What I Have Been Watching: The Chosen Few (Pt2)

What I Have Been Watching is the admitted state of me spending too much time in front of the TV, especially during 2020 the Extended Version. But this time, I don't even barely attempt to tell you EVERYTHING I have been watching or we would be here all day. 

Pt1 is here.

The Falcon and the Winter Snowman Soldier, 2021 -- Disney+

Every week, as the episode came up, I asked, "So, watch The Falcon and the Blankety-Blank now?" It was rarely clever, but I amused myself and since I am not a Dad entitled to Dad Jokes, this is what I gave myself. The Falcon and the Winter is Coming was my fav, though I do recall some lame attempt at connecting him to Frozen. But I let it go.

This was the second of the new Disney+ MCU shows, that don't try to separate themselves from the MCU, as the Netflix shows did their very best to. It feels very much MCU movie-lite. The best thing about Captain America: Winter Soldier was that it was as much a spy thriller action movie, as it was a superhero movie that actually drew upon stories in the Marvel milieu. This series picks up post-Snappening (that brief period in the MCU when all Snapple beverages disappeared) in a world still recovering from those five years. For some, life begrudgingly returned to normal. For others, those that had to live through them, there would be no new normal. Borders went back up, people were displaced, families broken up and refugees abound.

Nice bit of world building, but I wish it had explored that setup more thoroughly. There were lots of ideas in this show that were just touched upon, but were never satisfyingly explored. The whole Flag Smashers, juiced up revolutionaries, trying to force world leaders to return to the open border policy through acts of terrorism, just seemed... hinted at, but never really understood. As well, the latent racism that existed against Sam, despite being a bonafide world saver. As well, the rise of a new (white) Captain America without anyone seeing he is a pretty big dick. And the reemergence of Sharon Carter, via a glimpse of Madripoor (which I know from Wolverine fame) and the mysterious Power Broker. And let us not forget Dancing Zemo. And finally, PTSD Bucky trying to make ammends.So many of these ideas could have been core to a series unto themselves, but they were mashup-ed into this one.

Don't get me wrong. I had a blast. It was exciting and adventurous, and was great to see the characters in action again. But I was hoping for something just a ... little more.

Shadow & Bone, 2021 -- Netflix

J (Marmy, the Peanut Gallery) has these books on the shelf. Before we began watching, I asked her for a breakdown, and whether I would like them. I don't recall (my fav phrase of late) her exact response, and likely it was that she is not sure. I have a challenging relationship with fantasy. I read slower than GRR Martin can write books, and the last series I truly enjoyed thoroughly was his, as well as The Malazan books by Stephen Erickson. I am more fond of traditional, generic fantasy being that in a swords & sorcery world with monsters and gritty male heroes; yup, Mary Sue the fuck out of me. I am also less fond of the latent Fantasy Victorian or Edwardian genres, i.e. fantasy that also seems more set in Victorian Europe than medieval Europe. BUT, I am not entirely adverse to it, so I gave this one a shot. Don't get me wrong, I am not against these sub-genres, but they are not my cup of tea with the Queen.

Ravka is a European-styled country at war with nations to the north and nations to the south, further hampered by being divided down its centre by a massive black .... void, called the Shadow Fold. Think a swirling mass of clouds filled with monsters that are certain to kill anyone who passes within. Alina Starkhov is a map maker assigned to the army, with a small squad of friends, as well as her star-crossed crush from childhood, Mal the tracker. She is also Grisha, this world's code for Magic-User. Grisha were once outlawed and hated, until they were gathered into the armies, to make use of the magic powers, towards the needs of Ravka. But Alina is hiding her ability, even from herself. It comes to light, pun entirely intended, when she is forced to defend herself while inside the Shadow Fold, ina  brilliant burst of white light that no one can ignore. Suddenly she is the Chosen One, the girl from prophecy who will destroy the Fold and unite Ravka.

*Spoilery Spoilers Easily Guessed*

Buuuuuut, the youngish, handsome General who is supposed to be mentoring her is, in fact, the evil Grisha who created the Fold ages ago (i.e. he's not young at all), and wants to manipulate her to further his own ends.

This is classic Young Adult Fantasy, where Young Girl Heroine has an unspoken crush on her Best Friend, and it takes FOREVER to reveal this to each other. There are other youngish characters all vying for connection to the main character, being drawn into her drama, but with tons of drama of their own. There is magic, and horniness, and family intrigue and violence.... and yet, almost no depictions of this war that is the centre of the entire series. There are some great visuals, and some great characters, but for the most part I was bored, and not expecting to being un-bored. It was as if all the actual juicy bits, including the romance between Love Interest Sex and Love Interest Emotion (the two boys) were only being reference in the most threadbare manner. The only story I took any real interest in, was a side-plot about a Grisha being taken captive by a "witch hunter", a warrior of the North where they despise Grisha. The witch and the witch hunter fall in love, because of course they do. 

If not for being beautifully shot, with some fantastic settings and visuals, as well as some compelling performances and world building, I would have wandered out of the room while Marmy continued to watch. In the end, I considered it Alright, as much Fantasy on TV is these days.