herself into a formidable character.

We also see from her confrontation with Daniel, she isn’t afraid to get harsh with a powerful man especially after she finds out that he has been using a female employee sexually and been denigrating her worth at the office.

We don’t know Perpetua’s physical prowess and she clearly prefers pearls to combat boots, but she does possess traits that are associated with men: logical mind, firm, self-reliant, witty, sharp-minded, a professional in a cutthroat environment, and is flawed while being formidable. Perpetua is strong, a Shonda Rhimes character that Rhimes herself hasn’t created. Sadly like most Tough Girls, she isn’t her own protagonist and is there as an accessory to the main character, the Trinity to The Matrix’s Neo and she is often the lone woman that Bridget interacts with at work. Tough Girls are counterparts to more “typical” women: traditionally feminine women who are softer and more emotional...Bridgets. One thing I want to note is that Bridget is the protagonist instead of a love interest but yet she stands alone as her friendships are not that positive and her relationship with her mother is strained. Like Ripley of the Alien series, Perpetua is the lone smart and strong woman who has to deal with a environment where no one else wants to listen to her and everyone is ruled by their emotions (or their libido). She is Joan Holloway, who weathers the misogynistic waters with her razor-sharp observations and commentary regarding the absurdities of the people who are around her, while not being afraid to command attention and others, even at the risk at not being truly liked but “admired”. Not a phony. Perpetua is a privileged woman but like I stated before, she dealt with a combination of body-shaming and misogyny that toughened her...but why should a woman be tough and hurt? We could have had a scene where Bridget encourages Perpetua to reveal her vulnerabilities and open up along with Perpetua pushing her to be more resilient over a spa day with face masks, pedicures, beer, Milk Trays, pizza, Terminator movies, and hair makeovers while discussing how to hide Uncle Geoffrey’s body.

Strong Independent Women

“The watch I'm wearin', I've bought it. The house I live in, I've bought it. The car. I'm driving, I've bought it. I depend on me, I depend on me.” Independent Women, Destiny’s Child

Imagine trying to reconcile feminist principles of not depending on male partners and rugged individualism that insists the opposite of what John Donne’s quote about how one person is a party of a larger community. You have the Strong Independent Woman, who is used by capitalism to sell feminism and face cream/Spanx/sanitary napkins/Wonderbras/lipstick, who needs no man (or interdependence) to thrive in a still misogynistic world. This misogynistic world also abhors the independence, self-assurance, self-reliance, and self-love of women who choose to follow their path. Meanwhile the non-mainstream feminist and environmental movement have pushed for a culture of interdependence and for a culture that doesn’t base one’s value on how much money or genius or beauty (or what have you) an individual possesses; Bella Abzug noted that “Our struggle today is not to have a female Einstein get appointed as an assistant professor. It is for a woman schlemiel to get as quickly promoted as a male schlemiel”.

But the image of the female individualist for one strong reason: women are still expected to perform the bulk of emotional and domestic labor while being paid less than their male peers for the same job, also because of ingrained sexism and perpetuated self-doubt, many women are still dependent on their spouses, parents, bosses, the opinions of others. It’s nice to see images of powerful, strong, often gorgeous women of wealth not have to depend on men for their worth or their livelihood. But we are flesh-and-blood human beings, not super beings or robots; even Perpetua shows some vulnerability when she refers to Bridget being a lot thinner than she and she is clearly looks crestfallen when she hears that Bridget has been belittled and used for her body by Daniel, we don’t hear much about her circle of friends in the movie aside from Natasha (in the book, she is friends with some same-minded women). Everyone needs an interdependent society of people supporting one another and helping each other grow.

Perpetua both upholds and subverts the tenets of the Independent Woman: she isn’t the supermodel-esque independent woman but Perpetua makes her own money and at lot of it, she dresses very well to project her authority in the workplace, she is bold, rejects the validation of male authority, and she isn’t afraid to be unlikable. She lives in a big city (because independent and single people don’t live in small towns or the suburbs *sarcasm*), presumably in her own spacious apartment or even a townhouse, she has found herself at some point before the story and has a strong sense of self, she works hard and has a strong sense of purpose because of her work ethic, and heaven help the dumbass that underestimates her or any other woman. She is a non-superpowered Carol Danvers: rather than waiting for someone to rescue her, she is quick to rescue herself from self-doubt or even rescue someone from injustice. She is noted to have a love interest, but she doesn’t revolve her world around him and is suggested to make demands for her needs in the relationship, showing she isn’t prone to fuckwittage as Bridget is (perhaps Perpetua learned to put a stop to that bullshit?). Of course because this is Bridget’s story, a woman who yearns for that fairytale ending of marriage, and this is a regressive, “post-feminist” (what sense does that make?) story, Perpetua isn’t a role model and is seen as a polar opposite to Bridget’s softness, ditziness, girliness, romanticism, and self-effacing persona.

I want to stop and say that I am so happy to be writing this essay in 2020, a year in which a large number of women (especially of color) have been elected to political office in record numbers with the Indian and Jamaican American Kamala Harris being elected as Vice President of the United States (and the first woman to do so). She is also independent enough to make her own money and develop her sense of self, along with a strong sense of agency and inter-dependent enough to credit the support and love she has from her blended family including her late mother. In fact the independent women of Broad City, Sex and the City, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Moana, Mulan, and GLOW (crossing self) all have inter-dependent systems of support and are one another’s family (hell even Bridget’s so-called friends are her “Urban Family”). I also want to say, it’s highly likely that Kamala was more a Perpetua and not a Bridget (or else she wouldn’t have been able to succeed like she has done in her career), thus her win as Vice President vindicates Perpetuas who have worked and lived before her.

Working Women Do’s and Don’ts

“You're just a step on the boss man's ladder. But you got dreams he'll never take away.” 9 to 5, Dolly Parton

As established, Perpetua is happily single (but also partnered), she fulfilled in material comforts, she is unafraid to confront men about their bullshit (she has a hard time trying to get Fitzherbert away, I bet), and she has high standards. To paraphrase Charlotte Pickles, to thrive where she works she has to “eat, breathe, and sweat self-esteem” and she does. This is something that Bridget lacks and something I feel Perpetua can help her with. Sadly we never got that chance: the gentle and feminine Bridget and the stern and neutral Perpetua bonding in a mutually beneficial kinship. I’m sure that Perpetua wishes she could talk back to men like Julia Sugarbaker of Designing Women and that her role models came after some viewings of Working Girl, Baby Boom, and Murphy Brown and perhaps by the privileged and successful men (and a few women) in her family. It must be said that despite being referred to and clearly existing, we never see Perpetua’s boyfriend and that’s because pop culture has long depicted women in managerial and supervisory positions as lonely, ice-cold, unfeminine, and hard. Meanwhile more feminine women like Bridget don’t get the respect that Perpetua has and demands, and Perpetua lacks Bridget’s likability (Bridget of the many men and one woman who fall in love with her). While I wouldn’t consider Perpetua to be politically progressive (she is a woman of privilege and Sloan Rangers are considered Tories) but she isn’t a woman who is willing to exploit others for her own bottom line (or the corner office). We do see that she is quick to defend Bridget from slut-shaming or having her worth denigrated by Daniel, which leads to a rare scene of comcaderie between her and Bridget. I get the sense that Perpetua isn’t merely interested in ruling the workplace, but she wants to change the workplace enough to be less toxic (getting rid of Daniel and Fitzherbert).

I can find some similarities to Perpetua in three fictional characters known for their drive in the workplace: Dr. Christina Yang (Grey’s Anatomy), Peggy Olson (Mad Men), and Princess Carolyn (Bojack Horseman). Christina Yang, like her creator Shonda Rhimes (if you are reading this Ms. Rhimes or someone writing or interning for her, please feel free to take ideas for a film or show about Perpetua, I need cheddar), is proudly childfree, dominant, blunt, up for a good time, and voraciously sexual and ambitious. Like Perpetua, she doesn’t aim to please others and very performative in her actions and words along with being caring and brusque (and snarky, especially about the terrifying Mr. Blobby). Also like Perpetua, Yang finds comcaderie with a bubbly young blonde who is sometimes reduced to her beauty (Izzy as played by Katherine Heigel) and tries to lift her girl friends up. While Perpetua has been working in a post Cold War publishing company, Peggy Olson is a young woman from Brooklyn working at a advertising agency in the 1960s, with different struggles from her more “sexier” counterpart (Joan is a more confident Bridget after all, and Peggy has some BJ traits). Peggy is also a trailblazer for assertive working women of today and paved the way for Perpetua across the pond, setting an example from the ground up (partly observing the men above her) when she wasn’t able to find much female role models that didn’t rely on their sexuality or follow a traditional path. Women during that time didn’t have reproductive freedom, equal pay (still, sigh), and working women were shamed for wanting to follow a different path. Peggy also deals with fatphobia in Season One (she was actually pregnant) and divorced herself from her sexuality temporarily (but she experiments with sex and drugs throughout the series). Like Peggy, Perpetua isn’t crippled by Don Draper’s self-loathing (Bridget) or lack of discipline (Daniel) and Perpetua had to learn to believe in herself rather than merely rely on the validation of others. Princess Carolyn is a pink, perky, girly girl cat but like Perpetua she has a relentless drive, is intelligent, hard-working, can sell something (a celebrity image or books), and knows how to positively influence certain people around her. All these women have lived by their own self-definitions and owned the struggles they endured to get ahead.

Can’t Be Tamed

Walter Stratford: Hello, Katarina. Make anyone cry today?

Katarina Stratford: Sadly, no. But it's only 4:30. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

Rom Coms (such as Bridget Jones’s Diary) have a nasty habit of wanting to tame, soften, tone down, settle down an independent woman with her strong mind, sharp tongue, active sex life, and own money to matrimony. Then we have heroines who are allowed to fly their freak flag and find their own tribe (or leading man). That is Kat Stratford, the teenage feminist protagonist of 10 Things I Hate About You, a girl that Perpetua would have been at that age if she were American with blonde, pretty privilege. After all Perpetua has been perceived by Bridget (a Bianca without wit or spine) as a “heinous bitch” as delivered by the fabulous Allison Janney; they are perceived as difficult women who rain down their parades with their truth and don’t suffer the foolishness of arrogant men. Such women are supposed to be tamed, which has several meanings. The negative being to “tone down” or “dominate”; an alternate definition has been offered by The Little Prince’s fox “to earn one’s trust”.

We don’t know if Perpetua has anyone, romantic or platonic, to complement her personality and balance her out as Natasha seems to have Perpetua’s negative traits. This is where she and Bridget could have developed a friendship, combining vulnerability and a disdain for the fickle opinions of others and keep from having to choose between love and career, between relationships and financial independence. We could have seen a closer relationship blossom over the story just as Bianca and Kat grow closer to one another in the film. Maybe Bridget demanding more from Mark at the end, telling him that just because he bought her a new diary it doesn’t mean that he can get away with walking away from her and that it makes up for how tight-assed he can be with Perpetua cheering her on and another scene where Bridget smiles and let’s Perpetua squees over something in excitement.

Like Kat, the Perpetuas can find their own tribes or mates.

Women of Privilege in Media

Rich bitches, girl bosses, sassy queens, matriarchs, as Christopher Rosa noted about these women (which includes Perpetua): "They're rude, they're loaded, and we love them for it.” In a world that hates empowered women, as bell hooks bluntly noted, these Regina Georges, Cheryl Blossoms, Alexis Carringtons, and Perpetuas take back that slur and wrap it up in designer couture and fabulous accessories with nary a hair out of place. They own the negative stereotypes and manicure it into an image of fearlessness. They reject the social pressures placed on women to be nice no matter what, likable, fade into the background, and talk themselves down. Rich bitches indulge themselves with no apology and wear their strengths as boldly as their statement jewelry. But what if you don’t want to be bitchy all the time, what if you want to channel that fierceness into something constructive?

#Girlboss is an atom and a half: traditionalists argue that she isn’t a proper “feminine” woman who loses out on heterosexual love and children (”true womanhood”) while many feminists argue that she simply advanced to a seat in the patriarchy and doesn’t give a damn about the little people below her enough to truly make positive changes. Pop Culture has four flavors of the this character, as noted by The Take: the Bitch Boss, the Pre Code Boss who acts the way we think women started acting like after 1968, the Feminine Boss, and the social media savvy Girlboss who starts companies with cutesy names like WAHAM or WEEMAN or GOOP and they are often white and conventionally attractive. The last flavor exploits feminist phrases while selling out to capitalism and patriarchy for women to buy more shit and willing to step on people’s heads while building her empire. Sometimes she’s Charlotte Pickles, a somewhat ruthless but loving mother and CEO who loves angora sweaters, is glued to her phone, and can effectively hit the roof of a overturned boat with her high heel. Perpetua may seem standoffish to care only about her bottom line or take on traditionally masculine traits like Ruth Chatterton in Female or Diane Keaton in Baby Boom, but she proves to be a Leslie Knope when she stands up for Bridget in a heated moment. Perpetua has no necessity for large pink letters or catchphrases to prove she is a powerful (and empowered) woman, she simply is. One can see Perpetua taking over Pemberley Press, first Daniel’s job and then ousting Fitzherbert and taking his position, thus ousting misogyny from that workplace and using her power to uplift more voices in writing.

Bridget and Perpetua, meet, Betty and Veronica (respectively). While the Bridget the Nice Girl avoids her issues (and Betty can be in danger of being subsumed by them), Veronica and Perpetua make their rules and are willing to break them. Like Perpetua, the teenage Veronica wears her posh prep clothes proudly with a string of pearls and headbands holding her shiny hair. Veronica is also confronting a system (and family legacy) that taints America and makes living so impossible for people who have no boots to pull the straps from and handicaps her to a pedestal. Perpetua seems to want her friend Natasha to snap up Mark Darcy (remember she knows nothing of Mark and Bridget) like Veronica in the CW reboot wanted Betty to do with Archie. Both want to work hard and be recognized for their merit, not wanting to depend solely on Daddy’s money, bucking long-standing patriarchal expectations of upper-class young women who were expected to marry a man from a similar class and have children to inherit the money. Perpetua and Veronica show a willingness to get down and dirty while being allies to their less privileged and/or more passive female comrades. They also wield their power to take down over-puffed authority figures who abuse their privilege and have attitude when a woman gets slut-shamed or otherwise mistreated. Remember Daniel and Mr. Titspervert, Perpetua’s specialty is ice.

Legally Blonde and Bridesmaids, etc.

Vivian Kensington. Elle Woods. Professor Stromwell. These women showcase an alternative where cold but supportive women befriend our plucky blonde protagonist in a Playboy bunny suit and a douchebag ex-boyfriend (before ending up with a lawyer who comes off as uptight). Legally Blonde gifted Elle camaraderie with these women while Perpetua was left at the wayside and Elle was given a circle of supportive friends while Bridget had friends who negged her and were a poor influence on her confidence. Where Delta Nu gave Elle their time to help her practice for the LSATS, Bridget’s friends openly wonder out loud that Mark Darcy said he likes Bridget as she is, ditziness and unfashionable (of the time) curves and non-airbrushed looks (really?). We also see Elle add more people to her friend circle, like the working-class Paulette who proves to be mutually supportive of Elle and has been empowered by her to stand up to her ex and then we focus on two women who stand in for Perpetua: the steely Professor Stromwell ( the Mrs. Sarah Paulson, Holland Taylor) and the preppy Vivian Kensington (Selma Blair, la diva). Vivian and Elle start out as rivals for the handsome but douchey Warner Huntington III, who categorizes these women as the wife material Jackie and the fun and hot-tubbing Marilyn, but slowly upon finding out that their professor is a sexist who demands his young interns get him coffee and that Warner lacks Elle’s integrity find some common ground. Vivian is horrified and takes back her previous behavior upon hearing that their professor has sexually harassed Elle, reducing this intelligent and savvy young woman to her sex appeal. Also Professor Stromwell puts Elle on the spot on her first day of classes at and has a reputation for making her students sob, but it’s implied that Stromwell sees a bit of herself in Elle and wants this young woman to succeed and that means challenging her to do the hard work in Harvard. In the climax of the film, when Elle discusses quitting Harvard because of people undervaluing her intellect and being sexually harassed as a final straw, Stromwell turns around in her salon chair and tells Elle: “If you let one male prick ruin your life, you’re not the girl I thought you were.” Stromwell gets credit in Elle’s valedictorian speech at the end of the film. We see here that while Elle upholds girliness and finds new love in a established lawyer, unlike Bridget she has a support system of women (and a few men) who encourage her to kick ass and challenge the perceptions of others and celebrate her triumph in defending someone from a life-altering sentence.

I feel that in 2001, either Annie Mumulo or Kristen Wiig watched BJD and found the relationship between Bridget and Megan wanting as well as I did, this likely spurred them into writing Bridesmaids, a film that centered on women fighting over a best friend rather than a man, where the male love interest listened to the protagonist vent about her friend issues, and where an overweight and unconventional female secondary character pushes our insecure everywoman protagonist to start fighting for her goals and her sense of self, or rather her “shitty life”. Annie (Kirsten Wiig) is a former owner of a bakery that fell victim to the 2008 recession who is hitting rock bottom as her childhood best friend gets engaged and starts befriending her fiancee’s boss’s preened to perfection wife Helen (Rose Byrne) and then finds comfort and motivation in the form of the fiancee’s wacky sister Megan (Melissa McCarthy). Annie gets loonier as the movie goes on (ahem) until Megan persuades her to channel that spirit more constructively; Megan is proud of her hard-earned achievements and is confident but also kind enough to adopt several puppies and see Annie at her lowest. Megan earns her own money and demands more from her relationships than the other women in the movie (unhappy marriages, lack of communication, lack of trust) and emboldens Annie to grab life by the horns, thus starting a new friendship. It’s notable that this film is about post-college aged adults and the role of friendships in their lives.

Perpetua’s Potential

The 2010s have shown more narratives that focused on women’s relationships with one another and have even re-defined what “happily ever after” looks like and as a result of the #MeToo and #TimesUp Movements, women have examined how toxic their culture is to women and finding that the harassment and assault of women to be terrifyingly normalized and it has been for a long time. Millennial and Gen Z women have even questioned the issue of pitting women against each other, one of which is the “not like other girls” attitude that pits the cool babe or the weird girl against the high-maintenance girly girls that easily conform to society (even rewriting these types as friends or lovers to one another).

So what does that mean for Bridget Jones’s Diary? Well we could see a B Plot on Mark Darcy and his divorce from his Japanese ex-wife and she’d be given her own inner life and complexities, Perpetua might have to reconcile her relationship with Bridget and Natasha (the latter who is hostile to the former), we could see Perpetua strike up a friendship with her polar opposite Bridget and the narrative could focus on Bridget helping Perpetua open up her softer side while Perpetua gives Bridget the encouragement to stand up to her (admittedly) trashy family and friends and demand more from her relationship with Mark (or even dump him). We can even see them include Rebecca Gillies, the beautiful trust fund baby that works for Mark and finds Bridget to be desirable as she is (without being backhanded about it Mark!). We can see Bridget become stronger as she has one friend who challenges her to be better and another friend who finds her supremely wonderful and gets her to see it.

Maybe we can see Uncle G die, a girl can dream.

The Rise of the Perpetuas or what happened after Bridget drank some of Perpetua’s Juice

#MeToo, #TimesUp, #BossBitch, Lizzo, Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Beyonce, Hillary Clinton, Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, the Notorious (and late) Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Jacinda Ardern, Michelle Obama, Jameela Jamil, Mindy Kaling, Tiffany Ferg, Kimberly Nicole Foster, Dahvi Waller, Gretchen Whitmer, #BlackGirlsAreMagic, Mothers of the Movement, CaShawn Thompson, Intersectional Feminism, Black Feminism, Mad Men, Mrs. America, Insecure, The Baby Sitters Club, Amy Schumer, GLOW, Emma Gonzalez, Candice Carty Williams, Malala Yousafzai, Kamala Harris, Meghan Markle...all of them have grappled with issues like Bridget and Perpetua and have even expanded the conversation about women’s day to day lives and the small (and large) ways society is misogynistic and have gone further to question why it’s so commonplace. We even see a talk about body neutrality (as opposed to the sanitized body positivity), which one can easily see Perpetua practicing. We also see women being held up in social media as being “stanned” for being difficult, wonderful, achievement oriented, sassy, fierce, outspoken, demanding, and fashionable...all things that Perpetua was put down for.

“I just took a DNA test, turns out I'm 100% that bitch

Even when I'm crying crazy

Yeah, I got boy problems, that's the human in me

Bling bling, then I solve 'em, that's the goddess in me” Truth Hurts, Lizzo

To paraphrase Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?: All this time, they could have been friends.

The year 2020 has been a dismal year for women’s careers as women are swamped with the demands of domestic life and bosses have shown that they won’t cut their employees slack for having kids in the background. People even explored how the pandemic has revealed cracks in society from economic disparity, how women are ultimately shouldered with the burdens of home that men aren’t expected to, how vulnerable marginalized communities are in systems with poor health care and systemic bigotry, and the lack of a social safety net. These are challenges I see Gen X, Millennial, and Gen Z women pushing back against (I will show up, pussy hat and mask on my person). One can even see Bridget, the ex Mrs. Darcy, Perpetua, and Rebecca marching in their Women’s March or even the global Black Lives Matter marches as they cheer on (or help) “tipped” over statues of colonizers and slave traders. We’d even see them attend virtual seminars on how to be better allies to BIPOC and listen as ex Mrs. Darcy talked about her difficulties as a East Asian woman in a predominantly white society and Bridget promising to call out her mother for her racist comments. There’d be no good woman/bad-woman dichotomy being perpetuated as they embrace each other’s differences.

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lesceriises · 5 years ago

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[ 🍒 ] — gracing the tags with my presence before i go work on replies. hi. i’m elle. i’m mostly here for mxf shipping tbh, but i love platonic/family plots too. i have adhd which means i like jumping into things and figuring out what works and doesn’t without beating around the bush. send me memes!! send me ideas!! i love brainstorming. i have a bunch of muses right here & you can check out my open starters here.

if you’re curious about what fcs i like + what types of plots i’m interested in, click the read more.

come write with me!!!

🍒 FCS I WANT TO WRITE AGAINST 🍒

alfonso herrera, alvaro rico, chris pine, dacre montgomery, david giuntoli, edgar ramírez, jake gyllenhaal, kit harington, luke pasqualino, michiel huisman, oliver jackson-cohen, oscar isaac, ryan guzman, santiago cabrera, sean tealea, simon baker, tom ellis, tommy martinez, tyler hoechlin, zane holt, alicia vikander, alycia debnam carey, eleanor tomlinson, gugu mbatha-raw, imogen poots, johanna braddy, lupita nyong'o, margot robbie, oona chaplin, poppy drayton, ruth negga, saoirse ronan, shelley hennig, shannon purser, zendaya, zoey deutch.

🍒 PLOTS I’M INTERESTED IN: GENERAL VIEW 🍒

drama, over-the-top drama, cheesy drama, angst, romance, manipulation, lying, cheating, pregnancies, horror, supernatural, ghosts, historical, crime, royals, modern royals, fake relationships, unrequited feelings, bad timing. you can check a few plots i’d like to do here.

🍒 PLOTS I’M INTERESTED IN: SPECIFIC 🍒

if fandom isn’t your thing, i’m also v interested in rl / historical plots. you can find a list of those here.

CHOICES GAME APP & STORYSCAPE: plots based on: titanic, the perfect match, rules of engagement, desire & decorum, the royal romance, and the elementalists. we don’t have to play the “main” characters or follow the original storylines tho.

TITANIC/1900s: legit just... any and all dynamics lmao the list is infinite there’s so much potential. if you’re familiar with the game i’m looking for something taken from storyscape like matteo x adele dynamic (long-story short, matteo is a valet for a wealthy man and adele is someone who is being blackmailed by said wealthy man) or charlie x adele (charlie is a steward who befriends adele, helps her navigate her situation, and the two become very close - esp interested in a dynamic post-titanic too where he's trying very hard not to hold things against her but is struggling tremendously with guilt, ptsd, and his idealism) or a dynamic based on zetta x adele (zetta is famous and adele's employer, and adele is being blackmailed into ruining her engagement - but it'd have to be an mxf one because that's the only kind of romantic pairings i write).

THE HUNGER GAMES: capitol citizen x capitol citizen, mentor x mentor, victor x dead tribute’s sibling/dead tribute’s best friend, literally any other combO!! smth with spies would be great too like spy rebel working a the capitol x capitol staff.

VIDEO GAMES: plots based on until dawn!!!!!!!!! which is one of my favs tbh (there’s SO MUCH POTENTIAl but i’m particularly weak for “we had a ‘opposites attract, will they don’t they’ thing going on and smth was about to happen between us at the cabin but then my sibling/best friend vanished and everything went to shit and we haven’t spoken in a year even though we miss each other dearly”.

HARRY POTTER:

workaholic diplomats with a fuckton of baggage and personal struggles who are really good at their jobs and always butting heads… falling in love (bonus: maybe one of them is a squib)

pureblood order member is essentially kidnapped by their own elitist family and has their memory tampered with, meaning they now believe they’ve always just been a spy for the death eaters. they’re engaged and their significant other starts to notice little things that feel odd and unusual.

i muggleborn who started lying about her blood status and is passing as elitist pureblood who ends up getting engaged to a pureblood.

before the first wizarding war, two purebloods get married. it wasn’t an arranged marriage and for all their differences they brought out the best in each other. their families were iffy about each other but they made it work. she remained mostly a housewife, enjoying the work and taking care of the children. things were good until the war rolled around and slowly, gradually. it became clear that his family (and he himself) were prejudiced against muggles and muggleborn. in the end they end up on opposite sides of the war, and it gets ugly.

arranged marriage between two people. he’s a widower and a grump, no one really finds him good company and on top of that his wife died in questionable circumstances (everyone thinks he did it, but it was actually his parents). his parents picked her because she seems easy to manipulate and air-headed. they never thought they would end up gradually growing very fond of each other to the point of love - they have the same humor, he helps her try not to please everyone and she helps him allowing himself to be himself - and that he’d start standing up to his family.

ANGELS / DEMONS / NOT FANDOM SPECIFIC: angel x fallen angel (please. think of all the pain and angst) or demon x redeemed demon or smth of the sort (the betrayal!!!)

X-MEN: literally too many possible combos to list and i want them all!!! the angstier/messier the better.

THE MUMMY: doesn’t have to be based on the movie, i’m going for the ~vibes~ here. we can do: explorer/archaeologist x non-explorer, explorer/archaeologist x journalist, explorer/archaeologist x doctor, explorer/archaeologist x explorer/archaeologist…. they can be any age too! even exs with children, the options are endless.

PACIFIC RIM: trainee x trainee, pilot x scientist, pilot x pilot, doctor x pilot

OUTLANDER/TIME-TRAVELLING IN GENERAL: could be intentional, accidental, to the future or the past, etc so many options!! we can mix time-travelling with other fandoms too!!

TOMB RAIDER: feel free to make suggestions but here are some ideas: (a) and (b) have a long history (platonic, romantic, siblings, idc). they’re both explorers who for the most part have been on the same side. two peas in a pod. two sides of the same coin. etc etc. while trying to put together a mystery, and trying to beat the “bad guys” to it, they realise the object they are looking for can change the past or bring the dead back to life…. this is where (b) turns against (a), who, unlike them, wants to take the object and keep it safe inside a vault.

STAR WARS: literally too many options to list but i’ll try: “jyn” x “cassian”, spy x traitor, pilot x spy doctor, former stormtrooper x spy, former stormtrooper x regular person, spy x regular person, diplomat x pilot, diplomat x former stormtrooper, idk there’s so many possible dynamics i couldn’t list them all legit anything in this universe im begging lmao!

STRANGER THINGS: so many possibilities?? could be set at any point in time too… and/or make our characters older and have them revisit things that happened to them in the past.

MARVEL/MCU: superhero x human , superhero x superhero, hero x law enforcement, a verse where heroes are “banned” (think incredibles 2)… all of these could go in so many ways?? the sky’s the limit. reminder that i don’t write canons but i don’t mind writing against them!!

ANASTASIA: lost princess/prince x kitchen boy/girl turned con-person who is at first using them for money but ends up falling in love with them and oops turns out they are the real deal.

THE LITTLE MERMAID: mermaid x prince, mermaid x human, mermaid x pirate, “ursula” x “eric”

ALADDIN: “i pretended to be a rich prince/princess to impress the their/heiress to the throne bc i’m poor as hell and i just want to stop being poor lmao … but oh boy i’ve fallen in love…….”

FROZEN: “hans” x “anna” or “hans” x “elsa” (i just think “hans” is a great character and there’s a lot we could do with him tbh) oc guard or commoner x “elsa” “anna” and “kristoff” but their relationship isn’t working out the dynamic between “anna” and “elsa” bc i’m a sucker for sibling dynamics we could also explore the relationship of anna and elsa’s parents!!!

#indie starter #open rp #mumu rp #indie oc rp #indie horror rp #open starter

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falkenscreen · 5 years ago

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Stranger Things Season 3

Note: This review contains spoilers for Stranger Things Seasons 1-3

Stranger Things was exactly that to a whole generation of viewers; something cognizant, inspired and reminiscent of wondrous 80’s era-filmmaking and significantly so without being derivative. And then it started to become derivative of itself.

That’s not to say that later Stranger Things is bad, far from it; it’s still some of the most rewarding television out there. The first season, riffing off ET, The Goonies et al mirrored some of the quintessential iconography without resting or relying on nostalgia or knowing winks; instead pivoting to an original plot staged with modern production values simply subsisting within a welcome 80’s milieu. Rather than attempting to recreate that specific to the success of other narratives the Duffer Brothers surprised everyone by relaying story stylings rather than idiosyncrasies to create a tale for which you don’t have to have seen anything else to appreciate it’s accomplishments.

And you know what, season one, it’s even better than ET and The Goonies. The main characters are more memorable and each share a distinct dynamic, while introducing the wider world to the scope of former bit character actor David Harbour, giving Winona Ryder the best role of her career and permitting Millie Bobby Brown such a canvas. Brown, still the most compulsive element of this series and the performer herein with the widest range, in large part made season one for fulfilling the typical villain focus.

No she’s not the bad guy and yes we had the Demogorgon and those most excellent shady Government-types (Cary Elwes, wasted as Hawkins’ very generic corrupt Mayor, just pales in comparison), yet our introduction to Eleven and how her character played out then, that which motivated her still unclear, is alike and too an inversion of how we might be treated to a new big bad. Such a focus on her or any other character being bereft from ensuing seasons, in no small part due to bringing in several more fairly excellent gang members, the scariest things in seasons two and three sadly don’t build at all on season one’s Demogorgon.

Sure we are treated to more of them, but Aliens, Alien 3 etc, as entertaining as they were, never bore the contemplative horror of the original; so similar to that lifeblood which first made this show such a hit and which the Duffer Brothers with but allusions thereof here evidently hoped would sustain Stranger Things. With the pivot to repetitive action, many or bigger monsters and that increasingly theatrical without being very new, none of the numerous Demogorgon-esque encounters and finales Eleven later faces are nearly so memorable as that penultimate, eerie face-off in season one absolutely billowing with character and apparent symbolism rather than just, well, gore.

Further to the matter of derivation, there’s no better place to start than that finale which is now the first of three ‘we have to close the rift I wonder if we will all get out alive’ cliffhangers. Yeah we all kind of knew Eleven would come back but given how well it was staged it remains the last time in this series where it felt as if main characters could actually be expended. A year later when she literally just walked back into the room, we figured our main crew won’t be going anywhere. The death of Sean Astin’s Bob (strangely similar to the death of Astin’s character in season five of 24), sad as it was, was that of a minor character only recently introduced. And no this author has not forgotten Barb, but Shannon Purser got more screen time in her minor role in Riverdale than she ever got in Hawkins.

This brings us to Hopper’s ‘death.’ Not only do we never see him die, but the setup is near identical to Eleven’s apparent demise at the end of season one and will leave most viewers with a Jon Snow level of suspense. It’s not too terrible to hang things on a faux tragedy yet it is moreover when we and the characters are subjected to a letter, by Hopper, affirming that ‘hurt is good’ and we need such hurt in our lives to ‘grow as people.’ This author welcomes being proven wrong and the series following through on its conclusion, though too given Harbour’s popularity this is unlikely to happen. The post-credits sequence, far from a concrete clue as to Hopper’s return, is very entertaining and should not be skipped over.

On the matter of Hopper, much of his exceptional and very sincere characterisation in the first two seasons is sacrificed, as Brett Gelman’s character (what is he even doing here) annoyingly points out, so petty feuding, passing gags and outlandishly outsized jokes can transpire. Hopper’s final moments in this season, had they otherwise been grounded in a consistent treatment of his character, might have had that much more impact.

Dacre Montgomery’s Billy gets a bit of a redemption arc but not one that nearly so accounts for nor emerges resonant in light of his pretty brutal characterisation in season two. A lot of mainstays here have had a rough go of it, most didn’t turn out like Billy. To this end his depiction as the season’s primary sex symbol is not mildly discomforting.

The team members meld beautifully and reliably so, with Gaten Matarazzo and Joe Keery joyously getting an eight-episode stretch to play off each other and share the Farrah Fawcett spray after the Producers realised their dynamic, and Steve’s excellent here continuing character arc, were the best things about season two. Maya Hawke, the finest new addition by far, has a most exceptional future ahead of her. Amidst it all, Andrey Ivchenko – well, had Arnold Schwarzenegger been at all convincing in Red Heat we might there have too ended up with something like this.

Abounding this time around with references to undead classics, Jurassic Park, Goldeneye and, quietly, Tomorrow Never Dies, it will take deserved repeat watches to unpack every tid-bit of what is despite its flaws and a drop in quality in later seasons still, given its cast and storytelling bona fides, one of the very best things on TV right now.

Stranger Things is now streaming on Netflix

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sweetprincing-blog · 6 years ago

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❝ can the world buy such a jewel ? ❞

( joshua castille, cis male, he/him ) ❝ hey that's CLAUDIO FLORIAN from auradon, they’re the THIRD child of BELLE & ADAM FLORIAN. they're TWENTY FOUR years old and always seem to remind me of FRESH SHEETS, STRAY GLITTER ON THE SKIN, BALLET SCORES, HONEYSUCKLES, AND A FULL BOOKSHELF. you’ll notice that they're CHILDISH but also pretty SUPPORTIVE too. with all that’s going on, i heard they DON'T think the villain kids are responsible.

hello !! i’m holly, 21, from australia. more importantly, this is my soft garbage boy, claudio !! come love us, pls n ty

tw: depression, anxiety

NAME / claudio pierre florian NICKNAMES / claude D.O.B. / june 23 STAR SIGN / cancer ORIENTATION / homosexual, homoromantic HABITS / wringing hands, blushing, downcast eyes, standing on toes POSITIVE TRAITS / supportive, intelligent, forgiving, romantic, proactive NEGATIVE TRAITS / childish, blunt, whiny, foolish, reclusive BUILD / thin; about five foot two. SCARS & BIRTHMARKS / a smattering of faded freckles across shoulders

cowardly ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ● ○ ○ brave energetic ○ ○ ● ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ lethargic forgiving ● ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ vengeful charitable ● ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ selfish authentic ● ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ deceitful chaste ○ ○ ○ ● ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ lustful humble ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ● ○ ○ ○ boastful naive ○ ● ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ experienced cautious ○ ○ ○ ● ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ daring restrained ○ ● ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ bold trusting ○ ○ ○ ● ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ suspicious

1 / he is born number three of four children and the world around him is exceptionally quiet. it’s not as if he notices, however. what he does notice is getting in trouble far more than his siblings, finding himself yelled at more than them, sent to bed without supper more than them, but he can’t work out why. in fact, he only starts to notice something is wrong when he’s taken to a doctor at four years old. there’s too many tests and his little ears hurt afterwards but they realise he’s deaf. he’s not a rude little boy at all -- he just can’t hear them.

2 / as a little prince growing up, claudio lives a relatively peaceful life. he’s a big lover of stories, just like his mother, which leads him to books. loving to tell stories leads him to a life of dance. he’s an excellent little ballet dancer, actually, which takes his whole family by surprise. terribly ungraceful in his real life, claudio is effortless whilst dancing, even when he’s little. it’s a gift that transfers into other areas -- movement is a skill that allows him to speak. he picks up signing and invests his time in the deaf community.

3 / he has a special teacher to tutor him on deaf culture on top of his regular education, he dances six times a week, he fences, he reads, he tells stories to children at deaf schools. despite the pressure on him from his parents and the kingdom and himself, he is doing his part as a good and noble prince. he is doing good and it feels good. unfortunately for claudio, sweet as he is, he is incredibly naive and easily wrapped up -- he loves to tell romance stories, love stories, sickly sweet disgusting stories, and so when a slightly older man comes into the picture, claudio cannot help but get swept up in the rush of it all.

4 / when it ends, as inevitably it does, he completely breaks claude’s heart. his entire world falls apart, really, and it takes him a long time to put himself back together. he loses all interest in dance and books and speaking ( relying purely on sign, with no interest in speaking english at all ), and instead spends all his time curled up in his room suffering. he’s a big romantic and so a broken heart really hurts him. as time passes, he slowly emerges out of his room and back into the world, still naive but much more wary about love this time.

5 / now twenty four, claude is trying his best to keep his life together and to stop himself from falling apart. his mental health is trying to get the better of him, but here he is, studying law, getting back into dance, returning to telling stories to deaf schools and pushing for more accessibility. princely things. good things. and god, god -- he wants to be good. he needs to be good, because being passable isn’t enough. being okay isn’t enough. he is the son of belle and adam and he is a prince and he has to be good. he just hopes the pressure isn’t becoming too much.

WANTED CONNECTIONS.

EX BOYFRIEND, 26-29. ANY MALE OR MALE-ALIGNED NB FC. this guy was claudio’s whole world. may or may not be able to sign. where claude was completely and utterly in love, this guy was in it for the clout, wealth, and material gifts. he completely and utterly broke claude’s heart. they dated for four years ( claude was 18-22 ) and it ended two years ago.

( suggested fcs: rahul kohli, sean teale*, austin p. mckenzie, andy mientus*, kiowa gordon, bob morley, henry golding* )

CHILDHOOD BEST FRIEND, 23-27. ANY FC. this person has been claude’s rock for their entire lives, as he’s been theirs. the two of them are seldom seen apart, even now, and are able to communicate by just looking at each other. it’s that kind of friendship. basically claude’s sibling outside of his siblings. likely a child of royalty.

( fionn whitehead*, geraldine viswanathan*, jordan fisher, lana condor, luke newberry, reina hardesty*, daniel durant, lauren ridloff*, shamir bailey*, ali stroker )

CURRENT LOVE INTEREST, 25-29. ANY MALE OR MALE-ALIGNED NB FC. this guy wasn’t in claude’s life during his last relationship, and so is mostly unaware of what has gone on, aside from gossip they might have heard. i would,,, love him to be the bad boy type to contrast claude’s preppiness. it would be cool if they were a villain’s child!

( suggested fcs: charles melton*, tommy martinez, rome flynn, dacre montgomery, avan jogia, diego tinoco*, alex aiono* )

BAD INFLUENCE, 26-28. ANY FEMALE OR FEMALE-ALIGNED NB. a bad influence friend. claude’s way too uptight for his own good and needs a little loosening -- also, considering his quietly growing interest in feminine clothes and things, he needs someone to help him explore his femininity as well as break the rules. could be villain or hero child.

( suggested fcs: elizabeth gillies, jessica vu, kelly gale*, lyrica okano, emma mackey, hayley kiyoko, emeraude toubia, maddison brown* )

EX FRIENDS, 22-27. ANY FC. people who claude was friends with before and during his relationship that his ex drew him away from. they didn’t know much about the ex boyfriend, but they knew he was bad news. claude desperately wants to reconnect with them. likely to be children of royalty. can be any number of muses!

( suggested fcs: naomi scott, chella man*, anthony ramos, nico tortorella, iman meskini*, maddie baillio*, maxence danet-fauvel, maia cotton, marlon langeland*, shannon purser, herman tommeraas, ingrid nilson*, cengiz al*, courtney eaton* )

BRAND NEW FRIENDS, 22-29. ANY FCS. literally just give this boy some friends. we can discuss how and where and why they met and what their dynamics are, he just needs some pals, honestly. could be villain or hero child.

#wckdintro #hello !!!!!#like this and i'll come bother you #depression tw #anxiety tw

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activisthelps · 6 years ago

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reindeer , snow , north pole & secret santa

christmas rph meme !!

reindeer ━ a writing tip you live by.

so i read a writing tip a long time ago that is to ignore writing rules? which is what i do so much. i’ll maintain grammar and spelling as much as i can but i love to start and end sentences with conjunctions, using adverbs, really wordy sentences. i loVE writing in a way that portrays a character’s thoughts and emotions and mood way better than being really stuck on stuffy conventions.

snow ━ underrated character connections.

ugly enemies?? people who bring the worse out of your character, a side of them that those closest to them NEVER see. maybe they say things they’d never usually say, do bad things out of pettiness or rage, etc. and ones that are not solved and end in romance! i can tell you right now in my life there are people i don’t like for a reason, because i don’t and can’t like them romantically!! pls. ugly enemies!!

north pole ━ favorite plus-size faceclaims.

YES OK so gabourney sidibe, amber riley, america ferrera, leah vernon, bishamber das, heather white, mindy kaling, taija kerr, bree kish, shannon purser, raini rodriguez, elle king, loey lane, john bradley, kathy bates!!!

secret santa ━ favorite female names.

i love love love the names lily, elena, jolie, adriana, isabel, hana, kinsley, mia, ebony!!

#( christmas meme )#i just realized most of the fcs i listed are women gjkhsghs #in this house we stan plus size ladies!!!!#anyways ty for sending this in thalia!!#thalsrph

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estoysugoi · 6 years ago

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y,all gon LEARn

rules: answer 21 questions and then tag 21 people who you want to get to know better.

name: Lucas

nickname: bitch (by friends)

gender: he/they

zodiac: aries (aries/taurus cusp but w/e)

height: 5′5″

time: 9:23 p.m.

favourite musicians: @everydaylouie (great musician/artist), Florence Welch (Florence & The Machine), Janelle Monae (The Q.U.E.E.N. to my Dirty Computer), Shura, Lianne La Havas, DAISY (Daisy Hamel-Buffa), P!nk, Earl, Shakira, Beyonce, Nicki Minaj, Amine, Nathan Sharp (NateWantsToBattle/A Man Who Could Slap My Ass And I’d Thank Him), Princess Nokia (Destiny Nicole Frasqueri/AKA the only individual i’d let throw soup at me), Ariana Grande, Utada Hikaru (im a KH kid at heart always), Missy Elliot (The Master Who Taught Me To Work It If It’s Worth It), Paramore (but like a few songs), Gwen Stefani, Estelle (AKA Square Mom), Raja Kumari, Snakehips, Mystery Skuls, Emily King

song stuck in my head: POP/STARS by K/DA (never touched LoL during my holy 22 years but that MV is fire)

last movie i saw: Venom

last thing i googled: pontea tumblr (some artist that was displayed on the tumblr sign-in page, so far i like the style, i have no clue who these K-Pop stars are tho)

other blogs: i’ve got two: this one and an art blog

do i get asks?: answer me this: have YOU sent me asks?

why i chose this username: it’s two languages paired together that basically say “i am amazing” (Estoy-Spanish-”I am” + Sugoi-Japanese-”Amazing”)

following: 2,081

amount of sleep: six to eight hours (recently been going to bed around 3 bc im watching Charmed and i have no impulse control)

lucky number: 3, 21 (basically my tarot birth-card numbers)

what i’m wearing: dark navy t-shirt and shorts

dream job: concept designer (either character design or help with “ideas” idk), maybe have a fun podcast/livestream where some friends and i talk and play D&D

dream trip: anywhere with clean air, healthy plants, clear waters and minimum to low temp (anywhere BUT Cuba and any deserts)

favourite foods: poke, dark chocolate

instruments: i USED to play the flute, didnt last long and never really put effort into practicing much

favourite songs: Sky Full of Song/Delilah/Ship To Wreck/Hunger by Florence --- Simple and Clean by Utada Hikaru --- What’s It Gonna Be? by Shura --- Smooth by Satana --- Somone by DAISY --- Sunflower (Movie Version) by Shannon Purser (VERY Emotional Highschoolerl song) --- Lazy Man by Earl --- Please Don’t Leave Me by P!nk --- Reach Out by Mad Satta --- Distance by Emily King

hair color: “raven” black (looks like dark copper in sunlight)

favorite fruit: pomegranates, cherries, watermelon, strawberries

favorite season: Fall/Winter (whichever is colder that year)

favorite animal: snakes, cats, dogs, crows, ravens, wolves, panthers/tiger/lions/generally big cats, capybara (how could u not tho???) butterflies, squirrels

favorite fictional character: i cant fit/remember that many so lets just say ive got a lot of favs

favorite tv shows: Hilda, Charmed (the OG late ‘90s/early 2000), Voltron: Legendary Defender (Latest one), Castlevania (latest one), and probably a bunch of others that slip my mind

cat or dog: yeah

favorite colour: blue, black, purple, gold (minimal amount AND if it works with the current color), teal/sea green but n e v e r green

do you have a crush on tumblr: some 18+ artists i follow that do the lord’s work

play(ed) any sports?: soccer (WORST two years of my life) and tennis unfortunately

languages you speak: english

random fact(s): i can sometimes hear if a tv is on or not even when the volume is muted (applies to a few other type of electronics), i’ve had the same deck of tarot cards since middle school, ive always wanted (still do) to get into witch related crafts when i was younger but Gender Norms ruined it, ive been able to get a guy to bust a nut over the phone in less than seven minutes

describe yourself in aesthetic: Tired Art Major By Day, Urban Bihexual Witch By Night

tagged by: @empyreanine (lmao “urban city kid w/ naruto headband” absolutely fantastic my funky hokage)

tagging: literally anyone i dont care go off with this template

#me #about me

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genderonthescreen-blog · 6 years ago

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The Problematic Love Interest: No Means Yes?

What do TV and film teach us about love? Well, they teach us that romantic love is very important, that the grand gestures are everything, that true love’s kiss will always break the spell, and, oh yeah, when someone says “no” they really mean “yes.” The lack of consent in movies and TV shows, in scenes that are supposed to be romantic, is shocking. Time and time again I will come across a show or film that looks promising, it usually is, and I am enjoying the film or show. That is before I am shown a scene that is so obviously sexual assault, yet, it is shown as seductive, or romantic, or even funny.

Last summer I watched the movie Blade Runner (1982) for the first time. As an avid fan of Star Wars, I spent most of my pre-teen years drooling over Han Solo (Harrison Ford)—as well as the swashbuckling archaeologist, Dr. Indiana Jones (also Ford). So after re-watching the Star Wars films I was suffering from a Harrison Ford withdrawal, so I decided it was time to check out, supposedly, the next best “Ford Sci-fi Flick”: Blade Runner. Now, in my own personal and unimportant opinion, I don’t think Blade Runner is a very good movie. However, I think it would’ve been much better in my eyes if it weren’t for the rape scene that happens about halfway through the film. In the scene (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjO8wsjPqbg), the lead character, Rick Deckard, just told his “love interest”, Rachael (Sean Young), that she is an android (the beings the Deckard is supposed to be hunting and killing) and that her human memories are fake. In her moment of distress Deckard makes a move on her. However, she doesn’t respond. She moves away when he tries to kiss her again and quickly gets up to leave his apartment. Deckard becomes angry. He storms in front of her, blocking the path between her and the door, before he grabbing her by the shoulders and shoving her up against the window on the opposite end of the room. He proceeds to force a kiss on her and then tells her to to say to him “Kiss me” and then, after she complies, he tells her to say “I want you” to him. In doing this, Deckard forces her to give him “consent”, thus making the whole assault her fault. Its a disgusting scene that made me wonder: “Why I am supposed to be rooting for this main character?” But honestly the worst part about it is that it’s filmed as a seduction. The music swells as Deckard kisses Rachael, telling the audience that this is a romantic and sensual moment. What it really does, however, is perpetuate the falsehood that when a woman says “no” (either with her words or her body language) she really means “yes.”

These kinds of scenes are very prevalent in older films. The John Hughes classic Sixteen Candles (1984) is chalk full of dubious consent. In one scene (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmf_sT_IcMc&t=125s), the love interest, Jake (Michael Schoeffling), of the main character, Samantha (Molly Ringwald)—who’s supposed to be a sensitive jock; he just wants a nice girl to love him—hands his current girlfriend, a very drunk Caroline (Haviland Morris), off to Farmer Ted (Anthony Michael Hall) in exchange for a pair of Sam’s underwear. In the kitchen when the two boys are talking about this plan, Jake delivers the infamous line: “I can get a piece of ass anytime I want. Shit, I’ve got Caroline in my bedroom now passed out cold. I could violate her ten different ways if I wanted to.” This line is the precursor to Jake saying how he wants a nice girl who doesn’t party. Honestly, how is he the romantic male lead in this movie and not the predatory creep! Later in the film it is implied that Caroline and Farmer Ted have sex, to which Caroline is very okay with, despite the fact she was totally drunk throughout the whole ordeal (thus, unable to consent), and was also tricked by her boyfriend into thinking that Farmer Ted was her boyfriend, Jake. This perpetuates that same stereotype seen in Blade Runner: “no” means “yes.”

An argument can be made that “These movies are from the eighties! They’re just a product of the times!” And, while Sixteen Candles especially is a product of it’s time, that doesn’t mean this kind of portrayal of “romance” is gone from TV and cinema today. In fact, it’s unfortunately alive and well.

Take the relationship between Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) and Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa) from the HBO show Game of Thrones. Daenerys is basically sold into marriage to Drogo by her brother, and proceeds to get raped by her husband multiple times during the beginning of their relationship. However, by the time Khal Drogo makes his exit from the show (SPOILER ALERT! He dies) the two are in love. All is forgiven, and Daenerys is heartbroken by the loss of her husband. This kind of forgiveness of sexual predators in a TV show is quite common. The character Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick), from the classic 2000s show Gossip Girl, forces himself on two different characters during the first season, but all is forgotten barely a few episodes later, and he just becomes an annoying antagonist—and by the end of the series, he’s a dashing love interest!

I hate to say it, but Buffy the Vampire Slayer (one of my favorite TV shows of all time) is another example of this kind of forgetfulness when it comes to sexual assault in TV shows. In the episode “Seeing Red” from season six, there is a scene (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGWhEgjdLeM ) where the vampire, Spike (James Marsters), attempts to rape Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar). These are two characters have been in an “on again, off again” sexual relationship for most of the season. However, Spike has fallen in love with Buffy, and she has not fallen for him. In an attempt to get her to love him back, Spike decides to force himself on her. After a bit of a struggle—where Spike tries to pull off her robe and tackles her to the ground—Buffy kicks him off of her before anything happens, but the damage is done. The problem is Spike still stays a fan favorite on the show and he is very easily redeemed (he gets a soul so all is well!). He is also not only redeemed in the eyes of the viewer, but also in the eyes of Buffy, the victim of his abuse—who, in the next season, actually falls in love with him. These are all classic examples of the actions of a male character, who is a sexual abuser/assaulter, getting forgotten or easily forgiven as the show progresses.

Modern movies still have problems with consent, too. A recent Netflix release titled Sierra Burgess is a Loser (2018) is an example of dubious consent passed off as a sweet romance. The basic plot of this teen romance movie is: a teenage girl, named Sierra (Shannon Purser), cat-fishes this teenage boy, Jamey (Noah Centineo), because she is too insecure to tell him who she really is. Sierra does this with the help of the popular girl from her high school, Veronica (Kristine Froseth), who is the person Jamey thinks he is texting/talking on the phone with. This movie has a LOT of problems, but what I thought the most disturbing part was a scene (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMdjN-sIxw4) where Veronica goes on a date with Jamey as Sierra. Sierra follows the two around on their “date” and texts Veronica instructions on how to act so Jamey doesn’t think something’s up. Towards the end of the evening, Jamey and Veronica are leaning on the hood of his car—Sierra is hiding underneath the car, spying on the two of them—and Jamey leans in for a kiss. Veronica stops him and tells him to close his eyes first before she gestures for Sierra to come out and kiss Jamey herself, and she does. It’s super weird and uncomfortable to watch because this teenage boy is being kissed by someone he’s never met, and without his consent. But, all the while, the music swells, telling the audience that this is a romantic moment. A lot of people were complaining about this movie—like I said, it had many issues (making fun of deaf people, and some off comments about the LGBT community)—but I wish more people were talking about this scene. If the roles were reversed and Jamey was a girl being kissed by this boy who was cat-fishing her, people would be up in arms (because that literally sounds like it was taken out of Sixteen Candles!). But, because Jamey is a boy, people aren’t as upset about this scene.

The movie Wedding Crashers (2005) is a comedy about two guys who have a hobby of (you guessed it) crashing weddings. It’s a very funny movie that I have thoroughly enjoyed. However, this movie makes many jokes about men who have been sexually assaulted—thus, perpetuating the stereotype that men can’t be sexually assaulted because they always want to have sex. There are several scenes that depict sexual coercion and even a scene that could be considered rape! In this scene (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_r1zDwdmSg&has_verified=1), Jeremy (Vince Vaughn) wakes up tied to his bed with a naked Gloria (Isla Fisher), the woman that he’s been sleeping with, sitting on top of him. He begins to ask her what is going on, and she tells him she thinks what’s wrong with their relationship is that they aren’t being adventurous enough. Jeremy tries to protest, but Gloria quickly “shushes” him before shoving a sock into his mouth and covering it with duct tape before the camera cuts away. This scene is depicted as funny, as are all of the other sexual assault scenes in this movie. In the next scene (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6fLskrvsRA also depicted as funny), Jeremy tells his friend, John (Owen Wilson), about what happened to him. Unfortunately, Jeremy is semi-ignored by his friend, who brushes off his complaints and proceeds to go on about the woman he has feelings for. When Jeremy says he wants to leave the house they are staying at and go home, John guilt-trips him into staying (no bro left behind). Later in the film Gloria and Jeremy actually end up getting married! Throughout the film, these scenes are played off as funny, because it’s a man getting sexually assaulted and not a woman. Once again I ask you to switch the roles and pretend that Jeremy is a woman and Gloria is a man. Would people still be laughing if that was the case?

Sexual assault and consent is a serious issue. With the “Time’s Up” and #Metoo movement taking the internet by storm, and so many actresses and actors (and people in general!) coming forward about the sexual assault and mistreatment they experienced in their industry, there is a lot to consider. But the fact that films and TV are still allowing sexual coercion, assault, harassment, and rape to be shot as funny, romantic, sensual, or easily forgiven is sending people the message that sexual assault isn’t a big deal—thus, adding to the problem. This notion is not only wrong, but also dangerous. It is teaching people (especially young people) that consent isn’t important. Future writers, directors, producers, and anyone else involved in making films and TV need to step up to the plate and use their platform to enforce the importance of consent, instead of disregarding it.

Check out these cool sources!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWoP8VpbpYI

https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/01/when-pop-culture-sells-dangerous-myths-about-romance/549749/

http://shrcc.org/get-the-facts/what-is-consent/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4062022/

How about this cooler bibliography!

https://vimeo.com/194215274

https://books.google.com/books?id=Kq4-DwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=consent+in+films&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjNvOrYl5nfAhVws1kKHaiCDBUQuwUIOzAD#v=onepage&q=consent%20in%20films&f=false

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2016/12/05/why-the-last-tango-in-paris-rape-scene-is-generating-such-an-outcry-now/?utm_term=.5b8a35fad57e

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-469646/I-felt-raped-Brando.html

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ultralifehackerguru-blog · 6 years ago

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New Post has been published on http://www.lifehacker.guru/fall-movie-preview-50-movies-you-need-to-know-about/

Fall Movie Preview: 50 Movies You Need to Know About

Not only does Fall bring chillier temperatures, pumpkin spice lattes, and cozy sweaters but also plenty of reasons to go to the movie theater (or stay on the comfort of your own couch with new Netflix originals, if you’re into that sort of thing). The season kicks off with everything from a heartbreaking family drama from the creator of This Is Us to the long-awaited Halloween rebootthat will surely give us nightmares long after Fall transitions into Winter. This is also the season when Oscar hopefuls emerge and holiday blockbusters start coming out by the dozen, so there’s seriously something for everyone. If you need an idea of what to see from the end of August all the way to Christmas, then take a look at the list ahead.

1 Operation Finale

Image Source: MGM

The scoop: With a large crew to back him up, Mossad agent Peter Malkin (Oscar Isaac) goes on a covert mission to Argentina in 1960 to find the Nazi officer who masterminded the Holocaust. Mélanie Laurent, Haley Lu Richardson, Ben Kingsley, and Nick Kroll costar.

Release date: Aug. 29

2 Sierra Burgess Is a Loser

Image Source: Netflix

The scoop: The story focuses on Sierra (Stranger Things star Shannon Purser), a smart high school student who unintentionally begins catfishing her crush because of a case of mistaken identity. She teams up with Veronica, the school’s typical popular mean girl (Kristine Froseth), in hopes of winning over her crush, played by The Fosters‘ Noah Centineo.

Release date: Sept. 7

3 The Nun

Image Source: Warner Bros.

The scoop: Even the poster for this follow-up to the Conjuring franchise is enough to send chills down our spines, so we can only imagine how terrifying the actual movie is going to be. This time around, we travel to 1950s Romania, where a nun and a Catholic priest are sent by the Vatican to investigate the mysterious suicide of another nun at a monastery. What they don’t realize is that an intensely powerful demonic force is already there, waiting to claim them.

Release date: Sept. 7

4 Mandy

Image Source: RLJE Films

The scoop: Nicolas Cage and Andrea Riseborough star in this thriller set in 1983. The pair play Red Miller and Mandy Bloom, who lead a remote, peaceful existence in the Pacific Northwest until a sadistic cult destroys everything they hold dear. The invasion sparks a tale of bloody vengeance that will have you on the edge of your seat.

Release date: Sept. 14

5 The Predator

Image Source: 20th Century Fox

The scoop: Alfie Allen, Olivia Munn, and more star in this sequel, which will see soldiers teaming up to battle the vicious extraterrestrial we all know and love (to have nightmares of).

Release date: Sept. 14

6 White Boy Rick

Image Source: Columbia Pictures

The scoop: This based-on-a-true-story crime drama follows young teen Richard Wershe Jr. (Richie Merritt), who goes on to become an undercover FBI informant in the 1980s, although his life tragically ends in disgrace and life in prison. Matthew McConaughey plays his father, Richard Wershe Sr.

Release date: Sept. 14

7 A Simple Favor

Image Source: Lionsgate

The scoop: A Simple Favor, a Paul Feig-directed thriller, stars Anna Kendrickas Stephanie, who seems like she just wants to track down her missing BFF Emily (Blake Lively) . . . but what if she actually had something to do with her disappearance? Although Emily has always seemed like an elegant, aspirational, and all-around put-together human being, she’s also been hiding a dark side from both Stephanie and her own husband, Sean (Crazy Rich Asians actor Henry Golding), which creates an even more complex mystery.

Release date: Sept. 14

8 The Land of Steady Habits

Image Source: Netflix

The scoop: Ted Thompson’s novel The Land of Steady Habits is coming to Netflix this Fall and stars Ben Mendelsohn as Anders Hill, a family man in his mid-50s living in an affluent part of Connecticut who finds himself in a rut. With his son’s college tuition paid off, Anders leaves his wife (Edie Falco) and goes on a clumsy search for freedom.

Release date: Sept. 14

9 The Sisters Brothers

Image Source: Annapurna Pictures

The scoop: This Western drama picks up in 1850s Oregon, where a gold prospector finds himself on the run from an infamous duo of assassins, the Sisters brothers. If that isn’t enough to convince you to watch it, hopefully the star-studded cast is: Jake Gyllenhaal, Joaquin Phoenix, John C. Reilly, and Riz Ahmed star.

Release date: Sept. 19

10 The House With a Clock in Its Walls

Image Source: Universal Pictures

The scoop: A young boy goes to stay with his uncle in a creaky old house and soon realizes that there’s much more to the home than meets the eye — get ready for thrills, chills, witches, and warlocks.

Release date: Sept. 21

11 Quincy

Image Source: Netflix

The scoop: Rashida Jones teamed up with Alan Hicks to direct this Netflix documentary about her father, Quincy Jones, aptly titled Quincy. The film is an intimate look into the life of the music industry icon, exploring his impact, the way he’s transcended racial and cultural boundaries, and the ups and downs of his career over the last 70 years.

Release date: Sept. 21

12 Nappily Ever After

Image Source: Netflix

The scoop: In this Netflix romantic dramedy, Violet Jones (Sanaa Lathan) appears to have it all together — a great job, a doctor boyfriend, and a gorgeous head of hair — until a devastating, life-altering event shatters her illusion of perfection. With her carefully maintained world crumbling around her (and her boyfriend taking up with another woman), Violet decides to figure out just what, exactly, she actually wants out of life.

Release date: Sept. 21

13 Life Itself

Image Source: Amazon Studios

The scoop: This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman just can’t help himself when it comes to making people cry. Not only are we emotionally broken by his hit TV show each week, but the man is also gifting us with a new drama, Life Itself, that’s sure to be a tearjerker. The film hinges on a ridiculously beautiful couple (Oscar Isaac and Olivia Wilde) whose life together — from their first meeting to having a baby and raising their child — spawns “a multi-generational love story” that stretches from New York City to the Spanish countryside. Of course, in true Fogelman fashion, one tragic event is what connects it all. It also stars Mandy Patinkin, Olivia Cooke, Laia Costa, Annette Bening, and Antonio Banderas.

Release date: Sept. 21

14 Colette

Image Source: Bleecker Street

The scoop: Keira Knightley has returned to the world of period films, and we couldn’t be happier. The actress stars as Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, an author who is coerced into ghostwriting a novel for her husband, Willy (Dominic West), after moving to Paris. After the story becomes wildly successful, she’s inspired to fight for creative ownership and against the traditional gender norms of the early 20th century.

Release date: Sept. 21

15 Night School

Image Source: Universal Pictures

The scoop: Night School stars comedian Kevin Hart as a wildly successful salesman who eventually runs into trouble when an explosion at work leaves him out of a job. Unfortunately, his prospects look slim since he dropped out of high school, so he decides to take night classes at the local high school — taught by Tiffany Haddish’s tough-as-nails instructor Kerry — along with a few other troublemakers in order to get his GED and a better career.

Release date: Sept. 28

16 Boy Erased

Image Source: Focus Features

The scoop: Garrard Conley’s heartbreaking 2016 memoir is coming to the big screen, starring Lucas Hedges as Jared, the teenage son of a baptist preacher (Russell Crowe) who is forced to endure a church-supported gay conversion program. The film also stars Nicole Kidman, Joel Edgerton, Xavier Dolan, and Joe Alwyn.

Release date: Sept. 28

17 Private Life

Image Source: Netflix

The scoop: This Netflix film tracks a stressed-out couple — an author (Kathryn Hahn) and her husband (Paul Giamatti) — as they endure multiple fertility therapies to get pregnant. The drama also stars Molly Shannon and Emily Robinson.

Release date: Oct. 5

18 Venom

Image Source: Sony Pictures

The scoop: Tom Hardy’s upcoming Spider-Man spinoff, Venom, sees the villain in all his terrifying, gory glory. The trailer promises that we’ll see Eddie Brock’s (Hardy) transition and struggle going from investigative journalist to symbiote host, finally referring to himself as “we.” (Shiver!) His ex-girlfriend Anne Weying (Michelle Williams) and Riz Ahmed’s evil Dr. Carlton Drake (who will later become the film’s main antagonist, a fellow symbiote called Riot) also appear.

Release date: Oct. 5

19 A Star Is Born

Image Source: Warner Bros.

The scoop: Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga’s romance, which is the fourth iteration of this story, follows a has-been rock icon (Cooper) who discovers a ridiculously talented young singer (Gaga). Not only do they embark on an epic love story, but they’re also forced to navigate some thrilling triumphs and devastating pitfalls as they tackle the music industry.

Release date: Oct. 5

20 Bad Times at the El Royale

Image Source: 20th Century Fox

The scoop: Did God herself cast Bad Times at the El Royale? Because this thriller is seriously stacked with talent. Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, Dakota Johnson, Cailee Spaeny, Lewis Pullman, and Nick Offerman play a group of strangers who find themselves clashing at the titular creepy hotel, owned by Jon Hamm. According to the film’s description, “Over the course of one fateful night, secrets are unearthed, and everyone will have a last shot at redemption before everything goes to hell.” Apparently “hell” is code for “Chris Hemsworth shirtless.”

Release date: Oct. 12

21 First Man

Image Source: Focus Features

The scoop: Ryan Gosling plays Neil Armstrong in this biopic, which reunites him with La La Land director Damien Chazelle. Based on the book by James R. Hansen, the drama looks equal parts heartfelt and intense and also stars The Crown‘s Claire Foy and Bloodline‘s Kyle Chandler.

Release date: Oct. 12

22 Apostle

Image Source: Netflix

The scoop: Occult horror-thriller Apostle stars Beauty and the Beast‘s Dan Stevens as Thomas Richardson, who returns home to London in 1905 only to discover that his sister has been captured by a cult led by the dangerously charismatic Prophet Malcolm (Michael Sheen) and is being held for ransom. Thomas sets out to rescue his sister, infiltrating the cult’s island community and eventually uncovering an evil secret.

Release date: Oct. 12

23 Beautiful Boy

Image Source: Amazon Studios

The scoop: Get your tissues ready, because Timothée Chalamet will break your heart in this Amazon Studios adaptation of Tweak and David Sheff’s gut-wrenching memoir, Beautiful Boy. Chalamet’s character goes from a lighthearted, suburban big brother who enjoys family time to a young adult battling a devastating methamphetamine addiction. Steve Carell plays his father, and their relationship will shake you to your core.

Release date: Oct. 12

24 Serenity

Image Source: Universal Pictures

The scoop: Anne Hathaway and Matthew McConaughey have reunited years after Christopher Nolan’s existential Interstellar for another stressful cinematic experience: enter Serenity. In it, a very blond Hathaway asks McConaughey to murder her abusive husband (Chappaquiddick‘s Jason Clarke) by dropping him smack dab in the ocean, much to the delight of any nearby sharks. Despite the grim premise, the trailer still makes the movie look pretty damn sexy, for what it’s worth.

Release date: Oct. 19

25 Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Image Source: 20th Century Fox

The scoop: Melissa McCarthy flexes her dramatic acting chops in Can You Ever Forgive Me? as Lee Israel, a real-life magazine writer whose life took a turn when she started forging and selling letters supposedly written by late, legendary writers. She later pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to transport stolen property in 1993 and eventually wrote a memoir about her life, upon which the biopic is based.

Release date: Oct. 19

26 Halloween

Image Source: Universal Pictures

The scoop: A David Gordon Green-directed reboot of the terrifying franchise sees Jamie Lee Curtis reprising her role as Laurie Strode from the 1978 original. Now older (but perhaps not altogether wiser), Laurie has spent years praying that her attempted murderer, Michael Myers, would escape from his psychiatric ward so that she can get revenge for the trauma he put her through by killing him herself. Well, thanks to a bus crash, she gets her wish, and the unstoppable homicidal maniac is let loose on the world once again.

Release date: Oct. 19

27 Wildlife

Image Source: IFC Films

The scoop: Do you hear that? It’s the sound of Oscar buzz for Wildlife, which stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Carey Mulligan as a couple who move their son to Montana in 1960, only for their marriage to fall apart.

Release date: Oct. 19

28 Galveston

Image Source: RLJE Films

The scoop: After mob hit man Roy (Ben Foster) discovers his boss has hired assassins to take him out, he goes on the run with a young, troubled woman named Rocky (Elle Fanning). As they make their way to Galveston, they desperately try to outrun not only the mob but also the demons from both of their pasts.

Release date: Oct. 19

29 An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn

Image Source: Universal Pictures

The scoop: In this quirky comedy, Lulu Danger (Aubrey Plaza) is already deeply unsatisfied in her marriage to Shane (Emile Hirsch), but things only degrade further when a mysterious man from her past (Jemaine Clement) arrives in town to perform an event called “An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn; For One Magical Night Only.”

Release date: Oct. 19

30 Suspiria

Image Source: Amazon Studios

The scoop: As a follow-up to award season darling Call Me by Your Name, director Luca Guadagnino has dramatically changed courses by remaking one of the scariest horror movies from the 1970s: Suspiria. It follows Dakota Johnson’s ambitious young dancer, Susie, arriving at a world-renowned dance company led by a mysterious artistic director (Tilda Swinton), who will send Susie on a journey filled with darkness (translation: satanic rituals, witches, curses, murder, etc.). Mia Goth, Lutz Ebersdorf, Jessica Harper, and Chloë Grace Moretz also star.

Release date: Oct. 26

31 Bohemian Rhapsody

Image Source: 20th Century Fox

The scoop: The long-awaited Queen biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody, stars Rami Malek as the group’s legendary frontman Freddie Mercury and also dives into the musician’s relationship with Mary Austin (Lucy Boynton) and the creative process behind some of Queen’s biggest hits.

Release date: Nov. 2

32 The Nutcracker and the Four Realms

Image Source: Disney

The scoop: Disney’s The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is a beautiful look at the magical world young Clara (Twilight’s Mackenzie Foy) stumbles upon one Winter night. Her new surroundings include a dashing soldier (Jayden Fowora-Knight), a gang of mice, the Sugar Plum Fairy (Keira Knightley), and a tyrannical Mother Ginger (Helen Mirren). Will Clara be able to locate the strange and mysterious key that can restore harmony in this parallel world? Considering real ballet superstar Misty Copeland has a starring role, we have high hopes for this.

Release date: Nov. 2

33 The Girl in the Spider’s Web

Image Source: Columbia Pictures

The scoop: In the first book since David Lagercrantz took over the Millennium trilogy from the late Stieg Larsson, Lisbeth Salander (Claire Foy, taking over for Rooney Mara) investigates an organization called the Spider Society. In the first trailer for the highly anticipated follow-up to 2011’s The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Foy looks unrecognizable as she terrorizes men who have harmed other women and confronts her dark, mysterious past.

Release date: Nov. 9

34 Outlaw King

Image Source: Netflix

The scoop: Chris Pine is leaving the 1980s behind for the 1300s, as he plays real-life Scottish king and rebel hero Robert the Bruce in Outlaw King. The Netflix historical drama hails from Hell or High Water director David Mackenzie and tells the true story of the reluctant medieval king who finds himself drawn into a vicious battle with King Edward I (Stephen Dillane) and his vengeful, violent son, the Prince of Wales (Billy Howle).

Release date: Nov. 9

35 The Oath

Image Source: Roadside Attractions

The scoop: Ike Barinholtz and Tiffany Haddish’s dark comedy sees a husband and wife attempting to survive “life and Thanksgiving in the age of political tribalism.” In other words, they sit down for dinner with their extended family and find themselves viciously sparring with their Republican relatives over a new government policy that will require citizens to sign a loyalty oath to the president. When two government agents (John Cho and Billy Magnussen) enter the mix, the holiday dinner fully goes off the rails.

Release date: Oct. 12

36 Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

Image Source: Warner Bros.

The scoop: Not only does the Fantastic Beasts sequel take us to Hogwarts back in the day, but it also introduces young Dumbledore (Jude Law) and young Newt Scamander in a few nostalgic flashbacks. Of course, the film also moves to years later, when Dumbledore has to team up with adult Newt (Eddie Redmayne) on his journey to Paris, where he’ll no doubt run into the evil Grindelwald (Johnny Depp).

Release date: Nov. 16

37 Widows

Image Source: 20th Century Fox

The scoop: Another all-women heist flick is arriving this year. Oscar-winning director Steve McQueen has teamed up with Gone Girl author Gillian Flynn for Widows, a thriller about four women who are forced to step in to repay the debt their husbands — a gang of thieves who die during a heist gone wrong — couldn’t. The women in question? Viola Davis, Elizabeth Debicki, Michelle Rodriguez, and Cynthia Erivo, who look more than capable of sticking it to the men in their town who don’t think they “have the balls to pull this off,” according to Davis’s Veronica.

Release date: Nov. 16

38 Creed II

Image Source: Warner Bros.

The scoop: Michael B. Jordan’s boxer is back! This time around, The Land director Steven Caple Jr. is at the helm while Ryan Coogler serves as an executive producer, but Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, and Phylicia Rashad are all reprising their roles. The film picks up after Adonis’s defeat by “Pretty” Ricky Conlan in Creed, as he struggles to balance his boxing career with his relationship with Bianca (Thompson), as well as training for a fight against Viktor Drago, the son of former prize champion boxer Ivan Drago (who killed his father, Apollo, during an exhibition match).

Release date: Nov. 21

39 Second Act

Image Source: STX Entertainment

The scoop: Real-life BFFs Jennifer Lopez and Leah Remini join forces for Second Act, which follows Lopez’s Maya as she struggles to climb the corporate ladder at the big-box store where she works because of her lack of an Ivy League degree. When her close friend and coworker (Remini) gets her son to “Cinderella” Maya’s résumé and internet presence — think: photos of her with the Obamas, climbing Kilimanjaro, a degree from Wharton — she suddenly finds herself with a fancy new job on Madison Avenue. Milo Ventimiglia and Vanessa Hudgens also star!

Release date: Nov. 21

40 Green Book

Image Source: Universal Pictures

The scoop: Peter Farrelly’s Green Book is based on a true story about two men in the 1960s who form an unlikely friendship. Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali stars as Dr. Don Shirley, a world-class black pianist, who hires Tony Lip (Academy Award nominee Viggo Mortensen), a Bronx-born bouncer, to drive him on a concert tour that extends from Manhattan to the Deep South. Using the “Green Book,” which serves as a guide to the establishments that were safe at the time for African-Americans, the pair navigate the ups and downs of their lengthy road trip together.

Release date: Nov. 21

41 Robin Hood

Image Source: Summit Entertainment

The scoop: Do you like roguish vigilantes? Or scenes that feature 50 arrows being shot at once in slow motion? How about dramatic dialogue like, “Who is he? He’s all of us.” If any of those things appeal to you, then good news: you’re going to love Robin Hood. The gritty adaptation of the classic “steal from the rich, give to the poor” tale stars Kingsman‘s Taron Egerton as the masked hero, as well as Bridge of Spies‘ Eve Hewson as Maid Marian and Jamie Foxx as Robin Hood’s mentor, Little John.

Release date: Nov. 21

42 Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2

Image Source: Disney

The scoop: Ralph and Vanellope have big adventures ahead of them! The adorable duo from Wreck-It Ralph are back for the colorful sequel, Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2. Six years after the events of the first film, Ralph (John C. Reilly) and Vanellope (Sarah Silverman) stumble upon a WiFi router in their arcade, which sends them on a high-flying journey around the World Wide Web. Luckily, the internet access means they’ll bump into a few Disney princesses — Merida, Moana, Anna, Elsa, Rapunzel, and more! — as well as other iconic internet figures.

Release date: Nov. 21

43 Mary Queen of Scots

Image Source: Focus Features

The scoop: Following the life of young Queen Mary after she is widowed at age 18, the biopic focuses on her relationship with rival Queen Elizabeth. Saoirse Ronan is starring as Mary Stuart opposite Margot Robbie as Queen Elizabeth I. Joe Alwyn and Guy Pearce also costar in the heated historical drama about an age-old story of family ties and dueling women in power.

Release date: Dec. 7

44 Aquaman

Image Source: Warner Bros.

The scoop: Prepare yourself for a more in-depth look at the world of Aquaman and his family. We’ll finally get to see Aquaman’s parents — his mother, Atlanna, played by Nicole Kidman, and his father, Tom Curry, played by Moana actor Temuera Morrison — as well as future wife Mera, played by Amber Heard. And no superhero film is complete without a proper villain, which we’ll get twofold thanks to Abdul-Mateen II’s Black Manta and Patrick Wilson’s Orm.

Release date: Dec. 21

45 Mortal Engines

Image Source: Universal Pictures

The scoop: In a postapocalyptic world, London has now become a giant machine that has to eat other cities to survive. Hugo Weaving, Jihae, and Robert Sheehan star in Peter Jackson’s adaptation.

Release date: Dec. 14

46 Bird Box

Image Source: Getty / Anthony Harvey

The scoop: Josh Malerman’s horrifying novel is coming to Netflix with a whole lot of star power. Sandra Bullock is set to play a mother struggling to keep her two children alive in the midst of an apocalypse that turns people into violent monsters and finds herself faced with navigating them down a dangerous river while blindfolded in search of salvation. Academy Award winner Susanne Bier is in the director’s chair, and the film also stars Trevante Rhodes, Sarah Paulson, and John Malkovich.

Release date: Dec. 21

47 Welcome to Marwen

Image Source: Universal Pictures

The scoop: Welcome to Marwen is directed by Robert Zemeckis and based on Jeff Malmberg’s award-winning 2010 documentary Marwencol and sees Steve Carell playing the real-life Mark Hogancamp, who was beaten into a coma by five men and spent 40 days in the hospital. After the attack left him with brain damage and PTSD, Hogancamp immersed himself in an intricate world of World War II-era miniatures as a form of art therapy. Carell is joined by Leslie Mann, Diane Kruger, Merritt Wever, Janelle Monáe, Eiza González, and Gwendolyn Christie.

Release date: Dec. 21

48 Mary Poppins Returns

Image Source: Disney

The scoop: Mary Poppins Returns will have your inner child freaking out. The sequel takes us back to Cherry Tree Lane, where we get to see Emily Blunt as the lovable nanny and Lin-Manuel Miranda as her dancing companion.

Release date: Dec. 19

49 Bumblebee

Image Source: Paramount Pictures

The scoop:Oh, you thought you’d seen the last of the Transformers franchise? Think again. After 2017’s fifth addition (called Transformers: The Last Knight), a prequel titled Bumblebee posits that “Every adventure has a beginning.” The action film will center on the origin story of the beloved Transformer and introduce the series to a few new stars (Hailee Steinfeld and John Cena).

Release date: Dec. 21

50 On the Basis of Sex

Image Source: Focus Features

The scoop: This biopic stars Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) as a young Ruth Bader Ginsburg as she fights for gender equality on the road to becoming a Supreme Court associate justice. The film also has a stellar supporting cast, including Kathy Bates, Armie Hammer, Justin Theroux, and Sam Waterston.

Release date: Dec. 25

(C)

#50 #fall #Fall Movie #holiday #Lifestyle #Movie

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chasing-musicals · 5 years ago

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Riverdale’s Renditions of Musicals

Okay, so I know S3 of Riverdale has been out for a while now. But I’ve struggled finding motivation to continue watching it. Largely because of how much it’s gone off the rails. But Heathers was a better musical episode than Carrie and largely because the cast clearly had vocal training (but equally, the entire episode of Heathers sounded extremely auto-tuned and auto-fixed).

Let’s look at s2, episode 18, chapter 31: A Night to Remember.

Let’s be honest here; the cast didn’t sound quite right, but they also didn’t sound exactly bad.

Lili Reinhart (Betty) opened the first number, In, and honestly, she didn’t sound too bad. But she sounded so much different in this episode than she does when she’s singing raw, but mostly with In, I found.

Camila Mendes (Veronica) sounded slightly auto-tuned, if I’m honest. The argument for this is that the notes she was singing were smooth in transition and there was little, if any, sound of strain where there should have been on the repeated “worry” where it goes up in note. It was incredibly smoothed out. Just take “Saturday night” as the prime example - the twang shouldn’t have been there on “night”. However, she does have a lovely raw voice, which many wouldn’t know unless they search for her singing outside of Riverdale.

Madelaine Petsch (Cheryl) did not sound like herself at all. She was surprisingly monotonous, especially given that she truly can sing. Although, it does (semi) work in the song. But there were instances of severe auto-tuning – “when will I belong” – and the “belong” sounded extremely off in the note drop, and should not have been up-down as it was. “Damn”, in the context in the song, is mean to be full of emotion (and louder with more power, but eh, that would’ve sounded off with the tone Madelaine was singing), but seems flat – and it’s her face and eyes that are giving the emotion.

Vanessa Morgan (Toni) was very off in her first line (“what if I do snap”) and the auto-tuning was there rather heavily. It was noticeable most with “what if” and if you listen closely, you hear the off-key to her voice. However, after the first line she sings, she begins to sound more natural, even if there is a lot of smoothing of the voice.

KJ Apa (Archie) began the second verse, and honestly, he did not sound right at all. It’s not his vocal range – it’s far, far too low and makes him sound like he can’t sing when he really can – evident in how even in an octave too low for him, he still manages to hit the right notes.

Shannon Purser (Ethyl) not much was off really with her. “I go crazy. Nobody cares what it does to me”. “Nobody” and “does” were not right. There was a sharp that shouldn’t have been there in both, but other than that, she sounded fine – and wasn’t auto-tuned as much as the others. The only other time she seemed to go off-key in In, was when the overlap began, and “In” sounded far too sharp (about 2:48 in the episode on Netflix).

Casey Cott (Kevin) – well, there’s nothing to say about him really because he really can sing and it’s evident in his strong “I go crazy” following Shannon’s line. Yes, he might have sounded off slightly at the end of “crazy” but that was him raw, and him taking a fast breath for “I would go out of my mind”.

Next came the number, Carrie, in which Madelaine featured. Now, while she can sing, this was not her pitch, I don’t believe. “That’s not my name” was off, but that was due to a slight too-heavy fixture of auto-tuning on “name”. That was very much the only off-part honestly, as it was very much her being raw. You can hear soft growls of pure power on a number of words; “I am the sound” the “I” contains the power, “Oh, my someday” the “oh” contains the power. And then was that belt at the end, controlled but oh-so-powerful.

On to the next number; Do Me a Favor. Again, I’ll cover each in order of singing. We begin, once again, with darling Lili. Playing Sue in the musical, she sits quite comfortably with this vocal range (it’s far more her natural tone) but it can’t be denied that she does sound off, but that’s largely because she’s more nasally, which is what head-voice can be fore some people. And then she slips down out of head and more to chest, and sounds clearer. For someone who doesn’t sing often and hasn’t had much vocal training professionally, she is someone who has great vocal control.

Next came Camila, and woooo her belt was there. In comparison to In, she sounded waaaaaaaay more natural, and in control, even with the high, almost strained, “if she plays with fire, she’s gonna get burned”. The music to this song helps too, suiting her vocal range as powerful whereas Lili is far softer in vocal range. The only note that seemingly was off was “make her good and sorry that she ever crossed me” but even that was the music making it sound off on the “make”.

When Lili and Camila began their duet of “I can even up this debt”, that was when Lili sounded off, her pitching too high on “debt” but that was really about it. These two have voices that meld together quite nicely.

This song seemed much better for all of them, if KJ is anything to go off. Unlike In, where it was too low an octave, this was a low note but in his octave, with his voice melding with Jordan Calloway’s (Chuck).

All in all, Do Me a Favor is very raw, sounding much as it would on stage anywhere.

Now for Unsuspecting Hearts. We all know Ashleigh Murray (Josie) can sing, so I won’t dwell on her. Madelaine. Oh, dear, oh dear. What happened there? “That’s how it starts. Two unsuspecting”. Ouch. That did not sound right at all. And yet, she seemed okay for the rest of the song.

Righto, time for The World According to Chris. Though it may seem it, Camila has a raw voice for this, even if “fellow man” doesn’t sound right (it’s nasally, not off note or key). Now, “daddy” is definitely not right. She messed up the note but not drastically – she just went down and it just sounded odd. But honestly, you can hear each intake of breath, and you can just hear the rawness of her voice on “you’d probably think it’s bizarre. But that’s the way things are” – and it’s honestly just so nice! And then we have “better to punch than get punched! Better to burn than get burned – learn that and you’re gonna go far” which honestly is way too high (but still not auto-tuned, yay!) but then she drops back down to the right key.

Time for the heart-wrencher; You Shine. For KJ’s voice, the song is the right pitch, and it definitely shows. What may seem off in “If you could see” is him literally breaking into the song. With Lili, she finally gets to do a belt in her soft, “angelic” (to quote Madelaine) voice, and boy does it sound good. And while she sounds more enthusiastic than Camilla in their duet, it works to create a contrast and to harmonize their voices.

Stay Here Instead is a tricky one to analyse, and mostly because Mädchen Amick (Alice C.) hasn’t had much vocal training, despite marrying a singer-songwriter and growing up playing many instruments. But honestly, she did well. Yes, some note may have sounded off, or forced, but that’s because she went in extremely raw.

A Night We’ll Never Forget is the very title of the episode, and the song that takes place as being very much like High School Musical’s Night to Remember, being backstage as the cast of the show prepare to perform. It’s harder to pick apart as they all sing together, and it’s hard to figure out if the music is covering or not. The best part is that you can hear Casey over everyone else, which is nice. Jordan, however, seemed to stand out as being not quite as on note. Shannon also sounded as though she was being autotuned, but that might have been the music. Vanessa was raw, as was Lili, KJ, Camila and Madelaine. As a company, the cast really worked this particular number.

Evening Prayers was where everything went stir-crazy for the show, with the character Midge turning up dead (spoiler, she was murdered by our favorite, Chic). Mädchen doesn’t miss a note, and the music had been changed to work with her vocal range, and as such it works to her advantage.

I loved the references they make in the episode, however, around the notorious note, in which reference to Phantom is made rather bluntly.

Now, let’s look at s3, episode 16, chapter 51: Big Fun.

There was a lot of unnecessary auto-tuning in this one, let me tell you. And waaaaaaaaay to many WHIP sound effects that weren’t needed.

Casey was okay, really, and that definitely falls back to how he’s also a singer. Maybe he hasn’t performed on Broadway, but he’s performed at 54Below. He opened up with Beautiful, and let’s be honest, while the choreography sucked ass, it doesn’t reflect the singers at all. While he was nasally, Casey was also raw, which is important to note given how most of the cast weren’t. The only line I seemed to notice that was off, was “I pray, I pray”, where the second “I pray” sounded more like “a pray”, but it’s mostly down to the vowels sounding very similar.

I don’t have much to pick apart with Camila really. Sure, “things will get better, soon as my letter, comes from Havard, Duke or Brown” sounds spoken, but it’s hard to jump straight into singing when even the beat is slow. Besides, even in the OBCR this line is sung in very much the same way as Camila has. And hey, you actually hear the breathiness in her voice and each intake of breath she takes. That’s a win. She’s done really well in matching Barrett Wilbert Weed’s (OBCR Veronica Sawyr) take on the song.

Now, I have no idea what they did to KJ or Ashliegh because neither one of them sounded right or like themselves. KJ can sing, so I don’t know why he was autotuned so much in this. It’s painful to listen to. When he starts, the “And I know, I know, I know” don’t sound too bad, but “life can be beautiful” went off, especially the “beautiful”. It was from there that he stopped sounding so much like KJ and started sounding more auto-tuned.

I won’t lie – I fucking love Ashliegh’s voice, but in this episode, she was not done justice. You can hear the auto-tune, and it grated on my ears especially with “kind once more” where “more” skips down. All in all, she really didn’t sound like herself, at all.

Onto Lili. Her voice is beautiful, but again, AUTO-TUNE?! She honestly doesn’t sound right when she starts singing in Beautiful. The first “I know” was almost too powerful, and sounded slightly off-key, but also fixed. It’s bad enough that there’s the echo behind the words, but to be so loud? Nah. Not right. But other than that particular line, she doesn’t sound dreadfully off. It was pointed out by a close friend that, to her, Lili sounded much like she did when singing In during season 2, which as I’ve pointed out, was auto-tune heavy for the entire cast. At least there was less of the auto-tuning here, as after “I know, I know” you start to hear her taking breaths again.

Cole Sprouse. Is there really anything to say for Beautiful other than how he decided to take “just not today” and do it Blues style? But hey, at least it wasn’t auto-tuned or in the wrong pitch for him.

Then came the long baritone from Casey, which ran under the cast in the classroom. Ashleigh sounded okay, but Charles Melton (Reggie) sounded waaay too monotonous, KJ sounded better than earlier in the song but still not quite right, Jordan Connor (Sweet Pea) and Drew Ray Tanner (Fangs) sounded surprisingly perfect together, and then the cast together sounds much better.

And then we have Lili, Camila and Madelaine, who sounded shockingly auto-tuned and off key. Madelaine, whose solo in Beautiful began with “you know, you know, you know” sounded hollow, with no emotion behind it. But following that, she sounds like her, emotion and all. “Let’s make her beautiful”, sung in round by Lili and Camila didn’t sound quite right, but only on the part of Camila being monotonous and Lili being slightly too high, I feel, sounding airy.

Charles seemed to redeem himself for his monotonous “why do I act like such a creep” in the classroom scene with “out of my way, geek” in the hall where he pushes Drew, who in his line of “I don’t want trouble” sounded wrong as it sounded overly whimpy, but was definitely raw. Charles then seemed to loose his will to sing as “you’re gonna die at 3pm” sounded lacklustre towards “3pm”. Madelaine sounded perfectly fine when she sang “don’t you dare touch me, get away pervert”, leading to Jordan’s short solo - “what did I ever do to them” - which sounded just perfect.

And then there is that iconic moment of Casey leading them all into the theatre, in what can only be described as his GLEE moment. He sounded fine, Lili and Camila’s duet sounded ... good? To a degree, anyway. Madelaine was on key with her 3 lines. And there is no escaping just how controlled Casey was with his belts of “it might be beautiful” and the final line of “it’s a beautiful frickin’ day”.

Let’s talk about Candy Store. Soooooooo much auto-tuning it was unreal. It wasn’t too bad to begin with – sure they cut out half of the lines in the episode, but oh well (the cast recording on Spotify has the entire thing, with altered lyrics). There isn’t much to pick out about Madelaine’s singing really, until after the first attempt at harmonizing (it wasn’t bad, lodes of people have said it is, but honestly, I’ve heard way worse). My biggest issue? The lyric change from “if you lack the balls, you can go play dolls, let your mommy fix you a snack” to “if you lack the deuce, go play duck duck goose, let your mommy fix you ice-cream”. I understand the change from “balls”, and in short from “dolls”, but snack? There really was no purpose for that line change. Of course, there is the question of copyright, and the fact that the show is technically pg13 (not that you’d ever know it) which explained the lyric change of “prove you’re not a pussy anymore” to “prove you’re not a doorknob anymore” (yes, doorknob really is the new lyric in Riverdale), but even so… And then there were the cut-offs at the end of “you can join the team”…“you can live the dream” that literally made me so annoyed because it sounded so unnatural.

Vanessa I feel sorry for. Truly, I do. She did not get to showcase the amazing voice she has, and was heavily auto-tuned. “Whoa, whoa, whoa” sounded of pitch and key, and the edited cut from the recording was done extremely badly. And then the out of time, and off key “step into my candy store” at the end of her verse/chorus was waaaaaaaay too clear. I don’t know how or why the recording team allowed this particular one to be the final version. Sadly, she also fell on the note of “anymore” which caused a fail in build up. And then “or you can bitch and moan”…“or you can die alone” both sounded so much nicer than the rest of what she sang (let’s not talk about the whip noises).

When they had the duet and harmonized they sounded so good (ignoring the weird af choreo) and even when they dropped an octave for “end up like her” it worked so much better than people give them credit. Yes, true, this line is meant to be high, but honestly, going low worked better for Madelaine and Vanessa because they would’ve struggled to hit the note. Besides, it wasn’t as though the low take came out of nowhere, either, as Heather Duke (an alto role: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oYAfnOY71Q) does the same in the harmonizing of the three Heathers, with Heather McNamara being the soprano role (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubBAlBGfEP4) and Heather Chandler being the mezzo-soprano role (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StEi0AOfH_Y). When they went into Heather Chandler’s long “stooore”, the high belt was honestly too much for either one of them to hit, but it can’t be denied that Madelaine gave it a good shot (even if that off-key shriek shouldn’t be there at all) and so did Vanessa on the overlapping “whoa” she belted. You can hear auto-tuning, that has to be said. But it has to be said that Madelaine’s voice suites alto more so than mezzo-soprano. Just be glad they didn’t go for the F5 “store” at the very end.

Now for the kicker. Big Fun, the very song the episode is titled after. All I can say without wanting to DIE is that only Casey can actually sing in this, and he only has a few short lines – he literally made the song tolerable and he even gave an almost belt on “I feel like Bono at Live-Aid”. Zoé De Grand Maison (Evelyn) can’t sing I don’t think (if she can, I’m sorry, but there is no other evidence of her singing without auto-tune that I can find), but I won’t deny that “I’m not alone, I’m not afraid” sounded OK. The harmonies that were supposed to be there weren’t, and they completely fucked up the notes on “Big fun! Big fun!” (look closely and you can see that Casey doesn’t even try on it because clearly he expected them to hit the note and they missed it, but you can hear KJ trying), Charles honestly just sounded bad. Camila, well, auto-tune was there to smooth her voice over, but at least they tried to make it sound real – but also, it wasn’t even the right character part she was singing, she was mean to be playing a Heather not Veronica Sawyr. I’m sorry, but Ashleigh’s “I’m actually having” sounded fake as all hell, and not like her at all. Jordan’s “you need a jello shot” to Drew wasn’t so bad either, I guess, as it was a musical yell. “Dang, dang” wasn’t too bad… It wasn’t good, but it was awful. I don’t know why it sounded so bad, honestly, but I’d wager that it’s because only Casey got away with his raw voice, but also because it wasn’t the right song for most of the cast.

Dead Girl Walking. How they managed to fuck this one up, I don’t want to even go into. For one, Vanessa is not a Mezzo-Soprano, so it was certainly not the right key for her (any song can be the right one in the right key). It started out okay, in all honesty, but I would’ve preferred Vanessa getting in more of those sexy-ass growls in the words because some of the words fell flat without it where the growl would’ve added much-needed emotion. It was the wrong note-change on “freaky” and I didn’t like the chest-to-head on “I’m a dead girl walking”, as there was no slide into it, just a drop. And then it just went down-hill. Until Madelaine entered, and sounded raw with “and you know, you know, you know. It’s ‘cause you’re beautiful. You say you’re numb inside, I can’t agree.” I really loved how Vanessa also sounded rather raw in her following, “so the word’s unfair, keep it locked out there” but then autotuned on “in here it’s beautiful” where “beautiful” was really messed up and all over the place.

Our Love is God is truly one of the most beautiful songs of Heathers, and I have to say, it was done justice here (by Casey and Drew, not Zoé). I stand by my statement of Zoé not being a singer, even while she sounded not overly autotuned, it was still there – honestly though, she sounded more natural here than in Big Fun, and I can’t say that I found such an issue with her voice here when I listened without headphones. The harmonizing of Zoe, Casey and Drew was beautiful, and I won’t even try to deny that, but nothing beats Drew and Casey soloing and harmonizing together. Both Casey and Drew were raw, and you can hear it in Drew’s voice, particularly from the unedited crack on “trade”. I won’t lie – the belt both he and Casey performed sent chills down my spine because they’re so perfect! And then they sang together on the same note and it was perfect.

Fight For Me just didn’t work. Yes, both KJ and Ashleigh sounded better than they have in other songs this episode, but still, there was a lot of off notes that make me cringe, and nothing about this song worked in context of setting (sure it was in a boxing ring but that was it) or their characters. For KJ’s vocal range, this song wasn’t the right choice. For one, he’s from New Zealand, and has to emphasize the US accent even more when singing – why, I don’t know, because it ruined his singing – making it harder when singing too low, as evidenced in the slightly off-word “proud”. Literally my only problem with KJ in Fight For Me is that his US accent is over-pronounced. I can say that “if we’re still alive, I would fight for you” sounds fine, it sounds more natural for both KJ and Ashleigh. She doesn’t get off scott-free here, though. She still didn’t sound like herself or like she has in episodes previous, which was the stinker because she would’ve nailed this song without any auto-tuning. The final note on “fight for me” at the end was waaaaaaaaay off, and I feel sorry for KJ who was very clearly auto-tuned for a ‘perfect’ note to match Ashleigh’s.

Time for Seventeen, the song that was set perfectly. Lili started off fine with “let’s be normal, see bad movies, sneak a beer” but then came the auto-tuning on “and watch TV”, but it went back to sounding more raw on “we’ll bake brownies” and from there she sounded more normal – even when she went breathy and heady. Lili has a naturally soft and higher voice, which is why her head voice sounded fine (she was in her head voice from “a life with me? Can’t we be seventeen” to the end of her verse. But then was the wince and cringe inducing final note on “you’re the one I choose” where Lili was so obviously auto-tuned (and possibly Cole, so that the note’s matched better, but either way the attempted harmony didn’t work).

So, the popular opinion on Cole in Seventeen is that he can’t sing, or that he’s heavily auto-tuned. But guess what, he isn’t. That’s why he sounds bad when he starts to sing. But the only reason he sounds bad, and not like he did in Beautiful where he sounded very Blues, was because this song, up until the chorus, is not his key, and thus he isn’t singing in the right octave for his vocal range. And I want to share this, because to me, on “you’re right, that really blows” sounded rather like there was an Irish lilt in there. What do you guys think? But then, in the echoed “my eyes” by Madelaine and Cole, you hear him (and his harmony with Madelaine actually sounds really nice). Then you get to the chorus, of “can’t we be seventeen? That all I want to do” and you hear that motherfucking higher belt with him obviously straining on set where they don’t need to be singing and yet he is. No, that isn’t auto-tuned, that is Cole, singing in his key, in his range – either that or it was Casey, but you’d be able to tell if it was, and if it was auto-tuned.

Vanessa is actually singing without auto-tune and it made me so fucking happy because you get to hear how she alters the note to fit her vocal range by bringing the high notes down on “if you could let me in, I could be good with you”, which made it easier for Madelaine to harmonize (because only Madelaine and Vanessa are singing this part).

Next up, Lifeboat, which stood as Camila’s solo. Fortunately, there really isn’t much to say. The song was in her key, and suited her voice, but there was a minor issue around how there wasn’t so much emotion in the song as there maybe should have been, as this is a powerful song in the musical. In the Cast Recording for this episode, she does the entire song, which works better, but still didn’t convey any emotions Veronica was feeling at that given moment in the scene. At least there wasn’t a lot, if any, auto-tuning.

Seventeen Reprise was a shocker. Casey and Cole weren’t auto-tuned, and it certainly showed, but the others? It’s easiest to talk about Ashliegh, as she was way off, but she has been the entire episode, and KJ and Vanessa who were also off here. The harmonies sounded auto-tuned (thankfully you can still hear Camila and Vanessa’s lower tones among the higher voices) and towards the end, only Cole and Casey can really be heard over the tuning. This was definitely the worst song of what the cast sang.

The links I included are links to three different videos that cover the vocals for each of the Heathers. The rights for these videos go to the AMAZING YouTube singer, Katherine Ryan.

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insert-witty-comment · 7 years ago

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Firstly, I'm not going to say you have to be POSITIVE, but can we sort of ignore the sad truth that a lot of child actors live unhappy lives and just think for the best as we do this?Anyways, I thought this would be fun. Who do you see walking away from this show as stars, or eventually having meaty roles. Here are the people that I think are going to walk out of the show with a better career.-Shannon Purser: This one is a cheat as in I don't see her being a HUGE star, but we already have proof that appearing on Stranger Things has given her a much healthier career than she would've had without it. She's appearing on Riverdale and was in a really bad horror and is nominated for an Emmy. She was even up for Squirrel Girl. While I doubt she will become an A-lister, when they need a larger younger actress, she will be the first person casting directors think of. That is pretty damn good.-Joe Keery: Yeah, he's walking out of this the show's biggest star ...at least in the immediate future. The thing with Millie Bobby Brown and Arbour is that they are great actors and will certainly be stars in their own right. But their characters are so iconic and so tied to the series, that they might be type cast. It is actually the other way with Steve. The character was never meant to be likable or a mainstay. Keery's natural likability enhanced what was an underwritten role, making Steve a more likable character. Again, no offense to anyone else, I think he is going to be the true break out movie (or TV ...because there is no stigma to it now) star because his personality transcends the role. Also, and I don't want to understate this, in a show with bald girls, pre-teen leads, and Dad Bod, he fits the teen heart throb quo more than anybody else (sorry, Mr. Clake). I think the odds of him getting major movie roles soon is fairly certain.-Caleb Mclaughlin: Maybe not immediately, but give him five to ten years and he will be a name that everybody is talking about for his dramatic acting. I thought Millie and everybody else was great, but Lucas had the hardest job of anybody on the show. Funny, how the character was probably the most underwritten but had to show the widest range of emotions. Caleb nailed it every time, especially having to be the skeptic out of the group. He had to play angry, frustrated, and jealous. But when it came time to that "come to Jesus" moment he showed potential that most child actors cannot. Like I said, he might be overlooked for most of the young cast right now, but when they become adults, he will be the one with the serious acting career. via /r/StrangerThings

#stranger things

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wbwest · 8 years ago

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West Week Ever: Pop Culture In Review - 4/21/17

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Star Wars Celebration (I can’t say that without thinking of Dave Chappelle’s Rick James yelling “It’s a celebration, bitches!”) happened in Florida last weekend, and we got our first teaser trailer for Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Folks seemed to like it alright. I’ve never claimed to be the biggest Star Wars fan, but nothing about this really gave me a Force Boner or anything. That’s probably because Rogue One left such a bad taste in my mouth. Anyway, I’m sure I’ll see it, but it’s not really on my radar.

In other movie “news”, we got the track listing for Awesome Mix Vol 2 from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2., which comes out today. Is it just me, or is it weird that Mama Quill gave Peter mixtapes of all the songs that played while she was banging dudes in Camaros? Come on – she was totally that chick! Anyway, there are no real surprises here, as it seems to be in-line thematically with the first volume. Personally, I’m ecstatic that “Come A Little Bit Closer” will be introduced to a new generation, as I’m a huge fan of Jay and the Americans (check out “Cara Mia” if you’ve never heard it).

This rumor came out a few weeks ago, but it kinda floated under my radar: apparently Warner Bros wants to release 4 Batman-centered films in 2019 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Detective Comics. This slate would include Nightwing, Gotham City Sirens, the Joss Whedon Batgirl, and the oft-delayed The Batman. Nice idea, but there’s no way this happens. DC just doesn’t have its shit together enough to pull this off. Marvel could do it, but they would’ve been planning it since 2012. It’s already 2017 and they expect to crank out 4 movies in 2 years? Shit ain’t happening.

Bring on the teen angst train, as we’ve got two more comic-based series just dripping with it! First up is Cloak and Dagger on Freeform, which looks like the Freeformiest show that ever Freeformed. It’ll be right at home between the show about the deaf girl and the show about the foster kids. I’ve never been a huge Cloak and Dagger fan, but the series follows teen runaways Tandy Bowen and Tyrone Johnson, who were kidnapped and injected with an experimental drug. The drug left Tandy (Dagger) with “light daggers”, while Tyrone (Cloak) has a mystical cloak that transports people and things to a dark dimension. Oh, and there’s that sweet, sweet interracial love/Jungle Fever aspect to things. Based on the trailer, it’s gonna focus more on the love thing than the power thing, which is understandable since powers are expensive on a weekly TV budget. I haven’t heard if this is actually considered part of the MCU, but it’s nice to see the Roxxon sign at the end, so there are clear ties to the universe itself.

The angst doesn’t end there, though, kids! We also got a trailer for Syfy’s Krypton series (which has since been yanked down) – ya know, the one that nobody asked for. It’s hard for me to get excited about Krypton when very little about that planet has ever seemed appealing. It’s most recently been painted as a cold, stoic, science-based society. And since they don’t have our sun, it means they’re powerless. Here’s what I don’t get about the trailer: the show takes place approximately 200 years prior to Man of Steel (I guess making it the first series to be an official part of the DCEU), but the monologue is of Kal El’s grandfather leaving a message for him. Um, how does he KNOW his grandson’s name is Kal El if he hasn’t been born yet? Anyway, it’s about Grandpa El, who happens to be a sexy, CW-ish twenty something, trying to restore honor to the disgraced House of El. The effects look nice (AKA expensive), but nothing about this show makes me want to see it.

There’s some laughter coming from a different comic-based series, however, in the form of Freeform’s New Warriors. I mentioned it a few weeks ago, but it’s been confirmed that Kevin Biegel of Enlisted/Cougar Town will be the showrunner, and we got a confirmation of the roster. Led by Squirrel Girl (who has never been a New Warrior in the comics, but I won’t harp on that), the team is comprised of Speedball, Night Thrasher, Microbe, Mister Immortal, and Debrii. I’m familiar with career Warriors Speedball and Night Thrasher, but I don’t know anything about the others. Considering Mr. Immortal and Squirrel Girl are Great Lakes Avengers characters, this is something of a hybrid team.

I’m the furthest thing from a foodie, but I love a good dairy-based gimmick drink, and this week featured TWO of them! First up, I’d read online that Burger King had been testing a Froot Loops Shake at certain East Coast locations, with plans to roll it out nationally today. Well, I traveled around until I found one that had it early (well, I didn’t travel too far – it was down the street from my apartment), as I had to see what the fuss was all about. I had heard it described as made from vanilla soft serve, with Froot Loops pieces, topped off with a sweet, syrupy drizzle. Sounds exotic, right? WRONG. Whoever thought of this probably got a bonus for the idea, but it lacks in the execution. It’s basically a vanilla shake with edible confetti in it. From Loops don’t really have a strong fruity flavor to them, so it’s not like it’s rubbing off into the soft serve. And when you do get some Froot Loop chunks through the straw, they just taste like flavorless corn cereal. I didn’t taste any kind of drizzle, and I kept waiting for the WOW to kick in. It never did. I drank this so that you don’t have to and, trust me, you really don’t have to.

Next up was the Starbucks Unicorn Frappuccino. I hadn’t even heard of the thing until Wednesday morning, when everyone and their mom was talking about it. Looking at it, I was reminded of the Birthday Cake Frappuccino that comes out in March (I remember this because it was out at the time Evie was born). I LIVED on those things for the two weeks or so that they were in stores, so I was expecting this to be more of the same. I wasn’t sure what flavor this one was supposed to be, but there were certainly visual similarities. Anyway, after dinner Wednesday night, I snuck off to the corner Starbucks to try it out. You’ve heard of a Butterface, right? Well, this is a Buttertaste. It looks cool and everything, but the taste…THE TASTE! Its marketing emphasizes that it magically changes flavors while you drink it, but I could never really nail down what those flavors were supposed to be. There was a pervasive muskiness to it, making me feel like I’d basically sucked off a real unicorn. Of course, that would be silly – everyone knows you’ve got to buy a unicorn dinner before it lets you do that! Then, near the end, the muskiness gives way to a hyper berry taste, reminiscent of the Blue Raspberry that candy scientists seemed to have discovered in 1992. At no point in the drink was it what I would call “enjoyable”, and even the whipped cream on top was disappointing. As far as I’m concerned, this drink can fuck off back to Narnia where it came from.

Things You Might Have Missed This Week

Bill O’Reilly was fired from Fox News following sexual harassment allegations. See, if he’d told Billy Bush he only grabbed ‘em by the pussy, he’d be President by now!

Nintendo officially ended production on the NES Classic, followed by rumors that an SNES Classic is coming later this year

Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck were announced as the directors for Captain Marvel. I’ve never seen anything they’ve done (Half Nelson, episodes of Billions, and The Affair), so I’ve got no real opinion right now

Speaking of Marvel films, Black Panther wrapped production this week, as Hollywood braces for the return of every living Black actor

Will Smith is in talks to take on the classic Robin Williams role of The Genie in Guy Ritchie’s live action Aladdin adaptation. Obviously, Jaden Smith will probably get the role of Aladdin.

Stranger Things co-star Shannon Purser came out as bisexual on Twitter. Well, she’s bisexual in real life. She just used Twitter to announce it.

Director James Gunn announced that Guardians of the Galaxy 3 would be the final iteration of this lineup of the team

Black-ish was sold into off-network syndication, launching in Fall 2018

Jane The Virgin’s Gina Rodriguez will voice Carmen Sandiego in a new animated series coming to Netflix

Steve Harvey will host a revival of Showtime At the Apollo for Fox

Fate of the Furious debuted to $532 million internationally, beating the record-setting $529 million earned by Star Wars: The Force Awakens

With its original pilot rejected by Fox a few years ago, Joe Hill’s comic Locke & Key will have a new pilot filmed for Hulu

The X-Files has been renewed for a 10-episode 11th season. I couldn’t even make it through the last 6-episode batch they gave us, so I think this is a pass for me.

For the past 6 seasons, I have pretty much hate-watched HBO’s Girls. I hated Lena Dunham’s dumpy, Play-Doh body which was constantly on nude display. I hated all of her character Hannah’s “problems”. I hated her boyfriend Adam. I had convinced myself that I was really just watching, hoping that the characters would eventually be hit by a truck or something. Then, this season came along. Even through all my hate, I had to admit that this was a pretty strong season. From Hannah’s odd interaction with a bestselling author to Marnie finally realizing she sucks at life, there were some great episodes of television to be found in this season of the show. I was also forced to admit things about myself.

First off, I always knew I liked Shoshana because she had enough sense to know that she deserved better than the friends with which she’d found herself. And I definitely missed her once she decided to finally distance herself from them. I also realized there was much more to the Ray character and, while they didn’t exactly put a bow on it, I’m glad they led us to believe that he had found a happy ending. Even a character as originally unlikable as Elijah had some strong development this season, and he was truly missed in the finale, even though this chapter of his story had come to a close. As I already admitted in my Get Out review, I had to come to terms with my crush on Allison Williams and, by extension, Marnie Michaels. Yeah, she sucked at life, but she seemed like the one out of the four who had Tony Starked her way into that situation; she was the cause of her own problems. Once she began to realize that, the character held more promise. And I realized I hated Jessa because she reminded me too much of girls I’d hooked up with in college: damaged, tattooed, pseudo-junkies who are lucky to still be alive. And I guess Hannah reminded me of girls I’d hooked up with post college. Yeah, I hated a lot about Girls because, I guess, I hated a lot about myself.

This Sunday saw the series finale of the show, and I wasn’t quite sure I was ready for it. After a season that had given us a pregnant Hannah, but also showcased the dissolution of the group’s friendship, I didn’t really know how they could “end” the story. I was further distraught when I read an article last week saying that Jessa and Shosh’s final appearances had been in the penultimate episode that had just aired. While I would miss them in the final half hour, I had to admit that their chapters had also come to a close.

When we get to the finale, there’s a five-month time jump, where Marnie and Hannah are living in a remote house upstate, raising Hannah’s baby, Grover. Yes, that’s what she named him. Anyway, it was 30 minutes about what it means to be happy, but also what it means to be an adult and a parent. I like to think that Hannah finally grew up once she realized that Grover wasn’t another problem that she could simply run away from. The entire episode, she’s freaking out because Grover won’t breastfeed, but in the final seconds he finally takes to her breast. The look on her face is a mix of relief and maturity. It was then that I realized the show had to end at that point, as Hannah was no longer a girl. The entire series had been about millennial drama, as they skirted adulthood, but those times were over. The title Girls no longer applied to Hannah because she was now a Woman, with all the responsibilities that entailed. I used to worry about Hannah, and I sure as Hell worried about Grover when we learned she was pregnant. After Sunday’s finale, though, I think they’re gonna be OK. It was a finale that I had to give some thought to, but it didn’t leave me unfulfilled like Don Draper creating a Coke jingle only to end up hocking tax prep software six months later. For this reason, Girls had the West Week Ever.

#Batman #Comics #DC #Indie #Marvel #Movies #Music #Politics #Race #Relationships #Star Wars #Syndication #Television #Video Games #West Week Ever

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