#vidi

[theskyexists]

Watched Enola Holmes 2, it was really quite good.

Watched Enola Holmes 3, it was really quite terrible.

[pirduva]

Shitpost and a different brush to avoid artblock

As always, all characters belong to @brightgoat ↓ Original image ↓

[theskyexists]

Ok i watched phm

I fear i can only compare it to the book. But that meant i was very happy to recognise things and I really enjoyed some interpretations

They also diverge wildly in the details, which I thought was a poor choice sometimes. Softens everything up

I think they did their best with the pacing - I think they did a good job translating it from the book's pacing - which is just very difficult

I think they undercentred the science. I know. What a book reader type of thing for me to say but. We didn't need five close ups in a row of grace looking at Eva stratt singing, we DID need more explanation - more PAUSE in the explanation - about astrophage - about earth- about everything - to let the stakes land also. I couldn't read the martian book bc it seemed too belligerently trying to tell me all about the science but I thought the film hit a good balance. So I can also hold the opposite position

This brings me to Ryan Gosling. Best performance I've seen from him yet. But. I felt he oversold the FUN teacher part, and undersold the fun TEACHER part. Not just his fault though I think

Also. I wanted more of Rocky the Alien, and less of Rocky the buddy. More Grace being fascinated. Analytical Grace. More learning about each other. More siblings in science. More - eridians are way ahead of us in material science, Rocky is an engineering genius, but they don't have computers. HOW DID THEY GET HERE? WOW. They replaced that with visuals meant to inspire awe. And kind of... a jock of a Grace. He wasn't DELIGHTED by finding things out about Rocky. there wasn't much of Grace the SCIENTIST - the guy wanting to KNOW... I really wish they'd let him do more calculations, mumbling it, writing it down, just as background to everything else. The book is trying to sell you SCIENCE with such goofy conviction I found that charming - a meta kind of charming since Grace is a teacher. Look what basic physics calculations can help you do!!

Wish there'd been less focus on them bonding like Ryan Gosling would bond and more like two siblings in science would or whatever Weir made a point of. In the book already i was doubtful of how human Rocky came across - but this was next level - no different cultural norms for eating (cheap gag instead, for time i imagine), no thoughts about how his body works, how different his species is. NO SINGLE LINE ABOUT HOW ROCKY IS IN FACT THE PROOF THAT GRACE WAS RIGHT IN HIS PAPER. Somehow rocky,'s species has a perfect reference point for 'teacher' and 'ex mate found someone else'

This brings me to: why did they put in Carl... He was fun, it was nice. But the whole point of Grace's character is that he doesn't belong. That Rocky is his most unlikely best friend, despite being a LITERAL alien. While the screenplay forced him to, and never leaned fully into Grace as an isolated individual, I also felt Ryan Gosling gave Grace such charm that it messed up the gravity of his connection with Rocky. I am biased against Gosling though I knew that going in.

LOVED the eridian language. The organ/pipe like effect. And the voice was good. Surprisingly really, really good. I thought I wouldn't like the look bc i always imagine rocky as more metal like but actually the puppeteering was genuinely awesome and the look really really worked.

I really loved Eva Stratt in the beginning. The actress definitely made it very GERMAN. She's a lot softer. But in the beginning there's still a lot of steel and I loooved seeing that combination - that take was interesting.

But later scenes... I do not really see the added value of the karaoke. And they took away the prison comment. They didn't go into how HUGE AND ARDUOUS the whole project was - how many resources it really freaking took. How enormous and megalomaniacal her responsibility.

They also had Grace basically forgive her by the end, the way he closed his video diary. And we see Earth and that everything arrived and Eva still in charge. This softens things, I thought it was stronger that we don't know anything and Grace can never forgive her or decide not to - because there's no way back. Not really. All we learn is that Earth's sun brightens again.

It felt good though seeing it - but it took out the punch.

I felt the part where he goes back for Rocky is. Too focused on Rocky ,instead of Erid - everything for naught, the whole planet dead after all. And I thought it was a mistake not to mention explicitly that it was a death sentence. Starvation for Grace after all. They mentioned Rocky dying slowly, but didn't say: and if I go back, it will be me dying slowly. But a whole planet will be saved... THAT WAS THE CONCLUSION: NOT JUST DOING IT FOR SOMEONE BUT DYING FOR SOMEONE SO THAT A WHOLE PLANET CAN BE SAVED. THATS HIS CLOSING CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT.

Oh well. Also i DO think it would have been better to just have Grace voice over things. The talking to the camera thing was clever but. Voice over would have been more effective and true to the teacher meta. Then reveal later that it was all recordings.

I think it would have been good NOT to go back to the tunnel and for that reunion to have been over the radio like i think it was in the book. Because. I dont know. I cried at that part in the book and i don't remember why but I think it was Rocky saying 'YOU CAME BACK' or some such. The complete and utter despair that Rocky was in vs his elation and disbelief. It would have shortened it and and made it punchier - we'd already spent too long in that tunnel I think , screen time wise. Really should have focused on the despair there for a little longer imo. And the choice

I really loved the early flashbacks with amazingly funny Eva Stratt and Grace moments, plus the most effective moment emotionally I think was Rocky saving Grace. I was shakin

Though my friend had to close her eyes because the lights were too harsh in that scene :/

Anyway - overall a good film. I enjoyed basically all of it. My only criticisms are related to divergences from the book tbh and I cannot undo that in my brain. Nor my prejudice towards gosling.

[theskyexists]

Really loved the benophie drama in the last two episodes. Hell yeas. And Violet was always such an awesome element to every dynamic (proving Anthony wrong also lol - wish Benedict had said all that to Anthony also about never going for his own wife if she'd been a peasant, but it was definitely more effective on his mother ofc). Sad about the Marcus/Violet explosion though. He seemed literally perfect which was enjoyable - but then not because suddenly he lost patience or confidence fully or something.

I think they definitely dropped the ball on the plan to convince the queen though??? Why didn't they tell Mondrich that they had control of Lady Penwood and they were gonna sell Sophie as a legit Penwood? ??? If it's as simple as that??? Like nobody's (other servants???) ever gonna gossip about her having WORKED AS A MAID FOR EIGHT YEARS. And they have no proof of pedigree at ALL.

I liked how they humanised the evil caricature that is Amarinta there.

I like that they showed the justice system as fully unjust. But too bad they spent no time on that.

And right after they really took the cowards way out by setting Mondrich up as the woman to break down class barriers - and then pulling back like that????? With some harebrained plan they didn't even tell Mondrich about?? (It seemed??) Then what was Mondrich's plan? Another really good speech? It seemed like they even lampshaded this weirdness. But also. God. It's so cowardly. Narratively. You mean to say that the big fucking problem the whole season was resolved like this....Deus ex Will??? After whetting my appetite for a sliver of class equality????? Dangling the queen sanctioning a maid/gentleman match over me and then snatching it back nonsensically???

I have a vague memory of season 1 doing the same, where the dude's hangup was the big problem for the romance and the last episode was just him giving it up for too small a reason. It's COWARDLY to dismiss the freaking stakes like that.

Anyway. Michaela and Francesca were really incredible together and actually all the grief was done very very tastefully.

I also think Benedict was REALLY improved as a love interest when he was standing up for his siblings ((Francesca) and being there for them and being tormented. And the second sex scene???????? Was actually romantic??????? I was SHOCKED. Hugs? Good talk and passionate devotion? Bathing? Good kisses??? Respect for Sophie's vulnerabilities???

Anywayyy

[theskyexists]

Actually that was an awesome episode. I still don't care about the queen or whistledown but it got resolved ok. Finally. And more importantly Anthony outlined the stakes for Sophie and Benedict STARKLY - while Benedict was ready to go HARD. And then Sophie decides to leave him for his sake???? Hell yeah. And he still offers to support her. And he's crying. HELL YEAH. Their most romantic scene yet. Their forehead touch.

And the Violet/Marcus scene???? HELL YES. THE BEST. THEY ARE THE BEST COUPLE THIS SEASON.

And Eloise and Hyacinth made up in a fun little aside. Eloise and Penelope had a little conversation which was full of chemistry.

And Michaela, Francesca, John all love each other, making that jigsaw puzzle ha (and John and Francesca are so so so sweet and beautiful). John Francesca's ground and Michaela Francesca's sky. Alas. That was an absolutely awful, very well acted scene.

[theskyexists]

Why did they make the fbi dude so stupid. Like literally. Too stupid surely?

Blood was found on the second floor. A huge bloodstain found on the second floor. That's consistent with suicide??????

Huh??? What about the blunt force trauma? She already completely debunked suicide. Wtf??

[pirduva]

Beso de tres 🗣️

Love reading the comments and drawing random shit

Characters belong to @brightgoat ✌️

[theskyexists]

That's hilarious. It's like the mangaka couldn't control themselves and had to find a brief outlet for mutual physical harm shit after all the wholesome teenage girls roleplaying.