Friday, February 18, 2011

What's Going On!




Of all the things I thought 2011 would be, it was not year of the protest. The wave of popular uprising that is spreading through the Middle East has mobilized citizens in Egypt, Bahrain, Libya, Turkey and Wisconsin and there have been rumblings in Ohio. I guess the average person here and everywhere has taken just about as much ass-raping as they can take and are finally ready to fight back.  It is heartening to see our average citizen’s finally acting like engaged participants in our democracy. They may not be getting shot at or tear gassed like their counterparts in Bahrain and Egypt but they are doing it. There have been some massively large protests in the last 10 years. Protests in Washington and New York involving 10’s of thousands of people, but this one in Wisconsin does not seem to be one the media can ignore and it is growing by the day.  And boy, did the Democrats grow a pair by doing the only thing that they can do to fight this Draconian power-grab; they have up and excited stage left. If what is happening in Wisconsin is successful for the Republican whores and their corporate pimps, expect to see this type of thing spread throughout the country. Hopefully it can be stopped here, that there is finally a line that they can’t cross. The unions are being demonized because despite what the right wingers would have you believe, they do stand up for the average person and they don’t like that. Why is it okay for a corporation to band together to cut pay, fire employees, ship jobs overseas, loot pensions and whatever else but it becomes bad when the people band together to fight it? It is a blame the victim mentality. We have so much to thank the unions for, the 40 hour work week, an end to child labor, a living wage, paid sick time and decent benefits. These are all because of them. They are not the enemy. They are teachers, police officers, fire fighters and blue collar guys who are fighting for the rights that many died for not too long ago. We can’t continue to take from the poor, the elderly and the helpless to give to those who don’t need any more. When is their greed ever going to be satisfied?  It is time to say, enough is enough! 

Please read more about this:


Monday, February 14, 2011

Valentine's Day Countdown Finale-Love on the Fringe


I know that I have thrown around the word epic quite a bit in these entries but there is one couple who epitomizes the word like no other. They actually had to cross universes to be together. A twist of fate so unlikely, the product of a scientist mad with grief and a dead son, that these two should have met at all is miraculous. I'm talking of course about Peter and Olivia.

#1 Olivia crosses over to another universe to tell Peter that he belongs with her from Fringe.

Much like Mulder and Scully, these two are building their relationship slowly and with plenty of obstacles thrown in for good measure. When the show started Olivia was happily involved with another man who was killed and a mother who died when she was young. She is very reserved, making it hard for people to know her. But she is a good person, who will do anything to help another. She is strong-willed, brave and independent. Peter is a nomad. Damaged with a mother who killed herself when he was young and a adversarial relationship with his father. He is a good person, who is learning that he will do anything to help another. He is very self-contained making it hard for people to get to know him. He is strong-willed, brave and independent. They both are lonely and have much trauma from their childhood to overcome. They are both unfathomably deep but that depth is disguised and hidden. They are beautiful together. She can give him the feel of a family and life that he could never have conceived on his own. He can make her feel the love that she has never allowed herself to feel before. They complete each other. If you have not watched the show, I cannot go into all the details of their relationship. The looks, the touches, the worry, the conversations. If you have, you know what I am talking about. But, the relationship moved into new territory with part two of Season two's finale. Peter has returned to the universe that he was taken from as a child and Olivia has crossed over to save him. This is where she finally confronts her own feelings for him and acts on them. For those of us who have taken this journey with her, we know how absolutely hard this must have been.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHMhx4QDNVU

A beautiful moment, beautifully executed between two of the most gorgeous characters on TV today.

Well, that is the end. I hope you have enjoyed this journey as much as me. Tell your Valentine that you love them, if you can't be with the one you love, love the one your with and for all you singleton's, love yourself. Love comes in many forms and guises, sometimes it comes quickly or not at all. But everyone should have it at least once in their life. It really does make the world go round. Happy Valentine's Day!

Sunday, February 13, 2011

No VD post today

I will wrap up the countdown tomorrow. And that's okay, I was a bit ahead of myself and tomorrow is the appropriate day to finish it up. So please check in then.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Valentine's Day Countdown: All You Need is LoVe


I have another TV couple, that much like Pacey and Joey, I discovered only recently but can't get enough of. The two actors have amazing chemistry and their coming together on the show was a surprise. But once it happened, that was it. Perfection. Unfortunately, the show was canceled prematurely and we never got to see a satisfactory resolution but as anyone who watched the show knows in there heart, these two were the end game. Nothing else would do. There are 2 scenes I want to feature in this installment simply because I just can't choose between them. 

#2 Logan and Veronica kiss for the first time and Logan tells Veronica that he thought they would be epic from Veronica Mars.

The show starts with Veronica as a pariah and Logan and her are mortal enemies. Over the course of the first season and with the suicide of Logan's  mother they get drawn closer and closer together, until…

…let's watch shall we?...I'll wait till you get back.


I know right! That is one of the best first kisses ever.  I just love how absolutely dazed Logan looks. And you can tell that she felt that kiss all the way down to her toes. Those two have the kind of intensity that will never get old, no matter how long their together.  Their physical compatibility matched only by their ability to match wits. They could keep up with each other and were perfect sparring partners.

But as is the course of all TV couples, the sailing is never smooth and they break up (they break up a few times, but that never sticks). Until one night at a prom party a clearly unhappy and inebriated Logan sits down next to Veronica and tells her a few things.

Veronica: So what are you like now?
Logan: You know, tortured... ever since I got my heart broken.
Veronica: Hannah really did a number on you, huh?
Logan: Come on, you know I'm not talking about Hannah. I thought our story was epic, you know, you and me.
Veronica: Epic how?
Logan: Spanning years and continents. Lives ruined, bloodshed. EPIC. But summer's almost here, and we won't see each other at all. And then you leave town... and then it's over.
Veronica: Logan...
Logan: I'm sorry about last summer. You know, if I could do it over...
Veronica: Come on. Ruined lives? Bloodshed? You really think a relationship should be that hard?
Logan: No one writes songs about the ones that come easy.


I just don’t know how she did not let him kiss her. You could see that she wanted nothing more in every bit of body language.  These two really are an epic love.  I wish more than anything that we could have seen them get back together, overcome those obstacles (many of their own making) and just let themselves be happy, damn the consequences. Alas, that is not to be, unless they are ever able to get a movie made that is.

Friday, February 11, 2011

Valentine's Day Countdown - Love in The Emerald City



#3 Steve tells Linda that she belongs with him in Singles.
One of my all time favorite romances is the romance between Steve Dunne and Linda Powell in Singles. It is a very real and sweet relationship. This is one of my go to movies whenever I am feeling down and I can relate to it on so many levels. I think it helped that I lived in Seattle at that time and certainly wore my fair share of plaid and Doc Martins.
Steve and Linda meet cute at a night club and he tries to pick her up with a cheesy line. Linda is having none of it after just being put through the wringer by a major player. But they meet again outside the club that night and they just clicked. The two of them become a couple for a while and then due to an unexpected pregnancy and miscarriage, they start to drift apart. Leading to this late night phone call from a bar Steve gives from a pay phone to Linda’s message machine (the ones with the little tapes).
Steve Dunne: Hello? Linda, uh, it's me. I had to call you. It's about midnight. I was just having many beers. And, uh, I just wanted to say what I should have said at the dock. I fucking chickened out when I acted casual, like Mr. Casual. I should have said it. You... belong... with... me! We belong together. And what really pisses me off is that, now that we're really talking, you thought I proposed to you only because you were pregnant. What's that about! I mean...(There is a line of people banging on the door of the phone booth to get in)...HEY, this is not the bathroom! And you know maybe if I had said some of these things at the dock it would have made a difference because, but I think we made a big mistake because, we had good times and we had bad times, but we had times. And I would like to start over. I would like to be new to you. I want to be new to you. I want to be Mr. New. So call me back if you want to. But this is the last time I'll call. And, if you really needed to know how I feel, how I really feel, that's how I feel. I love you. And that's something you should know, so I won't bother you again. So, good night. And good bye. And call me back. Good bye.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiuBG2nQlnQ&feature=related  Scene starts at the 2:02 mark.
Of course, the tape is eaten by her machine and she never gets the message and Steve loses his job and ends up in a downward spiral. The loss of her was eating him alive and he quit showering and his apartment became a garbage dump. Then one night months later there is a knock on the door. He opens it and there is Linda…
Linda: I was just nowhere near your neighborhood. Look, I don't need to be your girlfriend or anything. I just wanna know you again.
Steve: (His whole face is suffused with relief, longing and love) What took you so long?  
Linda: I was stuck in traffic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UmLnFEcCwA&feature=related  Scene starts at 2:29.

Needless to say they have a happy ending. I just love the way he enfolds her in his arms, like it is miraculous. Which, to people who have been separated for a while unwillingly it must feel like.
I include this movie in the countdown for many reasons. Too many to recount here but it really means something to me in a very personal way. It makes me laugh, cry, cringe, a whole gamut of emotions, both positive and negative. But that is life isn’t it, the good and the bad. Just like love.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Valentine's Day Countdown: Not all love stories have happy endings.

I thought I would do something different this time. Instead of scenes I would just include a few unhappy love stories that I adore. They are the ones that make me cry and not the pretty type of crying like in Ghost with one tear falling so perfect. I'm talking the braying, nose plugged, eyes red and swollen and tons of used tissue crying. This is not a complete list by any means but it is good enough for the purposes of this countdown.

#4 Unhappily Ever After - The Bridges of Madison County, The Age of Innocence, The Thorn Birds and Titanic

All of these films are about love denied. They portray a love that is a wanting of something so much but not being able to have it, as it is out of reach for various reasons, unattainable and forever. These stories are the saddest and they are gorgeous in their sadness, they are EPIC. The separation can be from societal expectations, one of the lover's choice, death or distance but the pain is immutable. These are couples who yearn in vain for each other and they never forget, because despite time or distance they are irrevocably entwined.

It always starts the same way, with their meeting and they are like most everyone, each just going along with the paces of life. Blindly accepting things as they are, until that other person comes along, that other piece of the puzzle, and there is a seismic shift, the scales fall from their eyes. Something changes deep down inside them and once unsettled it can never quite revert back to what it was and therein lies the beauty and the pain.


It is Robert in The Bridges of Madison County who doesn't want to need Francesca. Because it is a need that he can never fulfill and the pain of that is unbearable. While she chooses to continue in her lonely life without dreams or passion, made worse by the fact that Robert brought her back to life. She'd been dead for years and hadn't even known it. It was the only way she could tolerate her unhappiness. 



It is Rose watching Jack slip beneath the waves in Titanic and vowing never to give up even while realizing that because he showed her what love is supposed to feel like that he is irreplaceable. So she goes on to live the life that she knows he would have wanted for her, even though much of the sweetness of it is lost without him to share it with her.







It is Newland telling Ellen that she gave him his first glimpse of a real life only to have her tell him to carry on with a false one in The Age of Innocence. To take that safe path into old age, which unfortunately he does. A life lived only on the surface with a woman who has no depth of feeling and no imagination, whose very placidity hides a chilling emptiness.








It is Meggie Cleary telling Ralph in The Thorn Birds that from the day their eyes first met that she has always known that even if she never saw him again that the last thought she would have this side of the grave would be of him. She says that there is nothing she can do to change it and asks if he knows how terrifying that power he wields over her is. But he loves his ambition more and she has no place there.



None of these lovers end up together on the physical plane, at least.  But it is their journey together, the experiences they share, the bonds that are formed that stick to you as you watch and hope against hope that the obstacles can be overcome. That somehow they can be together, if only that one thing could be different. Love and tragedy have been around as long as man could tell stories. The star-crossed pairs from Tristan and Isolde to Romeo and Juliet to Rick and Ilsa to Sarah Connor and Reese. All who loved a lifetimes worth in a few hours, a few days, weeks or years. But to them never enough. Nor to those of us who share their journey with them as they blaze across the screen.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Valentine's Day Countdown: I Want to Believe in Love




I chose to feature them because Mulder and Scully was my first foray into manic shipperdom.  I became obsessed with them. I delved deeply into fan fiction because of them and was even inspired to write some of my own. They could say so much to each other without words. Their relationship was built slowly with a glance here or a touch there, every one of which was examined and cataloged by my discerning eye. Shared suffering and the nature of their work bonded them together in a unique and indefinable way. They understood each other, knew each’s strengths and weaknesses, they made each other better then they ever could have been on their own. When one or the other was hurt, you could see the pain reflected. Neither could stand for the other to be away for any length of time. Mulder especially was lost without his Scully. She brought him peace and he brought her a sense of purpose. There are so many scenes over the course of this show, moments both big and small, that I could use for this installment. It was really hard for me to chose just one. I started to ship them in the first season but it was cemented for me in Season 2 with an episode entitled One Breath.

#5 Mulder keeps watch over Scully as she struggles to live after being abducted and experimented on.

Scully had been abducted and was now returned. She was in a coma in the hospital and they were going to pull the plug on her. Mulder is an absolute mess and is given the choice to confront the person who did this to her or see Scully before she is taken off of life support. Basically, to see her before she dies, as that was the outcome that they were expecting.  He comes and sits by her bedside. You can see how he is suffering. There is not much dialogue. It is done mostly with expression but he does tell her:


Mulder: I feel, Scully... that you believe... you're not ready to go. And you've always had the strength of your beliefs. I don't know if my being here... will help bring you back. But I'm here.

He takes her hand and gives her his strength. He leaves her and goes back to find his apartment trashed and he just breaks down in the most heartbreaking manner and from that moment on, they enter the pantheon of greatest TV couples ever. 



I could not find any video for this scene, I’m sorry about that. I almost didn't include it for that reason, but they deserve a place here.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Valentine's Day Countdown- Day the Fifth


#6 – The Notebook


For me, some of the most powerful love stories are the ones where the pair overcomes seemingly insurmountable obstacles to be together. This is one of those stories. This movie can’t be boiled down to one scene or one moment. It is the whole thing, from start to finish. The absolute love these two have for each other is quite something. Nothing could change it, shake it, or make it go away. The whole of creation can be seen in each other’s eyes, so that not even separation, sickness or death could diminish it. If you have not seen this movie, do yourself a favor and watch it. But beware and have some tissues on hand, you will need them. If you don’t you will want to check your pulse because you might be dead. If you have seen this movie, then there is really nothing else I can say about it.
Although I will end this installment with one quote from the last letter he wrote Allie:
Noah: My Dearest Allie. I couldn't sleep last night because I know that it's over between us. I'm not bitter anymore, because I know that what we had was real. And if in some distant place in the future we see each other in our new lives, I'll smile at you with joy and remember how we spent the summer beneath the trees, learning from each other and growing in love. The best love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes us reach for more, that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds, and that's what you've given me. That's what I hope to give to you forever. I love you. I'll be seeing you. Noah
God, even just reading that makes me misty in the eye.


Monday, February 7, 2011

Valentine's Day Countdown-The Dawson's Creek Edition


 #7 Pacey tells Joey that she is off the hook


One of my all time favorite TV couples comes from a show I never watched when it aired. It was a show for teens and I thought I was too old for that at the time. Besides it sounded stupid and the lead had a freakishly big forehead. It took another show years later called Fringe and an appealing actor named Joshua Jackson to change that. Suddenly, I had a pressing need to see more with him and this was it. I was surprised by how much I actually like the show and how much I enjoy the romance between him and Katie Holmes' character Joey. These two had a slow burn build of a relationship. It wasn't until season 3 that you finally saw them come together but only after much trial and error, angst, anger, misunderstanding and back and forth. Season 4 they were a happy couple until the end, when they broke up in spectacular fashion, due to Pacey being a complete jerk and shattering Joey's heart. But somehow, you knew it wasn't the end. It would never quite be over between them. As Pacey said "we could live for a thousand years and we would never finish this." They were just meant to be. Season 5 the writers, in their infinite wisdom, saw fit to basically act like Pacey and Joey never existed as a couple and it wasn't until Season 6 that all our shipper dreams came true. That season saw some truly special moments, Castaways anyone? With a few false starts it seemed our two would be together again before the show came to an end but it didn't happen until the two-part series finale. At that point it was meant to be unsure whether Joey would pick her childhood sweetheart Dawson or the man who taught her passion, pushed her boundaries, allowed her to grow, inspired her to be more than she was, made her laugh and made her cry. Feelings so real to her that she fought it and always ran away from it but she wanted it so badly at the same time. No one could even come close to Pacey, it was destiny.

The finale takes place 5 years after the last episode of Season 6. So Pacey and Joey had not been a couple for about 7 years. It takes a wedding to bring everybody back together, Joey leaving her boyfriend in New York when she finds out he was getting ready to propose. The moment they lay eyes on each other again you can see that Pacey is not over her (and never was) and she is just a little too happy to see him again.  But the wedding was just the beginning and one of this group of friends collapses and in the course of the episode dies. This causes a lot of soul searching amongst the group and Pacey confronts Joey about what he is feeling, has always felt, for her.

Joey: What's going on in that head of yours.
Pacey: You're off the hook. 
Joey: What? (smiling, a little confused) 
Pacey: You're off the hook. I never really put much faith in all that "if you love someone set them free" crap, as evidenced by everything I've done in my life up to this very moment... but I am determined to be happy, Joey. Happy in this life... And I love you, I mean, I always, I have always, always loved you. But our timing has just never been right... and the way I figure it, time is no man's friend. So I have to get right with that and be happy, now. Because this is it, I mean, this is all that we get. If there is one thing I've learned from losing Jen, that's what I've learned. 
Joey: Pacey, I— 
Pacey: Actually, um, hold on. I'm not done yet. Because I also want for you to be happy. It's really important for me that you be happy. So I want you to be with someone, whether it be Dawson or New York guy or some man that you haven't even met yet. But I want you to be with someone who can be a part of the life that you want for yourself. I want you to be with someone who makes you feel like I feel when I'm with you. So, I guess the point to this long run-on sentence that's been the last 10 years of our lives... is just that the simple act of being in love with you is enough for me. So you're off the hook. 
Joey: You know, for the record I, I don't wanna be let off the hook. Cause everything in my life that I've done has led me here, right now. And the last thing I want, need or deserve is to be let off somebody's hook. 
Pacey: Please don't miss my point here... 
Joey: And don't miss mine. Pacey, I love you, you know that. And it's very real. It's so real that it's kept me moving, mostly running from it, never ready for it… and I love Dawson, he's my soul mate. He's tied to my childhood... and it's a love that is pure and eternally innocent. I can't be let off the hook because I just might get the notion that it's OK to keep running. 
Pacey: So then what exactly are you saying here? (you can see the hope and fear vying for placement in his face.)

At this point they are interrupted and I proceeded to yell at the TV, I don't think they heard though. He said this to her not expecting anything, but always I think he was hoping that she felt the same and they would be able to work it out. And it's all good because our two lovely characters end up together. Just the way it was meant to be. This could of been a separation of 7 years or 14 years or 21 years. They would have found a way back to each other, it was inevitable. For her part, even though he broke her heart, she forgave him and could love him again, despite the fear that kept her running and that is true love. BIG all-encompassing love. That just does not come around every day. Except in TV and movies of course, else I wouldn't have much of a countdown.

This link is actually a fan video and not the actual scene as such, but it has so many moments that capture their relationship perfectly so I had to use it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQy44x39joA

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Valentine's Day Countdown: Day 3



Here we go again. I know everyone is just all shivery with anticipation or it could just be gas. At any rate, I'll take what I can get. Moving right along the next arrow in my quiver (hah, get it?) is:

#8 Harry admits to Sally that he loves her and wants to spend the rest of his life with her from When Harry met Sally.

They fought, they aren't speaking and it is New Year's Eve. He is walking the streets alone and she is alone in a room full of people trying to have fun at a party, not too successfully though. He has his epiphany and runs to her. He enters the room, their eyes meet and he crosses to her.

Harry: I've been doing a lot of thinking...the thing is I love you.
Sally: (Incredulously) What?
Harry: I love you.
Sally: How do you expect me to respond to this?
Harry: How about you love me too?
Sally: How about I'm leaving.
Harry: Doesn't what I said mean anything to you?
Sally: I'm sorry Harry. I know it's New Year's Eve, I know your feeling lonely but you just can't show up here, tell me you love me and expect that to make everything alright. It doesn't work this way.
Harry: Well, how does it work?
Sally: I don't know but not this way.
Harry: How 'bout this way. I love that you get cold when it's 71 degrees out. I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich. I love that you get a little crinkle above your nose when you're looking at me like I'm nuts. I love that after I spend the day with you, I can still smell your perfume on my clothes. And I love that you are the last person I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night. And it's not because I'm lonely, and it's not because it's New Year's Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.
Sally: You see? That is just like you Harry, you say things like that and it makes it impossible for me to hate you. (She starts to cry) And I hate you Harry, I really hate you.
They stare at each other for a minute and then kiss.

This is a classic rom-com. But it never gets old. I never have thought of Billy Crystal as a romantic leading man but he is wonderful in this movie. And I like seeing Meg Ryan's face before she fucked it up. Sometimes it is hard to remember how pretty she was.  This scene always brings a tear to my eye and is undeniably romantic and an appropriate addition to this countdown.

I don't think there are many people out there who have not seen this movie but just in case:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMo36SfyQhw

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Valentine's Day Countdown...continued



So here is my next romantical choice. I realize that this would be a lot easier and more fun if I could just embed videos into my blog, but dagnabbit, I just don't have those kinds of science fictioney skills. Do I look like Scotty to you? I just canna do it captain! Excuse me for a moment, I need to yell at those kids to get off my lawn...Ahem, okay I'm back. So the best I can do is put up a link to YouTube and hope to God your not too lazy to follow it and see the loveliness for yourselves. With that being said, next up:

#9 Chandler Proposes to Monica on Friends

It starts with the hijinks that Chandler gets up to so that Monica will be surprised when he proposes. So with his Einsteinian brain power, he decides it would be a good idea to make her think that he never wants to get married or as he says he is not likely to ever take a wife. This blows up in his face of course and he thinks that he has lost her, especially after Joey tell him that he saw Monica with a bag leaving to stay with her parents.

Here's the dialogue to that scene...

Chandler: I can't believe I ruined this.
Joey: I am so sorry man. (Chandler walks dejectedly into his apartment to find it lit with about a thousand candles and Monica standing in the living room.)
Monica: You wanted it to be a surprise. (He turns to look at Joey who smiles slyly and closes the door leaving them alone.)
Chandler: Oh my God. (Monica gets down on one knee.)
Monica: Chandler, In all my life I never thought I would be so lucky. (Starting to cry.) As to fall in love with my best... my best...There's a reason why girls don't do this! (crying uncontrollably)
Chandler: Okay! (He joins her on his knees and holds her hands) Okay! Okay! I'll do it! Oh God, I thought (Starting to cry, pauses) Wait a minute, I-I can do this. (Pause) I thought that it mattered what I said or where I said it. Then I realized the only thing that matters is that you, (Pause) you make me happier than I ever thought I could be. (Starting to cry again.) And if you'll let me, I will spend the rest of my life trying to make you feel the same way. (Pause as he gets out the ring.) Monica, will you marry me?
Monica: Yes. (He puts the ring on her finger. They hug and kiss both crying.)
Monica: I knew you were likely to take a wife! (They hug again and welcome in their friends to celebrate the joyous occasion.)

The episode ends with them dancing to Eric Clapton amongst the candles as the credits roll. It is so sweet and just beyond lovely. They were always my favorite couple on the show and the course of their relationship from friends, to casual lovers, to a serious couple, to husband and wife, to a family was never dull to watch. They just seemed so right for each other, a perfect compliment and a perfect proposal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iB_Ao4j7Fcw&feature=related

Friday, February 4, 2011

Valentine's Day Countdown



Thought this would be a fun way to see if I can get into the feel of the holiday. I will post a different scene from my favorite movie and TV couples that I find unbearably romantic every day until the 14th. All of these are like a Snuggie for my heart and I am happy to share them with you. Please feel free to comment and even suggest some of your own.

 #10 Mark Darcy likes Bridget Jones just the way she is from Bridget Jones' Diary.

The scene starts with Mark Darcy coming down the stairs behind Bridget who is disconsolately putting on her sweater after a disastrous dinner with a bunch of smug marrieds. 

Mark Darcy: I very much enjoyed your Lewisham fire report by the way.
Bridget Jones: Thank you.
Mark: Yeah...well. It didn't work out with Daniel Cleaver then?
Bridget: No, it didn't.
Mark: I'm delighted to hear it.
Bridget (She is getting frustrated at this point): Look, are you and Cosmo in this together.  I mean, you seem to go out of your way to make me feel like a complete idiot every time I see you and you really needn't bother. I already feel like an idiot most of the time anyway. With or without a firemen's pole.

The door bell rings

Bridget: That'll be my taxi. Goodnight.
Mark: Look, uh, I'm sorry if I've been...
Bridget: What?
Mark: I don't think you're an idiot at all. I mean, there are elements of the ridiculous about you. Your mother's pretty interesting. And you really are an appallingly bad public speaker. And, um, you tend to let whatever's in your head come out of your mouth without much consideration of the consequences... But the thing is, um, what I'm trying to say, very inarticulately, is that, um, in fact, perhaps despite appearances, I like you, very much. 
Bridget: Ah, apart from the smoking and the drinking, and the vulgar mother and... ah, the verbal diarrhea.
Mark: No, I like you very much. Just as you are. 

At this point, they are interrupted and the scene comes to an end. Or you can follow this link to watch for yourself:


There are many scenes from this movie that I love. Some others are the two of them cooking while she makes blue soup and the end where she chases him through the snowy streets of London in nothing but her knickers and ends with the perfect kiss. But it is this scene that sets the stage. I have always related to Bridget. I am that girl who smokes too much (although not anymore), drinks too much (sometimes) and is inappropriate at times (more than I would like). And this man, who you can tell sees the path he should take. A women who is his "equal" but does not make him feel happy or passionate or alive. All she can give him is status. Or he can choose our Bridget. A girl who is clumsy, a little more plump then she would like and unsure of herself with an embarrassing family and crazy friends. She is just trying to get through the world the best way she knows how.They both needed each other, two sides of the same coin. This movie is funny and touching and warm and real and even all these years later I can watch it and it always makes me smile.