starsareindifferentoastronomy

[starsareindifferentoastronomy]

It’s the first Monday of March! This means that I will spend the day celebrating an obscure holiday celebrated by 3% of a country on another continent to me by listening to a song about a child dying of cancer on repeat!

#sufjan stevens #casimir Pulaski day

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“I wish I could offer you a King who is greater than I am. I can’t turn into someone else; I can only be me. But I have discovered that I too am stronger than I thought I was.”

I love both iterations of this kind boy and his dragon.

#happy birthday hiccup!!!!!!

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I can’t do it. They’re awful. You are, you are awful. But… what are we going to do? It’s family. 

BBC Ghosts (2019–2023)

#bbc ghosts spoilers #bbc ghosts

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What I love about Ghosts is how much of a slow burn the enemies to found family is. Yes there's a pretty big leap from "tried to kill her" to "forced allies of convenience" in the first two episodes, there needs to be to set up the premise, but after that there's such a gradual build up to a real cosy feel in the group.

It would have been so easy to have this dynamic reach its peak by the end of S1. There's a few soft moments like Alison talking to Pat's family and the Friends sofa bit outside but only after Pat explains to her how important the moonah ritual is to Robin. But it's not enough to make them that close yet and in the finale the ghosts mostly want Alison to stay for their own convenience, except Kitty and Thomas, with Fanny only just beginning to accept Alison is part of her bloodline. Captain still wants them gone but concedes to help them stay more for the others. Alison is touched by the gesture of the jewel but still admits that it's a nightmare living with them and wants to leave - and only stays because Captain screws her over via manipulating Kitty.

S2 starts with her waking up and sighing about how she's still "living the dream" (aka her nightmare). However, so we're not quite on the same page as last season, she has now established a routine with the ghosts and knows what each of them need. There's a feeling of comfort beginning to creep its way in, even if they still annoy her. And they're still not willing to help her at the drop of a hat, especially Julian unless he can get something in return, and some will go as far as to work against her when she's trying to make the house look haunted. Had the Grey Lady episode took place in S5 you know they would have all jumped at the chance to help Alison whatever she asked. But this series has a lot more episode focused on Alison connecting with the group like learning about how Thomas died and the Captain's past and Kitty's kinda sad childhood, so it feels natural and heartwarming when they all come together to help protect the house from burglars for her and she appreciates out loud how they're not as selfish as when she first came there. And they all do what they can to help with the wedding, partly for it to be a success for Alison but also just to help. Honestly on my first watch, with the snow and everything, I thought that was the Christmas special! So it lead in nicely to the actual one. Because the gang are finally at the stage where Alison would be comfortable spending Christmas with them and they all come together to sing with her to make her happy, even Robin who thinks Christmas is just a recent fad.

Series 3 is where that leap from friends to family happens and is contrasted with Alison thinking she's found a long lost blood relative, which she confesses is something she's wanted as she never had a lot of family around her. I like that they didn't have Lucy be her actual sister that turned out to be a villain, as we already have an abusive sister with Eleanor, but it still serves as a parallel between her and Kitty to make Alison realise that she has found a sister, and more. Robin saying "welcome home" and the look on Alison's face is enough to let us know this is no longer just a project for her with some annoying pests to deal with. And the final shot of them all "eating" together is one of my favorites.

The show could have easily ended there if it wanted to. Or it could have gone on another two seasons with everything being perfect and wholesome. But it doesn't; because families are not perfect. We still have an episode centered around the ghosts trying to apologise for upsetting Alison, much like a bunch of kids with an overworked mother, and they want to make it up to her not for their benefits but because of what she means to them. Episode 2 also has Alison missing feeling needed by the ghosts when they're busy doing their own thing and realising she just wants to spend time with them, even if it's just something as simple as a walk with Robin. And when Mary passes on, Alison is absolutely devastated and puts aside her work duties to prioritise helping the other ghosts grieve. Then there's her joining (evil) forces with Julian to take on Barclay together. And the series ends with Robin, who began the show just enjoying scaring the shit out of Alison for the lulz, confronting his ten thousand years old ptsd and taking a bolt of lightning to save her husband.

That's four years of development. Compare this to the CBS version where they all click together a lot faster and we don't see nearly as much of Sam losing her temper with the ghosts, and plots always seem to be wrapped up so much quicker (the fact there was no apology from Thor for possessing her still irks me). This isn't necessarily a knock against the American version, their episodes are ten minutes shorter because of ads, and it's more of a style choice as well as Sam just being a far more patient character than Alison. I know a lot of people prefer that the show begins a lot more wholesome to start with so it's down to taste. For me the heartwarming moments mean so much more when they've been earned over a lot of struggle.

Take the climax of Series 5. It's one of the few moments of TV that have made me gasp out loud. I genuinely forgot that we never saw Alison find out Julian pushed her. I guess I assumed she found out off screen or worked it out when she realised Julian's ghost power. But it really was the perfect point for her to find out; because had it happened any earlier then she wouldn't have hesitated to leave with no amount of speech able to change her mind, and likewise Julian wouldn't have had anything to say to her. But as someone else pointed out, it's much more difficult to forgive someone you love for doing something truly evil, even if at the time you were less than strangers. It's a crushing betrayal for Alison to find out that someone she thought as family once tried to kill her but also that the rest of them kept it secret. There's no obligation or pressure for her to forgive them; but she chooses to, because it's been earned over more than three years. And to parallel the S1 finale, the other ghosts are desperate for her to stay (including Cap this time), no longer for their own convenience but just because they love her.

And now we wait in terror for the Christmas episode to rip all of it to pieces. 🥺

#bbc ghosts #bbc ghosts spoilers

[starsareindifferentoastronomy]

Quick one to celebrate the final season:“)

[starsareindifferentoastronomy]

patron saint of one-way trips and other journeys from which you can never return

#my darling little Curly

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#relatable

[starsareindifferentoastronomy]

"I was burning up a fever/ I didn't care much how long I lived / but I swear I thought I dreamed her / she never asked me once about the wrong I did."

Work Song, Hozier

[starsareindifferentoastronomy]

Lucy receives a letter from Mina, in which was enclosed a small photograph.

Mr and Mrs Harker, Buda-Pesth, 24th August 1893

#happy anniversary!!! #2nd time round it still hits #dracula

[starsareindifferentoastronomy]

Made a very important pilgrimage while on holiday in Lille last weekend!

Can confirm I was careful with the girl and to be fair for the worst rated restaurant the cookie was very nice

#jet lag the game #ben doyle #sorry for the screenshot Ben #tag across Europe #jltg

[starsareindifferentoastronomy]

I do find it funny when people tag Julian as Julian Fawcett MP. Like bro’s not been an MP since 1993 it’s kinda a big part of him being on the show

#bbc ghosts #julian fawcett

[starsareindifferentoastronomy]

#taskmaster

[starsareindifferentoastronomy]

Lots of people have been quite rightly pointing out the context that if Colin comes out he would be the only out footballer in the premier league or indeed any major football league.

But hardly anyone has been talking about the fact that Nate would be the only person of colour to be a manger in the premier league*. And as far as I’m aware there’s never been a manger with South Asian heritage in the prem.

You can’t view his character arc without considering race at all, he’s massively disadvantaged compared to the millionaire white ex-footballers who typically become managers, and what he’s doing a West Ham is a ground breaking moment for diversity in the league.

I’m not defending some of his actions. It’s just if you’re willing to excuse Collin’s bullying of Nate because he wanted to fit in with the toxic masculine locker room culture pre-Ted in order to avoid being outed, then you have to concede that Nate’s actions at least in part stem from the fact that people of his race (and class) don’t get opportunities at the elite level.

* (as of 9th April 2023)

#ted lasso #nate shelley #ted lasso spoilers #colin hughes

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im. never going to get over chaos walking am i

#chaos walking books #chaos walking #Aghghh!!! #I love it

[starsareindifferentoastronomy]

[he grunts in displeasure]

[starsareindifferentoastronomy]

“It’s like the sausage equivalent of Rocky”

[starsareindifferentoastronomy]

it's the thought that counts