Heteronormativity Prevails in Chloe

Hey guys! I wrote a film review! "What, what," you  say? "It's not here!" Well you are correct. It's somewhere else - all professional and fancy. So read my review over at curvemag.com.

Big Love Season Four Credits = WTF?

OK, so I know I am a little bit behind everyone on the latest season of Big Love. I actually just started watching the show a few weeks ago, and have since plowed through (marathon-style) to the fourth season. While I am enjoying the show more and more, I have to ask: what is going on with the new credits?





Maybe I just need to get used to them? I admit that it took me a while to enjoy the old credits. I've never been a huge Beach Boys fan. But the hokeyness grew on me, and I started to love them. These are just a bit too over the top, in my opinion. I mean, really, really over the top.

Am I wrong? Does anyone else feel this way?

Original Credits

Book Review - Never Let Me Go

One thing is for certain: Kazuo Ishiguro is an amazing writer.

I liked this book a lot, but I didn't love it. It drew me in and kept me interested. The plot is revealed slowly, and mysteriously. One big problem I have with it, however, is that the clones (yes, clones) never once consider the option of rebellion.

From what we can glean from the novel, there are legions of them, all raised in different environments, ranging from very barbarous (as we learn later in the novel) to very sheltered (like the English boarding school, Hailsham, where the main character Kathy was brought up). Considering that before Hailsham most of these environments were, in fact, very undesirable, it would seem to follow that, if these clones were as "human" as the novel makes us believe, there would have been some sort of uprising.

Instead we get a kind of morbid acceptance. Kathy, especially, seems to lack the spark needed to make her a truly compelling main character.  Never Let Me Go is problematic, but worth the read.

The Tragic Tale of Topher Brink

"If I think I can figure things out, is that curiosity or arrogance?" - Topher Brink, "Epitaph One"

I’ll be the first to admit it. When I first started watching Dollhouse, I did not care much for Topher. Though he often played the role of comic relief, there was something kind of sinister and Warren Mears-esque about him. He did not seem to view the dolls as human—rather, they were his playthings. At worst, his science experiments. There was little to suggest that his character had any moral depth at all.

However, it soon became clear that he was not morally bankrupt—merely morally infantile. Furthermore, as the series progressed we saw him grow substantially, and he became one of the most interesting characters (not to mention my personal favorite). But the lesson in humility that Topher learns ultimately comes too late, and as a consequence, he retreats into the guilt-ridden psychosis that we see in “Epitaph One” and “Epitaph Two: The Return.” Ultimately, the only way that his character can find peace and redemption is through death. Topher’s character is, essentially, a classic example of the tragic hero—the classical archetype whose actions inevitably lead to their downfall. Examples of the tragic hero in literature include Hamlet, Macbeth, Oedipus—even Dr. Victor Frankenstein from Mary Shelly’s 19^th century science fiction novel.

Big Love for Big Love

I tried watching this show a few years ago, and I lost interest a few minutes into the first episode. It seemed like the stereotypical "perfect male fantasy" to me, and to be honest, the dynamics between Bill and his three wives kind of creeped me out. Don't get me wrong: I don't care if people are polygamous (as long as it is consensual) but the feeling I got from them was more of a nuclear family, and well--it was just weird. I figured that it was just one of those shows that people watch for pure titillation, and as a result I pretty much wrote it off.

Well, one of my favorite blogs has been talking about Big Love a lot lately, and as a result my interest was peaked--especially since the show seemed to make for a lot of interesting discussion about women and feminism. So, I decided that I would give it another chance.

Boy, am I glad I did. In the last few weeks I've been plowing through the seasons. I'm currently about 5 episodes into season 3, and I can't wait to be caught up. Again, I was a little "iffy" about the characters at first. By the end, however, I was "iffy" about them in a completely new way. I am constantly conflicted by their actions, and their choices, and yet, I have come to really care about them--especially the wives. I was devastated in the season one finale, when Barb was disqualified from the "mother of the year" contest, and they were in danger of being "outed."

Nikki, in particular, is a fascinating character. I can't say that I "like" her, but I do care about her. The episode in season 3 where she sees herself in the "Joy Book" and breaks down is really powerful. Kudos to Chloe Sevigny. Bill's mom is another fave. What a character.

Bill, on the other hand, is fast approaching the top of my shit-list. I still can't get over the "double-standard" aspect of his relationship with the three wives. And his preoccupation with money and power is troubling, to say the least. I can definitely see him becoming more sinister in the next season.