Tag: show

The White Queen: Red Bleached White

“The White Queen” has been out for a while, and I vaguely recall when it was first aired on Starz.  It took me years to finally watch it and when I did, I was hooked.  The historical aspect was a big draw for me, and the characters and the period itself were fascinating.  The series was to be continued with The White Princess and The Spanish Princess.  I consider these shows to be the prequels to The Tudors, a show that I have already covered on this blog.  Now, we go back before the reign of Henry VIII.

The show opened with Elizabeth Woodville, widow and mother, waiting to meet the new King of England, Edward IV of York.  Her husband, was a supporter and soldier for Lancaster, the recently deposed house and king, Henry VI.  The first episode documents their growing love and secret marriage, which sparks animosity between Edward IV; his brother, George, the Duke of Clarence; and his stoutest supporter, Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick.  This ill feeling persists and both men spark two rebellions against Edward.  Richard, Duke of Gloucester and future Richard III, remains loyal and is definitely not painted as Shakespeare’s play portrayed him.  While all events in the show are riveting, the most interesting scenes to watch are the ones that involve Elizabeth Woodville, Margaret Beaufort, and Anne Neville.  The White Queen, the Red Queen, and the King Maker’s Daughter.  In that day, men believed they were the sole benefactors of history.  Women learned a long time ago how to influence their lovers.  A beautiful woman could rule an entire country if she had her husband wrapped around her little finger.

The concept of Elizabeth Woodville being an actual witch, which she was suspected of, added a supernatural element to the show.  It gave her character more surety in what she did because she believed that she could influence people and situations to her advantage.  Margaret Beaufort was a witch in her own way, but a fanatical witch.  Everything she ever wanted, she said ‘it was God’s will.’  As a believer myself, there is nothing more annoying and insulting than hearing another believer use God as a means to attain their own ends.  Margaret Beaufort was always the character I despised the most, regardless of what show it was.  Anne Neville’s character development was a sweeping arc.  She started off as a truly silly and rather foolish girl.  At first, I thought she was slow.  But, hardship forged a bitter woman, lashing out all she thought were her enemies.

All together, the three women had their desires and their schemes and men died for it.  The War of Roses was one of the bloodiest periods in English History.  The in-fighting was great and brother turned against brother.  There were no neutral parties.  You were either red for House Lancaster or white for House York.  You either supported the ailing and insane Henry VI or the young and adventurous Edward IV.  Elizabeth Woodville had been told that she was for House Lancaster; but she so easily switched sides to House York.  She took what red was in her life and bleached it out to become a white rose.

And on that note, it’s been real!

I Love It When a Review Comes Together

I’m proud to say that I know the original A-Team show, and not because I was alive when it was airing (by any means).  But, one night we turned our TV on and the Retro channel was playing this quirky dramady about four guys on the lamb, ex-military, helping people who couldn’t go to anybody else.  To six young kids, they were modern day Robin Hoods with automatic weapons and a sexy black van.  Now, everyone these days tends to remember the A-Team movie, that fell shy of the bar the show raised, but, I don’t think I will go into those details right now.  For this post, I’ll just focus on why the show was so good.

One of the main reasons the show was popular, were the characters.  The main characters were the four members of the Vietnam special forces team: Col. John Hannibal Smith, Lt. Templeton ‘Faceman’ Peck, Capt. H. M. Murdock, and Sgt. B. A. Baracus.  They had their skills, their quirks, and their signature looks that people could relate to.  Hannibal was the leader and ‘father-figure’ as it were of the group.  He smoked cigars, was usually on the ‘jazz’, and was a struggling actor.  He led the team without any doubts as to the decisions he made; and if anything did faze him, he kept it to himself.  He also had complete faith in his men, and whether or not he told that to them plainly, or masked it in loving sarcasm, he still told them.

Even though he was a rank below Murdock in the military, Face operated as Hannibal’s second-in-command.  He was the scrounger of the group; ask and you shall receive.  He was also their playboy, always with a girl on his arm and a smooth phrase on the tip of his tongue.  He was the looks for all the girls who watched the show.  He was all about appearances, being the grifter, he had to look good.  He was always armed with a killer wardrobe.  Face always whined about doing dangerous jobs, or ones that didn’t bring in a lot of money, but in the end, he still did the right thing.

Murdock was always the wildcard, the unpredictable contestant in every plan.  He was technically committed to a psych ward right after the Vietnam War, and had been there ever since.  Murdock was usually the person that was silently called upon to freak their targets out.  He had his dog, Billy; he spoke to his horse, among many other things that made Murdock unique.  Although, the best thing Murdock did for them was fly.  He flew helicopters, planes, even a patched together glider.  While singing German opera on that last one.  Only a certifiably crazy person woulddo something like that.  Although, Murdock was also a bit of a chameleon.  He dabbled in the jobs of Hannibal, Face, and B.A.  He admired Hannibal, was in awe of B.A., and loved Face.  But, he was still basically the child of the family.

The last member of the team was B.A. Baracus.  B.A. was the team’s sergeant in the army, but on the run, he was the driver, the mechanic, and the muscle.  He was also actually the soft spot of the group.  He loved children and many a kid worked their way under his thick skin.  He also liked helping the elderly, and frequently got the team on their charity cases.  He kept mostly to himself though while off the job, never dating or seeing any women.  There were a few women on the show who had an interest in him, but his true love was always his big, black, beautiful van.  And everyone heard about it if anything happened to it.  Heads rolled.

On the whole, the show was a huge success, despite the best efforts of the television station.  The feminists and liberals hated it, but the actors still took over the show and kept it true for the sake of their young viewers.  And those young viewers have grown up now, and are thanking that show for making their childhoods memorable.

And on that note, it’s been real!

 

Game of Reviews

Warning: SOME SPOILERS!

I’ve mentioned Game of Thrones before, but I’ve never really talked about it in detail.  I decided that the time is now.  Everyone who even has an interest in pop culture, knows about Game of Thrones.  Actually, the oddest of people know about Game of Thrones.  I was very surprised when it was revealed that my doctor watched it, and we started talking about it, and now it’s something we can chat about whenever we want to.  However, that’s not what this post is going to be about.

Recap… and… go!  In my honest opinion, the show started off strong, but has since gotten stronger.  They needed to get rid of certain characters in order to not only advance the story, but to advance the show.  Yes, there is a difference.  Joffrey was alright as the little twat of a character he was, but, he did not feel like a villain.  He felt more like the spoiled child character that hangs around far too long.  Thankfully, he was removed from the picture in a fitting and gruesome manner.  He only hung around for four seasons (thank God).  He just wasn’t a fascinating enough character anymore.  After we found out he was the product of incest, we lost all interest.

After Joffrey, the Stark children started advancing.  We had Sansa finally learning (through many a difficult trial) how to properly play the game.  And she started to see who she could trust and who she couldn’t.  But, she decided to follow the old philosophy: keep your friends close and your enemies closer.  Sansa basically had Petyr Baelish on a leash before his end.  Now, she just needs to get a few others to heel, and she’ll be all set.

Arya has grown from a pup into a feral wolf, which is equal parts good and bad.  It’s good in that she seems to be able to assassinate whomever she wants; and it’s bad in that she doesn’t understand the importance of playing the game.  Arya wants to storm ahead on her path of revenge, and damnation to any who try to stop her.  So, she is an asset, as long as she learns how to control her emotions/listen to other people.

Bran is a little confusing, and that is only because of all the fan theories surrounding him.  Some people say that he is actually the Night King, so, anything we do say about him, is speculation.  He is the Three-Eyed Raven, meaning that he has the gift of sight.  His gift certainly came in handy when dealing with Baelish, but what will Bran do now to ensure his cousin’s victory in the war to come?  And again, people are hypothesizing about Bran being the Night King.  I am not saying anything with regards to those theories.  It would be difficult to explain how Bran is the Night King, while at the same time warning everybody about it.  Eh.  Mind games can only go so far.

With Jon, we see the biggest step of all being taken.  He is the King in the North, and now, a sworn banner to Daenerys Targaryen; while at the same time, being Aegon Targaryen, the heir to the Iron Throne.  And the beautiful thing about it is: he won’t want it!  The moment Bran and Sam tell him the news and show him the paper, he will deny his august right in favor of Daenerys.  This will try everyone once the word gets out.  Sansa will want him to remain in the North instead of going South to rule because she more than likely feels that he is on her side whatever happens.  Arya will want him to go South, if only so that she can go with him to kill Cersei.  Bran will play Devil’s Advocate and say the pros and cons of both sides.  Daenerys will not like Jon’s claim to the throne at first.  Unless/until she suggests they wed to stop any fuss.  Tyrion will be against it (because he likes her himself), and many others will point out the familial ties.  Jon will more than likely say no (despite having already slept with her) because of it, but Daenerys will not let it stop her.  That will be one of many conundrums the next and final season.

And then, we see the redemption of Jaime Lannister.  He started out as the quintessential *sshole, but he transformed.  He learned humility when he lost his hand, and learned to have feelings for somebody other than Cersei (in a romantic way) with Brienne.  Of course, Cersei has seen her again in the dragon pits and knows that she now works for the Starks.  She’ll have her cold eyes on her now.   But, at the end of the previous season, Jaime turned his back on Cersei and decided to ride North to help the Dragon Queen and the Starks fight against the Wight Walker Army.  He decided to keep the promise he made and leave his sister, who is now pregnant with his fourth child.  Congratulations, Jaime!  You are a character that has almost come full circle!

Well, there are many GOT theories and thoughts and wishes that fly around, but not all of them (or any, depending on the writers) will come to fruition.  We shall see in the eighth and final season many things that will make us cry, laugh, cheer, and gaze in awe.  I hope that we will not be disappointed.

And on that note, it’s been real!