"Alice In Lockdown" Reflects How Maddening the Pandemic Has Been To Date

All images in this post are by Marta Zubieta ©2020

"Equating the dream logic of Lewis Carroll with the lived political reality of Covid19. Alice in Lockdown is a self-directed illustration project where Zubieta explores the confusion and self-transformation journey we have gone through since the beginning of Lockdown. Bringing vibrant colour to often bleak subjects, Zubieta explores the millennial culture and its issues through pink-tinted glasses, neon colours, and dreamy characters. Zubieta found in Alice the perfect metaphor to explore the reality she was living in during the outburst of Covid 19." (Summary from martazubieta.com)

Marta Zubieta's quarantine-created "Alice In Lockdown" series has been getting a lot of attention on social media and it's easy to see why. The "logical nonsense" world of Alice In Wonderland speaks perfectly to the surreal challenges we've all been faced with since going into lockdown.

What isn't as well known is how this Spanish artist (based in Bristol, UK) came to create her paintings. It's a little more than "artist expresses feelings visually when stuck at home"... Here are two excerpts from Zubieta's first blog post as her new series was developing in May 2020:

First piece: Alice in Lockdown: Alice trapped in the new reality, in this piece I combine pop culture symbols and pastel colours to express the feeling of fake comfort in our houses while we are being hyper controlled.

The idea started at the beginning of the lockdown when some art contests where happening working with the concept of self-isolation and staying at home. I imagined myself trapped in my house forever and I envisioned Alice when she grew really big and got trapped in the Wonderland house.

My social commentaries about how coronavirus was being handed in England weren’t very welcome on Facebook so I thought I would put this social commentaries in pictures. The result was even better than expected, people who would normally criticise conspiracy theories were very impressed with the artwork even if when looking close you can find symbols of conspiracy theories.

 

...Second piece: Down the Rabbit Hole: Alice going through the rabbit hole of our digital world, a hyperreal maze of content that tell us what to believe, what to do, what to buy, and how to entertain ourselves, does that rabbit hole ever reach an end?

With this piece I want people to question themselves about their everyday interaction with the digital media and how it influences the way the think or act. I want to talk to everyone but I am sure it will resonate with my generation the most.

Zubieta's next post speaks about how she wanted to express the warped reality we all suddenly found ourselves in, and her thoughts on how to go about it so it would be heard.
From her second progress post:

Following my research of storytelling and the hero’s journey from last year, and my previous essay about hyperreality and its relation with social media, I wanted to get a broader knowledge on archetypes and the power of these in combination with pop culture for communicating ideas, as a global visual communication that goes beyond language, location or race.

What is the purpose? I want to create art that tells the other side of the coin, In a period where lot the artwork is being created to make us feel uplifted and hopeful, I want to create artwork that empathise with the feelings of impotency, loneliness, connection addiction, and misunderstanding of the uncertain situation we live in. (Ed.: All emphasis in bold is by OUABlog.)

 

She goes on to explain that by using a very familiar character and archetype, she can more immediately express well-known elements and it was Alice in Wonderland that resonated with her experience in quarantine, straight away (for example, Alice growing so large she can't fit inside the house anymore). As a result, she can immediately refocus the lens, twisting the images to express well-known aspects of the story in a different way and encourage people to consider things from this perspective. In a very real sense, it's a short-hand that allows for very direct communication with whoever sees the art.

It's clear in part this is because the rules - which society needs to live by for a stability - become distorted and topsy-turvy. What's less obvious to the viewer (or reader of Alice) is that by beginning from an illogical place but still attempting to proceed logically, is quite literally maddening. The more we apply logic, the less it makes sense, which is the opposite of what should happen. As a result, reality becomes even more distorted than it would have if the absurdity was thrown into the middle of something normal; something that wasn't already twisted. The madness of a situation - in our case, a pandemic in the middle of political upheaval - tends to creep up on Alice (us), until we realize that we've been trying to make sense of something nonsensical for a long time, only to find ourselves suddenly overwhelmed and exhausted, not knowing what to do or how to keep coping. It's a very real challenge.

Zubieta writes: 

Going down the rabbit hole in the book is a representation of going to the unconscious, connected with lockdown, the covid-19 seems to be the hole that has trapped us all at home, making us having to deal with our inner monsters but also with the voice we listen the most: the media.

Inner Jungles: How do we make sense of the outer world in our intimate spaces? (@wordincanvas)

Zubieta also connected with James Tuson (@wordincanvas), a writer who creates poems and spoken performance pieces based on other visual artist's work, and asked that he add his words to her images. (We adore artists collaborating!) Here's an excerpt of one of the results:

Alice in Lockdown

Have we gone mad?

Down the habit hole

...At least the hedgehogs can now roll free through our empty parks

Why sometimes I’ve disbelieved as many as six explanations to all this before breakfast

Getting curisor and curisor as the days drag on

Curious little oysters aren’t we whilst its’ all convenient for us in our shells.

Hell I even find myself talking to the flowers...

You can read Tuson's whole poem at the bottom of Zubieta's post HERE. We've included another excerpt by Tuson with a different thought process, a vignette, created in response to the Tea Party scene below.

The Mad Hatters Invitation the official Tea Party, by James Tuson, @Wordincanvas (excerpt)

The Mad Hatter inconveniently invites you to attend the corona party, come come all we must commence with this befuddlement and such it’ll be very very rude indeed if you don’t fall in line and keep your distance at our signs. We’ve gone to great many lengths to make this as straightforward for you as possible. Improbable you say? Do you have any idea why a raven is like a virus? Unkindness! Now now let’s not dampen spirits you’ve only just arrived, you must, you must have a cup of tea and have a go on our sweet sweet 5G, it’s truly the best in all of silly gits end. Am I making sense? (Continue reading HERE.)

Being fascinated with how people connect and use fairy tales for expression, reflection, and to consider changing social narratives, we also wanted to include this fascinating mind-map (below - click to enlarge) of the development process that Zubieta included on her blog. There is no commentary attached to the image but it's easy to see how the idea grew, marrying the resonant story to fairy tales and fairy tale characters and archetypes. (You can spot references to Peter Pan in there, along with Chihiro from Spirited Away.) It's clear that what wasn't palatable for people to see discussed (as she mentions, on Facebook) was a lot easier to consider and reflect on, by using the vehicle of fairy tales, fairy tale imagery and a reframed familiar story for people to think about on their own terms. 

It's an excellent study in the use of fairy tale relevancy and why revisions of beloved tales can be more communicative than regular forms of communication. In a world where it's harder and harder to trust words being spoken by authorities and the media, and many people are polarized, minds closed and defense mechanisms operating on a hair-trigger, sometimes it takes the reframing of a familiar fairy tale to bypass barriers and speak to the shared experience we are having. 

That's powerful stuff.

Going down the rabbit hole, in the book, is a representation of going into the unconscious. (When) connected with lockdown, Covid-19 seems to be the hole that has trapped us all at home, forcing us to deal with our inner monsters but also with the voice we listen to the most; the mass media. (Zubieta)

You can support Marta Zubieta and find her work online in the following places:

Main website: martazubieta.com

Instagram: @onirical_zubieta

Etsy: OniricalZubieta

Twitter: Marta Zubieta @oniricalZubieta

Facebook: @martazubieta

Double Baba Yaga News: Worldwide Popular Game Fortnite Adds A Baba Yaga Skin/ Prof & Pints Have Dr. Rappoprt Talking About Baba Yaga Live Online TONIGHT!

Baba Yaga and her chicken-legged hut, designed by Epic Games for Fortnite

It's "Halloweek" (week of Halloween) and this year we have a good reason to talk about our favorite witch! Though she wasn't originally a character to be pulled from folklore and fairy tales just for this season (any Slavic kid will tell you, she has the ability to scare you all year long!), Baba Yaga has slowly and steadily been entering Western pop culture during the spooky season for some time now and she - and her chicken-legged hut - are now familiar figures. This year, however, she's achieved another pop-culture milestone via the worldwide gaming community of Fortnite. There's enough interest in her now that experts are running live lectures online for special presentations about her... (Read on for details.)

1. Fortnite (one of the most popular video games in the world in 2020) Releases a Baba Yaga "Skin"

Do you hear the sound of chicken legs...?

Baba Yaga has been making appearances in video games for many years but they have tended to be more independent games for niche markets. Then came Baba Yaga in the Hellboy comics and last year the most recent Hellboy on the big screen had Baba Yaga and her walking hut as a very scary antagonist (rated R). She's been appearing more in pop culture references the past few years and has become a stock character in dark fantasy offerings in books and on screen, but this week, Fortnite, one of the most popular video games in the world, introduced her - and her hut - to over 350 million active players around the world. 

Epic Games' video game creation Fortnite is a powerhouse in the gaming industry. Their e-sport tournaments are intensely competitive and the world's top players vie for big money.  If you have a gamer in the house they either tend to love Fortnite and play a LOT, or they hate it with other allegiances but are still fully aware of just how big this game is. (It's a third-person shooter game with a few creative components and lots of emphasis on teams.) While they do have narrative arcs and themes (currently they are running a Marvel-superhero crossover) they still often dip into legends, myths, and even fairy tales for little bits of story and various special character "skins" that players can "wear" and play as, fully animated. Fortnite's Baba Yaga is clearly a folkloric witch, complete with sprouting mushrooms and forest vibes, sporting a red-eyed crow in a cage on her back (called a "back bling"). Along with her chicken-legged hut to function as a "glider", and a special broom with sprouting mushrooms and chopped off chicken feet hanging from its twigs to be used as a "pickaxe",  the Baba Yaga skin which any player can "wear" (by purchasing it with "v-bucks" ie., virtual dollars), is the first crone skin (read, senior female skin), and possibly the most ancient-looking skin to be added to the game (as far as we can verify - vampires not being counted as they're all timelessly youthful). She became available in Fortnite item shop on Sunday evening October 25th at the 5pm item shop change and remained in the item shop for the Monday 26th update too (usually skins change every day, although new ones often get a couple of days spotlight). The Baba Yaga skin has no special powers in the game - none of the skins do, so as not to disadvantage players who can't purchase them, but she can do everything others characters can, including all those infamous Fornite dances, and wield any weapon she finds in treasure chests, or takes from her kills, including seasonal pumpkin bazookas through to the classic Fortnite LMGs (light machine guns). While there's a good chance she will return later in the week for Halloween, chances are, after this week, we won't see her again in the item shop until Halloween 2021, so if you know a folkloric gamer, make sure they get her today. There's nothing quite like being run down by a Russian witch!

2. Prof and Pints Online Are Hosting A Special Baba Yaga focused lecture by Professor Philippa Rappoport Live TONIGHT 

Come join us as we tune in to hear a fascinating lecture by Slavic folklorist Dr. Philippa Rappoport, on Baba Yaga TONIGHT! All time-zones welcome!

Prof and Pints Online are dedicated to bringing faculty members into bars, cafes, offices (and now living rooms!) to share their knowledge, without the pricey cost of tuition, or the stress of quizzes or grades. Since moving all presentations online due to the pandemic, tickets cost just $12 for an approximately 90-minute lecture, complete with Q&A. Prof and Pints curate presenters (faculty members) on a very wide variety of topics, including politics, history, sociology, and, of course, folklore and fairy tales. (Our Carterhaugh Profs are frequent presenters!) We are HUGE Prof and Pints fans and have attended many lectures, by various experts over the past few months and remain impressed at the quality of educators invited to speak and how generous in sharing their knowledge and expertise they are. We highly recommend them.

Tickets to join live via Crowdcast (no app download needed) are available right up to a few minutes before it starts and anyone can join. (Please be advised, content is aimed at adults, so should be screened before being shared with anyone under 18.) Live chats are very active during the lectures and proposing questions for the end Q&A is open to anyone attending. Lectures are also recorded so are available to watch again later, or tickets can then be purchased to watch at leisure after the event.

TONIGHT at 4pm PST/7pm EST, Slavic folklorist Professor Philippa Rappoport, whose lectures are truly excellent, is talking about Baba Yaga, along with other "dark denizens". (She's also a good storyteller and wonderful to listen to.)

Description:

Profs and Pints Online presents: “Tales from Netherworlds,” an evening with Baba Yaga and other dark denizens of the imagination, with folklorist Philippa Rappoport of George Washington University.

[This talk will remain available in recorded form at the link for tickets and access given via this site. ]

The traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain—now known as Halloween—marked the opening of a door between our world and the world of deities and the dead. In honor of that day’s approach, Philippa Rappoport returns to the Profs and Pints Online stage to tell Slavic folktales about journeys to a strange netherworld beneath us.

Baba Yaga by Ivan Bilibin

The ticket to taking such a trip is being in possession of a magic doll. A mysterious element of folktales in Russia and other East Slavic nations, they’ll open doors in the earth for you. Beware, though. Although you might escape danger on one side, you’re likely to face it on the other.

Professor Rappoport will tell the tale of one heroine, Vasilisa the Beautiful, whose doll-aided plunge into a netherworld leads her to confront the witch Baba Yaga and a host of ooglie booglie spirits. She’ll take us on a journey of our own, exploring what such folktales tell us about beliefs about women, witches, fairy godmothers, and magical helpers. We’ll tour netherworlds as places where we can find both terror and refuge. You’ll be surprised by how relevant much of what you’ll encounter is to spiritual beliefs and practices all around us today.

Professor Rappoport has also wowed Profs and Pints audiences with talks about Russia’s house spirits treacherous mermaids. Her latest effort will change how you think about Halloween.

Hope to see you there!

Snow White 'Trapped' Inside Her Pop Culture Depiction

Detail from Trapped: Snow White by Super A

"Isn't it just safe and cosy to stay trapped in our reality?" - Stefan Thelen (aka Mr. Super A)

There is a relatively new series of paintings (including some sculpture too) titled Trapped, which include a very interesting look at Snow White, as well as some other characters in pop culture. 

Created by the Netherlands-based artist who signs his work and goes by the moniker Super A, he's challenging his viewers to take another look at the shortcuts we take visually in pop culture - something we should be reminded to do often. The idea is to "explore the truth behind fantasy, slicing through pop culture figures to examine the reality that lays at their core."*

So let's do that a little. Let's explore these images and see what emerges. Please note - none of these comments or conclusions are endorsed by the artist. They are musings on the observations of the team in the Fairy Tale Newsroom, quite late one night. We beg your indulgence as we deconstruct things a little.

Each figure, including Snow White and the creatures around her, has its familiar, pop-culture-iconic design, unfurling like a layered ribbon, to reveal a realistic core. This ribbon is not ripped or torn, but instead cocoons the core inside, clearly waiting to rewrap itself and hide glimpses of its truth inside at any moment. Even once the core is revealed, the wrapping stays, and remains the dominant impression and image.

We find it interesting that Snow White's "inner reality" is not only the classic blonde princess (posed and wistful, suffering in silence, waiting, innocent and untouchable yet likely to be fed to dragons) but is also very reminiscent of Botticelli's Renaissance women, particularly Venus (from The Birth of Venus) and his 'La Primavera' (Spring) Maidens. It's also worth noting that many early illustrations of Snow White (including Disney's own development for the 1937 animated film) had Snow White shown as a blonde.

The clothing of the revealed Snow White is worth commenting on too, though someone with a better grasp of the romantic-fashion details of pearls, gauze skirts and wrapped bodice would be better suited to discuss symbolic parallels, however, the allusion to innocence - the "White" in Snow White - is still loud and clear.

It didn't escape our notice that she's settled on straw. With straw having many meanings in fairy tale and myth we have to wonder: Is she sitting on unprocessed gold?  Is she representative of the basic building material of all the pop-cultural masks that she helped lead the way in, specifically with regard to Disney and the US American view of this type? Or is she about to go up in flames? 

The propped backdrop, like a setting for a photo shoot, clearly indicates the construction of a specific scene - the beauty and life 'frozen' in time. The eyes of the animals in this scene stare out at the viewer too. They are also frozen, as if caught in headlights, unable to move. Poised with tension as these creatures are, you find yourself wishing they could get up and walk away, that they could be free. If only Snow White weren't so resigned to her role here, her eyes unseeing of their reality, only focusing on her unrealized dreams...

That's what we see here. What do you see? 

(We'd love to hear your own impressions in the comments, even if they're vastly different - or even opposite, to ours. Remember art is subjective.)    

The series intends to address our skewed perception of reality through easily digestible cartoons, demonstrating that there can be no objectivity when it comes to our daily view of the world. A certain lens is always employed, a myth disguises the harsh truths. (FTNH Ed.: emphasis in bold is ours)

“Nowadays the most dominant myths we have embraced as an warm blanket of truth are liberty, property and individualism,” said Super A. “We tend to see these as absolute objective truths which suit the best interests of all humanity. But aren’t we just trapped within our cozy reality? And if it’s cozy… Should we even dare to break free?” (This Is Colossal)

Two pieces in the series** were shown in Galerie Droste in Paris from February 15th to the 27th, 2018, at the "Art is where the heart is Vol. 2" exhibition: Snow White and Pierrot.

Those interested in the fairy tale-like character of Pierrot from Commedia dell'arte and ballet will find it interesting that the Ronald MacDonald character reveals his inner persona as being Pierrot - that of a sad, pining, broken-hearted romantic, a fool and the butt of many jokes. You can see a 360 rotation of that amazing sculpture HERE.

On display at Galerie Droste in February 2018 - art by Super A

* Source: This Is Colossal

** The series includes characters: Mickey Mouse, Tweety, Donald Duck, Snow White, Ronald MacDonald/Pierrot, Garfield, while Thumper and Bambi are included in the Snow White scene.

The Transformation of FLOTUS: A Dark Fairy Tale for the Season

In April of 2017, writer Kate Imbach wrote a reflection on Melania Trump, the then-new FLOTUS, as considered through the lens of Melania's personal photos, titled Fairytale Prisoner by Choice: The Photographic Eye of Melania Trump. The article was prompted by the odd issue that the new first lady was so very absent, compared to most other FLOTUS'  of the past.
Imbach wrote:

Why won’t the first lady show up for her job? Why? I became obsessed with this question and eventually looked to Melania’s Twitter history for answers. I noticed that in the three-year period between June 3, 2012 and June 11, 2015 she tweeted 470 photos which she appeared to have taken herself. I examined these photographs as though they were a body of work. 

Everyone has an eye, whether or not we see ourselves as photographers. What we choose to photograph and how we frame subjects always reveals a little about how we perceive the world. For someone like Melania, media-trained, controlled and cloistered, her collection of Twitter photography provides an otherwise unavailable view into the reality of her existence. Nowhere else — certainly not in interviews or public appearances — is her guard so far down. 

What is that reality? She is Rapunzel with no prince and no hair, locked in a tower of her own volition, and delighted with the predictability and repetition of her own captivity.

Written during the time when Melania declined moving to the White House and opted to stay in Trump Tower, it's an interesting assessment, and although sympathy from readers varies, the consensus seems to be that loneliness is, indeed an ongoing factor in this woman's life. The photos from high up - an actual tower - with the same landscape and differing only in weather and time of day, do give the viewer pause.

Just as interesting is the interpretation of Melania's photos of the interior of Trump Tower:

 We can all picture the gilded monstrosity of the Trump home from publicity photos (chandeliers, sad boy astride a stuffed lion, golden pillars), but it is a different place through Melania’s eyes. She takes photographs inside her house at weird, skewed angles. It is a strange effect when the half-obscured objects, chairs and ceilings, are all so golden. It looks like what a terrified little girl held captive in a ogre’s fairytale castle might see when she dares to sneak a peek through her fingers. (source: Kate Imbach)

If you haven't seen this essay finding the parallels between Rapunzel and Melania, pre and post FLOTUS status, it's worth a read. While the writer is clearly critical of Melania's 'fitness' to be a first lady, its' nevertheless a very different look at Melania Trump as a person. You can find the whole article, with Melania's photos throughout, HERE.

FAST FORWARD TO DECEMBER 2017:

Melania is now at the White House and chose to take an active - and apparently personal - role in decorating her new(ish) home, for the season. It's safe to say the public reaction to photos has been, less than warm...

Interesting to see the White House Christmas decorations be launched straight into #folklore... Also seen references to The Upside Down, Blair Witch, Turkish Delight (White Witch of Narnia) & True Detective. More to come I'm sure. pic.twitter.com/416q8BVMh5

— Gypsy Thornton (@inkgypsy) November 28, 2017

A tweet from Donald Haase:

Melania Trump transforms from fairy-tale prisoner to wicked queen. Merry Christmas, peasants! https://t.co/BDsIDz1oxR

— Donald Haase (@donaldhaase) November 29, 2017

My retweet & comment:

See? #Folklore is how people are explaining the continuing, confounding events at the White House this year. Bizarrely, it helps makes sense of it all. https://t.co/vtkwEmjaFD

— Gypsy Thornton (@inkgypsy) November 29, 2017

And back to the growing list of folklore and fairy tale references mentioned (note: I have screen-captured the tweets referred to and inserted them after my tweets so readers can easily see what's being referred to, but the links in the embedded tweets also send you to the original tweet for the sources):

#Folklore / #FairyTale reference retweet number three in my timeline. (Another coming.) #Narnia and a White Witch allusion. https://t.co/bDgc4Fdw4A

— Gypsy Thornton (@inkgypsy) November 29, 2017

And another #Narnia reference. #folklore #FairyTales (retweet folkloric reference on these decorations, number 4). https://t.co/81pDy8sJjU

— Gypsy Thornton (@inkgypsy) November 29, 2017

A Snow White gif reply to the White House decorations... #folklore #FairyTale retweet reference number 5. (BTW the Narnia references are becoming very popular.) https://t.co/Bl5hZZfK8x

— Gypsy Thornton (@inkgypsy) November 29, 2017

Baba Yaga #folklore/ #FairyTales reference on the White House decorations number six... https://t.co/hpDjdrfd1h

— Gypsy Thornton (@inkgypsy) November 29, 2017

   

#Folklore/ #FairyTales reference number 7 on the White House Christmas decorations... https://t.co/T4UsFPuYUk

— Gypsy Thornton (@inkgypsy) November 29, 2017

   

#Folklore/ #FairyTales reference number 8, commenting on the White House Christmas decorations. #SnowQueen https://t.co/ahL643W7HU

— Gypsy Thornton (@inkgypsy) November 29, 2017

And LOTS of comments from people who thought Melania's feet were backward in pic... #folklore reference # 9. Note: there are 9 distinctive folkloric approaches being counted - not tweets that have folklore &/or FairyTales referenced. There are tons of those! (#Narnia wins.) https://t.co/bDgc4Fdw4A

— Gypsy Thornton (@inkgypsy) November 29, 2017

Note how the feet appear in the photo - enlarged below (it's obviously a lighting issue but it's still an interesting connection):

Watching people turn to #folklore for tools to cope in reaction to the White House Christmas photos has been fascinating to study the last couple of days. #FairyTales (bonus list after the 9 tweets already coming)

— Gypsy Thornton (@inkgypsy) November 29, 2017

White House Christmas decorations allusion list 1:
-The forest that warns Chris against the impending Sunken Place
-Judge Frollo’s new frolicking room where he sings how “the devil is so much stronger than a man”
-The woods from The Witch (also M. Night Shyamalan’s The Village)

— Gypsy Thornton (@inkgypsy) November 29, 2017

White House Christmas allusions list 2:
-Snow White’s escape route from the Huntsman
-White Witch’s favorite forest in Narnia, before those pesky kings & queens come to spoil her fun
-Basically any episode of American Horror Story
That spot where Voldemort drank a unicorn’s blood

— Gypsy Thornton (@inkgypsy) November 29, 2017

White House Christmas #folklore allusions list 3:
-The road to the Cabin in the Woods, somewhere in between the creepy gas station attendant and all the death in the universe
-Tim Burton’s Batman Returns
-Hedge maze in The Shining
-Winter Is Here
(more at iO9..)

— Gypsy Thornton (@inkgypsy) November 29, 2017

HERE IS THE LINK FROM iO9.com

which has even more added to the list, via the comments, since this was tweeted. 

This comment (screen-capped below) expanded the supernatural narrative. Meant to entertain, it's also an interesting place to go:

A reply to one of the earlier tweets, pointing out the use of folklore:

I suppose fairy tales are all about archetypes, which offer clarity when applied to something as bonkers as the current US government

— Scott Malthouse (@welovefolklore) November 29, 2017

And the tweet that prompted me to put it all in one place:

Hey @DigFolkProj, have you seen @inkgypsy's and @donaldhaase's tweets (sadly, not threaded) about the White House Christmas #folklore allusions. Possible #digitaltrendoftheyear contender? https://t.co/AFjfycP5bI

— Linda J. Lee (@lindajeanlee) November 29, 2017

As an interesting callback to the original article about Melania in her tower, I thought I'd finish with the final sentence by Imbach, which has more resonance than ever:

 She’s living inside a dark fairytale, and in fairytales the women trapped in towers never save anyone but themselves.

It's Almost Time to Bid Farewell to NBC's 'Grimm'

We knew it had to happen eventually but feel it's worth mentioning and yes, celebrating, as it goes into its final couple of episodes this week and next.

This dark fantasy procedural was a landmark show in bringing fairy tales and folklore back to the mainstream public and has been doing so for six seasons* (though props should also go to Supernatural, who have been maintaining their following and are currently in their twelfth season, albeit it to a less mainstream audience).

Original poster for season 1

NBC's Grimm began the dark fairy tale-meets-procedural with a 'monster of the week' type approach, in October of 2011. There was effort right from the pilot to show fairy tales in a different light and use the tropes in different ways, with a lot of folklore mixed in. That eventually evolved into its own show, hastily evolving past the teething troubles where it had a tendency to have damsels in distress to being more empowering for everyone, surprising more than a few executives and critics, earning it the title of 'the little show that could'.

One of the most fun aspects for folklore and fairy tale folk has been the use of quotes from tales and classic texts which, when followed (and the source figured out), provide huge clues as to the themes and underlying details included in that week's episode. More than a few lesser known tales were mined for quotes as well as some quite obscure ones, which was wonderfully refreshing to see too.

Some episodes have been more successful than others but when the show began to truly build its own mythology, and 'Scooby gang', working in tales and folklore along the way, that the series built a strong and loyal following. (Click HERE for a list of characters, including Wesen types, that have been introduced throughout the series to date - scroll down for the creature list and their episodes.) The show is currently in it's sixth, and last, season and though it can be recognized as being the same show, the season arcs have changed the feel of the show quite substantially so episodic stories aren't used as often, so much as exploring how a piece of folklore (or creature) might be at home in this universe where people are often more than they seem.

Humans live and work alongside 'Wesen', or people who are part human and part creature (often from myth or tales). The lead character, Nick Burkhardt, is both a police detective and, as he discovers in the first few episodes, a 'Grimm', a human of supernatural abilities who are traditionally 'reapers of Wesen' (read, hunters and exterminators). Our Grimm, however, seeks to find common ground between Wesen and humans and the series follows his journey as he does this (and investigates weird, and largely Wesen crimes), with varying amounts of success. His 'Scooby gang' expands along the way with at least half of them being Wesen and the viewer, along with Nick, discovers the history, traditions and 'real' folklore along the way. The more the seasons went on, the bigger and more involved this world got, along with ambitions, conspiracies and much more, all having a lot of fun with history, urban legends, fairy tales and lore along the way. More creatures are discovered with cultural traditions and rituals (all with interesting names that drive etymologists crazy in their inaccurate use of German and Latin!) showing the viewers how similar to humans all of them are.

The show's themes and statements on inclusivity, as well as the need for cultural understanding and respect have been timely throughout the years, addressing equality (and the current remaining lack of it in surprising places), no matter the nationality or socio-economic status, as well asking the same for interracial marriages, their offspring, orientation and preferences. It's been one of the aspects that's endeared fans to the show, with the unwavering stance on acceptance and the need to build bridges when we have the power to do so, even if it's personally difficult.

Not at all coincidentally, many of these same things are what attract us to fairy tales: in reading a wide variety of tales from around the world you begin to see they show both the sameness of humans across the world, while at the same time celebrating their unique cultural identities. It's not difficult to see why fairy tales fit with these themes so well.


Though faithful fans have been running campaigns to get the show picked up on another network or by Netflix or Amazon to give it a new and longer life, the writers, knowing the show would be finishing, wrote this final season with a view to finish the stories. Interestingly, the episodes, rather than focusing on an apocalyptic scenario (though that potential is there), the emphasis seems to have been more on the 'intimate' aspects of the show for most of the season; the characters relationships to each other, to the town and to Wesen integration as part of normal society. The writing has been solid and satisfying, while not too flashy, making it look more stable than ever, as ratings would attest to. While you want a show to finish on solid ground and go out looking good, it's also bittersweet. Fairy tales aren't as obviously an inspiration in this last season (though they're in there if you know where to look), but specific folklore from around the world most definitely is. The stories, however, are told in a way that make them more about Portland and its citizens, as well as the personal journeys of the beloved Scoobies, and, in a move that's created a sophisticated departure from the original, and sometimes dismissible, 'monster-of-the-week' shows, it's only making viewers love Grimm more.

               

Some pretty neat fan art... 

... created in the style of Ivan Bilibin
by alex_jd_black

Many of this season's episodes can actually be seen to be a metaphor for the show itself as it finishes, which will make for interesting re-viewings once the whole story has been told, while the tag line for these last couple of weeks is that the show is "going back to the beginning". It was at the beginning that the use of fairy tales was the most obvious (some would say heavy handed), so we're interested to see how they bookend Grimm with its developed mythology and popular characters. We presume that 'end' aspect will become more evident in the second last episode (airing this evening), as all cast and crew have confirmed that the finale of this series is clearly an 'end', and one they're reportedly happy with.



Grimm certainly isn't for everyone. The horror/gore aspect is sometimes a challenge for sensitive folk and there is very little of the fairytale-typical fantasy and happily-ever-after vibe, that keeps viewers watching other shows, but there is humor, wonderful characters (especially in the Scooby circle - shout outs to #monrosalee, #drewwu, #hexenschade, #dianahoneybadger and #meisner), fun locations (the trailer, the spice shop, monroe's house, the cabin in the woods, the Portland forests) romance, tons of fairy tale 'Easter eggs', wonderful one-liners, mystery and overall a lot of fun playing with tropes, history and folklore, not to mention every now and then it hits you with something very important. We're going to miss checking in to see what's been developing in the Grimm universe and we'll make it a point to be watching as it says goodnight.

PS Here's some adorably-wonderful advice to baby Kelly, (Nick and Adalind's half-Grimm-half-Wesen son) on the need to step up as the show closes.

Recommended reading - we wrote a detailed review HERE

* For comparison, Buffy the Vampire Slayer ran seven season, with a break after the sixth when it finished, then was renewed on another network, giving it one unexpected last season to wrap the multiple story lines. ABC's Once Upon A Time, which began around the same time as Grimm, and is also in its sixth season, has rumors about this being the last one as well, though that is unconfirmed.

'Beauty and the Hulk' - A Fan Remix

Hulk and Black Widow by Huy "Wee" Dinh

It's no surprise to see different combinations and iterations of Disney live action Beauty and the Beast around the web right now. The trailer was received extremely well (yes there were critics, but with a Beauty and the Beast storyline, that's just par for the course), and it's not unusual to see parallels made between one pop culture icon or event and another. The Hulk has always been ripe for a Beauty and the Beast adaption and is nothing new, but it might be the first time this sort of trailer has been made.

This fan made trailer combines the fairly subtle romance of Black Widow and The Hulk from one of the recent Marvel movies, Age of Ultron, with the soundtrack (and dialogue - which spoils the effect a little unfortunately) of the recently released live action trailer for Disney's upcoming film. Although it tries to retell the Beauty and the Beast story a little too exactly to be it's own thing, it's worth a look.

From Comicbook.com:

Darth Blender portrays the more subdued romance of Mark Ruffalo's Hulk and Scarlet Johannson's Black Widow from Avengers... and overlays the wistful dialogue of Beauty and the Beast overtop of it. The reimagining works extremely well and actually makes that romantic arc seem much bigger than it actually wound up being. It's a fantastic mashup, and features clips from Ant-Man, Captain America: Winter Solider, Captain America: Civil War, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Incredible Hulk, The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Iron Man 2, and Thor: The Dark World.

It's a testament to how fascinating people find the elements of this fairy tale and continually find parallels between it and perceived monsters.

That's the key word with King Kong connections and now, The Hulk: perceived. Neither of these characters are truly 'monsters' like people/humans are when you call them 'beasts'. They genuinely have no control over their appearance and nature and are, at heart, good, or at least neutral. They don't need 'taming' and the female involved isn't someone taken prisoner or depending on her looks* and charm to earn the beast's trust. The woman has to see him for who he really is and accept him - as he is. Unlike the Beast in Disney's Beauty and the Beast, there is no bad behavior toward the heroine, other than is in the beast's nature, by the original fairy tale Beast, or by Hulk or by Kong. He just is - and remains - himself.

There are others who might say differently - that the beast is tamed - but we disagree. Yes, the Hulk 'changes' (back) to a man when no longer enraged, but more key is how Black Widow (and the blonde in Kong) both see the other side of the beast - while they are still a beast. The purpose is not to transform or tame, but just accept. In both cases it doesn't change the essential nature of the beast either, (they don't morph into men and stay that way), they just help those 'beasts' be their best selves, even in beast form.  That's a Beauty and the Beast tale we can get behind.

We think this is why we like these connections so much. They sidestep the whole possibility of Stockholm syndrome and put the tale back into its roots - seeing beyond the outer skin and learning to love someone as they are and always will be. (And yes, we still have an issue with the transformation to Prince at the end of the original tale, after learning to truly love the whole package 'as is' - and 'no' we do not want to get into a weird conversation about Beast-beaus!)

*(Yes, Kong is attracted by the girl at first but he is truly 'hers' when she sees the true being inside and rises to his defense.)