Cursed Child reaction post part 1 (the characters): IT IS FUCKING AMAZING GUYS
That was stunning. Truly one of the best pieces of theatre I've ever seen; maybe the best. And I see quite a bit of theatre. As a production in itself it’s slick, funny, emotional, brilliantly put together. And I loved the story.
I can totally see why I heard a couple of people say they thought the idea sounded silly or “like bad fanfic” but as I thought at the time, "a lot of great theatre would sound ridiculous if you just explained the plot”. And yeah. I’m now reading the script and again, I can easily imagine how that would be “meh” which I’ve seen several times, including from non-fandom people - but in performance it is honestly BRILLIANCE. The script, as a friend of mine said, is maybe 5% of everything.
Sorry, I’m aware that I’m very lucky to live within thirty minutes of the West End, and that is probably a really annoying thing to hear. But it’s true.
I’m going to assume you’ve read or seen the play, but if you want me to explain stuff in comments I totally can!
This turned out to be many many words, so I’m going to put it in two parts for all our sakes. This is the stuff about specific characters, and then the next post will be everything else.
IIcould burble on and on just about the costuming, the choreography, the lighting, the music. The music was truly wonderful: beautiful and moving at some points, terrifying at others - it was vibrating through my seat it was so loud and bass during the introduction of the Voldemort-won!AU and omg such tension. I hadn’t realised it was by Imogen Heap until later, whose pop music I love even though it’s very different. The extras were swirling their robes and cloaks in unison, dancing around to introduce different moments/places or create atmosphere - I can’t describe it well at ALL but it was amazing. And the costuming was fantastic; I loved Hermione’s purple outfits and court heels and Harry’s suit, and Albus’ Slytherin-green hoodie felt very of a piece with his school robes etc which takes some doing. The lighting was so well done. And on that note, OMG LIGHTING REVEALS. When the Dark Mark lit up all around the theatre! And Delphi’s crazypants scrawlings! Ahhhh!
I loved Hermione in this - the calm Minister for Magic (and there was a joyous gasp all round the theatre at that reveal. I was hoping for it when she started telling him off about his paperwork and OH YES) and so authoritative, and the undertone of old friendship and knowing someone so well in everything she said to Harry. It was painful to see her bitter and angry, a Snape-ian ball of frustrated ambition and intelligence, in the second world; but sort of painfully plausible, particularly since she certainly has a sadistic moment or two in canon. I was vaguely annoyed that not getting married had messed with her life to that degree. But then we got to see her as head rebel and hero in the dystopia (while single again), which made me retrospectively happier with it.
We stage-doored afterwards and I actually said to Noma how much I admired the different Hermiones. She thought I meant casting her as a black woman, I could tell from her answer, and I DO think that’s great but I’m really glad I got over my momentary “I failed to communicate!” embarrassment to be like SURE BUT I MEANT CALM MINISTER FOR MAGIC VS SCARY SCHOOLTEACHER ETC. And she said that was why she took the role.
Also, I loved everything about Ron/Hermione in this production. I’ve said here before that I can imagine them happy together, but I can also easily imagine a acrimonious, painful divorce (before eventually making friends again). So seeing them happy together and that they’re their best selves together, but also that in other worlds they fell away from each other, was like my perfect thing. And that Ron was drunk at his wedding, and they were so young, but he wants to do a vow renewal! It just felt like such a lovely acknowledgement of how young they were and how imperfect it was/is but that they still love each other.
Ron I felt a bit weird about - basically I felt like they sliiightly over-egged the “Ron likes eating and dumb jokes” jokes - I think there’s a moment where he shows up to Hogwarts at a crisis moment via the kitchens - but in general loved. Particularly when he says he should be Voldemort because he’ll be less damaged by it than any of the other, more intense people in the room - hilarious, empathetic, and almost certainly true. The actor was great, and also really lovely and talkative with fans afterwards.
HARRY. I LOVED HARRY. This reminded me of all the reasons I love him, which was really a gift. I loved the focus on the aftereffects of the Dursleys, which is something I think doesn’t get enough attention. He was trying so hard and messing it up and that is my number one weakness, it’s the biggest reason I fell for Draco. Poor careworn Harry. I had a lot of sympathy for him, perhaps oddly given that in my own family I was the difficult child, and also someone able to see my sisters were easier to parent and understand for my mum and dad and willing to use that fact as a weapon in arguments. And oh GOD Harry regularly visits Cedric’s grave Y DO U TEAR OUT MY HEART THIS WAY.
Although there was also just moments of delight - HARRY AND DRACO’S DUEL OMFG. OMFG. THANK YOU SANTA ROWLING FOR THIS GIFT. Like, it was so great in itself, but it’s also… this is why I ship them, because they genuinely frustrate each other and drive each other mad (and that definitely subtly improves over the course of the play) but they also have so much fun battling each other. Using silly, low-level hexes and “you’ve been practicing” and Draco calling Harry “old man” and Harry’s outraged “we’re the same age!” This is obviously something they’ve done several times before and I would love to see how it began! I may need to write that fic. How they got friendly enough for their duels to develop into play-fighting.
And then Ginny interrupting them with “I WAS ONLY GONE FOR THREE MINUTES!” and the boys ending up sulking on either ends of the table with their wands between them. Hee.
Ginny was great - definite shades of Molly once or twice but also so much her own person, and I like that her own Voldemort trauma wasn’t elided. When they all went to Myrtle’s loo I was like GINNY ARE YOU OKAY DO YOU REMEMBER BEING HERE AT ALL. Also I was laughing because no one explains to Draco why Albus and Scorpius are in a girls’ loo, and I don’t think he has any reason to know about the Chamber of Secrets or the way to the lake? So maybe he spent the route there freaking about his son and worrying Myrtle was going to say something really humiliating about all those times he cried in there, but I just adore my mental image of him puffing up a staircase going “they’re… in a girls’ loo together? Why? Albus Potter is a terrible influence.”
Also, when McGonagall (MCGONAGALL ♥♥♥♥♥) was very loudly announcing that she was coming in because Albus and Scorpius weren’t meant to be spending time together, I was like, “...she thinks they’re making out.” Or giving them a chance to hide, I guess, but I don’t think she’d decided to let them hide until the moment she did, so… yeah, I think that was “if you are shirtless together, please make that stop.”
On that note: one of the people I was with said apparently some fans are annoyed they didn’t make Albus and Scorpius’ relationship romantic? Which I find understandable given that they’re clearly each other’s Person, and story beats like Scorpius thinking of Albus to fight the Dementors could be frustrating because they’re easily read as romantic. But the need for friends, the power of friendship, that’s a theme here second only to the difficulties of parenting and growing up and I LOVE stories about friendship and think they’re important. (See here: almost all my favourite relationships in all my favourite TV programmes.) And they’re so good as best friends, I just love it.
Apparently I’ve got to Albus and Scorpius! Albus was wonderful; clever and bitter and funny and both enormously self-sacrificing and a little self-involved; a very recognisable perceptive loser, and just. He hurt my heart. Apparently I don’t have that much to say about him??? But I loved him and found him so interesting and I thought his painful scenes with Harry were utter, well-observed perfection.
He’s pretty contrary too, I think - he could’ve stopped himself from being Slytherin, and he didn’t. Maybe because by then he’d met Scorpius and Scorpius was in Slytherin? But despite very obvious mixed feelings he didn’t push for Gryffindor.
I adored Scorpius. He’s my Patronus. I love his geeky love of books (“my geekness is quivering!” on seeing Bathilda Bagshot) and his genuine, enormous awkwardness. (Voice quavering and going too loud then too quiet all the time, randomly singing… it’s incredibly endearing for the audience and yet I also totally see why the other kids are put off. Although that’s also a vicious cycle of lack of socialisation because Draco wants to protect him from the rumours making it harder for him to un-isolate himself etc...) Scorpius is so goofy and I love that. It would’ve been easy to go emo kid with him, and I love that they did something more unexpected - especially since subtly it’s actually a great deal like Draco. Draco does impressions and makes badges and stupid jokes to fight his enemies; he tries to be suave and it collapses around him. It’s only charisma and force of personality that saves him socially, and he still very often comes across as pathetic; Scorpius lacks that charisma, so relatively similar behaviour comes across incredibly differently.
And man, that poor kid. Losing his mum, and those horrible rumours - there was actually a moment where Scorpius and Harry were briefly alone together after Harry had ordered Albus to stay away from him, and I was like INTERACT!!! Not least because Harry knows all about horrible rumours. But Scorpius is FUNNY, and wry, and reacts vaguely like a normal person when presented with danger and terrible things and is therefore completely delightful. Like, he's obviously very brave in his own right but he didn't grow up around a Gryffindor approach to danger and him watching Albus be like WE ARE PREPARED TO DIE and going ...are we> is just hysterical. I FEEL YOU BRO. (Albus: Ready? Scorpius: No!) And he works out Hermione’s riddles and saves the world from the Voldemort-wins!AU - and I love that he doesn’t do it by fighting alone, but by finding the right allies. WIN WIN ALL AROUND WIN. Except for pity being a good start on a relationship, that was crazypants.
The actor was AMAZING and I’m a bit sad I wimped out of asking for a selfie at the stage door but I do have an autograph :D He hurt his leg during the performance apparently but was still out there chatting away. His body language as Scorpius was amazing - constantly smoothing his hair awkwardly or nervously behind his ears, flailing while he tried to do the “Voldemort and Valour” signal, going stiff as a board with a HILARIOUS expression when Albus hugged him. And oh, him rushing towards Draco and Draco’s abashed-sounding “we can hug” - like, we can be a hugging family too if you like! - and then the hug that wasn’t awkward at all, but both of them clinging on.
Draco was so great. It was weird how NOT weird it was, in-text, to see Draco alongside the Trio and Ginny, the five of them charging off together or facing public criticism. Despite Draco being on the outside at the beginning he was very clearly broadly accepted even when being an utter pill. (Harry: I don’t want to hurt you! Draco: I do want to hurt you.)
I found it horrible but plausible to see his role in the Voldemort-wins!AU - he’d grown up into this full-on dystopia, and found a way to succeed despite being an awful Death Eater. Not blowing people up or torturing them - he wasn’t going to develop into some frothing sadist - but enabling and hiding those who were. The scene with Scorpius confronting him in horror killed me in a million different ways: poor, poor Scorpius was so horrified, and thinking that Draco torturing people was the truth of him. And Alex Price was just rocking it, because this was a Draco so much more like Lucius - smooth and controlled, the way he spoke to Scorpius, and grabbing Scorpius physically. It definitely felt like this was a Draco who’d deliberately modelled himself on Lucius as a way to survive.
In retrospect, it was also a scene people used to write into Draco fanfiction all the time: the popular, successful “Scorpion King” (hahahaha do you think “Slytherin Sex God” just failed to catch on) confronting his father.
And oh. Malfoys making things “murky” but Astoria helping make things clearer for Draco; that she told Scorpius Draco was a better man than he knew, and that him standing up to Lucius to marry a ‘Muggle-lover’ was “the bravest thing she’d ever seen”. I am utterly shocked that Draco had Lucius’ Time-Turner and held himself back, even though he’d “sell [his] soul for one more minute with Astoria”. That was his most heroic act by far, to my mind. Confronting Delphi with the others was brave but Draco’s abiding sin was the inability to see people different from him as really real; what led him into darkness was (understandably) putting his family above everyone else. To hold back from another minute or two with the woman he’d loved because it could endanger the world is really overcoming his fundamental flaw.
I wished he wasn’t critical of Crabbe and Goyle as “lunks”, because they were friends for years and Draco did save Goyle’s life. (Plus I have a bunch of opinions about the general refusal of fiction, and especially fanfiction, to tell stories about the unattractive or stupid or learning-difficulties-having.) But ah well.
Also, OH MY GOD he was “slightly enjoying” being bossed about by Hermione. DRACO IS CANONICALLY A SUB MY LIFE IS COMPLETE. And it says something about how much I adored Scorpius that his anguished cry of “DAD!” made it so much better. Poor Scorpius. ♥ And I just. HE ACTUALLY DID A SLIGHTLY FLIRTY, COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY JOKE WITH HERMIONE IN THE MIDDLE OF FIGHTING A BAD GUY. That was so funny. And also, like, wow Draco you are taking on some of your fanon traits as you age!!!
(Also, LOL I adored how Scorpius, Albus, and Draco all had ~moments about Hermione being sexy. Albus-as-Ron dipping Hermione into the kiss made my life.)
Dumbledore was brilliantly acted and his scenes with Harry were just wonderful. I liked that McGonagall specifically tells Harry that a painting isn’t a person, but of course Harry still goes to him - not least because parental figures who do their best and fall short, bit of a theme. It was great to see Dumbledore being called on his shit while also being recognised as a great man. The actor was amazing - completely convincing and heartwrenching as both Dumbledore and Amos Diggory.
Also, Jamie Parker is great at crying in a Harry-ish way, whether sniffing during a difficult conversation with his son or wailing after watching his parents die. IDK it’s just really. It feels just like Harry, attempting control or losing it, although he cries a LOT. But then it’s all about painful family things and being scared his son will die, so it’s entirely justifiable on a character and generally human level.
Snape! It was wonderful to see him. And also lolllllllllllllllllll I will never not find it funny that Severus Snape, the least paternal personality ever created, is constantly dealing with teenage boys being like HELP TEACH ME YOUR WAYS. Although this one was at least respectful. The initial scene between Scorpius and Severus really felt like it was a deliberate moment to salve the wounds of one of the great tragedies of the Potter books, that Severus, alone and exhausted and heroic, works unrecognised and knows he will die unrecognised. The music during that scene changed from SCARY DYSTOPIA to something beautiful and kind, and it was so lovely to know that in this alternate timeline there was a Severus who knew he’d succeeded in his mission, and had also been rightfully regarded as a hero.
Rose was interesting - enormously ambitious and keyed-in, full of energy, not as kind as she could be in how she deploys those skills. I really liked her as a character. Hmmm.
Also LOL SCORPION KING. YES LET’S DEFINITELY DEPLOY THAT NICKNAME FOR THE LEAST REGAL HUMAN ALIVE.
I wished for more women! Not sure there was a Bechdel pass? Although there was a lovely, soundless moment between Hermione and Rose after Hermione had heard Rose didn’t exist in the AU, and omg Noma’s FACE.
Delphi was less successful in the final confrontation than as a quirky older friend or a kidnapping villain, which is not to say unsuccessful. We predicted she’d be the villain between parts (and that it would involve prophecy, because of her name), but not how. The slow-motion fall of her Avada Kedavra’d victim was chilling, and omg, her torturing Scorpius while Albus howled his name was just. :(((
OK I think that’s it? Thematic & plot stuff later.
This was originally posted at http://lokifan.dreamwidth.org/344466.html. Comment wherever you like :)
I can totally see why I heard a couple of people say they thought the idea sounded silly or “like bad fanfic” but as I thought at the time, "a lot of great theatre would sound ridiculous if you just explained the plot”. And yeah. I’m now reading the script and again, I can easily imagine how that would be “meh” which I’ve seen several times, including from non-fandom people - but in performance it is honestly BRILLIANCE. The script, as a friend of mine said, is maybe 5% of everything.
Sorry, I’m aware that I’m very lucky to live within thirty minutes of the West End, and that is probably a really annoying thing to hear. But it’s true.
I’m going to assume you’ve read or seen the play, but if you want me to explain stuff in comments I totally can!
This turned out to be many many words, so I’m going to put it in two parts for all our sakes. This is the stuff about specific characters, and then the next post will be everything else.
IIcould burble on and on just about the costuming, the choreography, the lighting, the music. The music was truly wonderful: beautiful and moving at some points, terrifying at others - it was vibrating through my seat it was so loud and bass during the introduction of the Voldemort-won!AU and omg such tension. I hadn’t realised it was by Imogen Heap until later, whose pop music I love even though it’s very different. The extras were swirling their robes and cloaks in unison, dancing around to introduce different moments/places or create atmosphere - I can’t describe it well at ALL but it was amazing. And the costuming was fantastic; I loved Hermione’s purple outfits and court heels and Harry’s suit, and Albus’ Slytherin-green hoodie felt very of a piece with his school robes etc which takes some doing. The lighting was so well done. And on that note, OMG LIGHTING REVEALS. When the Dark Mark lit up all around the theatre! And Delphi’s crazypants scrawlings! Ahhhh!
I loved Hermione in this - the calm Minister for Magic (and there was a joyous gasp all round the theatre at that reveal. I was hoping for it when she started telling him off about his paperwork and OH YES) and so authoritative, and the undertone of old friendship and knowing someone so well in everything she said to Harry. It was painful to see her bitter and angry, a Snape-ian ball of frustrated ambition and intelligence, in the second world; but sort of painfully plausible, particularly since she certainly has a sadistic moment or two in canon. I was vaguely annoyed that not getting married had messed with her life to that degree. But then we got to see her as head rebel and hero in the dystopia (while single again), which made me retrospectively happier with it.
We stage-doored afterwards and I actually said to Noma how much I admired the different Hermiones. She thought I meant casting her as a black woman, I could tell from her answer, and I DO think that’s great but I’m really glad I got over my momentary “I failed to communicate!” embarrassment to be like SURE BUT I MEANT CALM MINISTER FOR MAGIC VS SCARY SCHOOLTEACHER ETC. And she said that was why she took the role.
Also, I loved everything about Ron/Hermione in this production. I’ve said here before that I can imagine them happy together, but I can also easily imagine a acrimonious, painful divorce (before eventually making friends again). So seeing them happy together and that they’re their best selves together, but also that in other worlds they fell away from each other, was like my perfect thing. And that Ron was drunk at his wedding, and they were so young, but he wants to do a vow renewal! It just felt like such a lovely acknowledgement of how young they were and how imperfect it was/is but that they still love each other.
Ron I felt a bit weird about - basically I felt like they sliiightly over-egged the “Ron likes eating and dumb jokes” jokes - I think there’s a moment where he shows up to Hogwarts at a crisis moment via the kitchens - but in general loved. Particularly when he says he should be Voldemort because he’ll be less damaged by it than any of the other, more intense people in the room - hilarious, empathetic, and almost certainly true. The actor was great, and also really lovely and talkative with fans afterwards.
HARRY. I LOVED HARRY. This reminded me of all the reasons I love him, which was really a gift. I loved the focus on the aftereffects of the Dursleys, which is something I think doesn’t get enough attention. He was trying so hard and messing it up and that is my number one weakness, it’s the biggest reason I fell for Draco. Poor careworn Harry. I had a lot of sympathy for him, perhaps oddly given that in my own family I was the difficult child, and also someone able to see my sisters were easier to parent and understand for my mum and dad and willing to use that fact as a weapon in arguments. And oh GOD Harry regularly visits Cedric’s grave Y DO U TEAR OUT MY HEART THIS WAY.
Although there was also just moments of delight - HARRY AND DRACO’S DUEL OMFG. OMFG. THANK YOU SANTA ROWLING FOR THIS GIFT. Like, it was so great in itself, but it’s also… this is why I ship them, because they genuinely frustrate each other and drive each other mad (and that definitely subtly improves over the course of the play) but they also have so much fun battling each other. Using silly, low-level hexes and “you’ve been practicing” and Draco calling Harry “old man” and Harry’s outraged “we’re the same age!” This is obviously something they’ve done several times before and I would love to see how it began! I may need to write that fic. How they got friendly enough for their duels to develop into play-fighting.
And then Ginny interrupting them with “I WAS ONLY GONE FOR THREE MINUTES!” and the boys ending up sulking on either ends of the table with their wands between them. Hee.
Ginny was great - definite shades of Molly once or twice but also so much her own person, and I like that her own Voldemort trauma wasn’t elided. When they all went to Myrtle’s loo I was like GINNY ARE YOU OKAY DO YOU REMEMBER BEING HERE AT ALL. Also I was laughing because no one explains to Draco why Albus and Scorpius are in a girls’ loo, and I don’t think he has any reason to know about the Chamber of Secrets or the way to the lake? So maybe he spent the route there freaking about his son and worrying Myrtle was going to say something really humiliating about all those times he cried in there, but I just adore my mental image of him puffing up a staircase going “they’re… in a girls’ loo together? Why? Albus Potter is a terrible influence.”
Also, when McGonagall (MCGONAGALL ♥♥♥♥♥) was very loudly announcing that she was coming in because Albus and Scorpius weren’t meant to be spending time together, I was like, “...she thinks they’re making out.” Or giving them a chance to hide, I guess, but I don’t think she’d decided to let them hide until the moment she did, so… yeah, I think that was “if you are shirtless together, please make that stop.”
On that note: one of the people I was with said apparently some fans are annoyed they didn’t make Albus and Scorpius’ relationship romantic? Which I find understandable given that they’re clearly each other’s Person, and story beats like Scorpius thinking of Albus to fight the Dementors could be frustrating because they’re easily read as romantic. But the need for friends, the power of friendship, that’s a theme here second only to the difficulties of parenting and growing up and I LOVE stories about friendship and think they’re important. (See here: almost all my favourite relationships in all my favourite TV programmes.) And they’re so good as best friends, I just love it.
Apparently I’ve got to Albus and Scorpius! Albus was wonderful; clever and bitter and funny and both enormously self-sacrificing and a little self-involved; a very recognisable perceptive loser, and just. He hurt my heart. Apparently I don’t have that much to say about him??? But I loved him and found him so interesting and I thought his painful scenes with Harry were utter, well-observed perfection.
He’s pretty contrary too, I think - he could’ve stopped himself from being Slytherin, and he didn’t. Maybe because by then he’d met Scorpius and Scorpius was in Slytherin? But despite very obvious mixed feelings he didn’t push for Gryffindor.
I adored Scorpius. He’s my Patronus. I love his geeky love of books (“my geekness is quivering!” on seeing Bathilda Bagshot) and his genuine, enormous awkwardness. (Voice quavering and going too loud then too quiet all the time, randomly singing… it’s incredibly endearing for the audience and yet I also totally see why the other kids are put off. Although that’s also a vicious cycle of lack of socialisation because Draco wants to protect him from the rumours making it harder for him to un-isolate himself etc...) Scorpius is so goofy and I love that. It would’ve been easy to go emo kid with him, and I love that they did something more unexpected - especially since subtly it’s actually a great deal like Draco. Draco does impressions and makes badges and stupid jokes to fight his enemies; he tries to be suave and it collapses around him. It’s only charisma and force of personality that saves him socially, and he still very often comes across as pathetic; Scorpius lacks that charisma, so relatively similar behaviour comes across incredibly differently.
And man, that poor kid. Losing his mum, and those horrible rumours - there was actually a moment where Scorpius and Harry were briefly alone together after Harry had ordered Albus to stay away from him, and I was like INTERACT!!! Not least because Harry knows all about horrible rumours. But Scorpius is FUNNY, and wry, and reacts vaguely like a normal person when presented with danger and terrible things and is therefore completely delightful. Like, he's obviously very brave in his own right but he didn't grow up around a Gryffindor approach to danger and him watching Albus be like WE ARE PREPARED TO DIE and going ...are we> is just hysterical. I FEEL YOU BRO. (Albus: Ready? Scorpius: No!) And he works out Hermione’s riddles and saves the world from the Voldemort-wins!AU - and I love that he doesn’t do it by fighting alone, but by finding the right allies. WIN WIN ALL AROUND WIN. Except for pity being a good start on a relationship, that was crazypants.
The actor was AMAZING and I’m a bit sad I wimped out of asking for a selfie at the stage door but I do have an autograph :D He hurt his leg during the performance apparently but was still out there chatting away. His body language as Scorpius was amazing - constantly smoothing his hair awkwardly or nervously behind his ears, flailing while he tried to do the “Voldemort and Valour” signal, going stiff as a board with a HILARIOUS expression when Albus hugged him. And oh, him rushing towards Draco and Draco’s abashed-sounding “we can hug” - like, we can be a hugging family too if you like! - and then the hug that wasn’t awkward at all, but both of them clinging on.
Draco was so great. It was weird how NOT weird it was, in-text, to see Draco alongside the Trio and Ginny, the five of them charging off together or facing public criticism. Despite Draco being on the outside at the beginning he was very clearly broadly accepted even when being an utter pill. (Harry: I don’t want to hurt you! Draco: I do want to hurt you.)
I found it horrible but plausible to see his role in the Voldemort-wins!AU - he’d grown up into this full-on dystopia, and found a way to succeed despite being an awful Death Eater. Not blowing people up or torturing them - he wasn’t going to develop into some frothing sadist - but enabling and hiding those who were. The scene with Scorpius confronting him in horror killed me in a million different ways: poor, poor Scorpius was so horrified, and thinking that Draco torturing people was the truth of him. And Alex Price was just rocking it, because this was a Draco so much more like Lucius - smooth and controlled, the way he spoke to Scorpius, and grabbing Scorpius physically. It definitely felt like this was a Draco who’d deliberately modelled himself on Lucius as a way to survive.
In retrospect, it was also a scene people used to write into Draco fanfiction all the time: the popular, successful “Scorpion King” (hahahaha do you think “Slytherin Sex God” just failed to catch on) confronting his father.
And oh. Malfoys making things “murky” but Astoria helping make things clearer for Draco; that she told Scorpius Draco was a better man than he knew, and that him standing up to Lucius to marry a ‘Muggle-lover’ was “the bravest thing she’d ever seen”. I am utterly shocked that Draco had Lucius’ Time-Turner and held himself back, even though he’d “sell [his] soul for one more minute with Astoria”. That was his most heroic act by far, to my mind. Confronting Delphi with the others was brave but Draco’s abiding sin was the inability to see people different from him as really real; what led him into darkness was (understandably) putting his family above everyone else. To hold back from another minute or two with the woman he’d loved because it could endanger the world is really overcoming his fundamental flaw.
I wished he wasn’t critical of Crabbe and Goyle as “lunks”, because they were friends for years and Draco did save Goyle’s life. (Plus I have a bunch of opinions about the general refusal of fiction, and especially fanfiction, to tell stories about the unattractive or stupid or learning-difficulties-having.) But ah well.
Also, OH MY GOD he was “slightly enjoying” being bossed about by Hermione. DRACO IS CANONICALLY A SUB MY LIFE IS COMPLETE. And it says something about how much I adored Scorpius that his anguished cry of “DAD!” made it so much better. Poor Scorpius. ♥ And I just. HE ACTUALLY DID A SLIGHTLY FLIRTY, COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY JOKE WITH HERMIONE IN THE MIDDLE OF FIGHTING A BAD GUY. That was so funny. And also, like, wow Draco you are taking on some of your fanon traits as you age!!!
(Also, LOL I adored how Scorpius, Albus, and Draco all had ~moments about Hermione being sexy. Albus-as-Ron dipping Hermione into the kiss made my life.)
Dumbledore was brilliantly acted and his scenes with Harry were just wonderful. I liked that McGonagall specifically tells Harry that a painting isn’t a person, but of course Harry still goes to him - not least because parental figures who do their best and fall short, bit of a theme. It was great to see Dumbledore being called on his shit while also being recognised as a great man. The actor was amazing - completely convincing and heartwrenching as both Dumbledore and Amos Diggory.
Also, Jamie Parker is great at crying in a Harry-ish way, whether sniffing during a difficult conversation with his son or wailing after watching his parents die. IDK it’s just really. It feels just like Harry, attempting control or losing it, although he cries a LOT. But then it’s all about painful family things and being scared his son will die, so it’s entirely justifiable on a character and generally human level.
Snape! It was wonderful to see him. And also lolllllllllllllllllll I will never not find it funny that Severus Snape, the least paternal personality ever created, is constantly dealing with teenage boys being like HELP TEACH ME YOUR WAYS. Although this one was at least respectful. The initial scene between Scorpius and Severus really felt like it was a deliberate moment to salve the wounds of one of the great tragedies of the Potter books, that Severus, alone and exhausted and heroic, works unrecognised and knows he will die unrecognised. The music during that scene changed from SCARY DYSTOPIA to something beautiful and kind, and it was so lovely to know that in this alternate timeline there was a Severus who knew he’d succeeded in his mission, and had also been rightfully regarded as a hero.
Rose was interesting - enormously ambitious and keyed-in, full of energy, not as kind as she could be in how she deploys those skills. I really liked her as a character. Hmmm.
Also LOL SCORPION KING. YES LET’S DEFINITELY DEPLOY THAT NICKNAME FOR THE LEAST REGAL HUMAN ALIVE.
I wished for more women! Not sure there was a Bechdel pass? Although there was a lovely, soundless moment between Hermione and Rose after Hermione had heard Rose didn’t exist in the AU, and omg Noma’s FACE.
Delphi was less successful in the final confrontation than as a quirky older friend or a kidnapping villain, which is not to say unsuccessful. We predicted she’d be the villain between parts (and that it would involve prophecy, because of her name), but not how. The slow-motion fall of her Avada Kedavra’d victim was chilling, and omg, her torturing Scorpius while Albus howled his name was just. :(((
OK I think that’s it? Thematic & plot stuff later.
This was originally posted at http://lokifan.dreamwidth.org/344466.html. Comment wherever you like :)