If I had a Nielsen Box

Channel Description:

Latest Articles in this Channel:

07/19/11--11:41: Bitching (chan 2094318)

If SUP is going to put a mobile version of LJ on wide beta (or whatever), probably the first thing they should do is make sure people can actually log into it. If they can't handle that, it would be swell if the Full Version of LiveJournal actually worked.

Posted via LiveJournal.app.




08/23/11--11:12: The Pumpkin Patch State (chan 2094318)

So wow, I guess there was just an earthquake in Virginia (boosette?) that I felt all the way here! It's the first earthquake I've ever felt.

In other Georgia weirdness, feast your eyes on our new state license plate:





I'm pretty sure this is the ugliest license plate I've ever seen, plus the peaches look like pumpkins. Maybe this is some sort of sneaky ploy to get everyone to splurge on vanity plates...


08/30/11--17:23: DIAF Netflix (chan 2094318)

It's weird timing that Steve Jobs resigned yesterday (oh, if you guys only knew how many LJ entries I start that I never finish...) since I've been meaning to post about how I just got a new Mac! My beautiful shiny white pre-Intel iMac finally died back in May, and I decided to wait until Lion came out to replace it. (That's part of the reason I've been so quiet lately. I've been keeping up with my f'list on my iPhone, but not so much with the commenting.) I went for the Mini, which is great so far. It took me a couple tries to find a monitor that lived up to the Apple displays I've been spoiled by, but I ended up with a nice ASUS. And seriously, if you ever have ANY QUESTIONS about buying a monitor? Hit me up. I am practically an expert now. e___e

Anyway, this post is not about Macs! It is about things I used to love that are screwing me over! Barnes & Noble is downgrading their members card to a 10% discount from the old 20% discount, which totally bites. And I'm about to cancel my DVDs with Netflix, since they jacked up their price on me a SECOND time this year. And the most annoying part is how that's what they want.

But in a lame effort to screw them over (since I've always been the sort of person they make money off of, the sort of person who keeps their DVDs for three weeks at at time) I've spent July and August trying to watch a lot of movies. Mostly I failed, but have a movie post anyway.

Nights of Cabiria (1957)

FLAWLESS MOVIE. And not as depressing as I thought it would be because Cabiria is so resilient. (Which is the point of the movie, obviously.) She picks herself up, dusts herself off, and by the time the movie fades to black, she's already starting to smile. I felt like she'd be okay. Since, you know, movie characters live on past the credit reel. WHATEVER, THEY TOTALLY DO.

But I get why Blair ~weeps at the end since it's BRUTAL. The movie is almost manipulative, you know? She's cynical about praying to Mary at the festival, but she's moved to ask for a miracle. And she thinks Oscar is her miracle. Her house is such a point of pride, and she sells it to be with Oscar. She was so suspicious of his motives, but by the end she trusts him completely. She really thought she got her happily ever after. My emotions, etc.




The Earrings of Madame de... (1953)

LOL, the end shocked me because the movie seemed so jaunty! I thought maybe the husband and wife would fall in love. WOW, THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN. (Although I guess it kinda did since the General realizing he loved his wife and going all Jealous Husband on her lover is what ruined everything?)

Anyway, this was so good and *so* well-made. Loved the running joke where no one ever remembers Madame's last name. Loved the paralleled scenes of the General bidding his wife and mistress goodbye on the train. Loved all of the dramatic irony surrounding those! infernal! earrings! And the Time Has Passed ballroom sequence where Madame and the Baron fall in love is completely flawless. It goes on and on and on, and just when you're getting tired of it? Cut to the band bitching about how this couple is always the last to leave the dance floor. And they start quitting one by one, and the butler is putting out the candles, and they're still dancing in an empty room with no music. I want to watch more from this director just because I loved the style of this movie so very much. Is La Ronde good?




I Know Where I'm Going (1945)

I've watched so many old movies with sad endings lately that I halfway expected Torquil to die a tragic death when he stepped into the cursed castle at the end. But the curse came true in the most adorable way possible instead, yay.

But honestly, I find fullscreen black and white movies to be awkward when beautiful scenery is so integral to the plot/feel. I have the same issue with Rebecca.




The Apartment (1960)

ANOTHER FLAWLESS MOVIE. From the description I expected a lot of rom-com shenans, but to me it seemed like it was more about being someone you're proud to be. Fran hates herself. She feels guilty about seeing a married man, she feels cheap, she says she likes her broken mirror because it makes her look the way she feels. Bud lets everyone walk all over him. He's a joke, his promotions are misbegotten, he's "Buddy Boy." And their issues collide at the apartment; Fran tries to kill herself there, and it's the symbol of Bud's ~impotence as a person... which is hilariously the exact opposite of how his neighbors think of him. It's phenomenally well-written, the acting is great... it's kinda perfect.




Brief Encounter (1945)

This is the story of an affair between two married people who meet at a train station. My favorite part is the structure. It opens on a very awkward encounter -- a man and woman caught up in an intense, loaded moment that gets interrupted by an unwelcome acquaintance. They bid each other a polite goodbye, and the woman returns home where she imagines explaining her affair to her husband. By the end of the movie, all the weirdness in the opening scene makes sense.

My least favorite part is that I don't think the chemistry between the leads supported the story line. I thought she seemed as happy buying her husband that birthday gift as she did at any of the high points of her affair. But actually, maybe that was the point? Her happiness with the doctor is a selfish, destructive happiness. Her happiness with her husband is a giving, productive happiness. I guess the movie is a conventional take on marriage in that sense because it definitely endorses the latter. And I suppose I am a conventional person (oh noes) because I did find the ending pretty satisfying...






The anon who recommended this (♥ whoever you are) said The Apartment was inspired by a scene from this movie? This is definitely that scene. The doctor borrows the key to a colleague's apartment in the city so they can have all the sex there. But this scene would have stood out to me even if I hadn't known that bit of trivia because it's the only scene from the doctor's perspective. I mean, the woman is our narrator! He had to hustle her out of there! This scene should not even exist! But it does, and it inspired an Oscar-winning movie. Weird, right?




Head-On / Gegen die Wand

May be triggering for rape/assault.

This is a German/Turkish movie about two suicidal people who meet in rehab and get married. Which makes it sound like a quirky black comedy or a rom-com. IT IS NOT.

This was a really chaotic viewing experience. When it was over I was like WHAT DID I JUST WATCH. When I try to sort it out in my head, I guess what stands out to me is the idea of prison. Sibel's life with her traditional Turkish parents, Cahit's grief and alcoholism, the psych ward they meet in -- all of that is like prison. Cahit literally ends up in prison, and Sibel has to flee to Turkey where she describes her empty life with her workaholic aunt as a figurative prison. And at the very end they're supposed to escape together... but Sibel doesn't show up, so they don't.




I was sad for Sibel. Cahit is ~reborn after he gets out of prison; his plan is literally to return to the city where he was born. But Sibel's (suicidal, basically) attempt to rebel ends with her lying in the middle of a street after a series of despair-inducing scenes where she is raped, beaten, and stabbed. Depressingly, I think her daughter was probably conceived when she was raped and represents her failed attempt to escape middle class/Turkish values. All Sibel wanted was to live her life as fully as possible on her own terms, and the closest she ever came to that required her to marry Cahit. And Cahit falling in love with Sibel probably saved his life, but it basically ruined hers.

Also, apparently this actress is in Game of Thrones? She has a different nose, though, because the world sucks and people are shallow. I thought she was beautiful in the movie just the way she was, I don't understand why everyone has to have the same boring nose. :(




Amazing Grace

This is that William Wilberforce biopic that documents the political process of the abolition of slavery in England. It was not very good. It didn't manage the 20+ year timespan of events very well. It was sanitized and cheesy and not very well-made. (i.e. Why would you kill off a character and then immediately cut to the grave of an entirely different character?) Ioan Gruffuld is ridiculously hot in most of it, though. I can't believe he's going to be a CW actor! I wonder if he's all FML about it.

WHO ALL IS WATCHING THE RINGER, BTW?




Morning Glory

Imagine what The Devil Wears Prada would have been like if the relationship between Andrea and Miranda hadn't worked at all because Meryl Streep was awful in it? Pretty much this. The movie hinges on Harrison Ford and Rachel McPerfect's relationship, and it doesn't work because Harrison Ford's portrayal of his character is so OTT. And the turnaround at Day Break <<< Andy's turnaround at Runway. (Probably because it depended more on the writer and less on Patricia Field, t b q h.) It's too bad Rachel McAdams didn't take DWP when it was offered to her, because this was inferior.




The Stepfather (2009)

DREADFUL.



How To Train Your Dragon

This is SO DELIGHTFUL. If you haven't seen it, you should! My bb sister is still pretty young, so I have seen more than my fair share of forgettable family movies and enjoyed the vast majority of them ngl, like Rio and Monsters and Aliens and stuff. But this is Pixar quality, and the two main characters are really well-drawn. The movie is gorgeous, there's a decent female love interest, a homage to the magic carpet ride in Aladdin, and a really great, really brave ending for a kid's movie.




Monte Carlo

If Disney had produced this, it would have been much better and much prettier. (I mean, bare minimum I expected travel porn that would make me want to kill myself that I've never been out of the country.) And there were so many jokes where my theatre stayed completely, awkwardly SILENT. Like the 25lb lobster or the embarrassingly basic jokes about tiny hotel rooms and European outlets.

But the actresses were all so presh and perfect together, and Leighton and Selena's romances were pretty cute. I guess the most disappointing thing is that the movie actually had a pretty great setup for story lines between the female leads going into their trip to Paris, but the movie chose to flesh out those stories in their relationships with boys instead of with each other.

P.S. What is up with Machu Picchu being everywhere lately?




Captain America

Better than I expected. Not great. The twist at the end was excellent, but I hate how the Marvel movies are getting weighed down with setup for the Avengers clusterfuck. (Question: Is the glowy blue cube the element Howard Stark left to Tony that now powers his suit?) And we didn't get to see Red Skull ~vanquished, did we? It was like he got sucked up into another dimension or something, all like SEE U IN THE SEQUEL.

Also, me and my sisters decided the part where he "dies" at the end was basically a less emotionally wrenching version of the opening action sequence from J.J. Abrams' Star Trek. We enjoyed the blatant homage to Star Wars, though.




The Red Shoes (1948)

Amazing movie. Definitely the most memorable part is the ballet sequence, which basically lays out the entire plot. I love it so much! The scenery is based on surrealist and expressionist art, and it's gorgeous:





These are just some caps of my two favorite scenes from the ballet. (BTW, sorry for how blah these little picspams are! I was making them on a blah computer with blah caps I took off of Netflix.)

I guess The Red Shoes is about the pursuit of greatness and the sacrifices you have to make to be great? TIME RUSHES BY. LOVE RUSHES BY. LIFE RUSHES BY. BUT THE RED SHOES DANCE ON. Except it's not like Vicky or Julian were any less brilliant after they fell in love. That was all Lermontov's projection... because he was jealous and obsessed with Vicky? But I guess to really get what Powell and Pressburger were trying to say, you have to go back to the fairy tale and see Lermontov as the demonic shoemaker and the representation of Vicky's desire to be great, not necessarily as his own character? It's a very thematically-driven movie.



I conscientiously objected to Harry Potter 7.2, so that's the only reason I'm not complaining about that.

P.S. Wow, Tassimo's French Roast coffee discs are really disgusting.


09/12/11--18:54: even a broken clock is right twice a day (chan 2094318)

So my littlest sister's school has this new thing called Parent Portal where parents have total access to their children's grades. Homework, quizzes, projects -- ev er y thing. And when you receive a failing grade or don't turn something in, it sends your parents an automated e-mail letting them know that you failed or haven't turned something in. I FEEL SO SORRY FOR HER.

On the other hand, I admit my middle/high school grades would have been better if my parents knew every grade I made. But it's gotta be a drag to have to explain every C you make or anything you don't turn in on time. I think part of growing up is having these boundaries from your parents and being able to make your own choices in school, so I don't really know what I think about this.

---

Also, roundabouts where I live there is this very strange little fast-food restaurant. It's unique, as far as I know, and they specialize in southern-style biscuits. They serve breakfast and lunch, but it's always been a mystery to me how they stay in business at all since they are almost always empty. Half the time I think it's finally closed down.

But then sometimes? It's jam-packed. It's so strange! So I've been joking that it's some super-duper-secret CIA headquarters, and they have their meetings there every few weeks. Just a joke to explain the discrepancy. And this past week I was with my sister and she told me 'Oh, that's my friend S's favorite restaurant!' And I was like WHAT. And she was like 'Yeah, she loves their biscuits!' Her friend's dad is FBI and her friend's mom is former CIA. Just saying!

Okay, I know I am silly. I also invent money laundering schemes to explain long-lived, unspeakably awful local restaurants. But stiiiillll.


09/15/11--19:35: Fall TV (chan 2094318)

Major RL headaches today, ugh.

The Ringer

1. Sarah Michelle Gellar. I never thought she was fantastic, but she was really not any good. It's like I could see every acting muscle working overtime, and it looked exhausting, plus she didn't manage to make me feel anything at all for Bridget, and Sioban just seems like a sociopath.

2. It looks so amateur, no wonder CBS didn't pick it up. I guess some people say it was intentional, to mimic the style of a Hitchcock film? But it wasn't stylized enough, it didn't really establish its own distinctive look, so in the end it just looked bad.

3. The writing. There were so many little things that just irked, so many expositiony moments that felt off. Like Bridget answering her phone (Sioban's phone) and saying nothing, waiting for the other person to talk. I mean, who does that? It's not like she didn't say anything because she's not Sioban and felt awkward about answering it/didn't realize it was her phone ringing, because...

4. It felt like it was so easy for Bridget to take over Sioban's life. Like, she's literally stepping into her shoes and she's married and she has this troubled step-daughter and a "home" she's a stranger to, and who knows what kind of job... and the drama is that she's sleeping with her best friend's husband? I mean, it was like it was easy for her to do this.

5. I don't get how Bridget disabled a trained U.S. marshall. I need some backstory on her pronto because it's hard to be concerned for her in that first scene since I know she's more than capable of defending herself.

Anyway, I didn't like it. I can't relate to or feel anything for any of the characters, and there's actually no real mystery right now except WHY Sioban wants to fake her death and what Bridget had to do with Sean's death (I assume), and I'm not sticking around for answers.

TVD



Stefaaaaaaaaaan! :(



So I watched this with my sisters, who are awesome TV-watching partners, and we were all yelling at Elena to PICK UP THE PHONE PICK UP THE PHONE PICK IT UP PICK IT UP PICK IT UUUUUPPPP. Which was pretty much the most exciting moment of the premiere for us. So, you know. Kind of not as exciting as I'm used to TVD being. I blame Klaus.



Seriously, can Klaus just die? Also, werewolf/vampire hybrids are stupid. Bring back Elijah and kill Klaus, plz.



I'm probably the only person on my f'list who hates Klaus, aren't I?



View Poll: #1778880





I actually laughed at Tyler's mom shooting Caroline. Poor bb, always being attacked by Tyler's friends and family.



Damn, Forwood! Unf. I expected it to be dragged out, but I guess going with the friends with benefits story line makes for some comic relief and good times.



My sisters and I argued over which was the dickest of dick moves: Matt refusing to speak to or wait on Caroline/Tyler or Caroline and Tyler eating at the restaurant where Matt would have to wait on them? I give it to Matt since technically Caroline and Tyler are not dating, but mostly because I've yet to see any evidence The Grill isn't the only restaurant in Mystic Falls, rme.



Jeremy! I felt bad that he tried to tell Matt, but Matt didn't understand. Maybe wanted to misunderstand a little, even. Poor Jeremy. It's nice to see Anna and Vicky, though?



I have no clue what they will do with Alaric. What he said about him being a bad role model and an enabler was totally true, because that's why I dislike his relationship with Damon.



All in all this was a pretty strange episode? Damon has obviously stepped up in Stefan's absence, but he also seems subdued and unhappy, but at the same time not desperate for Stefan's return. I can't really get a read on him? A lot of things I was worried would play out OTT or gross (like Damon being naked at Elena and that scene with the white dress) were really innocuous in context. But Damon's line about how Stefan was gone and wasn't coming back -- not in Elena's lifetime, anyway -- was the most emotionally loaded moment for me, besides watching Stefan and realizing Damon was wrong and he hadn't ~flipped the switch~ or whatever.

THANK GOD TV IS BACK. I MISSED IT SO. Here is what I am watching this season:

Gossip Girl, probably. It has a short leash, tho.
The Vampire Diaries
The Good Wife
Downton Abbey
The Mentalist, which is my procedural
Revenge, unless it sucks


09/21/11--23:04: flaw-free f'list + flawless ladies = flawlessness (chan 2094318)

myfriendamy mentioned e-readers have boosted sales of romance novels with racy covers that people are ashamed of purchasing IRL or reading in public. I BELIEVE IT. Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier is one of my favorite books of all time. When I was in 9th grade, I left my copy behind on the bus. It was a paperback with a really dumb, ugly cover: Rebecca in gigantic, curly gold font on a red satin background.

The next day, my bus driver asked if anyone was missing a book. Before I could say anything, one of the other kids yelled WHAT KIND OF BOOK. She was like, "It's a romance novel." And the entire bus burst into laughter and 'oooooh's. SO I NEVER GOT MY BOOK. I was too embarrassed! First I was embarrassed to admit that it was mine in front of everyone, but THEN I was even more embarrassed I'd pretended it wasn't mine. SMH.

-----

I wish womenlovefest had more notice in advance so I could have participated. But so many people on my f'list did it, have some of my favorite posts of theirs:



thmaymuc wondered why people hate Betty Draper (Mad Men) + her favorite caps


dysenchanted2's favorite thing about Bel Rowley (The Hour)


lesoleilluna picspammed Vanessa's (GG) style + story lines she wishes had happened


pathstotread wrote about Mary (Downton Abbey) and her sisters + a Matthew/Mary mix


12_12_12 wrote about Caroline (TVD) and her mom.


spankmypirate defended Deb Morgan (Dexter)


artemis_sparks picspammed human!Darla (Angel)


09/22/11--09:20: Chuck/Blair Meta (chan 2094318)

This post is a maaassive analysis of Chuck and Blair's arc, Seasons 2-4. I feel your judgement, and I accept it.





There's been so much I don't get about Chuck/Blair. I'd like to get it, if only because Blair is my favorite, and I hate not understanding her story line. Plus there was such a lot of new information to process in those last three episodes.

I can't at my own pretentiousness, but I see three "levels" to Chuck/Blair's narrative:

1. Games - The episode-to-episode damage between Chuck and Blair.
2. Labels - The characterization explaining why Chuck and Blair play games: Blair is a "weakling" and Chuck is a "coward"
3. Narcissism / Codependency - The psychology of why Blair is weak and why Chuck is a coward




01. GAMES I mean, obviously. Chuck/Blair has been a near-constant battle. Games were part of the foundation of their relationship ("You and I bonded over a mutual love of scheming"), games were part of their undoing. Season 2 is inundated with dialogue about games and stakes, winning and losing. Games + Chuck and Blair's king and queen pretensions = every chess and war cliche reference in the history of ever. Also obviously, games aren't the point. S2's sabotage, schemes, wagers, and ~seductions are just a way for Chuck and Blair to channel their feelings for each other into a safer type of interaction. They lie that the game is what they both enjoy about their relationship, but they're really just afraid to be more than frenemies. BLAIR: If I say it then Chuck wins. DAN: But... if you say it then you get him and you win. BLAIR: No, I lose. CHUCK: I thought you were ready to tell me how you really felt. Obviously it was just another one of your games. BLAIR: Tell me if what you feel for me is real, or if it's just a game. S3 is a metaphorical chess game, and Chuck and Blair struggle to play on the same team. Blair is controlling. Chuck is both distrustful and untrustworthy. The game culminates in a ~war with Jack for the ~Empire, in which Blair protects her ~king and Chuck sacrifices his ~queen. CHUCK: In order to be a team, we have to focus our duplicity on others. BLAIR: It's a queen's job to protect her king. Chuck should be thanking me for making his club possible, not treating me like some useless pawn. JACK: I told Chuck I'd take either you or the hotel. He chose to give me you. * IDK if all these shots of checkered floor in 3x17 were on purpose, but this had to be. In S4, references to royalty are thick on the ground. Chuck declares war on Blair, and Serena and Nate broker an actual peace treaty (complete with actual territorial disputes) between them. Like S2, the war is just a way to suppress their feelings. Neither wants to admit that they still love each other. CHUCK: This means war, Blair. Me versus you. No limits. SERENA: We've witnessed the Waldorf-Bass wars firsthand. We know you both. You have nuclear capability. CHUCK: Humphrey, the intricacies of our war games are too complex for a prole like you to fathom. DOROTA: You aren't fighting with Mr. Chuck, so you fight with everyone else. The way these three arcs were written, the game-playing is a symptom, not the actual problem(s) with their relationship. I think the best way to try and unpack those problems is to follow the show's lead and use Chuck and Blair's labels: coward and weakling. 02. LABELS Blair's weakling label has been been linked to her feelings for Chuck ever since Gossip Girl handed them out. In S2, Blair being afraid to say "I love you" to Chuck is equated with weakness: BLAIR: I won't let her be right about me, I will not be weak anymore... Chuck Bass, I love you. In S3, Blair offering herself to Jack in exchange for Chuck's hotel is her ultimate moment of weakness, and the shame she feels afterwards (she even relapses with her eating disorder) makes Blair reevaluate what she wants: BLAIR: There is something someone could do to get back the Empire. And yes, it is terrible. But they'd be doing it out of love. BLAIR: I would do anything for you, Chuck. But what if that's wrong? I never thought it was possible to love someone too much, but maybe it is. I don't like who I've become with you. In S4, Blair is obsessed with becoming a "powerful woman." Powerful is the opposite of weak, and weakness is associated with her feelings for Chuck: BLAIR: What I want is to be a powerful woman. But whenever Chuck's around, I just feel like a weak little girl. BLAIR: I thought that if I could be the Blair Waldorf that I want to be a little sooner, that maybe I could return to Chuck before he fell for someone else. CHUCK: You don't have to be powerful on your own first. We can build our futures together. CHUCK: Don't let anyone tell you you're not powerful. You're the most powerful woman I know. BLAIR: It's taking all the power I have to walk away from you. We were all so bummed when Blair made her powerful woman arc about Chuck at the end of 4x16, but the truth is that it was always mostly about her feelings for Chuck and how they make her feel weak. It's not Chuck making Blair weak. For example, he sends a famous chef to make sure her Girls Inc. (a "female empowerment organization") event is a huge success... but she ditches the foundation to go tell Chuck she loves him. It's Blair's jealousy of Chuck/Raina that drives her to bite off so much more than she can chew at W. Watching Blair be owned by her feelings for Chuck has been really sad and unfun. It's like watching constant self-sabotage. Chuck's coward label is important too, but it isn't tied to his relationship with Blair; Blair's weakness is to Chuck as Chuck's cowardice is to his father. Chuck not being able to say I love you was equated with cowardice, but it was his father's death that took it to an extreme level. In S3, Chuck deals with his own ultimate moment of cowardice: running away instead of being there when Bart died. In S4, Blair tells "Henry Prince" that he's being a coward, but Chuck is running from more than just the mistakes he made in their relationship. Sadly, the show has never explicitly unpacked Chuck and Blair's labels for us. So this is where I get to start making stuff up! 03. NARCISSISM / CODEPENDENCY BLAIR: Only a masochist could ever love such a narcissist. The idea that this quote from S2 is important has been kicking around fandom for awhile. I've never really been interested in psychology, and I tuned out whenever my English teachers went on tangents about Freud (seriously, why are they so obsessed?), so to me 'narcissist' was just an adjective for 'self-centered.' I didn't realize narcissism is an actual psychiatric diagnosis. It's even a personality disorder, if you have it badly enough. Characteristics of Narcissists: develop when their parents are unable to form a healthy attachment to them create an illusion of superiority to build up an image of high self-worth exhibit grandiose, arrogant, and egotistical behavior designed to protect themselves unable or unwilling to trust others alternate between feelings of emptiness/deadness and states of excitement/excess energy impaired ability to feel empathy; fails to recognize and experience how others feel possess a sense of entitlement and feel rage when it is curbed prone to knee jerk reactions that may be aggressive, abusive, violent, or vengeful project guilt, blame, and responsibility for their behavior onto others intense need for affirmation and confirmation in relationships; seek out idealized partners exploitative; takes advantage of others to achieve their own ends I think Chuck is written to be pathologically narcissistic, not just someone who is self-absorbed. Chuck rarely takes responsibility for his actions. He has difficulty trusting even those closest to him. He's incredibly selfish. He sells out the people who care about him. Oftentimes he doesn't seem to *understand* what he's done; he laughed when Blair told him she hadn't slept with Jack, like that was the problem. His "apologies" to Blair project blame onto her ("I'm sorry, but no one forced you to go up there") or are framed in a way that makes it all about his feelings: "You have no idea what I've been going through since that night." Chuck is almost always all about himself and his pain and his needs: CHUCK: Because... I'm Chuck Bass. CHUCK: No marketing. I say where and when, people show up. CHUCK: Dear old Dad? Unfortunately all I know is what he didn't want. Which is me. LILY: If we had stuck together on this, we would have won. CHUCK: It looks like I did anyway. LILY: You have to know everything, control everyone, trust no one. LILY: It's no one's fault. CHUCK: Yes it is. It's your fault. His blood's on your hands. CHUCK: (on sleeping with Jenny) It was no one's fault. It was fate. Tragedy. CHUCK: Jack set me up. BLAIR: There's no one to blame but yourself. I believed in you. Your father believed in you. You are the only one who didn't. CHUCK: You went up there on your own. CHUCK: Look, you put family before all else. I can't do that. My father was never there for me. My mother abandoned and betrayed me. My uncle is my worst enemy! RAINA: Is this what you do? Wonderful things for the people you care about before you turn on them? CHUCK: I'm Chuck Bass, the love of her life. Anyone else is just a waste of time. It's almost comedic how rarely Chuck takes responsibility for his actions. And the "wonderful things" is interesting too, because one of the "grandiose" types of behavior narcissists exhibit are big romantic gestures. And since narcissists's OTT behavior is designed to protect themselves, maybe that's why Chuck's "romantic" Affair to Remember invitation to the Empire State Building came off like an ultimatum instead: "If you're not there tomorrow at 7:01, I'm closing my heart to you forever." Psychologists think narcissism is something people develop to defend themselves against shame. Chuck probably developed his in order to protect himself from the shame of "killing" his mother and his father's rejection. Narcissism is about insulating oneself from acute feelings of inadequacy on a very deep level. Chuck told Blair he abandoned her at the helipad because he was afraid she'd see the real him. Jack told Chuck: "Blair's seen the real you, now. It's over. She could never love that. No one could." He fabricated an entirely new identity rather than face his mistakes, and he humiliated Eva so she wouldn't find out about his past. Chuck is a self-loathing 'coward' because he's a narcissist, and his label is tied to his father because his relationship with Bart is the root of his narcissism. Narcissists are users/takers because they have to look outside themselves for everything -- happiness, goals, self-worth, validation, joy, excitement. All of it has to come from their possessions (which include partners and children, who they objectify) and achievements. In relationships, narcissists are looking for "narcissistic supply," which is an academic concept that boils down to attention or validation or whatever floats a particular narcissist's boat. The ideal person to provide that is a codependent. Narcissists and codependents are described as "natural magnets" for each other. Codependency is a really broad concept. (Basically unhealthy love.) Codependents can be addicted to addicts, narcissists, relationships, have savior or martyr complexes, etc. I don't think Blair is a codependent; if she was, I think her relationships with Serena and her mother would be infinitely more fucked up. But I do think Blair has codependent tendencies re: relationship addiction, and I think Chuck's narcissism brings them out in her. Characteristics of Codependents: attempt to control events, circumstances, and the people around them possess an unhealthy tendency to behave in excessively care-taking and protective ways self-sacrificing; compelled to solve other people's problems attempt to make safe and trustworthy environments with unsafe and untrustworthy individuals and circumstances seek out/are attracted to people they can "fix" seek out/are addicted to excitement, drama, and chaos romanticize their partners believe in unconditional love; love so much that it hurts lose sight of boundaries and perspective of what is normal in relationships relationships are a source of constant stress/drama Last season, probably the most frustrating thing for Blair's fans was watching Eva and especially Raina walk away from Chuck, whereas Blair was never allowed to move on despite being treated so badly. But one reason codependents/narcissists are "natural magnets" is that only someone who is as unhealthy as the narcissist will put up with their treatment long-term. In this sense, Blair is Chuck's enabler. Like Chuck says: "We bring out the dark sides in each other." BLAIR: I thought that if I could finally say it that everything would change, but he's just as selfish and soulless as ever. Only a masochist could ever love such a narcissist. Help me. This quote is so melodramatic and self-absorbed in context; Chuck's dad just died! Nate also talks about how sweet and maternal Blair is with Chuck ("I mean, worrying about him, offering him food, it's downright maternal"). I think the codependent part of Blair kicked into overdrive after Bart's death. Subconsciously, she may even have seen it as an opportunity to prove her love to Chuck. What narcissists are looking for in a relationship is validation. Their codependent reflects back their view of themselves as special: CHUCK: I'm not Chuck Bass without you. BLAIR: Now, who wants to hear how I got the great Chuck Bass to tell me he loved me? CHUCK: I'm Chuck Bass. And I told you I love you. You're saying I'm easier to win over than a bunch of pseudo-intellectual, homesick malcontents? You'd really insult me like this? CHUCK: Next time you forget you're Blair Waldorf, remember: I'm Chuck Bass. And I love you. Blair takes pride in the idea that she's helping Chuck change. Chuck throws that back in her face when he believes that Eva, who he idealizes as "pure and perfect," has finally changed him: BLAIR: I know how hard it was to let your guard down. To let me in. But you've changed. BLAIR: We're celebrating you. Opening your heart to your mother. And me. Being the woman who encouraged you to do it. CHUCK: You just can't stand to see someone finally change me that wasn't you. Re: their partner's problems, codependents are controlling and resentful when their help/advice is ignored. CHUCK: Did you do all this? BLAIR: What? Throw you a brunch? Try to do something nice, supportive? Yes. CHUCK: I don't need your help! Stop trying to play wife! BLAIR: You have the liquor license! What does it matter who called who to get it? CHUCK: This is not about last week. It's about you, Blair. It's the reason why I couldn't say "I love you." It's not a game. It's because I knew I couldn't trust you. BLAIR: I did this because I love you. JACK: He knew exactly which buttons to have me push. Said you wouldn’t be able to resist stepping in to save him behind his back. Codependents believe in unconditional love. They lose sight of boundaries in their relationships. BLAIR: The worst thing you’ve ever done. The darkest thought you’ve ever had. I will stand by you through anything. CHUCK: The worst thing I ever did. The darkest thought I ever had. You said you would stand by me through anything. This, Blair, is anything. BLAIR: I never thought that the worst thing you would ever do would be to me! BLAIR: There is something someone could do to get back the Empire. And yes, it is terrible. But they'd be doing it out of love. BLAIR: I would do anything for you, Chuck, but what if that's wrong? I never thought it was possible to love someone too much, but maybe it is. BLAIR: I wasn’t going to show up, I was resolved not to. Every bone try to slow me, every voice in my head screamed don’t. But I didn’t listen... In the end, love makes everything simple. Codependents "love so much it hurts." So many books on codependency have titles like 'When It Hurts Too Much to Let Go' or 'When Love Hurts.' BLAIR: I was the one who asked you to say it first... And when you didn't I wanted to die. BLAIR: Chuck Bass, I love you. I love you so much it consumes me. BLAIR: I've been acting like I'm okay, but I'm not. They say it's a broken heart, but I hurt in my whole body. What if I stay like this forever? What if I never get over Chuck? BLAIR: It's taking all the power I have to walk away from you. People recovering from codependent relationships talk about being emotionally destroyed. They compare their partners to vacuums or vampires who have sucked them dry of life/happiness/self-esteem/energy/etc. And that's exactly what happened to Blair. That's the kind of language she uses to describe her relationship with Chuck: BLAIR: ChuckandBlair. BlairandChuck. Who else could love me after what I've become? BLAIR: We're both sick and twisted. If you think about it, we're incredibly fortunate to have even found each other. BLAIR: Louis made me happy. Happy. Do you know the last time I felt joy? Chuck had brought me into his darkness for so long, I had forgotten what that felt like. BLAIR: I loved Chuck for so long and he's punished me for it. He ended up treating me like something he owned instead of something he earned. And it destroyed me. Chuck named the luxury hotel he's building in Brooklyn The Charles. That's ridiculously narcissistic. I actually think The Charles may represent Chuck's narcissism. I think that's why Blair was held hostage there in the finale. Russell Thorpe intended for The Charles to blow up with Blair inside of it (<-- I can't believe I just typed that in a sentence, tbh); Blair "I love you so much it consumes me" Waldorf would have been literally ~consumed, literally ~destroyed in The Charles. The Charles may be the setting for Chuck's growth next season, which works with the idea that it represents his narcissism since he desperately needs to grow out of it. Narcissistic/codependent relationships are exciting. They enable both participants with their ~drugs of choice: the codependent provides the narcissist with ~narcissistic supply~ and the narcissist provides the codependent with the relationship dynamics she's attracted to: high drama, someone who needs her, someone else's damage to focus on. These relationships are like emotional roller coasters. THE LOWEST OF LOWS and THE HIGHEST OF HIGHS: CHUCK: You and I are magnetic. You can feel it. Our pull is as undeniable as ever. CHUCK: No one could ever measure up to what we had. CHUCK: I know you felt it. BLAIR: We were caught up in a scheme. And it was role play. CHUCK: It was real. I know you feel it right now. CHUCK: I did the most dangerous thing I could when I said I love you. But it was worth it.... We're never going to be safe. So are you brave enough or aren't you? BLAIR: What we have is a great love. It's complicated. Intense. All-consuming. No matter what we do and how much we fight, it'll always pull us in. What's mere happiness in the face of all that, right? It's like they're addicted to their relationship. Angry, amazing hatesex, better-than-sex takedowns, Affair to Remember proposals... One minute they've "hit rock bottom", the next they're "going up in flames." Chuck and Blair's relationship is high risk and high drama, and it provides them with a mutual rush they'll probably never have with anyone else. But by the end of S4, Blair knows she wants something different. She *wants* to kiss Dan, and she *wants* to feel something when she kisses him... but she doesn't. And so she wallows in bed for a week before "accepting" that Chuck is her destiny. She tells Louis he's "the only man in my life, the only man that I want there, anyway." She's not over Chuck, but she *wants* to be. The best evidence that Blair's S4 story line has been about relationship addiction is Prince Louis and how he foiled Chuck. Louis waited for Blair "all night" at Constance. Chuck "couldn't wait two minutes" for Blair at the ESB. In 4x20, Louis chooses Blair over his empire, which is in stark and deliberate contrast to Chuck choosing the Empire over Blair. Blair is even wearing a dress they bought her in both scenes: Which means that even though Prince Louis treats Blair so much better than Chuck did, even though Louis makes her happy and Chuck doesn't, even though Louis is the simple, honest love she's been longing for since S3, even though Louis is the literal man of her actual dreams... Blair still wanted Chuck. A matter of days after he was not!abusive! to her. I don't think that's romantic. I think that's really, really sad. In LA, I think Chuck will chase adrenaline rushes in an attempt to substitute the ~rush of his relationship with Blair. Which is totally narcissistic. Narcissists enter a "manic phase" to replace their ~narcissistic supply~ whenever it disappears. Which is basically what Chuck does all the time. He's always on to the next on on to the next one: Elle and Eyes Wide Shut, Prague, Eva, Raina. Thrill-seeking, substance abuse, and reckless, self-destructive behavior are just another facet of that, another way for narcissists to get the fix they need, because without it they feel numb and empty. I keep seeing speculation that S5 will be a Chuck/Blair parallel because daredevil!Chuck will literally hurt in his whole body in LA, just like Blair did in Paris. Which conveniently illustrates the problem with Chuck/Blair's dynamic: In LA, Chuck hurts himself through his own actions. In Paris, Blair hurts because of Chuck. Gossip Girl is big on symmetry, but I really don't think Chuck and Blair getting past their individual damage lines up, except insofar that the roots of their "labels" are their low self-esteems. Bart exacerbates Chuck's label/narcissism in the same way Chuck exacerbates Blair's label/codependency. Blair tells Serena that she wants to escape Chuck's "darkness;" Chuck tells Nate that he wants to escape his father's "dark shadow." And that's why it's so much easier for me to see a path forward re: Chuck/Blair for coward!Chuck than weakling!Blair. Chuck's damage exists outside of his relationship with Blair, and he lashes out at/lets her down because of it. But Chuck could make peace with his father's memory, take responsibility for his actions, and become less narcissistic. However, Blair's damage exists *in* her relationship with Chuck, and she stays with him/loses herself because of it. The problem with their relationship isn't just that Chuck degrades Blair by treating her like a possession he can barter, like a possession he is entitled to. It's also that weakling!Blair degrades herself by being willing to trade herself to Jack, by choosing him over her own happiness, by wanting to be with who someone who hurts her. I think this is a pretty generous interpretation of Chuck and Blair's dynamic, but it's still so uneven. It's really no wonder Gossip Girl's online fanbase became so polarized between Chuck's fans (who still ship Chair) and Blair's fans (who do not). It's absolutely a reflection of how they were written. Do I think this is a Thing that is actually happening? Ugh, I don't even know or care. I think it makes sense, but I'm a little too creative at making order out of nothing. This is just me squaring Chuck/Blair in my head, authorial intent be damned. It's honestly the only way I can think of to explain their dynamic to myself that isn't: this show is the actual worst. P.S. No wonder I hated this story line. I don't relate to it at all. It makes me feel like I'm Temperance Brennan or something. I DON'T UNDERSTAND THESE EMOTIONS. ~PALATE CLEANSER~ credit: vasymollo @ tumblr DAN: You have to decide what’s most important to you. Keeping your pride and getting nothing or taking a risk and maybe, maybe having everything. SERENA: I told her to talk to you because I genuinely thought that you would help her be brave. DAN: No headbands in college. DAN: You do know that 'powerful woman' is not actually a career, right? DAN: Just to clarify, I do think you deserve to be with someone who makes you happy. DAN: Your prince is out there waiting for you.






09/26/11--21:27: JUST SAY NO (chan 2094318)

First real TV post of the new season, shaking and crying, etc.

Revenge

First of all, this show is a bunch of soapy, ridiculous nonsense. But like mardia was saying, it takes itself completely seriously. I can see why some people didn't like it, but I actually really enjoy that it fully commits to its melodramatics. I also like that this is from the same guy who ran Swingtown, which was so-so but had some good moments and some memorable characters. (<3 Janet!) I also love how middlebrow it is! The Count of Monte Cristo? Fire and Ice? Super fun.



Eric! Became a Hamptons townie! And is straight! And has washboard abs!



Queen Victoria reminded me of what Blair Waldorf is probably doomed to become. I was sad for her when she realized her husband was cheating and just said: "Don't do it again." But it looks like they have a lot of awfulness and infidelity and unhappiness between them.



Oh, television. I know I'm supposed to think it's sweet that boat!dude named his boat after his eight year-old crush... but that's actually really creepy. I bet it was mostly for the irony of how letting boat!Amanda go will bring the real Amanda back into his life, but still. Serial killer much?



Victoria's son is going to be a problem, I think. Emily isn't supposed to care about him, she isn't supposed to like him. I bet she was happy to hear the story about how he'd supposedly assaulted a girl and had his family pay for her silence. (Gross.) But whatever happened, the lack of drinking makes it seem like he's committed to changing. And the way the actor played him, he seems like he might actually be a decent person.



Some of it was uneven, but whatever, it's a pilot. And I'm enjoying EVC playing slightly evil. My favorite part was when she was all like 'OMG, YOUR HUSBAND. DO YOU NEED A RIDE TO THE HOSPTIAL???' Hilarious.





Vampiresauce

I'm so crotchety about this season. I feel like the structure of the past two episodes has been really off somehow? Plus this episode was boring. I actually started spacing out in the middle and checking my e-mail.

I don't care about Klaus's manpain. But I totally care about Stefan's! I wish they'd use his POV to convey some sort of actual inner struggle with the things he's doing to protect Elena and Damon. (I totally twitched when Klaus stumbled a bit on the "I killed the doppelgänger..." part of his petulant speech.) Stefan just seems like normal Stefan doing unStefan things, with some grousing here and there. He interacts with Klaus like Klaus is S1 Damon.

And I know the writers can do a better job with Damon/Elena. Damon pushing Elena into the water was cute (although bactaqueen is right that wet jeans does not a fun day of hiking make!), but that final scene was WTF. Of course Elena is concerned for Damon's safety. It's been that way for ages. It doesn't have to mean anything more. And if it does, I'd rather they *show* us, not have Damon push and push and push for Elena to admit something I can't even tell if she feels. I really enjoyed all the Damon/Elena shipper bait in S1, so I know they can do better than this. DO BETTER THAN THIS.



At least Kat Graham being covered in glittery gold fortune cookies is awesome.





The Good Wife



I hate that this show is on Sundays now, ugh.



Seriously, why is it on Sundays.



I had no use for the whole Israeli/Palestinian drama between Eli and the Jewish and Arabic lobbies. I actually think Eli *can* fit into the show, even if Peter isn't running, because the show is grounded in politics more than anything else, and Eli's presence means that a lot of those story lines and cases can funnel through him. But it's going to need to be better than whatever that was last night.



LOL at Peter creeping in the shadows. I think I'm going to love Peter and Alicia being at odds. I hope they take out all their damage on each other in the courtroom.



Speaking of their boring kids, the Bollywood flashmob (can one person be a flash mob? is it performance art? youtube stuff? is this like that creepy planking thing?) stuff cracked me up. I actually think the most interesting part of all of that was how easily Grace was taken with her. She seems to be very... impressionable? She supported Wendy for DA. Her very religious friend had a huge influence on her last season. Is this a thing with her? I liked that she realized Alicia was much happier without her dad. That was a nice moment.



ALICIA AND WILL. HAVING ALL THE SEX. I approve! Even if the fakeout was completely predictable. Honestly, this show is really conventional what with all the deleted voicemails, covert dating while pretending to be fighting... I guess it's the execution that makes it special? And apparently Will's girlfriend did just up and move to London all conveniently. (I was worried she hadn't, tbh. I don't trust Will. And the dialogue about how he doesn't have normal feelings just makes me even more nervous that he will break Alicia's heart.)



Isn't Eli supposed to be a slightly evil political mastermind? So why does he suck at knowing things? 'There's nothing between Will and Alicia, Peter!!!' They make him so dumb.



Weird last scene. Kind of a so-so start to the season.





Pan Am

Zzzzzzzz. And surprisingly unpretty to look at.





Terra Nova

Yikes, what a mess. This was boring. It's not pretty. The set/art design is a total snooze; it looks like they live in a second-rate theme park. The dialogue could not have been more hack-ass, and the chemistry between all of the actors is practically non-existent. (I really like the dude from Avatar, though.)

I think the thing that surprised me the most was how many answers they gave away. THERE ARE ~OTHERS! But the show explained all about them -- who they are, where they came from. We found out Avatar dude has a missing son, *and* we found out where his son is. We found out about some creepy secret drawings, *and* we found out who drew them, what they are drawings of. We even found out The Others' mysterious agenda!

So thank you, Terra Nova, for politely providing all of the answers to all of the questions I might have been moderately interested to tune in for.





Gossip Girl 4x01 - Yes, Then Zero

Hey, you know how this episode would have been so much more enjoyable? IF THE LAST THREE EPISODES DIDN'T EXIST. Also, this was a weird episode. I think it was the music that really threw me; it seemed like they were trying really hard for a west coast vibe or something.



Serena and Nate (!!!) were really the stars of this episode. Chuck's "Say Yes" motto worked really well for the both of them. Nate was so funny, and I loved everything he said about wanting to reinvent himself. I loved Serena's last scene with Ethan Peck, that was aces. And ugh, could Nate/Serena be any more adorable together?? They nauseate me.



Blair doesn't want to dress like Louis's mother? PROGRESS. For serious though, I liked how much Blair stood up for herself with Louis. And she really would have walked away from him/the royal wedding, just like that? Over wedding deets? Not complaining after last season, but that was a surprise.



But oh, Blair. That's the kind of secret that will eat your soul from the inside out. I hope she doesn't carry it around for much longer. (I'm all bittered out about how awful it is that Blair is pregnant, ugh.)



Yes, Chuck! It is something darker! Seek treatment for your pathological narcissism!



"Testing a good man who loves you never ends well.

I AM 99% SURE THIS POTENTIAL PARALLEL IS IRRELEVANT TO MY INTERESTS, BYE.



Louis is so presh, I can't help but love him. Blair is the tiniest little bit annoying with him, but his accent mostly makes up for that. And lol at Marie Antoinette all over their scenes, forever in the mirror...



Fictional liberties? Does Dylan Hunter have all the sex with Claire Astoria in his novel??? Oh, Dan. You totally wrote creepy, softcore porn about you and Blair, didn't you?



The Dan/Blair scene at the loft was so odd. It wasn't the focal point of the episode, emotionally, in any way... but it still felt like a big moment. But they played the shenans score over it, which took something away from it. It was just this one, weird scene. It was this big, boggy block of Dan/Blair dialogue in the middle of the episode. It meant something, but not enough to actually build to it or focus on it, and it just... was sort of there. Being weird and stupid.

[EDITED FOR CLARITY!] And I don't know what to think of the scene. The way the plot with the excerpt was written, it seems like it existed to lead up to that moment where Dan has this information that can save Blair's relationship with Louis, but he withholds it and is selfish because of his feelings for Blair. I mean, here's the setup:

- Blair doesn't think Louis is standing up for her
- Louis is set to prove it to her at this event
- Dan goes to see Louis for help to kill the excerpt about Blair
- Louis misses the event to kill the excerpt
- Blair goes to see Dan, says Louis isn't standing up for her, and asks Dan to take her away
- Dan gets swept up and doesn't tell her that Louis is out there standing up for her as they speak

I feel like all of that was leading up to Dan being selfish, and his selfishness was the point of the scene. Not that he didn't say he loved her, not that he couldn't tell her how he felt, and not that Blair wanted to run away with him. (That's *why* Dan is swept up in the moment.) Dan's selfishness in that moment is what I took away from their scene. I'm not sure what the scene means for the rest of the season.

P.S. I'd be curious to know what the people watching The Dan and Blair Show on YT thought about it, out of context.



SHIT I MADE FOR GG PARALLELS



4x01 Blair gets "lost in a daydream" in front of her favorite painting all summer, imagines "transporting herself" into it.
4x22 Dan "paints" Blair in his book.





4x02 / 4x21
Same writer, same argument about the same person, same staging, two pretty red dresses... Totally qualifies as a parallel.





1x18 / 4x20
The student has become the master. Except not, because really Charlie is just another "Sarah." So close, Dan, and yet so far. (This parallel is all whiteotter.)





1x11 / 4x22
Vanessa creepily steals Dan's stories and secretly gets them published! (IDK how this one turned out so particularly bad...)





3x17 Chuck chooses the Empire over Blair.
4x20 Louis chooses Blair over his empire.

And she's wearing a dress they bought for her in both scenes of this super depressing parallel.




1x02 Outsider!Dan is surrounded by UESers and totally clueless.

CHUCK: I know everything.

DAN: And apparently I know nothing.




4x22 Insider!Dan is surrounded by UESers demanding answers from him.

DAN: Usually I’m the one trying to get all you people to listen to me.

CHUCK: Which is why it pains me that you might know the answer to this question.






1x02 Dan rejects Serena and chooses to remain an outsider. He mopes on his fire escape in Brooklyn.
4x22 Dan rejects Vanessa and chooses to remain an insider. He mopes on PRADA's staircase in the UES.

+
S4 Premiere Dan must choose between Serena and Vanessa. He chooses Vanessa.
S4 Finale Serena and Vanessa represent Dan's insider/outsider choice. The episode opens with them sniping at each other about Dan in the cab; it's a text from Serena that interrupts Dan's conversation with Vanessa; Vanessa says he was a better person before Serena. This time Dan chooses Serena (to be an insider) over Vanessa (outsider status).





(The picture is a link.) Apparently writing a big Gossip Girl post every hiatus has become a thing, blah. It's a (long!) argument that Chuck/Blair = coward/weakling = narcissist/codependent. It's not a prediction (I think I'll swear off those for awhile...) or anything, it's just my interpretation of their S2-4 arc.




10/01/11--11:08: dig two graves (chan 2094318)

Revenge

So I forgot to season pass this and ended up missing the first 10 minutes. Maybe that's why it seemed a little less fun than the pilot, but I still like it.



Does the bar have the best walls ever? I guess Eric's (he will be Eric for awhile, sorry!) dad's drunkness explains why it took him so long to realize his son was getting the shit beat out of him downstairs, but sadface Eric didn't realize his dad was having a heart attack. And sadface forever if those were the last (horrible!) words he'll ever get to say to his father!



So the probable serial killer who named his boat after his eight year-old crush baffles me. His dog (who used to be Amanda's) loooves Emily, there's something familiar about Emily, and it's THE SAME FUCKING HOUSE. Come on, dude. Two plus two equals four.



Emily's plot was fun, but I really don't think an investment firm would ever go all-in with a company like that based on a tip. I mean, really.



Victoria cracks me up in her tower. She reminds me of Maleficent (MISTRESS OF ALL EVIL!!!) or the wicked witch of the west or something. Someone evil with an evil tower! And I like that she invited Emily over for tea. It's such a funny, ironic pretense at civility when they're really both out to destroy each other.



Emily saying that in the end the only person you can trust in life is yourself was really sad and bleak.



I'm starting to think Emily really does fall in love with Danny, so she tells him the truth at the engagement party, and he takes a walk on the beach to mull it all over before he decides what to do...


Les Diaries du Vampire

Much better, yay!



It's weird saying this because TVD isn't anything I keep in my head or have expectations for... but the ripper stuff isn't playing out like I expected. I guess I thought Stefan, as a ripper, would be almost totally out of control. More like he was in those late S2 episodes after he drank Elena's blood to survive the tomb!vamp attack. But like Damon says, Stefan was a "ripper douche." Stefan as a ripper just seems like a sociopathic asshole.



But I loved the flashbacks! And Katherine checking up Stefan, of course. (AND I WAS WATCHING YOU.)



So Stefan fell in love with Elena, who looks exactly like Katherine. And he gave Elena the necklace of the girl he loved that he was compelled to forget. LOL, interesting. And it cracks me up that everyone always chooses Stefan. I WOULD TOO, THO. HE PLANS SLUMBER PARTIES. HE IS FLAWLESS.



It kind of annoys me that the vampires don't have more of an ability to sniff out humans (their prey) when they're around. I mean, really? But I loved that Klaus sent Stefan into that cupboard (yeah like Stefan's apartment would still be there untouched, rme) to see the evidence of his inhumanity, but what he ended up seeing instead was Elena, who is the #1 evidence of his humanity. I thought that was a really great moment.



OMG, Stefan telling Elena that it's over, that he doesn't want to see her again, that it will take him years to recover, years that are nothing to him, years that will be the best years of her life. SO ANGSTY. They have so much more angst/obstacles than Delena. I thought this was the season of Delena! I am so confuuused.



I think there's definitely an element of self-interest to Damon pushing all of this uncomfortable information about Stefan at Elena -- his diaries, his body count, his ripper ways, the length of time it took him to recover. But I actually think this has been more about Damon trying to get Elena to face the truth about what's happened to Stefan. The things Stefan told Elena when she asked him to come back are exactly the same things Damon has been telling her.



So I finally get why Klaus wants Stefan as his serial killing wingman! I loved the flashbacks, loved that Klaus was running from someone (but whooo), loved that Stefan has an Original girlfriend, and I like that Klaus uncompelled him to remember everything. I feel like Stefan is *really* going to be drawn into all of this now, wow.



CAROLINE. Why is she always getting captured and tortured, geez. I'm disappointed this is how they brought on her dad (and I especially hate that actor), and if he sticks around as I imagine he will (based on the actor), I'm not sure... does this mean Caroline will headline her own B-story for the first half of the season? I have mixed feelings because while Caroline is capable of doing that, she's also the best female character on the show -- maybe even the best character, but she just doesn't have as interesting a backstory to pull from as Katherine, Stefan, Damon, etc. -- and I'd prefer she not be separated from the main story line for very much longer.



Um, why have ALL of the witches (except one) on this show been black?! And yet all of the witches (except one) on the actual show about witches are white? Jesus, Kevin Williamson.


10/04/11--13:55: the people who know our secrets and love us anyway (chan 2094318)

Gossip Girl - 5x02 "Beauty and the Feast "

So when I checked anon last night while the episode was airing EST, the episode reaction was so completely scathing, I was like ugh, that sounds terrible, what has this show become, etc. But then I watched it, and IDK... I liked it? It was overstuffed and pretty heavy on guest stars, what with Ivy (technically a main, but NOT IN MY HEART, OKAY), Max, Diane, Louis, and Beatrice. It was also CLUNK CITY the first time I watched it, but then I flipped through it again and everything I intended to complain about was in fact exposited, i.e. I was all, Nate! You have your cougar's home address! But that's actually why he was on the phone with Information. Also, I forgot that everyone's phones are stalker enabled.

Dan and Chuck

Dan diagnosed Chuck with a psychiatric disorder on the Internet! I am Dan Humphrey, Dan Humphrey is me! And Chuck feels nothing! Not even fractured ribs! He apparently tastes nothing either, since he dug right into Nate's charred pot brownies. This is so dumb.

BTW, I really cannot with Chuck's wise-man act this season. I want to write down everything he says on neon poster-board and shove it in his stupid face. IF A WOMAN WANTS TO SEE YOU AGAIN, SHE GENERALLY TELLS YOU HER NAME. If he took his own advice, we could have avoided that whole Eyes Wide Shut sex club thing.

I've been grossed out by Chuck and Dan filming together so often because it just reminds me of how I need someone to bring me the machine from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and vacuum away all of my memories of everything to do with 4x20 (it broke the show!) so I'm not constantly boggling over why any of these people still speak to Chuck at all. But in context, their scenes didn't really bother me for a couple reasons, namely that Dan helping Chuck was a lot about his compulsion to save people and also a lot about Blair, since he thought Chuck hurting himself was a scheme to get her attention. I really liked what Dan said about Chuck doing stupid things and Blair coming to his rescue being a pattern.

Nate and Diana

I really wanted the concierge doctor Nate called to be Mark Feuerstein. And ha, like Diana just randomly needed Anne Archibald's input for a piece on ~disgraced wives. Even Nate has got to realize she is up to something. BE SMART, BB.

Serena and Not!Charlie

I kinda like Ivy, but her motivations thus far are pretty confusing. She used the money from the con to move out to LA with her boyfriend and try to be an actress, so I assume that's something she must really want? But then she runs into Serena, and for some odd reason (even though being Charlie was just a job, a job that's over), she keeps up the charade. Why not just stand up Serena for lunch? Serena would just write it off as her crazy cousin being crazy, probably. The way she dumped her boyfriend to go live with Serena was really cold, and she agrees to move all the way back to NYC. (LOL at the last, lone "say yes!") Is she pulled to the UES? Is it just the money? IDK.

The Princess Diaries

Of course Louis has an evil sister who is trying to steal his throne! I kinda like her. (Except sleeping with the priest is a dumb liability and obviously how Blair will one-up her in the end.) And Louis continues to be presh and perfect. I really do believe he'd give up the throne to be with Blair if he thought the media spotlight was aggravating her bulimia. He's such a cockblock, but I can't even be mad.

Whatever at all the virgin Marys in this episode; we all know Blair is carrying the anti-Christ. And on that note, the assumption of Mary is August 15th, if anyone wants to try and fit that into a pointless timeline to figure out the father. (It's Chuck because this show hates me, the end.) And rme that "you do have options" was the best nod they could make to abortion. Feel free to join this decade sometime in the near future, CW.

Daaaan and Blaaaair

Blair was totally hearing an angel chorus in her head when she saw Dan on the dais. I'm a little surprised Dan knows Blair is bulimic, though. Did they have an offscreen secret-a-thon last season where Blair was like, btw I'm bulimic and Chuck sold me for a hotel? Honestly, the bathroom scene was whatever. Mostly because I can't believe Beatrice popped in twice to hear all of that incriminatingness. Nice job guarding the door, Dan.




tenmylove @ tumblr


vasymollo @ tumblr


I HAVE NO WORDS TO EXPRESS THEIR PERFECTION TBH.

ANY OTHER SHOW, YOU GUYS. Any other show, I would be like BY THE LAWS OF NARRATIVE SENSE-MAKING, I NOW PRONOUNCE THIS THE SEASON OF DAIR. But it's Gossip Girl! The show where nice things go to die! I'm scared.





SHIT I MADE FOR GG PARALLELS 1x01 Blair hands out Kiss on the Lips invites. 5x01 Blair sends out wedding invites. Okay, yes. This is kind of ~specious. But it reminded me of the pilot, so whatever. SHIT I MADE FOR TUMBLR I liked the opening this season. Not as much as last season, but I guess it's hard to compete with Paris. NS! Always a good reminder that Gossip Girl giveth and Gossip Girl taketh away. LOL. Ivy, please be my new favorite, even if you aren't going to steal all of Chuck's monies, gdi. And Kaylee looks like a Disney Princess come to life, it's true! I never really understood the XD emoticon until now. Epiphany, tbh. Blair/Louis, guys. I'm conflicted. They told us instead of showed us that Blair loves Louis, and in the premiere they seemed so superficial, what with the wedding details, the jewels, Blair pretending she's not pregnant... There was even an odd amount of Blair primping in the mirror. They actually cut one instance, but I remember it from the promo: But in the new episode, Blair says she's marrying a great guy who just happens to be a prince. It's frustrating because I do think Louis represents "right love" (he did last season for sure, and he really came through in the premiere), but he also seems to represent Blair's fairytale fantasy at the writers' convenience. And right love + fantasy makes for sort of a disconcerting combination. BLAIR: He and his mother will have a lovely wedding in November without a bride. ELEANOR: Testing a good man who loves you never ends well. OMINOUS. And this scene opens with a crystal ball all like 'Sup! in the frame. (That ugly thing has been in the living room since S1, but it's still pretty weird.) And Louis passed Blair's test with flying colors, which means whatever test she pulls next time will probably blow up in her face. I hate you in advance, Gossip Girl. Aw. Dan is so excited that Blair Waldorf is standing in front of him in her princess trappings, asking him to TAKE ME THERE and be her white knight. It's everything he's probably been dreaming about in his lamest of lame secret dreams. It's really weird that Blair "my sexual tension radar is unparalleled" Waldorf doesn't get that Dan is totally into her. I mean, look at his puppy dog eyes! The way he feels about her is written all over his stupid face! After last night, I really don't think she knows. I mean, she talks about Louis's virility (loool) and breast tenderness~ with him, I really think she is oblivious. Is she studiously ignoring his feelings because they don't fit with how things are Supposed To Be? Does Dan have some sort of PROPERTY OF SERENA forcefield around him that's obscuring her ability to pick up on how he feels about her? Maybe she's just too preoccupied with her problems? IDK.



I really liked The Good Wife (even though I had to download it for the twenty minutes TiVo didn't tape, WHY IS IT ON SUNDAYS), but I don't really have anything to say about it. I need a gif of Will being fake!scared?


10/11/11--05:55: Publish or Perish (chan 2094318)

LOL, I got an e-mail from Netflix today. They're all like JUST KIDDING about Qwickster. Good, I guess? But honestly, I kind of hate them now. Talk about ruining your brand.

Gossip Girl

This is sort of long, but SO MUCH STUFF.



Why is Chuck sleeping with people for information? The story about the girl at the bank last week, the editor this week -- can't Mr. I'm Chuck Bass just snap his fingers or deploy his army of private detectives?



I feel a lot of feelings when I watch Field of Dreams, Dan. Feelings of boredom.



Nate compared himself to a puppy. ACCURATE. He is such a golden retriever.



Aw, Noah Shapiro is back. I do like all the callbacks this season, it's fun. And I actually loved the twist at the end. I get tired of everyone being so evil!



NATE, YOU'RE SO MUCH BETTER THAN THIS. Diana egging him on about calling his mommy for a family-approved internship + Nate protecting his friends' phones salvaged the cellphone robbery, but I was actually more weirded out by Nate having sex with Diana right after she fired all of the Spectator's employees in front of him, wow. That should definitely have killed the mood.



BLAIR MOCKED PENN'S JEFF BUCKLEY HAIR. It really is awful.



I hate that Blair is pregnant. The interview with Hello really brought home how completely awful this story line is. She's doing an interview with an awful gossip rag all about her wedding and her fiancé and when she'll be ready to start a family. Her story line has gone from what could ungenerously be distilled down to I LOVE CHUCK NO MATTER HOW HE TREATS ME BECAUSE WE SHARE A GREAT LOVE LIKE I READ ABOUT IN TWILIGHT to the The Secret Diaries of the American Princess. Awesome.



Watching Serena reduced to being the lube for whatever mindfuck Ivy is about to unleash on the UES is really disconcerting. Her scenes were literally all about Ivy! For two episodes in a row!



Ivy seemed a lot more drawn to that Jenny Packham dress than she ever has been to Serena and the vdWs. She was all like must. have. dress. So it's the UES and the money and the luxe life she wants, right? But she'll end up caring about everyone?



Dan was pushy and Blair was childish, but that last scene where Dan apologized and Blair admitted she came to him because she knew he'd push her to do the right thing made it okay. I liked that he said she should know the father for herself, not for Chuck or Louis. And he gave her the envelope and walked away, leaving her to it. Knowing the writers, that was just a plot point, but I liked it. Blair is an avoider, but she needs space to make her own decisions as much as she needs a friendly, grounded push in the right direction. And I like that Dan gave her space at the end. I also loved that Dan talked (too briefly!) about Milo. It reminded me of Dan telling her about his mom or about the first time he told Serena he loved her. Empathetic!Dan > White Knight!Dan.



The baby is not Louis's. It's all right there in the episode. Blair says fatherhood isn't part of the Chuck Bass lifestyle. The dog is shorthand for Chuck's ability to be a father. There's no other narrative reason for her to see Chuck appearing to send the dog to the pound on Gossip Girl. She was taken aback when she realized he still had it, when he said he was getting it fixed to be responsible. Blair tells Charlie that mothers have the darkest secrets of all. I absolutely think she is lying, and I don't think they gave her any cover. (I don't think she needs it, given the way Chuck has treated her, but I'm not a casual viewer. They don't remember stuff!)



The dog gradually worming its way into Chuck's heart would have been something I'd have to grudgingly admit was cute. Chuck sobbing in bed after he finds out that Blair is pregnant and cuddling with the dog was farcical. I don't even know sometimes.



That was definitely a sexy look between Dan and Alessandra! I also loved the look on Dan's face when he held his (awful!) book in his hands.



Louis's perfection is unstoppable. Poor Louis.



I probably sound like I didn't like the episode, but it was actually really fun and satisfying. But also overstuffed, like all the episodes have been so far. Tonight we had (1) Blair and the paternity test results, (2) Dan's and his book, (3) "Charlie" and her "mother," (4) Nate and his internship, (5) Chuck and his dog, (6) Lily's and her first foray back into high society. The episodes are overflowing with so much STUFF that everything feels shortchanged. I mean, Dan's decision to stand behind his book was reduced to a cute plot where his mentor pretends to steal it. But I also feel like everything is flowing episode to episode in an unusually sense-making way, which frankly weirds me out.



SHIT I MADE FOR GG PARALLELS



Wedding Anvils + Churches

NB Kiss outside of a church; walk down the aisle holding a bouquet.
CB Kiss in front of everyone in a former church; Exchange an "I do" and "I will."
DB Dan appears on the dais by the altar; Blair grabs his arm, and they walk off together.

This is mostly an excuse to point out that Blair gets wedding foreshadowing with people who aren't Chuck. Fact is, Blair has never dated anyone she didn't fantasize about marrying.

P.S. Messing with the caps from 4x09 and 5x02, I liked how the Saints & Sinners ball and the feast of the Assumption sum up the differences between the two sides of Blair that Chuck and Louis represent. Chuck is the prince of darkness! Louis is the prince of her dreams! Blair is a hedonistic sinner with Chuck! Blair makes overtures at being pious with Louis! Blair goes to Chuck's ball and kisses him over the ~gates of hell! Blair goes to Louis's feast to celebrate Mary's rise to heaven!






Revenge Conrad gives ~Queen Victoria an I'm Sorry I Slept With Your Best Friend necklace.
GG Chuck gives ~Queen B an I'm Sorry I Sold You For My Hotel necklace.

For casual fridays. NBD.





Revenge



This is what I mean when I talk about Victoria being all like the ~wicked queen up in her ~tower. I really enjoy Victoria's scenes. I think the show will be very give/take with her characterization, and this was definitely a more (for)giving episode. It seems like she really did love Emily's father. She tried to stop his trial. Her marriage is sad.

Danny does seem like a very decent guy. Jack (aka Boat Boy) explained that Sammy named the boat, so maybe I will have to lighten up about how it's serial killer-creepy to name your boat after your eight year-old crush. Also, maybe I wasn't paying close enough attention, but did not!Eric imply that his dad wasn't his real dad? Or was he just being a stupid, guilty teenager? Honestly, after last week, I expected him to be a guilt-wracked mess.

My favorite part was the fakeout at the end! It seemed like not!Eric was sending his crush the webcam video of her cheating boyfriend, but instead he sent the video of him waving to the boat and the sunset and saying the only thing missing was her. I thought that was an awesome counterpoint to Emily telling Nolan that she was going to send video footage of the senator's affair out to the media. It really shows how far gone Emily is, especially when the flashback revealed that the senator didn't even know the truth. BTW, Emily introduced Lydia's husband to his mistress! Her creepiness knows no bounds. I definitely feel like I'm watching her destruct along with all of these other people, and it's pretty fun.





Les Journaux des Vampires





Whoever does the lighting for Vampire Diaries? I HATE THEM. The caps are too damn dark, and they're sapped of everything but green, brown, and yellow. And that's why I don't make shit for TVD.



Katherine is my queen! The scene where "Elena" grabbed the necklace from Bonnie and zipped off? By far my favorite scene of this episode! But did Katherine tell Stefan wrong -- that Klaus's sister was the weak link -- on purpose, because he wouldn't let her help?



What is wrong with me that I find Stefan hottest when he is mean to people? I feel bad about it.



I hated the whole story line with Caroline's dad. I think it must be setup for something later, considering the actor they cast, but I didn't like it at all. It wasn't even worth the Forwood cuddling. It may have been worth watching Caroline manhandle Damon. Even though that was kind of unbelievable since he'd just fed *and* has 150 years on her.



I wasn't all that impressed with Damon's psychotic break. It felt plot-pointish: Damon temporarily kills Alaric so he can have his way, thus driving Alaric to join the council. At least Damon wanting to kill Caroline's father made sense, because that's how Damon rolls: see threat, eliminate threat. (I'm still laughing about Damon stabbing Mason with the Gilbert family silver around this time last season.) But even then, it felt like they were just trying to get to the YOU CAN'T CHANGE ME, I'M NOT STEFAN drama. Maybe it's just me, but I feel like their narrative underwear~ is showing. (a) Introduce the idea that Elena is attracted to Damon in the finale. (b) Play up their attraction. (c) Have various people notice and comment on their attraction while Elena pretends it doesn't exist. (d) End Stefan/Elena. (e) I'M NOT STEFAN. I though the writers were excited to do Delena, so why is it so freaking ponderous?



Jeremy's story line needs to pick up. (And I know it will, since this is TVD). But right now it is lulling me into a false sense of security. I don't trust Anna.






10/14/11--15:33: I Fixed Him (chan 2094318)



DARK STEFAN. This is what I have been waiting for! He should start saying his name more evilly now. 'SteFAN!'

I liked that Klaus had to fix compel Stefan, because I don't think Stefan would turn off his humanity, barring some kind of trauma. One of the tenets of TVD's vampirism is that love equals humanity: "Katherine is dead, and you hate me because you loved her. And you torture me because you still do. That, my brother, is your humanity." It's cheesy, but Stefan's love for Elena really is the representation of his humanity, which is why he needed to hear her voice after he killed Andie to fake being gone. AND NOW HE IS REALLY GONE. I really think compulsion is the only thing that could have made Stefan actually ~surrender his humanity. Even if Stefan believes his relationship with Elena is over, whatever misguided sense of purpose he derives from the idea that all of his murdering/pillaging/vampiring is in service of protecting the two people he loves would have stopped him from really letting go. Without fridging Damon or Elena, I think compulsion is the only way he'd go full-on RIPPAH.

Of course, Rose told Damon that there is no switch. Not for the "mature" vampires. So um, the show needs to make up its mind about its vampire canon.

But still, I *died* in the best way possible when Stefan interrupted Damon and Elena's moment, wearing his Damon shirt and his Damon smirk, spouting Damonisms and drinking Damon's scotch. I give it two episodes tops before I start bitching about the role reversal, but for now? I LIKE IT MUCH WITH THE VERY. And I can't wait to see how Katherine will react to him!

People Who Aren't SteFAN.



Klaus's motivations seem so lame right now. I DIDN'T WANT TO BE ALONE :C It's hard to believe that this is who Katherine feared for 500 years.



Damon is a liarrr. He would have done anything for Katherine.



I think Matt's RIDICULOUS, STUPID, AND COMPLETELY SUICIDAL plan would have been more believable if I'd had more of a sense that Matt refused to lose Tyler, since Tyler and Vicky were the most important constants in his life, and he already lost Vicky. And it was way, way too easy for Matt to kill himself. We should have seen him struggle! But all of the scenes at the pool were sooo gorgeous.



Matt/Bonnie shipper vibes! I thought it was interesting that Tyler said he doesn't think Matt has anyone to talk to, that Bonnie tells him he's lucky because he's the only one of their group that gets to live his life normally. It reminded me of how Matt said he didn't want to be with Caroline after he realized she was a vampire (even though he'd realized she wasn't a monster like he thought). It feels like the show is setting him up to have to make a choice about whether or not he wants to be a part of ~all this.



It's hard to believe Rebekah has really been asleep for 80 years, the way she's written. She dicks around with Caroline's phone, and she's all like UGH VOMIT when she happens across pics of Stefan with Elena. 12_12_12 and genkichiba mentioned that they think Rebekah might be styled/written to emulate Caroline. I can see it!



I'm impressed with the original witch's curse! It makes sense that Klaus would have to kill her to break the curse but also need her blood to make hybrids.



All this time I've been saying I don't trust Anna, but it was Vicky who gave Matt and Bonnie the wrong info. Maybe it was what the ~original witch~ told her, so it doesn't mean anything sinister that she was wrong?



I don't know how to feel about Tyler being a vampire/werewolf hybrid. I guess it's probably a good twist for the show (maybe he can kill Klaus?) but I doubt it's a good thing for Tyler's character or for Forwood. Caroline seemed really unsure in those last scenes, and Tyler seemed really, really strangely okay. I guess this is why they rushed straight into Forwood, huh.



DID IAN SMOLDERHALDER ACTUALLY DO SOME ACTING? He didn't do his stupid eye thing at Elena in that last scene at all, and I actually really liked it a lot. It was the first Delena scene I've liked in a looong time.



And no one has any fucks to spare for their dead classmates, lol. The characters are just like ALL THINGS CONSIDERED, TONIGHT WAS A SUCCESS! Which actually, it was! It was a fun episode.

So excited Revenge got picked up for a full season! Oh, and the Cee Dubs made some ridiculously overpriced deal with Netflix, so everything on the CW will be gradually added starting tomorrow through the new year. Which means TVD will be on Watch Instantly starting tomorrow, if I read the press release correctly?

Sometimes Apple really is a fun company, btw.


10/18/11--04:28: "Well, I might have made your character a little.... gay." (chan 2094318)


Gossip Girl - 5x04 "Memoirs of an Invisible Dan"

Another good episode, what is going ooonnn.

Dan

So _kirsty called the sometimes-your-dreams-coming-true-feel-like-nightmares theme after the finale. Dan's nightmare literally came true! And I loved the tension in the episode to that effect, how Dan is small yet giant young yet adult girlish yet macho anxious yet excited, like when he sits down to worry about everyone's reactions and ends up geeking out over a stack of his books full of his words that people will actually want him to sign, aw. And Inside is so meta and fun because it's the stuff we bitch about and mock all the time. Rufus is useless! Nate has no story line! Serena is ridiculous! The epic shipping war between Chuck/Death and Chuck/Forever Alone!

And it could have just been meta, but instead all of that stuff culminated in a bunch of genuinely amazing scenes. We all loved Dan making Nate gay, but Nate being gay because Dan merged him with Eric into one character is sad. The Dan/Serena scene was tense and loaded and great. Chuck dying of autoerotic asphyxiation was the funniest of all, but Chuck being introspective and telling Lily he doesn't want to be the guy everyone hates who ends up alone was about as nice as it could be under the circumstances (4x20-4x22 are still ass). And the Rufus/Dan scene at the end of the episode was great. (Penn was so good in this episode!) And now Dan has to deal with the sense-making consequences of reducing his friends and family to caricatures in his book. He seems to think it's okay because he did the same thing to himself, but you don't get to decide who is hurt by the things you say or do just because that wasn't your intention.

Anyway, my favorite part of this episode is that GG at its most ridiculous is like Dan's book -- trashy and satirical and OTT and mean-spirited. But the collection of genuinely great moments in this episode are the heart underneath the ridiculousness, and that's always been the reason I watch the show. I totally wish the movie of Dan's book would be like the show is to the original series. It's softer and everyone is more likable -- or at least more fleshed out. And then it can be critically panned as having lost the edge or ~pathos of Dan's novel, a lot like how the New Yorker panned the show. It would fit with Less Than Zero being the premiere's title, too. Acclaimed debut novel, flop movie.

Blair

RME that we are getting so much of Louis's perspective when I have next-to-no idea what Blair is thinking about *a lot* of stuff. Last night made it seem like Blair may have known that Dan felt something for her ("When are you going to get it through your head, there is no us!") right after everyone decided she was oblivious in 5x02. And Blair was the only person who didn't have a real scene with Dan about her portrayal. Which makes sense because she was mad. Still, Blair says: "I was mean to him on the steps of the Met, I badmouthed him to his dream girl, I undermined him at W. I'm sure it's brutal." But was it? All we know is that Dan wrote they had sex. And that's the part the book was open to. Did Blair read beyond that? She said "me too" when Serena admitted she'd only read the parts about herself (lol). So... is that it for Blair and the book?

Okay, more importantly re: Blair's missing POV, I don't know if Blair is lying about her baby's paternity. I *really* think the show was being dodgy in 5x03. But she was so adamant about not lying to Louis and how he needs to trust her -- there's no guilt or nuance in Leighton's acting. And then Kristen said:


Monica: Tell me Blair is lying and Louis isn't the father! Tell me this new Gossip Girl photo is of Blair telling Chuck he's the father!
Can't say either of those things, sorry! Should we stop talking then? Or did you want to know that Louis is definitely the baby daddy? (That's what our source says, anyway. And this source hasn't been wrong before.)


YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH I WANT THIS TO BE TRUE. What do you guys think, what is your gut telling you? I mean, keep in mind the weird foreshadowing last season, the conssstant mocking about how we would hate Blair this year, the Chuck/Blair/Louis triangle promotion, Blair being so taken aback to see the dog? Should I trust in Kristen and Leighton's acting, or should I trust in my own experience of Gossip Girl being heinous? I totally twitched in a bad way when she said she was carrying the heir to a kingdom.



View Poll: #1787462


I'LL BELIEVE WHATEVER YOU GUYS TELL ME TO BELIEVE.

Re: Trust, I don't really know what to say. If you lose someone's trust, you can't demand it back, but Blair hasn't done anything to lose Louis's trust... that he knows about. (Which is the thing.) I think Blair has been open with Louis about everything but cheating with Chuck, and she should have told him. And so it is disconcerting to see Blair insisting she would never lie to Louis and that he has to trust her or let her go. But Blair also can't put up with being treated badly and being accused of things she didn't do just because she made a mistake, especially since Louis doesn't know about it. But this is probably way too nuanced for Gossip Girl, and I feel like Blair is putting sleeping with Chuck in 4x22 into some sort of box that was a Mistake that she Regrets and is pretending happened out of time at that creepy bar mitzvah. Which is one reason it makes sense for the baby to be Chuck's, since that's not how life works. But if it is Chuck's, then they are in the process of ruining Blair in a way that there is no coming back from. And I don't think they'd do that?

Other Stuffs



Serena was so hilariously smug at the book gathering, which was funny since you knew she was in for a rude awakening. But it was also really sad, considering how much confidence Serena had in the way Dan saw her. Whereas Blair looked super nervous and went all deflective. Uh oh, someone cares what Dan thinks about her now! This is new and different, etc.



CHUCK: Blair is lost to me.

Whatever, show. IHU and your beautiful lies.



"American Psycho in prep school" aka the new Gossip Girl book, lol.



The lamp in Diana's office is mesmerizingly ugly. It looks like one of those bottles of layered colored sand I used to make I was a kid, except somebody dropped hers.



Dan's dialogue can't touch the show's unintentional self-parody. EVERY NERVE OF MY BODY IS ELECTRIFIED BY HATE. But the ~Dylan/Clair~ kiss was pretty and funny and not at all freeze-framed or cell-phone cameraed! So that's something. And it seemed like maybe what Dan wished had happened; Dylan took more initiative than he did, and he told Clair he didn't believe her when she said there was nothing between them. I just wish we had more multi-colored dramatizations of Dan's book, especially one of Dylan being stupid. I'M THE MOST UNDERSTANDING PERSON I KNOW.



"The artist must stand alone to absorb the crowd."

Ugh, again? It's not just me who thinks this is totally awful advice? Especially for judgmental, redeemed-by-his-empathy Dan.





I started rewatching Felicity on Netflix this weekend, and wow. I'd forgotten what a total stalker she is. Also Parks & Rec, which I love!


10/26/11--17:10: Dear Sally (chan 2094318)





Aw, this show. It is so 90s, with the music and the hair and the PHONES WITH CORDS and gigantic computers. And so JJ Abrams, with the horror movies and the little doses of science fiction and the random appearances of Eastern European mafia.



'Dear Sally' is one of the most annoying narrative devices of any show I've ever watched. But the images of Felicity silhouetted against her window holding her tape recorder (WHAT IS A TAPE RECORDER) are iconic to me anyway.



I always fall a little bit in love with Ben, IDEK.



Whenever I go back and rewatch a show, I can't help thinking about story lines that should have happened, and Noel/Elena should totally have happened! Elena even tells Felicity that she's attracted to Noel, even though white guys don't usually do it for her. Noel has more scenes with Elena than anyone except Felicity, and their chemistry is so snappy. He is the one who convinces her to stay at NYU! And aren't they roommates in S2? Dammit, Felicity.



Felicity is such a creeper (omg at the scene where she sits on the floor and watches Ben sleep), but I do like how much she wants to *know* Ben and how he makes it so difficult. Like when he lies he's not doing track because he doesn't have time, but Felicity knows he didn't make the team because she was there watching him. :(



Rewatching this, I'm surprised I shipped Felicity/Noel because Felicity is so completely fixated on Ben. When Noel tells her he has a long-distance girlfriend (they'd agreed to see other people) at the restaurant, her reaction was so OTT and superficial. It was like she was relieved to find something wrong with Noel because it made it easier to avoid him and stay 100% wrapped up in Ben. But I'm not very far yet, so I'll probably remember why I liked Felicity/Noel soon.



Her tape to Sally getting played at the dorm party is still one of the most excruciatingly embarrassing things I have ever seen on TV, omg.

Have some mostly random picspam!























Gossip Girl

OH WELL. I knew this season being good would not last.

This episode was really boring. Why am I watching guest stars interact with even guestier stars? Why am I watching Louis have feelings? Why is Yom Kippur even a part of this episode if atonement has nothing to do with anything at all whatsoever? Why does Blair make no sense? Why do the writers think a custody contract is an entertaining plot, especially if it isn't signed so it can be brought back at an inopportune time later? Why is Dan buying Chuck presents? Ugh, this episode just irritated me.



The low point of this episode for me was watching Blair decide to move to Monaco just because Serena didn't drop everything for her the second she asked. It's also ridiculous that Blair expects to be able to stay in New York, for her child to go to Constance or St. Jude's. If you're the Princess of Monaco, you live happily ever after in Monaco. The end.



The second lowest point of the episode was Nate walking away without making sure Ivy put those files back into the safe. It was like 4x07 all over again, and I'm so over Nate being this dumb.



They're writing Blair's pregnancy like a plot point instead of her own story line. Honestly, I beyond hate the writing for Blair this season. Watching her try to sign that contract without reading it was just sad.



I liked that Dan didn't believe Serena would sabotage him. It means he doesn't think Serena = Sabrina, but there's also some self-absorption there on his part, showing that Dan doesn't realize how much he hurt her and (consequently) what she's capable of.



I really didn't think Serena was implying that Blair is the love of Dan's life. Just expressing disappointment that Dan doesn't still see her the way he did when they were younger, that he doesn't feel the same way about her that she still does about him. But, ugh, it's so frustrating how we have no idea how Blair really feels about Dan's book. Or anything at all whatsoever.



Diana's final scene was interesting (not because of the photo; DNW any more secrets about stupid Bart) because she took the photo out of her drawer and burned it. Whereas Blair took the paternity test and put it in her drawer. Which is obviously an insane risk that is beneath Blair's level of scheming expertise. Why is she holding onto it? Is it because she is lying and holding onto the test is the equivalent of holding onto Chuck?

Ugh, I just want to know she isn't lying. It will help me get through the unstoppable awfulness of all things Chair.


11/05/11--08:13: Pierce (chan 2094318)

Okay, who is going to tell me what actually happens in Mastiff? Because so far your spoilery posts haven't been much with the spoilery!

And have you guys seen Ian Thorpe's interview with the Telegraph? It's kind of sad, tbh. And now he's following it up with a pretty bad showing at the World Cup, which is even more sad. This is why I'm against comebacks! Get out while you're on top!

Anyway, Duel in the Pool is being held at Georgia Tech this year, and I'm seriously considering going. Michael Phelps won't be there, but Ryan Lochte is better than him nowadays anyway, and he will be. Plus Brendan Hansen! And it might be more fun to watch all the swimmers in London if I see them in person in December?


11/10/11--21:08: Um... (chan 2094318)


Okay, I am so confused.

1. Stefan wants to kill Klaus so he will be free from his compulsion.

2. Stefan stops Damon from killing Klaus because Klaus compelled his hybrid army to kill Damon if Damon kills him.

3. But... doesn't Klaus's compulsion end after he dies?


11/13/11--12:46: Ugh (chan 2094318)

The fastest way to lose faith in humanity is to read the comments on any Yahoo article.


11/15/11--08:52: TV (chan 2094318)


The Vampire Diaries which is still the stupidest name ever btw



I'm still really confused by the mid-season finale. I wish this was another Aztec Curse situation and that Katherine had lied to Stefan. Katherine tells Stefan that the hybrids are compelled to kill Damon if he tries to kill Klaus, but (1) compulsion ends if Damon succeeds, (2) Mikael compelled them, (3) Katherine had those wolfsbane grenades, which neutralized them really, really effectively. It didn't feel like there was an actual threat, an actual reason for Stefan to screw up Klaus being killed.

So I wish that Katherine lied. But I don't think she did because she spouted weird stuff about loving Damon (stop it, no you don't), and Katherine has been running from Klaus for so long, wanted him dead as much as anyone, etc. So I guess it was just a confusing and contrived way to drag out Klaus's unfortunate existence.



I'm disappointed if that's all the payoff we're going to get wrt Elena telling Damon that she thought he'd be the one Stefan comes back for.



I didn't really mind the cheesy vampire origin story. I think it fits with TVD's brand of vampire lore, and the importance of family and balance. But now werewolves are more mysterious than vampires.



Klaus crying in 3x09 just drove home how unbearably stupid and pathetic his motivations are. Compelling friends, making slave-like followers, lying to gain his family's allegiance, "killing" them when they bail. (Rebekah ran with him from their father for centuries, and the minute she got tired of running? Goodbye.) All so he won't be alone and/or abandoned by his family? I mean, honestly, this is all soooo pathetic, it's not scary at all.



The founding family lineage is totally doomed. Caroline is a vampire, no more Forbes. Tyler is a vampire hybrid, Mason is dead, so that's it for the Lockwoods. Damon killed Zack, so no more Salvatores. Jenna and John are dead, so there's just Jeremy and Elena to carry on the Gilbert genes.

Overall? I've been enjoying the season. It's been kind of emotional, actually. I got all teary when Stefan was all NOOOOOO I WILL NOT TURN OFF MY HUMANITY and when Matt said goodbye to Vicky, and I legit cried when Anna found Pearl. Damon/Elena has improved, Stefan/Damon stuff is generally excellent. I just hope Klaus dies soon and the Originals don't continue to eat away at screentime for characters like Caroline, Katherine, and Jeremy. And what happened to Stefan/Caroline scenes, crying tbh.



Gossip Girl 506





Gossip Girl 507

Diana/Nate/Ivy/Max/Serena

I'm not even sure I could explain this story line to anyone, it was that convoluted.

- I thought Sleep No More sounded cool, but it mostly just looked like a middlebrow funhouse for adults. Is Diana Lady Macbeth? Too bored with her to think about it, tbh.

- Ivy's boyfriend Max followed her all the way to New York... but just as he's about to find her, he gets *completely* distracted by Serena. Which makes no sense, but whatever.

- I don't think Ivy has any feelings for Nate. And all the stuff with the masks was even more stupid than 4x09, which is impressive.

- The part that really confused me was Diana's endgame with regard to Serena. She wants Serena to use Gossip Girl, no wait, takedown Gossip Girl. But Serena doesn't bite until Gossip Girl spreads false info on "Charlie," that Diana herself spread... and Nate's grandfather is bankrolling all of this? IDEK, you guys.

Chuck and Blair

The thing about Blair where Chuck is concerned is that we all wanted her to get over Chuck last year. But she never did. The only reason she's with Louis and not Chuck is because Chuck told her that their relationship wasn't "right" like her relationship with Louis, that he couldn't make her happy like Louis could, that he hadn't treated her as well as Louis had. Blair wanted to "make our own fairytale" with Chuck, but Chuck told her she already had one with Louis.

And Chuck changing (how crazy rushed is this story line, btw?) throws everything off. If Chuck has changed, then he could be "right," he could make her happy, he could treat her well, and he could be her fairytale after all. Blair schemes to prove that Chuck hasn't changed because she *needs* Chuck to be the villain of her fairytale with Louis. That's the roles she's assigned him, and he accepts it because he knows that's what she needs. They made him ~The Dark Knight~ after all: the selfless hero (my eyes just rolled so far back into my head, you guys) accepts the role of villain because it's what people ~need him to be.~

Anyway! Chuck Louis Chuck Louis Chuck Louis Chuck Louis times infinity. COME ON DAN, YOU NEED TO SNEAK ATTACK.

Dan

Published at 20! You're such a failure, Dan.

I do like that his book is flopping, though. I really liked Rufus's pep talk, especially what he said about Dan just needing one person to connect with his art. But he didn't break through! It's very UnDan, and it looks like we're getting more of that next week. I just want Dair and Date to make up, cry cry.





Chuck

I think being constantly on the cancellation bubble ruined Chuck. I guess the episodes have been entertaining in the sense that I still love all of these characters, but everything I cared about is done; they've been forced to constantly wrap up story lines in case the show ended, and they wrapped up everything that mattered. It just doesn't feel like there's anything left to see. These story lines might as well be comic book story lines, tbqh.


11/22/11--11:13: Gossip Girl (chan 2094318)



I mean, this episode was actually good as an episode. It wasn't overstuffed, it actually felt like Serena and Blair are still best friends, and the drama was paced and managed really well. But in general? I am so baffled by the show right now.

Ivy

I had such high hopes for Ivy! But her motivations have been unclear or -- worse -- plotty. It's pretty amazing that we're in Season 5, and Gossip Girl has yet to introduce a new character I care about. ...well, I guess I liked Carter. But obviously they did not.

Nate aka EDITOR IN CHIEF OF THE NY SPECTATOR

Which is beyond ridiculous, even if his grandfather engineered it to some nefarious end. The stuff about Nate having never sent a single tip to GG was adorable. I guess Diana will be back later in the season?

Dan

I hate Chuck and Dan being friends. It's so stupid, and the shenans aren't worth the headache it's giving me just thinking about CHUCK AND DAN BEING FRIENDS. Even for the crack-land that is a teen soap in its fifth year, this is not right. This icon is in protest, bye. This was a little funny, tho.

People have been complaining that Dan and Blair's friendship is one-sided since 5x03, and mostly I figured that was a function of their dynamic. Blair yells a lot about how they aren't friends, Dan is her friend anyway, etc. This was the first episode where I felt like the imbalance is an actual thing. (Or just a way for Chuck to see that Dan is in love with Blair? IDK.) I get it if Blair is mad at Dan because his book strained her relationship with Louis, but she was happy to see Dan when she thought he was there to be not-mad at her. But once he wants her to be not-mad at him, she's just like 'ugh, take him away.' I mean, yeah, the timing could have been better, but what Dan was saying was basically true.

Chuck

Jesus Christ, Gossip Girl. It's therapy, not MAGIC. But the show is like, PRESTO-CHANGO, we give you Chuck Bass: A Changed Man! And after six episodes, we have the other characters informing us that Chuck is awesome and selfless and new and improved. And Chuck with a dog. And Chuck saving ducks. And Chuck weeping. And Chuck putting blankets on Dan. This is the most farcical redemption arc I've ever watched, but I think it's supposed to be serious. And I don't get that at all. I guess the writers never took any of the things they had Chuck do seriously, so they have no interest in (are incapable of?) walking them back in a real arc?

It's too dumb to get mad about, I'm just kind of embarrassed for the show if this is the best they could do with Chuck, plus confused about why this is so rushed. I guess they want Blair torn over Chuck going into the wedding?

Blair

Best Blair since... wow, that's depressing. Louis was incredibly creepy and self-righteous. He seemed a lot more interested in turning Blair against her friends than in finding out who leaked the paternity info. He could have just looked through the site to find out who sent the tip, but he posted it to Serena's blog and ruined their wedding shower to prove his shitty point.

But I liked how strong Blair was, when she realized what had happened. And even if it seems ridic, I actually like that Blair won't move to Monaco full-time for Louis. I like that she won't covert to Catholicism for him. Blair was so self-sacrificing in her relationship with Chuck, watching her put herself first seems like growth. (I hope that's how I'm supposed to see it, though. I honestly have no idea.) I just wish she hadn't gone to Chuck at the end and said YOU'VE BEEN GOOD THIS WHOLE TIME. What does that even mean?

Also, did the almost completely random exposition about Serena having a favorite antique shop in Paris + the weird pan over Blair's bed strike anyone else as really weird? It wasn't even product placement.

FAN STUFF

So I guess Dair shippers are in a debilitating funk over Penn saying that Blair is Dan's soulmate and how it's unfortunate for Dan because he isn't Blair's, Chuck and Blair are meant for each other, etc.

Which does suck, but the thing about actors is that they don't keep the show in their head like fans do, if they watch it at all. The stuff they say is more useful in the short-term (S4!Penn: IT DOESN'T END HOW YOU THINK IT DOES) than the long-term (S2!Penn: NO, I DON'T THINK VANESSA AND DAN WILL EVER GET TOGETHER.) I think Penn's interview means that in the episodes he's been filming, Dan in love with Blair, but Blair is still all about Chuck. Kill me now, etc.

But ugh, I still think we're getting Dan/Blair. (I just hope I still care by the time it happens.) Those first two episodes were ridiculously shippy. Usually Chuck/Blair is draaagged out in season-long arcs, but they're powering through Chuck/Blair story while Dan/Blair crawls along. It took eight episodes for Dan to realize that he's in love with Blair, whereas it took eight episodes for Chuck to change *and* Blair to realize he'd changed. That's kind of an insane difference.

Anyway, for now I'm keeping calm and interested to see how they write Dan being in love with Blair.


11/29/11--09:21: Gossip Girl (chan 2094318)


My favorite thing about this episode was the twitter accounts for IHateHumphrey and HumphreyLove turning out to be real. My other favorite thing about the episode was, oh yeah, NOTHING. I guess I dug Ivy for the first time in awhile, mostly because she finally got some clear motivations... but they're like six or seven episodes too late, you know? And watching Nate be editor in chief completely defeated my totally valiant attempt to suspend my disbelief, sry Nate.

Anyway, what I really want to talk about are Blair and Chuck and Louis. This episode was *very* heavy and unsubtle with its themes.

Chuck and Louis

So a few episodes ago, myfriendamy said she thinks the writers have written Chuck and Louis like "two sides of the same coin." Last season, the writers established a dichotomy for Blair in which Louis represented lightness and Chuck represented darkness. This season, they've spent the first 9 episodes undermining and reversing it, and it was so obvious tonight: "I am trying to pinpoint the source of your light so I can pull Louis out of the darkness."

So they aren't being subtle about what they've done. It's also what they've been doing the whole time, IMO. Louis and Chuck have been foiling each other all along:



• Chuck and Louis are Blair's two princes.
  
  
• Chuck chose his Empire hotel over Blair. Louis chose Blair over his empire.
  
  
• Chuck waited two minutes for Blair in the S3 finale. Louis waited all night for Blair in the S4 finale.
  
  
• Either Chuck or Louis could have been the father of Blair's baby.
  
  
• Trust issues were at the center of both relationships' failures:
  

  CHUCK: It's the reason why I couldn't say "I love you." It's because I knew I couldn't trust you.

  BLAIR: (to Louis) Either you find a way to trust me, or you let me go.

  
  Last season, Chuck tells Louis that Blair can't be trusted:
  

  CHUCK: If you can't trust Blair to tell you the truth, you've got bigger problems than me. All I'll say is get used to it. Blair is nothing without her secrets.

  
  And when Chuck wonders why Louis waited all night for Blair, he says:
  

  LOUIS: Because I love her. And just as important, I believe in her.

  
  But this season, it's reversed:
  

  LOUIS: I want to believe, but every time I turn there seems to be another secret.

  CHUCK: You're making a big mistake.
  LOUIS: In thinking Blair could be trusted, yes. She will always have her secrets. She can't exist without them. You were right after all.

  
  
• Blair tells Louis that Chuck will never change, "but what's scaring me is that you're changing into him." Three episodes later, Blair wants Chuck's help to make Louis "more like the man Chuck's become, like Louis used to be when Chuck was like Louis is like now." We get it, thanks.
  
  
• Chuck tells Blair: "I only turned dark and desperate because I was afraid of losing you." And this is supposedly the key to Blair's Louis-related problems: "Just tell him he will not lose you, and he will be a prince again."
  
  
• I also thought it was interesting that people assumed Feist's "The Bad in Each Other" would play over Chuck/Blair's scene in 5x08 when we heard it would feature, but instead it played over Blair/Louis's fight: When good man and good woman / Can find the good in each other / Then good man and good woman / Bring out the worst in the other


So basically, the light/dark dichotomy established last season was not static, and Louis is still Chuck's foil. He was perfect when Chuck sucked; he sucks now that Chuck is perfect. I think it's been a clumsy transition for a lot of reasons, namely that Chuck's redemption arc has been incredibly rushed and often ridiculous, and it's impossible for dark!Louis to make dark!Chuck look good (even though Louis was a lot creepier last week than I think most people registered). Obviously four episodes of dark!Louis and light!Chuck don't change how I feel about Chuck/Blair. But (sadly!) it makes sense that it would change how Blair feels about a lot.



Blair

1. Ugh.

2. Blair was upset when she realized Chuck let her go, and it reminded me of how their problems are so mutual, i.e. Chuck yelling at Blair that she'll never marry anyone else because she's his and Blair pathetically responding that she *wanted* to be so badly. It also made me think Blair never really let Chuck go. She told him a part of her wished the baby was his. Blair holding onto the paternity test was so odd, and then we got Louis waving it around -- not as proof she cheated on him but as thematic proof that: "some part of you thought you might still have a choice to make, and I needed you to see that Chuck would always be the wrong one." And as Chuck and Louis changed, Blair actively resisted those changes by trying to make Chuck and Louis fit back into the original dichotomy.

Chuck's rushed redemption and his switcheroo with Louis feels like the writers' intention with this is to pull the rug out from under Blair. Blair is like, this is how it is! Then Blair's like, okay maybe not, but this is how I'll make it! But that didn't work either, and now everything is shit. Blair is engaged and pregnant to Prince Louis... but Chuck is who she really loves, and it's Chuck who seems like the ~real prince.

3.

BLAIR: All this time I blamed you for pulling me into the dark. But I was wrong. It was me who brought out your dark side. And now that I'm with Louis, I've done the same to him.

CHUCK: You never pulled me into the dark side Blair. You were the lightest thing that ever came into my life. I only turned dark and desperate because I was afraid of losing you.


FEAR LEADS TO ANGER. ANGER LEADS TO HATE. HATE LEADS TO THE DARK SIDE. I mean, really, what the actual fuck is this dialogue? This is not Star Wars. Chuck is not a jedi.

But ugh, I think it says a lot about how little self-esteem Blair has that she keeps shouldering so much blame for her boyfriends' actions. Why did she accept so much responsibility for Chuck manipulating her into selling herself for his hotel? Why did she cover up her cut face and lie about how she got it? Why does she jump to the conclusion that because she's the commonality in their lives, she's to blame for Old Chuck and New Louis being the way they are? WHAT ARE YOU TELLING ME, SHOW.

Answer: NOTHING. It's just being gross for the sake of its themes.

4.

Just tell him that he will not lose you, and he will a prince again.


Yes, this is TOTALLY the answer to awesome boyfriends! I know exactly how she should tell him, too! Outside on the curb with dark!Louis standing by his limo, both of them crying, his face in her hands while she looks deeply into his eyes and tell him: "The worst thing you ever did, the darkest thought you ever had, I WOULD STAND BY YOU THROUGH ANYTHING."

Seriously, though, even making allowances for Louis's understandable insecurities about losing Blair to Chuck, this is gross advice framed grossly. It also contradicts Blair's character journey to say something like she said to Chuck in S2 to Louis now, especially since the show went on to have Chuck throw it in Blair's face after the IP or have Blair humiliated by her "Stand By Your Man" video.

5. Blair's mirrors have been full of Marie Antoinette since she Louis showed up. (It's actually finally started to taper off.) Last season when Blair kissed Dan and went to bed for a week because she ~realized Chuck was her destiny or whatever (hateful show), I pointed out that her mirror was BIZARRELY contorted to reflect her Audrey painting. So I noticed that Audrey showed up in Blair's mirror again in her final scene with Chuck. Marie Antoinette showed up again when Blair talked about Louis, too:



Appropriate since Blair laying in bed and dismissing Dorota reminded me a lot of how she acted in 4x18. Sigh.

7. Remember when we thought 4x22 was a modicum of closure for Chuck/Blair instead of setting up more Chuck/Blair story? I miss those days, you guys.





FYI: Apparently LJ is under attack again by the Russian government. Freedom of speech is awesome and everyone deserves it, etc.


12/07/11--17:23: How do you kill a feeling? (chan 2094318)

I hate Putin.

Season 5 reminds me of Season 3. I loved the first four episodes, but then it got bogged down in flop story lines and ended with a karmic, real life-inspired car crash involving Tripp.

Anyway. I read The End of the Affair this past weekend. And it seems like this season has been *heavily* influenced by the book's characterization, themes, and plot. Louis's personality changing, Chuck and Louis's scenes about trusting Blair, the (untrue) idea that the fear of losing Blair is what made Chuck dark, the idea that Blair needs to promise Louis to never leave him -- I mean, there's so much about the Chuck/Blair/Louis triangle seems like it was ~inspired by the book.

I liked the book, tho? In fact, I totally recommend it because it's super short, very good, and makes this season a lot more interesting. Plus it would be fun to talk about with you guys.

Dan/Serena

Serena's feelings for Dan were reactivated by nostalgia, and the way Dan treated Blair is what cemented them. I think Serena was completely right that telling Blair how he felt would have been inappropriate, but she was kind of right for the wrong reasons. I think jealousy did motivate her to send Louis to Brooklyn. So hopefully the writers are ultimately moving Serena towards getting over Dan and her issues with Dan/Blair.

But lies! Serena did too get it right with Nate! Speaking of which, I like the idea of Serena and Nate taking down Gossip Girl (especially since Serena tried and failed last time), but that NSD scene at the hospital was so weird. It seemed like none of them were even worried about Blair or Chuck.

Chuck/Blair

Chuck was the best version of himself in this episode. And because it wasn't Nate or Dan or Serena or anybody stooging for his magically-induced goodness, it actually worked. This is the first episode I've liked Chuck in awhile. Which is depressing. (Not that it's been awhile, that I liked Chuck.) But ugh, Chuck/Blair is still a bunch of stupid nonsense:



BLAIR: You're all I ever wanted. I love you. I love every part of you. I couldn't tell Louis that he would never lose me because it wasn't true. You're the one I never want to leave.


This dialogue is admittedly soul-crushing, but it's not just about Chuck/Blair. It's about The End of the Affair. Blair says Chuck is all she ever wanted because she's about to give up what she wants so Chuck can live. Blair says Chuck's the only one she never wants to leave because that's exactly what she's about to do in order to save him. Remember last week when Chuck told Blair that her love kept him alive? Well, now it will. Literally. (At least, in Blair's mind. Wow at the promo.) So basically we're in for yet another story line about Blair's masochism and self-sabotage where her feelings for Chuck are concerned. TO THINK I THOUGHT THOSE WERE OVER.

I thought it was interesting/weird that Blair wanted to run away, that she didn't want to stay in New York. She'd been resisting moving away from New York with Louis and his family. It must be important because Chuck was all like WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT.

What I hated, though, was that Blair didn't make a choice. I'm paralyzed. I can't breathe. Tell me what the right choice is, Chuck. (Which is what he did in 4x22.) I don't know how to be happy. This, to me, was not Blair choosing her ending~. The show has used Chuck and Dan choosing other guys for Blair as a way to make them look awesome without much regard for how unawesome it makes Blair look. Between this kind of stuff and how much Blair's feelings for Chuck control her actions, it hasn't felt like Blair has had real agency for a long time.



DAN: Blair, what if you don't marry Louis.
Blair: And what? BE ALONE?!


Wow, Blair. All of this stuff about Blair being happy and who makes Blair happy and she should be with this guy because he's the one who makes her happy and I just want her to be happy is officially EXHAUSTING. It's depressing that her happiness seems completely dependent on other people. If she was happier with herself, maybe that wouldn't be the case. I mean, she thinks she's the villain of Dan's novel, she thinks she brings out the darkness in Chuck and Louis...

Dan/Blair

When I watched the premiere, I was all like ugh because I was sure Dan almost letting Blair walk away from ~everything would be paralleled. What Blair needed when she showed up at the loft was for Dan to be her friend, and instead he acted like a guy with feelings for her who saw an opportunity. So I'm really happy this was paralleled and reversed in the fall finale:



DAN: I've been so consumed with my own feelings that I didn't really let myself see how much she loves Chuck. She didn't need my confession, she needed my help.


It's exactly the flip of 5x01. Dan put his feelings aside and was the friend Blair needed.




This scene struck me as really odd, just because it was so unnecessary and weird for Dan to blindfold Blair. Maybe it was dumb misdirection, but I wonder if the stuff about trust was important? Dan asks Blair to trust him, and she says she's not in the habit of doing that. (Lies! Does her obliviousness know no bounds?) It made me think back to Eleanor's line in the premiere about how you should never test a good man who loves you, tbh. But I actually think Blair has already trusted Dan a lot...

Whatevs to all the fire in the room Dan leads CB to; I am choosing to focus instead on all the aromatherapy candles (lol) Blair made Dan put all over the loft. And aw, her sheets are on his bed:






BLAIR: I'm so lost I wound up in Brooklyn.


I love this, IDEC. Blair says she's lost, but she's in Brooklyn sitting in Dan's loft surrounded by Dan's things. There's tea, again. There's gourmet pizza, again. And there's Dan listening to her problems, again.

This really is a lot like Chuck/Blair's arc in Season 2, but the difference is that Dan isn't not saying how he feels because it's easier that way, it's actually a lot harder. He isn't saying it because his feelings are not relevant to Blair's actual life right now: she's engaged, she's pregnant, she's in love with Chuck. But ever since last season, whenever she's felt sad or lost, it's Dan's door she's knocking on. And I think that means a lot, Blair just doesn't get it yet. She doesn't realize there's a reason she keeps ending up in Brooklyn, she doesn't know that Dan is in love with her, and she hasn't read Dan's book. Dan/Blair is obvs not over.

Anyway, my favorite moment was Dan very seriously telling Blair that it wouldn't matter to him that her baby isn't his and Blair obliviously taking it as advice to call Chuck. Like, seriously, the more stuff like this happens, the more Dan acknowledges that Chair is this insurmountable thing, the more of a chance I think he has to break through it in a real way.

P.S. What is up with these writers' obsession with Howard Hughes? It's one of the most overused references on the show, and I wouldn't even know who he was if not for that Leo movie tbqh.


12/28/11--18:20: Pro/Con (chan 2094318)

Hey guys hey! I hope everyone had a great holiday!

Eventually I really want to talk about things like Breaking Bad, Parks & Rec, The Good Wife, Yuletide, The Marriage Plot, and how Werner Herzog is the funniest. But first I need to talk about Dreamwidth.





caitie

I'm going to use Dreamwidth as my ~homebase~ for the next month or so and crosspost to LiveJournal from there. I'm not committing myself to moving, but... I'm seriously considering it.

Reasons!



My paid account is nearly up. Observe the sad lack of ironic halo: caitiedidit.



My comment notifications have been fucked up for over a month now, to an extent they've never been fucked up before.



The downtime is not a huge issue for me, but it doesn't help LJ's case. I don't mean the DDoS attacks, which I won't blame LJ for. I feel like I'm often randomly trying to load LJ or my inbox (which I have to use, since I don't get comments reliably anymore!) and getting server errors.



Dreamwidth is about to start allowing community imports; starting sometime this week, any LJ community admin will be able to export their comm's content to Dreamwidth. (Also: I feel like tumblr and twitter have really undermined LJ communities as a reason for sticking with LiveJournal over the past two years. It's just easier to reblog or RT news or pictures or links, and most of the comms I'm a member of are pretty dead.)



The new entry/comment pages, ugh. I've given it a week to make sure I'm not overreacting. I remember when LJ changed their profile pages, and there were things I disliked about them, but it was nothing compared to the visceral hatred I feel every time I look at an entry this past week. I've always used simple comment pages as my default setting -- it's how I look at my entries, it's how I look at you guys' entries, it's how I experience the site. And so now every time I look at an entry page, I just... hate it. It makes me unhappy. The font change, the way the comments collapse, how they expand more slowly than they did before -- I hate all of it. The only way it looks even slightly okay to me is on entries with one page of comments and no collapsed threads. And no comment previews?



I was looking at the newest post on Dreamwidth's news comm, and the comments were so supportive and happy. On LJ, everyone is always like I HOPE U FIND A FIRE AND DIE IN IT, FU AND UR MOM! It might be nice to be a part of a site like Dreamwidth, maybe?



I think the people who own and run Dreamwidth have proven that they know what they're doing, that they're not just another LJ clone or fork. I'm impressed with some of the things they've done (expandable LJ cuts! uploading multiple icons at once! entry previews in simple comment pages if that's your default!), and it was so easy to import my journal.

Reservations!



I have a friends list that I really like on LiveJournal! All of the comms I like are here! That's a lot of inertia and the main reason I haven't seriously considered moving until now. But I think I can keep up with my LJ f'list, even if I do move...



Sometimes I think of fandom as having, like, waves? Or factions, maybe? And I feel like the ~wave of fans who moved to DW were mostly not people I interacted with, people who I associated with OT3 and metafandom and the more srs bzns type of fandom stuff that is interesting, but not necessarily what I enjoy about fandom? But obviously, Dreamwidth would never have been founded or paid for without people like them! So I'm not trying to cast ~aspersions, just trying to express that I didn't necessarily feel like I belonged on Dreamwidth.



Related, there are things about Dreamwidth that make me roll my eyes so much. I get that a lot of fans disliked how the idea of a "friends" list created drama, that people just wanted to friend and unfriend people on the basis of whether or not what they were posting interested them at any given moment. But it's not like changing the name makes that go away. Followers, blog rolls, reading lists -- it will always suck to lose followers, no matter what you call them. And people will always use social networking sites differently. Anyway, the whole idea of a reading list instead of a friends list, granting access instead of friending... it's needlessly confusing and it creates (or attempts to create) this weird distance between you and the people who follow your journal? Or maybe I have it wrong, and it really does make people more open to friending subscribing to journals? IDK.

My objections to Dreamwidth seem pretty weaksauce, tbh.

So yeah, I'm going to give it a whirl~ I guess. I'll report back! The biggest annoyance I've run up against so far is that I guess Dreamwidth disables table background colors on their entry pages and profiles? Bummer for people who used profile codes.

Originally posted at http://caitie.dreamwidth.org/469290.html.


01/17/12--17:07: End of the Affair, no question mark plz. (chan 2094318)

Gossip Girl! What are you doing???



The way they just skipped right over Blair's miscarriage so she could obsess over Chuck is completely embarrassing. If they didn't want to deal with Blair's grief onscreen, they should never have written the story line. Why even bother with the pregnancy? It's not like they bothered to give Blair feelings about it beyond who the father was and how that would affect her.



I really hope myfriendamy is right that Chuck and Louis have been written like two sides of the same coin. Until now they've balanced each other out in that they've been light and dark at different times, but in this episode they both sort of teetered on the edge of being dark. And they bonded over their ~fear of losing Blair, talked about hiring detectives, followed her, planned to out her non-affair with Dan... Pretty much all of their scenes since Louis joined the show have been about trusting or not trusting Blair. But maybe it was all just for EOTA, sigh.



Super unpopular opinion, but the pact makes sense to me in several ways:


1. Blair is all about control, and losing the baby took that from her. She couldn't control that, so the pact is her way of trying to exert control over Chuck's fate. If she stays with Louis, God will save Chuck.
   
   
2. Dan pointed out the pattern of Blair saving Chuck in 5x02, which Sarah Goodman also wrote. And all of the religious stuff in her first episode -- Blair's exasperated plea to Mary for help, the religious holiday, all the stuff at the church -- was foreshadowing Blair's pact with God.
   
   
3. It's totally co-dependent, ew. I remember writing that co-dependents have savior and martyr complexes this summer. I think Sarah's damage in EOTA is that she equates love with suffering. Man makes God in his image, and Sarah's God expected her to suffer. When she makes her pact, it's not enough to believe in God because "it doesn't hurt to believe." She's really sad, you guys:

   I don't mind my pain. It's their pain [Henry and Bendrix's] I can't stand. Let my pain go on and on and on, but stop theirs. Dear God, if only you could come down from your Cross for awhile and let me get up there instead. If I could suffer like you, I could heal like you.

   I think Blair is very similar, in that her idea of love as per 4x22 is also really messed up. She thinks having it means sacrificing her happiness: "What we have is a great love. What's happiness compared to all that?" And so Blair's God expects her to sacrifice her newfound happiness with Chuck by marrying Louis. All of this completely fits the idea that Blair is a masochist in her relationship with Chuck. SHE'S DEAD INSIDE WITHOUT HIM. (Sarah says this too: "It's horrible feeling dead. One wants to feel alive again in any way.") SHE'LL LOSE EVERYTHING BEFORE SHE LOSES CHUCK.




CHUCK: I won't stop. I will use all of the power I have to find out the truth.
BLAIR: Some things are more powerful than even you.

Ha, they're completely at odds. It's taking all of Blair's power (like 4x22) to stay away from Chuck while Chuck is promising to use all of his power to find out why. And lol, God is more powerful than both of them! But seriously, it's sort of hard to figure out how this ties into her weakling arc. Staying away from Chuck is strong? Giving in would be weak? Chuck is her weakness? I really have no clue.



5x02 and 5x11 were kind of a flip for Dan and Chuck, the beginning and the end (yes!) of their pseudo-friendship. Even the Dan/Blair scene at the church where Dan gets a call from Chuck reminded me of the 5x02 Dan/Blair scene at the church where Dan sees the blast about Chuck. Of course, obviously this time Chuck wants Dan's help and Dan's not willing to give it. Also, Dan is helping Blair through a crisis that's left her feeling "dead inside," which reminds me of Dan helping Chuck through his inability to feel things in 5x02.



CHUCK: (To Louis) Blair has a special way of controlling men, but you know this.

Que? This quote is so weird in context of Louis and Chuck's dark/light stuff.



Dan/Blair were cute, but they really serviced the plot. I guess they were supposed to fool casual viewers into thinking they were having an affair. I liked that Dan had clearly been trying to talk Blair out of marrying Louis, but that he's being there for her regardless of her crazy decisions. Like Serena said, if she can't talk Blair out of it, at least she can help her live with it. That's exactly what Dan has been doing too. And Blair is confiding in Dan again and using the loft as a refuge again. Clue in soon, Blair.



I like that Gossip Girl ended up being Nate's anonymous tipster. I like that Serena is going to become Gossip Girl (and yeah I kind of died at how cute NS were when they discussed that, siiiigh). Nate as a "journalist" is ridic but hot. And I also liked how they introduced the real Charlie! And Chuck has a secret relative who donated blood for him, o yey.

Last season I would probably have ranted about Blair in this space, but Blair of 5x11 is really consistent with the Blair of late last season, and I squared her with the thing I wrote this summer about Chuck/Blair. I'm just frustrated that I'm still watching this story line, but I really do think they have to start changing this. (Shhh, let me have my hopes and dreams for awhile longer.) Blair can't continue to be this masochistic or co-dependent or weak or whatever you want to call it. Her character arc is weakling, so at some point she has to be really and truly strong on her own, right?

I may or may not do a picspam of EOTA vs. GG's EOTA? Would anyone even care to look at it? This episode was so baaad, IDK if it's worth it. I really wish I knew if the GGW have a larger point by using EOTA (there are so many things they could have done this season, and this is what they went with?) I don't know if it has a larger point or if the Gossip Girl writers are like Stephanie Meyer in that they will pull from these types of influences without any regard for the consequences.

P.S. Mostly I just want to forget this episode happened and skip straight to this:



Originally posted at http://caitie.dreamwidth.org/469745.html.


01/24/12--15:34: I did shots! They were fun! The first 10, anyway. (chan 2094318)


Gossip Girl

This episode was actually really fun; there were so many moments that cracked me up. I particularly liked the Beatrice/Blair scenes (shipping it, tbh) and Serena and Blair's stuff. It was just nice to see Blair happy and fun after all the depressing story lines she's had in 5x09-5x11.



I remember people thinking that Cavalia and Beatrice making out in the limo in 5x02 was a deliberate callback to Chuck/Blair, and obviously they were right since a bunch of comparisons were drawn between Beatrice and Blair's relationships in this episode. But I wish Blair was really staying away from Chuck because she's realized that relationship drags her down and they don't work no matter how much she and Chuck love each other. Instead it's this stupid pact.



I completely fell for the awesome bait and switch Nate/Serena pulled on Tripp. I was so mad, too! I was all like UGH WHY DOES SERENA TRUST TRIPP MORE THAN NATE AFTER HE LEFT HER FOR DEAD, THIS IS JUST LIKE HOW NOBODY CARES JACK TRIED TO RAPE LILY, I HATE THIS SHOW'S COMPLETE LACK OF LONG-TERM MEM-- ...oh.



Dan wrote Blair's wedding vows! Which, you know. Is not at all adorable. I am not moved by that kind of overt cheese at all. I am completely unaffected. :)

I don't know if we'll get to hear them since the show let us read the first page. (I hope we do, because the scene of Dan making sad-panda faces at Blair while Louis tells her how much he loves her in Dan's own words is totally a scene I need in my life!) But this part is interesting:

You have taught me how to enjoy everything the world has to offer. You have brought out a side of me I never thought existed. I realized before you, I did not truly know how to live. I was expected to do things and to be a certain kind of person. But the truth is that person was someone I didn't actually like all that much.

The vows are interesting in two ways. The first is that Dan is saying Blair brings out a side of him he didn't know existed, and the implication is that it is a lighter side. (HE DIDN'T LAUGH, YOU GUYS.) Which is loaded in the context of Louis and Chuck's stupid dark/light side themes and Blair believing she brings out the darkness in them. The second is that the "certain kind of person" Dan is expected to be is an outsider. Louis actually gives him The Stranger as a thank you gift for writing the vows, a.k.a The Outsider. I love this because one of the reasons I love Dan/Blair is that they see through each other's personas. I love the scene in S2 where Blair schools Dan about how he really is the ultimate insider and the scene in S3 where Dan takes off Blair's crown headband and tosses it down the stairs. I also like that Dan seems to be renouncing Vanessa and Chuck's advice about how an artist needs to "stand alone" to observe the world from a distance, especially with the quote Dan chose from Sabrina: "I learned how to be in the world and of the world and not just stand aside and watch." Aw, Dan.

...I just analyzed prop vows, didn't I.



I swear I'm not ignoring Dan/Serena, I just don't know what to say about them. I think Serena's feelings came off as sympathetic, even though she lied at the end. The scene where Dan read and complimented her column was really sweet.



I laughed at Chuck helping that elderly man across the street. I guess this is what JS means about how Chuck's story line in these episodes are about whether or not he'll backslide. Will he sabotage Blair's wedding or get back to his busy schedule of saving ducks and helping old ladies cross the street??? I CAN'T WAIT TO FIND OUT. Seriously, though, if we're supposed to wonder whether or not Chuck will actually go ~dark at the wedding, I kind of think he won't. In the end it will probably be the butler Georgina who ruins everything for no reason other than boredom.



LOL @ Josh Safran saying there is no planned ~endgame.



But w/e, it's better than Stephanie Savage going around saying Nate/Blair would be a "blip" before that story line even aired.




TVD

ELIJAH IS BACK. That's all I really care about.

The last three episodes have been... adequate? I liked Bonnie's stuff last week with her mom. Stefan's stuff has been good, too.

Unpopular Opinion: I don't care that Elena compelled Jeremy, insofar as I'm pretty sure I was supposed to think it was the wrong thing to do while also understanding why she did it. She is responsible for Jeremy's well-being, and he almost died just because Klaus wanted to send a message to her. I mean, as a big sister, I just don't think this was as OMG BAD as a lot of people do. Her instinct is to protect Jeremy and send him out of harm's way. I agree with Bonnie, but I liked that she capitulated since did something stupid to bring Jeremy back to life in the season finale when, again, Jeremy was caught in the crossfire. Technically, Jeremy should already be dead.

The writing for Elena has improved a lot, they're trying a lot harder with her than they have before so I think some of the criticism must have taken. I could do without some of the textual cues for how we're supposed to see her behavior, though. Bonnie's stuff in this last episode was good, and I'm hopeful we'll finally meet her dad sometime soon? Her lack of a fleshed out homelife is embarrassing to the show. Tyler's stupidity has been grating, so I'm glad he's being proactive and trying to break the sire bond. Klaus/Caroline is le groce, but I liked that Caroline got to choose the life of a vampire since Katherine took that choice from her the first time.



Royal Pains

This show has lost a little something. I'm not sure what, but the writing ever since the second half of last season has felt off.

I'm happy Jill and Hank broke up, because that needed to happen, especially if Evan and Paige are engaged. And I thought they got engaged last season, so the cheesy proposal scene at the divorce party surprised me. The consequences of Divya's exhausted mistake at Hampton's Heritage were the best part of the premiere, and I'm not surprised that watching her tell Hank was the cliffhanger. It's the most interesting story line the show has going for it right now.



Revenge

This show got boring, but I perked up at the reveal that Charlotte is Emily's half-sister, and this past episode was actually genuinely good, probably because it was written by Liz Tigelaar. For the first time, I actually got why so many people ship Nolan/Emily. When Daniel says he can be his real self around Emily, the obvious takeaway is that Emily is being a completely fake person around him. And Jack is in love with Amanda -- someone she isn't anymore and probably never will be again. But Emily is actually herself with Nolan. He knew Amanda, and he discourages the worst aspects of her vendetta. His friendship grounds her.

Daniel is still my favorite. I really hope he is the Valentine of the story, because I don't want him to die!



Sherlock

Haaa. I think I enjoyed the Irene Adler episode the most, even if I disliked that she didn't actually manage to outsmart him. That's not how the story is supposed to go! But overall I enjoyed all three episodes, even if the show is totally silly and there's a bit of a EVERYTHING AND THE KITCHEN SINK feel to the production. I think maybe it would be better if they did four or five hour-long episodes, because the show exists in this weird place between being a movie (not quite) and a tv show.

Anyway, I think Sherlock figured out that Moriarty wanted him to kill himself when he got that blank look while talking to John about how there was just one thing left for Moriarty to do. My sister thinks he jumped into the truck, and that ball he was playing with? We were watching The Mentalist, and Patrick used that sort of ball to fake a death. You stick it under your arm and it cuts off the blood flow so you don't have a pulse, which might have been enough to fool the onlookers. Anyway, it was a fun season and I'm looking forward to the next one.





The Marriage Plot

Spoilers!

I read this a little bit ago, and I liked it. I kind of stewed over the ending for awhile because the book is framed by the tension between Madeline's uncynical love of nineteenth century novels and the literary criticism that dissects them, especially of the depiction of love and idea that "the marriage plot" is dead. But the ending is actually completely satisfying, romantically. Madeline even tells Mitchell that it's a good ending. (And it was obviously going to end that way, too. It was practically advertised in neon letters. Mitchell thinks uneasily about how his love for Madeline is similar to wanting to possess her, and Leonard's random psych major friend tells Madeline that she shouldn't get back together with him because she can't save him by loving him.) If the ending is unsatisfying, it's because everyone's non-romantic fate is completely up in the air at the end.

The issue~ I had with the book is that the concept of the marriage plot is explained at the beginning of the novel like this:

In the days when success in life had depended on marriage, and marriage had depended on money, novelists had a subject to write about. The great epics sang of war, the novel of marriage. Sexual equality, good for women, had been bad for the novel. And divorce had undone it completely. What would it matter whom Emma married if she could file for separation later? How would Isabel Archer's marriage to Gilbert Osmond have been affected by a prenup? As far as Saunders was concerned, marriage didn't mean much anymore and neither did the novel.


This is so generalized, you can punch a million holes in it. I don't think Emma having the ability to divorce Mr. Knightley would have made them getting together at the end of the novel any less satisfying. (I mean, is Cher and Josh getting together in Clueless less satisfying than the ending of Emma?) Actually, Emma is probably the worst example of Austen's heroines to use in this argument since Emma was independently wealthy and didn't need to marry. Marrying Knightly was actually a problem because she didn't want to leave her father.

There are a lot of things that don't translate from these novels, especially inheritance laws like the ones that made Mrs. Bennet so desperate for one of her daughters to marry Mr. Collins. That's why the most recent P&P used an Indian family's arranged marriage drama to modernize the Mr. Collins subplot. And it's also probably part of the reason Jane Fairfax was completely left out of Clueless. I mean, honestly, marriage isn't the point to me in most of these novels, it's a motivation, it's a backdrop, it's a problem, etc. And now that women (and men) have more agency and marriage is less about wealth, those plots don't "work" anymore. Which is just how it goes. The information age has ruined a lot of traditional plotting. Even parts of this novel, being set in the 80s, wouldn't work today. There's one whole part where Madeline won't leave the room just in case Leonard calls. In 2012, she'd have had a cell phone. So I don't really see how the marriage plot no longer working in the sense that women don't have to get married or stay married and that Isabel isn't trapped in her awful marriage with Osmond means that a traditional ending where two characters get together is somehow rendered meaningless.

The other thing that stood out to me is that Madeline's agency is protected by Leonard and Mitchell in the resolution to both relationships. Leonard takes himself out of Madeline's life because he thinks he's holding her back, and it's Mitchell who ends things between them for good because she has "more important things to do" and being together would just get in her way. They both sort of let her go. Which... is actually kind of annoying when I think about it, but it fit with Madeline's characterization. Really, I think Madeline kind of gets lost in the shuffle by the end, between Mitchell and Leonard's perspectives.

One thing I thought was interesting is that after I was done with the book, I looked up bipolar disorder, and the writing for Leonard is textbook, seriously. I could go down the list and be like, wow, JE hit every. single. one of these. I also loved Madeline's affection for Madeline and Ludwig Bemelmans's illustrations. They really are the cutest, I put them in my favorite children's book picspam from ages ago. /nostalgia

Originally posted at http://caitie.dreamwidth.org/470004.html.


01/26/12--20:45: Brief Encounter shout out on PLL (chan 2094318)



I don't watch Pretty Little Liars anymore, but my sister sent me this today and was all like, 'it's just like your LJ icon!' Kind of cool.