#CHARGE BEING IN LOVE WITH GWENDOLINE

[pebbleswritessometimes]

I love her, your honor 🥹

Gwendoline and her characters have me in a chokehold ❤️

[popentertainment-moviereviews]

OUR FRIEND (2019)

Starring Jason Segel, Dakota Johnson, Casey Affleck, Jake Owen, Gwendoline Christie, Cherry Jones, Denée Benton, Isabella Kai Rice, Violet McGraw, Marielle Scott, Ahna O'Reilly, Azita Ghanizada, Sampley Barinaga, Reed Diamond, John McConnell, Jerome Spinx, Jason Bayle, Lane Alexander, Paige King, Jacinte Blankenship, Azita Ghanizada, Chandler Head and Veda Joy Martin.

Screenplay by Brad Ingelsby.

Directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite.

Distributed by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. 127 minutes. Rated R.

Terminal cancer is a devastating thing to deal with, for both the victims of the disease and those people around them.

In fact, it is so hard to deal with that Hollywood – on the rare occasions that they really scrutinize it on screen – generally does not focus on the person who is dying. Instead, cancer films tend to look at the people in their lives who must deal with the fact that someone that they love is perishing.

I guess I get it. I was around my grandmother when she was dying of cancer and it is a horrible, ugly, demeaning, appalling disease. It is not something that anyone would really want to experience unless they absolutely must – and certainly not something that they would want to watch for entertainment.

Yet to a certain extent this dynamic feels a little dismissive of the person who is going through most of the misery. We are only seeing their stories through the eyes of others, and often it is when the sufferers are at their lowest, most pathetic and needy ebb. It’s sort of like making them play a supporting role in their own deaths. Being there for a suffering person, while certainly selfless and noble, is hardly on the same level as actually experiencing the disease. Even when it is done realistically and tactfully, it can feel like the illness is being used as a bit of a screenwriter’s plot device.

As you can tell from the title of this based-on-a-true-story film, Our Friend is one of those films that is not about the person who has the cancer, but rather about a good friend who steps up for her – and also for her husband and children. He literally puts his life on hold for three years to be there for his friends in their time of need.

The friend of the title is Dane (Jason Segel), who met Nicole (Dakota Johnson) when they were part of a local theatrical troupe – she was the star, and he was in charge of lighting. (Actually, the film is a little unclear on this point; did they meet at the troupe, or in college, or was it even a college troupe? Either way, the dressing room and stage set up were a little upscale professional looking for any of these options.)

Dane asked Nicole out on a date right away upon meeting her, before finding out she was already married to Matt (Casey Affleck). (Dane falls in and out of love quickly a lot over the years.) He soon becomes best friend to the couple, and eventually their kids. The film floats back and forth between the past and the present to give a deeper look at the relationships of the three friends.

Years later, they are living in different cities when Dane learns that Nicole has terminal cancer. He comes to visit and help out for a weekend and ends up staying with them for three years. Dane gives up his job (which, granted, was a dead-end retail job), his home and his girlfriend (apparently, he wasn’t all that hung up on her, anyway) – just so that he can be there for Nicole and Matt and their two daughters and watch helplessly as she becomes more infirm and antagonistic.

Dane tries to bridge the gap when Nicole and Matt hit bumps in the road, particularly as Nicole gets sicker and starts to lash out. Dane also watches over the girls to see that they have as close to a normal childhood as possible in that situation. He is smart and selfless and is there for his friends even when they don’t always want him to be.

Our Friend was actually made in 2019 before finally getting a quiet home video release about two years later. This is probably not because it was considered a bad film – it is pretty good for the most part – but rather because its dark storyline is a bit of a hard sell. (The COVID pandemic may have slowed things down a bit too, but in the thick of the “shelter-at-home” period, there was a huge demand for new content.) It’s not an easy watch, but for those who do give it a chance, it does offer some rewards.

Alex Diamond

Copyright ©2021 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: March 30, 2021.

[targaryen-stronghold]

Sexist Tropes in “Game of Thrones”

Missing Mom Trope / Death by Childbirth Trope

Missing Moms are considered more unusual than missing fathers, and they are more likely to have their absence explicitly explained (usually with death). Death by Childbirth is very often the cause of a Missing Mom, as not only does it get the mother out of the way whilst keeping her sympathetic but it adds an extra touch of tragedy to the protagonist's life

Lyanna Stark (Aisling Franciosi): Jon Snow’s mother

Rhaella Targaryen: Viserys and Daenerys’ mother

Joanna Lannister: Cersei, Jaime and Tyrion’s mother

Straw Matriarchy (Powerful Women are Evil) Trope

Women are shown to be fundamentally incapable of governing or utterly evil and castrating in their power-wielding

Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey): Queen Regent; Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men and Protector of the Seven Kingdoms

Lysa Arryn (Kate Dickie): Lady of the Vale

Ellaria Sand (Indira Varma): Prince Oberyn’s paramour

Olenna Tyrell (Diana Rigg): did whatever was necessary (including murder) for her family to remain in power

Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke): Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea; Queen of Meereen; Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men and Protector of the Seven Kingdoms and Lady of Dragonstone

Hysterical woman Trope

Women as less rational, disciplined, and emotionally stable than men, and thus more prone to mood swings, irrational overreactions, and mental illness

Lysa Arryn (Kate Dickie)

Myranda (Charlotte Hope)

Selyse Baratheon (Tara Fitzgerald)

Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke)

Women Who Enjoy Sex are Evil Trope

Sex is regarded as fraught and dangerous

Doreah (Roxanne McKee): murdered Irri and helped Xaro Xhoan Daxos stealing Daenerys’ dragons

Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey): murdered every enemy she could get her hands on to remain in power

Shae (Sibel Kekilli): betrayed Tyrion Lannister by blaming him for Joffrey’s murder

Ellaria Sand (Indira Varma): murders Myrcella Baratheon and Doran Martell

Lysa Arryn (Kate Dickie): murdered her husband, Jon Arryn; lied to her sister, Catelyn, blaming the Lannisters for Jon’s death; tried to kill Sansa Stark out of jealousy

Myranda (Charlotte Hope): helped Ramsay Snow in his torture games; tormented and tried to kill Sansa Stark

Tyene Sand (Rosabell Laurenti Sellers): alongside with her sisters, Nymeria and Obara, helped her mother, Ellaria, betraying House Martell

Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke): burns down King’s Landing

I Was Quite a Looker Trope

You all know them. That kindly old lady who lives down the street. The tiny, wrinkly, owner of the local dojo. The aged, fading seductress. Wrinkled, aged, musty... but they weren't always that way. Once upon a time they were attractive, very attractive.

Olenna Tyrell (Diana Rigg)

Disposable Woman Trope

This character has a familial or romantic relationship with a protagonist, which allows creators to derive heart-wrenching sorrow from her death.

Talisa Stark (Oona Chaplin): provided a minute of Man Pain to the protagonist Robb Stark before his murder by Roose Bolton

Ygritte (Rose Leslie): provided Man Pain to the protagonist Jon Snow

Shae (Sibel Kekilli): provided Man Pain to the protagonist Tyrion Lannister

Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke): provided Man Pain to the protagonist Jon Snow

Disposable Sex Worker Trope

The prostitutes are killed because they know something they shouldn't, or a villain thinks they do.

Ros (Esmé Bianco): Petyr Baelish gifts her to Joffrey Baratheon to torture and kill because she’s been working for Varys

Woman Scorned Trope

What’s the only type of woman more dangerous than a Mama Bear? A woman who’s been dumped, cheated on, or otherwise done wrong by her significant other. Especially if she’s been hiding some sanity problems,

Lysa Arryn (Kate Dickie): tried to kill Sansa Stark out of jealousy

Ygritte (Rose Leslie): go on a murdering spree after being betrayed and abandoned by Jon Snow

Shae (Sibel Kekilli): testifies against Tyrion Lannister in his trial for Joffrey’s murder for believing he didn’t care for her and was shipping her off

Myranda (Charlotte Hope): tried to kill Sansa Stark out of jealousy

Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke): slaughters every men, women and child in King’s Landing after being rejected by Jon Snow

The Glorious War of Sisterly Rivalry Trope / Sibling Rivalry Trope

There are two sisters, close enough in age to have a relatively equal relationship, but light years apart in personality.

Catelyn Stark (Michelle Fairley) vs. Lysa Arryn (Kate Dickie)

Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) vs. Arya Stark (Maisie Williams)

Tomboy and Girly Girl Trope

The "Girly Girl" will highly care about her appearance, pursue "girly" interests, and is often (though not always) The Chick. The Tomboy will be into sports, mechanics, or the like. The two ladies will have some sort of relationship with each other, whether they're best friends, sisters, on the same team

Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) vs. Arya Stark (Maisie Williams)

Mama Bear Trope /  Motherhood Is Superior Trope

Like many other mammals depicted throughout history as predators, bears are actually passive animals, and won't attack humans unless provoked. Despite this, if you even think about getting between a mother bear and her cub she'll tear straight through you. Threaten her children, and you are in for a world of hurt.

Catelyn Stark (Michelle Fairley)

Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey)

No Guy Wants an Amazon Trope

All Guys Want Cheerleaders, but no guy wants a girl who can beat him up.

Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie) is unceremoniously dumped by Jaime Lannister because he wants to return to his traditional feminine ex-lover, Cersei

Female Misogynist Trope / Not Like Other Girls Trope

Considers other girls to be inferior- not like her. People will remind her that she's a girl herself, but she will deny it - or consider herself an "honorary dude" or claim she's "not like the other girls" (i.e. she's ''better'' than the other girls, in her mind).

Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey): I should have been born a man. I’d rather face a thousand swords than be shut up inside with this flock of frightened hens

Arya Stark (Maisie Williams): Most girls are idiots.

Fiery Redhead Trope

A Fiery Redhead is a red-haired character who is strong, Hot-Blooded, outgoing, usually outspoken, and (if a love interest) often female. She has a big personality and she's not afraid to use it. Whatever you do, don't get on her bad side, or there will be hell to pay.

Ros (Esmé Bianco)

Melisandre (Carice van Houten)

Ygritte (Rose Leslie)

Sleeping Their Way to the Top Trope

There are many ways to rise to the top, some more pragmatic than others. Some people decide to use their charms and sex appeal to boost their career. It's usually frowned upon by other characters, and may have certain downsides to it, but for some it proves to be the key to their success.

Margaery Tyrell (Natalie Dormer)

Real Women Don't Wear Dresses Trope

A woman is shown as weak, incompetent, and ineffectual unless she dresses and behaves in a masculine manner, or is otherwise applauded for being "not like other girls."

Arya Stark (Maisie Williams)

Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie)

Ygritte (Rose Leslie)

Yara Greyjoy (Gemma Whelan)

Nymeria Sand (Jessica Henwick), Obara Sand (Keisha Castle-Hughes) and Tyene Sand (Rosabell Laurenti Sellers)

Madonna–Whore Complex Trope

A pattern of thought that divides female-humanity into two mutually exclusive categories: Madonnas and Whores. The virtuous Madonna figure, possessing and protecting social virtue is an object of worship and everything that all females should aspire to be. However, sex is not part of this. The Whore, always with massive sex appeal, catering to the male gaze, is often evil and scheming

“The Whore” Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) vs. “Madonna” Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner)

“The Whore” Margaery Tyrell (Natalie Dormer) vs. “Madonna” Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner)

“The Whore” Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) vs. “Madonna” Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner)

Sour Prudes Trope

Accusing other women (or sometimes men) of being "skanks", "sluts", "cheap" and whatnot.

Lysa Arryn (Kate Dickie) vs. Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner): Lysa falsely accuses her niece, Sansa, of sleeping with Petyr Baelish

Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) vs. Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke): Sansa implies Daenerys is (sexually) manipulating her brother, Jon Snow

God Save Us from the Queen! Trope

While kings and princes can be good or evil, and nice or mean, and princesses are (almost) always good, queens tend to be the royalty version of Always Chaotic Evil. Once a queen is in charge, things get nasty.

Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey)

Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke)

[thronescastdaily]

Everything the Game of Thrones cast & crew have said about Season Eight

“I think everyone would agree in terms of saying they think their character endings are just and are the best way to wrap the characters up. Even if, God forbid, some of them might die.” — Isaac Hempstead-Wright

“The end of Jon’s journey, whatever that may be…I was satisfied with how his story ended.” — Kit Harington

“Who knows if it will be satisfying for the fans. I think a lot of fans will be disappointed and a lot of fans will be over the moon, I think. I think it will be really interesting to see people’s reactions.” — Sophie Turner

“Oh fuck the fans! That was a joke! But I don’t know, I don’t know if you can please everyone. I’m sure people will be moaning about something.” — Conleth Hill

“Not everyone’s going to be pleased, because it’s such a big show, and it’s divisive. But I think we have wrapped it up as convincingly and honestly and as cleverly as we could hope.” — Isaac Hempstead-Wright

“I remember I was shooting something else earlier in the year and my mum came out to join me. We sat down one evening and we both said to each other, ‘Let’s project the final season. Let’s say who we think is going to be alive and who we think is going to be dead.’ We did and we were both wrong.” — Maisie Williams

“What I will say is, I’m happy to see more of Brienne of Tarth the woman explored this season.” — Gwendoline Christie

“I am one of the few people who has read the script and I know the ending and what happens. When I read it, I thought it was rather brilliant. I am a bit of a fan of the series as well, and it satiated my expectation and hopes, I felt (it was the) conclusion…But we will just have to see. You know with something this big like Game of Thrones, you cannot please everyone.” — Iain Glen

“I couldn’t control myself. I cried for hours and hours once it wrapped. It was like leaving behind a character that I’ve grown up with. It’s almost like a death.” — Sophie Turner

“I haven’t watched a single series that has a following like Thrones does where everyone is satisfied with the ending. I don’t think that it’ll be any different with this. I think it will divide opinion.” — Kit Harington

“It fucked me up. Knowing that is going to be a lasting flavor in someone’s mouth of what Daenerys is…” — Emilia Clarke

“It meets all my expectations. But you’ll never guess how it ends.” — Iain Glen

“I’m hoping for the Breaking Bad [finale] argument where it’s like, ‘Is that an A or an A+?” —Dan Weiss

“We had such a beautiful time and we have such an amazing cast that has been through so much together. I think there is a real integrity to that and I completely support that and I am sad it’s ending, because I don’t get to go back and work with my friends next year or this year, so that’s sad but I think it’s a good time to. It’s an end of an era.” — Nathalie Emmanuel

“It’s either going to be everything that everyone dreamed of, or it’s gonna be disappointing. It depends which side of the fence you’re going to sit on.  I think no matter what you do there’s definitely going to be that divide. It depends on what people want from the final season. I love it, but I don’t know. You never know.” — Maisie Williams

“The fans will not be let down. There are a lot of firsts in these episodes. There’s the funniest sequence I’ve ever shot on this show, the most emotional and compelling scene I’ve ever shot, and there’s one scene where there’s so many [major characters] together it feels like you’re watching a superhero movie.” — David Nutter (Director) 

“It fucked me up. Knowing that is going to be a lasting flavor in someone’s mouth of what Daenerys is ...." — Emilia Clarke

“It is what it is, and so that’s what it should be. There’s nothing to say about whether I’d change it if I were in charge.” — Carice van Houten

“Personally speaking I love my journey. I love what [showrunners Dan Weiss and David Benioff] have done. The arc, the journey, every character.” — Richard Dormer

"[The ending] won't go the way some people want. It will be too happy for some people, or too sad, or too whatever. That's the nature of an ending." — Emilia Clarke

“It’s our biggest season by far. It’s only six episodes, but it was the longest [amount of time] we’ve ever shot, the biggest crew, the most extras and stuntmen. More people set on fire than ever before. It was intense.” — David Benioff

“People will see he has a target he wants to kill, and you will find out who that is. There’s also that moment [in “Hardhome”] when Jon Snow was on the boat and the Night King looked at him and raised his arms — there’s a similar and even stronger moment between Jon and the Night King this time.” — Vladimir Furdik

“I definitely didn’t see it coming and I had to get up and walk around, thinking, ‘Oh, so that’s how this all works out!” — Isaac Hempstead-Wright

“We wanted to justify people’s investment for many years and hopefully they will not feel cheated. But we do feel a great deal of pressure to bring this thing to a satisfying close. Hopefully we’ll stick the landing.” — Dave Hill (Writer)

“They went balls out, I think is the term. They could have easily set the same budget as they did for Season 7, but they went bigger.” — Kit Harington

“I remember reading [the ending] going, ‘Wow, thank you David and Dan. Thank you George. What a gift.’” — Rory Mccann

“It’s beautiful, colossal!” — Liam Cunningham

“Everyone has a certain expectation, I guess, it’s been building up so much. But [the ending]’s great, as well, it’s going to surprise you.” — Carice van Houten

“We had such a beautiful time and we have such an amazing cast that has been through so much together. As sad as it is, I think they have not— sometimes with a TV show or anything — it gets to the point where it loses its quality and we have managed to maintain such a high quality and people still want it.” — Nathalie Emmanuel

“It’s really a shame there aren’t any scenes between them, but the storylines just didn’t come together. It was a missed opportunity I think – it would have been really interesting to see that they got on as women as opposed to just fighting, because they’re not that different, they’re both loners.” — Carice van Houten

“There are a lot of things that I think people are going to be unhappy about and also, for the classic storytelling conclusions they want, other people are going to be really happy. But with a show as long standing and popular as Game of Thrones, I don’t think there is any possible scenario in which everybody’s pleased with how it concludes.” — Isaac Hempstead-Wright

“I think a lot of fans will be disappointed and a lot of fans will be over the moon, I think. I think it will be really interesting to see people’s reactions.” — Sophie Turner

"People will scream and people will say, 'That's exactly what I wanted. And some people will go, 'Huh?'  my mum, probably." — Emilia Clarke

“When something has been sitting with you for so long, you have such a specific sense of the way each moment should play and feel. Not just in terms of ‘this shot or that shot,’ though sometimes it’s that as well. So it’s not really fair to ask somebody else to get that right. We’d be lurking over their shoulder every take driving them crazy making it hard for them to do their job. If we’re going to drive anybody crazy it might as well be ourselves.” —Dan Weiss

“I think a TV series that’s spanned eight, nine years is an incredibly difficult thing to end. I think not everyone’s going to be happy, you know, and you can’t please everyone.” — Kit Harington

“It won’t go the way some people want. It will be too happy for some people, or too sad, or too whatever. That’s the nature of an ending. Midway through a season, there’s always the idea that this is going to continue and somewhere along the way we’ll make up for it all. When it comes to a conclusion, this is the end. Nothing more is coming, and the certainty of it being over will definitely bother people. But overall, I think we’re going to smash it.” — Isaac Hempstead-Wright

“[Season 8] is mindblowing and horrible and beautiful.” — Kristofer Hivju

note: this post will be updated as new material comes out

[chromium-siren]

Beauty Is Pain

(My version for what should’ve happened in TROS, BUT NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. This was inspired by “to the pain” from The Princess Bride, so I’m not trying to make Finn sound evil in any way. I know that Gwendoline probably doesn’t have a beauty mark near her lips, but let’s say that Phasma does for these purposes. Also, I’m headcanoning Phasma as being vain for this- the ending will really hammer this home.)

Finn looked at Hux’s body, splayed out and lifeless on the floor. The red headed madman that had ordered him to live a life of torment and misery had finally been brought to justice. He was about to sheath his lightsaber when he sensed that he wasn’t finished just yet.

“FN-2187- prepare to face your reckoning.” He turned around and saw a familiar sight- one he despised and hoped he would never have to see again. None other than Captain Phasma, in charred yet still gleaming chromium armor, stood in front of him. Her cape was torn, and she began to remove her helmet. Everyone was expecting to see a grotesque face covered in burns, but they were wrong. Instead, they saw a beautiful woman with piercing blue eyes (although one was a cybernetic implant) and a scar running down her face. Short blonde hair framed her face, and a beauty mark rested above a pair of ruby lips.

“How could someone so beautiful harbor such wickedness?” Rey wondered aloud, getting close to Luke, both with lightsabers.

“Oh, my foolish little darling,” the Captain cooed, her words dripping with venom, “didn’t you know that some of the most evil people in the galaxy hide behind a pretty face? But I have no use for you. I have come for my vagabond boy,” she hissed, looking towards Finn as if she was a snake about to strike.

“You’ll never have me, Phasma, not by a long shot,” Finn said calmly, raising his weapon to do battle against the woman. Phasma roared and made the first move, Finn defending himself from her attacks gracefully all the while. Silently, Luke guided his padawan in maneuvering away from the captain’s ire. However, Phasma let out a shrieking battle cry and charged Finn, who leaped over her and knocked the woman to the ground, accidentally severing her arm and giving her face a nasty scar. Finn was in shock at what he did, and extinguished his lightsaber, placing the hilt on his belt. Phasma screamed hysterically, falling to the floor and grasping around for anything with a reflective surface.

“My face! My beautiful face! You made me a monster!” she sobbed, collapsing to the floor, looking around pathetically for something to bandage her wounds. Finn crouched towards the woman, shocked that he was going to show the murderess who trained him a sliver of compassion. However, he knew that compassion and empathy were ways of the Jedi, something he vowed to hold true.

“No, Phasma, you made yourself a monster. Your days of going hidden under a mask like a coward are over. You will wear those scars and a cybernetic arm with pride, that way every babe who sees your wicked face will ask their parent why someone so pretty is scarred like that. They will tell their little one this- she was an evil woman, my child. Someone as beautiful as her can harbor an ugly heart, someone like her can have venom coursing through her veins instead of blood.

“And every man that happens upon your face will say to their friends, someone with such a lovely face but horrid scars might as well be a murderess. Beware of the siren with the icy stare and scars- she may tempt you with her beauty, my friends, but she will kill any man she sees. So Phasma, you’ll be doomed to spend your life with not one but two burdens- you’ll still be a beauty, but no one will love you because of your wickedness and cowardice.” Phasma wept now, not because of the searing pain in her arm, but also because Finn’s words stung her to her core.

“To live like that would be torment. Just kill me now, I beg of you,” Phasma whimpered, pleading for Finn to reconsider.

“And let you go unpunished for the suffering myself and others have gone through? No. You’ve gotten away with this one too many times, Captain. You need to face the consequences,” Finn said, “for your own good. You may be beautiful, but all who see you will know of your true ugliness because of your complacency with the First Order’s regime of evil.” Phasma wept bitterly, as a medical droid eased her onto a gurney, whisking her away to be placed in a bacta tank and outfitted with a cybernetic arm.

In the end, the ordeal between light and dark had come to a close. After a tedious battle against the unhinged Kylo Ren, both passed on, with Luke Skywalker dying peacefully and becoming one with the other Jedi before him. Finn and Rey lived happily together, learning the ways of the Jedi and finding love. The only remainders of the First Order were some liberated stormtroopers, who vowed to denounce the cruel machine they were forced to be cogs in, some imprisoned officers, and Captain Phasma, who just as Finn said, was forced to face the consequences. Indeed, she was still lovely and fair of face, but the greatest pain to her was being known as one of the architects of destruction to so many in the galaxy- a murderess incapable of loving anyone but her evil plots.

@kyber-hearts-and-stardust-souls @phasma-first-order

[jackoshadows]

There was a recent discussion on another forum about the most disappointing media in the last decade and naturally Game of Thrones won the poll beating even the recent Star wars trilogy by a large percentage. Someone linked to a Rotten Tomatoes review of the final season and it struck me how much the show veered from the books in terms of it’s underlying themes and stories – not really surprising considering D&D felt that ‘themes were for 8 grade school reports’.

But the thing that stood out for me, was how much so many folks saw GOT as some kind of feminist work about women rising to the top in a man’s world. 

On Rotten Tomatoes, pretty much most of the reviews are similar to this:

Critics Consensus: Game of Thrones' final season shortchanges the women of Westeros, sacrificing satisfying character arcs for spectacular set-pieces in its mad dash to the finish line.

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/game-of-thrones

After season 6, we get these interviews:

After several seasons of troubling character starts and vocal backlash after season 5, the women of Westeros are now “running the show.”

“In the beginning it starts off with something of a stereotypical view of women, ss the wives, the girlfriends the ones that are always under other people’s control,” Sophie Turner explained to Variety. “And as the show moves forward you see these women rising to power and the evolution is phenomenal.”

Where did the change stem from, the fans. “We heard what audiences want, and what they want are more female characters,” Gwendoline Christie said. “And they want more complex, female characters.” 

https://variety.com/video/game-of-thrones-the-women-of-westeros/

Now it’s their turn: On HBO’s Game of Thrones, the show’s powerful female characters are about to take center stage more than ever before.

The ascension of Thrones’ female characters isn’t a new strategy. Showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss, working from the narrative template established by author George R.R. Martin, introduced Westeros five years ago as a male-dominated world ruled by figures like Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa) and Tywin Lannister (Charles Dance). One by one, these strong and commanding men have suffered tragic turns of fate that have cleared the way for a fleet of heroines who have learned new strategies to survive and conquer in a brutal world.

https://ew.com/article/2016/03/24/game-thrones-ew-cover/

With covers like this:

How many of these women ended up winning at the end?

Did people really think that an old white dude writing a fantasy story in the nineties was writing about female empowerment in the medieval ages? Really?

GRRM’s books did have complex female characters - Catelyn Stark comes to mind. But the last thing he was doing was writing about how the women of Westeros were going to win in the end using their wily ways. Characters like Cat and Cersei have to navigate their world having less power than their husbands and sons. Arya has to go around in disguise as a boy, Sansa has to endure abuse and stay silent to survive.

At the end of the day, GRRM was writing about female characters in a man’s world and as such they were limited in what they could do. Quite a few times, they are the characters pulling the strings behind the men (Lady Olenna), but there are rare open displays of their power - because they only get that through the men.

The audience complaining about all the rape and violence on the show? The books are much worse in terms of what happens to female characters. What was done to Jeyne Poole in the books is far, far worse than what was done to Sansa. Jeyne suffered a torturous existence - getting send to LF’s brothel and then to Ramsay because she is unimportant in the grand scheme of things  while Sansa escaped that fate because she was a noble woman belonging to a great house.

GRRM’s romances? We get Dany wanting to die after being repeatedly raped by Khal Drogo and then she falls in love with him. We have 27 year old Sandor Clegane in love with 11-12 year old Sansa as GRRM writes his beauty and the beast romance and Brienne falling for a guy who mocks her appearance and verbally abuses her. Even Jon/Ygritte has consent issues because 19 year old Ygritte coerces 15 year old Jon into sleeping with her by threatening to out him to Mance as still being a brother of the NW watch. GRRM’s romances all belong to the ‘forced seduction’ trope commonly seen in the bodice rippers of the eighties and early nineties.

In GRRM’s world if Sansa snarked at Littlefinger about ‘seizing the last word’ she would be lying dead in a ditch somewhere, Cersei would be dead/deposed if she blew up a sept full of people and Arya would not just magically recover after getting stabbed 10 times and then go take out the entire house Frey. 

And that’s why the show became more and more nonsensical over the seasons as D&D threw out GRRM’s world building and rule book and characters could do whatever they wanted with no consequences.

In the books the only female character who has real, hard power is Daenerys Targaryen. And that’s because she has what are the equivalent of nukes. Dany did get a semblance of power before her dragons grew - but she got that by charming Drogo, convincing him to invade Westeros for her and slowly and surely grabbing power away from her brother. When she stopped the rape of the  Lhazareen women, she was only able to do that because she was the Khaleesi - Drogo’s wife.

This changes when she hatches the eggs and her dragons grow - what happens in Astapor is a game changer with a new power in town. That’s why the moment was celebrated and enjoyed by book fans. This shit?

This is what actual power looks like in the books.

Dany is pretty much the only female character who can actively effect change and fight for the throne like the other male contenders because she has the weapons to do so. That’s why she’s unique in the books.

And that’s why the show ending was so disappointing to many fans. Because the men ended up back in charge (other than the nonsensical part where Sansa alone is able to randomly remove the North from the 7K by way of shit writing) despite all these proclamations from the showrunners/cast/HBO about how the women were now running things. Because, ultimately, GRRM was not writing about female empowerment or defeating the patriarchy or about women getting to the top in a man’s world.  He was writing a coming of age story for his main characters that included 3 men:

Five central characters will make it through all three volumes, however, growing from children to adults and changing the world and themselves in the process. In a sense, my trilogy is almost a generational saga, telling the life stories of these five characters, three men and two women. The five key players are Tyrion Lannister, Daenerys Targaryen, and three of the children of Winterfell, Arya, Bran, and the bastard Jon Snow. All of them are introduced at some length in the chapters you have to hand.

If D&D and HBO wanted female characters at the top in the end, they could have just written their own ending incorporating these ideas.  The disconnect happened because of their ‘The women are winning!’ writing and then ending up with GRRM’s ending.

Write a ‘feminist’ adaptation of the books. Kill off Jon Snow in the battle against the AOTD - it’s not like he had any story that was about him for the last 3 seasons. Have Dany kick out Tyrion for his bad ideas and defeat Cersei. Let her reward Arya with Storm’s Landing for killing the Night King. Let Brienne dump Jaime after realizing he’s a waste of space.  We would have Dany on the Iron Throne, Arya in the Stormlands, Sansa up North and Brienne setting off to start a school for young girls like Gwendoline Christie wanted. All of this makes more sense than the farcical King Bran/queen Sansa ending we got, so they could have done this.

It is disappointing as a book reader to know that the ending involves GRRM disposing of the only female character who actually has real power in the world of the books, and that of the main 5, she is the only one who ends up dying.  But maybe that’s why she ends up dying  - because Dany is an anomaly in GRRM’s fictional world and with her death Planetos reverts back to the usual patriarchal structures with the men in charge of everything. That’s a depressing thought. I can only hope that book Arya at least ends up with more power to effect change rather than getting shuffled off in a boat to some ‘west of westeros’.

[whitecrossgirl]

Why Don’t You Do Right?

AN: So here is the Who Framed Roger Rabbit AU that no one asked for but I wrote it anyway, mainly because of the mental image of Gwendoline Christie as Jessica Rabbit. I messaged @sassbewitchedmyass about this idea and with her kickass encouragement, I decided to write it. I hope you enjoy it.

Tyrion had been surprised when Daenerys Targaryen had contacted him. He had made it clear that despite the lull in people hiring a private detective, he would not work for anyone in show business. Not after Bronn was murdered by someone in the business, someone who had taken every step to hide their tracks and it seemed all of showbiz had helped them to do so. Bronn had been more than a best friend, he had been like a brother to him and things just hadn’t been the same. He barely focused on his work, numbing his pain with wine and scotch, just punching time until the inevitable. Then Daenerys Targaryen, CEO and owner of Three Dragons Studios had contacted him, requesting his services to confirm whether the spouse of one of her best actors was having an affair. Initially he had dismissed her; he was a private detective, not a gossip magazine. Actors having extra-marital affairs was of no concern to him.

“Why would I do that?” Tyrion had asked and Daenerys raised an eyebrow.

“Maybe because the employee in question is your brother Jaime?” Daenerys challenged, causing Tyrion to almost choke on his drink.

He had not seen or heard from Jaime for years. Tyrion had walked out on his family at the age of eighteen; fed up with the toxic environment, the taunts, insults and belittlement. He had refused to keep in contact with any member of his family; didn’t bother to look up any further developments in their lives. Indeed, the only reason he knew Jaime was in the same city was because of Jaime’s fame. Like Tyrion, Jaime had turned his back on the family, however it seemed that had been the best thing for him. Jaime was a talented actor and with his talent, good looks and charm, he had quickly become the most sought after actor in the business. Surprisingly, it was actually his voice acting which had made him an icon. He voiced the character Roger Rabbit; a carefree cartoon rabbit who constantly got into foolish shenanigans. Jaime had turned the character into one of the most beloved in recent years and definitely the most popular thing to come out of the Three Dragons Studio. Yet that was all he knew about Jaime’s life. He didn’t read any of the interviews Jaime gave or watched any of the movies or TV shows he starred in. He didn’t even know Jaime was married.

“I didn’t know Jaime was married.” Tyrion said and Daenerys gave a wry smile.

“He’s devoted to her and she’s playing him like a fool. Rumour has it, she’s got this thing with Tormund Giantsbane, one of the main players at Jon Snow’s White Wall studios. If that’s true, it explains the mole in our business, feeding Jon Snow all our ideas and secrets.” Daenerys explained. She and Jon Snow were in charge of two of the biggest studios in the business and spies were everywhere between the two companies. It made sense to her that they would get someone both connected to the studios but not employed to source their information.

“So what do you want me to do?” Tyrion asked. “I don’t work showbiz. It’s a nest of vipers.”

“I want you to get proof of this affair. Get that proof, Jaime knows the truth and we can all get back to business.” Daenerys explained. She wasn’t that overly concerned about Jaime’s marriage but he was the most valued actor in her company. If anything happened to him; if he quit or his wife made him leave for White Wall; it would ruin Three Dragons. It would be better for him if he knew the truth of his wife.

“I don’t know who this woman is, how am I meant to find her and prove that she’s having an affair?” Tyrion challenged. “Also, how much are you offering?”

“Thousand, you get five hundred upfront. The rest when the photos are delivered.” Daenerys offered.

“Deal,” Tyrion nodded as Daenerys handed him the money in a bundle of notes. Tyrion took a moment to double check before pocketing the money. “So where do I find her.”

“She sings at Riverrun Club on Sparrow Street. Performs under the name Sapphire Starr. From what I know, she’s performing there tonight. Giantsbane never misses a single performance.” Daenerys explained. “I want the photos as soon as you have them.”

“Deal,” Tyrion repeated as Daenerys left his office. For a moment, he considered the implications of his actions. He hadn’t seen or spoken to his brother in years. Now he was expected to break his brother’s heart by finding evidence of his wife’s infidelity. It was a dirty job but someone had to do it. Besides, it was probably better in the long run for Jaime.

And a thousand dragons was a thousand dragons.

Later that evening, Tyrion found himself inside the tastefully decorated Riverrun club. It was owned by the Tully family and their colours of red and blue were tastefully scattered around. With the name Riverrun, there was a decorative theme to give the illusion of being underwater. However Tyrion doubted it was the décor that attracted so many customers tonight. The majority of the customers were men but there were more than a few women in the club as well; all of them drinking, laughing and enjoying the current performance of a pianist. Tyrion managed to find a table close to where Giantsbane was sat. Tyrion knew him by sight and it wasn’t hard to miss the large red headed man in a vivid blue suit. Tyrion took his seat and within seconds a waitress appeared by his side.

“Tyrion? Is that you?”

Tyrion looked up to see Sansa Stark beside him, an empty tray balanced in her hand. He had helped the Stark family find evidence that the Lannister’s, his own father had been plotting with the Frey’s to destroy the Stark’s family business. He had taken great pleasure in foiling his father’s schemes but he hadn’t seen any of the Starks in a few years.

“Sansa, I didn’t know you worked here.” Tyrion said as Sansa gave a small smile.

“Uncle Edmure gave me a job, it helps fund living expenses for university. Are you here to see Brienne?” Sansa asked and Tyrion shook his head.

“Who’s Brienne?” Tyrion asked and a flicker of awkwardness crossed Sansa’s face before she smiled. “I’ve heard of Sapphire Starr, I came to see her perform.”

“Oh that is her name, Sapphire Starr is her stage name, Brienne is her real name. We always have the busiest and best nights when she performs. She’ll be on in a minute.” Sansa said, looking to the stage. Tyrion followed her gaze as the pianist finished and the curtains began to draw. She seemed to be correct; as the curtains drew, more of the patrons moved towards the stage, grabbing tables, chairs or even standing; just so they were close enough to the walkway of the stage that seemed to reach all the way to Giantsbane’s table. Whoever this Sapphire was, clearly she was popular and able to lure a crowd. However, Tyrion’s thoughts returned to the job at hand as slow, jazzy music began to play and a sultry voice began to sing.

“You had plenty money, 1922,” As she sang, a long, pale leg emerged from the curtains before they drew back to cheers and a piercingly loud wolf whistle from Giantsbane. Despite the loudness of the cheers, Tyrion could hear her singing. She was like a siren, her voice and looks luring the men towards her; hypnotising them with her voice and appearance.

“You let other women make a fool of you Why don’t you do right? Like some other man do?”

As she sang, Tyrion was transfixed by her appearance. He could see why so many men and women flocked to the bar and to the stage. She was the tallest woman he had ever seen and the heels she wore maximised her height and made her endless legs seem longer. Her risqué dress was strapless, baring her pale shoulders but held up by her bust; on one side the skirt was cut daringly high, ending just at the top of her thigh, meaning each step she took as she strutted down the stage, showed off more and more of her legs, enticing and alluding to any temptation beyond that point. The dress was a deep shade of dark blue but had enough sequins that glinted off of the stage lights to give the illusion of stars. Tyrion could understand now why she chose the stage name Sapphire Starr; more precious than any jewel, more enchanting than any star.

Her blonde hair was short and carefully styled and curled so that it fell carefully around her face. Her face was also carefully made up; scarlet lipstick and eyes that gave the impression of heavily lidded bedroom eyes. Although her face wasn’t the most beautiful; it was her confidence, her height and her sensuality, her sexual confidence in herself that seemed to impress the crowd. She had learnt how to accept, embrace and use her sexuality and sex appeal along with her singing talent and it had worked perfectly for her. He had never seen a woman like her. She was like a being from a legend; a warrior goddess or a siren, luring men to their death.

“She’s married to Jaime?” Tyrion whispered to Sansa who watched as Sapphire/Brienne sang towards a young man, who seemed utterly transfixed by her and astounded he had won her attentions for a moment. Even as she pushed him away, the young man stared after her, his hand ghosting over where she had touched him; as though blessed by the Seven themselves.

“Yeah, she’s a lucky woman,” Sansa said wistfully. She dreamed of finding true love like Brienne and Jaime did; of having a man who adored her and was as devoted to her as Jaime was to Brienne. Maybe someday, Sansa thought as she went to collect more drinks orders, leaving Tyrion to watch the show.

Tyrion turned his attention back to Brienne who was now stepping off the stage and onto Giantsbane’s table. He reached out his hand and Brienne took it, stepping off of the table and slipping an arm around his neck, aiming the next words at him seductively as she playfully stroked his beard.

“Get out of here, make me some money too,”

Before Tyrion could get his camera, Brienne had moved away from Giantsbane and seemed to put her focus onto him, singing the next words almost too him as she sat on the far end of the table and leaned across it. She was close enough that if he chose to, he could have looked down her dress, however he was fixated on her eyes. They were sapphire blue too. Brienne took him by the tie and pulled him towards her until they were almost face to face.

“Why don’t; you do right? Like some other man…”

Tyrion wondered if she had guessed who he was. As if teasing him with that answer, Brienne actually leaned in and teasingly pretended to kiss the edge of his nose before finishing her song.

“Do?”

With that, she let go of his tie, leaving him half standing in a daze as she walked back to the stage and behind the curtain to thunderous applause and cheers from the other patrons in the club. Tyrion felt almost dumbstruck by what he had seen and heard. How could that beautiful, enchanting, bewitching woman be married to his brother? Tyrion shook his head, like a dog trying to shake off water as he noticed Giantsbane getting up from his seat and heading backstage. Tyrion felt for the camera in his pocket before following him.

Jaime. He was doing this for Jamie.

[wackygoofball]

Moodboard: Jaime x Brienne - Farming AU

Starting over is always hard, is what people keep telling them.

Jaime finds that those people may mean well but really miss the fuckin’ point.

Freshly returned war veterans Jaime Lannister and Brienne of Tarth have more than a hard time settling back into their civilian lifestyles. War broke them in ways others don’t even begin to comprehend. And it is the incident that cost them both so much that actually put them so closely together that it feels as though they are the only people they can talk to about those matters.

Only between them does this world even make sense these days.

Jaime lost his hand on the last op after they were taken hostage by a band of rogue deserters. They wanted to rape Brienne, and Jaime couldn’t let that happen. In turn, they took his hand for speaking up. And while Jaime does not, by any means, regret that choice, it makes living a normal life ever the more complicated.

Even opening a bloody can is suddenly an issue.

And then the family is another bucket full of rotten apples. Especially Father is giving him headache after headache because he actually sees Jaime’s disability as a kind of fortune meant to finally drive him into the lifestyle Tywin Lannister wanted for his son all along – running the family business in his stead, becoming his true heir at last instead of continuing his “folly” of pursuing a military career.

Brienne isn’t faring much better. She thought that she would do better, returning to her home island at least for a while to gather herself, but after a week, she had to bid her worried father goodbye and relocate to King’s Landing. She found a job rather fast, but it doesn’t really give her joy. She mostly does it so that she can at least tell herself that she is doing something “normal,” even though she never has been and won’t ever be normal. Not just for matters of her looks or hobbies, but because apparently, she can’t seem to find her way back into life after returning from the war.

Things take a sudden turn when Jaime has a fallout with his father over the family business which he has no intention of continuing to Tywin’s conditions, which results in the oldest son to quit entirely, not just the job but also the family.

“I am done.”

Tywin threatens with disinheriting him if he does not comply, and Jaime just flips him the bird, or rather, stump, and is out the door.

It almost seems to good to be true when he gets home, fuming, weighing his limited options now, and finds a letter in his mailbox that tells him that a distant uncle bequeathed him with his farm on the far outskirt of King’s Landing.

“Seems like I will be a farmer, I guess,” he decides more on a whim than anything else.

But really, what does he have to lose?

And what could possibly go wrong?

He already lost a hand, so what’s the worst that could happen, right?

It isn’t until long that Brienne gets to hear about Jaime’s fantastic plan during the next meeting, a regular thing they established which they refer to as “therapy for therapy” whereby both lament about their shrinks. To say that she is shocked is an understatement. In fact, it takes Brienne almost five minutes to understand that he is serious about this.

“So… you really want to do this. And you think this is not at all related to you having lost your wits?”

“I think I finally gathered some of them, not thanks to Mr. Smarttalk aka the Shrink of Heart. I think it was a wink of fate that I was given that farm the same day I finally stuck it to Father.”

“You don’t believe in destiny, though, remember?”

“Maybe I should start.”

“Well, if you want to go soul-searching, then I suppose the least I can do is give you a ride.”

“You don’t have to.”

“And yet I will. I mean, I guess you will get yourself killed by walking into a broken house and just be crushed by the rubble, but for as long as I can help it, you are not dying on my watch, Lannister.”

“One can always rely on you, Tarth.”

“And now I need another beer.”

“Make it two.”

And so, Brienne stands true to her promise and drives Jaime to the farm the next weekend, reckoning that Jaime will soon lose interest and realize that this is not really the kind of thing Jaime Lannister, a man born with more than one golden spoon in his mouth, wants to do for the rest of his life.

Her predictions are proven wrong soon enough, though, when Jaime announces after a quick look-around the run-down farm.

“I love it.”

Brienne still hopes the guy is joking, but Jaime is in absolute awe and already starts to mentally pick out curtains for the living room while she just looks at all the work she knows will be ahead of him, should he actually consider following through with this renovation job.

However, she doesn’t have the heart to really tell him no. Ever since the incident that cost Jaime his hand, she felt extremely guilty and indebted to him, which is why she tries to be supportive of Jaime, even when she thinks he is being ridiculous. Brienne fears that he is just trying to get away from society, start skipping therapy sessions, and go down a dark road again as he did after he was maimed – Jaime wanted to die and took Brienne a lot of talking to get him out of that mood again. Now she fears he may go back into that mode if she does not watch out for him.

Thus, the young woman offers “a truce” to ensure that Jaime does not slip up on the therapy while working the farm: She will help him with the farm during her free time, free of charge, in exchange for him sticking to his shrink. Jaime only ever agrees under the condition that she do the same, and so, the cooperation is born.

During the week, Brienne works her “normal” job while Jaime busies himself around the farm, knowing basically nothing about it, and on the weekends, she travels to see Jaime and help him do the things she knows how to do thanks to having grown up on farms and having good knowledge of mechanics thanks to her studies at college.

However, things don’t go smoothly at all. Jaime doesn’t just tread unknown, murky waters, he does so with just a hand and all by himself, safe for the weekends. Couple that with Lannister-innate stubbornness and you got yourself some trouble ahead. His fruit rot away, the tractor is a goner, the house is a ruin where the bats are having a jolly time, and he feels like giving up more often than not.

But then Brienne winds up during the weekends and he feels like he has to prove it to her, so giving up is no option whatsoever. While he would rather not ask her for too many favors, after all, he doesn’t want Brienne to overexert herself, there is no preventing her from it.

And Brienne, for her part, actually starts to like this sense of a purpose when she feels like she is doing only meaningless work in her “normal” job.

Renovating the house is one of the first things on his list because Jaime does not fancy only ever having a mattress and a sleeping bag in the living room to offer to Brienne when she stays over. That should be reserved for the battlefield, really. And he does find that fixing up the house has its merits. He can take his time and apparently, he is better at it than he first thought. Eventually, the house starts to gain shape and Jaime presents to Brienne her own guest room, all nicely done in the color most fitting for her – blue. Brienne is impressed and visibly touched by the gesture.

Brienne finds herself increasingly at unease whenever she is not on the farm, because she just can’t seem to find her way back to “normal.” She is back, she is safe, thanks to Jaime. She didn’t suffer a trauma nearly as severe as he did, and yet Brienne feels like falling apart and jumps at copying machines making cranky noises when she should long since know better.

A particular situation at the office triggers her and thus sends Brienne right back into the war zone, her therapist suggests to her to take a “holiday,” something that only ever hurts the young woman’s pride. She doesn’t need that. She has to get going again. And Brienne finds it so unfair that Jaime seems to be doing fine while she is like this. And now she is supposed to travel around to work through her traumas? No, that can’t be the solution.

Even more so because Brienne can’t find it in herself to leave Jaime.

Totally exasperated by her psychologist’s suggestion, she heads to the farm to tell Jaime about the “great” plan. Brienne is shocked when he tells her that the lady may have a point – and that perhaps she should take a break. Brienne insists that she doesn’t want to go anywhere.

In the end, the two come to agree on a new truce, which is that she takes holidays here until she has herself figured out. Brienne agrees begrudgingly, but it doesn’t take her long to realize how much she actually loves this farm she helped build on the weekends.

Though the farm is perhaps not the only thing she fell for…

As the two continue to put the farm back together, they find ways to patch themselves and one another back up, and at last it seems that they can find a new odd kind of normal, a way into civilian life to their own conditions, together.

However, misfortune is just around the corner thanks to family troubles and the danger of losing the farm, and perhaps even more than that, namely each other.

Additional Image Source: http://gwendoline-christie.com/

[gloriousgwendolinechristie]

Press: Gwendoline Christie On The “Deeply Emotional” Final Season When Brienne “Stepped Into Her Own Power”

  DEADLINE – Season 8 of Game of Thrones was as cruel to Brienne of Tarth as it was kind. In the moments prior to the big Battle of Winterfell, she was knighted by her longtime paramour Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), and the pair consummated their relationship, before Jaime abandoned her to run back to his sister, Cersei. But as the dust settled, she was also made Lord Commander of Bran Stark’s Kingsguard, finally fulfilling her seasons-long dreams. Christie’s first Emmy nomination for the role comes as she returns to the London stage in a new production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

There are a total of 10 acting nominations for Game of Thrones’ final season. Emmy night is going to be quite a party…

I know [laughs]. It’s an amazing way to end the show that has changed all of our lives. It’s changed our lives beyond all comprehension, really. I’m delighted that so many of us got nominated.

There was a documentary released about the production of this final season. The footage from that final table read was extremely emotional.

Had you?

Of course. I didn’t stop. I read from the beginning right through to the end, as soon as I got them. It was deeply, deeply emotional. I thought I was doing fine, and then I went up to speak to David [Benioff] and Dan [Weiss] to say thanks. They said, “How are you?” I went, “I’m fine.” And then I totally broke down. I think the idea of it all ending suddenly hit me.

You really don’t want to get in touch with that feeling, because you know you’ve got 10 months of really hard shooting ahead of you. There was a huge sense of loss, and a deep sadness, but I wasn’t going to indulge in that emotion. I was just going to focus on the fact that we’ve got to do it again, I had a brilliant storyline, and everybody was really thrilled and galvanized to be doing this.

Was that a feeling you were able to successfully tamp down as you shot the season, or did it come back?

I didn’t subscribe to it at all during shooting. I stayed focused on trying to bring something to life. Every moment, to me, felt like an opportunity. It was hard. The conditions were hard. The material was challenging. I was so absorbed in all of that, and I think everyone else was too.

It was only when it got to the last day of the Winterfell shoot, which was my last day of shooting in Belfast, where it bubbled up. It was also the scene in which Jaime and Brienne part for the last time. There was a bit more to do in Spain, but it would be the last time I worked with some of that crew in Belfast. I was very emotional that day; helpfully, as it turned out. It was a lot [laughs]. I allowed myself to be touched by the circumstances.

When we finished shooting, I had a little wander about. But throughout the day, I was feeling incredibly lucky that my last scene in Belfast was going to be that scene. That I was going to be given some great material to work with as I was saying my goodbyes.

Brienne got several standout moments this year. That was one of them, but not long before she had been knighted at Jaime’s insistence. The juxtaposition of the two was brutal. Did you know that was coming?

No. When I read that scene, I felt incredibly upset about it on the character’s behalf. And then I realized I had moved into that space where I feel deeply, deeply protective of this character. I was also thrilled about it as an actor, because it meant getting to use some real acting muscles. It was a brilliant scene. Nikolaj and I had worked on the relationship between Brienne and Jaime for seven years, and I knew we were going to thoroughly enjoy playing that out.

I did feel angry for the character in that moment, but what was brilliant is that she goes straight back to work, and ultimately, she supersedes her ambition. She wanted to be a member of Renly’s Kingsguard, and in the end she becomes Lord Commander of Bran’s Kingsguard. She’s in charge. It’s all about her skill as a knight. Her abilities, her intelligence. I felt, by the end, like she’d stepped into her own power.

I worked very, very hard on those scenes because I was delighted to be given such good, rich material. And I couldn’t have been more delighted with the scene in which Brienne is made a knight. Ser Brienne. It wasn’t about modifying something for her, or her gender. It was about recognizing her qualities as a human being, and elevating her to that status, and her deserving that. I found that incredibly touching.

This is a character that never smiles. It was something that came from the books, and I always wondered when she would be allowed that smile. It was never there, and it was never appropriate. When it came to the last season, I did wonder if that moment was going to come for her. And there it was.

Also, to have that moment in a room full of people I’ve worked with for eight years, who have helped teach me how to act on camera, and David Nutter, who is a brilliant director I worked together with so well. I think he sensed I was really up for the challenge, and he brought great things out of me. The moment where they all applaud in that scene; it touched me. To have been employed as an actor, and to be able to play this part, which I think is truly unique in terms of women’s roles in mainstream television, and everything that’s encompassed… It’s very special.

Audiences really rooted for this character. When Jaime runs off after consummating their relationship, people were hurt on her behalf. Did you understand where they were coming from?

Yeah. But I liked that Brienne elects to have that experience. It was a very deliberate moment where she chose to activate the sexual experience. She takes control of the situation, and she takes responsibility for it. I think it was good for her to allow herself to be emotional. She allows herself to display it. It doesn’t make her any weaker just because she is capable of feeling great pain. I’ve actually always felt that Brienne lives in a rich and sensitive emotional world. That coupled with this incredible physical strength, and moral strength, is what makes her so interesting and human.

Nikolaj was your first call on Emmy nominations day, right?

He rang me, and he was with his family. They were all cheering down the phone. I said to him, “I cannot, cannot, cannot believe it.” And he said, “I can.” I was pretty certain he would be nominated, but I hadn’t told anyone that I’d submitted myself other than my partner and my team. But he was always really encouraging about nominations. I would say, “You know, that’d be nice, but it’s not going to happen, and I’m not going to let myself be disappointed.” But Nikolaj was always encouraging.

We’ve just worked so hard together for so many years. We’ve both been really invested in our characters. Part of the pleasure of playing those scenes together was that we were really engaged, and we really wanted them to come to life. We just loved the story, and we both wanted to push each other to try and be better. It has been thrilling to play, and an incredibly satisfying relationship to have had. So mercurial, so undefinable. Brienne and Jaime just have this really captivating relationship.

We twitch about how wonderful it will be that we’ll all be there, and we’ll have our families with us, and we can all celebrate together. It will be such a great way to say thank you and goodbye to this thing that changed our lives beyond all comprehension.

Have you ever let your mind wander to what might become of Brienne in years to come? She has achieved something, but Westeros is a cruel place. Is she going to live an easier life?

I don’t think Brienne cares about things being easy. I think she cares about things being just and fair. She wants to live in a world of equality and respect, but I think she acknowledges that her role in life is to work for that. That’s why her very last line in the series is, “I think that ships take precedence over brothels.” I think we see an acknowledgement there, that she will carry on fighting for what is right.

You, meanwhile, have taken to the London stage with a new production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, directed by Nicholas Hytner. I came last night. The atmosphere was electric. It’s a production full of energy, and it turned into a giant party.

That kind of response you got last night is every single night. It’s truly extraordinary. Nick Hytner said he’s never known anything like it. He’s never had a response like that. The audience just doesn’t leave at the end. They want to stay there and keep on celebrating. It becomes a complete party in the end, it really does. I’ve never been involved in a live production that has prompted that kind of response from an audience, ever. It’s electrifying to be a part of.

You really are a part of it. The action happens around standing audience members who are moved to accommodate the production, and you’re moving through them to exit and enter. What were you expecting about how that would work as you rehearsed?

Initially it was intimidating, because I’ve never done anything like that before. It’s been nine years since I was last on stage, and that was all proscenium arch-style. The audience are very separate.

But I think that there is something very smart about changing the way in which it’s viewed as an audience, because the way in which we are viewing our entertainment has also changed. The way in which we’re consuming our drama—our films and our television—has rapidly changed. It’s really exciting that you watch this theater production alter in a way that seems very modern with it being immersive. But also, it’s incredibly ancient, because that’s probably more like how it would have been when it was originally performed.

It can take on a vaudevillian atmosphere, at times, because people become galvanized by the experience en masse. It unites the audience, and that’s something that’s really interesting compared against film and television because that has become much more of an individual experience lately. I think Game of Thrones was probably one of the last shows on television where, en masse, people were watching the same thing at the same time.

But this was an excellent acting challenge for me, because there’s nowhere to hide. Two things happen. One is that you become extremely sensitized to people’s energies. You start to respond according to the energy you get from that audience. And then, you’re also forced to become extremely disciplined in another sense. Things are moving all the time, people are talking and walking around. It’s very good for re-establishing your attention of what’s going on, and what you give your focus to. It’s been a huge, huge challenge, and really tough at times, but always rewarding.

Does it multiply the feeling that the audience changes a play every time it’s performed? Do you have to stay on your toes as that different energy comes through every night?

Every night is entirely different. And by the end of it I feel quite exhausted, because you are theirs. It is up to you to communicate the play in that moment, and it’s up to you to serve the audience, and to recognize the kind of energies that are there. Some nights, my performance might be geared towards eliciting more laughs than others, judging by what it is they’re responding to.

You find that, that great classical plays can be actually extremely flexible. And so, some nights it becomes intensely emotional, and other nights it becomes extremely light. And there are variations between that, that change, and shift, and morph. It has been one of the biggest learning experiences I’ve had for years, in terms of overall performance. It has been a real shock to the system and a huge challenge.

Press: Gwendoline Christie On The “Deeply Emotional” Final Season When Brienne “Stepped Into Her Own Power” was originally published on Glorious Gwendoline | Gwendoline Christie Fansite

[ryanmeft]

Welcome to Marwen Movie Review

Here’s something I think few people understand: no critic with half a heart (and most do have at least half) wants to give a negative review to a movie like Welcome to Marwen. The story of a man who had his entire life erased from his brain by a homophobic beating and found therapy by constructing a miniature World War II-era town and populating it with stories, it’s an obvious labor of love for director Robert Zemeckis and his team. Unfortunately, it’s also a bizarre film in all the wrong ways, wildly inconsistent in tone and pacing, and with a worrying undertone of mild misogyny that I couldn’t ignore, no matter how much I really wanted to. The film is like a damaged-but-self-destructive person: you want to help, but it’s still not wise to stand too close.

Mark Hogancamp (Steve Carell) was a comic illustrator until he drunkenly let slip one night that he sometimes liked to wear women’s shoes. That’s it. Just the shoes. For this sin, five men followed him out of a bar and kicked him half to death in the street. This fact is sure to arouse righteous anger in anyone who is not the kind of person who would kick someone half to death in the street for wearing women’s shoes. It’s a poignant tragedy, and the deep wounds it left in Hogancamp are well-represented by Carell. He suffers from severe anxiety. That may not sound like a big deal to you, but Hogancamp---or Hogie, for short---routinely relives the attacks in the form of war violence, imaginary bullets and bombs shattering the peace of his living room. He has coped by building a town he calls Marwen in his backyard, out of toys and props. Populating this town are a group of female dolls representing the women in his life, including his physical therapist (Janelle Monae), a toy shop owner (Merritt Wever), a co-worker (Eiza Gonzalez), his caretaker (Gwendoline Christie) and, um, his favorite “actress”, of the adult persuasion (Leslie Zemeckis). When Nicol (Leslie Mann) moves in across the street, she becomes part of the cast and also a seeming fix for Hogancamp’s loneliness. Meanwhile, he’s got to decide whether to appear at the sentencing of his attackers, to encourage the judge to throw the book at them.

I don’t know Mark Hogancamp. I will likely never meet Mark Hogancamp. I can’t speak to his life or his pain. I do know this may be the most tonally inconsistent movie I’ve seen all year. The basic template is familiar to fans of Zemeckis: it’s a feel-good tale of hope and redemption, designed to crowd-please rather than push boundaries or illicit complex thoughts. Mark has made the women in his life, in their doll forms, into a cadre of bad-ass Nazi-killing ladies, playing out a rich fantasy in which he himself is a tragic immortal stalked by the Third Reich, and they are his team of inglorious, well, bitches. These sequences take up about half the film, and are accomplished with some impressive animation slightly reminiscent of stop-motion.

Each of the women has a distinct personality---and therein lies the beginning of the problem, because these personalities consist of a few traits applied broadly and made to stand-in for character development. About half the women get one, maybe two scenes as their flesh-and-blood selves, and Hogancamp has otherwise boiled them down to what he calls an essence. These essences, frankly, consist mostly of ethnic stereotypes. The black woman is sassy, the Russian is hard-charging, the Latina is subtly flirtatious and wears an outfit one might have expected among the South American extras of a 1950’s Hollywood spectacle. Wever and Mann, being white, are apparently exempt. The truly bizarre “evil” doll (Diane Kruger), which Hogan camp thinks is ruining his life and blames for all misfortunes, is so over-the-top that it drags the film into parody.

More issues come in the way Hogancamp tells his stories. There are just too many signs that the guy is less “benign oddball” and more “creepy voyeur”. Acting out one of his fights with Nazis, he has a doll get her dress torn open and run around topless, for no reason whatsoever. The women this doll is based on stops by in time to see this, and her reaction is not to hit him with a brick and call the police, but to calmly ask why it’s required for the story, then continue to pursue him romantically. The main conversational piece among his dolls is how amazing he is, and they all want him; he refers to them as dames. This stretched reality to a breaking point; if you had a neighbor who created miniature dolls of you and played with them in his backyard, you would file a restraining order, and you’d be right to do so. This can perhaps be explained by a credits blurb that says the real Hogancamp has over 200 “residents” in his town. I cling to the hope that Zemeckis simply chose to focus on the women in order to win over the all-important female audiences, and that in real life Hogancamp’s focus is broader. As it is, what we have are talented female performers utterly wasted.

Even if you were to fix that issue, though, the movie’s apparent conclusion---that if you are mentally ill, all you have to do is figure out what’s causing you to be mentally ill and then you’ll be better and you can throw your medication away---is not only warmed-over Hollywood pap, it’s shockingly dangerous and irresponsible in a time when right wing elements around the world mock and denigrate the disabled while opioid addiction becomes a massive problem everywhere. What were Zemeckis and co-writer Caroline Thompson thinking when they wrote most of this? No, I’m not judging the movie by its politics, but by the fact that its genuine attempt to depict a victim dealing with very real trauma is undermined by the reliance on lazy writing that also happens to have been debunked a thousand times over. It’s the burned, blackened feather in the cap of a movie that could have been a great look into a little known-story, but is instead so bad it borders on the offensive.

Note: I have heard a documentary called Marwencol inspired the film, and is much better. I haven’t watched it. I can’t imagine it not being better than this.

Verdict: Not Recommended (1 out of 4 Stars)

Note: I don’t use stars, but here are my possible verdicts.

Must-See

Highly Recommended

Recommended

Average

Not Recommended

Avoid like the Plague

 You can follow Ryan's reviews on Facebook here:

https://www.facebook.com/ryanmeftmovies/

 Or his tweets here:

https://twitter.com/RyanmEft

 All images are property of the people what own the movie.

[vivalatoons]

My Talk: TMNT 2012

Today, 6 years ago, a new TMNT series came into our lives again. Grab a slice of pizza and take a walk down memory lane in a TMNT 2012 reflection. Booyakasha!

During this time, I had finished watching all TMNT series (not including the live action one) and movies. There was one more series that I had to watch.

I admit, I was one of those people when I saw TMNT 2012. Yes, I complain that there was another TMNT reboot. I trashed and bashed it and stated this reboot is going to bomb hard. Understand this. I didn’t hear anything about TMNT 2012 till the year 2015. During that time, I saw bad reboots and Nickelodeon’s “great” cartoons. Seeing that this is a reboot on Nick, this was a recipe for disaster. People were saying that this reboot is better than Teen Titans Go, so I knew this version of TMNT wasn’t going to be horrible. What made me begin to watch the show was the cast of the Turtles and my Turtle nostalgia. I’ll get to that later, but I start to watch the CGI 2012 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

January 11, 2016. I tried not to get attract to the show. I was excited to see these new Turtles, yet I had my doubts. After watching The Rise of the Turtles Part 1 and 2, I was instantly hook on these turtles. I hated myself for being against the reboot. These episodes were brilliant, and my Ninja Turtles love grow three sizes that day.

Flaws. Not every show is perfect, but there were some things that I didn’t enjoy in TMNT 2012. I didn’t like that some of the characters didn’t get their moment to shine at times. Some episodes were a waste of time, and could have been used to answer things TMNT hasn’t address. I also hate how the shippers would go full crazy when they see littlest of things when the ship does something. It got pretty annoying. My leader in blue would fall to the cliché of self sacrifice and going on crazy one man missions. I hated how Nickelodeon kept making random scheduling changes in season 5. This was a bad move in Nickelodeon, because fans missed something because of those random schedule changes and it was a marketing plan for PlayMates to sell those damn toys. Half of the season was pointless and the other half was awesome. Those flaws didn’t stop me from enjoying the series.

Characters. I don’t need to mention characters, but I’ll repeat myself again. Each TMNT series has the basic set of characters. There’s the Turtles, April, Casey, Splinter, Shredder, etc. Some characters are brought back from past TMNT series like Karai, Rocksteady, Bebop, Bishop, etc. In this series, there are some new characters like Tiger Claw, Fishface, Shinigami, and more. I love how the 2012 series have the Turtles be more like teenagers from other TMNT series. Some of the characters I find to be the best in this show.

Animation. 2012 TMNT uses CGI and a bit of 2D animation when it comes to flashbacks and storytelling. It’s weird at first. After awhile, it’s interesting to see. The CGI is incredible when the characters show emotions and action sequences. I’m impressed with the crew and their talents.

Voice cast. Oh yeah, my favorite part of this show. I said the voice cast is what made me decide to watch the show, and here’s why. The voice cast is outstanding and their voice director is Andrea Romano. This woman was a voice director for Batman: TAS, Teen Titans, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Voltron: Legendary Defender, etc. She’s a legend! Jason Biggs voiced Leo till season 2 episode 19, then Dominic Catrambone voiced Leo till the finale. Seth Green voiced Leonardo from season 3 till the end. Rob Paulsen, Sean Astin, and Greg Cipes voiced Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo. Hoon Lee voiced Splinter. Kevin Michael Richardson voiced Shredder. Mae Whitman and Josh Peck voiced April and Casey. Kelly Hu and Gwendoline Yeo voiced Karai and Shinigami. There’s a ton of great voice actors including Eric Bauza, Nolan North, Clancy Brown, Phil LaMarr, Fred Tatasciore, J.B Smoove, David Tennant, Keith David, Corey Feldman, Tom Kenny, Roger Smith Craig, Charlie Murphy, Ashely Johnson, Minae Noji, Mark Hamill, Zelda Williams, and the list goes on and on. I adore the voice cast so much. All of them did a spectacular job.

How is it different from other TMNT series. The CGI is what tells them apart. Hamato Yoshi once lived in Japan with his wife and daughter. Tragedy stuck, and Yoshi goes to New York. One day, he gets four baby turtles. He bumped into someone, following him. Yoshi witness the men meeting, and decided to attack him. Yoshi defeats them, but a canister of mutagen splashes on Yoshi and the Turtles. Yoshi become a rat, and the turtles grew into little turtle tots. April, Casey, and Karai are teenagers in this reboot. The Kraang are a species of talking brain like creatures. Some references from the 1987 and 2003 series show up in this show from characters to arcs. It manages to be silly and dark at times, it’s a nice blend.

Ciro Nieli, Joshua Sternin, and J. R. Ventimilia. These wonderful people helped developed this remake. I thank them for being the right people to be in charge of this project. With great people running a reboot, it leads to the following.

TMNT 2012 is a great remake and best example of doing a reboot right. People can argue all they want about this version of TMNT, but you have to admit this…there was a lot effort put into this show. This show proves to that not all reboots are terrible. This series didn’t dumb down for kids. It manages to be a show for all ages to enjoy. Animation isn’t lazy, same for voice acting and writing. Ok, the writing had dip down at times, but most of the time it’s good. There is some heavy stuff in the show like violence, death, and more death. I enjoy how this show broke some boundaries at times, that makes the show more interesting and groundbreaking.

I’m always impressed about how this series turned out. It has a unique spin in animation, wonderful voice cast, and a perfect example of a good reboot. It really makes me happy that this series will be a part of TMNT universe. I praise the 2012 Turtles for making a few changes and still holds. It’s still the Turtles we all know and love. I still miss TMNT 2012. What I will remember about this version of Turtles is the character growth that the Turtles have. I saw Leonardo from being a nervous leader who doesn’t want to let his team down. He would make decisions and be the best leader ever. Donatello would have fail at times from his creations or inventions. He improves to himself and it helps others. Raphael is still our hothead turtle, but he learns not to his anger consumes him. Michelangelo was seen as a dumb turtle who cared about pizza and made jokes. In the end, he shows the bad guys what’s he made of and he’s not a turtle you don’t want to mess with. These turtles has wowed me and they are the best ninjas in the city of New York.

[thelittleloverofbooks]

My Thoughts on “The Darkest Minds” Movie...So Far

*sigh* Here we go, guys.

First, let me say that ever since the movie was announced I have tried my darndest to be positive and uplifting. We heard the news that Jennifer Yuh Nelson, one of the minds behind 2 out of 3 of the “Kung Fu Panda” franchise, as well as Dan Cohen, Shawn Levy, and Dan Levine—all producers behind the wildly popular and successful Netflix series, “Stranger Things”—would all be playing a key role behind the making of this newest book to movie adaptation. 

Now anyone who follows me knows that I am OBSESSED with “Stranger Things”. The music, the plot, the cast. It is visually pleasing. I also love the “Kung Fu Panda” movies. The first one came out 10 years ago, when I was just 9 years old and every movie seemed to just get better and better. They were funny, heartwarming, and the MUSIC. Jesus, the music was so, so beautiful. 

So it goes without saying that I was actually pretty happy with who was going to be in charge of this movie. I trusted them, as they had done great work in the past. 

Then we got the cast. Amandla Stenberg (you may know her as Rue from “The Hunger Games” or Maddy in “Everything, Everything”) will be playing Ruby. She’s not who I envisioned, but Stenberg is not new to playing characters in book to movie adaptations, so I wasn’t too upset. Gwendoline Christie( Brienne of Tarth from “Game of Thrones” or Captain Phasma from “Stars Wars”) was EXACTLY who I imagined to play Lady Jane, as was Mandy Moore (Jaime from “A Walk to Remember”, Rapunzel from “Tangled”, and Lana from “The Princess Diaries”)  for Cate. Miya Cech, an up and coming actress will be playing Zu. I didn’t have anyone in particular for Zu, but I do believe Miya is adorable and will be able to play both the innocent and sassiness of Zu. Skylan Brooks, whose work I am not too familiar with, is playing Charles “Chubs” Meriwether. He is not at all how I imagined Chubs to look, besides him being black. In my head, Chubs looked completely different. Still, this was not the worst of the casting to me. Harris Dickinson will be playing the loyal, sweet southern boy Liam Stewart—the love interest of Ruby’s in the book. Now, I know I cannot possibly be the only person who envisioned Lucas Till as Liam. If you’re not aware of who Lucas Till is, he is known for playing Travis in “The Hannah Montana Movie”. It is this movie that made me instantly think of him when I read the description of Liam: tall, blond hair, blue eyes, charming smile, and slight southern accent. You LITERALLY  couldn’t get any better than Lucas Till. I don’t know, maybe Lucas Till refused to play in the movie, maybe they never asked him. But I know I will never get his image out of my head.

Now on to my...least favorite of the castings. Patrick Gibson. I have not watched anything of his. He’s 22, 5′10, Irish, red head. And he’s been cast as Clancy. When I first heard of this casting, I thought perhaps I had just completely skipped over all of the details of Clancy in the book. And then when I went back and reread...I wondered how in the hell they got someone that could not look any less like Clancy than if you had cast ME as the man. Clancy is said to be the most handsome guy Ruby had ever seen. He’s tall, with dark hair, pale skin, light eyes. A man with rare combinations; one of the things that draws Ruby to him. So you can imagine my surprise at him being cast. But still, I tried to hold out hope.

But it seems that it is all for nothing because those in charge of the movie are changing things. Things that don’t...really...make sense? 

1.) For one(and I’ll link the article below), they’ve renamed Black Betty, “Blue Betty”. Why? Will the van now  be blue? And if so, why in God’s name would a group of kids who are trying to be inconspicuous be driving a blue freaking car through the American countryside?

2.) In the book, Chubs is a blue, like Liam. They were both in the same camp and both use their powers in numerous helpful ways throughout the series. SO SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME WHYYYY THE HELL THEY CHANGED CHUBS TO A GREEN??? 

A green. A freaking green. They just felt the need to have nearly every color in the group, I suppose. But Chubs being a blue is a pretty crucial part in the series. I am interested and, frankly, quite scared to see how this changes the dynamic of the story and the relationship between the characters. 

What are your thoughts? I NEED someone to talk about this with. 

Link to the article: http://ew.com/movies/2018/03/26/darkest-minds-movie-first-look/

[poresorpixels]

Berberian Sound Studio (2012)

The Duke of Burgundy

(2014)

lulbuozets: Giallo meets Brakhage, sensssoohaahlity, style as substance, savory>sweet, brittle grasps, (p)lush interiors, asmr, vixens, dominance/submission, sedate hysteria, dissociative gracenotes, tuff luv, dream illogic, september/may

In a sense, English director Peter Strickland is a sort of executive lounge perv - like those chin stroking suits in Enemy, watching high-heeled women squish exotic spiders in a secret, dark room. Not unlike Cronenberg, he's an unapologetically glazed over sensationalist, dragging the intrepid moviegoer into his tantric hedonism kaleidoscope. Both of his films here are the sort where you are more likely taken for a blind ride by their signature quality than premeditatedly engaged. They don't offer expansiveness in the traditional sense, more often content to snuggle up to their vividly rendered seedy spaces and graze.

He is tremendously good, so far, at doing him. Already having a calling card style is quite astonishing, given an ouvre standing at two as I write this. Though it is technically his third film (with one on the way). Sadly, his first - 2009's Katalin Varga, is available next to nowhere (in the uk, on region 2 dvd). It seems like something else entirely, which has me abuzz with curiosity. Hopefully it will turn up somewhere soon.

Berberian Sound Studio has much to love and explore. The soundtrack contains the last work of the fantastic early 2000's group, Broadcast, its production sadly coinciding with lead singer Trish Keenan's sudden passing. It is a fine thing, and their hard-charging harpsichord title sequence song is arguably the most exciting passage in the film. The sequence cleverly (perhaps confusingly for some) contains credits for the film within the film, which i'll annotate forthwith.

producer: Francesco Coraggio (Cosimo Fusco) A vile mysoginist, who doesn't have anything positive or neutral to say about anyone or anything.

director: Giancarlo Santini (Antonio Mancino) A self-aggrandizing, work averse glad-hander. Doesn't seem that interested in post-production studio rigors, beyond pawing at his female cast.)

Il Vortice Equestre (The Equestrian Vortex) In Santini's witch torture-fest, this title never comes to mean a damn thing. Not even some foley coconuts - which is hilarious.

music: Hymenoptera (Broadcast) Defined as a large order of insects, comprising sawflies, wasps, bees and ants. This never comes to any sort of significance either, and Burgundy is preoccupied with lepidopterology. I'm guessing its something to do with the gynecological root of the word.)

The doleful, adorable puss of Toby Jones is a special thing, and Strickland surely isn't the only one to've capitalized on this fact. But I don't know if I've ever seen him oogled quite to this extent, at one (seemingly signicant) point being rippled and mushed like a wad of celluloid playdough. Perhaps his sweet, daddy long-leg rescuing Gilderoy is too sympathetic for a film so resistant to a storyline. His disgust with the lurid set pieces he is producing sound for is a hook of sorts, but it doesn't pay off. Despite his grounding of a winningly surreal setting full of clunky vintage gear and sudden power outtages, Strickland seems content to merely fold him up like wallpaper origami. The shift to him, and his increasingly dire letters from mum, being the subject of another film within a film, comes off like a solipsistic punch-out.

But it's a fun mess, with all its noisome fruits and veggies and demented, face contorting soundbooth histrionics (was reminded of Mike Schank's blood curdling soundbooth howl in American Movie). One I was sure I'd enjoy more than the S&M love affair of his next film. But I was decidedly wrong. Where Berberian Sound frustrates, and lunges for a cheap beginning-to-end loop with its blurry film reel image, The Duke of Burgundy is an impressively well rounded circle.

Again there is repetition. But rather than mere recurring visuals (that flashing "SILENZIO" sign of diminishing returns) it is direct reckoning with the practice. Particularly, when it fails to make perfect. Perfection in role playing seems to be the goal in the relationship on display. But despite fooling us with their act at the onset, it becomes clear that the imperiously beautiful Cynthia (Borgen's imperiously beautiful Sidse Babett Knudsen), who is older, is mostly driven by the desire to make Evelyn (an eerily faux-innocent Chiara D'Anna) happy. We see their routine, day-spanningly meticulous as it may be, going from refinement to going through the motions.

The world of moths and butterflies seems infinite to Cynthia, the imagery of her studies juxtaposed with her more traditional gratification from Evelyn when the play is done. In these moments, there are whispered devotions (uncannily spooky, like those of Let's Scare Jessica to Death) that we do not see Evelyn mouthing. When we see the fear in Cynthia's eyes, it comes clear that these reassurances are in her head. When the strain of trying to keep up the charade later reaches its peak, these whisperings shift to one word: "pinastri" (Sphinx pinastri aka the pine hawk-moth). Their safe word, a discouraged protest for Evelyn, becomes Cynthia's haunted keening on the doubt infesting and devouring her love's foundation.

Perhaps Evelyn tries to be accomodating, but she is unmistakably insatiable in everything she does. Even her delvings into encyclopedic butterfly trivia feel like but a fetishized extension of Cynthia's confectionarily domineering role for her. Cynthia has to be someone else, while Evelyn only need be served. Even after Cynthia finally breaks down in tears under the rigors of keeping up the routine and Evelyn vehemently consoles her, the older woman knows its 'either buck up, or let this girl slip through your fingers'.

Much moreso than his previous work, The Duke of Burgundy expertly arranges its drama, deadpan humor and surrealist chills into a satisfyingly seamless whole. And even more compellingly, these elements are often interchangeable. Cynthia's sonorous snoring, for example, is both a funny contrast to her sleek routine and a touchingly sad tell after she has exhausted herself to the utmost for her love's devotion. Elsewhere, acts that might be repulsive are rendered kind of bittersweet. Without bespoiling his (their) heightened tableau, he gives the unglamorous rigors of human frailty their full thematic due.

Once again, we are graced with a drop dead gorgeous soundtrack, this time from the duo, Cat's Eyes (awesome cat in this movie as well, who is content to just look on). The opening Belle & Sebastianesque piece is particularly winning (there's that harpsichord again) with its distinct use of a single clipped breath on the downbeat. It closes with a much sadder, Julee Cruise kind of thing, which is fitting given that Cynthia will likely keel over in mid face-sit some day.

Worth mentioning as well is the welcome return of instantly striking Romanian actress Fatma Mohamed, who plays a kink specialist carpenter with unnerving, Lynchian command. She was a spirited, camera-beloved highlight of Berberian, giving no quarter to her dickhead bosses. Luckily she's back for this year's release, In Fabric, along with Knudsen, Gwendoline Christie (Brienne of Tarth herself), Julian Barratt and Marianne Jean-Baptiste (who played one of the best characters ever with the lovable, all-suffering Hortense Cumberbatch in Mike Leigh's Secrets & Lies). With that cast, and the significant improvement ratio between these two films, I'm chomping at that bit to see what that dirty birdy Strickland has in store.

[mothermaidenclone-blog]

Star Wars: The Last Jedi or Women Are Back in the Pilot Seat

I loved Star Wars: The Last Jedi. I loved it so much that I didn’t take as many notes as I should have because I was having so much fun watching it. I was also so excited to see it that I forgot to bring my notebook, so the notes I did write are on unfolded pick ’n’ mix bags, so this will probably be a much shorter review than this film deserves.

*Star Wars: The Last Jedi spoilers follow*

It seems wrong to start anywhere but with Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher). Leia is very much in charge, and is not afraid to slap sense into her troops when she has to - literally in the case of Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac). Additionally, she is not only strong in terms of leadership, resolve and principles, but also with regard to the Force. It has always been said that the Force is strong in her family, but so rarely do we get to see Leia display any of this mystical power herself. In The Last Jedi we see her survive in the vacuum of space for a short while and propel herself back to the safety of her vessel. However, she is not presented as invincible; after this incident she needs intensive medical care. If Leia was presented as impervious to harm, all of her feats of bravery and willingness to fight for good against enormous odds would have less significance, as she would have nothing to fear. Therefore, this vulnerability only emphasises her courage.

The final power that Leia displays is that of her maternal bond with Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). Kylo murders his father, Han Solo (Harrison Ford), in the previous film, but is unable to kill Leia in The Last Jedi, despite having the opportunity to do so at a distance - in a space battle. He stabbed his father at close range with a lightsaber, but cannot bring himself to press the button that would remotely destroy his mother. This suggests that the maternal connection he shares with Leia is so much more powerful than that of the one he shared with his father on some innate, instinctual, emotional level.

Kylo also experiences a very intimate connection with another woman in this film, Rey (Daisy Ridley), so much so that Rey actually cries when touching hands with him through the Force. As an orphan who grew up alone in the desert, this reaction is hardly surprising, considering not only the connection experienced through physical touch but also their shared power. This power is integral to Rey’s character, as it is made clear that she is one of the strongest Force users, strong enough to shock renowned Jedi Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) into saying, “I’ve seen this raw strength only once before […]. It didn’t scare me enough then, it does now.” Rey’s abilities are made all the more impressive when it is discovered that her parents were nobody, scavengers who sold her for alcohol money - she doesn’t come from a line of Force sensitive royalty like Luke or Kylo, she didn’t inherit this power, it’s hers and hers alone. Alone might be the key word here, as Rey has been isolated her whole life: first in the deserts of Jakku, and then more figuratively from her friends, as she struggles to cope with her new, unique abilities. This loneliness highlights Rey’s greatest strength, her dedication to her principles. When she begins to experience this intensely personal link to Kylo, and he goes on to tell her, “You come from nothing. You’re nothing, but not to me”, she resists the temptation of joining him. Rey fights the urge to stay with someone who empathises with her, and also who negs her quite impressively to make it appear as though he’s the only person in the universe who understands her. She abandons possibly her only chance for a true connection with someone to stay true to her beliefs, morals and friends.

Another returning character is Captain Phasma (Gwendoline Christie), who puts in only a brief appearance but continues to demonstrate excellent martial skill nevertheless. She does fall in combat but firstly, she is a baddie and good must prevail in the Star Wars universe and secondly, we all know that falling down a big hole doesn’t actually mean you’re definitely dead in a Star Wars film.

Some new heroes make an appearance in The Last Jedi, most prominently, Rose Tico (Kelly Marie Tran). When we first meet Rose, she is completely in awe and starstruck at meeting Finn (John Boyega) and seems to serve to bolster his ego, but it quickly becomes apparent that she is, instead, a very strong moral compass. She is honourable and determined, openly scornful of the casino metropolis of Canto Bight; where Finn is dazzled by it’s opulence, she calls it out for its hedonism and exploitation by saying, “I want to put my fist through this beautiful city.” Rose is also very intelligent, as she is the one who figures out the solution to their tracking problem. She is all of these things whilst grieving for her sister, Paige (Veronica Ngo), who we see heroically sacrifice herself to save the Resistance at the start of the film. It is also important to note that these sisters are Asian, as however wonderful all the other women have been, so far they have all been white. I did initially hang my head in my hands when, after bravely preventing Finn from completing a suicide mission, she snogs him and appears to die. However, once it is clear that she survives, I was less annoyed by the kiss, as to me it seemed less romantic and more of a way of Rose really trying to convey her message to Finn, “We’re not going to win this war by fighting what we hate, but by saving what we love!” Obviously I am projecting a lot here, and this kiss is still aggravating and pointless, I have just chosen to interpret it as a gesture of a more symbolic love for humanity, when it’s almost certainly the beginnings of a romance storyline.

Another new introduction was Vice Admiral Holdo (Laura Dern). Holdo assumes command at a point of crisis; Leia is incapacitated and the First Order are bearing down on the Resistance with no prospect of escape. She is decisive and firm, acting in what she believes to be the best interests of the majority, admonishing Poe for being brash and impulsive. Holdo is unafraid to make hard decisions, ultimately volunteering for a mission that she knows she cannot survive, to save the rest of the Resistance. Also, she looked completely fabulous, her costume design was incredible.

In addition to all these credited characters, women are just very present in this film from the beginning, occupying positions in the background for both the First Order and the Resistance. Also, we see female fighter pilots and it’s a white man who dies first, so thanks for not going down that road, The Last Jedi.

Overall, there are so many strong female characters in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and they are strong in so many ways; emotionally, physically, mystically, intellectually and as friends and leaders. The joy of seeing so many women in a Star Wars film is still a beautiful thing, and as a little girl who used to talk to Yoda when she was troubled, I’m delighted there’s a whole pantheon of amazing women for little girls today to choose as their imaginary friends.

And now for some asides:

Ummmm, no thank you gross alien milking scene with extended eye contact, no thanks.

Everyone lost their mind over Porgs, but is no one going to say how great crystal foxes were? Or how fabulous evil BB-8 was?

I’m so glad we saw the return of the ultimate fashion icon, black-is-the-new-black Luke Skywalker.

[toddsfall]

Let’s talk about Star Wars

SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS (don’t say I didn’t warn you)

first off, the entire cast looked like a DELICIOUS SNACC PACK if you were attracted to any of them before and are wondering if they have somehow become more attractive the answer is yes. Yes they have. 

Rose is awesome, I love her (even though I have Thoughts about her storyline, more on that later) and if I see one more racist motherfucker on Twitter try to bend themselves over backwards trying to justify calling her ‘the worst character ever in SW’, ‘unattractive and fat’, ‘the worst part of the movie’ I am personally pulling the plug on the internet. Same goes for anyone trying to hate on Finn, y’all are really transparent and IT’S FUCKING GROSS. YOU RACIST ASSHOLES.

Hmm so anyway, I have a lot of thoughts and most of them will be rambly so come along this ride with me friends (I swear I’ll try to make clear & concise points)

Okay so I want to go right off the bat say that I have loved Star Wars since I was a wee babbie so I’m? going to? love it? always? so yeah, I know I’m biased (but honestly who isn’t? everyone reviewing the movie has their own biases attached to it sooo deal with it) 

The movie starts off with several action sequences which immediately pull us into the story, they got my heart racing from minute one and I was here for it. Also, I got goosebumps the minute I saw Leia/Carrie’s face and I stayed pretty emotional throughout the entirety of the movie. I think they gave her the respect she deserved, her legacy really shined through in every single one of her scenes (and her scenes were among the most memorable in the movie imo)

I loved how much the movie focused on characters. This was a story about people; 

how they can fuck up and fall off their pedestal (Luke); 

try their hardest and still fail someone (Leia and Han failed Ben, it’s sad but it’s true); 

how they can overcome their past and choose the light over and over (Rey was the main focus but Finn and Rose were definitely part of this theme as well); 

how they can feel completely abandoned and isolated and  become completely unhinged, unable to overcome their past and become completely bitter (Kylo Ren/Ben, listen I am not trying to sound like I approve of his actions but I really like how the movie delved into HOW people can become ‘the villain’ in a story, it was an unflinching take on how someone can have very legitimate reasons for becoming the way they am and it still in the end not justifying their actions at all. Idk, other people probably have a take different take on this but I for one found it kind of refreshing). 

This movie really delved into how heroes are people too, everyone fucks up. Everyone. Even the best among us. And we don’t all handle it so well (aka Luke completely abandoning everyone he’s ever loved to die, you could argue that was a pretty egocentric move and maybe that seems out of character - ask yourself if you’ll be the same person you’re now in 30 years now, especially if the current political climate keeps matching the pretty horrifying ones in sw- but it shows how disillusioned he’d become). 

However, in the end it felt to me like hope was still there. All these people, who have lost so much and who have fucked up in various ways (Finn wanting to abandon the rebellion, Poe leading them into a defeat, Leia failing her son, Rey possibly considering joining Kylo?/the darkness, Luke see above) still choose to stand up for what’s right. I know people thought the ending was a bit too cheesy (and I will come back to how choosing this ending will probably end up costing them later) but I loved it. I don’t know about you guys, but movies don’t always have to choose the dark route to end up good for me? Like, sometimes I just want to be entertained and escape into another world where it’s possible for heroes to be flawed but ultimately still good? maybe just me though.

So that’s what I loved most about the movie. Some of my fave scenes: (and I’m sure I’m forgetting some?)

I loved Kylo and Rey’s scenes (because heyyy they have similar experiences and yet are polar opposites, their dynamic has really grown on me! I don’t want them to end up together romantically but their climax will probably be the most interesting villain/hero confrontation in a while - that’s just my opinion thooo-) the scene in the rain, the hand touching and the fight in Snoke’s room were so emotionally charged I liveee

As I said, I loved Leia’s scenes (especially with Poe, god I wish we’d get more of that dynamic but :((( ) the scene with Luke at the end, not gonna lie that one got to me (I mean, it was going to be emotional bc of Carrie anyway but the weight of those last scenes, honest to god chills)

the scene where Admiral Holdo flies into the command ship was fucking MAGNIFICENT seriously, the silence? the visuals? fuck.

I want to go into a really detailed analysis of how the use of old motifs and themes from previous movies in the score carried a lot of the emotional weight forward, but I’d have to watch/listen to the movie again to fully carry that out with the respect it deserves so maybe another time. Just mentioning it because it’s still one of my favorite star wars things (and I know it’s said so many times before but you know what? the music is so good, it should still be mentioned in every single review. don’t do john williams dirty like this) it’s very subtle at times, but I swear I heard some of Darth Vader’s iconic march come through in Luke’s score in this movie? very interesting!! pls let me geek out over music internet I’m begging you

I already mentioned Snoke’s throne room but the moment you see Kylo deciding to kill him is glorious too (props to Adam Driver, seriously you can hate Kylo and I totally understand but attacking the actor - especially when it’s based on his looks, which most of you are wrong about jsyk I don’t make the rules, it’s just science his eyes look like a baby deer?? - is so unnecessary please don’t stoop to the level of those dudebros on twitter attacking rose? like, Kylo has enough bad deeds on his resumé it’s okay you can attack him for that, you don’t need to drag his looks into it so annyyywaay sorry for that tangent it just irks me)

BB8 being the reason while basically any of the resistance is still alive is so fucking funny I’m sorry if you hate it I love my dumb orange cat robot (the reunion with Poe? cleansed my entire soul)

Finn towering over Phasma and spitting out ‘rebel scum’ is Good and should not be forgotten also, speaking of good acting? the way John conveys the inner conflict Finn is going through so subtly is probably going to go unnoticed BUT IT IS GOOD AND I��M GOING TO SHOUT AT Y’ALL ABOUT HOW MUCH HE 5AND DAISY° HAVE GROWN TILL YOU GET IT THROUGH YOUR SKULLS

if we’re talking about Iconique scenes, the man licking the ground and saying ‘Salt’ was fucakfmlkdj so funny I can’t explain how fucking funny that was 

I’m not going to dwell too much on what I didn’t like because I believe there is such a thing as analyzing something to death and I don’t want to do that (besides, it’s really not hard to find criticism for this movie. People really out there comparing it to the Phantom Menace? Lies. Y’all really hate this movie huh? Too bad, I was thoroughly entertained and I loved it  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)

I feel like most of my problems with the movie could have been solved with some changes to the plot. The critiques I agree with are

 the pacing was weird (how long was Rey on that island? it didn’t seem to be that much longer than the entire plot and subplots of the rebels trying to escape the ship, but that was at most like 20 hours sooo) 

the plot was pretty straightforward: conflict-resolution, conflict-resolution, conflict-resolution. I would have liked to have seen this shaken up a bit. The movie could still have focused on characters with higher stakes, more unresolved issues, messier plots. It was a bit too neat. I saw most of the ‘twists’ coming (e.g. kylo killing snoke, boy they really layed it on thick there) except for: leia charging in and shooting poe (heyoo that’s cinema baby), luke actually still being on the island (and something else but I’m completely blanking rn!)

 I think that’s why people don’t like the ending, it’s too neatly wrapped up in a bow (ignoring the fact that there are like 10 rebels left now? that’s seems like uuuh a problem) And while I like it from an emotional resolution point of view, I think the the movie could have done with more tension at the end. More tension, to keep you on the edge of your seat, wanting to immediately see the next movie. that was its biggest flaw imo

and finally - fair warning: I’m conflicted about this- Rose and Finn’s plot. Hooo boy, okay. So, I wanna say that I love them as characters but.. I don’t really want them to get together? idk remove all forced romance from your plot, writers. It will really help unclutter your stories I swear. (that said, I wouldn’t mind them in a relationship as long as it’s not to create tension with rey? or like any love triangle at all. Please leave that garbage at the door). Aside from that, I know people think their plot was the worst of the movie and I don’t think that. However, I think they could have done more with it. Shown more conflict! let Finn be the spark (and he is!! fight me!!) but also conflicted about joining the rebellion. Let Rose be completely torn up about her sister and let her be bitter dammit! They could have used more obstacles, their plot seemed mostly resolved by a deus ex machina (aside from Finn fighting Phasma - who I’m kind of wishing he didn’t kill cause I can sense she has sooo much more in her, honestly Hux is 100 times more boring, you have gwendoline RIGHT THERE FUCKERS USE HER) I didn’t mind the exposition of the filthy rich people planet (YESSS EAT THE RICH STAR WARS PLS SHIT ON THEM AS MUCH AS YOU CAN) but it just lacked.. spark. I hope their plot turns out to be important for the next movie, otherwise it was sadly something that could have been much greater (and it’s really uncomfortable to introduce two main poc characters and then basically have them contribute nothing to the main plot, hmm okay star wars I’m watching you)

I can’t/don’t have the energy to address everyone’s issues, but mostly I don’t agree with people being mad about characters (I think it’s clear I like the direction they’ve taken with most of them), the humour is a bit disneyfied but I really didn’t mind (it’s clear as day some of those cutesy aliens were in there for the money, money, money but like.. it be like that sometimes), I honestly don’t care about Snoke so I wasn’t disappointed his backstory was not a part of this, Rey NOT being a part of the great history before her is important to me (can’t believe I didn’t mention it with my favorite scenes, really regretting that salt guy now) even if they try to backpedal on it later that moment was beautiful in the movie (my space daughter isn’t important in the grand scheme of things but she so iiiiiis!!). All in all, I really liked it. It’s not my favorite movie (not even my favorite star wars movie) but it was damn entertaining! Here’s to hoping that the next movie will be the opposite of this very tight, contained movie. Give me the intergalactic class revolution I deserve (seriously, I hope that’s what Rose and Finn’s adventure was planting? might be idle hope, and I’m trying to keep my expectations low but it would be pretty cool right?)

[ohcaptaintarthister]

Brienne of Tarth: The Finale Death Twist?

Before I begin, some things first: 

1. Brienne is my FAVORITE character in the books and the TV show. I love that her character has put into question the meaning of being a woman and femininity, and the portrayal of Gwendoline Christie is just perfect. 

2. Being as she’s my favorite, I don’t want to see her dead. I don’t want her hurt any more than she already is in the books. She’s my baby.

3. In the immortal words of Ramsay Bolton, “If you think this has a happy ending, you haven’t been paying attention.” (Ramsay Bolton deserves to be eaten alive by fire ants but Iwan Rheon was fucking excellent in the role)

4. Bear in mind this is just a SPECULATION. It’s not based on leaks but on what I’ve seen in the show this Season 7. 

5. Again, she’s my favorite. I’d hate if this happens. As I told a friend, if D&D do this, they should throw themselves into shark-infested waters. 

6. This post contains spoilers from Episode 6. Leave if you haven’t seen it yet. I don’t want to ruin it for you. 

You’re still here? Here we go. 

As a fan of Brienne, Season 5 was a huge disappointment. After a run-in with Littlefinger’s knights at an inn, the most badass warrior in the Seven Kingdoms arrived just outside of Winterfell and spent the rest of the season waiting for a light to appear in the tower. Moments before Sansa finally did what we’ve been waiting for, Brienne was told by Podrick about Stanni’s army marching toward Winterfell. I felt Brienne’s conflict at being caught between two vows: avenging Renly or fulfilling her promise to Catelyn Stark and Jaime Lannister to find and protect Sansa. She chose Renly.  

Season 6 reminded us of the Brienne we’ve come to know and love. She rescued Sansa from the Boltons, reunited her with Jon at Castle Black, vowed to serve her and give her counsel if need be. Then of course came Episode 8, which reunited her, too briefly, with Jaime Lannister. It ended in another goodbye, yet it wasn’t as heart-wrenching as their previous partings. There was hope that they would meet again in Season 7 and maybe this time, stay with each other. 

We know what’s happened to that so far.

With the show having no source material to draw from beginning Season 5, D&D were forced to advance character storylines and events based on rough outlines and their own interpretations of them. Season 5 was bad, bad, bad, without question. Season 6, which revisited some chapters of the books, was great. 

Season 7 started on a good note. Not as great as we’ve been hoping but there’s really not much to expect from a transitionary episode. And then. . .you know the rest. 

My frustration aside, I suppose it rocks that characters who either last saw each other in Season 1 or have never shared a scene together are now on a collision course. Tyrion and Jon! Tyrion, Jon and Theon! Jon and Daenerys! Arya! Sansa! Jaime and Daenerys! JAIME AND TYRION. DRAGONS! Euron. It’s obvious that it’s these meetings that matter and fuck logic. Fuck questions. Just sit back, watch and drool over dragons now the size of 747s. Alright.

But I can’t. I just can’t. I do understand the importance of reaching the finish line at all costs but the current season has made some compromises that I simply can not agree with. And one of that is Brienne. 

Let’s be honest. In the books, after Brienne leaves King’s Landing, she just wanders around, gets attacked, gets her face eaten off. Then she gets hanged by Lady Stoneheart. She finds Jaime and lies about Sansa. The next time she’s referenced, it’s after Cersei is told that Jaime went off with Brienne and they haven’t been seen in weeks. 

It’s not interesting TV seeing Brienne lost in Westeros and possibly failing to fulfill her vows. You want to see a character who succeeds so we get TV Brienne fighting against the Hound, Knights of the Vale and Bolton men. That’s fine with me. Because through no fault of her own, she already had, in a way, failed in her vows--she couldn’t protect Renly from Stannis’ shadow assassin, she wasn’t there when Catelyn was murdered. So yeah, I wanted to see her achieve something in the show. 

Now there’s not one but three Starks back in Winterfell. She also managed to convince Jaime to take Riverrun peacefully rather than through violence. She didn’t get the Tully men but made it back to Winterfell unscathed. Here, she continues training Podrick. She becomes Arya’s sparring partner. She remains suspicious of Littlefinger. My question is, is this all that Brienne is left to do? 

No. She has to do one more thing. 

This is the part that’s unpleasant. I fucking hate it. I would love to be proven wrong. I don’t blame anyone who reads this for hating me. I hate myself for writing this too. But I am, anyway. 

She’s not doing anything much in Winterfell. It’s painful to watch. It’s more painful than in Season 5 because at least you’re still wondering if she will fulfill her vow regarding the Stark girls. But as Podrick thought to point out in Episode 4 of this season, she has fulfilled her vows to Catelyn Stark. You might read that as Brienne being noble and honorable. I do. 

I also read it as a death sentence.

No, this isn’t the unpleasant part yet.

If you’ve seen Episode 6, Sansa is sending her to King’s Landing in answer to Cersei’s summons. Holy Seven Fucking Hells. What was Sansa thinking? If she was sure that Cersei would take her as prisoner or worse (I don’t think Cersei is 100 % convinced she’s innocent from Joffrey’s murder), why would she think Brienne would be treated any nicer? Knowing how Cersei is, she’s going to take this as an insult. She’s high on being Queen, getting to fuck her brother openly, there’s another incest baby on the way. What would stop her from hurting Brienne? 

I’m not yet on that hated, hated part.

Look, Brienne has not had anything to do this season. I don’t know what her point is anymore in the show unless something happens to her in the finale that advances the plot significantly. I would love if her presence yanks Jaime from the fluffy incest cloud he’s been on. But then D&D didn’t only had to shoot down the BT ship (thank goodness), they also had to announce that one of them will be killed soon. That’s going to be Brienne.

Think about it. If Tormund dies, so what? He’s not a POV character. His death would be sad for Jon, if he’s there. But for such a dispensable character, this might be the factor that ensures Tormund survives until a few episodes of Season 8. His death will do nothing to the plot. That’s his armor. When he dies, you’ll mourn for three seconds. That’s it. If you mourn. 

Season 7 has been surprisingly sparing in known character death tolls. We don’t give a fuck about Ellaria and Bad Pussy although it’s horrible how they went. We felt and cheered for Olenna. But they’re not POV  characters. I have a bad feeling that D&D are saving up a major death in the finale and it’s going to be Brienne.

Why Brienne? Again, she’s not doing much this season. That’s a bad sign. From a character that was instrumental in Jaime Lannister re-thinking about honor, she’s been slowly pushed to the sidelines. She’s become something other major and POV characters are propped on--Sansa and Arya, namely, maybe even Tormund. She’s used to give them meat. And I think Jaime Lannister is next in line.

Who is not furious with Jaime’s arc this season? It’s a BETRAYAL to the Jaime we know and kind of root for in the books. His disillusionment with Cersei begins much earlier. They never have sex after the deed next to Joffrey’s corpse. Everything that Book!Jaime has done to get us on his side has been undone or not at all by TV!Jaime.And with him more attached to Cersei, who has promised to acknowledge him publicly as their baby’s father, he won’t be leaving her side. Unless--

Unless Cersei discovers his other betrayal.

Remember in Episode 5 when she was taunting Jaime about being betrayed by Bronn? How she knew about their meeting with Tyrion but let it happen? She was testing him. After she tells him about the baby and they, ick, kiss and hug, she reminds him to never betray her again. I don’t think Jaime will be leaving her side anytime soon. 

But what if Cersei hurts Brienne to teach Jaime about never betraying her again? Wait, Cersei doesn’t hurt people. She tortures them. 

Alright people, this is the very unpleasant part. Look away. Stop reading this. Again, I hope I’m wrong. But we’ll know next week. I’m gunning that this is sick crack, okay? 

Cersei has no idea in both the show and the books that Jaime charged Brienne with looking for Sansa and protecting her. When Brienne arrives in King’s Landing in Episode 7, and, being that this is the season for suspending disbelief (you don’t drown in armor nor fur, you won’t freeze to death falling asleep in the snow), I will have to believe that Cersei knows swords and she will recognize Oathkeeper. There has to be a reason why Sandor Clegane, Littlefinger and Brynden Tully have called attention to Brienne’s Lannister sword in previous seasons. It’s to lead to this moment. It’s not going to be pretty.

We probably won’t see torture (I hope not). But what if prior to the Dragon Pit scene, IF there is a scene here (I’m not basing my spec on leaks but on what’s been on the show so far), there’s a confrontation between Jaime and Cersei? Cersei reminds Jaime about his promise to never betray her again and he swears he hasn’t. Enter Brienne, clearly bearing signs of torture. 

Cersei is barely keeping it together but she’s gleeful. Jaime is horrified. In order to teach him a lesson, she has The Mountain kill Brienne. Jaime is unable to stop her. Finally, he knows Cersei for what she truly is. But the price is too high. 

Except for the population of King’s Landing, the people Jaime saved didn’t really fare well later. He chose to murder Aerys after being told to bring him Tywin’s head. Years later, he had to tell Tywin that he couldn’t believe he saved his father just for him to want his baby brother dead. Tywin is murdered by Tyrion. Jaime pushed Bran off the tower but his children died horribly, anyway. 

What if there are callbacks to these in the season finale? He saved Brienne from rape and a bear only for her to be tortured and murdered at Cersei’s orders. 

Brienne’s murder finally shows Jaime the extent of Cersei’s cruelty. He wasn’t there when she blew up the Sept (and is probably unaware she’s behind it). He didn’t know she had Ros tortured to keep Tyrion in line. He was off sulking while she gave Bad Pussy the Poison Kiss and sentenced Ellaria to the torture of seeing her daughter die so painfully. He’s finally awake. Along with the realization of the kind of person Cersei really is is also the realization that he contributed to Brienne’s death. That’s going to destroy him but no, Jaime won’t kill himself. 

So if and when he leaves King’s Landing, it’s really over between him and Cersei. Away from this cesspool, Jaime has to try and live with honor.  It’s going to be hell. Brienne was the only person who believed this about him. He has to try. At last, he will try. 

**** I told you it’s upleasant.