What I have been watching
Apr. 18th, 2017 09:26 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
scripsiAs usual, spoilers under the cuts, so beware!
I was very happy with Doctor Who. I adore Twelve, and I think I will adore Bill. She seems normal in a smart, funny, kind way, and I kept thinking of Seven and Ace, though without explosions. She was very obviously dressed in 80’s fashion, so I thought she really was from the 80’s, but then she mentioned Netflix, so I guess she is modern, after all. I think they will be a very good fit, and I’m very relieved we won’t have yet another companion crushing on the Doctor.
As for the season to come.. Well, I wonder if we'll get to meet Susan? She has been alluded to from time to time in New Who, but this is the first time we see her, and it may be to remind the audience she exists. Being a Time Lady there won’t be any need, I guess, to use the same actress. And we will get both Missy and Simms!Master, which I look forward too. Well, with a certain apprehension because if this will be exit for Twelve, I wouldn’t be at all surprised it will be because of the combined efforts of the Master.
I’m now six episodes in on Versailles, and I’m sorry to say I find it weaker than the first. (Apart from three huge NO’s, those are heartbreaking!) However, this may be because 17th century history is one of my favourite periods, and a lot of what irks me, has to do with that. If you don’t feel that is important, then I think you won’t find the same thing irritating. And this is what annoys me:
The Philippe/Chevalier/Liselotte triangle. I love all the actors, it’s not their fault at all, it’s the script. I especially like Alexander Vlahos. I don’t fancy him, though I can see why people do, but I appreciate his acting chops. I know he is a huge Doctor who-fan and dreams of playing the Doctor, and I think he could be a very good one. But back to the irritating bit. In the 17th century, love marriages were not expected to be love matches by the aristocracy. It was all about economy and politics. Everyone knew and accepted this. A woman was expected to bear children who could inherit, and a man was expected to father them. Philippe and his wives were brought up with knowing this, which is why Philippe, despite preferring to have sex with men, regularly slept with his wives and had children with both of them. Just as Louis dutifully slept with his Queen. Had they not fulfilled their part, while still being able to have intercourse, if would have been cause for divorce/annulment, just as it could be if a woman failed to have children. And Chevalier knew all this too. At this point in time the French Royal family needed more boys as spares to the crown, and no one would have objected to this. It was really, really important, not only for the immediate family. So yes, Chevalier might have been jealous because Phillippe actually liked his second wife and valued her, but it would not have been sexual jealousy.
I also feel a big fat WTF about Chevalier as a drug dealer.
And I hate what is happening to Sophie. We already know Cassel is a monster; it was established last season that he raped Madame de Montespan when she was twelve. There is no need to show Cassel raping Sophie again- it feels like we can suss out he does anyway. Especially as he seems to be fond of slapping her around too. And yes, she has now got herself some poison, and who can blame her? She also seems to have attached herself to the new Spy, whose name is Thomas. Just like that. Her infatuation with the builder got more build-up. I shall think she is only seeing Thomas because she is so starved of affection she takes anything, not because she genuinely loves him. Oh well, if the show is determined to go full soap opera, I shall hope for Fabien killing Cassel for her, and then they can get back being partners in spying. But I fear she will kill Cassell, get caught and end up on Fabien’s bad side again.
I hated Jacques dying, but now I wonder if it isn’t actually pretty clever. First him, then Louis dismissing Claudine from court, and in episode five, he dismisses Fabien. Way to go, King- let’s get rid of all those who are super loyal to you. Nice scene where Bontemps says farewell and calls Fabien his friend, but I missed a scene where Sophie gets to say goodbye. She deserves an explanation to why the only person who actually seems to care for her now, leaves Versailles. Fabien decamps to Claudine’s laboratory, to both their delight. She observes he won’t stop investigating who is running a poison ring at Versailles, even he has been dismissed, just as she won’t stop.
I love the character growth Fabien has made through the show- slowly growing to show emotion. At this point he seems to have developed a very strong aversion to innocent people being hurt. It is a marked difference to the first episodes in season 1, where he was prepared to drown a baby and hanging that poor maid. I think he got a an emotional shock when he found the little girl shot in the forest. Later he makes sure he has evidence against Beatrice before he acts, and he is clearly very disturbed when Louis sacrifices Sophie’s innocence to Cassel. And I love how he, after being pretty suspicious of Claudine, sees her for the truly good person she is, and finally dare to fall in love. And now they finally kissed, and more. I squeed. And there is a scene where he is sleeping in a chair and she touches her cheek, and he wakes up instantly, grabbing her and is suddenly on top of her on the floor. Well, that it almost exactly the scene I wrote in a fic between them last year, which is satisfying to me, because it means I got his character down pretty well.
And then. If I hated what happened to Sophie, I hate what happened to Claudine even more. I was afraid it would happen, but I had hoped she would just leave, travel the world and find new ways to cure people. But I knew what was coming the moment Fabien said he was leaving Versailles to make a new life with Claudine. And now she is dead, and he is heartbroken, and so am I. I think the murderer is the unsavoury looking priest who lurked around at the brothel where Claudine found this new and unknown poison. Oh well, whomever it is, Fabien will take a really nasty revenge. And I guess he will return to Versailles eventually to save the day. I only hope he can save Sophie. I feel quite upset over having one of my favourite characters killed off, and I don’t want to lose another one.
I’ll gush a bit about the costumes to feel better. There is really a lot of thought done into their design, and even if it’s not perfectly historically accurate, i am sure the designer know her costume history, but chooses to deviate. (As opposed to The Tudors where it felt the designer had a very shallow knowledge and absolutely no idea of the how’s and why’s of costume.) Things I like, for example, are how colours are used. Louis is pre-dominantly in blue, and Philippe only wears that colour when he is doing something by the King’s orders. Madame de Montespan wears a lot of greenish shades, and often with a metallic tinge, which underlines her rather snake-like qualities. Black cloth was expensive in the 17th century, and rightly so black is reserved for the ministers, the clergy and the doctors. On the other hand, Fabien’s character, who nine out of ten designers would have dressed in black, wears practical brown. Claudine, when she isn’t dressed as a man, gets a better gown when she becomes the King’s physician, and it is blue, which fits someone so loyal to the King. And though Sophie is dressed in the same colour scheme throughout, her clothes and hair gets more elaborare and luxurious as the series progresses. There are a lot of little nice things like that, which enhances the characters.
I was very happy with Doctor Who. I adore Twelve, and I think I will adore Bill. She seems normal in a smart, funny, kind way, and I kept thinking of Seven and Ace, though without explosions. She was very obviously dressed in 80’s fashion, so I thought she really was from the 80’s, but then she mentioned Netflix, so I guess she is modern, after all. I think they will be a very good fit, and I’m very relieved we won’t have yet another companion crushing on the Doctor.
As for the season to come.. Well, I wonder if we'll get to meet Susan? She has been alluded to from time to time in New Who, but this is the first time we see her, and it may be to remind the audience she exists. Being a Time Lady there won’t be any need, I guess, to use the same actress. And we will get both Missy and Simms!Master, which I look forward too. Well, with a certain apprehension because if this will be exit for Twelve, I wouldn’t be at all surprised it will be because of the combined efforts of the Master.
I’m now six episodes in on Versailles, and I’m sorry to say I find it weaker than the first. (Apart from three huge NO’s, those are heartbreaking!) However, this may be because 17th century history is one of my favourite periods, and a lot of what irks me, has to do with that. If you don’t feel that is important, then I think you won’t find the same thing irritating. And this is what annoys me:
The Philippe/Chevalier/Liselotte triangle. I love all the actors, it’s not their fault at all, it’s the script. I especially like Alexander Vlahos. I don’t fancy him, though I can see why people do, but I appreciate his acting chops. I know he is a huge Doctor who-fan and dreams of playing the Doctor, and I think he could be a very good one. But back to the irritating bit. In the 17th century, love marriages were not expected to be love matches by the aristocracy. It was all about economy and politics. Everyone knew and accepted this. A woman was expected to bear children who could inherit, and a man was expected to father them. Philippe and his wives were brought up with knowing this, which is why Philippe, despite preferring to have sex with men, regularly slept with his wives and had children with both of them. Just as Louis dutifully slept with his Queen. Had they not fulfilled their part, while still being able to have intercourse, if would have been cause for divorce/annulment, just as it could be if a woman failed to have children. And Chevalier knew all this too. At this point in time the French Royal family needed more boys as spares to the crown, and no one would have objected to this. It was really, really important, not only for the immediate family. So yes, Chevalier might have been jealous because Phillippe actually liked his second wife and valued her, but it would not have been sexual jealousy.
I also feel a big fat WTF about Chevalier as a drug dealer.
And I hate what is happening to Sophie. We already know Cassel is a monster; it was established last season that he raped Madame de Montespan when she was twelve. There is no need to show Cassel raping Sophie again- it feels like we can suss out he does anyway. Especially as he seems to be fond of slapping her around too. And yes, she has now got herself some poison, and who can blame her? She also seems to have attached herself to the new Spy, whose name is Thomas. Just like that. Her infatuation with the builder got more build-up. I shall think she is only seeing Thomas because she is so starved of affection she takes anything, not because she genuinely loves him. Oh well, if the show is determined to go full soap opera, I shall hope for Fabien killing Cassel for her, and then they can get back being partners in spying. But I fear she will kill Cassell, get caught and end up on Fabien’s bad side again.
I hated Jacques dying, but now I wonder if it isn’t actually pretty clever. First him, then Louis dismissing Claudine from court, and in episode five, he dismisses Fabien. Way to go, King- let’s get rid of all those who are super loyal to you. Nice scene where Bontemps says farewell and calls Fabien his friend, but I missed a scene where Sophie gets to say goodbye. She deserves an explanation to why the only person who actually seems to care for her now, leaves Versailles. Fabien decamps to Claudine’s laboratory, to both their delight. She observes he won’t stop investigating who is running a poison ring at Versailles, even he has been dismissed, just as she won’t stop.
I love the character growth Fabien has made through the show- slowly growing to show emotion. At this point he seems to have developed a very strong aversion to innocent people being hurt. It is a marked difference to the first episodes in season 1, where he was prepared to drown a baby and hanging that poor maid. I think he got a an emotional shock when he found the little girl shot in the forest. Later he makes sure he has evidence against Beatrice before he acts, and he is clearly very disturbed when Louis sacrifices Sophie’s innocence to Cassel. And I love how he, after being pretty suspicious of Claudine, sees her for the truly good person she is, and finally dare to fall in love. And now they finally kissed, and more. I squeed. And there is a scene where he is sleeping in a chair and she touches her cheek, and he wakes up instantly, grabbing her and is suddenly on top of her on the floor. Well, that it almost exactly the scene I wrote in a fic between them last year, which is satisfying to me, because it means I got his character down pretty well.
And then. If I hated what happened to Sophie, I hate what happened to Claudine even more. I was afraid it would happen, but I had hoped she would just leave, travel the world and find new ways to cure people. But I knew what was coming the moment Fabien said he was leaving Versailles to make a new life with Claudine. And now she is dead, and he is heartbroken, and so am I. I think the murderer is the unsavoury looking priest who lurked around at the brothel where Claudine found this new and unknown poison. Oh well, whomever it is, Fabien will take a really nasty revenge. And I guess he will return to Versailles eventually to save the day. I only hope he can save Sophie. I feel quite upset over having one of my favourite characters killed off, and I don’t want to lose another one.
I’ll gush a bit about the costumes to feel better. There is really a lot of thought done into their design, and even if it’s not perfectly historically accurate, i am sure the designer know her costume history, but chooses to deviate. (As opposed to The Tudors where it felt the designer had a very shallow knowledge and absolutely no idea of the how’s and why’s of costume.) Things I like, for example, are how colours are used. Louis is pre-dominantly in blue, and Philippe only wears that colour when he is doing something by the King’s orders. Madame de Montespan wears a lot of greenish shades, and often with a metallic tinge, which underlines her rather snake-like qualities. Black cloth was expensive in the 17th century, and rightly so black is reserved for the ministers, the clergy and the doctors. On the other hand, Fabien’s character, who nine out of ten designers would have dressed in black, wears practical brown. Claudine, when she isn’t dressed as a man, gets a better gown when she becomes the King’s physician, and it is blue, which fits someone so loyal to the King. And though Sophie is dressed in the same colour scheme throughout, her clothes and hair gets more elaborare and luxurious as the series progresses. There are a lot of little nice things like that, which enhances the characters.
no subject
Date: 2017-04-18 05:18 pm (UTC)Looking forward to viewing it, but hoping I won't be disappointed.
Also looking forward to seeing the new season of Doctor Who (which isn't being shown here yet).
no subject
Date: 2017-04-19 10:26 am (UTC)