gigi1sposts - Tumblr blog

gigi1sposts · 1 year

Text

Why Raoul de Chagny is Awesome

So this is my first long post– my first non-shitpost, tbh– and it's about Raoul because I just think he's neat. That being said, I understand that not everyone does. If you don't like Raoul, that's okay. You don't even need me to validate that for you. Everybody has different opinions and my goal isn't to force anybody to share my point of view or change their mind. Just hear me out if you want to, and don't if you don't want to. Simple as that. I just want to vent about why I think the Raoul hate is undeserved because it's really disproportionate–

- It makes Phantom out to be a poor little victim and Raoul the big, bad, possessive Vicomte. But I don't think that's the story at all. Let's start at the beginning. Yes, Raoul comes into Christine’s dressing room without her consent after Think of Me, and it's wrong. But Phantom gets so much slack for being emotionally stunted because of his isolation. This is an explanation for his behavior, not an excuse. Raoul doesn't get any slack because he's conventionally attractive and rich, but he can't help being conventionally attractive any more than Phantom can help not being conventionally attractive. And they're both loaded. Phantom’s getting 20,000 francs a month. And let's be honest…Raoul has at most one braincell (I say this with love). Plus, Phantom is literally already in the dressing room when Raoul shows up after Think of Me. Raoul's mistake is a mistake on its own merits and saying it's not as bad as what Phantom does doesn't make it not bad, but I personally think it's ridiculous when pro-Phantom people specifically bring this up. Phantom does not respect Christine’s privacy at all, which is kind of the plot of the musical.

- I’d also like to point out how Raoul is patient with Christine. When she wanted to keep their engagement a secret and wore the ring on her neck to Masquerade, Raoul put on a happy face and had a great time anyway. At least until Phantom showed up. When they have their conversation about the secret engagement in Masquerade, Raoul doesn't yell or growl or anything like that– he just asks her why she's doing this. He's understandably annoyed and confused, but he’s still comforting. He asks Christine what she’s afraid of. He wants to know what's making her behave this way, because he cares about Christine and her well-being.

- Now, on to one of the weirdest arguments I've seen in opposition to Raoul: the accusation that he infantilizes Christine while Phantom sees her as a woman and respects her sexuality? While Raoul ignores it? This makes no sense to me at all. I think it stems from Raoul and Christine having been childhood friends, and from Raoul bonding with her again by bringing up Little Lotte…like he refuses to acknowledge that she's grown up. But I don't think the fact that Raoul and Christine knew each other as children means that he still sees her as a child. In fact, I think part of the draw for their relationship is that they're getting to know each other all over again and discover how they've both changed. They just already feel comfortable around one another because they have a baseline knowledge of each other to build off of. Not once in the musical does Raoul actually call Christine a child. “Little Lotte” is a pet name that draws on their preexisting mutual relationship. It makes Christine smile and think of the fond times they shared when they were younger. It's not the same as calling her a child to belittle her or subdue her (and using the “wide-eyed fears” line in All I Ask of You as an example of this is a stretch, IMO). On the other hand, Phantom does this flat-out multiple times; “Flattering child you shall know me, see why in shadow I hide…” and in Wandering Child. I mean, the song is literally called Wandering Child. And I don't know how Phantom respects Christine’s sexuality and womanhood considering he does this. This argument usually comes with a side of, “Raoul is unsexy and Phantom is so hot”...which…is entirely personal preference. I don't get why this is treated as a legitimate argument. Then all of a sudden Raoul is uncool because he's allegedly not sexy. He becomes chaste and Phantom is sex on legs apparently (yes, that is a Behind the Mask documentary reference). But Raoul probably has a much healthier perception of his sexuality than Phantom given that Phantom has said himself he’s celibate (“that fate which condemns me to wallow in blood has also denied me the joys of the flesh”). Phantom’s…everything, from his candles and his caressing himself to his many, many costumes are attempts to overcompensate. It's all an act to make himself seem alluring. Raoul is all-natural. Well, except for the eyeliner. But it's gorgeous so it can stay.

- I also think it's worth mentioning that character development is a thing. Of course it's most obvious in Phantom’s case because by the end of the show he realizes that killing people in the name of love for Christine is actually not what she wants so he should probably stop and leave her alone…but Raoul undergoes a change too. His arc is about realizing that Christine can fend for herself and that he was trying so hard to protect her he ended up putting her in danger. Time and time again I’ve heard about how Raoul is awful because he didn't immediately believe Christine when she told him about Phantom. Like I said, he has at most one braincell. Give him a break! But on a more serious note, he realizes how wrong he was when Madame Giry talks to him post-Masquerade. He even says, “my God” as it dawns on him that Christine was trying to get through to him the whole time, and he didn't understand. It's a misunderstanding, because conflict is what makes a story interesting. It does not mean they're/he's toxic. He then tries to protect Christine from Phantom, not to assert his dominance or whatever, but because he loves her and I think it's normal for him to not want to see her get stalked by a murderer. Which is where we get to the terrible Don Juan plan. And it is terrible. Christine didn't want to go onstage and he basically told her to take one for the team and just do it anyway. It’s his lowest character moment in the show, I think. But it's necessary because it makes Final Lair especially poignant. Raoul goes to rescue her not just because he loves her and wants to protect her from the stalker, but because he's the one who got her into this mess. He is willing to die for her. He spends what he very well expects to be his last minutes begging for Christine’s forgiveness for what he did. He knows he was wrong. He learns. And then Christine is just super badass and proves that she can save herself and her fiancé. In my opinion she proves it not only to Raoul and Phantom but also to herself, but that's a topic for another post. What I'm trying to say is that Raoul changes to better support Christine, and if that's not being a good boyfriend I don't know what is.

Okay, I'm just gonna end by knocking a very stupid argument out of the way…Phantom is not a better love interest for Christine because he is willing to kill for her and Raoul is not. Wtf. I can't believe I've actually seen this take. Christine doesn't want people to kill for her. Again, that's kind of the plot of the musical. So I don't know why that's an appropriate meter to measure how much Raoul loves her. And that’s beside the fact that some Raouls are totally ready to throw down after being released during Final Lair (Hadley Fraser in the 25th, for example). Anyway Raoul is amazing, a work of art, a national treasure and I will protect him and sing his praises until the end of time. But you don't have to, and that's fine. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

172 notes · View notes

gigi1sposts · 1 year

Text

The Midnight Club - Season Two

I'm very disappointed that Netflix has decided not to pursue a second season of THE MIDNIGHT CLUB.

My biggest disappointment is that we left so many story threads open, holding them back for the hypothetical second season, which is always a gamble.

So I'm writing this blog as our official second season, so you can know what might have been, learn the fates of your favorite characters, and know the answers to those dangling story threads from the first season.

So for those of you who want to know what we were planning to do, here's a look at what would have been season 2!

AMESH Season 2 would open with Amesh, his glioblastoma advancing quickly. He would tell the first story of the season, but would be struggling to make it through. We'd focus on his love story with Natsuki for those first few episodes as it becomes clear that Amesh's death is imminent.

Meanwhile, Ilonka is trying to reconcile how she was fooled by Julia Jayne, all while falling further in love with Kevin, and she realizes he may be fading faster than he lets on.

Ilonka begins a serialized story in an effort to encourage him to "stay alive a little longer," like he did in season one. And the story she tells is... REMEMBER ME.

This was the thing I was most excited about for this season.

REMEMBER ME is one of my all-time favorite Pike books - it tells the story of a teenage girl who is pushed off a balcony, and awakens as a ghost. She has to navigate being a spirit while trying to solve her own murder. We would have stretched this story out over 5 episodes. We were going to use it as a vehicle for Ilonka to try to come to terms with the fact that she is going to die, and to begin to trying to wrap her head around being a ghost... but this is the coolest part... the lead character of Ilonka's story wouldn't be played by Ilonka. She'd be played by...

Anya.

Because this is how we live on, isn't it? In the minds of those we leave behind. And Ilonka would use REMEMBER ME as a way to imagine her dear friend Anya, waking up as a ghost, navigating the afterlife. And this sets up one of the best mechanisms of the show - even if a character dies, as long as they're remembered by members of the club, they live on in their stories.

As the story starts to pick up steam, though, the group will have to deal with the death of Amesh, which he greets with grace and bravery.

In his final moments, he sees someone in his room - the Janitor from the first season, as played by Robert Longstreet, who says comforting things to Amesh even though he can't respond.

In his final, final moments, the SHADOW descends upon Amesh, and he is engulfed into it, which reinforces the idea that the Shadow is DEATH...

With Amesh's death comes something that upends the entire thing: a NEW PATIENT. We didn't work out too much about who this would be, but it would be a new roommate for Ilonka. Someone taking Anya's old bed. Ilonka would find herself being initially cold to her - just as Anya was when Ilonka arrived. Even feeling like this new girl shouldn't necessarily be ushered into the Club. But of course they would develop a beautiful friendship over the course of the season. The new girl joins the club, where something else exciting is happening - Cheri is telling a story. We hadn't decided which one, but I think it might have been MONSTER.

Natsuki would be the next to die, which would be heartbreaking. And again, she would talk to the janitor just before it happened... and again, the Shadow would come in the final moments.

For Spence, though, things would take a different turn.

The advancements in HIV treatment in the late 90's would come into play, and we'd see his prognosis change. The HIV cocktail came out in Dec 1995, and we really wanted to explore that.

Spence would ride the swell of antiviral advancements, and by the end of the season, he'd no longer be classified as terminal. In the finale of season 2, Spence would leave Brightcliffe just like Sandra did in Season 1, heading off to manage his disease and live the rest of his life.

But onto the BIG MYSTERIES of the season one... here are some answers: What is up with Dr. Stanton's tattoo and bald head? Well, a few things. First, Dr. Stanton is actually the daughter of the original Paragon cult leader, Aceso. Her nickname was Athena, she wrote the Paragon journal that Ilonka found in S1. She turned on her mother and helped the kids escape, but because she was part of the cult in her teenage years, she had the tattoo.

It was her initials that Ilonka found carved into the tree in season 1 (her maiden name was Georgina Ballard, hence the G.B. that Ilonka finds carved in the tree).

She hated what her mother became, and the atrocities of the cult. She reclaimed the property after her mom was gone, and wanted to change it into a place that celebrated life. She was trying to undo her mother's legacy and leave something behind that was beautiful. She is wearing a wig at the end of S1 not because of a sinister reason, but because she is undergoing chemo. Dr. Stanton has cancer. Having helped so many people deal with disease, she now has to deal with it herself.

Her treatment would be successful, and she'd go into remission, but having to face that - while caring for the terminal kids at Brightcliffe - was going to be a very introspective arc for Stanton.

What about the Living Shadow? It's Death, right? Well... no.

At the end of the season, Kevin will die... followed shortly by Ilonka. And as she is dying, two things will happen. First, she'll find herself talking to the Janitor, played by Robert Longstreet... and she'll make a discovery.

HE is Death. And nothing to be afraid of. It turns out no one else ever saw this character. Stanton has a cleaning service, and the Nurse practitioners make up the rooms - the only people who ever saw this mysterious Janitor were the patients. He is Death, and offers them kind words before they die. Then what was the Shadow?

This is an idea we take directly from the book REMEMBER ME, and we'll see it play out in the final moments of Ilona's final tale. In Pike's book, Shari is pursued by a dark entity called The Shadow. When it finally catches her, though, it turns out it is not a bad thing at all.

The Shadow is THEMSELVES. It's the Unknown. As it engulfs someone, in the last moment of their life, it takes them through a place of understanding and catharsis, preparing them for the next step.

THIS is what happened to Anya in S1 when the Shadow finally reached her - that's why she fantasized a life beyond Brightcliffe, which ultimately let her find acceptance of her death. It looks different for everybody, depending on their mind-set - because it is simply an extension of themselves.

The Shadow is just the final catharsis, a return to our original form - it is a moment of true understanding, and once we experience it, we move on to the next place.

We see the Shadow in full effect when it finally comes for Kevin. KEVIN DIES with Ilonka at his side, and it leads to the biggest reveal of the season:

Who were the Mirror Man and the Cataract Woman?

They were Stanley Oscar Freelan and his wife, who built Brightcliffe (fun trivia, he is named after the real-life Freelan Oscar Stanley, who built my favorite hotel in America - the Stanley Hotel. The Stanley is also the inspiration for THE SHINING!).

But more than that... there's a reason that Ilonka only sees Stanley in the mirror, and sees the Cataract Woman whenever she looked at Kevin. This is something else we took from Pike's original book... these aren't ghosts, but glimpses of PAST LIVES.

Ilonka WAS Stanley Oscar Freelan, and Kevin WAS his wife. They've lived many lives this way, and are true SOUL MATES - they always find each other, and they always fall in love. In this life, they knew it would be a short one, so they agreed to find each other in the house they built. They've been "remembering" who they are, and glimpsing their former selves in reflections, and sometimes when they look at each other. This is also why Ilonka's very first words to Kevin in S1 were "Do I know you?" and why Kevin thought she was familiar as well. They are two souls who always find each other, again and again.

The story is this: Stanley was dying, and built this cliffside home hoping that the seaside air would help him. It did, and he far outlived his prognosis (this is also true of the real-life Freelan Stanley). However, his wife began to succumb to dementia.

She would wander the halls, looking for him ("Darling!") and would even forget to feed herself ("I'm starving...") and she eventually refused to leave the basement. Heartbroken for her, Stanley painted the walls to resemble the woodland view, and the ceiling to resemble the night sky, so that it would be a little more beautiful for her.

He also painted a labyrinth on the floor, which was a technique used to try to curb the effects of dementia. She'd walk the pattern of the maze and it was believed it could help her cognition. Eventually, she developed frightening cataracts, but Stanley loved her through it all.

They were soul mates.

So while they seemed scary in season 1, that was just how Ilonka and Kevin's mind were trying to remember their pasts. We even had their faces distorting in ways consistent with how memories degrade over time. When the Shadow comes for Ilonka, and gives her this understanding - this "remembering" - she realizes she has nothing to fear. She and Kevin will shed these personas and be reborn, and have the joy of finding each other another way. The Shadow comes for her, Death takes her gently, and Ilonka goes off with Kevin back into the cosmos, ready for their next incarnation. The series would end with Cheri telling this story to a whole new table of patients, including our new series leads. Most of our original cast now would exist as stories, a story told to the next "class" of storytellers at the table, all of whom we will have met by the end of the season. A story called "The Midnight Club."

Well, that's it... that was what we had in mind. It's a shame we won't get to make it, but it would be a bigger shame if you guys simply had to live with the unanswered questions and the cliffhanger ending. I loved making this show, and I am so proud of the cast and crew. Particularly our cast, who attacked this story with incredible spirit and bravery each and every day.

But for now, we'll put the fire out, and leave the library dark and quiet. To those before, and to those after. To us now, and to those beyond.

Seen or unseen, here but not here.

I'll always be grateful that I got to be part of this Club.

14K notes · View notes