Sunday, December 7, 2014

Macbeth's Royal Netflix Binge

Macbeth:

In the name of Dunsinane,
I proclaim for all a Netflix binge
that shall be remembered for centuries.
For generations they shall recall
those quintessential characters at once develop'd,
and amongst thy strongest fictional addiction
thou couldst love and be loved so dearly.


In the name of that great royal tyrant, Macbeth,
I announce a Netflix binge.
But which shows, you may inquire,
would the ambitious, murderous king desire?

1. Supernatural


First and foremost, Macbeth would adore Supernatural. Supernatural is a TV series that centers around two brothers, Sam and Dean Winchester, as they brawl against all things paranormal, undead, and, obviously, supernatural.  These boys grew up fighting this good fight, but as the series progresses, the clear-cut, black-and-white lines surrounding morality begin to blur. Both boys find themselves on tumultuous pathways of impending doom, and yet they still constantly battle back to maintain their senses of right and wrong.

Macbeth would obsess over Supernatural because of its audacity when dealing with ghosts, demons, and monsters. Losing one's mind after seeing imaginary daggers and the ghost of an old, dear friend could not have been easy; therefore, Macbeth would take comfort in a show filled with paranormal activity. It would make him feel less insane in the days leading up to his usurpation.

2. Beauty and the Beast


Beauty and the Beast, though monumentally more gruesome than the Disney movie, is an awesome TV series about a young woman named Catherine Chandler. Cat is an aspirational detective for the New York Police Department, and when she was just a teenager, she witnessed the murder of her own mother. However, she survived her mother's attackers with the help of an anonymous vigilante-- a man that she would meet years later named Vincent Keller. Vincent, upon receiving the news of his brothers' deaths during the 9/11 attacks on the twin towers, decided to join the military. Once enlisted, he decides to participate in an experiment that is supposed to transform him into a super soldier. Instead, it turns him into an uncontrollable monster. With Cat's help, Vincent will learn to harness his abilities and operate as New York's vigilante.

Macbeth would recommend this show because of the parallels that he could draw between himself and Vincent. After one lapse of judgement, they both became killers. After that first kill, they

could not stop killing, because what was the point? However, Vincent is redeemed through his love for Catherine. Seeing this, Macbeth could hope that one day, he too, could be reconciled.

3. A Knight's Tale


This is the story of a young, ambitious, short-tempered medieval knight. William Thatcher, an impoverished peasant, finds himself at a loss when his elderly master passes away. Then, pushed by a nagging need for food and childhood dream of glory, William masquerades as an honorable knight on a journey to compete in jousting and swordplay tournaments in order to fill his and his companions' empty stomachs. Along the way, he will befriend future-king Edward and, not quite as we might imagine him to be, Geoffrey Chaucer.

Macbeth would spend his binge time drooling over Heath Ledger in A Knight's Tale because of the connections he would be able to make between William Thatcher's nobility and his own previous chivalry. Before being goaded by his wife into killing King Duncan, Macbeth was an honorable knight willing to fight for his country. This movie would remind him of his glory days.



4. Scandal


In this suspenseful, enticing, enthralling TV drama, Olivia Pope owns and operates a crisis management firm. That is, when the latest publicity scandal is released, Olivia Pope is the one to call to mop up your public image. Amidst her fiercely competitive personality, demanding career, and complicated relationship with the president of the United States, she must solve everyone else's unimaginably convoluted problems.

Although Macbeth may have originally written-off this series as a silly chick-flick, he was seriously mistaken. In fact, he has learned many crucial crisis cover-up techniques from the ingenious Olivia Pope and her associates. While not a good thing, many of his deceptions were based off of Olivia's ideas. While Macbeth is not the mastermind she is, he could attempt to learn how to cover-up his murders. At the very least, he could remember to leave behind the murder weapon like he was supposed to. This goes to show you that Macbeth is simply an amateur murderer, and not very successful in his attempts at concealment.