I don’t blame Camille for not wanting to accept the guy’s apology for participating in the gang rape. He was trying to alleviate his conscience, but she owed him nothing. He falls into that whole trope of “I have daughters now (or in his case, young students he’s responsible for) so it get it now.” As if a person can only humanize women when they become a caregiving figure to one. Good for that character for seeing the error of his ways, but C didn’t owe him a discussion, which might have just added to her trauma.
I don’t remember this in the book at all. I am not sure that scene is there. The book just made me feel the horror of the cycle of violence that is in the family. I think that’s what made me feel for the characters. I knew who committed the murders by the third of the book clearly. Especially through the conversations of Camille and Amma. That and how people talked about. I think the book has a better ending and is more clear in the overall message then the show.
And your point about how woman seem only humanized when they are caregiving, is backed up by camille's old schoolmates who say at the movie night that they believe you only become a woman after having a child, the same night he confronts camille to try to clear his conscious
Amma being the killer makes SO MUCH SENSE. One of the clearest reasons was that she was never scared to be out alone at night, roller blading down the streets
My latest rewatch really made me think about the similarities between Camille and her mother. The drinking, the men with badges, even the long shots of them looking in the mirror at themselves skeptically. In some ways, I also think Adora pulling her lashes could be some smaller, restrained form of self-harm.
you are so right. even with adora telling camille in the bathtub "you're most like me" or something along the lines of that. thats probably why adora resents her so much too. self-hatred projecting itself onto others.
i never understood before why jackie(? or another woman) said something about the Preaker/Crellin girls having a thing for men with badges. i thought she meant Amma and Camille, but now i guess she meant Camille and Adora. idk if that was meant to be confusing or i just missed something simple lol
@@dogwater5609I think she’s watching Camille go off with the cop when she says it. Plus we know Adora was flirting heavily with the sheriff, so she’s referring to both mother & daughter.
My personal interpretation is that Adora made Jackie believe she was sexually involved with Vickery. Elizabeth Perkins and Patricia Clarkson confirmed incorporating the subtext of a clandestine past affair into their portrayals. Jackie still remains tethered to Adora, and we know that Adora derives satisfaction from playing mind games with those close to her. Gillian Flynn also said that Adora would've never gotten involved with Vickery as she considered him fathoms beneath her. @@dogwater5609
Say less. Not at all subtle. Nuanced yes but also a direct indictment of social norms concerning women and girls. We are all harmed by it but girls most severely as victims and as perpetrators of violence against the weak: other girls, women and children. Complicity may be the worst form of social harm.
This is a great video. I think something else worth exploring is how John Keene is treated by the town for failing to meet its expectations of masculinity. He essentially gets labelled as the prime murder suspect because he "cries too much" over his sister's death.
Even his own mother gave him a book that said something along the lines of Boys Don’t Cry. How awful for your own parent to tell you to stuff it down and never bring it up again.
I really like how the TV adaptation made Amma's hostility more subtle and toned down her cattiness to her friend group. It was too obvious that she was the killer in the book.
I agree. I think the book is more heavily focused on the theme of cycles of violence, particularly against and by women, so hiding the 'twist' is less of a priority as making that theme obvious is. But with a visual medium like television, I think burying the obvious was a measured choice, because when you have pictures to look at instead of words, it's a lot easier to come to conclusions. Had they shown that Amma likes to dress up in costumes and play in the woods as early as the book, or emphasized it as often, the fact that it's Amma would have been immediately clear, and the story may have lost people while it was still in the process of establishing its themes.
With regard to the murders, people tend to focus on the pulling of the teeth because it's so grisly and macabre-and that detail lends itself to sensationalism-but I also think Amma's method of murder is fascinating. She strangles all three girls. Strangulation is not quick and easy like in media where it only takes a few seconds. Loss of consciousness occurs within seconds, that's true, and brain damage can occur within 3 minutes, but it can take 4-5 minutes or even up to 10 minutes to kill someone, depending on the amount of pressure applied and if/how the victim fights back. It's a very strenuous, prolonged, and personal way of killing someone and a horrible way to die. Even with Kelsey and Jodes helping to hold Ann and Natalie down, that's an extremely long period of sustained rage and active violence from Amma. It's also prolonged euphoria though, if we consider Amma's confession to Camille that she likes violence and her quote, which was featured in the video, about how she enjoys hurting others.
They also made it a thing how it “must be a man” bc of how difficult it was to pull teeth. Is it implied in the book that Jodes and the other girl helped Amma off the two girls?! I have only seen the show. I can’t imagine those two helped Amma. They didn’t give those vibes like Amma, more so they were just followers and enjoyed being in ammas shadow. But Amma must have had help moving the body of the Keene girl especially - a point that the show didn’t delve into since the big twist was at the very end of the show. Your comment about strangling someone is very much on point, many people don’t realize (thankfully) how much effort it takes to off someone in that way. And it’s a very crime of passion style to off someone, very much controlling. Edit: ok so I just saw flashes of Amma I’m guessing offing the girls with help of her friends, looking into it I see it was a mid or post credit scene perhaps which I missed! Unbelievable! Your comment makes so much more sense now 😂
@@HeatherHoltA commentor who is a dentist claimed that anybody can really pull a tooth out. Even if he has to help a difficult one for his male colleagues, it can still come out if you fatigue it. Or basically wiggle it around to get it looser.
Something i realised after watching the horrific scene between the credits is that Amma painted pink the nails of her victims. Ann has pink nails in the river , Natalie has pink nails (even though her brother said she never painted her nails ) and lastly we also see Mae (Ammas latest friend) with pink nails struggling behind the fence. Poor girls. Amma ended up being a deadly manipulator. Also the floor of Adoras room was made of elephant tusk , something Amma tried to immitate with real human teeth.Close enough yet creepy as hell. Last but not least i dont know if there is a meaning behind this but the names Adora and Amma are quite fitting. Adora wanted to be adored and enjoyed attention and Amma is the anagram of "mama" who was the root of her issues anyway.
I didn't even fucking realize that she killed her new friend too. That's why her mom was looking for her. This series has blown me away like wow. I knew Amma wasn't good, I didn't trust her throughout the series, but after she goes to st Louis with Camille I just saw her as Camille did, and I just thought, " well, I guess she wasn't bad after all" the pieces didn't fit quite together (Adora being the killer kinda made sense, but i wasn't exactly sure why she would kill them) i believed the story and just accepted it. So uneasy and terrifying
@@mariasaizgarrido5582 Its not clear but it is implied. I doubt Ama bullied her only. The series had blown me away too! Especially after i realised that Ama was the killer and after seeing the violent scenes of her and her friends killing the girls i felt something between being shocked and being disturbed.The fact that Ama was such a good manipulator and mostly a kid capable of commiting murders in a row was really disturbing. I never trusted her as well but i thought she was just like that cause she was mentally sick. The series played us very well. It made us think that since Adora was killing her daughters slowly even without realising it consiously , she was also capable of an actual violent murder as well. I didnt realise it was Ama seconds before Camilla found the teeth. Seriously i loved that series. I might buy the book just for the extra details and the continuetion of the ending since they cut it at the series.
@@gorchzzz At the last episode , after the last scene of Amma saying to Camille ''dont tell mama'' there is a clip in between the credits that shows the murder scenes.
I believe Alan to be the most malicious person in the whole town. He knows his own daughter (Marian) was murdered by Adora but does nothing when she poisons Camille and Amma. He only cares about himself and his fake marriage. Everyone else has some rationale for behaving as they do: Adora (her mum), Amma (daughter of Adora). Alan has no excuse, he married into the family. Makes me wonder if he had a previous wife, how Camille's dad died or left etc. The cop did say it would take a mans strength to pull teeth, though I think Amma's female friends helped her. His silence reminds us that evil thrives when ordinary people do nothing.
No. The most malicious people here are the killers, and they are women. One of the point of the show is that everyone tends to underestimate women and the evil they can do. Alan may be a useless coward, but he is far from the worst person here.
It’s funny you said this. I ended up here because I searched for discussion about Alan’s character - and found nearly nothing. In so many ways, this is so pointed in and of itself. We find so much discussion about the transformation of Amma from victim to perpetrator, about Camille’s likeableness, about all those women who talked but failed to act. But Alan? He is literally the one person that could have demanded why his perfectly healthy daughter needed a g tube, who could have taken Marian - and then, following her death - at least Amma - out of that home…but he literally sat by and watched his nightmare of a wife murder his child and then dealt with her trying to do it again by turning up the sound on his stereo system. He’s the most pathetic excuse of a man, and there’s so little discussion about him.
@@m.h.3196 / didn't he literally excused Marian's dead by saying something like "must've gotten the sickness from me" and constantly trying to tie it to himself as if that would've made sense given the fact that HE is alive and Marian is not
In both the novel and the show, Amma's friends are accomplices in the first two murders but Amma is the one who commits the murders and pulls the teeth in all three. The novel specifies that children's teeth aren't hard to pull if you put weight on the pliers and that it took Amma an hour to pull all of Ann's teeth. In the show, they do mention that baby teeth are easier to pull and also point out that adrenaline may have helped. Alan wasn't aware of the murders, but he is complicit in fostering the conditions that led to them.
Jean-Marc Vallée’s passing in 2021 is a such a devastating artistic loss. The way he communicated trauma and mental illness through the medium is unmatched and it rips me apart knowing we’ll never get more work from him 💔
this is flynn’s best book for me and easily one of the best adaptations for screen i’ve ever seen. the editing, tone and atmosphere are so grounding in time and space it never feels cheap or careless.
I loved the book so much that i didn't watch the show for a long time. I feared the story would be butchered and I'd get angry about it. Anger is exhausting, so I kept putting it off. When I finally got around to it, I wasnt angry- i was shocked. I'd also judge it one of the best adaptations in existence. I honestly can't think of any that compare.
@@carolsimpson4422 trueee adaptations are at their best when the form of media can communicate and compensate via the editing part of the sense of narrative pov that you lose when adapting from the page. so rare to see done well.
This was the first book of hers I read… shocking, speechless, raw, I loved it, I was so thrilled when I discovered Gone Girl… sharp objects will always be my favourite of hers
Why does no one ever mention the scene in which Amma gets a little pig to later let loose for her friends to mess around with. I knew there was something seriously messed up with her from even before that but that scene was really telling so Im very surprised no one analysing her character ever mentions it.
It actually makes sense if you think about it... animal's suffering is similiar to women's suffering in the way that is often if not always overlooked and seen as small and isignificant.
there is definitely something to be said about the husband willingly turning a blind eye to adora’s wicked actions. he is just as evil as her, as he knew what was going on but did absolutely nothing about it. it says a lot about the gendered expectations of women to be nurturers, and because men aren’t met with the same expectations, it is easy for him to take no responsibility for the poisioning.
I don't think the husband is evil - I think that men can be enablers and people pleasers like women can it's just less common and like the partners of abusive men they're worn down. I'd recommend the Theramin Trees videos - both parts of My Cluster B parent died I felt nothing much and Double Binds (for the account of how she treated his father as he was dying) for account of how his father was turned into an appeaser and defender for his narcissistic mother and his mixed feelings about how that made him think about his father.
I don‘t think the last part of your comment is right at all. The social norm that men ought to be providers and protectors is exactly what Alan is failing to follow, so it couldn‘t possibly be the reason why he doesn‘t take any responsibility for the murders. Just consider who the true head of Camilla‘s household is.
I think adora’s status in the town also protected amma from suspicion. Her being friends with both girls and yet never questioned? Her frequenting near where they were both killed or last seen?
After 3 years and 100,000 views, the video got hit with a copyright claim for a clip used at 25:53. Originally, I say "Adora and Camille are back in their old pattern, their same loop." Followed by the clip from Episode 1 with Adora chastising Camille for sleeping in her car, saying that everything Camille does in Wind Gap reflects on Adora's social standing. I decided to just remove the clip instead of fighting the claim, so now there's a funky edit around that part. Thanks for watching! The script for my next video is over 17,000 words and I'm incredibly excited to finally release it
Ha it's funny because I've been watching this video in pieces over the last several days because I keep getting interrupted. When I started, it had that clip, and now I'm finally finishing and it's gone. Excited for your next video, you have keen insights here.
@@anitaboneshow 1. There’s a thing called empathy that men have been known to feel from time to time 2. Misogyny and barriers to female success harm an entire society. “Girls who complete secondary school education earn more, marry later, and raise children who are healthier and better nourished. Educated girls are less likely to face discrimination. They are safer and better protected from exploitation and abuse… Girls’ education strengthens economies and reduces inequality. It contributes to more stable, resilient societies…. National growth rates rise, child marriage rates decline, child mortality rates fall, maternal mortality rates fall.” -UNICEF 3. Are men raised by mothers who did not receive a strong education and faced severe harassment/abuse in their life better off than men raised by mothers who graduated secondary school and faced less or no discrimination and feel equal in society? There’s this insidious idea that discrimination and inequality *only* affect the marginalized groups it’s directed toward, which is false. Women and men both face better societal outcomes when barriers like misogyny are removed. If more men start really wrapping their heads around that, maybe we could be in a better place
Well, silver lining this might’ve brought your video back into a lot of us’s notifications. Three years later and I’ve watched Sharp Objects multiple times. It’s so well done, the construction of everything - The editing, the music choices…ughh. Time to watch your video and then the series again. (Also well done on giving a great answer to a bad faith question in the comments above)
My step daughter named her first born Amma after this show. How surprised was I at the end(my suspension was wained by Camille's narration). She said she just liked the name and had never heard it before and luckily our Amma is a very sweet girl who really cares that everyone is happy and loving. Great show, a must watch... definitely in my top 5 all time best TV shows with only one season.
I'm currently writing my masters dissertation on representations of women, the South and violence in Sharp Objects and True Detective (series 1) and I constantly find myself revisiting this video! It's so refreshing to see such passion about the storytelling of Sharp Objects, it reminds me why I have such a love for film/shows and fiction. Great job!
I hope you wrote how Sharp Objects completely overturns the usual narrative of women being victim of the "patriarchy". Everyone thinks that the killer must be a man and girls like Amma are in danger. That couldn't be farther from the truth. Adora is the Queen of Wind Gap, her husband being useless and powerless (even regarding raising Amma). The sheriff who's supposed to be the patriarcal authority is basically her lackey. Women accuse John because he cries, therefore committing the crime of not being up to their standards for a man. "Patriarchy" is just a ruse under which the true power players operate.
I literally cannot stop watching this show, I always find new little details and the visuals and the audio are addictive. I just cant find anything as good as this 😭
I hate watched it 😂 I remember when it first came out I was ohhh that looks dumb, but I finally watched it last week and yes it is so worth the hype. 😂
I haven't thought it was Amma while I watched it but I realized it was actually pretty obvious. She rollerblades on the strees at night despite the many warnings of a killer being in the town. And also at the start of the series, the chief establishes that the killer "can't be a woman". Later on when Chief tells on Amma about being careful on the streets because she might get hit by a [drunk] man driving, she just replies "or a woman." Then, "don't be sexist chief." Amma was making use of people's sexism to get her way. She didn't have to worry about the killer because it's her. And she didn't have to worry too much about getting caught because she was a woman in a gendered society. Amma being the killer just makes so much sense. I always wondered how I couldn't have gotten that right. But I realized I truly was invested in Camille's point of view that I started trusting Amma because I thought maybe they could have a wonderful sibling relationship that she and Marian couldn't have. I wanted Amma to be good (and Camille wanted the same), so in turn I thought she was. Wishful thinking. The series was indeed very good in putting me in Camille's shoes. One of the reasons I couldn't watch it again.
Very minor correction, it's actually Amma's friend who says the "don't be sexist chief" line. Amma's stuck in the house being poisoned by her mother at that point.
And when the drama teacher said her story was t true about the women and she said mama said men wrote history so of course they make themselves look better
Alan's drinking coupled with obsessive listening to music is him "drowning out" what is happening in the house on so many levels - literal noise, getting intoxicated via drinking, alcoholism is taking on too much liquid, to name a few.
I binged watched it from 10 pm to 6 in the morning, i couldn't stop watching. This is one of the few series that feels like a experience instead of just watching content. The feeling that i am left with is similar to the one after watching "Mr. Nobody", it was quite a while ago but i remember that feeling of thinking about the movie at the back of my head for some days, this miniseries feels like that. I almost forgot to add how unbelievableit is that this video as of now has only 1325 views and 23 comments, you definitely earned my subscription, cant wait to see more.
I also binge-watched it last night/this morning 😂 OOPS. Midnight to 7 am. No sleep whatsoever. Oof. Like, yeah maybe a little mistake but what an intense and beautiful watching experience.
@@st_09Camille calls the police on amma after she finds the teeth in the dollhouse, amma gets arrested, and Camille lives with curry and Eileen (his wife)
I think the show does a great job of communicating how Camille feels about her assault. She kinda aptly points out that nothing will be done so why make it a thing? And in such a small town that can be a very real reality. The main guy trying to apologize is also the director of Calhoun day for crying out loud- you could only imagine how the town would crucify Camille for not conforming and then also “accusing” a figure in the community and the husbands of upstanding women in town. So many important details of this murder case were overlooked because of omitted information that wasn’t acknowledged because of how it looked and didn’t fit with traditional behavior. One of the towns biggest sins is pride. So for Camille, like the abuse from her mother, the hazing from other girls- what could she really say? So she moves on with her life. For that guy to try and apologize was completely self serving even if there was good intent (whatever that would even be because that apology does literally nothing) and we can guess that this is a side effect of him seeing Camille not actually being remorseful or growing as a person because he clearly has an inappropriate relationship with Amma.
To me it came across like she wanted it to happen, she didn’t see it as assault, due to the conversation between her and the detective in the “end zone.” (Like the channel mentions:) When he says she was taken advantage of and she replies how if it was a man sleeping with a group of women, he’d be high fived. But when it’s a woman and a group of men, she’s a sl*t. To me, it came across as she was proud of that moment, or at least had told herself that all these years. Which is why it didn’t phase her when dude was trying to apologize (and didn’t get it up anyways). But then again isn’t the scene of her and her birthday cake supposed to be post end zone day. And she seemed sad. But that could have been bc her mom ignored her birthday.
@@HeatherHoltThey made it more like an assault in the series from what I've seen here probably to make Camille more sympathetic. Camille's trauma is more subtle in the book she's consents to a gang bang but it's because she's a damaged person and a bit of masochist as a result. It could be the situation here too in fact it probably is but I think the show depicts being possibly assault because more people will judge her harshly if it wasn't. I say this as someone just pointing out differences - I still think that Camille deserves sympathy as someone who was promiscuous or derived some satisfaction in being used sexually because her childhood was so toxic - Amma shows us what Camille could have become so we understand it's a blessing Camille is only self destructive rather than just destructive.
@@HeatherHoltNo not at all. Her saying “to some that’s consent” she means that in the eyes of rape culture she would be blamed. “Why’d you go to the woods with them if you didn’t want it” etc.
I just finished the show, and immediately needed to find a video essay because my mind was just reeling. SO happy I found this channel and this video. Reminded me why I love film
The name sharp objects makes so much sense now, is an invitation that can only be use in two ways to hurt someone or to hurt yourself. Great essay! I’ve subscribing
I don't know if I I'm reaching, but when that guy approaches Camille to "apologize" (guilt trip her) about the sex7al assault I noticed that behind her in the flashback we see him especially, the closest to Camille taking off his jacket first, and that it sick on itself, that he was before the one that "initiated" it and hypocritically wanted to finish it with a clear mind, he didn't apologize to make amends with Camille, but to make himself feel better for his mistakes.
I just finished the show and I’m about to order the book I need wayyyy more. It’s crazy how I had the theory it was amma and the other girls but Gillian made me doubt myself and my theories immediately just like the characters did. THAT to me shows how good a writer she is, she knew exactly how to get into our heads and mess with what we thought we knew. It’s now one of my favorite shows of all time and probably book too. Also MASSIVE SHOUTOUT TO CURRY AND HIS WIFE they were a highlight and so wonderful to Camille. I noticed as the story goes on curry starts to talk more fondly to Camille like going from “kid” to “cubby” as well as asking if she’s okay, if she wants to “come home” to them which was so sweet and precious I’m so happy Camille had those two in her whirlwind of a life Another addition this whole video is about the cycle of violence the story is about it. We don’t know who Camille’s father is. Does anyone think maybe Camille was the product of an assault(violence)? It could explain a lot of adoras disdain of her and how she’s obviously the black sheep of her family. I think it could be another cycle of violence the women of the family experienced. Just a theory
about camille being a product of r*pe, i can see how it could be true and also not. adora said that joya smiled when camille wouldn't breastfeed from her, which could be because joya sees camille as the consequence of a reckless, inappropriate (but consensual) union. adora had s*x, so therefore she must have "wanted" camille, and so adora deserved having difficulties getting camille to feed since she decided to act out. but at the same time, joya could also be smiling because she just liked to see her daughter suffer in that way, even if it wasn't her fault she was r*ped and got pregnant. but i don't think adora would describe camille's father as only "all spite" if he had r*ped her, which is quite a mild insult. i think she would have been more hysterical or would have used it to make others pity her constantly, or someone would have said something about camille being a r*pe baby. describing him as "all spite," for me, points toward him leaving her while she was pregnant, not marrying her maybe because he knew how vicious and attention-seeking she was and thought he wouldn't be able to handle it. camille's father is also indirectly said to be "cold" when adora was likening camille to him. here's another possibility: what if adora attempted to baby trap camille's father, and when he refused to be trapped because he didn't like her despite her being the richest girl in town, she slapped the label of "cold, unable to get close" on him in her mind? nothing hurts adora more than rejection, and it would explain her anger and refusal to speak of him, similar to how she didn't include camille in that magazine photo? to her, both father and daughter committed the most grievous crime of all, which was to refuse to accept her and play by her rules.
@@rei6enthe fact that adora over exaggerates and quickly turns on Camille for not drowning her in attention and simultaneously not being overly receiving of it- makes me think Camille’s father probably just didn’t dote on Adora or feed into her ideas. It’s not good he left but honestly I’d imagine Adora more so pushed him away than him just abandoning them outright- the way she acts towards Camille when she comes back. I think him actually leaving is what makes her so upset with him and maybe when she started blaming Camille for things. We see why someone would leave Adora but as soon as you do, it’s like how dare you ?
(English is not ny first language so I apologise). I just finished watching the series a few hours ago and I can't stop thinking about it. Probably won't be able for the next couple days. And for that I'm so happy that I found this video because I can't talk about how good it was without spoiling the whole thing ti my friends and this 46 minutes explain perfectly why and said so much more. I'm honestly blow away by the fact that this video doesn't have more views. I know it's not a mainstream show but damn, the algorithm should make everyone a favor and spam this great piece of analysis and editing. Great job, new subscriber here!
Great video. I absolutely love this series, extremely effective and so moving and suffocating for anyone with any history of mental health, self harm, violent or abusive family dynamics etc. Extremely well done slow burn - I was obsessed for months after watching and still come back. Loved your analysis 🙏❤️
this was so well thought out a nuanced, it really helped me look at the book and series through new eyes. thanks for covering this story (i think it's massively underrated/talked about).
Just wanted to say, thank you for making this video. Sharp Objects is incredibly important to me on many different levels, and it hurts that there aren't more people reviewing it, especially the way you did. So that's that on that, I guess. Thank you so much.
I just finished the show and I thought it was superb. I loved Big Little Lies and had no idea that it was filmed by the same guy! Incredible! Your analysis is amazing.
@@nickcurl I was also really moved by that last scene it was truly frightening but Camille’s face just made me cry. She couldn’t save Amma from Adora and it sucked.
@@nickcurl also I wanted to say I recently found out that I have PTSD. This show gets that so right and I feel so seen because of it. Still saddened by Valle’s passing.
Incredible video, my friend. Truly excellent editing and your thoughts come across beautifully. Sharp Objects is one of my favorite shows ever, I’m grateful that people like you are willing to analyze and discuss it.
this is an incredibly well done analysis. the way it was edited made me feel all the big beats from the show all over again. love that you included a shot of good tv shows. saw a lot of my favorites on there and will check out the ones i haven't. starting with the leftovers so i can watch ur next video. great stuff
Revisiting this yet again with deeper understanding. I've been pondering on how Amma actually resented her victims not just for stealign attention away but how they did not have the ability to comply with expectations and were free in a way she could never be. Her ability to comply and manipulate is actually trapping her in playing along with the social game. They directly challenge the "power" she has convinced herself she has. Camille also could not play along. Damn i gotta reread it all over again.
This is probably one of the best video essays I have ever watched. Such a brilliant in-depth analysis of the show. Great work! Looking forward to more such videos from you ❤️
i watched the series before i read the novel, reading the novel made me appreciate both even more. there was never a moment like, this should've been in the show, it made sense what they kept (most of it), and reading the novel and learning the small intricacies, was just the cherry (pun intended) on top.
One of the best video essays I've seen. Incredible examination of yet another HBO miniseries that just nails everything. It seems heartbreaking being a woman in this world sometimes and it kills me that so many men dismiss that. We as a species should be shamed for how we treat more than half of us.
Wonderful video. Your talent for analysis is obvious. Your channel deserves more recognition, this was exactly what I needed to see after finishing the book.
Such a powerful, in depth analysis of a series and characters that I will be thinking about for the rest of my life, so thank you for creating this! Looking forward to more content from you.
Wow - this is genius! Really deepened my understanding of the story and the psychological underpinning, verbalise themes and content I was aware of but could not consciously verbalise.
one of the best tv show of all time. love Gillian Flynn's books, but this adaptation is sooo perfect, the actresses are amazing( I loooove Patricia Clarkson as Adora, she's simply marvelous, the best villian/non villian ever). than you so much fro this viideo, very well done and explained. I 've love it!!! wonderful job.
Great video, with really enthralling presentation. I will definitely give this series a watch if I can find it. Amy Adams is such an enjoyable performer. An interesting thing I noted is that: Adora and Amma (ama) both have latin roots and are the words for the action of: Adoring and Loving. Stereotypically feminine and soft sounding words, and yet they are both characters filled with anger and violence. I love when there’s subtle details like that. I wonder if Camille and the other sister who’s name I can’t remember also have themes to their names.
@@Kfkaesque29 I did some digging and the reason Camille can mean free-born is because that term traditionally represented nobility, people who were born free, and who could be servants in the church. Camille originally means acolyte or youth church servant.
Wow, I envy you for ability of making such a great video. I love finding these absolute gems after watching a show, it makes me understand and truly appreciate the whole thing. The whole video was edited perfectly but the begging especially. props to you man
this was my first video of yours and it absolutely blew me away! i read the book last year and put off watching the show, but after your review i'll def reread the book and watch the show!
best video essay i’ve ever seen. this series and novel has influenced me and is my poison and comfort. i really enjoyed this and fell in love with the storytelling even more. excited to follow this channel.
This is a really insightful analysis and it deserves more appreciation, wow, amazing job. Okay but also! I was genuinely curious about how many people were surprised that Amma was the actual killer behind the teen girls. I weirdly enough first suspected Amma of being the murderer when she looked at Gayla the housekeeper, who I think was handling knives? In episode 2. That felt…. Oddly hostile. And her continued behaviour throughout the series just screamed “I’m the killer, look see what I did! You’ll never know it was me.” Or that creepy line the sheriff said about the dead body of one of the girls being arranged like a doll. To me it was so obvious! And the continued hints throughout the whole show, her fixations and behaviour as well as Camille on multiple occasions saying they should be looking for a woman. I thought Camille understood it was her sister early on after she heard that they liked to play in that murder shed but on reflection it seems she was just worried for her sister. But yes, it was so frustrating watching it and yelling out IT’S AMMA GUYS COME ON 😂 every one was just too sexist and looking for easier scapegoats to see the truth. Dhxhsjdjf okay rant over. Again, excellent video. 100/100 EDIT: Afterthought- I never did suspect Adora of anything like poisoning her own children though. Which is funny, considering I’ve read things like Flowers In The Attic. I just…. Thought she was a troubled mother, as I think a lot of mothers end up being in the society we live in. And she had done horrible things but that it was the average Cold and overbearing mother behaviour. JUST KIDDING she killed her daughter! Like WHAT. I was like :o Absolutely Brutal.
thank you so much!!🖤🖤 I think the idea of Amma being the murderer seemed so outlandish initially that most people wrote it off, but it’s irritatingly obvious on second viewing lol
@@nickcurl -And that's what makes it such a genius ending, & why i love both the book & miniseries so much. The fact that the killer was clearly in plain sight the entire time & knew she could get away with killing those poor girls because everybody in that town just either deliberately chose to ignore all the warning signs as they were all either too consumed with trying to hide their own secrets to truly care about what was happening right under their noses, or could not bring themselves to admit that a teenage girl could be capable of such horrible crimes was incredibly disturbing. And then you have the fact that the entire town clearly knew that something wasn't right about Adora's relationship with her kids but again they just chose to ignore it. I'm not usually frightened by murder mysteries like this, but Sharp Objects is so dark & unsettling that it genuinely scares the hell out of me, especially the reveal of what Amma did with the victims teeth 😱.
Yea like she shows no care of the danger, and shows so many signs of manipulation and callousness. That and it’s like she makes allusions to the balancing of attention and control. This was most clear with how Amma acted towards Camille, she’d always try to knock Camille down or embarrass her and then when they’re alone she in different seemed like she wanted to consume her in some way or maybe even be who she thinks Camille is
Also, when Camille discovers in the middle of the show (the episode of the Calhoun celebration) that Amma was friend with the victims and try to ask her about it and why they weren't friends anymore - I was seriously wondering WHY the cops or Camille never ask Amma about it...I never suspected Amma but at this moment just before the Cahloun celebration I thought she was weird she wasn't showing any empathy while we're informed that she was so close to Ann and Nathalie and no one is asking why they weren't friends anymore...Camille tries to ask but then we move on to another scene very quickly
When the chief says that one is dangerous and the other one is in danger, i knew that would be important but i didn't know how until the ending. And when Kansas talks to the chief and says that one half Is crazy, the other half Is just evil and they might be focusing on the wrong half was pretty cool too.
Amazing analysis! This was thoroughly enjoyable, and I loved how you compared and contrasted the book and the series throughout. I'll definitely be picking up this book after watching your video!
this is actually so good this might be one of my favorite media video essays. and this is your first video on the channel too??? like thats insane this is so well done.
This was such a great video and I loved hearing your analysis of this show! I’d be super interested in what you think of HBO’s Succession as it has a lot of similar themes such as cycles of trauma and abuse to Sharp Objects but it’s told in an entirely different and a bit more capitalist focused way. Whereas Sharp Objects is childhood and abuse remembered Succession is abuse in action and a childhood that never ended.
Thank you so much!! I actually just started watching Succession last week (I know, I know) so I'm only 5 episodes in but it's definitely on my (very, very long) list of television shows I'll be talking about in the future
@@nickcurl Haha, I totally get it! I've been making essays too recently, only one is public so far because the second is currently caught up a bunch of copyright nonsense, but it's a great format, just massively time consuming.
I think the message that patriarchy-any social system of repression and oppression-inspires violence-is lost on most people. It was for me. I was turned off by what seemed to be pointless violence.
I remember reading the book before the show came out, then I watched the miniseries with my mom (who hadn’t read the book). This story haunts me in the best ways.
I love analyzing media and themes. It always resonates with me to understand characters and what they go through. But I’ve noticed that there are some movies and media that I don’t just watch, but I feel like I almost experience. This show, Girl, Interrupted, Promising Young Woman, and Queenie have been some of the media I’ve watched that I just didn’t understand while watching it the first time but that I couldn’t stop watching. They made me cry, they sometimes made me apathetic, but I was always dumbstruck watching them. And they’re all for different reasons that I discover later. Sharp Objects was another one for me, and watching this video analysis has finally made it register with me that it was because, like you said, film has a way of portraying complex psychological phenomena in a deceptively simple light. There’s a lot of things I’ve been running from, that I’m only now beginning to understand. I’m 24. This shit isn’t just in movies, it happens to real people. It’s not as dramatic as the movies but it is real.
I lost two brothers and I do this show existed THANK YOU for posting this!!❤❤ grew up in total dysfunction lots of trauma going to watch show and get book!
i love a good video essay and yours was honestly the perfect watch after such a heavy storyline. I see you haven’t updated in a while and just wanted to say i’d love to see more of your thought on similarly themed series and movies, love you work hope to see more 🫶🏼
I knew it was Amma the entire time but I thought, no because it is too obvious. She gave such weird sociopathic vibes. Although I have read...and it makes sense...she has BPD as well. Her acting was amazing!
i gotta say my only complaint about the show is how it handled the "mystery" of marian's death. i might be off-base bc i read the book 3-4 years ago, but to me, in the book it had stretched far longer than it did in the show, so it felt like we were uncovering a mystery too. whereas in the show, it got more attention in the last two episodes, which that felt more unsatisfying than the plot twist, which in book the discovery is even more visceral and heartbreaking. it felt like the writers only remembered what happen to marian and how that relates to the actual mystery of the show once they finished writing the whole show and went "oh yeah, marian! we should've gone more into it huh guess we'll re-write the last two episodes then."
I wish they would make a prequel with Marian and young Camille...With Amma and her roller friends tricking and killing Ann and Natalie...with Adora killing Marian and tutoring Ann and Natalie
NEW VIDEO: CLASS AND PRIVILEGE IN THE WHITE LOTUS th-cam.com/video/5Pgn6ugqVHE/w-d-xo.html
I don’t blame Camille for not wanting to accept the guy’s apology for participating in the gang rape. He was trying to alleviate his conscience, but she owed him nothing. He falls into that whole trope of “I have daughters now (or in his case, young students he’s responsible for) so it get it now.” As if a person can only humanize women when they become a caregiving figure to one. Good for that character for seeing the error of his ways, but C didn’t owe him a discussion, which might have just added to her trauma.
I don’t remember this in the book at all. I am not sure that scene is there.
The book just made me feel the horror of the cycle of violence that is in the family. I think that’s what made me feel for the characters. I knew who committed the murders by the third of the book clearly. Especially through the conversations of Camille and Amma. That and how people talked about.
I think the book has a better ending and is more clear in the overall message then the show.
@@passionatetechnology8306 yeah this wasn't in the book
Yes
And your point about how woman seem only humanized when they are caregiving, is backed up by camille's old schoolmates who say at the movie night that they believe you only become a woman after having a child, the same night he confronts camille to try to clear his conscious
Who would blame her for that? 💀
Amma being the killer makes SO MUCH SENSE. One of the clearest reasons was that she was never scared to be out alone at night, roller blading down the streets
My latest rewatch really made me think about the similarities between Camille and her mother. The drinking, the men with badges, even the long shots of them looking in the mirror at themselves skeptically. In some ways, I also think Adora pulling her lashes could be some smaller, restrained form of self-harm.
you are so right. even with adora telling camille in the bathtub "you're most like me" or something along the lines of that. thats probably why adora resents her so much too. self-hatred projecting itself onto others.
i never understood before why jackie(? or another woman) said something about the Preaker/Crellin girls having a thing for men with badges. i thought she meant Amma and Camille, but now i guess she meant Camille and Adora. idk if that was meant to be confusing or i just missed something simple lol
@@dogwater5609I think she’s watching Camille go off with the cop when she says it. Plus we know Adora was flirting heavily with the sheriff, so she’s referring to both mother & daughter.
yes her condition is called trichotillomania and is a form of hair-pulling self harm
My personal interpretation is that Adora made Jackie believe she was sexually involved with Vickery. Elizabeth Perkins and Patricia Clarkson confirmed incorporating the subtext of a clandestine past affair into their portrayals. Jackie still remains tethered to Adora, and we know that Adora derives satisfaction from playing mind games with those close to her. Gillian Flynn also said that Adora would've never gotten involved with Vickery as she considered him fathoms beneath her. @@dogwater5609
I am sickly obsessed with this show *and* book. The story is a subtle masterpiece.
You said it.
You are everywhere i look on TH-cam wtf
You’re not alone!
Do u know any other dark books like it you'd recommend by chance?
Say less. Not at all subtle. Nuanced yes but also a direct indictment of social norms concerning women and girls. We are all harmed by it but girls most severely as victims and as perpetrators of violence against the weak: other girls, women and children. Complicity may be the worst form of social harm.
This is a great video. I think something else worth exploring is how John Keene is treated by the town for failing to meet its expectations of masculinity. He essentially gets labelled as the prime murder suspect because he "cries too much" over his sister's death.
Absolutely! A great example of how Wind Gap's rigid expectations of gender affect everyone
Even his own mother gave him a book that said something along the lines of Boys Don’t Cry.
How awful for your own parent to tell you to stuff it down and never bring it up again.
I really like how the TV adaptation made Amma's hostility more subtle and toned down her cattiness to her friend group. It was too obvious that she was the killer in the book.
You’re meant to be able to tell. It’s a drama not a mystery
I agree. I think the book is more heavily focused on the theme of cycles of violence, particularly against and by women, so hiding the 'twist' is less of a priority as making that theme obvious is. But with a visual medium like television, I think burying the obvious was a measured choice, because when you have pictures to look at instead of words, it's a lot easier to come to conclusions. Had they shown that Amma likes to dress up in costumes and play in the woods as early as the book, or emphasized it as often, the fact that it's Amma would have been immediately clear, and the story may have lost people while it was still in the process of establishing its themes.
@@Krispsandwich I mean it's a mystery/thriller 😛
I mean to be fair it's pretty obvius in the show too. I genuinely tought her mom being the killer was a badly tought out plot twist at first
With regard to the murders, people tend to focus on the pulling of the teeth because it's so grisly and macabre-and that detail lends itself to sensationalism-but I also think Amma's method of murder is fascinating. She strangles all three girls.
Strangulation is not quick and easy like in media where it only takes a few seconds. Loss of consciousness occurs within seconds, that's true, and brain damage can occur within 3 minutes, but it can take 4-5 minutes or even up to 10 minutes to kill someone, depending on the amount of pressure applied and if/how the victim fights back. It's a very strenuous, prolonged, and personal way of killing someone and a horrible way to die.
Even with Kelsey and Jodes helping to hold Ann and Natalie down, that's an extremely long period of sustained rage and active violence from Amma. It's also prolonged euphoria though, if we consider Amma's confession to Camille that she likes violence and her quote, which was featured in the video, about how she enjoys hurting others.
They also made it a thing how it “must be a man” bc of how difficult it was to pull teeth.
Is it implied in the book that Jodes and the other girl helped Amma off the two girls?! I have only seen the show. I can’t imagine those two helped Amma. They didn’t give those vibes like Amma, more so they were just followers and enjoyed being in ammas shadow. But Amma must have had help moving the body of the Keene girl especially - a point that the show didn’t delve into since the big twist was at the very end of the show.
Your comment about strangling someone is very much on point, many people don’t realize (thankfully) how much effort it takes to off someone in that way. And it’s a very crime of passion style to off someone, very much controlling.
Edit: ok so I just saw flashes of Amma I’m guessing offing the girls with help of her friends, looking into it I see it was a mid or post credit scene perhaps which I missed! Unbelievable! Your comment makes so much more sense now 😂
@@HeatherHoltA commentor who is a dentist claimed that anybody can really pull a tooth out. Even if he has to help a difficult one for his male colleagues, it can still come out if you fatigue it. Or basically wiggle it around to get it looser.
This tv series is the ONLY piece of media that hasnt disappointed me in relation to its book counterpart. They are both absolute masterpieces.
Something i realised after watching the horrific scene between the credits is that Amma painted pink the nails of her victims. Ann has pink nails in the river , Natalie has pink nails (even though her brother said she never painted her nails ) and lastly we also see Mae (Ammas latest friend) with pink nails struggling behind the fence. Poor girls. Amma ended up being a deadly manipulator. Also the floor of Adoras room was made of elephant tusk , something Amma tried to immitate with real human teeth.Close enough yet creepy as hell. Last but not least i dont know if there is a meaning behind this but the names Adora and Amma are quite fitting. Adora wanted to be adored and enjoyed attention and Amma is the anagram of "mama" who was the root of her issues anyway.
I didn't even fucking realize that she killed her new friend too. That's why her mom was looking for her. This series has blown me away like wow. I knew Amma wasn't good, I didn't trust her throughout the series, but after she goes to st Louis with Camille I just saw her as Camille did, and I just thought, " well, I guess she wasn't bad after all" the pieces didn't fit quite together (Adora being the killer kinda made sense, but i wasn't exactly sure why she would kill them) i believed the story and just accepted it. So uneasy and terrifying
@@mariasaizgarrido5582 Its not clear but it is implied. I doubt Ama bullied her only. The series had blown me away too! Especially after i realised that Ama was the killer and after seeing the violent scenes of her and her friends killing the girls i felt something between being shocked and being disturbed.The fact that Ama was such a good manipulator and mostly a kid capable of commiting murders in a row was really disturbing. I never trusted her as well but i thought she was just like that cause she was mentally sick. The series played us very well. It made us think that since Adora was killing her daughters slowly even without realising it consiously , she was also capable of an actual violent murder as well. I didnt realise it was Ama seconds before Camilla found the teeth. Seriously i loved that series. I might buy the book just for the extra details and the continuetion of the ending since they cut it at the series.
In the book her full name is Amity, Latin for Friendship
@@sophiescarlet3843 wait which episode did they show her killing the girls?
@@gorchzzz At the last episode , after the last scene of Amma saying to Camille ''dont tell mama'' there is a clip in between the credits that shows the murder scenes.
I believe Alan to be the most malicious person in the whole town. He knows his own daughter (Marian) was murdered by Adora but does nothing when she poisons Camille and Amma. He only cares about himself and his fake marriage. Everyone else has some rationale for behaving as they do: Adora (her mum), Amma (daughter of Adora). Alan has no excuse, he married into the family. Makes me wonder if he had a previous wife, how Camille's dad died or left etc. The cop did say it would take a mans strength to pull teeth, though I think Amma's female friends helped her. His silence reminds us that evil thrives when ordinary people do nothing.
He's a coward. A weakling. He is constantly hiding from the world. Hateful being
No. The most malicious people here are the killers, and they are women. One of the point of the show is that everyone tends to underestimate women and the evil they can do. Alan may be a useless coward, but he is far from the worst person here.
It’s funny you said this. I ended up here because I searched for discussion about Alan’s character - and found nearly nothing.
In so many ways, this is so pointed in and of itself. We find so much discussion about the transformation of Amma from victim to perpetrator, about Camille’s likeableness, about all those women who talked but failed to act. But Alan? He is literally the one person that could have demanded why his perfectly healthy daughter needed a g tube, who could have taken Marian - and then, following her death - at least Amma - out of that home…but he literally sat by and watched his nightmare of a wife murder his child and then dealt with her trying to do it again by turning up the sound on his stereo system.
He’s the most pathetic excuse of a man, and there’s so little discussion about him.
@@m.h.3196 / didn't he literally excused Marian's dead by saying something like "must've gotten the sickness from me" and constantly trying to tie it to himself as if that would've made sense given the fact that HE is alive and Marian is not
In both the novel and the show, Amma's friends are accomplices in the first two murders but Amma is the one who commits the murders and pulls the teeth in all three. The novel specifies that children's teeth aren't hard to pull if you put weight on the pliers and that it took Amma an hour to pull all of Ann's teeth. In the show, they do mention that baby teeth are easier to pull and also point out that adrenaline may have helped.
Alan wasn't aware of the murders, but he is complicit in fostering the conditions that led to them.
Jean-Marc Vallée’s passing in 2021 is a such a devastating artistic loss. The way he communicated trauma and mental illness through the medium is unmatched and it rips me apart knowing we’ll never get more work from him 💔
the way this is how i found out 😭 rip to a real one
this is flynn’s best book for me and easily one of the best adaptations for screen i’ve ever seen. the editing, tone and atmosphere are so grounding in time and space it never feels cheap or careless.
also ps I forgot to say you’re incredible at this. like really. keep going.
I loved the book so much that i didn't watch the show for a long time. I feared the story would be butchered and I'd get angry about it. Anger is exhausting, so I kept putting it off. When I finally got around to it, I wasnt angry- i was shocked. I'd also judge it one of the best adaptations in existence. I honestly can't think of any that compare.
@@carolsimpson4422 trueee adaptations are at their best when the form of media can communicate and compensate via the editing part of the sense of narrative pov that you lose when adapting from the page. so rare to see done well.
This was the first book of hers I read… shocking, speechless, raw, I loved it, I was so thrilled when I discovered Gone Girl… sharp objects will always be my favourite of hers
It’s kinda scary how much I related to Camille as a character. Sharp Objects is an incredible show.
Why does no one ever mention the scene in which Amma gets a little pig to later let loose for her friends to mess around with. I knew there was something seriously messed up with her from even before that but that scene was really telling so Im very surprised no one analysing her character ever mentions it.
Yes thank you for mentioning it. I looked so much to see if someone talked about it. When I saw it I was 100% sure she is the killer
It actually makes sense if you think about it... animal's suffering is similiar to women's suffering in the way that is often if not always overlooked and seen as small and isignificant.
Well said 🙌🏻@@samitamohabir3009
What scene is this in? I’ve been trying to find it😅
there is definitely something to be said about the husband willingly turning a blind eye to adora’s wicked actions. he is just as evil as her, as he knew what was going on but did absolutely nothing about it. it says a lot about the gendered expectations of women to be nurturers, and because men aren’t met with the same expectations, it is easy for him to take no responsibility for the poisioning.
I don't think the husband is evil - I think that men can be enablers and people pleasers like women can it's just less common and like the partners of abusive men they're worn down. I'd recommend the Theramin Trees videos - both parts of My Cluster B parent died I felt nothing much and Double Binds (for the account of how she treated his father as he was dying) for account of how his father was turned into an appeaser and defender for his narcissistic mother and his mixed feelings about how that made him think about his father.
I don‘t think the last part of your comment is right at all. The social norm that men ought to be providers and protectors is exactly what Alan is failing to follow, so it couldn‘t possibly be the reason why he doesn‘t take any responsibility for the murders. Just consider who the true head of Camilla‘s household is.
I think adora’s status in the town also protected amma from suspicion. Her being friends with both girls and yet never questioned? Her frequenting near where they were both killed or last seen?
After 3 years and 100,000 views, the video got hit with a copyright claim for a clip used at 25:53. Originally, I say "Adora and Camille are back in their old pattern, their same loop." Followed by the clip from Episode 1 with Adora chastising Camille for sleeping in her car, saying that everything Camille does in Wind Gap reflects on Adora's social standing. I decided to just remove the clip instead of fighting the claim, so now there's a funky edit around that part.
Thanks for watching! The script for my next video is over 17,000 words and I'm incredibly excited to finally release it
Ha it's funny because I've been watching this video in pieces over the last several days because I keep getting interrupted. When I started, it had that clip, and now I'm finally finishing and it's gone. Excited for your next video, you have keen insights here.
Excellent job! :) What I don't understand is why men even give a shit about parity for women. They never experience the disparities directed at them.
@@anitaboneshow
1. There’s a thing called empathy that men have been known to feel from time to time
2. Misogyny and barriers to female success harm an entire society. “Girls who complete secondary school education earn more, marry later, and raise children who are healthier and better nourished. Educated girls are less likely to face discrimination. They are safer and better protected from exploitation and abuse… Girls’ education strengthens economies and reduces inequality. It contributes to more stable, resilient societies…. National growth rates rise, child marriage rates decline, child mortality rates fall, maternal mortality rates fall.” -UNICEF
3. Are men raised by mothers who did not receive a strong education and faced severe harassment/abuse in their life better off than men raised by mothers who graduated secondary school and faced less or no discrimination and feel equal in society?
There’s this insidious idea that discrimination and inequality *only* affect the marginalized groups it’s directed toward, which is false. Women and men both face better societal outcomes when barriers like misogyny are removed. If more men start really wrapping their heads around that, maybe we could be in a better place
Well, silver lining this might’ve brought your video back into a lot of us’s notifications.
Three years later and I’ve watched Sharp Objects multiple times. It’s so well done, the construction of everything - The editing, the music choices…ughh. Time to watch your video and then the series again.
(Also well done on giving a great answer to a bad faith question in the comments above)
My step daughter named her first born Amma after this show. How surprised was I at the end(my suspension was wained by Camille's narration). She said she just liked the name and had never heard it before and luckily our Amma is a very sweet girl who really cares that everyone is happy and loving. Great show, a must watch... definitely in my top 5 all time best TV shows with only one season.
Amma is short for Amity
@@Andiethehedgehog24 I'll tell my girls that fact
The word amma in swedish means to breastfeed.
I'm currently writing my masters dissertation on representations of women, the South and violence in Sharp Objects and True Detective (series 1) and I constantly find myself revisiting this video! It's so refreshing to see such passion about the storytelling of Sharp Objects, it reminds me why I have such a love for film/shows and fiction. Great job!
thank you so much! I’d love to read your dissertation, you can DM me on instagram
@@nickcurl will hopefully have it finished in Jan, I'll send it over then. Would love to hear your thoughts!
I too would love to read it if you'd like to share. Sharp Objects is a life altering piece of work.
I hope you wrote how Sharp Objects completely overturns the usual narrative of women being victim of the "patriarchy". Everyone thinks that the killer must be a man and girls like Amma are in danger. That couldn't be farther from the truth. Adora is the Queen of Wind Gap, her husband being useless and powerless (even regarding raising Amma). The sheriff who's supposed to be the patriarcal authority is basically her lackey. Women accuse John because he cries, therefore committing the crime of not being up to their standards for a man. "Patriarchy" is just a ruse under which the true power players operate.
@@Ronkyort0dox babes that's still the patriarchy though
I literally cannot stop watching this show, I always find new little details and the visuals and the audio are addictive. I just cant find anything as good as this 😭
I hate watched it 😂 I remember when it first came out I was ohhh that looks dumb, but I finally watched it last week and yes it is so worth the hype. 😂
Little white lies and maid
I haven't thought it was Amma while I watched it but I realized it was actually pretty obvious.
She rollerblades on the strees at night despite the many warnings of a killer being in the town.
And also at the start of the series, the chief establishes that the killer "can't be a woman". Later on when Chief tells on Amma about being careful on the streets because she might get hit by a [drunk] man driving, she just replies "or a woman." Then, "don't be sexist chief."
Amma was making use of people's sexism to get her way. She didn't have to worry about the killer because it's her. And she didn't have to worry too much about getting caught because she was a woman in a gendered society.
Amma being the killer just makes so much sense. I always wondered how I couldn't have gotten that right. But I realized I truly was invested in Camille's point of view that I started trusting Amma because I thought maybe they could have a wonderful sibling relationship that she and Marian couldn't have. I wanted Amma to be good (and Camille wanted the same), so in turn I thought she was. Wishful thinking.
The series was indeed very good in putting me in Camille's shoes. One of the reasons I couldn't watch it again.
The story does such an excellent job of getting your attention on other aspects/characters/plots while also hiding the truth in plain sight
@@nickcurl I very much agree. You made a wonderful video 😁
Very minor correction, it's actually Amma's friend who says the "don't be sexist chief" line. Amma's stuck in the house being poisoned by her mother at that point.
And when the drama teacher said her story was t true about the women and she said mama said men wrote history so of course they make themselves look better
@@mumsthebird oh right!! It had been a long time since I've watched. Thanks for this!
Alan's drinking coupled with obsessive listening to music is him "drowning out" what is happening in the house on so many levels - literal noise, getting intoxicated via drinking, alcoholism is taking on too much liquid, to name a few.
I binged watched it from 10 pm to 6 in the morning, i couldn't stop watching. This is one of the few series that feels like a experience instead of just watching content. The feeling that i am left with is similar to the one after watching "Mr. Nobody", it was quite a while ago but i remember that feeling of thinking about the movie at the back of my head for some days, this miniseries feels like that.
I almost forgot to add how unbelievableit is that this video as of now has only 1325 views and 23 comments, you definitely earned my subscription, cant wait to see more.
Thank you so much!!!
I also binge-watched it last night/this morning 😂 OOPS. Midnight to 7 am. No sleep whatsoever. Oof. Like, yeah maybe a little mistake but what an intense and beautiful watching experience.
i did the same, then i went to bed in the morning lol
dude SAME
Man I can't believe the novel of Sharp Objects has a HAPPIER ending than the tv show
Can you tell me what's the ending?
@@st_09Camille calls the police on amma after she finds the teeth in the dollhouse, amma gets arrested, and Camille lives with curry and Eileen (his wife)
I think the show does a great job of communicating how Camille feels about her assault. She kinda aptly points out that nothing will be done so why make it a thing? And in such a small town that can be a very real reality. The main guy trying to apologize is also the director of Calhoun day for crying out loud- you could only imagine how the town would crucify Camille for not conforming and then also “accusing” a figure in the community and the husbands of upstanding women in town. So many important details of this murder case were overlooked because of omitted information that wasn’t acknowledged because of how it looked and didn’t fit with traditional behavior. One of the towns biggest sins is pride. So for Camille, like the abuse from her mother, the hazing from other girls- what could she really say? So she moves on with her life. For that guy to try and apologize was completely self serving even if there was good intent (whatever that would even be because that apology does literally nothing) and we can guess that this is a side effect of him seeing Camille not actually being remorseful or growing as a person because he clearly has an inappropriate relationship with Amma.
To me it came across like she wanted it to happen, she didn’t see it as assault, due to the conversation between her and the detective in the “end zone.”
(Like the channel mentions:) When he says she was taken advantage of and she replies how if it was a man sleeping with a group of women, he’d be high fived. But when it’s a woman and a group of men, she’s a sl*t. To me, it came across as she was proud of that moment, or at least had told herself that all these years.
Which is why it didn’t phase her when dude was trying to apologize (and didn’t get it up anyways).
But then again isn’t the scene of her and her birthday cake supposed to be post end zone day. And she seemed sad. But that could have been bc her mom ignored her birthday.
@@HeatherHoltThey made it more like an assault in the series from what I've seen here probably to make Camille more sympathetic. Camille's trauma is more subtle in the book she's consents to a gang bang but it's because she's a damaged person and a bit of masochist as a result. It could be the situation here too in fact it probably is but I think the show depicts being possibly assault because more people will judge her harshly if it wasn't. I say this as someone just pointing out differences - I still think that Camille deserves sympathy as someone who was promiscuous or derived some satisfaction in being used sexually because her childhood was so toxic - Amma shows us what Camille could have become so we understand it's a blessing Camille is only self destructive rather than just destructive.
@@HeatherHoltNo not at all. Her saying “to some that’s consent” she means that in the eyes of rape culture she would be blamed. “Why’d you go to the woods with them if you didn’t want it” etc.
@@HeatherHoltcamille was definitely assaulted and her words are typical for unacknowledged rape.
“Sedated vineyard vines model”. Funniest line I’ve ever heard & a perfect description of Alan. Thank you for this wonderful video!
I just finished the show, and immediately needed to find a video essay because my mind was just reeling. SO happy I found this channel and this video. Reminded me why I love film
I really enjoyed your analysis of the series, great job. The video was edited really well also. I'm so glad there's still interest in Sharp Objects.
thank you for watching! it’s one of my favorite series I’m glad it still has interest too 🥀✂️
@@nickcurl )l)
The name sharp objects makes so much sense now, is an invitation that can only be use in two ways to hurt someone or to hurt yourself. Great essay! I’ve subscribing
I don't know if I I'm reaching, but when that guy approaches Camille to "apologize" (guilt trip her) about the sex7al assault I noticed that behind her in the flashback we see him especially, the closest to Camille taking off his jacket first, and that it sick on itself, that he was before the one that "initiated" it and hypocritically wanted to finish it with a clear mind, he didn't apologize to make amends with Camille, but to make himself feel better for his mistakes.
And only saying sorry because he himself has daughters and didn’t want any man to do to them what he did to her
I just finished the show and I’m about to order the book I need wayyyy more. It’s crazy how I had the theory it was amma and the other girls but Gillian made me doubt myself and my theories immediately just like the characters did. THAT to me shows how good a writer she is, she knew exactly how to get into our heads and mess with what we thought we knew. It’s now one of my favorite shows of all time and probably book too. Also MASSIVE SHOUTOUT TO CURRY AND HIS WIFE they were a highlight and so wonderful to Camille. I noticed as the story goes on curry starts to talk more fondly to Camille like going from “kid” to “cubby” as well as asking if she’s okay, if she wants to “come home” to them which was so sweet and precious I’m so happy Camille had those two in her whirlwind of a life
Another addition this whole video is about the cycle of violence the story is about it. We don’t know who Camille’s father is. Does anyone think maybe Camille was the product of an assault(violence)? It could explain a lot of adoras disdain of her and how she’s obviously the black sheep of her family. I think it could be another cycle of violence the women of the family experienced. Just a theory
about camille being a product of r*pe, i can see how it could be true and also not. adora said that joya smiled when camille wouldn't breastfeed from her, which could be because joya sees camille as the consequence of a reckless, inappropriate (but consensual) union. adora had s*x, so therefore she must have "wanted" camille, and so adora deserved having difficulties getting camille to feed since she decided to act out. but at the same time, joya could also be smiling because she just liked to see her daughter suffer in that way, even if it wasn't her fault she was r*ped and got pregnant.
but i don't think adora would describe camille's father as only "all spite" if he had r*ped her, which is quite a mild insult. i think she would have been more hysterical or would have used it to make others pity her constantly, or someone would have said something about camille being a r*pe baby. describing him as "all spite," for me, points toward him leaving her while she was pregnant, not marrying her maybe because he knew how vicious and attention-seeking she was and thought he wouldn't be able to handle it.
camille's father is also indirectly said to be "cold" when adora was likening camille to him. here's another possibility: what if adora attempted to baby trap camille's father, and when he refused to be trapped because he didn't like her despite her being the richest girl in town, she slapped the label of "cold, unable to get close" on him in her mind? nothing hurts adora more than rejection, and it would explain her anger and refusal to speak of him, similar to how she didn't include camille in that magazine photo? to her, both father and daughter committed the most grievous crime of all, which was to refuse to accept her and play by her rules.
@@rei6enthe fact that adora over exaggerates and quickly turns on Camille for not drowning her in attention and simultaneously not being overly receiving of it- makes me think Camille’s father probably just didn’t dote on Adora or feed into her ideas. It’s not good he left but honestly I’d imagine Adora more so pushed him away than him just abandoning them outright- the way she acts towards Camille when she comes back. I think him actually leaving is what makes her so upset with him and maybe when she started blaming Camille for things. We see why someone would leave Adora but as soon as you do, it’s like how dare you ?
Curry is the GOAT boss
(English is not ny first language so I apologise).
I just finished watching the series a few hours ago and I can't stop thinking about it. Probably won't be able for the next couple days. And for that I'm so happy that I found this video because I can't talk about how good it was without spoiling the whole thing ti my friends and this 46 minutes explain perfectly why and said so much more.
I'm honestly blow away by the fact that this video doesn't have more views. I know it's not a mainstream show but damn, the algorithm should make everyone a favor and spam this great piece of analysis and editing. Great job, new subscriber here!
thank you so much, that means a lot!! and your english is better than mine lol
Great video. I absolutely love this series, extremely effective and so moving and suffocating for anyone with any history of mental health, self harm, violent or abusive family dynamics etc. Extremely well done slow burn - I was obsessed for months after watching and still come back. Loved your analysis 🙏❤️
If anyone has not seen this series or read the book, i highly recommend it
There are many reviews, videos essays out there for films & shows but I haven't seen anything like this. Well done.
thank you so much! that means a lot
@@nickcurl Your video really is extraordinary - thank you!
I can't believe in any of the videos I watched on the series that no one commented on Camille drinking vodka and water bottle 24/7
She’s a self destructive alcoholic, but I don’t see how people were never asking her why she constantly smelled like alcohol bc vodka stinks!
this was so well thought out a nuanced, it really helped me look at the book and series through new eyes. thanks for covering this story (i think it's massively underrated/talked about).
Just wanted to say, thank you for making this video. Sharp Objects is incredibly important to me on many different levels, and it hurts that there aren't more people reviewing it, especially the way you did. So that's that on that, I guess. Thank you so much.
I just finished the show and I thought it was superb. I loved Big Little Lies and had no idea that it was filmed by the same guy! Incredible! Your analysis is amazing.
Thank you that means a lot!
@@nickcurl I was also really moved by that last scene it was truly frightening but Camille’s face just made me cry. She couldn’t save Amma from Adora and it sucked.
@@nickcurl also I wanted to say I recently found out that I have PTSD. This show gets that so right and I feel so seen because of it. Still saddened by Valle’s passing.
@@charisleighmusic I hope you're getting the help you need, and I'm so glad the show's depiction of it can be part of that help!
Rest in peace, Jean-Marc Vallée
this was the worst way of hearing this news, after watching this very good video essay and looking forward to his next work.. So unbeleavably sad.
He was one of my favorite directors. Wild, Big Little Lies, Sharp Objects. He was amazing.
😢...I described the film making the same way, voyeuristic. You feel like you're seeing things you shouldn't be. He was an amazing artist
Incredible video, my friend. Truly excellent editing and your thoughts come across beautifully. Sharp Objects is one of my favorite shows ever, I’m grateful that people like you are willing to analyze and discuss it.
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it so much - new video coming soon (I am at my computer with premiere open as I write this)
@@nickcurl looking forward to it!
this is an incredibly well done analysis. the way it was edited made me feel all the big beats from the show all over again. love that you included a shot of good tv shows. saw a lot of my favorites on there and will check out the ones i haven't. starting with the leftovers so i can watch ur next video. great stuff
what a phenomenal examination of a masterpiece!!! can’t believe you don’t have more subs.
Revisiting this yet again with deeper understanding. I've been pondering on how Amma actually resented her victims not just for stealign attention away but how they did not have the ability to comply with expectations and were free in a way she could never be. Her ability to comply and manipulate is actually trapping her in playing along with the social game. They directly challenge the "power" she has convinced herself she has. Camille also could not play along. Damn i gotta reread it all over again.
This is probably one of the best video essays I have ever watched. Such a brilliant in-depth analysis of the show. Great work! Looking forward to more such videos from you ❤️
This video deserves way more attention then it has; this is coming from someone who hasn't watched the show.
This series is so underrated! You did a great job with the video ❤️
🖤🖤🖤
i watched the series before i read the novel, reading the novel made me appreciate both even more. there was never a moment like, this should've been in the show, it made sense what they kept (most of it), and reading the novel and learning the small intricacies, was just the cherry (pun intended) on top.
One of the best video essays I've seen. Incredible examination of yet another HBO miniseries that just nails everything. It seems heartbreaking being a woman in this world sometimes and it kills me that so many men dismiss that. We as a species should be shamed for how we treat more than half of us.
Wonderful video. Your talent for analysis is obvious. Your channel deserves more recognition, this was exactly what I needed to see after finishing the book.
I'm glad you enjoyed it! thank you so much
Such a powerful, in depth analysis of a series and characters that I will be thinking about for the rest of my life, so thank you for creating this! Looking forward to more content from you.
Thank you💛 I’m so glad it resonated with you
Man, this video was so good that I can't even fathom the amount of information. The things that I looked over which I thought I figured them out.
Wow - this is genius! Really deepened my understanding of the story and the psychological underpinning, verbalise themes and content I was aware of but could not consciously verbalise.
"the past is assaulting the present." I really really like that. amazing video!
the fact that amma is a anagram for mama
It’s such a perfect in plain sight foreshadow…ugh Gillian Flynn is so brilliant
one of the best tv show of all time. love Gillian Flynn's books, but this adaptation is sooo perfect, the actresses are amazing( I loooove Patricia Clarkson as Adora, she's simply marvelous, the best villian/non villian ever). than you so much fro this viideo, very well done and explained. I 've love it!!! wonderful job.
Thanks for doing such a good job of breaking down the series.
Great video, with really enthralling presentation. I will definitely give this series a watch if I can find it. Amy Adams is such an enjoyable performer.
An interesting thing I noted is that: Adora and Amma (ama) both have latin roots and are the words for the action of: Adoring and Loving. Stereotypically feminine and soft sounding words, and yet they are both characters filled with anger and violence. I love when there’s subtle details like that.
I wonder if Camille and the other sister who’s name I can’t remember also have themes to their names.
Oh that’s fascinating; Adora’s violence can definitely be categorized as “adoring.” The other sister’s name is Marian
In latin the name Marian refers to rose petal. in French Camille means free-born. v interesting
@@Kfkaesque29 I did some digging and the reason Camille can mean free-born is because that term traditionally represented nobility, people who were born free, and who could be servants in the church. Camille originally means acolyte or youth church servant.
people who watch spoiler-filled long form video essays of things they haven’t watched, should seek professional help
Same with Adora’s mom, Joya
Wow, I envy you for ability of making such a great video. I love finding these absolute gems after watching a show, it makes me understand and truly appreciate the whole thing.
The whole video was edited perfectly but the begging especially. props to you man
This is a spectacular dissection and presentation of the show and novel. Spectacular.
one of the best video essays i ever had the pleasure of watching
This an amazing analysis and beautifully written and edited video - thank you so much for sharing!
Thank you for your deep explanation of this show. I just could not get enough of it.♥
this was my first video of yours and it absolutely blew me away! i read the book last year and put off watching the show, but after your review i'll def reread the book and watch the show!
I just watched this and this video gave me a lot of comfort. One of the best shows I've seen in years
best video essay i’ve ever seen. this series and novel has influenced me and is my poison and comfort. i really enjoyed this and fell in love with the storytelling even more. excited to follow this channel.
This is a really insightful analysis and it deserves more appreciation, wow, amazing job. Okay but also! I was genuinely curious about how many people were surprised that Amma was the actual killer behind the teen girls. I weirdly enough first suspected Amma of being the murderer when she looked at Gayla the housekeeper, who I think was handling knives? In episode 2. That felt…. Oddly hostile. And her continued behaviour throughout the series just screamed “I’m the killer, look see what I did! You’ll never know it was me.” Or that creepy line the sheriff said about the dead body of one of the girls being arranged like a doll. To me it was so obvious! And the continued hints throughout the whole show, her fixations and behaviour as well as Camille on multiple occasions saying they should be looking for a woman. I thought Camille understood it was her sister early on after she heard that they liked to play in that murder shed but on reflection it seems she was just worried for her sister. But yes, it was so frustrating watching it and yelling out IT’S AMMA GUYS COME ON 😂 every one was just too sexist and looking for easier scapegoats to see the truth. Dhxhsjdjf okay rant over. Again, excellent video. 100/100
EDIT: Afterthought- I never did suspect Adora of anything like poisoning her own children though. Which is funny, considering I’ve read things like Flowers In The Attic. I just…. Thought she was a troubled mother, as I think a lot of mothers end up being in the society we live in. And she had done horrible things but that it was the average Cold and overbearing mother behaviour. JUST KIDDING she killed her daughter! Like WHAT. I was like :o Absolutely Brutal.
thank you so much!!🖤🖤 I think the idea of Amma being the murderer seemed so outlandish initially that most people wrote it off, but it’s irritatingly obvious on second viewing lol
@@nickcurl -And that's what makes it such a genius ending, & why i love both the book & miniseries so much. The fact that the killer was clearly in plain sight the entire time & knew she could get away with killing those poor girls because everybody in that town just either deliberately chose to ignore all the warning signs as they were all either too consumed with trying to hide their own secrets to truly care about what was happening right under their noses, or could not bring themselves to admit that a teenage girl could be capable of such horrible crimes was incredibly disturbing. And then you have the fact that the entire town clearly knew that something wasn't right about Adora's relationship with her kids but again they just chose to ignore it. I'm not usually frightened by murder mysteries like this, but Sharp Objects is so dark & unsettling that it genuinely scares the hell out of me, especially the reveal of what Amma did with the victims teeth 😱.
Yea like she shows no care of the danger, and shows so many signs of manipulation and callousness. That and it’s like she makes allusions to the balancing of attention and control. This was most clear with how Amma acted towards Camille, she’d always try to knock Camille down or embarrass her and then when they’re alone she in different seemed like she wanted to consume her in some way or maybe even be who she thinks Camille is
This video was insanely well done.
Also, when Camille discovers in the middle of the show (the episode of the Calhoun celebration) that Amma was friend with the victims and try to ask her about it and why they weren't friends anymore - I was seriously wondering WHY the cops or Camille never ask Amma about it...I never suspected Amma but at this moment just before the Cahloun celebration I thought she was weird she wasn't showing any empathy while we're informed that she was so close to Ann and Nathalie and no one is asking why they weren't friends anymore...Camille tries to ask but then we move on to another scene very quickly
When the chief says that one is dangerous and the other one is in danger, i knew that would be important but i didn't know how until the ending.
And when Kansas talks to the chief and says that one half Is crazy, the other half Is just evil and they might be focusing on the wrong half was pretty cool too.
“I’m just worried we’re looking at the wrong half.” is one of my favorite lines of the show
Amazing analysis! This was thoroughly enjoyable, and I loved how you compared and contrasted the book and the series throughout. I'll definitely be picking up this book after watching your video!
Sharp Objects is a powerful, dark, and mysterious story. Character driven and gripping.
Loved this series. Oh the mother, sister, friends, townspeople make it a thrilling and awful journey to hell.
This was a great video. Thank you so much. It brought everything together for me and expressed in words the thought I could not articulate.
that’s so kind 🖤 I’m glad the video/analysis resonated with you
this is actually so good this might be one of my favorite media video essays. and this is your first video on the channel too??? like thats insane this is so well done.
Uhh this show is soooo Good. Great acting, characters and cinematography.
as someone with mommy issues can i just say THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU
This was such a great video and I loved hearing your analysis of this show! I’d be super interested in what you think of HBO’s Succession as it has a lot of similar themes such as cycles of trauma and abuse to Sharp Objects but it’s told in an entirely different and a bit more capitalist focused way. Whereas Sharp Objects is childhood and abuse remembered Succession is abuse in action and a childhood that never ended.
Thank you so much!! I actually just started watching Succession last week (I know, I know) so I'm only 5 episodes in but it's definitely on my (very, very long) list of television shows I'll be talking about in the future
Not enough people review this book/show and they very much should
HOW do you not have more subs, this was such a good essay
omg thank you!! probably because I upload every like 4 months lol these take so much more time to create than I expect
The shot at 15:40 is one of my favorites from anything in recent memory.
Very well written video, btw. Looking forward to seeing more!
thank you so much! I am working on my next video (and have since march lol); life has just gotten in the way a few too many times
@@nickcurl Haha, I totally get it! I've been making essays too recently, only one is public so far because the second is currently caught up a bunch of copyright nonsense, but it's a great format, just massively time consuming.
@@mattdekonty7012 US copyright law can bite the curb lol
great video! i've never watched the series but I feel like your explanations left no confusion
I think the message that patriarchy-any social system of repression and oppression-inspires violence-is lost on most people. It was for me. I was turned off by what seemed to be pointless violence.
Love this interpretation and loved Sharp Objects!!
omg JACKIE🥺❤️
I remember reading the book before the show came out, then I watched the miniseries with my mom (who hadn’t read the book). This story haunts me in the best ways.
I love analyzing media and themes. It always resonates with me to understand characters and what they go through. But I’ve noticed that there are some movies and media that I don’t just watch, but I feel like I almost experience. This show, Girl, Interrupted, Promising Young Woman, and Queenie have been some of the media I’ve watched that I just didn’t understand while watching it the first time but that I couldn’t stop watching. They made me cry, they sometimes made me apathetic, but I was always dumbstruck watching them. And they’re all for different reasons that I discover later. Sharp Objects was another one for me, and watching this video analysis has finally made it register with me that it was because, like you said, film has a way of portraying complex psychological phenomena in a deceptively simple light.
There’s a lot of things I’ve been running from, that I’m only now beginning to understand. I’m 24. This shit isn’t just in movies, it happens to real people. It’s not as dramatic as the movies but it is real.
A very in depth, well done series essay. Thanks so much, really insightful and we enjoyed it.
I lost two brothers and I do this show existed THANK YOU for posting this!!❤❤ grew up in total dysfunction lots of trauma going to watch show and get book!
so glad i found your channel, incredible video!
This is the only video essay about a show that I watch again and again.
i love a good video essay and yours was honestly the perfect watch after such a heavy storyline. I see you haven’t updated in a while and just wanted to say i’d love to see more of your thought on similarly themed series and movies, love you work hope to see more 🫶🏼
Thank you! Currently in editing on my next one and then I have a huge video on the way, nearly done with the script. There will be a lot more!
FINALLY SOMEONE THAT ALSO WATCHED THIS BEAUTIFUL SERIES
I knew it was Amma the entire time but I thought, no because it is too obvious.
She gave such weird sociopathic vibes. Although I have read...and it makes sense...she has BPD as well.
Her acting was amazing!
i gotta say my only complaint about the show is how it handled the "mystery" of marian's death. i might be off-base bc i read the book 3-4 years ago, but to me, in the book it had stretched far longer than it did in the show, so it felt like we were uncovering a mystery too. whereas in the show, it got more attention in the last two episodes, which that felt more unsatisfying than the plot twist, which in book the discovery is even more visceral and heartbreaking. it felt like the writers only remembered what happen to marian and how that relates to the actual mystery of the show once they finished writing the whole show and went "oh yeah, marian! we should've gone more into it huh guess we'll re-write the last two episodes then."
Excellent video essay!
Your analysis is beautiful. Im rewatching some Sharp Objects content I just love the book and series
this video should have way more views.
I wish they would make a prequel with Marian and young Camille...With Amma and her roller friends tricking and killing Ann and Natalie...with Adora killing Marian and tutoring Ann and Natalie
That was said so beautifully. Thank you for your excellent video