is the duke the new peter kavinsky?
(also some sex and the city talk)
Hi guys,
Welcome to the new subscribers! This is the chaos corner, where topics can range from the reflecting to the mundane to god-damn insane (that time I ranked the CNN presenters, I <3 u Jake Tapper).
This week I wanted to take the newsletter back to its’ origins and discuss a few topics that were on my mind this week. From the Duke of Hastings (I mean) to the SATC revival to some celebrity romances. Join me for the ride.
to all the dukes I’ve loved before
I spoke about Bridgerton before in one of my previous newsletters and I reviewed it for Channel24 last year. But if you haven’t heard of it yet, it is the latest period romance series on Netflix about the Bridgerton family and the journey in love basically. Season 1 was about the daughter Daphne and her falling in love with the elusive Duke of Hastings who has vowed to never get married.
This is all good and well, and most of us love a good period romance. The show was enjoyable, not perfect, but a good ride. But the thing that interested me the most was the response to the Duke.
Let me introduce you to Simon Basset, the Duke of Hastings:
Also:
And:
I don’t want to objectify the man, but come on. Anyway, like most romantic heroes, the Duke is very swoon-worthy. But I noticed that the response to him was WILD. We get a lot of hot men on our screens but every social media that I’ve opened since the release of the series, I never have to scroll long before I see this man’s face. Everyone from teenagers to aunties is suddenly in love. Rege-Jean Page, the actor who plays the Duke, is now a frontrunner to replace James Bond, there are suddenly Deuxmoi topics about any past scandals surrounding him, I saw a convo in a Facebook group with random women from different ages and races strategising the best chance to meet him because he has ‘South African family.’ It’s the reconciliation factor we never considered.
The last time I think I’ve seen this much universal *love* for a leading man was when the first To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before was released in 2018. Noah Centineo’s character, Peter Kavinsky was like everyone’s perfect boyfriend. He said ‘whoah whoah whoah’ and edged his way into our hearts. He was white boy of the month, he was dubbed the internet’s boyfriend for a hot minute, and I think we all basically wished that we could go back in time and meet our own high school Peter Kavinsky. Except for the fact that Peter doesn’t exist. TATBILB was such a charming rom-com and I think the fact that Centineo wasn’t really well known before this role helped to cement his appeal as our favourite fake bf.
So what do the two have in common? The Duke is a 30-year-old from 17th century England, and Peter is a teenage boy from 21st century America. Let’s compare: both are tall, both are very loving and kind people under their hot boy exterior, both are very very attractive, and both enter in fake romances which eventually turn into real romances.
WTF is it about the fake-dating trope that gets us frothing at the mouth? That we want to say ‘where-lah we told you’. This great article by Vox after the release of TATBILB in 2018 did such a brilliant explanation of why we love this trope so much. Basically, they said that with this trope we get to have our cake and eat it – we get to see the pair in the confines of a relationship without losing the ‘will they, won’t they factor.’ Also, it makes us feel as if we are in on the plan with them.
As someone who rewatches TATILB a lot, I can personally say I found myself just as enraptured by the Duke, and TBH I can’t wait to see more of Rege-Jean Page onscreen.
Are you obsessed with the Duke as well? Let me know in the comments:
Also while I was writing this, the trailer for To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before: Always and Forever was released. It will launch on Netflix on 12 February 2021.
sex and the city can work without samantha
One of the biggest pieces of entertainment news this week is that Sex and the City will be making a return to the small screens but without Samantha. Police Academy’s Kim Cattrall is DONE. And TBH I really truly don’t blame her. Sex and the City has been done to death, between the show, the two movies, the countless references, tours, memes. We get it, it was a popular show.
I must admit that I’m not a die-hard fan as much as most, I was too young when it originally came out and now I’ve only watched the first two seasons straight through and then random episodes in between. But I really loved The Carrie Diaries (both the books and the CW series) and I’m coming more from a series fan point of view.
The show will be different regardless of whether Samantha is in the show or not. They all in their 50s/60s (at this rate it will be more like The Book Club), they are married and/or have kids, they are very different to the women we met in the 90s. Plus the world has changed too. However, as someone who was a fan of both the Will and Grace revival and the short-lived Murphy Brown revival, it is clear that these shows aim to show us how the old characters are surviving in the modern world.
Here’s the thing if they are smart they will work around this well. The writers can write in new characters, new storylines that fit the age and space that the women currently are. They don’t need to throw in a Samantha substitute. Just give us another powerful older woman who is not droeg. I think that is no coincidence that as SATC was ending, Desperate Housewives was starting and since the popularity of the Real Housewives franchise, I don’t think people will get bored of content about rich white women. So they need to be brave, and not stick to tropes and nostalgia, give us exciting storylines, and something new with the women. I do wish that SJP, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon decided to do something new instead, but hey, hopefully, they will kill off Mr Big.
Are you excited for the Sex and the City revival?
celebrity couple thoughts
I LOVE celebrity couples. Give me two beautiful famous people together and I get super excited. Please pray for me. Anyway, when I am extremely stressed or perhaps just struggling with insomnia, my go-to Google search is always ‘celebrity break ups’ and then go through who the most recent celebrity breakups are. Because new breakups mean, new upcoming relationships.
So here’s my quick sticks review of recent celeb couples:
Olivia Wilde and Harry Styles? Love it. They are both very hot. Also, I like the thought of Harry Styles and Marissa Cooper having the same taste in women. Also, Jason Sudeikis, I am single.
Lori Harvey and Michael B Jordan? Love it. Lori Harvey gets marketed as this baddie who is just making her way through the f*ckboys one-by-one. But I think she’s just dating as a 20-something, just her dates are more famous than ours. But at least she knows her worth and is going straight for People’s Sexiest Man 2020.
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West? I mean were we surprised that they are getting divorced? Well, the writing has been on the wall for quite some time. But I must say, I’m still kind of sad. They had that ‘the only person who gets me is you’ vibe about them, and Kanye seemed to really love Kim. But I suppose even their relationship and the kids wasn’t enough. But I must say she put up with A LOT.
P.S. As a Deuxmoi devotee, I’m ready to start a countdown for when Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn’s engagement and Florence Pugh and Zach Braff’s marriage are announced.
recs:
Documentary: Time - Time is the story of Sibil Fox Richardson, who is fighting for the release of her husband, Rob, who is serving a 60-year prison sentence. It is such an emotional story about a family and the journey they have undergone in 21 years. Time is beautifully told and has excellent editing which flashes between footage of today and home videos of the family. You can watch it on Amazon Prime.
Comedy: Riaad Moosa: Life Begins - I’ve been a fan of Riaad Moosa forever because I think he was one of the first comedians I ever saw alive and he is just so damn relatable. His 2019 Netflix special, Life Begins is about him turning 40 and just getting annoyed with everything. I laughed so much that I put it on for my parents the next night and they laughed too lol. You can watch it on Netflix here.
Podcast: Little Gold Men - It’s award season time, and if you are like me and obsess over every film festival and ceremony so you can predict the Oscar winners, this is the podcast for you. By Vanity Fair, it has four of their editors and writers discussing the latest films and trends and what is more likely to win. You can listen to it on Spotify.
Film: Pieces of a Woman - Vanessa Kirby is proving that playing Princess Margaret was not the jewel in her crown. She plays the lead in this gripping film about a mother’s journey after the death of her child and she is excellent. She is really an incredible talent and I can’t wait to see more from her. You can watch it on Netflix and read my review on Channel24.
what’s ign crushing on
Episodes in season 2 of the podcast will be released every second week. We kicked things off in 2021 with an interview with radio personality, Sibongile Mafu. We spoke about the addictive power of the Amazing Race, being a woman in sports journalism, how proud we feel about Chloe and Halle, and the amazing legacy of Chadwick Boseman. You can listen to the ep wherever you get your podcasts or here.
