#colin is pretty meh to me

[sylvies-chen]

okay I’ve refrained from posting my thoughts on the ted lasso finale until now in the interest of making sure they’re expressed properly so that people understand how correct my opinions actually are. but I’m here and I’m queer and LET’S DO IT FOLKS:

TED LASSO FINALE THOUGHTS

THE GOOD:

Nate!! Nate was a timid, sweet note in this episode. It was such a gentle little reintegration of his character back into the team and seeing him get a secure happy ending after all that time of insecurity was the part of the episode that provided the MOST payoff. Seeing Nick Mohammed’s post about Nate and his family life and understanding how much he put into that character was so beautiful to see too. I adore actors who very publicly (and in a nerdy way) love their craft!

His conversation with Ted also made me cry like I have never cried before.

COLIN KISSED HIS FELLA AFTER A WIN!! Ugh such a beautiful payoff and full circle moment for him, I was truly squealing with joy <3

The team’s rendition of So Long, Farewell had me GIGGLINGGG oh my god, I’m a die hard Sound of Music fan so I loved it! I would have maybe liked a little more emotion from Ted, I felt like his reaction was kind of… meh? meek? but other than that the song itself was FANTASTIC.

Obviously I love that they won the game, duh

They also had a lot of really amazing and thoughtful callbacks in this episode, like Keeley’s parallel to her entrance in the pilot was great, Ted’s bbq sauce mantra, Nate leaping into Ted’s arms, the ussie guy, the winning play being the play from season 1. All of those little moments showed a strong attention to detail I truly loved.

I love that Rupert made HIMSELF unlikeable in the end. Rebecca didn’t need to ruin his life; she stopped caring and soon saw he was doing a perfectly fine job of doing it himself. Karma truly is Rebecca Welton’s boyfriend!! Or is it?

Jake the motherfucking client seducer over here turning out to be a total dud like yesss!! I don’t want Ted and Michele back together by any means but fuck that guy lol, glad to see she and Henry were getting sick of him

BELIEVE. 😭

Which leads me to…

THE BAD:

I know you all know I ship Tedbecca, but this is truly not coming from a shipper standpoint when I say that that first scene of them was absolute BAIT. It was pretty disappointing because I know Ted Lasso’s been prone to red herrings and fakeouts every now and then but I didn’t take it as a show that would truly bait their fans with something like that??

I don’t care if I’m biased, I don’t care if the writers were trying to be avant-garde with their ending for rebecca, I’ll say what I’m about to say a million times: writing off 1 of your 2 most main characters into a happy ending with a man whose name the audience doesn’t even know is literally never a good writing decision. I think this should be obvious.

I have no hate to Boat Guy, Rebecca’s whole thing with him was basically the plot of Before Sunrise + Before Sunset (all hail Richard Lanklater) if someone watched those movies and then tried condensing them into fifteen accumulated minutes of television

Keeley, Roy, Jamie… they did you three so fucking dirty my babes. Keeley you especially. I’m beyond disappointed, bordering on genuinely hurt, by how much they screwed up Keeley and all of her adjacent storylines this season.

I loved RoyKeeley so much in seasons 1 and 2, they had such a sweetness and a magic to them. There were so many elements like that to season 1 and 2 that I feel the writers gave up on in the name of growth or… honestly, at this point, I don’t know why they did this. Roy was a little insecure in seasons 1 and 2, but I never felt like he was needy. It felt so cruel to have shown us RoyKeeley in all of these moments of such stability, such healthiness, and such genuine love for so long and then rip it away for some version of Roy Kent that felt hollow, twisted, and who just Did Not Get It. It makes me so sad.

It makes me sad for Jamie too. Him falling for Keeley again was like the last thing I needed to see from his character. There’s so much else they could have done with him, and instead they took that beautiful moment of him being accountable and respectful with Keeley and the tape, and they turned it into something ugly: they had him weaponize it as a bargaining chip against Roy.

I don’t understand why they thought having our favs engaged in this very sexist outdated convo with such possessive language in the name of comedy was a good idea. I get it was poking fun at them but it was the kind of fun that shouldn’t have to be poked at by now. They’re not these men, I don’t recognize this version of them. It’s such a regression.

speaking of weird and uncomfortable shit being played off for laughs… beard and jane got married! ted wasn’t even there! she shredded his passport to keep him in captivity! how creepy! (see the joke is that they’re crazy and do toxic things to each other. you’re supposed to laugh.)

[coffbeanie]

Thoughts on The Penguin Series before watching it

I see some reviews coming out for the penguin series already, and from what i can tell they’re fairly positive and make me very excited!! but there’s still something a bit off to me and idk i just need to yell it into the void

For context i really liked The Batman! it was a great film, it def brought some hope back to DC films, i enjoyed the interpretations of the characters, and i’m super excited for the next film!! Also for the Penguin, I haven’t seen much promo since the trailer when it first came out. I know DC on instagram has been pushing a few other teasers and sneak peaks but i haven’t watched any of them.

I’m saying all that because ik the Penguin is in capable hands and that there is a very slim chance i’m going to finish the penguin and be disappointed-i’m sure its going to turn out great but rn the premise for it seems kinda…boring??

Like The Penguin starring in a mob drama à-la The Sopranos or The Godfather-great things to take inspiration from! but also seems very basic to me?? like it seems like the safest most basic option for a penguin centric show, which has me feeling kinda disappointed

And my issue is that a mob drama Penguin show could be really cool and interesting!! if the show was willing to include more fantastical elements!! A lot of other mob dramas are grounded and based in the real world but how cool would it be to see someone try to do that surrounded by other villains? a (For the most part) regular guy like Oswald trying to build his empire when people around him have powers and out of this world gadgets? Trying to act somewhat civil with gangs who follow a costumed villain with weird looking goons! Treating all of that with the same seriousness as a typical mob drama cause that’s just the city Oswald lives in but he’s gonna do whatever it takes to make it his and get the respect he deserves!!

But Reeves has already discussed the possibility of fantastical stuff within his version of the batman, and from my understanding, it’s meant to be very “grounded” which…like i said i trust the people behind this version of the batman i know they can make great things!! i just wish we got more “Fantastical” batman stories, and just from what we’ve seen, the penguin series has me feeling a bit meh cause it seems kinda bland on paper, and i fear it’ll be kinda basic, so it’s definitely a case of i’m gonna have to see it to see if it’s any good (and i’m pretty sure it’s gonna be great)

Also side tangent on Oswald’s appearance below

hey so when i said i liked the interpretations in The Batman I lied. Oswald character wise is fine!! His attitude, Colin Farrell’s performance, all great!! what i take issue though is with his appearance, and this falls back into the issue of doing “grounded” batman stories

Oswald, at least physically, shouldn’t really look realistic. Yeah short, fat people with pointy noses exist, but for Penguin it has to be hella exaggerated and you need to take into consideration other bird or penguin-like features, and that’s why Farrell’s prosthetics don’t really do it for me (also i saw that thing where he complained about his prosthetics)

Again, I really enjoyed his performance in The Batman, and I’m sure he’s gonna do great in The Penguin, but they used all of the prosthetics to just make Farrell look like another person who probably already exists out there. They didn’t really do anything interesting with it, nothing to make him particularly “ugly” which to me, is important to his character, when you consider how Oswald wants to be accepted by “high society” a group that especially cares about appearance, especially in Gotham.

That’s just in the face, and when it comes to his body I do not like it. The way they made his body Farrell doesn’t even look fat?? Especially with his height he looks more built than anything (google says he’s 5’10”? far from short) It leads to him looking intimidating, which he shouldn’t be, at least physically. The Penguin isn’t scary because of how he looks, he’s scary cause he’s The Penguin. Without his title, his power, his reputation, he should look like someone even a pretty regular person could take in a fight (ik there are interpretations where Oswald is a trained fighter!! but i’m meh on them i don’t mind if they make him a fighter i just prefer it when he isn’t). Farrell’s Penguin just doesn’t really have that “pathetic-ness” i feel most Oswald’s should have, at least with his appearance

TLDR- my hopes for the Penguin are both extremely high and extremely low at the same time-also if ur gonna do prosthetics do something interesting, and bring back short, fat, and “ugly” Oswalds

[fakecrfan]

I'm not sure if you share the same opinion as mine but for me TMAGP started to go downhill after Celia was introduced to the main cast.

Hm! Interesting take. I think I agree, though I don't think the series is bad or that the flaws are the fault of Celia specifically.

I do feel like there was a streak of really solid episodes before Celia joined the crew and then after she joined all the stuff that I don't like about TMAGP started. Alice suddenly had no role in the plot except repetitive negging and being increasingly whiny and immature. Colin vanished. Sam's plotline became less about him investigating the mysteries and more about him going on boring dates with Celia. And Celia herself has mostly been pretty meh personality wise, though I did love the episode that focused on her.

But again, the series is still mostly good. And it's not that Celia herself ruins things, is that the interpersonal relationship writing in this show is artless and tedious a good portion of the time. And that probably would have been true with or without Celia showing up, because I think this is just how the writers write interpersonal dynamics.

[whence-the-woody]

Not willing to rewatch coz s1 I'm not a huge fan of and s2 is too much emotion for me rn but trying to remember Colin's character through the show. Coz in this season he's definitely all over the place.

Like in s1 I guess you could characterise him as a bit hopeless romantic, quick to fall in love, impulsive, kinda goofy. Definitely a younger brother. You could say easily embarrassed then but honestly the way he acted was hella fucking embarrassing, I'd hide too. Could be a sweet son. Not a bad friend but incredibly oblivious. Held grudges for sure.

Then s2 he was undebatably INSUFFERABLE after his travels. Pretentious and annoying. Not understanding of boundaries or able to let things go (the Maria visits). An experimental drug dude, which yknow good for him. Still v little bro energy, mocking his brothers all the time. Not alot of empathy. Very privileged - I mean they all are but compared to Anthony's level of responsibility he clearly had none. Showed some positive protective instincts, helping out the featheringtons. So in some ways shown to be a better friend but in others WAY worse - talking shit on Pen: unforgivable. So still easily embarrassed. Kind of a little shit but not particularly funny I wouldn't say? That's bendict. Not very opinionated, that's Eloise. Francesca has passion he didn't. Idk just kinda nothing in terms of ways to describe him.

Then s3. Oh boy. Suddenly after yet more travels hes a chronic flirt - no hate just a weird 180. Discovered the joys of group sex at some point - again no hate but tells me nothing about who he is. He doesnt seem to be looking for marriage? Doesnt mention any goals or interests? He says he doesnt care what others think of him but that majorly contradicts everything that came before. Then he says hes been trying to be what society wants - so contradiction again. He considers himself a flirting expert out of nowhere? Okay dude. In a desperate attempt to make them compatible hes suddenly also a gossip? Sure. Also suddenly has a study and is a writer?? Other than writing letter to Pen, where the hell did that come from? Just everyone getting completely sick of hearing his stories? y'all had 2 previous seasons to make them seem compatible, why throw this stuff in now? He's not a romantic, doesnt seem to understand why Pen wants marriage - even though was so quick to get engaged two years ago. He still doesnt have a lot of empathy really. Still easily embarassed. Not much showing him to be a good brother. Still a pretty sweet son and obviously idealised his parents relationship, that's something. Absolutely impulsive - interrupting that dance, good god sir. You could argue he was jealous in s1 so that checks out. The romantic dialogue really paled in comparison to previous seasons but maybe that is in character?

But still I try to think of his personality and Im kinda like ??

Smug. Jealous. Pretty unserious. Privledged. Sometimes protective. A newfound gossip and writer. Self conscious most of the time but other times completely oblivious to peoples social cues. Impulsive for sure. A sweet son. Meh brother. No friends, goals or talents.

I just feel like Daphne and Anthony, by this point in their seasons, were really fleshed out characters and personalities. You knew who they were, their motivations, their histories, their huberis. Its been 3 years and I still feel like we dont know Colin. Maybe because the focus is on Pen? But even then I dont know if they've hugely expanded on her character thus far.

I guess I wonder that for the people who are huge fans of Colin - why? Who do you think he is? What is his character? Do you think its consistent? Does the inconsistency make sense to you somehow? I cant be invested in this dude when I still dont know who he is (also when the actor is okay at best lbr)

[stevishabitat]

Did I never post this??? Found it in a folder and then searched my posts and apparently I didn't.

Anyway...

My Notes While Watching Daredevil 2003

First, the NYC building lights changing to braille, changing to text? Cool.

DD draped around the cross? Iconic.

DD splatting on the floor of the church? Typical.

My kiddo giggled.

Me: Oh Matty, you're so good at superheroing...

Oh wow, the young!Matt actor looks shockingly like Charlie Cox. Even more so than the kid in the Netflix series (which is fine though, that kid was a hell of an actor!)

Is his dad already retired from boxing at this point?

Special effects for Matt's senses is pretty cool. Possibly better than the 'world on fire' stuff in the series.

Ah, I see. Jack is going back to boxing, to get out from under Fallon's thumb?

No Stick? He's training himself?

Parkour!Matt

Oh damn, he's there in person? Hearing the whole murder?

OK this is all a little over-dramatic.

TF? He's in a sensory isolation tank? Weirdo.

Yikes, that is truly some hair.

LOL, Foggy is Happy Hogan, OMG.

Matt is a little too uptight for my liking. Maybe he'll feel better after punching somebody.

Woah, he's gonna start something in front of all those people? No back alley? Dude, at least take him out to the hallway...

Fuck. Flashing lights. There wasn't even a warning on this.

And apparently no descriptive audio??? Fail. HBO. Absolute fail.

Got my kiddo to tell me when the flashing lights were over. God I hate that shit. My head was already splitting.

Woah. Did he just let that guy die???

No no no. He left a calling card? Who is this? #NotmyMatthew.

He has a secret lair? And/or his apartment is in the church crypt? What even...

Why does Heather sound like she's calling from the 80s?

He just pulled out a tooth. Gross.

Wait wait wait... He *sleeps* in the isolation tank? Dramatic bitch.

Oh, they went full 'Irish priest' on the priest, huh? Irritating. Offensive.

Matt really is uptight. And do he and Foggy even like each other?

Oh its the hot girl radar.

Aaaaaand we get our first blind joke as Foggy has a coronary in the background. This feels more normal.

Oh, Matt, creepy stalker is not a good look.

WTF is this? In broad daylight? I assume this is Elektra?

Did not like any of that.

Well here we have someone who is obviously Fisk. Smarmy looking weasel is Wesley?

Mr. Natchios *daughter* would willingly and easily take your head off, Wilson.

Bullseye is a skinhead? A skinhead who is also Colin Farrell. OK then.

Oh look, finally a good fucking hallway.

You're not the bad guy, huh? You just stand in the rain like a sad puppy and convince yourself.

I love how Foggy assumes he's the plus one.

Why does Foggy put up with him being like that?

Self pity?? Get ahold of yourself Matthew.

"What happens to that lie detector of yours when it detects your own bullshit?"

Good question Fog.

Foggy has to know about his senses then, yeah? But it doesn't seem like he knows about Daredevil? That's... strange.

Oh god, it's the rain trope.

Definitely prefer the boxing ring sex scene. This is boring. Zero chemistry. Possibly because Ben Affleck has no emotional range.

Party time.

All the cigarettes and cigars must be hell for Matt.

Eww, he *sniffed* her. My Matt would never.

Aaaaaand the glasses trope. And now we're sad about his blindness. Gross.

Fight time!

Meh.

Oh damn, that was unexpected. Are we going to pit Elektra against Daredevil now?

Damn, more flashing lights.

Time for guilt and self flagellation...

No no no no.... It's Evanescence, I can no longer take this movie seriously.

Matthew left his billy club behind like an amateur.

Also, I just realized his cane is really short. Like... really short. That's weird. His sighted guide technique seems inconsistent too. Somebody needed more practice.

More Evanescence. Please send help.

Elektra's training montage looks like it was copied straight from BTVS. Could easily have been Eliza Dushku in that scene. In fact, maybe Eliza Dushku would have been better.

Well now what, kids? She's just gonna believe him that it wasn't his fault? Could we get a little emotion from these people?

Bullseye & Elektra fight! And it's over real fast.

Oh no, really? Is she getting fridged? Shit. That's disappointing. I wanted a full-on team-up to take down Kingpin.

Apparently Matt's radar has been knocked out a bit.

I dislike the smugness of this Bullseye. Our Dex was somehow more sympathetic, even if he was a horrible person. Granted, when is Colin Farrell ever sympathetic?

They really went for actors who refuse to emote. It's a whole theme here.

Oh damn, using the church bells against Matt? Clever.

None of these fights are doing it for me.

Damn, Wilson is just gonna Hulk smash our baby.

The lightning is killing me. And now with way too much rain. Like visual snow. Sensory nightmare. Can't even watch this fight.

Mr. Fisk, you've just made yourself an archenemy.

This is better Matt and Foggy banter. I guess Matt got some stuff out of his system. Apparently he's not that sad about Elektra?

Oh, that's a nice t-shirt.

Urich, you aren't gonna out him are you?

Nah, I didn't think so.

Woah. A mid-credits scene? That's a surprise. I recently watched The Incredible Hulk, and mentioned to kiddo that the final scene felt like it should have been a mid-credits scene. But I said that was less of a thing at the time. But this is even older. Weird.

OK. Thoughts. I feel like the entire script needed more editing. I feel like it didn't do enough to make Matt likeable. I needed more Foggy & Matt friendship and less snarking. Idk if part of it was Ben Affleck's acting, making Matt too stoic?

Elektra was incredibly disappointing. Especially the fridging. Yikes. Way to really counteract any build-up of the character and the little bit of agency she had, just to take her out like that. She should have been way more formidable.

There was definitely some cringey moments of ableism and stale blind tropes that easily could have been avoided if they'd had someone read the script with that in mind.

I've lost all respect for Joss Whedon over the years, but I feel like back in 2003, if he'd had the opportunity to edit this script, it would have been better. I kept looking at how they played Elektra, and all of the church imagery and stuff, and it felt almost like a knock-off of Buffy/Angel. So if you're going that route, just get the guy who knows how to do it successfully, right?

Anyway, it scratched a bit of the Daredevil itch. But there was a lot that I feel like could have been so much better with a little more effort on the script, and maybe a few different acting/directing choices.

And it could have had 100% fewer flashing light scenes. Damn, I really didn't remember movies being that bad about that in the early 2000s.

Speaking of the early 2000s, how about that soundtrack, huh? Ode to 2003 pop radio, lol. I had flashbacks to the office I worked in at the time and how the radio station was playing Evanescence like every third song all day long.

[mermaidsirennikita]

So I know you’re not watching that show anymore but they recently came out with an article about a possible lgbt storyline later. What would you think about a genderbent Michael?

I think based on things that I've heard that

a) that's the most likely thing to happen if that show has a queer Bton (as in, a member of the Bton family)... like.... if I had to bet $$$ RIGHT NOW, that's what I'd say is gonna happen

b) I fully support it

I think that back when the "omg should a Bton be gay" wars were going on when I watched that show, I said that I was down with any one of them being queer, and I stand by that. And I mean... I think that ANY person who's read that show should realize by now: no matter what they do with "your" couple.... the chances of them really adapting the book closely in any way are out the door post s1. S1 was surprisingly close to the book, tbh. S2 significantly less so, and s3 even less, it appears. So like. Even if they adapted WHWW, which is my favorite book in the series... the chances of it being like the book I enjoyed at all are pretty low. With that logic in mind--like, you might as well give any Bton an entirely new love interest. Because if we're being fuckin' real. The Kate from the show doesn't have a lot of deep things in common with the Kate from the books if we never get into the deep things that affected the Kate from the books. Doesn't mean that she isn't a lovable character; she's just not the same, so if you're not gonna quibble with that, why would you quibble with genderbending?

Like. The Kate from the books had an entire traumatic backstory we never got into because the show.... sucks.

The Penelope from the books never ruined an unwed pregnant woman's life because she was jealous about Colin and his interests.

When the text is that different from the adaptation, you might as well genderbend whoever you want. A random guy named Peter who moonlights as Lord Whistledown has about as much in common with book!Penelope as show!Penelope does.

I say that as someone who like... yeah. I do love book!Michael. I actually really like his book, which is saying something as I'm either "meh" on or dislike 6/8 of those books lmao. I DO NOT REMEMBER what happens in books 7-8. Especially book 8. And that doesn't mean they're bad, it just means that those books by and large made little impact on me, and WHWW sticking out does matter. If I thought this show would actually give WHWW a good adaptation, then maybe I'd be like "aww, I wish I got book!Michael". But I ain't gonna get him either way, so do something cool with it and make it wlw if you want.

Do I think the show will do anything cool with a wlw storyline? lol no because the show is kinda rancid, you know?

So the thing about flipping Michael into a female character is that I don't even think you can call it "WHWW but genderbent". Because that storyline can't be genderbent and be that storyline. Michael's guilt isn't only built in him wanting Francesca when John was alive. It's also built in him inheriting John's title, something women in this show's universe can't do. He's "becoming" John in his mind. (He was also a rake, which I think is also difficult for a woman to be in this universe, but much more plausible.) Francesca's plot drivers also surround her infertility and her desire for children--Michael is very conscious of that, and is basically like "so what the fuck, are you only gonna marry me after I get you pregnant?" Francesca can excuse fucking him out of wedlock because it's like "let's see if he gets me pregnant, and if he does, I mUST marry him, oH NOOOOOOES". Francesca marrying Michael without knowing that she's pregnant with his baby is Francesca making a decision she has avoided making throughout the back half of that novel.

If Francesca's husband dies and she's left a wealthy widow... she can just be with his female cousin, tbh. Like. ON THE LOW. But that shit happened and it was much easier for a widow to be with her female partner as "companions" than it would be for a woman who was never married, right? The central tension of Francesca having to choose to be PUBLICLY with someone the way she'd have to be with Michael is gone, because according to the show's own logic, she can only be with a woman on the low. And that's an interesting story in itself, it's just not the same and it doesn't present the same emotional conflicts.

I say all this to argue that if they do that, they're not so much adapting WHWW as they are replacing it. And if people have a problem with that... Like, dude. It's whatever. They weren't gonna give you the WHWW you wanted anyway. I'm sure many will be up in arms.

And like, as someone who's always been pro "put Benedict with a man" (and I still am) I'll totally acknowledge that Sophie's story is dependent on her being a woman. Genderbending Sophie would change her story to an unrecognizable degree, the same way genderbending Michael's would/will his. But like. I think Benedict's book is shitty, and I think WHWW is not shitty. So to me, it always made sense to just totally change the bad book.

I know people are gonna hate that I just said "go ahead and change it because I think it's bad" but. That's my truth lmao. I have no great logical leap over why I would genderbend An Offer From a Gentleman over When He Was Wicked (if I had to choose) aside from "change the book that sucks, keep the book that is good overall the same with some changes because did Michael have to go to India and did we have to talk about an Indian princess being obsessed with him I think not Julia Quinn".

My IDEAL queer Bton would be Eloise because I think that.... not only does she read as a lesbian to me on the show............ her book is like, the worst, and it could actually be genderflipped while retaining its core, unlike Benedict's book or Francesca's. If SP was a widow with two kids and Eloise went to visit this widow friend and fell in love and they stayed in the country.... I mean, it's still different, but I don't think SP's character arc is necessarily as rooted in gender as Sophie's and Michael's are.

And there's a cynical part of me that says that if they do go with Francesca being queer, it's because they know they're gambling on whether or not they'll get renewed beyond s4, and they're making the Queer Bton the one who's kinda new to the audience and will have a b-plot for s3-s4 versus someone the audience knows, who may have a main love story, like Benedict or Eloise. Like. I see this show giving us a sapphic love story in the background for two seasons and being like "GIVE US OUR FLOWERS". I don't see them centering a sapphic love story as a season-leading romance. Dude, I can barely find a good historical romance novel that centers sapphic women lol.

ALL THAT BEING SAID. I support a queer Francesca. I support any queer Bton. Do I think the (online) fandom will? Meh. Do I think they should just get over this idea that the show is adapting their favorites like they would the books anyway? Yes for sure. THIS IS ALL A DIFFERENT THING. It being a different thing isn't why I'm over it, tbh; it being a bad different thing is the issue.

[bohemian-nights]

Is this a safe space to say that I don't care about Polin in S3? Colin is such a boring 1 dimensional character that easily gets overshadowed by Anthony and especially Benedict, and Penelope is just a whiny brat who just wants male validation and is jealous of Eloise. Also to act like she never said anything about the Brdgertons is a lie cause she had no problem talking about Daphne, had it not have been for her crush on Colin she would've gone on a jealous rant about his entire family. I know Polin is attractive to some people because of the representation of larger body types and the childhood friends to lovers trope but it's just boring. I can't name 1 intreseting thing about Colin other than he took a vacation and had psychedelic tea and Pen is not as progressive as she thinks she is she's just jealous and bitter. Also how is it that she's such an amazing writer that can communicate in so much detail but can't even communicate to Eloise when Eloise doesn't understand her perspective? She's quick to lash out at her as if Eloise is doing it on purpose, Eloise is not dumb and she has respect it's not like she insults women who want/desire love so there was no reason for Penelope to play victim.

This is totally a safe space because while I don't hate them I don’t particularly care for Polin either.

In the books it’s a bit better because Penelope isn’t as much of a snake), but she isn’t my fave by a long shot.

Penelope on the show is straight-up awful. She started pretty sympathetic, but then the Marina situation happened and that turned me completely off of her character. So by the time she had her falling out with Eloise(who did nothing wrong and has every right to be angry with her), I was already checked out.

Yes, she’s not very popular with the ton.* Yes not being seen sucks. Yes her mother is kind of mean to her and forces her to wear the most hideous outfits which is probably a turn-off for most men. Yes she wants Collin and he doesn’t want her and that sucks, but that’s no excuse for her actions.

Honestly, Penelope is half a step away from being a whole stalker and yet we are supposed to see ourselves in her or at least sympathize with her🫠

(I’m not going to get into her being bullied by Cressida since she’s nasty to everyone).

It’s kind of obvious though that Shonda sees herself in her which is why Penelope is promoted so much and given the angle she has been, but she’s a weirdo with insecurity issues.

To be honest, I thought she should’ve gotten a redemption arc before her season(she’s not unredeemable, she just needs to clean up her act), but it is what it is.

Now Collin both in the show and the books is incredibly dull to me. Yes, he has his traveling(and spoilers, his writing about his travels), but he’s just kind of there. He is just the third Bridgerton bro and while Luke Newton is attractive I feel nothing when I look at him playing Colin.

That cheesy promo they had the other day did nothing for me(well I did laugh, but I don’t think that’s the intended reaction). I don’t know what to say other than he’s just meh. To me, he’s not leading man material and I’m not seeing the chemistry with Penelope/her actress, but again it is what it is.

As far as representation goes, I’m not a plus-sized woman, but I know that it is important to see yourself and to want to see yourself represented on screen.

I think that’s the essence of Bridgerton/what it is trying to accomplish because let’s be honest period dramas are not very diverse. I think that Bridgerton has kind of changed that to a degree.

I don’t want to hype up the show too much cause it’s not perfect, but without this shows success I don’t think that films and shows like Tom Jones, Interview With the Vampire, The Confessions of Frannie Langton, Mr. Malcom’s List, The Buccaneers, and now The Davenports (which I’m excited for) would’ve been nesscary green-lit or the plot would’ve been changed to make it more diverse if not for Bridgerton.

I hate bringing this up, but I don’t even know if the dumbass showrunners of HOTD would’ve made the Velaryons Black if not for them looking at how successful Bridgerton is without understanding that the reason why it's successful is that they don't treat their Black characters like they leftovers. It’s about respect not just having people there to pat yourselves on the back and say look how progressive we are, but I digress.

I mean representation in terms of body type is not comparable to representation in terms of race, but it feels good when characters who look like you aren't shown in the worst light, when they are the main character, or when they have been given actual characterization and aren't made into a joke.

So I get why people love Penelope and Polin and understand why they are looking forward to their season, but personally, they just aren't my cup of tea.

That all being said, I’m still going to watch the season cause I love Bridgerton, I’m kind of hoping we’ll see Sophie this season

(Praying that she's Masali Baduza or just any Black actress 🙏🏽I’m not picky, as long as Sophie's actress is Black, you won’t see me complaining).

I’ll end this by saying that I’m a Benophie girl and while I’ve made peace with the fact that Polin got the lead instead(and I’m actually low-key glad they did), I don’t think this is going to blow my socks off, but I hope it gives the people who have been waiting for it everything they want.

[creative-time]

Dhmis TV Episode Ranking

Again these are just my personal opinions. So don’t get all defensive because I disrespected your favorite episode. But if you disagree, feel free to let me know in the ask box because I do feel that maybe I was a bit harsh

Episode 1 (Jobs): Pretty good, the songs are not as good as I hoped but still pretty good. The story kinda haults at points and I feel like it doesn’t really go anywhere but still near the top of the list! (Number 2)

Episode 2 (death): Best one in my opinion hands down, all the songs are just banger after banger. Coffin is one of my favorite characters outta the new bunch! I find myself rewatching only this episode all the time! Love the puppet grim reaper, top of the list!!! (Number 1)

Episode 3 (family): And now it’s time for: Creative Time Points Out All The Reasons They Have PTSD! Didn’t like this episode… that’s all I can say without me over-sharing. (Number 6)

Episode 4 (Friendship): Colin’s back must be hurting from carrying this episode. Again can’t really say much without over-sharing, yellow Guy is just like me fr, also the ending also triggered my ptsd very badly! 👍 also I think I speak for a lot of people when I say that the suicide joke was just not funny. (number 5)

Episode 5 (transport): Would be higher if the train didn’t fucking die during his banger of a song, I wanted to hear that. I think I kinda like the first half of these episodes in this bunch? Clump? Whatever. Tony was the highlight! (Almost cried when the gps said “just shriveled up I recon” we gonna get out outta there one day Mean Steve) was actually as boring as a car ride. (number 4)

Episode 6 (electricity): Electracey carried that episode, love smart yellow guy but… I just kinda didn’t really like this episode as much as everyone probably thinks I do, it’s just kinda mid, like the first half is great but the other half is just… meh to me? Which is how I feel about most of these episodes they start out strong but kinda fall off by the end? Which maybe was the point? I have straight up just skipped the big boy/bigger boy segments just to get to the ending faster. Still better than most of these episodes ngl (Number 3)

So the list in order of ranking!

1: Death

2: Jobs

3: Electricity

4: Transport

5: Friendship

6: Family

I’ll maybe do a character ranking but maybe I’ll do it in a video format!

[sanguine-salvation]

OOC Question // If you're comfortable talking about it, what part/s of cnon regarding Zsasz are you salty about and why?

// Heyhey! I'm totally comfortable with it! :D

Honestly, I'm totally over-dramatizing how 'salty' I get, just for the giggles, mostly because I'm not reaaaally a salty person, or I try not to be. I'm too tired a marshmallow to be on too much of a sodium-rich diet (though I do give in sometimes, sometimes I gotta do a holler!). I'm always just surprised when he gets brought into comics at all past being set dressing in a group shot at this point!

In general I'm disappointed when they write him as really stupid or very easy to best in a fight. Like, his introduction was all about how he was both pretty smart, enough to manipulate and have intelligent conversations with Jeremiah, and physically more of a threat than he appeared to be. Not that I think he should win his fights with Batman— fuckin' get his ass, Batsy— but like, they keep Zsasz in a cage within a cage within a cell half the time. The hellbeast is collared with six-foot poles and four orderlies at any given time. Let him be a little spicy as an antagonist.

The biggest specific one in my mind is I am not a fan of the Streets of Gotham portrayal? At least, not entirely. His motive in that was a little off, as well as him being that swayed and awed by like... a suitcase of money. Also using said money for Armani suits and building a intricate child fight ring feels weirdly out of character. Like, don't get me wrong, he's a hellbeast, but it just felt like another villain would have fit that particular storyline a lot better.

I kind of like some aspects of it though! I find it interesting that it tries to explore the visuals that Zsasz sees the world in. I like that he's a physical threat again and gets a very tense fight scene with Damian and Colin before he rightfully gets his whole ass royally kicked. And I will never not laugh at least a little at him casually pocketing all the steak knives from the table at his dinner meeting with Black Mask.

But in general, it's less salt and more 'meh, not my thing'. Comics canon is so sprawling and fluid and there's so many interpretations of characters that everyone's got one that they like, and that's chill vibes by me. 😎 Also the characterization of his motive varies in comics depending on writer. Anywhere from believing in a deeply flawed 'higher purpose', to thinking that they're 'helping', to pure apathetic malice, to batshit-wild blood-thirsty, to being a hired hitman with some extra spicy garnish, so canon is a wiggly world for him anyway.

[anghraine]

cressida-jayoungr replied to this post:

What do you think of Will Darcy from Bride and Prejudice? He is actually the version that most closely matches my own envisioning of the character from the book, allowing of course for the modern resetting. Interestingly enough, he doesn't seem particularly popular with the crowd who were drawn in by the Colin Firth version, though I wouldn't say he's *un*popular either.

I don't like him at all, I'm afraid! It's partly his actor, who I find extremely meh where Darcy has a lot of force of personality, and partly because the Will/Lalita set-up just doesn't have the right vibes for me and is unfortunately the weak point of the adaptation IMO.

I think Bride and Prejudice is pretty broadly popular, though—I don't think I've seen liking it (or liking their Darcy) split along 1995 vs 2005 fan lines.

[emilypemily]

i bought a ps2 from my work for the hell of it like a year ago bc we’re not allowed to sell electronics due to not having a PAT tester, so it was either it gets recycled and worth £1 (we get money for recycling) or i just buy it without it ever making the shop floor for, over £1. so i did! and now i have a ps2! cool! it cost me £2 :)

thing is is that it didn’t come with any controllers and i don’t have any games so it’s just been sitting in my assorted electronics shelf ever since, waiting for me to eventually get around to doing something with it

so! i have now, finally, ordered a controller online and a couple of games. i also plugged it all in to my telly just to see if it would actually turn on and like, show up on my screen. which it does! success! and although it didn’t come with any controllers or games, it did come with a memory card, which is useful.

the games i bought were deus ex, bc the only way to play it on a macbook requires more computer knowledge than i have, and a crash bandicoot game that i’m pretty sure i might have owned on gamecube at some point.

it’s funny, because i’ve been looking into original playstations, because me and my brother actually had one when we were little. it was blue and it was i think lent to us by someone my dad worked with. most of the games we had were just demo discs that used to come with magazines. but i think we did also have an actual full crash bandicoot game. so most of my fond memories are of the PS1, and asides from that we were always a nintendo family. one game i’m desperate to play again because of how much i loved the free demo is stuart little 2. that game ruled. or, the first level or two of that game ruled. maybe it all went downhill after that. 

also funny is that the blue playstation that was lent to us by my dad’s work friend at some point in the late 90s now goes for between £600-£1000 on ebay. i checked. i thought it wouldn’t be more than, idk, however much a N64 goes for. (another console i am after but costs more than my £2 PS2). (Our dad gave ours away to a neighbour’s kids and we never forgave him). the reason it’s so expensive is bc it’s a something something debugging station that i did read the wikipedia page for and understood not one single bit of.

anyway, i am looking forward to playing my two games. i have never played deus ex but i’ve just watched that three and a half hour video on it’s meh prequel. the crash bandicoot game was just thrown in there for variety. i think both games together cost £11. the controller was £15. and i’m sure i could have just walked into CeX and bought one rather than order it from their online shop with shipping charges, but... i didn’t. i’m not smart.

the benefit of having a ps2 is that, unlike the gamecube, it’s significantly easier to find game for it second hand in shops. it is so incredibly rare to find nintendo games in general second hand, and especially gamecube games. i actually think about this a lot and wonder what analysis could be made here, but i don’t care enough to put any time into it beyond initial observation.

it’s getting harder and harder to type because colin is now lying on my arm, so i’ll leave it here.

[facepalming-since-chernobyl]

So if anyone cares (no one does lol), here's the summation of my Sliders watch/rewatch: I finished season 4 and like I remembered before, enjoyed most of it (I suspect the reason some fans hated it was because the Quinn/Wade shippers hated Maggie, fortunately I never shipped anyone on this show). Most of the episodes were great and some fun comedy ones too (Lipschitz Live was a hoot, so was Just Say Yes and Way Out West). Only a few ones that were meh/I hated were World Killer (lame), The Chasm (totally sucked and I remember it being hated back then too) and Net Worth (boring) and the tech Romeo/Juliet episode (meh). I really am having a hard time getting into season 5 - not just the cast changes but it feels dull, pointless and flat and their reasons for why Quinn and Colin aren't there are weird and nonsensical (but I don't speak science). Pretty obviously they were having a tough time explaining why their lead characters suddenly vanished but I honestly think they were better off either killing them off or cancelling the show - so few shows survive not one but two leads leaving. And the characters/actors replacing them were so blah too, no offense to Tembi Locke and dude who plays Mallory whose name I'm not bothering to IMDB. Jury's out on whether I'll finish and since it got cancelled after this one maybe I'm better off not wasting my time. Any suggestions on my next watch/rewatch? I would've preferred Dark Angel or Due South but neither is on US streaming so I'm thinking Angel or Psych. Watched season 1 of Angel but lost interest after that and watched the first few episodes of Psych and lost interest after that too, I remember it being funny though and it's always fun to watch Vancouver-filmed shows and see the same actors over and over from other shows filmed there.

Oh God, for some reason I was sure I responded to it, SORRY ANON ;_:

Hmm, I don't think they played here s5, thank God? xD

Well, Dark Angel is super cool and there is JENSEN in s2 but they cancelled it, so story is not finished. I think they have written some books but people complained thet sucked. And if you won't like Logan x Max it's hard to watch.

I liked Angel but i think I didn't finish it.

I think you already have watched all sci fi old shows xD Maybe Andromeda? If cou can stomach Kevin Sorbo, first 3 seasons were not bad. I'm trying to make myself watch Babylon 5 but me and shows are still not on the same page xD

Anyway, again sorry for super late answer. Hope you are well :)

ps. you can always rewatch Arrowverse shows :PPPPPPPPP

[rqgnarok]

The thing about nates redemption is that I expected it to be a big focal point of this season and i was looking forward to it given how well they tackled rebecca’s and jamie’s but….ive been disappointed in the way its played out. There are things ive liked, like the way they show nate gradually becoming more self-confident and hating himself less, and how this causes him to treat other people more kindly, too. And maybe if this wasnt the last season then that would be enough. But i think the fact that nate hasn’t actually taken any strides to make amends (with ted, at least) is what’s making the whole arc feel a little incomplete. And i know it’s coming, i know he’ll obviously apologize to ted and maybe even beard. and I think the apology he gave to will was great. But it just doesn’t feel like enough. Idk for me maybe its less of a Nate specific problem and more of a ‘this season a whole has felt directionless.’ They wasted so much time on zava and shandy and didn’t spend nearly enough time actually like. Really focusing on Nate and Ted and the specific pain of that betrayal and their relationship as a whole. And I guess I also dont like how jade plays into it all either. Idk sorry for rambling on in your inbox but i guess my point is its ridiculous for people to be upset that nate is getting a redemption arc, something that was always going to happen given the kind of story this is. But I understand people’s frustrations with how the show has actually gone about it.

i do agree they wasted a lot of time in the zava/shandy storylines- zava i understand his purpose, making the team come to terms about their bond and getting to play the way they are now- shandy i do think was completely useless lol.

every time one of the main characters breaks from the group, in this case, nate, i'm always afraid that the show won't do them justice when trying to divide the time between the main characters now that they aren't in one same place or environment. most of what we've seen of nate has been pretty meh, him being an asshole and having small and rare moments of "huh, maybe i'm being an asshole" but him saying no to rupert and then suddenly quitting with no explanation did feel like going from a 0 to a 100. i would've liked seeing abetter build up to that and not waste time with shandy like we did (literally, what was the point of her at all?).

also, the roykeeley break up not being brought up until this week's episode and seeing roy getting "unstuck" from whatever was bothering him when we hardly talked about it (other than the speech he did about enjoying himself instead of leaving chelsea) didn't sit right with me. the lack of sharon also makes me a little sad tbh, i feel like she could've been of great help around ted and michelle's storyline (like, she was there but not really? and suddenly hanging up on ted like she does feels a little out of character tbh), along with colin and isaac's, sam's, roy's...... we have what, two episodes left? i hope they tie all these loose ends and have many many important conversations we haven't had yet.

i completely understand not liking how they're doing nate's redemption arc, but people who are mad he's getting one is like ???? you do know what show we're watching, right?

and don't worry about rambling! it's always nice to talk ted lasso with someone who understands!

[tiodolma]

Oh, this is fun! What if they end up in the Starz universe next? BBC Merlin wakes up as Lord Henry after having yet another nightmare of dying and BBC Morgana wakes up as Anna, a servant at the newly established Camelot.

Lord Henry comes in the company of his friend Lady Morgan, while Anna just serves people. Neither remember who they are until their eyes meet and Merlin and Morgana remember and both are cursing, because, dammit, seriously!?

It doesn't help that both notice that their counterparts are idiots.

hooo boy... these scenarios fkjafakj

im guessing Henry/Merlin is pretty much some kind of Lord

Anna/Morgana would be one of the women who took refuge in Camelot

sorry im too busy picturing colin morgan with long hair/scruff and luxurious cloak.while katie mcgrath wears simple medieval garments.

....

so basically lord henry is trying to look for his quarters before arthur's feast commence. when he finds his room (which is small) he bumps into the girl who was assigned by guinever. They both scream in pain and fall down. When they wake up they remember.

Henry: You!

Anna: You!

Henry: ...I know you

Anna: No

Henry: Morgana!

Anna: This can't be

Henry: It's you isn't it? Morgana? You..you look the same

Anna: What is happening to us, Merlin!?

Henry: You remember me!

Anna: You died! you died on me! and Arthur!

Henry: I didn't want to.

Anna: Wait... there is a Merlin in this world as as well.

Henry: I am Lady Morgan Pendragon's..friend and you live here...with King Arthur..

Anna: Oh no.

Henry: Oh no.

----------------

The items in the room shake, both their eyes grow gold and they hold onto each other.

Anna: You have to make it stop!!

Henry: I don't know how!

Out of fear he embraces Anna tightly and the magic seems to calm down. The objects stop moving. Guinervere bursts into the room in alarm and sees them in an embrace. They pull apart quickly

Guinever: Oh you two know each other?

Henry: Lady Gwen-Guinever, she was uh. helping me rest.

Anna: I-I'll take my leave (rushes out of the room)

............................

Starz Merlin senses a disturbance in the force.

Starz Merlin: Something is not right.

.............................

Henry hurries to the feast and gets teased for being a little late.

Lady Morgan: Ah Lord Henry here has taken a fancy to one of your ladies, dear brother!

King Arthur: I am glad you found pleasurable company here in my humble castle Milord.

Lord Henry: (chuckles nervously) ...she-she's a bright young thing um..sire. It is of no consequence.

Lady Morgan: Oh you must make sure Lord Henry is well attended to, Lady Guinevere.

Guinevere: (baffled) ...i-indeed

Merlin: (stares suspiciously)

Anna: (in mindspeak) what the hell are you doing! I now look like your whore!

Henry: (chokes on his wine and glances around the room) Morgana!? Are you listening in?! AND I CAN HEAR YOU IN MY HEAD! This is great!

Anna: I honestly thought wouldn't work

Henry: This makes things easier for us i suppose

Leontes: Milord perhaps you are searching for a certain dame tonight?

(everyone on the table laugh)

Henry: I was just marvelling at the.. wonderful interior.

Lady Morgan: (raises eyebrow) I am intrigued, Lord Henry. This is the first time I've seen you so besotted. Dear Guinevere, I suppose you can bring this wonderful servant girl in?

Guinevere: She isn't really a serving girl my lady. Anna a daughter of a minor noble that have sought refuge here after the raids. She helps me sometimes

Lady Morgan: Well then, get her inside. You don't mind Arthur, right?

King Arthur: meh, it's all good fun

,,,,,,

Anna is brought inside and made to sit beside Henry. They're both very nervous. Merlin can sense power from both of them but he couldnt understand. He keeps glaring bloody murder at the two.

......

FEAST END. MERLIN FINDS HENRY IN THE DARK

............

Merlin: What are you and what do you want? What did you do to Henry?!

Henry: N-nothing! I am Henry! You know me, Merlin! My father has been loyal to Uther for a long time! You knew me as a childe!

Merlin: (holds Henry's wrist and sees him kill the serving girl in one scene and embrace a dying blonde haired king in the same world. The scene changes and he sees Henry dying in the arms of the serving girl in another... A young blonde king lies on the corner, breathing) You.. what are you...

Henry: I...

Anna: MERLIN! (both men turn to her as she pushes starz merlin out the way and puts herself in front of henry) STAY AWAY FROM HIM!

Merlin: (crazed look in his eye. he tilts his head) You called him... Merlin...

Anna: No.. I.. I...

Merlin: You died... He killed you with a sword... Excalibur..

Anna and Henry both pale

Merlin: And then he died...protecting you... a queen...

Merlin: You are... a...

Lady Morgan: WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?

Merlin: ...Morgan

[slightly-obssesed]

Also why did wwdits decide to entirely skip over angsty Nandor traveling, Nadja and Guillermo in London and Laszlo being a single dad to baby Colin? Not even one episode of it?

Now that the season is almost over and had a pretty meh plot that's bugging me more than it did at the beginning. That big cliffhanger meant nothing.

[killian-whump]

I have an honest question. Recently I watched "The Right Stuff". I'm a big fan of the Space era and a Colin fan since the OUAT times. The show has everything to be awesome, and yet it felt off somehow. It never caught my interest, I found myself checking my phone in the middle of the episodes and even if I wanted to love it, I didn't and I can't pin-point why. What's your opinion about all of this? I really wanted to love it but I didn't and I feel terrible because it's a historical era I love!

Meh.

It basically tried to give the soap opera treatment to the home lives of the Mercury 7, when... Well, really, their home lives weren't that interesting. The interest lies in what they did in their professional lives, but that wasn't the intended focus.

And in order to give the astronauts' home lives and wives enough gusto to make a solid "soap opera" out of them... the writers had to rely on good ol' poetic license, exaggeration, heresay and rumors... and flat-out making shit up right and left.

My sister is an astronomer. She lives and works at one of the biggest planetariums in the US, and she and her fellow space nerds at the planetarium were looking forward to the show. After the first episode, my sister informed me that "they might be portraying astronauts, but they're not portraying the Mercury 7." She and her co-workers pretty universally hated it and felt it was an insult to the legacy of the forefathers of manned space travel in America. Like, they didn't just not like it - it literally pissed them all off.

None of this is Colin's fault or any of the other actors' faults. Honestly, I thought they all turned in some pretty great performances, and the production values were through the roof in quality. I mean, you could tell you were watching a ~show~ that a lot of care and effort went into making on almost every level. I was always left impressed by the quality of the show itself. Directing, acting, set dressing... I mean, that was a top notch five star production right there. Great stuff.

Shame the writing sucked 🤷‍♀️