#philippa : ok so don't be mad

[patroclusdefencesquad]

also sorry the mental image of philippa having to go back to dijkstra and tell him she accidentally set radovid and jaskier up on a date is hysterically funny to me

[period-dramallama]

I listened to a podcast about Jane Eyre featuring Philippa Gregory and it was OK but it was depressing that even when it comes to a single work of fiction, Gregory can't keep her facts straight.

Which is fine if it's an offhand reference but it isn't! The whole podcast is about this one book! You should know the facts of the book you're critiquing!

"First he's tricked by Cecile then he's tricked by a mad woman."

That's straight up NOT what the text says. That ain't even Celine's name. Like by all means, interpret Rochester as a liar. Say he's lying. But know what he's actually SAYING.

And no, Jane isn't 'unquestioning'. She comes to the wrong conclusion but she absolutely questions. So if you want a biddable young bride who doesn't question and does as she's told...don't ask the girl who's refused since day 1 to flatter you or humour you. Lmao.

[madam-o]

The Nevers on HBO (small spoilers)

Joss Whedon created "The Nevers" but I'm going to ignore his involvement. Partly because he's a piece of shit, but also because a lot of other people were involved in the making of this show and I'm sure they put their hearts and souls into it. Anyway he only wrote one episode and directed three before dropping out of the show entirely late last year. They're definitely not marketing it with his name attached. The new showrunner is executive producer Philippa Goslett.

Wikipedia calls it an American show but it absolutely doesn't feel like it, probably because it was filmed 100% in England with a UK crew and no American actors (lol ok with one notable exception). The writing doesn't even have that "Americans writing about English people" feel. The writers, producers, and cast are all nicely diverse and predominantly women, which I'm guessing is why it doesn't feel like a Whedon series.

It's kinda steampunky, kinda not. There's definitely some science fiction to it but it mostly stays grounded in a believably historical Victorian London. It's not too Doctor Who or Firefly in tone, is what I mean.

The pilot is surprisingly sober for a story about an outcast populace of "mutants" referred to as the Touched ("The Nevers" is one of those odd titles that isn't ever said in the actual show). It's a mostly chatty hour of our cast coming together to introduce themselves and converse in a chilly manner. Most of these characters are unfriendly, if not downright nasty pieces of work.

The Touched are mostly female and have had odd powers bestowed upon them by...well I won't ruin it, but it's pretty wild and unexpected. Most people consider them cursed and a threat to the status quo. Many of their powers are pretty by the book (invulnerability, super strength, firebending, future sight, etc) while others are more strange. Apparently there are hundreds of them. And since those affected tend not to be male, white, and rich, those who are those three things think it necessary to do something about the Touched.

The cast is a chef's kiss of familiar English TV faces. My favorite grumpy bastard, Pip Torrens (formerly of Preacher and Poldark fame) plays the sinister establishment plotmaster against the Touched, Lord Massen, because of course he does. James Norton does a 180 from his role in Grantchester to play the inevitable posh hedonist who's part of an insidious secret society/pagan sex cult. The one American addition is Denis O'Hare (AHS) hamming it up beautifully as some mad scientist type. I mean there's a LOT of characters and that's barely scratching the surface. I haven't even mention the women yet, who are all perfect.

I watched the pilot twice in a row and yeah...it was really, really good. I definitely think there's some intriguing mysteries in there. It's not silly or insulting of my intelligence. Unlike some shows by Whedon I don't see that "sexy young female character trying to be a kickass feminist icon" thing he does in this. So yay for not pandering to us for once, I guess.