rian johnson has managed to evade all common ethical problems in his screenwriting and i want everyone to know that the knives out mysteries are a perfect representation of how to write about a certain community respectfully AND simultaneously not make a big deal of how good you are at being a diverse writer.
in knives out and glass onion, both main characters are women who have been wronged by the other main character(s)—in marta's case, she experiences xenophobia from the thrombey's constantly; in andi's, she came up with a billion dollar idea which was stolen by a white man. when she took him to court for it, her entire friend group sided with this man; this directly affects helen after andi's death.
andi and marta's stories specifically represent real experiences for women who are minorities in america, but the stories are told without being too ham-fisted or obvious about it. these aren't stories about racism, xenophobia, and misogyny, they're stories involving racism, xenophobia, and misogyny, which i feel is something you don't often see. they're not triyng to prove a point by telling these stories, they're just stories being told—it's a difference that's hard to describe, but you know it when you see it. it's got less of a looking-into-the-camera-for-emphasis vibe.
alongside this, benoit was never a white/male savior to neither helen nor marta (respectively). he helped helen when she came to him about andi and he stood behind marta when he saw the tox report, but he never took over the case and they were never treated like damsels in distress. in the end, helen and marta took control of their own revenge and benoit nudged everyone else to the side while they did it. benoit is not the hero of these stories, helen and marta are.
this is good fucking writing!!!! i need film bros to be positively insufferable about rian johnson NEOW
edit 12/26/22: i've been told that ana de armas is a white latina. genuinely i did not know, she always looked brown to me and i haven't seen her in anything other than knives out, that's truly my bad. i've updated the post now to change the language about marta, other than that everything remains!
something something Jake thrives in chaos but craves peace, something something Bradley thrives in peace but craves chaos
daily create challenge || 2/365
“You used to hate this part.”
Bradley’s voice is soft. Pitched low enough that his words are more rasp than velvet, more of a scratch than a balm, but Jake still feels warmed through.
He cracks an eye open slowly as Bradley’s words hang in the air, shifting a little against Bradley’s side as he forces himself back to awake instead of dozing.
“What part?” Jake asks, arm wrapping tighter around Bradley’s waist.
He hikes his leg up higher over Bradley’s thighs and yawns, wincing when the movement reminds him how they’ve spent the afternoon.
“This,” Bradley murmurs. “Just — bein’ together.”
Jake snorts. “You mean the afterglow? M’pretty sure I love this part, sore ass be damned.”
“No,” Bradley mutters fondly. Jake can’t see it happening, but he knows Bradley is rolling his eyes. “Bein’ sore is your fault, by the way. I told you I shoulda gone slower.”
“I haven’t been home for eight weeks and you picked me up wearin’ my cologne,” Jake huffs, stifling a yawn. “I didn’t want slow, I wanted you in me.”
“Romantic.”
“Bite me.”
Bradley laughs quietly, his hand moving over Jake’s arm until he’s able to press his finger against a brand new bruise forming on Jake’s shoulder. “I did, remember?”
Jake twists one of Bradley’s nipples in retaliation. “What part, then?” he asks again, brushing a kiss against Bradley’s collarbone.
Bradley settles at the kiss to his skin, running his fingers up and down the length of Jake’s arm as he answers, “The — after afterglow, I guess. You used to hate the quiet, y’know?”
Jake swallows, closing his eyes. “I still do,” he admits. “Anywhere else, I hate it. It fuckin’ makes my skin crawl.”
Bradley tilts his head so his lips brush against Jake’s forehead as he whispers, “But here’s different?”
“You know it is,” Jake whispers back. Then, teasingly — “There’s no place like home.”
“Mm, you mean back in your house or back to using my chest as a pillow?”
“Our house,” Jake replies, pressing in closer. “And yes.”
Mav: My fetish is saying some incredibly stupid shit and watching Ice speedrun the five stages of grief as he realizes with horror that he still wants to fuck me.
Jamie Tartt with all the braincells in this episode
I miss early seasons of sunny.
And not really the type of jokes— I think dark humor is hilarious (duh) but some times they were a bit much. But I miss the dynamics. I feel like it’s even stretched up to s10 but the past few have felt so different. They felt out of character even though it’s still the same writers and the same characters and what not.
I guess I just miss when it seemed like The Gang actually cared about each other a bit. As much as they could, anyway. They’ve always been pieces of shut but they’ve always been each others pieces of shit, and it was special.
Even if they were doing something for their own gain, there was always a hint of them doing it for each other. Like, for example, Charlie Got M*lested. Dennis and Dee went full on private investigator, and sure they were only trying to “help” their their own ridiculous ego-centric/competitive reasons, but the factor the matter is they were still trying to help Charlie. In Charlie Has Cancer it seemed Dennis was truly concerned when Charlie told him, if not a bit uncomfortable. And I feel he only acted so weird because the way the Reynolds household worked when they were little. That’s a whole other post in itself, however.
In Dennis And Dee Get A New Dad, Charlie tagged along with Mac to visit his dad— and sure it was because the idea that Mac’s dad could be like a father figure to Charlie as well, but he was there to support Mac at the end of the day. As well as the fact they were so ready to beat the shit out of D&D’s biological dad for Frank.
In Dennis and Dee Go On Welfare, the twins hung out and acted like actual siblings. There was bickering and arguing sure, but that’s just how you act with your sibling. They hung out, they enjoyed each others presence, and it didn’t always have to be some huge joke about how everyone hates everyone.
Charlie Gets Crippled— when Dennis hit Charlie with his car it was real concern he had seeing Charlie in the hospital. As well as in Gun Fever when Dennis accidentally shoots him. You even see Dee talking to Colin about Charlie— letting him know Charlie’s okay. Like a friend does. Like you do when you care about someone. They even say they’ll help Charlie out with his rent!
There’s many more examples so I’ll just breeze through them here so this post doesn’t get too long. Dennis checking on Charlie and helping him write Dayman, Dennis knowing exactly how to calm Charlie down in The Gang Gets Extreme: Home Makeover Edition (and The Gang Goes to Hell), Sweet Dee Gives Birth, Dennis is a good brother. We see him being a good brother. And it’s not for any reason other than to care for Dee while she’s having her baby. Sweet Dee Has A Heart Attack, Dennis and Dee bond like actual brother and sister and he’s concerned about her well-being— actually concerned. In The Gang Wrestles For The Troops we see Charlie Dennis and Mac enjoying being together. We hear about them wrestling and having fun with one another and they stick together in those goofy fucking bird costumes. Macs Banging The Waitress: call it selfish desire or extreme attachment issues and an insane ego, but Dennis was troubled when Charlie and Mac agreed they were bffs and not him, he tried everything to get Charlie to change his mind. Charlie Kelly: King Of The Rats— I could write a whole essay on this episode alone. Dennis Dee and Mac went above and beyond for Charlie. Just to make his birthday special. Mac And Charlie Write A Movie: again, they just act like friends. Real friends. It’s obvious they cared for each other. In Charlie’s Mom Has Cancer they all try and figure out a way to help. And yeah there’s that whole subplot of Dennis not feeling anything, but I feel like that makes it matter more that he wanted to tag along to find a “cure”, whatever that cure may be.
And there’s so many more instances of them just…. Enjoying each others company. And I’m not saying it doesn’t happen anymore, I’m just saying it doesn’t happen nearly as often as it used to. It feels like now they’re just a group of ex-friends that all resent each other just below the surface. They had selfish reasoning, they always did, but they also cared about each other. The things they did, they did to try and benefit each other. And maybe it’s just because their characters are being flanderized, maybe I’m insane, I dunno. I just miss old Sunny.
every morning i wake up and make the worst possible time management decisions anyone has ever made
all of human history and language has led us to this exact moment. holy shit.
do you ever see someone in some quiet intimate moment and suddenly love them so desperately you feel like you’re dying
#like when they pass a mirror and make a face and mess with their hair a little #or when you hear someone singing in their car with the windows rolled up as they drive past you #i don’t know how to express this i just. people are people and it makes me so sad and filled up sometimes
ruth ○ she/her ○ 20s ○ peace sign bisexual ○ never really knows what's happening ○ will probably figure it out someday ○ maybe ○ hopefully
196 posts