Requiem for a Nightmare
I decided that since I recently (okay, it was over a month ago but I’m waaaaaay behind and haven’t written to y’all in weeks!!!!) spent 6 hours (in a row) of my life scaring the hell out of myself, I’d better tell you guys about it.
So, knowing nothing about it besides that it popped up in the BBC iPlayer drama section (that I scour daily, hoping, longing for a new depressing show which to devote all my love and attention) I clicked on BBC One’s new series Requiem on a dismal Saturday.
The show is about this really really cool girl named Matilda Gray (new favourite name, so cool) who is a hip and famous cellist with an excellent wardrobe and a cool, super cool haircut I’ve been fantasizing about for a couple of years now. (Calm down, Mother, I’m not going to go platinum blonde with blunt bangs, EVEN THOUGH I WANT TO.)
All this is important because it’s most likely her interestingly pretty face and cool hair and awesome clothes that made me feel I must endure 6 hours, straight, of being scared to death.
Not that death was far off to begin with–I was already close to the threshold, suffering from a fairly significant case of wine flu (this sounds familiarly like my excuse for watching A Christmas Prince… must remember to get the wine flu shot next year). In this weakened state, on the couch with a 25 lb pig cat on my chest, I let the sun set in the sitting room as episodes of terror automatically loaded in my queue.
B went out for the night, and I thought, ‘I really should stop. This isn’t sensible. No good can come from this. Turn it off now TURN IT OFF!’
But I didn’t listen. To me. Because look at her cool haircut and sad face!
PLUS she (Lydia Wilson) and her costar (Joel Fry) who plays her bestie Hal/a dude who unrequitedly loves her (who could not love her with that cool hair and face and clothes?!) both went to RADA together.
So I was imagining them in classes and thinking about how neat it would be to be in a professional production with someone you went to drama school with and then I was thinking about how Phoebe Fox (my acting-style doppelgänger) and Francis from Poldark also went to RADA together around the same time and now they’re married to each other and all these actors are my age and why wasn’t I at RADA with them and then I could have been in Requiem instead of being scared by it alone in a dark room with a couple of cats who I know would run away and hide and leave me to fend for myself if there was even the slightest hint of ghostly/satanic behaviour.
Anyway, back to the story. So Matilda Gray aka Cool Hair/Face/Clothes is a cellist in London who has a cool best friend (the aforementioned Hal) who is a pianist and accompanies her in the cool classical music concerts. But not for long!
You see, within like the first 15 minutes, two people kill themselves–Matilda’s mum, Terri from The Thick of It, and this other old dude from this random little town in Wales.
As it happens, these suicides are not only distressing to me, the viewer, they are also distressing for Matilda. In her grief, she decides to go visit the random little town in Wales (where the old man died) because of some stuff she found in a box in her mother’s flat (it makes sense I promise but I can’t explain it further). Hal decides to accompany Matilda to Wales (well, actually, he drives her the entire way while she sleeps because he loves her even though she’s sort of mean to him and a bit of a diva, like me).
So they arrive in pretty Wales where, fortunately, none of the characters talk like the Welsh girl I worked with in the pub who I couldn’t understand a word she was saying and I would just smile and nod and be like, ‘Yep, totally’ and she’d look at me all confused and string together more incomprehensible sounds etc and I’d nod again and the cycle would repeat for the awkward duration of the shift. No, it’s not like that in the show, I could understand all the characters and the scary things they said just fine.
So Matilda and Hal arrive in pretty Wales, as I started to tell you before I digressed, where they end up staying in this scary-as-hell old house with this alcoholic Australian guy:
From there, they meet a bunch of other kooky characters-about-town, including ex-cop Mr Bates.
And this antiques dealer who I should have been suspicious of because she’s fucking sketchy, but I couldn’t really help but kind of think she was like a cool, sophisticated and whimsical piano teacher type who was maybe nice?
Well, she’s not nice. She’s actually like really pretty mean and awful and scary.
So, anyway, Matilda and Hal are in this scary-as-hell big house with the alcoholic Australian dude…. and the more that Matilda uncovers about the past, the more she begins to unravel, naturally.
Now, I’d tell you more about the ends and outs of the story except a) I’m sure I’m confusing you by this terrible description of events and b) ALL of the comments under The Guardian review were about how predictable it all was, and they made me feel silly for being SO SCARED by this show.
Except, not really. Because I think all those commenters were just being naysaying horror junkies throwing shade. And they also suspiciously managed to make it through all 6 of the hours of the series despite their clairvoyant superiority and claims to have not been surprised or entertained by any aspect of the show.
SO here I’ll just say *SPOILER ALERT* for those of you who aren’t as clever as those commenters.
Basically, in the end, Matilda becomes possessed by the devil thanks to these creepy cult people. I think? I dunno – her eyes do this thing and it’s terrifying:
AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!
Now, will there be a series 2? Don’t worry — I’ll be sure to keep you posted.
xWG
Winter-Maker 
You are NOT allowed to blog about shows that I can’t watch (stupid BBC iPlayer won’t work in the US – I’m sure it’s a digital rights issue, but I’m going to blame Trump and Brexit and the NRA). This sounds good and creepy, but I wonder if it one of the complications of that dreaded wine flu is that things seem creepier than they are? Research must be done into this…of to the wine shop for me!!
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Hahaha I knowwwwww the pain of not being able to access iPlayer! BUT the good news is that I think Requiem is supposed to go on Netflix after it has had its run at the BBC. So you too can be terrified! It’s actually a really good show and I think you’d really enjoy it! Wine flu or no! Oh wine. Wine. Now I want wine. Keep it together for one more day, Weekes.
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I’m totally craving a big old bottle of random red wine too, so we’re both suffering through our willpower. And what the hell? I don’t do Netflix either. I’ll just have to take your word for it, guzzle some wine, and figure out TV-free ways to scare myself.
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Well, I guess I’m just going to have to continue to narrate any good BBC programs I come across to you. My summaries will be muuuuuuuuch better if you guzzle that red wine beforehand! 🙂
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That won’t be a problem! 😋🍷😜
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Best use of the word “cool” since high school.
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Also, I’ve never been so entertained reading about something I’m so sure I’ll never watch. “Awkward duration” – hah!
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Hahaha glad to be of service! Thanks for reading, Scotty! 🙂
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Oooh, I might have to throw some shade here myself. This doesn’t look anywhere near as terrifying as “A Christmas Prince”. That said, I fully intend to watch the heck out of it… As soon as it appears on Netflix. For a joint BBC/Netflix production, it’s very noticeably absent from at least 50% of those platforms! Hope you’ve fully recovered from your wine flu! 🤒
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Hahaha I guess it will bestow Netflix with its presence after BBC has released its stranglehold. Definitely a must see!!! Ahhhhhh!!! I have long recovered from that particular strain of wine flu, thank you, but I’m sure I’ll be working on contracting another one in no time. I hope you manage to stay healthy around all that bathtub gin you’ve been brewing! 🙂
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Oooh, thanks for reminding me! I’m nearly all out, so I need to get on with stewing another batch. It would be terrible to be ginless, especially if there’s potentially a bad dose of wine flu on the loose! Meanwhile, I will be scouring the Net-Flix constantly in anticipation of Requiem’s arrival… Hopefully it’ll land soon, before I run out of Mad Men!
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I think it has arrived! Get out the gin ladle! And let me know how Mad Men pans out for you! 🙂
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Yaaaaay! Goodbye, productivity! 😂 As for Mad Men, I ODed a bit on it yesterday because I’ve been quietly obsessing over a jumper of Megan’s from season 5, and I decided to go back and have another look at it to see if I could make one myself. I must have skipped through about 6 episodes looking for it! I almost don’t want to hear the theme music again!
(Almost.)
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Hahaha oh man… the only theme song I’ve really felt that way about was when B and I kind of background watched like 500 episodes of Gilmore Girls over the course of maybe 2 months. I bet the upstairs neighbour wanted to kill us. Which Megan jumper??? I love all her clothes!!!
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Yeah, I had a similar experience with the “Friends” theme when a bunch of us binge-watched a box set (y’know, back when that literally meant a huge box of clunky VHS tapes) at a birthday sleepover! 😂 Megan’s wardrobe is indeed magnificent (I’m loving the super-psychadelic party frocks in Season 6) but this is one piece I think I might be able to knock together pretty easily (she said, famous-last-words-ishly)! It’s from the episode “Dark Shadows”, and her version is orange with dark brown trim at the neck and along the tops of the sleeves, and stripes near the hem. I’m thinking black with yellow for my version… 🤔
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Well, obviously I had to go re-watch that episode so I could most knowledgeably respond to this comment (I have a sickness, I know). Oh MAN is that a good Betty ep. One of my favourites (I know I say this about every episode). But I mean… just… ugh layer upon layer. ANYWAY, omg I love that jumper!! I like the larger knit and the sleeves being flared and ending shy of the wrists. DO IT! I can’t wait to see your version!!!!
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Ha! I knew you couldn’t resist! 😂 I have a horrible feeling that when I get to the end, I’ll be going right back to the beginning and rewatching it all… Probably while knitting my Megan sweater. I just need to do my measurements, and then I’m THERE! Although – spoiler alert – I think a couple of mods are on the cards… I love the flared sleeves too, but I know from experience that they will drive me NUTS when I’m wearing it!
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So true. Maybe the most annoying aspect of the flared sleeve is trying to put a coat on and they bunch all the way up to your armpits. But I’m sure perfect Megan doesn’t have any of these problems! Can’t wait to see your version 🙂
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Gaaaaah, yes! It’s very telling that at no point in that scene does she attempt to put on anything over the lovely jumper, thus preserving her veneer of perfection and elegance! I have much to learn…
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Well, characters in things are never cold, you know. Except for Leo in The Revenant.
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Oh yeah. I felt cold just watching that! He really should have taken that bear up on its offer of giving him a nice, warming hug…
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Hahahahaha awwwww… that sweet bear just wants a cuddle, Leo!
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Yeah, stop being such a meanie! 😂
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I am seriously spooked and intrigued (and also appreciative of her blonde baby bangs – you could totally rock that do!). Thanks for sharing this take on the series. I do love creepy mystery series set in tiny towns, and this one looks really interesting. I like the slick clothes! If it comes to US Netflix somehow, I’ll be sure to check it out (I think all the shade is, like, legitimately scared people in denial, lol). And, I hope you’ve completely recovered from the wine-flu heebie jeebies – those can be the worst! (on that note, I firmly counsel one *not* to do a Google image search of “dolls” at 2:30 am: a well-intentioned bit of craft research gone terribly wrong). Aw, Phoebe Fox is adorbs – I can very much see the doppelganger connection!! 🙂
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Good news – I think Requiem has hit US Netflix!!! Hahaha omggggg I have no doubt Googling’dolls’ is terrifying!!! If only all dolls could be like your sweet dolls. Thank you for believing in my blonde bangs do… for now it must remain a distant dream, I suppose… and thank you for stopping by to listen to me babbling! 🙂
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Ah, yes it has! 🙂 The first episode was good (haven’t yet gone farther!). Literally had to put my hand in front of the screen at certain points. Though, I admit I was a bit distracted from the plot by Matilda’s gorgeous knit dresses.
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