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"content": "\u003cp>Comedian Hari Kondabolu made a documentary in 2017 called \u003cem>The Problem With Apu\u003c/em>. It's not very long — less than an hour. In it, he interrogates the legacy of Apu, the convenience store owner on \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096697/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>The Simpsons \u003c/em>\u003c/a>voiced by Hank Azaria. Kondabolu talked to other actors and comics who longed for more South Asian representation, only to find that at the time, Apu was just about all there was. And Apu was not only voiced by a white actor, but he was doing what Azaria has acknowledged is a take on Peter Sellers doing an Indian accent in the movie \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063415/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_25\">\u003cem>The Party\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. In other words, he based his caricature of an accent on someone else's caricature of an accent. Or, as Kondabolu said on W. Kamau Bell's show \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2330549/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">\u003cem>Totally Biased\u003c/em>,\u003c/a> \"a white guy doing an impression of a white guy making fun of my father.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqidvgTzZgA\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sunday night, \u003cem>The Simpsons\u003c/em> offered what is apparently its best effort at a response. In one of the plotlines, Marge tries to read Lisa a book she loved as a little girl and realizes it's full of racist stereotypes. In an effort to share the book with Lisa without passing along the things she finds offensive, Marge revises the book and brings it back to Lisa.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It takes a lot of work to take the spirit and character out of a book, but now it's as inoffensive as a Sunday in Cincinnati,\" Marge announces. Marge has changed everything in the book so that nothing in it can bother anyone, which involves making the central character so perfect that, as Lisa instantly announces, \"there's no point to the book.\" Marge asks what she's supposed to do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This comparison is utterly dishonest, of course, for a multitude of reasons. Apu is not the central character of \u003cem>The Simpsons\u003c/em>, and it's absurd to suggest that the fabric of the show will be unwound if he doesn't continue to be the same caricature he is. His existence at the periphery — his very flatness, and his definition as a bag of signifiers meant to scream \"INDIAN!\" is integral to what it means to write a racist stereotype. It's galling that writers will force a character to exist as funny scenery and then complain that they cannot change him without upsetting the emotional arc of the series.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Furthermore, Apu is not appearing in a 50-year-old book by a now-dead author. Apu is a \u003cem>going concern\u003c/em>. Someone draws him, over and over again. Azaria makes money to keep imitating Peter Sellers imitating an Indian man. Scripts are still being written. What if Marge were confronted not with reading Lisa an old book, but with reading a new book in the same series that continued to embrace the same racist portrayals it did 50 years ago? Is Marge really supposed to relax and read Lisa a new racist book because she loved an old racist book?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The idea of processing art in its own context while still recognizing its flaws is a delicate act. Consider Molly Ringwald's \u003ca href=\"https://www.newyorker.com/culture/personal-history/what-about-the-breakfast-club-molly-ringwald-metoo-john-hughes-pretty-in-pink\">recent essay\u003c/a> about the early John Hughes movies in which she appeared. She has affection for them, and for Hughes, but she knows what realities they reflect. Movies exist; they are fixed pieces, and you can approach them from a lot of angles. But there's no grandfathering in of a character or a franchise, as \u003cem>The Simpsons \u003c/em>seems to suggest, such that you can't complain about new material written for a stereotyped character because he he's been a stereotyped character for almost 30 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It gets worse. After Marge asks what she's supposed to do, Lisa — Lisa! — looks directly at the camera. \"It's hard to say,\" she says. \"Something that started decades ago and was applauded and inoffensive is now politically incorrect. What can you do?\" And she looks at a framed photo next to her bed of Apu, which is signed, \"Don't have a cow. Apu.\" Marge puts a hand on her shoulder. \"Some things will be dealt with at a later date.\" \"If at all,\" Lisa responds. Both look blankly at the audience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_103013\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 767px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-103013\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/Screen-Shot-2018-04-09-at-12.24.19-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"767\" height=\"509\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/Screen-Shot-2018-04-09-at-12.24.19-PM.png 767w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/Screen-Shot-2018-04-09-at-12.24.19-PM-160x106.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/Screen-Shot-2018-04-09-at-12.24.19-PM-240x159.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/Screen-Shot-2018-04-09-at-12.24.19-PM-375x249.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/Screen-Shot-2018-04-09-at-12.24.19-PM-520x345.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 767px) 100vw, 767px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">'The Simpsons' / Fox\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>So Lisa, the show's unshakable crusader for justice, including in matters of popular culture, has been reduced to a mouthpiece for the lazy idea that asking for better representation is an unfair burden on creators; an unreasonable demand that things be \"politically correct.\" That is regrettable, to say the least.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But what really reveals the blind spot at issue here is the idea that Apu was once \"applauded and inoffensive.\" The writers equate what they have \u003cem>heard\u003c/em> with what has been \u003cem>said\u003c/em>, and they equate what has been \u003cem>said \u003c/em>with what has been \u003cem>felt\u003c/em>. The fact that they have managed to ignore the criticism of Apu until recently doesn't mean that Apu was inoffensive and is now offensive — or, as they prefer to say, \"politically incorrect.\" It means that they were doing exactly what they've been accused of doing: they were stereotyping people who had very little access to opportunities to loudly object.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What is entirely missing from this response is any recognition of the effects on the people who find themselves not represented, or represented poorly — and they were at the center of Kondabolu's documentary. He went out specifically to speak to South Asian performers about how they felt about representation in American television, and specifically \u003cem>about Apu\u003c/em>. Kal Penn tells Kondabolu that he hates Apu, and for that reason, doesn't like \u003cem>The Simpsons\u003c/em>. A room full of comics says that Apu was referenced as part of their school bullying. Aziz Ansari says he was taunted about Apu while driving with his father. Actor Maulik Pancholy feared encountering an Indian person in a convenience store for fear his friends would launch into their Apu impressions. Even the former surgeon general, Dr. Vivek Murthy, talks about his experiences with stereotypes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The entire focus of the story of Marge is what a reader with nothing at stake should do about the social obligation they feel to \u003cem>look \u003c/em>like they're not racist. It's how to balance their affection for art with their own principles — undertaken entirely from a position of great privilege. There is no attempt to reckon with what the book Marge loved might have meant to girls who found themselves taunted with imagery from it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It's as if the show can only process complaints about Apu as nicks on the finish of its legacy. The human beings at issue go largely ignored.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I know: \u003cem>it's a cartoon\u003c/em>. That is the easiest, silliest response to this debate. \u003cem>It's just a cartoon. It's just a comedy\u003c/em>. Or, as the photo of Apu pointedly says, \u003cem>don't have a cow\u003c/em>. But the show doesn't have this defense to call on, because it has accepted accolades for decades as a thoughtful, intelligent, satirical work that deserves to be taken seriously. It has accepted a Peabody Award, and a GLAAD Media Award. It has been praised and slobbered over and quoted and praised again, and to plead insignificance at this point is unavailing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Dealt with at a later date. If at all.\" In other words: \u003cem>we have heard how we have hurt people, and we honestly don't care\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=%27The+Simpsons%27+To+%27The+Problem+With+Apu%27%3A+Drop+Dead&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Comedian Hari Kondabolu made a documentary in 2017 called \u003cem>The Problem With Apu\u003c/em>. It's not very long — less than an hour. In it, he interrogates the legacy of Apu, the convenience store owner on \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096697/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>The Simpsons \u003c/em>\u003c/a>voiced by Hank Azaria. Kondabolu talked to other actors and comics who longed for more South Asian representation, only to find that at the time, Apu was just about all there was. And Apu was not only voiced by a white actor, but he was doing what Azaria has acknowledged is a take on Peter Sellers doing an Indian accent in the movie \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063415/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_25\">\u003cem>The Party\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. In other words, he based his caricature of an accent on someone else's caricature of an accent. Or, as Kondabolu said on W. Kamau Bell's show \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2330549/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">\u003cem>Totally Biased\u003c/em>,\u003c/a> \"a white guy doing an impression of a white guy making fun of my father.\"\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/cqidvgTzZgA'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/cqidvgTzZgA'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Sunday night, \u003cem>The Simpsons\u003c/em> offered what is apparently its best effort at a response. In one of the plotlines, Marge tries to read Lisa a book she loved as a little girl and realizes it's full of racist stereotypes. In an effort to share the book with Lisa without passing along the things she finds offensive, Marge revises the book and brings it back to Lisa.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It takes a lot of work to take the spirit and character out of a book, but now it's as inoffensive as a Sunday in Cincinnati,\" Marge announces. Marge has changed everything in the book so that nothing in it can bother anyone, which involves making the central character so perfect that, as Lisa instantly announces, \"there's no point to the book.\" Marge asks what she's supposed to do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This comparison is utterly dishonest, of course, for a multitude of reasons. Apu is not the central character of \u003cem>The Simpsons\u003c/em>, and it's absurd to suggest that the fabric of the show will be unwound if he doesn't continue to be the same caricature he is. His existence at the periphery — his very flatness, and his definition as a bag of signifiers meant to scream \"INDIAN!\" is integral to what it means to write a racist stereotype. It's galling that writers will force a character to exist as funny scenery and then complain that they cannot change him without upsetting the emotional arc of the series.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Furthermore, Apu is not appearing in a 50-year-old book by a now-dead author. Apu is a \u003cem>going concern\u003c/em>. Someone draws him, over and over again. Azaria makes money to keep imitating Peter Sellers imitating an Indian man. Scripts are still being written. What if Marge were confronted not with reading Lisa an old book, but with reading a new book in the same series that continued to embrace the same racist portrayals it did 50 years ago? Is Marge really supposed to relax and read Lisa a new racist book because she loved an old racist book?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The idea of processing art in its own context while still recognizing its flaws is a delicate act. Consider Molly Ringwald's \u003ca href=\"https://www.newyorker.com/culture/personal-history/what-about-the-breakfast-club-molly-ringwald-metoo-john-hughes-pretty-in-pink\">recent essay\u003c/a> about the early John Hughes movies in which she appeared. She has affection for them, and for Hughes, but she knows what realities they reflect. Movies exist; they are fixed pieces, and you can approach them from a lot of angles. But there's no grandfathering in of a character or a franchise, as \u003cem>The Simpsons \u003c/em>seems to suggest, such that you can't complain about new material written for a stereotyped character because he he's been a stereotyped character for almost 30 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It gets worse. After Marge asks what she's supposed to do, Lisa — Lisa! — looks directly at the camera. \"It's hard to say,\" she says. \"Something that started decades ago and was applauded and inoffensive is now politically incorrect. What can you do?\" And she looks at a framed photo next to her bed of Apu, which is signed, \"Don't have a cow. Apu.\" Marge puts a hand on her shoulder. \"Some things will be dealt with at a later date.\" \"If at all,\" Lisa responds. Both look blankly at the audience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_103013\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 767px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-103013\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/Screen-Shot-2018-04-09-at-12.24.19-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"767\" height=\"509\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/Screen-Shot-2018-04-09-at-12.24.19-PM.png 767w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/Screen-Shot-2018-04-09-at-12.24.19-PM-160x106.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/Screen-Shot-2018-04-09-at-12.24.19-PM-240x159.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/Screen-Shot-2018-04-09-at-12.24.19-PM-375x249.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/Screen-Shot-2018-04-09-at-12.24.19-PM-520x345.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 767px) 100vw, 767px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">'The Simpsons' / Fox\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>So Lisa, the show's unshakable crusader for justice, including in matters of popular culture, has been reduced to a mouthpiece for the lazy idea that asking for better representation is an unfair burden on creators; an unreasonable demand that things be \"politically correct.\" That is regrettable, to say the least.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But what really reveals the blind spot at issue here is the idea that Apu was once \"applauded and inoffensive.\" The writers equate what they have \u003cem>heard\u003c/em> with what has been \u003cem>said\u003c/em>, and they equate what has been \u003cem>said \u003c/em>with what has been \u003cem>felt\u003c/em>. The fact that they have managed to ignore the criticism of Apu until recently doesn't mean that Apu was inoffensive and is now offensive — or, as they prefer to say, \"politically incorrect.\" It means that they were doing exactly what they've been accused of doing: they were stereotyping people who had very little access to opportunities to loudly object.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What is entirely missing from this response is any recognition of the effects on the people who find themselves not represented, or represented poorly — and they were at the center of Kondabolu's documentary. He went out specifically to speak to South Asian performers about how they felt about representation in American television, and specifically \u003cem>about Apu\u003c/em>. Kal Penn tells Kondabolu that he hates Apu, and for that reason, doesn't like \u003cem>The Simpsons\u003c/em>. A room full of comics says that Apu was referenced as part of their school bullying. Aziz Ansari says he was taunted about Apu while driving with his father. Actor Maulik Pancholy feared encountering an Indian person in a convenience store for fear his friends would launch into their Apu impressions. Even the former surgeon general, Dr. Vivek Murthy, talks about his experiences with stereotypes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The entire focus of the story of Marge is what a reader with nothing at stake should do about the social obligation they feel to \u003cem>look \u003c/em>like they're not racist. It's how to balance their affection for art with their own principles — undertaken entirely from a position of great privilege. There is no attempt to reckon with what the book Marge loved might have meant to girls who found themselves taunted with imagery from it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It's as if the show can only process complaints about Apu as nicks on the finish of its legacy. The human beings at issue go largely ignored.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I know: \u003cem>it's a cartoon\u003c/em>. That is the easiest, silliest response to this debate. \u003cem>It's just a cartoon. It's just a comedy\u003c/em>. Or, as the photo of Apu pointedly says, \u003cem>don't have a cow\u003c/em>. But the show doesn't have this defense to call on, because it has accepted accolades for decades as a thoughtful, intelligent, satirical work that deserves to be taken seriously. It has accepted a Peabody Award, and a GLAAD Media Award. It has been praised and slobbered over and quoted and praised again, and to plead insignificance at this point is unavailing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Dealt with at a later date. If at all.\" In other words: \u003cem>we have heard how we have hurt people, and we honestly don't care\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=%27The+Simpsons%27+To+%27The+Problem+With+Apu%27%3A+Drop+Dead&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>There is no shortage of television shows built on the premise that whatever your home looks like is wrong. The paint is wrong, the furniture is wrong, the floors are wrong, the floor \u003cem>plan \u003c/em>is wrong, and it's entirely possible that your plumbing was put in by marauding vandals who cackled gleefully as they connected your upstairs shower to your kitchen sink in a way that has been causing you to unwittingly wash your hair with Dawn for the last 12 years. Someone must fix it! And film it! But before a lot of those shows even existed, neighbors were painting each other's walls and testing their relationships on \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0278249/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">\u003cem>Trading Spaces\u003c/em>\u003c/a> on TLC.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOd_zC9egfU\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Trading Spaces \u003c/em>wasn't the first home-renovation show. In fact, it was based on a BBC series called \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0189251/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>Changing Rooms\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. But it had quite a run from 2000 to 2008 — that means it ended three years before \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1827882/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>Property Brothers\u003c/em>\u003c/a> even started. And now, after 10 years, it's returned. And other than everyone being a bit older, it's almost exactly the same.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The conceit of the show is that two sets of neighbors \"trade\" houses and work with a designer to redecorate one room in the other home. So let's say Connie and Charlie work with one designer to redo Debbie and David's living room, while Debbie and David work with the other designer to redo Connie and Charlie's bedroom. Each team only had $1000 to work with on the original show — it's now $2000 — and they have the help of a carpenter to build furniture and other items. At the end, there's a \"reveal\" where the C's see what the D's did to the bedroom, and the D's see what the C's did to the living room. They might love it! But they might not.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, the myth about \u003cem>Trading Spaces \u003c/em>is that the whole point was that the room was always awful. Everyone was always miserable. Everyone gritted their teeth and tolerated what they clearly hated. Not true! Certain designers did specialize in wacky concepts that not only weren't attractive, but often seemed likely to damage the room. Hildi Santo-Tomas, who was notorious for this kind of thing, covered an entire kitchen with wine labels, for instance — for, as I recall it, a pastor who didn't drink. She stapled silk flowers to the walls of one room. (Enjoy getting those staples out! Maybe just replace the drywall?) She pasted hay all over the walls of one room. She built a room with a beach theme and piled sand on the floor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4pVZlRbwtw\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But some of the designers really did make beautiful rooms. The point wasn't reliable awfulness; it was reliable \u003cem>chaos\u003c/em>. There were a bunch of designers in the cast, so you'd only get two on each episode, and as longtime viewers will tell you, an episode where the designers were Doug Wilson and Hildi (both likely to intentionally provoke shock) was very different from an episode where the designers were Vern Yip and Genevieve Gorder (both eager to genuinely please).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It says something — but nothing surprising — that the first episode back features Doug and Hildi. Crying on camera decays much more slowly than the pleasant satisfaction of a job well done, so the show's legacy, over 10 years, has emphasized the room reveals where the homeowner started crying — and not with happiness. But it's logical that they don't want to start with an episode that would lead newcomers to think the whole point was tormenting people and destroying their homes. So you shouldn't expect calamity in the first episode. But you should expect ... doubts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are a lot of differences between this do-over and Netflix's reboot of \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt7259746/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">\u003cem>Queer Eye\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, to say the least. They didn't change the cast here, and the designers aren't confronting the same considerations about social change and how it affects the fabric of the program. But the two have something in common nevertheless. Even when a show is fairly well-executed and popular, as both \u003cem>Queer Eye \u003c/em>and \u003cem>Trading Spaces \u003c/em>were, if it relies on a formula, people become fatigued. After a while, they move on to something else fairly well-executed and popular that's made with a different formula.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But then, after a while, they remember that they liked that formula — like they might remember a restaurant they used to visit and eventually started to take for granted. The food's not perfect, but it's familiar, and when they've been gone a while, it appeals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Perfectly+Preserved+And+Wallpapered+With+Nostalgia%2C+%27Trading+Spaces%27+Returns&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>There is no shortage of television shows built on the premise that whatever your home looks like is wrong. The paint is wrong, the furniture is wrong, the floors are wrong, the floor \u003cem>plan \u003c/em>is wrong, and it's entirely possible that your plumbing was put in by marauding vandals who cackled gleefully as they connected your upstairs shower to your kitchen sink in a way that has been causing you to unwittingly wash your hair with Dawn for the last 12 years. Someone must fix it! And film it! But before a lot of those shows even existed, neighbors were painting each other's walls and testing their relationships on \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0278249/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">\u003cem>Trading Spaces\u003c/em>\u003c/a> on TLC.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/BOd_zC9egfU'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/BOd_zC9egfU'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Trading Spaces \u003c/em>wasn't the first home-renovation show. In fact, it was based on a BBC series called \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0189251/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>Changing Rooms\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. But it had quite a run from 2000 to 2008 — that means it ended three years before \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1827882/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>Property Brothers\u003c/em>\u003c/a> even started. And now, after 10 years, it's returned. And other than everyone being a bit older, it's almost exactly the same.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The conceit of the show is that two sets of neighbors \"trade\" houses and work with a designer to redecorate one room in the other home. So let's say Connie and Charlie work with one designer to redo Debbie and David's living room, while Debbie and David work with the other designer to redo Connie and Charlie's bedroom. Each team only had $1000 to work with on the original show — it's now $2000 — and they have the help of a carpenter to build furniture and other items. At the end, there's a \"reveal\" where the C's see what the D's did to the bedroom, and the D's see what the C's did to the living room. They might love it! But they might not.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, the myth about \u003cem>Trading Spaces \u003c/em>is that the whole point was that the room was always awful. Everyone was always miserable. Everyone gritted their teeth and tolerated what they clearly hated. Not true! Certain designers did specialize in wacky concepts that not only weren't attractive, but often seemed likely to damage the room. Hildi Santo-Tomas, who was notorious for this kind of thing, covered an entire kitchen with wine labels, for instance — for, as I recall it, a pastor who didn't drink. She stapled silk flowers to the walls of one room. (Enjoy getting those staples out! Maybe just replace the drywall?) She pasted hay all over the walls of one room. She built a room with a beach theme and piled sand on the floor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/-4pVZlRbwtw'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/-4pVZlRbwtw'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>But some of the designers really did make beautiful rooms. The point wasn't reliable awfulness; it was reliable \u003cem>chaos\u003c/em>. There were a bunch of designers in the cast, so you'd only get two on each episode, and as longtime viewers will tell you, an episode where the designers were Doug Wilson and Hildi (both likely to intentionally provoke shock) was very different from an episode where the designers were Vern Yip and Genevieve Gorder (both eager to genuinely please).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It says something — but nothing surprising — that the first episode back features Doug and Hildi. Crying on camera decays much more slowly than the pleasant satisfaction of a job well done, so the show's legacy, over 10 years, has emphasized the room reveals where the homeowner started crying — and not with happiness. But it's logical that they don't want to start with an episode that would lead newcomers to think the whole point was tormenting people and destroying their homes. So you shouldn't expect calamity in the first episode. But you should expect ... doubts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are a lot of differences between this do-over and Netflix's reboot of \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt7259746/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">\u003cem>Queer Eye\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, to say the least. They didn't change the cast here, and the designers aren't confronting the same considerations about social change and how it affects the fabric of the program. But the two have something in common nevertheless. Even when a show is fairly well-executed and popular, as both \u003cem>Queer Eye \u003c/em>and \u003cem>Trading Spaces \u003c/em>were, if it relies on a formula, people become fatigued. After a while, they move on to something else fairly well-executed and popular that's made with a different formula.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But then, after a while, they remember that they liked that formula — like they might remember a restaurant they used to visit and eventually started to take for granted. The food's not perfect, but it's familiar, and when they've been gone a while, it appeals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Perfectly+Preserved+And+Wallpapered+With+Nostalgia%2C+%27Trading+Spaces%27+Returns&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "Why America Needs a New 'League of Their Own' Right Now",
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"content": "\u003cp>News broke last week that not only do we have a new \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104694/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">\u003cem>A League of Their Own\u003c/em>\u003c/a> coming our way, but it has none other than \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2578560/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>Broad City \u003c/em>\u003c/a>comedy genius Abbi Jacobson at the helm. The new Amazon series with be co-written and co-executive produced by \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3502172/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">\u003cem>Mozart in the Jungle'\u003c/em>\u003c/a>s Will Graham, and the timing of its creation can be no mistake. It arrives in the midst of a new wave of on-screen female empowerment, just as the movie version did in 1992.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkZTcofj3wU\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the early '90s, a marked shift in how women, en masse, were expressing themselves was taking place. The generation that had grown up in the 1980s -- a decade in which the benefits of feminism's second wave were supposed to be reaped -- suddenly understood that equality remained far beyond the grasp of the vast majority of women, and they got angry about it. Really, really angry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The switch was visible across popular culture. Riot Grrrl may have \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dlfjohy4GoI\">started the decade with a war cry\u003c/a>, but by 1997, Meredith Brooks was all over MTV singing about being a \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ivt_N2Zcts\">\"Bitch,\"\u003c/a> and a tiny blonde teenager named \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118276/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">Buffy was kicking ass\u003c/a> and taking names over on the WB. Ideas about female rebellion were suddenly at the forefront, after an entire decade spent telling women that if they played the game right, they could get a powersuit and a seat in the boardroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the '80s, the tone had been set by \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080319/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">\u003cem>Nine to Five,\u003c/em>\u003c/a> fictional role models like workaholic trailblazer JC Wiatt in \u003cem>Baby Boom \u003c/em>and Tess \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKD_ZN2VC3g\">\"head for business / bod for sin\"\u003c/a> McGill in \u003cem>Working Girl. \u003c/em>But by the '90s, everything became less about joining the system and more about operating outside of it. Women in movies suddenly went rogue, reflecting what was happening in a wider sense.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1991 alone, American cinema gave us the mean and muscular Sarah Connor in \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103064/?ref_=nv_sr_2\">\u003cem>Terminator 2\u003c/em>\u003c/a> and the fearless FBI agent Clarice Starling in \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102926/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">\u003cem>Silence of the Lambs\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, and Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon had broken free of a lifetime of male control to find their own freedom in \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103074/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">\u003cem>Thelma and Louise\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. Releasing \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104694/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">\u003cem>A League of Their Own \u003c/em>\u003c/a>a year later, with its female-dominated cast and empowering message, made perfect sense.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aside from 1982's \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084489/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>Personal Best\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, about the US women's track team, there had never been a mainstream movie about women in sports before -- unless you count Goldie Hawn as a high school football coach in \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092214/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">\u003cem>Wildcats\u003c/em>\u003c/a> (1986), Elizabeth Taylor and her horse in \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037120/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">National Velvet\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (1994)\u003cem>, \u003c/em>or Katherine Hepburn as a golfer and tennis player in \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045012/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>Pat and Mike\u003c/em>\u003c/a> (1952). \u003cem>League\u003c/em> also served to shine a light on the oft-forgotten 600+ women who served in \u003ca href=\"http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/video/july-1992-film-league-highlights-forgotten-part-americas-48378561\">the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League between 1943 and 1954.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_102900\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-102900\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/download-_2_-800x529.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"529\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/download-_2_-800x529.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/download-_2_-160x106.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/download-_2_-768x507.jpg 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/download-_2_-1020x674.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/download-_2_-960x634.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/download-_2_-240x159.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/download-_2_-375x248.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/download-_2_-520x344.jpg 520w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/download-_2_.jpg 1052w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The 1945 Racine Belles. (AAGPBL)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>A League of Their Own\u003c/em> managed the tricky feat of championing female athleticism and camaraderie, while also poking fun at the ridiculous double standards women were, and still are, subjected to. Much is made of the fact that the lady ball players had to play in short dresses and satin shorts (offering no leg protection during slides into base) and were subjected to charm school, chaperones, and mandatory hair lengths. It was a film that comparatively taught us how much progress women had made since the '40s, while also reminding us that when women are granted equal footing in the workplace, they're subjected to a whole heap of aesthetic and personal nonsense their male counterparts don't have to tolerate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>A League of Their Own\u003c/em> was elevated by stellar casting. Fresh off her turn as Thelma, \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000133/?ref_=tt_cl_t2\">Geena Davis\u003c/a> led the team as Dottie; \u003cem>Point Break'\u003c/em>s know-it-all surfer girl, and future \u003cem>Tank Girl\u003c/em>, \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001614/?ref_=tt_cl_t3\">Lori Petty\u003c/a>, played her little sister, Kit; \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000187/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">Madonna\u003c/a> played the inhibition-free, hard-partying \"All the way\" Mae; and \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005280/?ref_=tt_cl_t5\">Rosie O'Donnell\u003c/a> was Doris, an unstoppable tomboy discovering her own worth. And then there was Tom Hanks. Only he could have elevated the role of drunken coach, Jimmy Dugan, to something human, and, yes, laugh out loud funny.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6M8szlSa-8o\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Near-perfect though the movie was (and audiences agreed -- it grossed $132,440,069 worldwide), when CBS tried to turn it into a TV series in 1993, viewers stayed away in droves to the degree that it lasted only three episodes. With good reason: \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNwuiu0QV0s&t=432s\">the series had none of the charm, wit, or heart of the movie\u003c/a> -- even if it did have \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001484/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t23\">Jon Lovitz\u003c/a>, reprising his role as talent scout, Ernie Capadino.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Social parallels, especially ones related to women, can be drawn between 1992 and now. In 2018, in the midst of a post-#MeToo, post-Women's March, Time's Up-influenced national conversation, audiences are especially hungry for female-driven entertainment. The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/96171/all-the-crazy-crap-that-never-wouldve-made-it-to-tv-without-broad-city\">ample ground that Abbi Jacobson has broken\u003c/a> alongside her \u003cem>Broad City\u003c/em> writing partner, Ilana Glazer, is monumental in how television is allowed to present female relationships and behavior. As such, she's the perfect person to make \u003cem>A League of Their Own\u003c/em> relevant for post-millennium audiences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Amazon's initial announcement of the reboot promises \"close games, injuries, late night bar crawls, sexual awakenings, \u003cem>not\u003c/em> crying, and road trips across a rapidly changing United States.\" In addition, it says each 30-minute episode will be \"a contemporary spin\" on the original, and will \"dive deeper into the issues facing the country.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is certainly room to stretch beyond the original in this regard. The 1992 movie gives the issue of racial segregation all of three seconds (in a montage, no less), the hardships of war come up only when Betty Spaghetti's husband is killed in combat, and the question of how to push all these women back \"into the kitchen\" after the war ends gets a mere two minutes of discussion -- between two men!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the current political environment has taught us anything, it's that there's still a lot of work to do. Watching the women of \u003cem>A League of Their Own\u003c/em> balancing the pressures of staying feminine with their rough and ready lives on the field, while pushing forward the roles of women in society, was an inspiring life analogy for third wave feminists back in 1992. In the hands of Jacobson, Graham, and Amazon, there's no doubt that it can be just as inspiring for intersectional ones today.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>News broke last week that not only do we have a new \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104694/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">\u003cem>A League of Their Own\u003c/em>\u003c/a> coming our way, but it has none other than \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2578560/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>Broad City \u003c/em>\u003c/a>comedy genius Abbi Jacobson at the helm. The new Amazon series with be co-written and co-executive produced by \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3502172/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">\u003cem>Mozart in the Jungle'\u003c/em>\u003c/a>s Will Graham, and the timing of its creation can be no mistake. It arrives in the midst of a new wave of on-screen female empowerment, just as the movie version did in 1992.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/tkZTcofj3wU'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/tkZTcofj3wU'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>In the early '90s, a marked shift in how women, en masse, were expressing themselves was taking place. The generation that had grown up in the 1980s -- a decade in which the benefits of feminism's second wave were supposed to be reaped -- suddenly understood that equality remained far beyond the grasp of the vast majority of women, and they got angry about it. Really, really angry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The switch was visible across popular culture. Riot Grrrl may have \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dlfjohy4GoI\">started the decade with a war cry\u003c/a>, but by 1997, Meredith Brooks was all over MTV singing about being a \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ivt_N2Zcts\">\"Bitch,\"\u003c/a> and a tiny blonde teenager named \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118276/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">Buffy was kicking ass\u003c/a> and taking names over on the WB. Ideas about female rebellion were suddenly at the forefront, after an entire decade spent telling women that if they played the game right, they could get a powersuit and a seat in the boardroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the '80s, the tone had been set by \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080319/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">\u003cem>Nine to Five,\u003c/em>\u003c/a> fictional role models like workaholic trailblazer JC Wiatt in \u003cem>Baby Boom \u003c/em>and Tess \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKD_ZN2VC3g\">\"head for business / bod for sin\"\u003c/a> McGill in \u003cem>Working Girl. \u003c/em>But by the '90s, everything became less about joining the system and more about operating outside of it. Women in movies suddenly went rogue, reflecting what was happening in a wider sense.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1991 alone, American cinema gave us the mean and muscular Sarah Connor in \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103064/?ref_=nv_sr_2\">\u003cem>Terminator 2\u003c/em>\u003c/a> and the fearless FBI agent Clarice Starling in \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102926/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">\u003cem>Silence of the Lambs\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, and Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon had broken free of a lifetime of male control to find their own freedom in \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103074/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">\u003cem>Thelma and Louise\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. Releasing \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104694/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">\u003cem>A League of Their Own \u003c/em>\u003c/a>a year later, with its female-dominated cast and empowering message, made perfect sense.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aside from 1982's \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084489/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>Personal Best\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, about the US women's track team, there had never been a mainstream movie about women in sports before -- unless you count Goldie Hawn as a high school football coach in \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092214/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">\u003cem>Wildcats\u003c/em>\u003c/a> (1986), Elizabeth Taylor and her horse in \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037120/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">National Velvet\u003c/a>\u003c/em> (1994)\u003cem>, \u003c/em>or Katherine Hepburn as a golfer and tennis player in \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045012/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>Pat and Mike\u003c/em>\u003c/a> (1952). \u003cem>League\u003c/em> also served to shine a light on the oft-forgotten 600+ women who served in \u003ca href=\"http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/video/july-1992-film-league-highlights-forgotten-part-americas-48378561\">the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League between 1943 and 1954.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_102900\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-102900\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/download-_2_-800x529.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"529\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/download-_2_-800x529.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/download-_2_-160x106.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/download-_2_-768x507.jpg 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/download-_2_-1020x674.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/download-_2_-960x634.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/download-_2_-240x159.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/download-_2_-375x248.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/download-_2_-520x344.jpg 520w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/download-_2_.jpg 1052w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The 1945 Racine Belles. (AAGPBL)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>A League of Their Own\u003c/em> managed the tricky feat of championing female athleticism and camaraderie, while also poking fun at the ridiculous double standards women were, and still are, subjected to. Much is made of the fact that the lady ball players had to play in short dresses and satin shorts (offering no leg protection during slides into base) and were subjected to charm school, chaperones, and mandatory hair lengths. It was a film that comparatively taught us how much progress women had made since the '40s, while also reminding us that when women are granted equal footing in the workplace, they're subjected to a whole heap of aesthetic and personal nonsense their male counterparts don't have to tolerate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>A League of Their Own\u003c/em> was elevated by stellar casting. Fresh off her turn as Thelma, \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000133/?ref_=tt_cl_t2\">Geena Davis\u003c/a> led the team as Dottie; \u003cem>Point Break'\u003c/em>s know-it-all surfer girl, and future \u003cem>Tank Girl\u003c/em>, \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001614/?ref_=tt_cl_t3\">Lori Petty\u003c/a>, played her little sister, Kit; \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000187/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">Madonna\u003c/a> played the inhibition-free, hard-partying \"All the way\" Mae; and \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005280/?ref_=tt_cl_t5\">Rosie O'Donnell\u003c/a> was Doris, an unstoppable tomboy discovering her own worth. And then there was Tom Hanks. Only he could have elevated the role of drunken coach, Jimmy Dugan, to something human, and, yes, laugh out loud funny.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/6M8szlSa-8o'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/6M8szlSa-8o'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Near-perfect though the movie was (and audiences agreed -- it grossed $132,440,069 worldwide), when CBS tried to turn it into a TV series in 1993, viewers stayed away in droves to the degree that it lasted only three episodes. With good reason: \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNwuiu0QV0s&t=432s\">the series had none of the charm, wit, or heart of the movie\u003c/a> -- even if it did have \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001484/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t23\">Jon Lovitz\u003c/a>, reprising his role as talent scout, Ernie Capadino.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Social parallels, especially ones related to women, can be drawn between 1992 and now. In 2018, in the midst of a post-#MeToo, post-Women's March, Time's Up-influenced national conversation, audiences are especially hungry for female-driven entertainment. The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/96171/all-the-crazy-crap-that-never-wouldve-made-it-to-tv-without-broad-city\">ample ground that Abbi Jacobson has broken\u003c/a> alongside her \u003cem>Broad City\u003c/em> writing partner, Ilana Glazer, is monumental in how television is allowed to present female relationships and behavior. As such, she's the perfect person to make \u003cem>A League of Their Own\u003c/em> relevant for post-millennium audiences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Amazon's initial announcement of the reboot promises \"close games, injuries, late night bar crawls, sexual awakenings, \u003cem>not\u003c/em> crying, and road trips across a rapidly changing United States.\" In addition, it says each 30-minute episode will be \"a contemporary spin\" on the original, and will \"dive deeper into the issues facing the country.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is certainly room to stretch beyond the original in this regard. The 1992 movie gives the issue of racial segregation all of three seconds (in a montage, no less), the hardships of war come up only when Betty Spaghetti's husband is killed in combat, and the question of how to push all these women back \"into the kitchen\" after the war ends gets a mere two minutes of discussion -- between two men!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the current political environment has taught us anything, it's that there's still a lot of work to do. Watching the women of \u003cem>A League of Their Own\u003c/em> balancing the pressures of staying feminine with their rough and ready lives on the field, while pushing forward the roles of women in society, was an inspiring life analogy for third wave feminists back in 1992. In the hands of Jacobson, Graham, and Amazon, there's no doubt that it can be just as inspiring for intersectional ones today.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "'Legion' is Definitely the Weirdest Corner of the Marvel Universe",
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"content": "\u003cp>When the guy with a wicker bucket on his head (who only talks through androgynous android-clones in Tom Selleck mustaches and Beatle wigs) is the \u003cem>least\u003c/em> weird thing about your show, that show can safely be called... distinctive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Welcome to season two of \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5114356/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>Legion\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, FX's not-your-daddy's-mutant-superhero-series, helmed once again by Noah Hawley, between gigs running FX's other stylish, genre-inflected offering, \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2802850/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>Fargo\u003c/em>\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Legion\u003c/em> is the story of David Haller (a perpetually rumpled and vaguely confused \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1405398/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1\">Dan Stevens\u003c/a>), the world's most powerful mutant, who's now free of the evil psychic parasite known only as the Shadow King, who last season assumed the form of his friend Lenny, played by \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2201555/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1\">Aubrey Plaza\u003c/a>. David's grown up believing himself to be schizophrenic, but came to realize his true nature when he was taken in by an organization seeking to train him — and to fight the Shadow King, who is in fact an ancient being known as Amahl Farouk (played, this season, by \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1041023/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1\">Navid Negahban\u003c/a>).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmBIn9De-Yc\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As you can see,the broad outlines of\u003cem> Legion'\u003c/em>s story don't stray terribly far from typical superhero fare — newfound powers, secret organization, sinister bad guy, rinse and repeat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But \u003cem>Legion\u003c/em> isn't about the story. Not really.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It's a visual and aural feast, a stylized-to-the-point-of-gorgeous-absurdity testament to what a director with a good eye (and a loose leash) can bring to series television. Each episode (the first four of season two were made available to press) features showy, inventive camerawork — every scene magnificently framed and rapturously lit — and gleefully bizarre imagery. It's also filled with sound cues that delight and/or unsettle (there's a recurring bit involving chattering teeth that does both, every time).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Legion\u003c/em> is so thoroughly itself — so obviously \u003cem>wrought\u003c/em>, so painstakingly \u003cem>constructed\u003c/em> — it risks self-indulgence, crossing the line from showy to show-off-y. Viewers hungry for a simple story simply told will likely grow impatient with the show's languorous approach to storytelling — whole episodes pass without moving the main conflict forward an inch. The fourth episode, for example, gives long-overdue attention to David's girlfriend Syd (\u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/name/nm5043859/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1\">Rachel Keller\u003c/a>), via that most dreaded and momentum-killing device in serialized television — the flashback.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And yet: That deliberate pacing, and all those dazzling visual flourishes, exist in service to these characters, and their (to say the least) singular predicaments. Those flashbacks work, because Hawley and his directors know that keeping us visually enthralled won't do any good if we're not emotionally engaged. That's why the show's performances stay as grounded and specific as they do. Stevens' David, especially, constantly undercuts the bizarre goings-on with a hesitant, beta-male form of incredulity that infuses the show with sly humor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_102917\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-102917\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/legion-season-2-script-pic-800x569.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"569\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/legion-season-2-script-pic-800x569.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/legion-season-2-script-pic-160x114.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/legion-season-2-script-pic-768x546.jpg 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/legion-season-2-script-pic-1020x726.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/legion-season-2-script-pic-1200x854.jpg 1200w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/legion-season-2-script-pic-1180x839.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/legion-season-2-script-pic-960x683.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/legion-season-2-script-pic-240x171.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/legion-season-2-script-pic-375x267.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/legion-season-2-script-pic-520x370.jpg 520w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/legion-season-2-script-pic.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dan Stevens and Aubrey Plaza in 'Legion' (FX)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Plus, of course, the dance numbers. Oh, the dance numbers. (This season, the character of Cary, played by the great Bill Irwin, finally gets a brief chance to shake his eminently shakable groove thing, and it's worth the wait.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Legion\u003c/em> is technically a part of the Marvel Universe — but it's millions of light-years away, emotionally and aesthetically, from either the gritty streets of the various Marvel series on Netflix, or the cosmic sweep of the \u003cem>The Avengers\u003c/em>. It's a dark, trippy corner of that universe, where time moves more slowly, but it's filled with moments and images you'll find nowhere else.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Trust me, the guy with the bucket on his head is only the beginning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=%27Legion%2C%27+Season+2%3A+Welcome+Back+To+The+Weirdest+Corner+Of+The+Marvel+Universe&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>When the guy with a wicker bucket on his head (who only talks through androgynous android-clones in Tom Selleck mustaches and Beatle wigs) is the \u003cem>least\u003c/em> weird thing about your show, that show can safely be called... distinctive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Welcome to season two of \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5114356/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>Legion\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, FX's not-your-daddy's-mutant-superhero-series, helmed once again by Noah Hawley, between gigs running FX's other stylish, genre-inflected offering, \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2802850/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>Fargo\u003c/em>\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Legion\u003c/em> is the story of David Haller (a perpetually rumpled and vaguely confused \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1405398/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1\">Dan Stevens\u003c/a>), the world's most powerful mutant, who's now free of the evil psychic parasite known only as the Shadow King, who last season assumed the form of his friend Lenny, played by \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2201555/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1\">Aubrey Plaza\u003c/a>. David's grown up believing himself to be schizophrenic, but came to realize his true nature when he was taken in by an organization seeking to train him — and to fight the Shadow King, who is in fact an ancient being known as Amahl Farouk (played, this season, by \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1041023/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1\">Navid Negahban\u003c/a>).\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/HmBIn9De-Yc'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/HmBIn9De-Yc'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>As you can see,the broad outlines of\u003cem> Legion'\u003c/em>s story don't stray terribly far from typical superhero fare — newfound powers, secret organization, sinister bad guy, rinse and repeat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But \u003cem>Legion\u003c/em> isn't about the story. Not really.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It's a visual and aural feast, a stylized-to-the-point-of-gorgeous-absurdity testament to what a director with a good eye (and a loose leash) can bring to series television. Each episode (the first four of season two were made available to press) features showy, inventive camerawork — every scene magnificently framed and rapturously lit — and gleefully bizarre imagery. It's also filled with sound cues that delight and/or unsettle (there's a recurring bit involving chattering teeth that does both, every time).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Legion\u003c/em> is so thoroughly itself — so obviously \u003cem>wrought\u003c/em>, so painstakingly \u003cem>constructed\u003c/em> — it risks self-indulgence, crossing the line from showy to show-off-y. Viewers hungry for a simple story simply told will likely grow impatient with the show's languorous approach to storytelling — whole episodes pass without moving the main conflict forward an inch. The fourth episode, for example, gives long-overdue attention to David's girlfriend Syd (\u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/name/nm5043859/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1\">Rachel Keller\u003c/a>), via that most dreaded and momentum-killing device in serialized television — the flashback.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And yet: That deliberate pacing, and all those dazzling visual flourishes, exist in service to these characters, and their (to say the least) singular predicaments. Those flashbacks work, because Hawley and his directors know that keeping us visually enthralled won't do any good if we're not emotionally engaged. That's why the show's performances stay as grounded and specific as they do. Stevens' David, especially, constantly undercuts the bizarre goings-on with a hesitant, beta-male form of incredulity that infuses the show with sly humor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_102917\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-102917\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/legion-season-2-script-pic-800x569.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"569\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/legion-season-2-script-pic-800x569.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/legion-season-2-script-pic-160x114.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/legion-season-2-script-pic-768x546.jpg 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/legion-season-2-script-pic-1020x726.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/legion-season-2-script-pic-1200x854.jpg 1200w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/legion-season-2-script-pic-1180x839.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/legion-season-2-script-pic-960x683.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/legion-season-2-script-pic-240x171.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/legion-season-2-script-pic-375x267.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/legion-season-2-script-pic-520x370.jpg 520w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/04/legion-season-2-script-pic.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dan Stevens and Aubrey Plaza in 'Legion' (FX)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Plus, of course, the dance numbers. Oh, the dance numbers. (This season, the character of Cary, played by the great Bill Irwin, finally gets a brief chance to shake his eminently shakable groove thing, and it's worth the wait.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Legion\u003c/em> is technically a part of the Marvel Universe — but it's millions of light-years away, emotionally and aesthetically, from either the gritty streets of the various Marvel series on Netflix, or the cosmic sweep of the \u003cem>The Avengers\u003c/em>. It's a dark, trippy corner of that universe, where time moves more slowly, but it's filled with moments and images you'll find nowhere else.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Trust me, the guy with the bucket on his head is only the beginning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=%27Legion%2C%27+Season+2%3A+Welcome+Back+To+The+Weirdest+Corner+Of+The+Marvel+Universe&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>When you think of mature content on television, there are a few usual suspects that spring to mind. HBO is one, thanks to \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0944947/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>Game of Thrones\u003c/em>\u003c/a> and a long history of gritty crime dramas. FX is another, thanks to violent movies in the middle of the day and the frequently shocking \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1844624/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">\u003cem>American Horror Story\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. Then there's AMC -- remember that time on \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1520211/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>The Walking Dead\u003c/em>\u003c/a> when \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARIWLyvhuoM\">Bob woke up next to a bonfire to find a group of hipsters eating his leg\u003c/a> like it was s'mores? Yeah.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Probably the last thing that springs to mind when you think of rampant violence on television is Lifetime, a channel that at one time felt like a supermarket romance novel in visual form. You might be laboring under the idea that that's what Lifetime still is, but I recently discovered how much sheer, gasp-worthy brutality is all over this thing. Based on my recent viewing habits, I am pretty sure there are more graphic descriptions of rape and torture on this channel than any other currently in existence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For a long time, I went to Lifetime for two things and two things only: \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0437741/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>Project Runway\u003c/em>\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2076610/episodes?season=6&ref_=tt_eps_sn_6\">\u003cem>Project Runway All Stars,\u003c/em>\u003c/a> making sure to switch immediately back to my regular viewing habits as soon as Heidi said \"Auf wiedersehen!\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That all changed one Thursday night a few weeks ago, after I watched a three-episode block of the newest \u003cem>All Stars\u003c/em> season (I was rooting for you, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/31419/women-to-watch-candice-cuoco\">Candace Cuoco\u003c/a>!), then promptly went to bed. The next day, when I turned the TV back on, it was still tuned to Lifetime. And before I could grab the remote and change the channel, some dude had appeared on screen describing, in alarming detail, the day he had both of his arms ripped off (completely off!) in a farming accident. \"What the hell is \u003cem>this\u003c/em>?\" I asked my dog, before promptly flopping down on the couch and watching three full hours of the most horrifying and compelling reality show in the history of television,\u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1084694/?ref_=nv_sr_1\"> \u003cem>I Survived\u003c/em>...\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzBzepyu9os\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>I Survived...\u003c/em> is low budget, simple, and astoundingly well-edited. For the uninitiated, this is a show that typically involves three separate people talking about an accident or attack that almost killed them. These incidents run the gamut from abductions and violent home invasions, to getting attacked by mountain lions or falling into ravines. I am not exaggerating when I say that this is some of the scariest television you will ever watch. Oh, and it should definitely come with about 400 trigger warnings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite the jaw-dropping amount of distress involved, \u003cem>I Survived... \u003c/em>ends up being somehow both inspiring \u003cem>and\u003c/em> a guidebook of sorts about what to do in the most horrendous life-and-death situations imaginable. For example, here are just some of the handy things the show has taught me: if you get bitten by a rattlesnake, you might want to do some bloodletting; don't touch anyone while they're getting electrocuted; never go into the woods without a knife; and if your house is about to get destroyed by a natural disaster, putting on a bicycle helmet won't hurt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Astonishingly, I soon discovered that \u003cem>I Survived...\u003c/em> had a spin-off about the afterlife. Seriously. \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2134245/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>I Survived... Beyond and Back\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> \u003c/em>follows the same formula as the original, only it features people who literally died, saw some crazy shit, and came back with stories to tell. Hear that everyone? Even if you die, there is hope!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>I Survived... Beyond and Back\u003c/em> isn't all white light, dead relatives, and bliss (though truthfully, there is \u003cem>a lot\u003c/em> of that). One lady described meeting aliens who treat the fate of humans like a board game! \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FehcSO5YNUI\">Another dude described going to actual hell! And meeting Satan!\u003c/a> Needless to say, he was relieved to come back to life. \"I was the happiest, fresh-out-of-a-coma man ever,\" he said, not joking in the least.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My love for\u003cem> I Survived...\u003c/em> spiraled fast. I found myself browsing Lifetime's On Demand menu as if it was \u003ca href=\"http://try.shudder.com/horror/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=CjwKCAjwwPfVBRBiEiwAdkM0HXioGtY_XZY0PdW9Bu_qLNIbmQe-v1bP0Sx4NBndBoVOTYSzLrgU2hoCtFYQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds\">Shudder\u003c/a>. Only I quickly realized that Lifetime movies are infinitely more terrifying than anything in the actual horror genre because almost everything on Lifetime is based on something awful that really happened to someone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There's \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5957584/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>Girl in the Box\u003c/em>\u003c/a> -- the true story of a 20-year-old hitchhiker named Colleen Stan who was kidnapped, tortured, and forced to live as a slave for seven years. \u003cem>Seven!\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ho9rhKXjwE8\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then there's\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt7056864/?ref_=nv_sr_1\"> Cocaine Godmother\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, in which Catherine Zeta Jones plays drug kingpin, Griselda Blanco. Jones' portrayal of Blanco is actually, legitimately frightening. At one point (\u003cem>spoiler alert!\u003c/em>), she even ruthlessly executes two small children.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I'll remind you again: I am talking about \u003cem>Lifetime\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During one binge, when I saw Corey Feldman's face pop up, I thought \"Oh good! This'll lighten the mood!\" Nope. Feldman's in-depth interview, \u003cem>Moment of Truth\u003c/em>, was, in fact, an incredibly depressing exploration of Hollywood's pedophile problem. This, of course, was followed by \u003cem>A Tale of Two Coreys --\u003c/em> an also-incredibly-depressing dramatized account of Feldman, his BFF Corey Haim, and, again, Hollywood's pedophile problem. Grim.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EElTHrjUXkg\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even when I tried to watch the cheesy (but unashamedly heteronormative) TV movies Lifetime is so famous for, I noticed an unexpected edge of brutality. \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6304196/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">\u003cem>The Wrong House\u003c/em>\u003c/a> is basically a guidebook on how to ruin the lives of other, happier people, and \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4994256/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>Pregnant at 17\u003c/em>\u003c/a> features two women forced to beat a kidnapper about the face and head with a shovel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sure, in the end, Lifetime movies are a world in which the problems are enormous but totally solvable; where good people always triumph over evil; and where everyone gets a happily-ever-after... but were they always this crazy?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I'd be lying if I said Lifetime didn't have its fair share of fluff -- the \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6306584/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">\u003cem>Little Women\u003c/em>\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1991410/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>Dance Moms\u003c/em>\u003c/a> franchises spring to mind -- but even those involve an unreasonable amount of yelling and hostility. (Also, the first and last episode of \u003cem>Little Women: Dallas\u003c/em> I attempted to watch featured someone getting hit in the face with a serving tray right off the bat...)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the end -- and it took a while -- I realized that Lifetime loves talking about the worst things that could conceivably happen to a person -- but only if they make it out alive. The end result is supposed to be a message about the resilience and strength of human beings, in particular women. (Stories about sexual assault are shockingly prevalent.) As a channel, it's an illogical world all of its own, trying its hardest to make you feel better about your own life by showing worst-case brutal scenarios. It's a helluva way to get to the end result, but it sure is effective.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Some of the most terrifying crap you'll ever see on TV is hiding away on Lifetime.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>When you think of mature content on television, there are a few usual suspects that spring to mind. HBO is one, thanks to \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0944947/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>Game of Thrones\u003c/em>\u003c/a> and a long history of gritty crime dramas. FX is another, thanks to violent movies in the middle of the day and the frequently shocking \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1844624/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">\u003cem>American Horror Story\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. Then there's AMC -- remember that time on \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1520211/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>The Walking Dead\u003c/em>\u003c/a> when \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARIWLyvhuoM\">Bob woke up next to a bonfire to find a group of hipsters eating his leg\u003c/a> like it was s'mores? Yeah.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Probably the last thing that springs to mind when you think of rampant violence on television is Lifetime, a channel that at one time felt like a supermarket romance novel in visual form. You might be laboring under the idea that that's what Lifetime still is, but I recently discovered how much sheer, gasp-worthy brutality is all over this thing. Based on my recent viewing habits, I am pretty sure there are more graphic descriptions of rape and torture on this channel than any other currently in existence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For a long time, I went to Lifetime for two things and two things only: \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0437741/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>Project Runway\u003c/em>\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2076610/episodes?season=6&ref_=tt_eps_sn_6\">\u003cem>Project Runway All Stars,\u003c/em>\u003c/a> making sure to switch immediately back to my regular viewing habits as soon as Heidi said \"Auf wiedersehen!\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That all changed one Thursday night a few weeks ago, after I watched a three-episode block of the newest \u003cem>All Stars\u003c/em> season (I was rooting for you, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/31419/women-to-watch-candice-cuoco\">Candace Cuoco\u003c/a>!), then promptly went to bed. The next day, when I turned the TV back on, it was still tuned to Lifetime. And before I could grab the remote and change the channel, some dude had appeared on screen describing, in alarming detail, the day he had both of his arms ripped off (completely off!) in a farming accident. \"What the hell is \u003cem>this\u003c/em>?\" I asked my dog, before promptly flopping down on the couch and watching three full hours of the most horrifying and compelling reality show in the history of television,\u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1084694/?ref_=nv_sr_1\"> \u003cem>I Survived\u003c/em>...\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/dzBzepyu9os'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/dzBzepyu9os'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>I Survived...\u003c/em> is low budget, simple, and astoundingly well-edited. For the uninitiated, this is a show that typically involves three separate people talking about an accident or attack that almost killed them. These incidents run the gamut from abductions and violent home invasions, to getting attacked by mountain lions or falling into ravines. I am not exaggerating when I say that this is some of the scariest television you will ever watch. Oh, and it should definitely come with about 400 trigger warnings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite the jaw-dropping amount of distress involved, \u003cem>I Survived... \u003c/em>ends up being somehow both inspiring \u003cem>and\u003c/em> a guidebook of sorts about what to do in the most horrendous life-and-death situations imaginable. For example, here are just some of the handy things the show has taught me: if you get bitten by a rattlesnake, you might want to do some bloodletting; don't touch anyone while they're getting electrocuted; never go into the woods without a knife; and if your house is about to get destroyed by a natural disaster, putting on a bicycle helmet won't hurt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Astonishingly, I soon discovered that \u003cem>I Survived...\u003c/em> had a spin-off about the afterlife. Seriously. \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2134245/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>I Survived... Beyond and Back\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> \u003c/em>follows the same formula as the original, only it features people who literally died, saw some crazy shit, and came back with stories to tell. Hear that everyone? Even if you die, there is hope!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>I Survived... Beyond and Back\u003c/em> isn't all white light, dead relatives, and bliss (though truthfully, there is \u003cem>a lot\u003c/em> of that). One lady described meeting aliens who treat the fate of humans like a board game! \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FehcSO5YNUI\">Another dude described going to actual hell! And meeting Satan!\u003c/a> Needless to say, he was relieved to come back to life. \"I was the happiest, fresh-out-of-a-coma man ever,\" he said, not joking in the least.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My love for\u003cem> I Survived...\u003c/em> spiraled fast. I found myself browsing Lifetime's On Demand menu as if it was \u003ca href=\"http://try.shudder.com/horror/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=CjwKCAjwwPfVBRBiEiwAdkM0HXioGtY_XZY0PdW9Bu_qLNIbmQe-v1bP0Sx4NBndBoVOTYSzLrgU2hoCtFYQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds\">Shudder\u003c/a>. Only I quickly realized that Lifetime movies are infinitely more terrifying than anything in the actual horror genre because almost everything on Lifetime is based on something awful that really happened to someone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There's \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5957584/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>Girl in the Box\u003c/em>\u003c/a> -- the true story of a 20-year-old hitchhiker named Colleen Stan who was kidnapped, tortured, and forced to live as a slave for seven years. \u003cem>Seven!\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/Ho9rhKXjwE8'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/Ho9rhKXjwE8'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Then there's\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt7056864/?ref_=nv_sr_1\"> Cocaine Godmother\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, in which Catherine Zeta Jones plays drug kingpin, Griselda Blanco. Jones' portrayal of Blanco is actually, legitimately frightening. At one point (\u003cem>spoiler alert!\u003c/em>), she even ruthlessly executes two small children.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I'll remind you again: I am talking about \u003cem>Lifetime\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During one binge, when I saw Corey Feldman's face pop up, I thought \"Oh good! This'll lighten the mood!\" Nope. Feldman's in-depth interview, \u003cem>Moment of Truth\u003c/em>, was, in fact, an incredibly depressing exploration of Hollywood's pedophile problem. This, of course, was followed by \u003cem>A Tale of Two Coreys --\u003c/em> an also-incredibly-depressing dramatized account of Feldman, his BFF Corey Haim, and, again, Hollywood's pedophile problem. Grim.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/EElTHrjUXkg'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/EElTHrjUXkg'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Even when I tried to watch the cheesy (but unashamedly heteronormative) TV movies Lifetime is so famous for, I noticed an unexpected edge of brutality. \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6304196/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">\u003cem>The Wrong House\u003c/em>\u003c/a> is basically a guidebook on how to ruin the lives of other, happier people, and \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4994256/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>Pregnant at 17\u003c/em>\u003c/a> features two women forced to beat a kidnapper about the face and head with a shovel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sure, in the end, Lifetime movies are a world in which the problems are enormous but totally solvable; where good people always triumph over evil; and where everyone gets a happily-ever-after... but were they always this crazy?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I'd be lying if I said Lifetime didn't have its fair share of fluff -- the \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6306584/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">\u003cem>Little Women\u003c/em>\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1991410/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>Dance Moms\u003c/em>\u003c/a> franchises spring to mind -- but even those involve an unreasonable amount of yelling and hostility. (Also, the first and last episode of \u003cem>Little Women: Dallas\u003c/em> I attempted to watch featured someone getting hit in the face with a serving tray right off the bat...)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the end -- and it took a while -- I realized that Lifetime loves talking about the worst things that could conceivably happen to a person -- but only if they make it out alive. The end result is supposed to be a message about the resilience and strength of human beings, in particular women. (Stories about sexual assault are shockingly prevalent.) As a channel, it's an illogical world all of its own, trying its hardest to make you feel better about your own life by showing worst-case brutal scenarios. It's a helluva way to get to the end result, but it sure is effective.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "How to Make Sense of English Cockneys, One Pop Culture Clip at a Time",
"title": "How to Make Sense of English Cockneys, One Pop Culture Clip at a Time",
"headTitle": "KQED Pop | KQED Arts",
"content": "\u003cp>Compared to what the U.K. receives by way of American pop culture, the U.S. gets a fairly limited view of what British folk are actually like. As far as movies and TV go, the three most common categories of Brits are as follows: the upper class toffs (see: \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/20730/quiz-how-well-do-you-know-downton-abbey\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>Downtown Abbey\u003c/em>\u003c/a>,\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13867794/helena-bonham-carter-consulted-princess-margarets-spirit-before-the-crown\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem> The Crown\u003c/em> \u003c/a>etc), insta-villains (see: Tom Hardy in \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKQHM1ZeKcs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>The Dark Knight Rises\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, Anthony Hopkins in \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102926/?ref_=nv_sr_1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>Silence of the Lambs,\u003c/em>\u003c/a> Alan Rickman in almost anything), and, finally, there are the cockneys.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Up until the 19th century, the term \"cockneys\" was an insult used by British rural upper classes about city dwellers. Somehow though, after a couple of hundred years, the term came to refer exclusively to Londoners, and then later still, Londoners specifically from a relatively small portion of the east side of the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite somewhat regular appearances in movies and pop culture, the American view of cockneys has remained pretty muddled over the years, thanks to the fact that cockney quirks are often slyly presented and rarely explained. A cruel example of this can be seen here with an English interviewer testing Ice Cube on cockney rhyming slang, without actually telling him that's what's happening:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1FTxhQt3R8\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The movie equivalent of that interview has been happening on our screens for years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>First up, here's Michael Caine (a bonafide, real-life cockney) in \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0295178/?ref_=nv_sr_1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Austin Powers: Goldmember\u003c/a> \u003c/em>doing some cockney basics with Mike Myers. All the audience is told is that this is \"English-English:\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWUaT5ovZ50\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More realistically, there's this also-sub-titled scene from Guy Ritchie's excellent \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120735/?ref_=nv_sr_1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels\u003c/a>\u003c/em>:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73d6h_go7QI\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Russell Brand (another real-life cockney) squeezed in a reference to a \"boat race\" (which means \"face\") in this scene from \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1226229/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>Get Him to the Greek\u003c/em>\u003c/a>:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcM6PgX-Oc8\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Which brings us to the part that confuses foreigners: What the hell are they talking about? Fear not. Cockney rhyming slang is not as complicated as it first sounds. Most historians agree that this particular form of the English language has its roots \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhyming_slang\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">in the 1840s\u003c/a>. It is widely presumed to have been invented by the working class residents of London's East End to outsmart fancy upper classes, as well as outsiders in general.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The principles of cockney rhyming slang are simple: instead of saying the word you want to convey, you say something that rhymes with it instead. If that sounds weird, take comfort in the fact that you've probably used, or understood, cockney at least once in your life. This is thanks to the fact that, somehow, the term \"brass tacks\" (cockney rhyming slang for \"facts\")made it to U.S. shores and stuck around.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It should be noted that there is a very limited set of permitted rhyming slang terms though; you can't just make it up as you go along. It must be agreed upon by the community at large. Even under these slightly restrictive conditions, new terms come into favor and stick pretty frequently. (For example, these days, if something's \u003ca href=\"https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=brad%20pitt&defid=1711554\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\"a bit Brad Pitt\".\u003c/a>.. well, let's just say, it's not very good...)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are \u003ca href=\"http://aldertons.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">entire guides\u003c/a> online to study, for those who want to learn this ever-evolving language in more depth. The area where cockney rhyming slang actually does become a bit difficult is only with the true experts. Because they use it daily, they've done away with the full rhyming terms, for the sake of brevity. Ergo:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Apples = Apples and Pears = Stairs.\u003cbr>\nThe Dog = Dog and Bone = Phone.\u003cbr>\nPlates = Plates of Meat = Feet.\u003cbr>\nBarnet = Barnet Fair = Hair.\u003cbr>\n(Shoutout to \u003ca href=\"http://www.barnetssalon.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Barnets Salon\u003c/a> on San Francisco's 16th Street for using that last one!)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here's Danny Dyer, actor in BBC soap opera \u003ca href=\"http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006m86d\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>Eastenders\u003c/em>\u003c/a> (and much beloved cockney) talking about how he worked to bring more authentic rhyming slang into the show:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XR5rGH3AP0g\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Clear as mud, right? Well, that might be the accent itself. America has been listening to terrible fake versions for years, which has confused things to no end.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Take, for example, \u003cem>Sons of Anarchy \u003c/em>alum Charlie Hunnam's version of cockney, for 2005 movie \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0385002/?ref_=tt_ch\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Green Street Hooligans\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>This proves definitively that being English does not automatically grant the ability to sound cockney. At all. This clip is guaranteed to reduce every British person on Earth to actual tears of laughter:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMBISGl5QkA\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of course, the most egregious and well known example of cockney-butchery is undoubtedly Dick Van Dyke's Bert in \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058331/?ref_=nv_sr_1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>Mary Poppins\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. Bert's whole deal infuriates British people to this very day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is why:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_rVzBt20N0\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For the sake of contrast, here's what actual cockneys sound like when they're singing old East London classics. These traditional songs—such as \"\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7q3PxD__VA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Knees Up, Mother Brown\u003c/a>,\" \"\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khJbffN2yGI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">My Old Man Said Follow the Van\u003c/a>,\" and anything performed by \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1fOZjiDaw4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Chas and Dave\u003c/a>—have been traditionally sung around the \"old Joanna\" (rhyming slang for \"piano\") at rowdy gatherings in the pub, ever since cockneys became cockneys.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Which is why English punk band The Business did this cover:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQ-hLcJkHvA\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The most common view of Britain presented in America is genteel, refined, and royal, so part of the appeal of cockneys for Americans has always been the sheer degree of mystery involved. There is, quite often, a menacing streak involved in portrayals of cockneys, thanks to the working class nature of the East End of London and its history with gangs—the best known figures of which are, to this day, the Kray twins, whom movies like 2015's \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3569230/?ref_=nv_sr_2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>Legend\u003c/em>\u003c/a> and 1990's \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099951/?ref_=nv_sr_1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>The Krays\u003c/em>\u003c/a> eulogized.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And while the cockneys in Gary Oldman's gritty film about his childhood, \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119792/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>Nil By Mouth\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, are shocking for overseas audiences, and Ray Winstone scares the crap out of almost everyone in almost \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0935653/?ref_=nv_sr_1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">everything he is ever in,\u003c/a> characters like Alfie Solomons in \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2442560/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>Peaky Blinders \u003c/em>\u003c/a>carry a strange, sinister allure:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DJr-NY5GTU\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cockneys are enormously important to the English and, wider than that, the UK's identity in general. That's why they pop up repeatedly in so much pop culture. It's not the easiest thing to understand if you didn't grow up with it, but the rich history of London cockneys remains as fascinating as the British royal family, and considerably more fun to explore.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Compared to what the U.K. receives by way of American pop culture, the U.S. gets a fairly limited view of what British folk are actually like. As far as movies and TV go, the three most common categories of Brits are as follows: the upper class toffs (see: \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/20730/quiz-how-well-do-you-know-downton-abbey\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>Downtown Abbey\u003c/em>\u003c/a>,\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13867794/helena-bonham-carter-consulted-princess-margarets-spirit-before-the-crown\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem> The Crown\u003c/em> \u003c/a>etc), insta-villains (see: Tom Hardy in \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKQHM1ZeKcs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>The Dark Knight Rises\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, Anthony Hopkins in \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102926/?ref_=nv_sr_1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>Silence of the Lambs,\u003c/em>\u003c/a> Alan Rickman in almost anything), and, finally, there are the cockneys.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Up until the 19th century, the term \"cockneys\" was an insult used by British rural upper classes about city dwellers. Somehow though, after a couple of hundred years, the term came to refer exclusively to Londoners, and then later still, Londoners specifically from a relatively small portion of the east side of the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite somewhat regular appearances in movies and pop culture, the American view of cockneys has remained pretty muddled over the years, thanks to the fact that cockney quirks are often slyly presented and rarely explained. A cruel example of this can be seen here with an English interviewer testing Ice Cube on cockney rhyming slang, without actually telling him that's what's happening:\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/f1FTxhQt3R8'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/f1FTxhQt3R8'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>The movie equivalent of that interview has been happening on our screens for years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>First up, here's Michael Caine (a bonafide, real-life cockney) in \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0295178/?ref_=nv_sr_1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Austin Powers: Goldmember\u003c/a> \u003c/em>doing some cockney basics with Mike Myers. All the audience is told is that this is \"English-English:\"\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/hWUaT5ovZ50'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/hWUaT5ovZ50'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>More realistically, there's this also-sub-titled scene from Guy Ritchie's excellent \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120735/?ref_=nv_sr_1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels\u003c/a>\u003c/em>:\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/73d6h_go7QI'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/73d6h_go7QI'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Russell Brand (another real-life cockney) squeezed in a reference to a \"boat race\" (which means \"face\") in this scene from \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1226229/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>Get Him to the Greek\u003c/em>\u003c/a>:\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/OcM6PgX-Oc8'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/OcM6PgX-Oc8'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Which brings us to the part that confuses foreigners: What the hell are they talking about? Fear not. Cockney rhyming slang is not as complicated as it first sounds. Most historians agree that this particular form of the English language has its roots \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhyming_slang\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">in the 1840s\u003c/a>. It is widely presumed to have been invented by the working class residents of London's East End to outsmart fancy upper classes, as well as outsiders in general.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The principles of cockney rhyming slang are simple: instead of saying the word you want to convey, you say something that rhymes with it instead. If that sounds weird, take comfort in the fact that you've probably used, or understood, cockney at least once in your life. This is thanks to the fact that, somehow, the term \"brass tacks\" (cockney rhyming slang for \"facts\")made it to U.S. shores and stuck around.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It should be noted that there is a very limited set of permitted rhyming slang terms though; you can't just make it up as you go along. It must be agreed upon by the community at large. Even under these slightly restrictive conditions, new terms come into favor and stick pretty frequently. (For example, these days, if something's \u003ca href=\"https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=brad%20pitt&defid=1711554\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\"a bit Brad Pitt\".\u003c/a>.. well, let's just say, it's not very good...)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are \u003ca href=\"http://aldertons.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">entire guides\u003c/a> online to study, for those who want to learn this ever-evolving language in more depth. The area where cockney rhyming slang actually does become a bit difficult is only with the true experts. Because they use it daily, they've done away with the full rhyming terms, for the sake of brevity. Ergo:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Apples = Apples and Pears = Stairs.\u003cbr>\nThe Dog = Dog and Bone = Phone.\u003cbr>\nPlates = Plates of Meat = Feet.\u003cbr>\nBarnet = Barnet Fair = Hair.\u003cbr>\n(Shoutout to \u003ca href=\"http://www.barnetssalon.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Barnets Salon\u003c/a> on San Francisco's 16th Street for using that last one!)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here's Danny Dyer, actor in BBC soap opera \u003ca href=\"http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006m86d\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>Eastenders\u003c/em>\u003c/a> (and much beloved cockney) talking about how he worked to bring more authentic rhyming slang into the show:\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/XR5rGH3AP0g'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/XR5rGH3AP0g'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Clear as mud, right? Well, that might be the accent itself. America has been listening to terrible fake versions for years, which has confused things to no end.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Take, for example, \u003cem>Sons of Anarchy \u003c/em>alum Charlie Hunnam's version of cockney, for 2005 movie \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0385002/?ref_=tt_ch\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Green Street Hooligans\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>This proves definitively that being English does not automatically grant the ability to sound cockney. At all. This clip is guaranteed to reduce every British person on Earth to actual tears of laughter:\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/oMBISGl5QkA'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/oMBISGl5QkA'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Of course, the most egregious and well known example of cockney-butchery is undoubtedly Dick Van Dyke's Bert in \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058331/?ref_=nv_sr_1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>Mary Poppins\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. Bert's whole deal infuriates British people to this very day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is why:\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/B_rVzBt20N0'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/B_rVzBt20N0'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>For the sake of contrast, here's what actual cockneys sound like when they're singing old East London classics. These traditional songs—such as \"\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7q3PxD__VA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Knees Up, Mother Brown\u003c/a>,\" \"\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khJbffN2yGI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">My Old Man Said Follow the Van\u003c/a>,\" and anything performed by \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1fOZjiDaw4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Chas and Dave\u003c/a>—have been traditionally sung around the \"old Joanna\" (rhyming slang for \"piano\") at rowdy gatherings in the pub, ever since cockneys became cockneys.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Which is why English punk band The Business did this cover:\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/QQ-hLcJkHvA'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/QQ-hLcJkHvA'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>The most common view of Britain presented in America is genteel, refined, and royal, so part of the appeal of cockneys for Americans has always been the sheer degree of mystery involved. There is, quite often, a menacing streak involved in portrayals of cockneys, thanks to the working class nature of the East End of London and its history with gangs—the best known figures of which are, to this day, the Kray twins, whom movies like 2015's \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3569230/?ref_=nv_sr_2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>Legend\u003c/em>\u003c/a> and 1990's \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099951/?ref_=nv_sr_1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>The Krays\u003c/em>\u003c/a> eulogized.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And while the cockneys in Gary Oldman's gritty film about his childhood, \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119792/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>Nil By Mouth\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, are shocking for overseas audiences, and Ray Winstone scares the crap out of almost everyone in almost \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0935653/?ref_=nv_sr_1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">everything he is ever in,\u003c/a> characters like Alfie Solomons in \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2442560/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>Peaky Blinders \u003c/em>\u003c/a>carry a strange, sinister allure:\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/3DJr-NY5GTU'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/3DJr-NY5GTU'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cockneys are enormously important to the English and, wider than that, the UK's identity in general. That's why they pop up repeatedly in so much pop culture. It's not the easiest thing to understand if you didn't grow up with it, but the rich history of London cockneys remains as fascinating as the British royal family, and considerably more fun to explore.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "Bill Hader Totally (Contract) Kills it, on HBO's 'Barry'",
"title": "Bill Hader Totally (Contract) Kills it, on HBO's 'Barry'",
"headTitle": "KQED Pop | KQED Arts",
"content": "\u003cp>Barry (\u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0352778/?ref_=tt_cl_t1\">Bill Hader\u003c/a>) is a hit man, but what he really loves is community theater.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That setup, which opens the new HBO dark comedy \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5348176/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">\u003cem>Barry\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, is very nearly a television cliche in the age of the sympathetic mafia family and the meth-dealing high-school science teacher. The fact that Hader and his co-creator Alec Berg (who also makes \u003cem>Silicon Valley\u003c/em>) have made something so vexing, so weird and funny and achingly sad, is a pleasant surprise, to say the least.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b09aJdWqVp4\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Barry really is a hit man. He comes to Los Angeles from Cleveland to kill somebody for money. It's what he's been doing since he left the Marines after serving in Afghanistan. He lacked, as he explains it, a \"purpose,\" and family friend Fuches (\u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0740535/?ref_=tt_cl_t3\">Stephen Root\u003c/a>) got him into professional killing. But he's unhappy, and from the beginning, he's saying he wants out. In the famous last words of many people who have ruined their lives, he's sure everything will be different — right after this last time. The writing is very canny in initially leaving avenues open for us to not view Barry as \u003cem>exactly \u003c/em>a hit man, \u003cem>exactly \u003c/em>a killer, and then gradually closing them off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The job leads Barry to an acting class taught by the puffed-up Gene Cousineau, played by \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001857/?ref_=tt_cl_t2\">Henry Winkler\u003c/a>. Cousineau is earnest, clueless, fundamentally... sweet?... and welcoming to Barry, who cannot act even a little bit but can pay full price for classes. Barry manages to make friends in class, including Sally (\u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3057022/?ref_=tt_cl_t4\">Sarah Goldberg\u003c/a>), an actress he quickly develops a crush on who's perpetually being taken advantage of by the sharks of her business.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>HBO shared all eight half-hour episodes with critics, and it would be unfair to share much more than the barest setup in terms of the plot. Just understand that \u003cem>Barry \u003c/em>is funny, but it's not slick. Hader and Berg aren't glib about the costs of crime, and they're not balancing black humor and upbeat sweetness in the way NBC's \u003cem>Good Girls \u003c/em>was going for when it set up its story of moms committing holdups.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The balance here is between the comedy — both situational and physical — of Barry's escalating problems with criminals of his acquaintance and the fact that he is a legitimately tragic figure. Over the course of eight episodes, Hader and Berg tighten the screws on Barry and demonstrate the difficulty of achieving the fresh start he says he wants. But critically, they also don't flinch at the question that often eludes stories like this: Is Barry \u003cem>entitled \u003c/em>to a fresh start? Is he entitled to walk away from everything he's done and become a quirky actor? What are the implications of rooting for that?\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_102827\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-102827\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/barrybarry_wide-01353289c4adea3f608442bd27e1d15183efaf51-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/barrybarry_wide-01353289c4adea3f608442bd27e1d15183efaf51-800x450.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/barrybarry_wide-01353289c4adea3f608442bd27e1d15183efaf51-160x90.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/barrybarry_wide-01353289c4adea3f608442bd27e1d15183efaf51-768x432.jpg 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/barrybarry_wide-01353289c4adea3f608442bd27e1d15183efaf51-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/barrybarry_wide-01353289c4adea3f608442bd27e1d15183efaf51-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/barrybarry_wide-01353289c4adea3f608442bd27e1d15183efaf51-1920x1080.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/barrybarry_wide-01353289c4adea3f608442bd27e1d15183efaf51-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/barrybarry_wide-01353289c4adea3f608442bd27e1d15183efaf51-960x540.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/barrybarry_wide-01353289c4adea3f608442bd27e1d15183efaf51-240x135.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/barrybarry_wide-01353289c4adea3f608442bd27e1d15183efaf51-375x211.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/barrybarry_wide-01353289c4adea3f608442bd27e1d15183efaf51-520x292.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">'Barry' / HBO\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It's refreshing that \u003cem>Barry \u003c/em>is unafraid of looking the utter arrogance of much of antihero entertainment right in the eyes — of not taking it as a given that this man, who has killed a bunch of people, should be cheered on as soon as he says he'd really like to not do it anymore. Think of it as \u003cem>Breaking Good\u003c/em>: if Walter White had gone from meth kingpin to high school teacher as smoothly as he did the opposite, is that suddenly just swell? What if he had to do a lot of damage along the way to make that transition possible, but he was sincere about wanting it? There are multiple experiments in \u003cem>Barry \u003c/em>testing behavior against affect; brutality against niceness. Who are we, after all, other than the things we do and the damage we choose or don't choose to inflict?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the center of this story is Hader's stellar work as Barry. He is a perfect example of a big-eyed, bendy-faced comedian who can take that precisely calibrated range of responses and turn them into dramatic tools without losing his comedic flair. He's always been a guy who can disappear into a kind of deceptive pleasantness that tamps down his weirdness — in \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2211129/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>The Mindy Project\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, he was Mindy's doctor ex-boyfriend, and in \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3152624/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>Trainwreck\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, he was Amy Schumer's doctor love interest. Here, that unassuming quality is tinged with menace instead of humor alone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Henry Winkler is having all \u003cem>kinds \u003c/em>of fun with Cousineau, a man who is either thoroughly delusional or bracingly genuine, and maybe a little of both. And as much side-eye as it's quite reasonable to cast at shows that cast women of color in roles of underdeveloped decency, Paula Newsome is wonderful as the sharp detective who narrows and narrows the gap between herself and the answers she's looking for — the answers that could bring an end to the future Barry daydreams about. Why, the show is willing to tempt you to wonder, is she not the hero?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dark comedy — and \u003cem>Barry \u003c/em>is also very funny much of the time — that's carved out of violence has built plenty of careers. It makes up a solid share of Quentin Tarantino's work, and the Coen brothers', and it's been a crucial element of plenty of prestige television. But there is, for lack of a better word, a fundamental fairness to \u003cem>Barry\u003c/em>, a reckoning with its implications, that feels fresh. When you come to the end and you hear the last line, it's legitimately thrilling, because it's inevitable but not predictable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Too often, we wind up speaking about troubled characters in terms of their likability, which is beside the point. A protagonist can be likable or unlikable, provided that the show is honest about what would be the consequences of their actions. The damage he does can't only echo in his own life; it can't only build his character. It has to feel fully accounted for. He has to feel its effects. And in \u003cem>Barry\u003c/em>, he does.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=A+Contract+Killer+Walks+Into+An+Acting+Class%2C+On+HBO%27s+%27Barry%27&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Barry (\u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0352778/?ref_=tt_cl_t1\">Bill Hader\u003c/a>) is a hit man, but what he really loves is community theater.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That setup, which opens the new HBO dark comedy \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5348176/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">\u003cem>Barry\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, is very nearly a television cliche in the age of the sympathetic mafia family and the meth-dealing high-school science teacher. The fact that Hader and his co-creator Alec Berg (who also makes \u003cem>Silicon Valley\u003c/em>) have made something so vexing, so weird and funny and achingly sad, is a pleasant surprise, to say the least.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/b09aJdWqVp4'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/b09aJdWqVp4'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Barry really is a hit man. He comes to Los Angeles from Cleveland to kill somebody for money. It's what he's been doing since he left the Marines after serving in Afghanistan. He lacked, as he explains it, a \"purpose,\" and family friend Fuches (\u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0740535/?ref_=tt_cl_t3\">Stephen Root\u003c/a>) got him into professional killing. But he's unhappy, and from the beginning, he's saying he wants out. In the famous last words of many people who have ruined their lives, he's sure everything will be different — right after this last time. The writing is very canny in initially leaving avenues open for us to not view Barry as \u003cem>exactly \u003c/em>a hit man, \u003cem>exactly \u003c/em>a killer, and then gradually closing them off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The job leads Barry to an acting class taught by the puffed-up Gene Cousineau, played by \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001857/?ref_=tt_cl_t2\">Henry Winkler\u003c/a>. Cousineau is earnest, clueless, fundamentally... sweet?... and welcoming to Barry, who cannot act even a little bit but can pay full price for classes. Barry manages to make friends in class, including Sally (\u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3057022/?ref_=tt_cl_t4\">Sarah Goldberg\u003c/a>), an actress he quickly develops a crush on who's perpetually being taken advantage of by the sharks of her business.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>HBO shared all eight half-hour episodes with critics, and it would be unfair to share much more than the barest setup in terms of the plot. Just understand that \u003cem>Barry \u003c/em>is funny, but it's not slick. Hader and Berg aren't glib about the costs of crime, and they're not balancing black humor and upbeat sweetness in the way NBC's \u003cem>Good Girls \u003c/em>was going for when it set up its story of moms committing holdups.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The balance here is between the comedy — both situational and physical — of Barry's escalating problems with criminals of his acquaintance and the fact that he is a legitimately tragic figure. Over the course of eight episodes, Hader and Berg tighten the screws on Barry and demonstrate the difficulty of achieving the fresh start he says he wants. But critically, they also don't flinch at the question that often eludes stories like this: Is Barry \u003cem>entitled \u003c/em>to a fresh start? Is he entitled to walk away from everything he's done and become a quirky actor? What are the implications of rooting for that?\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_102827\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-102827\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/barrybarry_wide-01353289c4adea3f608442bd27e1d15183efaf51-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/barrybarry_wide-01353289c4adea3f608442bd27e1d15183efaf51-800x450.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/barrybarry_wide-01353289c4adea3f608442bd27e1d15183efaf51-160x90.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/barrybarry_wide-01353289c4adea3f608442bd27e1d15183efaf51-768x432.jpg 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/barrybarry_wide-01353289c4adea3f608442bd27e1d15183efaf51-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/barrybarry_wide-01353289c4adea3f608442bd27e1d15183efaf51-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/barrybarry_wide-01353289c4adea3f608442bd27e1d15183efaf51-1920x1080.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/barrybarry_wide-01353289c4adea3f608442bd27e1d15183efaf51-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/barrybarry_wide-01353289c4adea3f608442bd27e1d15183efaf51-960x540.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/barrybarry_wide-01353289c4adea3f608442bd27e1d15183efaf51-240x135.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/barrybarry_wide-01353289c4adea3f608442bd27e1d15183efaf51-375x211.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/barrybarry_wide-01353289c4adea3f608442bd27e1d15183efaf51-520x292.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">'Barry' / HBO\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It's refreshing that \u003cem>Barry \u003c/em>is unafraid of looking the utter arrogance of much of antihero entertainment right in the eyes — of not taking it as a given that this man, who has killed a bunch of people, should be cheered on as soon as he says he'd really like to not do it anymore. Think of it as \u003cem>Breaking Good\u003c/em>: if Walter White had gone from meth kingpin to high school teacher as smoothly as he did the opposite, is that suddenly just swell? What if he had to do a lot of damage along the way to make that transition possible, but he was sincere about wanting it? There are multiple experiments in \u003cem>Barry \u003c/em>testing behavior against affect; brutality against niceness. Who are we, after all, other than the things we do and the damage we choose or don't choose to inflict?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the center of this story is Hader's stellar work as Barry. He is a perfect example of a big-eyed, bendy-faced comedian who can take that precisely calibrated range of responses and turn them into dramatic tools without losing his comedic flair. He's always been a guy who can disappear into a kind of deceptive pleasantness that tamps down his weirdness — in \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2211129/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>The Mindy Project\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, he was Mindy's doctor ex-boyfriend, and in \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3152624/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>Trainwreck\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, he was Amy Schumer's doctor love interest. Here, that unassuming quality is tinged with menace instead of humor alone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Henry Winkler is having all \u003cem>kinds \u003c/em>of fun with Cousineau, a man who is either thoroughly delusional or bracingly genuine, and maybe a little of both. And as much side-eye as it's quite reasonable to cast at shows that cast women of color in roles of underdeveloped decency, Paula Newsome is wonderful as the sharp detective who narrows and narrows the gap between herself and the answers she's looking for — the answers that could bring an end to the future Barry daydreams about. Why, the show is willing to tempt you to wonder, is she not the hero?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dark comedy — and \u003cem>Barry \u003c/em>is also very funny much of the time — that's carved out of violence has built plenty of careers. It makes up a solid share of Quentin Tarantino's work, and the Coen brothers', and it's been a crucial element of plenty of prestige television. But there is, for lack of a better word, a fundamental fairness to \u003cem>Barry\u003c/em>, a reckoning with its implications, that feels fresh. When you come to the end and you hear the last line, it's legitimately thrilling, because it's inevitable but not predictable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Too often, we wind up speaking about troubled characters in terms of their likability, which is beside the point. A protagonist can be likable or unlikable, provided that the show is honest about what would be the consequences of their actions. The damage he does can't only echo in his own life; it can't only build his character. It has to feel fully accounted for. He has to feel its effects. And in \u003cem>Barry\u003c/em>, he does.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=A+Contract+Killer+Walks+Into+An+Acting+Class%2C+On+HBO%27s+%27Barry%27&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "In a Post-'Black Panther' World, Can Skin-Lightening Finally Stop?",
"title": "In a Post-'Black Panther' World, Can Skin-Lightening Finally Stop?",
"headTitle": "KQED Pop | KQED Arts",
"content": "\u003cp>Over the weekend, history was made when, for the very first time, African American directors were responsible for the top two movies in the country. One of them, \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1620680/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">\u003cem>A Wrinkle in Time\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, was directed by a woman\u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1148550/?ref_=nv_sr_1\"> (Ava DuVernay)\u003c/a>. The other, \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1825683/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>Black Panther\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, just passed the one billion dollar threshold in sales, having accounted for 43% of all movie tickets sold in February. Both of these huge hits were led by a majority-black cast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For the last year, the box office has become a loud speaker, declaring over and over again that, yes, diversity does sell. \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3564472/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>Girls Trip\u003c/em>\u003c/a> was one of the biggest hits of last summer. Worldwide, \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4846340/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">\u003cem>Hidden Figures\u003c/em>\u003c/a> took $230.1 million, and \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5052448/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">\u003cem>Get Out\u003c/em>\u003c/a> raked in $251.2 million, before turning \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1443502/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">Jordan Peele\u003c/a> into an Oscar winner. None of this should come as a surprise to the movie industry -- in 2014, minorities (37 percent of the population) \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/diverse-movies-are-a-huge-business-why-doesnt-hollywood-make-more/2015/12/15/ec002564-9774-11e5-b499-76cbec161973_story.html?utm_term=.ec3d45302470\">bought 46 percent of movie tickets\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If money does, in fact, talk, it would make sense for all facets of our popular culture -- TV, fashion, the beauty industry, print media -- to give the nation what it so obviously wants, and diversify at every opportunity. Television has finally started taking steps, giving Issa Rae, DeWanda Wise, and Danai Gurira center stage in \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5024912/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>Insecure\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3713588/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>She's Gotta Have It,\u003c/em>\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1520211/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>The Walking Dead\u003c/em>\u003c/a> respectively. We can also thank ABC for \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3487356/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>Black-ish\u003c/em>\u003c/a> and its youthful spin-off, \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt7018644/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>Grown-ish\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. And Sterling K. Brown from \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1250791/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">\u003cem>This is Us\u003c/em>\u003c/a> is rapidly turning into one of the hottest actors in the country, thanks to a bumper awards season and a triumphant performance hosting \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> over the weekend.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/JociBurd/status/972711865976541186\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Changes are definitely afoot. But while painfully overdue progress feels like it's finally being made on the big screen, other facets of our culture aren't doing nearly as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2014 and 2015, only 19 percent of magazine cover stars were people of color. That went up to \u003ca href=\"https://fashionista.com/2016/12/fashion-diversity-magazine-covers-2016\">35 percent in 2016\u003c/a>, but flatlined in \u003ca href=\"https://www.refinery29.com/2017/12/184703/most-diverse-magazine-covers-2017\">2017 at 32 percent.\u003c/a> In 2017, only 5 percent of lifestyle magazine cover stars were Hispanic, despite 18 percent of the nation identifying as such.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To make matters worse, even when minorities do find themselves on magazine covers, their skin tones don't always match how they look in real life. Of course, issues around lighting, equipment, and make-up come into play (pre-\u003ca href=\"https://www.fentybeauty.com/\">Fenty Beauty\u003c/a>, make-up for darker skin tones was notoriously hard to come by), but it cannot be denied that skin color in a final photo can seemingly be influenced by the publication's style and country of origin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Actress and princess-to-be, Meghan Markle \u003ca href=\"https://www.allure.com/story/meghan-markle-racism-against-biracial-actresses\">told \u003cem>Allure\u003c/em>\u003c/a> in March 2017: \"For castings, I was labeled ‘ethnically ambiguous'… To this day, my pet peeve is when my skin tone is changed and my freckles are airbrushed out of a photo shoot.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Paris Jackson also recently expressed similar frustrations, tweeting:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/ParisJackson/status/971257735756042240\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And this isn't just a problem for lesser known stars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_102575\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-102575 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/rihanna-color-800x800.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/rihanna-color-800x800.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/rihanna-color-160x160.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/rihanna-color-768x768.jpg 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/rihanna-color-1020x1020.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/rihanna-color-1200x1200.jpg 1200w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/rihanna-color-1920x1920.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/rihanna-color-1180x1180.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/rihanna-color-960x960.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/rihanna-color-240x240.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/rihanna-color-375x375.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/rihanna-color-520x520.jpg 520w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/rihanna-color-32x32.jpg 32w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/rihanna-color-50x50.jpg 50w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/rihanna-color-64x64.jpg 64w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/rihanna-color-96x96.jpg 96w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/rihanna-color-128x128.jpg 128w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/rihanna-color-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The more Rihanna magazine covers you look at, the more her ethnicity seems ambiguous.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The sheer visibility and popularity of A-list artists like Rihanna and Beyoncé does not prevent rampant skin tone alterations from taking place, post-shoot, pre-print.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_102574\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-102574 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/beyonce-skin-800x800.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/beyonce-skin-800x800.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/beyonce-skin-160x160.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/beyonce-skin-768x768.jpg 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/beyonce-skin-1020x1020.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/beyonce-skin-1200x1200.jpg 1200w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/beyonce-skin-1920x1920.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/beyonce-skin-1180x1180.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/beyonce-skin-960x960.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/beyonce-skin-240x240.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/beyonce-skin-375x375.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/beyonce-skin-520x520.jpg 520w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/beyonce-skin-32x32.jpg 32w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/beyonce-skin-50x50.jpg 50w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/beyonce-skin-64x64.jpg 64w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/beyonce-skin-96x96.jpg 96w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/beyonce-skin-128x128.jpg 128w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/beyonce-skin-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Beyoncé appearing to be white, black, mixed race and Hispanic, depending on the publication.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Even Kim Kardashian is sometimes subjected to skin-lightening:\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_102576\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 768px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-102576\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/gallery-1460129869-kim-complez.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"768\" height=\"561\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/gallery-1460129869-kim-complez.jpg 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/gallery-1460129869-kim-complez-160x117.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/gallery-1460129869-kim-complez-240x175.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/gallery-1460129869-kim-complez-375x274.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/gallery-1460129869-kim-complez-520x380.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In 2009, Complex Magazine's website accidentally posted an untouched photo of Kim Kardashian, then replaced it with a Photoshopped one later, allowing the internet to compare and contrast.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Remarkably, stars do not make a habit of complaining about the changes made to their skin tones. Back in 2015, Zendaya objected to a Photoshop job to make her petite figure appear even slimmer, but did not specifically mention the changing of her skin tone:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.instagram.com/p/9FV2sdJmOk/?utm_source=ig_embed\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This has led to accusations from the public and beauty bloggers alike that some celebrities are actually subjecting themselves to melanin-blocking skin-lightening treatments. \u003ca href=\"http://skinlightskinbright.com/celebrity-skin-lightening/\">Mindy Kaling, Nicki Minaj, Beyonce, and Rihanna have all come under suspicion,\u003c/a> as well as \u003ca href=\"http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3286969/As-Beyonce-steps-palest-shade-MICA-PARIS-asks-black-stars-want-whiter-skin.html\">Janet Jackson, supermodel Iman, and Jennifer Lopez.\u003c/a> With so few famous people willing to broach the subject, even while having accusations leveled at them, it's not terribly surprising that magazines continue Photoshopping skin color unabated, as they have done for decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The magazine industry's fear of darker skin tones was ingrained early. It took \u003cem>Vogue\u003c/em> 82 years to feature its first black cover star, \u003ca href=\"http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-28562316\">Beverly Johnson\u003c/a>, in 1974. \u003ca href=\"https://mashable.com/2015/02/21/first-black-magazines-covers/#ZFY.ILkqgGqD\">French \u003cem>Vogue\u003c/em> didn't do it\u003c/a> until Naomi Campbell came along in 1988. Fears around featuring black models back then weren't simply cultural, they were practical: the Kodak film used in cameras until the 1990s was, remarkably, designed only to handle lighter skin tones. The chemistry of this film is best explained by this handy video:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d16LNHIEJzs\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pair that background with the fact that, over and over again, social research has documented the fact that the darker a person's skin tone, the more racism they are subjected to (a 2011 study of over 12,000 black female inmates by \u003ca href=\"http://www1.villanova.edu/main.html\">Villanova University\u003c/a> found that lighter-skinned women received shorter sentences), and print media continues to labor under the assumption that very black skin won't sell copies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stanford University psychologist \u003ca href=\"http://web.stanford.edu/~eberhard/about-jennifer-eberhardt.html\">Jennifer Eberhardt\u003c/a> has even found that marriage prospects are affected by skin tone: \"We find that the light-skin shade as measured by survey interviewers is associated with about a 15% greater probability of marriage for young black women.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What we're left with is a chicken-egg conundrum. Do magazines feature fewer dark-skinned subjects because of the public's own racism? Or is the public more racist towards people with darker skin because they have been so consistently erased and other-ized by mass media?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lack of visibility allows racist ideas that were peddled generations ago to stick around in the public subconscious. No wonder then, that \u003cem>Hunger Games\u003c/em> actress \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3964350/?ref_=nv_sr_7\">Amandla Stenberg\u003c/a> reportedly bowed out of auditions for \u003cem>Black Panther\u003c/em> -- she understands, as a light-skinned person of color, the narrowness of opportunities for darker-skinned actors and actresses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"These are all dark skin actors playing Africans,\" \u003ca href=\"https://www.bet.com/celebrities/news/2018/03/01/young-starlet-turned-down-black-panther-light-skinned.html\">Stenberg told \u003cem>CBC Arts\u003c/em>\u003c/a> about her decision to drop out of the running, \"and I feel like it would have just been off to see me as a biracial American with a Nigerian accent just pretending that I'm the same color as everyone else in the movie… That was really challenging, to make that decision, but I have no regrets. I recognize 100 percent that there are spaces that I should not take up.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As noble as this move by Stenberg was, it should not be the responsibility of black celebrities to actively deny themselves opportunities in order to advance their peers. There needs to be a shift, from the top down, and across the board, to make space for a wider spectrum of skin tones. After the overwhelming success of \u003cem>Black Panther, \u003c/em>and a fashion industry that is also trying to move forward (in 2008, models at New York Fashion Week were 87 percent white; \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/16/fashion/new-york-fashion-week-2017-diversity.html\">that number dropped to 68 percent in 2017\u003c/a>), there is no longer any viable excuse for magazines to still be lightening the skin of black celebrities.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Over the weekend, history was made when, for the very first time, African American directors were responsible for the top two movies in the country. One of them, \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1620680/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">\u003cem>A Wrinkle in Time\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, was directed by a woman\u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1148550/?ref_=nv_sr_1\"> (Ava DuVernay)\u003c/a>. The other, \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1825683/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>Black Panther\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, just passed the one billion dollar threshold in sales, having accounted for 43% of all movie tickets sold in February. Both of these huge hits were led by a majority-black cast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For the last year, the box office has become a loud speaker, declaring over and over again that, yes, diversity does sell. \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3564472/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>Girls Trip\u003c/em>\u003c/a> was one of the biggest hits of last summer. Worldwide, \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4846340/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">\u003cem>Hidden Figures\u003c/em>\u003c/a> took $230.1 million, and \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5052448/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">\u003cem>Get Out\u003c/em>\u003c/a> raked in $251.2 million, before turning \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1443502/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">Jordan Peele\u003c/a> into an Oscar winner. None of this should come as a surprise to the movie industry -- in 2014, minorities (37 percent of the population) \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/diverse-movies-are-a-huge-business-why-doesnt-hollywood-make-more/2015/12/15/ec002564-9774-11e5-b499-76cbec161973_story.html?utm_term=.ec3d45302470\">bought 46 percent of movie tickets\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If money does, in fact, talk, it would make sense for all facets of our popular culture -- TV, fashion, the beauty industry, print media -- to give the nation what it so obviously wants, and diversify at every opportunity. Television has finally started taking steps, giving Issa Rae, DeWanda Wise, and Danai Gurira center stage in \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5024912/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>Insecure\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3713588/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>She's Gotta Have It,\u003c/em>\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1520211/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>The Walking Dead\u003c/em>\u003c/a> respectively. We can also thank ABC for \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3487356/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>Black-ish\u003c/em>\u003c/a> and its youthful spin-off, \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt7018644/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>Grown-ish\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. And Sterling K. Brown from \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1250791/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">\u003cem>This is Us\u003c/em>\u003c/a> is rapidly turning into one of the hottest actors in the country, thanks to a bumper awards season and a triumphant performance hosting \u003cem>SNL\u003c/em> over the weekend.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>Changes are definitely afoot. But while painfully overdue progress feels like it's finally being made on the big screen, other facets of our culture aren't doing nearly as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2014 and 2015, only 19 percent of magazine cover stars were people of color. That went up to \u003ca href=\"https://fashionista.com/2016/12/fashion-diversity-magazine-covers-2016\">35 percent in 2016\u003c/a>, but flatlined in \u003ca href=\"https://www.refinery29.com/2017/12/184703/most-diverse-magazine-covers-2017\">2017 at 32 percent.\u003c/a> In 2017, only 5 percent of lifestyle magazine cover stars were Hispanic, despite 18 percent of the nation identifying as such.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To make matters worse, even when minorities do find themselves on magazine covers, their skin tones don't always match how they look in real life. Of course, issues around lighting, equipment, and make-up come into play (pre-\u003ca href=\"https://www.fentybeauty.com/\">Fenty Beauty\u003c/a>, make-up for darker skin tones was notoriously hard to come by), but it cannot be denied that skin color in a final photo can seemingly be influenced by the publication's style and country of origin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Actress and princess-to-be, Meghan Markle \u003ca href=\"https://www.allure.com/story/meghan-markle-racism-against-biracial-actresses\">told \u003cem>Allure\u003c/em>\u003c/a> in March 2017: \"For castings, I was labeled ‘ethnically ambiguous'… To this day, my pet peeve is when my skin tone is changed and my freckles are airbrushed out of a photo shoot.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Paris Jackson also recently expressed similar frustrations, tweeting:\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>And this isn't just a problem for lesser known stars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_102575\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-102575 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/rihanna-color-800x800.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/rihanna-color-800x800.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/rihanna-color-160x160.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/rihanna-color-768x768.jpg 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/rihanna-color-1020x1020.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/rihanna-color-1200x1200.jpg 1200w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/rihanna-color-1920x1920.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/rihanna-color-1180x1180.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/rihanna-color-960x960.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/rihanna-color-240x240.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/rihanna-color-375x375.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/rihanna-color-520x520.jpg 520w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/rihanna-color-32x32.jpg 32w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/rihanna-color-50x50.jpg 50w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/rihanna-color-64x64.jpg 64w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/rihanna-color-96x96.jpg 96w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/rihanna-color-128x128.jpg 128w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/rihanna-color-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The more Rihanna magazine covers you look at, the more her ethnicity seems ambiguous.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The sheer visibility and popularity of A-list artists like Rihanna and Beyoncé does not prevent rampant skin tone alterations from taking place, post-shoot, pre-print.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_102574\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-102574 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/beyonce-skin-800x800.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/beyonce-skin-800x800.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/beyonce-skin-160x160.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/beyonce-skin-768x768.jpg 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/beyonce-skin-1020x1020.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/beyonce-skin-1200x1200.jpg 1200w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/beyonce-skin-1920x1920.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/beyonce-skin-1180x1180.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/beyonce-skin-960x960.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/beyonce-skin-240x240.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/beyonce-skin-375x375.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/beyonce-skin-520x520.jpg 520w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/beyonce-skin-32x32.jpg 32w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/beyonce-skin-50x50.jpg 50w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/beyonce-skin-64x64.jpg 64w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/beyonce-skin-96x96.jpg 96w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/beyonce-skin-128x128.jpg 128w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/beyonce-skin-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Beyoncé appearing to be white, black, mixed race and Hispanic, depending on the publication.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Even Kim Kardashian is sometimes subjected to skin-lightening:\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_102576\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 768px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-102576\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/gallery-1460129869-kim-complez.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"768\" height=\"561\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/gallery-1460129869-kim-complez.jpg 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/gallery-1460129869-kim-complez-160x117.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/gallery-1460129869-kim-complez-240x175.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/gallery-1460129869-kim-complez-375x274.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/gallery-1460129869-kim-complez-520x380.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In 2009, Complex Magazine's website accidentally posted an untouched photo of Kim Kardashian, then replaced it with a Photoshopped one later, allowing the internet to compare and contrast.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Remarkably, stars do not make a habit of complaining about the changes made to their skin tones. Back in 2015, Zendaya objected to a Photoshop job to make her petite figure appear even slimmer, but did not specifically mention the changing of her skin tone:\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>This has led to accusations from the public and beauty bloggers alike that some celebrities are actually subjecting themselves to melanin-blocking skin-lightening treatments. \u003ca href=\"http://skinlightskinbright.com/celebrity-skin-lightening/\">Mindy Kaling, Nicki Minaj, Beyonce, and Rihanna have all come under suspicion,\u003c/a> as well as \u003ca href=\"http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3286969/As-Beyonce-steps-palest-shade-MICA-PARIS-asks-black-stars-want-whiter-skin.html\">Janet Jackson, supermodel Iman, and Jennifer Lopez.\u003c/a> With so few famous people willing to broach the subject, even while having accusations leveled at them, it's not terribly surprising that magazines continue Photoshopping skin color unabated, as they have done for decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The magazine industry's fear of darker skin tones was ingrained early. It took \u003cem>Vogue\u003c/em> 82 years to feature its first black cover star, \u003ca href=\"http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-28562316\">Beverly Johnson\u003c/a>, in 1974. \u003ca href=\"https://mashable.com/2015/02/21/first-black-magazines-covers/#ZFY.ILkqgGqD\">French \u003cem>Vogue\u003c/em> didn't do it\u003c/a> until Naomi Campbell came along in 1988. Fears around featuring black models back then weren't simply cultural, they were practical: the Kodak film used in cameras until the 1990s was, remarkably, designed only to handle lighter skin tones. The chemistry of this film is best explained by this handy video:\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/d16LNHIEJzs'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/d16LNHIEJzs'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Pair that background with the fact that, over and over again, social research has documented the fact that the darker a person's skin tone, the more racism they are subjected to (a 2011 study of over 12,000 black female inmates by \u003ca href=\"http://www1.villanova.edu/main.html\">Villanova University\u003c/a> found that lighter-skinned women received shorter sentences), and print media continues to labor under the assumption that very black skin won't sell copies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stanford University psychologist \u003ca href=\"http://web.stanford.edu/~eberhard/about-jennifer-eberhardt.html\">Jennifer Eberhardt\u003c/a> has even found that marriage prospects are affected by skin tone: \"We find that the light-skin shade as measured by survey interviewers is associated with about a 15% greater probability of marriage for young black women.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What we're left with is a chicken-egg conundrum. Do magazines feature fewer dark-skinned subjects because of the public's own racism? Or is the public more racist towards people with darker skin because they have been so consistently erased and other-ized by mass media?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lack of visibility allows racist ideas that were peddled generations ago to stick around in the public subconscious. No wonder then, that \u003cem>Hunger Games\u003c/em> actress \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3964350/?ref_=nv_sr_7\">Amandla Stenberg\u003c/a> reportedly bowed out of auditions for \u003cem>Black Panther\u003c/em> -- she understands, as a light-skinned person of color, the narrowness of opportunities for darker-skinned actors and actresses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"These are all dark skin actors playing Africans,\" \u003ca href=\"https://www.bet.com/celebrities/news/2018/03/01/young-starlet-turned-down-black-panther-light-skinned.html\">Stenberg told \u003cem>CBC Arts\u003c/em>\u003c/a> about her decision to drop out of the running, \"and I feel like it would have just been off to see me as a biracial American with a Nigerian accent just pretending that I'm the same color as everyone else in the movie… That was really challenging, to make that decision, but I have no regrets. I recognize 100 percent that there are spaces that I should not take up.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As noble as this move by Stenberg was, it should not be the responsibility of black celebrities to actively deny themselves opportunities in order to advance their peers. There needs to be a shift, from the top down, and across the board, to make space for a wider spectrum of skin tones. After the overwhelming success of \u003cem>Black Panther, \u003c/em>and a fashion industry that is also trying to move forward (in 2008, models at New York Fashion Week were 87 percent white; \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/16/fashion/new-york-fashion-week-2017-diversity.html\">that number dropped to 68 percent in 2017\u003c/a>), there is no longer any viable excuse for magazines to still be lightening the skin of black celebrities.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "Nancy Pelosi Made Drag Queens Cry on 'RuPaul's Drag Race'",
"title": "Nancy Pelosi Made Drag Queens Cry on 'RuPaul's Drag Race'",
"headTitle": "KQED Pop | KQED Arts",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Winter Olympics might be over, but the Gay Olympics (a.k.a. \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">RuPaul’s Drag Race\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">) are still kicking. Whether it’s a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://media1.tenor.com/images/56c849171d3cb3d70f19968c925b6c77/tenor.gif?itemid=6058785\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">wig reveal\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> or \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://imageslogotv-a.akamaihd.net//uri/mgid:file:http:shared:s3.amazonaws.com/articles.newnownext.com-production/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/tumblr_inline_oqbopqO3Ok1rupu4a_540-1501014397.gif\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Maskgate\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> or \u003ca href=\"https://i0.wp.com/78.media.tumblr.com/8796dcf8e720f4fe579ebf3ee8bb1fd9/tumblr_p5awp14NlZ1r3jqyco2_400.gif?w=605&ssl=1\">a frontrunner \u003c/a>\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://i0.wp.com/78.media.tumblr.com/8796dcf8e720f4fe579ebf3ee8bb1fd9/tumblr_p5awp14NlZ1r3jqyco2_400.gif?w=605&ssl=1\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">randomly eliminating herself\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, the show is truly a surprise-loving stunt queen. Last week, one such surprise waltzed into the workroom in the form of the most powerful woman in Congress, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. Senior Editor of KQED's Politics and Government Desk Scott Shafer and I had a lot of feelings about this, so we opened up a chat, and had at it.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Emmanuel Hapsis: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Scott! Our congressional representative popped up on a show about drag queens! Were you \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=gagging\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">gagged\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, as the kids say?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Scott Shafer: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I have to admit, I was a little surprised when I first heard she’d be on. My first thought: “Wouldn’t she be a better fit as a guest judge on \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Project Runway\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">?” But \"Leader Pelosi\" definitely has the fierceness RuPaul is looking for. In fact, when she was Speaker of the House, some called her “the velvet hammer!”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>EH: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Now I’m dreaming up a scenario where Nancy’s drag alter ego, Ms. Velvet Hammer, is a contestant on the show. Like you said, she has the fierceness RuPaul is after, but does she have the other four requirements necessary to become America’s Next Drag Superstar?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Charisma:\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Totally. How else was she able to convince everyone to stop freaking out and finally pass Obama’s health care bill (and pretty much all of his other legislative priorities)?\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Uniqueness:\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> By Washington standards, sure.\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Nerve:\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Definitely.\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Talent:\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Just last month, she set a record for the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nancy-pelosi-fake-filibuster-record-house-floor-dreamers-daca/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">longest House floor speech\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in support of the Dreamers. I’d call that talent.\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Crown her already!\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/detox-crown-it-drag-race.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102605\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/detox-crown-it-drag-race.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Joking aside, even though her appearance was just a minute or two, it was really exciting to see such a high-profile politician appear on such a gay \u003c/span>show. In a way, her work as an LGBT advocate in Washington helped advance our culture to a place where a show as unapologetically queer as Drag Race can be one of the highest-rated series on a mainstream network.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>SS: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The queens seemed genuinely touched by her appearance. Did that surprise you at all?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>EH: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Some \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Drag Race\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> queens don’t know their herstory as well as they should, or don’t feel connected to the political side of drag. The cringe-y moment when Season 8 contestant Derrick Barry brought up Stonewall in a recent interview without really knowing what happened there comes to mind:\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EReT53pWXTc\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">So when I saw Nancy come into the workroom, a small part of me was worried some of the queens wouldn’t know who she was. But not only did they recognize her, some of them cried! Just look at their faces!\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.32.50-PM.png\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-102603\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.32.50-PM-1020x632.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"397\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.32.50-PM-1020x632.png 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.32.50-PM-160x99.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.32.50-PM-800x496.png 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.32.50-PM-768x476.png 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.32.50-PM-1200x743.png 1200w, 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width=\"640\" height=\"326\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.35.08-PM-1020x520.png 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.35.08-PM-160x82.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.35.08-PM-800x408.png 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.35.08-PM-768x392.png 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.35.08-PM-1200x612.png 1200w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.35.08-PM-1920x980.png 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.35.08-PM-1180x602.png 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.35.08-PM-960x490.png 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.35.08-PM-240x122.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.35.08-PM-375x191.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.35.08-PM-520x265.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.34.17-PM.png\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-102601\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.34.17-PM-1020x657.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"412\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.34.17-PM-1020x657.png 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.34.17-PM-160x103.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.34.17-PM-800x515.png 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.34.17-PM-768x494.png 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.34.17-PM-1200x772.png 1200w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.34.17-PM-1920x1236.png 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.34.17-PM-1180x759.png 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.34.17-PM-960x618.png 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.34.17-PM-240x154.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.34.17-PM-375x241.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.34.17-PM-520x335.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.36.04-PM.png\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-102599\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.36.04-PM-1020x731.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"459\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.36.04-PM-1020x731.png 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.36.04-PM-160x115.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.36.04-PM-800x574.png 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.36.04-PM-768x551.png 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.36.04-PM-1200x860.png 1200w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.36.04-PM-1180x846.png 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.36.04-PM-960x688.png 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.36.04-PM-240x172.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.36.04-PM-375x269.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.36.04-PM-520x373.png 520w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.36.04-PM.png 1752w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This was filmed last summer, a few months after Trump’s inauguration. It was -- and still is -- a raw time for the LGBT community, to say the least. Under Obama, we more or less enjoyed being able to assume that the government wouldn’t try to roll back any of our civil rights, but all that has changed now. It makes total sense that, in this scary time of uncertainty, having a powerful politician say that she will continue fighting for us and that we matter might be overwhelming. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>SS: \u003c/b>She also packed in some important, heartfelt messages about knowing your power and the importance of voting. I do wonder how many of those queens are registered to vote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Okay, time for a political History Lesson! When Pelosi ran for Congress the very first time back in 1987 (back when \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The New York Times\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> still called us “\u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">homosexuals”\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">), there were, like, 12 people who ran against her, and they tried to paint her as a party girl (as in the Democratic Party), and a “dilettante” who was rich (well she \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">was\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">), and too conservative for San Francisco.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Her main opponent was Harry Britt, who was trying to become the first openly gay man elected to Congress\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/1987/04/09/us/house-race-in-west-goes-to-runoff.html\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Nancy won of course\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, and Harry Britt sort of faded away. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The irony is that now Nancy Pelosi is like a heroine to the LGBTQ community. She was heroic on HIV/AIDS funding, fought for marriage equality, and pretty much any other queer issue you can think of. S\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">o it does makes sense that those queens seemed genuinely touched by her appearance. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>EH:\u003c/strong> I didn't know that story! Thanks for inspiring The More You Know™ star to arc over my head!\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2015/05/tumblr_nj4fgeWetz1qk08n1o1_500.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-16264\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2015/05/tumblr_nj4fgeWetz1qk08n1o1_500.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"280\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I think the show missed an opportunity to have Nancy judge a challenge with a political theme. Back in Season 4, the producers made the queens participate in a presidential debate, which led to iconic moments like this one: \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqjUZAz1ieo\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you could craft a politically-charged challenge for Nancy’s episode, what would that look like? \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>SS:\u003c/strong> Yeah, I was also a little disappointed Pelosi's appearance was so short. Then again, it’s so rare to see politicians talk too little, so good for her. Leave ‘em wanting more!\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I’m thinking one challenge could be to dress like a lobbyist and have to convince Pelosi to vote the way they want her to. I can see the cash stuffed into their bras and offering all kinds of favors in exchange for her vote. Then again, Pelosi would never agree to something like that. She’s got enough problems with the Midwest members of her caucus already!\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>EH: \u003c/strong>I love that lobbyist idea! If you ever get tired of reporting on politics, you might have a second career over at World of Wonder productions!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I'm obsessed with the Supreme Court (\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/6057/little-known-facts-about-supreme-court-justices-prop8-doma-scalia-ginsburg\">as this piece I wrote can attest\u003c/a>), so I would have loved a Ruth Bader Ginsburg-themed runway. The judge's robe could be a tearaway for a second look obviously. And each queen would have to do 25 pushups at the end of the runway, in honor of RBG's daily fitness routine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Since you're so good at production ideas, w\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">ho are some other politicians you’d love to see on \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Drag Race\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>SS:\u003c/strong> Well, in the spirit of world peace, how about Kim Jong-un? He’s very into pop culture I hear (just ask \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAprW14F-8k\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Dennis Rodman\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">!). They could share hairstyling tips. But I guess he’s more a dictator than a politician, so maybe not.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I’m trying to think whether there’s a Republican who would actually do it and could pull it off. Yeah, no. (Back in the day, Rudy Guiliani \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/ritas-thanksgiving/n11048?snl=1\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">appeared on SNL\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in drag. Pretty hilarious. Then he went and turned crazy on us.)\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I think Kamala Harris would definitely give these queens a run for their money. Did you ever hear her on \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Pod Save America\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">? She dropped a bunch of F-bombs, which went over pretty well with that crowd. I believe Ms. Kamala knows how to have a good time, and I’m sure she’s been to many a drag show in her day.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>EH:\u003c/strong> My picks are Michelle Obama (duh) and Abraham Lincoln's ghost (come on, he was definitely at least a 4 on the Kinsey scale).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kamala would also be amazing. I had to stop listening to \u003cem>Pod Save America\u003c/em> because hearing about all the awful things going on in politics was bumming me out; reading about all of it is enough for me. But I will definitely hunt down the episode she's on! It'll be cool to hear our future President / Vice President drop an F-bomb or two.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Speaking of future promotions, if the \u003cem>Drag Race\u003c/em> audience takes Nancy's advice and votes in the midterm elections this year, she may very well find herself as the House Majority Leader again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>SS:\u003c/strong> S\u003c/span>he betta work!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>EH:\u003c/strong> Exactly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/ru-work-2.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102622\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/ru-work-2.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"480\" height=\"360\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>You can watch Nancy's appearance over at \u003ca href=\"http://www.vh1.com/video-clips/lcv669/rupauls-drag-race-all-stars-first-look-season-3-episode-7-my-best-squirrelfriend-s-dragsmaids-wedding-trip\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">VH1.com\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Winter Olympics might be over, but the Gay Olympics (a.k.a. \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">RuPaul’s Drag Race\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">) are still kicking. Whether it’s a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://media1.tenor.com/images/56c849171d3cb3d70f19968c925b6c77/tenor.gif?itemid=6058785\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">wig reveal\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> or \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://imageslogotv-a.akamaihd.net//uri/mgid:file:http:shared:s3.amazonaws.com/articles.newnownext.com-production/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/tumblr_inline_oqbopqO3Ok1rupu4a_540-1501014397.gif\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Maskgate\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> or \u003ca href=\"https://i0.wp.com/78.media.tumblr.com/8796dcf8e720f4fe579ebf3ee8bb1fd9/tumblr_p5awp14NlZ1r3jqyco2_400.gif?w=605&ssl=1\">a frontrunner \u003c/a>\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://i0.wp.com/78.media.tumblr.com/8796dcf8e720f4fe579ebf3ee8bb1fd9/tumblr_p5awp14NlZ1r3jqyco2_400.gif?w=605&ssl=1\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">randomly eliminating herself\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, the show is truly a surprise-loving stunt queen. Last week, one such surprise waltzed into the workroom in the form of the most powerful woman in Congress, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. Senior Editor of KQED's Politics and Government Desk Scott Shafer and I had a lot of feelings about this, so we opened up a chat, and had at it.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Emmanuel Hapsis: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Scott! Our congressional representative popped up on a show about drag queens! Were you \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=gagging\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">gagged\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, as the kids say?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Scott Shafer: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I have to admit, I was a little surprised when I first heard she’d be on. My first thought: “Wouldn’t she be a better fit as a guest judge on \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Project Runway\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">?” But \"Leader Pelosi\" definitely has the fierceness RuPaul is looking for. In fact, when she was Speaker of the House, some called her “the velvet hammer!”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>EH: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Now I’m dreaming up a scenario where Nancy’s drag alter ego, Ms. Velvet Hammer, is a contestant on the show. Like you said, she has the fierceness RuPaul is after, but does she have the other four requirements necessary to become America’s Next Drag Superstar?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Charisma:\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Totally. How else was she able to convince everyone to stop freaking out and finally pass Obama’s health care bill (and pretty much all of his other legislative priorities)?\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Uniqueness:\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> By Washington standards, sure.\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Nerve:\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Definitely.\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Talent:\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Just last month, she set a record for the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nancy-pelosi-fake-filibuster-record-house-floor-dreamers-daca/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">longest House floor speech\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in support of the Dreamers. I’d call that talent.\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Crown her already!\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/detox-crown-it-drag-race.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102605\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/detox-crown-it-drag-race.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Joking aside, even though her appearance was just a minute or two, it was really exciting to see such a high-profile politician appear on such a gay \u003c/span>show. In a way, her work as an LGBT advocate in Washington helped advance our culture to a place where a show as unapologetically queer as Drag Race can be one of the highest-rated series on a mainstream network.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>SS: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The queens seemed genuinely touched by her appearance. Did that surprise you at all?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>EH: \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Some \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Drag Race\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> queens don’t know their herstory as well as they should, or don’t feel connected to the political side of drag. The cringe-y moment when Season 8 contestant Derrick Barry brought up Stonewall in a recent interview without really knowing what happened there comes to mind:\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/EReT53pWXTc'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/EReT53pWXTc'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">So when I saw Nancy come into the workroom, a small part of me was worried some of the queens wouldn’t know who she was. But not only did they recognize her, some of them cried! Just look at their faces!\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.32.50-PM.png\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-102603\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.32.50-PM-1020x632.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"397\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.32.50-PM-1020x632.png 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.32.50-PM-160x99.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.32.50-PM-800x496.png 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.32.50-PM-768x476.png 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.32.50-PM-1200x743.png 1200w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.32.50-PM-1920x1189.png 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.32.50-PM-1180x731.png 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.32.50-PM-960x595.png 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.32.50-PM-240x149.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.32.50-PM-375x232.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.32.50-PM-520x322.png 520w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.32.50-PM.png 2018w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-102600\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.35.08-PM-1020x520.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"326\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.35.08-PM-1020x520.png 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.35.08-PM-160x82.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.35.08-PM-800x408.png 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.35.08-PM-768x392.png 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.35.08-PM-1200x612.png 1200w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.35.08-PM-1920x980.png 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.35.08-PM-1180x602.png 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.35.08-PM-960x490.png 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.35.08-PM-240x122.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.35.08-PM-375x191.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.35.08-PM-520x265.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.34.17-PM.png\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-102601\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.34.17-PM-1020x657.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"412\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.34.17-PM-1020x657.png 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.34.17-PM-160x103.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.34.17-PM-800x515.png 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.34.17-PM-768x494.png 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.34.17-PM-1200x772.png 1200w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.34.17-PM-1920x1236.png 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.34.17-PM-1180x759.png 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.34.17-PM-960x618.png 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.34.17-PM-240x154.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.34.17-PM-375x241.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.34.17-PM-520x335.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.36.04-PM.png\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-102599\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.36.04-PM-1020x731.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"459\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.36.04-PM-1020x731.png 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.36.04-PM-160x115.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.36.04-PM-800x574.png 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.36.04-PM-768x551.png 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.36.04-PM-1200x860.png 1200w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.36.04-PM-1180x846.png 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.36.04-PM-960x688.png 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.36.04-PM-240x172.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.36.04-PM-375x269.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.36.04-PM-520x373.png 520w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/Screen-Shot-2018-03-11-at-4.36.04-PM.png 1752w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This was filmed last summer, a few months after Trump’s inauguration. It was -- and still is -- a raw time for the LGBT community, to say the least. Under Obama, we more or less enjoyed being able to assume that the government wouldn’t try to roll back any of our civil rights, but all that has changed now. It makes total sense that, in this scary time of uncertainty, having a powerful politician say that she will continue fighting for us and that we matter might be overwhelming. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>SS: \u003c/b>She also packed in some important, heartfelt messages about knowing your power and the importance of voting. I do wonder how many of those queens are registered to vote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Okay, time for a political History Lesson! When Pelosi ran for Congress the very first time back in 1987 (back when \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The New York Times\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> still called us “\u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">homosexuals”\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">), there were, like, 12 people who ran against her, and they tried to paint her as a party girl (as in the Democratic Party), and a “dilettante” who was rich (well she \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">was\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">), and too conservative for San Francisco.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Her main opponent was Harry Britt, who was trying to become the first openly gay man elected to Congress\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/1987/04/09/us/house-race-in-west-goes-to-runoff.html\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Nancy won of course\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, and Harry Britt sort of faded away. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The irony is that now Nancy Pelosi is like a heroine to the LGBTQ community. She was heroic on HIV/AIDS funding, fought for marriage equality, and pretty much any other queer issue you can think of. S\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">o it does makes sense that those queens seemed genuinely touched by her appearance. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>EH:\u003c/strong> I didn't know that story! Thanks for inspiring The More You Know™ star to arc over my head!\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2015/05/tumblr_nj4fgeWetz1qk08n1o1_500.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-16264\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2015/05/tumblr_nj4fgeWetz1qk08n1o1_500.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"280\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I think the show missed an opportunity to have Nancy judge a challenge with a political theme. Back in Season 4, the producers made the queens participate in a presidential debate, which led to iconic moments like this one: \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/XqjUZAz1ieo'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/XqjUZAz1ieo'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you could craft a politically-charged challenge for Nancy’s episode, what would that look like? \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>SS:\u003c/strong> Yeah, I was also a little disappointed Pelosi's appearance was so short. Then again, it’s so rare to see politicians talk too little, so good for her. Leave ‘em wanting more!\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I’m thinking one challenge could be to dress like a lobbyist and have to convince Pelosi to vote the way they want her to. I can see the cash stuffed into their bras and offering all kinds of favors in exchange for her vote. Then again, Pelosi would never agree to something like that. She’s got enough problems with the Midwest members of her caucus already!\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>EH: \u003c/strong>I love that lobbyist idea! If you ever get tired of reporting on politics, you might have a second career over at World of Wonder productions!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I'm obsessed with the Supreme Court (\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/6057/little-known-facts-about-supreme-court-justices-prop8-doma-scalia-ginsburg\">as this piece I wrote can attest\u003c/a>), so I would have loved a Ruth Bader Ginsburg-themed runway. The judge's robe could be a tearaway for a second look obviously. And each queen would have to do 25 pushups at the end of the runway, in honor of RBG's daily fitness routine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Since you're so good at production ideas, w\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">ho are some other politicians you’d love to see on \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Drag Race\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>SS:\u003c/strong> Well, in the spirit of world peace, how about Kim Jong-un? He’s very into pop culture I hear (just ask \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAprW14F-8k\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Dennis Rodman\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">!). They could share hairstyling tips. But I guess he’s more a dictator than a politician, so maybe not.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I’m trying to think whether there’s a Republican who would actually do it and could pull it off. Yeah, no. (Back in the day, Rudy Guiliani \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/ritas-thanksgiving/n11048?snl=1\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">appeared on SNL\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in drag. Pretty hilarious. Then he went and turned crazy on us.)\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I think Kamala Harris would definitely give these queens a run for their money. Did you ever hear her on \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Pod Save America\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">? She dropped a bunch of F-bombs, which went over pretty well with that crowd. I believe Ms. Kamala knows how to have a good time, and I’m sure she’s been to many a drag show in her day.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>EH:\u003c/strong> My picks are Michelle Obama (duh) and Abraham Lincoln's ghost (come on, he was definitely at least a 4 on the Kinsey scale).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kamala would also be amazing. I had to stop listening to \u003cem>Pod Save America\u003c/em> because hearing about all the awful things going on in politics was bumming me out; reading about all of it is enough for me. But I will definitely hunt down the episode she's on! It'll be cool to hear our future President / Vice President drop an F-bomb or two.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Speaking of future promotions, if the \u003cem>Drag Race\u003c/em> audience takes Nancy's advice and votes in the midterm elections this year, she may very well find herself as the House Majority Leader again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cstrong>SS:\u003c/strong> S\u003c/span>he betta work!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>EH:\u003c/strong> Exactly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/ru-work-2.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102622\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/03/ru-work-2.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"480\" height=\"360\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>You can watch Nancy's appearance over at \u003ca href=\"http://www.vh1.com/video-clips/lcv669/rupauls-drag-race-all-stars-first-look-season-3-episode-7-my-best-squirrelfriend-s-dragsmaids-wedding-trip\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">VH1.com\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>After watching ABC's two-hour premiere of its \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0319931/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">\u003cem>American Idol\u003c/em>\u003c/a> reboot, I'm still not sure they answered the most important question: Why bring this faded music competition back now?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The easy answer is money.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w__dRihZlNQ\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year, big TV events like the Grammys and the Oscars have set \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/03/06/591083442/oscars-tv-ratings-fall-again\">record low viewership\u003c/a>. So there's plenty of business sense in reviving a show that spent seven consecutive seasons as TV's most-watched series. It was a powerful brand before eroding ratings and rising costs prompted Fox to cancel it in 2016.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, a look at Sunday's \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em> episode reveals good business might not always make for the most entertaining television. Here's a list of potential problems for \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em> 2.0, showing how tough it will be to reignite interest in a show so familiar it stopped surprising fans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Problem No. 1: Some of \u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>Idol\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>'s biggest alums work for the competition.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It probably seemed like good business sense to kick off Sunday's show with a voice-over from one of \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em>'s most successful winners, country superstar Carrie Underwood. But she doesn't actually appear on camera, except for a brief clip from her 2005 win. (I wondered if that might be the unfortunate result of an accident she had in November, \u003ca href=\"http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-entertainment-news-updates-carrie-underwood-face-stitches-accident-1514908696-htmlstory.html\">which required stiches to her face\u003c/a>.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And her cameo might also remind viewers that two other big name \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em> alums — Kelly Clarkson and Jennifer Hudson — actually appear on rival NBC's blockbuster singing competition, \u003cem>The Voice\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Which reminds \u003cem>me \u003c/em>of another issue ...\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Problem No. 2: The show's focus on the unknown contestants limits its star power.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Consider this comment from judge and country star Luke Bryan: \"When you look at what we're trying to do with \u003cem>American Idol\u003c/em>, it's not about what me and Lionel [Richie] and Katy [Perry] are doing,\" he says, referring to his fellow judges. \"It's about watching the star be born, right in front of your eyes.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But focusing on unknowns is pretty much the opposite of what seems to be working elsewhere. \u003cem>The Voice\u003c/em> became one of NBC's most popular shows by deliberately centering attention on its superstar judges instead of the contestants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Problem No. 3: Ryan Seacrest\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even though he's the host, Seacrest isn't featured much in \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em>'s first episode. He remains the most visible link to the show's storied past, but his brand has been buffeted by allegations of sexual misconduct. Seacrest denies the allegations, and an independent investigation commissioned by the cable channel E! found \"insufficient evidence to support the claims against Seacrest.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With some critics still angry at E! and Disney for standing behind Seacrest, the question remains whether lingering ill-will might impact \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em>'s viewership.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>ABC's solution: Play nice. \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One thing about the new \u003cem>American Idol\u003c/em> that works in its favor: It has a huge heart.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_2GjbvrX7w\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Sunday, we saw a geeky, super awkward girl deliver a wonderful, original song. Then we heard from another hopeful who survived a tough childhood, and watched a singer who escaped violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo live his dream of auditioning on \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This Disneyfied version of the show often goes down like familiar comfort food — full of sentimentality and positive emotion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Though we saw a few terrible auditions, only one guy seemed to be put in front of judges specifically to be awful on camera. And the show doesn't savor badness, or pointedly lampoon contestants as it did in the past when tough Brit Simon Cowell sat at the judges' table.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Conflict is kept to a minimum, with Bryan, Perry and Richie seeming to get along much better than some past judge lineups (yup, Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj, I'm talking about you).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>ABC's version of \u003cem>American Idol\u003c/em> doesn't come at you like the pugnacious, grandiose hit it used to be.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But at a time when real life events have left audiences hungry for familiar, soothing television, this year's model might work better than anyone expects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=%27American+Idol%27+Reboot+Has+3+Potential+Problems%2C+But+The+Pitch+Ain%27t+One&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>After watching ABC's two-hour premiere of its \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0319931/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">\u003cem>American Idol\u003c/em>\u003c/a> reboot, I'm still not sure they answered the most important question: Why bring this faded music competition back now?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The easy answer is money.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/w__dRihZlNQ'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/w__dRihZlNQ'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>This year, big TV events like the Grammys and the Oscars have set \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/03/06/591083442/oscars-tv-ratings-fall-again\">record low viewership\u003c/a>. So there's plenty of business sense in reviving a show that spent seven consecutive seasons as TV's most-watched series. It was a powerful brand before eroding ratings and rising costs prompted Fox to cancel it in 2016.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, a look at Sunday's \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em> episode reveals good business might not always make for the most entertaining television. Here's a list of potential problems for \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em> 2.0, showing how tough it will be to reignite interest in a show so familiar it stopped surprising fans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Problem No. 1: Some of \u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>Idol\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>'s biggest alums work for the competition.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It probably seemed like good business sense to kick off Sunday's show with a voice-over from one of \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em>'s most successful winners, country superstar Carrie Underwood. But she doesn't actually appear on camera, except for a brief clip from her 2005 win. (I wondered if that might be the unfortunate result of an accident she had in November, \u003ca href=\"http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-entertainment-news-updates-carrie-underwood-face-stitches-accident-1514908696-htmlstory.html\">which required stiches to her face\u003c/a>.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And her cameo might also remind viewers that two other big name \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em> alums — Kelly Clarkson and Jennifer Hudson — actually appear on rival NBC's blockbuster singing competition, \u003cem>The Voice\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Which reminds \u003cem>me \u003c/em>of another issue ...\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Problem No. 2: The show's focus on the unknown contestants limits its star power.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Consider this comment from judge and country star Luke Bryan: \"When you look at what we're trying to do with \u003cem>American Idol\u003c/em>, it's not about what me and Lionel [Richie] and Katy [Perry] are doing,\" he says, referring to his fellow judges. \"It's about watching the star be born, right in front of your eyes.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But focusing on unknowns is pretty much the opposite of what seems to be working elsewhere. \u003cem>The Voice\u003c/em> became one of NBC's most popular shows by deliberately centering attention on its superstar judges instead of the contestants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Problem No. 3: Ryan Seacrest\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even though he's the host, Seacrest isn't featured much in \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em>'s first episode. He remains the most visible link to the show's storied past, but his brand has been buffeted by allegations of sexual misconduct. Seacrest denies the allegations, and an independent investigation commissioned by the cable channel E! found \"insufficient evidence to support the claims against Seacrest.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With some critics still angry at E! and Disney for standing behind Seacrest, the question remains whether lingering ill-will might impact \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em>'s viewership.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>ABC's solution: Play nice. \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One thing about the new \u003cem>American Idol\u003c/em> that works in its favor: It has a huge heart.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/u_2GjbvrX7w'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/u_2GjbvrX7w'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>On Sunday, we saw a geeky, super awkward girl deliver a wonderful, original song. Then we heard from another hopeful who survived a tough childhood, and watched a singer who escaped violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo live his dream of auditioning on \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This Disneyfied version of the show often goes down like familiar comfort food — full of sentimentality and positive emotion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Though we saw a few terrible auditions, only one guy seemed to be put in front of judges specifically to be awful on camera. And the show doesn't savor badness, or pointedly lampoon contestants as it did in the past when tough Brit Simon Cowell sat at the judges' table.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Conflict is kept to a minimum, with Bryan, Perry and Richie seeming to get along much better than some past judge lineups (yup, Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj, I'm talking about you).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>ABC's version of \u003cem>American Idol\u003c/em> doesn't come at you like the pugnacious, grandiose hit it used to be.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But at a time when real life events have left audiences hungry for familiar, soothing television, this year's model might work better than anyone expects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=%27American+Idol%27+Reboot+Has+3+Potential+Problems%2C+But+The+Pitch+Ain%27t+One&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "'Victoria' Season 2 Finale Recap: It's a Hard-Knock Life",
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"content": "\u003cp>In \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/2018/02/18/victoria-season-2-episode-6-recap-somewhere-over-the-rainbow/\">the previous episode of \u003cem>Victoria\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, Albert threw an episode-long tantrum to get Lehzen fired, Prime Minister Peele got sick of all of these people and quit, and, oh yeah, the writers killed off Brunette Most Definitely Gay because we needed another reminder that gays don't get to have happy endings. Will Ada Lovelace pop back up to invent a mood stabilizer for Albert? Will Prime Minister Peele dedicate the rest of his life to orchids and dying alone, like Lord M? Will Brunette Most Definitely Gay's ghost come back and take a pottery class with his woulda-coulda-shoulda boyfriend?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/drummond-albert-victoria-pbs-itv.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102113\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/drummond-albert-victoria-pbs-itv.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/drummond-albert-victoria-pbs-itv.jpg 900w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/drummond-albert-victoria-pbs-itv-160x90.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/drummond-albert-victoria-pbs-itv-800x450.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/drummond-albert-victoria-pbs-itv-768x432.jpg 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/drummond-albert-victoria-pbs-itv-240x135.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/drummond-albert-victoria-pbs-itv-375x211.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/drummond-albert-victoria-pbs-itv-520x292.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Only one way to find out! On with the show!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our episode begins in the Kingdom of Dahomey in West Africa, the place that inspired the bad ass group of women guards in \u003cem>Black Panther\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/True_kwu/status/964983924647657473\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Inside a royal hut, the following exchange takes place:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Some white dude:\u003c/strong> \u003cem>Hey, King of Dahomey, you really shouldn't keep that child in a cage.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>King of Dahomey:\u003c/strong> \u003cem>How dare you?! You don't even go here! I do what I want!\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>White dude:\u003c/strong> \u003cem>Don't make my Queen angry. And also don't irritate her man-baby husband because I can't take another episode of him whining and throwing tantrums.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>King of Dahomey:\u003c/strong> \u003cem>He sounds like the worst. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>White dude:\u003c/strong> \u003cem>He is.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>King of Dahomey:\u003c/strong> \u003cem>Okay, how about this? I'll let you take this caged kid, if you get out of my face.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>White dude:\u003c/strong> \u003cem>Deal.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over at the palace, Albert is actually in a good mood! He's hopped up on Christmas, blasting Mariah Carey's \"All I Want for Christmas Is You,\" watching \u003cem>The Family Stone\u003c/em> over and over (minus the sad ending), and plotting the amount of trees he'll bring into the residence. I'm sure he really loves the fact that Jesus was born, but I bet he loves the fact that Lehzen is no longer around even more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over in Hampshire, the caged child from Dahomey is now in a pretty dress, learning to play piano. The white dude turns out to be a captain, and he intends to give the child to Victoria as a gift. \u003cem>Surprise! I got you a human being!\u003c/em> Yeah, that just doesn't feel right.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Speaking of children, Victoria's corset doesn't fit again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/dont-do-this-to-me-luanna.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-102116\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/dont-do-this-to-me-luanna.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center\">You know what that means!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/dont-say-it-dont-think-it.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102115\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/dont-say-it-dont-think-it.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"498\" height=\"359\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center\">She's pregnant for the 9,724th time!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/again-really-no-stop.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102118\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/again-really-no-stop.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"150\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Victoria confides in Babyface Maid: \"This is my first pregnancy since...\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>9 months ago?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oh, turns out she meant \"...since Lehzen left.\" But both are correct.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Albert interrupts to say that there's a surprise for Victoria in the music room. Is it a lifetime supply of contraceptives? Please be a ton of condoms!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/condoms.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102119\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/condoms.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"362\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unfortunately, the surprise ends up being quite the opposite: Uncle/Daddy Leopold and Victoria's mom, who are delighted at how quickly Victoria is churning out children. They almost burst into a cheerleading routine, in which they spell out K-E-E-P H-A-V-I-N-G U-N-P-R-O-T-E-C-T-E-D S-E-X!, but they save it for another time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/congrats-on-the-sex.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102121\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/congrats-on-the-sex.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"212\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Speaking of sex, Ernst -- who puts the ho in \"Ho ho ho!\" -- is also in attendance and feeling awkward for a few reasons:\u003c/p>\n\u003col>\n\u003cli>Widow Bestie, whom Ernst just stood up with no explanation, is there.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Uncle/Daddy Leopold is trying to marry Ernst off to a princess, who is also his cousin, because there's no such thing as too much incest in this royal family.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Ernst can't have sex with either of them because of the syphilis he picked up in France.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ol>\n\u003cp>It's tough being Ernst right now, but it might be harder to be on the receiving end of a child's insult.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Victoria's mom:\u003c/strong> \"Do you remember me?\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lil' Vicki:\u003c/strong> \"Yes, you were the lady who always makes mama cross.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/burn-thats-a-.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102120\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/burn-thats-a-.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"394\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Downstairs, Hot Italian Chef and Babyface Maid are playing tonsil hockey and enjoying being straight. Meanwhile, Blond Most Definitely Gay is shirtless in his room, as he puts on a black arm band under his clothes because no one can know that his heart is broken. Hold on. Be right back. Gotta go sob.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2016/02/211691_original.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-20663\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2016/02/211691_original.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"450\" height=\"253\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the throne room, the Captain attempts to gift the Dahomey child, whose name is Sarah, to the Queen. It's as awkward as expected. But, after hearing the story of how Sarah is actually a princess whose entire family was slaughtered, it is decided that she can stay. Victoria's emotional journey in a nutshell:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/emma-watson-awkward-thumbs-up.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102123\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/emma-watson-awkward-thumbs-up.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"447\" height=\"250\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The next day, while Victoria and Sarah are out shopping for dolls, the Duchess of Buccleuch is loudly grousing about how crazy she thinks taking in an African orphan is. She is also disturbed by Albert's extravagant Christmas decorations (\"In my day, we were perfectly happy with an orange!\"). And she's displeased with her niece, whose name I just learned is Wilhelmina, for being over the age of 16 and still single. Anything else, Duchess?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/complaint-box.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter wp-image-102124\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/complaint-box.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"265\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the nursery, Sarah is spooked by the palace dogs. Like me, she is troubled by the fact that none of these dogs are Dash. #ResurrectDash #IMissPhotoshoppingHeartsAroundHisLittleFace\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Victoria's mom and Albert try to convince Victoria to kick Sarah out of the palace, even though she has no one. I wonder if they would act this way if the princess was from Europe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/hmm-will-smith-thinking-look.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102125\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/hmm-will-smith-thinking-look.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"446\" height=\"349\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The next day, Babyface Maid visits a lawyer and discovers that she's just inherited property in South Carolina worth over a million pounds by today's standards!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/britney-money-excited.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102127\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/britney-money-excited.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"260\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The only trouble is that it's a plantation full of slaves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/01/britney-cringe.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-98398\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/01/britney-cringe.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"870\" height=\"488\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back at the palace, Uncle/Daddy Leopold finds Ernst lazing about with spilled mercury powder all over his room. Leopold is not fazed in the slightest and brushes off Ernst's concerns about spreading syphilis. \u003cem>Oh, please! There are worse things than spreading an STD to your cousin and maybe having deformed children with her! Do it for our incest-ridden dynasty!\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/nasty-disgusting-thats.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter wp-image-102146\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/nasty-disgusting-thats.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"298\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That evening, the whole gang goes to the opera, where Uncle Scar pops up to say, \u003cem>Oh, hey, Victoria. I'm really bummed that you haven't died while giving birth to any of your 9,724 kids. P.S. I WANT MY MOM'S NECKLACE BACK!\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2016/09/your-tone-seems-very-pointed-right-now-gif-willam.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-38987\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2016/09/your-tone-seems-very-pointed-right-now-gif-willam.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"232\" height=\"232\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2016/09/your-tone-seems-very-pointed-right-now-gif-willam.gif 232w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2016/09/your-tone-seems-very-pointed-right-now-gif-willam-32x32.gif 32w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2016/09/your-tone-seems-very-pointed-right-now-gif-willam-50x50.gif 50w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2016/09/your-tone-seems-very-pointed-right-now-gif-willam-64x64.gif 64w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2016/09/your-tone-seems-very-pointed-right-now-gif-willam-96x96.gif 96w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2016/09/your-tone-seems-very-pointed-right-now-gif-willam-128x128.gif 128w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2016/09/your-tone-seems-very-pointed-right-now-gif-willam-150x150.gif 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 232px) 100vw, 232px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Later that night, Sarah has a night terror and ends up wandering the halls, crying. Victoria rushes to comfort her, while Albert reiterates his opinion that they should just throw her out. Hmm, what's an unexpected way Albert could die?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Found one:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/i-want-him-to-be-eaten-by-a-lion-hate.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102147\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/i-want-him-to-be-eaten-by-a-lion-hate.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"212\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The next day, something white and powdery is all over everything. No, not Ernst's mercury; snow! Everyone has a marvelous time ice-skating and playing in the snow, except for the patron saint of hissy fits, Albert, who's annoyed that Sarah is taking Victoria's attention away from him. He's literally feuding with a five-year-old orphan. Does his stankness know no bounds?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/grow-the-fuck-up-pikachu-pokemon.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102148\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/grow-the-fuck-up-pikachu-pokemon.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"480\" height=\"360\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After another unexpected drop-in by Uncle Scar about taking back the necklace, Victoria tries to explain why she doesn't want to hand it over to a man who wished for her death for so many years. Being the supportive husband that he is, Albert takes Uncle Scar's side, treats Victoria as if she's being hysterical, and even manages to drag Lehzen's name through the mud one more time. Knock him out, Victoria!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/buffy-punching-hit-hate.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102154\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/buffy-punching-hit-hate.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unfortunately, Victoria doesn't get around to it because Albert runs off to put more ornaments on the tree. I thought the point of sending Lehzen away was so Albert would stop being a prick? That sure didn't last long!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sarah finds Victoria crying and asks, \u003cem>Oh no! Was your mom slaughtered too?\u003c/em> After Victoria explains that she's just sad that her governess moved away, Sarah comforts her over her #FirstWorldProblems, and teaches her a coping mechanism: when you're devastated over the fact that your entire family was brutally murdered (or over the fact that your babysitter has a new mailing address), make a funny face and you'll momentarily forget how terrible the world can be!\u003cem> \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/leo-dicaprio-funny-face.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102150\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/leo-dicaprio-funny-face.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"440\" height=\"275\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That night, the servants host a house party downstairs. Everyone, including the royals, do si do and twerk and have the time of their lives... except for Blond Most Definitely Gay, who is all by himself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/05/lonely-milhouse.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-81227\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/05/lonely-milhouse.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"498\" height=\"376\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/sad-crying.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102155\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/sad-crying.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"480\" height=\"355\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the flip side, Ernst has too many partners. His princess cousin sends him flirty \u003cem>Let's get married even though we have the same grandparent!\u003c/em> looks, while Widow Bestie sends him looks that can best be summed up by this poem:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae7eOrabSj0\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ernst can't take it anymore, so he leaves the party to spend the rest of the evening reapplying mercury poison all over his body and sadly looking down at his crotch. But his moping session is interrupted by an unexpected visitor. It's Widow Bestie, who takes off her cloak to reveal lingerie! Have fun, you crazy kids, but remember that Jackie Chan and I want you to use protection!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/jackie-chan-condom-safe-sex.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102156\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/jackie-chan-condom-safe-sex.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"368\" height=\"208\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After some rolling around, Ernst is seized by shame and tells Widow Bestie it isn't going to happen. He explains that he only liked her when she was prim, proper, and unavailable. Okay, crushing this girl's heart with a rude lie is one way to go about this. Another would be just telling her the truth? ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Later that night, Uncle/Daddy Leopold finds Widow Bestie bawling in a dark hallway. Because he can't help himself, he blurts out, \u003cem>Oh, you bummed about Ernst's syphilis? \u003c/em>Looks like Leopold owes Ernst yet another apology selfie locket.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/spilled-beans-locket.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-102158\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/spilled-beans-locket-1020x830.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"521\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/spilled-beans-locket-1020x830.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/spilled-beans-locket-160x130.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/spilled-beans-locket-800x651.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/spilled-beans-locket-768x625.jpg 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/spilled-beans-locket-1200x977.jpg 1200w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/spilled-beans-locket-1180x960.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/spilled-beans-locket-960x781.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/spilled-beans-locket-240x195.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/spilled-beans-locket-375x305.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/spilled-beans-locket-520x423.jpg 520w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/spilled-beans-locket.jpg 1327w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Speaking of lockets, Wilhelmina got some of Brunette Most Definitely Gay's hair and created a keepsake for Blond Most Definitely Gay. I'm not crying; you're crying!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/drummond-victoria-alfred-locket-hair.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-102159\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/drummond-victoria-alfred-locket-hair-1020x742.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"466\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/drummond-victoria-alfred-locket-hair-1020x742.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/drummond-victoria-alfred-locket-hair-160x116.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/drummond-victoria-alfred-locket-hair-800x582.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/drummond-victoria-alfred-locket-hair-768x559.jpg 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/drummond-victoria-alfred-locket-hair-1200x873.jpg 1200w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/drummond-victoria-alfred-locket-hair-1920x1397.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/drummond-victoria-alfred-locket-hair-1180x859.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/drummond-victoria-alfred-locket-hair-960x698.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/drummond-victoria-alfred-locket-hair-240x175.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/drummond-victoria-alfred-locket-hair-375x273.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/drummond-victoria-alfred-locket-hair-520x378.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Blond Most Definitely Gay is so thankful that he proposes to Wilhelmina and makes out with her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2016/10/publizity-wait-whet-gif.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-44499\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2016/10/publizity-wait-whet-gif.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"280\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Um, my dude, you could have just gotten her an Edible Arrangement bouquet of chocolate-covered fruit to say thanks. I understand needing a rebound, but what are you doing?!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/alfred-victoria-kiss.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-102160\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/alfred-victoria-kiss-1020x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"361\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/alfred-victoria-kiss-1020x576.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/alfred-victoria-kiss-160x90.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/alfred-victoria-kiss-800x451.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/alfred-victoria-kiss-768x433.jpg 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/alfred-victoria-kiss-1200x677.jpg 1200w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/alfred-victoria-kiss-1920x1084.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/alfred-victoria-kiss-1180x666.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/alfred-victoria-kiss-960x542.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/alfred-victoria-kiss-240x135.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/alfred-victoria-kiss-375x212.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/alfred-victoria-kiss-520x293.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The show writers have some nerve perpetuating the gays-can't-have-happy-endings trope with Brunette's death, and then smearing this BS on top.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/10/i-am-disgusted-gif.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-96705\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/10/i-am-disgusted-gif.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"498\" height=\"276\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In more disgusting news, Albert refuses to get Sarah a Christmas tree like all the other kids, because why not ostracize an orphan and add to her misery for no reason?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since it's been a few hours since he last picked a fight with Victoria, he tells her that she's only thinking of herself in trying to help this little girl, and that she has mommy issues. That's rich coming from someone who pouts about his mom every other episode, and has such intense daddy issues that an entire recap from this season was called just that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/disgusted-eye-roll-dwight-the-office.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-102161\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/disgusted-eye-roll-dwight-the-office.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"270\" height=\"276\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Downstairs, Babyface Maid starts to feel bad about all those slaves she just inherited, so, instead of buying a bed and breakfast with Hot Italian Chef, she frees them all, even though it means she has to give up her dream of filling an Olympic-sized pool with gold coins.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/you-did-good.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102164\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/you-did-good.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"247\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the music room, Albert is loudly singing Christmas carols while banging on the piano. \u003cem>Isn't Christmas the best, Ernst?! Remember how awesome our childhoods were and how in love our parents were?\u003c/em> Because Ernst has been through a lot of crap recently, he has no patience for any of this: \u003cem>Our mother hated our dad so much she slept with his own brother! Oh, and are you forgetting she abandoned us on Christmas Eve? Invest in a therapist, dude. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Who's got mommy issues now, Albert?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/lauren-conrad-lc-sip-tea.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102166\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/lauren-conrad-lc-sip-tea.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"245\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, Victoria can't seem to find Sarah. When she asks if anyone has seen her, Victoria's mom says, \"Probably in some corner somewhere. Maybe she's outside in the snow.\" The 'hopefully frozen to death' is not spoken, but heavily implied.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Victoria runs outside to find her, but stumbles upon a grumpy Albert ice skating quite aggressively. He glowers at her for no reason, and then proceeds to fall through the thin ice. Is cheering not the appropriate response here? Drowning under an ice-covered lake is not exactly being eaten by a lion, but I'll take it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/jack-titanic-die.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter wp-image-102167\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/jack-titanic-die.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oh, damn, Victoria manages to save him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/george-clooney-disgusted-disappointed.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102168\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/george-clooney-disgusted-disappointed.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"231\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sarah is safe too, and tells Victoria: \u003cem>Hey, thanks for this bummer of a slumber party, but I'm ready to go back to the captain's house where grown adults don't bully me.\u003c/em> She is sent away the following day, and Albert smiles as he etches another check mark on the wall next to Lehzen's. Two down; next up: anyone else Victoria shows a passing interest in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Downstairs, the Babyface Maid / Hot Italian Chef storyline wraps up with a quickness because there are only a few minutes left in this season:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Babyface Maid:\u003c/strong> \u003cem>Hey, I gave up all my money and am back to being wildly poor!\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Hot Italian Chef:\u003c/strong> \u003cem>That's hot! Let's get married right away and struggle to make ends meet for the rest of our lives!\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Babyface Maid: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>Sounds good! Remember that entire year we passive-aggressively ignored each other for no reason?\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Hot Italian Chef:\u003c/strong>\u003cem> LOL! We're hilarious. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Elsewhere, another couple is also fast-tracking their romance. Blond Most Definitely Still Gay But Burying It Deep Down Inside gives Wilhelmina a ring to make it official, and they carry on like they're actually in love and the waterfall scene never happened.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/victoria-no-albert-wtf.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-102170\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/victoria-no-albert-wtf-1020x895.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"562\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/victoria-no-albert-wtf-1020x895.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/victoria-no-albert-wtf-160x140.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/victoria-no-albert-wtf-800x702.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/victoria-no-albert-wtf-768x674.jpg 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/victoria-no-albert-wtf-1200x1053.jpg 1200w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/victoria-no-albert-wtf-1180x1035.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/victoria-no-albert-wtf-960x842.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/victoria-no-albert-wtf-240x211.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/victoria-no-albert-wtf-375x329.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/victoria-no-albert-wtf-520x456.jpg 520w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/victoria-no-albert-wtf.jpg 1826w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/no-albert-victoria-wilhelmina.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-102171\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/no-albert-victoria-wilhelmina-1020x885.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"555\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/no-albert-victoria-wilhelmina-1020x885.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/no-albert-victoria-wilhelmina-160x139.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/no-albert-victoria-wilhelmina-800x694.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/no-albert-victoria-wilhelmina-768x667.jpg 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/no-albert-victoria-wilhelmina-1200x1042.jpg 1200w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/no-albert-victoria-wilhelmina-1180x1024.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/no-albert-victoria-wilhelmina-960x833.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/no-albert-victoria-wilhelmina-240x208.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/no-albert-victoria-wilhelmina-375x326.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/no-albert-victoria-wilhelmina-520x451.jpg 520w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/no-albert-victoria-wilhelmina.jpg 1850w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/06/oprah-won-t-accept-it.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter wp-image-87685\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/06/oprah-won-t-accept-it.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/slam-door.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter wp-image-102172\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/slam-door.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"383\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At Christmas dinner, everyone is having a splendid time pretending that no one has syphilis, and no one regrets marrying Albert, and no one just signed up for a miserable, closeted life. But the perfect illusion is threatened by a visit from Uncle Scar. Is he going to snatch his mom's necklace from Victoria's neck? Is he going to set all the Christmas trees on fire? Is he going to throw up blood onto the dinner table \u003ca href=\"https://thenypost.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/downton-abbey-blood-cough-2.gif\">like the dad in \u003cem>Downton Abbey\u003c/em>\u003c/a>?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/jon-stewart-eating-popcorn.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102175\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/jon-stewart-eating-popcorn.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"226\" height=\"308\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oh. None of that happens. He just says: \u003cem>Hey, y'all. Since this is a Christmas episode, never mind all the crazy things I've done and threatened to do. Let's eat! \u003c/em>Everyone agrees to not admit they hate each other's guts until next season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/britney-yawn-bored.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102176\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/britney-yawn-bored.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"306\" height=\"200\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>End scene!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>After every episode, it’s only right to reward characters who’ve impressed and diss the ones that haven’t, so here goes:\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>PIECE OF COAL: Albert. \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/i-curse-the-day-you-were-born-charlotte-sex-and-the-city.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102177\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/i-curse-the-day-you-were-born-charlotte-sex-and-the-city.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"480\" height=\"302\">\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>HONORABLE MENTION: Babyface Maid. \u003c/strong>Props on doing the right thing instead of becoming the Paris Hilton of the 1800s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>BRONZE: Sarah. \u003c/strong>She's a survivor, she's not gon' give up, she's not gon' stop, she's gon' work harder!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>SILVER: \u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>Thin Ice. \u003c/strong>Thanks for trying.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>GOLD: \u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>Brunette Most Definitely Gay and Dash. \u003c/strong>In some ways, they're better off up in heaven. I hope they're having a blast being best friends. 💞\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s all, folks! It’s been a pleasure watching along with you this season. Until \u003cem>Poldark\u003c/em> starts up again! If you miss my thoughts on \u003cem>Victoria\u003c/em> or pop culture in general, follow me on Twitter \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/xcusemybeauty\">@xcusemybeauty\u003c/a>, listen to my podcast \u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-cooler/id1041117499?mt=2\">\u003cem>The Cooler\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, or relive all my other \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/tag/victoria/\">\u003cem>Victoria\u003c/em>\u003c/a> / \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/tag/poldark/\">\u003cem>Poldark\u003c/em>\u003c/a> / \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/tag/downton-abbey/\">\u003cem>Downton Abbey\u003c/em>\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/tag/recaps/\">recaps\u003c/a>!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cstrong>More recaps:\u003c/strong>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/108303/victoria-season-3-finale-recap-matchmaker-matchmaker\">'Victoria' Season 3 Finale Recap: Matchmaker, Matchmaker\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/108301/victoria-season-3-episode-7-recap-california-love\">'Victoria' Season 3 Episode 7 Recap: California Love\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/108299/victoria-season-3-episode-6-recap-love-on-the-brain\">'Victoria' Season 3 Episode 6 Recap: Love on the Brain\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/108293/victoria-season-3-episode-5-recap-on-the-road-again\">'Victoria' Season 3 Episode 5 Recap: On The Road Again\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/108291/victoria-season-3-episode-4-recap-ill-be-missing-you\">'Victoria' Season 3 Episode 4 Recap: I'll Be Missing You\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/108289/victoria-season-3-episode-3-recap-la-isla-bonita\">'Victoria' Season 3 Episode 3 Recap: La Isla Bonita\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/108287/victoria-season-3-episode-2-recap-the-guns-of-brixton\">'Victoria' Season 3 Episode 2 Recap: The Guns of Brixton\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/108284/victoria-season-3-premiere-recap-god-save-the-queen\">'Victoria' Season 3 Premiere Recap: God Save The Queen\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/97779/victoria-season-2-finale-recap-its-a-hard-knock-life\">'Victoria' Season 2 Finale Recap: It's a Hard-Knock Life\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/97777/victoria-season-2-episode-6-recap-somewhere-over-the-rainbow\">'Victoria' Season 2 Episode 6 Recap: Somewhere Over The Rainbow\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/97775/victoria-season-2-episode-5-recap-lost-and-found\">'Victoria' Season 2 Episode 5 Recap: Lost and Found\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/97773/victoria-season-2-episode-4-recap-people-are-people\">'Victoria' Season 2 Episode 4 Recap: People Are People\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/97771/victoria-season-2-episode-3-recap-daddy-issues\">'Victoria' Season 2 Episode 3 Recap: Daddy Issues\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/97769/victoria-season-2-episode-2-recap-puppy-love\">'Victoria' Season 2 Episode 2 Recap: Puppy Love\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/97767/victoria-season-2-premiere-recap-baby-its-cold-outside\">'Victoria' Season 2 Premiere Recap: Baby It's Cold Outside\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/56546/victoria-season-1-finale-recap-bye-bye-baby-blues\">'Victoria' Season 1 Finale Recap: Bye Bye Baby Blues\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/2017/02/19/victoria-season-1-episode-6-recap-cmon-ride-the-train/\">'Victoria' Season 1, Episode 6 Recap: C'mon Ride the Train\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/2017/02/12/pbs-victoria-season-1-episode-5-recap-ill-make-love-to-you/\">‘Victoria’ Season 1, Episode 5 Recap: I’ll Make Love to You\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/2017/02/05/pbs-victoria-season-1-episode-4-recap-wedding-bell-blues/\">‘Victoria’ Season 1, Episode 4 Recap: Wedding Bell Blues\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/2017/01/29/pbs-victoria-season-1-episode-3-recap-youre-so-vain/\">‘Victoria’ Season 1, Episode 3 Recap: You’re So Vain\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/2017/01/22/victoria-season-1-episode-2-recap-all-the-single-ladies/\">‘Victoria’ Season 1, Episode 2 Recap: All The Single Ladies\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/2017/01/15/victoria-season-1-premiere-recap-bow-down/\">‘Victoria’ Season 1 Premiere Recap: Bow Down\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"headline": "'Victoria' Season 2 Finale Recap: It's a Hard-Knock Life",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>In \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/2018/02/18/victoria-season-2-episode-6-recap-somewhere-over-the-rainbow/\">the previous episode of \u003cem>Victoria\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, Albert threw an episode-long tantrum to get Lehzen fired, Prime Minister Peele got sick of all of these people and quit, and, oh yeah, the writers killed off Brunette Most Definitely Gay because we needed another reminder that gays don't get to have happy endings. Will Ada Lovelace pop back up to invent a mood stabilizer for Albert? Will Prime Minister Peele dedicate the rest of his life to orchids and dying alone, like Lord M? Will Brunette Most Definitely Gay's ghost come back and take a pottery class with his woulda-coulda-shoulda boyfriend?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/drummond-albert-victoria-pbs-itv.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102113\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/drummond-albert-victoria-pbs-itv.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/drummond-albert-victoria-pbs-itv.jpg 900w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/drummond-albert-victoria-pbs-itv-160x90.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/drummond-albert-victoria-pbs-itv-800x450.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/drummond-albert-victoria-pbs-itv-768x432.jpg 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/drummond-albert-victoria-pbs-itv-240x135.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/drummond-albert-victoria-pbs-itv-375x211.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/drummond-albert-victoria-pbs-itv-520x292.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Only one way to find out! On with the show!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our episode begins in the Kingdom of Dahomey in West Africa, the place that inspired the bad ass group of women guards in \u003cem>Black Panther\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Inside a royal hut, the following exchange takes place:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Some white dude:\u003c/strong> \u003cem>Hey, King of Dahomey, you really shouldn't keep that child in a cage.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>King of Dahomey:\u003c/strong> \u003cem>How dare you?! You don't even go here! I do what I want!\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>White dude:\u003c/strong> \u003cem>Don't make my Queen angry. And also don't irritate her man-baby husband because I can't take another episode of him whining and throwing tantrums.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>King of Dahomey:\u003c/strong> \u003cem>He sounds like the worst. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>White dude:\u003c/strong> \u003cem>He is.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>King of Dahomey:\u003c/strong> \u003cem>Okay, how about this? I'll let you take this caged kid, if you get out of my face.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>White dude:\u003c/strong> \u003cem>Deal.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over at the palace, Albert is actually in a good mood! He's hopped up on Christmas, blasting Mariah Carey's \"All I Want for Christmas Is You,\" watching \u003cem>The Family Stone\u003c/em> over and over (minus the sad ending), and plotting the amount of trees he'll bring into the residence. I'm sure he really loves the fact that Jesus was born, but I bet he loves the fact that Lehzen is no longer around even more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over in Hampshire, the caged child from Dahomey is now in a pretty dress, learning to play piano. The white dude turns out to be a captain, and he intends to give the child to Victoria as a gift. \u003cem>Surprise! I got you a human being!\u003c/em> Yeah, that just doesn't feel right.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Speaking of children, Victoria's corset doesn't fit again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/dont-do-this-to-me-luanna.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-102116\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/dont-do-this-to-me-luanna.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center\">You know what that means!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/dont-say-it-dont-think-it.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102115\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/dont-say-it-dont-think-it.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"498\" height=\"359\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center\">She's pregnant for the 9,724th time!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/again-really-no-stop.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102118\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/again-really-no-stop.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"150\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Victoria confides in Babyface Maid: \"This is my first pregnancy since...\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>9 months ago?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oh, turns out she meant \"...since Lehzen left.\" But both are correct.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Albert interrupts to say that there's a surprise for Victoria in the music room. Is it a lifetime supply of contraceptives? Please be a ton of condoms!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/condoms.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102119\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/condoms.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"362\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unfortunately, the surprise ends up being quite the opposite: Uncle/Daddy Leopold and Victoria's mom, who are delighted at how quickly Victoria is churning out children. They almost burst into a cheerleading routine, in which they spell out K-E-E-P H-A-V-I-N-G U-N-P-R-O-T-E-C-T-E-D S-E-X!, but they save it for another time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/congrats-on-the-sex.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102121\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/congrats-on-the-sex.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"212\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Speaking of sex, Ernst -- who puts the ho in \"Ho ho ho!\" -- is also in attendance and feeling awkward for a few reasons:\u003c/p>\n\u003col>\n\u003cli>Widow Bestie, whom Ernst just stood up with no explanation, is there.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Uncle/Daddy Leopold is trying to marry Ernst off to a princess, who is also his cousin, because there's no such thing as too much incest in this royal family.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Ernst can't have sex with either of them because of the syphilis he picked up in France.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ol>\n\u003cp>It's tough being Ernst right now, but it might be harder to be on the receiving end of a child's insult.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Victoria's mom:\u003c/strong> \"Do you remember me?\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lil' Vicki:\u003c/strong> \"Yes, you were the lady who always makes mama cross.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/burn-thats-a-.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102120\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/burn-thats-a-.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"394\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Downstairs, Hot Italian Chef and Babyface Maid are playing tonsil hockey and enjoying being straight. Meanwhile, Blond Most Definitely Gay is shirtless in his room, as he puts on a black arm band under his clothes because no one can know that his heart is broken. Hold on. Be right back. Gotta go sob.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2016/02/211691_original.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-20663\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2016/02/211691_original.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"450\" height=\"253\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the throne room, the Captain attempts to gift the Dahomey child, whose name is Sarah, to the Queen. It's as awkward as expected. But, after hearing the story of how Sarah is actually a princess whose entire family was slaughtered, it is decided that she can stay. Victoria's emotional journey in a nutshell:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/emma-watson-awkward-thumbs-up.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102123\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/emma-watson-awkward-thumbs-up.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"447\" height=\"250\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The next day, while Victoria and Sarah are out shopping for dolls, the Duchess of Buccleuch is loudly grousing about how crazy she thinks taking in an African orphan is. She is also disturbed by Albert's extravagant Christmas decorations (\"In my day, we were perfectly happy with an orange!\"). And she's displeased with her niece, whose name I just learned is Wilhelmina, for being over the age of 16 and still single. Anything else, Duchess?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/complaint-box.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter wp-image-102124\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/complaint-box.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"265\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the nursery, Sarah is spooked by the palace dogs. Like me, she is troubled by the fact that none of these dogs are Dash. #ResurrectDash #IMissPhotoshoppingHeartsAroundHisLittleFace\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Victoria's mom and Albert try to convince Victoria to kick Sarah out of the palace, even though she has no one. I wonder if they would act this way if the princess was from Europe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/hmm-will-smith-thinking-look.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102125\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/hmm-will-smith-thinking-look.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"446\" height=\"349\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The next day, Babyface Maid visits a lawyer and discovers that she's just inherited property in South Carolina worth over a million pounds by today's standards!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/britney-money-excited.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102127\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/britney-money-excited.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"260\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The only trouble is that it's a plantation full of slaves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/01/britney-cringe.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-98398\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/01/britney-cringe.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"870\" height=\"488\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back at the palace, Uncle/Daddy Leopold finds Ernst lazing about with spilled mercury powder all over his room. Leopold is not fazed in the slightest and brushes off Ernst's concerns about spreading syphilis. \u003cem>Oh, please! There are worse things than spreading an STD to your cousin and maybe having deformed children with her! Do it for our incest-ridden dynasty!\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/nasty-disgusting-thats.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter wp-image-102146\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/nasty-disgusting-thats.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"298\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That evening, the whole gang goes to the opera, where Uncle Scar pops up to say, \u003cem>Oh, hey, Victoria. I'm really bummed that you haven't died while giving birth to any of your 9,724 kids. P.S. I WANT MY MOM'S NECKLACE BACK!\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2016/09/your-tone-seems-very-pointed-right-now-gif-willam.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-38987\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2016/09/your-tone-seems-very-pointed-right-now-gif-willam.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"232\" height=\"232\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2016/09/your-tone-seems-very-pointed-right-now-gif-willam.gif 232w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2016/09/your-tone-seems-very-pointed-right-now-gif-willam-32x32.gif 32w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2016/09/your-tone-seems-very-pointed-right-now-gif-willam-50x50.gif 50w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2016/09/your-tone-seems-very-pointed-right-now-gif-willam-64x64.gif 64w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2016/09/your-tone-seems-very-pointed-right-now-gif-willam-96x96.gif 96w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2016/09/your-tone-seems-very-pointed-right-now-gif-willam-128x128.gif 128w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2016/09/your-tone-seems-very-pointed-right-now-gif-willam-150x150.gif 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 232px) 100vw, 232px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Later that night, Sarah has a night terror and ends up wandering the halls, crying. Victoria rushes to comfort her, while Albert reiterates his opinion that they should just throw her out. Hmm, what's an unexpected way Albert could die?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Found one:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/i-want-him-to-be-eaten-by-a-lion-hate.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102147\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/i-want-him-to-be-eaten-by-a-lion-hate.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"212\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The next day, something white and powdery is all over everything. No, not Ernst's mercury; snow! Everyone has a marvelous time ice-skating and playing in the snow, except for the patron saint of hissy fits, Albert, who's annoyed that Sarah is taking Victoria's attention away from him. He's literally feuding with a five-year-old orphan. Does his stankness know no bounds?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/grow-the-fuck-up-pikachu-pokemon.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102148\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/grow-the-fuck-up-pikachu-pokemon.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"480\" height=\"360\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After another unexpected drop-in by Uncle Scar about taking back the necklace, Victoria tries to explain why she doesn't want to hand it over to a man who wished for her death for so many years. Being the supportive husband that he is, Albert takes Uncle Scar's side, treats Victoria as if she's being hysterical, and even manages to drag Lehzen's name through the mud one more time. Knock him out, Victoria!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/buffy-punching-hit-hate.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102154\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/buffy-punching-hit-hate.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unfortunately, Victoria doesn't get around to it because Albert runs off to put more ornaments on the tree. I thought the point of sending Lehzen away was so Albert would stop being a prick? That sure didn't last long!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sarah finds Victoria crying and asks, \u003cem>Oh no! Was your mom slaughtered too?\u003c/em> After Victoria explains that she's just sad that her governess moved away, Sarah comforts her over her #FirstWorldProblems, and teaches her a coping mechanism: when you're devastated over the fact that your entire family was brutally murdered (or over the fact that your babysitter has a new mailing address), make a funny face and you'll momentarily forget how terrible the world can be!\u003cem> \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/leo-dicaprio-funny-face.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102150\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/leo-dicaprio-funny-face.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"440\" height=\"275\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That night, the servants host a house party downstairs. Everyone, including the royals, do si do and twerk and have the time of their lives... except for Blond Most Definitely Gay, who is all by himself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/05/lonely-milhouse.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-81227\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/05/lonely-milhouse.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"498\" height=\"376\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/sad-crying.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102155\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/sad-crying.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"480\" height=\"355\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the flip side, Ernst has too many partners. His princess cousin sends him flirty \u003cem>Let's get married even though we have the same grandparent!\u003c/em> looks, while Widow Bestie sends him looks that can best be summed up by this poem:\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/Ae7eOrabSj0'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/Ae7eOrabSj0'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Ernst can't take it anymore, so he leaves the party to spend the rest of the evening reapplying mercury poison all over his body and sadly looking down at his crotch. But his moping session is interrupted by an unexpected visitor. It's Widow Bestie, who takes off her cloak to reveal lingerie! Have fun, you crazy kids, but remember that Jackie Chan and I want you to use protection!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/jackie-chan-condom-safe-sex.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102156\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/jackie-chan-condom-safe-sex.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"368\" height=\"208\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After some rolling around, Ernst is seized by shame and tells Widow Bestie it isn't going to happen. He explains that he only liked her when she was prim, proper, and unavailable. Okay, crushing this girl's heart with a rude lie is one way to go about this. Another would be just telling her the truth? ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Later that night, Uncle/Daddy Leopold finds Widow Bestie bawling in a dark hallway. Because he can't help himself, he blurts out, \u003cem>Oh, you bummed about Ernst's syphilis? \u003c/em>Looks like Leopold owes Ernst yet another apology selfie locket.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/spilled-beans-locket.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-102158\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/spilled-beans-locket-1020x830.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"521\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/spilled-beans-locket-1020x830.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/spilled-beans-locket-160x130.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/spilled-beans-locket-800x651.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/spilled-beans-locket-768x625.jpg 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/spilled-beans-locket-1200x977.jpg 1200w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/spilled-beans-locket-1180x960.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/spilled-beans-locket-960x781.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/spilled-beans-locket-240x195.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/spilled-beans-locket-375x305.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/spilled-beans-locket-520x423.jpg 520w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/spilled-beans-locket.jpg 1327w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Speaking of lockets, Wilhelmina got some of Brunette Most Definitely Gay's hair and created a keepsake for Blond Most Definitely Gay. I'm not crying; you're crying!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/drummond-victoria-alfred-locket-hair.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-102159\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/drummond-victoria-alfred-locket-hair-1020x742.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"466\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/drummond-victoria-alfred-locket-hair-1020x742.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/drummond-victoria-alfred-locket-hair-160x116.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/drummond-victoria-alfred-locket-hair-800x582.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/drummond-victoria-alfred-locket-hair-768x559.jpg 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/drummond-victoria-alfred-locket-hair-1200x873.jpg 1200w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/drummond-victoria-alfred-locket-hair-1920x1397.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/drummond-victoria-alfred-locket-hair-1180x859.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/drummond-victoria-alfred-locket-hair-960x698.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/drummond-victoria-alfred-locket-hair-240x175.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/drummond-victoria-alfred-locket-hair-375x273.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/drummond-victoria-alfred-locket-hair-520x378.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Blond Most Definitely Gay is so thankful that he proposes to Wilhelmina and makes out with her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2016/10/publizity-wait-whet-gif.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-44499\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2016/10/publizity-wait-whet-gif.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"280\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Um, my dude, you could have just gotten her an Edible Arrangement bouquet of chocolate-covered fruit to say thanks. I understand needing a rebound, but what are you doing?!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/alfred-victoria-kiss.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-102160\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/alfred-victoria-kiss-1020x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"361\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/alfred-victoria-kiss-1020x576.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/alfred-victoria-kiss-160x90.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/alfred-victoria-kiss-800x451.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/alfred-victoria-kiss-768x433.jpg 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/alfred-victoria-kiss-1200x677.jpg 1200w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/alfred-victoria-kiss-1920x1084.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/alfred-victoria-kiss-1180x666.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/alfred-victoria-kiss-960x542.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/alfred-victoria-kiss-240x135.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/alfred-victoria-kiss-375x212.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/alfred-victoria-kiss-520x293.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The show writers have some nerve perpetuating the gays-can't-have-happy-endings trope with Brunette's death, and then smearing this BS on top.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/10/i-am-disgusted-gif.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-96705\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/10/i-am-disgusted-gif.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"498\" height=\"276\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In more disgusting news, Albert refuses to get Sarah a Christmas tree like all the other kids, because why not ostracize an orphan and add to her misery for no reason?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since it's been a few hours since he last picked a fight with Victoria, he tells her that she's only thinking of herself in trying to help this little girl, and that she has mommy issues. That's rich coming from someone who pouts about his mom every other episode, and has such intense daddy issues that an entire recap from this season was called just that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/disgusted-eye-roll-dwight-the-office.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-102161\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/disgusted-eye-roll-dwight-the-office.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"270\" height=\"276\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Downstairs, Babyface Maid starts to feel bad about all those slaves she just inherited, so, instead of buying a bed and breakfast with Hot Italian Chef, she frees them all, even though it means she has to give up her dream of filling an Olympic-sized pool with gold coins.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/you-did-good.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102164\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/you-did-good.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"247\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the music room, Albert is loudly singing Christmas carols while banging on the piano. \u003cem>Isn't Christmas the best, Ernst?! Remember how awesome our childhoods were and how in love our parents were?\u003c/em> Because Ernst has been through a lot of crap recently, he has no patience for any of this: \u003cem>Our mother hated our dad so much she slept with his own brother! Oh, and are you forgetting she abandoned us on Christmas Eve? Invest in a therapist, dude. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Who's got mommy issues now, Albert?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/lauren-conrad-lc-sip-tea.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102166\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/lauren-conrad-lc-sip-tea.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"245\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, Victoria can't seem to find Sarah. When she asks if anyone has seen her, Victoria's mom says, \"Probably in some corner somewhere. Maybe she's outside in the snow.\" The 'hopefully frozen to death' is not spoken, but heavily implied.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Victoria runs outside to find her, but stumbles upon a grumpy Albert ice skating quite aggressively. He glowers at her for no reason, and then proceeds to fall through the thin ice. Is cheering not the appropriate response here? Drowning under an ice-covered lake is not exactly being eaten by a lion, but I'll take it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/jack-titanic-die.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter wp-image-102167\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/jack-titanic-die.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oh, damn, Victoria manages to save him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/george-clooney-disgusted-disappointed.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102168\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/george-clooney-disgusted-disappointed.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"231\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sarah is safe too, and tells Victoria: \u003cem>Hey, thanks for this bummer of a slumber party, but I'm ready to go back to the captain's house where grown adults don't bully me.\u003c/em> She is sent away the following day, and Albert smiles as he etches another check mark on the wall next to Lehzen's. Two down; next up: anyone else Victoria shows a passing interest in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Downstairs, the Babyface Maid / Hot Italian Chef storyline wraps up with a quickness because there are only a few minutes left in this season:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Babyface Maid:\u003c/strong> \u003cem>Hey, I gave up all my money and am back to being wildly poor!\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Hot Italian Chef:\u003c/strong> \u003cem>That's hot! Let's get married right away and struggle to make ends meet for the rest of our lives!\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Babyface Maid: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>Sounds good! Remember that entire year we passive-aggressively ignored each other for no reason?\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Hot Italian Chef:\u003c/strong>\u003cem> LOL! We're hilarious. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Elsewhere, another couple is also fast-tracking their romance. Blond Most Definitely Still Gay But Burying It Deep Down Inside gives Wilhelmina a ring to make it official, and they carry on like they're actually in love and the waterfall scene never happened.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/victoria-no-albert-wtf.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-102170\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/victoria-no-albert-wtf-1020x895.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"562\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/victoria-no-albert-wtf-1020x895.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/victoria-no-albert-wtf-160x140.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/victoria-no-albert-wtf-800x702.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/victoria-no-albert-wtf-768x674.jpg 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/victoria-no-albert-wtf-1200x1053.jpg 1200w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/victoria-no-albert-wtf-1180x1035.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/victoria-no-albert-wtf-960x842.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/victoria-no-albert-wtf-240x211.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/victoria-no-albert-wtf-375x329.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/victoria-no-albert-wtf-520x456.jpg 520w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/victoria-no-albert-wtf.jpg 1826w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/no-albert-victoria-wilhelmina.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-102171\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/no-albert-victoria-wilhelmina-1020x885.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"555\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/no-albert-victoria-wilhelmina-1020x885.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/no-albert-victoria-wilhelmina-160x139.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/no-albert-victoria-wilhelmina-800x694.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/no-albert-victoria-wilhelmina-768x667.jpg 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/no-albert-victoria-wilhelmina-1200x1042.jpg 1200w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/no-albert-victoria-wilhelmina-1180x1024.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/no-albert-victoria-wilhelmina-960x833.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/no-albert-victoria-wilhelmina-240x208.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/no-albert-victoria-wilhelmina-375x326.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/no-albert-victoria-wilhelmina-520x451.jpg 520w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/no-albert-victoria-wilhelmina.jpg 1850w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/06/oprah-won-t-accept-it.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter wp-image-87685\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/06/oprah-won-t-accept-it.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/slam-door.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter wp-image-102172\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/slam-door.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"383\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At Christmas dinner, everyone is having a splendid time pretending that no one has syphilis, and no one regrets marrying Albert, and no one just signed up for a miserable, closeted life. But the perfect illusion is threatened by a visit from Uncle Scar. Is he going to snatch his mom's necklace from Victoria's neck? Is he going to set all the Christmas trees on fire? Is he going to throw up blood onto the dinner table \u003ca href=\"https://thenypost.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/downton-abbey-blood-cough-2.gif\">like the dad in \u003cem>Downton Abbey\u003c/em>\u003c/a>?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/jon-stewart-eating-popcorn.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102175\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/jon-stewart-eating-popcorn.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"226\" height=\"308\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oh. None of that happens. He just says: \u003cem>Hey, y'all. Since this is a Christmas episode, never mind all the crazy things I've done and threatened to do. Let's eat! \u003c/em>Everyone agrees to not admit they hate each other's guts until next season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/britney-yawn-bored.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102176\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/britney-yawn-bored.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"306\" height=\"200\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>End scene!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>After every episode, it’s only right to reward characters who’ve impressed and diss the ones that haven’t, so here goes:\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>PIECE OF COAL: Albert. \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/i-curse-the-day-you-were-born-charlotte-sex-and-the-city.gif\">\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102177\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2018/02/i-curse-the-day-you-were-born-charlotte-sex-and-the-city.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"480\" height=\"302\">\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>HONORABLE MENTION: Babyface Maid. \u003c/strong>Props on doing the right thing instead of becoming the Paris Hilton of the 1800s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>BRONZE: Sarah. \u003c/strong>She's a survivor, she's not gon' give up, she's not gon' stop, she's gon' work harder!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>SILVER: \u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>Thin Ice. \u003c/strong>Thanks for trying.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>GOLD: \u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>Brunette Most Definitely Gay and Dash. \u003c/strong>In some ways, they're better off up in heaven. I hope they're having a blast being best friends. 💞\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s all, folks! It’s been a pleasure watching along with you this season. Until \u003cem>Poldark\u003c/em> starts up again! If you miss my thoughts on \u003cem>Victoria\u003c/em> or pop culture in general, follow me on Twitter \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/xcusemybeauty\">@xcusemybeauty\u003c/a>, listen to my podcast \u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-cooler/id1041117499?mt=2\">\u003cem>The Cooler\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, or relive all my other \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/tag/victoria/\">\u003cem>Victoria\u003c/em>\u003c/a> / \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/tag/poldark/\">\u003cem>Poldark\u003c/em>\u003c/a> / \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/tag/downton-abbey/\">\u003cem>Downton Abbey\u003c/em>\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/tag/recaps/\">recaps\u003c/a>!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cstrong>More recaps:\u003c/strong>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/108303/victoria-season-3-finale-recap-matchmaker-matchmaker\">'Victoria' Season 3 Finale Recap: Matchmaker, Matchmaker\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/108301/victoria-season-3-episode-7-recap-california-love\">'Victoria' Season 3 Episode 7 Recap: California Love\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/108299/victoria-season-3-episode-6-recap-love-on-the-brain\">'Victoria' Season 3 Episode 6 Recap: Love on the Brain\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/108293/victoria-season-3-episode-5-recap-on-the-road-again\">'Victoria' Season 3 Episode 5 Recap: On The Road Again\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/108291/victoria-season-3-episode-4-recap-ill-be-missing-you\">'Victoria' Season 3 Episode 4 Recap: I'll Be Missing You\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/108289/victoria-season-3-episode-3-recap-la-isla-bonita\">'Victoria' Season 3 Episode 3 Recap: La Isla Bonita\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/108287/victoria-season-3-episode-2-recap-the-guns-of-brixton\">'Victoria' Season 3 Episode 2 Recap: The Guns of Brixton\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/108284/victoria-season-3-premiere-recap-god-save-the-queen\">'Victoria' Season 3 Premiere Recap: God Save The Queen\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/97779/victoria-season-2-finale-recap-its-a-hard-knock-life\">'Victoria' Season 2 Finale Recap: It's a Hard-Knock Life\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/97777/victoria-season-2-episode-6-recap-somewhere-over-the-rainbow\">'Victoria' Season 2 Episode 6 Recap: Somewhere Over The Rainbow\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/97775/victoria-season-2-episode-5-recap-lost-and-found\">'Victoria' Season 2 Episode 5 Recap: Lost and Found\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/97773/victoria-season-2-episode-4-recap-people-are-people\">'Victoria' Season 2 Episode 4 Recap: People Are People\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/97771/victoria-season-2-episode-3-recap-daddy-issues\">'Victoria' Season 2 Episode 3 Recap: Daddy Issues\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/97769/victoria-season-2-episode-2-recap-puppy-love\">'Victoria' Season 2 Episode 2 Recap: Puppy Love\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/97767/victoria-season-2-premiere-recap-baby-its-cold-outside\">'Victoria' Season 2 Premiere Recap: Baby It's Cold Outside\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/56546/victoria-season-1-finale-recap-bye-bye-baby-blues\">'Victoria' Season 1 Finale Recap: Bye Bye Baby Blues\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/2017/02/19/victoria-season-1-episode-6-recap-cmon-ride-the-train/\">'Victoria' Season 1, Episode 6 Recap: C'mon Ride the Train\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/2017/02/12/pbs-victoria-season-1-episode-5-recap-ill-make-love-to-you/\">‘Victoria’ Season 1, Episode 5 Recap: I’ll Make Love to You\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/2017/02/05/pbs-victoria-season-1-episode-4-recap-wedding-bell-blues/\">‘Victoria’ Season 1, Episode 4 Recap: Wedding Bell Blues\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/2017/01/29/pbs-victoria-season-1-episode-3-recap-youre-so-vain/\">‘Victoria’ Season 1, Episode 3 Recap: You’re So Vain\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/2017/01/22/victoria-season-1-episode-2-recap-all-the-single-ladies/\">‘Victoria’ Season 1, Episode 2 Recap: All The Single Ladies\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"disqusTitle": "Z-O-M-B-I-E-S: Why Won't the Undead Craze Just... Die?",
"title": "Z-O-M-B-I-E-S: Why Won't the Undead Craze Just... Die?",
"headTitle": "KQED Pop | KQED Arts",
"content": "\u003cp>Here's a serious pop culture conundrum. Why are we \u003cem>still\u003c/em> so obsessed with zombies?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Maybe you've seen the movies \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0816711/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>World War Z\u003c/em>\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0289043/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>28 Days Later \u003c/em>\u003c/a>and the TV series \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3501584/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>iZombie \u003c/em>\u003c/a>and \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5580540/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">Santa Clarita Diet\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>Or maybe you've read \u003cem>Zone One\u003c/em> by Pulitzer-winning author Colson Whitehead or \u003cem>Pride And Prejudice And Zombies\u003c/em> by Seth Grahame-Smith. Haven't you had enough of zombies over the last decade?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Evidently not. Just within the next two weeks, we'll see the return of the biggest basic cable hit in history — \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1520211/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">\u003cem>The Walking Dead\u003c/em>,\u003c/a> shambling back for its midseason premiere — \u003cem>and\u003c/em> a new zombie movie starring Ellen Page (\u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3463106/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>The Cured\u003c/em>\u003c/a>) \u003cem>and\u003c/em> a Disney Channel musical about a teenage zombie heartthrob in love with a perky cheerleader.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSC7AjafRPA\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6878820/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>ZOMBIES \u003c/em>\u003c/a>is the second Romeo-and-Juliet zombie romance to come out in recent years. (The first was the excellent indie film \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1588173/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>Warm Bodies\u003c/em>\u003c/a>.) Bringing zombies into Disney's more tightly controlled brand was a challenge for Joseph Raso, one of the movie's co-writers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The biggest thing we thought was going to be a problem was, like, brains,\" Raso says. \"That zombies want to eat brains. We were going to put our flagpole on that. Zombies \u003cem>need\u003c/em> to eat brains. It's just part of the lore. And Disney was like, 'Of course they have to eat brains!' \"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(Disney wouldn't let its zombies really eat brains. Instead, they devour family-friendly vegan substitutes.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Disney is somewhat late to the zombie party. Mattel and Nickelodeon have featured adorable zombie characters for years. Meanwhile, there is seemingly no end to the zombie movies and TV shows in the works, many startlingly specific. Netflix has announced a medieval Korean zombie series called \u003ca href=\"https://www.netflix.com/title/80180171\">\u003cem>Kingdom\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, premiering later this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All of which raises the question: Why won't this zombie trend just ... die? I asked pre-eminent zombie scholar Sarah Juliet Lauro, a professor at the University of Tampa. She published her first academic paper on zombies a decade ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I never, ever thought that 10 years later, that zombies would be going so strong,\" she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back then, Lauro made sense of the zombie craze by thinking of it through the economic meltdown: how zombies reflected our insecurities, helplessness and fragile safety net. Then, when Barack Obama was elected president, she saw a kind of cultural backlash in the form of \u003cem>The Walking Dead\u003c/em>'s apocalyptic, end-of-government fantasy in which everyone is on their own.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"And it really makes sense to have a gun in the basement because you really need it,\" she says. \"And you have redneck characters who are heroes.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGuASCtizdE\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Walking Dead\u003c/em>'s audience has sharply dropped from its record-setting peak several years ago, but even so, it's still one of the top shows on television. Its spinoff, \u003ca href=\"http://www.amc.com/shows/fear-the-walking-dead\">\u003cem>Fear The Walking Dead\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, starts its fourth season this spring.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, few signs of zombie fatigue are evident in the publishing world. Author Justina Ireland has a historical zombie novel coming out in April, called \u003cem>Dread Nation\u003c/em>, and a theory about why zombies remain so popular.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Every day is a new and terrible terror coming at you from the news, and it's just nonstop,\" she says. \"I think people are feeling overwhelmed. And that's a great metaphor for a zombie invasion. Like, that is the iconic scene for a zombie invasion, a horde coming to overwhelm a town or a mall or a handful of survivors.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ireland admitted that she doesn't even like zombies very much. (They frighten her.) But she would like to see more stories about zombies rooted in their actual mythology in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Haitian tales of the undead working in cane fields are part of that country's history of oppression and revolution. Ireland drew on those themes of power and powerlessness for \u003cem>Dread Nation\u003c/em>, which is set during the U.S. Civil War.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The zombies really represent this idea of slavery and how we never really addressed it,\" she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Slavery keeps rising up in the American unconscious, perhaps not unlike zombies rising from the dead. As for zombies' usefulness as metaphors, Ireland says it helps that they're so compelling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"And so it's really easy to talk about very difficult subjects when you have this cool, neat thing as the apparatus,\" she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So it may be quite a while longer until zombies as pop culture phenomena have been done to death. Or, one might say: undeath.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2018 NPR. 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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Here's a serious pop culture conundrum. Why are we \u003cem>still\u003c/em> so obsessed with zombies?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Maybe you've seen the movies \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0816711/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>World War Z\u003c/em>\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0289043/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>28 Days Later \u003c/em>\u003c/a>and the TV series \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3501584/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>iZombie \u003c/em>\u003c/a>and \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5580540/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">Santa Clarita Diet\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>Or maybe you've read \u003cem>Zone One\u003c/em> by Pulitzer-winning author Colson Whitehead or \u003cem>Pride And Prejudice And Zombies\u003c/em> by Seth Grahame-Smith. Haven't you had enough of zombies over the last decade?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Evidently not. Just within the next two weeks, we'll see the return of the biggest basic cable hit in history — \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1520211/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">\u003cem>The Walking Dead\u003c/em>,\u003c/a> shambling back for its midseason premiere — \u003cem>and\u003c/em> a new zombie movie starring Ellen Page (\u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3463106/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>The Cured\u003c/em>\u003c/a>) \u003cem>and\u003c/em> a Disney Channel musical about a teenage zombie heartthrob in love with a perky cheerleader.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/VSC7AjafRPA'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/VSC7AjafRPA'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6878820/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>ZOMBIES \u003c/em>\u003c/a>is the second Romeo-and-Juliet zombie romance to come out in recent years. (The first was the excellent indie film \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1588173/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">\u003cem>Warm Bodies\u003c/em>\u003c/a>.) Bringing zombies into Disney's more tightly controlled brand was a challenge for Joseph Raso, one of the movie's co-writers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The biggest thing we thought was going to be a problem was, like, brains,\" Raso says. \"That zombies want to eat brains. We were going to put our flagpole on that. Zombies \u003cem>need\u003c/em> to eat brains. It's just part of the lore. And Disney was like, 'Of course they have to eat brains!' \"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(Disney wouldn't let its zombies really eat brains. Instead, they devour family-friendly vegan substitutes.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Disney is somewhat late to the zombie party. Mattel and Nickelodeon have featured adorable zombie characters for years. Meanwhile, there is seemingly no end to the zombie movies and TV shows in the works, many startlingly specific. Netflix has announced a medieval Korean zombie series called \u003ca href=\"https://www.netflix.com/title/80180171\">\u003cem>Kingdom\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, premiering later this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All of which raises the question: Why won't this zombie trend just ... die? I asked pre-eminent zombie scholar Sarah Juliet Lauro, a professor at the University of Tampa. She published her first academic paper on zombies a decade ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I never, ever thought that 10 years later, that zombies would be going so strong,\" she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back then, Lauro made sense of the zombie craze by thinking of it through the economic meltdown: how zombies reflected our insecurities, helplessness and fragile safety net. Then, when Barack Obama was elected president, she saw a kind of cultural backlash in the form of \u003cem>The Walking Dead\u003c/em>'s apocalyptic, end-of-government fantasy in which everyone is on their own.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"And it really makes sense to have a gun in the basement because you really need it,\" she says. \"And you have redneck characters who are heroes.\"\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/nGuASCtizdE'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/nGuASCtizdE'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>The Walking Dead\u003c/em>'s audience has sharply dropped from its record-setting peak several years ago, but even so, it's still one of the top shows on television. Its spinoff, \u003ca href=\"http://www.amc.com/shows/fear-the-walking-dead\">\u003cem>Fear The Walking Dead\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, starts its fourth season this spring.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, few signs of zombie fatigue are evident in the publishing world. Author Justina Ireland has a historical zombie novel coming out in April, called \u003cem>Dread Nation\u003c/em>, and a theory about why zombies remain so popular.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Every day is a new and terrible terror coming at you from the news, and it's just nonstop,\" she says. \"I think people are feeling overwhelmed. And that's a great metaphor for a zombie invasion. Like, that is the iconic scene for a zombie invasion, a horde coming to overwhelm a town or a mall or a handful of survivors.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ireland admitted that she doesn't even like zombies very much. (They frighten her.) But she would like to see more stories about zombies rooted in their actual mythology in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Haitian tales of the undead working in cane fields are part of that country's history of oppression and revolution. Ireland drew on those themes of power and powerlessness for \u003cem>Dread Nation\u003c/em>, which is set during the U.S. Civil War.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The zombies really represent this idea of slavery and how we never really addressed it,\" she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Slavery keeps rising up in the American unconscious, perhaps not unlike zombies rising from the dead. As for zombies' usefulness as metaphors, Ireland says it helps that they're so compelling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"And so it's really easy to talk about very difficult subjects when you have this cool, neat thing as the apparatus,\" she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So it may be quite a while longer until zombies as pop culture phenomena have been done to death. Or, one might say: undeath.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Why+The+Zombie+Craze+Still+Has+Our+Undying+Affection&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"order": 9
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"id": "fresh-air",
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"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
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"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
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"order": 18
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"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
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"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
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"source": "American Public Media"
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"masters-of-scale": {
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"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
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"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
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},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
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"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
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"meta": {
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"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
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"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
"title": "Morning Edition",
"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
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"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"order": 11
},
"link": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
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},
"on-the-media": {
"id": "on-the-media",
"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm-3pm, MON 12am-1am",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/onTheMedia.png",
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},
"link": "/radio/program/on-the-media",
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"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-the-Media-p69/",
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},
"pbs-newshour": {
"id": "pbs-newshour",
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"info": "Analysis, background reports and updates from the PBS NewsHour putting today's news in context.",
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"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PBS-News-Hour-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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},
"link": "/radio/program/pbs-newshour",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pbs-newshour-full-show/id394432287?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/PBS-NewsHour---Full-Show-p425698/",
"rss": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/feeds/rss/podcasts/show"
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},
"perspectives": {
"id": "perspectives",
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"order": 14
},
"link": "/perspectives",
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"planet-money": {
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"info": "The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/planetmoney.jpg",
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},
"link": "/radio/program/planet-money",
"subscribe": {
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/planet-money/id290783428?mt=2",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510289/podcast.xml"
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},
"politicalbreakdown": {
"id": "politicalbreakdown",
"title": "Political Breakdown",
"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
"airtime": "THU 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Political-Breakdown-2024-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"order": 5
},
"link": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
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"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/e0c2d153-ad36-4c8d-901d-f1da6a724824/political-breakdown",
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"possible": {
"id": "possible",
"title": "Possible",
"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Possible-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.possible.fm/",
"meta": {
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"source": "Possible"
},
"link": "/radio/program/possible",
"subscribe": {
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"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/730YpdUSNlMyPQwNnyjp4k"
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},
"pri-the-world": {
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