Escape!!!

Jen, Oni, Kevin, and I are taking a pause on I’m Dying Up Here and Mind Hunters. Why? I need straight up serious escapism – straight up/no chaser. Very kindly, they’re humoring me. Also, they like the same escapist shit as me so … we’re good.

What’s on tap?
Well, we’re just about done with the second and final season of Why Women Kill. Things look bad for Bertram, Scooter, and, possibly, Vern. Catherine’s jealous, betrayed, and heartbroken. Alma finally achieved the position in society she's long craved but AT WHAT COST?! Will Dee and Rita manage to survive? 

I believe we have one episode left.

Same with Resident Alien. That is, one to go and the the show’s over. The gang’s trying to find and eliminate the giant killer Mantid alien before it releases its egg sac and Mantids take over the Earth. Honestly, would they do any worse than humans? I’m betting Mantid leaders would be an improvement over Trump, Putin, and Netanyahu.

We’ve just started watching two new-to-us shows – Stranger Things and Good Girls.

Stranger Things – A young boy vanishes, a small town uncovers a mystery involving secret experiments, there are terrifying supernatural forces and one strange little girl. It’s a sci-fi, action, horror, drama, mystery show. This should keep us entertained. I sure as fuck was drawn in by the first ep anyway. There’s five seasons – JACKPOT!

Good Girls – Three broke, in definite need, very normal suburban moms pull off a big grocery store robbery to dodge financial ruin, help their kids, and gain independence. It seems to be the start of something big. The show is labeled crime comedy-drama. First ep was fire! Four seasons – WOO HOO!

There’s also a new season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds fresh out. We can’t binge watch this one. RATZ! Next ep will air on Thursday so we’ll see it over the weekend. //sigh//

Occasionally, Jen and I will fire up an old Buffy ep. We watched the very creepy Hush on Saturday.

Unfortunately, I was reminded of how the annoying acting performances of a few of the actors always mars the show for me. A thought – maybe it’s not the actors. Maybe it's how they were written and/or directed?

Buffy was always truly uneven. She’d switch from vulnerable teen to confident, strong girl without missing a beat. No transition, no fade – it was as if a switch was thrown. Jarring and amateurish.

Willow – her over-the-top, socially awkward, shy sidekick shtick is just rural, midwestern, junior high level theatrics. It’s embarrassing.

Allyson Hannigan’s jejune performance as Willow was rivaled by the actor, Amber Benson, who plays her girlfriend Tara. Oh my fucking god, Tara was just beige amounts of awful. Her character’s backstory is that she was raised in a strict religious cult and is breaking free (exploring her witch talents and being a lesbian) now that she’s in college. A lot of possibilities there BUT she’s played as even more insecure, meek, and absolutely stilted than Willow ever was.

 Now, I understand that writer/director Joss Whedon was a complete prick (though I don’t know the full story, he’s been widely described as “toxic and casually cruel”) but he did write some believable, consistent women characters. Anya, Faith, and pretty much any of the other characters, within the Buffyverse, came off as real people. For that matter, alt universe Willow (also, Willow when she went to the dark side with grief) was a MUCH stronger, more realistic persona.

It seems Whedon just has/had absolutely zilcho talent for writing and bringing to the screen sensitive, socially awkward female characters. I mean, Xander wasn’t exactly a smooth, secure dude (understatement alert) but he was consistently believable. Spike had his less than smooth-guy moments but he was always credible – zero cringe. So, maybe those gawky, amateur hour performances of Hannigan and Benson’s were Whedon's doing, NOT necessarily the actor’s?

I understand that Hannigan, post Buffy, has had a successful career in both movies and teevee. Good for her. I’ve not seen anything she or Sarah Michelle Gellar have been in. This is primarily due to their projects not pulling my interest. Even if they did, I’d be reluctant to sit through performances that I figure would be uninspiring (based on past performances). 

Meh, movies aren’t cheap. 

I’m not gonna leave the house and be around a lot of people (potentially RFK jr. endorsed anti-vaxxing, disease carrying people) unless I’m pretty sure I’m gonna get my entertainment money’s worth.