#netflix obsession

[dilf-dr-wells]

wait. richard armitage came out!?!?

i'm so happy for him!! ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

#richard armitage #queer #the hobbit #thorin oakenshield #netflix obsession

[piggledy-higgledy]

As anyone who’s been looking at my page semi-frequently will have noticed, I am a big Richard Armitage fan. Mostly in love with his portrayal of Gisborne in BBC’s Robin Hood, but I also enjoy most of his other work and consider him a very talented actor (and a very sweet person from what we can tell.)

There has been a lot of furore lately about his latest project, “Obsession” (a series unfortunately promoted as an erotic thriller by Netflix), which is a remake of 1992 film “Damage” (with Jeremy Irons and Juliette Binoche) and based on the book by Josephine Hart. He portrays William Farrow, a married, middle aged, successful surgeon, who has an affair with his son’s fiancé, Anna (Charlie Murphy) -an affair so obsessive that it costs him everything: his career, his family, his son’s life, even his own self (more on that later.) The series features a lot of sex scenes, very light BDSM elements, and a LOT of nudity from RA on a level most fans never thought we’d see (RA being famously private and modest.) The fandom has been divided over this, with some looking forward to it and some being sure it’s not for them at all. From what I can tell (and I might be wrong) most people were put off by either the copious amounts of sex (and the trailer leaned very heavily on that) or the unsavoury morals of the main characters. Which is fair, if it’s not your cup of tea, don’t watch it.

I *did* watch it, and because opinions have been so strong, I wanted to share my thoughts. No disrespect if you prefer to pass. I hope it might be helpful for anyone on the fence and still making up their mind whether to watch or not. Happy to chat more about it if anyone likes! There WILL be spoilers.

Before watching it

I have personally felt very intrigued about this series and I was excited about watching it. Not so much because of the nudity or explicit scenes -or, rather, because of them, but not in the way you might think. Richard Armitage has played very, very few roles where he was primarily the romantic lead, and none later in his career. He tends to be cast in active roles, a lot of dark, violent characters, tense action. When there is romance it’s not the main aspect being explored. And he has NEVER (with the notable exception of Between the Sheets, which was so early in his career I doubt he necessarily had much choice to turn down work) done anything close to this level of sexual screen time. Why now? What made this different? I really wanted to know.

There was another reason I really wanted to watch Obsession. What Richard Armitage does best, in my opinion, is give characters depth (even characters that were clearly not written that way *cough* *Guy* *cough*). He is an incredibly detailed actor and uses his face and eyes to a stunning degree to convey things that go far beyond the dialogue. He has spoken about how he creates complete backstories for all his characters. This project is literally made for his type of acting. There is hardly any action, and leagues of unspoken material. RA called it “one of the most fulfilling pieces of work he’s ever done”. I needed to see why.

After watching it

I binged all 4 episodes in one night. And then again the next morning. And again today. I finished the first episode and thought “Yes, I understand why he wanted to do this.” (He also said in an interview that there was a moment in one scene that he’d never achieved before on film. Having watched this, I believe him.) Is this the kind of series I’d normally gravitate to? No. But I’m glad I watched it. Every single actor was incredible. The filming was beautiful. I just… don’t know where to start.

The story:

In my opinion “Obsession” is not about infidelity or sexual exploration -it’s about William and Anna’s experience with obsession and addiction. Anna isn’t just having an affair. She is addicted to being in control and to using sex as a means of asserting that control. (We learn that she had a brother who sexually abused her for years and committed suicide when she finally put a stop to it. And throughout the series, she reacts to strong emotions by initiating sex. Charlie Murphy described the character as a “dominant submissive” and that’s spot on, not just in the way that she sets the rules and boundaries of their sexual relationship, but in the way that, having been abused, asserts her control on the situation she had to submit to as a young girl by controlling when and how she submitted). William is not just having an affair. He is obsessed and addicted to Anna to the point that it completely deconstructs him as a person. He is the counterpoint to Anna’s character, in that he has no control. He doesn’t initiate, he doesn’t resist, he can’t or won’t control his reactions or his impulses and he completely loses control of his life as a result of his actions. In the final episode Jay, the son, discovers the affair and in shock, falls off a railing to his death. There is a scene where William faces his wife after everything is revealed and watching Richard Armitage convey all those emotions without saying a word is some of the best acting I’ve seen in my life. I don’t know what part of himself RA drew from to act the guilt and grief and absolute devastation in that scene but it was… amazing and heartbreaking. Even then, the obsession wins. When Jay dies, we see Anna walking away while William cradles the body of his son, paying her very little attention. I completely believe that he is broken in the scenes that follow. But after a few days the addiction takes over and he still seeks out Anna, convinced they can now be together (“there’s no version of this with just you,” she’d told him earlier on, but he clearly thinks otherwise). And we get the following:

W: … I let uncertainty in. (NB: What is uncertainty but lack of control?)

A: And look what happened. I don’t think… we can ever separate who we are from what we’ve done.

W: But… we can’t let it all be for nothing either (NB: William’s voice breaks here. He’s lost everything he ever cared about, she’s the only thing left. Does this phrase mean he thinks there was depth in their affair? Or does it mean that he is looking for meaning and depth so that he can cope with the fact that he sacrificed everything for an obsession and an addiction?)

A: Jay died because of us.

W: Still I wouldn’t change it (TNB: THIS! This phrase upset so many viewers! And of course it did, it was supposed to. The acting is, again, amazing. This isn’t said to Anna, this is introspection. William is looking inside himself, realises he wouldn’t change it, realises how much of himself he’s lost.)

A: You don’t regret it?

W: How can I?

A: We caused so much pain

W: But it’s done now.

A: I am so sorry for what happened. But I wish we’d never met. (She walks away, leaving William sobbing. Because there. is. nothing. left.)

The sex:

I hate that this was marketed as a sexy series because it created all sorts of hype and expectations that were misplaced imo. The story was never about the sex. Morgan Lloyd Malcolm said a couple of days ago on Twitter that it’s about “sitting in the discomfort of human behaviours” and that is spot on. Like I said above, this is a story of addiction. Anna is not addicted to the sex -she is addicted to using sex for control. That’s why Anna and William never kiss (she is the one controlling their physical interactions. William leans in to kiss her in many scenes, she never lets him.) That’s why the music is so jarring in all the sex scenes. That’s why there’s no foreplay, that’s why William never lasts long. That’s why they only ever have sex on the floor or in public, never in a safe, comfortable place like a bed. They are not comfortable. This is not a comfortable situation. We, as viewers, are supposed to be uncomfortable. The infamous hotel pillow scene was meant to demonstrate the turning point in William’s addiction, the complete loss of control, I think. It was never supposed to be funny or sexy -it was meant to disturb us because this intelligent, cultured, previously collected man becomes completely animalistic. Which is why he sobs afterwards -I think this is the point when William realises that (as Ingrid puts it later) “he is lost to her”. William’s face after their first sexual encounter is the face of a man under the influence. When she gets up to leave he makes this movement with his fingers like he is trying to hold on to her, but only grabs air. It’s just a twitch -but it’s Richard Armitage and we know how detailed he is in his acting, and I am sure it was a gesture with meaning.

The intimate scenes in Obsession are sometimes sensual, sometimes uncomfortable, sometimes genuinely hard to watch but never gratuitous.

Why a fan of Richard Armitage or anyone writing for his characters should watch it:

Again, you do you, but hear me out: This series is a veritable treasure trove of body language, voice/cadence, facial expressions that you can then apply to your favourite RA character. The longing. The conflict. The loss of control. The vulnerability. The eye contact. The fact that the lover’s name is Anna, which is also my name. Also, I’m being completely serious when I say that this is some of the best acting I’ve seen him do *ever*. If you can only bring yourself to watch parts of it, do that. There were some scenes that genuinely made me tear up. Look after yourself, respect your boundaries, but sample what you can because it’s a veritable banquet.

PS: I am focusing on Richard Armitage for this review because I came to Obsession from that fandom. But every single actor gives an amazing performance. I especially adored Charlie Murphy as Anna, Indira Varma being astounding as Ingrid and the criminally underrated Marion Bailey as Anna’s mother, Elizabeth, who packs SO MUCH into so few scenes.

#obsession #netflix obsession #richard armitage #indira varma #Charlie Murphy #william farrow #mine #my review

[riepu10]

Richard Armitage as William Farrow in Netflix’s Obsession

#William Farrow #Obsession #Netflix Obsession #Richard Armitage #riepu10 #my William gifs

[astrovian]

Richard Armitage in Netflix's Obsession (2023)

#richard armitage #obsession #netflix obsession

[storiesfromthegrave]

RISH SHAH in OBSESSION ( season 1 )

#rish shah #rish shah gif #obsession #netflix obsession #obsessionedit #my gif to you #tvedit

[thefudge]

Hi thefudge! I love reading your thoughts on fiction and I was wondering if you've heard of Obsession, a Netflix series starring Richard Armitage. He plays the role of a surgeon who has an affair with his son's fiancée.

thx! and yes, i have lol, but i have kept quiet about it because i am not a fan, even though i don't hate it, per se.

i will say, the trailer made the show look kind of cheap and bland, but upon watching the first episode i was sort of pleasantly surprised.

that being said, i have two big main issues:

a) i don't like the source material. so this is based on a novel called "damage" by josephine hart which is a very apt title, because it's all about the massive damage these people inflict on themselves and others. i read it back in the day and found it... interesting. it's not erotica, it's literary fiction through and through. and it's a mostly unpleasant, philosophical book. there is a famous 1992 adaptation with jeremy irons and juliette binoche which is faithful, in that it is not very pleasant and hardly erotic. because the thing about this novel is that the passion between these two characters is bizarre and unappealing, and i don't think it's just me. i think the novel wants you to feel that even these two people are not enjoying themselves, but they have to go through with it. it's compulsive and tortuous, like anna karenina and vronsky in the last throes of their doomed affair. and that's what's sort of fascinating about it. it's obsessive and deranged and not fun. hell, you don't really get any progression, you don't get tension and yearning and all the good forbidden stuff, because from page one, the guy is absolutely besotted with her and doesn't care about the consequences because he can't, it's that bad. the moment they meet is fatal, because they both realize what's happening. it's not love at first sight, it's like finding out how you'll die. it's sort of romantic but incredibly unsexy. there is no tension there. you just see two characters trembling with morbid anticipation. and that's fascinating and cool...but it is also deeply unpleasant and sort of pathetic (imo).

that's why i see this novel as more of a philosophical introspection into the limits of love, morality, responsibility. it's an intellectual exercise. and i appreciate it for that and for the daring questions it poses. but it makes me feel nothing. i am left cold by these two characters. so i only kind of enjoy the intellectual experiment.

which is why any filmic adaptations will have roughly the same effect on me. the netflix adaptation is both better and worse than the 1992 version, because it is less silly (god, jeremy irons loves to be The Most), but it is not as weird and daring. it's better than i thought it would be, and some scenes are compelling (though i didn't finish the series) but i just don't know what to do with it. it also doesn't work for me because i need progression. i don't like it when characters have an instant and inexplicable connection without even knowing each other. i can appreciate it in literary fiction and as an intellectual exercise with a moral/philosophical point, but....emotionally, i am bored by it. so it's a case where my subjective preferences interfere.

my other issue which is also subjective is that:

b) richard armitage doesn't work for me in this part. i love richard armitage, he's a beautiful man, but he doesn't have that subtle ick factor necessary to pull this off. he's the earnest gruff guy who doesn't understand all this kinky shit, he just wants to fuck you and hold your hand. he does not sell the obsession and the pathology to me. he does his very best, i will give him that, but something about it feels inauthentic. his facial reactions are, at times, so forced they become hilarious. he's constantly and very earnestly glowering like he's still on the set of north and south. it just doesn't work for me, even though i can tell he's putting his whole armitussy in it lol.

but even if! even if richard armitage was right for the part, i'd still find this deeply unappealing and unpleasant. interesting intellectually! but just unpleasant. which i think is the point of the novel, but it's a depressing point.

my favorite character in the book was always the wife, and indira varma is my fave here too, she is amazing and too good for this show lol. but other than that...i don't see the point of telling this story again, ultimately. i know the ending is shocking and incisive and yet, it just feels pointless, all of it. but do check out the 1992 film to see true fucked-upedness!

#obsession #netflix obsession #damage 1992 #replies #my thoughts #books #films

[mysterioustrashadventures]

William had more chemistry with this pillow than Anna. 💀💀💀

#william farrow #netflix obsession #obsession #richard armitage

[stelly38]

Did anyone happen to catch this?  Imma rip it a new one in this post, so DO NOT READ IF YOU PLAN ON WATCHING IT.  

SPOILERS  SPOILERS   SPOILERS  SPOILERS  SPOILERS  

Although, honestly, I don’t know how a show this rotten could get any more spoiled.  I agree completely with the review of Obsession in The Independent.  

I never saw the 1992 movie Damage, which was adapted from a novel of the same name by Josephine Hart.  Obsession uses the same novel to create its screenplay.  Damage, however, at least gets good reviews over on RT.  (Which doesn’t mean I’m going to watch it; not after sitting through this train wreck.)  

I think Obsession’s fatal flaw is that it fails refuses to develop its characters; we just get right to the fucking.  But the characters are so flat and two-dimensional, the viewer doesn’t care about any of them.  In fact, I was rooting for the show to take a hard turn and become a slasher flick, just so a murderer could put all these assholes out of their misery.  Alas, that’s not what happened.  Instead, the cardboard cut-outs go on to engage in excruciating, unintentionally hilarious sex.  (I laughed at the sex; yes, it was funny).  

And it was the most joyless depiction of sex I’ve ever seen.  I get it, I get it, it’s a fucked-up relationship, and he’s obsessed with her, but shouldn’t they at least be having a good time when they’re fucking?  Neither of the characters look like they’re enjoying the sex, not in a single scene.  Is it because every time they fuck, he pumps her three times and comes?  Really?  That’s it?  Or is it because she has a weird penchant for wanting to fuck on the floor, despite owning a mattress?  Is it because he fucks her in a Parisian alley near the dumpsters?  Gross.  Maybe the dumpsters should have been on fire; then it would have been a more accurate metaphor for their relationship (and for the show).  If the sex is so horrible, why bother? 

The marketing seems bent on selling the series as an erotic thriller, and the trailers play up the kinky side of that, but the kink that’s actually included  (a tiny bit of breath play, and some shibari) comes off as an afterthought.  These scenes are short, and the few glimpses of “kink” that the viewer gets are just that--glimpses. The two characters having the affair don’t even talk about the kink they engage in.  Don’t tease me with kink and then deliver the most horrible consensual sex to ever be captured on film.  

I should add here that I’m not criticizing the acting; I think the actors were given so little that there wasn’t much they could do with the characters.  I know discomfort was the point.  But that doesn’t make me want to watch it.  I think the marketing did the series a disservice.  It led with the sex, while the series is not actually about sex.  Had the trailers been more accurate, I probably wouldn’t have watched it in the first place.  

Anyway, the “twist” mentioned in the Independent was neither funny, nor a surprise.  I’d started watching the show without knowing how many episodes it had, and I was ready to quit after seeing the first two.  But then I learned there were only two more, so, in for a penny, in for a pound.  Shrug.  I want my two hours back.  

#netflix obsession #richard armitage #charlie murphy #unintentionally funny #horrible sex #bad adaptation

[hunksover40]

(via 'Obsession' star Richard Armitage has opened up about his sexuality publicly for the first time)

#richard armitage #actor #Netflix actor #netflix obsession

[illmetbymoonlight]

Obsession was good. It did the book justice I think. It was nice to see more than a one sided view of Anna though she still leaves me feeling unnerved. And that ending still hits hard even though I knew it was coming.

Side note the sex scenes were fucking great.

I'd def recommend checking it out if you don't mind betrayal, cheating and feel bad shows and lots of semi graphic sex.

#netflix obsession

[4-fuckssake-deactivated-42069]

So in high school, I found erotica in the library's discard pile. It was beautiful and introspective and I remember it hit home at the time.

Several years later (this morning), I watch a preview of a new Netflix show- Obsession. It's a nothing, no context clip, and yet I recognize it as that erotica from highschool.

So now I'm re-reading it, then I'll watch the show. I'll update as things go, because this is my blog and I can do what I want with it.

#Damage by Josephine heart #netflix obsession #I'm 2 margaritas in and a lightweight. sober me will hate this but they're gonna have to stick with it.

[waltricia]

I genuinely love this candle symbolism.

For her, it’s been burning. For him, it’s finally igniting.

( And actually his candle is already low and a liiittttle bit lit, implying the love was always there, burning so low as to not be noticed, but surely burning nonetheless 🔥♥️ )

#i will eventually shut up about the magic candle but for now #OBSESSED #polin #bridgerton #bridgerton season 3 #bridgerton s3 #netflix #nicola coughlan #luke newton #penelope featherington #colin bridgerton #bridgerton trailer #love

[piggledy-higgledy]

Here’s what I mean when I talk about how amazingly detailed the acting and directing of Obsession is.

Because William and Anna say very little to each other until later in their affair, Richard Armitage and Charlie Murphy focus their acting skill on non verbal clues, body language and micro expressions. Which they do very well. RA is always so detailed in his acting and this show actively focuses on that, which is why I’m glad he did this and why I think if you’re a fan it’s worth watching if you can.

I will describe to you a clip from the first episode. It lasts 3 minutes, not a word is spoken until the last second of the clip. It starts with William going to meet Anna alone for the first time, and finishes before they have sex. Absolutely nothing explicit happens, they don’t even kiss, they hardly touch. Anna is fully dressed throughout, William is naked by the end but we only see him from the back. It starts 23 minutes into the episode and finishes 26 minutes in.

I’m NOT a writer. I am not embellishing any of this, just describing in a lot of detail what I can see and hear in the clip. If you watch those 3 minutes closely enough you will spot everything I mention.

23:00 Begin scene

William is outside the main entrance of the building. Rings the doorbell and the score increases in pitch and urgency as he is buzzed in. When he goes through the door, the music changes slightly -a threshold has been crossed and there’s a difference between the before and the after. As William runs up the grand, spiral staircase, the music increases into crescendo. The moment his foot reaches the top step, another element is added to the score. It’s a pulse that sounds like a ticking, or a heartbeat. Or like a countdown. William is standing in front of the flat’s green door. He hesitates… exhales and braces himself, then drops his head and pushes the it open with a creak. He exhales nervously again as he goes in, closing the door behind him.

William walks into the flat cautiously, sees Anna standing in the other end of the room, motionless, watching him closely. We see Anna through Will’s eyes, a figure growing larger as he approaches her. Step. Step. Step. Step. The music is becoming tenser again, it feels like a tightening gear. We see Anna’s face and her eyes are glassy, her breath has sped up. He walks toward her and the score becomes tighter and tighter step step step and STOP. She raises her hand in a “halt” gesture and he freezes, inhaling sharply.

All music stops. Without it, the tiniest sounds seem magnified and the scene becomes immersive.

William takes a shaky breath, his eyes glued to Anna’s, and he gives her an almost imperceptible, questioning head-tilt. They stare at each other mesmerised, both their hitched breaths mirroring each other. Slowly, carefully, Anna starts walking toward him, her heels echo on the hardwood floor. Step. Step. Step and William looks almost shocked at how close she is. Within reach. Two more echoing footsteps and she is so close to him that their bodies are almost touching… almost. She leans her face towards him and he shakily releases a breath he’d been holding. Noses almost touching, breaths mingling… he leans in for a kiss but Anna breaks the moment, nuzzling his cheek with her nose. His stubble scrapes oh her smooth skin with a dry sound and we know how red her mouth would be after just a few kisses. She leans in, sliding his jacket off his shoulders and a muscle on William’s neck twitches, just where he feels her breath meet his skin. When she puts her hands on his chest to unbutton his shirt, he almost comes undone. Smooth cotton slides over his abdomen as she pulls the shirt out of his trousers and lets it fall to the floor. He thinks this time she’ll let him kiss her, but Anna undoes his belt instead, and pulls his trousers and underwear down with a smooth motion, never breaking eye contact. Now William stands uncovered before her and there’s nothing hiding all that he is, all that he feels. He looks almost betrayed when she takes three steps back, until her hands go to the hem of her skirt. He can’t seem to look away from her eyes, but hears the snap of elastic and the whisper of silk sliding against skin and then her heels tapping the hardwood floor as she kicks her panties off. When she starts backing away from him again, cheeks flushed and still staring into his eyes, William looks like a switch was flipped inside him, and he couldn’t have stopped even if he had wanted to. When she lies on her back on the floor, he looks like he might cry. Anna lets her outstretched arms fall to her sides, like a crucifix, like someone who can forgive his sins, parts her knees and says “Yes”.

26:08 End Scene

(Note: English is not my first language and I’m writing this at 1:00 in the morning like an absolute gremlin so forgive any mistakes! I already published this as an addition to my original Obsession review but it’s not appearing in the timeline or tags so here goes nothing.)

#netflix obsession #richard armitage #william farrow #charlie murphy #anna barton #mine

[riepu10]

Richard Armitage as William Farrow Netflix’s Obsession (2023)

#William Farrow #Obsession #Netflix Obsession #Richard Armitage #riepu10 #my RA edit

[astrovian]

Hoping you can help me. I'm in Australia and have seen the trailer for Obsession - obviously. But... it's different slightly to the trailer on youtube. The trailer when viewed through the Netflix app and on the TV through Netflix is slightly more tame, if you know what I mean - just a couple of things chopped out and replaced by other snippets. A friend in the US is the same, tamer version on the TV. Can you check with your Netflix in NZ and see please. Much appreciated.

thank you for letting me know!

it's the same in NZ - the trailer that is actually on Netflix itself is significantly more censored than the one they've posted online (YouTube etc.)

my guess is that they needed a more *ahem* 'appropriate' version for Netflix because I could imagine this could easily be an R18+ (or R16+ at the least)... the trailer needs to be a lot more PG on their page so teens trawling around the Netflix app for their next show don't chance upon any super explicit scenes. especially because on the Netflix NZ app no rating or warnings are currently displayed for it

whereas it's a lot easier on other sites like YouTube to either ensure only mature audiences watch/ensure enough warnings are in place that Netflix doesn't get stung for accidentally showing mature content to younger audiences. these social media sites have a much better protective system for mature content related to teen users - Netflix itself only really has effective maturity settings for much younger children

if anyone is interested, the PG version of the trailer:

the more explicit trailer here

#obsession #richard armitage #charlie murphy #netflix obsession

[storiesfromthegrave]

RISH SHAH in Obsession S01E01

#my gif to you #rish shah #obsession #netflix obsession #rish shah gif