I don't know if this is appropriate here, but I thought it would be appreciated

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

I don't know if everybody is enjoying mike_smith's recaps of HBP chapters like I am, but I especially liked today's rundown of Sectumsempra.

AKA, the chapter where Mike's a little dissatisfied with the way Harry makes out: "He grievously wounds Malfoy, is forced to skip out of his big game because of it, and... his team wins anyway? And he gets the girl anyway? There's something very wrong about all this, that Harry's still being treated like a hero instead of the reckless, selfish liar that he is in this chapter. The only comeuppance he's gotten here is the detention thing, which is made to look more like Snape being a jerk than Harry being rightfully punished for maiming a fellow student."

Then there's the added bonus of jim_smith on yes, Harry did know what he was doing: "This is about like stabbing a random part of Draco's anatomy with a knife, and then saying "Well how was I supposed to know the aorta was there?" Except that it's magic, so for all Harry knew the spell would destroy all his enemies, or blow up the entire school and let Merlin sort 'em out."

That's not even the best part of the recap. The best part is Harry's gay self arguing with his inner furry using different fonts. Not to be missed.

Funny, though, that until reading that I hadn't realized how it works exactly like the Quidditch game in OotP, only with more Malfoy sympathy. Harry hurts somebody, gets called in for punishment that he actually would get in any sane world, but the teacher punishing him quickly becomes the substitute bad guy that leaves Harry feeling hard-done-by and we never hear about the poor schmoe Harry clobbered again. So Harry doing something wrong somehow makes Harry more of a martyr.

You can tell Mike hasn't read these books before when he says things like this:
"As penance for his bathroom brawl, Snape gives him detention every Saturday morning for the rest of the year. Um, shouldn't charges be filed? Notify the parents or something?"

Comments

One of those lightbulb moments

[teratologist.livejournal.com]

In the comments:

Harry's privileged. He might not notice it, but he is. And he *ought to* notice.

That's so totally it. That's why I hate Harry. He's one of those whiny Long Island white boys who roamed around campus complaining that the African-American and female students took 'his' scholarships and thinking that 'reverse racism' actually exists.

I'd attempt to make a Lucius Malfoy/ Malcolm X comparison, but I'll go to hell for brutal metaphor dismemberment if I do.

Re: One of those lightbulb moments

[go-back-chief.livejournal.com]

Oh God yes, Harry lives in a world where he's facing "reverse racism" against himself all the time! That's why Ron gets to be a prefect and not him, etc etc etc.

Re: One of those lightbulb moments

[violaswamp.livejournal.com]

He's one of those whiny Long Island white boys who roamed around campus complaining that the African-American and female students took 'his' scholarships and thinking that 'reverse racism' actually exists.

Heh. I grew up with those whiny LI white boys, and that's a spot-on description of Harry.

Re: One of those lightbulb moments

[dphearson.livejournal.com]

Ouch.

Ouch.

Ouch.

[go-back-chief.livejournal.com]

Hee, my favourite part was the dialogue between Mike and Harry (though the one between Harry's inner voices was pretty great, too). It's in true classic MBTV-recaps-style.

Best. Recap. Ever.

[pacoman.livejournal.com]

I must say, Mike is making things hard for jollityfarm and myself (my favorite part is the extended Super Dumbass 3 transformation).

I shouldn't be surprised that these readthroughs rock so hard, though; after all, these are the brothers who once wrote this: http://www.seanbaby.com/hostess/tbolts1.htm

[violaswamp.livejournal.com]

Great recap. Thanks for linking it, since I hadn't been reading those before.

[dphearson.livejournal.com]

"As penance for his bathroom brawl, Snape gives him detention every Saturday morning for the rest of the year. Um, shouldn't charges be filed? Notify the parents or something?"

Thisis the same universe taht has murdered student's ghost stuck in the bathroom, anoter murdered students parents thanking the Headmaster for their son's body, and a former student told that he owes a lufe to a buly who saved hm from a deathplot of anoteh rmurderous student.

Charges? are you kidding?

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

Yes, you wonder if they're expected to tip if their kid survives the year.

[dphearson.livejournal.com]

Yes, you wonder if they're expected to tip if their kid survives the year.

*laughs like a loon*

Sadly, that kinda what you get from all that goes on!

[romeoambiences.livejournal.com]

anoter murdered students parents thanking the Headmaster for their son's body,

It's been awhile since I read GoF, but I remember thinking WTF? during that scene. It didn't ring true to me.

[merrymelody.livejournal.com]

You can post whatever you like here, sweetie.

There's something very wrong about all this, that Harry's still being treated like a hero instead of the reckless, selfish liar that he is in this chapter.

I think Mike's just become my hero. Summing up six books in a sentence!

[romeoambiences.livejournal.com]

"He grievously wounds Malfoy, is forced to skip out of his big game because of it, and... his team wins anyway? And he gets the girl anyway? There's something very wrong about all this, that Harry's still being treated like a hero instead of the reckless, selfish liar that he is in this chapter.

heh...But he's only a teenager...it's because of the hormones...or my favorite...Obviously, he (Mike) must be reading a different book.

It is funny that without being primed to justify every Harry action by exposure to previous books and free of the siren effect of Tom Felton's Draco (Maybe I'm making a leap here to assume that Mr. Smith is not crushing on TF.) he makes this assessment.

As to Harry's use of sectumsempra, I always thought of it as being like picking a weapon that could potentially range from a squirt gun to a nuclear bomb. With the tag "for enemies" I think anyone (even Harry) would consider the likelihood that this spell is leaning more towards the serious.
Harry wanted to hurt Malfoy until it actually happened and he saw how horrific it truly was.
Unfortunately, his remorse seemed rather shortlived.