Many reasons to avoid fretting

Hey,

So, we've finished binge-watching '13 reasons why', the much talked about Netflix production. 

I'm not sure if it's Google's algorithm spy or the tv show is really the hype of the season, but it seems to be all over the place (aka my Twitter and Facebook timelines). Always with alarmist reviews and harsh criticism, the news build an expectancy that the show doesn't deliver. Unfortunately.

The Mary Sue

Well, it didn't Clay... 

And this speach... Oh please...

For me, it was like Mad men: something I had to watch so I'd hate with a reason. For my hubs it was like 90210: something to despise. (Let me take a moment here to say that I was a Brandon fan way back when I watched the original 90210.)

13 reasons have so many plot holes that I gave up paying close attention around episode 9, snoozed on 10, dragged myself till 13. 

Oh, what a relief it was over!

Let me explain: the dead girl starts pretty lively, the only 'problem' she has is a one friend that moves away. I thought: well, that happened to me... Mmmm... 

And then, the boy she fancies is a jerk. Ok, everyone has had a fuck boy in some degree. Not good, of course, she breaks again and rebuilds just like characters in Lego movie. I thought: well, she broke and rebuilt, probably there's a missing piece that they're not showing the audience yet. 12 (very long) episodes to go, we've seen a character go from sunny in a movie- mere 120 minutes.
But she broke and rebuilt perfectly well over and over, just like animated Lego. Shouldn't she be depressed - her mom said she didn't notice her daughter was depressed - or is suicide an easy enough decision one takes after a bad day?
And let´s not talk about the bad guy being rich and a good athlete...
And the boyfriend who sells his girl NOT being called a rapist...
And the skinny weird boy being said boyfriend - THE hot guy is school...
And why didn't the dead girl (alive at the time) use her phone to call for help as she witnessed her former friend being raped for those long moments?
And the actually depressed and troubled boy not being identified as such? I mean, tough cop dad obviously bullying the kid - do we need more?
And please someone reading this take time to explain to me why the girl after seeing her friend being raped willingly enters the rapist's house, undress to her underwear and awckwardly lounges in a hot tub with two couples when the only other single guy was the rapist himself? How does that make sense in any universe?
Does the book make sense?
Should I waste my time in it?
The only good logical sane issue on 13 reasons why that I found is on 'The Mary Sue' that I'm now following on Twitter.

I hate when something that rose so many expectations turns out to be a huge frustration... Hate it, hate it.

Powerful business

Hey, it's today!

Happy women's day! 

Yay!

It's not different from any other day, really. It's just a time when we speak up and, these days binge-watching Madmen I've been all about 'girl power'. 

Season 3 is a lot more sedated (or I am the one sedated) but still it's hard to see women so abused by society and womanizers in general. 

There are a few great moments like this one, season 2, ep 5 when an older woman gives a great advice, I mean, GREAT STUFF! 

It's a side character healing from a car accident hidden in Peggy's flat (she has to hide from her husband hired by Draper with whom she was having an affair) and before leaving, Bobbi and Peggy have this conversation:  

I like this particular scene because it's like seeing inside her soul.
She does have power over men, doesn't she? doesn't her jerk of a husband
and Draper super jerk end up doing what she wants?

Peggy's Brooklin flat, morning.

Peggy: 'You can use the mirror in the bedroom.'

Bobbi: 'No. Part of the process of learning to live without your hospitality.'
'It's nothing.'
'Not true. I was curious if you're aware of the value of your service.' (She's referring to the fact that being Peggy Draper's employee, she's doing him a huge favor hiding his mistress.)
'It's what you're supposed to do, isn't it? 
'Wouldn't say that. People will take advantage of you.'
'I know what I'm doing.'
'What do you want? Are you just some busy little bee building a hive out in Brooklyn? 
'Are you still trying to say thank you?' 

Subtitles in Portugues... Netflix is here, everybody.

(Pay attention, this is where it gets bad ass good:)
'You have to start living the life of the person you want to be.'
'Is that what you did?' 
'You're never going to get that corner office until you start treating Don as an equal. And no one will tell you this, but you can't be a man. Don't even try.'

'Be a woman.

It's powerful business when done correctly.

Do you understand what I'm saying, dear?' 

'I think so.' (First time Peggy lowers her walls against the woman.)
'So, how do I get to Grand Central from here, steam ship?' 
'I can walk you to the train. It's two blocks over'
'I'll call a car.'

Season 2 - Episode 5, 35:44

a POWERFUL BUSINESS WHEN DONE CORRECTLY.
Being a strong self-assured woman is bad ass difficult shit!

Thanks Springfieldspringfrield for the script.


And thank you Bobbi Barrett for giving me hope this tv show will live up to all that is about it.

Let's celebrate being women!

Tonight I'll start posting my second Regency lovestory, a tale of a strong woman facing the difficult situation of falling in love with a great man when her life is past the need for him. (kind of a Regency fairy tale if you wish.'

See ya!

Mad men, House of cards and all binge-watch feelings

hello,

We've been binge-watching a lot here, thanks Netflix for this new escape from our shitty Brazilian TV.

So, we've done Breaking bad, Better call Saul, House of Cards, The bridge, Orange is the new black, The fall, Homeland, etc, etc. Last week we surrendered to Mad men.

If you're thinking it's crazy I hadn't watched these shows before, it kinda is. I gave up series a while ago tired of waiting week-to-week episodes, and from watching four together it soon went to no watching at all. Binge-watching is actually a lot of fun, immersing in an specific atmosphere is much better than taking it by tiny drops.

giphy

Anyway, I absolutely adored House of Cards. I was seduced by the fight for power and mostly by Claire Underwood - wow, what a female character! If you've read any of my stories posted here or available for sale you've noticed I like strong women, maybe not feminists but strong, fighters, independent, survivors. That's who I try hard to be as well. Claire is not merely that, she deals the hands. I loved her.

A few series after, we arrived at Mad men. Well, here my head is knotting in a pretzel. Let me try to explain: Don Draper is a douchebag, jackass, prick but Jon Hamm is so handsome... You know how much I like tall, dark, handsome, deep-voiced Darcys. But he's scum! Am I allowed to like him and the show?

The sexism is almost unbearable to me.

And the other men in the show are just as shitty! Oh dear, the way they treat women is degrading, revolting, nauseating... Still I want to watch the episodes and find myself rooting for the beatnik lover who by now (we're wrapping Season 1 tonight) is my favorite character because she has power. In my POV, she's the only one who does whatever the heck she wants and breaks the big man time and time again. I loved to see him arrive in his perfect home broken, like the world was weighing in his shoulders because she didn't want to run away to Paris with him for the weekend. He had built a perfect home with a perfect little Stepford wife and still lets the beatnik lover carry him in a leash. 
Good for her! 
Douchebag Draper!

I've just released a book about second chances and leaps of faith where the characters are big cheaters, I can understand the dwelling one might find him/herself in, but come on! 

My hubs says it's what men did back then. 
'Really?' I ask in an ironic sneer.
'Yeah.' He nodded. 'My father, yours, that was how people thought.'
'But that couldn't be every man, I mean, this must be a saturated version of how a few people thought!' I cringe watching Draper arrive home expecting to find his dinner at the table, children in bed and wife coiffed and dressed for him to acknowledge (which he doesn't). 'I mean, in Bewitched, Samantha's husband was an ad man...' I'm a bit desperate.
'Ah.' My hubs raises his shoulders. 'Maybe religious men, a very few.'
I watch a couple more minutes teetering between nauseated and fascinated by the show. 'I think I'd have liked to be a man, you know?'
'Excuse me?' He frowns averting his eyes from the TV to me.
'Men have freedom and power. We're still fighting for a slice...'
He keeps silent because he understands. 

We both work a lot but when we arrive home at night it's me who has to cook dinner, deal with our housekeeper and our son's homework. Rain or shine, child's fever or PTA meetings, whatever happens, he gets to keep his work schedule - I have to take care of stuff.

I digress, sorry.

ebaumsworld
OMG, how much she was undermined and abused in this episode... >.<

So, I've been searching education on Mad men trying to excuse my liking. Yes, I need it. It feels wrong to like Draper and his filthy workplace and life, his ways and reasons. He's such a good lead character-antihero-villain, I hope against hope he won't be excused - I believe a jackass can be a jackass just because he has the right to be a jackass. (that's one of the major reasons '50 shades' is so lame to me).

I've talked to friends, googled and after reading an interesting spot on 'nonviolent communication' I found Mathew Gilbert for Boston Globe. Thank you, Mr. Gilbert (even though there were 110 spoilers for me). It turns out that sexism is one of the major plots and one that isn't sugared throughout the seasons.

It kind of helps me understand the show and almost made my guilt for being drawn to it palatable. Kind of a masochistic way of studying of history. Urgh.

A few months back it seemed that wherever I went I stumbled upon a discussion on Austen's proto-feminism, a very touchy subject. I got myself in a few even for saying that for me 'it's hard to like Historical romance because people try to copy Lizzy Bennet and end up with a swooning sex kitten'. People understood I said Austen wrote (bad) historical romance, I said I unfortunately read bad copycats. 

Anyway, I do hope that by the end of Mad men's final season I'll be more comfortable with the show, maybe even liking it freely as so many people have all over.

I also hope I can shake their abuses and don't let them inadvertently inspire me in any way.

And boy, how much they smoke!

timeout