More important than insurance, there was also the concept of honour (at least in Europe at the time, maybe less so in the US). If someone went bust, not only was their life ruined, but their honour was ruined, and as a result the honour of their family was ruined - which was a very concrete thing, as it would mean…

Their son was born before they were married, which makes him a bastard back in an age when being a bastard was a terrible stigma. It had all kinds of repercussions on the child including legal. In some situations a bastard couldn’t inherit their father’s estate. The post birth marriage didn’t alter the child’s bastard…

This is extremely well said, thank you! Like, the problem with people like the Russells wasn’t that they were mean to other rich people, but that they caused almost untold havoc to many, many non-rich peoples’ lives.

Jackass forever for best picture you cowards!

Javier Bardem really transformed himself into Javier Bardem in old timey clothes. Masterful performance.

The Oscars love movies about old Hollywood, actor transformations, and Kidman, Bardem, and Simmons. Given that, I think the fact that it wasn’t nominated in more categories suggests a pretty tepid reaction by the Academy.

I’m skeptical that we’re meant to understand the suicide as a win for the Russells, rather than a sign they’ve miscalculated and gone too far. The show seems to be playing with different conceptions of power — financial power, political power, social power — and I expect we’ll see the power the old money has when…

No Pig? Some kind of issue with the timing, or something?

Please don’t let George have an affair with that rat-faced woman.

I’m all for this Yeoh-versaturation.

That is not a subtle name for Michelle Yeoh’s character.

There was a question?

Welcome! Meet the rest of us!

So it’s confirmed: Michelle Yeoh is all-powerful.

What I’m really looking forward to with Michelle Yeoh is Everything Everywhere All At Once.

Yes! And oddly, precisely in that order.

Armie Hammer’s having some old friends for dinner - he’d love to invite you, but it’ll cost you an arm and a leg! Just don’t show up late, or he’ll give you the cold shoulder.

I have never once thought of whip-smart (or smart as a whip) as meaning anything other than someone, regardless of gender, who is smart and gets things right away. Not sure where you’re getting your definition from.

I’m one of those people, I stopped at episode 8. It was clearly heading towards a lot of Vicious and Spike backstory content that was just gonna be too much to get through. There were a couple episodes that showed promise, so I wouldn’t have minded seeing how another season develops, but can’t say I was too sad to see…

...the second greatest detective in the world might inquire as to why bodies seem to turn up every time his name is on the manifest.