#sscweek

Still Star-Crossed Week: Day 2

Still Star Crossed Week - Day One: Favorite Main Character

I wasn’t planning on watching the show.  I saw it advertised when I was watching General Hospital.  I was just confused by the show. What happens after Romeo and Juliet sounds intriguing.  An arranged marriage- that can be intriguing to if the guy is not a villain.  But it seemed really YA and strange for ABC.  The main girl seemed really bravely out of her time.  I love period shows but I want well done period shows full of more than just fluff and this didn’t seem to be so. I thought about watching but it premiered on Memorial Day so I just didn’t feel like it.  After two episodes had aired I decided to watch the first one on demand.  I loved it!  I wanted more but the second one wasn’t on demand yet.  I looked online but it wasn’t unlocked yet.  There was no new episode that Monday. The episode was supposed to be unlocked after a week.  But it wasn’t.  Finally the second episode was on demand.  I fell more in love!  I wanted to share my new love.  So my mom and I watched the two episodes and then we watched the new third episode.  And then it was “canceled” and moved to finish it’s run on Saturdays.  Most of the time tv shows go to die on Fridays but this show got Saturday.  Uh.  But that’s a whole other post.  And then we had to wait FOREVER for the fourth. 

So Why did I fall in love with the show:

* It’s so beautiful.  In the 2nd episode there’s a flashback scene with the Prince of Verona (Escalus’s dad) & at first when the camera cut to him I thought he was a beautiful painting until he spoke.  The colors so perfectly create vivid details and themes and feelings.

* The costumes- gorgeous! Are they all historically accurate, I hear not but you will not care because you will be jealous you are not currently wearing them.

*The characters are interesting.  They may look one way on the surface but are more complicated underneath shaped by circumstance and tragedy and their inner strength.

*The women- they are heroes, villains, and in between.  Take Rosaline and Isabella for example.  The are both confined as is realistic in the time period but they use their marvelous minds to try to chip holes in the world they’re trapped in.  They try to turn things over and around so they can make some of their own choices.  They try to mold situations putting themselves in a position of power or at least getting themselves in the game.  

* Nontraditional/Colorblind cast- Yes, 16th century Italy wasn’t as exclusively white as we think and yes there is an issue with people not belonging to the group they’re playing but this show would never have had actual Italians playing Italians anyway.  In this show it doesn’t matter what race the actors/characters are.  It has no relevance to the plot.  It doesn’t matter.  Each actor is great and perfect for their part.  For POC it means a lot, rightly so, for me a white girl I’m happy for yall and it gives me something interesting to look at that I don’t see everyday.  It’s based on a play that took place a super long time ago and there are fantastical elements, like ghosts.  So it works.  It absolutely works.  And it’s groundbreaking. 

* Wholesome.  This show seems so wholesome.  It warms my heart.  Even when the drama is going down I always feel like everything is going to be okay.  Look, I love realistic gritty shows.  There is a place for those shows.  But that genre can become to pervasive.  This show does something interesting. The best example is how the women are treated.  Yes, their “virtue” is the most important thing and it’s not safe for them to walk the streets alone and people suggest whoring them out for peace.  But a nice guy saves the girl from rape and the princess cleverly get her peace treaty without having sex with a horrific creep.  The story isn’t the horrific abuse that befalls a woman.  Those stories are important.  But it’s so nice that for a change the story is that the woman looks danger in the eye and is able to use her own strength and the help of others to subvert the tragedy and use her own power making her even more powerful.  It’s uplifting and a nice change.  

*The twists- Even when I predict that a character is going to be a bad guy I am always surprised at how it is weaved into the plot.  And all of the plot comes together.  There have been six of seven episodes so far and I only have one question left unanswered.  The fun now is finding out how the characters will proceed.  I have no worries that my favorite characters will die for shock value.  I know I am going to be taken care of as a viewer.  I’m not being manipulated into watching.  I just have a sense that everything is going to be okay. 

*The language- It’s not in that Shakespearean Speak that Scholars would love. But it doesn’t follow today linguistics either. It has a great rhythm.  It’s soothing to hear and fun.   

*Humor- Humor is a big part of the show.  It shows up in small moments.  The actors have great timing and delivery.  These small moments add to the fun.

*Troupes- There is a enemies to friends to.... lovers troupe that has given me everything I could ever want; one room one bed, clock sharing, road trip, etc.  The show always adds little twists so the troupes are never cliche.  They’re just so much fun!

*Relationships- from friendships to sisters to complex family relationships to romantic relationships- they’re all explored and have an opportunity to shine and add to the plot in interesting ways. 

*The cast- They love their show, they’re talented, cute, good looking, and fun, and they got to film in Spain!  .