After Harry’s difficult life with the Dursleys growing up, when he arrived at Hogwarts and was sorted into Gryffindor he finally felt like he was at home. His first glimpse of Dumbledore was when the headmaster lifted his chalice and nodded to him in welcome. That act was like saying, “you are finally in a community where you can grow into who you are with people who love you.” The headmaster was welcoming Harry home at last.
This moment was pointed to in a brief homily at Holy Thursday today. When the chalice was lifted to the twelve at the Last Supper it was a similar moment—a welcoming into a close-knit community that someday would make a remarkable impact on the world.
After reading enough theology, the them of banquet motifs starts coming up quite often in scripture studies. One read-through of Esther noting the banquets, or even Luke will show you how important they are. When reading the Harry Potter series the same motif comes up—who can forget “Troll in the Dungeon!” or the Tri-Wizard Tournament schools arriving? Next time you read about banquets, realize that beyond the sudden wish to go eat chocolate cake, they are usually crucial turning-points in literature and they signal that it is time to pay close attention. So whether or not you have Hermione to translate the speeches, know that banquet = crucial moment.
Screencaptures thanks to Screencap Paradise
Once Upon a Time
Amy Acker as Astrid/Nova brings a sweet bouncy liveliness to her role that corresponds well with both her fairy persona and the nun she becomes. Here she is about to lose her home with nothing but a few candle sales to help, yet she is still excited about the world and able to give her love even to the most unlikely people—those others would ignore or revile. I love the fact Once Upon a Time uses her as an example of a nun. It was so refreshing I kept rewatching her scenes over and over.
That being said, the premise that a group of Medusa worshipers could put up a front as a religious order is rather overdone in scifi yet still intriguing. I can understand that after what I assume to be years of heavily cloistered structure, a few would want to do something a bit mad to compensate if they did not have access to proper psychological assistance. Normally that would be things like creating stained glass or risking a life to save orphans, rather than starting an odd sort of cult. Such a thing would be almost impossible to hide in the closeness of community life—thus the idea that all the nuns were Medusa cultists makes a sort of sense. Had their fake front been better it may have been at least plausible within the Doctor Who universe. The main problem is that scifi shows this sort of half-crazed cult type nun so often that it is no longer odd. You kind of have to show that 99% of them are totally normal and hard working in order for it to have an impact. Viewers assume anyone in a habit is showing up as a villain at this point, so if a writer took the time to add in someone ethical and normal they would probably surprise the entire scifi geek audience.
Although the episode’s setting is fabulous with the old house and secret hiding spaces, it is also another check mark on the cliche list. We’ve got over-the-top habits (check) lunatic religious fervor (check) idiotic easy to trick women (check) secret evil master plan (check) and oh yes creepy random old convent (check). What is hilarious is the fact that this is so often applied to what are portrayed as current “modern” sisters. I’ve been to a lot of convents and guess what—many aren’t even in habits any more, or if they are it is a modified modern version. Sisters do not have lunatic fervor that clouds their judgement and are often almost overpoweringly intelligent reasonable women who oh yes are not evil. They also do live in houses built a few years ago that are even listed green buildings. Yes—nuns have heating and electricity and even things like wireless internet! They do not live in Gothic mansions with spiderwebs! (Although that would be kind of cool). While I love Sarah Jane, this was a bit of a flop in my mind, because they just plucked out “Medieval Sister” cutouts and pasted them into the story. The kids were wearing jeans, why weren’t the Sisters? I guess it is not as visually stunning. But do you know what would be really stunning? Actually portraying Sisters! Yup. I know I’d be amazed.
Loading ...