Here Be Dragons

It feels like the world is in a crap place right now: fatal consequences of abhorrent racial inequality, the rise of Isis, the awful sexism that is still pervasive in our society, deadly sieges in Australian cafes, tornadoes in Los Angeles, earthquakes in the midwest, pay inequity, entrenched career politicians, torture reports, global warming the massive failings of our news organizations to actually do their jobs...

So...I took my dog to see Santa.

Debra Granik

Maureen Ryan of the Huffington Post wrote an elegant, articulate, and extremely important article:  'Outlander,' The Wedding Episode and TV's Sexual Revolution.  

This piece is definitely worth a read, even if you are not currently watching the show (Which you should be because it is wonderfully executed, full of complex characters, not to mention, the show is a fine example of subtle but innovative storytelling. Vote with your viewing habits!)  

A few highlights (but seriously, you should read the whole thing):

-"We've witnessed gripping moments and tremendous performances over the last decade and a half; we've also seen a lot of prostitutes, a lot of female scolds and so many dead girls. So often women were in the story to present opportunities for the man to demonstrate tenderness or, more commonly, they were the recipients of brutality, verbal and otherwise."

''Outlander" is more committed to the emotional realities of its characters than to the magical per se, and it certainly hasn't been concerned with propping up shopworn cliches about intimacy, power dynamics and sex."

-"...in 'The Wedding,' both characters' points of view, and both bodies, were equally important. The camera was interested in everything -- in both characters' mental and physical states, in every curve and every limb."

"By being conscious of women's desires, these shows make it clear that they are conscious of women's humanity."