1.) http://www.themarysue.com/ (Great site, great reviews, check it out!)
2.) http://www.ew.com/ (I get a lot of inspiration from this site, it has awesome reviews and also gives you a heads-up on anything new coming out.)
3.) http://variety.com/ (also great reviews, great previews and information on upcoming movies and television shows.)
(I would just like to give a quick PSA and say that this review is biased because I love this show and have read a lot of the books that the television series is based on. Sorry… not sorry.)
I have never watched a show where it was so clear that two people loved each other so much and so fiercely that I knew they would always be together.
On this show, you know that despite any fight, argument, disagreement, Jamie and Claire would find their back to each other, stronger than ever.
The two main characters share a love that isn’t broken by a stupid, drawn-out love triangle or petty drama or the writers being annoying and deciding that two people who are perfect together should keep breaking up to make things “exciting”. Garbage.
Had to get all of that out there, whoops.
Anyway…
It starts out in 1945, where Claire Randall is happily married and just finished her service as a combat nurse in WW2. Her husband, Jack Randall, was also involved in the war, causing the couple to see very little of each other.
They go to Scotland in the hopes that they will be able to reconnect in their marriage, but instead, something bizarre happens.
Clarie, after her and her husband observe a weird ritual of women dancing half-naked in an area of surrounding stones, decides to go out there the next morning in search of herbs.
Instead, after touching the middle stone, she gets transported back to 1743, and nearly dies her first day there.
I don’t want to give too much away because you have to watch, but there’s a clan of proud, arrogant Scotsmen, a rebellion trying to be raised, and the handsome, charismatic Jamie that has horrible whiplash scars marring his back.
There’s adventure, mystery, Claire trying to find herself in a world that doesn’t see women as much more than property and a pretty thing to touch, and makes it known that she is smart, capable, and to be taken seriously.
She also falls in love, and it changes everything for her, changes who she is and what she wants and pushes her into impossible choices that shake the fabric of history.
Here are my points:
Claire- strong, kind, hard-edged, stubborn and fiercely loyal, she is an incredible character and worth watching just for her alone.
Jamie- an actual dreamboat. Caring, respectable, wild, cunning, arrogant, a man who just wants his life back and finding out that he will follow Claire to the ends of the earth if he has to.
Everyone else- they’re all great, actually, Captain Jack Randall, with the face of Claire’s husband but a terrible person is THE WORST.
Watch watch watch because Claire and Jamie are the epitome of an epic love story that threatens to break your heart but also put back together again in one fell swoop.
The show is on Stars, and if you don’t have it, like I don’t, well… (use google, use google, use google).
Let me know what you want me to do next or I’ll just do whatever I want… hee.
I like doing these, sorry in advance.
It’s my blog, also, soooo… deal with it.
1.) Elf- Will Ferrell’s, debatable, funniest movie ever, he’s a grown man who thinks he’s an Elf, goes to find his Dad in the real world, hilarity ensues. Honestly, if you haven’t watched this movie, I’m surprised that your family/friends/strangers haven’t hit you on the head with their purse, Kim K-style.
2.) The Holiday- two women switch houses for Christmas break, it’s adorable and sad and makes you believe in love all over again, plus Jude Law’s sexy hair and sexy everything and Cameron Diaz’s outfits are amazing.
3.) Home Alone- a classic, troublemaker kid accidentally left behind during Christmas, sets up all kinds of traps in his house for the burglars that try to break in, two sequels, watch it, it’ll give you the warm and fuzzies.
4.) Those Tim Allen Santa Claus movies- I LOVE THESE. Tim Allen becomes Santa, it’s amazing and cute and I don’t care how cheesy it is, watch ’em.
1.) A Walk to Remember- Popular asshole boy meets nerdy, innocent church girl, they fall in love, it’s cheesy and heart-wrenching and very adorable.
2.) Mr. Right- Quirky, unlucky girl meets clown-nose wearing, suave hitman, love at first sight, very weird and funny and adorable.
3.) Beyond the Lights- beautiful, sad, angry girl at the top of the world but struggling with just wanting to be herself meets strong and silent boy who just wants to choose his own path in life, fall in love, very sweet.
4.) Dirty Dancing- if you haven’t watched this movie, why do you hate yourself?? This is one of my favorite movies of all time. Sexy, vulnerable Patrick Swayze in his prime, funny but serious but heartfelt plotline, and also “Nobody puts baby in a corner.”
Now go go go.
1.) Parks and Recreation- the crazy, hilarious, heartfelt, and just plain weird lives of the people in the Parks and Rec department that never has a dull moment.
2.) How to Get Away With Murder- Five twenty-somethings, Viola Davis in a kick-ass dress and speeches that will leave you breathless in awe, a show that shows you just how complicated and terrifying it is when you get in too deep.
3.) The Office- Kind of like Parks and Rec but I rate this one higher because it’s just incredible and heartwrenching and unmistakably hilarious.
4.) Mr. Robot- a struggling addict with incredible hacking skills faces the fact that there are things he doesn’t remember, a bunch of plot twists, tries to overthrow the government, a very sexy Chrisitan Slater won a Golden Globe and Rami Malek is incredible.
There you have it! Enjoy!
There’s a lot of television to watch out there.
Also, people generally have pretty busy lives.
I get it. I really do.
But I’m still going to tell you why you should take time out of your day when you would’ve been taking a much-needed nap to watch Sense8.
Also, I’ve just realized that this the third Netflix show I’m recommending, and, well… not everyone has the money/or relative to mooch off their account so… try streaming online?
(Shh, I would NEVER tell you to do something illegal… nope.)
ANYWAY. Sense8.
Sense8, in a nutshell, is about 8 twenty-somethings of different sexualities and genders, linked together mentally. And there’s an organization with its main goal of experimenting/killing/torturing them.
Cool, right? Family-fun times all around.
I’m gonna get this out of the way right now: this review is very biased because I think the show is amazing and different and has an excellent plotline, beautiful scenery, impeccable character development- what too many descriptive words?
I thought we knew each other well enough by now that I do this. Shame on you for not remembering.
Will. Nomi. Capheus. Wolfgang. Sun. Kala. Riley. Lito.
Eight people. Living their lives. Just trying to get by. All born on the same day, all able to see each other in their own heads, all able to take control of the others bodies and do things that normally the original person couldn’t do.
Sun, with years of martial arts training, took over Capheus’ body and beat the crap out of guys that were about to kill him.
Riley, in a panic attack, was able to get into Will’s head and make him believe that he was pregnant and going through contractions.
It sounds totally crazy and watching it is unbelievable, but it’s so good.
I just want to touch on something quick here, before I go back to babbling.
Television has gotten better with representing diversity. Really, it has. But it’s still nowhere NEAR what it should be.
That being said, here you have this show that actually cast a trans woman to play a trans character. That, in itself, is awesome. I mean, have you heard of The Danish Girl? Or that new movie that’s coming out, with everyone’s favorite Disney prince, Matt Bomer, playing a trans woman?
The fact that Nomi is being played by someone who can actually tap into her character is so cool, and such a model for how things should be done in Hollywood, instead of casting the same five, straight, able-bodied people for roles.
You have representation on this show. An African man, a South Korean woman, and Indian Woman, and a Spanish man. You have four people of color that are main characters, flushed with a storyline that lets them be flawed, fully-developed human beings instead of caricatures that society has forced them into.
You also have one of the eight main characters, Riley, struggle with depression, and watch her through that journey of finding a way back to herself, finding a way to be a person again. It’s heartbreaking and inspiring to watch because you find out that Riley might just be the most important character on the show because she has stared in the face of death, and chose to keep going.
Too much happens in this show for me to go into great detail. But let me make some more points.
1.) Everyone is gorgeous, and adorable at the same time. It’s annoying.
2.) You’ll get that warm, tingly feeling from watching this show. You’ll probably shed a few tears, want to break your screen, and be jealous that you aren’t one of the eight linked together.
3.) The first episode is really confusing at first because so much goes on, but you fall into it after the second or third.
4.) This show gets really addicting, so be prepared to make time for it.
5.) The romantic and platonic relationships on this show are so real and well done and will give you all the feels. Sorry in advance.
That’s all I got.
Watch it. Watch it. Watch it.
Watch it because it’s an accurate depiction of humanity, and what we will do for each other, and what it means to take a stand, if not for you, but for someone else.
And how we are all inexplicably linked, mind-melded or not.
I’m very late to this party, and not fashionably.
More like awkwardly because I can’t seem to do any better.
ANYWAY… let’s talk about raven-haired, snarky, foul-mouthed Jones struggling with PTSD after being under mind control for more than a year.
And repeatedly raped.
And forced to kill an innocent woman, the wife of the man she falls in love with.
I’ll get to all of those things but first, let’s sink our teeth into Jessica Jones and why she is irrevocably important.
Right from the get-go Jessica Jones is a person you don’t want to mess with. And it isn’t the ability to fly or her super-strength.
It’s the hostile, guarded look in her wide dark eyes and the snarl behind her gritted teeth of a smile. It’s in the casual way she flips someone off and the confident stride.
The blunt, sharp-edged words that she tosses seemingly without a care in the world of how they affect the person she’s talking to.
Jones is utterly terrifying, while also being utterly vulnerable as well.
She wears her fiery anger for what her abuser did on her leather jacket-clad sleeve, and suffers the onset of many panic attacks that she is barely able to force back by murmuring three words:
“Birch Street. Higgins Drive. Cobalt Lane.”
Jones doesn’t apologize, and it’s extremely refreshing because women are often put into that corner, apologizing for all of the things that happen to them, and can never seem to fight their way out of it.
Jessica Jones is mean and angry and frustrated, and she makes no apologies for those facts because her world has never been the forgiving type.
Despite all of this, Jones is incredibly selfless and good, placing the needs of her sister above her own always, makes sure that Malcolm, another one of Kilgrave’s victims makes it to his room, and does the best she can for the sad girl, Hope, to move on, even if it was all in vain.
Jessica Jones is the prime example of what it means to be defeated but still fight anyway. To lose everything but still search for something to hold on to. To get the air knock out of your lungs, knowing you’re going to lose this battle, but stagger up anyway for the next punch.
To lose everything but still search for something to hold on to. To get the air knock out of your lungs, knowing you’re going to lose this battle, but stagger up anyway for the next punch.
What’s also great about Jessica Jones is that while sexual assault is a giant topic throughout the show, the act is never shown. That, in itself, is amazing because the watcher understands the trauma without ever having to see it.
Neither Jones’ or Hope’s rape is ever shown, but you can tell that it was horrific and shattering without ever having to witness it.
Game of Thrones and CW’s Reign are just two out of many shows that have depicted a rape, and many have been upset by it because it’s seen as being used for shock factor or a way to boost the ratings.
I, for one, agree on this, but if you need convincing, just google search what I’ve said and A LOT will come up.
This show mixes in many themes throughout its thirteen-episode run: trauma, assault, bystander effect, grief, and standing up for what’s right, even if it nearly kills you.
Jones isn’t an antihero, but a reluctant one. She isn’t nice, but she’s ferociously loyal and kind. She cares desperately, the weight of her feelings is enough to crush her, which is probably why she’s always downing a drink, the alcohol burning a familiar path down her throat.
I know I’m jumping around, here, but this is my review, and you’ve stuck around for this long, so bear with me here. I’m about to tell you why Jessica Jones is incredible, and not because an audience saw a woman be herself without making no compromises, but because they saw her and watched… and now there will be a second season next year.
With the exception of Supergirl, which is currently in its own second season on the CW, it’s very rare to see a woman heading a superhero movie, let alone a show. There’s Iron Man, Thor, The Hulk, Captain America, and Black Widow!
Oh, wait, Black Widow will never have her own movie, because Marvel still doesn’t believe that an audience will pay to watch her… because that’s a smart train of thought.
I don’t really have to list off the names for superhero television shows, but I will. Arrow, The Flash, Constantine, Gotham, Smallville… come on, guys.
Come. On.
I don’t know what’s worse: the fact that people still don’t think that women are interesting, or that if they the main character in a show, they usually end up revolving around one or two guys that can’t live without her.
Vampire Diaries, anyone? Scandal, anyone?
Don’t get me wrong, I love those shows. But still.
I’m not denying that Jones has a love interest in the show, and in fact, that’s cool. Good for her for being able to move on from what happened to her and start to heal with a guy that’s actually a pretty decent human being.
There should be more Luke Cage’s out there in the world.
Here’s my point: watch Jessica Jones.
I don’t give the best explanations, in fact, I ramble and babble and become pretty incomprehensible.
But I think you got something out of my words.
Watch Jessica Jones, because as much as she’s a superhero, she’s also incredibly human, struggling to get by, afraid to lean on the ones she loves, and still trying to figure out who she is, even though you find out exactly the kind of person she’s become.
“Marvel’s Luke Cage” was released by Netflix on September 30th. The 13-episode series focuses on the reluctant and indestructible superhero Luke Cage trying to protect the people of Harlem, New York. By day, Cage doubles as a maintenance worker at a Barber shop and a dishwasher at an up-and-coming club.
At night, Cage dons a tattered, bullet-holed jacket, turns the hood up and does what he can for the historic neighborhood.
Cage is a person of color. With that being said, he is fully aware of the awful stereotypes that weigh on his shoulders each day. He doesn’t let who society thinks he is define him. Cage is someone who is completely aware of the odds against him, and puts his hood up anyway because a gun could never pose any kind of danger.
Cage is an exception.
He is an exception, not only because he is an unbreakable person, but because he’s black as well. In an age where people of color are being killed every day and videos on the news depict unarmed, defenseless people being shot at for the pigment of their skin, he is an exception.
If you fired a gun at Cage? He would catch that bullet mid-air and crush it in his hand as if it was a paper airplane.
Cage isn’t a newly formed superhero. He was first introduced by Marvel comics in 1972 and has even been the leader of the Avengers.
Nothing can pierce Cage’s skin or leave a mark. Bullets bounce off his body and trying to stab him with a knife leaves the once deadly weapon a shattered mess on the ground.
In the third episode of another Netflix original series, “Marvel’s Jessica Jones,” Cage turned on an electric hand saw and pressed it to his stomach. Not only did the hand saw fail to mar his skin, but the machine became a mangled, broken piece of junk.
Luke was terrifying.
And it wasn’t just the expansive, massive shoulders.
The well-muscled, tree-trunk arms… or the barreled, impressively bulky chest.
It wasn’t just the big, long-fingered hands that tightly gripped the broom.
It was because he breathed a challenge.
One look into those intense, unwavering dark eyes, ones that were daring you to pick a fight with a mountain, of all things.
And you were at once, a complete and total goner.
Cage has a superpower and he uses it for noble reasons.
“I’m not for hire, but you’ve got my word, ma’am. I’ve got you,” Cage said after saving his landlord and her husband from a mugging in their restaurant.
On the outside, Cage isn’t so different from the rest of our attractive, rough childhood martyr superheroes of today. He saves innocent people, he puts what’s best for everyone else above himself, and he’s always trying to see the good in others.
However, Cage is unique because his superpowers directly tie-in with problems that himself, a person of color, has to deal with every day.
He knows without a doubt he will survive that bullet, that he can brace for impact and come out completely unscathed.
In the real world, people of color don’t have that kind of safety net.
Cage is a fantasy because he is what people of color want to be in the face of the terrible danger they’re being put through today. To have impenetrable skin and superhuman strength could make a huge difference in their problems, especially against the police force.
Watch a bulletproof man become a savior because he is good, kind, and struggling to become the superhero he never wanted to be.
Watch Luke Cage because while he is a fantasy and he is also a beacon of hope for someone who will never be bulletproof, but can still be a hero by taking a stand for what’s right.
I write reviews and recaps and blah blah blah, you’ve already stopped reading and there’s nothing really left for me to say.
Tomorrow I should have the first episode recap for Marvel’s Luke Cage on Netflix!
Maybe also a review for ABC’s Notorious!
More to come!
Okay, I’m done with the !
!!!
Sorry.
inwhichagirlreviews 