Grab Bag

[osprey_archer]

1. I had a dinner today! A grown-up dinner wherein grad students and professors mingled! And by mingled I mean mostly I sat there and listened to the professors talk, which was quite interesting - one of them met Herbert Hoover when he was seven (the professor, not Hoover, unless of course he is a vampire professor...) Plus I had roasted herb chicken with gorgonzola mashed potatoes which were DELICIOUS - even the carrots were delicious! - so clearly this should happen more often.

They seemed, disconcertingly, to be far more current on recent movies than I am (what is this Argo, you guys?). This clearly lends support to my nascent plan to start making pilgrimages to the movie theater more often. First on my list: Hyde Park on the Hudson.

2. The latest in the Lizzie Bennet Diaries: I'm not sure about this episode. They've stretched the vlog format before, but this eight-minute long festival of woe just seems...I don't know. One, it's just too long, and two, if this were real and not a show, why would anyone post that? Lizzie and Lydia's...I'm not sure what to call it, because it's not a full blown reconciliation...detente?

Whatever. Their interaction in this video is so emotional and intimate that I felt embarrassed watching it.

I see why the showrunners wanted an emotional reconciliation between Lizzie and Lydia, but I...just can't see why anyone would post that online. Yes, Lydia says it's okay, but a) Lydia hates herself right now, and seems to want the video posted at least partly as a form of self-punishment, and b) even if Lydia thinks she's okay with it, Lizzie is also in the video, and why would she be okay with showing one of the most emotional moments of her life onscreen?

I think something more restrained would have worked well. Remember when Jane had her break-down about Bing leaving, and Lizzie turned off the camera? Something like that.

Comments

[ladyherenya]

My theory of the moment is that Lizzie really isn't thinking clearly, because it's all still too emotional and too close to home. She wants her vlogs to give a more accurate portrayal of Lydia and show how sorry she - Lizzie - is for everything, and this seems like the way to achieve that.

But I'm also expecting - hoping? - that Lizzie's vlog is going to ultimately end because she realises that her videos have invaded the privacy of those around her, with disastrous consequences, and that this needs to stop before someone else gets hurt. They could also end it with Lizzie explaining that she needs to focus on finishing her degree / applying for jobs, but that would really only explain a temporary hiatus. Not a proper full-stop-end-of-story end - which Lizzie recognising how inappropriate and problematic her videos are would achieve.

If this isn't how they end it, then, I don't know, I'm going to feel a lot more uncomfortable about some of these videos than I do currently. At the moment I'm hoping the videos are intentionally uncomfortable and problematic.

Also, rest of the video aside, I love that it ended with Lizzie saying "I love you" to Lydia.

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

Oh, I hadn't thought that the story might end like that! That seems like a good ending - although "Lizzie gets busy with Life" seems more likely to happen, in some ways.

I also liked Lizzie's repeating "I love you" to Lydia. Clearly this is something that Lydia doesn't hear enough.

[silverusagi]

This, to everything you say about LBD. It's the first time I've ever watched an episode and gone "ummmmmmm?" to myself about what they were doing.

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

Yes. Hopefully they'll tone it down a bit in the future. I think we've passed the biggest opportunity for wallowing, anyway.

[silksieve.livejournal.com]

Re: LBD--ME TOO. I kind of handwave the posting part, but totally agree that it was too long, and imho, thought it was a bit melodramatic. I thought Lydia wallowed a bit too much. Which sounds cruel, because she totally doesn't deserve what happened, but the reaction just seemed...too much?

Also, thoughts on Lydia being culpable about something? Again, I don't believe any of what's happening is her fault, but I like the idea of Lydia being responsible for something (rather than, Lizzie, say.)

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

Yes, it felt a bit...self-indulgent, I suppose, to make it so long.

I think at the moment, we're headed for "George is completely culpable for the video, but Lizzie and Lydia are responsible for wrecking their relationship with each other (which left Lydia without support and made her vulnerable to George's schemes)."

We may, however, be headed for "The video is all George's fault, but Lydia's isolation is all Lizzie's," which...I can see how Lizzie would feel that, but after all, Lydia is an adult. She's old enough to ask Jane or Mary for support if she needs it (although I can see why she wouldn't want to ask Mary...but that still leaves Jane).

[silksieve.livejournal.com]

Yes. Totally.

[bogwitch64.livejournal.com]

I'd be interested in seeing how you like Hyde Park on Hudson.

And, yay! A grown-up dinner party!

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

I probably won't see it till next week, but I'll definitely be posting about it!

[konstantya.livejournal.com]

LBD: UGH. YES. I hate to say it, but this was the first episode I actually found myself disliking. There are good things to be found in it, sure, like Lizzie and Lydia's...yeah, detente, I guess is the best word for it, and Lizzie's "I love you"s at the end, but overall I found it too long, too melodramatic, and as someone else said, a bit too wallow-y. I kind of feel like angst started to slide into wangst, you know? I agree that something off camera, more along the lines of Jane's breakdown would have been better.

Part of me keeps hoping they'll bring Gigi in to help on the emotional support side, since, you know, she's also been screwed over by George. They've changed things up enough, story-wise, that I think it could work, but whether they choose to go that route or not is another matter...

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

Oooh, I like the idea of bringing Gigi in! I don't think Lydia would react well right now - I think she's in that stage where you meet all offers of sympathy with "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" - she'll feel like either what happened to the other person is not nearly as bad as what happened to her, or what happened to the other person is soooo much worse and how can Lydia justify wallowing like this?

But I could see, in the future, Lydia and Gigi forming an anti-Wickham support group. I bet Lydia would love San Francisco...