Spoiler alerts included
The day I went to see TDWP2, uhm how do you say it?.. Oh yeas. I was gagged. The whole day, it was all I could think about. I chose my outfit a day before. I felt alive, and my hair looked amazing.
I even hydrated more. And I struggle to drink 1l a water per day, and most of the time I can’t do it. (99%).
*This article will be a lot like “but when she said that I felt like…” so feel free to skip if that’s not your vibe, but if you’re looking for some girl-on-girl movie talk, sit down and grab a cup of green tea or anything your heart wants.*
When I walked into the cinema, I was part of something great about to happen. A huge glitter box of fashion wisdom, pretend feelings and dedication at all costs was about to unravel under my curious eyes.
I’m not sure if everyone takes it with this ineffable intention as I do…
Does it matter though? Nope.
Something weird happens to me as soon as I see characters that I absolutely adore, like Andy, Emily, Miranda or Nigel. I become super conscious about how my look makes me alive. Every sparkle or piece of sequin I have on excites me. I become more aware of my bag, and I squeeze it tighter, tapping its pearls with my cat eye nails.
That was my outfit ^^
A good rom-com pulls you out of misery. No matter the reasons you’re upset, nothing seems so big anymore. IT’s like this huge wave of good-feel shedding your door apart like you never had one and takes you flying towards the gates of happiness.
It’s one of the reasons I strongly believe girls will always suffer less than guys after a breakup.
We have rom-coms. Are you kidding? Give us 1 rom-com a week, and we’ll be over you in 2 weeks.
That’s the power of these movies. It gives you hope that what left wasn’t meant for you anyway.
And I know most of these scenarios are pure ecstatic fantasy, not anchored in reality – some critics might say. But they are anchored in reality, and these things DO HAPPEN! And so what if it always happens in the rain, or in an airport, or right before she hops in a cab in the middle of a bustling street?
It can happen, right?
And some people make gestures like that BECAUSE of rom-coms. And because that guy knows that his girl will appreciate.
I know my guy will know I’ll appreciate something really… interesting. Not cheesy, not grandiose like ego showing, nothing of that sort. But just something well thought out and planned. Make me see how you struggled with it and how you thought of every single little detail.
That’s romance after all. It’s not rose petals on your bed or white wax candles all around your apartment. I give you 10 minutes or less before you start breathing heavily, btw.
It’s something that’s been thought out, patched with good intentions and lots of love.
So circling back to TDWP2 (I love this shortcut ahhh), what do I start with?
The first thing I’m noticing is Andy’s hair is sooo long now. And she’s working at a big publication, as a journalist, living her dream, stirring some controversy around important topics.
I love that for her. I cried and had goosebumps when she said those things about how we need to fight for our contribution in the world, because “IT IS FUCKING IMPORTANT” if I remember right, if not correct me please.
Quick note: Pay attention to that, it’s a message about AI, which is so important that we take into consideration. Write or do anything that makes YOU – Y O U. I appreciate Substack for that. I hope that it never changes.
Then how she got that call from Runway? Oh. So unrealistic, but in the end it made perfect sense. Nigel is the heart of this movie, the magician, the hatter who saves the day.
My world stopped when Emily saw Andy and the full team reunited, and I believe Emily thought that Andy was there all along? I’m not sure, but it was funny how her face went into freeze mode.
I love the character of Emily, and the way she carries herself, hiding her emotions like a wasp and keeping to her most faithful principle: don’t smile.
Makes me think of Sylvie Grateau when she told Emily: If you’re going to smile like that, people will think you’re stupid.
It’s a recurrent motif, right? Makes me laugh every time.
It’s not my personality, but I love seeing it.
Then Andy and how enthusiastic she has become, away from Runway and out in the real world where people behave normally around other people, crack jokes and have awkward lines.
Then, how she hits that gianormous pride wall of “Who is this girl?”. I thought how low, really.
But then, when she said the same thing to Emily?? That was completely blown out of proportion. The girl worked for you for an era, probably. Never mind,, I’m getting carried away.
I mean, the way Andy steadily realises that this is a crisis is fun to watch, and that again – she won’t get a kiss on her forehead for doing things right.
But we’re seeing a different Miranda here.
The one we knew didn’t say much, because other people guessed her thoughts and did minion work around her.
But this Miranda is squeezed with a giant metal door by the CEO of Runway, who put Andy there, and now she has to go and talk to her. Let her know that the numbers are not there. Nobody was reading what she wrote, except the journalists and the people in the industry. Not the actual people Runway was catering for.
We have a Miranda who has a few moments where she talks to Andy like she’s her equal. They are at war, and they’re on the same side. United again, for something that will make a difference in the world.
As we have an Andy who is now less afraid of talking to her, and who has a few moments when she bursts out her fears in Miranda’s face, like talking to her best friend.
We have a Miranda who painfully controls every word she says in meetings, because the way she used to talk was bullying everybody.
Now she has a filter in the back of her head, always active, always keeping track of her sharp tongue.
We have a green young team that helps her stay on top of tendencies, which I’m sure she hates, but they’re much needed for today’s pop culture.
SO things have changed, we’re moving on with the ‘politically correct’ Newspeak like in George Orwell’s 1984. Hah. Can we stop for a moment and think about this? There are so many stupid things you’re not allowed to say anymore that it might offend someone; it has gone absolutely insane.
And it’s making people more sensitive.
The more you give them, the more you cut out of the vocabulary, the more they will bring to the table. Oh, wait, this offends us too.
What do you mean have more tomatoes on the salad? Do you think I need to have more tomatoes?
*Sigh, rolling eyes.*
And I loved and lived for every line Miranda gives, like when she said “Were you there when this photoshoot was taken?”. Gold.
Or.. “It’s a bit crowded, but I’ll squeeze in,” talking about a huge palace room.
I’ve to rewatch it to get the lines right.
Miranda’s looks were impeccable as always. I remember a dress that was all crystals in the neck and upper area, just above her breasts. All locked, no décollletage, creating an upper class, imposing sillhouette.
The red dress from the beginning, in her first appearance, gently placing one red pump heel out of the car, then the other one, then THE dress.
Then we see her in a more casual fit, in Hamptons, wearing a casual office look, black pants and a white loose shirt, if I remember right.
Now that I think about it, I don’t remember anything else in particular… Taaaaaa daaaa daaaamm.
This is where it ends.
I don’t remember Emily’s outfits so much. I know they were great, looked like they had a high price tag, but I don’t remember one look. I’m not being mean, I was always fond of her character.
Her hair was astonishing, though.
Nigel was flawless, same style and posher even, suit, shirt, vest and tie. Spotless.
Andy was fashionable after Nigel’s touch, but more herself. She had a sense of fashion now and was more aware of what’s her, like when she took that colourful dress to the country house in the Hamptons (I sure hope it was the Hamptons, fingers crossed). It looked similar to one Carrie wore in And just like that.
The Miranda I saw at the end, when she said “What do I have”? Thinking she could lose Runway reinforced how this magazine was her life, and how a normal life wouldn’t be enough for a person like her.
And I understand that completely. Work defines me, and I wouldn’t be able to do anything great that I wouldn’t like.
That’s it, girls, my time is up, time to get to work and write an article that I actually get paid for lol.
How uplifting a great rom-com, how alive it makes you feel, and how those characters live within you for months, if not years.
Because I am planning to rewatch it 100 times.
And yes, I do believe there would be room for Part 3, and if they start right away, the difference in age wouldn’t be so big. (oh I wish it so badly).
Needless to say, I would love to see even a short series of how things are going at the new Runway.
There’s a new CEO, hello Lucy Liu, along with Andy, Miranda, and Nigel taking up the role he deserves and that he’s been dreaming of his whole life.
Originally posted on Substack.
