Diary of an RA Fan — Part 14 Mr. Embouchure and the Black Hole

See Diary Part 13 here, or to access all entries, hit “The Diary” tab above.

Entry — a couple of years ago (2008) minus a few months:

I’m now the proud owner of a multi-region DVD player. $89 and a little shipping, and it’s sitting in the entertainment cabinet. And why? Because I wanted to watch something else with Richard Armitage and it wouldn’t play on a Region 1 DVD player. I tried to get it some other way, but noooo, it wasn’t available. Did that stop me? Certainly not. I got so excited I ordered it before I left mom’s house and it beat me home. Not a good move as it only created a lot of curiosity in the house. We already have a DVD player. Why didn’t I just hack the damn thing? So that makes a grand total of at least 300 bucks I’ve spent on Richard Armitage, and no one’s ever heard of him! Well, a few people on YouTube and IMDb and yeah, some people in England.

That night:

SO and the little SOs are gone for the evening. I’m so past them watching anything with Richard Armitage. I could care less if they watch him, but I’m ready to watch “Sparkhouse.” Part of me cannot believe I’m doing this. I really did hate Wuthering Heights. Plus, SO made a joke about me watching. Of course it’s a joke. Everything’s a joke, and I always laugh. I can’t help it. He’s funny. Then there’s his obsession with changing up names. So Richard Armitage got a new one. The day SO says Richard Armitage’s name correctly will be the day I probably need to quit watching his stuff. But for now SO made another crack as he was going out the door, “I hope you and Mr. Embouchure have a good time.” Oh we will. I think. Not sure. But with $89+shipping and $30+shipping for the video, it better be worth it. That makes over a 100 bucks to watch the guy in one movie. No matter how much I like Mr. Embouchure, that’s an expensive night at the movies. I salve my conscience with the fact I’ve rarely bought anything for myself — at least in the last several years.

A few hours later:

WHO is this guy?! Ewan MacGregor has a chameleon quality, and yeah, Russell Crowe can change himself quite a bit. But sometimes I can’t forget who they are. I didn’t even recognize Richard Armitage as the same actor. I knew going into this he was going to be different. I kept hearing on IMDb that this character looked almost nothing like him. But I still wasn’t prepared. I saw John Standring, and there was no thought of anyone else even after his transformation. Armitage becomes his characters more than any actor I’ve ever seen. Can I really make that grandiose statement about some obscure actor from England? But John Thornton was a force to be reckoned with. After watching him, I didn’t think Richard Armitage could be someone else so completely. Then he was Harry, and John Thornton was not even a thought in my head while I was watching him. Of course there was Guy, who was also a force and brooded so beautifully, but it wasn’t John Thornton’s brooding, and now another John, who really is another John and not just John Thornton with shaggy hair and dowdy clothes. Even after his haircut and change of clothes, the man, John Standring was still there only better looking. Wow. Why is this guy almost completely unknown? Is there that much of a barrier between here and England?

I wish SO would watch something more than Vicar of Dibley. That didn’t have nearly enough Richard Armitage to show his abilities. SO loves characters and stories so much he would love the acting this guy does. But he’s consigned Richard Armitage to nothing more than a Brad Pitt type of fascination for me. He’s so wrong. Brad Pitt never made me feel I’d been sucked into a black hole. Daniel Day-Lewis came close playing Gerry Conlon, but nothing like this.

John Standring has made this more than just a passing phase.

See Diary Part 15 here.

Screencaps courtesy of my stash.

June 24, 2010
Categories: SO, Sparkhouse . Tags: , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 21 Comments

This is Hard

What was I saying about not wanting to wait to get at the writing? Well, I hit a bit of a wall. Not a huge one, but enough to slow me down and say to myself, “Hmmm, maybe that storage room downstairs really does need a thorough cleaning.” I’m staying on the job for all of you. See how good I am to you? Remember it’s my nutty behavior that makes a lot of the rest of you look sane. You know in case RA or any of “his people” happen to see our little enclaves of discussion, they can conclude, “Thank God most of those people aren’t like that RAFrenzy nut.” So again, this is really a public service. ;-)

All of that aside, I’m trying to draft this post about my top ten videos. Is it too late to make it my top 20 or 50? Phew! I had no idea this was going to be so difficult or that I would actually feel pressure. Yes, I read the notes from those of you who want me to post my list. Most of these posts I write by the seat of my pants, as it were of course, but this time I couldn’t. Ironically, I figured this would be nothing but fun since I love the videos, and for the most part it is fun. But as SO reminds me sometimes, I tend to make things much harder than they should be. I’m really trying not to do that.

One thing that’s made it so hard is trying to find out how many RA vids there are on YouTube or getting a pretty good idea and then watching the ones I’d missed or trying to watch as many as I could. Oh my gosh! Forget it. There are too many. Can I just tell you that there are loads of them? That you probably will never run out of something to watch? Yes, this is a good problem unless you have an anal streak. Suffice to say I’ve watched quite a few the last couple of weeks that have been on YT for a while, but I had never seen them. This is coming from someone who watches lots of videos. Should I admit I’m that addicted? I’ve already admitted this RA addiction, what’s another one?

As if the sheer number is not daunting enough, I’ve come up with a criteria to explain my selections, which I had never thought about let alone articulated since I just go with my gut most of the time. However, articulating a criteria is a must in the pursuit of not looking like I play favorites and not hurting anyone’s feelings. But hey, I’m not going to get around that anyway. What makes that laughable is who am I to hurt anyone’s feelings with my choices? I’m just one person, and for all anyone knows, I have really lousy taste. In fact, for those vidders I don’t acknowledge, please consider me to have lousy taste. It will not hurt my feelings. Wow. Who knew there was this much passion about fan videos?

So why this post before the post? I guess I really want to be understood. This whole blog is a big digression into being understood even if you and I will never meet. I’ve got a fixation on being understood. Oh yeah, it’s a blessing and a curse, and it bores the dog out of me but hopefully, it won’t bore you. At least not today.

Yes, I really do have a post on the videos. I’m just not ready to post it but felt like I had to post something, and I guess I need to remember that tired old adage (maybe it’s not really tired) that if it’s worth doing, it’s probably going to be hard (or something to that effect). So you hear that, Elvira, I realize that videos take some work to be done right, i.e., at the very least be willing to read a tutorial, and for the rest of you, writing about them takes some work too — if it’s to be done right.

I’m not only going to throw in a gratuitous pic but a video as well. This was a video I had never seen. Shocked me I tell you. That I had never seen it I mean, and yes, I like it or it wouldn’t be embedded here. See what I mean about being understood. Why do you think I haven’t written much until now — I can’t stop. LOL!

Love the expressions Elvira captured.

And the pic:

Screencap courtesy of RichardArmitageNet.com

Top ten post hopefully coming up next week. Then after that I’ll get my top ten fan fics posted. Already started on it. LOL!

June 11, 2010
Categories: Fandom, Fanvids, SO, Spooks . Tags: , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 8 Comments

Two Months of Insanity?

I have a confession to make. This blog was my bright idea to burn myself out on all things RA. I wanted to have fun while I was doing that and hoped all of you would have fun as well. But I was pretty sure I wouldn’t want to do this after a few weeks and figured when I got into my third month, it would begin to lose its appeal. Usually things begin to bore me pretty quickly, and I detest being bored. I refuse to be bored. But there’s no sign of that for me. That’s one of the things that’s fascinating about RA. He has never bored me. But then he’s not all there is to this.

Thankfully, all of you, the fans, come with him, and you also keep me plugged into this wonderful madness. I know we’ve had fun fangurling for a few days, and hopefully, we’ll all do that again sometime. But if that’s all we ever did, I would have been gone a long time ago, and I sure as hell wouldn’t have started a blog. Maybe all fandoms (hate that word by the way; can we come up with another one?) are as interesting as this one. I’m having a hard time believing that. Do I sound proud?

Earlier I read a comment about aversion therapy on Servetus’ blog and had to chuckle. What started out as a little aversion therapy for me has turned into immersion therapy. How could it be aversion therapy? I was the kid at school who would have rather been beaten with a big stick than write something. Give me a page of math problems any day over writing even a couple of paragraphs. Once I started writing the blog, I knew I would have to keep it up a bit, which of course meant writing. I figured that alone would turn me off. But now I look forward to writing. I can’t wait to get at it, and the ideas just won’t stop. Don’t worry. I’m not going to bore you with everything I’ve written or plan to write. But this exercise has served to really get me writing, which SO has literally begged me to do for years and may come to regret. LOL!

For now I’ve decided this blog is one of the sanest things I’ve ever done.

Richard Armitage attends the Philips British Academy Television Awards (BAFTA) at London Palladium on June 6, 2010 in London, England.

Yeah, I sort of know how you feel, Rich.

Candid shot courtesy of RichardArmitageNet.com

June 8, 2010
Categories: Fandom, SO . Tags: , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 7 Comments

Being Richard

June 3, 2010

My friend Servetus recently made a post that is of such interest to me. I’m anxious to hear the rest of her thoughts on the subject of identity and how it’s derived by us or others who observe us. And yes, I’ll revisit Diderot. Actually, I should probably just consult SO, since that’s his bailiwick — having majored in philosophy and psychology and being a writer. Yes, someone actually majors in that stuff and isn’t a basket case and goes onto make a decent living. Usually doing other things. LOL!

But back to Servetus’ subject. Really, aren’t we all fascinated with this subject of identity? Whether we step outside of it to try to examine it objectively, we’re all caught up in identity. One thing that drives RA’s fans, in my not so humble opinion, is how his various performances either confirm who we are, challenge us to become someone else or pique us to investigate all these other identities he’s created in order to understand something about people. It was never more apparent than in this need of his most ardent fans to find more meaning in John Porter than him being an action hero, and RA understood this too.

Ultimately, all of this leads us to wonder about the person playing all of these identities. Or maybe not. Maybe Servetus and I and a handful of others are the only ones who come to that conclusion. The rest of you are just along for RA’s performances, and then you go on about your business. Pardon me while I snort in doubt over that. LOL! You’re reading my blog aren’t you. ;-)

If these points are sounding like the reaction you have to books, well, there’s a little insight into one of the secrets of RA’s attraction. More on that in a later post. And if I’m not entirely clear, trust me, I’ll be happy to elaborate in another post.

I feel the urge to share what I’m listening to: Voodoo by Spice Girls. And my mood: flippant of course.

Maybe actors discuss this issue a lot. I’m no expert on actors or the acting profession, so I don’t know. I would love to know if they do. Identities seem to be their currency. It would seem if they are intelligent at all they would come to this subject often. I know on this piddly blog I sometimes wonder how some of my statements make you think about yourself.

Phew, after all of that, I need a picture.

Screencap courtesy of Arianne on LJ.

edit:

Oh, and any examination of Richard personally is not about his girlfriend. Now that I have this blog, I see how many searches are done on that. Actually, I put that as a tag in a post just to see what would happen. Oh my goodness.

note: if you’re looking for an interview with Richard Armitage when he was still working on Spooks and shooting Robin Hood Series 3, go here.

June 3, 2010
Categories: Fandom, SO . Tags: , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 23 Comments

Gotta Love Him

I adore this article. How could I not? Either RA is the smartest guy walking who knows how to work women or he’s smart and he really means all of this. Wow. Both possibilities are wonderful, but I hope it’s the latter — for his sake.

Richard Armitage: ‘I was a beanpole with a nose I hadn’t grown into’

By: Vicki Power. 30/05/2010

The sexy 39-year-old star of Spooks and Sky One’s Strike Back on growing into his looks/nose, why he’s more ‘new man’ than macho soldier, and looking for that perfect food-loving woman

You’re the go-to guy for brooding heroes. Do you like being seen as a sex symbol?
Richard Armitage: It’s quite funny – no, it’s hilarious to be considered a sex symbol. In school I was a beanpole with a nose I hadn’t grown into. Being thought of as sexy makes one employable, but it’s not going to last forever, so I try not to think about it. It’s like something that exists outside of me.

You certainly look hot in the dark blue suit you’ve put on for this interview…
RA: Thank you. It’s Dolce & Gabbana and the shirt is Prada, but the truth is, nearly all my other clothes are Lucas’s from Spooks. I can’t bear shopping. I can choose clothes for my characters, but not for myself. I’ve got no dress sense. Or I’ve lost it.

What appealed about your character John Porter in the Sky series Chris Ryan’s Strike Back?
RA: I thought, here’s a chance to have a crack at a man who’s not a bog-standard war hero. Porter is what Lucas wishes he could be – SAS men get to go all over the world and operate in deep cover, while in Spooks we only get to walk up The Mall and go onto a few London rooftops. Lucas would love to be shooting out of an aircraft.

Could you have been a soldier?
RA: Not a chance! I can work hard and be disciplined like a soldier, but I could never reach their level of fitness. I have a whole new appreciation of soldiers. I saw myself on screen and thought, ‘That body is so not hard enough to be a soldier.’

What sort of training did you do?
RA: I did mega-training with ex-military men. I’d be in the gym for two hours after a 12-hour day on Spooks, and it was so hardcore I’d throw up. I stuffed myself with food and drank protein shakes to bulk up. I used to be a dancer, but I had to strap my weak ankles every day and strengthen my wrists so I could hold a machine gun. My body just wasn’t up to it.

So you’re not a macho man…
RA: I’m probably more of a new man. I’m not particularly alpha. ‘Nourish and nurture’ are my watchwords as opposed to ‘search and destroy’. I kept asking myself why on earth have they asked me to play this character, rather than someone who’s really hard. But I suppose it’s because I bring something softer to the character.

You were filming in South Africa for five months. What was that like?
RA: We had a great time, although it was so hot it felt like you were in an oven. We filmed in a poor black township outside Pretoria that everybody told us was dangerous, but we’d often play football with the kids. Once we didn’t have anywhere to change and one of the locals said, ‘Come to my house.’ It was a tin shack, but it was spotlessly clean. You can’t believe it’s somebody’s home. It was so humbling.

What did you miss most about home?
RA: I didn’t miss anything. I was so in the character, I’d dream about him at night. Even I thought, ‘This is crazy, I’m too involved.’ I found it hard to call or Skype friends – it was almost as though I couldn’t get out of the character. I screwed up my social life a bit.

Speaking of which, how’s your love life?
RA: Unfortunately, my love life is nil. I’m not in a relationship any longer – I’m working too much – but I would like to settle down at some point. That’s probably why I’m going to LA soon, when I’m not tied down. I feel like if you don’t try LA, then people will think you’ve failed.

Do you want a family?
RA: Yes, I’d like a wife and family. I spend so much time with my brother’s little boy, Abe, who’s coming up to five, and he’s so hilarious. Playing a father in Strike Back has really resonated with me, although I can’t believe I’m starting to get cast with teenage daughters! I’m quite relieved I don’t have that responsibility in real life, but I look around and my fellow actors are having babies and I’m envious. One day, one day.

But you’ll turn 40 next year. Isn’t about time you gave it some thought?
RA: Yes. That’s part of the problem, isn’t it, because I still feel like I’m 25 in my head. I always thought when I got to 40 it would be OK because I’d feel 40, but I don’t.

What type of girl would you go for?
RA: Someone a bit naughty. And who likes food – because I really do – and who doesn’t take life too seriously and has a sense of humour. I could never go out with another actor, I’d find that hard – the stresses of the job, they just pull people in different directions.

(emphasis mine)

See what I mean about being smart, and he wants someone who likes food? WHAT?!!! Wait. wait. Maybe he really meant it about kissing Nigella Lawson. Nooo! Surely not. But he has talked about this more than once. Hmmm. All you single girls out there who like to cook AND eat, have you died and gone to heaven yet? But hey, you need to be able to laugh while you’re eating. No eating without laughing. Hey, most of us who like to eat only have to look in the mirror to start laughing. LOL! I used to be a tiny little thing, and I’m still not huge, but there’s more of me to love these days. SO says I’m voluptuous and he likes it! I’m going to assume this is the kind of gal RA is talking about. So all you single, voluptuous gals need to line up. At the very least, I’m sure you will have sweet dreams tonight. :D

Your fans call themselves Armitage’s Army. What are they like?
RA: Over the years they’ve sent me presents and turned up at film sets, but lately I’ve kind of left them alone. I got a bit too involved and there’s an expectation from them that goes along with that.

I don’t know about all of you, but I’m tired of reading about all of us. Man, that husband who came up with this moniker is getting his revenge. LOL!

Do you read about yourself on the internet?
RA: I decided this year not to read anything. It’s been very liberating. The problem with me is I read everything, but it’s only the bad stuff that stays with me. It’s weird, you only need to be told something once and it stays with you.

What are your hobbies?
RA: I only learned to ski five years ago, but I’m addicted to it. I went five times this season. I should have been a ski instructor instead of an actor. I also dragged my cello out of the loft a couple of weeks ago and went back to that, but I have to squeeze playing it into the hour and a half I get in the evening after work. God, I sound like such a boring workaholic.

I would love to talk about this part, but I would really give myself away. :D

To read the rest, go here.

Do I need a picture? I didn’t think so. Those answers are so good, the images in your head are better than anything I could post.

edit: and yes, I know he’s only 38. How could I call myself an RA fan and not know that! But the journalist was correct that he will be 40 next year. He just hasn’t turned 39 yet. This edit was also put here as a public service for all of you who are not quite up yet on your RA facts. ;-) Oh, heck the whole post is a public service for women who like to eat. LOL!

May 29, 2010
Categories: Dorktastic, Fandom, Inner PHWOAR!, Interviews, SO . Tags: , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 13 Comments

Waiting on SO

Isn’t it usually the man who waits on the woman? Well, in this case I’m waiting on SO to give me his take on Strike Back. I want it because, well, he’s just so blasted interesting most of the time. After all the years we’ve been together, he still surprises me and almost always has something to say that makes me think. It has been that way since the first day I laid eyes on him.

I was taking probably the most boring class I had in college. It was one of those filler classes when all the ones you really want keep closing, and I was pretty sure I wouldn’t stay in the class but was going to give it a couple of weeks before dropping. The classroom was in one of the older buildings on campus and had huge doors with transoms and desks instead of the slicked up table and chairs bolted to the floor. The first day I stepped into the room there were about 30 or so desks facing the blackboard and hardly anyone was in them. Across from the door and facing the sides of the desks was a lone desk, and there sat SO. I remember thinking, “Why is that guy sitting there when all these desks are empty?” Immediately I thought he was too self-aware and a turkey; he just had to be different. Wasn’t I a nice piece of work? The cynic was alive and well even then.

The room finally filled up and the instructor came in. He was an old guy with a comb over and chalk dust all over the front of his pants. I had to keep from rolling my eyes. Yes, I was a real piece of work who let no one out from under the magnifying glass. He launched into the requisite speech about how he ran his class, and I wasn’t really listening like I should have been. My eyes kept straying to the turkey sitting to the side of all of us. Then the instructor said there would be devotions at the beginning of each class and the students would be called on to do them. That got my attention. As much as I liked to wax on about my opinions, I knew I didn’t have any devotional material and wasn’t inclined to get any. Then the instructor took us all off the hook and said it was completely voluntary, and that he already had someone to do the first devotion. He extended his hand to the side of the room, and I turned to see SO standing up in his ragged jeans and golf shirt. Humph I wondered as he squeezed down the aisle to get to the front. What in tarnation could this guy have to say that wouldn’t sound contrived?

He said hello and made a shy grin reminiscent of James Dean (funny thing about it is that I found out later he had never seen James Dean; heard of him but didn’t really know who he was). I was almost a goner at that moment, and then he said he was reading from Romans 14. Oh yeah, I knew it was going to be lame. The weaker brother stuff again. It was verse 4: “Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand,” and then he looked right at me and grinned again. I was about to feel convicted, well, yes, I did feel convicted, but I was definitely a goner when he said, “I don’t sweat too much about what others are doing, and I hope no one sweats too much about what I’m doing,” and then he sat down. I don’t think I heard a word the teacher said that day. I could not stop thinking about those moments. They were like a drumbeat in my head, and that was the case for the next three weeks when I stepped into that class. It’s a miracle I passed the course.

May 25, 2010
Categories: SO, Strike Back . Tags: , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 2 Comments

Tangent — Words Mean Something Don’t They?

When you join WordPress, you’re automatically subscribed to a blog. That’s fine, and for the most part I’ve enjoyed reading it. But I sometimes let the posts stack up. That was the case the last few weeks. When I finally got around to reading them this week, there was one about “Congratulations to Our ‘Bloggers Who Really Count.'” It was a little blurb about the WordPress bloggers who made a list compiled by the Timesonline.

I have already been fighting off guilt for writing this blog, so I did not want to read the full list. Just the mention of it made me gut check what I’m doing here. Then I read Mulubinba’s post about RA’s charitable bent, and my guilt for spending a little bit of time writing fluff was full blown. Uh, you do know this blog is fluff with a little introspection thrown in? Maybe I’ve been watching too many action shows, so I felt like I had to just tell you that instead of hoping my writing was good enough that you already get it.

Back to self-flagellation. I finally worked up my courage to read that Times piece, and the altruism dripping from the page is almost non-existent. Most of the blogs are about trends from technology to fashion. How does that really make a difference? To someone’s boot time? Or their boots? Maybe if I’d had a little help with my shoes early on, I wouldn’t have worn so many 2-1/2 inch heels, and my mood would have been better, and my relationship with SO would have been better. I know for a fact he got more sex once I went to running shoes with almost all of my outfits. These days I’m mostly in Tevas or Chacos, and they make my mood even better than the running shoes. I wonder if a study has been done on the correlation of wearing comfortable shoes before 40 to a healthy sex life; if not, someone needs to do one. It might be a shot at the Nobel.

But I was all wrong in my thinking. This article is not about making a difference. See how my mind works. That’s what I inferred. I thought something that really counts would be about a blogger who is dealing with people who are starving or dealing with people who have no roof over their heads or have to endure some other kinds of abuse or dealing with any number of things that make this place a much better world for mankind or animals in general. It wasn’t that kind of counting but more the numerical kind like counting fans or money or some sort of hipster scale being tipped.

For bullshit masquerading as beneficence, I could have just read my horoscope today:

Your horoscope for May 19, 2010
Do things with passion today to take care of any detective work that needs to be done, _____ [this is where they put in my first name so I feel like it’s really my personal horoscope]. You will find that high-tech devices and new fangled gadgets will aid in whatever sort of work you are engaged in today. Embrace technology and new ways and attitudes toward the world. Adopt a humanitarian approach toward whatever issues you have in your life that require closure.

And you just thought I was going to talk about JP’s identity crisis. Well, if I can write something that interests me let alone you, I’ll post.

Screencap courtesy of RobinHood2006.com

May 19, 2010
Categories: SO, Tangents . Tags: , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 8 Comments

Can You Say Hedonist? — SPOILERS

There are Strike Back spoilers.

Note to self: this may be the post that makes me glad I’m anonymous.

So I watched Episode 3 of Strike Back, and I got to see RA’s ass. I would say peaches, but hey, I’m anonymous, and there’s no point in a euphemism when I’m thinking ass and can say ass. Come to think of it, I would say ass even if I weren’t anonymous.

Terms aside, the reason I might be glad to be anonymous is that some of you might not be happy with me mentioning that I had a thought RA is a bit of a hedonist. Then again acting by its nature is somewhat hedonistic, so what’s the big deal? Hmmm. I don’t know except that I’m wrestling with this idea that he is a reluctant sex symbol, tottie, object. It’s kind of hard to believe that when I’ve gotten to look at him in almost all his glory on two occasions in less than a year. Not that I’m complaining. But since I’m sharing my innermost thoughts about all things RA, I thought I would throw this in as well. Oh, and I want to keep this blog “safe for work,” so I’m not posting the picture. Trust me there’s only a little left to the imagination. I’ll throw in a picture from before and after the scene.

By the way, this is the second program with RA that SO has watched, and it’s going to be interesting to see how or if he ribs me about the scene in question. He probably will since he loves to tease, and he’s good at it.

Just got done watching. Hopefully, he’ll tell me enough about what he thinks that I can post it here, and yes, he’s fine with me posting his review even though he doesn’t get to read the blog.

One thing I will relate is during the prison scene when JP is having a flashback of sex with Danni, SO was nodding his head and saying, “Yeah, that’s one of the things I’d be thinking about if I were stuck in a hell hole of a prison.” What a shock.

Screencaps courtesy of RichardArmitageNet.com

edit: yes, exhibitionist is a better fit than hedonist, but I couldn’t quite bring myself to use that word at the time of this post. And I don’t feel that way any longer.

May 17, 2010
Categories: SO, Spoilers, Strike Back . Tags: , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 8 Comments

Diary of an RA Fan — Part 9 In Thunder, Lightning or Rain

Spoilers ahead if you haven’t seen all of Robin Hood Season 1.

See Diary Part 8 here, or to access all entries, hit “The Diary” tab above.

Entry — a couple of years ago:

I watched Robin Hood Season 1 in two days, and I’m pretty emotional right now and a little bit confused. One minute it’s about the nobility of the legend and lots of pontificating with a heavy dose of political statement, the next it’s pure camp, the next it’s an intense love triangle. The pontificating is why I hesitated to watch it. Haven’t we been beaten over the head enough with the nobility of Robin Hood? The camp was a pleasant surprise. The love triangle hooked me.

I’ll never admit that to anyone. Why I never want to admit I’m a romantic I don’t quite understand. In this age of in your face identities, people pounding their chests to show who they are no matter how goofy or silly or just bizarre, I can’t simply admit I’m a romantic. I could barely admit it to SO, but he already knew. It seems like weakness to admit an attachment for things romantic. Not sure if this is the result of a skewed view of what it means to be a feminist or being brought up as the only child to a man who really needed a son to hang out with him and repair the family car, shoot guns and never be silly and certainly never girlie. That son did come along but not before I had long since conditioned myself to refrain from anything girlie. I could never let on about having crushes or daydreaming about some heartthrob. Had to be too sensible for that nonsense. I was the girl who knew her way around radial arm saws, torque wrenches and flaring tools. I made regular adjustments to the valves of my first car, changed the oil and dealt with any flat tires by myself. All of that at the fighting weight of about 100 pounds. But hold the hand of a male or even smile openly at him to show I admired him? No, I gave new meaning to playing hard to get.

I can’t believe I cried at the finale. Surely my hormones must be out of whack. Oh, I’ve cried at movies and books a few times before, but Gisborne is horrible. Isn’t he? Oh, yeah, he is, but he doesn’t want to be? Damn! he just wants someone to think he’s valuable, and he sucked me right in. I lost it when he asked Marian if he pleased her. I’m tearing up; want to cry again right now. I know I’ve been totally manipulated, but it never felt so good to cry for a character. I’ve always been such a pushover for someone looking for redemption. I want to move heaven and earth to make sure they get it.

I can’t wait for the Season 2 DVDs to get here. I need to know what happens to Guy. So much for the legend of Robin Hood. Blast. I won’t be able to see it for a couple of months, and I refuse to watch the spoilers on YouTube even though I’m having a hard time not inadvertently seeing it. The videos seem to be everywhere. Oh, this is killing me! Why do we have to wait so long for these British shows?!!

I need to rewatch Season 1 or at least the finale.

A little while later:

I cried again. When he’s talking to Thornton I begin to get anxious for Guy, or maybe it starts when he visits Marian’s sick bed. He is so desperate and loves Marian in his own warped way, or maybe this character has warped me? I don’t know. All I know is that I’m rooting for Guy to have a great destiny and find peace, and Robin has faded from view. At least I was wiser this time around and watched so no one could hear my sob when Guy entreats Marian to approve of the church decorations and of him. Man, is this part of the camp? I wonder, and I feel dumb crying at this, but I can’t help it, and I don’t want to help it even though I do feel dumb. The crying feels too good.

Diary Part 10 here.
Screencap courtesy of my stash.

May 11, 2010
Categories: Robin Hood, SO, Spoilers . Tags: , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 3 Comments

Let the Cogitation of John Porter Begin — SPOILERS

WARNING: Spoilers in this post especially including the video!

I would have said thoughts, but I have to use words like cogitation occasionally. Then I don’t feel guilty about how I’m using that expensive education my parents paid for (oops, another sentence ending in a preposition; good thing this blog’s anonymous).

So I’m watching Strike Back, and it gets to this scene (SPOILERS AHEAD!):

and I remember what I like about most action flicks. They have Alpha males! Oh, I know what you’re thinking. Alpha is the guy who smashes beer cans on his head and has little or no respect for women. No, no. You’re wrong. Alpha is not just the guy who needs a shag and likes to handle guns and is good at handling guns, and wants to do damage to someone with the guns. He’s also the guy who kicks the door in and saves the damsel, and the damsel loves him for it and thinks about following him to the ends of the earth. When John Porter says trust me, I do.

I’m so glad RA is getting to play an Alpha again. My first introduction to him was as an Alpha male — John Thornton. The character I’m most fond of is an Alpha male — Guy of Gisborne (when he’s not kissing the Sheriff’s ass). But Alpha isn’t enough, and those characters are not successful just being Alphas. What women want and most men have not figured out is that we want Beta too. John Thornton and Guy proved they had some Beta, and it only made them more attractive. Conversely, of RA’s characters who are primarily Betas, they are even more attractive when Alpha emerges: Harry Kennedy when he wants Geraldine to pay up on her “debt,” John Standring when he runs off Andrew, Paul Andrews when he’s manifesting Alpha in the most elemental way, Lucas North when he’s taking the rich guy down in the pool. Imagine how dull these Betas would be without Alpha.

I’m not so sure we’ve really seen John Porter’s Beta. Maybe just a little peek in the beginning when he’s interacting with his 10 year old daughter, and of course when he spares the Iraqi boy. But that’s not enough for an RA character. RA likes to balance these enough to make things really interesting. We don’t have enough of Porter’s Beta yet. We need a little more, but oh, don’t slack on the Alpha while you’re at it.

I stumbled on a blog that gets the importance of the Alpha/Beta mix. The blogger gets it so well that I had a fleeting thought it’s really a woman writing the blog. His name even sounds like a woman’s when you say it really fast (ducking in case he reads any of the links to his blog). He is so dead on that it’s scary. Oh, I don’t think he’s dead on about everything, but he’s got women figured out fairly well — at least what turns most of them on. Yes, it’s just my opinion. Feel free to disagree, and I know some women do. LOL!

Here’s what he says about Alpha/Beta mix:

I generally disagree with the entire Alpha = good, Beta = bad mindset. You really need to have both Alpha Traits and Beta Traits in a marriage to really hit the sweet spot of happiness and sex. The blog is still new, but believe me I’m going to sound like a broken record on this point as the years play out.

If you’re a decent Beta, the solution is to add Alpha traits, not reduce Beta Traits and add Alpha. It’s not a zero-sum game where you can be either Alpha or Beta, but not both. You can and must be both. You still hold a job down, play with the kids, listen to how your wife spent her day, do housework etc. That’s all vital comfort building goodness. She likes and needs that to feel comfortable, like you’re invested in the relationship and family. These things are not “turn ons”, but lacking them makes them “turn offs”.

Read the rest here.

(emphasis mine)

Preach it, Athol!

I sometimes hear that Alpha females do not want Alpha males:

The alpha girl doesn’t need Mr Alpha to sweep her off her feet and buy her a condo in town; she has enough money to do that herself. She is successful, confident and she wants a caring man who can pick up some of the domestic slack.

Read the rest here.

Oh, a caring Beta is great, and I may not need an Alpha to sweep me off my feet, but I WANT ONE! and SO delivers. He flexes his Alpha enough that I know it’s not eclipsed by his wonderful Beta. I have several little SOs running around to prove that.

Speaking of SO, I think he’s going to love this show. Especially if it doesn’t make Alphas look like morons. Actually, to SO there is no such thing as Alpha/Beta. He thinks all of that is crap. To him it just means being a man who has the usual wants and needs of a man and of course the usual responsibilities. Okay, maybe there is no Alpha, but it’s fun to think about it, and certainly fun to watch it!

P.S. If Porter and Layla are not going to have some Alpha fun at some point, then I wasn’t watching the right show. Can’t wait to see how that plays out.

May 9, 2010
Categories: Inner PHWOAR!, SO, Spoilers, Strike Back . Tags: , , , , , , , , . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 7 Comments

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