#Which is something she's being made to confront in the DF

[bonefall]

i really like how in your curlfeather conversation, she talks about Mistyfoot/Mistystar like they're two separate entities and not the same cat. Is this because of her dedication to be a "warrior" in the way the tags are described, or is it for other reasons?

It's her commitment to her sense of honor in the way described in the tags, and a reflection of the way she feels RiverClan (and her bloodline) had declined.

Mistyfoot had been strong enough to defy the code, when it was necessary. Leopardstar was a frothing mess in the Battle of the True Eclipse, so the great reveal that she had been assassinated to protect the Clan wasn't a shock to her-- it made sense.

It was clear to Curlpaw (age shuffle, she is slightly older in BB) that killing her had been a practical, rational choice.

The Code, to her, is a guideline and a tool. Honor doesn't come from the law; the law comes from honor. Good leaders can, and should, bend it when the future of the Clan is at stake. MistyFOOT was willing to make those tough calls when MistySTAR would work with the impostor, so her respect lays with a version of her grandmother she never met.

Curlfeather isn't quite a Traditionalist, but she isn't quite a Thistle Law supporter either. I understand her as a sort of Neo-Traditionalist, someone who greatly respects the law and the "old ways" of cultivating strength within the Clan, but believes that it these traditions must sometimes be broken in order to protect them. Functionally, she's standing with the Hard Traditionalists.

(Like Mudclaw many years ago, ultimately your personal beliefs don't mean much if you're willing to empower fascists.)

[farmerlan]

Farmer Lan’s Rewatch Guide to The Untamed - Episode 2

SPOILER CAUTION APPLIES.

Alright buds we are going to get right into it - no time to waste!

[WWX hangs out by a river/well with XPG (Little Apple aka Xiao Ping Guo aka XPG from now on), cultivator scene with the demon compass argument happens (cute), A-Yan gives WWX an apple and she’s clearly not mentally all there, mountain top A-Yan dance scene with her mom disclosing her tragic story and father’s death to WWX.]

Differences from the novel:

There’s some minor choronological and setting differences between here and Chapter 6. A-Yan was not the person who gave WWX the apple, it was a random girl. There were two separate scenes with cultivators trying to use the compass in the novel, but it was condensed into one in the drama.

WWX bumps into A-Yan in the town at the foot of DFS and hears of her story from townspeople. A-Yan’s story is essentially the same in both versions, but the novel also includes an additional story about how a slovenly/good-for-nothing oaf became seemingly wealthy and suddenly wanted to get married and settle down, except he died on the night of the wedding. This would later be used by WWX to further support his narrative of what’s behind the ‘soulless people’ cases when he explains it to the Gusu disciples.

[Cut to WWX in a forest, A WILD JIN LING APPEARS! Man, I forgot what a little shit he was when he first arrived <3. WWX and JL runs into each other, except JL thinks he is MXY, banter ensues, WWX traps JL with his paper man and drops that awful YOUR MOM line to JL.

Banter continues until JC brings his posse and incredibly sharp jawline to the scene. Seriously, damn. Things are about to get physical before LWJ arrives. Shade is thrown between JC and Gusu & Co., JC literally looks like he is in pain and why oh why does nothing ever work out for him as his subordinate reports that all the spirit nets have been destroyed. JC decides against picking a fight and tells JL he better BRING HIS A GAME TO THE HUNT before dismissing him. LWJ dismisses the rest of the disciples and walks away, leaving WWX alone. Cut to WWX remembering JC + JYL by the river and then he overhears JL’s true parentage and feels baaaaaaad man.]

In the novel, there is further discussion of the LLJ sect and especially JGS in Chapter 7. Seeing JL’s reaction to him as MXY, WWX then correctly deduces that MXY is actually the illegitimate son of none other than JGS, who was known for his philandering ways.

It was also clarified in the novel that locked within the ‘paper man’ WWX sic-ed on JL was the ghost of a man who had died from gluttony, hence why JL could not get up. He was basically being sat on by a really fat man.

A bigger deal is made in the novel of how LWJ is someone who “appears where there is trouble” – JL says this to him in a sarcastic way, but it’s a common theme that runs throughout the novel, that although he can be considered an extremely prominent figure, he takes the time to help or show up no matter how ‘low level’ the situation is. It’s a sign of his strong moral character that nothing is too beneath his attention.

The situation of the night hunt itself is also explained a little bit more in detail – JL is turning sixteen this year, and this night hunt at DFS is basically a debutante ball for him as you have to be past a certain age to participate in hunts. So, in order to make sure he claims the top prize, JC made sure to come with him and also set up the spirit nets. Aww, they ruined his present!

Fun fact: JC very nearly came to blows with LWJ in the novel but chose not to do so because a) he had to consider sect relations between Gusu and Yunmeng and b) he wasn’t sure he would win since they’ve never fought before. HA.

[Gusu disciples run into old man grave caretaker, these are Wen graves! He asks them to go visit the Tiannu Temple and they move on before he can tell them that the goddess statue moooves. Spoopy. WWX also happens upon the Wen graves. Scene between him and WQ and he realizes it’s the statue stirring shit and JL is about to step in the shit that has been stirred.

Scene in the temple with Gusu disciples and JL, shit starts going down, WWX and Gusu disciples gather outside. Gusu disciples realize they ran out of flares and WWX is all like haha prepare to be punished! WWX clarifies the difference between soul-eaters and the goddess status, links it to the ongoing issues with A-Yan. LJY calls him out – he’s only pretending to be CRAZY! ]

There’s no old grave caretaker in the novel and there’s no Wen graves scene. There are ancient tombs around the area that the Gusu disciples explored, but it was only mentioned in passing as part of the larger conversation around what exactly was plaguing the mountain. What happens in the novel is – WWX encounters a spirit dressed in fancy burial clothes, realizes something is wrong because that kind of spirit (the spirit of a corpse) should not be on DFS, puts two and two together and goes off to find JL.

The scenario of WWX explaining what exactly ‘it’ is to the Gusu disciples closely follows that of the novel, except he also adds the explanation around the slovenly oaf’s story. Basically, oaf prays to the goddess statue to be wealthy, the goddess granted him his wish but took away his soul on the night of the marriage. Hence why WWX encountered the wealthy corpse spirit - essentially the goddess split open his grave and gave the oaf the funeral/afterlife offerings that were buried within it, displacing the spirit in the process.

 Also the goddess statue ate some humans in the novel but this was probably too graphic for the drama lol.

[JL shows up with the statue hot on his heels, WWX is like but wait we sealed the statue off before! WWX then builds and plays a makeshift bamboo flute. LJY changes his mind – MXY is still crazy after all, and on top of that he’s also a garbage flute player, ha. WN shows up and WWX is all ???, illusion is revealed, WWX posits whoever did this wanted lure out WN, a mysterious man in black scuttles off in the background.

Men rush WN, WN is like, uhm, y’all ain’t shit. WWX then plays WangXian to suppress WN’s rage, draws him towards himself and then we have THE REUNION – eyes meet, lovey-dovey wrist-gripping scene ensues.]

Interestingly, the drama shows JL being thrown to the ground and trying to scurry away/flinching as the statue advanced on him. In the novel, he actually stood right within reach and thought, “If I can’t kill her right here and now, I’ll die – but so what?!” Basically, he was 100% ready to kill the statue or die trying before WN showed up.

In the drama, we weren’t specifically clued in to the fact that WN is currently unconscious due to the nails in his head. In the novel, WWX realizes this instantly because Wen Ning was not capable of sentient thought and had to rely on WWX’s orders.

The drama hints that the whole thing was staged by the mysterious man in black caught scampering away – in the novel, this is not the case. There was no other person ‘operating behind the scenes’, this whole incident with the statue was not an illusion.

The reunion scene is as it happens in the novel, gripping of wrists and all. Ha. I love you directors.

[WWX is outed as the person who summoned WN and JC is like well well well, Shady’s back. LWJ tries to protect WWX, WWX tries to run away but gets whipped and decides to play crazy as JC wonders why Zidian didn’t work.

WWX appears to faint and wishes to go back to the time to 16 years ago, when he was at Lotus Pier and we start our flashback arc. Cute scene where he gets a sugar rabbit (HA I see you) for JYL. They decide to rest in a tavern. JC bickers with WWX and grouses that JYL and JFM always defends him and is reminded that being free-spirited is considered a virtue by the YMJ sect.]

The confrontation between JC, WWX and LWJ follows the novel partly (the whipping, the face-off between JC and LWJ), but the novel goes into more detail.

For one, LJY is like, ‘wait didn’t YOU kill WWX? Why are you saying he’s back?’ to JC in the drama. In the novel, no one claims that JC was the one who killed WWX in the novel – only that he was present at the battle at Nightless City along with the Yunmeng Jiang sect.

Also, in the novel, someone in JC’s sect basically tells says that there’s no way MXY is WWX because WWX would have chosen someone cooler. WWX was flirtatious with girls and a good-looking dude and MXY is a gay lunatic riding a donkey. And also, his flute skills are so, so subpar compared to WWX. Ha. WWX secretly grouses that he would kneel to anyone who’s able to play a nice melody on a dollar-store flute after not having practiced for 13 years. Touché.

In an attempt to get both JC and LWJ off his case, WWX tries to disgust the both of them by going, “JC is NOT my type but you know who is my type? LWJ uwu he’s so attractive” but it totally fails because LWJ does not take the bait. Instead, he says “Well then, I’m taking this man back to the Lan sect with me.” And that’s the end of Chapter 10. See comments on the flashback/timeskip in the summary section below.

The last conversation JC and JYL shares is very interesting. It’s not in the novel, but it really plays into the narrative that “WWX embodies more of Yunmeng Jiang’s values than JC even though he is not a Jiang”, which is also a theme in the novel and kind of a sticking point for JC obviously. One can say that JC takes after his mom, and WWX takes more after JFM.

Overall Thoughts

This is where the divergence from the novel plot line begins to get a little more serious. The novel employs a series of flashbacks scattered throughout the book whereas the drama is essentially one long flashback from Episode 2 through Episode 33. It obviously makes more narrative sense to arrange it that way in a drama series in order to make it less confusing, especially since they’re using the same actors for past and present WWX/LWJ, but just keep that in mind.

With that said, I will stop at Chapter 10 for the purpose of comparing it to Episode 2. Chapter 11 and 12 have essentially both been removed from the drama besides for the cold springs scene, which was also modified. I will discuss these two chapters when we get to Episode 33 (wow, will we ever get there??). Episode 3 picks up at Chapter 13, which is the beginning of the Gusu arc. Chapters will start jumping around (in the novel, the Gusu arc is only Chapters 13-18, and then the Wen Sect/Tortoise of Slaughter is a separate flashback from Chapters 51-59)  so I am going to try my best to match them up lol.

Ending the summary on another cute note, in the novel LWJ’s presence is often described as being accompanied by the light scent of sandalwood, which is what WWX smelled before bumping into him in the novel.

[animeride-blog]

The Importance of Every Supernova https://animeride.com/blogs/6130/the-importance-of-every-supernova/ #11Supernova, #BasilHawkins, #CaponeBege, #EustassKid, #JewelryBonney, #Killer, #Luffy, #ScratchmenApoo, #SuperNova, #TrafalgarLaw, #Urouge, #XDrake, #Zoro

New Post has been published on https://animeride.com/blogs/6130/the-importance-of-every-supernova/

The Importance of Every Supernova

After the 2 year Time-Skip and the subsequent affiliations of Supernovas with Yonkou Crews and the less screen time  i thought Oda had given up on these Supernovas or didn’t intend to deliver on the hype he once promised. But that changed with Chapter 837 with the shocking revelation of what Urogue did in WHI and later on Capone which meant Supernovas were coming back in the game and it made me realize their importance to the story. This is me King, The Pirate King, with a discussion and speculations on these Supernovas.

Mad Monk Urouge

If you’re caught up with the Manga, you will know the stock of this man has risen from a nobody to one of the most favorite and one of the most hyped up Worst Generation Members at this point of the story. He seemed to be lost in the in the middle of all the spotlight the other Supernovas were getting but Oda made sure to give him one moment that was enough to divert the fans’ attention towards him, taking down a Sweet Commander of Big Mom Pirates. He managed to gain a feat not even Kidd could pull off and this is clear induction Oda has big plans for him. He was there when Kaido was first introduced and it won’t surprise me, in fact it’s likely that he will join his fellow Supernovas in the war against Kaido, which seems to be the only way Kaido could be taken down. With the power of all the Supernovas.

X Drake

Although neglected, there are some fans who realize he is a special case. First off, he is a former marine now turned pirate, quite similar to his father. That already makes him intresting as it can open up the possibilities of him being a spy of marines, sent to spy on pirates, especially on Kaido. As we now know, it’s not impossible that there can be World Government presence among the Yonkous with chapter 871. He could be giving crucial info to Marines for all we know. Moving away from that, he was the first of his generation to make a move against Yonkous and although he did end up joining Kaido, because what other choice you can have against him, it’s almost a certainty he will turn on Kaido when he sees others of his generation going against the monstrous creature. Though he may not turn on Kaido till the very end if he isn’t a spy since he seems to be fine working under Kaido. He will see a right opportunity and then make his move.

Basil Hawkins.

This one is a strange case, he hasn’t done anything noteworthy nor his power seems to be that impressive. His future seems to be not so bright at this moment but Oda can always give him some spotlight like he has given to others. He was last seen when confrontations by Kaido and it’s unknown what happened to him. Although i’d prefer if he died to make the story more intriguing but we know that won’t happen so i atleast hope he got beaten down badly before he escaped or he could’ve joined Kaido as well like the next person on this list. His prediction skills are very handy and if i have to guess, it might have to do with Observations Haki or that and a combination of his DF powers. In which case, expect him to get an upgrade in the future that may blow our minds.

Scratchmen Apoo

Apoo so far has come off to me like Blackbeard in the sense that he knows when and against who to pick his fight. He will sacrifice others if necessary and do anything to get out of harms way. He more than likely joined Kaido out of fear of his life with the intention of backstabbing him anyways if the right opportunity presents itself. Which should be the war against Kaido where he should do something impressive but i don’t see him going far afterwards. While others may have bright futures ahead of them, i see Apoo and Hawkins aa characters who can either be killed or caught after Wano is over. But having said that, i can see Hawkins being an ally to Luffy and helping him out in the Final War. His Prediction skills will be very helpful and add the needed drama when the story demands it.

Capone Bege

This man went from one of the most despised Supernovas to one of the most liked and maybe one of the respected ones in the space of one arc. He may still be an ass but he has shown he cares for his family and subordinates at the very least which is why i have overlooked his actions again Pekoms earlier in the arc. He was given a good amount of spotlight and featured prominently in the current arc and hope he can be a part of Wano as well because Strawhats need as much firepower as they can have. With his wife with the Strawhats currently, a door of possibility has opened up for it if he his wife leaves WHI with Strawhats and he chases them to Wano, finding himself involved in the fight against Kaido and his army. Expect him to be featured prominently again in Wano if that’s the case.

Monkey D Luffy

We all know who he is, what he has done and what he will do so there isn’t much to explain here but here’s hoping we can see the full extent of his power in Wano as evidence suggests not only we have yet to see the full power of his Gear 4th but he seems to be hiding something even more powerful than Gear 4th if you look at his conversation with Rayleigh. As much as i want it to be Gear 5th, it likely won’t be because Rayleigh has taught him this power so it maybe Haki related or some type of technique he can use against Kaido as the finishing blow. I can already picture each of the Supernovas dealing their finishing blows to Kaido to weaken him, after which Luffy delivers the final blow.

Roronoa Zoro

We can all agree Wano will be Zoro’s arc in terms of character work. He is bound to get a backstory or if not, develop some type of bond with the Samurais and end up gaining the respect of all of them when it’s all said and done. Expect there to be a possible conflict over the Shisui Swords as the Samurais may possibly want it back or let him keep it by the end of the arc when he earns their respect and proves himself worthy of the sword. It’s also possible he will give them the Shisui anyways and be awarded with some other high grade sword or a fire sword since Zoro wants one.

We should finally see him go all out and hopefully be able to 1v1 a commander or the Shougan by showing what he learned over the 2 years of training with Mihawk. Who knows, maybe we will see him open his eye too.

Eustass Kidd

This guy needs to do a lot of work for himself to get back the lost respect of the community if and when he escapes Kaido’s hands. He was shown to be a savage before Timeskip even having a higher bounty than Luffy and presented as his Rival. He was attacking Big Mom’s ship then planning to kill Shanks before being manhandled by Kaido in chapter 795. Even though he got a big loss, expect him to bounce back from it in Wano and be a big factor in the fight against Kaido. Even after that, he will grow more stronger possible pull of feats that will gain him more recognition among Pirates and Marine’s alike. Even though i may not like him much, he could end up being an Admiral level character by end of story.

Killer

Another big mysterious character. Other than Zoro he is one who is vice cptain and part of the supernovas. We have last seen killer when Kaido jumped to their base. Along with Hawkings, Apoo and Kid he was present there. But if you are a Manga reader , you now know the fate of Kid and Apoo. Hawkings and Killer just vanished. I can speculate for Hawkings , that he may be allied with the Beast pirates out of fear, but Killer most probly didn’t. His captain was ass kicked by Kaido and he was very loyal to Kid. Two of the big possibility being Kid ordered him to flee and ask for help or he himself escaped to help Kid in some other ways. But he will play a big role in Wano. That’s for sure !

Trafalgar Law

Law could possibly have one of the biggest roles in Wano if not the biggest if we go by the foreshadowing and whatnot. Without a doubt he will be one of the major contributers in Kaido’s defeat, maybe he can deal a similar devastating blow like he did to Doflamingo, weakening him in the process. There all sorts about him sacrificing his life in the battle to save Luffy as thanks for defeating Doflamingo for him. Seeing as he is a D, keeping in mind all Ds have a tendency to sacrifice themselves, it’s not beyond the realm of possibility so him do it. But if there is a chance he may survive, we can see him grow up to be a true monster in terms of power by the end of story. He can also help take on Admiral Greenbull in the Final War if that honor doesn’t goes to Jimbie or Usopp.

 Jewelry Bonney

She has the interest of majority of fans if not all by now and has one of the most talked about and mysterious backgrounds. Once an afterthought, she now has incredible importance to the story leading to some mind boggling speculations like she is keeping the Gorosei Younger, She is Whitebeard’s child or even Ace’s lover. Some have even gone as far as to say she is related to Akainu, possibly his daughter. Whatever it maybe, it’s no secret that she is very important to the WG and they can not afford to lose track of her as Akainu himself stated “it sent a chill down my spine when i heard you escaped”. Be prepared to get your mind blown away with some in classic Oda Style whenever the revelation happens. Could be as soon as Wano as she is the 1 of the 3 Supernovas who have yet to join the Wano War, if majority of them are there, these 3 may as well be to for an epic clash!!

So what are your thoughts regarding this ? Comment your opinions below ! 

[chargrowsref]

ASIDE

Sat in Vera’s falsely comfortable living room, on her brown leather sofa that she bought in the DFS sale, and her 32in tv hangs sadly on the wall. The fake fire; a silver curved piece of metal. Charlotte walks into the room and places her pint sized glass of Robinsons orange squash on the coffee table. 

V.O CHARLOTTE: God, this coffee table does not sit right in the room, it’s slightly to the left of the fireplace. How annoying. 

V.O VERA: She disapproves of the way I choose to decorate my house, but fuck her.

VERA: What are we watching? 

CHARLOTTE: Fleabag(2016), it’s meant to be really good. Phoebe Waller-Bridge wrote it and is also in it, she’s the one that also wrote Killing Eve(2018). 

VERA: oooh yeah, I really liked that. 

V.O VERA: I haven’t even watched it.   V.O CHARLOTTE: She didn’t even watch it. 

Charlotte plays season one, episode one of Fleabag(2016)

CHARLOTTE: This is funny. I like it, it immediately establishes the connection between us and her - straightaway. 

V.O CHARLOTTE: She immediately establishes that she’s addressing us by using terms such as “you know when”.

VERA: Yeah it does, Is she Fleabag then?

CHARLOTTE: Yeah, I don’t know what her actual name is in this. This is bizarre the way it feels like she’s talking directly at us.

V.O VERA: God, we get it. She repeats herself too much. I never repeat myself, I find that educated people tend to repeat themselves because they forget what they’ve said because of all the self importance flying around their brain. 

VERA: Yeah.

“To be fair she’s not an evil step mother, she’s just a cunt” (Fleabag,2016)

VERA: Oh goodness I’m not sure about the swearing used in this programme. Bit much. 

CHARLOTTE: Have you not noticed that the really “bad” language is mainly used when she’s addressing us, the audience, it’s like she has a connection with us and feels comfortable to be able to say anything. 

V.O CHARLOTTE: This is what my own step mum is like, dismissive of me and as for my dad never says what he’s really thinking in front of her. 

V.O VERA: Look at the way she holds her glass like she knows what she wants - she doesn’t know what she wants. Her thoughts runaway from her and come back again, you can tell by the expression on her face.   

VERA: oh yeah, I guess thats the tactic of breaking the fourth wall, to build a connection with us.   

CHARLOTTE: Well yeah, the fourth wall marks the boundary between mis-en-scene and the real world, so if that’s broken, then we are no longer passive audience members. 

CHARLOTTE: I wonder what the first film was that broke the fourth wall?

VERA: Google it. 

CHARLOTTE: Wikipedia says the first recorded film is a silent film titled Men who have made love to me (1918) by Mary MacLane. 

VERA: Can you trust Wikipedia?

V.O VERA: hmmm, says she doing a degree but trusts wikipedia, bit suspicious.

CHARLOTTE: Hmm, let me research it a little more.

V.O VERA: Look at her face when she concentrates.

CHARLOTTE: AH, found a blog website about it. This is like the Fleabag of the 1900s, so the silent film was about a woman and her struggle with men and came from Mary MacLane’s confessional novel called The Story of Mary MacLane(1902). It says that “MacLane was a self-admitted egotist, and her writing was frank and filled with outrageous thoughts” (Buck, 2013).

VERA: That’s exactly what Fleabag is. Fleabag is the contemporary Mary MacLane. Although how did the film break the fourth wall if it was a silent film?  

CHARLOTTE: That’s a good point..It says here that she (Mary) “appears, languidly smoking while addressing the audience (via title cards) about the trouble with all men” (Buck, 2013). 

V.O CHARLOTTE: I wonder if the technique of breaking the fourth wall has been used in essays? How would that work?  

VERA: It’s funny isn’t it that Fleabag as you said earlier is pretty groundbreaking but it actually has been done before, think how groundbreaking this would have been in 1918. 

CHARLOTTE: I know, it’s crazy. I wonder if Phoebe Waller-Bridge is aware of McLane? 

VERA: Probably not. 

CHARLOTTE: But surely if you creating something so confessional she would need to research Because Fleabag is fictional. 

VERA: Is it? 

CHARLOTTE: Yeah Fleabag(2016) is fictional but McLane’s is an adaptation of her confessional novel. 

V.O CHARLOTTE: This is incredible that two very similar women exist in different times but doing the same thing. I wish I could watch MacLane’s film to draw comparison’s between the two. I could buy her book.   

VERA: Who came up with the technique of ‘breaking the fourth wall’?

CHARLOTTE: It started in theatre, and the technique used to break the fourth wall is called ‘aside’ which is when a characters dialogue is spoken but not heard by the other actors on stage (Literary Glossary - aside, 2019) 

V.O VERA: She doesn’t listen to me properly. 

VERA: Yeah I know but who created it. 

CHARLOTTE: I think it was Denis Diderot who theorised it. But I think it’s been around for a very long time. 

V.O VERA: The way she sits silently thinking makes me feel uncomfortable, everything she does makes me feel uncomfortable but not uncomfortable in a way that makes me want to back away but in a way that makes me want to stop her. Claims to be educated but can’t tell me a simple fact, pfft. 

VERA: Oh okay. 

CHARLOTTE: I need to go home in a minute. 

VERA: Yeah I need to get to bed. 

CHARLOTTE: Shall we watch the rest of this separately?

VERA: Yeah, How do I get it up on my tv.

CHARLOTTE: Go to recorded programmes because I’ve downloaded all of the series for you. 

V.O VERA: Yeah and I bet it’s taken up all the space. 

VERA: Thanks.

CHARLOTTE: Right I’m going to go, Shall we go for coffee on Saturday? 

VERA: Yeah, text me. 

CHARLOTTE: Okay, Bye. 

VERA: Bye. 

V.O VERA: She’s left her glass out on the bloody table. 

V.O CHARLOTTE: I watched the whole two seasons of Fleabag from the comfort of my bed, I prefer watching it alone because it means I don’t have to listen to the sound of Vera breathing or explain my thoughts to her. You know when you love someone but sometimes just them being in your presence annoys you, but not because it’s anything they’re doing it’s just your own mind disliking their presence.  

 V.O CHARLOTTE: I wonder if Vera has watched the rest of this. Can’t believe I’m already on series two, episode four. I wonder if  she’ll finally bone the priest. 

“His neck.” (Fleabag, 2019)

CHARLOTTE: hahahaha. 

  V.O: I used to think things about my boyfriend when we were dating, in my mind I would be ecstatically observing and commenting on his beautiful face. We’ve all been in this situation she exposes our inner thoughts and I think that’s why is works as a comedy as well as an emotional confessional narrative. 

CHARLOTTE:Oh no he can hear her!

V.O CHARLOTTE: The Priest can hear when she’s talking to us about his “beautiful neck”. Other characters noticing the cinematic technique that Fleabag uses to address us is significant to the character himself. It takes him to a new level. As he, like us, can hear her and therefore understands/has a connection with Fleabag which is what we’ve all wanted all along. He notices things about her and not just surface details, he deeply notices to the point he’s questioning her characters technique. It’s uncomfortable for Fleabag when he questions her, asking “You just said, His beautiful neck” (Fleabag, 2019) Fleabag glances at the camera with a panicked face and slowly replies “no, no, I said they were already gone.” (Fleabag, 2019) 

V.O CHARLOTTE: This scene breaks the fourth wall and then critiques that technique within the storyline. Because we all imagine that breaking the fourth wall is the characters and the audiences “secret” With another character confronting this technique this late on in the series I think is significant and may be an indication to how this character is conceptually important. It’s about him and her and no one else, not even the audience. It’s like he’s trying to eliminate us in order for  them to be alone, When she has him she no longer needs us because he listens. 

 CHARLOTTE: Please be the priest at the door. Ahhh.

CHARLOTTE: OH MY GOD. AHHHHH. 

V.O CHARLOTTE: SHE DIDN’T JUST BREAK THE FOURTH WALL SHE EFFING TOOK IT WITH HER  OWN HANDS. SHE’S IN COMPLETE CONTROL OVER US AND OUR RELATIONSHIP TO HER.  

CHARLOTTE: Oh my god! 

 V.O CHARLOTTE: I think this just proves that he takes over from us, her physically removing our view of them by moving the camera shows that he replaces us. Especially when throughout the whole two series she’s even been addressing us during sex. This keeps the audience excited because we aren’t being shown the whole intimacy between the two fo them. 

V.O CHARLOTTE: I feel close to Fleabag, as Ilse Lafer discusses in his essay titled, Behind the fourth wall (2010), Lafer suggests that the fourth wall “is the threshold where two spaces interlock, where the difference between fiction and reality becomes manifest.” And I feel this is true with Fleabag (2016,2019), She feels real, not like a normal character in a film. She feels real and I feel a connection to her. Her confessions and dark humour is like something that is shared between close friends, She makes you feel like you’re her friend.

V.O CHARLOTTE: Although for me personally I relate to Fleabag in ways I haven’t ever found with a fictional character, I must acknowledge that maybe I relate to her because I am too a cis white woman, living in London, navigating an awkward father - daughter relationship, has a step-mother who won’t look me in the eye, and has a sister in which I am very different to. 

V.O CHARLOTTE: It brings up questions about confessional writing and confessional feminism as well. I think confessional writing can lend a hand to feminism, but I think if you suggest that its wholly feminist then you’re suggesting that feminism is solely for that one type of woman whose writing it is. As Lara Zarum suggests,

“confessional writing is a radical act, providing a template for women to be their own subjects. But the troubling paradox is that, in their quest to spin a narrative out of the fabric of their lives, these writers often fall back on the same objectifying impulse of male writers and artists since time immemorial.” (Zarum,2015)

CHARLOTTE: hmmm, I didn’t even think about this when making Vera watch this. 

V.O CHARLOTTE: I need to talk to her about if she felt a connection with Fleabag in order to see if what Zarum is suggesting works in this case. 

Charlotte and Vera had coffee together in Camberwell to catch up.

V.O VERA: I ordered a tea because I like to keep things simple and Charlotte ordered her usual - a Latte with skimmed milk. The sun was creeping behind the clouds and an occasional slice of sunlight would hover over Charlotte’s hand as she played with the loose silver ring on her right index finger. That annoyed me. 

 CHARLOTTE: This sun is so beautiful. 

V.O VERA: She always notices the intricate beauty of nature. 

VERA: It’s lovely isn’t it? My washing will dry nicely on the line today. I didn’t enjoy the rest of Fleabag(2016), I just don’t understand the humour.

V.O CHARLOTTE: Maybe the confessional style in this case is excluding. 

CHARLOTTE: WHAT? 

A short moment of silence

CHARLOTTE: I don’t understand how you couldn’t of enjoyed it; it’s funny, it’s sad - it’s life. 

V.O VERA: Here she goes.

CHARLOTTE: Did you not feel a connection with Fleabag? The technique of breaking the fourth wall was used in an intricate and funny way to reveal more depth to the character making them feel like a real person. What didn’t you like?

VERA: I did but I also didn’t, I felt the way she addresses you a bit awkward. I also think I was just too old for there to be a real connection. 

CHARLOTTE: That’s whats so good about it. She challenges you as a viewer, you can be a passive audience member physically but mentally you worry about her, you think about what she should do and what you would do in those situations. You also make connections between her experiences and your own. But then I guess I’m coming from the position of a young woman who is very similar to her. 

VERA: Yeah you are weirdly alike in some aspects of your family situation. Do you not think it relies too heavily on the interaction between audience and actor/character? I can think of films and television programmes that break the fourth wall without physically addressing me. That for me makes it more exciting because I feel like I shouldn’t know this information.  

CHARLOTTE: I get what you’re saying but I don’t think so, because when she doesn’t want or need to address us she doesn’t. Whereas shows like Peep Show (2003-15) for example; it relies almost solely on  all of the humour being channeled through both Mark and Jeremy’s inner voice characters. 

VERA: Oh yeah, I forgot about Peep Show. 

CHARLOTTE: How could you forget about peep show? 

V.O VERA: Well I obviously haven’t forgotten about it entirely. 

VERA: Yeah, now you’ve said that I have to agree with you, even when other characters are being funny, the voiceover’s reaction to the situation makes it funny because the connection the audience have are with Jeremy and Mark. 

CHARLOTTE: yeah. 

CHARLOTTE: Did you notice in Fleabag (2016) how the direct address at first is seemingly funny and carefree and then the more we learn about her struggle with grief and rage The way she addresses the audience changes. It becomes more awkward the more we know about the darker side of what going on inside her mind. 

V.O VERA: The stripe in her hair annoys me, proportionally it’s all so wrong. The colour is uneven. The texture looks like straw. 

VERA: I think That’s reflective of real life relationships, sometimes people are scared to share with others incase they share too much and push the other person to leave. 

V.O VERA: If only she knew what I think about her. 

CHARLOTTE: Yeah thats true. 

V.O CHARLOTTE: She looks troubled, I wonder what she’s thinking? 

The two women left the cafe to walk home, they both walked along Peckham Road Before Charlotte had to turn right onto Crofton Road.

VERA: Have you ever watched American Physco(2000), It’s very different to Fleabag(2016-19) but it does break the fourth wall. 

CHARLOTTE: Oh I have, a very good film. 

V.O CHARLOTTE: This is shocking that she’s suggesting some examples. 

VERA: See I really enjoy how that film breaks the fourth wall because we’re let into a dark secret that Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale), is a murdering psychopath. 

V.O VERA: ooooo Christian Bale is a bit of a dish.

CHARLOTTE: Do you think you enjoyed it because he wasn’t physically addressing you?

VERA: Yeah and I think voiceover is really effective. 

CHARLOTTE: But I read an article the other day about voiceover’s and a critic called Matt Seitz was suggesting that,

“because the voice-over is simple to understand and doesn’t ask the audience to hold more than one thought in its head at the same time.” (Seitz,2016) 

 CHARLOTTE: It makes watching a film or television programme easy to watch and makes the audience more passive than if you were to be addressed like in Fleabag(2016-19).

VERA: I disagree with him, because of the voiceover in this particular example the fact that the audience can hear the voiceover is ignored. It’s not making the storyline easy for us to follow, it’s just making it more exciting because without it eventually we would know that he’s a psychopath but we’re being let in little by little. The audience become more invested because of our strange obsession with the vulgar and the unpleasant, it hooks people in. 

V.O CHARLOTTE: Wow, she’s actually getting really into this. 

V.O VERA: She’s passing to try and think of something to say, she’s going to try and out smart me. 

CHARLOTTE: But you wouldn’t know he was a psychopath you’d just think he was a murderer without the voiceover.VERA: Well you would know that he wasn’t a normal man. 

V.O VERA: God she’s just trying to make me look so stupid. 

CHARLOTTE: But you wouldn’t know the full depth of his illness, and those gruesome details are what draws you to the film. 

VERA: Hmmm, you know my favourite voice-over part is when he’s on the tanning bed. He talks about his mask slipping while wearing the tanning goggles and the parallels between is inner world and his out world meet.  

V.O CHARLOTTE: MY POINT EXACTLY!!!!

CHARLOTTE: Well that scene wouldn’t be as good then if there was no voiceover because the added voice adds that layer of juxtaposition between image and language. 

V.O VERA: Why is she getting so angry with me? Thank god it’s her turning in a second. 

VERA: I get what you’re saying. I do just think American Psycho(2000) is better than Fleabag(2016-19) and that’s just my opinion. I don’t enjoy the direct confessional relationship that Fleabag forces on you, and I’m allowed to think differently to you. 

CHARLOTTE: I wasn’t suggesting that you had to agree with me, I respect your opinion. What other films or books are confessional? Maybe we could watch some different confessional films that you would like. 

VERA: I can’t think of any off of the top of my head but I’ll have a think about it. 

CHARLOTTE: Alright, well this is my road. 

V.O VERA: Thank God for that. 

VERA: Indeed it is. 

V.O CHARLOTTE: I hope she’s okay she seems a bit annoyed at me. Maybe I was being too argumentative or too critical of her opinion.

CHARLOTTE: Bye, I’ll see you soon. 

VERA: Bye Love. 

V.O CHARLOTTE: Sometimes I don’t know how to tackle mine and Vera’s relationship, we’re so close yet so distant. She excites me but simultaneously makes my mind feel like its pouring out of my ears from boredom. I wonder all the time what she thinks of me, what thought’s are slithering around her head. I wonder what thoughts are slithering around your head.

Bibliography 

Books:

Lafer, I (2010) Behind The Fourth Wall: Fictitious Lives - Lived Fictions. : Verlag fur moderne Kunst Nurnberg. 

Film:

American Pyscho (2000) [CD-ROM] Edward R. Pressman. Available: Lion Gate Films. 

IMAGES:

Grocutt, C. (2019) Bed. 

II. Grocutt, C. (2019) Cafe Table. 

III. Grocutt C. (2019) Vera’s Living Room.

IV.Jones, V. (2016) Fleabag. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p040trv9(28/03/2019).

Sheppard, J. (2016) Lumberjack Cafe Available at: https://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/lumberjack (Accessed/downloaded: 8/04/2019).

VI.  (2000) American Physcho script. Available at: http://www.dailyscript.com/scripts/American_Psycho_Harron_Turner.html 

Online Articles:

  Zarum, L. (2015) Is Confessional Writing feminist?. Available at:https://newrepublic.com/article/122840/confessional-writing-feminist (Accessed: 8/04/2019).

II.Obordo, R. and Guardian Readers (2019) 'I will miss her extremely: You review the end of Fleabag. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/apr/09/i-will-miss-her-extremely-you-review-the-end-of-fleabag (Accessed: 9/04/2019).

Television Programme: 

'Fleabag' (2016)  Series 1 and episode 1, BBC, 21st July 2016. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p040trv9/fleabag-series-1-episode-1 (Accessed: 18/03/2019).

‘Fleabag’ (2019) Series 2 and episode 4, BBC, 25th March 2019.

    Available at:https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p073cnqq/fleabag-series-2-episode-4 (Accessed: 28/03/2019)

IV. Peep Show (2003 - 2015) Series One to Series Nine, Channel 4.

     Available at: https://www.channel4.com/programmes/peep-show

Websites

Buck, Julie. "Mary MacLane." In Jane Gaines, Radha Vatsal, and Monica Dall’Asta, eds. Women Film Pioneers Project. Center for Digital Research and Scholarship. New York, NY: Columbia University Libraries, 2013. Web.   September 27, 2013.   <https://wfpp.cdrs.columbia.edu/pioneer/ccp-mary-maclane/

II. Literature Glossary - Aside (2019) Available at: https://www.shmoop.com/literature-glossary/aside.html (Accessed: 7/04/2019).

III. Harron, M and Turner, G. American Psycho Script. Available at: http://www.dailyscript.com/scripts/American_Psycho_Harron_Turner.html (Accessed: 5/03/2019).