LadyAmalthea

I do remember at the time thinking it was odd that they seemed like such a team in the publicity, but that Tom didn’t ever speak up or support Nicole in what was happening, so it is surprising to learn that they didn’t get on at all but in retrospect perhaps shouldn’t be. I’d like to know this too. I’ve never seen a show with such a well received premise and great actors and setup go off the rails and burn audience goodwill so quickly.

Weren't the OuaT showrunners also Lost writers? The rotten fruit not falling far and all that...

That article is a whole big yikes. I’m certainly interested in the whole book, especially as on Twitter Ryan names Sleepy Hollow as another show she was interested in writing about. It took courage for Harold Perrineau and others to go on the record about this. I only watched the first season of Lost but the part about his character’s son really got me, from having to challenge the script to Malcolm David Kelley being written off because he had a growth spurt. Aren’t they on a magic mysterious island where such issues can easily be written into the show? SMH.

Just got around to watching this in the Oscars lead up, and WHAT was Tom Hanks thinking?!? I never could shake the idea of Tom Hanks in a fatsuit with a silly voice and couldn't get into his scenes at all. Austin Butler however was very good. I am usually a Baz Luhrmann fan but something was off here, the film felt like a collection of scenes rather than a cohesive story. Admittedly, some of those scenes were very effective, like the influence of black musicians on Elvis and the Comeback Special, but ultimately the film seemed more interested in interrogating Elvis as a performer rather than Elvis the man, which is a valid take, but I never really felt connected as a result.

I loved this film, the kind where you want to watch it again to pick up on all the nuances and foreshadowing. Yes - that was my impression while watching, and solidified by the final scene. Note that Colm has a red front door, and Pádraic has a green front door, and at one point Pádraic accuses Colm of acting "English." I think a great deal that was "unrealistic" about the characters was in service of the allegory, and how this conflict consumed both of them to the point of self and mutual destruction.

The weight obsession was briefly covered in season 1 - Bonnie did think it was bullshit and a red flag, and was one of the things that helped her wake up. Sarah I think talks about it in her book as something weird but didn’t know it was at Keith’s direction. This season is so focused on the trial but they’ve even left so much out of that - Daniela’s testimony was days apparently, and we never actually heard Lauren’s testimony about her role in Daniela’s imprisonment. The Times Union podcast NXIVM on Trial has been doing some good coverage on what was left out of The Vow and it’s blind spots. I can’t believe there’s only one more episode when it feels they’ve barely scratched the surface. For anyone looking for something more thorough, I also very much recommend Sarah Berman’s book Don’t Call it a Cult.

This one: Pam Ferris was excellent casting in the original, although I think even she wore a fat suit.

I love Emma Thompson, but am giving her huge side eye for donning a fat suit as Miss Trunchbull in the Matilda movie - firstly, it looks absolutely terrible and in no way like an actual human person but a tiny head attached to a fake body, and secondly, this is a situation where there would be many actresses of that size/body type who could have played the role.

I hate fat suits for many reasons but primarily because they are such a distraction because you know they're wearing one and it breaks the immersion. I love Brendan Fraser and want to see him do well, I just wish there was a different project for his comeback.

Yes, I wish they’d made the show focusing on all three siblings, under a different title obviously. Elizabeth has been done to death.

I really wish this was equally about all three Tudor siblings, because really Elizabeth is the least interesting part of it and I spend her scenes just wanting to get back to Mary and Edward. A think a great deal of it is in the casting - they can say Elizabeth is 15 all they like, but Alicia von Rittberg is a fully grown woman and it lessens the impact of Seymour's predation. Even the contrast with Bella Ramsey (who plays Jane Grey, and is 19) is more effective to show what a creep he was and how vulnerable Elizabeth was to his grooming. I believe this is an invention of the show.

Lashing out as a grief response is certainly much worse than mass-murder, I agree. /s I really enjoyed the show, and don't think the narrative was portraying Teela's leaving as justified - Cringer essentially gave her a talking to in the second episode about it. People deal with their grief in different ways, and often not all that well. That's "realistic".

Actually, as I understand Salzman was the first of those charged to turn on Raniere and it's suggested that the evidence she was able to provide helped convince Mack to do so as well. She was fully cooperative with the prosecution while Mack was helpful but "could have done more." Not saying Salzman didn't deserve prison time, but I can see why she got off lighter than Mack. Edit: What really steams my clams is people like Nicki Clyne and the rest of the First Line (so far) getting off scot free.

There’s also a lot of argument that someone can’t be raped if they are physically stronger/weigh more than the other person, that I personally find troubling. Those involved with the show seem to be dancing around the word rape that I can’t reconcile with the clear directorial choice of “she’ll rape you” over Luke’s pained face, but a great deal of the reviews/commentary surrounding this episode is calling this rape based on what is there on the screen, regardless of the show’s intent.

I’m actually kind of shocked at some of the commentary here. Luke told June to “wait” and she not only ignored him, she put her hand over his mouth and kept going despite his clear discomfort. The episode ended with June’s voiceover (ostensibly) about Serena saying “she‘ll rape you” as Luke looks at June with unease. There’s no ambiguity for me. That it was a trauma response/June reclaiming herself/whatever doesn’t negate her actions. It wasn’t about Luke, it wasn’t about sex, it was about power and anger and domination. It was rape.

I was very disappointed to see the only Aboriginal queen go home first, but there's no doubt Jojo lost the lip sync. I really wish the first week would be a non-elimination to let them settle into the competition a bit. Elektra was wearing a Maori korowai - which could have been a statement piece in a really great look, but was just too cluttered with the concept of "land of a 100 lovers" and "land of the long white cloud." Personally I loved the drape of the white dress and felt it did really invoke the latter, and she would have done better committing to that. It says NZ rather than Auckland, but Anita and Kita both did home country rather than hometown. Etcetera's look was rather abstract - Canberra has a very distinctive street pattern and is surrounded by hills but I had no idea that's what her outfit was referencing until she said so. It's funny that some queens get marked down for "doesn't SCREAM your hometown" and others don't, I guess if they like the outfit it gets a pass.

I didn’t even recognise Lord John in the scene until Fergus called him by name! The Idiot Hut indeed, it’s hard to muster much sympathy for the Priest and his Completely Avoidable Death. I found Roger’s speech utterly self serving, likely far more than I was meant to, but kudos to Rankin - very well acted.

I’m fairly ambivalent to Lord John, although I do find his obsession with Jamie slightly creepy, but dear god Brianna was truly despicable with the blackmail, knowing what would happen if Lord John was outed. Why she couldn’t calmly outline her plan for a marriage of convenience and why it would benefit them both, rather than jumping straight to ‘marry me or else’ was baffling. Well, I suppose not, since it was to further demonstrate why she is apparently like Jamie, hot-headed and saying things she doesn’t mean (although isn’t blackmail usually Claire’s MO?) Book fidelity isn’t always the best choice. The scene with Lizzy was nice, and I’m glad Bree absolved her of any guilt (as she should), although I wish she’d direct some of that understanding towards Jamie. However, I did like the implication that it was more the truly terrible things he said to her that kept the rift between them rather than just the Roger misunderstanding, which is perfectly understandable. The Jamie and Claire scene was wonderful - I think this show is at its best when it’s a quiet scene with these two.

Plus Roger barely got a look at Jamie before he was flattened - another piece of book stupidity made slightly more palatable by the show.

While I appreciate that the show has tried very, very hard to make everyone involved in the Great Misunderstanding slightly less moronic, seeing it condensed on the screen only highlights that this plotline is dumb af. Slapping is a pet peeve of mine, I hate seeing characters getting all slap happy, but I do like Bree and Sophie, and think the criticism they get here is unduly harsh. But Bree was starting to lose me this episode with no ability to understand the nuance of the situation - while it wasn’t Jamie or Ian’s place to unilaterally decide what was done to Brianna’s rapist, they thought they were protecting her and it was a genuine mistake. No one had any reason to believe Roger would be roaming around, plus they eliminated the nonsense of Roger and Jamie talking past one another in the most contrived conversation of all time. The “You don’t get to me more angry than me” line was excellent; I understand Bree’s anger in that moment, but I don’t think what happened to Roger was anyone’s fault. Which is why I don’t get the Lizzie hate either. She told Jamie and Ian what she saw, and what should she have done differently? Not tell them that the man who raped her mistress was nearby, so she could go find Bree to tell her first? Who knows what he could have done in that time, and on seeing Bree in the aftermath she had every reason to believe he was a violent man who posed a danger to them all. And then there’s Roger, who I found offputting in DiA and Voyager, and downright hateable in DoA. I was pleasantly surprised that I found him rather charming in seasons two and three of the show. But then we got to this season, and I was like ah, there’s the asshole I remember from the books.

“Binky” is not a word generally used in Australia - Simone should have said Eleanor needed her dummy, or “chuck a tanty” if they wanted to go full Aussie slang. Minor inconsistencies, but with this show you do have to wonder...like Chidi with the socket wrench and lost time in the previous episode, which felt like a clue to set up a later reveal. That said I do really like Simone (and the accent has improved slightly) so hope she’s not a demon - angel or infiltrator from the real Good Place would be interesting.

Was it mentioned or implied who Hela’s mother was? I assume it wasn’t Frigga.

If it wasn’t known he was returning, trust me, I wouldn’t have mentioned him. I wouldn’t even have been thinking about him, the show has moved beyond that arc and character, imo.

Good episode, female characters front and centre, decent plot, some nice material for the actresses to work with. The “lock her up” was way too on the nose, of course there should be political commentary, it’s a superhero show, and it doesn’t need to be subtle but we shouldn’t be bludgeoned with it either. It’s the same with “I’m a REFUGEE on this planet” in the opening, we don’t need it literally spelled out for us. I’m dreading the inevitable return of Mon-El, this episode proves more than ever that he’s surplus to requirements.

Well, he was also killing people on the regular, so yeah, probably best that Banner doesn't remember. *smacks forehead* I can't believe I didn't make that connection.