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summerspn · 11 months

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Arrested Development

(Series)

Very minor spoilers- no plots mentioned…

I finally finished the series!

When the show first aired I saw a couple episodes but due to my hectic life I didn’t watch more than that. I always thought it was really funny though.

All the characters amuse me but my favourites were/are Gob & Michael.

I’ve meant to watch the series when it came on Netflix for years but I apparently completely forgot about it.

Recently I came across it so I binged the whole series.

As expected I found it hilarious!

For those that aren’t aware, the series aired originally on tv (Fox station). And the network does what it always does and cancelled a great series too soon. It aired on tv from 2002-2006.

Then Netflix picked it up years later from 2018-2019.

I appreciate the commitment of the actors, cast & crew. 99% of the original cast returned & there were a ton of cameos.

I think they did a decent job overall of the second half. I liked some of the meta jokes & the show was still amusing.

However, the second half was very different:

1. There was way too much recapping. In the first hand that aired on tv there was some but it was more like a quick few seconds at the start or a randomly thrown in reminder of what happened previously. Ie) when Michael says he won’t come back the voiceover says something like ‘he did come back as he always does’ and threw in a 5 second clip.

In the continuation it’s like a full minute or so of recap at the beginning of each episode. That actually started to get on my nerves.

2. The episode length is slightly shorter. I think most episodes in the first 3 seasons were between 25-27 minutes with a couple being around 30. In the second half of the series each episode is about 21 minutes… including the recap at the beginning. I think it did influence the quality of the episodes a little.

3. I feel like the writers had no idea what to do with the second half of the series. Though, it also felt like some of the actors were coming and going a lot so maybe the writers just had a hard time working with their schedules? In any case, the writing wasn’t as good. Still entertaining though, it just felt different.

4. It may sound stupid and an overreaction but I hated what they did to one of the characters in the final episode. It made me cringe & sort of slink into my seat. I felt cheated & little uncomfortable. It was clearly done to get a reaction but at the same time, that is not the reaction they should’ve gone for… it changed the entire tone if the series.

5. The lack of character development I think was a disservice. I get it’s supposed to be ‘arrested development’ but the series could’ve ended with some development. While I wouldn’t expect a full 180 of its characters, I think the lack of growth had me bored. I think Michael, George Michael & Gob had the most growth which is one of the reasons I liked most of their storylines in the continuation. The other characters had me a little bored.

Though having a secondary character like Barry Zuckerkorn being the same old ridiculous person actually worked because he wasn’t a main character.

I was a little bummed that Liza Minnelli wasn’t in the continuation but the show did a good job of still trying to include her.

I don’t want to spoil anything for people who haven’t watched yet but I’ll just say that the storyline for Lindsey was really short & went in a weird direction.

Tobias was always weird but I had hoped for him to get a clue by the end. He didn’t.

Buster, sometimes amusing & sometimes just awkward. I don’t even know what to say.

George & Oscar, I was pretty indifferent to them in the second half.

Lucille Bluth, while she was still in character I just didn’t like that of all things to do with her, they chose that? It felt like a waste of talent. Not terrible just not good either.

Maeby - sorry but I thought her storyline was really bad. In the first part of the series I thought her character had an amusing glib attitude & sass. The continuation just had me wondering how her storylines made it past the brainstorming stage. I’m glad the actress returned but it was just…so weird.

George Michael - I’m glad we got see him in a different element & changing up the dynamic a little. But somehow it felt like things were dragging a little plot wise. I think they could’ve had the 2 seasons in 1 then a separate plot for the final season.

Michael - I also feel like they could’ve condensed things into 1 season for him then write another plot for season 5. As always he was amusing. I like that one of his major flaws is that he doesn’t listen to his son while also trying to be a great dad. So everything felt pretty in character. For the most part. But there was still more they could’ve given Jason Bateman to work with.

He’s a great actor with a lot of range so it sort of felt like waste.

Gob - though ridiculous I like most if what they did with his character except I think the finale should’ve just pushed his platonic friendship a little more. And yes because I feel bad for fictional characters I did want to see him better his relationship with a certain family member…

Now I gotta say it…what is with all the incest?

Seriously. The first season, I thought the crush was funny. But it ended quickly and just felt icky.

Then it’s brought up over and over again. Then another character flirts with a relative… actually a new character does this with a relative as well in the continuation. A few one off jokes here and there too.

And they bring in Jason Bateman’s sister Justine for an episode & characters make implications about them… she does some flirting too. Thank god (spoiler) they don’t get physical. But seriously I was already cringing in that episode.

Then, all the mother-son comments in the continuation. Maybe it’s just me but felt like a different tone compared to the first half of the series.

The writers could’ve come up with better jokes instead. The constant incestuous comments just felt lazy after awhile, not to mention they stopped being funny.

All of that said, the series is amusing & fun…if you skip the finale. Tbh that episode kind of ruined the series for me.

But again I do appreciate the actors, crew etc came back to try to finish the series properly.

It is worth a watch.

Since there’s too many actors to go in depth on their other work I’ll just mention my two favourites & you can check IMDB fir the rest:

Jason Bateman (who plays Michael) , is amazing in the series Ozark, and is amusing in Game Night (2018), Office Christmas Party (2016), Horrible Bosses 1 & 2 (2011 & 2014) etc . He’s supposed to be in the Clue reboot so I’m excited to see what he does with that.

Will Arnett (who plays Gob Bluth), honestly I haven’t seen a lot of what he’s been in yet but so far I like him in everything. He was really funny in Murderville (2022), Blades of Glory (2006), and Up All Night (2011-2012) which I thought was hilarious.

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summerspn · 2 years

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summerspn · 2 years

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Yeah like that… 👆🏻

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summerspn · 2 years

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For American women out there…

Hope this helps. Ideally abortions wouldn’t be necessary but we all know there are many reasons why a woman/girls has to get one…for her health & safety.

A person has every right to take care of their own body.

I think it’s disgusting people don’t understand that.

If you regulate a woman’s uterus then regulate a man’s penis. If birth control has so many stipulations & rules to get them (some states are worse than others) then the government should regulate viagra & cialis etc

There should be life imprisonment for rapists of any kind.…since it is a life sentence for women

The double standard makes zero sense. The fact some women are raped & have to 1) pay for their own rape kits; 2) pay for medical care after the assault; 3) cannot chose their mental & physical health with making a hard choice like abortion…without being charged now. That’s all kinds of fucked up.

And now a woman who has an ectopic pregnancy is now doomed to die when a simple procedure can save her?? And why she’s the only one to be ‘blamed’ when a man got her pregnant…

Sorry but this is 100% about controlling women.

Government shouldn’t be about religion. They must keep the two separate. They should be about taking care of their people.

And if the government actually cared about prioritizing children’s lives as they claim then:

1) Why does no one do something about all those school shootings?

2) why are so many foster homes & group homes still such a mess?

3) why is the financial ‘support’ government gives parents practically nothing?

4) why is daycare & preschool so expensive?

5) why are so many schools in the United States failing the kids by giving them such terrible educations?

6) why is there no free medical care for children?

7) why is there no free medical care when a woman is pregnant? During the pregnancy, delivery & follow up appointments?

Clearly the government has an agenda and it’s obviously about controlling women. Keeping them trapped, desperate & poor. Vulnerable so they can be taken advantage of.

It’s not the first time in history which is what scares us. We know all the terrible things that will follow…

POSTING THIS AGAIN!!!

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!!!

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summerspn · 2 years

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I do think this would be better because: 1) Steve did betray Tony & there was no real apology or amends 2) Tony had few real friends & tried to make them family, so when he finally got his family he dies?? Felt cheated 3) Tony had been through a lot of physical & psychological torture, mental illness etc so him dying just felt …unfair. Someone else needed to take the hit.

THIS

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summerspn · 2 years

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And Just Like That…

Full disclosure- I can’t watch the full series but I have seen clips.

Regardless, Spoilers…

Even from the clips & promo trailers for each week. It looks horrible.

Watched some recaps & it only confirmed everything I thought.

The show/writers act like 55 is equivalent to having one foot in the grave: Steve is losing his hearing, Big dies, Carrie breaks her hip or something (has surgery), Harry sweats a lot (I’m sure this is for shadowing his death) , Charlotte brings up Harry’s colonoscopy a lot.

Plus the makeup & styling choices for the ladies are not good. One clip/scene Carrie wore so much makeup she looked like a raccoon. Very unflattering.

A lot of the outfits are frumpy for the ladies. Carrie from SATC would have found any excuse to buy shoes so going to the hospital for surgery, she wound have bought a nice pair of Chanel flats. Instead she wore socks & Birkenstocks…so she had those already? Okay…

She has a few outfits where she’s like an elegant hobo. Not entirely repulsive but she’s got so many layers on it makes her look three sizes too big & you half expect her to pull a rabbit out from under her hat.

They often have her hair up in a severe (almost painful looking) bun. All of it is a disservice. With a couple exceptions.

Sarah Jessica Parker looks great in the promotional pictures & on her Instagram. What gives?

Miranda’s style is probably the closest to her character’s style. There are a lot of shirts that are either super baggy or so high up it looks like she’ll joke on her own collar. And she has a wig on.

I don’t care if she wears a wig & don’t care why. Some women get self conscious & others lose their hair as they age…. But get her a better wig. A few of the clips it almost looks like a helmet.

And her makeup is terrible. They have Cynthia Nixon wearing (at least in the clips I found) a lot of whites, silver & light eyeshadow & no to little lipstick. With the white/grey hair & fair complexion she needs a little contrast.

Charlotte wears a lot of puffy sleeves, high collars & maxi (or nearly maxi) dresses. The clothes are a little too 1950’s meets Little House on the Prarie. Why?! Thank god her hair & makeup look alright.

She also has one outfit where she was wearing a spaghetti strapped dress over a t-shirt. It looked like something teenagers/preteens wore on the 90’s. Why couldn’t they just let Charlotte wear it without the t-shirt?

People have commented on her plastic surgery & while it’s not the best I don’t really care. The problem is the plots are uninteresting so people end up getting distracted.

If AJLT was fun & entertaining (it’s not) then no one would care about the work done.

Most of show from what I’ve seen is really out of character.

Steve is not a moron as they make him seem & his deafness is treated like a gag. Like he’s SO OLD he’s going to kick the bucket any second. Steve co-owns a bar & Miranda is a lawyer. You’re telling me he can’t buy a decent hearing aid? Or visit an audiologist? Or if that doesn’t work, that he can’t get tutoring in how to read lips?

Miranda basically gaslights him & it’s disgusting to watch. She has an affair with no remorse & yet the show is acting like this is good thing. Condoning shitty behaviour.

In SATC Miranda was uninterested in women sexually. She tried a kiss & didn’t feel anything. She was bold enough to try & yet suddenly in AJLT, she’s gay. She was never repressed. So you’re telling me that over 15+ years she never saw some F/F porn that Steve was into? Never was into it? Okay so why now suddenly she’s feeling this way?

Feels more like the show merging Miranda with the actress, Cynthia Nixon.

Okay fine whatever but she’s now cheating with on Steve. Having a full on affair. A one night stand in movie 1 & Steve was the devil (I hated that storyline but I was a minority & thought she should have divorced him then). As a character though Steve was great. Loveable.

Either way Steve is her husband & Miranda in AJLT cheats on him having an affair with Che & Miranda feels no guilt. Seriously. That’s out of character.

Harry is treated terribly as well. Charlotte is shrill with him & bossy. Not even in the endearing way she used to be in SATC. Harry sweats a lot. Maybe they were trying to make him look gross. The constant theme of his colonoscopy mentioned in several clips has me thinking the show will kill him off.

…the writers are trying to make all women single. Miranda will divorce Steve, Harry Will die & they’ll date old men in diapers who forget to take their blood pressure meds while clubbing at some hot place trying to be cool 😂

Che is the worst most obnoxious ever. Smokes pot all the time. Who cares? It doesn’t make her cool as the show is trying to make it seem. The issue with her & weed is that she tried to give it to a minor (creepy…) & she’s not held accountable for it.

She’s the opposite of funny. She’s a bully & sets the entire LGBTQ+ community back a decade.

She’s crude, disrespectful, & that podcast is disgusting. No one would listen to that.

Even if Miranda is gay couldn’t they have her date someone likeable? Maybe someone who isn’t a piece of trash? Oh and NOT cheat on Steve?

Charlotte apparently has never seen a black person before despite living in New York forever. Despite her formerly working at a gallery & being around artists (in SATC) she also has zero knowledge of the LGTBQ+ community. Her best friend Anthony, is gay but she knows nothing.

Didn’t she dress as a man I’m an episode of SATC?

But here she’s like a stereotypical 1950’s traditional housewife. Straight down to sticking her head in the sand. It’s sickening. Okay that’s not fair to housewives…she’s more like a robot from Stepford.

None of these plots feel genuine. In AJLT they have this running storyline of Charlotte having no idea how to talk to black people. She acts moronic & the show is trying to make it like she sees all black people the same. That was never her.

Yes she didn’t want to offend people but she wasn’t a simpleton. Now she is. She’s also 12.

Miranda…the lawyer …who talks to people all day everyday…also apparently doesn’t know how to talk to people. She’s going to Columbia for some reason & walks into a classroom & makes an assumption about the professor. Then she rambles like an idiot… and everyone looks at her like they’re about to eat her brains. It goes on way too long too.

That’s not how real people would act. Firstly, Miranda wouldn’t do that. As soon as she assumed the woman was a student she (SATC version) would have just said ‘oh wow you’re so young’. Here she went on about her not looking like her picture etc.

IRL if that happened the professor would have cut her off and just talked over her instead of just staring at her. Professors deal with tons of kinds of people. Ignorant & enlightened so it wouldn’t be that big of a shock to come across an idiotic assumption.

And/or at least one student would tell Miranda to ‘stop talking’.

But since this is woke to everything except ageism & mentally delayed (as per the recent episode with a random guy yelling at the professor in her car), they have to make it look like Miranda is mentally stuck in the 50’s while trying to be relevant.

Yet she lets her son have sex when her & Steve are in the house…no boundaries...

Worse, apparently there was a sex scene of Brady & his girlfriend! Aren’t they supposed to be minors?! Creepy…

This show constantly mentions a million different woke terms & situations. The writers act like these characters were raised by mormons or something.

And as woke as it is trying to be they are very agist & have no problems showing a sex scene with minors (as far as I know though the actors are a couple years older). It’s just…sad & gross

I don’t care if a show or movie is woke but I care about the writing more.

Hollywood & TV land act like this is the first time people are trying to evolve. It’s not.

There were tons of series in the 90’s that expanded their views or casts etc. Some before that but the 90’s had so many.

We saw a lot of strong well rounded female characters start to hav their own shows. Which of course led to SATC.

AJLT is not an evolution of that.

It’s (from what I’ve seen) horrific.

Other reasons it’s bad:

Anthony is supposed to be Charlotte’s best friend but they apparently barely interact. Instead he’s Carrie’s best friend now. Sure things can change but it’s glaringly obvious they just replaced Stanford for him.

I actually like Anthony but it’s not genuine here. And it feels like a snub somehow to Willie Garson RIP. They should have honoured him & his character better.

I won’t say much about Big except In SATC I loved to hate him as he was a terrible person. I’m glad he’s dead. For various reasons.

Carrie was less upset with him dying though than being left at the altar. But she does bring up his death as a way to emotionally manipulate her friends. Antony mentions something in his life & Carrie’s like ‘my husband died’ which is both manipulative & tries to invalidate his feelings . She does this a lot.

I could go on about this stupidity but I’ll stop.

I do think the actresses might be a bit rusty in their acting skills; however, most likely it’s the fault of the director. We have no idea how many takes they had, how far ahead they got the scripts etc or if the had any direction at all.

In SATC they all seem like decent actors. I was never a Carrie fan (loved the others) but like SJP as an actress (in many things as far back as Hocus Pocus). Kristin Davis is a good enough actress from what I’ve seen (liked her in Couples Retreat). I also liked Cynthia Nixon’s work though don’t know as much about her. In an old episode of Law & Order Criminal Intent she did a great job as well as her role in Ratched.

I feel like the actors should have moved onto other projects & said goodbye to this franchise.

A franchise created by Candice Bushnell but apparently doesn’t involve her in this series…

Kim Catrall had it right for declining this mess. I for one hope to watch her in the reboot of Queer as Folk (though it sounds less like a reboot & more of a new series).

This series is a train wreck without her but hope she’s thriving.

* So far though I haven’t heard anyone come up with this conspiracy theory…. I think HBO is trying to make these characters & actresses look terrible so they give their rights up to the show. Then, the network could do a reboot with younger people. Why else mention a million times over that 55 is so decrepit when it’s still young?

Lets do an AJLT drinking game!

Each episode take a drink when:

* Steve or Harry act like buffoons, weak, or pathetic

* Miranda disrespects or gaslights Steve

* Miranda disrespects her marriage

* When Charlotte acts like she’s on uppers

* When Charlotte tries to be cool or trendy

* When Carrie mentions Big dying

* When Carrie wears something hideous

* When Che is rude, gross, or annoying

* When a character educates another on wokeness

Second thought…don’t do this it’ll kill you

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summerspn · 2 years

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Emily in Paris

Season 2

Spoilers…

Some positives:

I appreciated that the characters use the French language more

I liked that Emily was held back in her language class. That felt more realistic.

I liked learning more about the other main characters like Sylvia, Julien, and Luc.

I liked that Camille didn’t forgive Emily right away- though I hope they don’t make it like a tug of war /cat fight…which I think is what they’re leaning towards…

I love that Sylvie made a bad ass move by creating a new company & took everyone with her.

I liked that Madeline was obnoxious, rude & dismissive & it pointed out how arrogant & self centred she & her company is

As for what I didn’t like…

Gabriel - I find him gag-inducing. I honestly didn’t find him that attractive to begin with (not my type) but in the first few episodes of season 1 I thought he’d make a good friend type character. As a love interest I was bored. By the end of season 1, I had zero interest in him returning.

This season it was just awkward because I knew every time he’d be on screen, Emily would stare at him. And did she…. it made me roll my eyes each time.

She claimed to be over him . Obviously she wasn’t…it felt really juvenile to me. Like a tween drama but with adults so it was just awkward. Most people know how they feel about people they slept with. Or figure it out quickly. And most people can keep it in their pants if tempted. Rare times they realize their feelings later, they’re usually more practical with their choices (like maybe NOT try to push them to be with an ex…talk about options if have to leave…or remove self from temptation).

Tv land & Hollywood portray everyone as cheaters & claim it’s because their passion is too great or something. Just once I’d like them to prioritize (platonic) love of a friend over lust. I for one would find it much more interesting & it would make a Emily more likeable.

The writers clearly wrote Emily ‘struggling’ with her feelings while actually already knowing how she felt. So it came across as disingenuous…which made me like Emily even less because at the end she still chose not to tell Camille she was struggling with her feelings , she chose to run to Gabriel at the end etc

I don’t blame Camille for being harsh.

I kept waiting for Emily to try to make amends with Gabriel & beg forgiveness- either to get her back or just to have her in his life as a friend…but he did absolutely nothing.

And while I get Camille wanted him back because they were together for years, she’s too good for both Gabriel & Emily.

They should have had her shut them both out & Emily or Gabriel runs into her somewhere where Camille is with her other friends so they see she’s still a queen living her life despite their betrayal.

Many of the outfits Emily wore were ridiculous & crazy. A few were actually nice though. But I liked most of the other outfits the other characters had worn. Even a few of Julien’s outfits were…out there but somehow he still pulled them off. So yeah maybe the show is trying to use Emily’s weird outfits to be funny…but the over usage of bucket hats is hard to ignore. With being able to binge episodes it’s like bucket hat, bucket hat, bike gloves, bucket hat, bike gloves, giant bow… it’s just distracting.

I appreciate the writers attempts at humour but for the most part it fell flat to me. It feels like a soap-writers attempting to be funny. Where you wince more than chuckle. They need to hire a comedic writer to work with them.

Though I did like the scene where Camille’s father cut his finger. That made me smile but the show immediately went back to being serious. They could have transitioned it better - like Emily picks up the finger then the scene cuts to Camille…they could have had Emily panic about Camille hitting her head then they all struggle to carry the unconscious Camille to the car while the father’s blood is squirting at them…or something. They missed an opportunity to really go for it and make us laugh.

I really like Alfie’s character. He feels more like a person & he’s likeable. Not to mention cute. I think he & Emily have better chemistry. I liked that he took awhile to warm up to her…but didn’t like how she strung him a long.

I like Mindy overall but I hope they flesh her character out more. Her drama with her being ‘rich’ is being treated almost like a personality trait. I like the storyline of her being freezed out by her parents but it was dropped & treated like an after thought. They need to show a more normal side of her- pacing around the apartment in not so elegant or over the top outfits…reading her favourite book etc.

Right now Mindy is just a struggling singer who wears over the top outfits when she’s performing.

But the show seriously needs to work on Emily more. She’s had yet to feel remorse for: sleeping with Camille’s 17 year old brother, going behind Mathieu’s back with Gabriel, messing up her job several times etc

In season 1 she was partying instead of supervising that watch. Here in season 2 she jumped on the expensive vespa borrowed from a client. Obviously showing no concern with how she effects others. If she had gotten that Vespa scratched up (or crashed it) it’d be on Luc or Julien because one of them signed for it. Basic rules with dealing with clients in business is to not fuck up their prototypes or borrowed samples. While her borrowing the Vespa may seem like nothing to the writers/creators of this show, they forgot that a lot of people would recognize Emily’s choices here as reckless & far from being ‘great’ at her job as they claim she is.

I hated how the show neglected to deal with the fact Emily slept with Camille’s brother in season 1. He & Emily have a run in this season & she doesn’t say two words to him. The least she could have done was apologize or had a conversation with him like ‘you’re special, I’ll never forget it but…’ and let him down easy. Instead they just have her ignore him - yet again making us dislike Emily.

Are we supposed to like her? Since the characters praise Emily all the time & compliment her I guess we’re supposed to?

Then how she treated Matthieu Cadot. He was a good guy & she knew he cared for her but she wasn’t upfront with him about her feelings. She could have said she was up for a fun romantic weekend but that’s all, a brief romance & she couldn’t invest herself in more because she was in love with someone else. Their relationship was new & he was an adult- he may have just decided to spend the weekend with her anyways. But she acted like they were going to be together, in a relationship & then lied to him so he felt cheated.

And she had zero remorse for it. I totally understand her wanting to hang out with her friends at that point & making the best of it…but later she acted like he didn’t exist. No real apologies or anything.

At one point one of the characters (Mindy??) says something along the lines of treating him like he treats other women…which isn’t true. They said in season 1 he basically didn’t have girlfriends he hung out with random women…which is merely hookups so no one had expectations going in… but here he & Emily went out a few times & agreed to go away together which feels like a relationship…so when she lied to him it was worse.

So he can treat people like objects but not attempt to evolve & have a relationship ? He’s bad but Emily isn’t when she messes with his feelings?

Again, are we supposed to like Emily ?

I did like that Julien & Luc had more chances to show their skills at work…but the show needed them to overshadow Emily. Make her work at it to outshine them. The only things she really brings to the job there is social media. I’d like to see Julien, Luc & other employees outshine Emily. Maybe when she chooses the new company they’ll do this?

There were some cringe moments this season (like treating the only Ukrainian character like a crazed criminal) but overall I liked it better than season 1.

Petra. She was adorable & right away I thought ‘good a new friend for Emily’. It could have been good…Emily could learn more about that part of Europe & maybe some of the Ukrainian language. Not to mention just making more friends 🤷‍♀️

Instead they made her into a crazed shoplifter? Why?? So dumb & didn’t even make me laugh. I assume it was supposed to be funny? It wasn’t.

Here, with Petra she’s the only Ukrainian character. Clearly the show wanted her to be funny…but having her be both loopy & a criminal was like putting a beacon on her… maybe (unintentionally?) making her a joke instead of her being delightful or amusing. It was more insulting.

In season 1 they acted like all Americans were smart & had to impart their wisdom on the French…like all French people were rude or horny animals. So when they introduce a new character from a different country it felt even more like they were just reinforcing that image of Americans being the wise saviours…with Emily stopping Petra & returning the stolen items.

IF they were married to the joke of Petra stealing they should have had her feel remorse later, bring the items back herself & explain it like how she was on the verge of being evicted or something & was broke…

Or have it be a weird language barrier since they both speak shitty French. Emily thinks Petra paid & she thinks Emily paid…then realize later they had actually stolen the items…both of them.

But they honestly shouldn’t have had her as a criminal at all. They should have left her as a fun new friend. Period.

And Petra started out really nice so it was stupid how the show had to get rid of her to make room for Alfie. Why not have both?

I find Emily in Paris to be a guilty pleasure because I like the setting - the city & architecture are nice to look at. I like fashion , but partly to mock the bad clothing choices. And I like the possibilities..I love stories that focus on changing & growing - much like coming of age stories. Fish out of water stories I also find appealing.

But I have to wonder if the creators of this show understand why many of their choices are out dated & falling flat. It’s almost like they’re sabotaging themselves.

If they want to salvage this show & make it likeable, they need to end the stupid romance write Gabriel & Emily. Neither of them are likeable at this point but if Emily cuts ties with him & actually moves on for real it’ll show she’s learning & respecting Camille’s wishes.

Emily needs to try to learn how to be a better friend & employee…learn about the French culture not just about her business accounts.

If she humbled herself more then viewers will start to like her.

Above all, the show needs to stop having random lines about wanting to only ‘speak to the American’, or the ‘American point of view’ etc. That implies that the American way is better. But saying something like ‘I was sent here to give a different perspective’ sounds more collaborative than acting superior… the writers need to get on it because I’m tired of hearing the little comments in the series that make it sound like the only good opinions are American or Emily’s (who of course, is American).

Anyways I hope that if the series is renewed they really do fix it so that it’s not so…American. After all, many of us are from other countries and we’d like to enjoy it as well.

I do appreciate the actors in this show. Even not so likeable characters are played by good actors. I hope they don’t have a hard time as they’re doing their jobs well.

#tv #tv serials #entertaining #tv shows #emily in paris #sylvie #emily cooper #Emily #Paris #year abroad #social media #fashion #marketing #travel #french #France #Camille #Mindy #lily collins

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summerspn · 2 years

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Rip Betty White. Didn’t know you but still loved you

Rest In Peace, Betty White (January 17, 1922 - December 31st, 2021).

Thank you for the laughs.

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summerspn · 2 years

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Merry Christmas!

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summerspn · 2 years

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Too funny 😂

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summerspn · 3 years

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summerspn · 3 years

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The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

Spoilers...

When I watched this move for the first time several years ago, I was surprised at how much I loved it. I’ve seen it a few times since & its still entertaining.

Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci & Meryl Streep all play their parts flawlessly. The other actors are pretty good too at portraying their characters.

The movie starts out with Anne Hathaway’s character Andy looking for a job. She wants to be a journalist & was successful at her college paper. She’s a bit naive. We get the sense she might have been looking for work for awhile because her & her boyfriend Nate look settled & comfortable in their apartment.

Andy interviews at Runway magazine for a position as one of the executive assistants & we learn there was only one other job that she was qualified for - Auto Universe (which wasn’t appealing to her).

One of the things I like about this movie is that there’s a lot of subtlety.

For example, later in the movie the friends claim Andy completely changed but that’s not true.

Yes she evolved but she made a choice to go down a certain path. It starts with her choosing which magazine to work for. She knows herself enough to realize that fashion sounds more interesting than cars. So she did have some interest in fashion even if it was faint & more subconscious.

In the deleted scenes Andy gets ready for work, putting on her blue sweater. She’s not happy with her wardrobe...which means she wanted to do better & to learn about fashion despite turning her nose up at it at the beginning.

Andy is definitely not ready to work in the real world because she arrived at an interview completely unprepared.

If you ask experts - or anyone whose worked different jobs- for help to prep for interviews (I did a few times in my life) they’ll usually advise to:

1. research the company, what they do etc & try to write down a couple questions about the company to ask during interview

2. Try to show interest in the work. Here Andy could have said she was hoping to get a better understanding of the fashion industry (if only as an educational experience). She even could have found a couple magazines & picked a few names to drop (Gucci, Chanel etc) and say she’s only recently discovering an interest in fashion

Considering the number of people probably applying for the job, there was probably a 100% chance those people would have an interest in fashion or arrived prepared to the interviews. Some probably had both going for them.

It was a miracle Andy got hired. I think she knew that which is partly why she stuck with the job. It wasn’t just coveted but Andy needed the job experience. Her confidence at the interview at the end of the movie is proof of that.

Meryl Streep’s interpretation of Miranda Priestly is genius. She chose to keep her voice barely above a whisper instead of yelling- which shows she has the real power as everyone still acts terrified of her. The intimidation has nothing to do with anger but because everyone strives for Miranda’s approval. One wrong word from her & their career & lives could be over. True power. I love that choice & the others that Meryl made for the role.

I heard she chose to have short hair so she could stand out. She also came up with the subtle mannerisms & wanted to show vulnerability by having no makeup on in one scene. I just love it.

Emily Blunt also needs a mention because she’s amazing in this too. I doubt all the mannerisms were written into the script. Love her snarky character in this.

Stanley Tucci is great, I love his character. He’s sassy but also befriends Andy & tells her like it is. This allows her to grow & to learn how to do her job well. His input helps her to go from floundering to thriving.

Now Andy’s “friends” ... I think most people watching this movie can agree they’re pretty bad. But some of them downright bully her.

Lily - supposedly is Andy’s best friend yet barely acts like a friend at all. She constantly judges her, whines when Andy tries to discuss work & lectured her when she found out Andy was going to Paris. A friend should have asked her what she thought/felt /wanted.

And personally if that were me I’d say ‘well sucks for Emily but have fun’ but then also suggest she try to make it up to Emily.

Because let’s be real, that’s what most people would do. It’d be hard to turn down Paris & a step up in your career.

But the so-called best friend Lily got pissy with her & walked off. Oh and let’s not forget when sexy Simon Baker’s character (Christian)kissed Andy on the cheek , Lily didn’t ask why. Didn’t ask how she felt at all. Was she uncomfortable with the kiss? Flattered? Excited?

Doug - lesser of the evils. In parts I liked Doug. He was interested in Andy’s work. He likes fashion. There was potential to really make them closer or bond over her work but then in that one awful scene - you know the one- they ruin it.

That scene being, the one where Andy gets free stuff & gives them to all her friends. And she really doesn’t have to. She’s sharing with her buds, the perks of the jobs she’s not keeping it to herself. She’s being considerate. They happily take the gifts then play Monkey-in-the-Middle with Andy’s phone when her boss is calling her.

Lily, Doug, and her boyfriend Nate did that. They were all being jerks.

Just watching that scene made me uncomfortable. It’s so disrespectful & they’re totally ungrateful for what she just did for them.

Nate is the biggest ass of them all though.

He’s willing to benefit from his girlfriends job in various ways (financially, from the sexy clothes she wears to the free gifts) & he’s completely unsupportive & whiny. He plays the I’m-a-nice-guy card while being the opposite.

Nate supposedly is a sous chef. Yet he seems to have plenty of time to hang out with his friends & girlfriend. He whines about her hours. HER hours...and he’s a chef! Many chefs work very early mornings & many work well over 10 hrs a day.

I’ve also been told that the ones that take pride in their work will work even longer hours. It makes sense since many spend a lot of time sourcing food & make sure the produce is perfect. They also spend time practicing & perfecting recipes.

Yet Nate has tons of free time. He’s seen in bed with Andy in one scene when it’s after 6am. So he doesn’t do the early morning prep at work. But has all those evenings & nights free.

Overthinking? Yes, but in this universe he’s whining about her making time for him. But he never works!

Okay maybe not ‘never’ but it seems like he only works mid days. So he works part time.

Andy on the other hand has to take money from her dad to pay rent.

So...Nate isn’t paying the bills.

So why doesn’t he work a second job?

Oh right his likes his free time.

None of this explicitly stated in the movie but I picked up on it. Then recently when I couldn’t sleep I watched some reaction videos on YouTube for this movie. And many other people said similar things. That Nate acts like a leech. I agree.

Even if you take his questionable bill paying skills out if the equation he took those gifts from Andy.

He’s unsupportive of her job even when she explained she needed it to help her future. And as her boyfriend he would have known the difficulty she clearly had with finding work.

In the real world people work whatever jobs they can pay their bills. Some people might be able to upgrade to better jobs after awhile but some can’t for various reasons. Some people have to work 2-3 jobs & occasionally people have to work even more than that.

Meanwhile Andy’s job is exposing her to various creatives. Fashion designers, editors, writers, graphic designers etc not to mention all those people she met running errands at stores, warehouses etc all while doing her job for Miranda. People know who she is- which means, down the road if they meet someone who needs a good writer they might think of Andy & suggest her to be hired for that gig. That’s how networking works.

And Christian was trying to introduce her people in the field to talk up her writing. But she ended up choosing Nate over that opportunity. Though he still sulks when she shows up late for his birthday.

Lily also got sulky about the missed birthday. It’s ridiculous. Maybe it’s just me but birthdays aren’t that important unless you’re a kid or throwing a party for a kid. As an adult you work any birthday plans around your life. I rarely have my birthday on my actual birthday - it’s usually a few days before or after.

When Andy realized she had to go to the gala, they should have just planned to go out for Nate’s birthday another day. He could still hang out with his friends that night 🤷‍♀️. No big deal.

Plus, wouldn’t you want your friend or partner to go after opportunities? I would.

The ‘friends’ are far from supportive & that scene where they toss Andy’s phone around...it’s bad because it’s potentially putting her job in jeopardy. Which means she’d have no way to pay rent ....which could means homelessness or having to give up her dream & move back home.

It’s a dick move by all 3 of them.

As far as Andy’s development I think it’s pretty great. She learns to plan, to think ahead, to anticipate what’s needed of her. She not only learns the job but she learns what it means to fail even if she puts 100% effort into something. That’s an important lesson. More importantly she understands that being successful means: not making excuses, it means sacrifice & prioritizing.

Andy struggles with trying to be successful at work & in her personal life. While the plot with her friends & boyfriend makes it seem like Andy is in the wrong with prioritizing work, that’s not exactly accurate.

Everyone has to prioritize work on some level. It’s what pays the bills, gives people purpose & often where people have most of their social interactions. I personally have works a few terrible jobs but I made good friends there & I avoided going in debt because of the income. I call that a win.

Andy has a budding friendship with her coworker Emily. While they’re not best friends they do learn to accept & respect each other. It’s purely a work-friendship but could be more.

Nigel (Tucci) on the other hand is simply Andy’s friend. They confide in each other, respect each other, support each other & tease each other.

At the beginning of the movie Lily is Andy’s best friend but by the end it’s Nigel. I doubt many people would argue that.

Along the way we see Andy’s skills at her job surpass even Emily’s and she’s been working there much longer.

Andy has other perks at her job such as all the free clothes Nigel got her from the magazine’s closet. And if you watch the deleted scenes you see that Andy learned how to speak French (presumably for Paris).

We even see that Andy is potentially a future Miranda. Not just in her skills but in her choices.

Yes it’s a bit extreme to think Andy could become Miranda but she did choose to keep her job (which led her to Paris & hurt Emily). Though many people would do the same. Remember, Miranda did threaten to make it difficult for her to get a writing job anywhere.

So while extreme, it did scare Andy into quitting her job. Then she reprioritizes & gets an interview at a paper. It’s implied she gets the job.

I’m not sure how Andy could afford to be jobless since she struggled to pay her bills but I think we’re supposed to ignore that.

It’s nice to see her going after her dreams though. Miranda gave a good recommendation & seems to have forgiven her for quitting. She respects her.

The worst part of the entire movie is that Andy meets up with Nate. He tells her he got a job in Boston & asks her to join him. She doesn’t say no.

I wish they didn’t have that scene. It’s awful. It undos Andy’s growth.

Some people compare the book with the movie. There is no comparison. This is one of the few examples where the movie is far greater than the book.

I personally hated the book. The characters are different as are many scenes in the book. Though I eventually gave into curiosity & read the sequel & hated it too. It was incredibly boring.

It did though have at the center, Emily & Andy as best friends. It makes me wonder what a sequel for the movie would be like. I hope they’ll do one some day with the same characters (Miranda, Andy, Emily, Nigel...minus the awful boyfriend & friends).

I’d love to see Andy living her (new) dreams which are somewhere between the old & new Andy. Combining her new interest (fashion) with her other passions.

But even if you hate the friends in this movie it’s still enjoyable.

As for the actors if you liked them in this movie , check them out in some other films too. Gotta recommend that everyone see Death Becomes Her (1992) with Meryl Streep...it’s crazy but hilarious.

As for Anne Hathaway, gotta say I like her in most things. She did a great job in One Day (2011) & of course Les Miserables (2012). And a movie that’s fun & ridiculous I liked her in The Hustle (2019).

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summerspn · 3 years

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Emily in Paris

(Series 2020)

Emily in Paris is a series aired on Netflix recently & it had the potential to be charming...but fell flat.

Some spoilers...

Emily Cooper, played by the talented Lily Collins, works in marketing & ends up being the person at her office who ends up going to live in Paris, France for a year.

Supposedly to bring the “American point of view” to the Paris office.

I like the concept on some level...well, I like the idea of a 30 year old moving to Paris. Fish out of water. Always interests me.

However, the line they keep repeating “to bring the American point of view” is ridiculous and completely...American. I think it’s just how it’s phrased. It’s both simple & somehow insulting? It’s like saying “you have to listen to me...my perspective...my point of view”.

I can understand why some people find this show insulting or ridiculous. Because of the wording & behaviour. Often I’ll be speaking to Americans for work & they are shocked to discover that their bluntness & pushiness is insulting & rude. They don’t intend to be rude they’re just not self aware.

Yes I’m generalizing but I speak to Americans all the time- for years & this doesn’t change. There are exceptions of course. I have friends & family in the US and they’re not like that.

So for Emily in Paris, the creators & writer probably just don’t realize they wrote Emily in a way that is very rude. Pushing her ideas on others in many scenes (but thankfully not all) & acting superior.

And of course, acting like she, the American can fix everything. If her character was older that would be more believable. Also, she’s not open at all to suggestions from her boss.

There’s a lot that is glossed over in the show, trying to make Paris look glamorous but the actual good parts were scenes that were more realistic. Like when Emily is talking on the phone and that guy starts to pee behind her. We need more scenes like that.

There were a lot of missed opportunities. The show should have used Emily’s naïveté to make it funny. But it didn’t. It’s like the writers take themselves way too seriously & Emily then ends up grumbling & whining about how everyone around her is wrong or mean etc.

The writers could have pushed it to point out just how clueless she is. Like how she always walks around in stilettos in cobblestone streets. Looks nice & all but if Emily fell a few times (which is more realistic) they could then show a scene in the next episode where she keeps the heels in her bag & wears flats to wander the streets.

It would be a quick subtle way to show she’s learning. And people learning automatically earns respect...which would make her more likeable.

Scenes where her coworkers tell her harsh realities, she considers them mean or ignorant. I wish by the end of season 1 that Emily realized they have valid points. You know, to show growth.

Regardless, her boss told her upfront that not knowing anything about France & the language were going to be problematic.

Emily makes minimal effort to learn the language & zero effort to understand the culture. She said she takes weekly French classes, but if she’s there for work, those ‘problems’ pointed out to her by her boss, should be priorities.

She should have been trying to learn a new phrase or two each week so she could gradually learn the language. Watch a couple French movies on occasion or listen to audio recordings of French vocabulary or phrases. She doesn’t do any of that.

In fact, she often says very simple words in English, all the time. She didn’t bother to learn ‘excuse moi’. A phrase she could use at the office all the time, (or with clients) to apologize for her ignorance of the language.

Edit: I found out recently that in cities like Paris, Rome etc they do have crash course intensives one can take to learn the language for business professionals. 1-2 hrs a day, sometimes broken up (an hour in the morning & an hour in the evening). Often only for a few weeks, sometimes longer. I wish they wrote Emily taking those classes...

How Emily is written though, she doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with not knowing the language.

In fact, she doesn’t think she does anything wrong at all. Ever.

Lose a ridiculously expensive watch she was supposed to keep an eye on? Nope, not sorry. Losing it because she was partying? She looked anxious because of the consequences (nearly being fired). But not exactly sorry.

If she were sorry then she’s correct her behaviour and prioritize work when at work.

Considering she doesn’t change her behaviour, she’s obviously not sorry. In fact, she takes that chaos & indulges in a forbidden kiss with Gabriel. Which is the same reckless behaviour as earlier.

Throughout the series people bend to her & I have no idea why. She’s an average everyday girl in Paris with a few good marketing ideas. But she’s yet to show anything groundbreaking. She’s not funny, & considering her behaviour she’s not sweet. Not overly generous or nice (she’s not mean she’s just...average).

I felt like we were missing huge chunks of information about Emily. And to me, that was the biggest sin of the writers.

I don’t want to be told a million things about her all at once. But there are subtle ways we could understand her.

They could have had Emily:

* staring sadly at a photo of her & her parents (or friends) to show she was homesick

* tell someone a few little things she loves about Paris (the non obvious stuff). That way we could see she learned something about Paris

* Talk about how she had spent all her savings on buying clothes to bring to Paris because she wanted to fit in...but she feels stupid & confused because her wardrobe choices aren’t earning respect. It’d be an opportunity for her to cry & maybe someone could point out what she does wrong

* She needs a hobby. Sudoku...read...take painting classes...something

* She needs to talk about what she always wanted to do in Paris

* Checks her bank balance

* Shop. Missed opportunity. She could have been in awe of the boutiques & of the clothes...

Also,

* Stop using social media. My god, put the phone down. They could still have a few lines talking about the traffic on Instagram or something. We don’t need to see it. Not all the time. It’s irritating.

As for the clothes...I know some of the outfits were horrible but I don’t think it’s the stylists fault. She has skills. I mean she did do Devil Wears Prada & Sex & the City!

I suspect all these episodes were filmed all at once. Maybe out of order as often happens on film sets 🤷‍♀️

So, my theory is that, as this is season 1, perhaps the stylist was told simply “she’s a budding fashionista who doesn’t quite make the right choices”

Just look at her pieces. Many are very nice...separately. That Betty Boop dress for example. I heard lots of people trash that outfit. Personally, I love the dress. if she had lost the jacket, shoes & purse but paired it with a simple black heel & maybe even a black bag, it would be cute.

Even that rags dress had potential. I didn’t like it nor did I hate it. If she had chosen to say, put a long sheer dress over it to tone it down & a long dark trench it could have given it a more avant grade vibe. Or something...I dunno (I’m definitely not stylist lol) but if they were given pieces to work with they could have done things to make cuter or edgier.

Which is why I think the stylist was instructed to show Emily as a hot mess. Maybe she was told season 2 she’d lose those terrible hats. Season 3 she’d experiment with various cute hairstyles? Season 4, she would choose more figure flattering looks & only occasionally wear the baggy pieces? Season 5...it would all finally click. Maybe??

Another reason I think this - look at Sylvie’s clothes...Camille’s...Antoine’s wife’s...all gorgeous. The men, on a sliding scale via personality you do see a lot of great outfits. I like most of Julien’s, Mathieu’s, and Antoine’s outfits. Gabriel’s are...alright but his character isn’t meant to care about fashion.

Each of the other characters’ clothes fit with their personalities.

I think people are quick to write this show off but I feel like there were hints that it’s barely started.

After all the episodes are only 30 minutes give or take....maybe that just wasn’t enough to show us who Emily is.

I’m kinda rooting for this show now. I want Emily to be much less arrogant & I want her to be dragged through the mud. Have a hard ass time & then finds her true self. Maybe it’s away from marketing or maybe she wants to run the company. I don’t know.

All I do know is that I actually kinda hate all the romances on the show. I don’t like her with anyone because: 1) all the men are quick to fall under her spell...why? 2) the few interesting men have been ruined by either being cheaters or being dicks.

Maybe I’m the only one out there that liked Gabriel...as a friend. I thought he looked good with Camille & honestly it seemed like there was more chemistry.

But why does every series have to take the first man in a new place & make him the series will-they-won’t-they love interest. Do people really like that? God it’s so nauseating & boring.

I much prefer love interests to be good characters on their own & to surprise audiences as much as characters.

But I did like Gabriel as a character for the first few episodes. He seemed like a decent guy. Even after he & Emily kissed, he wasn’t ruined yet. He could have just admitted he made a mistake & then not do it again. I’d have respected that. Instead he’s wishy washy & hides the truth from Camille. Then he jumps into bed with Emily. Ugh, lost all respect. He just seems like a creep now.

The creator was the one behind Sex & the City. Darren Star. I was excited about this since I liked the show & even enjoyed the movies.

But is he trying to make Emily like Carrie & Gabriel like Mr Big? Because that’s the vibe I’m getting. And that’s not good. Those were my two least favourite characters on that show...and the most toxic.

Yes I get it’s not about me but come on...how can anyone root for these two? Emily (currently) is as interesting as a paper bag & Gabriel is a sleaze. I wish they kept them as friends.

Overall I do find the show somewhat entertaining but it needs some work. I do hope there’s at least another season but only if they start to evolve Emily.

Her personality is what is most disliked about her so hopefully we see more of her likeable side. And you know, stop having her sleep with her friend’s boyfriend.

Regardless whether people watch season 2 (if there is one), I hope people understand that:

1) the stylist is probably doing exactly as she’s told because 99% of the actors have nice wardrobes & Emily’s is just...too-much. 2) the actors are all really good. Particularly Sylvie (played by Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu). I think they’re all believable.

At this point, to win viewers over, I think the show needs to make things difficult for Emily. A life crisis if you will.

If I were the writer I would:

1. Have Gabriel move on from Emily. I’m not sure why he’s so taken with her 🤷‍♀️. Have him leave and then Camille & Emily can both move on

2. Camille needs to break off the friendship with Emily for awhile. Emily needs to earn that friendship.

3. Fire Emily. She clearly prioritized her personal life over work - which is what she’s there for. She’s screwed up a lot already. Fire her & have Emily determined to live at least a year in Paris (she already has the work visa anyways). Have her work crappy jobs or do a million interviews. Make her struggle...even if she has good credentials many places nowadays make people with masters degree do grunt work. She does that and I think people will like her. It’s character building

I think these things will make her more relatable to viewers but also, it would allow the show to change her personality slightly (to be more likeable) while being authentic...because she’s been through tough humbling times.

As for Lily Collins, I feel like she’s getting unfair criticism. She’s a very strong actress but between the writing, directing & her character’s wardrobe she was kind of stuck. But do I believe her as Emily? Yes, because she’s a good actress. But I still don’t love Emily Cooper.

For roles you’ll love Lily Collins in, and to see her acting chops, watch: The Last Tycoon (series), The Inheritance, & Tolkien.

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