What have I been doing this week? I’m glad you asked! Here’s what’s been on my watchlist this week:
*Note: My reviews usually contain spoilers. You have been warned. Proceed at your own risk.*
TV
The Red Sleeve Cuff (2021) – Ep 3-12
I’ve finally had the chance to return to The Red Sleeve Cuff after an extended hiatus (handling two sageuks at once proved to be a bit much for me), and I’m ready to give my full attention to Seong Deok-im (Lee Se-young) and her life as a palace court maid. Life has been particularly challenging for her since her assignment as Yi San’s (Lee Junho) personal handmaiden.
It’s quite obvious to everyone in court that Deok-im has caught the prince’s eye, which paints a target on her back for all his enemies. However, Deok-im proves herself smart and resourceful at every turn, and when she isn’t saving her own skin she has any number of people that she’s befriended to help her out.
By far the most interesting element of the show for me was the secret society of court ladies, who referred to themselves as the Fairy Palace. I love learning about the people that make a place function like a well-oiled machine, and oftentimes the court ladies in sageuks are there as a part of the background and oftentimes expendable. I like having them take the forefront here, and seeing what their hopes and dreams are outside of just serving the masters of the palace. While Head Court Lady Jo’s (Park Ji-young) moral compass seems to have broken, I can fully understand where she might have been coming from in not wanting to have just anybody on the throne.
That being said, Yi San continues to be punished for the crimes of his father, and no one is able to stand up for him since it would mean defying the King (Lee Deok-hwa) himself. In my research, I found that Yi San was a mere 24 years old when he took the throne, and had been his grandfather’s heir since age 7. Constantly being watched to see if his father’s madness was showing in him would make anyone insecure and upset, but unable to react for fear of being branded the same. The way the show portrays his relationship with his grandfather is rather complex, and at times confusing because it shows very little of his personal opinion of the man.
With the king’s own illness taking hold of him, Yi San becomes regent to the throne, and shortly thereafter ascends the throne properly upon the king’s death. The show does a 3-year jump forward in time, and it seems that quite a bit has changed at court. However, there appears to be a stalemate in Deok-im and San’s relationship. She continues to wait on him as one of many court ladies, although it looks like palace life is wearing on her. He continues to wait for her, hoping that she will agree to becoming queen consort. When last I left them, he had just confessed to wanting to make her family, but I’m not sure if Deok-im is in a place to accept his offer just yet with her own ambitions still unfulfilled.
With most of his opposers now dead or banished, it would seem like the road ahead will be smooth for San, but I don’t think that will be the case for very long. For one, it would make for very boring television. Secondly, there still seems to be plenty of opposition to his way of thinking and his vision for Joseon.
I’m looking forward to seeing how both our leads navigate the challenges ahead of them, and I’m hoping they get to be individuals before they are together. However, I’m sure once they are together, it will be absolutely explosive (tragic historic ending aside). Let’s see how it goes.
Movies
83 (2021)
Sports films, especially underdog biopics like these are usually ripe for drama and high stakes action. 83 is no exception, but it sets up its premise very well. It helps that the events of the film don’t take place too long ago, so it is still fresh and relevant for a lot of people who were around and saw the Cricket World Cup that is depicted here. It also capitalizes on a sense of nationalism that is an essential element in stirring people’s hearts.
Where the film excels, however, is in its performances. Ranveer Singh embodies Kapil Dev’s character, and the writing here supports him really well, making an iconic historical figure a relatable and down to earth man.
While the film did have issues in its editing, and it was sometimes hard to follow who the opponents were or when a particular match was taking place, I liked the element of mixing in real footage into the film. Where a lot of films have tried and failed at this, 83 managed to pull it off smoothly by having it blended in on screens, in newspaper clipping and other unintrusive way.
I came away from the film having enjoyed it, feeling a sense of pride in this team that no one believed in and wanting to know more, despite already being quite familiar with the Indian cricket team and having a good outline of their history. And if that isn’t a sign of an engaging film, I don’t know what is.
Books
A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas – Ch 1-53
Just as I’d predicted (and secretly hoped, if I’m being honest) the third part in Maas’s Court series is absolutely bonkers, and I’ve been simultaneously reading and yelling at my copy of ACOWAR.
If that sounds dramatic, it’s nothing compared to the drama unfolding in the book, which is on an unrivaled level. Maas seems to delight in delivering one plot twist after another, and it is giving me emotional whiplash trying to keep up. When the book opened, Feyre had safely infiltrated the Spring Court and gotten almost everyone there to believe that she’d been brainwashed and held captive in the Night Court with Rhysand. She’s also apparently turned into the biggest mastermind manipulator and just with a few well-placed words and hands manages to overturn the entire court, while also simultaneously dragging the unwitting Lucien along with her. How convenient, especially considering her now Fae sister happens to be his mate.
Once she’s learnt of their enemy’s plans, planted the seed for civil unrest in Spring and made a rather perilous journey back to Night, it’s only a matter of time before their real planning begins. War with Hybern is imminent, and apparently none of the other courts seem particularly inclined to helping them. This is a particularly hard pill to swallow, considering that the war will be happening on their lands, so the people that have the most to lose – and therefore the most to gain from preventing it – are those very same High Lords of Prythian. It’s these kinds of inconsistencies in writing and character that really bother me.
Similarly inconsistent is the way in which Tamlin is written. From reading the way he interacts with Feyre and Rhysand, you would think he’s never been slighted in his 500+ years of life. He behaves like a petulant child that’s had his favorite toy taken away, that too in front of his peers, with little shame. Beron of Autumn Court is similarly shallow and immature, seeking petty revenges. His eldest son’s history, however, seems to be getting conveniently altered to give him some redemptive qualities and I suspect he will soon be replacing his father. Beron’s youngest is also having his history altered, namely in the direction of being a child of his mother’s affair with Helion of Day Court.
I will say that by far my favourite sequence of the book so far was the meeting that took place in Dawn Court. Getting introduced to all the High Lords of Prythian, getting a sense of their histories and personalities was very enlightening, and this is where Maas excels in her writing. She is incredible at universe building, which is what drew me into her first book initially. It’s only unfortunate that she goes off on these tangents at the cost of building the plot and characters.
I’m honestly not expecting much improvement in terms of the writing in the last third of the book, and now that the war is upon them, it’s very likely that there are going to be a number of shortcuts and last minute solutions that appear. I’m most likely going to see the rest of this book through and put the rest of the series aside.
Colourful Granny 