Episode 4 Review
September 13, 2014
This episode is where the two parts of Alina come crashing together. The past Alina with all of her mistakes, and the present Alina trying to make good. This episode is good in featuring Michael. Kris McRonney really gets a chance to show off his skills, as he’s the character taking control of everything around him. Whether intentional or not, he’s manipulating both Alina and Dane.
The flashback sequences in this episode are well timed, giving further context to scenes playing out. The lighting and cinematography in these scenes with Michael and Alina are stunning. These are dark moments for her, and they’re exclusive to Michael. When Alina returns to Dane she starts to recover, and it’s as if nothing happened.
It’s interesting to note in terms of Alina when she has agency, with Dane she takes the lead in the relationship. This includes everything from the important moments, the sex, and moving onto the next serious step.
Consequently, despite how Alina still wants everything to move forward with Dane she’s pulled by her past. As both Dane and Michael scramble to have more agency, whether it’s through honest means or not. All of the stories come together, including Alina’s. Now this is where Alina becomes separated from the men’s storylines, and her pictures (mentioned in the previous episode) surface again.
One important thought of discussion is Alina’s pictures. In the previous episode, Alina claims her pictures have artistic value, but her former employer act as if these pictures are some form of pornography. This discussion comes up a lot over the years in the entertainment industry with leaked naked photos of various celebrities. Just because a model, an actress, or any other woman (because it’s always a women) has naked pictures doesn’t mean they have to be sexualized. What happened to appreciating the female form in art? What happened to celebrating the female form in itself? In the scene where Alina’s pictures are referenced once again not only is she presumed sexualized, but also everyone who sees them shames her body.
I bet a person could take these pictures, with Alina’s permission of course, and put them up in an art gallery. They’d have great artistic value to the right circle of educated people.
I’d love to see this backstory, a story that’s exclusively Alina’s, played out for the audience. Alina is victimized over and over again for just for showing too much skin. A concept that’s all too familiar for too many women.
The flashback sequences in this episode are well timed, giving further context to scenes playing out. The lighting and cinematography in these scenes with Michael and Alina are stunning. These are dark moments for her, and they’re exclusive to Michael. When Alina returns to Dane she starts to recover, and it’s as if nothing happened.
It’s interesting to note in terms of Alina when she has agency, with Dane she takes the lead in the relationship. This includes everything from the important moments, the sex, and moving onto the next serious step.
Consequently, despite how Alina still wants everything to move forward with Dane she’s pulled by her past. As both Dane and Michael scramble to have more agency, whether it’s through honest means or not. All of the stories come together, including Alina’s. Now this is where Alina becomes separated from the men’s storylines, and her pictures (mentioned in the previous episode) surface again.
One important thought of discussion is Alina’s pictures. In the previous episode, Alina claims her pictures have artistic value, but her former employer act as if these pictures are some form of pornography. This discussion comes up a lot over the years in the entertainment industry with leaked naked photos of various celebrities. Just because a model, an actress, or any other woman (because it’s always a women) has naked pictures doesn’t mean they have to be sexualized. What happened to appreciating the female form in art? What happened to celebrating the female form in itself? In the scene where Alina’s pictures are referenced once again not only is she presumed sexualized, but also everyone who sees them shames her body.
I bet a person could take these pictures, with Alina’s permission of course, and put them up in an art gallery. They’d have great artistic value to the right circle of educated people.
I’d love to see this backstory, a story that’s exclusively Alina’s, played out for the audience. Alina is victimized over and over again for just for showing too much skin. A concept that’s all too familiar for too many women.
