What's With The Heigl Hate?

A vitriolic response to Katherine Heigl's new television show State of Affairs shows an ugly penchant for online lynching when viewers decide a high profile actress is no longer "nice".

The trailers looked promising, but interest in the series was sidelined by horror at the rampant anti-Heiglism on display. Online reviews dripping with scathing (and often personal) sentiments started breeding like Tribbles. Opinions on the program itself seemed secondary, reviewers reveling in the opportunity to go Mean Girls on Heigl's ass.

Heigl Hate is in full effect, and from what I can gather the vitriol is fueled (and defined acceptable) by the American viewer’s belief Heigl isn't a "nice" person. From sweetheart to bitch in the public eye, Heigl’s no longer allowed a seat at the A table.

The "nice" issue that women face in today's world is often pondered; regardless of how you wile away the years, being "nice" is (more often than not) paramount. Fail to be perceived as nice, especially in the public eye, and you will invariably professionally suffer. Nothing highlights this more than Heigl's online takedown when she dared step back into the public eye after a brief hiatus. 

 Scroll through the comments on reviews of her new television show online and you'll see Heigl's makeup, hair, and clothing criticized. You'll see her face criticized. She's criticized for wearing heels on the show. Then criticized for wearing flats. And that's before you even hit twitter, where the Heigl Hate really amps up... Boy, do they get personal.

It’s okay, though. We might never have met the woman, and it seems kind of weird some of her past castmates stand firmly by her (I mean, if she was so awful, wouldn't they all shunning the she-devil?), but the media's made it clear she is not nice. Saying horrible things about an actress is totally excusable if she’s, you know, not friendly. Or something. Continue lynching without qualm.

 The form her "bad character" takes, for those who are curious, is a penchant for expressing opinions. Intelligent and articulate, Heigl chose to leave popular television series Grey's Anatomy and was known for commenting on the quality of the scripts. (Something I agreed with wholeheartedly, unlike the majority.) She described a film she appeared in, Knocked Up, as sexist. She's also cited as being difficult and demanding on set. (To be fair, many actors are described as divas at some stage; these kind of claims make for spicy press.)

To my mind, the hate for Heigl doesn't quite match the reasoning. Aside from having an "outspoken" reputation, her record's clean. No kitten kicking or yelling at other people's kids. As a star of romantic comedies, was projecting a "sweet" demeanor implied in her job description? If so, it appears she didn’t get the memo, and the fallout’s lasting YEARS. 

I won't lie; I like Katherine Heigl (although even holding this opinion feels slightly risque right now). In past interviews it appeared she was speaking honestly, possibly too bluntly for the PR machine, but that was part of the allure. She sounded intelligent, funny, and had opinions she wanted to express that were interesting (and that I often agreed with). 

 Remember when, in the Heigl Heyday, she refused to lose weight to suit the standard Hollywood starlet requirements, standing firm on positive body issue endorsement in response to veiled (and not so veiled) comments? Ah, those were the days.

Now, of course, Camp Heigl's been forced into damage control. All they can do is try to rebrand. Not surprisingly, these attempts aren't going too well. Once the audience has a villain in sight, they're not letting go of the idea, however misguided. Recent photos of the actress on set with her kids were met with condescending sneers all over the web. The general consensus? Online sniggering as Heigl "tried" to "prove" she was a "nice" person. As if it's too late; as if we, the viewing public, are now in the know, and cannot be fooled again. 

There's a sad lesson to be learned here. For a pretty actress in Hollywood (especially one with a rom-com history), being perceived as nice is apparently the most important "skill" on your resume. Criticizing elements of the process of your craft is strictly prohibited.

Just smile for the cameras, Katherine, dim that impression of intelligence right down, start pretending you love everything about every script you come across, and maybe one day (if you're lucky), America will forgive you.

The 100 : Fog of War Recap (season 2 Episode 6)

Okay, I don't usually do photo recaps, or episode recaps, but since it's December, which is practically Christmas, I decided to blog something fun. And what could be more fun than lighthearted comments/jokes about a dark dystopian drama? Am I right, or am I right?

So the latest episode of The 100 (Season 2 Episode 6) is titled Fog of War, but could easily have been titled Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (While Leading) due to the outstanding equality on this show.

First up, the episode starts with a reminder of some stuff that's happened, like when the Mountain Men threw a forest rave for The 48 with laser pointers and everything, and the whole scene got wayyyy too wild:

Then there was Clarke's post-party comedown:

We were reminded of Jasper and Maya's attempts to hang out (dystopian dating sucks) and Jasper's clueless offer to replace her blood with his own radiation-proof red liquid gold. Although to be fair, the Mount Weatherians did give him chocolate cake, so they pretty much own his SOUL.

The episode begins two days after the village massacre. The time jump is appreciated, because, seriously, small talk is tough when you've just murdered your neighbors. (Betting that walk back to camp was awk-ward.) 

Here we are, at Camp Jaha (and yes, it is so entertaining).

Apparently the adults brought a bar with them. (Respect). And apparently a currency is already in place. #grownuppriorities 

Clarke's working on another map of Mount Weather. At first glance I thought she'd written "damn", like she was annoyed, and assumed the Ark-ers are mad Facebook users who can't spell. Then I realized Clarke meant an actual dam... my bad.

The crew's just chillin'. You know. Hangin' out.

Finn drops by, cleared of charges. (The Ark's never boasted a reliable justice system.) Avoiding talking about mass murder proves tough, and the mood turns awkward, so Bellamy bails. 

Of course, then Murphy shows up, making things AWKWARDER. Turns out sociopaths don't have rockin' social skills...

Luckily Raven comes over with some game-changing news. But first she makes it clear Murphy isn't welcome at the cool table.

She also tells Clarke the Mountain Monsters are jamming the radios, but all I hear is:

The girls get BUSTED planning an expedition to destroy Mount Weather's communications array thanks to the spying eyes of the mean security lady (creeper). 

We're expecting our dynamic duo to be grounded (get it?) but Mama Chancellor doesn't veto the plan; instead, she says she's coming along for the ride! ROAD TRIP.

Mount Weather Update: Cut to a quick and ever-so-creepy Mountain Monster's power trio convo about sucking The 47's blood. 

I can't even post a pic of Dante's son, who should be wearing a t-shirt that says, "I AM AN ACTUAL VAMPIRE" or Doctor Von Non-Humanity, who desperately needs a psychiatrist, because they freak me out too much.

President Dante surprises us all by proving to be a tad less creepy. Rather than rounding up The 47 like cattle, he wants to try the road less traveled (that would be the dirt track marked Not Violating Human Rights).

While Abby, Clarke, and co are busy trekking to Mount Weather, we cut to Kane and Jaha who are once again facing certain death. (These guys. Deja vu or what?) Today, detention for the Past Chancellor's Club is being held in the subway.

The Grounders take the opportunity to showcase their fashion motto: Go Hard, Go Apocalyptic, or Go Home. These besties know how to make a style statement. (I won't lie; the vibe's a little Single White Male.)

Kane's convinced he's going to actually die this time, but Jaha's all super-chill.

Turns out the Grounders want Jaha and Kane to kill each other, mostly because of this*.

Jaha tries to make friends with Grounder girl Lexa (placed in the corner to let the guards know when Kane and Jaha finish their No Holds Barred tournament to the death) but she's not uber chatty.

Back at Mount Weather, Jasper gets lots of presents. Think Christmas, if Santa were the kind of guy to demand a blood tribute. Dante tries to enlist Jasper's help in convincing The 47 to donate their magic space plasma.

Outside the mountain, Abby discovers Bellamy and Octavia (go team!) have snuck off to find a way into the mountain. She sends security to bring them back. Meanwhile, Finn isn't happy that everyone wants to take his fave toy away from him. 

Then the acid fog shows up. And one of the security guys, well...

Abby and Raven are ok though. Somehow.

Meanwhile, Clark and Finn are safe in the bunker, and I don't want to go into it but...

Sometimes the elephant in the room isn't just metaphorical; here The 100 writers opt for an actual corpse. Finn tries to cover up his crime (literally).* 

*Too sad for a picture.

Bellamy, Octavia, and the security guys have taken shelter from the acid fog in an underground car park. At this point, security guy Scott makes a really bad life choice.

Things continue to suck at the bunker (let's not go there). I will say Clarke got her dad's watch back, but as far as gifts go, it was expensive, at a cost of, oh, around 19 lives? :(

Let's visit The 47 at Mount Weather instead.

Jasper tries to get everyone to volunteer to be blood sucked, but they're not excited. Maya decides to be a turncoat and join Team 100. (Sorry, 47).

Instead of just telling the guys what's going on, Maya makes them look through a vent with a slow turning fan. (Never go near a slow turning industrial fan! Horror staple.) They see this:

...proving when it comes to delivery, Maya is the (drama) Batgirl to Jaha and Kane's (drama) Batman and Robin.

Returning to the creepy underground garage (they're always creepy!), the security guys are dead and Octavia discovers Lincoln hasn't survived the fortnight break between The 100 episodes too well...

Back in the subway, Kane decides if one of The Chancellor Club has to die, it should be him.

Jaha stops him, and in desperation, takes the Grounder girl hostage. Not cool!

(Quick cut to Bellamy and Octavia hiding in the underground garage, just to ratchet up the tension.) 

Meanwhile, in a twist, Jaha is disarmed by the young Grounder girl. Reveal! She's the Commander. (Which doesn't explain her disguise-that-made-no-sense. Maybe it was a psychological prop?)

She also announces she's keeping Kane (who wouldn't want to keep Kane?) and sending Jaha back with a message for the Ark crew.

Back in the creepy car park, Octavia and Bellamy agree Lincoln needs a reality check.

Over in the Bunker Of Sad, Clark says the saddest line of the whole episode, "They were unarmed" (in regards to last eps village massacre that no one wants to talk about). Finn's face proves he aint no Murphy; there's an ocean of remorse behind those pretty eyes.

On the Mount Weather front, in an attempt to stay on Dante/Vampire/Dr. Horror's good side, Monty and co donate blood in a hospital set from a sixties scifi movie.

And Dante reminds his son he's no pushover.

Then we cut to The 47, and we're glad to see Miller, as always! I wish Miller and Monty were a gay couple on The 100. They might get more screen time. At least Miller's not dead. (Yet.)

Jasper has a plan that's perfectly in character.

Abby and Clarke and co are heading home when Jaha stumbles out of the bushes, and Abby's face is like WTFOMFGx10.

While most would say, "Don't worry, you didn't eat the wrong mushrooms, I came down in a rocket," Jaha's inner thespian takes over and it's all a bit Shakespeare In The Park.

We learn the Grounders are planning another attack in 2 days. (Although considering how well the last one went for them, I'm not quite sure why they're so cocky...)

Can't wait for next week x