ribboninthesky1
-
Posts
2.2k -
Joined
Content Type
Blogs
Gallery
Downloads
Discussion
Posts posted by ribboninthesky1
-
-
I have no issues with Donna's actions and behavior. I totally understand and sympathize with her perspective. The problem, as I perceive it, is that the writers don't seem to.
As for luring Chris with the siren song, I believe that Ryn explained, in an earlier episode, that once they're in the water and revert back to their true form, it's kill or be killed. After all, she attacked Ben in the water. So I guess it could be argued that Donna was in her true form, wouldn't remember her land interaction with Chris, and saw him only as a threatening land dweller.
-
1
-
-
21 hours ago, ursula said:
First time posting... I really want to like this show... but I don't know how much longer I can stomach the coding of all the violent mer-people as Black as opposed to pure wild child Ryn whose only murder was #justified. The scene where she literally confesses to said murder and the Sheriff's response is: "I don't believe an innocent little thing like you did it. You must be covering for this #ScaryBlackWoman of whom there's no evidence connecting her to this murder, but I know she's guilty because she's a #ScaryBlackWoman and you're not"!!!!!! ... And then Maddie encourages this narrative by promising her Dad she'll help get Ryn to give up said #ScaryBlackWoman?
What.
the.
absolute.
f ????
I'm going to bet y'all some real cash that the writers room for this show is whiter than my toilet because the absolute tone-deafness of this is just... ?????
I understand your point. I posted my misgivings over the Donna characterization in the last episode thread. I've noticed how they infantilized/sanitized Ryn in a way we have yet to see in Donna, despite her one positive interaction with Chris. Example: we've seen how strong Ryn is, but suddenly she's too weak/meek to physically throw off the officer(s) who arrested her and brought her in, and too weak to break free of handcuffs? OK, show.
I don't even know why the sheriff would tie Donna to the forest murder when Donna didn't even enter the scene until the attack at the factory or whatever (during which the sheriff was MIA anyway). Based on the show's timeline, those incidents were at least 2-3 weeks apart (if not a month), and no one mentioned seeing anyone fitting Donna's description around the time of the forest murder. So basically, the sheriff was only brought back into the mix to interact with Maddie and find out what Ryn is. All around fail with the writing.
I'm totally sympathetic to the mer-people, but the showrunners don't seem to be thus far. I knew the dad was a goner the minute it was revealed he was on the boat. I wish I could feel sorry for Xander, but eh. Whatever.
And I'm not sure what Ben thought his presence would do when he's observed and been a direct party to what happens when they are threatened. What, he thought he would talk them down? Truth be told, I'd have been okay with all of the Too Stupid to Live people on the boat perishing, and the show shifting focus to Maddie, her father, the story with her mother and somehow tying that to the mer-people. The military angle could be kept, I suppose. It would be a very different (and far more interesting) show.
As it stands, I probably would have already bailed if there weren't only 10 episodes. Might as well finish the thing, assuming the show doesn't get worse with tone-deafness.
-
3
-
-
On 4/27/2018 at 3:52 AM, AnimeMania said:
I don't know why fishy-Donna feels the need to roam around the city at night, she wasn't hungry.
Ryn was shown doing the same in an earlier episode, I think maybe episode 2. And on top of that, Ryn was carrying a weapon while doing so.
I've been watching the show, but I'm waiting to see what it does with the Donna character. It may not be intentional, but setting her against Ryn (when she has ALL of the reasons in the world to distrust humankind) makes her seem combative and uncooperative. In reality, her point of view is just as valid as Ryn's, if not more so. She was basically tortured and violated, and I find myself annoyed by Ryn's "not all humans bad" schtick to get Donna to see her side. I get where she's coming from, but I'm considerably more sympathetic to Donna's perspective. There are supposedly ten episodes, so the show has some work to do.
I watched a couple of Youtube clips, and noticed that most of the core cast aren't American. The performances are a disconnect for me (no one is terrible, but it all feels very...CW-ish), and perhaps actors are so focused on the accents that the nuances are being lost. At least for me.
In any case, the show is beautifully shot. The wider-angle location shots are amazing, and the setting brings me back more so than the acting at this point.
-
3
-
-
On 4/9/2018 at 4:33 PM, Chas411 said:
He's not but I feel like the show plays up Chuck the bad guy vs Bobby the underdog a lot. I don't feel Bobby gets called out for being a piece of shit whereas with Chuck it's constantly said.
It does. The show likes to pretend there are two protagonists, but there's only one - Axelrod. Not sure how this show will end, but the writers clearly love Axelrod, when truth is, he's as pathetic as they go out of their way to write Chuck to be. All that money, and he's still a miserable control freak.
On 4/2/2018 at 11:08 AM, txhorns79 said:I am a little annoyed that they appear to have one side act in a totally unbelievable way in order to set up a scenario where Bobby could potentially get out of a situation where he would otherwise be completely screwed.
Yep, in order to keep the "conflict" going, the show inorganically clips the wings of the "law" to boost Axelrod.
I have never and still do not understand Wendy in relation to Chuck. Maggie Siff doesn't give me any reason to believe that Wendy loves Chuck, so I have no idea why she remains in the marriage.
And look, I love me some Clancy Brown, but talk about "on the nose" with his character. I expect to have a scene where Dake or Chuck meets him out in some shooting range while he waxes poetic over the sound of a gatling gun (I've not watched the latest eps yet). Good grief.
-
3
-
-
On 3/21/2018 at 2:23 AM, chocolatine said:
I thought he said meds, not rent. Is it even possible to pay rent with credit cards? All the places I've rented payment had to be via check or EFT.
Ah, my mistake! At first watch, I heard "rent" and upon rewatch it is indeed "meds."
On 3/21/2018 at 2:26 PM, Empress1 said:I actually have known kids who wanted their parents to split up because their parents hated each other and were making the whole house miserable. I've known adults who say freely that they wish their parents had split up sooner, and adults whose parents stayed together for the kids (they split as soon as the youngest kid left for college, but they had been pretty openly contemptuous of each other for years) and COMPLETELY fucked them up on relationships and did serious damage to the relationships between the parents and the adult kids.
You know, I think I would have an easier time forgiving sleeping with the assistant than I would the three mortgages.
The pilot gave me the impression that Beth was over Dean even before the affair and three mortgages reveal. Otherwise, I suspect the "stay together for the kids despite being miserable" scenario would have played out between them. Especially since Beth would have had a devil of a time finding a decent job with very little work experience.
36 minutes ago, Winston9-DT3 said:I feel like Sadie does identify as a boy but her parents aren't yet aware of it enough or on board enough to switch pronouns. Sadie goes by Jay outside the home, which to me is a step past just tomboyish.
I definitely missed the bolded, although at her age, there's still a ton of growth and change ahead.
-
1
-
-
Ha! And M'lynn's retort, "Her colors are 'pink' and 'pink.'" Sally Field's delivery is everything.
14 minutes ago, Popples said:They had problems before they got married. When Shelby's getting her hair done before the wedding, she admitted she and Jackson fought about having children when they went skinny dipping.
Yep, I remember. Going through with the marriage resolved nothing. They were a mess.
And since we're on Steel Magnolias UPOs: M'lynn's speech after the funeral fell flat to me. I get that parents expect their children to outlive them, but in Shelby's case, that made absolutely no sense.
-
2
-
-
On 3/9/2018 at 5:56 PM, Danny Franks said:
And I always go back to the sneering comments a few years ago, about Anne Hathaway being "ambitious", "grasping", "superior" and other things, most of which came because she didn't hide the fact she had a brain, and she took acting seriously. Meanwhile, Jennifer Lawrence was falling down stairs at awards shows and being feted to the skies.
I've been chuckling at the bolded for several minutes.
9 hours ago, starri said:UO: Shelby was a selfish asshole who forced her son to grow up without a mother and condemned her own mother to suffer the consequences of going through life with a single kidney because she just HAD to have her own biological child. Also, she was a bridezilla.
Shelby had no business getting married, at least not to Jackson. I haven't seen the movie in a long time, but I also thought that she wanted to have a baby as a way to "make things better" in her marriage. I mean, damn, had they even been married a year and already had problems? Just dysfunctional all around.
-
6
-
-
1 hour ago, txhorns79 said:
I figure Ruby and Beth have to be friends from school. Otherwise, it doesn't really seem like Beth and Ruby would be running in the same circles to have become friends as adults.
OK, that would make sense. Because I have a hard time seeing them as friends otherwise. Especially from Ruby's end.
1 hour ago, ZuluQueenOfDwarves said:I think Stan said something this ep about rent. There are certainly houses that nice for rent in my area that a security guard and waitress could UNcomfortably afford. Plus it looks like a ranch, which would be less than a multi-story house. Maybe we’ll find that the homeowner is a member of their church and rents to them below market value.
Yes, he mentioned that he would have to spread the rent over 4 credit cards, if memory serves. I mean, if they are that underwater, I can't see Ruby keeping that job making THAT much difference in their financial situation.
1 hour ago, WAnglais1 said:This might have been better off as a limited run series. The premise reminded me of a film from the early 80s (I think) called HOW TO BEAT THE HIGH COST OF LIVING with Jane Curtain and Susan St. James.
Now, I'm not so sure. The characters are awfully stupid. I don't think I can do any more episodes.
We're only 4 episodes in, and I guess handwave it all because...dramedy? I could go with absurd. Stupid is another thing altogether. I'll see how the next few episodes go. There's a video in the media thread where Mae Whitman talks about the showrunner's genre-bending and whatnot. The only "bend" I've noted is a black married couple where the wife is the same dark skin shade as the husband.
-
2
-
-
I wonder how Ruby became friends with Beth and Annie.
The scenes between the lame store manager and the FBI agent were the funniest of the episode. James Lesure was hilarious. I'm hoping lame store manager will end up eventually incriminating himself.
I don't think the show has established how long Ruby worked at that cafe, but sometimes...your dignity and self-respect are worth more than a measly paycheck. I feel like her boss knew that kid had been a little shit for awhile, and did nothing to address it. I wish she would have been forthright with Stan about it, though. He deserves to know.
Bless Sadie's heart. I hope the show will address something: why hasn't the father sued for primary custody before? Why now?
-
3
-
-
On 3/13/2018 at 9:03 PM, JasmineFlower said:
Also, not for nothing, but as they are looking at Mae with judgment about the car they had to drown in the lake because of her synced phone, they crossed the border and showed their passports as border patrol recorded and searched their car while the cameras recorded every moment. It's a problem regardless, but she may have done them a favor for now at least. They did not think any of that through. At all.
Yeah, all three of them were hit with the stupid stick in this episode. Beth and Annie are very similar. It's just that Annie's teenage relationship didn't work out, and Beth got to marry whats-his-face, and live comparably well for many years. They both come off kind of condescending, yet are clueless and naive about the basics. I mean, if you can take the time to research how to get the remote control to the TV to work, surely you can google stuff about personal finance such as credit. This isn't the 80s, 70s, 60s, or earlier. This isn't even the 90s - the Internet provides all kinds of information previously inaccessible to women.
Ruby seems to be the most sensible of the three. I think all three actresses have great chemistry together, though.
On 3/14/2018 at 8:52 PM, helenamonster said:But there's no custody to grant--Annie and her ex have shared custody at this point, he's trying to take hers away and be the sole custodian. He can provide for Sadie financially while still sharing custody with Annie--she's not abusive or negligent, and besides the crime stuff that neither he nor the courts know about, the reason Sadie is left home alone at all is so that Annie can go to work. If he wants to pay for private school or a new laptop or whatever, literally nothing is stopping him. Maybe he feels that because he's able to spend more money on Sadie, he's entitled to more time with her. That's not how co-parenting works, dude.
She wasn't returning his phone calls in the pilot, so I got the impression he actually wanted to try and talk to her about those things. She refused to talk to him. At least, until she needs money. I don't know the details of their custody agreement (frankly, I've been wondering if there is a formal agreement), but if Annie doesn't want Sadie in private school, I don't think he can force the issue. And the laptop matter only came up because Sadie told HIM, not Annie. Annie might have had a tantrum if he just bought the laptop outright without telling her. Based on the little we've seen, he seems to want to do right by Annie and Sadie. After all, he could have just blindsided her and gone to court.
In any case, Sadie wants to stay with Annie, so I would imagine the court would consider that.
The actress playing Sadie looks and acts older than 11, IMO, so that's part of the disconnect for me. So when the social worker was seemingly perplexed at her being left alone, I also thought it was a bit of an exaggeration. Although, I think the absurd lies about why Annie was late really added fuel to that fire.
-
2
-
-
Never been into the comics - DC has my (waning) good will primarily because of their animated TV shows and films. I remember the New Genesis/Apocalypse episodes from the Justice League series, but I'm not particularly interested in a live action version of it. I'm not sure the average movie-goer will care, either. Good luck to Ava - I hope she develops thicker skin, at least on social media, because absurdly intense scrutiny will be her bedfellow.
I've only recently watched Justice League, and couldn't help wondering if the film wouldn't have been better off featuring the Legion of Doom rather than the brief after-credit scene shown. The Steppenwolf/motherbox plot made little sense in the context of the earlier films. On other hand, given how weak of a Bruce/Batman that Affleck has been, maybe going entirely off world means Batman would not be in the mix and perhaps provide an opportunity to recast. I found Batman to be quite useless in JL - Diana could have handled recruiting everyone and little would have changed.
2 hours ago, MarkHB said:I think that part of it, is that every little thing that goes into even early development gets leaked, so we wind up hearing about this endless stream of projects that aren't even close to being put in front of a lens, if they ever are (I'm looking at you, Lobo). So when stuff doesn't materialize, people act like WB is floundering, when it's all really just the normal course of business.
Good point. I vaguely recall intense criticism and debates about BvS ongoing a full 18-24 months before it was released in theaters.
-
1
-
-
On 3/13/2018 at 2:55 PM, Boofish said:
Network TV does not have a black women wig budget.
Listen! I gave up Person of Interest largely due to Taraji's ponytail. Same with How to Get Away with Murder and Viola Davis' wigs. I couldn't take it. Also, I wonder if it's less a matter of budget and more of an industry "we never bother to hire stylists who know anything about black hair styling, thus the half-ass wigs" thing. I wanna hang in there for Retta...
On 3/6/2018 at 8:39 AM, UNOSEZ said:Are we supposed to like me whitman's character??
I'm fairly certain I should NOT be hoping for the dad to win custody of the daughter. Maybe down the road we'll find out he's some shady character. As it stands, dude actually makes pico de gallo from scratch in that lovely kitchen? Does he cook all of the meals? Hell, I'd be trying to move in along with the daughter. Taking your shoes off in the house is hardly evidence of a totalitarian household. But I'm not surprised she'd think otherwise. Annie lost me in the pilot when 1) she was dumb enough to go into the back room with the store manager and 2) she BENT OVER in front of him while emptying the safe. It's gonna take several acts of common sense and brilliance before I think about rooting for her.
I'd been trying to remember how I recognized Ruby's husband and it clicked - he played one of Theo's college buddies from The Cosby Show (Howard). His imdb profile lists a whole bunch of credits since then, but Howard is what I remember, heh.
Love Ruby (Retta's facial expressions are hilarious). I go back and forth on Beth. Overall, I'm enjoying the show.
-
6
-
-
I watched it about a month ago, and really enjoyed it. I didn't expect to, as I haven't been impressed with the DCAU's past few films. But the story, the animation, the characters, they all worked for me in this one. This version of Selina Kyle is the first that didn't annoy me immensely, probably because she wasn't Bruce/Batman's antagonist in the villainous sense. Jennifer Carpenter's voice work was fantastic.
On 3/12/2018 at 11:55 AM, scarynikki12 said:I don't mind it getting changed to Gordon, as the actor and animators did a great job with the sequence at the World's Fair, but I do wish that the set up were more obvious during rewatches. They have a few things that, knowing it's Gordon, hint at the reveal, but not as many as I'd prefer.
I will say that, if left up to me, I'd have kept it simple and made Harvey the villain. They hinted at a Big Bad Harv kind of duality when he drinks, and we haven't had a good Bats vs Two-Face story in a while.
When I watched it the first time, I was multi-tasking as I didn't expect to get into the film. But I distinctly remembered that early on, a man said, with emphasis, "I plan to clean up Gotham, and I do mean all of it." I thought it was the Harvey Dent character who said it (and thus I assumed he was Jack until Bruce leaves Selina and a drunk Dent at the club), but when I watched it again, it was Gordon. It was something about the way he said that line that immediately tipped me off, but I had the character wrong. Watching it a second time, I thought there were definitely some interesting clues. Scott Patterson did a great job with balancing menace and false virtue with Gordon's voice. Plus, I gave Gordon the benefit of the doubt because the previous versions of the character were those of integrity (at least regarding police work). I thought the film's upending of traditional Batman villains was cleverly done, although I can see the "Dent made more sense as Jack" perspective.
It took the 2nd viewing to really understand Gordon's..."logic," especially regarding Sister Leslie, but I got it.
I'm normally ambivalent to Bruce Greenwood's voice work (he was kind of terrible in otherwise great Under the Red Hood), but he worked for me here.
-
1
-
-
On 3/1/2018 at 1:31 PM, Flashflood said:
Oh shoot! Without her, what's the point? I don't do Twitter so do you mind sharing what was said? I could swear I heard/read somewhere that this was a real possibility but maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part!
It was from someone at CNN - here's the tweet, and a screenshot:
I saw that youtube series a couple of years ago - all too brief. I hoped that they would continue the series.
-
2
-
-
I just watched that episode! Jennifer Lewis was hilarious.
I don't know if a reunion is happening, but I recently saw something on Twitter that indicated Erika Alexander wasn't interested. Can't say I'm surprised. Rewatching this series as an adult has me wondering about some of the BTS dynamics.
-
3
-
-
The movie is a visual feast. I actually wondered if Dane DeHaan's performance might have been better opposite an actress with whom he had chemistry.
For all of the complaints about Hollywood trying to make DeHaan happen, the same could be same for Delevingne. At least DeHaan has a niche, even if he was miscast. Delevingne is the typical model turned actress with no formal training. Not seeing this charisma that others saw (the only model turned actress I've ever been impressed with is Tricia Helfer, and she took acting classes). Rihanna actually managed to have a spark of chemistry with DeHaan, would have been as qualified as Delevingne, and probably brought a bit more playfulness to the character.
-
3
-
-
I never read the books, and somehow managed to largely avoid the films. I've caught bits and pieces of the 3rd one on TV over the years. However, due to a free trial, I recently watched the Harry Potter film series on HBO. And...the special effects are great. But little about the series resonated with me. I found it pretty repetitive: Harry being fawned over by everyone outside his uncle's family, the trio getting caught up in one thing or another, Harry being in danger and having to defeat it alone. Most of the emotional beats didn't hit me in the feels. There were series plot points that were presumably from the book but didn't make much sense in the films.
By the time I got to the Deathly Hallows (which should have been one film), I was just ready for it to END. Dear God, eight films, damn near 20 hours long in total. Ron was annoying and mostly useless after the first film, I often questioned why he and Harry were friends, and I was utterly confused why Hermione liked him. Hermione was the most skilled of the trio, and at various times I wondered why she wasn't the special one. For me, all of the "chosen one," special snowflake stuff would have been buttressed by actual study and competence that Hermione exhibited. I liked Harry well enough, but the films weren't that persuasive in my view. Heck, even he admitted that a lot of it was luck.
All in all, I found the films largely forgettable. I don't feel I missed much by not watching at the height of popularity.
-
4
-
-
Overton and Synclaire could be too much, but I much preferred their dynamic to Max and Kyle's. I'm catching up with the series via Hulu, and there was an episode in season 2 where Max hooks up with her boss, a man with whom she had a one-night stand in the past. Erika Alexander had great chemistry with Phil Morris, and Max still managed to be her funny self. Alas, it ended by the end of the episode. I found the constant insults between Max and Kyle tiresome.
-
1
-
-
When I watched this series back in the 90s as a teenager, I wasn't crazy about Max. I've been rewatching the series, and that's totally changed. Max is hands down my favorite, and Erika Alexander was definitely the comedic lynch-pin of the show. That said, I'll stand in my dark corner of never, evah being a fan of Max and Kyle as a couple. Didn't like them back then, and still don't. I never thought TC Carson was attractive, either.
-
2
-
-
Synclaire could be annoying no doubt, but I liked her. I know the characters constantly roasting each other appealed to most, but I appreciated that Synclaire was a genuinely kind person. I liked her and Overton as a couple as well.
-
On 1/23/2018 at 4:49 AM, Enero said:
Though I do question their true kinship since Creeley was born in a brothel and it is implied to a prostitute. How would they know for sure that Seth’s dad is his, if the mother was entertaining several men?
There were details like this overlooked throughout the season, but I just went with it. Because there was no legitimate reason Creeley had to be the older brother. Another thing I wondered: the sheriff and Bessie's mother met in Memphis. Why would she have been placed in an orphanage in (or near) Iowa? Why not Memphis?
On 1/23/2018 at 4:49 AM, Enero said:Realistically where would he and his family go? They’d built a life in Holden. Best to try and stay there and work through the conflict and try and salvage what they had. Plus this is 1930s American, there really were no good places for a black person and their family to go. There was turmoil everywhere for us.
This is the same show that had Bessie, a black prostitute in 1930s Iowa who grew up in an orphanage, as the only one in the entire brothel who knew how to read. In addition, Victor and his family as one of the few (if not only) blacks seemingly living in harmony with his fellow white farmers ONLY until he decided to break from the strike. And after the violence that erupted when he delivered milk to the ice cream shop, he and his family were not driven out of town or lynched! The show wasn't really going for black realism beyond vague monologues and bigoted antagonists, so in my mind, there was nothing to stop them from picking up their life and moving to the next town. Or further west.
-
6 hours ago, Wiendish Fitch said:
I love Betty White, but I was really, really irritated by social media's pleas last year that she not die. Yes, I know it was meant in jest, but good God, people, she's in her mid-90s and I doubt there's a single thing about her life she'd change, get a grip.
I already give a wide berth to all of the online sackcloth, ashes, and thinkpieces when someone famous dies, but when it's someone who has lived a long life, it is particularly exasperating. I may have to take an Internet hiatus once Betty White passes on.
-
1
-
-
Logan Marshall Green. despite being in his 40s, still has a boyish face and looks (considerably) younger than Killian Scott. I'm sure it was a deliberate choice, but I struggled the entire season with the former cast as the older brother.
As seems to be common these days, I found the female characters much more interesting than the males. The show would have been more fascinating to me if Bessie, Amelia, and the disturbed blonde woman were the leads.
And most importantly, I had the opposite reaction than likely intended with the Seth character. I kept hearing how Creeley was responsible for Seth's old girlfriend, and I'm like, "Huh?" He wasn't the one lying by omission about who he was, and he didn't pull the trigger. Fine, be mad that he told the abusive father you were leaving with her. But to blame him for her death PLUS frame him for several murders? I didn't feel the least bit sorry for him, and was hoping that Creeley would have let him hang in episode 9. Alas, protagonist and all, so no dice.
I wish Victor and his family had gotten the heck out of Dodge instead of fighting with the farmers.
On 1/12/2018 at 9:16 AM, Enero said:I’m disappointed with DL’s demise. I was rooting for him and Amelia.
Same, but I figured he wouldn't survive once he showed his courage.
-
I've recently rewatched (most of) the series via Hulu. I remember watching most of season 1 way back when, losing interest, and sporadically watching episodes from seasons 3 and 4. I wanted to see if time and binge-watching would change my perception of the series. And...not really. I still think this show would have been better as a one-and-done mini-series vs a multi-season show, the show began to unravel after mid-season 1, Nolan was a child in a man's body, I wish Ashley and Emily could have been genuine friends, Emily had the best chemistry and connection with Aiden, and despite the show's best efforts, I never felt a whit of sympathy for Victoria. The one thing that stood out during season 1 for me was the cinematography. It was beautifully shot. I guess the budget went south with the subsequent seasons.
Previous Episodes Discussion
in Siren
Ben and Ryn in the water already happened - I think it was episode 1 or 2. She tried to kill him. Would she attack in the water after she has apparently bonded with Ben and Maddie? I don't know.