Various TV stuff
I'm in a rather restless place, fandom-wise. I'm done with the OUAT fic, but my mind's still in that place, and I can't find any attention to spare for any of my old pieces. The same goes for actual television - I try to watch things, but my heart isn't in it. And now there aren't even new OUAT eps for several weeks, and the fanworks can't seem to satiate me. It's funny, how this show is so satisfying to me right now when it was so godawful midway through last season.
It's funny, after The Outsider I thought I was 100% against Rumbelle, but one ep later I found myself going, "Oh, Gold, sweetheart, try to pace yourself!" I think it is because while his behaviour was undoubtedly very creepy for Belle, it came from a more sympathetic place than the lies and infantilization he's been sporting for their actual relationship.
Plus, he was actually back to his good ol' bad form in this ep. Suggesting that they let an innocent man die? Threatening to kill Henry of all people? Good to see you again, Gold, I've missed you!
And I do think, in a sense, that this is a good thing for their relationship, even if it's not a good thing for Belle as a person. I liked her in the flashbacks of The Outsider, but her forgive-and-forget attitude to Rumpelstiltskin really annoyed me. Seeing the best in people is one thing, and brushing everything under the carpet is quite another. I still don't know if she'd even care if she knew what had happened to Gaston (who, in this incarnation, did NOTHING wrong).
Anyway, at least now I have some hope that they might end up in a place where I'm not skeeved out. Unless Hook makes a move first - it's been suggested by several fans, and I wouldn't put it past him.
Tangentially related to Rumbelle, but really to everyone: For all that this is supposedly a show about good versus evil, I do think it's striking that "good" basically means not being evil. I don't mean that every good character would have to be Superman or Maxine Grey, but if I were to use RL criteria on what makes somebody a good person, I think Emma is the only one who truly qualifies - she keeps doing good even when she has no reason to. (For the record, I wouldn't call myself a good person either.) And of course, she's the one who actually has to think about being good, who knows it's not her default position.
From that perspective, I think it's quite interesting to see the reaction to Mendell, and how it takes the characters a little while to get their good guy mode in gear, when it actually has some consequences.
Finding out that Jane Espenson wrote this story didn't surprise me. She's the one who wrote "Skin Deep" and introduced the pairing (rather well) in the first place. She's also the one who wrote "Red Handed", which explains the lovely conversation between Ruby and Whale. "I ate my boyfriend." Hee! Sorry, Red, but that will always be funny. Whale's reaction was precious, too. I'd love to see more interaction between these two, and since it appears that the actors ship it, I might just have my wish!
Jane also brought back Hook's sense of humour from "Tallahassee". Don't get me wrong, he always gets funny lines (there's a reason he's nicknamed Captain Sassy), but this is the first time in a while that he's seemed genuinely amused. Romantics have suggested that this was because he was around Emma, while cynics claim that it's because he was high on morphine. Personally, I think it might have been because he was in a bit of a break from both the revenge and Cora.
Speaking of Cora, I am so very fond of her delightfully deluded mind. People were "ewww"-ing all over tumblr because of the kiss, but I'd watch Cora kiss anyone on the show.
And then of course there's Whale/Victor. I quite like him as a character, though I liked him better as a cad - there's something about this show that makes me not want the characters to be too good. Anyway, I thought his story, while rather well played out, was a little too expected. Daddy issues, disfavoured son, fear of messing up, nothing new. Most of it we'd already learned from The Doctor, even.
I liked that he didn't end up shooting Gerhardt, because that would have rather unfortunate implications. A rather vital part of the original Frankenstein tale is that the monster becomes a monster by being treated like one. When the "monster" is a single, resurrected person with memories of their previous life, it's even harder to justify the killing in a way that isn't icky. For some reason, it didn't bother me with Regina and Daniel, though. Maybe because it's Regina; a murder with at least some mitigating circumstances is something new and different for her.
One thing that amused me: "Frankenstein", as the show pointed out, is often mistaken as the name of the monster, rather than the scientist. In this version, the monster is called Frankenstein. :-)
As far as other TV shows go... I just don't know. I saw the links up for the latest Vampire Diaries and couldn't even be bothered. I mean, there have been some spots of interesting development - April standing up against the others, Damon reverting back to sneaky murderousness - but that's all they are to me, mere spots. I don't care anymore. I think part of the problem is that I just can't reconcile myself to the Originals. They've been on the show so long I should be used to them, but somehow I just want them to GTFO and leave place for someone who is remotely interesting. Also, I want the old breakneck pace back.
So I might just give the show up entirely.
Lost Girl is back, which is nice in theory, but somehow I'm not feeling that, either. I'm not wild about Hale being pushed to the side. I know it's a promotion, but it gives him less opportunity to interact with the others. And Tamsin so far just isn't very interesting at all. I have nothing against the thought of a Dark Fae girl hanging with the gang - after all, the Morrigan is always fun - but somehow she'd not pinging me right.
And the triangle is once again back in force, which, meh. I miss Ryan. Not that I wanted Bo to be with him longer - it was very realistic for them to break up when they did - but just that it was fun to have a relationship that wasn't all srs bsns. Besides, I'm sorry, but Lauren is so unbelievably dull. I think it's telling that back in the bodyswap episode Zoie Palmer was the only one who didn't shine; her scenery-chewing was so bad it made me wince. The only thing she can manage credibly is that monotone. *Am mean*
Still, Kenzi's Kenzi and Trick is Trick, and I suppose I'll keep watching.
Miranda, at least, remains fairly delightful, though the finale is coming up and after that I'll have to go without again. I have some hopes for Miranda and Gary finally getting together, but I also know that this show loves the will-they-won't-they, so I'll try not to be disappointed if there's another hurdle in the road. Note that I say "try"; considering how invested I am in this pairing, I probably won't succeed.
I'm grateful that Miranda didn't have to hurt Michael, though. While he wasn't Gary, he was a sweet guy who deserved to go out happy. So while the sudden "job in Africa" angle was a bit of a stretch, I'm not about to complain.
So, keeping my fingers crossed that, pratfalls and other disasters aside, all will work out great in the end!
Doesn't help with my problem of what to do next, though. Lots of fics to write, no inspiration. Lots of potential shows to watch, no inspiration for that either. Post-obsession emptiness is really annoying. *sigh*
This entry was originally posted at http://katta.dreamwidth.org/607644.html and has
comments there.
It's funny, after The Outsider I thought I was 100% against Rumbelle, but one ep later I found myself going, "Oh, Gold, sweetheart, try to pace yourself!" I think it is because while his behaviour was undoubtedly very creepy for Belle, it came from a more sympathetic place than the lies and infantilization he's been sporting for their actual relationship.
Plus, he was actually back to his good ol' bad form in this ep. Suggesting that they let an innocent man die? Threatening to kill Henry of all people? Good to see you again, Gold, I've missed you!
And I do think, in a sense, that this is a good thing for their relationship, even if it's not a good thing for Belle as a person. I liked her in the flashbacks of The Outsider, but her forgive-and-forget attitude to Rumpelstiltskin really annoyed me. Seeing the best in people is one thing, and brushing everything under the carpet is quite another. I still don't know if she'd even care if she knew what had happened to Gaston (who, in this incarnation, did NOTHING wrong).
Anyway, at least now I have some hope that they might end up in a place where I'm not skeeved out. Unless Hook makes a move first - it's been suggested by several fans, and I wouldn't put it past him.
Tangentially related to Rumbelle, but really to everyone: For all that this is supposedly a show about good versus evil, I do think it's striking that "good" basically means not being evil. I don't mean that every good character would have to be Superman or Maxine Grey, but if I were to use RL criteria on what makes somebody a good person, I think Emma is the only one who truly qualifies - she keeps doing good even when she has no reason to. (For the record, I wouldn't call myself a good person either.) And of course, she's the one who actually has to think about being good, who knows it's not her default position.
From that perspective, I think it's quite interesting to see the reaction to Mendell, and how it takes the characters a little while to get their good guy mode in gear, when it actually has some consequences.
Finding out that Jane Espenson wrote this story didn't surprise me. She's the one who wrote "Skin Deep" and introduced the pairing (rather well) in the first place. She's also the one who wrote "Red Handed", which explains the lovely conversation between Ruby and Whale. "I ate my boyfriend." Hee! Sorry, Red, but that will always be funny. Whale's reaction was precious, too. I'd love to see more interaction between these two, and since it appears that the actors ship it, I might just have my wish!
Jane also brought back Hook's sense of humour from "Tallahassee". Don't get me wrong, he always gets funny lines (there's a reason he's nicknamed Captain Sassy), but this is the first time in a while that he's seemed genuinely amused. Romantics have suggested that this was because he was around Emma, while cynics claim that it's because he was high on morphine. Personally, I think it might have been because he was in a bit of a break from both the revenge and Cora.
Speaking of Cora, I am so very fond of her delightfully deluded mind. People were "ewww"-ing all over tumblr because of the kiss, but I'd watch Cora kiss anyone on the show.
And then of course there's Whale/Victor. I quite like him as a character, though I liked him better as a cad - there's something about this show that makes me not want the characters to be too good. Anyway, I thought his story, while rather well played out, was a little too expected. Daddy issues, disfavoured son, fear of messing up, nothing new. Most of it we'd already learned from The Doctor, even.
I liked that he didn't end up shooting Gerhardt, because that would have rather unfortunate implications. A rather vital part of the original Frankenstein tale is that the monster becomes a monster by being treated like one. When the "monster" is a single, resurrected person with memories of their previous life, it's even harder to justify the killing in a way that isn't icky. For some reason, it didn't bother me with Regina and Daniel, though. Maybe because it's Regina; a murder with at least some mitigating circumstances is something new and different for her.
One thing that amused me: "Frankenstein", as the show pointed out, is often mistaken as the name of the monster, rather than the scientist. In this version, the monster is called Frankenstein. :-)
As far as other TV shows go... I just don't know. I saw the links up for the latest Vampire Diaries and couldn't even be bothered. I mean, there have been some spots of interesting development - April standing up against the others, Damon reverting back to sneaky murderousness - but that's all they are to me, mere spots. I don't care anymore. I think part of the problem is that I just can't reconcile myself to the Originals. They've been on the show so long I should be used to them, but somehow I just want them to GTFO and leave place for someone who is remotely interesting. Also, I want the old breakneck pace back.
So I might just give the show up entirely.
Lost Girl is back, which is nice in theory, but somehow I'm not feeling that, either. I'm not wild about Hale being pushed to the side. I know it's a promotion, but it gives him less opportunity to interact with the others. And Tamsin so far just isn't very interesting at all. I have nothing against the thought of a Dark Fae girl hanging with the gang - after all, the Morrigan is always fun - but somehow she'd not pinging me right.
And the triangle is once again back in force, which, meh. I miss Ryan. Not that I wanted Bo to be with him longer - it was very realistic for them to break up when they did - but just that it was fun to have a relationship that wasn't all srs bsns. Besides, I'm sorry, but Lauren is so unbelievably dull. I think it's telling that back in the bodyswap episode Zoie Palmer was the only one who didn't shine; her scenery-chewing was so bad it made me wince. The only thing she can manage credibly is that monotone. *Am mean*
Still, Kenzi's Kenzi and Trick is Trick, and I suppose I'll keep watching.
Miranda, at least, remains fairly delightful, though the finale is coming up and after that I'll have to go without again. I have some hopes for Miranda and Gary finally getting together, but I also know that this show loves the will-they-won't-they, so I'll try not to be disappointed if there's another hurdle in the road. Note that I say "try"; considering how invested I am in this pairing, I probably won't succeed.
I'm grateful that Miranda didn't have to hurt Michael, though. While he wasn't Gary, he was a sweet guy who deserved to go out happy. So while the sudden "job in Africa" angle was a bit of a stretch, I'm not about to complain.
So, keeping my fingers crossed that, pratfalls and other disasters aside, all will work out great in the end!
Doesn't help with my problem of what to do next, though. Lots of fics to write, no inspiration. Lots of potential shows to watch, no inspiration for that either. Post-obsession emptiness is really annoying. *sigh*
This entry was originally posted at http://katta.dreamwidth.org/607644.html and has
comments there.