Women of the Month: Joy and Sadness

Joy and Sadness from Inside Out

The last time I doubled up on a Woman of the Month entry was for Korra and Asami back in December. For obvious reasons I couldn't bring myself to choose just one to showcase, and now I find myself in a similar situation for Joy and Sadness. Their relationship is just too important for this entry to divide them.

Walt Disney once said "for every laugh there must be a tear", and that could very well form the backbone of Inside Out, for at its core it is the relationship between joy and sadness. And because this is Pixar, we’re not just talking metaphorically. This is the actual relationship between a personified Joy and Sadness. Both of them are emotions within Riley Anderson's head, and since Joy is usually front-and-centre of Riley's life experiences, ensuring that all her happy memories are stowed away safety in the recesses of her mind, she can't quite figure out the point of Sadness.

At first glance (and perhaps in the hands of any other film studio) the point of the story would be Sadness learning to lighten up and embrace Joy's eternal bubbliness and exuberance. But this is Pixar we're talking about, and so across the course of Joy and Sadness's journey through Riley's mind, it's Joy who must eventually learn that she can't suppress the very natural emotion of sadness and to let go of her controlling tendencies so that Riley can learn to be an emotionally mature twelve year old girl.

And because these two emotions are personified women, it's also a portrayal of a friendship that grows in understanding and respect across the course of the film. The character design itself is a clue to this development: whilst Sadness is a blue blob of unhappiness (almost tear-shaped), Joy is a pixie-like bundle of charm and energy – but with a mop of blue hair that serves as a visual indication of her emotional counterpart.

It's a great movie, and also one that has female characters front-and-centre – even though Joy and Sadness are really only "women" in the sense that their voice actresses and bodily forms indicate as such. That's what makes them so unique. Their characters could quite easily have been male (as some of their emotional counterparts are), but they aren't really female at all. It's great.

That ... may have made more sense in my head.

Arrow: Suicide Squad

What do you know, a Diggle-centric episode! Not to sound too cynical, but this show doesn't have a stellar track-record with Diggle. It's usually content to have him expound exposition (when Felicity isn't around) and ask Oliver if he's sure this is the right thing to do – and that's about it really. When he does get some attention it's usually in a romantic subplot that falls flat (sorry Carly) or feels incredibly retconned (hey Lyla).

And yet his rapport with Lyla certainly has more chemistry and potential than his awkward attempts to date his brother's widow, and the fact that she's embroiled in some pretty dodgy government dealings means she can bring some interesting storylines to the table. As in this case.  

After a booty call is nearly interrupted by Amanda Waller, Diggle is roped in along with Lyla to oversee the first incarnation of the Suicide Squad. Now, I'm not well versed with the DC comic book verse, and my familiarity with this unit is confined to what I saw of it on the animated Justice League and the recent movie trailer. But I do know it's a team made out of bad guys that are considered totally expendable, and that's it's a fairly popular component of this particular franchise.

Which means that this Diggle-episode not only gives him the honour of introducing the Suicide Squad to the audience, but lets him do so in a way that doesn't include Oliver in any capacity (him being too preoccupied with his own broody subplot). Heck, he even gets the flashbacks all to himself!

The 100: We Are Grounders Part II

I was going to write this up last week but then I got hit by a delightful case of the flu and have spent the last six days in bed. I hate being sick. Especially when it lasts this long and I can't even do basic chores. I could moan about all this for a while longer, I really could, but I'll spare you and get to The 100 finale...

Arrow: The Promise

I feel that this is an episode the show has been building up to for a while now: the one in which the flashback sequences take over the bulk of the episode's run-time, while the contemporary scenes make up the framing device. By doing so, it amplifies the importance of what happened on the freighter; not only in providing a turning point for Oliver's transformation into Arrow, but also in setting up the root of Slade's vendetta (which I still have problems with, but  we'll get to that).

The 100: I Am Become Death, The Calm, We Are Grounders Part I

Let's jump straight in...

Arrow: Time of Death

Yikes, it's been a while since I last caught up with Arrow! Since then the third season has ended, the fourth been announced, and a second spin-off commissioned (technically two if you count Vixen). But Arrow remains my "enjoyable enough when nothing else is on" show, which may not sound like high praise – but I wouldn't keep commenting on it if I wasn't engaged.

Review: The Borgias

As I announced on Tumblr last month, I had at my disposal a long weekend, a bag of lollies and three seasons worth of The Borgias, so it felt the time would be well spent marathoning the show in its entirety.

In hindsight, this was probably not the best idea. What I've learned from the experience is that binge-watching can be surprisingly draining, especially if it's for a show you've never seen before. Coming fresh to a brand new story requires a certain amount of concentration in order to keep track of all the plots and characters, and about five hours into a show filled with intrigues and political machinations, I was pretty beat.  

But this was something that had been on my to-watch pile for a long time, so at least I can say it's finally under my belt. And naturally, I have thoughts...