Links and Updates

I haven’t done one of these in a while, so there’s a good chance I’ll have missed out on some good stuff...

In tragic news, Helen McCrory recently passed away from cancer at the age of fifty-two. As with Chadwick Boseman, we didn’t even know she was sick, and so it comes as a shock to learn of her death. It’s always sad when something of this nature happens, but in this case she was genuinely one of my favourite actresses: so classy, so confident, so regal. She did a lot of stage work in her time (does anyone know how I can watch her as Medea?) but also appeared in a ton of genre stuff: as the evil Evelyn Poole in Penny Dreadful, as Narcissa Malfoy in Harry Potter, as Rosanna Calvierri in Doctor Who, and as Aunt Polly in Peaky Blinders (still haven’t caught up with that last one).

Though in all honesty, my favourite performance from her was as Valentina Villefort in The Count of Monte Christo. It’s not a big role by any means, but she has a completely silent scene with Guy Pearce that’s beautifully done: two schemers end up facing each other at a party, realize that they’re of no use to each other, and so walk away with mutual disinterest.

She’s going to be greatly missed, but remembered in quotes like this one:

If Tumblr is any indication, we all watched Shadow and Bone last month, though I’ve delayed writing about since I want to watch it again before commenting. I really enjoy Leigh Bardugo’s writing, even taking into account some glaring faults (that said, a lot of the joy comes from seeing how much she’s improved) and there’s a lot to unpack in the show based on her books.

This month’s theme is Victorian(ish) fantasy-period drama, including The Irregulars (sadly its cancellation was announced just two days after I’d started watching it), The Nevers (I can separate the story from the artist) and Ripper Street – they all have a distinctly similar aesthetic, and it’s just a pity there’s no available second season of Carnival Row to complete the vibe.

(Speaking of both Helen McCrory and gaslight horror/fantasy, are you still pissed about how Penny Dreadful ended? Yes, actually!)

Thankfully it’s all helped disengage me from my resurgent obsession with the BBC’s Robin Hood... though would anyone be interested in a retrospective of that show? On the one hand I kinda want to write it, as I’ve been stewing about it for several weeks now, on the other I’m not sure whether venting would make me feel better or not. It’s been twelve years for God’s sake, why can’t I just be over it?!

It’s been ten years since Game of Thrones premiered on HBO, and now they’ve released the first images of its spinoff House of the Dragon. And I can’t help but be intrigued by how it’s going to be received. The negativity surrounding the final two seasons of the original show was pretty universal within fandom, but will that affect casual audience members (which fandom likes to forget makes up the greater proportion of viewership numbers)?

Look, either way I’m not going to be watching this – but I’ll definitely keep my eye on it, if not just for the costume porn.

Which is how I experienced Wandavision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, the latter of which inspired some pretty interesting commentary, specifically regarding its portrayal of “villains” and the way it advocated for moderacy in the face of overwhelming injustice and suffering. Basically:

And on BOTH those notes, apparently Emilia Clarke has been cast in the MCU’s Secret Invasion show. Again, I don’t care, but with this she’s achieved the trifecta: Game of Thrones, Star Wars and now Marvel.

We have our first teaser for the fourth season of Stranger Things...

Does this mean the show will be returning to Kali and more of Eleven’s foster-siblings? Because despite the less-than-positive response to that second season subplot, I would hate for Kali to be dropped entirely. There was some potential there, and more than enough time to right the boat.  

Just this second found out that Sanditon has been renewed for two more seasons. Uh... okay? I’ll take it! It wasn’t exactly the greatest Jane Austen adaptation, but it was charming in its own way, despite its determination to hook up the protagonist with precisely the wrong love interest. Hot builder for the win!

A poster for The Green Knight, the worst (media-related) causality of Covid rescheduling. I’ve been waiting for this for SO LONG! More here.