So I'm watching The Sword and the Brocade, a show I figured I'd try bc some friends had recommended it, but I honestly wasn't expecting to get hooked; I was more thinking I'd give it a go, get bored, and cross it off my list of c-dramas. And instead, I am INVESTED.
-
-
All the big political events are still happening, but our primary lens for them is the women in the household and the women in their extended families. We see how sexism & custom constrain them, but also how goddamn *vital* their actions & responsibilities are regardless.
Show this thread -
Just. I am forever thumping the drum of The Personal Is Political And The Political Personal bc that's literally what it is, but so many stories fool us into thinking that actually, politics is Serious Man Stuff, or at least Very Removed From Domestic Stuff, and it's NOT.
Show this thread -
And like!! The two most antagonistic women, Lianfang & Erniang? Are actually getting a really shitty deal in a lot of ways, as we see on screen! And they're also awful, manipulative people! The tension is in the fact that none of the consequences they live with fit the offenses!
Show this thread -
Erniang is selfish and scheming, but she still doesn't deserve to be married to a domestically abusive asshat! Lianfang is manipulative, arrogant and callous, but she's stuck in what is often a genuinely pitiable situation! And it's just such good storytelling -
Show this thread -
- that we're allowed to dislike them, but also feel for them; to understand them, but not always condone them. Bc the real culprit here is a system that denies them diginity and autonomy outside of very strict parameters. The personal stakes are *so high* for the women.
Show this thread -
Anyway! I wrote this because the rice plot is making me Anxious and I needed a break but this show is really good, actually! Even though I lowkey resent it for making me find Wa-ge attractive in any way! (He's very sweet but foremost he's my dorky SDC3 uncle, NOT a hot guy.)
Show this thread
End of conversation
New conversation -
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.