Woman of the Month: Huntrix

Rumi, Mira and Zoey from K-Pop Demon Hunters

The Year of the Villainess is over and it’s with some relief that I return to the good guys. We need them now more than ever, and the natural choice of heroines to headline January is a no-brainer. K-Pop Demon Hunters took over Netflix last year, and did so entirely on its own merits. With little in the way of promotion, it was down to word of mouth that these girls got the attention they deserved, and well – I give fandom a lot of flak, but sometimes it gets things right every now and then.

Rumi, Mira and Zoey are famous K-Pop stars: they write their own songs, choreograph their own dances, and look out for each other in the glitzy world of superstardom. But they’re also secret superheroes, lending their voices and talent to the upkeep of a magical barrier that keeps demons securely locked away.

Though Rumi is technically the lead, all the girls get their own little mini-arc. Mira finds it difficult to emote, Zoey feels torn between her Korean and American heritage, and demons are exceptionally good at playing on their insecurities. Rumi has it the worst though, for as the offspring of a demon and human, she has to hide her true self from the world.

Of course, it all gets resolved with the power of song, friendship and positive thinking. Okay, that sounded a little glib, but this is the first time that three female characters have featured in a Woman of the Month post, as I found that I couldn’t really separate them. That aforementioned blend of song, friendship and positivity is so intrinsically linked to all these girls and their relationship with each other that it forms the emotional centre of the story itself – and I honestly think that’s the secret ingredient that made this film a hit.

(Along with all the little things; details as simple as scenes of the girls being incredibly silly or stuffing their mouths with food. How often do you get to see THAT in a movie about women?)

At the start of the film, there’s a tantalizing glimpse of the women that preceded Huntrix in the line of demon hunters throughout history (I’d definitely turn up for a prequel about them) and hopefully any potential sequel will delve into how these girls were recruited and trained in the first place. Until then, we have this impossible movie to enjoy: three female protagonists, a largely women-led production, absolutely no support or promotion from Netflix, themes of mental health and the connective power of music… and it was a smash hit.

Reading/Watching Log #121

 No prizes for guessing what this month’s theme was: I have been very into Christmas ghost stories since October, and was looking forward to diving back into the vibe – even though here in Aotearoa, we’re facing high twenty-degree weather. I’m sure something atmospheric is lost given that there’s no snow or darkness outside, but perhaps one day in years to come, I’ll be able to revisit all this material in its rightful setting.

I also took a mad dash to squeeze in as many of this year’s most prominent genre films (Sinners, Weapons, Wake Up Dead Man, K-Pop Demon Hunters) because I need some material for my annual “Best Moments” list. Two more Babysitters Club books, more Magical Girls and the final season of Doctor Who for the foreseeable future, and the year ended on a relative high.

I dearly wanted to see the Twelfth Night that played recently at the Delacourte Theatre in New York, but unfortunately PBS didn’t allow for international viewing – given that I started this year with Twelfth Night, it would have been nice to finish with it too, but I had to contend with some clips and the hope it’ll turn up available in due course.

Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year. If possible.

Meta: Comparing/Contrasting Andor and Black Sails

“Love, it seems, has triumphed over virtue.” 

– Renault, Casablanca

This year I completed two incredibly good television shows: the second (and final) season of Andor (2022 – 2025) and all four seasons of Black Sails (2014 – 2017). You don’t need me to tell you that one garnered considerably more online discussion than the other, but on recommending Black Sails to a work colleague recently, I found myself saying: “it’s just like Andor!”

It wasn’t until I got home that I thought back to my comment and wondered why exactly I had made that comparison. At first glance, the shows have very little in common: one is a sci-fi espionage thriller set in a galaxy far, far away; the other a historical epic set during a specific period in our own history (the Bahamas, 1715) with many characters based on real-life people. One comprises a small part of a sprawling, multi-million-dollar Disney franchise, while the other is a high-budget but relatively little-watched Starz show that ran for a respectable four years.

Yet they both boasted high production values, talented casts, and hefty themes concerning warfare, oppression, conviction, the moral and emotional cost of resistance, and the question of how far an individual can pursue a righteous cause before it’s deemed (either by themselves or the audience) that they’ve gone too far.

Both have ensemble casts full of morally complex main characters, that have set themselves for or against a powerful Empire, a struggle in which they’re called upon to make difficult moral decisions, come into conflict with their allies just as much as their enemies, and face the impossible choice between protecting those they love, or sacrificing everything to the furtherment of a cause they believe in.

More specifically, both narratives revolve around the concept of revolution – why people fight for it, and what price it exacts from those who engage in it. Just as Cassian Andor and the rebels of Star Wars are mired in espionage against the Galactic Empire, so too are the pirates of Black Sails gradually preparing for war against the British Empire.

I’ve seen each show be described as a workplace drama, which is a fair assessment of each one if you take into account they interest both stories have in the concept of “the work” (or “the cause”), how a character can find themselves working with those they may dislike or distrust to achieve their goals, and how when they exist in this space, friendships and morals and love will inevitability be left behind because the work/cause is paramount.

Coincidentally, the shows are also prequels to pre-existing material: Andor to Rogue One (which is itself a prequel to the original Star Wars trilogy) and Black Sails to Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island.

Most importantly, both are extremely well-written. For this reason, I’m in the mood to delve further into the details of each show, how it is they have such simpatico with each other, and why each one is almost universally regarded as that most elusive of subjectivities: good. Sometimes, it’s just nice to gush about things you enjoy, and in doing so, I can hopefully provide you with a litany of reasons as to why you should watch these shows.

SPOILERS FOR ANDOR AND BLACK SAILS

Robin Hood: I Choose You

It’s Christmas Eve-Eve, so I’m going to have to try and keep this one short. That shouldn’t be too difficult, as this episode is mostly table-setting for the season’s grand finale (and possibly the show’s grand finale, as there’s been no word on a renewal just yet, and that’s never a good sign).

Robin Hood: The True Price of Defiance

Here we are with just three episodes left to go, and somehow this show feels like it’s still warming up. Time certainly flies!

As per the previous episode, the Saxon Elders (including Robin’s Uncle Gamewell) are locked up in Nottingham dungeons, awaiting their fate. The Sheriff states that he’s going to pull the old “you’ll all be executed unless Robin turns himself in” ploy, though after freeing one of the prisoners to deliver the message, he divulges to his new captain that this isn’t the real plan. It would appear that scheming and plotting has finally entered the chat…

Robin Hood: Thieves With a Purpose

You know, I thought the title “Thieves With a Purpose” was promising, one that suggested Robin and the outlaws would finally hone in on what they stand for and what they want to achieve – but instead, the writers decide that it’s time for more love triangles!

Small consolation is that they don’t waste any time when it comes to Marian confronting Robin with what she knows about his involvement in her brother’s death. He knows straight away what she’s referring to, which means he’s been feeling guilty about it, which also means that he knows damn well he should have fessed up when he had the chance (preferably before they slept together). I’m glad Marian also mentions Priscilla’s injury and other collateral damage that the outlaws have left in their wake – at the end of the day, she’s still a Norman, and it’s her people that Robin has been maiming and killing.

Any resistance, no matter how justified, will see innocent people caught in the crossfire, and that’s the reality all stories dealing with this subject matter should keep harking back to. What is the cost of revolution? Currently, it’s Robin’s relationship with Marian.

Robin Hood: Bound by Love, Divided by Lies

The last episode was obviously very outlaw-heavy, and now we turn to court politics. Marian once more comes to the fore, and we learn about what Queen Eleanor is actually attempting to achieve with her various manipulations – and unsurprisingly, it doesn’t make a heck of a lot of sense.