Twisted Sanctuary

To celebrate the final episode of the fourth season of Venice the Series, I finally got around to posting the recaps for Episodes 10 and 11! Don't forget to catch the finale later today.

But for now, catch up here with the recaps: Episode 10 and Episode 11.

Oh hai. Disappeared for four weeks, I did. Talk like Yoda for this whole thing I will not.

So I could give a litany of excuses and good reasons why I’m three – almost four! – weeks behind on this whole recap shenanigan situation, but I think I’ll just skip it and not bore you guys with the details. Suffice it to say there were reasons. It wasn’t just my usual lazy procrastination. And with that on to the recaps!

Episode Five

Episode Six

Episode Seven

Episode Eight

I will say that of these four episodes, episode 6 and episode 7 are probably my favorites of the season so far. Things that have been building for several season now come to a head and it's satisfying and frustrating in equal measures. And 5 and 8 aren't bad themselves. I'm just saying, if you haven't checked out this season of Venice yet, you should. It's well worth your time (and small amount of money).

Now live! That only took forever.

I was reminded a minute ago as I put in the title of this post how down right amazing it is that this show even exists, let alone has four full seasons so far. It seemed like a pipe dream when Crystal Chappell started talking in interviews about wanting to do her own web series. I would never have imagined that it could get this big and be this successful. It's a testament to the fans of Guiding Light who loved Otalia so much, and to the people who never even watched Guiding Light but got sucked in by something good. It's even more a testament to Ms. Chappell's talent, determination and appreciation for her fans.

I just wanted to take a minute to remember that and to appreciate it. My complaint when I was figuring out that I was gay, was that there was so little media, especially television and movies, that portrayed lesbians in a positive light and with a happy ending. I don't know if Venice is going to have a happy ending, and I sure as hell hope we don't find out soon, but I do love knowing that I don't have to worry about seeing negative, discriminatory views of gays and lesbians portrayed as the right way of thinking when I sit down to watch an episode of Venice. Love is love is love. Even when it makes me want to pull my hair out.

Venice, Season 3 Finale Recap

Well one thing you can't say is that Season 3 went out with a whimper. There were so many "bangs" (not the sexy kind) and cliffhangers in this episode. My phrase of the day was certainly "holy shit!" What I loved the most was the one thing that I didn't see coming at all. Sometimes the things that happen that way irritate me more than delight me because they seem jarring or like they don't make sense in the context of the rest of the season. This revelation was totally different. It actually made the previous episodes make even more sense. So yeah, I'm a fan.

I'm also a fan of good characters - and by that I don't mean their moral character, but how well drawn they are. And these characters are very well drawn. They breathe and live and hang on the edge of vulnerability and heartache. They make decisions and then try to sort blindly through the messy complications. It's life. With an extra shot of crazy. What's not to love? 

On a personal note, I hope y'all enjoyed this season as much as I did. Recapping these episodes this season - and the last one - was a hell of a lot of fun to do and I'm very proud and happy to have had the opportunity to do and do it right with the ladies I got to work with. 

Episode 9 Recap Blacked Out to Protest SOPA/PIPA

Odds are you’re looking for the recap of episode nine of Venice Season 3. Unfortunately, you won’t be finding it here today.

We apologize that we can’t provide the recap this evening. We know many people look forward to reading it, and we certainly enjoy sharing our discussion of the show. However, alongside many other websites, we are adhering to the Internet Blackout of January 18, 2012 to protest the possibility that Congress may adopt the bills known as SOPA and PIPA as they are currently written.

If these laws are passed, many of the things we do in creating these recaps – such as linking to film or TV clips or using screencaps to illustrate our point – would be illegal. Currently, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) provides a safe harbor for bloggers and other content providers. If we use something that is technically under copyright, the copyright holder is obligated to notify us and request that the offending item be removed from our posting. SOPA and PIPA would strip us of that protection. Additionally, though we often link to copyrighted material, we believe we have a legal right as critics to do so. SOPA and PIPA would remove our ability to argue this through due process. Our site could be removed from the internet without our ability to present a legal challenge. These bills engender censorship and create a chilling effect on creativity and innovation.

This doesn’t just apply to us. It applies to anyone who has ever linked to a film clip or a song on Facebook or Twitter. It applies to anyone who has ever spent an afternoon catching up on Bo and Carly clips or relived the magic of Otalia on YouTube or watched a fanvid. One could argue that Venice would not exist without the enormous response that Otalia created – a response that was fueled in large part by people being able to enjoy these clips over and over again. As Rysler points out, she never saw a single moment of Otalia before Guiding Light ended its run on CBS. Under these laws, that content would have been inaccessible to her once the show ended.

If you want the Internet to remain free and for “safe harbor” laws to remain in effect, we urge you to contact your US Representatives and Senators and tell them that you do not want them to support SOPA (House) or PIPA (Senate).

Do it for Otalia. Do it for yourself.

Sincerely,

Jaina, Rysler, and Kelinswriter

Venice, Season 3, Episode 7 Recap

OMG, OMG, OMG. Stop whatever you are doing and go watch Episode Seven. Right. Freaking. Now. It is good beyond words. Our recap is inadequate to express. (But you should read it anyway.) There are episodes that I have loved dearly this season for a variety of reasons. Episode One was certainly memorable; Episode Two epic and unexpected as hell; Episode Six's sad, sad day of Ani's sadness that just about killed me. Any Episode with Hilary B. Smith has been worth it's weight in hilarity. And the flashbacks...ye gads the flashbacks...they've had me laughing, gasping, heart-warmed and heart-broken by turns. 

But this had it all. This episode is a true ensemble; plot screaming forward, but never too fast to lose the characters in it; everyone in the same place on a tilt-a-whirl of revelations and explosions. This. So go, watch. Enjoy. 

Venice: Season 3, Episode 5 Recap

I don't want to hype this too much for fear of ruining your watching experience - if you haven't watched already - but I've gotta say I've heard several people so far say that this was the best episode of the season yet. And Episode One was damn good, folks. 

I think in Season 2 there was a desire to shoehorn everyone into the same episode so that we got to touch base with every character each time. And that was great. Don't get me wrong; I'm not complaining. The increase in the amount of time Jessica Leccia was on screen was amazing and awesome and wonderful. But this season is a little more measured. There's still a swirl of characters and plot in each episode, but without everyone crammed in scenes have more time to breathe and settle in, just be themselves. That's wonderful too. 

I won't spoil the episode or the recaps here, but if you've been doubting that Venice is for you, that it doesn't manage to capture the spirit and heart of Otalia while managing to stand on it's own two feet as a separate entitty, well then this is the episode for you. It proves itself as the rightful successor to Otalia and that it is a wonderful show if you've never even heard of Olivia or Natalia. It has depth and character and makes you care. It's fucking wonderful. Now go check that shit out. 

...it's times like these that make me wish we had episode names. Alas. Numbers will have to do. 

I'm under-caffeinated this morning and drinking disgustingly cold coffee. Somehow this allowed me to remember that I'd been remiss in posting the link to this week's recap. Not sure how that worked but here it is.

Venice, Season 3, Episode 3 Recap

It was a phenomenal Hillary B. Smith week and the rest of the cast brought their own awesome too! Michelle Carter was another one of my standout faves and there was even a moment that eased my perpetual missing of Olivia Spencer. 

Learn all about it after the jump...and let us know what you thought too!


Note: The site's been having some technical difficulties this week, but hopefully it will be back up soon. Please just keep checking back and apologies for the difficulties. 

It's that time of year again - Venice is back! And I'm preeeeetty sure it's better than ever. In case you've been waiting to see what the word on the street was before you invested in a subscription this year, you can now check out the recap of the first episode of this new season here: http://www.amongthewords.com/2011/11/25/recap-season-3-episode-1-2/. ;

Amongthewords.com will be the place to go throughout the rest of the season if you're interested in more of our Venice related mumblings.  

In other awesome news, if you haven't checked it out yet or you just need a refresher course, Venice Season 1 and 2 will be playing on the Venice YouTube Channel for free for the rest of Season 3. So pass the word along to friends, family and even distant relations you only see at the holidays. There's something in Venice for everyone.