Stuff I've Watched

My ABC Family shows are back :)

And I'm really enjoying both of them!

I've seen some discontent with Switched at Birth's storylines, but I don't know, I find the story about Matthew slashing the tires at Carlton to be really interesting. I think the show plays with assumptions and appearances a lot and I think this is a perfect example of how we use those against each other. And it's not that he's entirely unsympathetic...he's doing it to protect his group, his own group--the fellow students at Carlton. But he's using the worst stereotypes of the new students against them and it does cause disruptions. Like maybe Daphne and Sharee would have a better chance at being friends if all of this hadn't been going on. So while Travis thinks..."hey it's not hurting anyone", it does and always will hurt others to use stereotypes and labels. Also, Matthew is the real bully while hiding beneath goodwill he and the other students at Carlton have. Daphne's realization that all the things Sharee said about Carlton being true are also significant...it's so much easier to point to exterior problems without dealing with and recognizing the ones we have. Switched at Birth has always been about the meeting of different worlds and this is just a new way to explore that.

The rest of the storylines may have been a bit weaker, but eh what can I can say, I enjoy the show.

The Fosters is also A+. I love that they aren't just brushing the Callie/Brandon thing under the rug but they are really dealing with it. That moment when Callie stole the food in the convenience store in order to be sent back to juvie...so heartbreaking. I think Maia is a fantastic actress too? Like she really sells what Callie is feeling. Or maybe I'm just blinded by her beauty, I DON'T KNOW. Anyway, I love how Callie is all hard edges and distrust, it's exactly the way she should be. I love that The Fosters continues to be diverse! And Mariana, omg, she is off the charts ADORBS this season. But show, you could be a little less obvious with the BUT MARIANA YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND ANYTHING BECAUSE YOU'VE NEVER HAD A BOYFRIEND. Mariana speaks more wisdom than these silly boys let's be real!

Brandon/Callie as a forbidden love story continues to be a selfish love story. Callie breaks the rules and jeopardizes the good faith of everyone in order to see Brandon. Brandon is stealing the money meant for his piano lessons in order to help pay for a lawyer for Callie? These aren't good smart choices, they are the choices of teenagers who recklessly believe in their love. And yet, the show is never unsympathetic to their feelings, while being unflinching about the impact of their choices.

But hahaha at the Kindle product placement, that was just sad.

The Originals!

This is my silly supernatural show, and I don't know it's just a lot of fun for me? It's certainly not perfect, but when it's on, I just enjoy it a heck of a lot. As long as they stay away from angsty Klaus/Elijah I think we're good.

It's been especially good since coming back from hiatus...it finally started heading in the direction I always secretly hoped it would go. If The Vampire Diaries is about women yielding soft power to survive in a man's world, The Originals is not. The show has a lot of women with hard power. There is no reason they shouldn't also be making their own play for power in the power struggles of New Orleans and yesss they finally are and it's fabulous. I'm so sad about Davina, but I don't think she'll stay dead. But she'll never be as powerful as she was again. :( The show has a lot of humor, and doesn't depend on romances (I don't mean to sound like I don't like romances...I do, but I think when a show depends on a triangle it will become tiresome that's the nature of the beast) but mostly just a host of female characters that I love and want to watch. The twist at the end of last week truly surprised and delighted me and I'm looking forward to where it goes from here!

I am behind on Bitten, sorry Jill!

I also watched the Danish movie A Hijacking recently. In this movie Soren Malling is negotiating with the Somali pirates for the release of the ship. Watching him fail at this for months on end was like watching Torben fail at his job during season three of Borgen. I half expected Alex to come strolling in and make the negotiations sexier with weird furniture, tbh. Otherwise, though, this film was quite good and an interesting look at the unique stresses of such a situation on those at home as well as those on the ship. Available on Netflix with three members of the Borgen cast.

So, um....that's that!