Issue 3: To Be Loved is To Be Loved
Break Ups, Futures, and Multidimensional Love
Letter From the Editor
Dearest Reader,
I’ve never actually been in a relationship before. I know, point your fingers and laugh at the poor unlucky girl. You’d probably think I’d hate Valentine’s Day and February, but I think there is so much more to Valentine’s Day than what meets the eye. For me, Valentine’s Day isn’t just about romantic love, but all kinds: platonic friendships, familial bonds, self-love, and obsession just to name a few. Those are the types of love we’re going to dive into for this month, we’re going to explore around and redefine what Valentine’s Day actually means.
In this issue, we’re going to discuss the “break up” scene in the Witcher Season 4, the future of the Walt Disney Company, and some media with complex relationships and themes.
Overanalyzing Fiction
February’s fictional overanalysis is of Jaskier and Radovid’s fight in the Witcher Season 4. Warning that this analysis is purely self-indulgent, and spoilers for the Witcher Season 4, Episode 4.
My most favorite trope of all time is when two people just hate each other, but what happens when two people start to hate each other after having a small fling? Enter my favorite scene from the Witcher Season 4: Jaskier and Radovid’s fight. Now, I’m literally going to go shot by shot and line by line for this because this scene is just a work of art. I will preface this by saying that I didn’t like Jaskier and Radovid’s relationship and that I am incredibly biased towards Jaskier in terms of this fight. For context, Radovid just rose to power against his will and is trying to deal with this role he never expected to have. Meanwhile, Jaskier is traveling with Geralt and finds himself torn between his loyalties to his dear friend and his past fling. Radovid’s advisor is trying to get him in the kingly spirit by engaging Jaskier.
The scene starts with Geralt crying out from being tortured. Jaskier immediately recognizes Geralt’s scream, a sign of how close they have become and how well Jaskier knows Geralt in particular. He asks Radovid what is happening and Radovid says “I don’t know,” a sign of how even in leading his own kingdom, he is blind to the corruption and terror going on around him. It also shows how innocent and naive Radovid is because of his lavish upbringing in the castle, which automatically parallels Jaskier’s similar upbringing as the Viscount de Lettenhove. Unlike Radovid, Jaskier knew the importance of being a part of the people and left behind his comfy spot to do the thing that he believes he was “put on the Continent to do.”
Jaskier implores Radovid to make them stop, mainly because Radovid is literally the King of one of the largest players in the Northern Continent right now (it’s also hinted that Redania is one of the only parts of the North still strong in fighting Nilfgaard at the time other than Rivia, I guess.) Jaskier then starts cornering Radovid while basically begging him to let Geralt go and Radovid lets him get closer, despite Radovid being taller and more imposing than Jaskier. Radovid then talks about his advisor having a plan and Jaskier implores that Radovid doesn’t have to listen to anyone. Radovid then uses this against Jaskier to convince him to stay. Jaskier is a bard. This means that freedom is something that means a lot to him. The ability to travel and tell his stories are the reason that he thinks he’s still alive. For Radovid to use his words, one of his most powerful tools, against him in this moment of weakness for Jaskier is the lowest blow one could possibly make to him. Jaskier slowly takes his hands off of Radovid and distances himself from him.
Then, the most amazing line ever happens, where Radovid says, “Or will you go back to searching for that little girl with your Witcher?” Literally I am clawing at the screen. Not only did Radovid offend Jaskier by asking him to exchange his freedom for HIM, but also now bringing in the fact that he undermines Jaskier’s found family. Also, the use of “your Witcher” instead of “the Witcher” is so incredibly amazing because Radovid doesn’t understand why Jaskier would want to be around someone like Geralt instead of him other than Jaskier showing some type of ownership over Geralt like a pet. Once again just this teeny piece of dialogue shows how Radovid is unable to understand Jaskier’s character in every way. He attempts to take his freedom, the most important thing to Jaskier, his friend in Geralt, and undermines his motivation for wanting to help his friend find the girl that Jaskier had an enormous hand in raising and helping. (On the side, Radovid does this thing with his head when he says “your Witcher” where he sticks his chin out in defiance and it’s so good and only pisses Jaskier off more with his blatant ignorance.)
Jaskier voices his outrage and Radovid meekly says, “You’re the only one left who knows who I am.” Basically, Radovid’s naivety from living in luxury made him believe that he was special in some way to Jaskier. It’s stated and shown that Jaskier can tell what a person is thinking or he can usually spot someone’s motivations. It’s usually hidden underneath plenty of comedic relief and jokes, but Jaskier is incredibly intuitive. Radovid takes this character trait of Jaskier and warps it into some kind of love that Jaskier has for him, despite them not knowing each other for very long.
Jaskier then destroys the man by absolutely dissecting him. At this point, Radovid isn’t trying to be prideful by sticking out his chin, but he is sitting on his throne with tears in his eyes. Once again, Radovid tries to reiterate his “love” for Jaskier, which is really just the ownership he feels (or wants to feel) over Jaskier the same way he believes that Jaskier feels about Geralt. He does not want him by his side so that they make each other better, but so he feels better. He does not show any care about what Jaskier thinks or feels, and takes his insight as a deep obsession. Finally, Jaskier says “you will die like [your brother] too” and you can tell on Joey Batey’s face that Jaskier regrets saying it as soon as it leaves his mouth. HOWEVER, he follows it up with “…alone” which shows that maybe he doesn’t regret it at all. Jaskier has been beaten down by Radovid throughout this entire exchange and now he’s finally broken down his charming facade and is just expressing his anger.
Radovid then stands up and asserts his dominance immediately over Jaskier. It’s like a switch has flipped in his head and he says, “you can’t talk to me like that.” Once again, we see Jaskier’s words bite him in the ass and we can see it on his face that he regrets telling Radovid that everyone has to listen to him. Radovid orders him away, and he’s standing upright with his shoulders all the way back (I forgot to mention it earlier, but I don’t think Radovid ever had stood up straight until this scene). Jaskier then follows it up with, “you know, I might escape my shackles one day. What about yours?” Which harps on the idea of Radovid being forever linked to the throne until the day he dies, destined to be a selfish tyrant.
Anyways, this is my favorite scene in the Witcher Season 4 (second is Leo Bonhart pickling the Rats) because of how nuanced it is. Their facial expressions, Radovid’s movements, and the biting dialogue all amount to an incredibly engaging fight between two men who had similar upbringings but different life experiences. Radovid displays a fundamental disconnect with Jaskier’s character, while Jaskier can see through Radovid clear as day. Despite the power imbalance, Jaskier will always have the upper hand with Radovid because of his intuition. That is until Jaskier crosses a line and Radovid starts to realize the amount of power he truly has and uses it to manipulate and hurt those around him.
Anyways, I hope we see Radovid go full-fledged tyrant in the next seasons because I want them to have another fight so badly.
Dining Room
February’s dining room obsession is of the future of the Walt Disney Company with the appointment of Josh D’Amaro as the new CEO. I know it doesn’t fit perfectly into the theme of the issue, but I will always love the Walt Disney Company for everything it has given me and other people around the world. I only want what’s best for it.
I hate to say it, but I am a Disney Adult. All my life I’ve wanted to work for Disney in Imagineering or Animation, so I take any structural changes of the company to heart. This dining room talk is going to be somewhat of an overview of how I believe the company is doing now and how I hope it changes under D’Amaro’s supervision.
Animation Studios: In my opinion, Walt Disney Animation Studios isn’t doing too great. We had Zootopia 2 (which I did not see in theaters, but I heard was decent) come out recently, and it’s just another view of how Disney is grossly underestimating the loyalty of their audience. To believe that a new movie has to be a sequel in order to triple its production budget is a generalization that dilutes creativity and stagnates leadership within the animation division. With the success of KPop Demon Hunters, I hope with all my heart that Disney takes notes and goes back to their musical animation roots.
Personally if I was D’Amaro or Jenn Lee, I would split Walt Disney Animation Studios into two pieces: 2D and 3D. I personally think sequels are fine to keep producing in order to keep stakeholders contributing to new movies, but I think defining a part of the studios for that would be beneficial to keeping creativity flowing. I think the 2D section of animation should focus on going back to the Disney roots and taking advantage of the rampant nostalgia that most Disney Adults yearn for. In my opinion, Disney Adults are where a majority of the money is to be made and making a division not only can focus on this large demographic and making money that way, but it also fulfills what a lot of the audience for these movies is yearning for: another renaissance.
Disney Parks: I am, personally, disgusted by Piston Peak in the Magic Kingdom. I am also equally as disgusted to see Pandora in California Adventure. Overall, I’m not feeling fantastic about the moves that Imagineering is making. I understand that rides and experiences based around IP give a reliability to stakeholders considering new attractions, but I think this money would be better if used elsewhere.
Firstly, new Tomorrowland at Disneyland has been something that guests have been asking for. To not allocate this money to revitalizing Tomorrowland, in my opinion, is a massive mistake in the long run. While I understand how big of a risk it is due to the long-term closure of a large part of the park, I think it is necessary to ensure the longevity of Tomorrowland as a whole. If nothing is done now, it will continue to get more and more outdated until it becomes an absolute necessity to revitalize it. Areas like Autopia and Nemo’s Submarine Voyage need some kind of revitalization, if not to be torn down. (Personally, I think both of these rides should be kept to keep the park open, but I do think they are outdated). Honestly, Tomorrowland is a whole can of worms in itself, but I hope that they start updating it and making it more cohesive little by little.
Next, Piston Peak. Look, I understand that Tom Sawyer’s Island wasn’t at the top of anyone’s list to visit, but Magic Kingdom desperately needed the wide open space of the river. I also understand that it was torn down partially to keep roads open on the way to Villains Land, especially over by Haunted Mansion. However, the tearing down of TSI signals to me and to a lot of other Disney Parks fans that nothing is sacred anymore. I firmly believe that with a little bit of marketing, TSI could have become a place that guests wanted to go to. There’s a restaurant on TSI that isn’t used anymore, but could have been a massive draw for crowds. Watching from TSI is also the best way I’ve ever seen Festival of Fantasy, and I think if the Parks marketed it as a premiere viewing spot and installed some speakers, it would have drummed up foot traffic. I even believe that getting rid of the Liberty Belle and extending TSI out to be a walkway to and from Villains Land like how Animal Kingdom is sort of set up with the wheel and spokes would have been a better use of space and drawn people into the island. All in all, we needed the river to break up the claustrophobia that Magic already drums up for a lot of people, including myself who worked there.
My last point is going to be about Pandora. Genuinely, I think the worst use of that space ever is for one big E-Ticket of an IP that doesn’t mesh into California Adventure at all. If anything, extend Avengers Campus. Let’s pay the actors who perform and put a longer version of Rogers the Musical in the Hyperion. Let’s put a facade on the side of that building across the way to look like New York and extend Avengers Campus up into the area where Monsters Inc is. If they’re going to get rid of a ride as near and dear to my heart as Monsters, I want it to be something actually good. We can even keep the taxi facade of the cars and make it a tour around the Avengers’ New York. Let’s come up with literally any other worthwhile ideas instead of destroying the Eastern Gateway into Disneyland and making it ONE E-TICKET. How is that a good use of our space, money, and time that could be better spent on improving outdated areas? Nothing can contain my anger at attempting to build a Pandora for little to no reason in Disney’s CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE. At least the Avengers can go to California.
Overall, I’m just upset with the direction that the Disney Parks are taking, and the worst part is that D’Amaro is the Director of Parks and Experiences. I think that the projects that Imagineering are working on all fundamentally misunderstand the types of people who go to their parks.
Disneyland will forever be a “local” park because of how the people of Southern California have taken it in. I even consider myself a local to Disneyland due to my close proximity, and I take pride in it. There is no reason to focus on drawing in crowds from outside of the Southwest when there are only a few Disney hotels to house those visitors. You’re just drawing in crowds to the hotels outside on Harbor. In addition, Magic Key holders would much rather see changes to Quality of Life rather than these flashy additions like Pandora. A revitalization of Tomorrowland would have a much heftier impact on reception to the park from the main source of visitors as well as set it up for many years to come.
Magic Kingdom is a park where people come from around the world to visit, and they most likely spend all of their day in the park. Why are we not emphasizing and updating shaded, secluded areas like TSI for park guests to go to when they need a break? The hustle of Magic Kingdom is why many Disney Parks fans don’t like going to it, and the destruction of TSI confirms that the company doesn’t care about the welfare of its visitors, only how much more capacity we can add onto an already overstimulating park.
I hope that Josh D’Amaro is different from Bob Iger. I hope that the Parks and the Animation Studios get the attention that they deserve for being the two most vital reasons as to why the Walt Disney Company has lasted this long. As a former Cast Member, I was delighted that D’Amaro was chosen as the next CEO. I do have a lot of optimism and hope that he will do his best to work on these two areas in particular. Before we absorb any other companies, we need to focus on improving ourselves first. Improve how the public views Disney, because it’s not a very good look right now. Time will tell, of course, whether D’Amaro is good for the role, but for right now I’m cautiously optimistic.