For my first Word on the Street story of 2023, I wanted to talk about a piece of movie news that revolves around a topic I don’t often talk about: movie theatres. When I came across a video from Clownfish TV’s Youtube channel discussing AMC Theatres’ recently announced business model, I felt it was worth bringing up on 18 Cinema Lane. In the video, ‘Desperate AMC Theatres to Charge More for GOOD Seats?!’, Kneon and Geeky Sparkles address the theatre chain’s newest decision to have separate pricing for seats, based on where they’re located in the auditorium. Quoting an article from comicbook.com, Geeky Sparkles and Kneon break down the three tiers that will determine a seat’s price-tag. This article lists these tiers as “Value Sightline” (“seats in the front row of the auditorium, as well as select ADA seats in each auditorium”), “Standard Sightline” (“seats that are the most common in auditoriums and are available for the traditional cost of a ticket”), and “Preferred Sightline” (“seats in the middle of the auditorium and are priced at a premium to standard sightline seats”). Kneon and Geeky Sparkles speculate AMC Theatres is adopting this business plan to encourage more movie-goers to sign up for their AMC Stubs A-List program. Despite the theatre chain “hemorrhaging money right and left”, Kneon believes “other theatres are probably gonna adopt this”.
As someone who talks about movie news from time to time, I’m thankful to have discovered some great topics on Clownfish TV’s Youtube Channel. However, I respectfully disagree with Kneon’s view of the influence AMC Theatres’ latest decision will have on other theatres. When this Word on the Street story is published, the economy AMC Theatres exists in is not strong. Almost every day, there are articles chronicling the closure of multiple retail shops. With that in mind, movie-goers may, more often than not, view the theatre experience as a luxury. To save money on this pastime, audience members could either seek out a theatre that doesn’t charge extra for seats or wait to rent a theatrical movie and watch it at home. I believe AMC Theatres’ tier pricing for their seats will hurt their company more than help. I wouldn’t be surprised if, within this year, there are articles reporting on AMC Theatres closing several cinemas.
What are your thoughts on this piece of movie news? Is your theatre affected by AMC Theatres newest business model? Let me know in the comment section!
Have fun at the movies!
Sally Silverscreen
If you’re interested in reading the comicbook.com article that was referenced in the Clownfish TV video and my post, here’s the link:
Now we are coming to the end of another season of Chesapeake Shores. With this story complete, I can now give my honest opinion on the season as a whole. This has been one of the strongest seasons in the show’s history! That balance between character and plot driven stories has returned! One of the strengths was the addition of new cast members. Because Robert Buckley was promoted the most, I’ll talk about his character, Evan Kincaid. With new characters, it can be hit or miss. But with Evan, he fit in just fine. In fact, it felt like he was meant to be on Chesapeake Shores all along. Evan was a well written character, with each layer being pulled back as the story went on. Robert also presented a personality that hadn’t been seen on the show before. Despite joining Chesapeake Shores this season, I can’t imagine this story without him. As this chapter of the show comes to a close, let’s re-cap the season finale!
Just a reminder: If you did not see the season finale of Chesapeake Shores, there are spoilers within this re-cap.
Chesapeake ShoresSeason 5 poster created by Crown Media Family Networks and Hallmark Channel.
Season: 5
Episode: 10
Name: As Time Goes By
Abby’s story: Abby comes back home from her business trip in Cleveland. She is surprised to discover Evan waiting for her at the airport. Afterwards, they agree to have lunch at Sally’s Café. During their meal, Evan confesses how he might have romantic feelings for Abby. She turns down this possibility at first, as she and Evan are business partners. But Evan convinces her to, at least, think about the idea of them together. The next day, Evan visits the O’Brien family home to deliver some homemade brownies. Abby is not only amazed by how good the sweet treats are, but how Evan created the brownies so that Caitlyn, who is lactose intolerant, could eat them too. In the middle of this exchange, Evan shares with Abby how he learned to bake from a man who used to date Evan’s mother. When Abby asks Evan if she can meet this man, Evan says he’ll try to locate him, as he is a truck driver. Later in the episode, Jay reveals how every year, he takes a picture for his “Best Moment of the Year” collection. For the previous year, he shows Abby a picture of her, indicating how she was his “Best Moment of the Year”. Jay also confesses how he has romantic feelings for Abby. But he says he has romantic feelings for a female guidance counselor named Cam as well. The information Abby received from Evan and Jay puts her at a fork in the road. After consulting with Bree, Abby calls someone and tells them how she has feelings for them too. But the identity of the receiver is not known.
Mick and Megan’s story: One morning, Mick and Megan share the news that not only are they taking a trip around the world, but Mick is also taking a year off work in order to make this trip happen. While the family is shocked by this news, there are happy to see Megan and Mick move forward with their relationship. While she’s at the location where the art show took place, Carter tells Megan how she has received multiple job offers due to the art show’s success. Megan says she has given up that life, indicating her disinterest in these offers. Then, Carter reveals how a prestigious art gallery in Los Angeles wants Megan to join their team. Because she has always dreamed of working with that particular gallery, she thinks twice about her future. Mick ends up finding out about this job offer from Carter, as Carter is on his way home to New York. When Mick addresses this piece of news with Megan, she says she hasn’t made a decision yet. But, by the end of the episode, she questions if she can have both the job and the trip. This makes Mick wonder if she’ll leave the family again.
Connor’s story: While Luke’s court hearing has received a different judge, the date is scheduled for the very next day. Even though this concerns Connor, he continues to look for a way to help Luke. Meanwhile, Margaret has her concerns about Connor’s well-being. Remembering what Connor said in the previous episode, Margaret brings s’more ingredients to the firm, in an attempt to help Connor relax. Connor likes Margaret’s gesture, which ends up with both of them kissing. But, the following day, Luke and Bree discover Connor slept at the firm. Because of this discovery, Luke reveals how he takes sleep medication. This information gives Connor an idea. He recruits his doctor as an expert witness, in an attempt to show how Luke’s sleep medication could be mistaken for amphetamines. The plan works and Luke doesn’t have to go back to prison. Toward the end of the episode, Margaret visits Connor at the O’Brien family home. While they are kissing, Connor collapses. The cause of his ailments is unknown.
Kevin and Sarah’s story: At the beginning of the episode, it is revealed Sarah had a miscarriage. Devastated by this latest heartbreak, Sarah tells Kevin to keep it between themselves. But, later in the episode, Kevin shares this information with Mick and Megan. They tell their son how they suffered a miscarriage years ago. Through the interaction, they show their support for Kevin and Sarah. When Kevin tells his wife what he told his parents, Sarah is upset. However, she comes to appreciate Mick and Megan’s support when Megan pays her a visit. Megan tells Sarah how her miscarriage happened after Jess was born. She also tells Sarah how, in time, she will get through this tragedy.
Jess and David’s story: Jess has a lot of thoughts about Mick and Megan getting back together. So, at three in the morning, she decides to write Megan an email, which contains her real thoughts. Later that day, Jess freaks out because she actually sent the email. When David reads it, he thinks it is brutally honest. So, Jess goes to the O’Brien family home to talk to Megan. She apologizes for the email, telling Megan how she’s actually happy for her and Mick. But Megan responds by saying she hadn’t checked her email yet, but appreciated Jess’s honesty. Meanwhile, David discovers his trust fund has been cleaned out. Only his father has access to this fund, but he is nowhere to be found. David goes to Boston to find out more information on his father’s whereabouts. When he returns, David tells Jess his father flew out of the country, with the FBI looking for him.
Looking back on the show as a whole, it seems like Kevin and Sarah can’t win. First, they don’t have the wedding of their dreams because season four only contained six episodes. Now, they are dealing with a miscarriage. I understand things do not always go according to plan, in real life and in fictional stories. However, I was hoping the writers would try to make it up to the fans after the omission of a wedding in the previous season. If Chesapeake Shores receives a sixth season, I hope Kevin and Sarah meet happier circumstances.
While talking to a family member about this season, I realized injuries and falls seemed to be a common theme. Sarah fell twice, Thomas fell while hiking, and Evan fell in Tae Kwon Do class. There was also Mick’s plane accident, Thomas’ sprained ankle, Evan’s hurt back, and Connor’s medical issues. I’m guessing this was all a coincidence. But, as a fan, I found it concerning how five of the show’s characters were in harm’s way, sometimes on more than one occasion.
While I know cliffhangers and season finales can sometimes go hand-in-hand, I thought it was risky for the season to end with four cliffhangers. As of October 2021, there has been no announcements about a sixth season. This means if the show were to be cancelled, several stories would receive no resolution. Personally, I think one or two cliffhangers would have been just fine. Some of these cliffhangers could have been introduced earlier in the season, such as the whereabouts of David’s dad. Had this been the case, David and Jess’s story could have contained more depth.
Over the course of seven and a half seasons, the residents of Hope Valley have experienced a plethora of problems. Some of these problems have been dire, like Henry’s blood pressure or troubles at the bank. Others might be minor and require less than a day to solve. This season of When Calls the Heart has seen all sorts of problems. However, what matters most is how those problems are solved. There have been times when the whole town had to pitch in and help, like when there was a fire at the church shortly before Jack and Elizabeth’s wedding. But sometimes it takes only one person to find a solution to a conflict. Not matter what the residents of Hope Valley face, they always find the answers they are looking for. Let’s see if they solve their problems in this re-cap of When Calls the Heart!
Just a reminder: If you did not see this episode of When Calls the Heart, there may be spoilers within this re-cap.
When Calls the Heartposter created by Crown Media Family Networks and Hallmark Channel.
Season: 8
Episode: 5
Name: What the Heart Wants
Major stories:
As the school year comes to a close, Elizabeth and her students prepare for the upcoming graduation and moving up ceremony. Elizabeth is also preparing for the Parent Teacher Conferences. Later that day, Elizabeth meets with Joseph and Minnie during the Conference. Despite spending a short amount of time at the Jack Thornton School, Cooper has been earning good grades and doing well among his peers. After their meeting, Elizabeth invites Minnie and Joseph to the graduation and moving up ceremony. Even though they agree to go, Minnie seems hesitant to attend. When the conferences are over, Elizabeth realizes Nathan hasn’t shown up. So, she sends him a note telling him to come to her house. That night, Nathan arrives at Elizabeth’s house, saying his and Ally’s fishing trip is the reason why he didn’t come to the Parent Teacher Conferences. Elizabeth tells him Ally received straight As on her final report card, but her math grades are the most impressive. Because of this, Elizabeth recommends placing Ally in an accelerated math program. She also points out how the inquiry caused Ally to lose concentration on her studies. Nathan apologizes for the effects of the inquiry and for not attending the Parent Teacher Conferences. He tells Elizabeth he’ll think about the accelerated math program. Later in the episode, Elizabeth goes to Dottie’s Dress Shop for a fitting. While there, she shows Rosemary the dress she plans on wearing for her date with Lucas. Rosemary is impressed with the dress and agrees with Elizabeth’s choice.
The next day, before the graduation and moving up ceremony, Lucas takes Elizabeth horse riding. However, this ride is short due to Elizabeth needing to prepare for her event. When they visit a bridge in the forest, Elizabeth invites Lucas to the ceremony. Lucas declines, as he doesn’t want to make things awkward for Nathan and Ally. At the ceremony, Elizabeth is surprised by a song the students performed in her honor. She’s also surprised by the arrival of a Valley school board member. He wants the Jack Thornton School to join the district and reminds her how she’s not certified to teach disabled students. Elizabeth stands up for herself by telling him the Jack Thornton School is independent and how she will try her best to teach all her students, no matter their abilities. Because she was impressed with the ceremony, Minnie agrees to work with Elizabeth, as she plans on sending Angela to school with her brother. Nathan and Ally also agree to the accelerated math program, even though Ally doesn’t seem too happy about it. The episode ends with Elizabeth having dinner at home with Lucas, due to her desire to stay close to her son. They agree to slowly start a relationship and proceed to hold hands.
After Rachel’s first successful sale at the dress shop, Rosemary is impressed with how well Rachel is adapting to her new life in Hope Valley. But after receiving a letter that says Dottie might sell the dress shop, that happiness is shattered. The news causes Rachel to take a walk and Rosemary to contemplate her future. When Lee visits the dress shop, Rosemary tells him the news. Lee isn’t too worried, as he thinks everything will work out for the better. This troubles Rosemary, with her believing Lee doesn’t understand what she’s going through. Rosemary and Rachel are not the only ones troubled by the news. Clara is concerned about her future income. She’s not only stressed about her temporary position at Nichols and Dime, but she also accepts more hours at Abigail’s Café. At the café, Bill brings up the idea of buying out Abigail to gain more ownership of the café. He asks Clara and Jesse if they would also like to buy out Abigail, but they decline the offer. That night, Clara makes the discovery that all the money in their bank account is missing. When she addresses this to Jesse, he reveals how he gave all their money to an investment that didn’t work out. In anger and frustration, Clara kicks Jesse out of their house. Meanwhile, Rosemary and Lee realize Rachel hasn’t returned from her walk. So, they take a drive in order to look for her. When they arrive at the forest, they find Rachel wandering through the woods. Before they go home, Rachel says she lost her way.
When Lucas crosses paths with Henry, Henry expresses interest in wanting to work with Lucas at the petroleum oil plant again. Because of this, Lucas gives Henry his old office key. Later in the episode, Henry discovers his office is dusty, as it hasn’t been utilized in a long time. Henry is not the only Hope Valley resident to experience good occupational news. Early in the episode, Carson receives a letter from a surgeon he worked alongside in Union City. Though he doesn’t say what’s in the letter at first, Faith eventually puts the pieces together. Carson is invited to become a resident surgeon at John Hopkins. Despite Carson’s concerns about the future of their relationship, Faith encourages him to consider the invitation. Meanwhile, Ned experiences stomach troubles. Even though Florence and Carson insist that Ned accept medical treatment, Ned refuses. Florence expresses her concerns for Ned, which cause her to place her hand over Ned’s hand. Because Carson and Faith walked into the Mercantile at that moment, Ned suggests putting a bell on the door to let Ned and Florence know if customers are coming in.
During Elizabeth’s fitting at the dress shop, Rosemary thinks about her future employment options. She tells Elizabeth she wants to do something she loves while also making a difference. This makes me wonder if Rosemary will finally get her long-awaited theater? She could lead acting classes as well as directing plays. The theater could also be a place where families can spend some quality time together.
Ever since When Calls the Heart: Home for Christmas, I have felt there are too many continuous storylines on the show. This episode serves as a perfect example, as new pieces of different stories were introduced. None of these stories were resolved at the end of the episode, with the conflict of Angela’s education being resolved way too quickly. Having so many storylines make the overall show feel bloated. The creative team needs to have a better handle on which storylines can be covered over several episodes and which ones should be resolved in one episode.
As I mentioned in my re-cap, Lee doesn’t seem too worried about the future of Dottie’s Dress Shop. Because of his demeanor, I wonder if Lee is planning on purchasing the dress shop for Rosemary? That could mean the dress shop would be Rosemary’s, with the name of the business making a change to Rosemary’s Dress Shop. It would also mean Rosemary would become the next small business owner of Hope Valley!
In this episode of When Calls the Heart, we are introduced to two new characters; Angela Canfield and Rachel Thom. Though their lives are very different, they share one thing in common. Both young women have a mother who is protective of their daughter. From a distance, it can seem like these mothers are strict and unfair. But when we get to know these characters, we learn that their hearts are in the right places and they have the best intentions for their child. As Angela and Rachel grow up, they will want to go out into the world and have lives of their own. In this episode, we see each young woman has a talent worth pursuing. How those talents are used, nobody yet knows. Until those moments come, let’s re-cap this week’s episode of When Calls the Heart!
Just a reminder: If you did not see this episode of When Calls the Heart, there may be spoilers within this re-cap.
When Calls the Heartposter created by Crown Media Family Networks and Hallmark Channel.
Season: 8
Episode: 4
Name: Welcome to Hope Valley
Major stories:
The Canfield family begins moving into their new home. In an effort to welcome them to Hope Valley, Elizabeth brings some books from the library. When Elizabeth arrives at the Canfield’s house, she meets Joseph and Minnie. She is also introduced to Cooper and Angela, who is blind. Elizabeth gives the children Call of the Wild and the third book in the Anne of Green Gables series. Minnie declines Elizabeth’s invitation for Angela to come to the Jack Thornton School, as she says she’ll teach Angela at home. Later that day, Elizabeth visits Joseph at the gas station. She expresses excitement about teaching Cooper and Angela. Joseph reminds her how Minnie is protective of Angela. Elizabeth tells him that even though she isn’t certified in teaching blind children yet, she hopes to teach Angela in the near future. The next day is Cooper’s first day of school. As Cooper introduces himself to the class, the Canfield family listens through the school’s front door. As they walk home, Angela expresses interest in going to school with Cooper, as she wants to spend time with children her own age. Minnie is against the idea because she doesn’t want Angela to face prejudice like she did before. Joseph feels that this won’t happen in Hope Valley, based on how the residents have treated the family so far. Minnie then agrees to think about what Angela wants. Back at home, the Canfield family continues to unpack their wagon. During this activity, Angela climbs into the wagon in order to reach the piano. After she accomplishes her mission, she starts playing ‘Clair de Lune’. As Jesse and Elizabeth are giving Cooper a ride home, they hear the piano music. Everyone is impressed with Angela’s musical talents, especially Elizabeth. In a private conversation with Minnie, Elizabeth compares Angela’s desire to reach the piano to her desire to learn among her peers. Minnie shares how her family experienced difficult times ever since Angela was born. Elizabeth tells Minnie how she will never stop trying to help Angela and her family.
Nathan’s inquiry begins in Hope Valley. On the first day, Andrew questions Bill. Bill shares how even though he was present during last year’s prisoner transfer, he didn’t see who shot the now deceased Mountie. Andrew points out how Nathan could have shot the Mountie. The next day, Nathan is questioned by Andrew. One of the questions is about his time at Fort Clay three years ago. Bill objects to this, as he feels it does not relate to the prisoner transfer from last year. After the hearing, Bill asks Nathan what happened at Fort Clay. Nathan reveals he broke protocol by making an arrest on his own. Because Fort Clay was Jack Thornton’s last assignment, Bill asks Nathan if he knew Jack. Nathan replies by saying no. The inquiry has also been bothering Ally. During recess at school, Ally shares that Nathan was suspended after he served at Fort Clay. This causes Elizabeth to wonder if he knew her husband. On the day of the final verdict, Ally visits Nathan at the courthouse. Right before Andrew gives the final verdict, Ally enters the courthouse, confessing how Nathan is a good man. She also says his reputation is impeccable (a word she learned from Elizabeth) and how Nathan is the closest thing to a father she has. After Ally leaves, Andrew agrees to drop the inquiry. Before the end of the episode, Elizabeth apologizes to Lucas for keeping his mother’s secret from him. Lucas also apologizes for being disrespectful toward Elizabeth. After making up, they agree to have dinner together. Nathan then approaches Elizabeth, giving her an opportunity to ask about his time at Fort Clay. She asks Nathan if he ever met Jack, which he replies no. When she asks why he never shared this information with her, Nathan says he never found the opportunity to do so.
While Mike and Jesse are helping Fiona load some furniture into her barber shop, Clara gives Jesse the cold shoulder. When Fiona points out how harsh Clara is being toward Jesse, Clara reveals how she is teaching him a lesson for purchasing Lee’s motorcycle without consulting her first. Later in the episode, Jesse and Clara share an ice cream cone. When discussing finances, Clara reminds Jesse how even though Lee offered the motorcycle to Jesse for a good price, Jesse will still have to pay for repairs. Not only does Jesse agree to give the motorcycle back to Lee, but he also agrees to communicate with Clara when it comes to major purchases. Several scenes later, Fiona reveals how she is going out of town to see her family. Clara says she is seeking extra employment so she and Jesse can purchase a house someday. Fiona decides to help Clara by hiring her as a barber.
Lee’s sister, Susannah, and her daughter, Rachel, have come to Hope Valley for a visit. Even though Lee is excited to see his sister again, he and Rosemary quickly notice how Susannah is protective of Rachel. One morning, Lee, Rosemary, Susannah, Rachel, and Elizabeth have breakfast at the Queen of Hearts Saloon. When Elizabeth discovers Rachel has recently graduated high school, Elizabeth asks Rachel what her plans are for the future. Rachel says she wants to be an actress like Rosemary. Because they know how protective Susannah is, Rosemary and Lee try to dissuade Rachel from this career path. Later that day, as Lee takes the motorcycle to the lumberyard, Rosemary and Rachel go to the dress shop. While helping Mollie with a fitting, Rachel gives Mollie fashion advice that ends up improving Mollie’s look. Rosemary takes notice of Rachel’s eye for fashion and agrees to give Rachel an outfit from the store. When Rosemary and Rachel come home, Rachel models her new Freedom Alls and makeover. Susannah disapproves of this look and tells Rachel to change back into her previous outfit. Because Rosemary senses tension between Lee and Susannah, Rosemary talks a walk. When Rosemary arrives that evening, Susannah apologizes for being disrespectful toward her. She also asks if Rachel can stay with the Coulters. Even though Lee and Rosemary agree, Susannah explains how she doesn’t want her daughter to grow up in the city.
Mollie is still determined to attract Bill. When Florence questions this, Mollie says she’s in it for the long haul. In an effort to get Bill to notice her, Mollie purchases a fancy dress from Dottie’s Dress Shop. At first, she isn’t thrilled with the dress Rosemary picks out for her. Then, Rachel gives Mollie a necklace and satin ribbon sash to complete the look. These simple changes instantly cause Mollie to change her mind about the dress. That evening, Mollie goes to the Saloon, where Bill happens to be. When Mollie arrives, Bill leaves in a hurry, not noticing Mollie’s dress. Seeing Mollie’s disappointment, Florence invites Mollie to join her and Ned at their table, as they also happen to be at the Saloon. The next day, as he’s passing by Mollie in town, Bill makes a comment about Mollie’s dress. This makes Mollie feel validated.
Jesse, Clara, and even Ally appear to have purchased their ice cream cones from the Mercantile. However, Opal and Hattie revealed in season five that Hope Valley had an ice cream parlor. Did these characters purchase their ice cream cones at the parlor off-screen or did the parlor close down? If the latter is the case, maybe a new character could purchase the ice cream parlor in season nine.
This episode was funnier than I expected! One of the funniest scenes was when Elizabeth is about to join Ally at the courthouse. Elizabeth tells Robert to watch the class while she is away. Robert then appears satisfied with her decision and says to himself how he’s the right man for the job.
I thought it was nice of Carson to give Faith her own doctor’s bag! This simple gesture keeps up the season’s continuity, as Faith told Carson in the previous episode how she wanted to be taken seriously as a doctor. The bag also serves as a symbol for the start of Faith’s medical career. I hope we get to see this bag in future episodes!
Before I start this When Calls the Heart re-cap, I’d like to remind everyone that Thursday, April 30th, is the last day to submit your nominee for Star of the Year of the 2nd Annual Gold Sally Awards! You can go to this link and place your nomination in the comment section:
In a typical season of any television show, the two significant episodes are the season premiere and finale. Because of this, the episodes in-between could get lumped together. I think there’s an argument to be made that an episode before the season finale is equally important. On the episode before a season finale, a show’s writers might use the story to tie up loose-ends. They may also start a two-part story that will conclude in the season finale. No matter what a show’s writers choose to do, the episode itself is meant to hold down the fort until the season finale finally arrives. There might be a shocking twist of events, such as what happened in the ninth episode of the fifth season of When Calls the Heart. Preparations might be made for future situations, like Jack’s Baptism in the sixth season’s eighth episode. The most important point to make is that an episode before a season finale matters to the story as a whole.
Just a reminder: If you did not see this episode of When Calls the Heart, there may be spoilers within this re-cap.
Lee recovers from the head injury he received in the previous episode. The experience causes him to be more reflective on life. One day, he brings out a box of belongings he hasn’t looked through in quite some time. While allowing Rosemary to look through the box, she discovers a photo from Lee’s childhood. She asks who the little girl in the picture is, causing Lee to reveal he has a sister. He also tells Rosemary he hasn’t spoken to his sister, Susannah, in several years and the death of his brother and parents is what drove them apart. Rosemary encourages Lee to track down his sister. He makes a phone call to his hometown in Ohio, but quickly learns Susannah moved out of town shortly after their father’s death. Rosemary wonders if Susannah had any suitors. Lee mentions that before he left the family, his sister had one suitor named Jake. It takes him a while to remember Jake’s last name and his hometown in Washington state. Lee eventually receives Susannah’s phone number from Fiona. When Lee calls his sister the first time, she hangs up on him. Toward the end of the episode, he calls Susannah a second time. Lee tells her he has to meet her face-to-face. She tells him she’ll think about seeing him in person.
Henry continues to keep the financial records away from Lucas. Lucas tells Bill about his frustrations over the situation, with Bill still offering the subpoena as an option. Later in the episode, while in town, Bill tells Elizabeth how he and Lucas are dealing with a critical situation. When Elizabeth asks Lucas about this situation, he reveals Henry’s stubbornness over producing the oil plant’s financial records. After this conversation, Elizabeth meets with Henry and asks him why he hasn’t given Lucas the financial records yet. Henry reveals the plant has been facing financial trouble for a while. The problem is so bad, Henry himself hasn’t gotten a paycheck. Henry says that his oil business is the first thing that has given him respect with himself and from other people. Elizabeth tells him he has more opportunities to produce respect than with his business alone. Henry contemplates burning the financial records in his fireplace. But he chooses to give them to Lucas instead.
At the beginning of the episode, Nathan is preparing to go undercover in order to catch a thief. As he is about to walk out the door, Elizabeth comes to the station to talk to Nathan about their disagreements from the previous episode. Right before she leaves the station, Elizabeth tells him Lucas asked her to go to Union City. While at the train station, Nathan crosses paths with Fiona. She tells him she just returned from San Francisco. He tells her he is on duty and doesn’t want to blow his cover. After some struggle, Nathan successfully arrests the thief and puts him in the Hope Valley jail. Back in Hope Valley, Nathan organizes a court date for the thief. When he expresses his frustrations to Bill over the events during the windstorm, Bill tells Nathan Elizabeth trusted her instincts when it came to saving Emily. In the evening, Nathan apologizes to Elizabeth for over-reacting after the windstorm. He then explains how he cares about her.
Because of the windstorm, Emily has decided to take some time off from school. This causes Opal to miss her friend. While the other students go to recess, Opal chooses to read indoors. Because Opal loves recess, Elizabeth becomes concerned about her student. One day, at recess, Elizabeth reminds Opal that everything is ok now. However, Opal continues to stay inside. Later in the episode, Elizabeth acknowledges Opal’s fears of another windstorm taking place. She encourages Opal to face her fears by suggesting they go to recess together. Opal accepts Elizabeth’s offer and goes outside again.
Fiona returns to Hope Valley from San Francisco. When she visits Clara at the café, Fiona tells her she left Hope Valley to visit family. One day, while at work, Fiona receives a phone call from a man named Mr. Nichols. During the call, she tells him how she likes her job. It is later revealed by Florence that Fiona has been transferred to a new location. Fiona tells Carson that she tried to refuse the transfer, but her request was denied.
Jesse is still concerned about Lee. He consumes himself in work to take his mind off of the recent events. Clara continues to remind Jesse how the incident on the mountain is not his fault. When Lee’s prognosis is revealed, Jesse is relived by this news. One day, Lee comes into work just to check on the business’s operations. Jesse shares his concerns with Lee, saying that Lee is like a brother to him. Lee tells him the reason why Jesse was on the mountain is because Lee told him to go there. This causes Jesse to receive peace of mind about the situation.
One day, Lucas reveals to Elizabeth that he sent three chapters from her manuscript to his mother. He also tells her his mother is interested in publishing her work. Elizabeth becomes upset by how Lucas failed to ask her if he could send her manuscript to anyone. Later in the episode, Lucas apologizes to Elizabeth for what he did and says he learned his lesson. But she wonders if she can truly trust him. Despite this, Elizabeth tells Lucas she’ll agree to have her book published.
I was so happy to see Paloma Kwiatkowski and Edward Ruttle guest star on this episode! I’ve seen their performances in other projects, including those from Hallmark. Both Paloma and Edward are good actors, with their portrayals being enjoyable to watch! I’m glad they’ve now joined the When Calls the Heart family!
I’m glad Lee is doing better health wise. However, I think his medical situation could have drawn out for a bit longer. This could have created a sense of intrigue and uncertainty for the episode’s overall story. Because of how quickly Lee’s medical situation was handled, it almost seems like it was glossed over.
As you read in this re-cap, you can see there were a lot of minor stories in this episode. Personally, I think there were too many of them. I understand this is the episode before the season finale. But some of these stories could have been saved for the next season or the season finale episode.
Before I start this When Calls the Heart re-cap, I’d like to remind everyone that Thursday, April 16th, is the last day to cast your vote for the Best Movie and Story of the 2nd Annual Gold Sally Awards! The last award will be posted on the April 17th! Here is the link to the poll:
Sometimes, things happen beyond our control. Because we all have our own unique perspectives, we have different ways to reacting to these situations. Blame can sometimes be a choice that is made. Other people decide to take matters into their own hands, wanting to find a solution on their own. Coming together on common ground is another choice to come into the realm of possibilities. The windstorm in this episode of When Calls of Heart causes the characters to seek solutions in various ways. The answers may come quickly, but they may also take awhile to be discovered. In retrospect, these aspects reflect what is going on in the world’s current situation. The Coronavirus is beyond our control. There are people trying to find a solution to the current problem. But everyone has found their own way to react to the situation.
Just a reminder: If you did not see this episode of When Calls the Heart, there may be spoilers within this re-cap.
Elizabeth plans on taking the second half of her class on a field trip through the forest. Since she took the first half of her class on a field trip in the previous week, she has recruited Carson to be the substitute teacher on the day of the trip. The next day, Elizabeth and these aforementioned students head to the woods. While learning about nature, Emily finds an arrowhead. Elizabeth and her students also make use of a pair of binoculars they borrowed from Lucas. As they go deeper into the forest, Elizabeth discovers the wind picking up. Concerned about the safety of her students, Elizabeth ends the field trip early, in order to beat the oncoming windstorm. Unfortunately, they aren’t able to go home before the storm. So, they hide in a nearby hunting lodge until the storm subsides. When Elizabeth and her students arrive at the lodge, she discovers Emily is missing. She learns from Ally that Emily left the group to find her missing arrowhead. Elizabeth leaves Robert in charge of the students while she goes into the forest to look for Emily. Eventually, Elizabeth finds Emily in the forest. Nathan finds the both of them shortly after, then takes them back to the lodge. After the storm ends, Nathan gives Emily her arrowhead. He also criticizes Elizabeth for leaving her students during a windstorm, telling her how she could have put her students’ lives in danger.
During dinner, Jesse tells Clara he has received a lumber block. He also tells Clara that he has to leave early the next morning, in order to collect supplies from the lumber block. The next day, while Lee is fixing his car, he learns Jesse hasn’t returned from the lumber block. After hearing about the oncoming windstorm, Lee heads to the lumber block to retrieve Jesse. Several hours pass by and both men haven’t returned to Hope Valley. Several citizens from Hope Valley organize a search party, including Clara and Rosemary. During the search, Clara fears that Jesse faced a similar fate like Peter did years ago. Rosemary tells her not to worry. Shortly after she says this, they hear a noise that signifies Jesse and Lee have been found. When Rosemary and Clara arrive with the rest of the search party, they discover that Jesse is safe. However, they also discover that Lee has suffered from a bad head injury. At the end of the episode, Lee is unconscious. Rosemary asks Carson to do whatever he can to save Lee.
Forest in Georgia image created by Roger Kirby at freeimages.com. “FreeImages.com/Roger Kirby.”
Minor Story:
At the beginning of the episode, Lucas asks Henry if he can look at the oil plant’s financial records. Henry refuses to hand over the ledger. At the saloon, Mike reveals to Lucas he hasn’t received any payments from Henry. This causes Lucas to turn to Bill for help. He shares his concerns with Bill about Henry’s lack of cooperation. Bill tells Lucas that Henry has twenty-hours to hand over the records or else he’ll order a subpoena. Lucas delivers this news to Henry, which causes Henry to be conflicted over his next step.
In this episode, there was some really good cinematography! One good example is when Elizabeth discovers the growing strength of the wind. The shot was presented as if the audience is looking through Lucas’ binoculars. The landscape itself shows mist moving over the trees, creating an eerie and unsettling presence before the windstorm wreaks havoc.
While watching this episode, it was disappointing to see some poor decisions being made during the windstorm. I agree with Nathan about Elizabeth leaving her students in order to find Emily. Nathan told Elizabeth he was going to look for Emily. As the only adult in the group, Elizabeth had a responsibility to look after her students.
I’d like to think Lee is going to recover from his head injury. But because this episode ended on a cliffhanger (similar to the episode that aired before the season five finale) and because Lee’s situation was not addressed in the commercial for the next episode, I’m honestly not so sure. According to the description for an extended preview of the upcoming episode, it says “Rosemary learns a secret about Lee’s past”. At this point, I have no idea what that could mean.
This is a question that I asked when I saw Queen of the Damned for the first-time last year. I was curious how this particular character was able to afford his lavish lifestyle while balancing his endeavors as a rock-star. The more I thought about my question, the more I thought about the wealth of the other characters from this movie. How did they acquire their wealth? What is their net worth? Since I haven’t seen a post like this on WordPress before, I decided to write an editorial where I attempt to figure out these characters’ net worth. I’m not a historical or financial expert, so my information will be based on guesses and assumptions. I haven’t read any of the source material that Queen of the Damned is based on, so I turned to Vampire Chronicles Wiki only to determine birth dates and the years when these characters became vampires. However, I didn’t rely too much on this site because the film and the source material share more differences than similarities. To determine net worth, I looked at items from the auction website, Sotheby’s, that correlated with these significant years of the characters. All of the items’ prices will be included with its United States Dollar value. Because we don’t know the year when the film takes place, we will assume it takes place around Halloween of 2002, especially since Marius was seen reading a magazine where the back cover says “All Hallow’s Eve”. I also turned to Jen, from the blog, Bookworm, because she has read the books and seen the movie. This means that she would know these characters better than me. Here’s the link to Jen’s blog if you want to check it out!
This post is not only created for the Gothic Horror Blogathon, it also corelates with ‘31 Spooks of October’ and my recent achievement of publishing 125 movie reviews! Before we begin, I just want to let you know that this is probably the longest editorial I’ve ever written. Also, all of the pictures that are featured in this editorial are screenshots that I took with my cellphone.
Here is photo evidence that the concert took place around Halloween. Screenshot taken by me, Sally Silverscreen.
Khayman
In the Queen of the Damned film, Khayman is one of members of the Ancients group. According to Vampire Chronicles Wiki, Khayman was Akasha’s chief steward. But this detail was not brought up in the film, so we will assume that this was his occupation before he became a vampire. The reason for Khayman’s negative feelings toward Akasha is unknown in the movie, but it seems like she made a decision that did not sit well with Khayman. On Sothebys, I found three items that shared the date of or around 4,000 B.C.; the approximate date when Khayman was born and became a vampire. The first item, An Anatolian Figure, was sold in 2001 for $6,600. For the sake of this discussion, we will assume that if Khayman owned this item, the aforementioned price will be the worth of the item. Another item that sold in 2001 was a set of Three Stone Mace-heads. This set had a final price tag of $2,700, so this will the worth of the set for this conversation. The last item, an Egyptian Hardstone Jar, has an approximate worth somewhere between $8,000 and $12,000, so we’ll just say that it’s worth $12,000. If we add these prices up, it totals to $21,300. Remember when I mentioned that Khayman was Akasha’s chief steward? Well, let’s say that throughout his career, he received a third of her finances, which would be approximately $11,944. When we include that number with the prices of the previously stated items, Khayman’s net worth totals to the amount of $33,244.
Before starting this project, I had assumed that Akasha would be one of the film’s more wealthier vampires. But Jen, from Bookworm, brought up an excellent point that changed my perspective on Akasha’s net worth. Jen told me that Akasha wouldn’t have any money due to Marius taking care of her while she was in her semi-comatose, statuesque state. In the film, Akasha was seen in this state and stayed that way for the majority of the story. For this editorial, however, we’re going to assume that she was able to keep at least three possessions before she turned into a statue. The first possession would be an Egyptian Cosmetic Case, which sold for $1,693 in 2002. One year earlier, in 2001, a Stone Figure from the 6th Millennium sold for $19,150. An Egyptian Porphyritic Diorite Vase, which has a date of around the time when Akasha became a vampire, is worth $10,000 to $15,000. For this project, we will guess that this vase is worth $15,000. Adding up those numbers together, the total worth of these items would be $35,843. This means that this number represents Akasha’s total net worth.
For the first vampire ever created, this financial amount seems low. But, in the movie, Akasha spent more time in a semi-comatose, statuesque state than she did ruling over Egypt. Because she broke out of this state in 2002 after thousands of years, she probably wouldn’t be able to access the money she had as easily as the other vampires. In fact, she probably squatted the California house that she took Lestat to after taking him from his concert. Jen, from Bookworm, brought up another good point that puts Akasha’s financial situation into an interesting perspective. Even though, in the film, she doesn’t have any known family or children in existence, we would assume that she had a will. But if she did have a will, it wouldn’t be effective when she eventually died at the end of the film. Akasha traveled to Death Valley, California to take Lestat from his concert and she later died in Maharet’s house in the Sonoma area. As Jen told me, there’s a good chance that Akasha did not have any sort of legal U.S. citizenship, so any legal documents relating to finances would likely not be accounted for.
Not much is known about this particular character. Even in the movie, the only information that’s shared about him is that he’s an Ancient. But, according to Vampire Chronicles Wiki, Mael was born and became a vampire in 10 A.D. By taking a look at three items from this time period, we can guess his potential net worth. Two of these items are manuscripts. One of them is a Collection of Large Papyrus Documents, which has a worth of about $4,908 to $8,180. For this discussion, this collection will be worth $8,180. The other one, a Collection of Egyptian Papyrus Manuscripts, is worth $31,034 to $46,551. We’ll just say that if Mael owned this collection, it would have a worth of $46,551. The last item is a Roman Black-ware Miniature Amphora. For the sake of this project, let’s just say that this one item is worth $1,200. When these numbers are added up, Mael’s total net worth would be $55,931.
On the Vampire Chronicles Wiki website, it says that David was born in the 20th Century. Since his age is never mentioned in the movie, we are going to guess that David is 43 years old during the course of the film. The reason for choosing this age is because that’s how old Paul McGann, the actor who portrayed David, was in the year when the movie was released. As we can see in the film, David has a prominent position in a detective agency known as Talamasca. In fact, the Vampire Chronicles Wiki website clarifies his position is a “superior general”. Because salary was never brought up in the film, we’re going to assume that it would mirror the typical salary of an investigator. Since David’s standing in the Talamasca is pretty respectable, the assumption is that his salary is on the higher end of the spectrum. According to the website, SalaryList, this would be $189,592. Over his 43 years, David would probably have collected family heirlooms. For this project, we will highlight three items that could belong to him. The first item would be a Set of Danish Silver Dinner Plates. This collection is worth $12,000 to $18,000, so we’ll just say that the worth on the plates is $18,000. The next item is a Heriz Carpet, which has the exact same worth as the aforementioned dinner plates. Again, we’ll assume that this particular item is also worth $18,000. The final item is a Library Table, which has a worth of $20,000 to $30,000. Let’s make a guess that if David inherited this item, it would be worth $30,000. All of this means that David’s net worth is likely $255,592.
The Queen of the Damned movie reveals very little about Pandora. Even the Vampire Chronicles Wiki website doesn’t clearly state when she was born or when she became a vampire. After doing the necessary math based on what was written on the previously mentioned website, I assume that Pandora was born in 10 B.C. and that she became a vampire in 21 A.D. Though not mentioned in the film, the Vampire Chronicles Wiki website shares that her father was a Roman Senator, who happened to be wealthy. We’re going to assume that, after Pandora’s father died, she inherited $1,000,000. We’re also going to assume that she was able to hold on to some possessions she might have had before she became a vampire. One of these items would likely be a Conch Pearl Necklace. According to an article from Sotheby’s, “the Romans prized pearls as the ultimate status symbol”, so Pandora having pearls in her collection of heirlooms would make sense. This particular necklace has a worth of $305,784 to $407,712, so we’ll say that it’s worth the latter for this project. Speaking of jewelry, the next item would be a set of Lazuli, Beads, and Pendants from the 1st Millennium, when Pandora was born. This collection’s worth is between $3,000 and $5,000, so we’ll guess that it’s worth $5,000. The final item would be a Roman Marble Fragment, which has a worth of $19,288 to $32,147. In this discussion, we’ll just say that this item is worth $32,147. When we add these values, Pandora’s net worth ends up being $1,444,859.
As Pandora indicated in a deleted scene for the Queen of the Damned film, Armand was taken under Marius’ wing and became his vampire son. Because of this, there’s a chance that he would receive at least half of Marius’ net worth, which would be $3,959,059. Before becoming a member of Marius’ vampire family, Armand was born in 1480. After Armand was taken in by Marius, he became a vampire in 1497. Because we know very little about Armand’s biological family, we will guess that Armand was able to keep at least one item from them. This item, for the sake of this project, will be a Northern European Brass Pot. The brass pot is worth $2,000 to $3,000, so we’ll say that it’s worth $3,000.
In the film adaptation of Queen of the Damned’s predecessor, Interview with the Vampire, Armand owned the building where Theatre des Vampires, a group of performers who are also vampires, hosted shows. Armand was also the leader of this group. To determine the revenue that the theater possibly generated, I searched for theaters that had a similar date and location to Armand’s. The one I chose for this editorial is Théâtre de l’Ambigu-Comique, which, ironically, faced a similar fate to Armand’s theater. Before we talk about that, let’s go back to the discussion of revenue. In the 1800s, when Armand’s part of the story takes place, the cost of a theater ticket was around 30 cents. If there were 1,250 seats in Armand’s theater, the same number of seats that Théâtre de l’Ambigu-Comique had at one point, that means that the total sale of tickets for one show would be $375. If Armand’s theater hosted 36 shows throughout a single year, the total revenue would be $13,500. In the Interview with the Vampire film, Armand’s theater burns down and Armand becomes the only survivor of that situation. He even references this event in the aforementioned deleted scene. Because insurance has been around since the 2nd to 3rd millennia B.C. and because accident insurance existed in the 19th century, we’ll assume that Armand received an insurance settlement of $1,000,000. After all this is said, Armand’s net worth is revealed to be $4,975,559.
When he makes his debut in the Queen of the Damned film, Marius tells Lestat that he’s “a noble by nature”. Since we don’t exactly know what he meant by this statement, we’ll just assume that he was a literal noble before he became a vampire. If this were the case, it would make sense. One of the benefits of being a noble is having access to at least one estate. Through Lestat’s journalistic flashbacks, we see that Marius has a very large home on a private island. This estate would likely be valuable. In fact, I looked toward another structure that was built around the time when Marius became a vampire; 10 A.D., in order to determine the house’s worth. This structure is ‘Pyramid of the Sun’ from Mexico. One of the materials that was used to build this pyramid was limestone, so we’re going to assume that this material was also used to build Marius’s island home. In an article from History Channel, limestone was used to cover the pyramid’s walls. Also, according to Sotheby’s, a Limestone Head is worth somewhere between $6,706 to $10,730. Because one side of the pyramid is 733.2 feet, we’re going to multiply this number with the higher end of the price spectrum of the Limestone Head, which equals $7,867,236. This is the value that we will put on Marius’s island home for the sake of this discussion.
Marius’s house is not the only thing he owns that would be worth a lot of money. One of these items is likely be a pair of Egyptian Glass Eye Inlays, which is worth $7,715 to $10,287. For this project, we will say that this pair is worth the latter amount. Throughout the movie, we see Marius as an artist, creating a few paintings at various moments. Because of his status as an Ancient, let’s just guess that Marius is the Michelangelo of the vampire world. One work of Michelangelo’s, “Profile of a Man” has a worth of $1,504 to $2,257. Let’s say that Marius sold ten paintings for $1,504 each. This means that he collected a total of $15,040. Remember when I talked about Akasha’s net worth? Well, when she and Lestat got “married”, that marriage was not made legitimate. This is because their marriage was based on “he said, she said”. In one of Lestat’s flashbacks, Marius explains that he keeps Akasha and her husband in their statuesque states in his house. After she died, it would make sense for Marius to receive Akasha’s net worth. So, overall, Marius’s net worth rounds out to $7,918,119.
Another wealthy Ancient is Jesse’s aunt, Maharet. On the Vampire Chronicles Wiki website, she lived around the time of Akasha, becoming a vampire in 4,000 B.C. I found three items that share this date that we’re going to guess Maharet would own. The first item is a Porphyritic Diorite Vase that is similar to Akasha’s. Because I already talked about this vase’s worth, we’re going to restate that it’s worth $15,000. The next item is a Stone Figure, which is worth $15,000 to $25,000. For this article, we are going to say that it’s worth $25,000. The last item is a Basalt House Figure, which is worth six to nine thousand dollars. But because this item sold in 2001 for $19,150, let’s say that this is the worth of this figure.
The Queen of the Damned film never reveals how Maharet acquired her wealth. But the Vampire Chronicles Wiki website shares that she “could communicate with spirits”. I’m guessing that this is the equivalent to a “medium”. So let’s say, before she became a vampire, Maharet ran a business where she used her talents to help others. We’re going to assume that the price of these “communication sessions” cost a total of $10. If she conducted four of these sessions throughout a month, she would make $40. Now if she ran this business for a year, she would make $480. If she ran her business for 2,000 years, her total revenue would be $960,000. In the movie, the climax takes place at Marahet’s house, which is located in California. On realtor.com, there’s a listing for a house in a location and with a style similar to the one in the film. It’s listed at $6,700,000. If this was the worth of Maharet’s house, it would be included in her net worth of $7,719,150.
Shortly after meeting Marius for the first time, Lestat tells him that he’s the “lord of a great man”. Like what Marius said about being a “noble”, we’ll just assume that Lestat was being literal about being a lord. On the website, Prestige Property Group, I found two houses that look like a property that Lestat’s family could have owned. One of them has a price tag of $984,500 and the other one has a price tag of $2,267,100. For my editorial, we will guess that Lestat’s family home would be worth $3,251,600. Toward the beginning of the film, we see that Lestat has a run-down house in New Orleans, where his soon-to-be band mates are seen practicing. I found a listing for a house on realtor.com that could resemble the house in the film. In this listing, the New Orleans house is listed for $4,995,000. For the sake of this project, we will assume that this price is the worth of Lestat’s house. We’ll also assume that Lestat held on to three personal possessions from before he became a vampire. The first of these items is a Louis XV Giltwood Mirror, which is worth $3,000 to $5,000. We will say that this mirror has a worth of $5,000. A Louis XVI Tapestry is the next item, with an approximate worth of twelve to eighteen thousand dollars. In this discussion, we’ll just assume that the tapestry is worth $18,000. With a worth of $12,000 to $18,000, a George I Cabinet on Chest is the last item. Like I said about the tapestry, we’ll say that the worth of the cabinet is also $18,000. Because, in the film, Marius turned Lestat into a vampire, he could receive half of Marius’ net worth of $3,959,059.
One of the biggest factors of the Queen of the Damned film is Lestat being a rock star. This definitely plays into Lestat’s total net worth, even though he is a member of a five-person group. In the film, the band’s concert took place in Death Valley, California. The layout was different from that of a typical stadium, which sets separate prices based to where the seats are located. Also, this was the only concert that band was hosting, because Lestat didn’t want to repeat his performance. This means that tickets for this concert might have been very valuable. In an article from Princeton University, it was reported that “in 2001, the average concert ticket price was about $40, with the average high-end cost close to $60”. But because of what I just said about the aforementioned concert, we’re going to make a guess that the range of prices for this concert’s tickets were $50 and $100. Now, let’s say that 1,000 people attended the concert. Half of them bought the $50 tickets, while the other half purchased the $100. When we multiply the first half, we get a total of $25,000. The total of the other half would be $50,000. While the overall revenue would end up being $75,000, it’s important to figure out what Lestat’s piece of the pie would be. Not only do we see at least one music video from this band, we also see several pieces of advertising about the concert. Let’s say that some of the concert revenue went towards paying the music video’s filming team and covering the cost of marketing, which we’ll keep at 10% each. Divide this number with $75,000, this payment would be $7,500 each. This leaves the $60,000 to split between five people, which now means that Lestat would walk away with $12,000. If you think this is a low number, consider that Lestat’s band also made at least one CD. Based on an article from Electronic Musician, which reported in early 2002 that CD prices could be lowered to $9.99, we’ll assume that in the Queen of the Damned film, a typical CD costs $10. We’re also going to assume that a million copies of this CD were sold. When those numbers are multiplied, we get a total of $10,000,000. But remember, there’s five members in this band, so Lestat would end up receiving $2,000,000. After all of this information is accounted for, Lestat’s total net worth is likely $14,258,659.
The Vampire Chronicles Wiki website says that in the Queen of the Damned movie, Jesse was “in her early twenties”. So, for the sake of this discussion, we’ll guess that Jesse was 25 years old. This was the age of Marguerite Moreau, the actress who portrays Jesse, in 2002, so this is why I have chosen this age for this project. As we can see in the movie, Jesse works for the same Talamasca that David is the superior general of. But, since her position is that of an “apprentice”, her salary would be on the lower end of the spectrum. Going back to the website, SalaryList, it would likely be $39,370. Remember, Jesse is Maharet’s niece, so it’s possible that she would receive half of her aunt’s net worth. This number would be $3,859,575. Receiving this money would have allowed her to live in London, travel to California, and attend Lestat’s concert. Speaking of Lestat, he was the one that turned her into a vampire toward the end of the movie. This means that she could have access to half of Lestat’s net worth, which is $5,149,800. While the exact state of Lestat and Jesse’s relationship is unknown, it is assumed that they decided to pursue a romantic relationship at the end of the film. Jen, from Bookworm, told me that vampires do not marry, but it’s possible that Lestat and Jesse would have come up with a financial agreement if their relationship grew stronger. Overall, the grand total of Jesse’s net worth is going to be $9,048,745.
I first learned about this news on the blog, Annlyel Online. After that, other people starting talking about the story. Since I haven’t written a follow-up Word on the Street post in quite a while, I decided to discuss the latest news about the world’s neighborhood Marvel hero. Yesterday, on September 27th, both The Hollywood Reporter and Variety broke the news that Spider-Man was, indeed, staying put in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Variety provided details about the new deal between Disney and Sony, stating that it “was signed late on Thursday night”. This new deal reveals that “Disney will receive roughly 25% of the profits”. This sounds like an increase from the 5% that I talked about in my Word on the Street story last month. Also revealed was how “Disney will retain its merchandising rights and will put up roughly a quarter of the financing”. In both articles from The Hollywood Reporter and Variety, a new Spider-Man movie was announced, with the project given a release date of July 16th, 2021. Because of this deal, Spider-Man is also scheduled for one additional movie within the MCU. I’m not as educated about the business-side of the movie industry as I am with other aspects of it. But, to me, I find myself feeling skeptical about how quickly this issue was resolved. Legitimizing business transactions, creating negotiations that are suitable for all parties involved, and greenlighting a movie takes time. However, all of these things were able to be taken care of in only a month.
When this story was first published, I listened to several perspectives on this particular topic. One of them belonged to Kneon from Clownfish TV, who I mentioned in one of my Word on the Street stories last month. He brought up some points about the story that I find myself agreeing with. In his video, “Spider-Man STAYS in the MCU…for now”, Kneon says that he feels Spider-Man “has been relegated to sidekick status” during his existence in the MCU. This I agree with, as it seems like Peter Parker has become a sort of “little brother” to the other heroes. The character’s youth doesn’t help his case. In Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers:Endgame, Spider-Man was only given a limited amount of screen-time and was one of the heroes who became “dusted”. Kneon also expressed his concerns about Spider-Man’s future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, stating that he feels the studio’s new phase “does not seem to be very, um, hospitable to Marvel’s old school heroes”. This is yet another point that I agree with. If you read my spoiler-zone review of Avengers:Endgame, you would know how disappointed I was when Bucky didn’t have anything new or interesting added to his story in preparation for the show, The Falcon & the Winter Soldier. In that review, I said that “In the scene where Steve gives Sam the shield, it almost seemed like Bucky was an afterthought, as he was standing in the distance and watching everything going on in front of him”. Since then, it seems like the studio sees Bucky and his fans as afterthoughts, as Marvel and Disney haven’t really made a strong effort to get the fans excited for the show. Something that I’ve been thinking about because of this story is how no new “faces” of the MCU have been officially established. From Phases 1 through 3, the three “faces” of the Marvel Cinematic Universe were Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor. In Avengers:Endgame and beyond, these new “faces” were not named. Some people have speculated that it could be Spider-Man. But, after hearing Disney and Sony’s new deal, that idea may be in question.
How do you feel about Spider-Man remaining in the MCU? Which movie do you think he’ll appear in? Let me know in the comment section!
Have fun at the movies!
Sally Silverscreen
If you want to check out the references I mentioned in this story, you can type “Spider-Man STAYS in the MCU…for now” in Youtube’s search bar or visit Clownfish TV’s official Youtube channel. You can also visit these links:
It seems like the most popular topic this week has been of Spider-Man leaving the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So, because I found this to be a fascinating topic, I decided to talk about it. Yesterday, on August 20th, Mike Fleming Jr. from Deadline reported that the creative partnership between Disney and Sony has ended. In the article, Mike writes that this was caused by Kevin Feige, Marvel Cinematic Universe’s president, and Tom Rothman, one of the leaders at Sony, not being able to come up with a satisfying financial agreement. Before this situation occurred, “Disney asked that future Spider-Man films be a 50/50 co-financing arrangement between the studios” because Disney didn’t want to keep “continuing the current terms where Marvel receives in the range of 5% of first dollar gross”. Sony, on the other hand, tried to create other deals that, hopefully, would appeal to Disney. This is because they didn’t want to face the possibility of losing profits and their intellectual properties. Within this article, Mike reported that “it is understandable that the fiscally shrewd Rothman would balk at giving up half of Sony’s biggest franchise to Marvel”. He then questions, “Does the Mouse really need half of the movie universe also?” But no matter what offer Sony gave Disney, the latter studio refused. It left Feige, Rothman, and their respective studios parting ways, for now. Mike updated his report with an official statement that Sony made about the situation. To summarize what the studio said, the statement expresses no negative feelings toward Disney. They state that Kevin Feige is no longer able to produce their films because of the various projects that Feige is attached to. As of the release of this Word on the Street story and Mike Fleming Jr.’s article, it seems that Disney or Marvel hasn’t made any statements about the situation.
When Spider-Man first entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe prior to the release of Captain America: Civil War, fans were more than thrilled with the idea. They made statements about how Spider-Man was “coming home” and that he would, once again, be “joining the family”. I, honestly, couldn’t help but feel shocked about the idea of Spider-Man leaving the MCU. While I haven’t seen this studio’s version of Spider-Man films, I have seen Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame. Even though he’s only been featured on screen for three years, Spider-Man has already made a big impact. Based on what I read in Mike Fleming Jr.’s article, it seems like both Disney and Sony both wanted a significant share in this cinematic pie. However, it sounds like Disney was expecting a bigger share than they already had. As I already wrote in this Word on the Street post, Mike was questioning if Disney truly needed more of the Spider-Man property. This is a good question to ask, especially since the MCU already has a lot of characters and stories within their roster. Speaking of rosters, something that Sony said in their statement made Disney look hypocritical. When addressing why Kevin won’t be working with Sony anymore, Sony said “that the many new responsibilities that Disney has given him – including all their newly added Marvel properties – do not allow time for him to work on IP they do not own”. Even though Marvel is owned by Disney, Disney purchased this studio in the late 2000s. This means that the characters and most of the stories are acquired from Marvel comics, not something that Disney created themselves. The same goes for the Star Wars franchise, which Disney bought from George Lucas in the mid-2010s. As for the classic animated films and live-action remakes, a large portion of these are adaptations of pre-existing, literary material. Even though Disney created their own version of the story, they did not create the story itself. So, yes, Disney owns a good amount of IP, but only on a technicality.
Do you think that Spider-Man will leave the MCU forever? If so, which superhero do you think will become the next face of the franchise? Put your thoughts in the comment section below!
Have fun at the movies!
Sally Silverscreen
If you want to read Mike Fleming Jr.’s article, here’s the link:
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18 Cinema Lane 