thedarkmongoose

The Bear is made for rewatching and yet Disney, among other streaming services, has removed residuals. Streaming services favor quantity of shows over investing in multiple episodes and seasons of one quality show. During the 2023 writers' strike, Bob Iger publicly lambasted striking writers like Alex O'Keefe (who earned only about $43,000 Total for his work on the first two seasons of The Bear, well below the poverty line). As this video explains, talent had more leverage and received more share of the profits from a hit show in days past; now, hit shows get more expensive as they go along and the creators receive no added benefit in terms of revenue. Actors like Jennifer Anniston from Friends (which never rocked the boat or had diverse casting the way the Bear has done consistently) receive $17.5 million in residuals in 2024 alone. The Bear did not shoot in cheaper overseas locations, has a writers room notable for diversity in race and gender, employed a unionized labor force and refused, despite enormous pressure, to sideline its main nonwhite characters.

As I analyzed in my meta on the subplots in Season 5 here and here, the economics squeezing the show behind the scenes are explored through Uncle Jimmy, Computer, Cheese and the Faks as well as the lingering question of whether they can buy back "air rights" to reclaim/build on top of the Bear's original premise. The way Storer and co pulled Sydcarmy off despite all the hostility @freedelusionshere reminded us Disney has a record of treating interracial romances with is like a real life heist.

I also remember seeing a moment at an awards something where Jeremy was sitting alone with Bob Iger (who also thinks AI is amazing, btw) at a table and it reading to me as awkward and Bob Iger probably trying to get a photo op to look supportive.

And Friends is acknowledged now as entirely cribbing from a Black-led show called Living Single.

Luca to Marcus: "Gladly! I fucking ran away to get away from shit like this so I didn't become Carmy!"

Carmy:

Fanart for phenomanon's Love of the Game.

I've read your fanfic 5 times just today, thank you for the cute story.

the fact that it's not a single chosen one but a group of three

the fact that the honmoon is not powered by the hunters themselves but by the energy and love of the fans

the fact that gwi-ma turns people into demons by promising that he is the only one who can help them when he is in fact reliant on his army of demons to collect souls for him

the fact that "your idol" is about surrendering yourself to a single higher power while "golden" is about soaring to new heights together

the fact that gwi-ma preys on people's individual insecurities and shame to get inside their heads while rumi, mira, and zoey set them free in the end by encouraging them to embrace their differences and reminding them that they're not alone

the fact that you can see the audience cheering individually and even pushing into each other to get closer to the stage during "your idol"

while they're linking arms and cheering together and hugging during "what it sounds like"

i have not seen the live action lilo and stitch but it feels like that movie sits on the opposite end of the spectrum from kpop demon hunters as a case study for how to tell a story in way that is culturally authentic and still resonates with a broader audience

and i think given that the core theme of the movie is all about community over individualism, the ending, particularly as it relates to rumi and jinu's budding romance, is really the perfect culmination of that broader theme

rumi and jinu's connection has all the hallmarks of that all-encompassing, all-consuming, borderline co-dependent first love where you keep your relationship a secret and sneak out of the house to meet up and feel like the other person is the ONLY person who really gets you

i'm the only one who can understand you, i'm the only one who will love you is the kind of thing that sounds romantic when you're 16 until you get older and realize how toxic it actually is and i love that the movie counters that in "what it sounds like" with rumi realizing that she had that love and support all along from her girls, and later, from the fans who continue to cheer them on through their comeback

it's about connection and sisterhood and love and sharing your fears and lifting each other up and becoming stronger and better together

and as compelling as i found rumi/jinu and as much as i would like to see their relationship explored more in a sequel/series, i just really love that this movie, which is clearly targeted at young women, ends on the message that romantic love is not the end all be all, that friendship is just as important if not more so than a romantic partner, that single women can lead successful, fulfilling lives, that true happiness and freedom start from within

you're doing amazing sweetie KPOP DEMON HUNTERS (2025)

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