ta cherie

The comedy in the show came from the family’s “odd” lifestyle, rather than from infighting and petty bickering, or worse, as was common on other shows of the time, thinly veiled references to spousal abuse. They didn’t make fun of each other or act like their children were creatures from another world. Were they strange and outside of social norms? Yes. Were they united in creating a loving home and being good, supportive parents? Absolutely.

These two support and adore their children, care for an aging mother and an estranged brother, put family before everything, and they love each other, wholly, fiercely, without reserve. They are every bit as much in love after at least a decade of marriage as they were the day they met.

It’s nobody’s surprise that many of the aesthetic and thematic elements of The Addams Family in its various incarnations are influenced by Gothic tradition (not goth, that mostly came later. And not Goth, that was much much much too early), and I think Gomez’s words are a dead bullseye in terms of Gothic mentality.

“Make her feel like she’s the most sublime creature on earth”

The sublime is a recurring theme throughout Gothic literature. Although the word (like “awesome”) has lost a lot of it’s original luster over the intervening decades, sublime doesn’t really mean elevated and lofty (or even heavenly) as it’s often used today, but rather something possessing the power and grandeur to induce awe and veneration in the mind of the beholder. Although less than divine, something sublime possessed a wildness and power that transcended human ability to control…or even to comprehend.

Sublime is standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon leaning as far as you dare over the railing and still not being able to see the canyon floor below. Sublime is warrior-queen Galadriel being tempted by the One Ring. Sublime is waking up in the middle of the night in the heart of a wild thunderstorm.

“Make her feel like she’s the most sublime creature on earth”

Gomez isn’t advising Fester to treat a woman he fancies like a princess, or even elevate her to pedestal of angelic nature (who’s idea was it to equate femininity with purity anyway? What a laughable and historically damaging idea. Shame on whatever dead (probably) white dudes promoted that!)

Gomez is advising Fester that if he truly loves a woman he must do everything he can to remind her of how she’s an untameable force of nature who’s grandeur brings him to his knees in awe and terror. Just like Morticia, for Gomez.

I’ll sign off with one of my most favorite quotes of all time, because it feels suddenly very relevant:

“When I find myself surrounded by so much beauty, I feel as if I am the eye of a hurricane.”

Anyone with a name that starts with a “Z”, ends with an “i”, and isn’t some kind of Italian pasta, IS SERIOUS

let me elaborate. major HDM spoilers ahead.

as a colossal nerd, I have seen my ships sail and sink horribly. I slowly got used to the fact that my favourite characters don’t get the faith (in my opinion) they deserve.

so I had very low expectations for my Marisa Coulter and Lord Asriel. 

oh boy I should have trusted PP more.

Because my favourite chaos couple got everything that a shipper could ask for. The amber spyglass was truly a gift. Let’s see:

- King Ogunwe roasting Asriel for him being soft around Marisa

- Marisa stealing the intention craft and he just being delighted by that 

- Asriel, despite having a whole rebellion against god to run, personally going to save his girl with his two strong hands to Genf

- in between battles and fights, they had sex. at least twice. you can’t convince me otherwise

- text proof numero 1: “Mrs. Coulter lay in Lord Asriel’s bed”

- text proof numero 2: “She came out of her troubled slumber uneasy and heavy with longing”

- text proof numero 3: “it was simply the sound of Lord Asriel’s voice she wanted to hear” 

-  “We should have married,” she said, “and brought her up ourselves.” - YES MARISA well it’s quite late to realise but still YES

- Asriel admitting he tried to manipulate Marisa back in  Svalbard with lies so she’ll go with him because he wanted her to be with him so much? beautiful

- sure they were awful, awful people. but they did realise that in the end, and they fought together for their daughter, dying a heroic death side by side! THAT IS ALMOST LIKE A FANFIC MY FRIENDS

- ”He kissed her. She felt as soft and light in his arms as she had when Lyra was conceived thirteen years before“ - i’m squeaking i cannot it’s porn

- they died fighting together! for their lovechild! knowing they love each other! (Asriel legit called her my love!!) they get to kiss several times and say goodbye before they sacrificed themselves for the future of their daughter! what ELSE I could have asked for? 

- also “They could not have done it alone, but together they did it.“  

so yes, the only thing Philip Pullman didn’t gave us is an agressive make-up sex scene but at this point I’ll escort myself to the fanfiction section.

a new print for ECCC! i’ve been meaning to do an olivier pin-up for an extremely long time now