#i think it goes without saying that danai and andy's performances are fucking insane as well.

[thosewildcharms]

i'll be thinking about 1x04 for the rest of my life probably, but currently i'm thinking about how genius it was that instead of the episode being about convincing rick to fight the CRM, as I originally thought it would be, it ended up being a battle to bring rick himself back to life. it's both rick and michonne fighting to revive a dead man who is doing anything he can to stay dead.

the show had already established that rick metaphorically killed himself and made okafor's mission his own instead of committing suicide and that from the moment she arrived he went into panic mode and was doing everything he could do put himself between her and the many threats aimed at her. like, we knew all of that going in.

and then this episode blows that wide open in the first, what, ten minutes? the CRM thinks they're dead. they can leave. and still, rick clings to okafor's mission. and in the hands of lesser writers, in the hands of any other production team who did not understand these characters as profoundly as danai and andy understand them, that's where it would have ended. rick would have genuinely been fully brainwashed and have been coming from a place of misplaced egotism, and they'd be having a very different fight. it would be rick insisting he had to fight the crm alone and michonne arguing that they can fight them together with nothing deeper than that going on.

but of course that's not it, because that's not rick grimes, and this is danai gurira's pen. he's not brainwashed, he's broken. he's so deeply and profoundly traumatized that clinging to this mission as a way of maintaining his own metaphorical death has become the last and strongest wall of his self-defense mechanism. and he spends the whole episode desperately trying to keep that wall up, and failing.

when he sees michonne's scar, he immediately looks for the PRB. because the physical proof of how much danger she will always be in reminds him of how much he can no longer bear to witness it. when michonne tells him about RJ, he asks her to give him the PRB and when he learns that RJ calls himself Little Brave Man, he doubles down on okafor's plan. because he can never lose another child (the way he lost carl twice) if he never knows or meets him in the first place. when michonne blows up about how scared and guilty she feels about not being with their kids he goes completely cold and blank and tells her to go back home. because if they're all out of sight and together they'll always be alive in his mind. because he's already dead, but they don't have to be. he becomes truly recognizable to michonne, to remain unmoved in the face of her pain like that.

and yet. he lasts about ten seconds before sprinting after when she leaves the room. he fusses over her when she can't stop coughing and refuses to leave her side when she's in danger. several times michonne checks in, to see if her rick is still there ("do you still love me?" "I just needed to hear you say it") and confirms that yes, he is. he's emphatic that he has never stopped loving her and never will, that she never has to thank him ever, for saving her life or for anything else. over and over, his love for her wins out even though he's trying so hard to keep that wall up. to remain dead so she will leave and keep living. he's trying to convince both her and himself that he's already gone, but always breaks at the last minute because the immediacy of seeing her right in front of him is more powerful than his own fear. tries to shut himself down, can't resist her, rinse and repeat.

and god, michonne. i've been yammering about the intensity of rick's love for michonne for weeks now, but michonne has done nothing but prove that she's right there with him, if not more. to reveal that rick is the only person who has ever made her feel safe, only to have him continually reject her and be a stone wall against her anger and pain and fear and confusion was so fucking heartbreaking to watch, and still she spends the whole episode banging and scratching and tearing at that wall around him, begging to understand why he's lying to her, why he's being so antithetical to the man she loves. and once she figures out that there's something else going on, that the rick she loves is undoubtedly still in there, she knows exactly what to do to save him. she forces him to say how much he loves her, how much he can't bear to actually let her leave him, so both of them can hear it and then reminds him of how he loves her. this woman spent a decade alone, afraid, raising their kids and facing horrible trauma herself, almost dies trying to find her husband only to meet a stranger once she does, and still does not give up on him. fucking incredible.

i said in a previous post that the only thing that could keep rick grimes from doing anything to get back to his family is a threat to their lives. and it's still true - his grief and trauma is so profound that even the nebulous threat of losing them is so horrifically terrifying to him that he's refusing to go home to them, keeping himself dead to protect himself from their possible deaths. but ultimately, michonne's love for him is even stronger than that. it took almost a decade for the CRM to break him, and michonne brings him back in a day. because the love they have for each other is more powerful than anything. as she says, it can't be denied.

it's honestly the most romantic hour of television i've ever watched. there's so much more that i can say that i haven't even touched on here, and i'm sure i'll be thinking about it for a very long time.

#richonne #the ones who live #i think it goes without saying that danai and andy's performances are fucking insane as well. #twd

[the-desolated-quill]

Black Panther - Quill’s Quickies (No Spoilers)

Going into this movie, I had mixed feelings to say the least. On the one hand, I was excited because we’re finally getting a Black Panther movie. I read some of the comics when I was younger and remember really enjoying them, plus the character was one of the best things about Captain American: Civil War. On the other hand, I was a little apprehensive because... well... it’s a fucking Marvel movie.

It’s no secret how much I’ve grown to dislike the Marvel Cinematic Universe over the years due to how homogenised and formulaic their films and TV shows have become. I thought Marvel’s offerings last year in particular were pretty dire. Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 I personally thought was about as entertaining as tripping over and breaking your jaw on a doorframe, Spider-Man Homecoming has got to be one of the most shallow and vapid movies I think I’ve ever experienced, Iron Fist was a boring and convoluted mess, The Defenders was a total waste of time containing more padding then a king-size mattress, and The Punisher I basically just lost interest in about halfway through.

In my opinion, Marvel has become a giant soulless sequel factory, churning out more and more mediocre crap as if it were on a conveyor belt rather than actually putting in the effort to create content people might actually want to see (I mean seriously, who the fuck is actually interested in Ant-Man And The Wasp? The most positive thing I’ve ever heard anyone say about the first movie was ‘meh, the shrinking scenes were okay, i guess’). Not to mention all the other shady and bigoted bullshit that goes on behind the scenes (coughDoctorStrangecough). So did I have reason to believe they would fuck up Black Panther? Yes, I think so. Which is why it came as an overwhelmingly pleasant surprise to find that not only did they not fuck up Black Panther, but it could also be my new favourite superhero movie of all time.

Let’s not beat around the bush any longer. I LOVE this movie! Hell, I practically worship it! And there are multiple reasons for that. For starters, there’s none of the usual crap you normally get in Marvel movies. No pointless fanwank. No mention of those poxy Infinity Stones or any of that other convoluted rubbish that I’ve long since stopped caring about. While this does continue certain thematic elements and character arcs established in Civil War, Black Panther is largely a standalone entity that works independently from the rest of the MCU clusterfuck. But I think what makes Black Panther stand head and shoulders above the rest of its brethren is that, unlike most recent movies, this one actually has something important and worthwhile to say, and it does it in a very unique, intelligent and compelling way.

I almost feel guilty for not having more faith in Ryan Coogler going into this because he’s done an exceptional job as director. The level of care and attention to detail is truly extraordinary. When I got my first glimpse at Wakanda on the big screen, I gasped. It’s so breathtakingly beautiful. Plus, rather than going down the generic sci-fi route like Guardians Of The Galaxy and Thor have done, Coogler has actually taken the time to really expand and intricately construct this society. This same level of care has also been applied to the characters, who feel like real people as opposed to one dimensional, joke spewing machines (coughAnt-Mancough). You can tell that Coogler and everyone else involved in this film are really passionate about what they’re doing and that they want to give us more than just the standard good vs evil plot we’ve seen done so many times before. Black Panther isn’t your average superhero movie. It’s an introspective character piece that utilises the Afrofuturism sub-genre to explore what it means to be black in the modern world, dealing with themes such as oppression, isolationism, freedom and autonomy.

Chadwick Boseman gives yet another great performance as T’Challa as we see him struggle with his new-found responsibilities as King of Wakanda as well as his residual feelings of grief over his father’s death (without giving away too much, sons trying to live up to fathers’ ideals play a big part in this movie and is quite possibly the main driving force behind the narrative). Martin Freeman and Andy Serkis reprise their roles as Everett K Ross and Ulysses Klaue respectively and give predictably good performances, as does Get Out star Daniel Kaluuya as W’Kabi and Winston Duke as M’Baku.

Do you know what else this film has that most MCU movies don’t? Strong black women! Oh thank the Maker! You’ve got Angela Bassett as T’Challa’s mum Ramonda and Danai Gurira as royal bodyguard Okoye, and both are incredible. Lupita Nyong’o plays Black Panther’s love interest Nakia and she’s brilliant too. She’s not just a prize for the male hero to win at the end. She actually has her own arc and character outside of just being the girlfriend, which is nice. But the breakout star is Letitia Wright as Black Panther’s sister Shuri. What a great role model for black girls! She’s funny, bubbly and insanely clever, crafting a lot of her big brother’s tech. Wright injects so much personality into the part that you can’t help but love her. I hope this film leads to bigger and better things for her in the future because she is truly amazing.

Finally there’s Michael B Jordan as the film’s primary antagonist Erik Killmonger. Now Marvel has always had a bit of a villain problem. Most have been generic, uninspired non-threats that simply aren’t interesting to watch. Killmonger feels like a breath of fresh air. Not only is he not a generic baddie, the film also takes the time to really get to the heart of this character. There are moments where we get to see Killmonger at his most vulnerable and sensitive, and while his actions are both shocking and violent, they come come from a very raw and emotional place. It’s hard for me to really convey why I love this character so much without going into spoilers, but trust me. He is one of the most unique and compelling antagonists ever to come out of the MCU, and Michael B Jordan does an incredible job bringing him to life.

There’s so much I want to talk about, but I really don’t want to spoil the film for you. If you haven’t already, you NEED to watch Black Panther as soon as possible. It’s one of the most powerful and intelligent comic book movies I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching, and the fact that it’s come from Marvel of all places makes it all the more remarkable for me. It reminds me of why I love cinema and storytelling as an art form so much, and I’m so happy that this incredible film has given black people vital and empowering representation in the cinematic landscape as well as providing a much needed voice for them. This is one of the most culturally significant movies ever to come out in recent memory and you’d be a fool to miss it.

#black panther #marvel cinematic universe #quill's quickies #no spoilers