The Princess and The Smuggler

I've been watching Star Wars for the last couple of days. (I keep falling asleep so I have to continue the movie the next day- I fall asleep, not because I'm bored but because it's late when I watch them.) And by Star Wars I mean Episodes 4, 5, and 6 because I've never been a fan of the first three episodes. Plus, I love Han Solo and Star Wars without Han Solo is a SIN!

Anyway... One of my favorite parts about the original Star Wars is the whole Han Solo/Princess Leia UST (Unresolved Sexual Tension). Not that it's completely unresolved. Okay maybe we should say the ST. The first movie has them at odds with each other but you know they (or at least Han Solo) like are attracted to each other. And Luke... oh Luke probably needs to see a therapist after the last movie when he finds out that he's been attracted to his own twin sister. GA-ROSS!!

So the first movie has you thinking that it's going to be some kind of love triangle between Han Solo, Leia, and Luke. But there just isn't any chemistry between Luke and Leia- not that there should be on account of their being siblings. (*shudders*) But there is definite chemistry between Han Solo and Leia. She spends the whole time they're rescuing her from the evil clutches of Darth Vadar putting him down... that could have been the stress of the moment and the unplanniness of their (Han and Luke) rescue plan.

In the second movie, The Empire Strikes Back, the chemistry is compounded. It's almost tangible. Leia can barely stand to look at Han Solo, not because he disgusts her but because she is SO attracted to the "Scruffy looking nerf herder". But I doubt even she realizes the extent of her attraction at this point. Of course, someone as soundrel-ious as Han Solo knows that she likes him. And he likes her although I don't think he was planning on acting upon his feelings (at this point). He is wanted by a bad guy (Jabba the Hutt) at this point. His life is already all sorts of complicated.

Plus, she's a princess and he's a smuggler. They're all sorts of wrong for each other... or are they? *wink, wink*

But of course, halfway through the second movie, they kiss- stupid droid ruins it!- and I think they both acknowledge their feeling even if they don't express them. Even better! Their relationship doesn't change. They still bicker and snark (kindly-ish) at each other.

Han is a little possessive of her when another charming scoundrel, Lando Calrission, sets his sights on the pretty princess. I love how he takes Leia's hand from Lando's and pulls her away from the other man. Lando gets the message although he doesn't stop trying to charm her.

We come to the moment when Han Solo is led to the Carbon Freezing chamber. They share a passionate kiss before he is brutally tugged away.

"I love you!" Leia declares for all to hear.

And in his moment of awesomeness, all Han says is (just a smidge smugly if I may point out) "I know."

There it is!! They've finally acknowledged their feelings. Or more accurately, Princess Leia has acknowledged her feelings. Maybe Han Solo already knew his feelings... Yeah, I'm thinking he did. He's just enough of a scoundrel to know when he's fallen for a girl. And he's just enough of a scoundrel to not say it outloud- meaning the lack of his own confessions of love. (Despite this, we still love him for the scoundrel that he is!)

I've never before made the connection between Princess Leia and her mother... whatever her name is. Perhaps it is because I don't care much for the first three episodes of this series? Anyway, her mother, *runstogoogletolookup* Padme, falls in love with a guy most unsuitable for her station, Anakin Skywalker- who is also younger than her but I don't remember how much. Anyway, Anakin is training to be a Jedi Knight and she, Padme, is some kind of government official or something. They aren't what you'd call a "match made in fictional heaven". But they love each other and secretly marry and have children together. (Okay so Anakin goes to the Dark side in the midst of this and learns only of his son, Luke, and not his daughter, Leia, but you get the story.)

Like mother, like daughter. Leia has fallen in love with someone who is beneath her station. Of course, at this point in the history of the galaxy, it's not so scandalous because it's just a princess of a now blown up planet and a wanted smuggler. It's not against the rules or anything.

Okay, so Han Solo and Leia have now acknowledge their love for each other. That doesn't mean they don't still bicker and get angry and what-have-you. It shows you that even people from two different walks of life can make it. It won't be easy- and it's not for Han or Leia. However, to them, it's worth the fight.

I hope that one day, I can find a relationship like that. One that is worth the fight.

Until then, I'm content to watch The Princess and The Smuggler find happy ever afters as they fight the evil Empire and conquer the world.

Until Next Time,

 The Hopeless Romantic

What is in a Name?

[NOTE: Thanks to Michelle for her input on this topic. As always, I'm glad you're around.]

Sometimes I think about starting a separate blog for my TV posts... but I'm too lazy. That means everything is going to stay the same. :)

Okay, today's post is centered around ABC's Castle. And, as the title states, we're going to be discussing names. More specifically, we're going to be discussing the use of certain surnames as opposed first names.

Why is it that on all cop shows it's normal to call everyone by their last name?  BONES: Booth and Brennan. Law & Order Criminal Intent: Goren and Eames. Criminal Minds: Hotch[ner], Prentiss, Morgan, Garcia... Castle: Beckett, Esposito, Ryan... Castle. You get my point? 

Michelle has an answer (not to this exact question but I felt this was fitting for our current question):

"The names that we use when speaking to people define the relationships that we have with them. In school, we refer to our teachers by their titles: Mr, Mrs, etc. in K-12, and Professor or Dr in college. Using titles, rather than referring to our instructors by their first names, is a symbol of respect between student and teacher. It also draws the line that clearly says, “I understand that you are in charge and that I am your subordinate”.  This extends to other titles (i.e. Detective Beckett), and distances us from becoming equals, like the friends we meet on the playground in grade school."

[SPOILER ALERT!] Castle (the character) announced his "undying affliction" for Beckett... okay so he told her he loved her as she lay dying in his arms. If you've been paying attention, you'll know that she didn't actually die. And she "doesn't remember anything". *coughliarliarplantsforhirecough*

Ever since the season three finale, (the episode where Castle confesses his love) name dropping has been happening at a rapid rate. In the first three seasons, we hear Beckett call Castle "Rick" like twice and we hear Castle call Beckett "Kate" like five times. (Just so you know, I didn't sit down and count- these are all hypothetical numbers.) Then in Knockout (3:24) suddenly the name dropping is EVERYWHERE. Mostly on the part of Castle. He is very worried for Beckett and it seems to drive the seriousness of the situation when he calls her "Kate". In a particularly tense scene, Castle questions their relationship and Beckett gets upset and calls him "Rick". Which is very rare. I think it threw Castle for a loop when she threw out his name so angrily (and casually).
 
So what is in the power of a name? There is a certain intimacy in a person's name, first or full. (Example of full: like when you get in trouble with your mom and you get called by your full name.) As for Castle, when a character who is only referred to by their surname gets called by their first name, it creates an intimacy (not necessarily sexual) that seems absent from before. An example is when partners Esposito and Ryan call each other by their first name- usually it's in a high intensity moment for one or both the characters- there is an intimacy, a friendship, an bond that was seemingly absent from before when they were just "Esposito" and "Ryan".

That's not to say that the bond, the intimacy, isn't there to begin with. Continuing with Ryan and Esposito, they are friends as well as partners. With Castle and Beckett, they are partners, friends, and whatever else they are (a question posed in Knockout in that aforemention tense scene). But the intimacy is made known/acknowledged/heightened by the use of their first name.

I'm not entirely sure where this post is going aside from the point I was trying to make that names are important and intimate. Also, I LOVE it when Castle calls Beckett "Kate" BUT I love it even more when Beckett calls Castle "Rick". The reason being that it's more rare for Beckett to call Castle by his first name than the vice versa.

Okay. So I think I've accomplished what I sort of set out to say on this topic. Basically, I love when Beckett and Castle call each other by their first names because it seems to intensify their relationship/the situation.

As usual, I always wonder if my posts make sense but then I realize that sometimes (most of the time) these posts are more for me than for you.

Oh! And before I leave, let me get you excited for February 6th noir-esque episode entitled "The Blue Butterfly" with this...

Love Nathan Fillion's hair like this!!

A Noir-ish Castle. Yes, please!

She's clutching at his arm!

Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. :) I got the pictures from givememyremote.com and there are more on that site if you're interested. I was!

Until Next Time,

 The Hopeless Romantic

Call Me Baby, Baby

If you've ever read this blog before, you know that I have a propensity for falling in love with Fictional Men. Ha ha. I'm sure you're rolling your eyes and nodding. Of course I fall in love with Fictional Men. That is who I am! :)

Today my Fictional Man Lover *snicker* is Chuck Bartowski. This comes from finally finishing season four of the series Chuck. The last disc was particularly... drool worthy... in my opinion. Fierce Chuck is a sight to behold and I couldn't help but fall just a little deeper and harder in love with him.

I know. I'm a little hopeless! But come on! This is all I have.

Call Me Baby, Baby

So basically, the last few episodes of season four were of an extra attractive, fierce Chuck who called Sarah "Baby". Only a certain kind of man can call a woman "Baby" without sounding condescending. Personally, I think Chuck/Zachary Levi is one of those men. Or I'm just biased.

Anyway, I was watching these episodes and I just couldn't help thinking, "You can call me baby anytime." Of course, this will never happen because... well just because. But hey, a girl can dream can't she?! Imagine this: Chuck calls me you "Baby" and then smiles his little half smile and you swoon into his arms determined to stay there forever...

...Where was I?

Oh! And this makes me think of the song "Kandi" by One Eskimo that I discovered on the season 5 finale of Bones. Which I'm going to share because I feel like it.

The moral of this post is that Chuck Bartowski (or Zachary Levi) can call me Baby anytime. :)

Yes, Please!

Until Next Time,

The Hopeless Romantic

To Watch or To Read; That is the Question

I watched Iron Man today. I truly believe that Iron Man was Robert Downey jr.'s renaissance. But that's not the point of this post... unfortunately. Today, I would like to discuss how movies that are based upon books and/or comic books make me want read the books or comic books. Usually, if you see the movie first, you don't like the book and if you read the book first you don't like the movie. This conundrum is exactly why I don't normally do both. If I've read the book, I'm less likely to see the movie because I don't want to be disappointed. When I watch the movie, I don't want to take the time to read the book because 1) the books are longer 2) the movie could be radically different than book and 3) I'm too lazy.

The reason behind my thoughts is because when I watch Iron Man there is a part of me that suddenly has the urge to read a comic book. But I know that I'll be disappointed. Mostly because in the comic books, Iron Man/Tony Stark aren't Robert Downey jr. and I love like him. Would Iron Man be the same in comic book format?

I can just imagine those die-hard comic book readers *coughSheldonCoopercough* who would be rising up in protest to argue with me. I'm not trying to start an argument with these people. For me, the question is simply that... a question. I've never really read a comic book before so I don't have any background.

Also, I'm afraid that if I read a comic book based on a something I've seen that I'll spend the whole time imagining the main character as the character is portrayed in the movie. It's causes me to pause and then I don't ever read the book and I just watch the movies... or vice versus.

Once again, I've written a post that I'm not entirely sure makes sense to anyone but me. Hmm... maybe next time I'll think about it more before just writing my thoughts as I think them.

Meanwhile....

 

Just something to get you through the night. ;)

Until Next Time,

The Hopeless Romantic

Doesn't anyone love Booth?

I was driving home from work the other day (I have 30 minute commute these days) when I started thinking about BONES. Now I'm sure there are some of you out there who are rolling your eyes and asking, "When do you not think about BONES?" My answer is this: I haven't had too much time to think about BONES as well with the fact that the hiatus has sort of taken away my BONES- centricisms. (Does that even make sense? Oh well!)

But back to the point at hand. I was thinking about BONES, more specifically last season (season six) when Seeley Booth proposed to his live-in girlfriend, Hannah. And Hannah turned him down flat with the excuse "I'm not the marrying kind." (This is paraphrased, of course.)

When this episode first aired (The Daredevil in the Mold), I will admit that I shed a couple of tears for  the spurned FBI agent as he sat at the bar with his drink. My heart broke for him. All he wants is the American Dream: A wife, 2.3 kids, and a white picket fence. But every time he goes for it, the woman in question says no; they're not the marrying kind.

Can I give him a hug?

The first time Booth asked a woman to marry him, she was pregnant with his baby and she said no. This led him to believe that she didn't think he would be a good father (and maybe husband?). His pride and his heart was shot down but he was able to pick himself up and keep moving on.

Even after breaking his heart, they walk away arm in arm.

The second time Booth put his heart on the line (this wasn't a marriage proposal but I feel that it's important enough to include) he confessed that he could see 30, 40, 50 years with his partner Dr. Temperance Brennan. She said she couldn't do it. She couldn't love him the way he loved her (once again, paraphrasing and putting my own interpretation in). This led to a bit of strain in there relationship, both personal and professional. But they got over it... but not really because Brennan, the next season, realized she had feelings for Booth. Their personal relationship suffered but they kept up their professional relationship although there was still a hint of strain around the edges.

Third time is not the charm for our beautiful Seeley Booth. Hannah flat out said no and then expected everything to remain the same. Uh, is she daft?! The man just spent a fortune on a ring and when you say no, you expect him to let you stay in his apartment knowing the whole time that you don't want to be with him for the long haul?! Hannah really was stupid! She left Booth a broken man and we were forced to wait many episodes until we saw even a smidge of the Booth we fell in love with.

Okay, so I've explained, in a nutshell, the three [most important] different times Booth has been rejected. My thought, as I drove, was why did they all say no to someone as awesome as Booth? I know that if he had proposed (or confessed that he knew we would last 30, 40, or 50 years) that I would be doing a jig as I shouted "YES! Yes, yes! A thousand times yes!"

I remember after watching "The Daredevil in the Mold" that I asked the question on twitter "Doesn't anyone love Booth?" (Yes, just as this post is titled). The answer, I have decided, is that yes. Booth is loved. And I don't mean by the fangirls of BONES. He is loved by Rebecca, Hannah, and Brennan. They just didn't love him enough to marry him (or in Brennan's case, take the step over the Partner Line and be in a relationship with him.)

I just like this scene. It think it helps move their relationship forward-ish.

What I think is awesome is that, although he was bruised and heart-broken, Booth didn't completely give up on his idea of love. He took a hiatus from is, yes. I mean, he didn't immediately become an item with Brennan even though he was now single and he knew that she had deeper feelings than just a friend and a partner. He took time to let his heart/pride heal before he even took a step closer to her. That doesn't mean he was going to be the one to make the first move. Even in the episode "The Pain in the Heart" he had his gun trained on her for longer than necessary (as a way of protecting his heart maybe?) It took her urging to finally get him to put the gun away and comfort her. He had been burned too many times to take that kind of chance again.

I keep coming back to my original question. Doesn't anyone love Booth? Or maybe it should be: Why doesn't anyone love Booth enough to marry him? This could stem from my own background of living in Utah (the marriage capital of the world!). Marriage here is a big deal and I was raised knowing that one day I would get married and start a family. And in this day and age, marriage isn't that big of a deal. Even Booth has lived with women without marrying them (Hannah and Brennan). He has a child with Rebecca and is having another one with Brennan- still not married to either one. (Why would we want him to be married to Rebecca anyway- she's icky!) ;)

What a perfect picture of domesticity. :) Yes please!

I guess the fact that Booth still wants marriage is a good sign that he still has his American Dreams. The evidence is found in season seven, episode one: "The Memories in the Shallow Grave". He and Brennan have a conversation about marriage (despite the fact that Brennan claims that she doesn't believe in marriage... but then later in the series she does say that she hasn't found a good reason to get married so maybe the previous statement has changed in her mind?). I guess this gives me hope that one day, Booth and Brennan will one day reach the ultimate goal of [many] Utahns: MARRIAGE!

If a guy (or Booth) looked at me like this...

Ha ha ha. I didn't mean for this post to be all marriage-centric. My thoughts are marriage-centric (yet!). But my mind was focused on this on my way home and I thought it would be fun to try and explore it. I'm not sure if I succeeded but it was nice to write.

 Also, I thought I'd share the awesome pictures of David Boreanaz that I saw on Bones Theory today.

*drool* ...Uh what were we talking about again?

Until Next Time,

The Hopeless Romantic.

P.S. I forgot to reference my pictures. Thanks to Sarah and Bones Theory for the awesome pictures. It makes my life so much easier!

A Dog Person

I always considered myself a "dog person". And no, I don't mean half dog half person. I'm talking someone who prefers dogs to cats or turtles or rabbits. I like dogs. They're fun, friendly, and energetic. But... they also smell weird, they shed, and (if they live inside) they have to be let out to go to the bathroom- which can be quite burdensome. Oh and they have to be trained or else they act like a wild animal...

So I guess I like the idea of a dog. I like the idea of a pet that is excited to see you and that wants to cuddle with you and be your best friend. However... I'm a little bit lazy. I don't want the hassle of a dog. I don't want the shedding and the pooping and the weird dog smell.

If it came down to if, if I ended up be an "old maid", then I would most likely get a cat.

Here's my reasoning: cats don't need attention (most of the time), they go in the litterbox (which you have to clean but for me that hassle is less than letting the dog out), they pretty much keep to themselves, and they keep the mice at bay (most of the time). Okay... these reason seem pretty lame to me but I'm sticking with them.

I'm much like a cat. (Once again, not the half cat half human version.) I don't require much attention, I keep to myself, and I go to the bathroom in... well the bathroom. My only downfall is that I don't keep mice away.

What I'm trying to say is that I relate to cats more than dogs. So perhaps I'm not as much of a dog person as I've always thought I was.

That's not to say that I'm going to just get a cat. I'm merely saying that I'd most likely get a cat before I get a dog. Why this is worth blogging, I'm not sure. I just felt like exploring this topic... besides, it's been forever since I've blogged anyway.

Until Next Time,

The Hopeless Romantic.