TheBookGinger

"A room without books is like a body without a soul." - Marcus Tullius Cicero

[thebookginger]

So I just found this fun little interview snippet with R. Scott Gemmill, executive producer of The Pitt, explaining the reason behind the time jump between seasons. Making that kind of decision with one specific character in mind seems kinda crazy to me given the size of the show's ensemble cast. Like don't get me wrong I like Langdon and I'm quite invested in his arc, but he had a very realistic reason for not being in season 2. Yet the writers went out of their way to bring him back for this season, thereby sacrificing the opportunity to give Heather Collins a more satisfying conclusion to her story.

Now why is that so frustrating with regards to Samira's exit from the show? Because the writers/showrunners have proven that they are willing to go the distance for some characters and not for others. Characters like Samira (and Heather) whose unfinished journeys are not deemed worthy of future exploration. If Langdon can get this kind of treatment then why not Samira? Especially since both Samira and Langdon have an entire year of residency left before either character could move on to a fellowship/attending position.

I truly applaud this show's dedication to realism, but at the end of the day the pitt is still a fictional TV drama. The writers are not being held at gunpoint and forced to turn this fictional hospital into an exact replica of a real teaching hospital.

Characters dipping in and out of the story is not a bad thing nor is it bad writing, but it does become a problem when cohesive arcs with a somewhat clear beginning, middle and end are sacrificed in the name of realism.

Yes it's possible to make you fall in love with new characters in a single day arc. It worked with Joy and even Ogilvie grew on me by the end. But ultimately it is the core group of doctors and nurses from season 1 whom I fell in love with and keep watching for. If most of them end up on the chopping block with the exception of Robby/Dana/Abbot, then I think the show might lose me as a viewer. The writing for this season overall is still incredibly strong but I do worry that the one shift per season formula, as cool and unique as it is, will just keep leaving the audience with an ever increasing number of loose ends and unanswered questions.

[thebookginger]

I'm also just very conflicted about Samira's geriatrics storyline. Yes, it's without doubt an important field. But it is also painted by the show itself as a somewhat undesirable one. They emphasise that it would be her best shot, because there's still open spots unlike with other electives. Idk it feels a bit like a disservice to her character even though she'd of course be excellent.

The show is just so inconsistant with her writing especially compared to season 1. One of her core characteritics is that she is great with all her patients, not just the elderly. That's why she has the highest satisfaction scores. Her standout cases are clearly Joyce (sickle cell), Nandi (mercury poisioning) and Orlando. All three are connected by the fact that they a POC, constantly at risk for not being taken seriously. That's literally what happened with Joyce until Samira stepped in.

She wants to provide the best possible care to everyone, but particularly those who tend to fall through the cracks. That is why she reseraches racial disparaties in emergency medicine. The fact that her funding got cut is devastating and I wish the show had made it a bigger storyline instead of mentioning it once and never again.

They created a character who is determined to fight against a broken system but then don't do much with that and instead try to convince me that geriatrics is her true calling. It really seems like they didn't care to give Samira a meaningful and coherent storyline beyond being Robby's punching bag. Samira, you deserved so much better!

[thebookginger]

Genuinely baffled at the amount of people acting shocked (esp. over on twitter and reddit) that many of us are feeling totally blindsided by the news of Samira's exit from the pitt. Being all condescending with their stupid "ist this your first TV show" accusations. No, but it seems that it's your first time seeing a show you love being criticised.

Like why are we acting as though the pitt is this flawless untouchable thing? I love the show passionately and am truly in awe at the phenomenon it created, but let's not pretend that the one shift per season model doesn't have its limitations.

Samira's arc has been getting more hopeless and depressing with each episode. She is repeatedly belittled by her mentor in ways that have lead to a complete lack of confidence in herself. Sure, we still have 2 episodes to go but I am not sure that's enough to conclude her arc in a satisfying manner. Definitely not one worthy of a sendoff. If anything her being so beaten down at the end is perfect setup for an awesome 3rd season of getting her spark back, which would also be way more in line with where her character left off in season 1.

And I truly must be watching a different show, because what do you mean this season has been setting her character up to be written out? The season that confirmed that her plans to go to Jersey went out the window since there is nothing there for her anymore? The season that had her desperately trying to get into an elective AT PTMC?

And don't tell me it's just more realistic that way. If that is truly the reason, then I expect other beloved characters to get the same treatment after season 3. If that doesn't happen then I guess it tells us everything we need to know.

Also, why are so many people claiming that her exit is due to finishing her residency? A quick Google search tells me that a new year of residency typically starts in July. It being the 4th means that she has only just started her R4 year. So unless there is a one year time jump she would still be an R4 in season 3. Or is the show going to be selective with its realism? If so, fuck that.

[thebookginger]

Az chapter accessibility

So here is smth I’ve been thinking a lot about lately and I thought I’d just start rambling about it on tumblr. This isn’t necessarily an argument that speaks in favour of elriel or any ship for that matter but here goes. From a European’s perspective (german to be specific) I’ve been asking myself how many people actually know about the bonus chapters? I talked to a friend of mine who also enjoys Sarah’s books, but unlike me who consumes all of my media in english, she prefers to wait for the german translation of the book, which I think won’t be out until autumn this year. Like...she is completely unaware that Gwynriel or Gwyn as a character even exist and even when she reads the book she won’t know about the bonus chapter until I tell her about it or she finds it on social media. For me it’s always a pleasant surprise when I find out about extra chapters but it sometimes takes a while, like with Wings and Embers I didn’t know about it until weeks later. 

Obviously I’m aware that the largest part of the fandom is from the English-speaking world and that particularly the American book market probably generates most of the book sales for Sarah so it makes sense that she would cater to that, but I still think it’s important to remember that there are other fans outside of our little bubble and some of them might never really know about the bonus chapters because they either don’t spend their time obsessively going through the tags on social media or because the extra content isn’t accessible to them in their native language (exclusive editions are not a thing in my country so I’m pretty sure that these chapters are not ever translated). 

What I’m trying to say (and this is not meant as shade towards gwynriels, who are valid or gwyn, whom I love) is how many people would actually ship it if it weren’t for the Az chapter? Is Sarah really going to let a new romance blossom in a bonus chapter in limited book copies only available in the US? Idk as I said this is just me rambling 

[thebookginger]

So I started a reread of ACOMAF today and noticed something interesting on page 45. When Rhys first takes Feyre to the Night Court she says:

“I smelled jasmine first - then saw stars.“

She mentions it again on the same page:

“The Hall around us was open to the elements, no windows to be found, just towering pillars and gossamer curtains, swaying in that jasmine-scented breeze.”

Maybe I’m reaching, maybe this is just a coincidence or wishful thinking , I honestly have no idea when Sarah started planting hints about Elain. It made me think of a post I saw about the meaning behind jasmines and how they are apparently night-blooming flowers, commonly referred to as “Queen of the Night” (Credit to @juusworld5728). It’s definitely fitting for the Night Court/Velaris and we now know that that is also Elain‘s scent. If this was a deliberate choice then it could be another hint that she definitely fits in with the Night Court. Idk...Just thought I‘d share this with y‘all