Netflix’s resident Evil is now out and although it’s not based on any of the games, it does connect to the games. resident Evil is basically a sequel to a bunch of the games, albeit it’s relatively selective about the ones that it chooses to pull from. This is mostly due to the fact that Albert Wesker is alive in the series and he “died” in Resident Evil 5. It’s hard for the series to lean too hard into Resident Evil Village or something more recent since Wesker is uninvolved with it, even if Umbrella at large has some tie to every game in the mainline series. With all of that said, for those who haven’t played the games or need a bit of a refresher, we’ve tried to establish how the Netflix series connects and calls back to the games.

The biggest plot point, aside from Albert Wesker being a-ok all these years later, is what happened in Raccoon City. The TV series takes place in an idealistic town called “New Raccoon City”. It’s basically the manifestation of the “What society would look like if…” meme that features an image of a perfect futuristic city. New Raccoon City is located in South Africa and is far away from the original city which was nuked off the face of the Earth, but that’s not public knowledge because it was a giant disaster. Raccoon City was essentially ground zero for the Resident Evil universe and was the setting for the first three Resident Evil games (though the first game is more on the outskirts of the city).

Ultimately, Umbrella was responsible for a virus getting loose in the city, creating monsters and zombies. It was intended to be contained by destroying the city, but obviously there are more Resident Evil games and now a TV show, so the problem remains. To most of the characters in the show, they’ve been told Raccoon City was destroyed by a big gas leak and there was nothing more to it beyond that. Of course, Jade and Billie find out that this was a big cover up later, but that’s not the only big revelation.

In episode 5, the two sisters investigate their home while Albert Wesker is gone to try and find clues about what’s really going on. After finding a secret basement, they discover a video recording of their dad in traditional Albert Wesker attire in some sort of prison with an Umbrella agent. It’s then revealed that he’s there to see Lisa Trevor, an iconic and tragic character from the first game. She was kidnapped along with her mother and aggressively experimented on by Umbrella, leading to her mother’s death. Lisa’s reaction to a strain of a virus granted her superhuman strength, but further experiments caused her to deteriorate. She eventually began ripping off faces and collecting them, not dissimilar to someone like Leatherface. It’s likely the footage seen in the Netflix series is just yet another example of Umbrella testing things on poor Lisa.

Albert eventually catches Jade and Billie in his secret lab and begins to steadily reveal information to both them and the audience. By the end of the series, it’s revealed that the Albert Wesker we’ve been following is not technically the one we saw in the games… he’s a clone! What a twist! That part is new to the Resident Evil lore, so we won’t go too deep into it here, but the “real” Albert Wesker was burnt alive in a volcano at the end of Resident Evil 5. He died in battle with Chris Redfield and Sheva Almoar after exposing himself to Uroboros, a new virus strain.

The only other truly significant connections to the games, aside from some Easter Eggs like Resident Evil 4‘s Chainsaw Man making an appearance, are major characters being referenced. Ada Wong is the most significant as Albert sends his children to see her in Japan at the end of this season. It’s unclear who will play her or how she will fit in, but she is a spy and pops in and out of the various games. She’s often the one who ties up loose ends, shines more light on some of the mysteries and conspiracies in the games, and is a general badass. If a season 2 of resident Evil happens, it’s likely she’ll be a standout.

Dr. William Birkin is also mentioned at a few points in the show and he’s basically the one we can thank for… everything, really. Aside from Umbrella as a general entity, he’s responsible for the Raccoon City outbreak as he injected himself with the G-Virus and became a mutated beast while also breaking vials of the T-Virus, unleashing it on rats and the water supply, causing a large outbreak.

Finally, Evelyn Marcus’ father, James Marcus, is mentioned quite frequently as a person of power at Umbrella. Marcus is one of the founders of Umbrella, but was essentially ousted and erased from the company’s history after he took things a bit too far in his experiments. It’s certainly a bit ironic given where Umbrella ended up and the state of the world post-James Marcus.

With all of that said, resident Evil has a lot of callbacks and connections to the games despite it appearing to feeling completely unrelated on the surface. Whether or not the series will have the opportunity to go forth on expanding on these ideas remains to be seen. If this show gets multiple seasons, it doesn’t seem out of the question that series protagonists Chris Redfield and Leon Kennedy could appear, but we’ll just have to wait and see.

Have you watched resident Evil? If so, what did you think of it? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @Cade_Onder.

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<p>The post How it Connects to the Games first appeared on harchi90.</p>

Netflix’s new rendition of persuasionwhich premiered Friday, has already been taking a lot of hits for its use of anachronistic language. Why? Plenty of other Jane Austen adaptations take the anachronistic route—see Clueless or Fire Island—and have been met with critical acclaim. But while this persuasion blends Regency-era gowns with 2020s-styled language (a la Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette), it’s a far cry from the joys of the Taylor Swift-soundtracked Bridgerton.

persuasion‘s anachronisms, however, comprise the kinds of phrases you’d find scattered on a wine mom’s Facebook wall or overhear at a sorority pregame, where one of the girls can’t stop whining about her ex. The Netflix movie has lost the delight of those modern Austen re-imaginings by not being original enough. Yet the movie has somehow also strayed too far from Austen’s light to succeed.

“It is often said that if you’re a ‘5’ in London, you’re a ’10’ in Bath,” one character says, in complete earnest, near the beginning of the film. This joke is far too outdated even on the internet, where it was definitely stolen from, to ink into a script right beside some of Austen’s most beautiful lines about heartbreak and loss.

Defenders have ranted about the “Austen police,” who purportedly shoot down any adaptations of her books that aren’t as grand as the original novels. But even I, someone who has only read a lick of the acclaimed author but watched the very popular films based on her work, felt persuasion was a disgrace. If youngsters discover Austen through persuasion, good. Hopefully, though, it won’t remain their favorite take on the story for very long.

On top of the gonzo anachronisms—including “he’s just not that into you” phrases and fleabag impressions—Dakota “The Face of Someone Who Knows What an iPhone Is” Johnson is an uncharismatic Anne Elliot, and both of her suitors (Cosmo Jarvis as Captain Wentworth and Henry Golding as Mr. Elliot ) have so little tension with her that I wished they’d cast horny reality dating show contestants instead. Not really. Still: There were better actors to play these roles. (Sarah Snook, Joel Fry—I will avenge you.)

The dialogue is bad, but then, so is the whole movie. So, just as any snarky Jane Austen heroine might, I thought it my duty to round up the worst-of-the-worst of Netflix’s persuasion.

Thirty, Flirty, and Thriving: When we meet Dakota Johnson’s Anne Elliot, she tells us she’s “single and thriving”—as a joke, because she’s so clearly perishing. Was there not a better way to joke about her mental state here? “Thriving” is so 2015. That’s not 2022, nor is it 1817.

Wine Mom Alert: From the moment the film starts, there are wine mom moments to be had. First, Anne tells us she’s been coping by “lying face down on my bed,” drinking lots of wine, and taking the hottest baths. OK, girl, give us nothing! Yes to Netflix constantly glorifying alcoholism as “self care!” Later, Anne’s sister asks how she would dance to Beethoven. “Alone, in my room, with a bottle of red,” she groans. Again, a dated wine mom routine that has no place in 2022 or 1817—or, really, ever.

He’s Just Not That Into You: “I don’t think she’s his type,” another girl gossips to Anne. I don’t recall what or who this was about, but this phrasing infuriated me. We’re not getting into “types” in a Jane Austen movie.

She’s a 10 But She Liked persuasion (2022): As aforementioned, there’s the “If you’re a 5 in London, you’re a 10 in Bath” quote that has been circulating. What we haven’t seen is the fact that the movie doubles down on this joke. Later, chatting about Mr. Elliot, Anne says, “He is a 10. I can never trust a 10.” It wasn’t funny the first time, but the second time, I did have a laugh—only at how bonkers the straight-faced statement was.

Cut the Music: The movie’s score—composed by Rupert Coulson—is not frilly or fun, nor is it dramatic or melancholy. It sounds like the fluttering chords you’d hear in The Great British Baking Show: light, airy, unfocused, and all of a sudden, over-the-top when any slight drama occurs. It is either following the story too much, or it has veered off completely, nose-diving into the baking tent around two centuries over.

“I Am an Empath!” Anne’s sister, Mary (Mia McKenna-Bruce), shouts, talking about being unable to spend time with her children if they’re in pain. “Empath” belongs on TikTok and Twitter, and barely at that. Not in the Regency Era!

More Wine Mom: “Perfect,” Anne says directly at us, fleabag-style, as she takes a glug of wine, upset about how her life is playing out after a long day. Poor Anne. (And poor us.)

Sorority Girl Grieving Her Breakup at a Pre-Game: “We’re worse than strangers. We’re exes,” Anne says to the audience, as she breaks everything off with Wentworth. Later: “Now, we’re worse than exes. We’re friends.” Did the screenwriters forget to annotate the best quotes as they were reading persuasion in preparation for the movie? Is that why they came up with these embarrassing cliches instead?

Self Care: Anne’s sister, who likely ties in the ranking with Anne for cringiest quotes, is trying to better herself. “How do I prioritize self care with everyone around me constantly bidding for my attention?” she asks. I like the sentiment of this quote, but god, drop the “self care” bit, especially in an era when such a concept just did not exist. The wine mom bit is enough.

The Sorority Girl Pre-Game Continues: “You will rally, and you will be happy again!” Anne shouts to herself near the middle of the film—but perhaps, in her mind, she’s really in the bathroom of a frat party, staring at herself in the mirror and holding a White Claw.

That Final Wink: the fleabag of it all, in persuasion, is so jarring. By that, I don’t just mean the brown-haired British girl mopery and sexual drama; the entire film dabbles in inconsistent fourth wall-breaking. Sometimes, Anne is breaking the fourth wall every other sentence. Then, for a whole half hour, she’ll pretend we aren’t here. There’s no purpose for this gimmick. It does not improve the story in any way; rather, it is merely a technique used to lure fleabag fans (like myself).

But in the end, persuasion delivers one of its most heinous bits. As she’s sucking face with her final choice between suitors—and yes, Anne does use the term “sucking face” in the movie—Anne glances back at us. It’s creepy. And then she winks. horrifying I had to shut the movie off 10 seconds before the credits started playing.

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<p>The post Netflix’s ‘Persuasion’ Austen Adaptation Is Physically Painful to Watch first appeared on harchi90.</p>

Comedian and actor Jak Knight died on Thursday night. He was 28 years old.

Knight’s family confirmed the news to Deadline, saying Knight died in Los Angeles. No cause of death was given.

Knight was best known for co-creating and starring in Peacock’s comedy series “Bust Down” alongside Chris Redd, Langston Kerman, and Sam Jay.

He also starred in the hit Netflix animated series “Big Mouth” where he played middle school student DeVon. Knight served as a writer on the show for five seasons.

Knight’s career-defining achievement was in the world of stand-up. He toured globally and became a well-known comic in Europe. In 2018, Knight was invited to star in Netflix’s special dubbed “The Comedy Lineup.”

Tributes poured in after the sad news of his death came to light, with Comedy Central calling Knight a “hysterical and honest comedian” in a tribute.

“Jak Knight was a hysterical and honest comedian. We will miss him tremendously,” the network tweeted.

Comedian Tim Dillon paid his respects on twitter, writing, “We taped Netflix specials together years ago. He was an incredibly funny original voice in comedy and a great guy who will be sorely missed.”

Actor Kumail Nanjiani tweeted, “Rest In Peace Jack Knight. Hilarious comedian and a great guy. I can’t believe it.”

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<p>The post Jak Knight, stand-up comedian and ‘Bust Down’ star, dead at 28 first appeared on harchi90.</p>