Twisted Sanctuary

It's recap time!

Episode 9 is here. It's queer and full of cheer. Not! This season remains a parade of angst and (characters') bad decisions, but it's still good drama!

Check it out here if you haven't already and you can find your Episode 9 recap right over here.

...Only it was two days ago, so that's totally different.

With no further ado, I give you might slightly manic and crazy thoughts for today's Venice the Series episode, this being the fourth of the season.

Venice the Series: Season 4, Episode 4 Recap and Commentary.

But mainly, I can't not say, what the heck were you thinking, Gina? I'll leave at that so as not to spoil, but seriously. Must. Watch.

Go now!

After a year and a half, we finally have new Venice! It picks up right where it left off with Owen and scissors! Check it out for yourself and then come check out my thoughts on this first episode. I'll be discussing Venice over there all season long.

HERE THERE BE SPOILERS...for the promo. As I know of no actual The Grove spoilers.

( Squeeing fangirly thoughts on the promo )
If you're interested in seeing more about The Grove, be sure and check out their website. There's a plot summary and character guide available. The number of big name soap stars (amazing actors) working on this project is ridiculous and I for one CANNOT wait to get to see this thing. 

...I need a Nico/Ivy icon. /dreamy sigh

And this is just a tiny clip, a moment that didn't even make it into the season. But good holy hot damn. It is smoking hot. And it's not just that. Their chemistry leaps of the screen and fries my damn brain. 

Venice, Season 3, Episode 11, Recap

I can't believe the penultimate episode of the season is here already! It feels like just yesterday that this season started and the day before that when we (or I!) were all wondering if Venice would even happen at all. And this season has not disappointed in the slightest. The cast is AMAZING, the scenery - and show - is jaw-droppingly gorgeous and the plot is rich and full of vivid bright emotion that pulls me in...just to stun me with a laugh in the next instant.

So check it out: Episode 11.

I went back to school. I am taking...thinks hard...six classes: "Strategies for Success" (which is bullshit, don't get me started), "Intro to Inorganic Chemistry", "World Literature II" (fun times!), "Microeconomics", "US History II", and last but not least "Sociology". I say not least. In all fairness I really don't like that one. But I don't really think that's the point. :D 

Three of which are online courses. So I've been fairly slammed since the first of January. I haven't forgotten about the last piece of "5 Things Natalia Rivera Never Thought She'd See". It's back from the beta and everything. I just need to find the time to make the changes. Right now my spare time is pretty much going to watching Once Upon a Time, Castle, Grey's and Venice. And writing the Venice recap. But whenever that lets up or my classes suddenly, magically become easier I'll make those changes (or maybe after Venice disappears in two very sad weeks). At which point y'all will have totally forgotten about the fic anyway and couldn't care less. My bad. And the Christmas fic should get posted some time around July. Fun times! 

Anyway, that would be the state of the Jaina as it pertains to fandom. And my free time. 

Did I mention we're doing construction at my house also? And that the internet which is necessary for online classes has been intermittent at best? Mostly down. Also I'm allergic to sawdust. 

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.