#I be like Michael Sheen with all my microexpressions-

[katierosefun]

y'know, i do think that actors are probably the closest that humans will ever get to a shapeshifter because sometimes i'll go through an actor's filmography and be totally taken aback by the sheer range of roles they've played and how violently dissimilar one role is from the other, so much so to the point that i'll literally forget that they played someone else and oh my god

#caroline talks #this is about me going from watching good omens to masters of sex btw #like i genuinely forgot that michael sheen has also played aziraphale #because even though YES same face and sometimes. in little flashes. the same expression #but also SO different that i literally forgot that wait aziraphale and bill masters is played by the same man. WHAT #i mean. it does also help that like. michael sheen's adopted some kind of american accent #and bill masters as a character is so . . . . #the real william masters leaves an incredibly sour taste in my mouth #but i watched the episode 'fight' and like. i was so. like. okay that was. ActingTM #because the entire episode is michael sheen and lizzy caplan's characters #talking about their sadder moments and it's like. all of that is said with zero music #the faint audio from the boxing match playing on a tv #but largely their voices. just quiet. and the emotions that flicker over their faces #and i was just. like. that was a truly breathtaking performance #where you are LITERALLY hanging onto every single word that the actors are saying #and you are hanging onto every single microexpression that passes across the actors' faces #and for two seconds you forget that they're characters and instead you feel like you're sitting in the hotel room with them #listening to someone you care about deeply (and you don't want to care about them but oh god you do!) spill their darkest secrets #and godddd that's. GGHGHGHUGHGH

[actual-changeling]

this one is thanks to a post by @thegroovyfool because she is very much correct - we do not talk about aziraphale's "i need you" enough.

so once again, with a deep breath and a sigh, welcome back to alex's unhinged meta corner, where i tear apart the confession scene frame by frame. i'm gonna say, watching this particular clip over and over and focusing on aziraphale's face almost took me out.

let's get into it.

first, how about a little look at our starting point. (any blurry screencaps are due to a LOT of movement on michael's part rip)

crowley is very pointedly facing away from him, he turned after aziraphale said "we can be together - angels!", presumably because being offered exactly what he wants in the one way he cannot have it fried his brain, cause besties it surely fried mine.

aziraphale on the other hand looks openly desperate, which is why he says "i need you." more on that later. let's have a look at how he says it, because michael "microexpressions" sheen is putting in the work.

to me, he seems close to tears, his eyes are glistening in that specific "i'm about to cry my eyes out" way i know from looking in the mirror while crying

he is trying to get crowley to listen to him and to turn around. he wants crowley to face him, which is something most people tend to want during an argument. talking to someone who is not looking at you tends to make someone frustrated and like they're not hearing you/do not care about what you have to say.

aziraphale looks close to despair, his i need you is a plea to crowley to come with him. he is opening himself up not just emotionally but physically, too.

he slightly leans forward, his arms are raised and seem to both slightly grasp for crowley and point towards his chest/heart for emphasis. the pure pain visible on his face knocks the air out of me every single time i look at it.

aziraphale is admitting to needing him, something he has never done before, hell, he has told him the exact opposite on numerous occasions. i don't need you. and while they both knew it was a) a lie and b) a way for him to deal with his conflicting emotional standpoints and cognitive dissonance, it still hurt crowley every. single time.

crowley was there for him no matter what, he knows aziraphale needs him but he came back and remained at his side even when he was pushed away and more or less openly insulted. he endured it all.

aziraphale saying i need you now is pretty much a slap in the face but also what crowley needs to hear. as with everything that happens during the entire conversation, the timing is fucked up and they're talking past each other.

in my opinion, that is why crowley does not react.

only when aziraphale turns spiteful and starts questioning his understanding (aka calling him stupid without outright saying it) does he re-enter the conversation.

aziraphale, however, is upset. now, i will put on my tinhat for just a second and turn up the insanity because there are two more things i want to talk about.

first, the little stutter at the beginning.

"i ngk - i need you."

my question is - why? why does he stumble over these words in particular when it does not happen with any other sentence? the only other time is right after crowley walks away with his "good luck", he stumbles over crowley's name.

so, in short, it happens when he is either caught off-guard or saying something incredible emotional.

and this, everyone, is where i go unhinged in my interpretation.

what if he initially did not want to say "i need you?" what if he was so caught up in getting crowley to stay/come with him that he did not think and almost confessed another three word sentence?

what if he was about to say "i love you" but stopped himself because no, that's too direct, they don't do that, they can't do that. it goes against EVERYTHING they have silently build over the last six thousand years. so he chokes on it. he chokes on it and instead he says "i need you" because it means the same thing.

i need you. don't leave me. come with me. be an us. go off together.

i forgive you. i love you.

they say it over and over again because that's the only way they can say it.

that is why aziraphale is so angry and upset after saying it. he told crowley he loves him, he needs him, and all he got in return was silence.

the funny part is that this code may have worked before, but it no longer does. crowley is too hurt to listen to what aziraphale is trying to tell him, and aziraphale is equally as hurt and also not listening anymore.

the funny part is that it stopped being about love and started being about sides again. my side, your side, our side. choose a side, choose our side, choose me.

the funny part is that beelzebub and gabriel told them what they need to do, i found something that mattered more to me than choosing sides.

#alex talks good omens #good omens #ineffable husbands #crowley #aziraphale #good omens season 2 #go2 #aziracrow #crowley x aziraphale #good omens meta #ineffable divorce #this was spontaneous i saw the post and my brain went i need to do this right now #so i did #anyway if u disagree with my conclusions thats fine i disagree with my own theories often enough #otherwise fandom wouldnt be any fun

[yamisnuffles]

I love Aziraphale because he's expected to be hard, to be a warrior, but he chooses to be soft. He's not gentle, kind, and good because he's an angel. We've seen what the other angels are like and many of them are anything but. And there's no doubt that he could be that warrior if he wanted. He was issued a flaming sword, after all. But he gave it away and seemed none to eager to use it when he finally picked it up again. No, he is who he is because he chooses to be that way again and again.

I adore that. In a world that's often so hard and in a system that expects him to be just as hard, he chooses to be soft. To be silly. He learns to dance even though angels don't dance. He learns magic and French the human way. Successful or not, he likes playing parts, living it up as a double agent and newspaperman. He wears glasses because he thinks they're nifty. He enjoys eating food and going to the barber not because he has to but because he likes being pampered. To be fussy and indulgent. Despite strength and miraculous powers, he makes himself vulnerable so that he can be coddled and rescued.

And it's not like it's easy for him. He has to struggle against what's expected of him and against judgment from the other angels. He was worried about doing the wrong thing before the beginning, before there was even really a concept of the wrong thing. He's so terribly anxious but he doesn't let it stop him from trying to do real good. He did his part to save Job's family, even when he was certain he would fall for it.

Most difficult of all, he loves. Is in love. A thing humans do, he says to the Archangels in S2. So that's not just some easy, natural, angelic thing for him. It's very human and very scary because it's not really something he's meant to do and especially not with a demon. But he pushes slowly forward as best he can. He risks small touches and can't help but wear his heart on his sleeve with that all too expressive face. He's the angelic embodiment of heart eyes. Because he wants to love and be loved.

This isn't all he is, of course. He can be bitchy and petty and hard when pushed. He can be the warrior he was built to be. Those aren't bad things. Just enough of a bastard and all that. But just enough also means they also don't define him.

Which is where my frustration comes in. I understand the desire to flip the script sometimes. I like to do it myself from time to time and definitely think Aziraphale should be allowed to take charge. But it feels like, more often than not, large parts of fandom have taken those moments and made them all of who he is. Of the two of them, he's often made to be much more impassive and distant than Crowley. It's Crowley who is more emotional, who is more overcome physically. Despite the fact that it's almost entirely Aziraphale in canon who reaches and touches. Despite Michael Microexpressions Sheen putting so much open heart into Aziaphale's face. He isn't allowed to be soft and needy, comforted, coddled, and rescued. To be the one who yearns and lets himself be weak with it.

Just... let him be soft and silly. Let him be the person he most often chooses to be.

#aziraphale #good omens #long post #gos2 #pls I'm old and tired and not trying to pick a fight #just I so often see someone wearing aziraphale's face #and have to say #this is not my beautiful house #this is not my beautiful wife #good omens meta #meta #sort of lol #more a wild ramble

[thealogie]

how was the experience of witnessing all of michael sheen’s acting microexpressions in person? any moments that stood out this night compared to the other performance? it sounds like it must have been an amazing night!

Yes I have to gather my thoughts but I’ll post some highlights soon but I have to mention two moments that i cannot stop thinking about:

-there’s a moment early on where Nye comes up with the strategy of taking over all the boards/committees etc instead of trying to fight the coal companies from the outside it’s the beginning of his political career and the local conservative clerk (frothing at the mouth in fury) rattles off all the local political organizations that Nye is now the president of. And Michael Sheen looks over his shoulder at the audience with a cheeky smile and gives a little salute that was so fun and seductive the audience started to cheer/clap a little. Never seen someone seduce an audience like this guy.

-The real big moment I have to mention is his big speech at the climax of the play that had people (including me) fully crying. It’s this big moment where he looks straight at you and is like “join me in doing the most civilized thing a society can do. a system where every single person is taken care of regardless of wealth. I don’t want to give you medical care. I want to give you your dignity” and like ok it sounds corny af when you read it but Michael Sheen delivers this with such emotion and conviction and sincerity….people were sniffling all around me…!!

[bluberryfields]

Aziraphale: I need you!

That tone of desperation cut through me like a knife. Then those microexpressions then ripped the rest of my heart to shreds.

He's terrified of losing Crowley, both in general and at the precipice of what awaits him in Heaven.

Who will protect him from Michael and Uriel and all the other assholes?

Who will fight for him?

Who will support him?

Certainly not The Metatron, for all his manipulative words.

Oh Aziraphale, you sweet precious baby angel.

Michael Sheen is just incredible.

#good omens #good omens 2 #aziraphale #good omens spoilers #aziraphale x crowley #crowley x aziraphale #michael sheen #ineffable divorce #i need you #heaven and hell are toxic af #he needs him emotional support demon #crowley doesn't need to be an angel again

[celluloidbroomcloset]

Good Omens: A Big Gay (Queer) Allegory

Please note: these are just my thoughts and interpretation. It's one way to read some of the events of Good Omens, especially Season 2, but is not the only way by any means. I'm not looking to denigrate or sideline any other interpretation or understanding of this show.

The show has turned, slowly, into a big gay allegory, about the complications of perception and openness, especially in the 20th and 21st Century, and especially in terms of how Aziraphale and Crowley both manifest themselves and are perceived by the world around them. The show uses elements typically associated with the persecution of queer people throughout the 20th Century, as their relationship must remain secret (closeted) through much of their exitences. The 1941 episode in Season 2 involves fascists spying on Aziraphale and Crowley with a camera, trying to get evidence of their relationship. The 60s vignette takes place in 1967, the same year that Britain decriminalized homosexual acts, and is the first real indication that Aziraphale might be able to put a name to their relationship (but can't quite do it yet).

This is not about whether Aziraphale and Crowley are gay in the sense of being two homosexual men, but how they are perceived by the world at large. The joke from the book that Aziraphale is "gayer than a tree full of monkeys on nitrous oxide" is in the context of how others (humans) perceive him. And this governs them both—because they both typically manifest as men, use male pronouns, and because the world perceives them as men, their relationship would be perceived as homosexual (whether that is a reality or not). Nina asks Crowley about their relationship because, to her, they are behaving as a couple, and her assumption after he tells her "it's not like that" is still that they're together, just maybe not a couple-couple. She certainly never assumes that Crowley is a straight cis man—her questions are all about whether he has a husband or boyfriend, and all assume that he and Aziraphale are having sex. She seems to assume that they are two gay men.

That kind of open discussion, from an out lesbian who discusses her relationship with customers and friends (but not, we note, with cops), would have been impossible in 1967. Or 1941. Or 6,000 BC. But it is possible in 2023, in a relatively safe space like Whickber Street.

Crowley's reaction, I think, is not surprise about the relationship itself, but about how their relationship is being perceived. It's putting a name to something that has had to remain nameless or been outright denied as even existing. He falls back on denial—"it's not like that"—but he realizes that it is, in fact, like that. It's him facing the fact that a relationship that has never been defined is being perceived by others and that's something that is now relatively safe. This quite obviously becomes something he embraces as he realizes that he and Aziraphale can be together, openly, as whatever they want to be. There's nothing to be afraid of anymore.

(I think it very indicative that the next scene involves Crowley confessing that he's been worried about Gabriel/Jim "waking up" and smiting him. It's a repeat, in its own way, of Aziraphale's initial conversation with Jim and is expressive of the last fear that Crowley has: that someone will see what he is and destroy him for it. And it's one that's put to rest by the next scene between him and Jim.)

Aziraphale hasn't made that move yet, at least not in the same way. He is still, essentially, closeted, because he perceives their relationship as still being dangerous. In the very first episode of Season 2, he responds to Jim's question about needing to be close to one particular person in a series of microexpressions (thank you, Michael Sheen) that indicate, yeah, he knows exactly what Jim is talking about. But he immediately denies it and draws away, saying that he has "no idea what that feels like." Of course he knows, but Jim might very well be Gabriel, a representative of the organization that will destroy him and Crowley if they are found out (outed). He can't admit that feeling openly, though he knows he has it, and he's likely known for a very long time.

The entire act of concealing Gabriel is a queer act: they are choosing to protect someone who is hiding from powerful entities because, as we learn, he has fallen for someone else he's not supposed to love and defied Heaven. Aziraphale's bookshop becomes a safe haven for persecuted beings, but Aziraphale himself doesn't feel safe about his own relationship.

Crowley finally feels safe enough, through his conversations with Maggie and Nina and through the example of Gabriel and Beelzebub, to speak his feelings and try to put a name to what exists between them that they've spent their existences pretending wasn't there. Aziraphale doesn't yet. He thinks he finds a solution with returning to Heaven, to literally go back into the organization that would have destroyed him for his relationship—literally enforced social conformity that nonetheless would be safe.

Although it is safer now, in 2023, to be openly queer than it was in 1941, it is still dangerous. There is still the threat hanging over people that how they are perceived will harm them, that the discovery of their relationships and their identities will be used against them, even by those who seem to be innocent or their friends. It's as much about fear as anything else. Crowley and Aziraphale cannot be together openly in part because they are still afraid of what could happen to them if they are. They not only know what Heaven and Hell can do to them, but what was done to queer people over the course of centuries. They were there.

#good omens #good omens 2 #queer allegory #aziraphale #crowley #crowley x aziraphale

[queenofthearchipelago]

Hiya! I've been following your blog for a while and can't help but notice that we share at least two fandoms. As a fellow suffering soul at the mercy of GO's season 2 finale, how are you doing?

First of all, know this ask made me smile and thank you so much for asking that. It's not every day in fandom life that we get a finale as heartbreaking and devastating as that and I love the people who have asked me how I'm doing about it. I love that this is a fandom where we're all supporting each other through all the heavy emotions.

I'm... I'm okay. Mostly. Probably. I think?

If you don't mind, I'm just genuinely gonna tell you how I feel about it. (Edit from the future, this got long, I'm so sorry lol) I went into this season expecting quiet, gentle, and romantic, and therefore, on that first watch-through, I was looking for quiet, gentle, and romantic. I didn't know what the season was going to be about other than that. I thought I was looking for the ways in which Crowley and Aziraphale were growing closer, and they did! But in that, I didn't know I was also supposed to be looking at the ways that they weren't communicating. I didn't know I was supposed to be looking at all the ways they clearly haven't healed from their traumas.

And so, when we got to that scene in the end, I was incredibly confused by Aziraphale. Crowley has always been my favorite character in this story, I relate to him most and I feel I always understand him. So I pretty quickly got his side of things. But Aziraphale... it just felt out of nowhere (and a little bit, it was. The Metatron really did just kinda show up and offer Az all of that) and it felt like I'd been betrayed a bit.

I thought Aziraphale had learned better about all of this at the end of season 1. That Crowley doesn't need to be an angel, he doesn't need to change. That Heaven is just as bad as Hell. That Heaven isn't exactly a system one person can just... fix. And for the first 5 episodes of this new season, I didn't recognize him struggling with any of this in the present day. He was happy and in love and he was okay with moving on.

And I was so confused why he was considering this, especially after seeing Crowley's reaction. And then after the kiss, Aziraphale still didn't really want to go to Heaven, he was gonna turn back. And he didn't because the Metatron rushed him. He went too fast. And I was so pained by it. Michael Sheen just ripped me apart with how he portrayed all the emotions Aziraphale was feeling. The microexpressions moved so fast it felt like I couldn't hold on to any one emotion any better than he could.

And so my heart was broken for Crowley, and I was confused and betrayed by Aziraphale. But I binged the entire season in one night, it was early morning when I finished it. I was tired, and I watched the season not actually knowing what I should have been looking for. And so I knew that it wasn't that Aziraphale was suddenly a bad character or something. I'm quite shocked by the people hating on Aziraphale's character. My first thought after I finished the season was literally, "I missed something. It's not Aziraphale's fault that I don't understand where that came from. I'm gonna have to rewatch this entire season when I'm more rested and watch it much slower. I'm gonna have to read all the meta written by people who still love and understand Aziraphale after this."

And that's what I did. I haven't rewatched the season yet, but I have been reading a lot of meta about Aziraphale's character written by people who genuinely seem to understand him. It highlighted a lot of things I'd missed the first time. The parallel between Lindsay and Nina and Heaven and Aziraphale. The fear that Aziraphale has been living in ever since Job, where he thinks he's crossed the line and deserves to fall. How his greatest temptation, in the eyes of Heaven, wasn't the food or giving away his sword, or lying. It was his relationship with Crowley.

I didn't realize how the purpose of the creation of the universe scene was that Aziraphale saw how happy Crowley was. And that he's willing to risk everything, his freedom and his beautiful life in the bookshop so that Crowley can be happy like that again. Because Aziraphale spent 6,000 years watching Crowley reject his own kind nature, his own impulse to do good, for the fear of Hell's punishment. It's not exactly that Aziraphale wants to change Crowley. It's that if Crowley was an angel, he could go back to freely being nice, and doing good. They could be together because there wouldn't be the threat of the Other Side coming for them and ripping them apart.

Aziraphale doesn't want to change Crowley. He loves Crowley. But he is still scared of what Heaven thinks of it. Heaven still thinks that angels and demons can't be together because they're on opposite sides. And the powers greater than them who believe this will always try to rip them apart.

He just wants a better world for Crowley. He wants Crowley happy and safe. Is this the way to do it, no. I think Crowley is right that Aziraphale can't change Heaven. I think Crowley is probably scared out of his mind right now that Aziraphale is going back into the lion's den. Because Crowley watched for 6,000 years as Aziraphale was manipulated by Heaven, he saw how scared his angel was. And now he's going back under some misguided understanding that it'll be different this time.

I think that's what Crowley was thinking about in the car in the end credits. I think it was part "I can't believe he chose Heaven over me, because he wants to fix Heaven FOR me, the idiot." and part "He's gonna be manipulated again. And when he realizes it, he's gonna be so scared."

All Crowley wants in this world is for Aziraphale to be okay. Wants him to be free and safe. Free to eat whatever he wants without guilt. Free to do good because he wants to, not because he's had his orders. Free to dance with a demon. Free to be an us. Because he watched Aziraphle be scared of these things for millennia. He watched his angel think he deserved to be a demon for it. And he doesn't. And now Aziraphale's gone back to a place where there is no food, he won't have the opportunity to do clever good deeds in human's lives (he'll be running heaven), and Crowley simply can't follow him back there.

But then, I also believe the metas that have noticed that both plans are unsustainable. Aziraphale won't be able to change the system. And Crowley couldn't keep them running forever. They'll have to find the secret third option to be free to be together safely for eternity, and that's what season 3 is gonna be about.

So, to circle back to your question, I'm not okay lol. But I will be. I believe that this is one of the best stories ever told, and the more I understand Aziraphale and Crowley's characters, the more the ending makes sense, and the more intrigued I am about what else I might have missed that I'll need to rewatch to figure out. The kiss still breaks my heart, but I wouldn't change a thing about it because it makes sense and it played out perfectly for their situations and who they are. It's beautiful in a heartbreaking way.

And I do have a sense of peace about all of it. Even when I had just finished the episode, I knew it was all going to be okay because that divorce was literally about how much they love each other. Crowley loves Aziraphale unconditionally. Neither of them have much experience with that. So Aziraphale struggles to accept it, and he's scared to show it back because what if it costs them everything. But Crowley doesn't struggle like that. He's been left behind on earth, for now. But I have no doubt that as soon as his angel needs him, he'll be there.

Aziraphale will probably say he's sorry. And Crowley's just gonna give him a hug, tell him he loves him, that he's not gonna say I forgive you because neither of them need forgiveness. Not anymore.

It actually feels really good having written all this out like this, I've not talked about good omens much, even though I've been reblogging a lot. I'd love to talk to you more about all of it, if you want. And of course, I want to ask you how are YOU doing? What are your thoughts on all of this? How are you holding up? My ask box and my messages are always open!

#I should have known I'd write an essay in response to this but I really didn't lol #good omens #good omens spoilers #thoughtsfromthequeen #asks

[cynthia39100]

Good Omens (S2)

I have conflicted feelings towards this season...

I adore every single scene with Aziraphale and Crowley. I can watch Michael Sheen and David Tennant acting for a millennium. There were so many details to focus on and all the microexpression and the delivery of lines were so on point. I love Gabriel and Muriel as well ~~ little kids ~~

On the other hand, the story itself didn't appeal to me much. To me, it's like a combination of several different fanfictions. The stories happen in the same world and a (theoretically) continuous timeline with the canon (aka season 1), but not quite convey the same picture or with the same intention. I enjoy each story separately, but I felt that my understanding of the two characters' arc and their relationship progress kept flipping around. I'm confused and I don't know how to think of them.

Another thing I don't like is the overwhelming romantic tone. It's my personal preference. I generally don't like heavy romantic vibe unless it's a romantic story from the start. Yes, I know there were quite a bit romantic coded moments in season 1, but it was still more about the end of the world (or the good and evil I suppose). I like their dynamic in season 1. It's light and subtle but we still know clear as day how deep their love goes and how their relationship progressed through time. I like their relationship wasn't clearly put into words. They are just so familiar and comfortable with each other and there's really no need to define them by human words, which has been changing all the time anyway. There's a beauty in subtlety.

(S1)

#completely unrelated #but I love the way David Tennant said #“ Let there be light” #it's simple and casual yet full of power and authority #my favorite line for Aziraphale is #“ Rescuing me makes him so happy” #he knew what he was doing bad angel lol #good omens #ineffable husbands #other review

[sneckerdoodle]

I really can’t handle Michael Sheen as Aziraphale (or in any role, really).  He’s so good.  I don’t understand how he’s doing it.  Aside from doing drama in school and being in a few plays in college, I’m not a real actor but I feel like I’ve spent enough time with it being a part of my life that I can appreciate how hard it is to do what he’s doing.  He can be so big, but still have the most subtle internal stuff happening, especially in his face, little microexpressions that say so much but still seem completely unconscious.  All this on top of the stuff he’s doing with his voice and physicality--like how???  And also he’s funny???

I remember seeing him do a (cold!!) reading of the book at the Neil Gaiman event thing in NY, where he did Crowley and Aziraphale drunk (plus narration), and sitting there thinking, “I’ve never seen anyone so good at this before how is it possible to be that good?”  It’s the exact same feeling you get when you see a truly amazing singer live for the first time.  “Oh, that’s what it’s supposed to be” and “I thought I knew what good singing was and I was so wrong” and “I am never doing karaoke again.”  That exact feeling.

#michael sheen #good omens #he made such an impression doing that #I think because when it's off the cuff it's unpolished and instinctual #and I was so surprised by how much he did with it and how fast he was #every line he'd do something and I'd be like 'oh wow I never would have thought of that' #subtle things with his voice or inflection or timing #or really BIG things and it always worked #and all the jokes landed #he's some kind of witch I just know it

[areyougonnabe]

Hi! I noticed through your last posts you have an excellent taste in tv series, so I was wondering if you could recommend some?

OH BOY 

well first of all i’m contractually obligated to tell you to watch doctor who, starting with series 1 going straight through series 5, picking a selection of choice episodes from series 6-8 before watching s9-10 in their entirety for maximum impact. also good omens obviously. lmao

after that, from my recent posting you have probably been able to infer that i am very into these shows as of late so i’ll just give them as default recs: 

the terror (s1) 

what we do in the shadows

jeeves & wooster

taskmaster

i’m also caught up on prodigal son but i would only recommend that if you, like me, are in the middle of a venn diagram which has “addicted to michael sheen’s microexpressions” on one side and “can turn off brain entirely to appreciate really godawful soapy procedural network drama” on the other. 

other than good omens, the OA is probably the show that’s had the most personal impact on me in the last few years. i can’t even describe it to you other than that it cracked my brain open and remade me anew, and if you’re lucky it’ll do the same to you.

ok here’s some more stuff, a mix of shows i’ve watched recently & stuff i’ve loved for ages

the young ones

red dwarf

lost

mad men

twin peaks

legends of tomorrow

fleabag

russian doll

I HOPE THAT HELPS............. my taste in tv is not exactly wide-ranging lol but i like what i like and i’m good at liking it!!!!!

[dietraumerei]

Frost/Nixon

Ok so for some unknowable reason, I was obsessed with this film a few summers ago, and revisited it again as part of an extremely half-assed (really probably quarter-assed) Journey Through Michael Sheen’s Filmography.

(I am not much of a movie-watcher and the man has been in, as near as I can tell, EV-ER-Y-THING, so I really do mean the quarter-assed part.)

So, okay. The first time I saw Angels in America was 2018. So I don’t have a pre-Trump reading to compare it to. (How did people receive it in 2012? A period piece? This is a real question) At least I have that here, which is that when I watched it for the first time, it was a fascinating psychodrama, one that looks like a journalism story, but really is a study of Nixon the man. (It is a long story, with family elements, but I am fascinated by Nixon’s fall.) Now, it is all that and also utterly fucking terrifying and has parallels and is exquisitely painful to watch.

Nixon is not Trump; not really. (Roy Cohn, now, there we can draw a line, and again with the Angels references.) The scariest part, for me, was when they’re talking about David Frost at the very beginning, and note that he knows television. That is all you need; for power, to know about David Frost, all of it. This line is quietly set to the background until the very end, when James Reston Jr tells us the effect of the world seeing Nixon’s loneliness, his brokenness, on full display. That television gave nuance, and exposed his inner self in ways he did not want.

Television never was very kind to Richard Nixon.

It’s a funny film in ways -- it starts out as a period piece, lots of storylines and lots of people. There are many montages of people doing research, which is my favourite thing in the whole world. And then there’s a point, when Nixon calls Frost, and it suddenly turns into a deeply intimate piece. It’s breathtaking the whole time; Nixon, drunk, shows his ass to Frost. He also, rather correctly, reads Frost to the gawds, but we know the balance of power has tipped.

(Well, that’s interesting. I didn’t think I’d learned very much about David Frost, but I think I was wrong. He learned the trick of taking the thing made to hurt you and getting it to not hurt you. Nixon, needless to say, did not have that trick.)

Honestly, Frank Langella as Nixon is somewhere beyond extraordinary. I cannot imagine that Nixon, in real life, was ever charming, but he makes him be so. He is...riveting. Especially in the monologue when he calls Frost. It’s loud, it is exhilarating, and after that, he and Michael Sheen do basically all of their acting with their eyes and the tiniest of microexpressions and it is so good.

I would give a lot to have seen the stage show. I wonder if it was this intimate. I know you have to play to cheap seats, kind of, but every theatre experience I’ve been to is insanely, impossibly intimate. (Angels again -- you spend 7.5 hours with these people. The actors, yes, but also the people sat beside you. It goes into your heart.) To share a room with these two, going at it, with the electricity of seeing it live, of hearing breath and movement and the stepping out of time that being on a stage requires, must have been exceptional.

Huh. I think I’m seeing why I got obsessed with this.

It’s a very funny film, too -- honestly, the fact that Oliver Platt didn’t get some kind of award for his impersonation of Nixon is a crime. (I just really love Oliver Platt, ok.) Toby Jones chews the scenery in the worst accent imaginable, oh my God, you guys. Michael Sheen’s hair is a literal sculptural work of art, I assume they went through a new straightening iron and a bottle of Aqua Net every week. (I assume this was true for David Frost as well. Men’s hair was wild.) It’s funny and off-balancing and relevant in ways I don’t want it to be, and I’m so glad I watched it again.

#frost/nixon #i swear to fucking god if that's a pairing #i will burn this whole site down #anyway #michael sheen #a Very Long Essay #sorry #not actually sorry