Search Results for: social

Welcome to My Commons Watch! In this section, we will be looking over entertainment in the digital form, be it a Netflix show or viral Youtube video. Of course, once you finish reading up on each week’s topic, checking it out for yourself is absolutely mandatory! This week’s edition: The Boys

The Boys, created by Eric Kripke, has everything you would want. From gruesome superhero action to Rick and Morty style satire, this mature TV show isn’t here to play around. It offers uncomfortably realistic insight into corporate corruption, media culture, and the implications that real superheroes in today’s society would have. There is also no shortage of gore for us to really feel the action. For example, a recurring treat throughout this past season (season 2) was static shots of people’s heads exploding.

But violence isn’t all that separates this show from the rest. If you haven’t watched it already, I’m sure many of you have at least heard of it by now. The first season of The Boys excels in the single most important aspect of any film and TV production: writing. The written story is what drives any kind of production, what truly engages the audience, and what allows any filmmaker to create something great, no matter how low their budget. Most blockbuster films in theaters today are nostalgia cash grabs with no soul or substance, yet they still manage to make millions. Indie films with low budgets, on the other hand, rely on writing to stand out, and thus, offer some of the most creative and thought provoking content. So if a well-funded project could have even decent writing, it would be unstoppable. That brings us to The Boys.

Eric Kripke, the shows creator, previously worked on another show called Supernatural. Supernatural is the longest running sci fi TV show of all time, with its final season, season 15, premiering last October. The quality of the show has certainly declined in recent years, but that’s to be expected of a show over 15 years old. I bring this show up because Supernatural is a great example of how writing alone can elevate a show. Many might look at the soap opera style cinematography and dismiss the show as a typical CW drama, but it’s writing, at least in the earlier seasons, is quite underrated. Supernatural takes place in a world with ghosts, werewolves, and demons, but the characters are the best part of the show. In my opinion, love for these well written characters is what drove the show’s success, and I was glad to see Eric Kripke carry that attention into The Boys. And that’s what I want to talk about today: How to write great characters and how a show can be ruined if you neglect them.

Every single character in the show was properly fleshed out with realistic flaws and motivations. This means the villains aren’t mustache twirling villains who deliver pointless monologues, and the protagonists aren’t one-dimensional saints who just want to do good for no reason. In fact, almost all of the protagonists are murderers. The dialogue is witty, and hilariously colorful in a rated R kind of way. It does a great job of distinguishing the characters, to the point where, if I was just reading their lines on a paper, I would know exactly who was saying what. This sort of character depth made their actions unpredictable, and I often found myself wondering what they would do next. It was rewarding to watch and learn how these characters with so many layers navigated each other’s emotions and formed fragile relationships. All of this, however, is forgotten in season two.      

There are several common clichés in mainstream media that TV characters fall victim to. Those of you who have watched the show might be confused, because season two certainly had more character centered scenes than season one did. Well, that’s exactly the problem. Too many character interactions in season two screamed, “hey, this is character development”. This isn’t inherently wrong, of course, and can actually be a profound moment if done right. In season one, these moments gave us more insight into motivations, served as lessons for the characters, and helped them move forward in the plot. They always served a purpose other than “watch these two characters interact”. In season two, characters are just exchanging back stories that hold no stakes in the present, or arguing about basic ethical dilemmas for the hundredth time. The dialogue is, simply put, boring, and characters reach simple conclusions. In the end, I’m not anymore invested in their relationships than I was before, nor am I happy that I watched a scene that only existed to waste my time.

Season two also bended the characters we loved to serve the plot. This leads to confusing inconsistencies that turn the character’s we’ve come to know into strangers. For example, we know just how deeply Butcher hates Starlight because we sympathize with his hatred for superheroes who ruined his life. But the plot demanded that they work together, so Butcher overcomes his hate in just one episode. Even worse, it is thanks to one of my most hated clichés: Butcher doesn’t trust Starlight at first, but then Starlight saves his life once and Butcher says, “Thanks for what you did back there”, and suddenly all is forgiven. Another example is when a superhero who controls fire, Lamplighter, burns Mallory’s grandchildren alive, then comes face to face with Mallory years later. Lamplighter says, “You have no idea how guilty I feel”, and next thing you know, him and Mallory are teaming up. People don’t act like this, and the characters definitely should not have.

Also, this is just a personal issue, but I feel as though everyone just got softer this season. Whereas in season one, the boys were completely fine with blowing superheroes up, it is cause for ethical concerns in season two. This is yet another case of bending the characters to serve the plot: The protagonists need to be the good guys, and good guys are supposed to have moral compasses.

To put it simply, the writing took a hard hit between season one and two. Did the writer’s just become lazy after the show’s success? Are they on a tight schedule? After all, the show was greenlit for a third season before the second season even came out. But this doesn’t necessarily mean it was bad. In fact, I know that most people actually enjoyed this season, and you might too. It certainly had its moments, and I think it presented some great social commentary on the current political climate. But I think fans can at least agree that the new season did not match the quality of the first. I just hope The Boys doesn’t forget what made it so great in the first place.

Welcome to My Commons Watch. In this section, we will be looking over entertainment in the digital form, be it a Netflix show or viral Youtube video. Of course, once you finish reading up each week’s topic, checking it out for yourself is absolutely mandatory! This week’s edition: Nightcrawler

Nightcrawler is a 2014 crime thriller directed by Dan Gilroy, with an uncomfortably realistic take on modern media culture. And I have to say, Jake Gyllenhaal, who plays Louis Bloom, gives one of his greatest performances on screen.

Louis Bloom is a sociopath. He lives and operates alone, down on his luck financially, and most certainly not making strides on the social scene. But one night, he stumbles upon the world of stringing, also known as night crawling. Night crawlers celebrate when a building burns. They make vacation plans when a family is killed. Because, when these tragedies happen, night crawlers are on the scene with a camera and a light, angling for the best shot to deliver to news stations. The more shocking the footage, the more bills in their pockets. Naturally, this career appeals to our lovely protagonist, who shows talent early on. As morbid as the job can be at times, Lou manages to take it even further.

SPOILERS!

Dan Gilroy’s directorial debut film had audiences, including myself, at the edge of our seats, and I practically fell off during the movie’s final act. Few films have filled me with so much suspense. So, what makes Nightcrawler so entertaining? Why do we enjoy watching a sociopath with no redeeming qualities or relatable human traits? First, we must learn about Lou’s sociopathy.

Lou’s dialogue is something particularly unique to this film. He rarely speaks about his feelings, and when he does, it is with sinister intentions that chill us to the bone. Every other time, however, Lou is citing facts, teaching other characters, and keeping every thing in concise, logical verbal packages. At no point do we feel frustrated or feel the pace of the movie slow down for Lou do navigate complex emotions. He has none. He continually takes the logical next step, whether it’s morally questionable or not, and he wins every time. As audience members, we take joy in watching Lou do what we wish we could. Emotionlessly knowing exactly what to do and taking what we want, when we want it.

Most importantly, we are shown that society rewards emotionless characters like Lou. The news station boss praises Lou for his gruesome recordings, and pays him handsomely for them. Viewership for the news broadcast even increases. It’s a clear commentary on the media culture we are all guilty of participating in, but it also creates a bridge between us and a sociopath like Lou. Maybe we all are sociopaths in some way, but we just don’t admit it to ourselves. And while entertaining our selfish desires are satisfying to watch at first, Lou eventually takes a dark turn that even we can’t follow.

Lou sits by while a family is shot and records the suspects. Lou captures footage of the bleeding family members without ever calling for help. Lou keeps the footage of the suspects to himself, and waits for the criminals to commit another crime. Even this, we can accept as an audience, even empathize. We all can appreciate an artist dedicated to his work. The moment this empathy stops, however, is when Lou delivers this line to his partner in crime: “What if my problem wasn’t that I don’t understand people, but that I don’t like them?”. Lou holds no emotional attachments to his partner, Rick, who stuck by Lou through his entire journey, and undoubtedly helped him succeed. We value our connections with people we’ve spent significant amounts of time with, and even the evilest movie villains have someone they trust. Lou holds none of these sentiments, and when he intentionally lets Rick get shot, we are woken up to his true emptiness.  

Nightcrawler puts us face to face with our less acknowledged, dark selves. Even now, 7 years after the film’s release, it’s message hits home.

I cannot count the amount of times growing up, I was asked why I was alone. I was social and hung out with people, but I also had a tendency to sit and do stuff by myself for hours, like reading or writing. And at the time, I thought it was because I was shy and didn’t know how to talk to people but looking back at it now, maybe it had more to do with the fact that I didn’t want to talk to people. I actually liked being alone. (Now I know how that sounds. People who like to be by themselves are considered to be loners, a title that sometimes even extends itself to weirdo. But I think loners get a bad rep.)

Besides needing the alone time to recharge, introverts just like spending alone time with themselves. It isn’t the same as being lonely. While there are people I would like to hang out with, I also like working with myself. Being alone allows you to connect with yourself on a level that you may not be able to on a day to day basis when you’re around everyone else. When I’m by myself, I can sort out my thoughts, work through any problems that are bothering me, or even just meditate. I don’t think enough people are okay with being alone with themselves and their thoughts, which is why you see so many attempts of people trying to distract themselves from…well themselves.

Next time you’re by yourself and are about to text someone to hang out, figure out whether it is because you’re alone or lonely. And if you’re just alone for once, take a few moments to enjoy it.

One month. It feels like ages, but we’ve only been on campus for one month. Going into move-in day and orientation one month ago, I was itching for everything to start: for the first day of classes, the first football game, the first night on the town. However, it has only taken one month for my mindset to completely change. The theme of this past month? To me, “slow down.”

Slowing down is hard in this day and age. We live in a society that tells us to go-go-go, urging us to never let down our personas of confidence and poise. We are expected to not only succeed, but to play the part, look the part, and act the part; in other words, twenty-first century “imposter syndrome” influencers have put societal pressure at an all time high. Thus, I think there are several ways we can “slow down” in order to further our social and academic growths this month on campus.

#1: Slow Down the Homework

Okay, okay. That’s bad advice. But really, if this is you, quit spending all of your time doing homework! If you find yourself spending more than a few hours working, stop. Pause. Take a break. Engage in some valuable social interaction, watch some Netflix, eat a Rand cookie, or just breathe. It’s good to be productive, but we also need time to just be. Don’t be afraid to take a break every once in a while. After all, a little self-indulgence is good for the soul.

#2: Slow Down the Comparison

As Teddy Roosevelt once said, “Comparison is the thief of all joy.” At a university so prestigious, it is incredibly easy to fall into the trap of thinking, “Man, everyone else has their crap together,” “Everyone is so much smarter than me,” or “Why am I the only one who is failing Gen. Chem?” Everyone has their own battles, and comparing only makes us even more insecure. Believe it or not, everyone else is having their own unique period of adjusting, which often consists of missing home, of feeling overwhelmed by first exams, and of sheer lack of confidence. You are not alone.

#3: Slow Down Studying in the Library

Don’t get me wrong; Central, Peabody, and Biomedical Libraries are great. However, after hours of reading in the dark and dingy cubicles of Central Library Floor 6, life can become…well…dull. Switch up your routine! Try studying on Alumni Lawn or in Panera Bread just down the street. A change of scenery can be a good thing!

I hope we use this next month to grow closer together as a first-year class. I hope we slow down and enjoy the time we are spending here. I hope we never take any second, any meal swipe, or any twenty-minute-walk-to-Wilson for granted. Let’s slow down together.