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have i talked about "the hour" yet?
I don't think I've talked about The Hour here yet, which is a TRAVESTY of the highest order, because this show is owning my soul right about now. I need to flail about it for a while and convince you to watch it, no?
I'm honestly in awe of the way that this show consistently gives me exactly what I want. It seems designed to make me a flaily mess of emotions. Everything about it is perfect and everything I want and just...there are no words for how much I'm loving it.
Anyway: new show, British, not airing here yet, but you should download it if you can because it is FLAWLESS. It's set, ostensibly, backstage at a new weekly BBC news show in 1956, and it's rich in historical detail and has fabulous, fabulous characters and the best acting and the best writing and the best production design and the best everything. It's a bit of a slow burn, in the best sense (BEST is the word to describe this show), so don't expect it to move super, super fast. But it builds the suspense this way, and I wouldn't change a thing.
So Bel Rowley's been chosen to be the producer of a weekly news show, The Hour. She is absolutely the right person for the job since she's smart, driven, and knows how to handle people. And some of the people need a lot of handling, like Freddie Lyons. He's her best friend with whom she has some sort of romantic past (they haven't been super forthcoming about it) and he's still ridiculously in love with her (this is not a spoiler, you know this from pretty much the very beginning). He's also an absolute genius of a journalist, but he's a mess, and it's made pretty clear that despite his genius he probably wouldn't have gotten anywhere without Bel pushing him and taking care of him. He's got quite a lot of antagonistic feelings towards Hector Madden, who was chosen over him to be the "face" of the show. Hector's the epitome of privilege, and he and the working-class Freddie have a really fascinating relationship. Then there's the HBIC, Lix Storm, who's middle-aged and still sexy and one of the best journalists alive, clearly. She's the kind that has contacts all over the world and takes journalism seriously and has all sorts of war stories because she never let her gender hold her back. She shoots whiskey and knows everyone's business because she's waaaay observant and is generally awesome. My other favorite on the team is Isaac, who's ostensibly Freddie's assistant but gets stuck doing all the odd jobs no one else wants to do and who is a giant nerd and delightful.
Anyway! If this was only a behind-the-scenes kind of show, I wouldn't be nearly as invested in it. But this show IS THE COLD WAR. Bel is constantly dealing with not-so-subtle pressure from the government to fall into line, and she's constantly pushing back against the censorship. She's trying to create something that reflects reality, not something that toes the party line. And Lix and Freddie (and even Hector, after he gets going) are right there with her.
But Freddie (who is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters EVER EVER EVER) can't just leave it there. He gets involved in some serious espionage and conspiracies and spying and general excellence. And there are murders and secret codes and people with deep secrets and it is all WONDERFUL WONDERFUL WONDERFUL.
So that's the basic jist. Now, for why you should care.
And now for the feelings portion of this post:
First off: COLD WAR. 50'S AESTHETICS. EVERYTHING LOOKS AMAAAAAAAAAZING AND THE PRODUCTION DESIGN IS THE BEST. Honestly, I think it's better even than Mad Men, which kind of has a similar style (though that's the only thing they have in common, really), because everything looks sort of worn and used and such. The period detail is amazing.
BEN. WHISHAW'S. FACE, PEOPLE. I just...I cannot get over how good this guy is. He was flawless as Keats in Bright Star, and this character is completely different (other than the writer-ly-ness), but he is even better here. HE MAKES THE BEST FACES. BEST FACES. Especially when he looks at Bel and you just see how much he loves her. I cannot get over it. BEST FACE. (Also: I think I need to watch Perfume? Was that good? I never got around to watching it.)
And Freddie just gets into so much trouble because he wants to know the truth of what's going on (I'm not going into too many details about how he gets involved in all the conspiracies, but suffice it to say, he's emotionally involved). He just throws himself into it, totally dedicated and passionate, and he's definitely in danger, but he just wants the truth. And Bel's standing there holding onto his coattails to keep him falling completely over the edge.
Speaking of which: BEL. THIS WOMAN. What I love about her is that she is so very competent and smart and driven and good at what she does, but she also has a lot of feelings. The show isn't scared of letting us see her cry on occasion when she needs to, or get frustrated, or even be silly. She's so fully-rounded already, and the credit goes to both the writing and Romola Garai being excellent.
Hector still hasn't won me completely over, both because, like Freddie, I resent privilege and because of his actions involving his marriage. But there are some moments where he really gets me--in this last episode, we saw how much he cares about what he's doing, and that he is a smart guy himself. Also, there's this moment where Freddie asks him if there's anything he can't do, AND HIS REACTION IS THE BEST THING I'VE EVER SEEN. Don't want to spoil it for you, though.
LIX. LIX LIX LIX. BEST WOMAN. SHOOTS WHISKEY. WAS IN THE WAR ZONE. SPEAKS MULTIPLE LANGUAGES. GIVES EVERYONE ADVICE. KNOWS EVERYTHING THAT IS GOING ON. DOESN'T LET HER GENDER HOLD HER BACK. LIX. STORM.
And the tiny assistants who are adorable and tiny and awkward and I love them. Best team! Excellent team!
HERE BE SPOILERS, OKAY????
OMG FREDDIE'S REACTION WHEN HE FOUND OUT ABOUT BEL AND HECTOR. OMG MY HEART MY HEART MY HEART. I DID NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH MYSELF, I REALLY DIDN'T. Like, he was so heartbroken, but he was so good about it. It showed BOY DID IT SHOW but not in an obvious way that Hector would notice. And then he didn't storm in and demand anything from Bel or blow up at anyone. He just had all that heartbreak inside of him and I wanted to weep.
But I looooooooved later when he asked if Hector was good to her. Because of course he'd care. And yes, he flirted with her quite a bit but A) drunk, and B) he made up for it by being very supportive. He didn't judge Bel or try to guilt her into anything or anything. He just wanted to make sure that Hector was treating her well.
Now, some of you know that cheating is my ultimate squick, so I was really prepared to hate this. Also, I tend not to like love triangles. BUT THIS IS SO WELL DONE. For one thing, we're getting to see some of Marnie's side of the whole thing, which eases my heart a bit. She's a little shallow, but she's not made out to be the villain. And she really is the victim here. And I think next time we're reaaaaaally going to see how conflicted Bel is about all this. WHICH SHE SHOULD BE. I mean, obviously Hector's really the one to blame because it's his marriage, and all the hate should fall on him, but I will say that I think sleeping with someone you know is in a committed relationship is a shitty thing to do as a person. And I like that Bel's going to feel that, because it's very in character for her.
Some other things: FREDDIE AS A HAPPY DRUNK! SO UNEXPECTED, SO PERFECT. AND HIM PLANNING OUT HIS FUTURE WITH BEL. SO BEAUTIFUL. AND THEY DANCED. AND HE CALLED HER SNAKE HIPS.
Did anybody else get a vibe off of Lix's moment of interaction with the girl at the club? I got a vibe. So I was very, very surprised when she SLEPT WITH FREDDIE. Things I did not expect. But it worked, and I really liked how he thanked her the next morning, because he knew that she was really doing it to comfort him because she knows about Bel and how he feels about her and her whole deal with Hector.
LIX FIGURES EVERYTHING OUT. YOU WILL HAVE NO SECRETS. LOOOOOVE THAT.
I also love what a good guy Clarence is. And how he had this very fatherly moment taking care of Freddie and telling off McCain (which: FABULOUS CHARACTER) for having his team followed. Lovely moment.
And I looooooved the scenes with Lady Elms. I do not know what her game is, but she knows way more than she's letting on to (FREDDIE YELLING AT HER THAT SHE'S LYING TO HIM. STARS IN MY EYES), and I can't wait to find out more.
BEL KNOWS WHAT KIND OF CAKE FREDDIE LIKES. JUST THOUGHT I'D THROW THAT OUT THERE.
THE WIRES ARE TAPED, Y'ALL. AND TINY ASSISTANT LOVE. THE TINY ASSISTANTS ARE ADORABLE.
Hector telling MI6 by their coats and shoes? BEST. LOOOOOVE. And why do I feel like Kish's wife giving Freddie the raincoat is going to be significant?
I really, really, really liked Hector contributing so much to the show and being good at it. It made me like him way more. And asking Freddie to look it over (nice moment between them!) and even though this guy has just SHATTERED FREDDIE'S HEART, Freddie still does it and is honest and complimentary and OMG FREDDIE LYONS MARRY ME YOU PERFECT MESS OF A MAN YOU.
And...I don't think I've forgotten anything? I think that's it?
Anyway: THIS SHOW IS THE BEST AT EVERYTHING AND I AM IN LOVE AND YOU SHOULD WATCH IT.
The. End.
I'm honestly in awe of the way that this show consistently gives me exactly what I want. It seems designed to make me a flaily mess of emotions. Everything about it is perfect and everything I want and just...there are no words for how much I'm loving it.
Anyway: new show, British, not airing here yet, but you should download it if you can because it is FLAWLESS. It's set, ostensibly, backstage at a new weekly BBC news show in 1956, and it's rich in historical detail and has fabulous, fabulous characters and the best acting and the best writing and the best production design and the best everything. It's a bit of a slow burn, in the best sense (BEST is the word to describe this show), so don't expect it to move super, super fast. But it builds the suspense this way, and I wouldn't change a thing.
So Bel Rowley's been chosen to be the producer of a weekly news show, The Hour. She is absolutely the right person for the job since she's smart, driven, and knows how to handle people. And some of the people need a lot of handling, like Freddie Lyons. He's her best friend with whom she has some sort of romantic past (they haven't been super forthcoming about it) and he's still ridiculously in love with her (this is not a spoiler, you know this from pretty much the very beginning). He's also an absolute genius of a journalist, but he's a mess, and it's made pretty clear that despite his genius he probably wouldn't have gotten anywhere without Bel pushing him and taking care of him. He's got quite a lot of antagonistic feelings towards Hector Madden, who was chosen over him to be the "face" of the show. Hector's the epitome of privilege, and he and the working-class Freddie have a really fascinating relationship. Then there's the HBIC, Lix Storm, who's middle-aged and still sexy and one of the best journalists alive, clearly. She's the kind that has contacts all over the world and takes journalism seriously and has all sorts of war stories because she never let her gender hold her back. She shoots whiskey and knows everyone's business because she's waaaay observant and is generally awesome. My other favorite on the team is Isaac, who's ostensibly Freddie's assistant but gets stuck doing all the odd jobs no one else wants to do and who is a giant nerd and delightful.
Anyway! If this was only a behind-the-scenes kind of show, I wouldn't be nearly as invested in it. But this show IS THE COLD WAR. Bel is constantly dealing with not-so-subtle pressure from the government to fall into line, and she's constantly pushing back against the censorship. She's trying to create something that reflects reality, not something that toes the party line. And Lix and Freddie (and even Hector, after he gets going) are right there with her.
But Freddie (who is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters EVER EVER EVER) can't just leave it there. He gets involved in some serious espionage and conspiracies and spying and general excellence. And there are murders and secret codes and people with deep secrets and it is all WONDERFUL WONDERFUL WONDERFUL.
So that's the basic jist. Now, for why you should care.
And now for the feelings portion of this post:
First off: COLD WAR. 50'S AESTHETICS. EVERYTHING LOOKS AMAAAAAAAAAZING AND THE PRODUCTION DESIGN IS THE BEST. Honestly, I think it's better even than Mad Men, which kind of has a similar style (though that's the only thing they have in common, really), because everything looks sort of worn and used and such. The period detail is amazing.
BEN. WHISHAW'S. FACE, PEOPLE. I just...I cannot get over how good this guy is. He was flawless as Keats in Bright Star, and this character is completely different (other than the writer-ly-ness), but he is even better here. HE MAKES THE BEST FACES. BEST FACES. Especially when he looks at Bel and you just see how much he loves her. I cannot get over it. BEST FACE. (Also: I think I need to watch Perfume? Was that good? I never got around to watching it.)
And Freddie just gets into so much trouble because he wants to know the truth of what's going on (I'm not going into too many details about how he gets involved in all the conspiracies, but suffice it to say, he's emotionally involved). He just throws himself into it, totally dedicated and passionate, and he's definitely in danger, but he just wants the truth. And Bel's standing there holding onto his coattails to keep him falling completely over the edge.
Speaking of which: BEL. THIS WOMAN. What I love about her is that she is so very competent and smart and driven and good at what she does, but she also has a lot of feelings. The show isn't scared of letting us see her cry on occasion when she needs to, or get frustrated, or even be silly. She's so fully-rounded already, and the credit goes to both the writing and Romola Garai being excellent.
Hector still hasn't won me completely over, both because, like Freddie, I resent privilege and because of his actions involving his marriage. But there are some moments where he really gets me--in this last episode, we saw how much he cares about what he's doing, and that he is a smart guy himself. Also, there's this moment where Freddie asks him if there's anything he can't do, AND HIS REACTION IS THE BEST THING I'VE EVER SEEN. Don't want to spoil it for you, though.
LIX. LIX LIX LIX. BEST WOMAN. SHOOTS WHISKEY. WAS IN THE WAR ZONE. SPEAKS MULTIPLE LANGUAGES. GIVES EVERYONE ADVICE. KNOWS EVERYTHING THAT IS GOING ON. DOESN'T LET HER GENDER HOLD HER BACK. LIX. STORM.
And the tiny assistants who are adorable and tiny and awkward and I love them. Best team! Excellent team!
HERE BE SPOILERS, OKAY????
OMG FREDDIE'S REACTION WHEN HE FOUND OUT ABOUT BEL AND HECTOR. OMG MY HEART MY HEART MY HEART. I DID NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH MYSELF, I REALLY DIDN'T. Like, he was so heartbroken, but he was so good about it. It showed BOY DID IT SHOW but not in an obvious way that Hector would notice. And then he didn't storm in and demand anything from Bel or blow up at anyone. He just had all that heartbreak inside of him and I wanted to weep.
But I looooooooved later when he asked if Hector was good to her. Because of course he'd care. And yes, he flirted with her quite a bit but A) drunk, and B) he made up for it by being very supportive. He didn't judge Bel or try to guilt her into anything or anything. He just wanted to make sure that Hector was treating her well.
Now, some of you know that cheating is my ultimate squick, so I was really prepared to hate this. Also, I tend not to like love triangles. BUT THIS IS SO WELL DONE. For one thing, we're getting to see some of Marnie's side of the whole thing, which eases my heart a bit. She's a little shallow, but she's not made out to be the villain. And she really is the victim here. And I think next time we're reaaaaaally going to see how conflicted Bel is about all this. WHICH SHE SHOULD BE. I mean, obviously Hector's really the one to blame because it's his marriage, and all the hate should fall on him, but I will say that I think sleeping with someone you know is in a committed relationship is a shitty thing to do as a person. And I like that Bel's going to feel that, because it's very in character for her.
Some other things: FREDDIE AS A HAPPY DRUNK! SO UNEXPECTED, SO PERFECT. AND HIM PLANNING OUT HIS FUTURE WITH BEL. SO BEAUTIFUL. AND THEY DANCED. AND HE CALLED HER SNAKE HIPS.
Did anybody else get a vibe off of Lix's moment of interaction with the girl at the club? I got a vibe. So I was very, very surprised when she SLEPT WITH FREDDIE. Things I did not expect. But it worked, and I really liked how he thanked her the next morning, because he knew that she was really doing it to comfort him because she knows about Bel and how he feels about her and her whole deal with Hector.
LIX FIGURES EVERYTHING OUT. YOU WILL HAVE NO SECRETS. LOOOOOVE THAT.
I also love what a good guy Clarence is. And how he had this very fatherly moment taking care of Freddie and telling off McCain (which: FABULOUS CHARACTER) for having his team followed. Lovely moment.
And I looooooved the scenes with Lady Elms. I do not know what her game is, but she knows way more than she's letting on to (FREDDIE YELLING AT HER THAT SHE'S LYING TO HIM. STARS IN MY EYES), and I can't wait to find out more.
BEL KNOWS WHAT KIND OF CAKE FREDDIE LIKES. JUST THOUGHT I'D THROW THAT OUT THERE.
THE WIRES ARE TAPED, Y'ALL. AND TINY ASSISTANT LOVE. THE TINY ASSISTANTS ARE ADORABLE.
Hector telling MI6 by their coats and shoes? BEST. LOOOOOVE. And why do I feel like Kish's wife giving Freddie the raincoat is going to be significant?
I really, really, really liked Hector contributing so much to the show and being good at it. It made me like him way more. And asking Freddie to look it over (nice moment between them!) and even though this guy has just SHATTERED FREDDIE'S HEART, Freddie still does it and is honest and complimentary and OMG FREDDIE LYONS MARRY ME YOU PERFECT MESS OF A MAN YOU.
And...I don't think I've forgotten anything? I think that's it?
Anyway: THIS SHOW IS THE BEST AT EVERYTHING AND I AM IN LOVE AND YOU SHOULD WATCH IT.
The. End.