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meganbmooreI just finished Mildred Pierce, the HBO miniseries with Kate Winslett about a single mother in the 30s who becomes a successful businesswoman. It was pretty interesting despite some very unfortunate male-gaze elements in her relationships with men (there was a major wishfulfillment thing going full throttle with all of those, and it wasn't female wishfulfillment) until the last 20 minutes.
She loses her business. (To a bunch of men.)
Her daughter and her (second) husband, after using up all her money and letting her pay to get them what they want out of life have an affair. (And blame her, of course. Normally I'd say the narrative wanted us to disagree, but I'm not sure.)
Then she remarries the guy who cheated on her the first time they were married.
Then she realized that her daughter (Who was basically evil incarnate even as a child. Both actresses were excellent, but I haven't disliked a female character-especially a young one-like that in quite some time.) had essentially manipulated everything in both their lives to get a contract that would give her the celebrity life she wanted.
I actually thought she was about to commit suicide in the end.
So I spent 6 hours watching this woman go from nothing to the successful owner and ruler of an incorporated franchise, only to be used and manipulated by her daughter and a bunch of men and end up without her money or her businesses, back in the house she started in, married to the guy who had cheated on her (though, until then, I had liked the implication that they made better friends than they did spouses and had enjoyed most of their interactions) and apparently back to making pies on the sidelines for a little money.
Should have stayed where she started, huh.
(And this is definitely a case of earlier enjoyment just making the disappointment that much worse. The actors deserved the awards they were nominated for/won though.)
Also, HBO, why must your sex scenes always look so awkward and uncomfortable? I know they're supposed to be edgy or whatever, but I always just feel sorry for the actors because they look uncomfortable and like they just want the scene to be over. (Also, they tend to be on the boring side?)
She loses her business. (To a bunch of men.)
Her daughter and her (second) husband, after using up all her money and letting her pay to get them what they want out of life have an affair. (And blame her, of course. Normally I'd say the narrative wanted us to disagree, but I'm not sure.)
Then she remarries the guy who cheated on her the first time they were married.
Then she realized that her daughter (Who was basically evil incarnate even as a child. Both actresses were excellent, but I haven't disliked a female character-especially a young one-like that in quite some time.) had essentially manipulated everything in both their lives to get a contract that would give her the celebrity life she wanted.
I actually thought she was about to commit suicide in the end.
So I spent 6 hours watching this woman go from nothing to the successful owner and ruler of an incorporated franchise, only to be used and manipulated by her daughter and a bunch of men and end up without her money or her businesses, back in the house she started in, married to the guy who had cheated on her (though, until then, I had liked the implication that they made better friends than they did spouses and had enjoyed most of their interactions) and apparently back to making pies on the sidelines for a little money.
Should have stayed where she started, huh.
(And this is definitely a case of earlier enjoyment just making the disappointment that much worse. The actors deserved the awards they were nominated for/won though.)
Also, HBO, why must your sex scenes always look so awkward and uncomfortable? I know they're supposed to be edgy or whatever, but I always just feel sorry for the actors because they look uncomfortable and like they just want the scene to be over. (Also, they tend to be on the boring side?)