#there is catharsis when a character who knows only killing to be allowed to perform the opposite

[alchemania]

I share that opinion. I'm just so... baffled, I guess, by how the Traveler and Paimon were acting throughout Furina's SQ. One might say it's proof of how much the Traveler in particular is changing, from sweet and trusting to a more aloof figure, but c'mon, they've had interactions with people who tried to kill them and now they are on good terms.

Personally, I was just hoping during the entire quest that they would leave Furina to rest. Poor girl deserves it. Let her have her macaroni and her peace! Heck, they only visited her because of some NPC's troubles, not to see how she was doing.

Poor babygirl doesn't even know who she is anymore. I believe that would have been a better path to explore in her SQ. What will she do now? What will be her new hobbies? How about teaching her a recipe the Traveler has mastered from another country? Nothing about acting for now, perhaps in the future when she is better.

I- uff. There is just so much that could have been. This is a great part of why I've enjoyed your fics so much - they are a catharsis.

I've said it before but literally the way that MC and Paimon interact with Furina in her SQ is like "How NOT to Interact With Someone Who Has Depression and Trauma 101." And God, I didn't even think about it until you mentioned it but yeah, they weren't even checking up on Furina because they were worried, they were checking in because she was the best fit for a job. >:/ Jesus Christ...

Like, there's better ways to show that a character is becoming less and less kind this was just. It was tone deaf at best and downright meanspirited, at worst; where was this energy before for people who ACTUALLY deserved it? At the very least, I am proud that Furina refused to budge on her boundaries and the only reason she performed was the other lady literally couldn't at the 11th hour and there was nothing else to do.

It would have been so much better to explore things that Furina had interest in and try and help her navigate who she is and what she wants to do and just. Be a shoulder. And MC and Paimon just.. weren't really that. Like, she vents at some point and then Paimon is like "oh i thought you were just a diva" like man. She is TRYING to be vulnerable with you.. I get what you mean but like. PLEASE just be quiet sometimes.

She should have been given more time to heal and just...rest and she was not and I'm mad about it.

Big reason why I made these fics, they're catharsis for me, too. Genshin is good sometimes but a lot of the time there's so much of "this could have been more" and when it's not enough for me, I write.

I think it says a lot that Wanderer is like. In the ACTIVE process of healing. He's still unlearning things and slowly allowing himself to show that he cares more and more, in underhanded ways, and he's figuring out who he is and I think he'd be the perfect friend for Furina, cuz of that. At his core, he is a protector (I mean he literally helped raise that kid and take care of him, and even in his time in the Fatui it talks about how he was gentler to older people and kids he is a big softy at heart, he's just been hardened over centuries of trauma), and I like the idea of him protecting Furina. Not because she can't defend herself but just. Cuz he wants to.

[lokitvsource]

Tom Hiddleston: “Lots Of Questions Will Answered” In ‘Loki’ Season 2 [Interview]

Anyone who is convinced they know who will be nominated in the Lead Actor in a Drama Series category should take a deep breath before publicly making their predictions. Not only is it arguably an insanely competitive category in an Emmys season that will produce a mountain of snubs across the board, but there are a number of highly watched, fantastic performances that could surprise. One of those is Tom Hiddleston in Marvel Studios’ “Loki.”

Notably, the most critically acclaimed Marvel series to date on Disney Plus is also the streaming service’s most popular (at least according to third-party tracking services). In fact, it’s almost as popular as another Emmy favorite, “The Mandalorian.” Hiddleston, a previous Emmy acting nominee for “The Night Manager,” delivers the sort of range that the Television Academy’s acting branch likes to reward. It also doesn’t hurt that he has some fantastic co-stars to bounce off of such as Jonathan Majors (as the villainous He Who Remains), Gugu Mbatha-Raw (as a misled time agency officer), Sophia Di Martino (as Sylvia, a female Loki variant out for revenge) and Owen Wilson (as time agency detective Mobius).

Hiddleston’s chemistry with Wilson is certainly one of the aspects of the series that makes it stand out from the other Marvel Studios television productions to date. During an interview with The Playlist last week, Hiddleston recalled Wilson asking him about his decade-plus journey playing the Norse god.

He notes, “One afternoon he said, ‘I think I got it. I’m just so curious. I’ve seen the films and I understand the journey, but Tom, what do you love about playing Loki?’ And I said, ‘I suppose it’s the character’s got so much range.’ And I said, ‘It’s like a piano. He can play the light keys, but he can also play the heavy keys.’ And then in a scene once, in the Time Theater, when Loki is trying to intimidate and threaten Mobius, Owen, just threw back, ‘See I can play the heavy keys too.’ And it was great. And it’s in the show, you know? It’s those moments where that feels really exciting.”

Over the course of our chat, which has been edited and condensed for clarity, Hiddleston discusses what excited him about returning to portray Loki, playing with Majors in a key scene in the final episode, how “this” version of Loki is different from the one who was killed by Thanos and much, much more.

_____

The Playlist: Kevin Feige comes to you and says “We’re doing a “Loki” TV series” or limited series or whatever it was. What was your initial reaction?

Tom Hiddleston: Surprise and delight. What was my initial reaction? I had so many questions because it wasn’t long after I had finished my filming on “Avengers: Infinity War” and Loki’s demise felt conclusive and real. And he also wanted to honor the emotional catharsis of his sacrifice that Loki stands before Thanos and tries to save his brother and he calls himself an Odinson. And so my question was how do we allow his redemption and the poignancy of that moment to stand and create something entirely new? It felt so important to me, to him, to everybody that we had to do something new here. And that to me was the most exciting aspect of the idea was to explore Loki in a different context. Challenge the character, confront the character with his self-destructive and damaging patterns of behavior, and put him in an environment where he wasn’t in control. That by essentially stripping away what was familiar: Thor, Odin, Asgard, all the things that you’d seen before, something new would be revealed. He’s even stripped of his clothes, his status, his magical power. What’s left of Loki? Once you take all the bits of Loki that seem familiar, what’s left of him, what remains? And I thought just as a human element to the story, that’s a great starting point.

In that context, how different is Loki at the end of the sixth episode of the first season than when he was the character that was killed by Thanos? How, how much of a different character did you feel you were playing or did you feel they were at the same sort of emotional developmental sort of space?

Hmm, that’s a great question. They both certainly developed. I think Loki in the series is in a more enlightened place perhaps, or certainly in a more self-aware position because the Loki in the series is aware that his death was meaningless and that he was indirectly connected to his mother’s death and his father’s death. And this idea of glorious purpose, which has been a recurring theme for Loki has been revealed to mean nothing. And so the Loki in a series of someone in who’s been challenged by Mobius, by Sylvie, by the TVA to change. To develop something else. Challenged also by the other variants. The Richard E. Grant variant and the alligator variant. Loki has been playing the same old tune for so long, and the Loki who finishes the series is someone who is radically changed. And I think one of the most exciting scenes to film for me and Sophia and Sophia Di Martino and Jonathan Majors that I know feel the same way was the final argument where Loki doesn’t necessarily agree with He Who Remains, but he does want time to think about what to do because killing He Who Remains seems incredibly dangerous.

And Loki can see that Sylvie is blinded by grievance and anger and a kind of drive that is damaging to herself. And it resonates with him because all through the MCU, Loki’s been driven by grievance and anger and glorious purpose, I suppose. And he’s trying to help Sylvie understand that it may not deliver her what she wants because he’s been there. And that’s why he says, “I’ve been where you are. I felt what you feel.” So, yes, I think he’s in a place of self-awareness, of acceptance. He’s trying to break the record. He’s trying to play another tune. It felt very original, very new, very fresh and I loved the journey.

I wanted to ask about that scene with He Who Remains in particular. When I spoke to Kate Herron, she talked about the fact that because of Jonathan’s busy schedule, you all first went over it on Zoom, and that you did a read through, but when you got to set, he was doing things that you guys weren’t necessarily prepared for. Like unexpectedly jumping on tables and chairs. Can you talk about, as an actor, what that was like in terms of exploring something on set? Sure, it’s a big-budget show, but there is a time limit. Are those the parts of the job that are the most fun?

By far the most fun, the most exciting, and the respect of other actors or the respect of actors for each other, I find incredibly moving. And when people come ready and prepared, that’s when you can dance. And Jonathan was so ready and it was the last week of filming. And so there was this extraordinary sense of finality and momentous. It sort of was a [great] week because Sophia and I had been on this journey together. It was the real journey of making the show. And it was the end of the shoot and it was the finale of the piece. And so she and I knew each other very well, knew each other’s rhythms. And Jonathan, his big speech was literally the last three days of filming. And then the argument and the fight between Loki and Sylvie. And so the magic is when the parameters of the game have been set and agreed on. And then inside those parameters, you can play. And that’s what was so thrilling about working with Sophia and Jonathan in that scene is we all knew the scene inside out, but we didn’t know how [everyone was] going to play the scene. And so it was just very exciting to be in a space where Jonathan and his performance and the two of us could feel very free because that’s where the magic is. The camera’s not interested in something you’ve thought of before, the camera’s interested in vitality and performances, which are alive and spontaneous and unpredictable.

You talk about having that freedom on set, doing things that might get caught by the camera or might not. When you watched the series back was there anything that you remember doing that you were pleasantly surprised made the cut?

Yeah, I mean there were so many. There was such an atmosphere of acceptance and permission on set and that all comes from the top as well. Because everybody came ready, everybody was so prepared and so committed and it gives you freedom because you find people are so on top of the material that it creates an atmosphere of genuinely thrilling, invention. And there was a day I remember it often happened with Owen Wilson where we would be doing a scene and he would do something unexpected. There was a scene where Mobius is very irritated by Loki who is kind of stalling the operation in episode two. And he’s playing a very interesting psychological game with Loki and trying to motivate him in some way to be a bit more responsible. And he referred to Loki as an ice runt or something. And I noticed that the collar on his shirt was undone and his tie was loose. And we felt very playful and it was a great little tennis match and I leaned forward and just straightened his tie. It’s adorable that I’m 10 and steps ahead of you, and then watching Owen’s face as I straightened his tie. It’s those little moments, which I remember and Owen was just so inventive. I remember in the preparation for the show and I don’t want to go on too long, but he was kind of asking me to take him through the journey of playing Loki and the movies and the story and everything. And one afternoon he said, “I think I got it. I’m just so curious. I’ve seen the films and I understand the journey, but Tom, what do you love about playing Loki?” And I said, “I suppose it’s the character’s got so much range.” And I said, “It’s like a piano. He can play the light keys, but he can also play the heavy keys.” And then in a scene once, in the Time Theater, when Loki is trying to intimidate and threaten Mobius, Owen, just threw back, “See I can play the heavy keys too.” And it was great. And it’s in the show, you know? It’s those moments where that feels really exciting.

I also spoke to Michael Waldron and he said that the cliffhanger ending was not the original ending that was intended for the series. Luckily, it’s a great cliffhanger. Did that scene get you more excited about the potential for a second season?

Yes. I mean I thought when I finally got there, I thought, “O.K., there are some unanswered questions here. Yeah. And what happens now?” It made me not want to stop and just keep going, but I’m sure it was good for everybody’s energy levels that we did stop.

This is an admittedly stupid question. I’m assuming you’re excited about going back for the second season?

Absolutely. We’re in it already. I mean, we’re not filming, but we’re in prep, but we start in like six weeks or something. So we’re in full steam ahead in terms of a script and story and it’s really exciting. Yeah, I can’t say too much, but lots of questions to be answered.

[lokiondisneyplus]

Anyone who is convinced they know who will be nominated in the Lead Actor in a Drama Series category should take a deep breath before publicly making their predictions. Not only is it arguably an insanely competitive category in an Emmys season that will produce a mountain of snubs across the board, but there are a number of highly watched, fantastic performances that could surprise. One of those is Tom Hiddleston in Marvel Studios’ “Loki.”

Notably, the most critically acclaimed Marvel series to date on Disney Plus is also the streaming service’s most popular (at least according to third-party tracking services). In fact, it’s almost as popular as another Emmy favorite, “The Mandalorian.” Hiddleston, a previous Emmy acting nominee for “The Night Manager,” delivers the sort of range that the Television Academy’s acting branch likes to reward. It also doesn’t hurt that he has some fantastic co-stars to bounce off of such as Jonathan Majors (as the villainous He Who Remains), Gugu Mbatha-Raw (as a misled time agency officer), Sophia Di Martino (as Sylvia, a female Loki variant out for revenge) and Owen Wilson (as time agency detective Mobius).

Hiddleston’s chemistry with Wilson is certainly one of the aspects of the series that makes it stand out from the other Marvel Studios television productions to date. During an interview with The Playlist last week, Hiddleston recalled Wilson asking him about his decade-plus journey playing the Norse god.

He notes, “One afternoon he said, ‘I think I got it. I’m just so curious. I’ve seen the films and I understand the journey, but Tom, what do you love about playing Loki?’ And I said, ‘I suppose it’s the character’s got so much range.’ And I said, ‘It’s like a piano. He can play the light keys, but he can also play the heavy keys.’ And then in a scene once, in the Time Theater, when Loki is trying to intimidate and threaten Mobius, Owen, just threw back, ‘See I can play the heavy keys too.’ And it was great. And it’s in the show, you know? It’s those moments where that feels really exciting.”

Over the course of our chat, which has been edited and condensed for clarity, Hiddleston discusses what excited him about returning to portray Loki, playing with Majors in a key scene in the final episode, how “this” version of Loki is different from the one who was killed by Thanos and much, much more.

_____

The Playlist: Kevin Feige comes to you and says “We’re doing a “Loki” TV series” or limited series or whatever it was. What was your initial reaction?

Tom Hiddleston: Surprise and delight. What was my initial reaction? I had so many questions because it wasn’t long after I had finished my filming on “Avengers: Infinity War” and Loki’s demise felt conclusive and real. And he also wanted to honor the emotional catharsis of his sacrifice that Loki stands before Thanos and tries to save his brother and he calls himself an Odinson. And so my question was how do we allow his redemption and the poignancy of that moment to stand and create something entirely new? It felt so important to me, to him, to everybody that we had to do something new here. And that to me was the most exciting aspect of the idea was to explore Loki in a different context. Challenge the character, confront the character with his self-destructive and damaging patterns of behavior, and put him in an environment where he wasn’t in control. That by essentially stripping away what was familiar: Thor, Odin, Asgard, all the things that you’d seen before, something new would be revealed. He’s even stripped of his clothes, his status, his magical power. What’s left of Loki? Once you take all the bits of Loki that seem familiar, what’s left of him, what remains? And I thought just as a human element to the story, that’s a great starting point.

In that context, how different is Loki at the end of the sixth episode of the first season than when he was the character that was killed by Thanos? How, how much of a different character did you feel you were playing or did you feel they were at the same sort of emotional developmental sort of space?

Hmm, that’s a great question. They both certainly developed. I think Loki in the series is in a more enlightened place perhaps, or certainly in a more self-aware position because the Loki in the series is aware that his death was meaningless and that he was indirectly connected to his mother’s death and his father’s death. And this idea of glorious purpose, which has been a recurring theme for Loki has been revealed to mean nothing. And so the Loki in a series of someone in who’s been challenged by Mobius, by Sylvie, by the TVA to change. To develop something else. Challenged also by the other variants. The Richard E. Grant variant and the alligator variant. Loki has been playing the same old tune for so long, and the Loki who finishes the series is someone who is radically changed. And I think one of the most exciting scenes to film for me and Sophia and Sophia Di Martino and Jonathan Majors that I know feel the same way was the final argument where Loki doesn’t necessarily agree with He Who Remains, but he does want time to think about what to do because killing He Who Remains seems incredibly dangerous.

And Loki can see that Sylvie is blinded by grievance and anger and a kind of drive that is damaging to herself. And it resonates with him because all through the MCU, Loki’s been driven by grievance and anger and glorious purpose, I suppose. And he’s trying to help Sylvie understand that it may not deliver her what she wants because he’s been there. And that’s why he says, “I’ve been where you are. I felt what you feel.” So, yes, I think he’s in a place of self-awareness, of acceptance. He’s trying to break the record. He’s trying to play another tune. It felt very original, very new, very fresh and I loved the journey.

I wanted to ask about that scene with He Who Remains in particular. When I spoke to Kate Herron, she talked about the fact that because of Jonathan’s busy schedule, you all first went over it on Zoom, and that you did a read through, but when you got to set, he was doing things that you guys weren’t necessarily prepared for. Like unexpectedly jumping on tables and chairs. Can you talk about, as an actor, what that was like in terms of exploring something on set? Sure, it’s a big-budget show, but there is a time limit. Are those the parts of the job that are the most fun?

By far the most fun, the most exciting, and the respect of other actors or the respect of actors for each other, I find incredibly moving. And when people come ready and prepared, that’s when you can dance. And Jonathan was so ready and it was the last week of filming. And so there was this extraordinary sense of finality and momentous. It sort of was a [great] week because Sophia and I had been on this journey together. It was the real journey of making the show. And it was the end of the shoot and it was the finale of the piece. And so she and I knew each other very well, knew each other’s rhythms. And Jonathan, his big speech was literally the last three days of filming. And then the argument and the fight between Loki and Sylvie. And so the magic is when the parameters of the game have been set and agreed on. And then inside those parameters, you can play. And that’s what was so thrilling about working with Sophia and Jonathan in that scene is we all knew the scene inside out, but we didn’t know how [everyone was] going to play the scene. And so it was just very exciting to be in a space where Jonathan and his performance and the two of us could feel very free because that’s where the magic is. The camera’s not interested in something you’ve thought of before, the camera’s interested in vitality and performances, which are alive and spontaneous and unpredictable.

You talk about having that freedom on set, doing things that might get caught by the camera or might not. When you watched the series back was there anything that you remember doing that you were pleasantly surprised made the cut?

Yeah, I mean there were so many. There was such an atmosphere of acceptance and permission on set and that all comes from the top as well. Because everybody came ready, everybody was so prepared and so committed and it gives you freedom because you find people are so on top of the material that it creates an atmosphere of genuinely thrilling, invention. And there was a day I remember it often happened with Owen Wilson where we would be doing a scene and he would do something unexpected. There was a scene where Mobius is very irritated by Loki who is kind of stalling the operation in episode two. And he’s playing a very interesting psychological game with Loki and trying to motivate him in some way to be a bit more responsible. And he referred to Loki as an ice runt or something. And I noticed that the collar on his shirt was undone and his tie was loose. And we felt very playful and it was a great little tennis match and I leaned forward and just straightened his tie. It’s adorable that I’m 10 and steps ahead of you, and then watching Owen’s face as I straightened his tie. It’s those little moments, which I remember and Owen was just so inventive. I remember in the preparation for the show and I don’t want to go on too long, but he was kind of asking me to take him through the journey of playing Loki and the movies and the story and everything. And one afternoon he said, “I think I got it. I’m just so curious. I’ve seen the films and I understand the journey, but Tom, what do you love about playing Loki?” And I said, “I suppose it’s the character’s got so much range.” And I said, “It’s like a piano. He can play the light keys, but he can also play the heavy keys.” And then in a scene once, in the Time Theater, when Loki is trying to intimidate and threaten Mobius, Owen, just threw back, “See I can play the heavy keys too.” And it was great. And it’s in the show, you know? It’s those moments where that feels really exciting.

I also spoke to Michael Waldron and he said that the cliffhanger ending was not the original ending that was intended for the series. Luckily, it’s a great cliffhanger. Did that scene get you more excited about the potential for a second season?

Yes. I mean I thought when I finally got there, I thought, “O.K., there are some unanswered questions here. Yeah. And what happens now?” It made me not want to stop and just keep going, but I’m sure it was good for everybody’s energy levels that we did stop.

This is an admittedly stupid question. I’m assuming you’re excited about going back for the second season?

Absolutely. We’re in it already. I mean, we’re not filming, but we’re in prep, but we start in like six weeks or something. So we’re in full steam ahead in terms of a script and story and it’s really exciting. Yeah, I can’t say too much, but lots of questions to be answered.

“Loki” season one is available on Disney+

[twh-news]

Tom Hiddleston: “Lots Of Questions Will Be Answered” In ‘Loki’ Season 2 [Interview] | The Playlist

[Loki season 2 starts filming in June!]

Anyone who is convinced they know who will be nominated in the Lead Actor in a Drama Series category should take a deep breath before publicly making their predictions. Not only is it arguably an insanely competitive category in an Emmys season that will produce a mountain of snubs across the board, but there are a number of highly watched, fantastic performances that could surprise. One of those is Tom Hiddleston in Marvel Studios’ “Loki.”

Notably, the most critically acclaimed Marvel series to date on Disney Plus is also the streaming service’s most popular (at least according to third-party tracking services). In fact, it’s almost as popular as another Emmy favorite, “The Mandalorian.” Hiddleston, a previous Emmy acting nominee for “The Night Manager,” delivers the sort of range that the Television Academy’s acting branch likes to reward. It also doesn’t hurt that he has some fantastic co-stars to bounce off of such as Jonathan Majors (as the villainous He Who Remains), Gugu Mbatha-Raw (as a misled time agency officer), Sophia Di Martino (as Sylvia, a female Loki variant out for revenge) and Owen Wilson (as time agency detective Mobius).

Hiddleston’s chemistry with Wilson is certainly one of the aspects of the series that makes it stand out from the other Marvel Studios television productions to date. During an interview with The Playlist last week, Hiddleston recalled Wilson asking him about his decade-plus journey playing the Norse god.

He notes, “One afternoon he said, ‘I think I got it. I’m just so curious. I’ve seen the films and I understand the journey, but Tom, what do you love about playing Loki?’ And I said, ‘I suppose it’s the character’s got so much range.’ And I said, ‘It’s like a piano. He can play the light keys, but he can also play the heavy keys.’ And then in a scene once, in the Time Theater, when Loki is trying to intimidate and threaten Mobius, Owen, just threw back, ‘See I can play the heavy keys too.’ And it was great. And it’s in the show, you know? It’s those moments where that feels really exciting.”

Over the course of our chat, which has been edited and condensed for clarity, Hiddleston discusses what excited him about returning to portray Loki, playing with Majors in a key scene in the final episode, how “this” version of Loki is different from the one who was killed by Thanos and much, much more.

The Playlist: Kevin Feige comes to you and says “We’re doing a “Loki” TV series” or limited series or whatever it was. What was your initial reaction?

Tom Hiddleston: Surprise and delight. What was my initial reaction? I had so many questions because it wasn’t long after I had finished my filming on “Avengers: Infinity War” and Loki’s demise felt conclusive and real. And he also wanted to honor the emotional catharsis of his sacrifice that Loki stands before Thanos and tries to save his brother and he calls himself an Odinson. And so my question was how do we allow his redemption and the poignancy of that moment to stand and create something entirely new? It felt so important to me, to him, to everybody that we had to do something new here. And that to me was the most exciting aspect of the idea was to explore Loki in a different context. Challenge the character, confront the character with his self-destructive and damaging patterns of behavior, and put him in an environment where he wasn’t in control. That by essentially stripping away what was familiar: Thor, Odin, Asgard, all the things that you’d seen before, something new would be revealed. He’s even stripped of his clothes, his status, his magical power. What’s left of Loki? Once you take all the bits of Loki that seem familiar, what’s left of him, what remains? And I thought just as a human element to the story, that’s a great starting point.

In that context, how different is Loki at the end of the sixth episode of the first season than when he was the character that was killed by Thanos? How, how much of a different character did you feel you were playing or did you feel they were at the same sort of emotional developmental sort of space?

Hmm, that’s a great question. They both certainly developed. I think Loki in the series is in a more enlightened place perhaps, or certainly in a more self-aware position because the Loki in the series is aware that his death was meaningless and that he was indirectly connected to his mother’s death and his father’s death. And this idea of glorious purpose, which has been a recurring theme for Loki has been revealed to mean nothing. And so the Loki in a series of someone in who’s been challenged by Mobius, by Sylvie, by the TVA to change. To develop something else. Challenged also by the other variants. The Richard E. Grant variant and the alligator variant. Loki has been playing the same old tune for so long, and the Loki who finishes the series is someone who is radically changed. And I think one of the most exciting scenes to film for me and Sophia and Sophia Di Martino and Jonathan Majors that I know feel the same way was the final argument where Loki doesn’t necessarily agree with He Who Remains, but he does want time to think about what to do because killing He Who Remains seems incredibly dangerous.

And Loki can see that Sylvie is blinded by grievance and anger and a kind of drive that is damaging to herself. And it resonates with him because all through the MCU, Loki’s been driven by grievance and anger and glorious purpose, I suppose. And he’s trying to help Sylvie understand that it may not deliver her what she wants because he’s been there. And that’s why he says, “I’ve been where you are. I felt what you feel.” So, yes, I think he’s in a place of self-awareness, of acceptance. He’s trying to break the record. He’s trying to play another tune. It felt very original, very new, very fresh and I loved the journey.

I wanted to ask about that scene with He Who Remains in particular. When I spoke to Kate Herron, she talked about the fact that because of Jonathan’s busy schedule, you all first went over it on Zoom, and that you did a read through, but when you got to set, he was doing things that you guys weren’t necessarily prepared for. Like unexpectedly jumping on tables and chairs. Can you talk about, as an actor, what that was like in terms of exploring something on set? Sure, it’s a big-budget show, but there is a time limit. Are those the parts of the job that are the most fun?

By far the most fun, the most exciting, and the respect of other actors or the respect of actors for each other, I find incredibly moving. And when people come ready and prepared, that’s when you can dance. And Jonathan was so ready and it was the last week of filming. And so there was this extraordinary sense of finality and momentous. It sort of was a [great] week because Sophia and I had been on this journey together. It was the real journey of making the show. And it was the end of the shoot and it was the finale of the piece. And so she and I knew each other very well, knew each other’s rhythms. And Jonathan, his big speech was literally the last three days of filming. And then the argument and the fight between Loki and Sylvie. And so the magic is when the parameters of the game have been set and agreed on. And then inside those parameters, you can play. And that’s what was so thrilling about working with Sophia and Jonathan in that scene is we all knew the scene inside out, but we didn’t know how [everyone was] going to play the scene. And so it was just very exciting to be in a space where Jonathan and his performance and the two of us could feel very free because that’s where the magic is. The camera’s not interested in something you’ve thought of before, the camera’s interested in vitality and performances, which are alive and spontaneous and unpredictable.

You talk about having that freedom on set, doing things that might get caught by the camera or might not. When you watched the series back was there anything that you remember doing that you were pleasantly surprised made the cut?

Yeah, I mean there were so many. There was such an atmosphere of acceptance and permission on set and that all comes from the top as well. Because everybody came ready, everybody was so prepared and so committed and it gives you freedom because you find people are so on top of the material that it creates an atmosphere of genuinely thrilling, invention. And there was a day I remember it often happened with Owen Wilson where we would be doing a scene and he would do something unexpected. There was a scene where Mobius is very irritated by Loki who is kind of stalling the operation in episode two. And he’s playing a very interesting psychological game with Loki and trying to motivate him in some way to be a bit more responsible. And he referred to Loki as an ice runt or something. And I noticed that the collar on his shirt was undone and his tie was loose. And we felt very playful and it was a great little tennis match and I leaned forward and just straightened his tie. It’s adorable that I’m 10 and steps ahead of you, and then watching Owen’s face as I straightened his tie. It’s those little moments, which I remember and Owen was just so inventive. I remember in the preparation for the show and I don’t want to go on too long, but he was kind of asking me to take him through the journey of playing Loki and the movies and the story and everything. And one afternoon he said, “I think I got it. I’m just so curious. I’ve seen the films and I understand the journey, but Tom, what do you love about playing Loki?” And I said, “I suppose it’s the character’s got so much range.” And I said, “It’s like a piano. He can play the light keys, but he can also play the heavy keys.” And then in a scene once, in the Time Theater, when Loki is trying to intimidate and threaten Mobius, Owen, just threw back, “See I can play the heavy keys too.” And it was great. And it’s in the show, you know? It’s those moments where that feels really exciting.

I also spoke to Michael Waldron and he said that the cliffhanger ending was not the original ending that was intended for the series. Luckily, it’s a great cliffhanger. Did that scene get you more excited about the potential for a second season?

Yes. I mean I thought when I finally got there, I thought, “O.K., there are some unanswered questions here. Yeah. And what happens now?” It made me not want to stop and just keep going, but I’m sure it was good for everybody’s energy levels that we did stop.

This is an admittedly stupid question. I’m assuming you’re excited about going back for the second season?

Absolutely. We’re in it already. I mean, we’re not filming, but we’re in prep, but we start in like six weeks or something. So we’re in full steam ahead in terms of a script and story and it’s really exciting. Yeah, I can’t say too much, but lots of questions to be answered.

[girl4music]

You know, one thing I can say I really hate about Season 6, if anything, is how wasted Tara is before her even more wasted death. The amount of abuse this amazing character suffers with is indescribably cruel.

If it’s not her blood-kin relatives it’s her fucking girlfriend. If it’s not her girlfriend it’s the writers.

They showed that she had some use in Season 6 outside of whatever significance she has to Willow. But they do nothing with it really… All the qualities and traits she has of being there to comfort characters in their time of need and the manual labour she performs for them: and they give her nothing in return. Not. A. Thing. There’s no Tara-centric episodes to make up for the narrative loss in her being partnered with Willow. Like who was this woman away from Willow and the Scoobies? She is so underused and wasted. And the fact Amber Benson is not even credited as a main character until her final appearance is infuriating. In Season 6 she was clearly a main character along with the rest of the Scoobies. There was room since Anthony Stewart Head was back to being a supportive role and special guest star, but no, they only allowed her to be credited in the titles just so Tara’s death scene would shock us more.

Her death… there’s so much I can say about that that I hate too but I’ve ranted enough about that elsewhere. I will say that it certainly doesn’t help. Even if it was the catalyst for the Big Bad story arc with Dark Willow… which I loved… which was well-written.

But yeah, my main problem with Season 6 is this.

Lack of and abuse of Tara Maclay. It’s unforgivable the way they treat her. The way they write her off. Why is it always the purest of characters that get abused?!

And if you were going to kill her off so unfairly and cruelly… the least you could do was give her a send off. A funeral. A wake. Characters grieving for her loss besides Willow. Anything would have done to provide some catharsis so the audience could too. I mean Joyce got that and I didn’t even care about her.

It’s like she was absolutely meaningless and all that mattered was that she was Willow’s girlfriend.

I. Hate. It.

Don’t get me wrong. I ship the shit out of Willow and Tara. They’re my favourite couple in the Buffyverse. You guys know that. But it does help when you develop both same-sex characters individually as well as a couple. That’s a huge thing they got right with Xena and Gabrielle even if they weren’t said to be “canon”. Even if they still killed off one of them.

[novelconcepts]

Hi. I don't know if you do this sort of things and it's totally cool if you don't, but i've seen quite a lot of criticism pointed towards THoBM about it being dry and too domestic, about it being a children's story and long winded and a few blatant hints at it playing to the "kill your gays" trope.

I was wondering if you can talk a little about your own take on Bly Manor and Dani and Jamie's relationship.

I personally found it beautiful and healthy and it wasn't boring or juvenile at any point during the series. I even kinda like the end (in a masocistic sort of way). I honestly think they are one of the best wlw couples portrayed on tv, let alone on netflix but i'm curious to hear what you think.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Well, in terms of the bury your gays thing, I have never felt like this falls into that trope, simply because...look, queer people are people. We’re going to get old, get sick, have mental health strain, lose our spouses before we’re ready, because that’s the nature of life. The idea that this can’t be explored in a gothic romance story, a dark tale of loss--the idea that I can’t have this emotional catharsis that reflects what my actual life might look like someday--simply because we’re queer is...complicated at best. I stand by the idea that Dani doesn’t die because she’s queer; Dani’s queerness does not define her, though it certainly informs her character and gives her story a different kind of depth. Honestly, the only way this would have felt like a BYG story to me is if Jamie had died. Which, for a minute, I did think would happen, and I thought, “Great, they did this just for the heartache to make Dani’s life worse.”

And, instead of going that route, they gave Dani a whole lifetime of being in love, being largely at peace, being allowed the agency to live the time she has left to the fullest. That’s not a queer trope, that’s a human story I wish would become a queer trope, ‘cuz lord knows we could use more of it. And they set Jamie as our narrator, our hand to hold in the dark as she leads us through the story, telling us the heart of the whole thing is her love for Dani and Dani’s love for her. I think that’s the opposite of antagonizing your queer audience. I think that’s absolutely lovely. 

(I do discuss the darkness of Dani’s story and why it works for me more over here, if you’re interested.)

As for the rest of it...anyone who is complaining about this show being too dry or domestic or “childish” has already decided not to like it. The reasons for that are their own, and I’m not sure there’s a point trying to argue anybody into liking a piece of media that doesn’t suit them. Some of these people might not like the gay of it all; some just wanted more scares. The show isn’t really...designed for straight scares or straight people who just don’t “get it”, I guess. And it’s okay for not everyone to dig it, although I do find it frustrating when people just heap insults on a product because it wasn’t written “for” them. 

I personally find that this show is tailor-made for me. It’s all about found family and mutual admiration and the kind of respectful, evenly-balanced romance that surpasses death. There is nothing about that I don’t love. I think Dani is an incredible, well-rounded, interesting heroine; I think Jamie is a gorgeous foil to balance her out. I think Owen is an excellent example of non-toxic masculinity, I think Hannah is gloriously elegant and brave, I think the kids are a nice spin on the usual Creepy Children trope. I don’t find any of it boring, because...it’s exactly the kind of story I prefer. I am happiest when conflict is on a human level, people working through grief and emotional baggage to come out the other side stronger. Bly delivers that.

I also am happiest with a wlw couple that is treated with love and respect, allowed to be two people falling in love and staying that way. I love that there’s no biphobia, no jealousy, no unnecessary sniping or cheating like we see in most queer lady ships on television. I love that these are two women who hold each other up, communicate, and fall in love organically. And I understand that there are people--mainly straight people, but not exclusively--who aren’t going to be into this, because they’re under the impression that there’s no intensity or interest in domestic romance. Those people ain’t me. I find nothing at all boring about a well-performed, well-written love story between two people who genuinely like and respect one another all the way through. I frankly would take that every time, if I could. There aren’t enough healthy love stories like this in the world.

But yeah, the folks who aren’t into it aren’t into it, and that’s fine. I disagree with them wholeheartedly, but that’s going to happen. 

[penguiduck]

Writing Fight Scenes

I’ve had a lot of readers mention that they don’t feel comfortable with fight scenes.  Well, that’s understandable. It’s challenging writing about experiences you’ve never had.  But with some perspective and practice, you can most certainly work toward writing those fast-paced, heart-pounding scenes with ease.

To give you some background, I practiced competitive martial arts for six years.  I competed in tournaments and trained hard to perform well in the ring. It was a contact sport, and even if I wasn’t sparring, training often left me with bruises, usually of the physical nature, sometimes of the emotional persuasion.

This experience gave me a lot of perspective when it comes to writing fight scenes.

Whenever I step into the ring, I have a flexible strategy in mind that combines what I know about myself, my opponent, and what I’m going to learn about them in the next two minutes.  I’d like to share some of these thoughts and perspectives with you, and how your character may think before and during a match of their own. Of course, my fighting experience is limited to a contact sport.  Your story may very well be far more violent with higher stakes, but strategies may be of similar foundation. Once you take a fight into deeper consideration, aside from the depiction of two fighters merely exchanging blows, you can begin to enrich your writing experience.

I’m including examples from Yu Yu Hakusho because that’s the fandom I write the most for, and as you know, there’s a lot of fighting involved!  But remember — anime and writing are two completely different mediums. There's no one narrating everything that our beloved characters are doing on screen. You just see it. That is why you, as a writer, must paint those scenes through words for your readers.

Nevertheless, this advice really stands for any sort of writing, so do with this information what you will.

A well-written fight scene is never about just trading blows.  There are other conflicts at play, whether between the fighters or even in the heads of your protagonists.

Allow me to elaborate:

1. Who is your protagonist?

Whenever I am preparing for a sparring match, the first thing I worry about is me. I must be self-aware. 

I think about my own fitness.  How am I doing? Do I have any existing injuries or ailments?  How is my weight? My body type? What are my strengths and weaknesses?  What do I have in my toolbox? What techniques do I know? What techniques am I most versed and confident in?  

I also think about my overall wellness. Have I been eating well?  Drinking water? Sleeping? How is my emotional state of mind? What are the stakes?

Is my uniform clean and pressed?  What about my equipment? Headgear?  Mouth guard? Shin guard? Did I replace that torn lace?

I recommend using these questions to bring your character’s own reflection to the forefront in whatever way makes most sense for them.  How is your character’s fitness? Is she in good fighting condition? Has she been injured previously? What has happened since the last fight that might impact her state of mind? 

It’s possible that she’s recovering from an illness or injury.  Perhaps her mentor died a gruesome death. Maybe she’s frustrated because she lost use of her right hand, temporarily or permanently, and has had to compensate with her non-dominant hand.  Or perhaps she’s lost the will to fight, having experienced something traumatic.

Hiei had to constantly think about his own state of health throughout the Dark Tournament after his fight with Zeru.  His arm had been sacrificed to his Dragon of the Darkness Flame, rendered useless, and he was in terrible pain. He never let it impact him, of course, being the stoic warrior he is.  His personality allows for little inner dialogue to be shared with the audience, but as a fighter, he was most certainly considering what options he had with his handicap. And, as a writer, perhaps you would like to elaborate on his thoughts for your readers.

What has your character been practicing lately?  Is her weapon of choice the same? Has it been upgraded?  Has she been training with a different weapon or technique?  Is she perhaps nervous about using something new?

Maybe she just repaired her sword, and she’s unsure if it’s as strong as it was before.  Perhaps she’s been studying a new technique, and she knows she’ll need to use it in this battle.  

Remember when Kuwabara first introduced his spirit sword in Maze Castle?  He was so proud of himself, and that whole battle was an introduction to his newfound technique, how he manipulated his sword, and how he was able to harness his spirit energy.  It’s far more interesting to see this development and exploration than to just watch him stab at Byakko a dozen times.

My point is that while your character probably should keep her emotions out of the ring, she may not be able to.  There are so many things that could be on her mind, plaguing her thoughts, especially if there’s a lot riding on this battle.  I think it’s really important to not only acknowledge the physical part of fighting but the emotional toll it can take a fighter, too.

Think about the fight between Yusuke and Toguro.  Toguro had just killed Genkai, and Yusuke took that very personally.  This was not a simple battle of strength or wits. This was a battle of emotions, and it wasn’t until Yusuke was able to master his feelings and reach beyond that “six foot wall of crap” as Genkai so affectionately calls it that he was able to finally defeat Toguro.

And the catharsis that came from defeating Toguro? It was made all the more powerful because Yusuke went through that emotional journey. It wasnʼt just a fight — it was a calling, a purpose, and a lesson.  It was painful and potent, and it made him realize just how much these experiences shaped him as a person.

2. Who is the opponent? 

Before I participate in a tournament, I do my research.  Who is likely to be competing? Who is in my weight class?  What do I know about these competitors? If I don’t have answers, I would find them.  I’d chat with my instructor, my fellow martial artists. Has anyone else from my school fought these people before?  What were they like? Are there videos online of their performance?  

I find as much information as possible. I make calls, send texts, take people out to lunch, scour the internet for information.  Even if your character lives in a less technologically dependent world, I would imagine that he might talk with friends, look through old records, listen to gossip and hearsay.  He might watch battles leading up to his own fight in an effort to learn more.

And if this pre-work isn’t possible, that’s okay.  Fights in your story may be entirely unpredictable, but your character can also learn things about his opponent during the match.  

When I step into the ring and ready myself to compete, one of the first things I want to find out is on which side my opponent is dominant.  In other words, are they right-handed? Or left-handed? Right-footed? Or left-footed? Maybe they only focus on one side during training (which is silly, but that’s another conversation).  But there could be an underlying reason why as well. Perhaps they injured themselves in the previous round or maybe they just don’t like exposing one particular side of their body for whatever reason.

This information is critical because this tells me what I need to watch out for, which side of my own body I should be guarding, how I may penetrate my opponent’s defenses.  How can I catch them when they least suspect it? Where can I knock them off balance? My instructor always told me to watch the shoulders — shoulders move before the rest of the body.  You can tell what your opponent is about to do by watching their shoulders.

Your character may wish to discover the same thing.  Maybe his opponent uses a two-handed sword and is very clearly right-handed.  This may give him some information on where his blind spot is — or maybe he just needs to disable his opponent’s right arm.  The possibilities are endless, and understanding his opponent will give him leverage, offering him many options.

Understanding an opponent’s technique is also important.  In martial arts, practitioners often favor a strategy or skill.  This seems obvious, but it’s vital that you understand what it is — only then you can combat it.  

Consider Kurama’s matches with Gama and Toya during the events of the Dark Tournament.  The English dub did a wonderful job voicing Kurama’s inner conflict during these fights, struggling with first his inability to move and then his imprisoned spirit energy — if you were to put these scenes into writing, explaining his thought process would be fascinating.  How does Kurama overcome these obstacles? He seeks to understand his opponents before he defeats them, which, unfortunately, also means he risks injury to himself until then.

Your character’s thoughts about the fight, interpreting for your audience what he feels he might need to do to secure victory, is just as important as detailing the fight itself.

3. What about the writing?

The writing will come once you begin to dissect your characters and their motivations for fighting.  Your characters aren’t one-dimensional, or, at least, they shouldn’t be!  

Your fight scenes shouldn’t be, either.  It’s not about two fighters trading blows. It’s about an artfully curated dance.  Two opponents are engaged in a craft that they both know well, and whether they’re fighting to win a tournament or for their very lives, they have reasons and complex thought processes that should make their fight interesting.  

There are two players here, and unless the fight is grossly one-sided, they’re both thinking and acting independently of one another.  My advice is to thread their actions and consequences together — weave the fight scene as if it’s a stream of conscious thought, separated into paragraphs, each with a shift in perspective, for clarity.  

Instead of writing:

Yusuke charged at Kuwabara and punched him in the face.  Kuwabara punched him in the mouth. Yusuke then kicked him in the stomach.

Try this:

Yusuke had little patience for Kuwabara’s bad jokes, and he rushed toward him, landing a blow square in the side of his head.

Kuwabara flew backward with a grunt, stabilizing himself before launching himself at Yusuke, returning the favor.  His fist collided with Yusuke’s jaw, a blow hard enough to knock the teeth out of any regular human.

Yusuke expected him to retaliate, and although he was nearly knocked off balance, he swung his leg around, making full contact with Kuwabara’s stomach.

You may also find it useful to deviate from the fighting itself.  You can speak to a character’s inner dialogue or thoughts, whether about the fight or something else.  You may choose to have them begin a brief conversation. Or you may describe what other characters are feeling about the fight as onlookers.

There are many ways to make these fight scenes seamless and interesting — take some time to explore your options!

Just a few more general tips that might help:

If you’re going to use a thesaurus, be mindful about it. I use a thesaurus when I write because I suffer all day, every day from tip-the-tongue syndrome.  But words, even if they generally fit the same definition, can have vastly different connotations, so before selecting a word from the thesaurus, do some digging.  Look at the exact definition and perhaps Google some common usage. Punch, slap, and stroke do not mean the same thing, even if a thesaurus might say otherwise.

Read your writing out loud.  If you’re unsure, this is the best way to understand your cadence, the flow of the battle.  Use your best Morgan Freeman or Jorge the Ogre voice.

Consider a beta reader.  Sometimes having a second opinion is immensely helpful.

Remember that there are no strict writing rules.  You write whatever your heart desires in whatever manner your heart desires.  Experiment and explore with different styles and techniques to find whatever works for you.

I hope you find this information useful!  Please feel free to suggestion additional blog posts you would like to see from me in the future.  ^_^  Of course, please reblog this if you found it helpful!

Pictures are, of course, not mine.  They are shots from the anime or other official derivatives.

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Psycho Analysis: Huey Emmerich

(WARNING! This analysis contains SPOILERS!)

The Metal Gear franchise is known for its hammy and despicable villains, villains with complicated schemes, giant robots, and awesome boss battles. But what if I told you that, out of all the villains in the series, the most disgusting, vile, reprehensible, and cruel one had the same face and voice as the kindest man in the series.

Huey Emmerich is, in short, a piece of shit. There is absolutely nothing redeeming about this worthless  ass. This may seem a bit shocking if you’ve only played Peace Walker, where he seems little more than a clone of his son Otacon, or Metal Gear Solid 2, where he is mentioned as having committed suicide after catching his wife taking advantage of Otacon. But play through The Phantom Pain, and you’ll soon see that Huey is perhaps the most morally reprehensible monster in the entire game, and maybe the entire franchise.

And you will absolutely, without a doubt, love to hate him.

Motivation/Goals: Huey is motivated by one thing and one thing only: cowardice. He sells out Big Boss to Cipher to for a job offer and then lies out his ass to Venom, Ocelot, and Kaz when they eventually come and get him. Huey is just always in it for himself, and is perfectly willing to screw over any person who gets in the way of his research; even back in Peace Walker, he was strangely happy about cheerfully being able to continue developing WMDs for Big Boss and company after betraying his (admittedly crappy) former boss Hot Coldman, and after that he abandoned his wife to die for daring to hide their child Hal away from him before he could use the kid as a living battery in Metal Gear Sahelanthropus.

And while being a megalomaniac is nothing new for A villain in this franchise, Huey takes it to the next level by never once accepting any responsibility. He constantly shifts blame onto others, denies doing anything bad ever, and lies, lies, and lies to the point of insanity. At one point he straight up continues to insist his wife Strangelove committed suicide even when irrefutable evidence was shown that he left her to die inside the Mammal Pod. The man is a pathetic, nasty little weasel through and through, and his complete and utter lack of honor just makes him stand out as reprehensible even when compared to an absolute lunatic like Skull Face or even a violent brute like Eli (AKA Liquid Snake).

Performance: Christopher Randolph, the actor for Hal, somehow manages to turn everything good, sweet, and heroic about Snake’s best pal Otacon and turn it on its head for Huey. Huey has the same voice and the same face as his son, but his actions and deeds show that, no, this man is absolutely nothing like his son, and is in fact the very antithesis of who Otacon is. Props to Randolph for using the same voice we’ve come to know and love and delivering a performance so twisted that even if it is the same voice, there is absolutely no way you would ever confuse Huey dialogue for Otacon dialogue.

Final Fate: The best part about Huey is that he is constantly, constantly getting his ass handed to him. In The Phantom Pain, after he unleashes a virus onto Mother Base which forces Venom to put down some of his own soldiers, with Huey blaming him all the while, Huey is put on trial and found guilty, because… of course he is. Literally the only person who believes Huey is innocent is Huey himself, and that is because he outright rejects reality and all of the evidence against him. Venom casts him adrift on a dinky life boat, one that begins leaking and causes Huey to ditch his precious robotic legs to the sea, turning him into little more than a miserable cripple once again.

But if you thought that Huey would go out in any other way other than making the world a more miserable, bitter place, you’d be wrong. Years later, he discovers his second wife having an affair – that is to say, statutory raping – his son, Otacon. Rather than being a good father and trying to do anything about this sexual abuse of his child, Huey decides to do the world a favor and kill himself… but unfortunately, he drags his stepdaughter Emma along with him, causing her to nearly drown and giving her a crippling fear of water as a result.

And when you first play Metal Gear Solid 2, this seems like an awful, depressing tragedy… but after playing The Phantom Pain, it becomes abundantly clear that Huey’s suicide was one final, spiteful act., and Emma nearly dying was almost certainly on purpose. His final act in life was to try and spite his own son and the woman who was abusing his son by taking away the person they loved most in the world. He saw his own son as having cuckolded him and took his son’s sexual abuse as a blow to his own masculinity, and so went out of his way to hurt and traumatize him in the only way he knew how: by dragging innocent people down with him. Huey Emmerich couldn’t even kill himself without ruining everything.

Best Scene: Pick a scene where Huey is abused or forced to face consequences, be it Hot Coldman or Skull Face pushing him down the stairs and causing him to piss himself, Ocelot torturing him brutally, or Venom banishing him from Mother Base and sending him back to the world to be revealed as a fraud, and you’ve got yourself a good time. The sound of Huey suffering is music to the ears.

Best Quote: I think the quote that truly defines how much of a despicable two-faced hypocrite Huey is  would be the vicious verbal berating he gives you as you kill the Diamond Dogs infected with the parasite that he released. He berates Venom for doing this despite being fully to blame for the situation. It is the culmination of this snivelling little bastard’s arc, and he’s only revealed to be worse from there.

Final Thoughts & Score: Huey is perhaps the ultimate hate sink in all of fiction. There is absolutely nothing likable about the guy; he’s a pathetic coward, he constantly lies, he’s an utter prick to everyone around him, and he causes untold amounts of suffering all while whining and crying about how it’s totally not his fault! He commits atrocity after atrocity, heinous act after heinous act, and spreads so much misery, and he does it all without ever once looking cool or intimidating like just about every other villain in the franchise. You’d think this would make him the bottom of the barrel and a terrible character… but it does the opposite.

Huey serves as a dark contrast to his own son and helps to highlight how much of a better man Otacon is. Both came from similar backgrounds and both have similar roles, with both developing Metal Gears and befriending a Snake. The difference, though, is that Hal has a moral courage that allows him to own up to his mistakes, accept responsibility for his actions, and dedicate himself to doing better. The man is so utterly selfless that he basically blames himself for his stepmother raping him; Hal is beyond humble, to an almost martyr-like degree, and truly lives up to the ideals of The Boss more than anyone in the series. His mother would be so proud of that. Meanwhile, Huey lacks that, and as shown throughout The Phantom Pain, his lies eventually pile up to the point where even he can’t escape the truth, and he suffers for it. Huey is a cautionary look at what would have happened if Hal didn’t have the spine to stand up for what was right and own up to his mistake, and this is nowhere more evident than Hal having a long-lasting relationship with Snake that went until the day he died whereas Huey was cut out of the life of Venom with extreme prejudice after Huey again and again stabbed his so-called friends in the back.

But aside from this wonderful contrast, I think how awful Huey is becomes more acceptable because he constantly, constantly suffers for it. The man gets constantly put through the wringer for his lies and schemes, and is despised and treated like garbage by Ocelot and Kaz. His own wife even hated him and considered Hal her kid with The Boss more than with him. Huey’s own moral failings catch up with him, and while it doesn’t lessen how evil it is, it does give you a sense of catharsis when that son of a bitch gets kicked, literally or otherwise.

Huey gets a 10/10. No, I’m not exaggerating. He isn’t the most impressive villain in the franchise. He’s not flashy, or hammy, or over-the-top and exciting. Huey is a very real, very miserable type of person who is cowardly, self-serving, and loathsome, and it is just so much fun to watch him suffer for his own sins. He is the epitome of “love to hate” villains; it’s just such a blast to despise this man and attribute everything awful to him, even if it isn’t really his fault. He’s a dark deconstruction of the lovable coward, he’s an utterly evil reprehensible bastard, and I hate him oh so very much… but it’s the kind of hate that I’m happy to have.

Fuck you, Huey.

[girllovescomic]

An analysis of our OTP as we go toward the end

With the help of Karen Ly (Twitter), I found this post on Weibo and Google translated it.  I think this really encapsulate what I think of both characters

After watching the 60~63 episodes, my dissatisfaction with the plot has calmed down a bit, not only because the appearance of the king in these episodes is too high (this is the main reason, it is really love every frame of every line) , Also because the behavior logic of most characters can be explained. I think the Hulan episode of 58~59 broke so badly because the changes in Helan Zhen couldn't convince me at all. It was not like he could do it.

Let me talk about Xiao Qi first. Since the battle of Neem Hayama, I have been thinking about his return. I know it will be good, but it is better than I imagined again. Has Xiao Qi changed? Yes, it is not. Xiao Qi is a person with extremely strong inner world and self-awareness. He has gone all the way from the Cambrian to an extremely human minister. No matter how the outside world changes, he can hardly shake his self-constructed spiritual world. He knew exactly what he wanted along the way. He was a hero with the world in mind. Power and status were never the goals he pursued, but the means to help him achieve his ideals, so neither threat nor temptation would let him shake. This is why Wang Lin said that he always looked at people accurately, but he misunderstood Xiao Qi. After all, this son-in-law is not a mortal. From the time when he entered Beijing to be the king to the Lianyu Mountain Incident, Xiao Qi's attitude towards the royal family and the nobles of the Manchu clan was always neither humble nor overbearing, courteous and courteous. After being aware of the emperor’s scruples about his merits, he took the initiative to resign. . He is always smart, sober and restrained. After the return, he did not accept the order twice, and the face of the king did not worship the palace with the sword. He was arrogant and domineering, watching the world, just like the two of the past restraint and forbearance. But when Xiao Qi, who had restrained his modesty at the beginning, could ever afford these nobles? Today, he just didn't hesitate to hide his contempt and anger, for the sake of the dead Ning Shuo soldier, and for his ideals and beliefs. Xiao Qi is a person who has always acted in accordance with his inner rules, and this has never changed. In the past, he thought that by being close to the center of power, he could better realize the ideal of guarding his family and protecting the country and allowing the people to live and work in peace. After Xie Shouzheng's corruption incident and close talks with Zilong, he has realized that the corruption of the court and the family is a chronic disease. It is difficult to heal, so the meaning of retreat was born. Xiao Qi before Lian Yushan should be struggling. Although returning to Ningshuo was far away from the power struggle, he could only keep one side of the country safe and farther away from his great cause. The tragedy of Mt. Neem changed everything. The moment God of War, Xiao Qi, looked hollow and confused. In addition to his extremely overdrawn body, there was probably a collapse of faith and despair of the country and court he tried to protect.

The next few episodes are completely depressive. Xiao Qi is silent. In a one-man show with almost no lines, he cried silently. He galloped in the wilderness, he looked up at the sky in the courtyard, he was by the river. Pressing his forehead lightly against the horse, he grieves, angers, reflects, reconstructs his will, and strengthens his determination to revenge. The accumulated power reaches people's hearts through the screen. With such a layer upon layer of progressive paving, the outbreak after the return is extremely hearty. Xiao Qi came back, and he couldn't get through according to your rules in the past, so just follow my rules and see if any of you has the ability to stop me.

Similarly, the scenes after the return were progressive. When they were refused entry into Ningshuo City, they lowered their stance, were polite and courteous, and had a sincere attitude. When they saw Ningshuo soldiers swearing allegiance to the death, it was hard to hide their excitement. The voice choked for a while, this was the first emotional vent since Neem Yushan suppressed Yin Ren. When I saw Wyen (I love this scene very much, I repeatedly brushed it), the short conversation undercurrents surged and was extremely wonderful. Xiao Qi's eyes staring at Wyan were a little bit probing at first (want to see how many shadows there were in Wyan in the past), and gradually became cold (are you here to welcome me or stop me), and then became threatening and provocative ( Who will do it this time, is it you, Su Yibo), mentioning that Guanglie and Soldier Ningshuo are uncontrollable anger (this is the second emotional vent), and then return to calm, the disappointment and steel The same unchangeable will is chilling. I always felt that Liu Duanduan's interpretation was a bit too much, but this scene was also excellent, and the process of Wyan's inner anxiety, hesitation, and final break was very complete.

This period of entering the city was another highlight moment, and the whole confrontation was relaxed, and it was repeated several times. Personally, my favorite is the body language of the king in this scene, which is really domineering every time he raises his hand and turns around. Hearing the order to accept the order, he slightly leaned over to help the grandmother who was about to kneel down, stepped forward slowly, stopped sideways, and took the order, resolutely and beyond doubt. A few actions have made people see the aggressive attitude of King Yuzhang after his return. He just wants to clearly tell the emperor and these officials that his patience has been exhausted, and he will not leave them half face or give them any more. They stayed a little bit of retreat until the truth was found out and the real murderer came to the rescue. After Ma San arrived, he seemed to be holding a low posture, but in fact he was always in front of him. The connotation of his words is that Xiao Qi led soldiers to threaten the monarchy, committing chaos (you bring 100,000 soldiers, I will agree to anything you want), and put yourself in morals The commanding heights place Xiao Qi unrighteous, thereby confuses the public and avoids Xiao Qi's questioning of Lian Yushan. The confrontation was pushed to the apex when he said "Fight against me until King Yu Zhang is satisfied". At this time, Xiao Qi still looked directly at Ma San, his eyes were not evasive, but he took a deep breath that was hardly noticeable. , Looked up slightly, he was suspicious and inquiring about Ma San, and the anger at him for putting himself here was expressed vividly and vividly in this slight look up. After Wang Su quickly handed everyone a step and got a promise that he could self-check the truth, he took the opportunity to give in, bowed his head, and the confrontation ended. The rhythm of the subtleties is too good.

Talking about entering the hall in white, all the restraints in the front have been pave the way for the most heartfelt lift. As he approached the throne step by step, he was like an angry lion, showing the air of a king. Ma San was forced by such a momentum, his eyes were evasive, and his inner fear was self-evident. Here is an interruption of Wyan's eyes, which are worship, shock, and loss. He probably realized that he would never be able to surpass Xiao Qi. Then, it came to the monologue on Xiaoqi Hall. This paragraph kicked me to the bottom of the pit and never wanted to come out again. This third emotional catharsis directly pushed the contradictions to the peak. The anger, grief, and contempt for the nobles since Mt. Neem poured out like a rainbow, and finally received a meaningful look in front of the throne. At that time, he was as dangerous as a black panther waiting for an opportunity.

Should such Xiao Qi be proclaimed emperor? There are many voices on the Internet questioning that Xiao Qi’s retreat is the "heart of the Father" and the collapse of human design. I think this is a simple and rude categorization in the Internet age. The term "personal design" is even more annoying. How can the complexity of human nature be summed up with a simple facial makeup? Everything needs to be viewed in the context of an era. Monarchs and ministers are the head of the five Confucian ethics. The usurpation of the king and the killing of the emperor must be a shame in the history books. Even big ambitious people like Cao Cao have scruples. Need to hold the emperor to make the princes. The founding emperors who have changed dynasties in the past have all found various so-called apocalypses and signs to prove that the previous dynasties are exhausted. For Xiao Qi, a hero who takes the responsibility of defending his family and the country and has the world in his heart, he should not be easy to make such a choice. This is not the so-called Father's Heart, nor loyalty, but is restricted by the value system of that era. Of course, Xiao Qi is by no means a pedantic person, otherwise there would be no such thing as instigating many feudal vassals to ask for the gift of nine tins. The key is to see what he ultimately wants to achieve. For a person like him who follows his inner rules, I am curious how Zhou Yiwei will perform and convince us of his final choice.

Let's talk about Awu. Although I still feel that many details of the plot cannot withstand scrutiny, the direction of the character Awu is generally logical. First of all, Awu is not an ordinary woman. She has independent self-awareness and values. The love between her and Xiao Qi is based on the mutual attraction of two independent personalities. The other party. Such a woman naturally has a bigger pattern. She understands Xiao Qi's ideals. She was born in a family and was perfectly protected since she was a child. She didn't realize the taste of betrayal until she was involved in her father's plot and trade as a pawn. I think a drama review I watched before is very well written, to the effect that Awu’s noble spiritual world makes her not disdain to participate in the conspiracy, or even hate those who hurt her (such as Su Jin’er, more It is disgust, that she is a poor person). She hated her for the first time when she thought that He Lanzhen killed Xiao Qi. Xiao Qi is her bottom line, so she will do everything she can to die with him. Regarding the queen mother, after guessing that the emperor's uncle was murdered by her, Awu kept alienating her; after returning to Beijing, she felt compassionate when she saw the tragedy of the queen mother. This is also very controversial on the Internet, but after all, the layout of Neem Hayama has not been fully investigated, and it is understandable to have pity for the aunt who watched him grow up. (Of course, I didn't convince myself too much. There were still omissions in the plot. Ordinarily, she and Xiao Qi should be able to see the role of the queen mother). To Ma San, she was shocked to a large extent. After all, she grew up with her childhood sweetheart. She probably couldn't believe that he had become like this. She chose not to tell Xiao Qi not because she wanted to let Ma San go, but because she didn't think about what the consequences of this incident would be, and how this consequence would affect Xiao Qi and the situation in the world. So I don’t think that the hostess is overwhelmed by the heart of the Virgin. Her response to these people is different, and the way of coping is also considered according to different situations. Regarding the truth about Neem Yushan, she did have a disagreement with Xiao Qi. In the play, she mentioned letting go twice, one was when she went to Beijing to talk at home after returning to the government, hoping that Xiao Qi would not kill more after finding out the truth; Bian, asked Xiao Qi if he could put aside the things in front of him and live his own life. Two times, Xiao Qi didn't agree, he never gave her a promise that she couldn't make (here again). I think it is reasonable to think this way from the perspective of Auntie. First of all, she could not fully understand Xiao Qi’s brotherhood of life and death towards Ning Shuo’s soldiers. Second, she could not fully understand Xiao Qi’s pain and hatred unless he had personally experienced the affairs of Yushan. (On this matter, probably only Hu Yao Understand the king, please refer to See the eyes of the king and Hu Yao reuniting). So I think that although Ah Wu can understand Xiao Qi's ideals of the world on a large scale, he does not fully understand Xiao Qi's will and determination to revenge. She is afraid of the prospect of the rain coming, she is afraid of losing Xiao Qi, and also afraid that Xiao Qi will go on the road of murdering the king for revenge, and even more afraid of the bloody wind that will follow, which change of dynasty in history It didn't come by walking on the sea of ​​blood. However, this disagreement does not mean that the love between 57 has faded. In fact, their lives have been more deeply blended together (Auntie said, you are the most important person in my life; Xiao Qi said, to you never change). Auntie chose to stand with Xiao Qi on key matters. For example, when she entered Beijing, she refused to help Wang Yu persuade Xiao Qi, and followed Xiao Qi twice to bow down. (Here I want to emphasize the background of the times and not follow the rule of the monarch Ceremony is to pretend to be a big deal). He loves her, so he understands and tolerates her care for the family to the greatest extent; she loves him, even if she does not fully understand, she will respect his choice. This is the love between adults without blood.

Other characters who have the same acting online include the prime minister who is always conscientious in his career, and the queen mother who has hysteria to get up and pull his enemies into the water, finally wakes up to the elder brother who is firm in his career, and even the black line of love and brains, Ma San, their wonderful makes My resentment for the first episode of Hulan has fallen, and I moved a small bench to wait for the last 5 episodes...

[starwarsnonsense]

Best Films of 2019 (So Far)

It’s that time of year again! As most of my followers probably know, I’m an avid cinema-goer beyond Star Wars. I also quite enjoy making lists, so what’s better than a combo of the two? Below, I run down my top 10 films of 2019 so far - please note that this list is based on UK cinema release dates, so some of these films were 2018 releases elsewhere.

What are your favourites so far from this year? Let me know in replies/asks!

Honourable mentions: Toy Story 4, Long Shot, Aladdin, Alita: Battle Angel & The Kid Who Would Be King

1. The Favourite, dir. Yorgos Lanthimos

This completely wowed me - it features a trio of magnificently compelling female characters (played by Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone) operating at the court of Queen Anne (Colman is Anne, Weisz and Stone are courtiers), and is focused solely on the shifting sands of the power dynamics between them. The script is savage without sacrificing poignancy, witty without ceasing to be genuine. And while I’ve seen some react to this film as a comedy (and it certainly has laughs, most of which are closely tied to shock), for me it was very clearly a drama about the inscrutable and complicated relationships that exist between women. Specifically, it is about how those relationships run the gamut from sincere affinity to ruthless manipulation. This is an amazing movie, and it also has the best use of an Elton John song in 2019 (sorry, Rocketman!).

2. Midsommar, dir. Ari Aster

I went into this film with reservations, since I wasn’t a huge fan of Hereditary (by the same director), which I found to have extraordinary moments but iffy execution overall. This movie, however, wowed me, and I am still uncertain as to whether this or The Favourite is my top film of 2019 so far (fortunately, this gives me a good excuse to watch Midsommar three or four times in cinemas). While marketed as a freaky cult horror film, the director has described it as a fairy tale, which is the level on which is spoke to me. Midsommar follows Dani (an incredible Florence Pugh), a young woman who has suffered a terrible loss, as she travels with her boyfriend and his friends to a pagan festival in the Swedish countryside. Dani is painfully isolated, and her grief is hers to shoulder alone since her boyfriend is un-receptive and distinctly unprepared to help her. Over the course of the film, destruction and creation are conflated in ways that are frequently beautiful and horrific at the same time - this film spoke to me on a profound level, and the way it ended gave me a sense of incredible catharsis. This won’t be for everyone, for I found it to be a deeply special film and I can’t recommend it enough.

3. One Cut of the Dead, dir.  Shinichirou Ueda

While I went into The Favourite with high expectations given the talent involved, I went into this with no expectations whatsoever - and what a treat it was! One Cut of the Dead is easily one of the funniest movies I’ve seen in ears, taking what initially seems like a trite concept (a crew is filming a zombie movie at a desolate location ... only to discover that the zombies are real!) and twisting it in a truly ingenious way. The comedy is often of the broad variety, but it is consistently delightful and always manages to avoid becoming crass - the movie even has some really sweet family dynamics at the centre of it, which gives it some real emotional heft. The success of this film is heavily reliant on a major twist that occurs part-way through, so the best advice I can give you is to stay as far away from spoilers for this one as possible - go in blind, and you will be amply rewarded for your faith.

4. The Farewell, dir. Lulu Wang

I saw this following a wave of festival hype, so while I was excited I was also a bit apprehensive (since I have been burned by the aforementioned festival hype before). Thankfully, my doubts were blown away as this turned out to be just as wonderful as the early reviews had suggested. It’s a personal story about a young Asian-American woman (Awkwafina) struggling to reconcile her heritage with her current situation and values - specifically, she is tested when her grandmother is diagnosed with terminal cancer and the wider family make the decision to hide the truth from her. The Farewell does a fantastic job of generating empathy for all the different perspectives and positions in play, but it’s truly anchored by Awkwafina’s amazingly nuanced and tender performance - basically, anyone who’s ever loved a grandparent should leave this feeling incredibly moved and inspired. The themes of The Farewell are both specific to the Asian-American experience and general to anyone who has struggled with maintaining bonds over a vast distance, whether physical or cultural.           

5. Booksmart, dir. Olivia Wilde

God, how I wish I’d had this movie as a teenager! While Booksmart has a cliched premise - two high-achieving teens decide to have one wild night before graduation - it tells the story in an incredibly charming and impressively creative way (I won’t spoil it, but let me just say this - that scene with the Barbies!). As someone who was an awkward nerd with no discernible social life in high school (as you Americans call it), I found this portrayal of that peculiar limbo period very sensitive and thoughtful - it doesn’t mock or shame its heroines for being studious, and it allows them to have limits and step back from situations that make them uncomfortable. It also serves as a beautifully honest portrait of a friendship, depicting the qualities that bring people together in friendship together in the first place, as well as the forces that can break people apart. This is a very accomplished debut from Wilde, and it makes me very excited to see where she goes next as a director.

6. A Private War, dir. Matthew Heineman

This was a very suspenseful and tightly focused film about an extraordinary woman, and the film soars on the strength of Rosamund Pike’s incredible performance as Marie Colvin. She provides piercing insights into the psyche of a person so driven to pursue truth and enact change that she loses all concern for her own wellbeing - it’s simultaneously a portrait of heroism and obsession, and it’s impressive for how it handles the ambiguity inherent in Colvin’s choices. She’s exceptionally brave, but the film is unflinching in depicting the costs of her bravery. It left me feeling inspired to learn more about Colvin’s life and work, and I still need to watch the documentary Under the Wire to get more insight into the real story behind the film.

7. Fighting With My Family, dir. Stephen Merchant

This is the year of Florence Pugh - she killed it in Midsommar, and she is just as fantastic here. If anything, Fighting With My Family and Midsommar make great complements as they serve as fantastic showcases for Pugh’s range as an actor. While her character in Midsommar is fragile and vulnerable, Fighting With My Family is a platform for her strength and comedic skill. As Paige, Pugh is instantly likable and compelling - I don’t give a damn about any form of wrestling, but this film (and Pugh specifically) did a fantastic job of drawing me in and making me root for Paige’s struggle to prove herself as a legitimate force in wrestling. This is a real underdog story, and Pugh did a wonderful job as the Cinderella of the WWE.

8. Apollo 11, dir. Todd Douglas Miller

My dad has always been crazy about the space program, but I hadn’t picked up the bug myself. That changed after I watched this extraordinary documentary, which brought the Apollo 11 mission to vivid life. The footage that’s used for this documentary is extraordinarily crisp, and some moments are vividly powerful - the crew getting into their spacesuits, the swirl of fire surrounding the moment of takeoff, and the journey of the spacecraft towards the moon. It left me feeling moved and touched by human potential, especially when you remember that this all happened 50 years ago when the available technologies were so fragile and primitive. I also loved how the footage was allowed to speak for itself, with no voiceover or exposition - it’s a must-see for anyone who’s ever looked up at the stars and wondered about reaching them.

9. High Life, dir. Claire Denis

This movie is second to only Midsommar in terms of how weird it is. I saw this in a Hungarian cinema while on holiday, which made for a disorientating experience in itself. While the meaning of the film is quite elusive and I’m sure that many people will find viewing it a uniquely frustrating experience, I appreciated how it created a hothouse environment that brought out some of the ugliest aspects of humanity. Robert Pattinson was great as what comes closest to amounting to our protagonist, though he is as inscrutable and inaccessible as the film itself. I can’t quite pin down why I liked this one so much, but I know I did and it made me want to seek out more of Claire Denis’ work. 

10. Free Solo, dir. Jimmy Chin & Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi

It’s tragic that most people will only watch this documentary on a TV screen (or, so much worse, a laptop!). I was fortunate enough to see it in its full IMAX glory, and it’s rare to see any film - let alone a documentary - take such full advantage of the format. The woozy spectacle of this film is the real star, though the subject - mountain climber Alex Honnold - is also fascinating with his unnerving detachment from the magnitude of what he is setting out on. It is clearly a necessary detachment for him to be able to achieve what he achieves, but I appreciated how the filmmakers questioned it and explored its impact on his girlfriend. This is a compelling documentary, and is worth watching even if you’re not usually a fan of the genre.

[professional-danish]

A Response to The Last of Us Part II Ending (Obvious Spoilers)

I’ve been seeing a lot of people who didn’t like the game say that they understand the ending perfectly, they already know revenge is bad, they didn’t need Naughty Dog to tell them this, etc etc but...for most of them, you’re still really not getting it.

This game is not about revenge at all, and it’s really not even about Abby, although she does teach us some important lessons. This game is still entirely about Joel and Ellie, and it is completely based on the premise of forgiveness. But not for Abby!! Ellie DOES NOT forgive Abby, and she never will. No one, in my opinion, would or even could forgive the brutal murder of their loved one, and it’s a haunting, human problem that plagues not only every protagonist of The Last of Us, but our own reality. There is something within our nature that simply cannot stomach it. We see it in the pain and anger of Joel when he loses Sarah, we see it in Abby when she loses her father, and we see it in Ellie, not only when she loses Joel, but when Joel reveals that he sacrificed the world at her expense. 

Let’s take a look at the ending again, specifically the final fight. I’ve seen so many people upset at the fact that it all seems to be for nothing, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. The ending of this story is everything, and for me, it’s what makes the game, and the entirety of what comes before it cannot be understood without the very last cutscene of Joel and Ellie’s final conversation. This is where all the anger, the bitterness, the brutality, and the pain stems from. 

“I don’t know if I can ever forgive you for that,” Ellie says, as Joel tells her he would pick to save her and doom the world again and again, no matter the circumstances, “but I would like to try.” 

Ellie never gets this chance to work through her issues with Joel, and that’s why his death festers within her so painfully. Abby takes that from her, and it is so grievous a crime that Ellie becomes fixed in place, incapable of moving on from it. She sees the loss all around her, a wound that demands to be healed and yet cannot be stitched by any tools she knows of or has, and so she is forced on this quest to heal herself by destroying the surface issue and refusing to acknowledge the root.  

She’s going to kill Abby, and that will take away the pain. 

Of course, we know this isn’t true, and Naughty Dog shows us this early on by thrusting us into Abby’s shoes. Murdering Joel has brought her no relief or satisfaction. The people she loves are further away from her than ever (and soon to be dead), and have been forced there as a consequence of her unshakeable need for revenge. And furthermore, she’s still living in the same hell, where she constantly returns via flashbacks to find her father dead on the floor of the hospital. Killing Joel has not eased that pain, nor healed her emotional wounds. The only thing that has changed is that Abby has no purpose any longer, and no attachments, much in the same way we find Joel in the first game. He’s just going through the motions, trying to survive, empty and in pain. Only when he finds Ellie does he begin to regain his humanity, and the same is said for Abby, who only begins to come back to life and heal from what happened when she meets and helps Lev and Yara. You see, the story of The Last of Us Part One is retold in this sequel, though through a much narrower platform, with Abby standing in for Joel, Yara for Tess, and Lev for Ellie. And at the very end, Ellie, and by extension the player, seems to recognize this. 

When we reach the final fight, both women have committed numerous atrocities, and both have lost parts of themselves and the most important people in their lives to their vengeance. When they meet on the water, Ellie is fully prepared to end Abby’s life, something that the player fully accepts, which is another interesting beat, because a lot of complaints about Abby killing Joel stem from the fact that Joel saves Abby’s life. Abby has now also overpowered and spared Ellie twice, and yet most players still can’t seem to see through the thick fog of anger that clouds around Abby and her actions. Again, Abby is not “one of us” the way Ellie and Joel are, so I do understand it, but I think the irony is worth mentioning. 

When it comes time for the final kill, Ellie can’t. Why? She’s got Abby under that water, and Lev is far too incapacitated to help. Everything she’s been heading towards, everything she needs to fix herself and what has happened is literally right between her hands (or what’s left of them). So why can’t she do it? Is she too weak? 

No. Joel comes flooding through in a brief, single second snap of the night of their last conversation, and in that moment, Ellie achieves catharsis. When the scene progresses forward, into that final conversation, we as the player finally understand. This hasn’t been about Ellie hating Abby. This hasn’t been about Abby at all. While Abby acts as the inciting incident, this game and journey has always been about Joel. 

Ellie, while loving him, hated him for his actions, his weakness, his selfishness. Joel strips not only a cure from the world, but Ellie from her sense of self. Ellie wanted to die in that hospital. No one can say different. She was prepared for her life, and for all of the people she had lost—Riley, Tess, Henry and Sam, Marlene⁠—to mean something. Ellie can’t bear the guilt that that meaning has been permanently stripped away because Joel can’t bear to be without her. When Joel takes that decision away from her, she loses her guiding light, and all sight of herself, and what is important. All around her people continue to suffer and die, and she knows deep down she could have prevented it, but Joel robbed her of that choice. 

She can’t stomach it. 

But she loves Joel, and while she hates what he did, she understands him, and understands, to some extent, his actions, much like we do as observers of both stories. She recognizes an inability to change the past, sees Joel for who he is, and asks to start over, to ease this pain she carries. 

In the moment she relives this scene, she knows what she has to do. It hasn’t been about Abby, not this entire time. It’s been about accepting what Joel did, and the consequences of his actions. It’s been about accepting his love for her, and that it drove him to do something horrible, and that she’s in danger of doing something horrible too, of repeating this unforgiving cycle all in the name of what is just, what is right, and what we are supposed to do for the people we love.

But this isn’t right.  

There’s no justice in killing this feeble, starved, broken woman in front of her. There’s no honor in leaving a young boy to die. Ellie refuses to become that catalyst, refuses to further an agenda of hate, fear, violence, and revenge. In that moment, she accepts Joel for who he was and what he did, and she forgives him. She lets Abby up, and she lets her and Lev go, and in the process, frees herself, and closes the wound that has been slowly killing her this entire game. 

So, was it all for nothing? Absolutely not. It’s a painful journey, and it’s an emotional one, but it’s one profoundly reflective of reality, and one that, despite the brutality, is about healing, forgiveness, and love.

In choosing to break the cycle of violence, the game actually ends on an incredible note of hope, at least in my opinion. In keeping Abby alive, she allows for her and Lev to go off and find the Fireflies, as opposed to murdering Abby and creating the potential for Lev to survive and try to enact revenge on Ellie. And while Ellie has been physically maimed by her journey (a direct metaphor for reaping what you sow), she has found herself again and she is at peace with Joel and his actions. Even more than that, she knows that he died knowing she loved him. When she returns to her empty farmhouse, there are certain indicators here that all is not lost. Clean sheets remain behind in case of her return, and Dina’s favorite album lies on top of her guitar, a reminder of their love, and in my mind, a symbol of forgiveness all in itself, and a call to come back home. In a game solely focused on forgiveness, I see no other alternative than Ellie finding her way back to Jackson, and to Dina and her potato, to finally live the life she’s been trying to get back to for so long, since the very day she was bitten. 

You can be angry that they killed Joel. You can be angry that you have to live within Abby’s perspective. You’re supposed to be, and I know that I was. But these are not reasons to call this a bad game, because it isn’t, and if you give it a chance, you can see what this game is trying to say to you through these decisions. It’s done something to me that I’ve never experienced through another piece of media EVER. It’s a dynamic, masterful story set within the very best performance a gaming system can currently offer. It’s painful, emotional, and so very human, and it is currently my all time favorite game, of which the characters and stories it contains will stay with me always. 

Endure and survive...love and forgive. 

[nt26sunyorange]

The Mental Health Crisis In Media!

Each movie assigned for Lecture #002 were all great and gave me a unique perspective on a lot of things. The two main movies whose endings I enjoyed most were Black Swan and American Psycho. Although I enjoyed these endings the most, I do also believe that these are the two endings or movies that can easily relate within one another. The ending of Black Swan takes place at a theatre and a lot begins to unfold. Throughout the movie we realize Nina has a lot of issues. During the end of the movie, we see firsthand Nina battling within herself. Although she has constant hallucinations and believes Lily is out to get her, we realize that she was only battling with herself. In order for Nina to fully dive into her character as the Black Swan she needed to kill the White Swan. With her fighting “Lily” who is truly herself, a mirror ends up breaking. That is an especially important detail because throughout the movie we witness constant battles with Nina when looking into the mirror. It was like she was looking at who she wanted to be but for some reason could not seem to dive into that person. Nina’s strive to be perfect was at an all-time high and when that mirror broke when she is fighting with herself, she ends up stabbing herself which then allows her to fully dive into the role of the black swan and become who she wanted to be all along. The movie ends off with Nina saying perfect and that is all she fought to be throughout the whole movie.  

In the movie American Psycho ends off with a complete twist. When I sat and watched this movie all I thought was here is this man who clearly is a serial killer and has some type of an obsession with having sex with women and then murdering them but then the end provides us with a twist. We then realize although we perceived this man to be a certain way, he is just someone who can not differentiate between his thoughts and reality which causes him to have several hallucinations. Even when he was running away from the cops shooting everyone, I would have never thought the movie would have ended the way it did. At the end when Patrick Bateman approaches his lawyer, he too begins to realize all he knows is not true as his lawyer provides evidence on why what he is saying is completely impossible. All the committed murders were just his thoughts and things he has drawn or wrote down in his journal as we see when Jean, his secretary, goes through his desk. A lot of times we have thoughts that we don’t act on but in this case Bateman’s thoughts got misconstrued as he thought those were his actual reality.  

Although both movies are entirely different, I believe the connection these two films share regarding the endings is that both individuals hallucinate a lot throughout the whole movie, up until the very end. For example, In American Psycho, it is not until the end when Patrick Bateman realizes all he truly knows is not his actual reality. That he did not actually kill all the people he thought he did. Even when he goes to the apartment where she had the bodies and all of them were gone, I am sure his mind started to go crazy. As for Nina in the Black Swan after fighting with “Lily” she goes out to perform and when she goes back to change her dress, she realizes there is no more blood leaking from under the door and when she opens it, she then sees that “Lily” isn’t there and then realizes she stabbed herself with the glass in the end. Both Patrick and Nina commit crimes within their hallucinations, crimes that anybody would have been arrested for. I believe both characters had a sense of relief when realizing that their hallucinations were not their actual reality. They both share similar mental illnesses and show how serious mental illness can be.  

I believe the purpose of ambiguity in both films was to the people who are watching these films to interpret it in ways that make sense to them. Watching these two films, there are so many different ways you can interpret it. Whether certain scenes were real or actual hallucinations. Both films having ambiguity allows the people watching it to enjoy it just a little bit more. I feel like that separates it from the films with predicable endings. Not knowing what may happen next or how to initially interpret what you just watched may have you at the edge of your seat and keep you glued to the television wanting to watch more.

As I stated before, the sense of catharsis comes from both endings. Patrick realizing, he didn’t commit all the crimes he thought he did and realized that what he believed was true was not and that gave him a sense of relief instead of the feeling of him being in over his head or going crazy. As for Nina in Black Swan she realized she did not kill Lily when checking for the blood under the door and when Lily comes to let her know that she was doing good. Although she stabbed herself, she was still relieved that she did not actually kill somebody.

I picked these two movies because of the endings! The endings truly satisfied more than just my expectations. What I thought would happen in these movies did not happen. When I pick out movies to watch the goal is always to find something that will surprise me in the end. To find something that I can’t predict the ending of. These two movies both had me at the edge of my seat especially American Psycho. All the thoughts I had of what could have possibly happened in the end of that movie, for example, him actually getting arrested and them finding all the bodies. Never would I have thought that Patrick Bateman was living within his thoughts and imagination. It never crossed my mind that what he was doing weren't his real actions. It made it worth watching and I wouldn’t change anything about it. In Black Swan I truly believed that Nina stabbed Lilly in the dressing room simply because she was in over her head and didn’t want Lilly to gain that opportunity of having the part of the Swan Queen. Realizing that she was in a constant battle with herself had me in awe and intrigued me. These endings made the movies worth watching and I also would not have changed anything about the ending for Black Swan.

[villainever]

God, We're All Tired: Female Conflict in Killing Eve's Season One Finale

So I'm sure 1x08 has been analysed to death, but seeing as we're winding up to the end of Killing Eve's second season (sad face), I thought I'd jump in with a completely unsolicited reflection on the ultimate culmination of Villanelle and Eve's mutual obsession and pursuit. I'll kick off by saying that from the start, we knew this moment would be interesting, for a whole slew of reasons: Firstly, from the get-go, we were shown that Killing Eve was here to subvert and reconstruct; it's deeply oriented within its genre, but it's irreverent, and even what I would describe as a reclamation of spy-fi. Specifically, it's a female-led narrative taking ownership of a set of texts and tropes that have consistently objectified and excluded women by turns. From its inception, the psychological thriller genre has delighted in a) withholding women's agency, and killing/torturing/assaulting them, both to shock viewers and to lend pathos to the motivations of male characters, and b) revelling in their "expiration" from sexual desirability, and casting the "ailing crone" as the villain orchestrating events. Killing Eve has absolutely no interest in ever reducing its women to their component parts. There are no pedestals, and there are no pitchforks. As a show, it hits all the golden points of suspense television, and completely reimagines the rest; it's a masterpiece balacing act of keeping the classic cat-and-mouse recogniseable, while allowing Eve and Villanelle to each be both the predator and the prey.

Secondly, our two protagonists are women. Highly unusual and exceptional women -- that's inarguable -- but nevertheless, they've been socialised in particular ways. What's so fascinating here is that both have been injected with a comfort in and enjoyment of theatrical violence that's usually reserved for male villains. However, even at their most ruthless, there's an innate intimacy to both of them -- unlike, say, for example, the Joker, Villanelle's flamboyance and love affair with destruction never manifest as mass-killings or the eradication of infrastructure (like blowing up a hospital). Villanelle exacts each murder with the creativity of the truly engaged and passionate, but it's always personal and unique, usually one-on-one. She doesn't have a vendetta against the world, either; she finds beauty in it -- in ice-cream and movies and nice architecture or fun clothes. Similarly, Eve is enthralled by Villanelle's flair for the deadly and the dramatic, but it's not born out of a spite for humanity, but a sense of artistry and a consuming need for some adrenaline in her otherwise numb and mundane life. These complexities muddle their emotions and motivations, and make it difficult for even the most television-literate to semi-accurately predict their storylines.

Thirdly, Eve and Villanelle are never positioned as diametrically opposed. This in itself is not exactly out of the left field -- a lot of media with a dark focal point or mature subjects introduce heroes and villains who share key traits (e.g. Sherlock and Irene, in CBS's Elementary), or even comparable goals (e.g. Black Panther's Killmonger and Nadia both want to open Wakanda's borders). In most cases, though, the antagonist will represent some kind of seduction to the 'other side', that the protagonist inevitably resists the allure of (e.g. Andy realising Miranda isn't who she wants to grow up to be -- successful but alienated -- and goes back to her excuse of a boyfriend in TDWP). But while Eve and Villanelle are very much established as one another's temptations, we also see that they'll grant the other access to a part of the world that is, for now, barred from them: Villanelle and Eve will stop each other from being bored. They "resist the allure" not because they fear moral wrongdoing, but because they cling to their respective images of themselves -- Eve, as someone "nice and normal", who happens to have a grey area for a hobby, and Villanelle, as someone independent, in control, with no lines she wouldn't cross. Way back in the pilot, we're shown that they don't actually WANT to destroy each other. Villanelle is too interesting to Eve, Eve is too attractive to Villanelle. Yes, they pose a significant threat to their respective lifestyles, but as we've had proven, they're becoming willing to risk that if it means gaining something more. They don't reflect a sinister alternative timeline of "look what you could've been" (which is inherently hero-centric, and Killing Eve pays as much attention to Villanelle as Eve), they offer each other a "look what you could still be", that is at once dark and hopeful -- something that they've really elaborated on in this second season. But 1x08, even though it is very much the symbolic collision that is the centrepiece of all chase stories, is not their first meeting. Villanelle goes to Eve's house in the (iconic) 1x05. So why not save that for the finale? Why not build and build and have that tension released right at the end? Because, crucially, 1x05 generated more tension. The show's writing is so substantial that it doesn't worry about losing its audience after the moment they've been waiting for happens. It's one of the reasons you could have the entire plot of Killing Eve spoiled, and then still enjoy every episode when you watch it yourself: it's the How that we love as much as the What. Killing Eve takes the time and space to revel in its style, characters, and setting -- but that's another essay. In 1x05, their meeting is high-octane, and crucially, it's brief. We get a snapshot of how their infatuation and fixation translates into chemistry. And they both become real to one another. Eve's last reservations begin to fade as she realises that she can survive an encounter with Villanelle, and her sense of self -- most importantly, the subconscious idea that she's somehow special -- is vindicated (Eve's slight narcissism, and how the show makes it compelling and intoxicating, is yet another thing I could go on about). For Villanelle, Eve is allowed to be more than just great hair and a worthy threat. She's someone challenging and entertaining. What's so incredible about that first meeting is that it's proof that this dynamic isn't running on mystery and fumes. It's sustainable. They continue to appeal to one another once they're in the same room together. They appeal even more. Their sexual tension skyrockets, and the whole dance becomes extremely personal. They can't write one another off as playthings, although they largely continue to attempt that, at least for a short while. With this in mind, let's move on to that finale. Not only is Eve trashing Villanelle's apartment hilarious, and a perfect articulation of the humour/danger cantilever that makes Killing Eve awesome, but it provides a critical catharsis for the audience before the actual confrontation. By this point, the price for Eve's obsession is starting to rack up -- her job is circling the drain, Niko's dodging her calls, her self-image is blurring. Eve has a whole lot of feelings, but she's allowed to express them on her own, symbolically taking them out on Villanelle by ruining her things, which become a vehicle for venting her frustrations without actually affecting their relationship. When Villanelle does arrive, Eve's ready. This scene would've worked if it was some sexy wall-leaning, banter, and Eve surprise-stabbing Villanelle in the middle of a conversation. I think that's probably how a lot of screenwriters today would've done it, scrawling it off by rote and relying on Villaneve's chemistry and Comer and Oh's excellent acting to nail the bit. Instead, we get this civil conversation, and then they lie down together, first relaxing, and then gravitating towards one another. I don't believe that Eve knew until the millisecond she decided to do it that she would actually try and stab Villanelle. I actually gave this mini-essay a title, and it's "female conflict". That's because I think that this entire sequence wouldn't have happened in a show created by men, or featuring male characters. In violent shows, we get violent conflict. Killing Eve is unquestionably a violent show, but it's distinct from its contemporaries in that the characters aren't there to prop up the violence; the violence is there to reveal and develop the characters. But after a whole season of elaborate murder and tyre-squealing pursuit, we get this stillness. Yet, it doesn't feel for even a beat like bathos. It's absolutely a climax, and it's both suspenseful and arresting. It really illustrates that the show is about fascination: they're hungry to know everything, like Eve says. There's no performative combat. We can't guess what's going to happen because neither can they. Their obsession isn't a "this town ain’t big enough for the both of us" situation. It's a "this town is only the both of us". Their worlds are reduced to each other and they don't want to squander it with fighting, because fundamentally, Eve and Villanelle are so much more similar than they are different. Again, I say this is so fitting for female characters because they see this co-existence as an option. It's so simple, but the idea of your protagonist and antagonist sighing, "Fuck, can't we just have a lie down after all this?" and making it satisfying is incredibly radical. Because it's so personal, and intimate, and human. At every interval, the writing asks, What would we actually do at this moment? Not, What precedent has popular culture set for this moment? Too often, I think we give characters responses that we've seen before in texts, because we watched/read it, accepted it, and just filed it into our own work, knowing it's what the audience expects. But this scene with Eve and Villanelle is so heart-wrenchingly in-character. It's two people charging at each other full speed, not to hit each other but to be close to one another. And like so many other tiny beats over the course of the season, Killing Eve luxuriates in this proximity. We get to breathe. It's gentle. It's a gentle pause between two people who could utterly eradicate one another, but choose not to. It's ladden as well with such a specific but familiar kind of exhaustion, and it's an act of defiance, too. Killing Eve rejects the hegemonic (and predominantly masculine) cultural assertion that conflict (or even sometimes, in the less typical texts, debate and negotiation) is the way to resolve difference, and indeed, that difference must be resolved. That one must overpower the other. That your enemy is an alien and cannot be connected with, related to. The fact is, a lot of even this first season isn't spent chasing, it's spent running. Eve and Villanelle take an interest in each other early on, and it quickly escalates from intellectual to sexual to emotional (insofar as either of them are capable of that). By 1x05, they've caught up to each other. The rest of the time, though, they're fleeing from how much they want each other, how alike they might be. And in Villanelle's Paris apartment, they concede: I love you more than I hate you. I need you more than I should. And it's with that concession that we as an audience can experience their relaxation, too. It's what we've -- consciously or not -- been waiting for. That acknowledgement. But Margot, you say, you've been talking about how this isn't about violence -- have your forgotten that Eve STABS Villanelle, literally three seconds after this? I have not, The Only Follower Who Read This Far. So why engineer all this, and then have Eve knife Villanelle straight in the gut? Because even though they have this liminal second together, their story isn't resolved. Killing Eve goes absolutely wild with power dynamics, and I could discuss that for hours, too -- Eve is older, but Villanelle is more experienced; Eve is more stable, but Villanelle is more adaptable, etc. But generally speaking -- partially because Eve is, at the beginning, something of an audience surrogate -- the scales are in Villanelle's favour. She's dangerous, clever, has no fear of legal consequences, and has more freedom and greater resources. Killing Eve is allergic to any pedestrian predictability, so it shakes up this arrangement. In stabbing Villanelle, Eve proves to both of them what she's capable of. Prior to this, they had an impression of their similarities, but this throws into sharp relief exactly how deep those run. Eve immediately regrets the stabbing, because it wasn't about getting rid of Villanelle. She doesn't want to hurt her so much as show her that Eve has power too, has recklessness too, can keep up. This interaction isn't the product of an inability to relate, but a desperation to connect. This joins them together, affirms their relationship. Eve isn't trying to dominate her, to win, not really. She's telling Villanelle what she's capable of, and equating them. We get this confirmed in how Villanelle perceives in the stab wound as a symbol of affection (2x02, 2x05), and how Eve says she continues to think about it constantly (2x05). I believe that while Villanelle always respected Eve, if Eve hadn't stabbed her, Villanelle would've remained confident that she, quietly, had the upper hand. That if ever need be, she could be more cunning and cruel and decisive than Eve. But Eve's put them in the same ring, and also removed one major wall between them -- Villanelle's murderous side is a key part of her character, and after this, she knows that Eve isn't intruiged by her despite this, but because of it, and because it’s at least partially common ground. Eve isn't Anna (another comparison I could go off on a tangent about, but I'll spare you). In sum, I think that the season one finale was beautifully rendered, and reflected Killing Eve's appreciation of itself. It let the characters interact genuinely, it refreshed their dynamic, and allowed them development separately (Eve's new understanding of her own capacity for harm; Villanelle's new experience with vulnerability, and not being able to predict others) and together (intertwining them irrevocably, further aligning them). It's one of those rare scenes where it's completely surprising at the time of viewing, but in hindsight, seems inevitable, and you can't imagine it any different. I can't make any predictions for the season two final episode other than I expect something equally unexpected, something just as loyal to the characters and their relationship, and their capacity to embrace and antagonise each other. This essay is probably borderline incoherent. It really got away from me. I set a timer for half an hour and told myself that whatever I got written in that time, I'd post. Thanks so much for your kind comments on my rant yesterday, and I hope this is at least vaguely what you were looking for, @ the people who said they'd read another. You're my favs. If you've got something else Killing Eve-related you'd like me to yell about, let me know! Or if you want to come chat, I promise I'm friendly! I’m using the tag “#villainever writes” for this rambly stuff atm, so if I ever write another of these I’ll have a digital drawer to put it in hahah

[allthefilmsiveseenforfree]

The Goldfinch

The Goldfinch marks the first movie of 2019 where I have seen all the trailers and I still have little to no idea what is going to happen in this movie in terms of plot. Normally I rant and rave against contemporary trailer makers for giving away all the details in a film - even important plot twists (I haven’t forgiven you, Pet Sematary, and I never will). But in this case, I haven’t read the book, and the trailers reveal next to nothing about what’s going on, so all I could really hope for was a star-studded, weird, arty time. Is that what I got? Well...

Basically, yeah. Although I wouldn’t really classify the film as weird. There are no bizarre cult classic choices going on here. Instead, it feels...literary. It feels like these characters don’t exist in any version of reality that you or I would recognize unless you were also a character in a book that takes place in a New York with no tourists or gentrification or $1 pizza slices. The plot is pretty convoluted, but basically Theo (Ansel Elgort) is a young boy when he goes to the Met and a bomb goes off, killing his mother. In the aftermath of the explosion, he meets a man who convinces him to 1) steal a painting and 2) take his ring as a sign to show the man’s business partner. Everything from there dictates the rest of Theo’s life as he bounces around from adoptive family on the Upper East Side to shitty real family on the outskirts of Las Vegas back to New York again. There’s a large and wacky cast of characters and a lot of twists and turns that really don’t make much sense. Also, it gets pretty gay.

Some thoughts:

The casting is all pretty spectacular, as the young Theo (Oakes Fegley) really does look like Ansel Elgort.

Do they really give kids morphine lollipops? That seems irresponsible. 

We really see the entire spectrum of white people here, from the brittle WASP-y Upper East Side of Nicole Kidman and family to the white trash foreclosed desert developments where Sarah Paulson totters in stripper heels outside Las Vegas, Nevada. And across that entire spectrum, their only solution for this kid who’s experienced this huge trauma is to keep giving him drugs, so at least that’s consistent.

I don’t understand what it is about literary fiction that has such a hard time translating to film - I’m sure all these characters feel more real in the book, but in the movie, everything just feels like so much unreality? Every new character that’s introduced feels like we’re walking into a new, weird SNL skit. 

Sarah Paulson is having a hell of a good time, though, which I always appreciate seeing. 

Dennis O’Hare is truly excellent at being oily and threatening. 

Finn Wolfhard is magnetic to watch, but his accent verges on cartoonish. Like all of his little “Ha!”s sound fake. However, the entire section of the film with Young Boris and Young Theo is the most captivating and feels like it’s the most emotionally honest. Like, they’re just throwing chips at each other and punching each other and it doesn’t feel like it’s trying to be anything more than deepening this relationship between these two boys, which is kind of nice in a movie where everything feels like it’s supposed to be a metaphor.

NYC is also hot in the summer - why the fuck did Theo only bring with him this one grey sweater when he’s packing to go to Las Vegas? Are you telling me he doesn’t own ANYTHING with short sleeves?

Did everyone smoke this much indoors in 2004? I don’t remember that at all, but then I wasn’t living with anyone named Xandra at the time either.

There is a Very Good Dog named Popper who goes through a lot tbh but doesn’t really get any sort of resolution? He ends up with a safe place to stay but then we hear nothing more of him so like, I just hope he had a really good life because Popper did nothing wrong and deserves everything for being such an intrepid lil traveler eating potato chips on the bus.

You know how I know this was based on a Pulitzer-prize-winning novel and not like, reality? Because everyone in the film says “blah blah blah as long as you like” instead of “as long as you want” like normal ass human beings. Take note. It happens at least 7 times, and each subsequent time made me feel more and more like I was in an MFA fiction workshop and some dude was explaining to the class how taking acid is a metaphor for expanding consciousness and bridging the gap between childhood and adulthood while all I wanted to do was get to the student union before they ran out of chicken tenders.

I know I ragged on Theo’s sweaters, but I do appreciate Pippa’s (Ashleigh Cummings) very strong sweater game. To be fair, she lives in London and we see her only in New York during rainy and cold times so like her sweaters make sense. I’m a big fan of Pippa and her wardrobe and her hair and I feel like she’s probably someone who has a much more interesting and rich interior life in the novel and she kind of gets shortchanged here as one of Theo’s almost love interests. 

Speaking of, I thought this movie was going to be a lot gayer than it ended up being - Boris kissing Theo in the trailer was like “okay okay alright i see u gay boys i see u” but then it all ended up as so much subtext on the cutting room floor. Theo has more chemistry with Boris than any other person in the film, and Boris’s appearance in adult Theo’s life is essentially the device that moves everything forward again, but everything stays closeted and bottled up. There’s no emotional catharsis between them, no acknowledgement of what they mean to each other. I was left wanting so much more from the one bright spot of the entire narrative.

Also maybe I’m just too stupid (I don’t think I am) but ultimately, what was the point of it all? Why did Welty encourage Theo to take the painting in the first place?? I get why Theo did it independently of Welty, based on the film’s last line. And why he kept the painting for so long. But why did he actually take it? I feel like I should know the answer to that question and I really really don’t. 

Did I Cry? I didn’t, and I feel like I should have.

Here’s the problem. I’m honestly not sure what I would suggest to improve this film. The performances are all GOOD and the pacing is steady (read: slow) but I’m not sure what to cut? I think the biggest problem is that none of it feels real. It all feels, in the words of Ferris Bueller, like a museum: it’s very beautiful, and very cold, and you’re not allowed to (emotionally) touch anything. It leads to an experience that I think could hold a lot more meaning than it actually does - in this case, I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that you could get the experience that you actually want by reading the novel.

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[douxreviews]

Game of Thrones - ‘The Last of the Starks’ Review

"We may have defeated them, but there's still us to contend with."

Previously, I'd written reviews for a couple of different episodes centered around epic battles. In this case, I felt fortunate to be reviewing an episode that's all about the aftermath of an epic battle, as well as a prelude for the next one.

Because I really couldn't decide how I felt about the sudden end to the White Walkers, the Long Night and the Great War until I saw how they planned to go forward. I'm still not sure how I feel about it, but I do know that -- as rushed as The Last of the Starks was -- there is a lot here that I quite enjoyed. At the very least, taking the zombies and ice demons out at the midway point leaves plenty of room to further explore the joys and pains of these awesome characters as they face an uncertain future.

Celebration of Life

The episode's opening is very bittersweet. We start with the somber mass funeral of those who died defending Winterfell from the Army of the Dead, and neatly segue into a joyous victory feast in the castle's great hall. These people just overcame death incarnate, and quickly realize there is much to celebrate. This leads to some beautiful moments.

Dany surprises everyone by singling out Gendry, son of her lifelong nemesis, and legitimizing him as a full-fledged Baratheon. I especially loved that Davos began the cheers for him, it's a nice vindication of his undying loyalty to the family.

Tormund once again attempts to woo Brienne of Tarth, but this time gets soundly cock-blocked by Jaime Lannister. Watching Tormund tearfully relate this tragedy to the uncaring Hound before shacking up with some horny northern girl was hilarious. Which gives us the scene between Sansa and Sandor Clegane, a reunion I had been waiting for.

Although not quite as intimate as it is in the books, theirs is still a significant connection; he helped inspire her strength, and she helped inspire his chivalry. It was nice to see Sansa gain the Hound's respect, and it's always nice to see this hard man's softer, more vulnerable side.

And we finally see Jaime and Brienne become a thing. That love scene was so cleverly adorable in its execution, these two misfits struggling to approach the act of consummating their feelings toward each other. Brienne's awkward stiffness as she finds herself in a mutually romantic situation for the first time in her life, and Jaime's even more awkward attempt at flirting after a lifetime of ignoring all other women in favor of his twin sister. Very well handled.

Of course, there are still a couple of episodes left and they can't be full of nothing but our favorite characters happily prospering. As Littlefinger previously addressed, and as Tyrion reaffirms here, defeating the mythical White Walkers and saving the world means everyone must now deal with that world and each other.

Moments of Truth

Daenerys is quick to recognize this as well. The celebration only reminds her that she is still a stranger in her own homeland, that Jon Snow is the heroic leader people revere, and that his claim to the throne is stronger than hers regardless of whatever her destiny truly is. Emilia Clarke's performance shines here in a way I haven't seen for a couple of seasons now. This is because for the most part we only see her wearing Dany's queenly mask of superiority, mostly cool but occasionally smoldering. Whereas now we are seeing Dany in a state of palpable desperation.

The scene between her and Jon really brings their circumstances down to earth quite dramatically. They are in love and want to be together, but the truth of Jon's origin threatens to tear them apart and the realm along with them. Dany begs Jon not to reveal his secret identity to anyone else, but he feels compelled to tell Sansa and Arya because they are his family.

I'm disappointed that we don't see Sansa and Arya's immediate reactions to the truth, but their choices later on are just as telling.

Sansa chooses to betray Jon's trust by spilling the beans to Tyrion, hoping to erode Dany's power in favor of Jon. This would almost certainly guarantee an Iron Throne controlled by the Starks.

Arya chooses to join the Hound on a suicide mission to King's Landing, which is a bit more ambiguous. Is she questioning her own existence after learning Jon's secret and refusing Gendry's proposal, finally accepting that she wasn't born to be a subservient sister or wife but an instrument of death? Or is she risking her life in order to protect Jon, who she will always love as her brother, no matter where he came from?

Either way, it seems like a lot of carnage could have been avoided if Arya had just offered to go south and single-handedly assassinate Cersei for Jon and Dany.

The R+L=J revelation also leads to a few great scenes between Tyrion and Varys. Tyrion is clearly distressed, but Varys (rather hypocritically) begins suggesting that they should kick Dany to the curb and put Jon on the Iron Throne. It's been so long since we've seen the serious side to this duo. Now it seems Varys is poised to betray the queen he marked as a savior, in the name of the people. Meaning he's probably got dragonfire in his future. Or maybe not. The way their last conversation ends, you get the feeling that Tyrion's plea for Varys not to threaten Dany is more of a warning. Tyrion did start off his relationship with Varys by threatening to kill him for potentially endangering a woman he cared about.

For once, Tyrion is the character who's really hard to read. He seems to know Jon is a more ideal choice, but he can't bring himself to consider betraying Dany. He fears Dany's potential for madness and destruction, but he also genuinely believes in her potential for greatness.

I still think Tyrion's loyalty to Dany goes beyond just finding a ruler worth sticking with. Part of me thinks he's got some repressed romantic feelings toward her, and another part of me thinks he views her as the sister Cersei never was. Which likely makes the fact that they are at war with Cersei all the more complicated, since Tyrion just can't bring himself to give up on her.

Despite the whacky Stark kids, the legendary warriors and the various schemers and pretenders to the throne, the story really does seem to center around our three main outsiders, Jon, Daenerys and Tyrion. And I think Tyrion is drinking so much because he understands that he is caught in the middle and has the burden of deciding all of their fates and doesn't know the right choice. He is finally beginning to see the long shadow he is casting.

And despite Jon's stubborn optimism that everyone can get along, even he seems indecisive and adrift. He claims to not want the throne or the crown or even his "true" identity, but his departure from Winterfell shows us that he's still leaving behind everything that's been a core part of who he is: the North, the Free Folk, his friends and family, he even asks Tormund to bring his direwolf Ghost beyond the Wall. Whether he knows it or not, he is being drawn toward the Iron Throne, his supposed destiny. But his scenes in this episode drive the point home that he will always be Jon Snow at heart, not Aegon Targaryen VI. His connection to the Starks, the North, the First Men (hell, maybe even the Old Gods) is clearly much stronger than the blood of the dragon running through his veins.

Death of Dragons

And to drive this point home, immediately after Jon leaves Ghost behind, his dragon Rhaegal winds up dead.

Yes, "The Last War" quickly goes wrong for Dany as Euron Greyjoy lays an ambush at Dragonstone, destroying the rest of the Targaryen fleet and capturing Missandei in addition to killing one of her dragons with new souped up scorpions.

It's both frustrating and amazing that Cersei has been allowed to turn the tables like this, though forgivable in that it's largely a result of other people. Euron's unpredictable nature and talent for raising hell is key to her strength, Jaime's theft of the Tyrell wealth is the only reason she could afford the Golden Company, and she likely wouldn't have gotten this far if a crazy resourceful bastard like Qyburn hadn't been backing her up. Gold, cruelty and fool's luck have subsequently left her in a position where she is more dominant than a woman who had previously dominated almost half a continent.

Dealing with an enemy as maddeningly chaotic and power hungry as Cersei is doing the opposite of what Tyrion wants by provoking Dany to be just as bad or worse in her quest for victory. That Tyrion continues to delude himself into thinking Cersei is "not a monster" because she "loved her children" still annoys me. You could argue that he's trying to reason with her simply to avoid any more bloodshed, but Tyrion should be smart enough to know by now that appealing to Cersei's humanity and rationality is hopeless. Which Cersei proves by having the Mountain decapitate Missandei, spitting on Dany's last bit of mercy. Our dragon queen has never been closer to giving the order to "burn them all" than she is now.

Missandei's resolute final words -- "Dracarys", which calls back to the moment she went from enslaved translator to royal herald when Dany began her revolution in Slaver's Bay -- might give us some hope for sweet revenge and catharsis, but I imagine the end result will be more difficult to reconcile. King's Landing is a powderkeg just waiting to go off. I mean, we've got the combined Stark and Targaryen forces about to do battle with the combined Lannisters, Ironborn and Golden Company sellswords, Dany unleashing her wrath on dragonback while Cersei uses the populace of King's Landing as a shield, the Hound facing off against the Mountain, Arya coming to kill Cersei and Jaime possibly on his way to do the same (more on that below), there's a good chance Cersei will use wildfire again to give her more of an edge, all on top of Tyrion and Varys butting heads as they toy with Jon and Dany's lives in the game of thrones.

If The Long Night was any indication, we'll likely see most of this resolved in the next episode after much senseless violence. However, unless everyone ends up killing each other, that still leaves a bunch of other unanswered questions. Will our heroes Jon and Dany come to terms with who they are? How does Tyrion go on after the downfall of his dysfunctional family? Can the Stark children ever come back from the tragedies and horrors that have defined their lives? Is what's left of Westeros going to survive the long winter? How long will this winter be? Why are the seasons so long anyway? If the realm does survive, will it and its people learn from this devastation and evolve, or forget and doom themselves to repeat history over and over? What exactly is the Prince That Was Promised, or the Lord of Light? Where does any of this magic come from? Does Bronn get his fancy castle? Was the Three-Eyed Bran the bad guy all along? Will the gallant cat Ser Pounce ever return?

I guess I'll find out, one way or another. Hard to believe this show's almost over.

Schemes & Plots:

* The funeral scene got to me. Guess I just wasn't ready to see characters like Jorah, Theon or Dolorous Edd get laid to rest.

* I love how Podrick casually sets up a threesome in the background as Sansa talks to Sandor.

* Bronn gets a scene with Jaime and Tyrion that, while fun, is basically a retread of most other scenes between these characters. Which pretty much boils down to this: "You fuckers owe me a castle!" I know it's a cute way of illustrating that Bronn would rather not kill the Lannister bros, but realistically he should have cut his losses a long time ago.

* Varys mentions that the "new Prince of Dorne" has declared for Daenerys. Whoever this is, I doubt we'll ever see him. Guess the show chose to forget that Oberyn Martell had eight daughters, which would leave five still alive after the demise of the loathsome Sand Snakes.

* Gilly is pregnant with Sam's baby. Big surprise, they're gonna name it Jon if it's a boy.

* Not long after the Jaime/Brienne ship sets sail, it capsizes when Jaime learns that Cersei is gaining the advantage over Dany. He then apparently abandons his chance at honor, love and peace to go back to Cersei, breaking Brienne's heart. Or so it would seem. I think Jaime is really going back to put an end to Cersei himself, and simply played the villain to keep Brienne from following him to almost certain death. Jaime states the unforgivable things he's done for Cersei as if to affirm that he is just like her, but I think this is him owning up to the fact that loving Cersei made him into a monster, something he doesn't want to be. In this light, Jaime killing Cersei would be as poetic as Tyrion killing Tywin; their struggle to please these hateful tyrants enslaved them both, forcing them to compromise their principles and accept lives of humiliation and scorn. A missing sword hand isn't Jaime's greatest handicap no more than dwarfism was Tyrion's. It's Cersei. She's a chain he needs to break free from.

* Watching Jaime struggle to unbutton his tunic or ready his horse makes me think of all the other one-handed difficulties he must have dealt with during his solo journey north.

* I still really hate that there's no snow in King's Landing. After all the talk about how "Winter is Coming", winter has had far less representation than I imagined.

* Tyrion's parlay with Qyburn reminded me of the deleted scene from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King where the heroes meet the Mouth of Sauron.

* We see the way this world's history repeats itself through Gendry. House Baratheon was originally founded by a man said to have been Aegon the Conqueror's bastard brother, and they are once again made rulers of the Stormlands by another Targaryen conqueror. It's taken even further when an overjoyed Gendry asks Arya to be his wife and gets rejected, just like his father Robert was rejected by Lyanna Stark. The Baratheons are typically very gifted individuals, but they are woefully unlucky when it comes to love and family.

* Speaking of history repeating, it turns out Cersei really is manipulating Euron the same way she manipulated King Robert, tricking him into believing that her Lannister incest baby is his Greyjoy heir to the throne.

* Rhaegal died at Dragonstone after being unceremoniously impaled by three javelins and sinking into the waters. This was similar to his namesake, Rhaegar Targaryen, the Prince of Dragonstone who was unceremoniously defeated and died in the waters of the Trident.

* Still not enough Ghost.

Quotes:

Sandor Clegane: Used to be you couldn't look at me. Sansa Stark: That was a long time ago. I've seen much worse than you since then. Sandor: Yes, I've heard. Heard you were broken in. Heard you were broken in rough. Sansa: And he got what he deserved. I gave it to him. Sandor: How? Sansa: Hounds. Sandor: (chuckles) ... You've changed, little bird.

Jaime Lannister: You know the first thing I learned about the North? I hate the fucking North. Brienne of Tarth: It grows on you. Jaime: I don't want things growing on me.

Daenerys Targaryen: (to Jon) I saw the way they looked at you. I know that look. So many people have looked at me that way, but never here. Never on this side of the sea.

Jon Snow: If you only trust the people you grow up with, you won't make many allies. Arya Stark: That's alright. I don't need many allies.

Tormund Giantsbane: (to Jon) You've got the north in you. The real north.

Sandor Clegane: (to Arya) Must've felt good, sticking your knife in that horned fucker.

Varys: How many others know? Tyrion: Including us? Eight. Varys: Then it's not a secret anymore. It's information.

Varys: You know our queen better than I do. Do you think she wants to share the throne? She doesn't like to have her authority questioned-- Tyrion: Something she has in common with every monarch who ever lived. Varys: I worry about her state of mind. Tyrion: We're advisors to the queen. Worrying about her state of mind is our job... We still have to take King's Landing. Maybe Cersei will win and kill us all. That would solve all our problems.

Euron Greyjoy: She's coming for you. Cersei Lannister: Of course, she is. Keep the gates open. If she wants to take the castle she'll have to murder thousands of innocent people first. So much for the Breaker of Chains.

Daenerys: They should know who to blame when the sky falls down upon them. Damn.

Varys: I have served tyrants most of my life. They all talk about destiny. Tyrion: She's a girl who walked into a fire with three stones and walked out with three dragons. How could she not believe in destiny?

Though I'm not crazy about the direction these last few seasons have gone in, it was an absolute pleasure to be able to write reviews for this show. Game of Thrones is truly phenomenal. It'll be a shame not to have it to look forward to anymore. Three and a half out of five Starbucks coffee cups.

Logan Cox

[fearsmagazine]

SLAPFACE - Review

DISTRIBUTOR: Shudder

SYNOPSIS:  Lucas and his brother Tom live in a rundown home. The brothers have been on their own since the death of their mother. Lucas regularly seeks solace in the nearby woods. His only “friends” are a group of female bullies, so he keeps to himself most of the time. A dare results in  a strange encounter with an inhuman monster. Thereafter, Lucas begins to withdraw from others. Lucas and the monster reach a tentative trust and he is swept up in a series of primal adventures. A bizarre friendship is born. When violence and carnage begin to follow the witch, Lucas must try and stop his new friend from killing again, but is it her he really needs to stop?

REVIEW: From Edger Allen Poe to Shirley Jackson and Robert Block, SLAPFACE is a contemporary American fairy tale that explores the themes of isolation and bullying, and the horrors that can result. It is a tale of innocence trying to protect itself that borrows from a tradition that can be traced as far back to the works of Hawthorne, but a tale told specifically on the screen.

This is the second feature film written by driven filmmaker Jeremiah Kipp, a visual storyteller working in the industry for approx. twenty-two years. He has a keen appreciation for the genre that is wonderfully demonstrated here. His story focuses on Lucas as he dives into the myth concerning a local witch and journeys into a nightmare. Lucas’ isolation and the other characters serve as a catalyst that heard Lucas to his unavoidable tragic end. In some ways it is reminiscent of Hamlet encountering the ghost of his father. As such, Kipp maintains an ambiguity in terms of is Lucas the victim or the villian. Still, throughout the tale he is able to maintain a sense of innocence that allows the viewer to empathize with Lucas. There is not much meat on the other characters but Kipp skillfully molds them into personalities that avoid becoming cliches. The viewer can sense the writer’s emotional investment in the tale that adds to emotional intensity to the plot.

Over the years I’ve spent time in areas of New York State that are reflected in the film. Kipp and his team have some excellent locations that add to the tone of the film. His cinematographer creates a lyrical, contemporary fairy tale look that adds gravitas to the narrative. I appreciated the costume designs that enhance the performances and felt genuine to the situation and location. I especially enjoyed the design of the witch and how they shot and cut those scenes. The editing adds to the ambience and sustains an engaging energy to the film.

Kipp has a fantastic ensemble cast. Their performances lift the characters from the page allowing them to feel substantive. You know these kids, and that provides the viewer entry into the drama. Kipp has found an amazing talent for his lead, August Maturo. He is likable, projects a sense of innocence, and conveys the tension and drama of the situation that the character is caught up in. He allows the director some misdirection so the viewer may not see the end coming. And that is a powerful slap in the face.

SLAPFACE is another film to emerge this year that seems to be a trend in independent genre films to blend personal trauma and social issues with classic themes. As the studio films rehash superficial, cliched genre films, the independent community continues weaving heartfelt, personalized themes with horror elements that penetrates the viewers psyche and resonates for quite some time afterwards. It provides the viewer with something to consider, and has the power to spawn a dialogue. Likewise, SLAPFACE has the power to provide a psychological catharsis as it also entertains. It does what great horror stories can do, touch the darkness within us all and possibly make the viewer better for it.

Jeremiah Kipp is a talented visionary, powerful filmmaker, who has just begun to hit his stride. He is sure to be a name we will be hearing more from as his star continues to rise. If you miss seeing SLAPFACE now you’ll only find yourself regretting it as you encounter his future tales of dread and madness.

CAST: August Maturo, Mike Manning, Libe Barer, Dan Hedaya, Mirabelle Lee, Lukas Hassel, Bianca D’Ambrosio, and Chiara D’Ambrosio. CREW: Director/Screenplay - Jeremiah Kipp; Producers - Mike Manning, Artisha Mann Cooper, & Joe Benedetto; Cinematographer - Dominic Sivilli; Score - Barry J. Neely; Editor - Katie Dillon; Production Designer - Kat VanCleave; Costume Designer - Anna Davis; Prosthetic Makeup Artist - Tony O'Brien; Visual Effects Artist - Eddie Lebron. OFFICIAL: N.A. FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/slapfacefilm TWITTER: twitter.com/SlapfaceFilm TRAILER: https://youtu.be/6aBDBtOWlMw RELEASE DATE: Shudder February 3rd, 2022

**Until we can all head back into the theaters our “COVID Reel Value” will be similar to how you rate a film on digital platforms - 👍 (Like), 👌 (It’s just okay),  or 👎 (Dislike)

Reviewed by Joseph B Mauceri