Reading/Watching Log #106

If it looks like I did nothing but watch television this month, it’s not true. The truth is that I simply finished a lot of stuff this month that was stretched out across a very long period of time (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Elementary, Star Wars Visions, Abbott Elementary) and which have only just wrapped up.

I had two weeks off this month, though the first was mostly spent running errands, and the second in trying to make a dent in the giant stack of library books on my floor. I am so determined to get them read by the end of the year and then read my own damn books in 2025, but who even knows at this point.

Now as October starts, we’re heading into the spooky season (which is also spring and summer in Aotearoa) and as I made werewolves the subject of last year’s Halloween viewing, it’s only fitting that I follow it up with vampires. And there’s a lot to get through.

Also, I'm going to give Buffy the Vampire Slayer a full-season write-up later in the month, which is why it isn't featured on this list.

Legend of the Seeker: Eternity

I’m currently on leave for two weeks, so let’s get this DONE.

We’re three episodes out from the season’s final episode (which ended up being the final episode of the show in its entirety) and there are a lot of moving parts on the board: a resurrected Darken Rahl, the Sisters of the Dark running around, and our heroes – now with an understanding of what they need to do with the Stone of Tears – using the compass to finally get where they want to go. No more detours, it’s go-time.

Somewhat unsurprisingly, this is a Cara-centric episode. It brings her season-long arc full circle, what with her being recaptured by her former friends/allies, subjected to Mord Sith “training” (that is, torture and brainwashing) and withstanding the mental and physical pain long enough to secure her own escape. The writers, and actress Tabrett Bethell, have put in the work to make this storyline satisfying, the character having convincingly won the trust of Richard, Kahlan and Zed over the course of the season, and worked through the multitude of Capital-I Issues when it comes to the psychological turmoil she’s undergone since childhood.

In many ways, this episode is the culmination of her journey.

Xena Warrior Princess: Endgame, The Ides of March, Deja Vu All Over Again

And so we come to the end of season four. I started posting about it back in... holy shit, July 2022! I didn’t think it was that long ago.

These final three episodes provide a pretty decent wrap-up for the themes and storylines of the season – not only returning to Rome and the Ides of March (and fulfilling Xena’s season-long vision of herself and Gabrielle getting crucified) but also touching on reincarnation and bringing Gabrielle’s pacifist arc to a thankful conclusion. Ephiny and the Amazons return, as do Caesar, Pompey, Brutus and Eli, and we’re introduced to Amarice, a character who will continue on into season five. 

Links and Updates

I’m writing about ten posts concurrently, which is the reason why this blog has been quiet for so long, so here’s a Links and Updates page to tide us over until I can post something more substantial.

Woman of the Month: Janine Teagues

Janine Teagues from Abbott Elementary

Fandom usually tends toward edgy, moody, dark characters in fiction – but fiction, as in real life, will always require the existence of people like Janine Teagues. The protagonist of mockumentary Abbott Elementary, she’s defined by her determination to be the very best second grade teacher she can possibly be, in circumstances that often make that goal extremely difficult.

She’s perpetually on the bright side. Her favourite day is Monday. Her wardrobe seems to be made up entirely of mustard and canary yellow cardigans.

But it turns out her boundless optimism and drive can be just as much of a flaw as it is a virtue. Instead of waiting for the handyman to repair a light fixture, she does it herself and causes a blackout. Her attempts to reason with the children about “desking” (jumping on top of the desks during class) only makes them more determined to do it. She can’t bring herself to admit her terrible boyfriend is holding her back. She’s so positive, and such a people-pleaser, that it skews towards toxicity.

But she tries – oh, how she tries.

There’s another issue that’s often mined for laughs, but which is deeply poignant in its implications. She’s desperate for a surrogate mother and mentor in her life, and has decided co-worker Barbara Howard is the one to take on this “mum-tor” job. Barbara is not as receptive. But Janine’s obvious yearning for a connection is a little heartrending, and in a genre where drama is usually derived from women getting jealous over a man, Janine insecurity piques on meeting Barbara’s daughter Taylor. (Who then starts dating her love interest, so I guess the show covered both bases).

Here is a woman who believes deeply in her chosen career field, someone brimming with passion and drive, but who permanently exists on the verge of a breakdown. She’s a sunflower that knows she could be pulled up at any moment. Any second someone could verbalize what she’s always thinking: she’s not good enough. And so she wields her sunny attitude like a shield to deflect reality. She doesn’t leave her boyfriend because she doesn’t think she deserves any better. She’s optimistic to the point of delusional.

And yet, she’s also a woman that will pep talk a nervous kid while fighting back a panic attack because they’re both stuck on a hot-air balloon and she’s terrified of heights.

All this means that when she finally gets a win – praise from Barbara, connecting with a student, or getting the class to promptly take their seats in the final episode – it’s a cause for celebration. And the most endearing thing about her is that she’ll never give up. We need more Janines in the world.

Reading/Watching Log #105

It’s the ass-end of winter down under, but while going for a stroll on my lunch break, I happened across the first daffodil of the season!

Spring is on its way, and I personally cannot wait. This has been an awful winter, not just grey and wet and dreary, but also filled with bugs and illnesses. I’m a generally fairly healthy person, but I had so many days off this year, as did many of my colleagues.

Throughout this year I’ve managed to have very set “themes” for each month: epics in March, eighties fairy tales in April, Shakespeare in May, teen movies in June, Robin Hood/Ivanhoe in July... but August was definitely “miscellaneous.” Aside from finishing up The Tudors, which has been part of my ongoing Plantagenet/Tudor dynasty viewing, and finally getting to The Dark Crystal movie after going through the novels, comics and prequel show, I really just went where the mood took me this month.

For this post, keep in mind that I usually write reviews for things as I read/watch them, and that usually doesn’t make much of a difference in what order they're read. But this month the way I format everything I’ve been reading/watching (stage shows first, then comics, then short books, then novels, then movies, then shows) didn’t always match up with the chronology in which I read/watched them – for instance, I had Little Thieves finished before reading The Goose Girl, the fairy tale upon which the novel was based, and so which therefore comes first in the ranking. Then I finished up with The Tudors before getting to Firebrand, even though the film is positioned in this post before the final season of that show.

So some of these entries will feel a little out of order based on what I have to say about them, and when I got around to watching them.

Legend of the Seeker: Extinction

First of all, I have to express my excitement that Renn reappears in this episode! This came as a total surprise to me, as years ago on a message board I was informed he was never seen again after his first appearance in “Listener” right at the start of season one, and so I had assumed the character (like so many others) was a one-and-done.

I’ve no idea if the person who told me this was lying on purpose or just misremembering the show in its entirety, but it made for an unexpected treat when he returned – even though he was an awful brat the first time around. Still, I love reappearances from previously-established characters, even more so when it comes as a surprise (or at least it would have been to greater effect if the “previously on” segment hadn’t given the game away).