littlestofstorytelling

[littlestofstorytelling]

BRIDGERTON (2020—) S03 | E06

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You know what I hate

When the second book in the series has a spoiler for the first book in their description on the back without a warning!!!

Like I was trying to figure out if this book I was holding was a sequel or not and instead I read a huge spoiler in like line 2?!

First of all please say something like “part of x serie” or “sequel/followup of book x”

Secondly, why don’t you say something like, maybe avoid this back until you’ve read the first one?!

Just a small rant cause this is not the first time this has happened 🥺

[littlestofstorytelling]

Rebel Cheer Squad Season 1 Review

A trio of cheerleaders at a posh private school revive their former classmates’ anti-bullying club, and team up to fight injustice in this teen thriller.

I absolutely loved Get Even, so I was absolutely looking forward to watching season 2, and was disappointed when instead a decision was made to produce a follow-up series. But either way, I decided to give Rebel Cheer Squad a go. In Rebel Cheer Squad, the students from Get Even have already graduated, and the DGM club inevitably serves as inspiration for three best friends: Grace, Clara and Rumi, when Clara’s sister Leila has a terrible fall during a cheerleading routine that is related to a series of bullying incidents.

Unfortunately, Rebel Cheer Squad doesn’t live up to Get Even. It was acceptable viewing whilst doing other things, but I just couldn’t get invested in the show. It was a combination of characters and plot that led to a pretty mundane narrative. I just couldn’t help but constantly compare it to Get Even. In general, I found the main characters boring and it just didn’t work as well having the DGM members already being such close friends. Part of what made the previous show work so well was the changing relationship dynamics as they came to trust each other so much more over time and become friends.

Not to mention the actual mysteries were shockingly pathetic compared to the previous show. It was difficult to find interest when all of those narrative threads were so dull, including how the girls attempted to investigate. The writing was poor, and I felt like there were very few moments that were well constructed. Neither the characters, nor the mystery aspects were fleshed out.

Honestly, I’d rather just re-watch Get Even. Rebel Cheer Squad is fine to watch if you’re multi-tasking, but otherwise it’s probably a waste of time.

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So I have had more time to think about it (and saw the movie a second time) and I think I have some more coherent thoughts about it

Let me start off by saying that Barbie as a movie is a great piece of entertainment! The acting is amazing, the sets and outfits are so cool and well made and have amazing callbacks, the music SLAPS and the whole is just great to watch.

However, it is very superficial in its messaging of feminism and women’s empowerment

Let me explain

Firstly, the direct in script motivational quotes and “common phrases” let’s say, were sometimes well done - for example one of the first scenes where a Barbie says she can hold emotions and logic and the same time and it does not reduce but embolden her stand was great and well placed - but often times also weirdly timed or fell flat. One such time was when Babrie meets Ruth and says the real world is not what she expected (because she has learned to not all women’s rights issues have been solved by Barbie, as she previously had believed, and that patriarchy existed in the real world) to which Ruth answers something along the lines of “and isn’t that wonderful”. Like yeah its great to be surprised by life, however in this context that motivational quote is misplaced and falls flat cause Barbie is revering to all these women’s issues and her perception of having solved the world have been wrong. It sounds very out of place.

Same for the whole speech Gloria gives about being a women is so contradictory and you can never be enough. I think most of us had an eye roll moment and I think its mostly due to that speech being out of place. The moment is not asking for that specific speech because that is not really the issue Barbie is struggling with. Barbie struggles with Barbie land slowly turning just as bad as the real world and she feels paralyzed by thinking of how to even solve it and thus gives up. She is not really struggling with being a women here but with being overwhelmed by the problem and not knowing how to handle it and where to start. If the moment had asked for such a speech I think it could have been impactful, but because its not really a good fit it falls flat and ppl have heard it so often that they eye roll at it.

These are some more superficial complaints I had about the messaging. The real problem comes in with the plot

So secondly, I think the messaging falls flat because the plot is never properly worked out.

Ken turns out to be the main character at the end of the movie while Barbie’s ending is an afterthought once the big climax of the movie (Kendom) is resolved.

The movie does a great job setting up the A plot and the B plot (more on that later) until about halfway, when Barbie escapes Mattel. Barbie goes to the real world expecting all the problems for women to be solved but finds out this is not only not the case but also that she as a doll has actually worsened girls’ self images. This is a great setup, however it never gets resolved! Halfway through this A plot gets overtaken by the B plot, which is Ken’s journey and his Kendom patriarchy. Barbie’s story gets so distorted that she ends up apologizing to Ken? Without Ken taking responsibility for what he set up and what he did? Why is it again on women, or in this case Barbie, to do the emotional labour? Why is that the main ending?

And yeah Barbie did take him for granted but he is still responsible for his own actions and should in turn have acknowledge and apologize for the mess that he made in Barbie land. Also why does this not result in more Barbie and Ken equality in some of the Barbie land institutions? This could have been a great plot to show communication, equality and cooperation. But I digress.

Don’t get me wrong, Ken’s plotline is great and I love its setup as well, but it should have stayed the B plot. It would have made for great background comedy and small acknowledgments to it in Barbie’s story to suddenly see a Ken war or have a Ken supreme court and be like “huh that’s weird”. Something similar to what happens when she first comes back and sees the beach scene with the president and supreme court cheerleading, and Barbie is giving it a weird look but then moving on. She should have continues with her plot line. I don’t mind if Barbie does come in at the end of the B plot when Ken can acknowledge his mistakes as well and she can still realize she took him for granted, but I would have liked it if the Kens would have figured it out together and with some of the other Barbies first and only after that Barbie comes in. I think weird barbie was a great protagonist for the B plot to help out the Kens and have that story play out in the background while Barbie focusses on her plot.

Now you might be asking, what is Barbies plot?

How do you resolve the confrontation of patriarchy in the real world exists and makes women feel miserable?

I think her story should have revolved more on her doll to human connection with Gloria (the mom) and her daughter. On how she wants to help out the real world more cause she feels like she has failed it. Babrie can start small by helping Gloria see she can dream big, and to show her this they can still visit Barbie land and see how pink and women driven that world is. And show how ideas such as Barbie can inspire while also having the daughter there as devils advocate in bringing forward the points that yeah m body image is something Barbie did actively harm for a lot of young girls. I think exploring this duality could have been so interesting.

Barbie can still have the existential crisis, cause guess what, wanting to make a difference can be so overwhelming. And this is where Gloria can come in and say guess what in patriarchy being a woman is hard and contradictory but because of those contradictions, just existing as a woman is resisting the patriarchy and is sometimes enough. Because you are enough just being, you do not need to be career driven or a mom or anything else but just yourself. And this could have made her realize that even though its hard and the real world wasn’t what she expected, Barbie does want to be human now that she does not belong in Barbie world anymore.

This of course would be around the time that the A plot and B plot intersect again. And then Barbie can still have the ending that she goes to the real world cause she has seen the joy and hurt of the world. She can make a lasting difference not by being the idea but by being the one to think of ideas, by being human because just being a woman in the world is already enough to be the difference in the world.

And she can still go to the gynecologist cause that was actually a great ending!

Ps Beach barbies have flat feet, I had some so technically the freakout over the flat feet did not make sense in the extended Babrielore but its a minor complain and I only bring it up cause I am nitpicky

Pss Also on a last side note, the smallpox joke was so unnecessary and should have honestly been left out.

For all the textual and paratextual browbeating about being a movie about Empowering Women and sending conservatives into meltdowns, the Barbie movie really was like, the fucking apogee of a feminism whose goalposts have been shifted so much it's mostly about men and their feelings at this point

[littlestofstorytelling]

I loved the Barbie movie, but even while watching it I was like “why is the big conflict and conflict resolution of the movie at the end about Ken’s feelings?” It felt very weird because they really just leave the plotline of the-barbies-think-they-solved-the-real-world-but-it-turnsout-they-actually-didn’t-and-now-they-have-to-process-it the moment Barbie re-enters barbieland and finds it turning into kendom

I think it would have made a great side plot and yet it overtook the real focus of the movie: Barbie

Even the ceo and boardmembers all being male isn’t really dealt with in the end except for making fun of it a little bit

I like the ending Barbie herself got but also why would she want to be real when she has just experienced patriarchy in barbieland and clearly didn’t like it? How did we not get any resolution about patriarchy in reality? And what that entails to the barbies? I have so many questions left and it felt a little unresolved

For a feminist movie it’s very feminist-light

Easily digestible and inoffensive to the general public

I loved the movie, the costumes, sets, the acting, the humor and the crazy danse sequences, but I felt weird leaving the movie and I finally realized its cause Ken end up being the central resolve of the movie and not Barbie

When he is supposed to be just Ken for one fucking movie, we couldn’t even have one movie when men have had the past 50 years of hollywood but okay whatever rant over 💕

For all the textual and paratextual browbeating about being a movie about Empowering Women and sending conservatives into meltdowns, the Barbie movie really was like, the fucking apogee of a feminism whose goalposts have been shifted so much it's mostly about men and their feelings at this point

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hi mr gaiman, first question why would you do this to me :’)

second question, and a slightly less emotionally charged one - if due to circumstances you’re not able to televise good omens season 3, would you consider finishing the story in any other medium (book, audio drama, etc)?? and, as long as your answer doesn’t spoil anything, what medium would you prefer to do it in?

side note, it’s so crazy that you’re just… on tumblr. the fandom is very grateful for your engagement, i hope you’re having a nice day :)

Absolutely. I wouldn't want to leave it mid-story.

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Okay, but what I like about XO, KITTY is that it’s hormonal and messy and exactly like teenagers should be without it being weirdly sexualized. Yeah, they’re fooling around and figuring things out, and they have a new crush every other week but at no point does it feel like a fantasy made up by some pervy, Hollywood director. It’s all very sweet and innocent and its totally normal to not find your person in high school and sometimes people end up with the wrong people. And its okay. It’s all part of the journey. Older teen shows were very like, “you are my soulmate and we HAVE to end up together” and its just nice to see a show that is very normal about what teens dating is actually like. Nobody knows what they are doing but they are going to have fun while they are. 

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Having a bisexual/queer character canonically have feelings for two people and in the end choosing to be honest about it with their partner when they realize those feeling will not go away, and doing all that without making them cheat... I'm sending kisses to the writers of XO kitty 😘😘😘😘

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The way netflix cancelled both lockwood&co and partner track when I needed more seasons is a crime. They also cancelled first kills a while back which I am still not over

Why do they keep unfinished shows on their platform?! Either stop with the cliffhangers or complete the seasons. This is honestly disrespectful to viewers that become invested in their shows

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Omg I’m obsessed with xo kitty! That show was so much better than i expected 😍 love the characters, the crushes, the school, the breakups and the finale 🥹 I need a season 2

Also loved the dual language and the different school environment and that the character were actually high schoolers and awkward and only kissing and having crushes compared to the over sexualization of teens in other high school shows

Netflix better not cancel this one 🥺

Spoilers in the taggs

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The daily mail is talking about our petition! Keep going guys! If you'd like to sign it, the link is HERE

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i’m just so tired of netflix not giving shows a real chance to shine. of corporate greed being the main motivator for if i get to see my favorite people on screen again.

i get so emotionally invested in these fun stories and amazing characters, and then i learn about the creative team behind and in front of the camera, bringing it all to life, and i get even more invested!

and then the bigwigs who do not care about anything except money and views go and shut them down. i’m so sick of it.

i just want it to bite netflix in the ass. i need it to.

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given that i have quite the following here, i need EVERYONES help with this. i’m not sure if you’re aware but lockwood & co. has been canceled by netflix. so we need to raise awareness, be active on social media, engage with other networks and just make everyone help us with this. i’ll make edits with important details soon but PLEASE be kind and ask other networks, comment on netflix‘ posts and ask for a second season. it’ll work, trust me. we’re getting a second season!

[littlestofstorytelling]

The Season 2 Poster Details

From top to bottom :)

This is a Buddy Holly song Everyday which was originally supposed to be the Good Omens theme :)

Neil talks about it in the Introduction to the Script Book: “In the scripts, Buddy Holly’s song ‘Every Day’ runs through the whole like a thread. It was something that Terry had suggested in 1991, and it was there in the edit. Our composer, David Arnold, created several different versions of ‘Every Day’ to run over the end credits. And then he sent us his Good Omens theme, and it was the Good Omens theme. Then Peter Anderson made the most remarkable animated opening credits to the Good Omens theme, and we realised that ‘Every Day’ didn’t really make any sense any longer, and, reluctantly, let it go. It’s here, though. You can hum it.”

Book The Crow Road by Iain Banks. The novel describes Prentice McHoan's preoccupation with death, sex, his relationship with his father, unrequited love, sibling rivalry, a missing uncle, cars, alcohol and other intoxicants, and God, against the background of the Scottish landscape

Book Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad. An early and primary event in the story is the abandonment of a passenger ship in distress by its crew, including a young British seaman named Jim. He is publicly censured for this action and the novel follows his later attempts at coming to terms with himself and his past and seeking redemption and acceptance.

There is book The Body Snatcher by Robert Louis Stevenson. Its characters were based on criminals in the employ of real-life surgeon Robert Knox (1791–1862) around the time of the notorious Burke and Hare murders (1828). Neil said: Oddly enough, episode 3 will take us to a little stint of body snatching in the era.

There is Catch-22 book by Joseph Heller that coined the term Catch-22: situation from which an individual cannot escape because of contradictory rules or limitations.

Is there only one hand or are there two? :) EIther 6 ;), or 6:30 :).

Through the window we can see the coffeeshop Give Me Coffe or Give Me Death where Nina works! :)

Azi is wearing his nifty glasses :).

Crowley is wearing his new glasses, they are RIGARDS X UMA WANG - THE STONE ECLIPSE (VINTAGE BLACK/BLACK STONES) - $435

There seems to be a broken phone :).

Azi is reading A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens published in 1859, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. The novel tells the story of the French Doctor Manette, his 18-year-long imprisonment in the Bastille in Paris, and his release to live in London with his daughter Lucie whom he had never met. The story is set against the conditions that led up to the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror. 

Another book there is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - Neil said said that we will learn a lot about Jane Austin we didn’t know before.

And finally the Treasure Island book by - again :) - Robert Louis Stevenson, an adventure novel with pirates.

There are three lizard-y cuties. Who are they? Pets? Is Ligur haunting the bookshop? Who knows :).

A mysterious pamphlet, 'The Resurrectionists’ leaflet. (unofficial spoiler :)).

Also there is an old camera... mmm 🤔 Did Azi made some photos (of what? Him and Crowley, ducks? :)) Will we see them? :)

Their positions is an homage to the book covers! :)(x)

Will update this as fandom discovers new things! :)❤

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so my day has been irreversibly ruined

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Ghost hunters take their tea very seriously

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Hi Neil, sorry if this question was already asked, but i was talking with a friend about good omens and we both want to know one thing.

If I'm not mistaken, I think you said that you and Terry Pratchett had a story or a concept for a second part of good omens and now season 2 will be based on that. So, why didn't you write the book? Even after Terry died, didn't you want to write it "in his style"?

Sorry, I don't want to be rude or disrespectful, and you don't have to answer obviously

Actually, Season 3 is based on that. Season 2 is the sandwich filler between them.

In an alternate universe I suppose I might have done. In this one, when Terry died, I was committed to trying to get the TV series he had wanted to see before he died made.