The Flight Attendant, Lupin, and a chemistry crisis
Crime escapades, plus culture notes about a surplus of hot people but a deficit of heat
Hello!
On this week’s episode of Criticism Is Dead, we discuss The Flight Attendant, an overly hyped caper, and Lupin, a heist show that deserves all the hype.
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02:15 Are we mavericks for opining that The Flight Attendant, HBO Max’s buzzy not-limited series, is... not good???
The show, which has received almost unanimously positive critical reviews, is part caper and part crime thriller, but the beating heart of it is character study. So what happens if you can’t stand the character?
Cassie, the flight attendant in question, was absolutely made to be flawed. She’s reckless, unreliable, selfish, and has such a nose for making the wrong decision that’s it’s almost impressive. This is part of the appeal, according to some critics; Vox’s Alex Abad-Santos writes:
To love The Flight Attendant is to hate its protagonist
[…]
here’s the dark magic of The Flight Attendant: I still want to see this fantastically inept person succeed.
But both Pelin and I were repelled by this, even with the full knowledge that these flaws largely stem from childhood trauma and alcoholism, which must be resolved throughout the course of the story. There must be some middle ground out there between wanting to make room for complex, human characters (especially women) and creating characters who are have questionable motivations and who are unbearable to spend time with.
As Pelin put it so elegantly on the pod: “Just because you suffered from trauma doesn’t mean you’re a fucking idiot.”
17:50 Netflix's new heist series Lupin, on the other hand, is very good.
On the other side of pond, Lupin is the fantastic result of the France and UK — two countries that basically hate each other, according to resident Brit Pelin — joining production forces.
The new series, which has released five episodes to date, is inspired by novelist Maurice Leblanc’s gentleman thief character Arsène Lupin, who was himself modeled after real-life anarchist French Marius Jacob, who stole — with much humor and inventiveness — from “social parasites” like judges and bosses, swearing to never kill or hurt anyone.
This Lupin delivers a clever subversion: the protagonist, Assane, is an immigrant from Senegal, stealing from the largely white upper crust of France, the snobbiest of European countries. Defanging the rich and corrupt is an idea both timeless (hi, Robin Hood!) and timely, in this current moment with popular masses are finally growing to regard the one percent and capitalism with mistrust.
Moreover, Lupin is just a great heist show. It’s fun to watch each twist, turn, and reveal that Assane pulls off.
26:56 Plus, culture notes about the last time we remember seeing real romantic chemistry on the screen.
Best encapsulated in this good tweet:
Mr. and Mrs. Smith? Cruel Intentions? The Americans? Definitely not Bridgerton. The (conventional) hotness bar has generally been raised, for better or worse, but that’s not a free pass! Sir, we’re in a horniness crisis! Quality over quantity!
On the topic of chemistry — and, more broadly, whether two romantic leads are suitable to play opposite each other — we also discuss the early chatter surrounding Malcolm & Marie. Namely, some people’s skepticism about the age gap betwen John David Washington, 36, and Zendaya, 24, as well as whether or not the role seems at odds with Zendaya’s image thus far. TL;DR verdict: The movie isn’t even out yet, who knows!
Bonus links
Sex and the City sans Samantha… ok…
“Armie Hammer trends after alleged ‘cannibal’ DM is leaked”
Barry seasons 3-4 are already written, now just to film!!!!!
Thank you E! for your devoted politics coverage:
Finally… ladies and gentleman: her:
Okay bye!
— Jenny
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Some credits:
Music: REEKAH
Artwork and design: Sara Macias and Andrew Liu
Special thanks: Dan Geneen