Lifetime's VC Andrews Movies Topic (Flowers In The Attic, The Dollangangers, The Casteels, etc) - General Discussion

[Scarlett45]

I think it’s crappy we have to pay to rewatch these movies online! Why can’t we watch them on the lifetime app/website!

[Daisy]

22 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

Wait- Corrine & Christopher werent full siblings- They were half siblings? They had the same mom (Alicia) and Malcom raped Alicia (which resulted in Corrine’s conception) but Christopher was Garland’s son (and Malcom’s younger brother). Just making sure I am remembering correctly. 

yeah 1/2. sorry 🙂  didn't mean to confuse you

[Scarlett45]

2 hours ago, Daisy said:

yeah 1/2. sorry 🙂  didn't mean to confuse you

No prob. I read the synopsis of Ruby and it was so convoluted I could barely follow it. It may be a trashy good time though. 

[CountryGirl]

Well, they got the hair color right (re Ruby). I'm sure the series will be trashtastically awful like most of the others. But I'll be watching and likely, re-watching.

[TattleTeeny]

Quote

See Cathy’s rape and Dawn’s. 

Lots of beating at chests with "tiny fists," I assume.

[Snow Apple]

1 hour ago, TattleTeeny said:

Lots of beating at chests with "tiny fists," I assume.

It's not infamous because it was just similar. It was the exact same paragraphs. Word for word.

Edited September 15, 2020 by Snow Apple

[TattleTeeny]

This Neiderman goon is also a terrible speller. For example, I can't even count how many times I have read the phrase "undo stress" in these books. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

5 minutes ago, TattleTeeny said:

This Neiderman goon is also a terrible speller. For example, I can't even count how many times I have read the phrase "undo stress" in these books. 

Hey, copying and pasting from another author's books is hard work! No wonder he needs to undo stress!

(seriously, the books clearly needed an editor once he took over, both for basic mistakes like that as well as the all of the egregious continuity errors)

[CountryGirl]

1 hour ago, Snow Apple said:

It's not infamous because it was just similar. It was the exact same paragraphs. Word for word.

Yep. Like the memorable “and that is where he took me, and forced in
that swollen, rigid male sex part of him that had to be satisfied.” Word for freaking word with Phillip’s rape of newfound sister Dawn. And that’s just one of the copied/pasted sections. 

I could almost accept the GW carrying on VCA’s legacy, although I wish they had called it after finishing off the Dollanganger and Casteel series. But not when he is out and out plagiarizing and milking the beloved original series, most notably, the Dollanganger books. 

I just..cannot. 

[TattleTeeny]

1 hour ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Hey, copying and pasting from another author's books is hard work! No wonder he needs to undo stress!

(seriously, the books clearly needed an editor once he took over, both for basic mistakes like that as well as the all of the egregious continuity errors)

I am sure they had one or two, but probably kept them to a strict budget, time-, experience-, and/or moneywise; these books are definitely "fast food."

[ElectricBoogaloo]

19 minutes ago, TattleTeeny said:

I am sure they had one or two, but probably kept them to a strict budget, time-, experience-, and/or moneywise; these books are definitely "fast food."

Even 12 year old me noticed all the mistakes so apparently whatever editors they assigned to Neiderman weren't doing jack shit. I still can't believe the Gabriel/Gabrielle error which is even worse than the Corinne/Corrine one. I remember when I was reading one of the Dollanganger books written by Neiderman, I noticed a continuity error that was SO obvious, I put down the book, took the other book off my bookshelf, and flipped through the older book until I found the original reference just to confirm that whatever was written in the new book was wrong. I can't remember what the exact mistake was but even at that age, my first though was THIS IS SOME BULL SHIT.

At some point when I re-read the entire Dollanganger series as an adult, I kept a running list of any time that specific dates, ages, years, or other time markers were mentioned just to see when how many errors got made in the later books. It's ridiculous that no one bothered to create a specific timeline for Neiderman to refer to so that he wouldn't fuck up the later books. I mean, he could have done it himself, as could an editor or an intern, but apparently not a single person involved in this money grab thought that was important.

[TattleTeeny]

Quote

Even 12 year old me noticed all the mistakes so apparently whatever editors they assigned to Neiderman weren't doing jack shit.

As much as the edits are terrible -- and they ARE -- It's doubtful that the editors "weren't doing jack shit." Sorry to disagree, but I have been an editor for a couple of decades (and could probably mark up one of these timeless classics by tomorrow morning, ahahahhaaa!), and as much as it sucks, you can do only what there's time and money allotted to do, and I would bet that the publishers were stingy with both (and probably don't assign these books to the most experienced editors on the payroll, who would likely also have missed an error or two; it's nearly impossible to catch everything -- especially if this guy is the author).

ETA: 

Quote

which is even worse than the Corinne/Corrine one.

THIS ONE drove me bonkers when I was 10 or 11! BONKERS! Also, maybe we should team up and start an "entertainment continuity" freelance business! I feel like I (and I guess you!) do it anyway, so why not get some dough, haha!

Edited September 15, 2020 by TattleTeeny

[Iris987]

11 hours ago, CountryGirl said:

Yep. Like the memorable “and that is where he took me, and forced in
that swollen, rigid male sex part of him that had to be satisfied.”

Ha! And then it 'drove into my resisting flesh which tore and bled'. I read Flowers on the Attic when I was young and only had a basic understanding of sex and rape and even 12 year old me was like 'Oh, for fucks sake'. I haven't read any other sagas except The Casteels and I'm staggered that the ghost writer chose to recycle the very worst descriptions.

 

[andromeda331]

Ruby airs March 20th. 

[CountryGirl]

Hooray for some more trashy adaptions!

Looks like we've got Naomi Judd as Grandmere Catherine and the Young & the Restless' Cockroach, ahem, Cricket/Christine as stepmother Daphne. 

[Scarlett45]

13 hours ago, andromeda331 said:

Ruby airs March 20th. 

 

12 hours ago, CountryGirl said:

Hooray for some more trashy adaptions!

Looks like we've got Naomi Judd as Grandmere Catherine and the Young & the Restless' Cockroach, ahem, Cricket/Christine as stepmother Daphne. 

I can’t wait guys! We are gonna have a blast. Now is this a movie a week for a month like before?

ETA- I looked it up and answered my own question, we are getting two movies a weekend for two weeks four movies total.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I barely remember anything about Ruby (it was one of the few VC Andrews books that I didn't read a zillion times) so instead of nitpicking all the things they changed from the books, I'll be able to focus on the cheestacularness of it all!

[Scarlett45]

16 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I barely remember anything about Ruby (it was one of the few VC Andrews books that I didn't read a zillion times) so instead of nitpicking all the things they changed from the books, I'll be able to focus on the cheestacularness of it all!

I am very very excited for this (pandemic boredom I am sure). I had such fun with you guys discussing the Heaven series. No one I know IRL read any VC Andrews, I think the height of her popularity was before my time, but I used to read the paperbacks in undergrad and pass them around the dorms if we were having a Friday night in (ah the age before streaming and smartphones). Its gonna be AWESOME. I wonder if I can get my Mom to watch with me.

[JAYJAY1979]

On 2/23/2021 at 9:17 AM, CountryGirl said:

Hooray for some more trashy adaptions!

Looks like we've got Naomi Judd as Grandmere Catherine and the Young & the Restless' Cockroach, ahem, Cricket/Christine as stepmother Daphne. 

When I heard Cricket was going to play Daphne...it was a win for me.  Daphne was cold, snooty and judgmental.  Hallmarks of her character on Y & R 

[JAYJAY1979]

I had no idea Kristian was Alfonso of Days of our Lives will be in the Landry series playing the antagonist in the 3rd movie.  She's a little younger than the character in the book...but does have the cold upper class vibe that should work:)

[CountryGirl]

KA will be perfect as she does snooty disdain so well. 

[JAYJAY1979]

I'm so excited for a weekend of trashy V.C Andrews fun 🙂

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=osRniOIXweQ

 

[JAYJAY1979]

And Marilu Henner is the mean headmistress in Pearl's in the Mist.  Will be interesting to see her play a different sort of role.

[Snow Apple]

I never read the Ruby series and now I'm sad that I can't snark and pick it apart with you all.

[Scarlett45]

3 hours ago, Snow Apple said:

I never read the Ruby series and now I'm sad that I can't snark and pick it apart with you all.

I haven’t read it either but I’m here for it with you guys! I’m so excited. My Mom and I are watching right now. 

[Spartan Girl]

What is it with VC Andrews and incest?! I'm sorry I have to ask...

[Scarlett45]

Is there a reason why this one isn’t 5 movies with the last “prequel” like the Casteel series was?

[Dr.OO7]

1 hour ago, Spartan Girl said:

What is it with VC Andrews and incest?! I'm sorry I have to ask...

And rape. Which is usually paired with the incest.

How bad was this one? I never read this series, so I have nothing to compare it to.

Was "Ruby" a blonde or brunette? (Because Adaptation Dye Job seems to be a popular trope with these movies)

[Scarlett45]

So what did we THINK???

 

When Ruby got chained up by Jack I said “You better break that bed a part girl!!” And when she wacked that guy with the lock I cheered. 
 

I think  Raechelle Banno, who is portraying Ruby and Giselle is doing a great job- they are distinctly different characters. 
 

Also I remembered from the Casteel series how it had “1970s vibes” but they were trying to keep it open as far as the style, more like “1970s inspired”.  This felt very “1960s inspired”- outside of the cars and the lack of cell phones you’d have no idea what year it was. 
 

Im having fun!! My mom was yelling “girl you can’t marry your brother!” (Paul Tate was pretty good looking though)

 

Cant wait until tomorrow!

 

Edited to add- silly me, Raechelle Banno isn’t as as good an actress as I thought, she has an identical twin sister Karina Banno who’s playing Giselle!!!

 

[JAYJAY1979]

1 hour ago, Scarlett45 said:

So what did we THINK???

 

When Ruby got chained up by Jack I said “You better break that bed a part girl!!” And when she wacked that guy with the lock I cheered. 
 

I think  Raechelle Banno, who is portraying Ruby and Giselle is doing a great job- they are distinctly different characters. 
 

Also I remembered from the Casteel series how it had “1970s vibes” but they were trying to keep it open as far as the style, more like “1970s inspired”.  This felt very “1960s inspired”- outside of the cars and the lack of cell phones you’d have no idea what year it was. 
 

Im having fun!! My mom was yelling “girl you can’t marry your brother!” (Paul Tate was pretty good looking though)

 

Cant wait until tomorrow!

 

Edited to add- silly me, Raechelle Banno isn’t as as good an actress as I thought, she has an identical twin sister Karina Banno who’s playing Giselle!!!

 

I liked that they got the 1960s vibe down since the book took place in the 60s (since the follow up book has a sad scene with one of Ruby's friends)...and the hair color actually kind of matches 🙂

[qtpye]

On 8/7/2019 at 4:09 PM, andromeda331 said:

Yeah, he pretty much sticks with that and so much is repeat from Flowers in the Attic or Casteels series. In Dawn, Dawn's in a poor family, oops not really hers, Grandma's a Bitch, real mom is very, very Jillian or Corinne light, real brother is obsessed in away that makes Christopher look subtle, Vera/Fanny like sister but without any real reason that Vera and Fanny had I'm not even sure if he realized that deep down Fanny and Heaven did love each other, identical rapes. Ruby gets the nice grandma, and the bitch is her stepmother, real dad's nice but he's whipped and a wuss, a more Fanny type sister except again no reason you could see why Vera and Fanny were like they were Clara Sue and Giselle not really. Melody's the only one that skipped the new daughter book for Laura's story which while nice we already knew. VCA really missed the point on why we got Jory's and Bart's story to see how Chris and Cathy were still effected by what happened years ago and how it effected their parenting while also finishing Corinne-Cathy. VCA's daughter story never really tells us anything we don't already know. Annie and Christie lose their parents and go to live with grandpa or uncle not knowing that he's a rapist and he of course tries to rape them. That's really it. There needed to be something else revealed. That's why I always go back and forth on whether VC intended Chris and Corinne to be half-siblings, it never does get mentioned again and we never do find out if Corinne or anyone else ever actually finds out.  But it would explain why Olivia was even more suspicious of Chris and Cathy and not believing no matter what that they were 'innocent'. Its still odd that he didn't show Malcolm dishing out any of punishments that Corinne claimed. From everything we heard about him he really seems the type. He never punished Corinne and he stopped punishing his sons after he and Olivia made their deal he pretty much ignored them for Corinne. 

Its not a bad thing if its good but often its not and he usually tells two stories we don't need. 

For Casteel the only thing Leigh's book did was reveal that Jillian set Leigh up. 

It seems that a VC heroine has to have a brother that is obsessed with her and a sister who is crazy jealous because she can not live up to her.

Overall, the Ruby movie could have been worse. It was interesting to see Naomi Judd as Grand'Mere. I imagined Ruby looing like a young Naomi Judd.

Edited March 21, 2021 by qtpye

[Ms Lark]

3 hours ago, qtpye said:

It was interesting to see Naomi Judd as Grand'Mere.

Only problem there was, I didn't recognize her at all! She was so botoxed to the max she couldn't move her face. I hope someday that trend will pass. It was most disconcerting!

I also thought Raechelle Banno was doing a good job playing twins until I found out it was her and her twin Karina playing twins. Yeah. Not as impressive. Karina doing great as evil twin, though!

I'll watch the next episode tonight, but I don't expect much. Not sure if I'll watch next week. Haven't read a VC Andrews book since she died in 1986! I can't believe they are still cash cowing on her name 35 years later to great detriment. Incest! Sexual abuse! Rape! Boy they love it.

Edited March 21, 2021 by Ms Lark
grammar!

[Kiki777]

I missed about the last 30 minutes of the movie but Naomi Judd was awful!  Really stiff and sounded like she was reading her lines for the very first time.  The girl who played Ruby was pretty decent and I found her far less irritating than I did in the book.

i look forward to the third installment, isn’t that when the switch takes place?  That’s an insane plot made for Lifetime.

[Scarlett45]

1 hour ago, Ms Lark said:

Only problem there was, I didn't recognize her at all! She was so botoxed to the max she couldn't move her face. I hope someday that trend will pass. It was most disconcerting!

My mom also asked what happened to Naomi Judd. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

17 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

What is it with VC Andrews and incest?! I'm sorry I have to ask...

To be fair, you have to remember how many books VC Andrews actually wrote versus how many copy and paste books the ghostwriter spewed out.

• In the Dollanganger series, we have siblings Chris and Cathy who eventually become so abused and codependent that they think they can never love anyone else. Their parents were originally written as half uncle/half niece in the first book so I'll grant that there were two incestuous relationships that VC Andrews put in this series. The prequel, Garden of Shadows, has the BIG REVEAL that Corinne and Christopher Sr. were actually half siblings buuuuuuuut that book was published after VC Andrews died so it's questionable whether she intended that or if that was a twist that Niederman/the estate/the publishing company came up with after she died.
• The same half uncle/half niece relationship happens in the Heaven series with Heaven and Troy. Tony raping Leigh is revealed in Dark Angel, which VC Andrews wrote before she died.
• The only other book/series that was published before she died was My Sweet Audrina which technically didn't have any incest, just gross men who thought having sex with sisters was okay (Damian and Arden can both suck it).

All of the later "I grew up thinking this boy was my brother and then I found out I was actually the secret daughter of a rich family and then my bio brother raped me and then I realized I was in love with my not-bio brother" copy and paste stories (including the version in Gates of Paradise) were the ghostwriter's doing, not VC Andrews'.

And even though she used the same half uncle/half niece relationship with Heaven/Troy and Corinne/Chris Sr, the way she presented them was very different. Corinne and Chris found out immediately upon meeting that they were related and they chose to pursue their relationship. Heaven and Troy fell in love thinking that they weren't related and Troy broke things off once he found out the truth. For that reason, I didn't mind that she recycled the half uncle/half niece relationship in the two series.

But I really hated the exact same storylines, relationships, and family secrets that became Neiderman's signature. It just got way too repetitive for me. I know I read the Dawn and Ruby series but I think I only got through the first two Melody books before I decided it wasn't worth it to read the same book with different names.

I feel bad that VC Andrews is now associated with all of these incest books when it's really Neiderman who's responsible for most of those copy and paste cash cows.

[meatball77]

I wonder why they skipped the Dawn series.  I remember that one being fun.  Two brother lovers in that one.

[Scarlett45]

Pearl in the Mist was fun- I can tell the Bannon twins are having a good time with this role. Beau really did try to do the right thing by Ruby, and I believe he did want to be with her. 
 

The next movie should be trashtastic amazing. TWIN SWAPPING!

[Steph Sometimes]

So I just finished Ruby and I thought it was...not great. The actresses are both better than Heaven. I'll watch the rest of them though.

I swear when brother-lover came to visit at the end, I thought I heard her call him Beau which is the other guy. Maybe I just misheard.

I like to joke that I could write a VC Andrews book. The main character is either super poor or super rich and by the end of the book, it's the other. And either the guy she's in love with turns out to be her brother and/or the guy she thought was her brother turns out to be not a blood relation so he's fair game.

[andromeda331]

Both movies were about what I expected from Lifetime. The Ruby series fits better since its more trashy. I thought both actresses did fine playing Ruby and Giselle. I liked Ruby breaking the bed to escape and her choking Grandpere. Good for her. Most of the characters were similar to the books. Same with the plot. I liked both. 

Can't wait for the twinswitching in the next movie.

Edited March 22, 2021 by andromeda331

[Scarlett45]

I have to say they cast handsome men in this movie series, the actors playing Paul, Beau and he groundskeeper (I cannot remember his name). I am pleased.

[Daisy]

19 hours ago, meatball77 said:

I wonder why they skipped the Dawn series.  I remember that one being fun.  Two brother lovers in that one.

yeah that was my thing. Dawn is awesome. but honestly even with VCGhostwriter standards that one is so tame. There's no real "drama" in Dawn. The biggest drama is basically Dawn finding out she was kidnapped/given away as baby and then her lusting over her brother. (i think i said it before. it is bonkers how Dawn and Rain grow up with these boys who lust after them, and they lust after them back, like there's some genetic code can detect that they aren't really siblings. where as any other normal brother sister would beat the other ones up for even having such gross thoughts, and when they found out, not go "Oh cool now we can date!"!)

Basically Dawn is just dumb for 2.5 books and her daughter is uber boring too. 

[Snow Apple]

I read the Dawn series and when she made a friend at boarding school in the second book, I read the rest of that book dreading for the friend to betray and humiliate Dawn. Thank goodness she remained a good and supportive friend.

My sister who read it after me asked for spoilers regarding the friend. It just goes to show how deep the formula for VC Andrews books were.

Incest, puedo-incest, torture, rape, humiliation, cheating. DId I miss anything?

[qtpye]

4 hours ago, Daisy said:

yeah that was my thing. Dawn is awesome. but honestly even with VCGhostwriter standards that one is so tame. There's no real "drama" in Dawn. The biggest drama is basically Dawn finding out she was kidnapped/given away as baby and then her lusting over her brother. (i think i said it before. it is bonkers how Dawn and Rain grow up with these boys who lust after them, and they lust after them back, like there's some genetic code can detect that they aren't really siblings. where as any other normal brother sister would beat the other ones up for even having such gross thoughts, and when they found out, not go "Oh cool now we can date!"!)

Basically Dawn is just dumb for 2.5 books and her daughter is uber boring too. 

Yeah, it is not like if I find out today that my brother is not biologically related to me that I will automatically be like "Cool, let's date".

We have grown up as brother and sister and biology does not really matter...we will always see each other as siblings.

It was almost like the ghost writer thought the most compelling thing about the Flowers in the Attic series was the incest. No, the most compelling thing was that it was a decent story. The incest was just a product of how damaged and horrible the family unit had become.

It certainly did not mean that every VC heroine from now on will have to fall in love with her brother.

[Scarlett45]

9 minutes ago, qtpye said:

Yeah, it is not like if I find out today that my brother is not biologically related to me that I will automatically be like "Cool, let's date".

We have grown up as brother and sister and biology does not really matter...we will always see each other as siblings.

It was almost like the ghost writer thought the most compelling thing about the Flowers in the Attic series was the incest. No, the most compelling thing was that it was a decent story. The incest was just a product of how damaged and horrible the family unit had become.

It certainly did not mean that every VC heroine from now on will have to fall in love with her brother.

Yes I agree. 

[Daisy]

2 minutes ago, qtpye said:

Yeah, it is not like if I find out today that my brother is not biologically related to me that I will automatically be like "Cool, let's date".

We have grown up as brother and sister and biology does not really matter...we will always see each other as siblings.

It was almost like the ghost writer thought the most compelling thing about the Flowers in the Attic series was the incest. No, the most compelling thing was that it was a decent story. The incest was just a product of how damaged and horrible the family unit had become.

It certainly did not mean that every VC heroine from now on will have to fall in love with her brother.

 

Exactly!
like @ElectricBoogaloo broke it down so well. 
Cathy and Chris were damaged - and even Cathy fought it so hard because deep down she knew it was wrong. And honestly, I don't even think Chris really tried as hard as Cathy did to not want to be with Cathy, but truly I think ultimately they both said it - no one could ever truly understand what they went through - except for each other. It was tragic and twisted and that's what made it good. 

Corinne and Chris -that's a side eye. like. even the big shock of gasp! you're really 1/2 siblings! like yah you see this guy (who looks kinda like you), and then you're introduced to each to each other as uncle/niece and your first thought is "Well it's only 1/2, we can screw each other anyway!" (imo Garden of Shadows didn't need to be written.  All it did was set up the standard of the "Gramma having a POV" and the Grandmothers never needed one (And as much as the ghostwriter wants me to hate Gramma Lilian. sorry with a granddaughter like Dawn i'd be totally over that crap too). 

Heaven and Troy that beautiful love story (and that one night of passion), and that was tragic because they were uncle/niece (or some theories. Troy was actually Tony's son so another 1/2 sibling thing). It was haunting because they were never raised as family (Though Heaven did lie about her birthday - but i don't know how Tony would have gotten out of it had she told the truth, probably just not push Troy/Heaven together i suppose without mentioning the ole "I raped your mother.")

Which - that's another thing I hate VC-Ghostwriter. like if it's not incest it's rape. Malcolm raped Alicia. (Why because he was lusty over his mom WHY?!)  Tony raped Leigh (but it was because Jillian groomed Leigh). but I just always had this feeling before we got to Web of Dreams  - that while Tony was nasty for even touching a 12 year old, that we were going to get some sort of Lolita-Leigh. 

Like i said. Dawn was pretty much milquetoast compared to everything else. Dawn was given away at birth (but made to be like she was kidnapped that's why they got caught when Momma gave birth to Fern). Then Philip sexually assaulted her (because he just couldn't get over Dawn). Then Dawn gets everything she wants - the ability to train as a singer, but she decides to be all lusty over teacher (it was lazily done too). She gets pregnant, her kid gets given away again and Lilian has a stroke and Dawn realizes that she's actually Bill Cutler's daughter, not granddaughter. What we never know is if Laura Sue was raped by Billl or if it was a seduction/mutual attraction and Laura Sue played it off as a rape - and see this is where the lazy factor happens.

We did NOT need to have Christy's story (Which was boring and contrived as crap, because basically Philip, still not over Dawn, rapes Christy because she reminds him of Dawn. okay Ghostwriter - then we learn about Lilian + her daughter). This is where we should have had Laura Sue's story.  What actually happened in regards to Dawn's conception. (but we basically get this version of it with Gabriel(Gabrielle's) story. and it was so poorly done, I'd rather fanwank what happened with Laura Sue in my head). 

there was no real incest in Ruby - but Melody and Rain doubled down on it I don't even remember what happened in Willow because i simply couldn't take anymore. 

but not one of these people:
Annie + Luke + Drake. (to me they are the worst because Annie treated bother of those guys like her boyfriends, and basically lusted after Luke thinking that they were related and was all it's not fair, and then the second she realized she wasn't Logan's daughter was like. DO ME LUKE! IT'S OKAY NOW! and Drake was always written like he was jealous of Luke because of how close he was to Annie it was gross).

Jimmy
Philip
Phillips's twins (they were written as they were heading down kinky road)
Cody (Laura's twin brother who was lusty over her, and then Melody)
Rain's brother. 

 

never acted like real siblings. Dawn was all "eww" with Philip but it loses something in the meaning when in the next scene she's alll dewy over Jimmy.

[CountryGirl]

I finally had a chance to watch Ruby and it was typical trashy fun although I liked the adaptations of the Dollanganger and Casteel series better (but then again, I liked the source material better as the lion's share were written by VC and not that terrible hack posing as her ghostwriter).

I wonder how much Naomi Judd got for essentially a glorified cameo as Grandmere Catherine (at least I think that was Naomi or perhaps Ashley, as they've both had enough plastic surgery to last a dozen others their entire lifetimes).

Of course, Judi Dench got an Oscar for playing Queen Elizabeth I for all of 8 minutes but I digress because Oscar and Lifetime + VC Andrews have exactly zero in common.

I feel like for all the VC Andrews elements Ruby (series and mini-series) stole from the other series, it fell flat but still worth a watch, especially with not much else on and Ruby was the last full series I read. And at least Ruby and Giselle were actually twins and had red(dish) hair.

Points to Grandmere Catherine for kicking her nasty-ass husband out of the house, but you'd have thought she would have given Ruby the lowdown on her origins before she almost boned boyfriend-turned-brother Paul.

In fact, why not tell Ruby the truth before Paul became her boyfriend? Call me crazy but that timing would have worked a whole lot better, I think.

Although Paul was pretty damn attractive.

But ew to him telling Ruby "no one has to know."

You know and she knows so there goes your grand plans, Paul.

Good on Ruby for cold-cocking Buster and Grandpere and double-ewww to Buster already starting to take off his pants when he walked into Ruby's room.

Ruby meeting bitch-on-wheels twin sister Giselle was nicely done, setting the stage for their yin/yang, saint/sinner trope.

Daphne was as nasty and snotty and high-horse-riding as Christine Blair Williams so good job playing to your strengths, Lauralee Bell.

Daddy Pierre certainly absorbed the news happily and quickly enough. 

I cackled at Nina using poor, clueless Ruby to get her voodoo on and take care of Giselle, although as all know, it's only temporary and anyway, her vicious tongue wasn't paralyzed.

Man, I was so deeply worried about Ruby and whether or not she'd escape from the asylum. 

Just kidding. 

Seriously, she could have waltzed out of there with Uncle Jean and a few others, it was that easy. I laughed at Jean summing up the whole backstory/rivalry with brother Pierre with a few utterances of "Jib!!!!" 

[CountryGirl]

9 minutes ago, Daisy said:

there was no real incest in Ruby -

Oh but there was.

Ruby and Paul engage in a little role-playing where he's a Confederate solider named William and they end up having sex. This is in All That Glitters.

[Daisy]

57 minutes ago, CountryGirl said:

Oh but there was.

Ruby and Paul engage in a little role-playing where he's a Confederate solider named William and they end up having sex. This is in All That Glitters.

how....

I can't believe I forgot that. thanks for that correct. 

[andromeda331]

2 hours ago, qtpye said:

Yeah, it is not like if I find out today that my brother is not biologically related to me that I will automatically be like "Cool, let's date".

We have grown up as brother and sister and biology does not really matter...we will always see each other as siblings.

It was almost like the ghost writer thought the most compelling thing about the Flowers in the Attic series was the incest. No, the most compelling thing was that it was a decent story. The incest was just a product of how damaged and horrible the family unit had become.

It certainly did not mean that every VC heroine from now on will have to fall in love with her brother.

I think your right about that. He throws it in just because. Flowers in the Attic and Heaven series it wasn't just thrown in there. Cathy and Chris were because of what happened to them while Heaven and Troy didn't know. He throws in the brother in love with his sister often because it was in Flowers in the Attic. Chris never woud have fallen in love with Cathy if not for the events in the attic. He throws in a mean sister because Heaven had one. But Heaven's and Fanny's relationship was more then that. They both were products of their crappy childhood and abuse and you could see why they had issues with each other. But deep down they both loved each other. Why did Clara Sue hate Dawn? Who knows. Giselle could have had reasons to hate Ruby since Giselle had been force to learn she had a twin and Daphne wasn't her mother but the Ghostwriter never brings them up. Flowers in the Attic had a book from the point of view of Cathy's sons, so we got Christie and Pearl. But we could see how the trauma Cathy and Chris went through was still affecting them and affecting their parenting especially Cathy. And continung and finishing up Corinne and Cathy. Nothing happens in the other kid books expect the parents' die and the daughter gets raped or almost raped by the creepy uncle or grandfather. Nothing is revealed. Nothing is learn. Its just there. We could have skipped Christie's book and gotten Laura Sue's book. That would have at least explained if Laura Sue was telling the truth about her rape or not. Annie's story didn't really do much either although we did get Fanny coming to the rescue Annie which was great. The no longer siblings we can fall in love never makes any sense. Dawn and Jimmy were raised as siblings, Annie and Luke were raised as siblings but its okay they learn their not and can fall in love and marry. That's not how it worked. Heaven and Fanny weren't blood siblings but very much thought of each other as sisters from beginning to end. Even after Fanny learned the truth she still considered Heaven her sister. Troy and Heaven almost skipped that part because they weren't raised as family. The Ghostwriter never really got what was great about the first two series.

[KaveDweller]

2 hours ago, CountryGirl said:

Points to Grandmere Catherine for kicking her nasty-ass husband out of the house, but you'd have thought she would have given Ruby the lowdown on her origins before she almost boned boyfriend-turned-brother Paul.

In fact, why not tell Ruby the truth before Paul became her boyfriend? Call me crazy but that timing would have worked a whole lot better, I think.

Although Paul was pretty damn attractive.

But ew to him telling Ruby "no one has to know."

You know and she knows so there goes your grand plans, Paul.

 

And didn't Paul's parents know? I don't remember their story in the books, but obviously his mother knows she didn't give birth to him, even if she doesn't know the full story. And his father certainly knows who he knocked up. Why not tell his son to avoid dating his sister?

But yeah, I don't get why she wouldn't tell Ruby earlier. I get why Paul's parents and Pierre/Daphne would want the truth quiet, but I don't see any reason Grandmere Catherine would care.