200% Shipper SC

Last December, when Starz unveiled the first promotional images for the final season of Outlander, I wrote a rather melancholy post about how disappointed I was by its relentlessly bleak aesthetic. To me, the show’s visual identity had drifted away from the warmth, romance, and emotional richness that once defined it, replacing them with anxiety, darkness, and an almost oppressive sense of gloom.

In other words, I had some very serious thoughts about very gloomy aesthetics.

Then, a few days ago, Starz released the promotional photos for Season 2 of Blood of My Blood.

They’re styled almost exactly like the recent Outlander portraits.

And I burst out laughing.

.

.

.

Is there really no one in that marketing department who looked at these images and thought, “Maybe this isn’t working”? They don’t look authentic. They look like a caricature of drama. Like a cheap imitation. Like someone tried very hard to reproduce the original formula, missed the mark entirely, and ended up with something so awkward that it’s impossible to take seriously.

And forgive me, Jeremy Irvine - this really isn’t personal - but… was that genuinely the strongest shot of him with a sword? If it was, they should have put the sword aside and kept shooting until they got a photograph that felt genuinely promotional instead of accidentally comical.

Of

My

B💣 MB

Sam, congratulations on your engagement!

She always pops up around one of his events, and she always makes sure everyone knows when she's nearby, especially after he's reportedly been spotted somewhere and she just happens to be in the area. I guess that's part of the job.

There’s something endlessly fascinating about how the champions of the “beautiful love story” between SRH and 🌀 explain away the glaring lack of warmth, enthusiasm, or even basic interest SRH seems to show toward his alleged “girlfriend”.

Apparently, it’s because… “They’re just so simple and grounded”.

Or: “They look like any normal couple and family out and about. Not all over each other, especially with a child in tow”.

Or my personal favorite: “They’re acting normal”.

It’s impossible not to notice this is the exact same mental gymnastics that used to be applied to another “madly in love” couple: CMB and 🧛🏻‍♂️.

It always leaves me wondering: how bleak must someone’s idea of a loving relationship be if indifference is considered “normal” and emotional frostbite is rebranded as being “grounded”?

*** *** ***

Totally random photo. Strictly for attention. Just two co-stars unwinding after a long day of exhausting interviews.

And that giant pillow over SRH’s lower abdomen? Purely for warmth, obviously.

Anon, I have no desire whatsoever to speculate about the damp, gloomy recesses of the internet you've apparently been exploring.

Where I spend my time online, the casting has been met with considerable enthusiasm. True, plenty of people still don't know who CMB is. Then again... perhaps that's precisely why the Protagonists continue to enjoy the rare luxury of blending effortlessly into a crowd.

As for #TangledLiveAction, X is starting to fill up with some very promising set photos.

. . . And videos ⤵️⤵️⤵️

. . . The only catch? The "Queen Arianna" photos I've seen so far appear to feature the body double. Whoever's on horseback, it certainly isn't CMB, the posture, the frame, the whole physicality are different.

Still, the costume looks spectacular.

I was on vacation, so I can pretend the whole MPC Gala drama passed me by. It didn't, of course. But I'm choosing not to engage with it... at least for now. Instead, I happened to stumble across these brand-new Instagram Stories (courtesy of @readswithdaisy), posted yesterday and today. Let's just say my immediate reaction was: I want to see this movie. Preferably today. Never mind that we'll probably have to wait another two years.

. . . So it appears CMB is Queen Arianna. Looking at this, I'd say the casting makes perfect sense. The resemblance is already there - before a single layer of cinematic transformation 😉.

. . .

For geographical accuracy: the photo was taken outside the Cathedral of Girona in Spain.

😂😂

Anon, mira que llevo muchos años y muchos anons estúpidos a mis espaldas, pues enhorabuena, has consegudo la máxima puntuación al anon mas idiota de todos. Si tu objetivo era hacer el ridículo, enhorabuena, misión cumplida 🤣

Anon, I've been around for a lot of years and dealt with more stupid anons than I can count, but congratulations, you've officially earned the title of the dumbest anon of them all.

If your goal was to make a complete fool of yourself, congratulations. Mission accomplished. 🤣

I was on vacation, so I can pretend the whole MPC Gala drama passed me by. It didn't, of course. But I'm choosing not to engage with it... at least for now. Instead, I happened to stumble across these brand-new Instagram Stories (courtesy of @readswithdaisy), posted yesterday and today. Let's just say my immediate reaction was: I want to see this movie. Preferably today. Never mind that we'll probably have to wait another two years.

. . . So it appears CMB is Queen Arianna. Looking at this, I'd say the casting makes perfect sense. The resemblance is already there - before a single layer of cinematic transformation 😉.

. . .

For geographical accuracy: the photo was taken outside the Cathedral of Girona in Spain.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DbO7ihbsEo8/

Hey, Anon. Just so you know, I’ve been wrestling with your question for the past two days. And unfortunately, I have to admit that I simply don’t know.

The truth is, none of us really know celebrities. We all catch glimpses of them through interviews or whatever they choose to share on social media, but over time we usually form some sense of who they are. We get a feel for their personality, sometimes their values, their family and friends, or the kind of life they lead.

With Sam, that feels impossible.

He shares almost nothing about his private life, and ever since he turned himself into a walking storefront, he has become a caricature of a middle aged party boy.

Gone is the humble, slightly awkward Sam who used to blush when a woman looked at him. Gone is the nerd who built Lego sets and loved Scully and Back to the Future.

Instead, we have this persona, and I sincerely hope it is just that, a persona. One that comes wrapped in jewelry, tattoos, and whatever new accessory he’s selling that week. No matter how hard I’ve tried to find the PR logic behind it, I just can’t.

It feels like a strange mash up of several completely contradictory branding strategies.

On one hand, he’s the businessman behind a premium spirits brand, the owner of a distillery, someone who gives speeches to members of Parliament and represents Scotland both at home and abroad.

On the other, he’s playing the frat boy in tank tops and chunky jewelry, pouring alcohol down strangers’ mouths.

On one hand, he’s soft launching an instant family at every public event. On the other, he refuses to define that relationship, lets the fandom chase breadcrumbs, and behaves around that supposed new family as though they’re an obligation rather than people he wants to be with.

I can understand building a polished, distinguished image. That’s good for the brand.

I can understand leaning into a younger, college boy persona if the goal is to separate himself from Jamie Fraser and perhaps open doors to different audiences.

I can even understand introducing a family, whether for image purposes or as cover for something else.

What I can’t understand is trying to be all of those people at the same time.

How do you narrate smut one week and a children’s book for visually impaired kids the next? How do you sell a $180 bottle of whisky while deliberately cultivating an image that feels cheap and trashy? How do you present yourself as a family man while treating your supposed partner and her daughter like an inconvenience?

I actually found myself wondering this week whether I’ve been wrong all along. Maybe I’ve been holding on to the version of Sam I thought I knew and struggling to let him go.

It’s not an easy thing to admit that you may have completely misjudged someone you spent years believing was a gentleman. A bit of a mama’s boy. Nerdy, charming, funny. Only to wonder whether he’s actually none of those things, but instead a player, a terrible boyfriend, someone who makes questionable decisions and surrounds himself with questionable people.

And then, in the middle of all these videos showing me someone I genuinely dislike, another clip appears. One of him helping Luke Combs’ mother down the stairs, quietly making sure she was okay.

And I catch myself thinking all over again…

caitrionabalfe

It's Back.

“To bed — or to sleep?” Jamie asked. “To act — or to make drinks?” This may have been S’s dilemma at one point. It’d be fair to say that the latter has been winning. An embryonic idea, it may have gained traction after filming S3. The S that answered interview questions upon returning from filming S3 in SA was a very different public S. It was a pissed-off S who had had it. And this, of course, must encompass the personal and the professional — a series of intertwined circumstances that led him to do what he could to take control of his life. But how did we get here? How did we get to the here and now where S’s acting career does not seem to have many prospects but his partner-in-crime costar’s does? For starters, C attaches herself to projects with A-list leads where she plays supporting roles. While she’s very attractive, her appearance is subdued. She can disappear in a role without taking any attention away from the lead actor or the storyline. There aren’t many worthwhile supporting roles for a tall striking male actor who’s already led a successful 8-season series but achieved no significant industry recognition. Likewise, he has too much exposure and too little star power to be the lead in important projects; and he’s too old to be the next Thor. Starz, RDM, politics, “horny grannies,” whatever — they all set him up to do what he’s doing now. It all started with the seemingly harmless female gaze marketing: Empowered modern career woman with magical powers meets hot stable boy/warrior from the past with magical dick. She was promoted for awards; he was not. Simple as that. He was downgraded to a beefcake from the start because, apparently, female audiences are not expected to walk and chew gum. He would bring in the cash; she, the prestige. It was a setup. S did outstanding acting in the first few OL seasons and yet he got no recognition. The industry ignored him. Where to go from there? He must’ve figured, “If not now, when?” All he could count on was the crazed, unconditional fervor of his committed female following. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade — in this case, alcohol, merchandise, fan events. A significant segment of the audience turned him into something that was beyond his control. And then he became it. He turned being the object of desire into a business. A Taurus boy, he has an earthly relationship with money. He was not going to let lemons go to waste. The other side of it is that you can’t be a serious actor or be taken seriously when you spend much of your time and energy promoting your side business, which you deem your passion project. The craft of acting requires a focused mind, and he’s all over the place with business pursuits.