I kept hearing from all these young men, that it was the first erection they ever had, watching Barbarella. And I thought, "yeah, I'll take that. I saw it. I didn't think it was sexy. I thought it was fun and camp. I'm glad people enjoyed it. But it was a terrible experience to make."
#this makes me simultaneously giddy and sad #sad that she had to get drunk and felt rotten making it #giddy that she appreciates how 'formative' the movie was for a whole generation of young men #and young sapphic and bi women like myself
The Time Tunnel | one gifset per episode | 1x25 “The Death Merchant”
With no shortage of Civil War poetry, literature, history, and pop culture to compete with, Bob and Wanda Duncan add their own twist by bringing Machiavelli and his dog, transported to the future by a time distortion.
I think - maybe - the conceit that Doug and Tony get drafted into opposing sides of the conflict, based on nothing but who threw a uniform at them first, might be a commentary on something. Machiavelli’s almost sexual delight in gunpowder might also be a commentary on something. That’s all I’ve got.
The Duncans have two plot devices: amnesia/brainwashing and The Boys are Fightinggg. God bless them.
I might not care for this ep. And it might be two years later. But the task is one gifset per episode and thanks for your patience.
Things to Enjoy
Doug’s little bromance with the Union major. It ends too soon. You get the impression that Doug likes it when a rugged handsome guy starts giving him orders. Then Machiavelli shoots him. Doug gently fingers his perforated lung, but it does no good. :(
Doug spends most of the ep in the awkward position of trying to keep Tony alive while Tony’s trying to kill him. It’s not played for angst (that’d be too character-driven. this is a running and jumping show) but there’s a moment of something when Doug says he’s Tony’s only link to the future. As we’ll see next ep, Tony cares less and less about that as these adventures wear on.
Machiavelli is Malachi Throne, which is a great name, and I like his cape.
I suppose Tony deciding to join the Confederates because they killed a young man right in front of him is the sort of impulsive thing he would do. He’ll do a lot when his anger gets the best of him.
Does he even know they are the Confederacy? What that means? It’s not clear. Doug doesn’t mention it. Hey bud, how’s that war in defence of slavery going?
This isn’t unique to Bob and Wanda Duncan by any means! The Civil War has been divorced from its material (political and economic) causes and mythologized to fill the emotional needs of the American people, and I don’t mean that in a complimentary way. viz. Shenandoah with James Stewart, where the war is a completely personal undertaking, as if the Civil War was just another paroxysm of American individualism and not the same old story of capital exploiting human beings.
COMING SOON, IN A WORLD, etc. I’m making gifs by muscle memory because it’s been over a year (!) so excuse the wonky timing and coloring and everything (!!) but we couldn’t just drop Tony and Doug like the network did (!!!)
And get hype, because “The Death Merchant” is written by Bob & Wanda Duncan. That means amnesia, bondage, and the amnesia-curing power of love. I think that’s called whump, idk.
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