Mission Impossible 7 & the treatment of Ilsa Faust

I have been sitting on my thoughts about how Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part 1 treated Ilsa Faust. 

@ilsaafaust already made a fantastic post about it, detailing her thoughts, but she encouraged me to do so as well. I have to admit it was quite therapeutic. 

I hope this is at least a little cohesive and not just incoherent rambling. 😅

~~~

Since the latest Mission Impossible installment hit cinemas about a month ago now, there has been quite a lot of talk about it, some good, some great, some…not so much. 

Fans and critics alike are quite divided about this movie, but the main point of critique they have in common, regards the fate of one of the franchises most beloved characters. Who also happens to be the only recurring main female character in the franchise.

Ilsa Faust, who was so brilliantly created and first introduced in entry number five by writer/director Christopher McQuarrie, and so beautifully played by Rebecca Ferguson. Everyone was of one mind - she stole the show! 

She quickly became a fan favorite and the fandom and critics were elated to know she would be back for Mission Impossible Fallout. Again, she managed to shine in every scene she was in, although her part in the movie wasn’t as big as in the previous one. A small gripe to an otherwise excellent action movie, which critics also liked to point out - some called her “criminally underused”.

It was a criticism McQ didn’t seem to acknowledge at all, as the first thing he started to consider about his next installments in the Mission universe, were Ilsa’s fate. All the way back when they were shooting Top Gun Maverick, so pretty much fresh off Fallout’s success. 

shout out to the casting director of Netflix’s Dark who has to find 2-3 actors per character to show them across all the different time periods, and nails it 90% of the time

sex education season 2, episode 4

let’s bring this back

also your daily reminder that this is the TOP RATED FIC in the ENTIRE STAR WARS TAG with 22699 kudos and 145707 hits 

hey all my peeps from northern climates you know how sometimes ya look outside and it just like has this Look and you just Know it’s cold out like there’s no obvious signs no ice no snow you just KNOW it’s cold because you’ve lived here long enough that u look at the sky and you’re like ‘it’s cold’ how fucked up is that

oh my GOD exactly thank u for putting it into words

Katherine Ryan - Glitter Room.

Dumbledore, notorious for giving second chances Dumbledore, let Sirius rot in Azkaban for twelve years. 

He must have known Sirius well due to his time in the Order, he must have known what James meant to Sirius. Dumbledore was a member of the freaking Wizengamot yet he didn’t fight the Ministry’s horrifying trial-optional policy. 

This is a man who took back Death Eater!Snape at his word, shielded him from prison, and employed him at a school for children. 

But he didn’t have a use for Sirius, so he didn’t care about him.

I got 99 problems with Dumbledore and his treatment of Sirius Black accounts for like 64 of them.  

To be honest, Albus Dumbledore is one of the most disturbing, terrifying characters I’ve ever found in a book, because he thought he was a good guy and so did everyone else and the books don’t really challenge it either (given that Harry forgives him for everything he did), but when you look between the lines he was profoundly, profoundly immoral and unethical.

A couple of months ago, I was talking about HP characters with a friend, and he said that Dumbledore was one of his least favorite characters of all time.

Naturally, this took me back a bit since he’s one of the heroes of the series, misguided as he was at times. Still, I was curious and asked my friend why he hated him. His answer still strikes a chord with me.

“There is never, ever a reason to leave a child in an abusive home. Never.”

Me as a child: wow Albus Dumbledore is such a great guy

Me as an adult: hey old man, square the fuck up you trashbag, what the fuck is wrong with you

no offense but… whats the point in saying something rude about someone’s favorite things to their face just bc you don’t personally like it or have the same taste as them… like what do u get out of that interaction other than prove that you can’t respect your friend’s interests

just watch this. 

“blablabla, disloyalty”

“oooh!” 

*giggling adorably together*

How liberals working in the White House cope with a Cheeto for a boss.

someone said ‘the version of me you created in your mind is not my responsibility’ and wow

men be like: oh no,, my ego, my poor ego! oh woman, could you spare a stroke? stroke my ego just once? oh, you refuse? that’s fine, i don’t mind. i diagnose you with whore

SAY IT LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK

I wish someone I knew understood and believed this

Not even marriage though they have women believing any relationship is better than being single even if that relationship is abusive and toxic

happy epilogue day

And always had tea and snacks for Harry and his friends when they came to his hut. Even if they weren’t always good, he was always trying to take care of Harry.

harry literally says hagrid is the bravest person he knows in like prisoner of azkaban?? what happened harry???? why you do my boy like that???

pour one out for Rubeus Remus Potter, the name that never was

Quick reminder that Natasha was the leader of the Avengers for five years, and co-led the Avengers with Rogers after Ultron

Pass it on

Don’t ever make fun of someone who’s deeply invested in something fictional.  Whether it’s a cartoon, a comic, a video game, a book series, or anything else like that.  You don’t know what that thing means to them.  Maybe it’s prevented them from hurting themselves, or helped them get through an illness or a bad situation.  Maybe they met their only true friends through the fandom.  Perhaps they simply just enjoy the thing because it’s well-written and entertaining, and they’ve spent years watching the characters grow.

Let people have emotions over something they enjoy, okay?