Badass Ladies of the Twilight Universe: Leah Clearwater

“‘Sam told me to beg.  He told me to literally get down on my knees if I have to.  He wants you home, Lee-lee, where you belong.’

I saw Leah flinch when Jared used Sam’s old nickname for her.  And then, when he added those last three words, her hackles rose and she was yowling a long stream of snarls through her teeth.  I didn’t have to be in her head to hear the cussing-out she was giving him, and neither did he.  You could almost hear the exact words she was using.” (Breaking Dawn, 262-263)*

 One of the pleasant surprises of Breaking Dawn was the emergence of Leah as a character.  Statements and events in New Moon and Eclipse tell the reader that Leah is having a rough time of it, simultaneous to Bella’s various dramas but in the background.  Her boyfriend first becomes distant, then suddenly dumps her for her cousin.  Her father suffers a fatal heart attack.  Then she becomes a wolf.  The turmoil derived from being the only girl tied to a patriarchal tradition strikes a poignant tone when Leah’s voice becomes present in Breaking Dawn.  The “brotherhood” that we see uniting the pack in New Moon isn’t doing anything for Leah.  She knows that some members of the pack wish she would go away, but she is determined to not be ignored.  Leah’s commitment to her own thoughts and feelings make her a striking character.  I suspect that this is an unpopular opinion, but I love the unseen moment in Breaking Dawn when Leah goes into the Cullen’s house to yell at Bella.  It’s who she is – she marches into a house full of her sworn enemies to throw down with a pregnant girl.  It’s not terribly classy, but it is ballsy, and the fact that she doesn’t care about who doesn’t want to hear her opinion makes her a favorite of mine.  Just as if Edward were real, I wouldn't want to date him, if Leah were real, I would want to hang out with her.  She's got some quality snarky asides.  I like to imagine that even if Sam had ended up with Leah instead of Emily, she would have told the members of the pack to make their own damn muffins.  Stephenie Meyer has said that if she was going to continue within the Twilight universe, Leah is a potential narrator.  I, for one, would love to hear more of her voice.

*Meyer, Stephenie. Breaking Dawn. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2008. 

Badass Ladies of the Twilight Universe: Victoria

“‘Yes,’ he assured me.  ‘I’ll be very quick.  You won’t feel a thing, I promise.  Oh, I’ll lie to Victoria about that later, naturally, just to placate her.  But if you knew what she had planned for you, Bella…’ He shook his head with a slow movement, almost as if in disgust.  ‘I swear you’d be thanking me for this.’” (New Moon, 241)*

The Twilight trailers have been pushing James as the big bad villain of the story, but fans know that the threat he poses is totally dwarfed by that of his mate.  James is around for a few chapters and then he's dead – Victoria stalks Bella for half the saga.  She is frighteningly impressive in her quest for vengeance, though little-seen, ramping up from eating unsuspecting campers in the woods around Forks to her last stand, when she utilizes an army of bloodthirsty newborn vampires as a diversionary tactic.  It almost seems sometimes that she's just letting the Cullens and the wolves know that she's still around, right outside of their reaches, just to keep the anxiety level high.  Though she’s ultimately thwarted in her attempts to kill Bella, as mindreading trumps strategy in her fight with Edward, she gets pretty damn close.  One of the things I’m excited about for the movie is that the increased focus on the nomads means that Victoria should be more present as a character - as Bella notes, the fight at the end of Eclipse is the first time that we hear Victoria speak.  Rachelle LeFevre did an awesome job on Swingtown as Melinda the assertive lady stockbroker/homewrecker, and I have high hopes for her turn as the villainess who terrorizes Forks in New Moon and Eclipse. 

*Meyer, Stephenie. New Moon. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2006. 

A Semi-Idle (But Still On-Topic) Observation on Music

I was watching this week's episode of Chuck, where they used the original version of this song, and I realized when I started unthinkingly singing along that I've officially seen Boogie Nights enough times to have learned it.

I cannot help but laugh at the terrible, terrible singing and John C. Reilly bopping along manically in the background.  This is even related to the current theme, since the music on Chuck is supervised by Alexandra Patsavas, who is also the music supervisor for Twilight.  Here, she talks about the music for Chuck:

Now, initially I was unsure if the obsession would extend to the soundtrack, I was waiting to see the tracklist.  But when I heard that Patsavas was in charge, I knew it was an automatic pre-order.  Her work on shows like The O.C. and Grey's Anatomy have resulted, for me, in untold numbers of "What is that song? I must find out what it is, who sings it and how I can own it RIGHT NOW" moments.  Taking on the Twilight soundtrack is no small feat, due to Stephenie Meyer's book playlists, but the track listing shows a balance between new or different songs and some from Meyer's favorites.  Patsavas truly has a way with pairing music and other media - I'm looking forward to getting the soundtrack next week and hearing it in the film.

Badass Ladies of the Twilight Universe: Tanya, Siobhan and Zafrina

The dramatic cast of characters introduced in the final book of Breaking Dawn* are so numerous that a chart is included at the end of the book sorting them out into their respective covens.  However, the three women I've cited here (in addition to previous Badass Lady Kate) are standouts even in their relatively brief appearances.  Each acts as a leader/spokesperson for her majority- or entirely-female coven, providing a contrast to Volturi and the Cullens.  Their powerful roles also specifically play into what I see as a theme of sisterly love and trust that runs through Breaking Dawn - Bella has to place serious trust in both of her new sisters, asking Rosalie to shepherd her through her dangerous pregnancy then following Alice's cryptic instructions after her disappearance, the Volturi deliberately manipulate the sisterly bonds of the Denali coven to try to incite a fight, and the story of the Amazonian hybrids that Alice brings in to avert violence centers around sisterly love.  It all fits into what I read as a world of strong women who love and defend those about whom they care.

*I couldn't find an all-encompassing quote, so I just left it without one.

Badass Ladies of the Twilight Universe: Jane

“Jane smiled, and the girl shrieked again.  I held my breath until the sound of her agony stopped.

‘She’ll tell you anything you want to know,’ Edward said through his teeth.  ‘You don’t have to do that.’

Jane looked up, sudden humor in her usually dead eyes.  ‘Oh, I know,’ she said to Edward, grinning at him before she turned back to the young vampire, Bree.” (Eclipse, 574)*

Jane, a sadist in a little girl’s body, is the attack dog of the Volturi.  Her initial entrance is one of the most striking of the saga, striking fear into the hearts of physically massive male vampires with her mere appearance.  Jane is a distinctive character in the series as the most prominent female member of the Volturi guard, and as the possessor of an offensive (rather than defensive or passive) power that she utilizes unapologetically. The other female members of the guard who appear (Heidi, Renata, Chelsea) are interesting, but ultimately they exist more as concepts than characters, making Jane a standout. (Incidentally, this is true of most of the male members of the guard, too. Stephenie Meyer could write a great website extra from the POV of inside the Volturi guard.) New Moon is my least favorite of the four books (I find it depressing), but one of the reasons that I hope that Twilight does well enough to enable the filming of the other books is to see Jane embodied.  It could be a great role for a child actress with just the right combination of precociousness and creepiness.  Jane may be pure evil, to a degree that few other characters are in the saga, but she is also absolutely badass.

*Meyer, Stephenie. Eclipse. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2007. 

Badass Ladies of the Twilight Universe: Catherine Hardwicke

“I’ve had meetings where there were literally, like, 12 angry men in a room and me.  And even when everyone shot me down, I somehow dug in one more time.  You don’t want to be a badass and you don’t want to go in there so hard-core, but if you don’t fight for it you won’t get it and it won’t be on the screen.” (Elle, November 2008, p.351)

I like to read a lot of entertainment-focused sites because I’m a media junkie.  On more hipster-y sites like The A.V. Club, postings about Twilight frequently turn into a piling-on of dismissive smack talk.  While, as a fan who would devote myself to writing this crazy-ass treatise, I obviously disagree with this judgment, I also think that there is a fundamental aspect of the film that people outside the fandom ignore.  That aspect is director Catherine Hardwicke.  She does not make disposable cotton-candy films.  Though all of her films thus far have focused on young people, she is not a teen-movie maker in the vein of John Hughes.  While I like Hughes’ teen opuses as much as the next person, they ultimately are focused on similar kinds of kids in essentially the same suburban environment.  Hardwicke’s films – Thirteen, Lords of Dogtown, The Nativity Story and now Twilight – take place in different environments and eras, drawing from different source materials.  The first three, which I watched this summer, all strike at a universality in the experience of youth and finding one’s way to adulthood.  Her work on Lords of Dogtown is particularly confidence-inspiring: like Twilight, Lords of Dogtown invited comparisons with a popular source material, in that case the critically acclaimed documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys.  Actors seem to genuinely love her, as do her creative collaborators.  The trailers thus far have looked beautiful - I can’t wait to see what she’s done with Twilight. 

Badass Ladies of the Twilight Universe: Kate

“‘Maybe,’ Kate said, her face suddenly serious.  ‘Maybe it only works on the weak or the young.  I’m not sure.  You look strong, though.  Perhaps you could withstand my gift.’  She stretched her hand out to him, palm up – a clear invitation.  Her lips twitched, and I was pretty sure her grave expression was an attempt to hustle him.

Garrett grinned at the challenge.  Very confidently, he touched her palm with his index finger.

And then, with a loud gasp, his knees buckled and he keeled over backward.  His head hit a piece of granite with a sharp cracking noise.” (Breaking Dawn, 624-625)*

There was a time last year when I was among a group of friends discussing what superpowers we would like to have, and I literally could not think of one.  I ran through the standard Heroes types – flying, mind-reading, etc., but I just couldn’t find one that I really, truly wanted.  (I eventually settled on "a heightened sense of grace." I'm not sure that I identify much with Bella as a character, but the clumsiness is one thing that I know from personal experience.  In the past few years, I've walked full speed into a fire hydrant, gotten a heel stuck in the crack between sidewalk slabs, and fallen part-way down an escalator.) However, after reading Breaking Dawn, I know what power I want.  I want Kate’s power. Among the not-insubstantial cast of new characters introduced in that book, Kate stands out as a woman who knows her own power, and isn't afraid to use it.  I mean, for real, being a human taser would just be so righteous. 

*Meyer, Stephenie. Breaking Dawn. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2008.

Badass Ladies of the Twilight Universe: Maria

“They were putting together an army, and going about it more carefully than was usual.  It was Maria’s idea.  She wanted a superior army, so she sought out specific humans who had potential.  Then she gave us much more attention, more training than anyone else had bothered with.  She taught us to fight, and she taught us to be invisible to the humans.” (Eclipse, 295-296)*

In Stephenie Meyer’s mythology, life as a southern vampire is kill or be killed.  In Jasper’s account of his early years warring in the south in Eclipse, he introduces his vampire creator, Maria.  She’s not a major character – she only really exists as Jasper describes her, but I included her because I think that she’s an example of the way that women function in the wider vampire world of the Twilight universe – that is, no differently from men.  As recounted in the quote, Maria took the initiative to improve the way that the super-violent wars for the blood supply were fought.  And, even more badass, she’s mentioned as a possible contact for the fight at the end of Eclipse, which means that nearly 150 years after “recruiting” Jasper, she’s still down south doing her thing. 

*Like a good academic: Meyer, Stephenie. Eclipse. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2007.

Countdown Special

As a previous post indicates, I am way excited about the Twilight movie.  As a way to celebrate the fact that there is only one month left to its release (eeee!!!) I wanted to write something that I've been thinking about since this summer.  I began reading Twilight in the middle of June, and very soon found myself deeply addicted.  As I ventured online to find fixes for my new addiction, I found some interesting things.  First, that I am not a typical Twilight fan.  For one thing, I'm twenty-two.  More importantly, though, if Edward Cullen were a real person, I would not want to date him.  I love the saga, but he is not my ideal man and I would never want to have the kind of relationship that he and Bella have.  (This is one of the reasons why I love the Twilight Guy - his reading of the series operates outside of an idealization of Edward, which can get a little tedious in the fandom.)  Second, I discovered that there are people who believe that the series is anti-feminist, largely based on the circumstances surrounding Bella.  These accusations were further vocalized following Bella's dangerous pregnancy in Breaking Dawn.  As someone who unequivocally considers herself a feminist, I was surprised by this contention.  If you want to argue that the books are hetero-normative, then you've got a case.  But anti-feminist?  Now I don't know that I have the time or energy to deconstruct Bella - I think that Stephenie Meyer's own response to this argument is thought-provoking at the very least, so I'll let that stand until I feel like stalling instead of doing Masters work again.  However, I could put a finger on what bothered me most about these arguments - by focusing solely on Bella, people were ignoring the rich cast of characters surrounding her.

Thus, an idea was born - Badass Ladies of the Twilight Universe.  Bella doesn't exist in a vacuum, and there are savvy, independent, and awesome heroines and villainesses alike who populate the world around her.  Like I said above, I don't particularly love Edward.  I do love the richness of the characters that Meyer has created - they live and breathe on the page.  

This was going to be one post, but then it started to exceed the length of the last paper I wrote, so I'm going to divide it up over the next however many days it takes.  I hope it will be a tribute to the mythical universe that has dominated my life like a meth addiction over the past few months.  

Just for Fun

Not like I forgot, but Jason Segel (as Marshall) mentioning John Bonham on How I Met Your Mother reminded me of how much I love Freaks and Geeks, particularly this scene:

I still think this is one of the funniest things I've ever seen on television. When it first aired, I was rolling on the floor laughing. Even now, approaching ten years from that original airing, I can't help but mimic Nick's gestures every time I hear "Lady." Hilarious.

OMG You Guys

I feel like there's no way that this could POSSIBLY live up to the unnatural level of hype I've built up in my head, but it looks so good. I cannot contain my teenybopper fangirl glee. There is no shame. Only obsession.

Twilight HD Exclusive Trailer

I actually think that the movie might improve on the story, simply by virtue of getting outside of Bella's head. Certainly, we should hear the words "perfect" and "angel" less frequently, which can only be a good thing.

Also, I'm totally jazzed that my favorite uber-cheesy line from the book made it in. "You are my life now."?! Who says things like that? I LOVE IT!

So Wrong

So I was watching this show online and this was the commercial repeated during that show:

So wrong! Not only does this look like significantly less fun than Rock Band, but the choice of song as relates to the concept of "Ultimate Bass" is no good. Maybe I'm being a semi-obsessive fangirl, but you, bass player, should not be jamming out. You should be standing off to the side, gazing with a half-bored, half-bemused expression at those flailing around you, as though wondering how you fell in with this band of psychopaths.

I mean, come on now.