Tag: Identity

Game of Thrones: Season 6, Episode 2 (“Home”)

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SPOILERS: Don’t read this review if you have not yet seen or don’t want to know details from the latest episode of Game of Thrones. 

Home, for them, really resides in the relationships they can forge out of chaos.  Maybe those relationships are about power or worship or faith, but the ones that seem to have the most meaning are often about something else: Compassion, trust, resilience.  –Maureen Ryan (Variety.com)

Winterfell:

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It is beautiful beneath the sea, but if you stay too long, you drown. –Three-Eyed Raven comments to Bran

Awww, this was the CUTEST thing in this ep!  Bran (now a tall/lanky teen) wargs back to the past and sees his VERY young father Ned and uncle Benjen (who later became part of the Night’s Watch) sparring in the yard at Winterfell. Their older sister, Lyana, rides up on her horse, making fun of them.  (This girl looks like Arya did back in S1.) Bran comments on how happy the family looks. Hodor (then called Wyllis) is serving as a stable boy. He can talk!

Castle Black:

Davos, Edd, & few other of Jon’s pals get ready to fight Allister, BUT the Wildlings (led by Tormund) come breaking through the gate. They have a giant w/ them (YAY)! Instead of killing the brothers who stabbed Jon, Edd has them thrown into the cells.

Kings Landing:

Ser Gregor Clegane (AKA The Mountain) quickly kills the weasely jerk who was spreading jokes re: Cersei (w/ a head bash). Tommen has directed the palace guard to keep Cersei inside- she can’t go to Myrcella’s funeral.

We learn that the king did this for his mother’s protection (when he explains to Jaime in The Grand Sept). He feels helpless since the High Sparrow is basically in charge of the kingdom; he can’t even get his wife (Margaery) out.  Taking Jaime’s advice, Tommen goes to talk to Cersei (after LONG silent treatment).

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The gods won’t mind. They’ve spilled more blood than the rest of us combined.-Jaime comments to the High Sparrow

We have no wealth, no family… but together we can bring down an empire. -High Sparrow explains to Jaime

Jaime & the High Sparrow have a good/meaty scene (reminiscent of the shorter one that High Sparrow had w/ Lady Olenna in S5). The Kingsguard wants to kill the old man (drawing close/almost removing his sword), BUT decides against it in the end. Many Sparrows are in the sept, though not near Jaime.

Meereen:

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That’s what I do: I drink and I know things.  -Tyrion says to Messendei, Grey Worm & Varys (after pouring himself a drink)

I’m friends with your mother. I’m here to help. Don’t eat the help. -Tyrion gently pleads w/ one of the chained up dragons

Whoa, Tyrion is one brave guy! He tells a tale of how he wanted a dragon as a young boy for his birthday, then unshackles one of the dragons. He runs back to where Varys is standing- amazed by what he has seen/done.

Braavos:

Jaqen and Arya (still blind) have a little tussle, then he allows Arya to go back w/ him (to The House of Black & White).

Winterfell:

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Roose, Ramsay, and the new Lord Karstark (whose father was killed by Robb for disloyalty)talk about possible battle strategies, the Starks (esp. the importance of getting back Sansa), and Jon Snow.  Maester Welkin interrupts by saying that Walda had a baby- a boy (uh oh)!  Ramsay congratulates, then hugs his father, before stabbing him in the chest. Whoa, I expected a different (maybe more glamorous) death for Roose!

I am Lord Bolton.  -Ramsay coldly declares to Walda

Ramsay takes Walda and his new half brother to the kennels, then sets the vicious dogs on them. Yikes, but NOT unexpected (for his character).

On the Road:

Sansa and Brienne have a talk re: her life at Winterfell. Sansa then has an emotional scene w/ Theon, as he has decides to go back home.  They hug each other tight (as if they were actually brother and sister).

Pike (The Iron Islands):

Balon and Yara argue about how they are NOT winning. Also, she wants to keep looking for her bother (Theon). On a long/rickety bridge, Balon comes across his younger brother (Euron- had to look this up).

I am the storm, brother. The first storm and the last- and you’re in my way. -Euron comments to Balon before pushing him off the bridge.

Yara presides over the funeral of her father. Then she vows revenge, swearing on The Salt Throne. An elderly/tough man explains that she’s NOT in charge (though someday a woman may lead the iron-born). Are YOU ready for Yara?

Castle Black (Return):

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I’m not a devout man, obviously.  Seven Gods, Old Gods, the Drowned God- they’re all the same to me.  I’m not asking the Lord of Light for help- I’m asking the woman who showed me that miracles can happen. -Davos pleads with Melisandre (in his own agnostic/practical way)

Way to go, Onion Knight! His words motivated the downcast Melisandre to try a spell on Jon. (Remember how Thoros of Myr brought back Lord Beric Dondarrion?) She cut off some of his hair (on head and from beard) then put it into the fire while chanting. Eventually, everyone leaves the room, thinking that she failed to revive Jon. Then- finally- he takes in a VERY deep breath and opens his eyes!

“Disgraced” (Arena Stage)

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Introduction

Ayad Akhtar has composed an exacting tale for our turbulent times.  His script demands that I bring forth the lyricism of a clarifying order from the chaos of cultural misunderstanding that is the woven fabric of this remarkable play, while being ever vigilant in spotlighting genuine insight into the complexity of perception in what it is to be Muslim and American.  –Timothy Douglas, director (Arena Stage)

As my regular readers know, I’ve written about this play before; I heard about it nearly 2 yrs ago, then read the play.  I had NEVER read anything like it before!  One of my NYC gal pals went to see it during its Broadway run in 2014 (wow, was I jealous of her then)!  On SUN, May 1st, I went to see the new production at Arena Stage (w/ one of my gal pals).   

Synopsis  

Amir Kapoor, a Pakistani-American, is a successful lawyer living on the Upper East Side of Manhattan w/ his beautiful/blonde artist wife (Emily). With the hope of becoming a partner at the firm around the corner, it seems like nothing can stop him. But when he hosts a dinner party for an African-American co-worker/friend (Jory) and her Jewish husband (Isaac), the conversation quickly turns to everything Amir has spent his  adult life trying to suppress (race, religion, etc.)  All these characters, as well as Abe/Hussein (Amir’s college-going nephew), are confronted with the struggle between culture and identity.  Below is a trailer for the show:

 

Review & Analysis

SPOILERS: Don’t read from this point if you don’t want to know details from Disgraced.

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Portrait of Juan de Pareja (1606-1670) by his master,  Diego Velazquez

After a waiter is incredibly rude to her husband (offstage), Emily (who has been focusing recently on Islamic art) decides to paint a portrait of Amir, inspired by the one of Juan de Pareja. (FYI: He was a Spanish painter of Moorish descent, born into slavery. He was a member of the household of painter Diego Velázquez who freed him in 1650.)  Amir doesn’t understand why she’s making such a big deal, but she comments:”He didn’t SEE you!” That waiter didn’t realize what a success Amir was- he just saw his brown skin.

The couple are interrupted by  the son of Amir’s older sister, Abe Jensen (who has recently changed his name from Hussein Malik); this is a source of humor for Amir.  The young man, who was born in Pakistan, has come to plead w/ his uncle re: representing an imam (“a harmless old man who didn’t do anything wrong.”)  This man is in FBI custody accused to raising funds for Hamas- Amir wants nothing to do w/ it (besides, there are two OTHER lawyers on the case).  When Amir pointedly comments that the imam is “not comfortable w/ Jewish lawyers,” Abe insists that’s not the issue (the imam liked Amir when they met before).  Emily says: “Just TALK to him!”  (She is the one who advocates for Abe, when Amir ignores his phone calls in the story.)  Amir’s  eventual decision to appear in court, beside the other lawyers, will have repercussions on his career. 

Emily excitedly shows her painting (reminiscent of tile work found in Andalucía from the Moorish period) to a curator from The Whitney, Isaac (who is married to Amir’s co-worker, Johri). This painting, white and blue w/ a hint of red, is hung on the mantle of the apartment’s living room (the sole set for this play). 

The crux of the action occurs a few months after during the dinner party.  Amir is already in a terrible mood (Emily doesn’t realize why) and drinking more than usual (Scotch) when the guests arrive earlier than expected.  Emily has made appetizers, fennel salad and pork tenderloin.  She wants to make a good impression b/c she wants to be in a new show which Isaac is putting on at his museum. 

WE are the new Jews!  -Amir explains to Johri

Jory and Amir drink and talk re: work- one of the partners (Mort) has been away for SOME time, traveling, and meditating.  There will soon be a new partner, BUT Amir doubts that it will be he or Jory.  Hey, why don’t they start their OWN firm!?  (We get a little background on how WASP lawyers didn’t want to deal w/ mergers and acquisitions in the past.) 

More drinking, more jokes- this humor here is biting, dark, controversial- perhaps even to the MOST open-minded viewer/reader.  (This was inspired by a dinner party that Akthar had back in 2006.)  Eventually, all hell breaks loose- these civilized folks are ALL revealed to be dysfunctional, duplicitous, and (no shocker) prejudiced!  But Amir is the tragic figure- he loses the MOST in the end. In my opinion, when he strikes Emily, he is NOT only hitting his wife (who is most close to him, yet cheated w/ Isaac), BUT also hitting back at the symbol of white/upper-class patriarchy (though she is female).  There is NO excuse for domestic violence, BUT it does happen (even among very cultured/intelligent couples). 

I was skeptical when I heard Nehal Joshi was going to play the lead. He just did not look old enough, first of all.  Secondly, I’d seen him last year as Sancho in Man of La Mancha (STC); he did a good job w/ the comedy, singing, and dancing. Lastly, the words that I’d read didn’t make much of an impact from ANY of the actors (aside from the actress who played Jory).  One young lady, who had ALSO read the play and attended the same night as I did, tweeted that she “hated it” (but liked the story). I wouldn’t go THAT far- these actors need to get more comfortable w/ the text and project that confidence onstage (in future).   

The audience was (as usual) quite elderly, liberal, and white (esp. in the orchestra section where we were sitting).  I spotted a few desis (South Asians) here and there, along w/ some African-Americans (mainly women).  The Q&A session after the play (w/ a local imam working on his Ph.D.) was fun and informative; he is associated w/ Georgetown University.  He came to the play w/ his four teen kids; they sat very quietly in the same row as me and my friend.  (This material isn’t geared to their age group, but the themes are relevant.)  I think this play is worth reading, BUT I can’t recommend this production.  No fear, there are MANY theaters (around the US) that will be putting on Disgraced this season.   

Related Links

Review: The Not So Unexpected Twist in Ayad Akhtar’s Disgraced

Hanging in a Muslim Neighborhood

 

Game of Thrones: Season 6, Episode 1 (“The Red Woman”)

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SPOILERS: Don’t read this review if you have not yet seen or don’t want to know details from the Season 6 premiere of Game of Thrones.  

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Castle Black:

I saw him in the flames fighting at Winterfell. -Melisandre says despondently re: Jon Snow

I can’t speak for the flames, but he’s gone. -Davos replies solemnly

The wait is over… BUT Jon Snow is STILL dead!  Davos (Liam Cunningham) finds the body, perhaps wondering why there isn’t MORE blood on the ground.  Edd (Ben Crompton) and a few other men (who were loyal to Jon) lock themselves inside (the Lord Commander’s chamber?) and think of what action to take next.  Melisandre (Carice Van Houten) is nearby (in an interior room); she doesn’t come off as her usual self- arrogant and bossy- having suffered setbacks in S5 (incl. the loss of Stannis). 

Winterfell:

Your pain will be paid for 1,000 times over, I wish you could be here to watch.  -Ramsay says to the dead body of Myranda

Ramsay (Ioan Rheon) takes some time to mourn Myranda before declaring that her remains will be fed to the hounds (YIKES)!  Roose (Michael McElhatton) tells his bastard that there will be NO future for Ramsay if he doesn’t get Sansa (a noble gal from Northern fam) back and produce an heir.  We know from S5 that Walda is already pregnant (possibly w/ a son, according to the local maester). 

The ep really kicks into gear when “I’m no lady” Brienne (Gwendolyn Christie) and trusty squire/sidekick Pod (Daniel Portman) come to Sansa (Sophie Turner) and Theon’s (Alfie Allen) rescue. “Brienne is, at this point, the most heroic character in Game of Thrones who actually gets things done… she’s motivated pretty much entirely by the desire to be honorable and find someone worthy to protect. She has no ambitions of her own, no greed, no selfish agenda,” as TV critic Charlie Jane Anders wrote.  I esp. liked how Pod had to help Sansa w/ her side of the oath.   

Kings Landing:

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I don’t know where she came from. She was nothing like me. No meanness, no jealousy – just good. I thought if I could make something so good, so pure, maybe I’m not a monster.  -Cersei comments re: Myrcella to Jaime

Cersei (Lena Headey) runs out to see the Dornish ship, but soon sees that the boat coming toward shore carries Jamie (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and a golden shroud (covering the coffin of Myrcella).  In the next scene, she looks defeated, depressed (having lost 3 kids, as the witch prophesied MANY years back), and tired.  Surprisingly, Jaime is the one that vows revenge (though he doesn’t get the BEST lines here).  

Dorne:  

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He is weak.  Weak men will no longer rule Dorne.  -Ellaria declares re: Trystane (while Doran lies dying)

Doran (Alexander Siddig), his personal bodyguard, and a messenger are killed by Ellaria and Tyene in the water gardens.  Trystane is brutally killed by Obara’s spear (while a bemused Nym looks on) in his chamber onboard a ship.  It ALL happened so fast!  I REALLY wanted to see more of Doran.    

Meereen:

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You can’t fight an enemy you don’t know.  -Tyrion explains to Varys

Why are the streets SO quiet!?  The smartest guys in the realm have a walk and talk. They come upon a mother begging w/ her baby; she misunderstands Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) when he speaks in Valyrian, so Varys (Conleth Hill) has to help out. 

On a wall under “Kill the Masters” someone has scrawled “Mhysa [meaning Dany] is a Master.” Are the Sons of the Harpy former slaves or former slaveholders (masters)?  Hmmm… I think they were slaves; after all, they brutally/quickly killed Hizdahr in S5 E8.)  We see a small group of former slaves who have gathered in an alley where a man dressed in a red robe is preaching re: the Lord of Light.  A few moments later, there is smoke coming from the harbor- ALL the ships have been set on fire.

On the road (w/ a Dothraki horde):

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Dany (Emilia Clark) assumed that the Dothraki would be respectful towards her- WRONG!  When the horde that captured her reach Khal Moro, she learns that widows of khals must live out their lives in Vaes Dothrak (“the city of the horse lords”).  Um, why didn’t Dany know this BEFORE!? 

Castle Black:

Mutton.  I’d like some mutton.  I never was much of a hunter.  -Davos provides a light moment when telling Thorne what he’d like for his journey

You haven’t seen her do what I’ve seen her do.  -Davos tells Jon’s friends in the Night’s Watch re: Melisandre

What to make of that final image of Melisandre transformed into an old woman? Was she a crone in disguise all along? Or had she lost her faith in the Lord of Light?  As Steve Buja wrote in his recap: “Given the blood nature of her god, perhaps one of the components to her witchcraft is her own essence. Whatever happens in this game, Melisandre is the turning point…”

SELECTED VIEWER COMMENTS (from NYT.com recap)

He’s only mostly dead.  [This one’s for The Princess Bride fans!]

Regarding Jon Snow’s fate, I think it won’t be determined until episode 3/4, as I think Dan and Dave want to develop other Stark plot lines, and delve into Arya, Sansa, and Bran. 

My current theory: Jon Snow’s spirit is inhabiting Ghost. But he needs a viable human body to warg into, and relatively soon, since to remain wolf too long risks losing the human to the wolf. Melisande is somehow going to donate her vitality to Snow’s corpse and heal it, so Jon Snow can warg back into it. This won’t be easy, of course. A trace of the wolf is likely to remain.

GOT is increasingly a womans’ world, at least plotwise. The men fail to rescue, and at best, like Tyron, strive to serve.

My guess is this new Khal is going to be killed by Drogon, who will obey Dany (for once). This will cow all of the Dothraki because they believe in strength. If anything would make a khalasar follow a woman it would be if she showed she can command dragons. My feeling is that Dany will then lead this khalasar back to Mereen, where she’ll clean out the Sons of the Harpy in short order.

Danaerys being sent to a place reserved for widows of Dothraki leaders. Smells to me like a place where angry women warriors decide to kick ass.  Everywhere Danaerys goes she ends up with an army.

The Melisandre revelation was a bit of a wow, and we got some brief but quality time with Davos and Jorah (whose faces are much more interesting than those of many of the beautiful younger actors). I even felt a drop of pity for Cersei.

 

Deadwood: Season 1, Episode 1

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HBO made SO much money off of The Sopranos, the network decided to take a chance on two lavish, intricate other series- Rome (read my review) and Deadwood.  This Western drama series starts off unlike any other (that I’ve seen)- w/ the hanging of a horse thief!  As the show’s creator David Milch explained, an “unhorsed man was akin to a dead man in the Old West.”  Before he can start his new life in Deadwood, South Dakota, Montana marshall Seth Bullock (Timothy Olyphant, who I first discovered and LOVED on Damages) has to administer justice.  There is a large, angry crowd outside his office, men w/ torches ready to storm in and attack the prisoner.  Milch said that Bullock (whose name means “young bull”) “hated the mob,” so he decided to swiftly take things into his own hands.   

Bullock (along w/ his pal/business partner, Sol Star) travels on a wagon to Deadwood; the two men plan to set up a hardware store.  Sol (John Hawkes) is Jewish, comes from a business family from Vienna, Austria, though he was raised in Ohio.  This is Hawkes LONG before he made a name for himself on Winter’s Bone (Jennifer Lawrence’s breakout film); he was nominated for an Oscar for his role. 

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Al Swearengen (Ian McShane), a saloon owner and defacto leader of the camp community of Deadwood, has his own share of troubles to handle after one of his prostitutes, Trixie (Paula Malcomson), kills a regular customer who had the nasty habit of hitting her when drunk.  Doc Cochran (Brad Dourif, who some of you will recognize from the LOTR series) comes to examine the wound- it will be fascinating to study the man’s skull.  I liked Dourif as the villainous Grima Wormtongue, but I quickly grew to LOVE his character on this series! 

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Wild Bill Hickok (Keith Carradine, the biggest name actor in S1) arrives at the camp w/ his loyal companions, Jane (Robin Weigert, most recently seen in Jessica Jones) and Charlie Utter.  It’s obvious that Jane (also a fan fave- including mine, along w/ Doc) is in love w/ Bill, though he has recently married another woman.  As for Charlie, he serves as a friend, counselor, and manager to Wild Bill.  On the road, Wild Bill’s entourage comes across a blonde family (w/ Norwegian accents) who are headed back home to Minnesota; Deadwood we gather was too rough and tumble for them.  We will find out exactly WHY in no time!           

Wow, did you see HOW fast Seth got some of the men organized after learning of the murder of the Norwegian family!  He may be a socially awkward man of few words, but he definitely has a STRONG sense of right and wrong.  Wild Bill (another man of action) goes along w/ Seth; he is another fan fave.  (Carradine wore blue contacts, which were quite uncomfortable, for his role as Wild Bill.)

 

Othello (Shakeapeare Theater Company)

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Though an active and talented member of Venetian society who has started to assimilate, he is never fully accepted—and it makes him all the more susceptible to the machinations of Iago, the one person he feels that he can trust. 

…Iago’s hatred of Othello stems from his own jealousy.  He resents the fact that Othello promoted Cassio over him, believes that Othello slept with his wife and cringes at the idea that a foreigner—whom he considers inferior—has the success and recognition that he has been denied.  It is a personal vendetta, and he makes the audience complicit. 

-Katherine Peterlin (STC’s Young Professionals Consortium)

As my regular readers know, Othello is my favorite Shakespeare play.  The themes of this play are relevant today (as we heard in the video above).  I saw it back in 2011 at the Folger; you can read that review here.  I went to see this new adaptation, starring Pakistani-American actor Faran Tahir, at STC on SUN, FEB 28 (7:30PM); it was just 5 days after the play opened.  I had a seat in the 3rd row (rare for me); three 20s gals sitting behind me had free tickets (how lucky)!  Sitting beside me were a middle-aged couple who also enjoyed the show a lot; the husband made some comments that proved that his wife was the Shakespeare expert, but he enjoyed it, too.  As for the desis (South Asians) in the audience, I didn’t see more than a handful (including myself).         

Some of you may be thinking: Isn’t Othello supposed to be black (as in African-American)?  But remember that in The Bard’s time, “black” may have had a different meaning.  “Renaissance representations of the Moor were vague, varied, inconsistent, and contradictory,” as E. A. J. Honigmann, editor of The Arden Shakespeare, noted.  “The term Moor referred to darker-skinned people in general, used interchangeably with similarly ambiguous terms such as African, Somali, Ethiopian, Negro, Arab, Berber, and even Indian to designate a figure from Africa (or beyond). Various uses of the word black are insufficient evidence for any accurate racial classification; that could simply mean swarthy,” Honigmann concluded.

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Abd el-Ouahed ben Messaoud ben Mohammed Anoun, Moroccan ambassador to the court of Elizabeth I (some consider him as the model for Othello)

Original Line:  She gave me for my pains a world of… sighs.

Changed Line: She gave me for my pains a world of… kisses.

Above is one of the lines that was changed from the original (I noticed it right away); it’s more suited to the WWI setting of this play.  This is the kind of adaptation that grows on you, though I quickly noticed that the lighting was very well-done (from the 1st scene).  Iago (played by Jonno Roberts, a New Zealand native) is a very strong villain; he’s matter-of-fact, yet funny.  One of his tactics is to tightly embrace several of the individuals (Rodrigo, Othello, and Cassio) who he has ensnared in his web.  Since Roberts is tall, broad, and muscular (like a modern-day military man), this comes off as potentially scary.  I especially liked Iago and Othello’s scenes; the actors obviously have good chemistry and a great command of the text.  All the supporting actors did well, especially the two who played Desdemona and Emilia.

There were two moments in this play that I thought were particularly good.  One was Othello grabbing Iago, pulling him down, and choking him (when the villain first accused Desdemona of unfaithfulness).  The other scene was when Othello went into a fit of epilepsy, falling to the floor, and shaking for several seconds (everyone leaned forward in their seats).  I was sure that this play would get better w/ time; it has been extended through April 2.  Go check it out if you have a chance!