on ALF...

[cornax]

"Notice in this opening sequence that it starts with an image of the universe, and then it is revealed that this is the inside of a camera lens. The alien walks around the house with a camera - the first stage of separating the “self” from perception, and he bumps into his image of himself in front of the mirror. He then captures the essence of each character: the dad coming home from the world of “work”, the mom’s repressed sexuality, the daughter isolated in a closet but connected to the outside world by a thin line as she transforms through puberty, the son studying happily, so he can become like his father, successful in the world of work, and the cat. What the fuck is it about A.L.F.’s character always eating cats? Possibly it was because the cat has no projected personality, no false persona as all the other characters do. He devours them, trying to understand and become like their essence."

this guy's blog is fantastic:

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