Our Favourite Media of May 2020

[helloladies]

Each month, we look back over the media we loved in the previous month, from books to film to video games and more.

Jodie

The Letter For The King (TV Series) — I'm about halfway through The Letter For The King, which is based on Tonke Dragt's book of the same name, and am really enjoying it. Despite having a few disturbing scenes, and some death, this story of a young boy suddenly charged with delivering an important letter to stop the forces of evil is pretty family friendly (think slightly up from Harry Potter levels of violence). It's got a very old-fashioned, wholesome children's fantasy feel to the way it's costumed, filmed, and focused. And that all makes for relatively comforting fantasy viewing for me at the moment. I really like how many plot, and character, strands there are, giving this show a flavour of epic fantasy. It's also a great pick if you want to see more of Amir Wilson after his excellent performance in His Dark Materials.

(Update, CW - just before this post was about to go out I finished this series and now need to mention that the show kills one of only two gay characters not long after the two characters have gotten together. It's a really crappy development, which I assume is also present in the book, and might account for why I didn't hear very much about this show in my circles when it came out.)

Modern Family — I did not anticipate Modern Family being so soft and comforting. Every episode ends with basically a big affirmation that the family loves each other, and everything's going to be ok, and a silly joke. I love how often it plays with expectations of what would normally happen in a comedy situation, and by doing so makes everything more heartwarming. My absolute favs are Claire and Gloria, although I have a soft spot for Phil which developed right around the time the show decided to move his character away from "bit creepy" closer to "clueless dad who tries hard". This is my throw on comedy show right now as I've finished Kim's Convenience Store, and am waiting to be emotionally stable enough to finish Schitt's Creek.

The Goblin Emperor — Like a lot of fantasy novels The Goblin Emperor thrusts its protagonist into a position of power they could never have dreamed of attaining. Once in charge, they have to negotiate complicated rules, factions, and etiquette as a fish out of water; dependent on advisers for good or ill. However, The Goblin Emperor sets itself apart by having its protagonist, Maia, focus not just on how to be a ruler, or an effective ruler, but how to be a just ruler when being Emperor gives you absolute power. That change of focus has probably altered how I'll look at all fantasy novels based around the same situation from now on.

Otherwise, Addison's novel is a gentle, soft, patient look at an intensely complicated world and situation. Maia, the ill-favoured, half-goblin son, who only becomes Emperor of the Imperial Court after an unfortunate air crash claims his father and brothers, makes the perfect protagonist to walk the reader through the intricacies of a world Addison has built in careful detail. He is also the perfect character to spend time with if you are craving an observant fantasy hero who thinks before he acts. Maia's entire goal is to carefully work through the delicate details of his new role in a way which feels right to him even when what feels right clashes uncomfortably against what would feel good in the moment. Maia isn't here to smash up tradition for the sake of his freedoms; he is here to slowly remake the Court into a more just institution while preserving the parts that seem important.

What's more he's doing all of that while trying to catch up on the everyday politics, manners, and hierarchies of a Court he has been absent from for most of his life. And if that wasn't enough, he's surrounded by parts of his family who actively dislike him. It's a heavy task, and the reader feels every small responsibility with Maia, yet the book never feels overwhelming or grim; just real, and full of significance.

I have so many feelings about this book, and of course I now wish I'd read it years ago when everyone else was reading it so I had someone to talk about those feelings with. Oh well - we have to let books come to us at the right time, and for me that time was now. Let me just say that 'we cannot be your friend' upset me more than I can say, and the resolution to that story line was one of my favourites in the book. Come squee about this 2014 title with me if you can remember that far back.