We watch a lot of TV and movies! And we listen to a lot of music, podcasts, audiobooks…so yeah, we’re fangirling over a lot of things! Each week we come together to highlight all the feels they give us throughout the week. On these Fangirlish Feels of the Week, there are five categories and many thoughts! Ready?
Here we go!
What You’re Fangirling Over This Week
Amanda W.: It’s a good week to be a Wicked fan! A video feature, new poster AND a full trailer? Jon M. Chu and Universal have truly blessed us this week! It’s also a good week to be a Jonathan Bailey fan.
Rachel: BRIDGERTON!!! Part 1 of season 3 finally premiered and we got the first half of the love story of my favorite couple, Polin! AND IT WAS GLORIOUS. (Well, except for the one huge, bad, typically Shondaland plot change that they set up for Part 2.)
The path of Colin falling for Pen was established very well, the big physical moments so far (ESPECIALLY the carriage scene, my god) were damn near perfect, and we also got a bit of Kanthony (my other favorite couple) and the deep background started for Francesca’s later love story (my other other favorite couple). Luke Newton and Nicola Coughlan are so talented and together they are something special.
Ashley T.: I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of my new Blu-ray copy of Tank Girl that was released in Australia in April. It’s got all of the great features and commentary from the Shout Factory release in 2013, plus a new featurette about the Rippers’ makeup and costuming with certifiable cinnamon roll Doug Jones, and a video essay from film critic and self-described recovering academic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas.
Amanda P.: It has been a very good week for me! A full-length Wicked trailer, giving me so much faith in how this adaptation is going to go, plus the first half of Bridgerton Season 3? I’ve spent half my week in a fangirl daze, in the best way possible. There are few things as joyous as seeing a story you love get the treatment it deserves, from people who genuinely care to tell it right.
Ashley W.: Rejoicify! I am joining in on the Wicked trailer love and will be screaming about this until the movie comes out — at which point I’ll transition to screaming about the movie in its entirety. While I think the trailer could have included less detail so as to not give as much away, seeing just mere glimpses of the wondrous fantasy world of Oz come to life in that trailer left me in awe. The setting looks so stunning, and Ariana Grande having Glinda do a grand battement is everything.
WTF Moment of the Week
Amanda W.: Sorry not sorry for talking only about Wicked this week, but where are Fiyero’s white pants?! I know I’m not the only one disappointed and upset that Fiyero’s iconic “Dancing Through Life” outfit doesn’t include the tight white pants. It’s trivial and the costumes we see in the trailer and feature look beautiful, but those pants are what he’s known for. Why are they leaving Jonathan Bailey out of the Brotherhood of Tight White Pants?!
Rachel: I gotta go with that plot change I mentioned that seems to be coming up in Part 2 of Bridgerton season 3. The brief glimpse we got of the footage heavily suggests that Pen will keep Lady Whistledown a secret from Colin while engaged. We don’t know how long or exactly how that will be presented yet. So can I hope that Shondaland has fought against their drama-for-the-sake-of-drama instincts and made this choice work out okay? I’ll try.
Ashley T.: I’m over here side-eyeing Sam Taylor-Johnson and Matt Greenhalgh for their mangling of facts in the new Amy Winehouse film, Back to Black.
Amanda P.: The costumes on Bridgerton this season are… odd, sometimes. Look, I am not remotely a stickler for “period accuracy” and I don’t like the gatekeeping that those conversations often turn into. But just visually, I’m a little confused with the look of this season.
It’s always been a heightened, fantastical riff on Regency fashion, but now it feels like they’re moving away from the established visual language of the first two seasons into something even more exaggerated. And while I don’t hate it, I also definitely don’t love it.
Jasmine: Finding out that after just two months or so of the new General Hospital writing regime being under Elizabeth Korte, and Patrick Mulcahey, Mulcahey was let go and is no longer a co-head writer. I’m stunned. General Hospital’s ratings are tanking and the writing has been all over the place. I don’t know that this latest change will save the show because there are a lot of things wrong at this moment in time.
Ashley W.: I, too, am upset by the fact that, in the Wicked trailer, Fiyero wasn’t wearing the iconic red vest and white pants outfit made famous by the character in the stage production. Jonathan Bailey looks great, but Fiyero very much so is meant to stand out, especially upon his arrival to Shiz University/introduction in the story. The outfit he wears does the exact opposite. He isn’t wearing the same color as his fellow Shiz students and yet still blends in. It’s very not scandalacious of him!
What We’re Listening to This Week
Amanda W.: Sabrina Carpenter unexpectedly released an Espresso EP with a couple different versions of her smash single, “Espresso,” each of which are cleverly titled to indicate how it differs from the original. For example, “Espresso – Double Shot Version” is sped up.
Rachel: Dua Lipa’s “Dreams” is the song I’m using for a Polin carriage scene fan video, so that one is my answer for this week.
Ashley T.: I finished listening to Amy Winehouse’s full discography this week with her At the BBC live album in preparation for my review of the Back to Black film here on Fangirlish. Amy’s voice is iconic from the studio or live, but these live recordings are really something special. I grieve the loss of her voice and the horror of the addiction that took her from this world.
Jasmine: Billie Eilish’s new album Hit me Hard and Soft. I’m working my way through it as we speak. And a review is coming.
What We Rewatched This Week
Raquel: I lost count of how many times I watched the Polin carriage scene. For science, of course (wink, wink)
Ashley T.: I rewatched Star Trek: Discovery 5×08 “Labyrinths” several times this week. It’s that good.
Ashley W.: After rewatching The Avengers for the umpteenth time as I go through an MCU release order marathon, I was yet again reminded of just how many times I’ve watched that movie. It has been a favorite since it was released in 2012, and I annoyingly recite the lines while watching it every single time. Also, Steve Rogers wearing Chuck Taylors has a special place in my heart.
Badass Character of the Week
Amanda W.: Elphaba from Wicked, because not only does she defy gravity, but if you’ve ever seen the stage musical, you not she deserves credit for making hard decisions. She’s not perfect by any means, but I definitely still consider her a badass.
Rachel: I think this week, it’s hard for me to choose between Penelope Featherington on Bridgerton, who is trying her hardest to be active through many everyday life disappointments until she gets a bit of happiness, and the characters of Noa and Mae in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, who band together to fight against much broader struggles. Both are badass to me.
Ashley T.: All the X-Men in X-Men ‘97. If you know, you know.
Amanda P.: I have to agree with my name-twin above — Elphaba is amazing. I admit I have had my reservations about the casting of both witches for the Wicked movie, but the full-length trailer has me feeling a lot more confident that these two complicated characters are in good hands.
Jasmine: Sprina (Spencer and Trina) clips to remember a time when General Hospital deserved my viewership.
Ashley W.: Interestingly enough, I’m going to agree with my actual twin, Amanda W., regarding her Elphaba answer but also my name twin, Ashley T., regarding her X-Men answer. Getting the Wicked trailer and the X-Men ‘97 season 1 finale on the same day was such a gift, but it has left me even more emotional than I already am usually.
