Links and Updates

Fandom is still collectively licking its wounds over Game of Thrones, and despite my anger over what was done to Daenerys and Missandei, I'm starting to look back on all the things I'll miss: the promotional art, the gorgeous soundtrack, those amazing costumes and high production values - there's a good chance most of this will return for the prequel (which is apparently called Bloodmoon) and now I know my first instinct on the franchise was the correct one: just watch the YouTube clips for the best the show has to offer, and don't get invested.

And it's not like there isn't plenty of other great stuff on its way...

Just a few hours ago the BBC announced casting for Will Parry in His Dark Materials, and I gasped out loud:

Will's race isn't specifically mentioned in the text, but he's usually depicted as white in cover-art, so it was a great thrill to see this kid capture his intensity and kindness in just a single promotional photo! I recall there being some criticism of the way Lyra was sidelined in The Subtle Knife, and though I understand that, I also have to admit that Will was definitely my favourite character. Let's see how this pans out...

And we got a trailer too!

Although Wonder Woman has been pushed back, a very eighties poster was released of Diana in extremely stylized armour, which (as others have been saying) is highly reminiscent of the Thor: Ragnarok aesthetic.

Now, here's what I've been looking forward to for ages: The Dark Crystal: Resistance. I didn't exactly grow up with the original Jim Henson film, but was entranced with the puppetry and world-building in my teens. I've been accumulating books and other tie-in material over the years, and so to see Netflix return to this world was a dream come true. And seriously, it really did feel like a dream at times, as there was such a hush over the production for such a long time.

But behold! It looks gorgeous.

The first season of Matt Groening's Disenchantment wasn't great, but I found it enjoyable enough mostly due to Princess Bean, a royal mess of a princess who's also going through that phase in life when you're desperately trying to find your calling (any calling). So I'm glad to see that there's a second series, which may be able to right the ship a little.

Though I have to say that the poster was a bit of a shock. The white hair, the sword, the blue tunic, the tagline - this screams Game of Thrones, specifically Dany sailing across the seas to Westeros at the end of season six. It's not just me right?

Vanity Fair got its first look at Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and put me down as someone who thinks the "skywalker" of the title will be a new range of Force-sensitive youths that reject the Jedi creed and become students of the Force who are less detached from the world and more connected to each other and society.

Also, reading between the lines of that particular article, I'm concocting have a theory that Kylo Ren might end up being the person who murdered Rey's parents. I'm going to let that churn about in my head for a bit, but stay tuned...

Also, I'm loving the new girl. Here's hoping she lasts longer than five minutes.

I'm of the opinion that Big Little Lies was a perfect miniseries that didn't need a sequel - but dammit, this trailer pulled me in. I mean, they got Meryl Streep for heaven's sake! Of course I'm watching it, and admittedly there is still plenty of material to be mined from the fallout of Perry's demise and the cover-up that followed.

Killjoys soon begins its fifth and final season, reminding me that so many things are wrapping up this year. Not just big stuff like The Avengers and Game of Thrones and Star Wars, but also the likes of Gotham and A Series of Unfortunate Events and Jane the Virgin and Into the Badlands and How To Train Your Dragon... the list goes on. But I'm glad we've got one final outing for Dutch and the Jaqobis brothers.

Oh, and hey - did you know Downton Abbey was being turned into a movie? I honestly kept forgetting, and it looks like Thomas is finally, finally, FINALLY getting some love. I mean, it's not like Julian Fellowes had six years to do this in the actual show, but if Game of Thrones reminded us of anything, it's that we all have to make do with crumbs. (I swear I'm less bitter than I sound. Mostly).

This took me by surprise - the latest Terminator trailer. In the past I've refused to acknowledge anything as canon past the first two movies, but this apparently disregards all the nonsense that followed Terminator 2 and is a direct sequel to that 1991 movie. I will tentatively look forward to this, if not just for the awesomeness of the girls in that trailer...

And hey, this dropped out of nowhere courtesy of Pixar. I'm not sure what to think really; it doesn't give much away regarding the storyline, and the overall tone feels more like a Shrek movie than a Pixar one (with a side ordering of Trollhunters). Still, it's Pixar, and the poster is cool. Purple seems to be THE colour for fantasy these days.

Geena Davis joins She-Ra! As I refuse to accept eight paltry episodes as a whole "season", I'll be referring to this as the second half of season two, and I'm looking forward to further princess ass-kicking sessions.

On a sadder note, Humans has been cancelled. Not with much fanfare, but I can't say I'm too surprised or even disappointed. Still, I would have liked to have known where they were going with Mattie's pregnancy; even if it was pretty ridiculous.

But something else is coming - The Babysitters Club! There's my childhood in a nutshell: Kirsty, Claudia, Mary Anne, Stacey, Dawn... I'm curious to see whether it'll be set in the nineties or whether they'll update it, but if they stick close to the books then I guarantee this will consume me. I have read The Ghost at Dawn's House SO many times.

And apparently Tomb Raider 2 is happening! It's a surprise as (let's be honest) the first wasn't that good, but it set up a much more interesting sequel that will hopefully be delved into, with Alicia Vikander returning as Lara. 

There's so much stuff to watch and read at the moment; I'm trying to finish up Sarah J. Maas's Throne of Glass saga as well as the latest instalment in Libba Bray's The Diviners series, both of which are as thick as bricks. My Treat Yo Self book pile has been languishing on my table as I tackle my Finish What You Started pile, and every time I finish a show another twenty pop up, like the heads of the hydra.

I've gotten through Killing Eve and Into the Badlands, but American Gods and all the Arrowverse shows remain, along with Good Omens, Gentleman Jack, Chernobyl and everything else mentioned in this post. Oh, and Stranger Things is coming up fast! (Have you seen the Coke advert? They're definitely going to milk the Steve/Dustin comedy duo for all it's worth).

Damn that's a lotta stuff. It helps put things in perspective: for every story that disappoints us, there's a thousand more waiting to take its place.

But if you really need just a little bit more closure on Thrones, then here are some interesting takes...

Game Theory, a review that points out just how pointless the storyline was (not just in this final season, but pretty much right from the word go) and asks the question: why was the show so intoxicating in the first place?

Everything Happens Too Late To Matter from Tor (interesting because it was already foreseeing the show's endgame from as far back as A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms).

From even further back, Deadspin foresaw that There's No Way for Game of Thrones to Get the Ending it Deserves (and it didn't).

The amusingly incredulous Cersei Lannister is Smarter Than All These Morons essay on how getting rid of the Night King so quickly was a catastrophic mistake - not just because it was anti-climactic, but because it destroyed one of the fundamental themes of the story.

On a similar note: The Night King Deserved Better, pointing out that such a terrifying existential threat should not have smirked like third-rate villain.

Here's a callback to my favourite queen, Margaery Tyrell, Westeros's Biggest Badass.

Of all the people I didn't think would weigh in on this, Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek points out the inherent misogyny in the arcs given to Daenerys and Sansa, going deeper into what I had noticed myself: that Dany is too powerful for men to control (and thus has to be destroyed) while Sansa is the more feminine, safer option that can rule without threatening the patriarchy.

And Who Wins; Who Dies, which satisfyingly tears apart the true heinousness of a narrative that begins a girl's story-arc with her rape and ends it with her murder, of how empowerment was actually bad for her, how it's a slippery slope between freeing slaves from horrific abuse and committing genocide on a city-wide scale, and how we're all eventually destroyed by our inescapable traumas. Why would anyone want to tell that story? WHY? 

Ah well. At least we still have Florence and the Machine singing Jenny of Oldstones. Damn those gorgeous production values.