Nobody Likes Us At This Party, Nobody Likes Us On This Couch
[+] So...I had grand plans to post every day in the month of March. Oh, welp. At least I didn't have grand plans to do as I said I would. :\
[+] I was selected as a juror, and tomorrow will be my third day of trial. I can't talk about it. It's as much fun as you think it is.
[+] Now, in a move that will surprise all of you, I'm going to talk about The Walking Dead. But this time, I'm going to talk about Michonne and Rick. fly_meaway asked me what I liked about them. And I, like the psychopath I am, gave her an earful, so I thought I'd also share with all of you guys. (I also posted it on Tumblr, trying to guage how interaction works over there.)
Okay, so the simple answer is that they are very sweet and pure and very different for this show. But that's really over simplifying it.
When Rick met Michonne, it was at the lowest point of his life (so far...it's gotten worse since then, in many ways). But it was his deepest despair. He had just lost the woman that he had spent his entire adult life with. And then he goes through deep grief, near-insanity points of sadness. And he's haunted by her. He's haunted by a figure who resembles his wife- her stature, her poise, dressed in a beautiful, simple white gown (could be seen as either a wedding, funeral or baptismal gown) with her face all in shadow. Eventually, Hershel (and others) pull him out of that despair, but it's a struggle, because every time he sees that figure (which I am going to call his Dark Angel), it pulls him back into that insanity, and there's a part of him that wants to be there.
And now I'm going to completely switch gears and talk about Carol. (This is going to get so stupidly long.) Carol's pivotal moment in the show, and really her central relationship, has been when she saw her daughter as a walker. That was the beginning of Carol's Dark Angel. And I have to say, I am seeing Carol completely give in to her Dark Angel. It's been a slow slide, so people have not really taken notice- she's never gone off the rails the way Rick (or even Tyreese) did. You might say it's a woman's way, but the slow slide with no one taking notice...that's the dangerous part. Because people have been watching Rick, have seen him lose grip on reality and close members of the family know the signs, and they can try to figure out a way to pull him back.
Rick can be pulled back from his Dark Angel because he has something, someones to go back to. Carl and Judith. And yes, he was hesitant with Judith at first, for many reasons, but this season I am, like, bursting my ovaries watching Andy cuddle that baby girl. (TANGENT!)
Now, I've read that before the ZA, Michonne was an attorney. I don't know if that's real, Gimple-given canon, or if that was from fanfic or something, but I have adopted it as headcanon.
I didn't *get* Michonne when we first met her. I mean, we were about a year or so after the fall of civilization and I didn't understand how someone could have turned into a Samurai, so quickly. Peeling back what we have learned about her past over time, I have to say (even though it's wildly unpopular), Michonne's katana is the LEAST interesting part about her.
Which isn't to say that it isn't cool, but I a very weird TWD fan that I would very happily take a full 42 minutes of talking each week, without any fighting or zombie kills. (As opposed to on Spartacus, where I LOVED the fighting.)
Anyway- what I really mean though, when I say Michonne's sword is the least interesting part of her is that...taking that head canon of her having been an attorney, I think it's fascinating that she was a successful, working woman and learned this very odd skill to protect her son and help provide for her family. And then she put herself through (what...maybe say a year or so?) a very, very, VERY strange sort of grief ritual after her son's death.
You see, to me, a character's grief, and a character's joy are the most interesting parts. Am I being too broad and weird? Did you just want me to say BECAUSE THEY'RE HOT? Oh dear. I am hopeless.
So when Rick meets Michonne, she is kind of a savage. Yes, she let Andrea in, a little (but even Andrea said that Michonne knew practically everything about her, while she knew almost nothing of Michonne) but she was out there by herself for *so long*, really blending in with the Walking Dead.
And what pulled Michonne back from living as a walker was Carl. Just like with Rick, but also different. Rick knew he had to live for his children, eventually would have to dust himself off and do right by them. Michonne bonded with this boy, who was much older than her son, probably a bit older even than what her son would have been. But it's there, it's this tentative reaching out, and I am very charmed by adults and children forming relationships, outside of traditional family ties. (TYREESE AND JUDITH.)
Back to the Dark Angel...Carl becomes Michonne's Better Angel. Even when she's not really part of the family, she commits to Carl, to protecting him and making him understand her. And then even when she's...sort of hanging around the family at arms' length, she is bonded to him, brings him back special presents from her time on the road.
And what's EXTREMELY shocking is that Rick Grimes lets this happen. Rick, who doesn't trust an ant crawling across the floor, lets this 'crazy chick with a sword' spend time with his son, and actually puts trust in this person to protect what is most precious to him.
One of my favorite scenes in s4 is when Beth kind of throws Judy into Michonne's arms after she spits up all over Beth, and Michonne protests and protests and (I don't believe we actually knew about Andre at this point) finally gives in and holds this sweet, innocent baby close and just lets in a tiny bit of love.
And over time, Michonne has become the de-facto secondary parent. It's not like with Beth or Tyreese- Michonne has actually partnered with Rick to protect his children and look out for their well-being. And you could say that the whole group has had a hand in raising Judith, but there have become some very clear families-within-the-family. Glenn, Maggie, Sasha, Tara. For a time, Carol and Tyreese. For a time, Carol and Daryl. Daryl and Rick (and Beth). Rick, Michonne and the kids are a family, all on their own.
And since After, Rick has committed himself to that, let her in, let her advise him and listened to her as a partner. She is his Better Angel- it's not always out of wild optimism, it's logic, and it's instinct, and it's about *trust*.
And there's more- I have thoughts about Jessie, and while she seems like a good woman, a good person, I feel like she is On-Purpose very similar to Lori, and I see that churning up Rick's Darker Angels, and I look forward to him tipping towards the edge and seeing Michonne's Better Angel pull him back.
I am THE WORST.
[+] Last night, I said to Michael, "Are we going to do a big clean tomorrow?" (As in, clean the house.) And he said, "I'll do it all. You just relax." I'm so spoilt.
[+] I don't know, I might have given up on The Flash.
I think I have gotten to the point where I am going to be comfortable giving up on Reign after this year (I might as well stick it out for six more episodes).
The Vampire Diaries gave me everything I wanted in the last few minutes (and I was actually even motivated enough to write fic after the episode, but then the show just did what I wanted it to do!)
Grey's is really good. Like, not s2/s5/Death And All His Friends kind of good. But...like, *adult*. As odd as that is to say.
[+] An AU that will never get written: Scandal/The Walking Dead crossover. Daryl Dixon will NEVER be a congressman.
[+] I have Beth Greene Emotional Vomit to post. And Team Delusional theories as we wind down on 5b. I am so, overly, ridiculously, how-am-I-an-adult anxious, but also feel like I'm going to be at peace with whatever comes.
[+] I need a list-y, time waste-y meme. And this post needs something visual.
<<<333
[+] I was selected as a juror, and tomorrow will be my third day of trial. I can't talk about it. It's as much fun as you think it is.
[+] Now, in a move that will surprise all of you, I'm going to talk about The Walking Dead. But this time, I'm going to talk about Michonne and Rick. fly_meaway asked me what I liked about them. And I, like the psychopath I am, gave her an earful, so I thought I'd also share with all of you guys. (I also posted it on Tumblr, trying to guage how interaction works over there.)
Okay, so the simple answer is that they are very sweet and pure and very different for this show. But that's really over simplifying it.
When Rick met Michonne, it was at the lowest point of his life (so far...it's gotten worse since then, in many ways). But it was his deepest despair. He had just lost the woman that he had spent his entire adult life with. And then he goes through deep grief, near-insanity points of sadness. And he's haunted by her. He's haunted by a figure who resembles his wife- her stature, her poise, dressed in a beautiful, simple white gown (could be seen as either a wedding, funeral or baptismal gown) with her face all in shadow. Eventually, Hershel (and others) pull him out of that despair, but it's a struggle, because every time he sees that figure (which I am going to call his Dark Angel), it pulls him back into that insanity, and there's a part of him that wants to be there.
And now I'm going to completely switch gears and talk about Carol. (This is going to get so stupidly long.) Carol's pivotal moment in the show, and really her central relationship, has been when she saw her daughter as a walker. That was the beginning of Carol's Dark Angel. And I have to say, I am seeing Carol completely give in to her Dark Angel. It's been a slow slide, so people have not really taken notice- she's never gone off the rails the way Rick (or even Tyreese) did. You might say it's a woman's way, but the slow slide with no one taking notice...that's the dangerous part. Because people have been watching Rick, have seen him lose grip on reality and close members of the family know the signs, and they can try to figure out a way to pull him back.
Rick can be pulled back from his Dark Angel because he has something, someones to go back to. Carl and Judith. And yes, he was hesitant with Judith at first, for many reasons, but this season I am, like, bursting my ovaries watching Andy cuddle that baby girl. (TANGENT!)
Now, I've read that before the ZA, Michonne was an attorney. I don't know if that's real, Gimple-given canon, or if that was from fanfic or something, but I have adopted it as headcanon.
I didn't *get* Michonne when we first met her. I mean, we were about a year or so after the fall of civilization and I didn't understand how someone could have turned into a Samurai, so quickly. Peeling back what we have learned about her past over time, I have to say (even though it's wildly unpopular), Michonne's katana is the LEAST interesting part about her.
Which isn't to say that it isn't cool, but I a very weird TWD fan that I would very happily take a full 42 minutes of talking each week, without any fighting or zombie kills. (As opposed to on Spartacus, where I LOVED the fighting.)
Anyway- what I really mean though, when I say Michonne's sword is the least interesting part of her is that...taking that head canon of her having been an attorney, I think it's fascinating that she was a successful, working woman and learned this very odd skill to protect her son and help provide for her family. And then she put herself through (what...maybe say a year or so?) a very, very, VERY strange sort of grief ritual after her son's death.
You see, to me, a character's grief, and a character's joy are the most interesting parts. Am I being too broad and weird? Did you just want me to say BECAUSE THEY'RE HOT? Oh dear. I am hopeless.
So when Rick meets Michonne, she is kind of a savage. Yes, she let Andrea in, a little (but even Andrea said that Michonne knew practically everything about her, while she knew almost nothing of Michonne) but she was out there by herself for *so long*, really blending in with the Walking Dead.
And what pulled Michonne back from living as a walker was Carl. Just like with Rick, but also different. Rick knew he had to live for his children, eventually would have to dust himself off and do right by them. Michonne bonded with this boy, who was much older than her son, probably a bit older even than what her son would have been. But it's there, it's this tentative reaching out, and I am very charmed by adults and children forming relationships, outside of traditional family ties. (TYREESE AND JUDITH.)
Back to the Dark Angel...Carl becomes Michonne's Better Angel. Even when she's not really part of the family, she commits to Carl, to protecting him and making him understand her. And then even when she's...sort of hanging around the family at arms' length, she is bonded to him, brings him back special presents from her time on the road.
And what's EXTREMELY shocking is that Rick Grimes lets this happen. Rick, who doesn't trust an ant crawling across the floor, lets this 'crazy chick with a sword' spend time with his son, and actually puts trust in this person to protect what is most precious to him.
One of my favorite scenes in s4 is when Beth kind of throws Judy into Michonne's arms after she spits up all over Beth, and Michonne protests and protests and (I don't believe we actually knew about Andre at this point) finally gives in and holds this sweet, innocent baby close and just lets in a tiny bit of love.
And over time, Michonne has become the de-facto secondary parent. It's not like with Beth or Tyreese- Michonne has actually partnered with Rick to protect his children and look out for their well-being. And you could say that the whole group has had a hand in raising Judith, but there have become some very clear families-within-the-family. Glenn, Maggie, Sasha, Tara. For a time, Carol and Tyreese. For a time, Carol and Daryl. Daryl and Rick (and Beth). Rick, Michonne and the kids are a family, all on their own.
And since After, Rick has committed himself to that, let her in, let her advise him and listened to her as a partner. She is his Better Angel- it's not always out of wild optimism, it's logic, and it's instinct, and it's about *trust*.
And there's more- I have thoughts about Jessie, and while she seems like a good woman, a good person, I feel like she is On-Purpose very similar to Lori, and I see that churning up Rick's Darker Angels, and I look forward to him tipping towards the edge and seeing Michonne's Better Angel pull him back.
I am THE WORST.
[+] Last night, I said to Michael, "Are we going to do a big clean tomorrow?" (As in, clean the house.) And he said, "I'll do it all. You just relax." I'm so spoilt.
[+] I don't know, I might have given up on The Flash.
I think I have gotten to the point where I am going to be comfortable giving up on Reign after this year (I might as well stick it out for six more episodes).
The Vampire Diaries gave me everything I wanted in the last few minutes (and I was actually even motivated enough to write fic after the episode, but then the show just did what I wanted it to do!)
Grey's is really good. Like, not s2/s5/Death And All His Friends kind of good. But...like, *adult*. As odd as that is to say.
[+] An AU that will never get written: Scandal/The Walking Dead crossover. Daryl Dixon will NEVER be a congressman.
[+] I have Beth Greene Emotional Vomit to post. And Team Delusional theories as we wind down on 5b. I am so, overly, ridiculously, how-am-I-an-adult anxious, but also feel like I'm going to be at peace with whatever comes.
[+] I need a list-y, time waste-y meme. And this post needs something visual.
Click to view<<<333