Sunday, March 9, 2014

Left in the Dark: Helena's Handedness in Orphan Black

ORPHAN BLACK: It’s true that Helena’s most noticeable attribute usually isn’t her hands (unless you’re fixated on the various weapons she always seems to be holding). So, the fact that everyone’s favorite Ukrainian serial-killer clone is left-handed brings up a whole slew of religious and psychological issues easily overlooked on a casual viewer’s first Orphan Black binge-watch.

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Catch of the Day: One Sharp Tattoo

CATCH OF THE DAY: Jackie Sharp whipped her way right into our hardened hearts on Season 2 of House of Cards. But, the symbolism behind her poppy tattoo may reveal more than you originally realized.

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Knitted Together: Religious Manipulation in Orphan Black and Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale

ORPHAN BLACK: A staple of any self-respecting science fiction/dystopian reading list, Margaret Atwood’s novel The Handmaid’s Tale runs rampant with issues regarding feminism, gender, reproduction, identity, politics, and religion, just to name a few. With her dominion over the Canadian sci fi market so well-established, it’s easy to draw comparisons between Atwood’s work and the freshman Canadian television series Orphan Black if only you take a little time to dig.

Religious manipulation, for instance, is one such theme that is present in both The Handmaid’s Tale and Orphan Black, and a closer look yields some pretty intense parallels between the two.

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Strangers and Trains: Orphan Black in the Shadow of Alfred Hitchcock

ORPHAN BLACK: Orphan Black’s title isn’t the only thing that should make you think of film noir. The show presents a clear understanding of the core fundamentals of a genre best visualized by Alfred Hitchcock—the suspense thriller.

In keeping with themes and concepts native to the suspense thriller genre, what Orphan Black creates in its mythology and character development can, in many ways, be considered a contemporary example of serialized film noir, or rather, neo-noir.

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Catch of the Day: Cosima's Geeky Ink

CATCH OF THE DAY: Not only is Cosima the hot one, she’s also the brainiest gal in Orphan Black's Clone Club. So, it’s no surprise that her nautilus tattoo is about as clever and geeky as she is!

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Supreme Hereafter: Power Parallels in Shakespeare's Macbeth and American Horror Story: Coven

AMERICAN HORROR STORY: Beware, readers. In American Horror Story: Coven, something wicked this way comes. With witches and power plays at every turn, a few nods to Macbeth are always expected. But, when looking at Shakespeare's tragedy in conversation with Coven, even "surprise, bitch" takes on a whole new meaning.

Friday, January 24, 2014

Catch of the Day: Playing Passenger on The Vampire Diaries

CATCH OF THE DAY: We all know The Vampire Diaries has no lack of great music, and the 100th episode, "500 Years of Solitude," did not disappoint. In this episode, while beloved character Katherine Pierce was lying on her deathbed and the rest of the characters were waiting for her to kick the bucket, a musical cue solidified our stance that Katherine wasn't ready to take a walk on The Other Side just yet.

Monday, January 13, 2014

Catch of the Day: Pretty Little Palmers

CATCH OF THE DAY: In many ways, ABC Family's hit television series Pretty Little Liars is largely inspired by the critically acclaimed 1990's TV series Twin Peaks. Though the most glaring similarity between the shows is that each centers around the mysterious disappearance and subsequent murder of a popular, young, blonde teenager, Pretty Little Liars is not shy when drawing upon Twin Peaks for further, more subtle inspiration. In recent episodes of Pretty Little Liars, the character of Dr. Louis Palmer was introduced. Though a seemingly fleeting character, he is crucial to finding out what really happened to Toby Cavanaugh's mother in Radley sanitarium, and is aptly named after one of Twin Peaks' most pivotal characters: Leland Palmer.

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter Here: American Horror Story and Dante's Inferno

AMERICAN HORROR STORY: American Horror Story is a rare, nightmarish bird in the television genre. With each season focusing on completely different characters and storylines using mostly the same actors, the recurring themes of sin, power, betrayal, and, of course, horror, are what hold this series together. But, the disconnect between seasons can be examined in an interesting way when held up against Dante's Inferno. In fact, given a closer look, American Horror Story might just be our own personal Hell.

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

7 Feeliest Scenes of 2013

There is this thing that a television show will sometimes make you feel. It's something of a cross between true anguish and deep embarrassment because you know that your real tears are being cried for fictional people.

Sometimes, it's awful. But, every once in a while, everyone likes to be a little masochistic.

In 2013, these were the ones that hit us the hardest.
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