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S2:E20 - Fifty Shades of Grey (2015 Film)
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We are continuing in our First in a Series theme with Keri’s selection—Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James and its 2015 movie adaptation starring Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan. Keri takes us through how this spicy, controversial romance novel started as a Twilight fan-fiction (her favorite) and proceeded to take the world by storm. We talk book ratings (a reread for some and first-time read for one of us), movie casting, and breakdown how the book compares to the movie.
Hosted by Keri with co-hosts Lindsey and Crystal.
Books & Adaptations Mentioned:
- Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James
- Fifty Shades of Grey Movie
- Bared to You by Sylvia Day
- The Original Sinners by Tiffany Reisz
- This Man by Jodi Ellen Malpas
- Sleeping Beauty Series by Anne Rice
Question of the Episode:
- What is your current hyper-fixation?
Share your opinions with us on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube or email us at basedonabookpodcast@gmail.com.
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Intro/Outro Music - Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!)
Thanks for listening to Based on a Book - see you in the next chapter!
Chapters:
(00:00) Introductions
(03:16) Ratings
(07:29) Fifty Shades of Romance (History and Backstory)
(15:01) Book vs Movie Breakdown (SPOILERS)
(01:06:26) Question of the Episode
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to Podcast
00:00:07
Speaker
Welcome to Based on a Book, the judgment-free podcast where blushing is guaranteed. I'm Keri, your host, your safe word, and your red flag radar. I'm Lindsay, and I'm thinking I should actually start reviewing terms of agreement before signing anything. I'm Crystal, and my safe word is gumbo.
00:00:30
Speaker
This month starts a new series in our podcast where we each take on a book series that's been fully made into either multiple seasons in a show are multiple movies.
00:00:41
Speaker
Still thinking about gumbo. Still thinking about gumbo. Me too.
Overview of Fifty Shades of Grey
00:00:47
Speaker
Crystal guided us through the first season of His Dark Materials, but now it's time to flip it and reverse it.
00:00:53
Speaker
Because anytime I get a chance to make everyone dive into a steamy romance adaptation, I take it. And what better place to start than with a title that many say kicked off their spicy romance journey?
00:01:08
Speaker
In this episode, we are diving into Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James and its 2015 movie adaptation starring Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan, what was previously just a Twilight fan fiction titled Master of the Universe by Snow Queen Ice Dragon,
00:01:28
Speaker
Fifty Shades of Grey swept through the media, now selling over 150 million copies worldwide. It's okay, Crystal, you can keep laughing. I read that. i i'd read this information, but when you say it out loud, it's just amazing. It's incredible. It really is.
00:01:47
Speaker
So selling over 150 million copies worldwide, even at one point occupying a spot in the top 10 list of the decade's best selling books from 2010 to 2019, which was right there along with the other familiar titles such as The Hunger Games, which we are covering in the next episode.
00:02:08
Speaker
Even though ratings were very low for this adaptation, the first movie grossed over $569 million worldwide with a budget of $40 million.
00:02:22
Speaker
The trilogy itself made over billion dollars.
Plot Summary and Themes
00:02:27
Speaker
So if you don't already know, Fifty Shades of Grey is a story about college senior ah Anastasia Steele,
00:02:36
Speaker
who when filling in for her sick roommate interviews the famous billionaire CEO Christian Gray for the campus newspaper, having no idea the path this interview is about to take her.
00:02:49
Speaker
After this first meeting and many more after, Christian and Anna can't seem to part from one another and soon plunge into a back and forth relationship full of pain and pleasure.
00:03:04
Speaker
This record-breaking romance series is full of so much drama and controversy, and I'm so excited to dive into it, starting with our non-spoiler ratings before we end move into our spoilery breakdown of the book and movie.
00:03:23
Speaker
So I want to start with Lindsay, because this is a reread for Crystal and i ah so And Lindsay's the Fifty Shades newbie. So want to start with you, Lindsay.
00:03:36
Speaker
Okay. ah
Host Reviews and Personal Experiences
00:03:38
Speaker
Yeah. So I remember when the book was in the media. I remember it was blowing up everywhere. Everyone was reading it.
00:03:48
Speaker
And I was kind of an outlier. i was reading, but i I was secretly reading romance. who um So i never even picked it up. Didn't even look at it.
00:04:02
Speaker
ah Reading it today. I will say my rating is three and a half neckties. um It's a really fun story and it's fiction. So, you know, don't look into it too much. It's not meant to be a literary masterpiece.
00:04:23
Speaker
It was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed it. Yeah. Okay, Crystal, what about you? How was your reread? ah My reread was good.
00:04:34
Speaker
i think... So when i when I first read it, it was not ugly like romance, even spicy romance was not new to me. um and I really, really liked it.
00:04:47
Speaker
ah You know, this particular genre of spicy romance was new to me. um And so like, I remember giggling, kicking my feet, blushing, but just being in love with it.
00:04:59
Speaker
um and i you know I wasn't rating books back then, but I probably would have rated the experience around a four. The reread, however, like I better identify some of the like problematic parts of of the book.
00:05:17
Speaker
um And it kind of gave me a little bit of ick. So i kind of struggled because did I enjoy the story? Yes.
00:05:27
Speaker
If for for the formulaic, you know, romance, it it hits, it really does. But also there's definitely some major red flags in here.
00:05:41
Speaker
However, when you think about romance in general, there's usually a lot of red flags. So, you know, i don't, I really struggled, you know, this did have an impact um on the community that it represents that was negative. That kind of factors into the rating that I give it.
00:05:57
Speaker
um And I give it two and a half whips.
00:06:06
Speaker
Yeah, my, I also reread it. If you asked me, and I want to, like, I couldn't pinpoint when I read this, but it was definitely during peak hype of Fifty Shades of Grey.
00:06:22
Speaker
And i like, I want to estimate, like, 2013 because... because it was when talks of movie adaptation was happening and when the books, because it was published in 2011 and the books were mostly already out.
00:06:42
Speaker
um But back then you would have, if I was writing books back then, would have heard a five star from me. Like I was obsessed with these books, loved it.
00:06:55
Speaker
I wasn't really like, thinking too much in depth about it. It was very surface level, like reading to me. And I was just like, enjoying myself reading.
00:07:06
Speaker
Reading it now. And at this point, now I've read hundreds of romance books. And so many with very similar um power dynamics, um similar themes.
00:07:22
Speaker
um Reread is mid. Entertainment is mid. ah I think yeah at this point, rereading it, I just, I do appreciate what it kind of represents. Like, you cannot deny what this book represents in the romance genre.
00:07:46
Speaker
It did something in the romance genre, whether it's good, it's bad, whatever. It did something. It had an extreme impact. Like we can't even deny that this will actually be like almost like, quote, classic literature at one point, which is actually insane.
Cultural Impact of Fifty Shades
00:08:04
Speaker
Yeah.
00:08:05
Speaker
Like it will be considered like due to the amount of readers it has and how much it sold, it will at one point be considered classic literature, and that's kind of crazy.
00:08:20
Speaker
And we can't deny that it had an impact and This is only because of what ah I personally experience. Like something like, i you know i read ah I read all the Sarah J Maas series. you know I really love Sarah J Maas a lot.
00:08:36
Speaker
But you know you can't deny reading Sarah J Maas. And when it becomes so popular, a lot of stories about fae romance came out.
00:08:47
Speaker
Something very similar also happened with Fifty Shades of Grey. ah Fifty Shades of Grey was released 2011, last book released in 2012. And anybody, you know, listening, watching, please correct me if I'm completely wrong on this or if you can think of any other series that may have came out before Fifty Shades that could have definitely impacted it But other series that came out after Fifty Shades that is very similar with the Power Dynamics.
00:09:20
Speaker
ah I'm thinking of like Bear to You by Sylvia Day, published in 2012. Same time, Original Sinners series um published by Tiffany Rise, 2012.
00:09:31
Speaker
um two thousand and twelve This man, Jodi Ellen Malpas, I believe that's how you pronounce it, 2012. two thousand and twelve Very similar dynamics in those very popular series, but never hitting this popularity level that Fifty Shades of Grey hit.
00:09:49
Speaker
And and i mean, I will never deny that there's obviously... books before 50 shades that were just, you know, also have similar power dynamics. Like we get into Anne Rice, um, also as well. That was way before 50 shades, but 50 shades got to a level that we can't even comprehend.
00:10:13
Speaker
And it's about a dumb sob, dumb sub relationship.
00:10:20
Speaker
So it's, It not only had a massive impact on the romance literary world, but it had an impact on our culture. um Like in the UK, they ran out of silver ink for printing the books because they couldn't keep up with printing them.
00:10:39
Speaker
um In the United States, the ah the adult toy market, like they sales skyrocketed. You know, this was a huge...
00:10:51
Speaker
like awakening for a lot of people. This is their first introduction to this dom sub relationship. And it really had a huge impact on our, on society, on our culture, you know, and there's, there's no denying that, like you said, for good or for bad, there's no denying there was an impact.
00:11:12
Speaker
Yeah. And I do think that, you know, romance gets such a bad, Because romance gets scrutinized so badly when it comes to how it impacts other people over other genres. um where Because it's something that is romanticized, people romanticize these things and people scrutinize that more than anything over any other genre.
00:11:46
Speaker
So...
Real vs. Fictional Influence
00:11:48
Speaker
so I don't believe this author wrote this book as this guide. I don't think so either. A step-by-step guide to have this type of relationship.
00:12:01
Speaker
think she wrote about a relationship and bad things happen in this relationship. Good things happen in this relationship. And this is just a relationship about two people named Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey.
00:12:16
Speaker
And... But people really scrutinize it and be like, this is bad representation of this community and all this stuff. And I do get that.
00:12:26
Speaker
And I understand that. and I understand that impact. You ever watched Phineas and Ferb? Yes. I know it sounds like, but I'm going somewhere, where i promise. um There's the character Doofenshmirtz that is the evil scientist. If you've ever watched Inspector Gadget, there's, what is it? Dr. Claw is the evil scientist. it's But nobody has ever said, that's a bad representation of the scientific community.
00:12:50
Speaker
You know what i mean? It's fiction, folks. It's very clearly fiction. Were there some bad representations here? Abso-frickin-lutely. So what?
00:13:02
Speaker
You know, if if this is your introduction to something and you're thinking to yourself, oh, wait, that sounds interesting to me. You can't expect that this was your guide. You should maybe go look for some other source material to find out more.
00:13:17
Speaker
Just like if you look at Dr. Claw or Dr. Doofenshmirtz and think to yourself, I could be an evil scientist. You might not start with an animal sidekick. You might get a science degree first.
00:13:30
Speaker
You know what I mean? Come on And I mean- Even with like you know dark romance in general and you know dipping your toe into dark romance, things like that, you know you get into this the power dynamics and the elements of having a toxic relationship like this.
00:13:48
Speaker
People will scrutinize that and it gets more hate than ever because of that toxic relationship. You're romanticizing it and all this stuff.
00:14:01
Speaker
and And I'm thinking to myself, like You know, we romanticize horror movies all the time. We romanticize, you know, serial killers in these horror movies every day. Right. But we scrutinize so badly on the romance genre more than ever over any genre.
00:14:20
Speaker
And I just find that so i think it's be fascinating. i think it's because it empowers women. And that's... Women like it. Women love it, so it must be bad.
00:14:32
Speaker
Like, that's just all there is to it. Women love it. It doesn't serve men the same way it serves women, and therefore it must be bad. who And that's not to say that I don't think Christian Grey has plenty of red flags. Major red flags. He's got major red flags.
00:14:51
Speaker
But I think that we are old enough and smart enough to identify these things and be like, yeah, no. we this is bad. I can be like, this is not okay.
00:15:03
Speaker
But I can still read it and also be like... And jiggle and blush and kick your feet. Yeah, clean exactly. Exactly.
Casting and Character Chemistry
00:15:09
Speaker
but Now that you've heard all of our non-spoiler thoughts, it's time for our book versus movie breakdown, which means from here on out, it will be full spoilers in this episode.
00:15:22
Speaker
you haven't read or watched the first book in the Fifty Shades of Grey series, this is your time to pause the episode. Do that and come back or pause the episode and leave it at that because we are going to be talking about some very spicy content because this Fifty Shades of Grey.
00:15:40
Speaker
But in addition to that, we will be discussing childhood sexual assault and abuse in this story. So please be aware of that moving forward.
00:15:50
Speaker
If you would like a full list of content warnings that are in the book, Storygraph is an excellent resource to find them. ah So want to go ahead and get into casting first.
00:16:04
Speaker
Casting for this first movie. So eo James was a producer. ah In the movies. And the director of the first movie was Sam Taylor Johnson, which I was actually a little surprised by.
00:16:20
Speaker
I don't know if you both know who Sam Taylor Johnson is. i do. Little controversial yeah person. Little controversial lady. Yes. um But ah so casting, I remember when this...
00:16:35
Speaker
Yeah.
00:16:37
Speaker
it was the biggest deal it was insane every going insane about this casting because casting these two people anesthesia steel christian gray are two main characters Mm-hmm.
00:16:51
Speaker
Mm-hmm.
00:16:53
Speaker
essential when it comes to romance adaptations in general because that is like kind of the whole point the relationship is the entire point chemistry has to be on point everything about these two people they are the main plot they are the storyline So they are essential to make this movie good.
00:17:12
Speaker
And the rumors were crazy about who was going to be Christian Grey. We had Ryan Gosling up in here. and That's who E.L. James really wanted, Ryan Gosling.
00:17:25
Speaker
We had Ian Somerhalder. oven here There were like petitions to have, i think Matt Bomer, is that how you pronounce that i Yeah, I liked the idea of him.
00:17:37
Speaker
Yeah, and there were like petitions out there. Hundreds of people were like petitioning to have him. Then at one point, the Sons of Anarchy actor, Charlie, he was actually casted, ready to to go.
00:17:49
Speaker
And there were petitions to get him off. Yeah. And everyone hated him to have him as Christian Grey. And he was eventually removed from the movie.
00:18:01
Speaker
So then eventually we got... um His name just left me. Jamie. just left me Jamie. We eventually got Jamie. And then even at one point, um Lucy Hale had auditioned.
00:18:15
Speaker
to be Anastasia Steele. Didn't get it. So in the end, we got Dakota Johnson as Anastasia Steele. Jamie for Christian Grey. ah For Kate, we got Eloise Mumford.
00:18:28
Speaker
Elliot, we have Luke Grimes. For the mom, we know who this mom is. ah For Christian Grey's mom, same lady from The Mist, Mrs. Carvedy from The Mist.
00:18:43
Speaker
Mia, we have ah Rita Ora, which was so random, but so cool. I really like Rita Ora. um But yeah, so the casting was crazy. The casting, the talks of the casting was insane.
00:18:57
Speaker
And I remember this was like peak my Vampire Diaries days. So i was like, Ian Somerhalder, please, please be casted as Christian Grey. I really wanted him.
00:19:09
Speaker
I loved him at the time. that was That was my dude. I think we ended up with the right cast, though, honestly. Yeah. I really think we did. this this The chemistry is undeniable.
00:19:22
Speaker
Yeah, I... I really, really like Dakota Johnson as Anastasia Steele. Yes. Love her. Jamie, jury's still out on him for the first movie.
00:19:35
Speaker
I know. I've already seen all the movies, read all the books. First movie, I feel like he's trying to get his groove in the first movie a little bit. There are moments where he's amazing, and in moments, I feel like he's a little goofy. Yeah.
00:19:49
Speaker
Yeah, he's a little goofy guy in the first one. There were a couple of moments when I was like, wait, he's in the book. he He was like confident and smooth even when he was red flagging.
00:20:04
Speaker
yeah But somehow in the movie, there were a couple of moments that came off very creepy. And I was just like, wait, I don't think that's – that's not supposed to be creepy. That's supposed to be like aggressive.
00:20:18
Speaker
Yeah. But in a confident, aggressive. Like, I don't know. that It was – ah Christian Grey just has a way about him. know He just has a way about him.
00:20:29
Speaker
It's not creepy. It's definitely stalkery. Yeah, sure. But it's not creepy for whatever reason. Yeah. So the story begins with our innocent, awkward college student, Anastasia Steele.
00:20:43
Speaker
Doing a favor for a sick bestie, Kate, by going in as a replacement to interview a billionaire CEO for the school paper with only four questions in her pocket. ah He's being interviewed like that. That would freak me out.
00:20:57
Speaker
i Like if I had to cover for an interview, I only got four freaking questions. Yeah. Can I get some more material here? Right. That's insane. He's being interviewed because he will be giving a speech at their graduation ceremony.
00:21:10
Speaker
um So this billionaire CEO is Christian Grey. And their first encounter is as Wattpad as it gets.
Iconic Scenes and Key Moments
00:21:19
Speaker
And she quite literally falls on her face the second she steps in the door to meet him.
00:21:24
Speaker
um Christian is very much the opposite of everything she is. and He's very much like... statue low-key robotic at first. like He's just literally just like standing at his desk and then sitting there just like prepared for the interview, not moving at all.
00:21:40
Speaker
Also in the book, he has copper-colored hair. Did anyone notice that? Nope. Didn't pay any attention. Yeah. He has copper-colored hair in the book. Also, definitely don't recommend listening to the audiobook.
00:21:54
Speaker
No. It didn't. The audiobook did not hit At all. It didn't. It really didn't. Like, I think we need a new narrator on that one. It was very, like, dull.
00:22:06
Speaker
It was very dull. Almost, um, like, bordering on Valley Girl? That's, think. Yeah. You know, it wasn't Valley Girl, but it was kind of that, like,
00:22:19
Speaker
I don't know. It just wasn't right. just wasn't right. Although I will say the way Anastasia is like so naive in this first part of the book.
00:22:32
Speaker
She's like, it's like, you know, he it's like he's got a secret and I can't figure out what it is. It's like he's trying to tell me something. It's like he's hinting at something like. girl he is talking about sex and she's just who right over her head but it's so she has no experience she's super naive yeah So he's kind of immediately amused by her timidness. They have instant tension. Coming to into the interview, they only had 10 minutes, but now he's canceling all his meetings because he wants more time with her. um when she It's so funny in the movie.
00:23:07
Speaker
um She has like a very... um Like Dakota Johnson, I feel, brings Anna's character to life a little bit more. She is very...
00:23:18
Speaker
like Very like mid vanilla, just like very average girl. Yeah. In in the ah book.
00:23:31
Speaker
In the movie, she's like bringing, Dakota Johnson's like bringing this like very awkward, almost like dry humor funniness to Anna's character that was not in the book at all. And I really like that because I feel like if that wasn't in the movie, it would be kind of boring.
00:23:50
Speaker
but But still embracing that like somewhat introverted. yeah Somewhat, you know, quiet character. Like she brings a little bit of that dry humor without changing the character. It's really nice. She does a great job.
00:24:07
Speaker
When I was rewatching it, I was like, I forgot how many like hilarious like one-liners she had in the movie. like He was like, I hope you got everything you need. And she's like, ah I think you only answered four questions, but okay.
00:24:22
Speaker
And then he's like, okay, bye. and then so after the interview and giving the limited information you can only get from four questions um to Kate,
00:24:35
Speaker
And Kate's like, amazing job, amazing work, everything I needed. but When she's getting in the elevator, she has the questions in her bag and he distracts her and she turns and he grabs the questions and then emails all the answers.
00:24:50
Speaker
Yeah. So I imagine there was way more than four. Mm But true. I want to know what those questions were. know. do too. Yeah. So Anna then heads to her job, which is at a hardware store called Clayton's.
00:25:03
Speaker
And ah Mr. Gray pops up at the hardware store asking for cable ties, tape and rope. And the way he pops up in the movie had me dead. He just like pops around the corner and she's like, what the fuck?
00:25:16
Speaker
He's like, fancy meeting you here. Like, he honestly pops up like a serial killer. Like, it's actually insane. It it gives stalker creep. And she even says that when he's asking for these items, she's thinking he's doing some kind of DIY project. But he's, he's like, obviously interested in something else with these cable ties.
00:25:35
Speaker
She even says it, like, this is perfect for a serial killer. And he's like, he like he's just, like, standing there. He says, not today. Which is funny because he plays a serial killer in the movie The Fall that came out in 2013. Yep, not today.
00:25:52
Speaker
yup Just in another movie. Maybe later. and he even shows like a little bit of his jealousy moments with a guy that works there, Paul. like which This happens so often in the book.
00:26:06
Speaker
And Anna is just like, she has no awareness of the men that are... Which is so... Like, I'm probably going bring this She's so clueless. This is so fan fiction.
00:26:17
Speaker
Yeah. This is so Wattpad. We're like, I have no idea. All these guys are in love with me, around me. And like, but I'm just like, I have no experience Of, you know, social interactions with guys.
00:26:34
Speaker
And I never been kissed, never been in a relationship. yeah Senior in college. Yeah. like so Like this is said this is very fan fiction. Yeah. And, you know.
00:26:46
Speaker
Freaking billionaire CEO is like absolutely infatuated with her. and he's like. Looking at this guy, like making eyes at him, like, don't touch her.
00:27:00
Speaker
And she's just like so confused at what's going Has no idea what's going on. Also, she keeps saying like, yes, sir, to him. And he's just like getting this dark look in his eyes. He's like looking at her like...
00:27:14
Speaker
His eyes down, he's like, yeah.
00:27:18
Speaker
He goes out of his way to be with her, even agreeing to do a photo shoot for Kate's article where a Christian confronts Anna again about another man Anna's life, which is Jose, and whether she has a boyfriend...
00:27:29
Speaker
And when he gets that moment of confirmation, she's like, no, like, I don't, like, what are you talking about? All these guys around that are making eyes at me. I have no idea what you're talking about. And he kind of gets excited and takes her to a coffee shop to kind of gauge the possibility of what they could have.
00:27:43
Speaker
And Anna's very clearly crushing on this man. you know, internal dialogue we're getting is like, I really like him. Like, and I can't believe he likes it. Like, she's very insecure.
00:27:55
Speaker
She's the heart eyes emoji. Yeah. He's not. Yeah. He's like the the knife. Yeah.
00:28:04
Speaker
And um so she's inexperienced and she's like of like this guy until she brings up romance to him and he's immediately scared, freaks out. It's like, I don't do the girlfriend thing. Cuts the date off, make it making them return home.
00:28:17
Speaker
Keep having their Wattpad moments, almost getting run over by a bicycle, grabs her face. He's like, you need to stay away from me. And his way of showing her that she needs to stay away is sending her expensive first edition novels when she finishes her final exam. It's like, stay away, but i'm going to send you expensive gifts.
00:28:38
Speaker
i Where's that man in real life? I'm going to fall in love in that case. Like, come on. Nope. I will i will i will tell you I love you and you can keep telling me to stay away if you're going to keep sending me gifts.
00:28:54
Speaker
First editions, all right. I don't mind. So she you know she's in college, so she finishes final exams. So I'm Kate in this situation. It's time to party. Let's go out.
00:29:05
Speaker
In the movie, they everyone's taking shots. Kate's like, did you take all of it? That's me. Did you take all your shot?
00:29:14
Speaker
So while they're out, Anna goes to the bathroom. This part was killing me. This part's me Yeah, was about to say, this part is also me. Yeah. Drunk dials Christian in line at the bathroom in the movie.
00:29:29
Speaker
um He answers the phone. He's like, Anastasia. She's like, yep, this is me. She's in line. She's like, just telling you that I don't want your books that you sent me.
00:29:41
Speaker
And that's all. And hangs up. And to the random girl in line, she's like, I told him, right? And the girl's like, what? Who are you?
00:29:53
Speaker
Girl, have another girl's back. Come on now. You sure did, queen. Yeah. You did, girl. You did. i don't know who you're talking about, but did. Yup. He calls back. He's like, I'm coming to get you.
00:30:04
Speaker
And she's like, you don't even know where I where i am. Like, that's weird. Okay. And, you know, realizes she's drunk in the bar and his controlling ass shows up right when the friend Jose has had a crush on her keeps trying to kiss her even though she keeps saying no.
00:30:22
Speaker
she It's just like the whole scene is so chaotic. Christian comes up, pushes Jose away. She throws up. but This is such a Jacob Edward moment. It is so Jacob Edward coded.
00:30:36
Speaker
It was. Eventually, Christian gets ah her out of there, leaving his brother Elliot with Anna's friend Kate. So they kind of become a thing. Kate and Elliot.
00:30:48
Speaker
Next morning, Anna has a killer hangover. ah he's like, how are you feeling? She's like, better than I deserve. That's me. Every hangover. Like, better than I deserve, honestly.
00:31:01
Speaker
Not drinking again. she's in his bed, but they didn't do anything because he took care of her while she was drunk. But he's being super flirty. i like this part in the movie.
00:31:12
Speaker
i I will say when she was like, did we do anything? And he was like... I am not into necrophilia. Yeah. I was like, Jesus.
00:31:24
Speaker
Is this a vampire reference?
00:31:29
Speaker
was like, God dang. But he's like being so flirty. Like when he, um, like comes, he's like, you wouldn't be able to sit down for a week. And he comes up and like bites the toast. i'm like,
00:31:44
Speaker
I was so mad about that. ah was like, why? I know. And it was supposed to be really sexy, but I'm over here like, don't eat my food. Don't eat my toast.
00:31:54
Speaker
I'm trying to get the carbs in. i just drank my weight in liquor. All right. Like I'm literally about to pass away as we speak. And like he she keeps biting her lip. He's like, I want to bite that lip.
00:32:08
Speaker
Like, I don't know why. But the way he was would say things, and then I wanted to laugh because i'm like, don't know. I feel like he's just like a goofy guy. Like he's just goofy. Also, I'm pretty sure this is when he started calling her baby.
00:32:21
Speaker
And I started screaming in turn. Especially in the book. Yeah. Not ton in the movie. think he only does like- Only a couple of times. Or twice. Yeah. But in the book, he says it a lot. And I'm just like- I hate that. I don't know you. Like, I don't mind being called babe, hun, darling, sweetheart. But for whatever reason, baby in particular just makes me want to punch people. Like, don't call me baby. will punch you. Well, don't like when we're not together yet.
00:32:48
Speaker
Right. I don't like Right. But even after that, like, she's a full-grown adult? Stop calling her baby. Stop that. Stop that.
00:33:01
Speaker
And then there's, she, like, wants to kiss him. And he will not kiss her. And he's like, I need your written consent before touching you. And she's like, what in the hell is he talking about?
00:33:12
Speaker
was So dramatic. Yeah. And she's like, okay. And so she's like getting ready to leave because he's like, I'll take you back home. um This is probably the most disturbing part of the entire book. the ah Literally the entire series.
00:33:28
Speaker
Her continuously using his toothbrush. Had me messed up up. You want to talk about disturbing? You want to talk about like, I need content warnings if we're using each other's toothbrush. Yep.
00:33:44
Speaker
Constantly. I was like, Anastasia, no! You're disgusting. And she's over here like, it's so romantic. And i'm like, what? The crusty, musty, Anna, don't do that again. no You nasty.
00:34:02
Speaker
You are disgusting. And toothbrushes are so cheap. You can't tell me there weren't more around. Oh my god. So, you know, they... He has to, like, abide by rules internally. Like, you could tell he's, like, fighting to abide by rules internally.
00:34:19
Speaker
And he's reaching, like... He has, like, his own personal limits. And... Anna naturally breaks those limits for him.
00:34:30
Speaker
Like he would never touch her unless he's doing what he likes to do. But then he like goes to take her home and they have this like steamy moment in the elevator before they leave. Like he keeps being like, I'm not good for you. But then like he wants to take care of her. Like they have this back and forth.
00:34:45
Speaker
crazy relationship and we're just like getting into it um but later ah he asked to take her on a date to seattle because that's where he lives in his huge penthouse um he was staying at a to ah hotel closer before but this date turns out to be in a damn helicopter he's like uh takes her on a whole helicopter right it's like what are you waiting for
00:35:11
Speaker
Love me like you do. Love me like you do. Record scratch. I need you to sign this NDA. Right? That's exactly what happened. We cannot say anything else until you sign this NDA right now.
00:35:26
Speaker
The music stops. Is it Yep. Sign right here before we speak another word because you can't tell anyone else what I'm about to tell you. That's literally what happens.
00:35:39
Speaker
That's literally what happens. Wait, doesn't she at one point be like, are you going to make love to me now? which I'll tell you exactly what the quote is. She said, does this mean you you're going to make love to me now?
00:35:50
Speaker
said, I don't make love I fuck hard. And when he said, the actor says that, I started cracking up. Because he's a goofy guy. He's just a goofy guy.
00:36:02
Speaker
I watched this with one of my guy friends and we both started cracking up. i living and He was like, I fuck hard too. And I was like, oh, do you? If someone said that to me, literally have been like, blocked.
00:36:16
Speaker
Just kidding.
00:36:19
Speaker
literally that whole part like was like okay dramatic well she's super naive are you gonna make love to me now you know doe eyes over here yeah and she signs and she's like all right fine i'll sign it no problem she doesn't even read it yeah and you know he's like all right i'm gonna show you to my playroom and in the movie this cracked me up she's like like you're like with your xbox and stuff And he's like, ah no.
00:36:50
Speaker
So basically she goes into this playroom and she's like shook to her core because she has no experience in anything like this. And he want he basically says that he wants to be her dom and wants her to be his submissive.
00:37:07
Speaker
And I feel like Christian thinks he has sub detector, basically, it with women. And he thinks it's Anna. Like, that's basically what happened this whole beginning part.
00:37:22
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. And she's like looking through this playroom and she's like, you're going to use this stuff on me? And there's Jamie with this corny ass smile.
00:37:34
Speaker
He's like, yes. yeah
00:37:39
Speaker
He's like, yeah. He's like standing outside. yeah i' I'm going to do that. But like, it's like low key, like sad.
00:37:52
Speaker
It's like low-key sad because he's like really excited about it. Like he's excited to do this and move forward in this relationship this way because he's like, I like i finally found someone I get to do this stuff with because he like not that many people that he's done these things with.
00:38:09
Speaker
15. I mean, he's much. He's... hes 26, 27? years older. 27, 28, yeah. But 15 that lived at his place and signed the contract.
00:38:22
Speaker
Many others that didn't necessarily live there. Just, yeah you know, one-timer a couple-timer thing. Yeah, I mean, just, like, I kind like, I don't know. I feel kind of sad for him because it's, like, he really wants this to work.
00:38:38
Speaker
Like, he wants us to work with this person really badly. And he's like, look, I got all this stuff prepared and all these things. And she's kind of like, huh?
00:38:48
Speaker
Like, what the hell is going on? and ah Christian's like, we can discuss what you like, what you don't like. And, um you know, what do you enjoy and all these things.
00:39:00
Speaker
And she's kind of looking at him like, I don't know what the hell you're talking about because I've never done this before. Never had sex, nothing like that. And he's like shook to his core.
00:39:12
Speaker
He is out here ready to discuss the craziest hard limits of his life and she doesn't know what's going on. And in the book, he is like legit, like upset with himself, pacing, super mad, pulling at his hair. like how did I let this happen? How did i miss this?
00:39:27
Speaker
Yeah, because I think- In the movie, he's like, wait, what? Okay, let's fix that. like Because I think he really thinks he has like a radar and his radar was off on this one.
00:39:41
Speaker
I think that's what what happened here. So they get together for the first time. And in the movie, hot. It was so hot. I'm sorry. Yep.
00:39:54
Speaker
Yep. It's the truth. It's the truth. It's the truth. That was good stuff. That was good. And honestly, I was waiting for it to be cringe. It's my rewatch. I thought it was cringe, but it was actually really good.
00:40:05
Speaker
And honestly, like... I think it's really funny that she's like... She wasn't really like this in the book, but in the movie, she's kind of giggly when she's like being like tied up or when she's like he's trying to take things seriously.
00:40:20
Speaker
and he she like giggles about it with him. But I think... That's what causes him to change a little bit. Usually she was doing that, he would make like a switch and like want to do his old ways.
00:40:38
Speaker
But I feel like he likes her playfulness. And that's what kind of makes him change the way he is a little bit. And it's kind of like opening up to like a different side of him.
00:40:51
Speaker
And I feel like Dakota Johnson kind of pushed that more in the movie than what we see in the book. We don't really see that side. And seeing that physically with your eyes, I feel like that was really well done. Because, yeah you know, we can only do so much in these this movie. Right.
00:41:07
Speaker
And because in the book, we are having a lot of spicy scenes. Like many more spicy scenes than what we're seeing in the movie. So much. So... Having this like these moments and connections that they have, like this quirky side to her, I feel like was necessary in yeah the movie.
00:41:28
Speaker
um But during one of these moments, Anna's having an awakening of sorts, being tied up with Christian's tie. um His mother shows up unannounced. It's kind of shocking to see he ah his mom's shook that he has a woman around.
00:41:43
Speaker
So this is kind of like another stepping stone for Christian that we see. um And after the mom leaves, Christian starts going into detail about the contract. They will eventually get into it about the Dom subrelationship, talking about how she would have her own room and will not sleep with him. And they won't be having dates because that is not a normal relationship. He's not doing a normal relationship.
00:42:07
Speaker
um she's kind of put down by that i wants to go home so he takes her home but gives her the contract to think about um as they're driving home um in the movie um we get earned it oh my god the soundtrack is killer it really is it really i've been listening to it for the last couple of days earned it oh my god love that song And, you know, Anna, during this whole ride home and then when they get back to the house, Anna's being really pushy to Christian and which he is not used to and wants him to open up, oh which he starts to be over his past and how all of this got started.
00:42:43
Speaker
um He reveals that his mother's friend seduced him at 15 and introduced him to this lifestyle, which where he was her submissive for six years and anna assigns her Anna assigns her the
Character Backstory and Development
00:42:58
Speaker
name Mrs. Robinson and hates her due to her predatory behavior.
00:43:04
Speaker
Fair. Yeah. But Christian is super protective of Mrs. Robinson, saying that he still talks to her and she's a friend. That's very Stockholm syndrome-y.
00:43:17
Speaker
You know? Yeah. People tend to... tend to become protective of their abusers, whether it's, it's really hard for them to see that they were abused. Cause I feel like there's a lot of shame with that too. And so that was, i don't know, obviously this is fiction, so I'm not going to like go into a psychological profile of this fictional character, but you know, it's, it's not uncommon for that to happen. Yeah.
00:43:45
Speaker
Yeah. But, Also, that is absolutely predatory. And Mrs. Robinson absolutely did molest a child. Mm-hmm. And Mrs. Robinson is going to be very present in this series.
00:44:01
Speaker
um After they have this conversation, Christian's like, go home, read the contract, let me know if you have any questions. Bites her laptop to do her sub-research on. And the contract is a little crazy.
00:44:13
Speaker
and Honestly, my personal opinion, most out-of-pocket thing to me, is that I must ensure eight hours of sleep and not snacking between meals except for fruit. mean, don't wrong. I love fruit.
00:44:24
Speaker
But also love cheese. Don't tell me what can and can't eat. You know. I'm afraid that's where I draw the line. And that's where Anna draws the line, too. Yeah.
00:44:35
Speaker
She is drawing the line. She is scratching out all kinds of things on that contract. She's like, oh, what the hell is this? I really love, though, that, like, we see her standing up for herself. Like, I'm i'm willing to try and and learn new things.
00:44:49
Speaker
But also, like, there are some things that I draw the line. I'm not going to try it. Hard limit. yeah Hard limit. I do hate that he pushes...
00:45:00
Speaker
Those limits though constantly telling her over and over you'll like it if you try it when she's saying no I know me and I don't want to even try it. Yeah. like Boy shut up and listen. She knows herself better than you do.
00:45:15
Speaker
yeah She's basically having like an internal crisis as she goes on her snow patrol runs. Because she has no experience and he is talking all kinds of crazy to her.
00:45:29
Speaker
ah My favorite scene is when um she jokes around that she's not in. She like sends an email. She's like, ah I'm not interested. It was nice knowing you. And he shows up at her place and he's like, oh, it was nice knowing me.
00:45:46
Speaker
It's been nice knowing me. is is And in the scene in the movie. Oh, my God. Honestly, in this scene in the book, it was amazing. It was amazing in the book.
00:46:02
Speaker
Yep. Yeah. Amazing the book. In the it's like haunting you like you've been haunting me. The soundtrack is so good.
00:46:12
Speaker
So good. Play it on repeat. Play it on repeat. Then he flip it, smack it, and reverse it. Yeah, he does. Yeah, he does. That was insane. Mm-hmm.
00:46:24
Speaker
I was screaming. I was trying not to scream. and I was literally like, oh my gosh, I can't believe he did that. And it was great. It was so great. There was so much controversy in this movie.
00:46:38
Speaker
Also because like people were like, oh, he's married.
Controversies and Criticisms
00:46:41
Speaker
like There's no way that they didn't have like some type of relationship while filming this ah this entire series. I remember that was like a huge thing because of...
00:46:54
Speaker
All that stuff. And I was like, oh my gosh. My thing was, after reading this book, how you going to make a movie that's rated r out of that book without leaving out half the book? And they did leave out half the book. They had to.
00:47:06
Speaker
But they managed to do it. Yeah. And there was like, whenever they had first made, they made the first movie and there was like so much controversy. They, you know, Jamie, he was talking about how like he had to like go into hiding for a little bit um because of how much like anger he was getting out from people.
00:47:25
Speaker
And he was freaking out because he's like, we just signed contracts to do the next two movies. Like, and we have to do them. So like, that's concerning. Yeah.
00:47:38
Speaker
Um, so at this point in the story, uh, they have ah conversation together, basically a meeting to discuss the contract, um, what their soft, hard limits are, what's going to be in the contract, finalizing the contract, um,
00:47:55
Speaker
in it's like a little business meeting and it is ah way funnier in the movie absolutely movie is hilarious um they're negotiate the negotiating scene is so perfect and like he like puts his hand on her to get her into the uh business meeting she's like business meeting don't touch me business meeting Um, and he's like, she's like, Oh, you like seem really prepared. He's like, I've done this before. And she's like, pissed. She's like, Oh, you've done this before. He's like business meeting.
00:48:29
Speaker
I've done a business meeting before not the contract meeting, the business meeting, calm down. This me. And, um, they're going through all the things. Um, he even throws in a date night once a week.
00:48:42
Speaker
Cause he's just feeling, feeling spicy, feeling nice. um um In the book, though, he are like it doesn't quite go down like this, but it's kind of similar. And he basically she says, i want I want more romance out of you. And he says, I'm willing to do a little romance if you're willing to try some of my stuff. And that's kind of how this goes. But in the movie, he it kind of he's like, I'll throw in a date night.
00:49:07
Speaker
Yeah. know Like this is honestly at this point. You can tell the dynamics are very different in how their personalities are.
00:49:18
Speaker
She has lot more bratty behavior. Absolutely. And he is not... He's still controlling, obviously, but not as bad as he is in the book, I will say.
00:49:32
Speaker
like There's much more controlling behavior happening in the book. by So they negotiate this contract. She still leaves the dinner um with a possible idea that they'll never see each other again because like she's just still struggling with the fact that he doesn't want everything that she wants. She wants a lot more. He's still like...
00:49:53
Speaker
You know, not really getting there. Like she's still comparing like his brother Elliot and her friend Kate's relationship. Like they're going on dates. They're doing all these things. And like they're not having that relationship together.
00:50:06
Speaker
ah So graduation comes. And as we know, Christian gives a speech where he's wearing the tie that he used to tie her up. The tie. The gray tie that he used to tie her up. And is it in his speech, he does like or reveal a little bit more about himself that he's working with a foundation that helps those like poverty people who are hungry because he says he knows
Relationship Dynamics and Evolution
00:50:27
Speaker
what that's like.
00:50:28
Speaker
um She kind of has this little revelation about him and decides to dive into this relationship and makes a verbal agreement with him to sign the contract. ah Christian even meets her stepdad and they get a public photo together, which is like very unusual for this billionaire CEO.
00:50:43
Speaker
um Christian even gives her a car for a graduation. and She like freaks out about it. A car. and mean, it sells her old car. They've only known each other for what, two weeks at this point?
00:50:56
Speaker
Yeah. Three maybe, maybe And he buys her a car. I just, I get it. i get why she's like, whoa, I can't do that.
00:51:07
Speaker
Yeah. And then after he's, like, she rolls her eyes and he punishes her. So this is, like, the first time it's moving in the relationship of, like, him punishing her for different things that he's she's doing.
00:51:21
Speaker
you know? And she agrees to it. Like, whatever. and she she's very like giggly in the movie compared to in the book.
00:51:33
Speaker
Like she's kind of like laughing about it. um But afterwards, he's like kind of like just like moving on. i Like in the book, I remember him like so always like she would be upset that he's leaving and he would end up staying.
00:51:48
Speaker
In the movie, it's very emphasized that he's always leaving. Always. Always leaving, never staying the night, never staying in the bed with her. And in the book, he would eventually come down and be like, okay, I'll stay with you. I'll stay with you. Yeah.
00:52:03
Speaker
and so He is making an attempt in the book to be more a part of her idea of a relationship, to be more romantic. He keeps saying, you know, is this more?
00:52:18
Speaker
You said you wanted him more. is this what you're talking about? Like, he keeps checking in with her about, like, is this what you want? Is this what you're expecting? So it's almost like he's trying to do more for her since she's trying to do more for him.
00:52:33
Speaker
But neither one of them is communicating very well about what those things are. Yeah. They don't speak each other's language, you know. yeah Yeah, I definitely agree.
00:52:46
Speaker
um Part of the contract is even getting her on birth control. so he brings a doctor in. to do that um and then after that they have their first night in his playroom and he basically gives her all the rules and they have their whole night together and like he just like I feel like he just sucks at this whole – he just sucks at aftercare.
00:53:17
Speaker
He sucks at the aftercare portion of this and, you know, and that's very essential in this type of relationship. And, you know, he's just like, you sleep in this room when you're done by yourself.
00:53:33
Speaker
And so after we're done in this playroom – And so she does that. And then he takes her to dinner with his family. And Kate is even there because of Elliot.
00:53:44
Speaker
This is a big deal because he's never brought a woman to meet his family. um But she has a lot of insecurities about it. um She gets in her head of being there. And so she like makes up. She's like, oh, yeah, I'm going to Georgia um to go see.
00:53:55
Speaker
Like she wants to be someone that has plans. She's like, I have interviews. um I'm going to Georgia to see my family. she's like, At this point, I feel like the character, especially at this point, feels very different with Christian in the book versus Christian in the movie.
00:54:14
Speaker
Christian in the book is, at this point, super angry, controlling. He's still angry and controlling in the movie, but not as bad. In the book, he's punishing her for not telling him those things.
00:54:32
Speaker
In the movie, he, like, kind of takes her away and, like, has, like, a conversation with her. But she kind of controls the situation. Right. She controls the conversation and shifts it.
00:54:44
Speaker
And, you know, he does say this, like, before where, like, the whole point of being ah so my sub is, like, you kind of have all the control.
00:54:56
Speaker
Like, I don't have the control. You have the control because you say what's going to be happening and what's not going to be happening. Like, you control whether we do something or not. And um I feel like the book wasn't really giving that, but the movie kind of gave that a little bit.
00:55:17
Speaker
yeah Yeah. Kind of showed that a little bit more. um But eventually... ah You know, like I said, there's a lot more like punishment. There's like toy situations um in the book.
00:55:34
Speaker
ah There's a lot more communication from Christian in the book. is a va He even reveals his past um saying his mother was a drug addict and died when he was four.
00:55:44
Speaker
It's a monumental moment for him. um happens in the book. He has that actual direct conversation with her, but in the movie, he kind of reveals this information as she's asleep. He kind of comes in and like talks to her while she's sleeping.
00:55:58
Speaker
um Their communication progress is more slow in the movies than it's the books. Events aren't really aligning um as much, but she does ah go to Georgia to see her mom. She's supposed to also have an interview with a PR company that we get only a glimpse at in the book with a man named Jack who is interviewing her, which will be essential later in the series.
00:56:24
Speaker
It's a very essential character. could tell there was some foreshadow going on in that interview the book. That is a very essential character. Oh my gosh, I forgot, Crystal, you haven't read. I keep forgetting that you haven't read the rest of the series.
00:56:35
Speaker
Nope. I'm excited. Okay. So, but eventually she leaves for Georgia. She's angry um at Christian for upgrading her a flight to first class.
00:56:46
Speaker
Okay. Girls, just shut Please. Shut up. Sit down. Drink your champagne. Go to sleep. All right. Um, during this time, she's kind of growing more confident to express her feelings to Christian. Um, while she's way talking over email and Christian is like, okay, thank God. Like she's actually talking to me about things that she's feeling.
00:57:06
Speaker
you know, I totally get that. I feel like that's super relatable being like, I don't know how to talk to you your face. Cause you're really intimidating. But like finally, that we're having time apart where you're not in my face all the time, I feel like I can like kind of express my feelings.
00:57:22
Speaker
Yep. He even brings up he has a therapist at one point. um ah You know, while he's gone, though. He emailed saying he, this part of had me sick.
00:57:35
Speaker
He emailed saying he's having dinner with an old friend, um as they're having great conversation. I wanted to throw up. I remember wanting to throw up when I first read it, like way back when, and i wanted to throw up now. He's having a dinner with old friend.
00:57:49
Speaker
She hasn't heard from him all day. And then he finally responds that he's had dinner with Mrs. Robinson. ill He's like, I don't want to discuss this over email because she's upset.
00:58:01
Speaker
um You know, even in the movie, he calls her because he knows that she's upset. She's like, ignore. That's me. Blocked. Don't speak to me.
00:58:12
Speaker
um Eventually, but he eventually shows up there. and so so Because of course, he's a stalker. He's a stalker. he's a stalker Um, but in the book, he also brings up an ex named Layla, one of his exes, um, who is also essential.
00:58:31
Speaker
It's the only ex he named. So I kind of figured that would come up again. And that was the only, that was one of the exes that wanted more that he wasn't willing to give more. ah But he genuinely feels like he's trying with Anna. Even the the next day, he takes her gliding and he's like, that kind made me emotional. Like, especially also in the movie where he's just like, is this more? Like, is this like the romance that you're looking for? Like, he really is trying.
00:58:55
Speaker
And specifically, he's trying to share something with her that he loves. Yeah. Which I thought was really awesome. But at the same time, like, you're not trying to learn what she loves, which is trying to hang out with her family right now.
00:59:10
Speaker
you know but yeah all right yeah yeah I totally agree Yeah, you could be, you know, spending more time with the family, but okay. And I'll be like so into the book.
00:59:21
Speaker
Like I'll be like, you know, I'll have these moments where i'm like really into the story. And then I'll get to writing like where she says, crapola or something like that.
00:59:32
Speaker
Or she's like, oh. My inner goddess. Yeah. i subconscious My I hate that her inner goddess and her subconscious are two different characters in the book. They're two more characters basically. Yeah. they They live within her, but they're their own characters. Yeah.
00:59:47
Speaker
She talks about what they're wearing, what they're doing, what they're looking at, what they're saying. Like, I don't want to hear about your inner goddess or your subconscious ever again. I know. And she's like, why do I want to spend every minute with this guy?
01:00:00
Speaker
Oh, right. I've fallen in love with him and he can fly. i'm like, this, like, sometimes the writing can be so corny and it just, like, it will pull me out of the story. Yep.
01:00:11
Speaker
Yep. It's like, I love it. Because it feels like nostalgic almost. Yeah. But I'm like, what the hell is this? What the hell is this?
01:00:24
Speaker
um So while Christian is there, he gets a call um that he and he's got to go.
Tensions and Turning Points
01:00:32
Speaker
He's got to get out of there. She also gets a call that she's been offered to be the assistant director.
01:00:37
Speaker
To Jack at the PR company. Remember? Essential later. when She has her from Christian since he left. um She gets back home and in Seattle she meets with a Christian and he seems to be like panicked over something but relieved to be with her.
01:00:52
Speaker
Immediately taking her to the playroom, which this is the times that like kind of freaks me out. It's like you're angry about something, not about something about me. You know, like we're not like doing like the punishment thing about, you know,
01:01:08
Speaker
I rolled my eyes and like, you know, whatever. i mean, not saying that that's good, but like, that's the dynamic that's happening. But at this point he's taking out anger of another situation. Yeah. And that's sus to say the least.
01:01:24
Speaker
Yeah. To say the least. So that's when I'm like, I red flags. I mean, this is like the what? Eight hundred and fifth red flag we're at now. Right. Yeah.
01:01:34
Speaker
That very sus weird. Where, you know, immediately need to take you to the playroom when you get here because I'm angry about something.
01:01:47
Speaker
And I'm upset about something, which feels dangerous. And this whole scene, they're doing it to music. This whole, like, playroom scene. like, music in the background.
01:01:58
Speaker
um and we We didn't need the slow-mo. We didn't need the slow-mo. We really didn't. I didn't want the slow-mo. I want to speed this up.
01:02:09
Speaker
All right. I don't want the slow-mo. And, you know, after this whole playroom scene, Anna's kind of speaking her mind, ah being like, why are you like this? Like, why why do you need this?
01:02:25
Speaker
And he talks about how he needs to hurt her. This is the way he is. She says she doesn't like it as much as he doesn't like to be touched. So, like, we didn't really talk about this that much, but one of the essential things in the contract is that he does not want to be touched.
01:02:44
Speaker
He does not want to be touched, like, on his chest or anything like that. um And that is a constant conversation And she wants to touch him so bad. And he's like, no, I cannot be touched.
01:02:57
Speaker
And like he freaks out when she even attempts to or even gets near him to be touched. And she's like, the way that you want to hurt me is the same way I feel like when you don't want to be touched.
01:03:09
Speaker
And, um, so she comes up with some type of logic to where she says she wants to know how bad it will hurt, like the worst punishment could be.
01:03:22
Speaker
And she thinks if she does that. It will make him feel comfortable enough. Like she'll she'll take that, like go that far with him. Then he will go as far with her to let her touch him.
01:03:38
Speaker
Does that make sense? Yeah. Compromise. Yes. Quid pro quo. Yeah. She wants to know the maximum punishment and he gives it. And it ruins their relationship. who um And how she looks at him.
01:03:53
Speaker
Because it was so bad. Anna's like, you're no good for me. And I've fallen in love with you. And Krishna's like, oh, no. You cannot love me.
01:04:04
Speaker
That's not how this works. But he doesn't want her to leave internally, but knows she has to.
Cliffhanger Ending and Speculations
01:04:13
Speaker
in the book and movie end with them breaking up.
01:04:17
Speaker
Yep. Cliffhanger. That's how the book and movie ends. Mm-hmm. I was surprised. Really?
01:04:28
Speaker
I was wondering. I Lindsay, are you okay? I had no idea. I was like, man, this is the idea of you all over again.
01:04:35
Speaker
it really is. Yeah. Well, at least there's multiple books after. It's not just completely ending that way. and We have no other type of storyline happening here. I'm assuming that the the third one resolves everything.
01:04:49
Speaker
I hope. I'm not saying anything. i'm not. For good or bad, I just hope there's like it tight it ends instead of just like drops us the edge of cliff. It does have an ending. Okay, thank you. so does have an ending. I checked out the book from the library. I'm reading it on my Kindle.
01:05:06
Speaker
And it says I have like 92% left in the book. and And I get to that part and i'm like, wait a minute. This is the next book. So I didn't read it. I stopped.
01:05:18
Speaker
ah But yeah, i was really confused. i was like, that's that's it? Yeah, that's literally how it ends. I remember like finishing it and being like, oh my god, I have to start the next one right now.
01:05:30
Speaker
And you know what? I forgot to mention this. This was also like, during the time that this was super popular, this was also when like
01:05:40
Speaker
Later ebooks started becoming really popular as well, or like started to becoming more of a thing. So then we could like all be reading like our Fifty Shades of Grey without everyone knowing we were reading Fifty Shades of Grey. There you go. There That was also like a big thing at that time.
01:05:58
Speaker
So, yeah. But, yeah. that That was it. The Ecclifringer was crazy. Yeah. So that was it. And somehow I still haven't read the the second or third book. I know. I can't believe whenever you read it originally, you didn't never continue.
01:06:14
Speaker
I think I'm pretty sure I was like, what the hell? And then I got mad and moved on with my life. So now that we dove into Fifty Shades, the fanfic that took over publishing movie theaters in our collective curiosity, think it's only fair we end with a question that's just as revealing in a different way.
Closing Thoughts and Listener Engagement
01:06:33
Speaker
So tell me... What is each of your current hyper fixation right now? Because let's be honest, we've all gone down a rabbit hole or two, whether it's music, book a book, show, random niche ah topic on TikTok, anything like that. Crystal?
01:06:54
Speaker
Current hyperfixation. mean, honestly, with my ADHD, I always have some hyperfixation going and usually more than one. um But right now I'm like super into um smells. i like I love candles, like scented candles.
01:07:09
Speaker
But I'm trying to get away from having open flames in the house because I also have a child. And I've forgotten to blow candles out before. And i just don't like the idea of fire hazard.
01:07:20
Speaker
So now I'm like going down the wax melt thing. And like I have a collection of wax melts for different times of day, different types of weather. Because you never know what kind of mood you're going to be in for a smell. You know, like seasons change.
01:07:37
Speaker
So yeah, I have... closet full of but honestly you open the closet right now it's just like a bath and body works 50 cents exactly 50 cents of well 50 cents of wax like it's just ridiculous um but yeah i have a couple different cute little wax melters one in the kitchen and one in the living room and yeah i love them that's my my current one
01:08:09
Speaker
Yeah, I love, um I have like a ah candle warmer and I use that all the time for my candles and stuff. What about you, Lindsay? um ah probably have to say my current hyper fixation is um me trying to expand music.
01:08:26
Speaker
my music ah and and going into different genres and stuff. Specifically, though, I i have i really been into Sleep Token.
01:08:38
Speaker
We love Sleep Token in this house. um And then, actually, Carrie, you introduced me to ah Scene Queen, which I have really been enjoying her, too.
01:08:50
Speaker
so Yay! love Scene Queen. Adding some new stuff to Tasty Jams over there. tasty jam certified that's lindsey's and only playlist with all her favorite albums like is this album tasty jam certified tasty jams approved love it love it uh my current hyper fixation you both already know this because i talk about 24 7 and it's smosh and and it's smosh
01:09:24
Speaker
Physically cannot stop watching Smosh, specifically Smosh games. i love Courtney, Shane, Amanda, Spencer, Angela, Chase. I'm so obsessed with Smosh.
01:09:37
Speaker
That's all I watch. Like, I'll get fixated on specific shows within the Smosh channel right now. Um... I've been i love Smosh Games. It's like my favorite.
01:09:50
Speaker
But I've randomly been listening to all the ones where Shane reads Reddit stories and like he has different cast members like reacting to Reddit stories. I don't know. I literally cannot stop watching them.
01:10:04
Speaker
They are my absolute favorite. love them meanwhile back in like 2010 2011 i sent in fan mail to smosh when it was just ian and anthony and they were doing mail time with smosh i love that that's amazing know i asked was like does anybody know what's like does anybody watch smosh lindsey's like me been there done that I love it. Ian, Anthony.
01:10:32
Speaker
Yes. School girls. Yes. Anime school girls. I love it. All right. So that is a wrap on the first book of the 50 Shades of Grey series.
01:10:43
Speaker
Keep an eye out on our socials of when we will be continuing into 50 Shades Darker with that cliffhanger. It's going to be a couple of months.
01:10:55
Speaker
Everyone hold on. i really wanted to watch the second movie, but tried really hard not too Thanks for listening and hanging out with us today. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share with your friends.
01:11:08
Speaker
Links to all of our socials are in our show notes. So please come chat with us and let us know your current hyperfixations. We really want to know what you're currently spiraling over right now.
01:11:20
Speaker
Or give us some of your recommendations that are similar to Fifty Shades Grey. Until next time, keep your books hot, your takes hotter, and your safe words clearly established.
01:11:32
Speaker
We'll see next week in District 12.
01:11:42
Speaker
That's so unfortunate. We move to Hunger Games afterwards. Okay, bye! Bye!