Midrange Weekly June 14
Your Weekly Round Up On What’s Got The Midrange Staff’s Attention
Midrange Staff @midrangeyvr
Hello friends and welcome back to Midrange Weekly, your go to space for hearing the opinions from maladjusted adults with a litany of neuroses and complexes because really where else can you get that kind of thing? As we cruise through June (the months are starting to feel like the normal length again) many of our friends and family are getting their second doses of the good stuff. This is objectively good news! However this may compel the less scrupulous among us to disregard some covid regulations, especially those of private businesses. This is not cool! Please remember that if a business asks you to keep your mask on then you should do that. It provides piece of mine for those of us not yet fully vaxed and promotes solidarity which is always nice. That’s it for the PSAs, let’s see what’s got the team riled up this week.
Loki’s debut episode is as fascinating as you would have hoped. And far more personal than you would have expected
We’re several years past the point when the MCU became too big to fail, as the industry parlance goes. Long gone are the days when the goliath of a franchise released films with characters seen as relative unknown quantities and it was considered a risk. Nothing Marvel does is really a risk anymore, or a test of its creative ingenuity. Baring a tectonic shift in pop culture zeitgeist and attendant cinematic trickle down effects- which will happen at some point, one day- Marvel films are pretty much guaranteed successes no matter what. Do I have the least bit of interest or even requisite knowledge in what The Eternals are? Heck no, but I’m still going to see it in the theater. If anything the pandemic has artificially juiced enthusiasm for seeing something, anything, in a movie theater which will likely help any film franchise for the next 12 months or so, be they attention starved or oxygen sucking.
The dimensions of the MCU expanding at an exponential rate into something of a pop culture industrial complex has manifested in terms of ambition and quality in vastly different ways. Does Marvel have the undisputed narrative autonomy to get delightfully weird and abstract such as in WandaVison? Or are they beholden to the institutional structures they themselves erected and thusly must play it safe such as in The Falcon And The Winter Solider, which despite its intriguing opportunity to interrogate the role of black hero defending a country that has spent centuries debasing his people, was a surface level and anaemic pursuit of bland and prosaic aphorisms in place of any real hard work being done. The answer, in this case, is clearly both. Marvel can get away with anything. If it wants it to stay this way, it better not risk anything.
This is the crossroads the MCU finds itself at with the debut of the new Diseny+ series Loki. Marvel has moved beyond the midlife crises defined with how to close out the Infinity Saga and appear besieged by a full on existential crisis. This is important to understanding the narrative choices they have taken with the show and the titular character; furthermore it’s important to understanding why the show- so far- is excellent. By gracefully, and thoroughly weaving in the earnestly challenging questions of why we do the things we do- why exactly are we the way we are, Marvel has developed a fascinating new setting and intriguing mystery but purposed it towards a story that is refreshingly defined by its interiority.
Loki, firstly, is just a touch confusing to the uninitiated or the casual Marvel film viewer. While Tom Hiddleston’s remarkable turn as Loki over the decade has seen the character go from churlish and cruel villain to a reluctantly and partly reformed anti hero, the timey wimey hijinks of Avengers: Endgame kicks the show off with the 2012 version of the character, at the height of his maniacal and self serving ambitions. When a trip back in time goes sideways for The Avengers, Loki is able to capitalize on the ad hoc chaos and escape capture that would set the stage for his future film roles. By doing so he splits the time line into a variant stream, one with unknown possibilities and risks.
This causes him to run afoul of the omnipresent, and darn near seeming omnipotent Time Variance Authority. Essentially a clandestine inter-dimensional police force, one defined by its red tape as much as by its portal hoping troopers, that ensures the flow of time proceeds as pre-ordained. Any splinter of the time line, and variant versions of those that perpetrated such offenses, either intentionally or unwittingly (in Loki’s case it is clearly the later), are to be neutralized by the TVA. The implications of this in the broader scope of the MCU, but especially for Loki himself are fascinating. Forget the macro impact of everything from Tony Stark building his first suit to Thanos’ genocidal culling of the universe; think about how this just affects Loki- the god of mischief. What good is a being that prides himself on being chaos incarnate in a universe where its very inception to its ultimate demise is mapped out? What value is Loki in this kind of existence, what does he offer? What can he offer? The first episode is a surprisingly empathetic and sincere examination of these painful- to him- realizations. The show, and his TVA captors do an excellent job of literally dressing him down right from the get go. Loki, who in this variant time line was just a few hours ago on the cusp of conquering earth, is now an ineffectual captive of a mercurial and subtly pretentious bureaucracy that views him as nothing more than a nuisance to be processed and dealt with. The process is effectively disorienting for Loki to say the least.
The realization of what the TVA could look like is also a triumph for the show. Ostensibly a catacomb of claustrophobic structures dressed in anachronistic ornaments and brutalist architecture, the TVA is meant to look oppressively dull. Inundated with a series of absurdly byzantine procedures, all of the bombastic pomp and circumstances that Loki develops his burgeoning cult of personality around are woefully impotent within such institutional drudgery. Once again everything that Loki views as fundamental to his pathology is no match for a force that he never knew exerted so much control over his seemingly autonomous existence. Beyond the departmental and skeletal structure of the TVA however, is a stunningly complex and beautifully mythic looking ecosystem holding it all together in something akin to a hollowed out planet. It’s a breathtaking image and effectively communicates the totality of how much more the MCU is comprised of beyond what we know. Owen Wilson’s character Mobius assures the trickster god along with the audience that none of this is magic. That the previously understated score swells with esoteric intrigue and a not so subtle air of endearing whimsy makes the moment confidently poignant.
It’s Wilson’s character Mobius that serves as another welcome addition to the MCU cannon and is integral to the show’s charm and gently contemplative temperament. Mobius appears as a slightly casual middle management type in the TVA, although he seems to be holding more cards behind his unassuming visage than he may let on. Mobius’ unbothered breeziness reads as the kind of person who hasn’t yet ben ground down into a husk of a pencil pusher, or someone who has been there already for a very long time indeed. After all, time works a little different in the TVA. Much of the first episode has Mobius calmly pressuring Loki into explaining all of the granular actions of his heinous life. Why does he do these things? Why does he enjoy them? The show deftly addresses one of the most rote clichés of fantasy and sci fi- the villainous antagonist who wants to take over everything and rule the world or realm or whatever. Sauron in Lord of The Rings, Palpatine in Star Wars; These villains always want to take over only to be inevitably thwarted, but what if they succeeded? What was the plan after, what was the point in doing any of this? Just sit on a throne till the end of time? The Marvel Star Wars comics have dipped into this a little with Palpatine, noting that after his successful conquest of the galaxy, he we was actually pretty bored and just spent his time ensconced in Sith literature. Loki tried so hard to take over the world, but is now forced to contend with the idea of to what end. For Power? When Loki discovers a drawer of obsolete infinity stones confiscated from countless variant timelines and rendered inert, he begins to understand how myopic his one dimensional quest for power has made him. Hiddleston does a remarkable job of showing Loki struggle to contemplate this.
Loki’s internal turmoil is palpable throughout much of his contentious and spirited conversations with Mobius. It’s remarkable to the extent that some gentle poking and prodding from the later completely dismantles Loki’s ego and pride. Or more specifically compels Loki to do it himself. In a moving bout of self-reflection and lyrical symmetry he admits his murderous and cackling ways are nothing more than a show he felt required to perform. “I don’t enjoy hurting people”, he confesses with a disarming sense of sincerity and guilt, “I do it because I have to, because it’s part of the illusion, it’s the cruel elaborate trick conjured by the weak to inspire fear“, just as he had derisively accused others of in the past. Remember this is not the Loki of 2018 who has learned some hard lessons and reconciled with his brother Thor. This is still the Loki that was very recently on a murder spree. “The TVA is formidable”, Loki admits. Indeed.
Whether we are seeing the beginnings of a meaningful relationship between the two where a level of anxious vulnerability can be sincerely extracted, or if the two are merely posturing around each other for greater manipulative ends remains to be seen. It’s likely a bit of both. But so far Loki’s handling of concepts larger than time and space and rendering them through a deeply personal and insular lens is impressive. I’ve never seen a MCU character as uncomfortable as Loki is in this, and extract so much meaning from that discomfort. Loki has so much potential; so far the show is taking every chance it can to realize it. Let’s hope it can keep it up. -Tristan
The NBA Has a Problem
That title is rather loaded I know. But hear me out.
I’ve been a fan of the game since I was in elementary school. I remember watching the 1991 NBA Finals between Magic’s Lakers and Jordan’s Bulls. The grand spectacle of the whole thing, not knowing then the significance of what was transpiring. Over the years my affection for the league and its players grew immensely. An admiration for Kobe Bryant eventually turned into an obsession of watching he and his Lakers dominate for an entire decade. The game had all the trappings of what I wanted in a sport. Insane athletes doing unimaginable feats I could only dream of accomplishing. Over the past ten years, the skill of the players has grown considerably, where roles and positions have become so blurred as to have actually changed the fabric of how the game is run. Centers shoot three pointers now. Forward’s bring up the ball and run point. Space is of the most importance and defence of little. It’s fun to watch and see players like Steph Curry bomb from 40 feet like it’s no big deal. The game has evolved and it’s never had this much talent ever.
So why then am I watching less and less of it?
This past season I barely watched any games at all. Part of this stemmed from my distaste of how teams and players view the regular season. You can partially chalk up a bit of this reasoning on the struggles of the pandemic, but in my view that’s a wash of a narrative for anyone to land on when the players are making more money than ever and it’s fully guaranteed. A large swath of that comes from Tv deals with Disney (ESPN) and TNT. But in order for those deals to make sense for those companies and their viewers (me), players need to show up and play. Over the past few seasons this has become an issue and this year it was even more so. I can’t count how many times I looked forward to watching a game this year only to find out that said star was out for this so and so reason. It happened a lot due to injury, which I can understand and accept but also a large amount was due to rest and so forth. Essentially what I’ve come to realize is that if the players don’t care about the regular season, then why should I?
I found it interesting to note that come playoff time, every team had their full roster ready to go. Even Brooklyn, who’ve barely managed to get their three stars on the court for much of this season. It makes watching the last few weeks of the season a joke. Ironically, for Brooklyn, their cohesiveness didn’t last long as both Kyrie Irving and James Harden look to be out for extended bouts.
Look I get the game is changing and I’m starting to rationalize that I might be coming off as an old fuddy duddy, but things need to change. Ratings are down considerably this year. The players don’t care about the regular season. We all know it’s mightily too long. LeBron has echoed this numerous times in the past. Defence is gone and with it my interest. Well at least until the playoffs that is. Like Football and Soccer, less games is the way to go in my opinion. If each game matters more, then the players will have to care that much more too.
I’m loving these playoffs and I can’t wait for the Finals. But I’m sad as that date approaches, because it’ll mean I’ll have to endure another crummy regular season until next April’s playoffs begin. And I’m a fan. A big one. If I’m feeling this way, what does that tell you about casual observers?
The NBA is in trouble.
Here’s a stat for you to consider. Michael Jordan played in every game in his second stint with the Bulls from his first retirement. Every game! Take that for data.
He’s the GOAT for sure and maybe it’s because he gave a shit and played. - Jamie
Things From The Internet We Liked
This Trailer for the horror Film Meander has PTSD written all over it
If you struggle with horror movies, then Meander is going to have so much nope written all over it for you. In a bracingly simple premise an abducted women wakes up in a pipe, filled with traps, and has to escape. It’s not so much the deathly tricks at play than the sheer claustrophobia of it all that seems so tormenting. The film seems heavily influenced by the cult horror film Cube and if it’s any where as messed up as that… well that’s pretty messed up.
Watch Amber Ruffin Drag Opponents of Critical Race Theory Into Oblivion
For some reason critical race theory, which as a scholastic and teachable curriculum has been around for something like 40 years, has become the new hot target of vitriol from conservative law makers. Just like Dr Suez books and Mr Potato head. If you’re failing to see a pattern in the discourse here, yes that’s correct. A number of governors and state legislatures in America have recently banned critical race theory being taught in schools; a thinly veiled attempt to maintain the fallacy of benevolence behind white supremacy, or simply to hide from the ugly truths of slavery and 400 years of institutionalized racism. On her show Amber Ruffin calmly, but assiduously dismantles the fragile logic behind their actions. Her even headed candour paired with a relentless interrogation of their gaslighting actions is really effective. Check it out.
Check Out Some Gorgeous Artwork From The Last Of Us Part 2
Tristan has been pretty vocal in the past as to what a remarkable accomplishment The Last Of Us Part 2 was. Over at Kotaku is a feature showing off some of the gorgeous concept work from Alexandria Neonakis, a freelance artist who worked on the game. Her contributions to the prokject helped imbue what was ostensibly a brutal and debilitating experience with some truly inexorable beauty and humanity- something the game doesn’t get enough credit for.