You have been assimilated

One of the running themes of the blog are the ways in which the MP is like and unlike those that make up his extended family.
I had a couple of moments recently that reminded me of how alike we are in our choice of entertainment and that I still need to do some work on how he reacts to said entertainment.

We went to Miami (yay South Beach! Great food, fun excursions, lots of pretty girls for the guys to ogle) and on the way back our flight was delayed. We sat on the plane for an hour before we took off so the MP and I watched a couple of movies.

Get ready for an unsurprising revelation: We both love sci-fi movies.
After my compulsory viewing of “Independence Day” over the July 4th holiday, Scott was interested in rewatching it and sharing it with the MP. It was a massive hit: Stuff blows up; there are aliens and spaceships, not to mention Will Smith (who he keeps calling Matt Smith, who is absolutely no relation. Matt Smith is the current Doctor Who, all gangly, pale and British, this confusion is an endless source of amusement for me). He liked it so much when we found it at Target for $7 we bought it. And so whilst thunder rolled overhead in the MIA he and I watched Bill Pullman be very presidential and aliens get their butts whooped.

Once that was over we kept our Scifi fest rolling with the new “Star Trek” movie which we have both seen seven times. The DVD player died right after Vulcan did so we had to put it on hold.
Recently there have been numerous commercials promoting the Planet of the Apes “prequel” which has led to many discussions about the PotA original and the movies that followed. I have been a fan of all things Ape since I was seven. I have seen all the movies at least three times and can argue why “Conquest of the Planet of the Apes” is the best of the bunch. You are never too young to see those damn dirty apes and the world they live in.

Once we heard that the gorilla at the Monkey Jungle loved that movie (really? I would call BS if his trainer didn’t also mention he loves “Ellen” who has no simian connection at all) it was all he could talk about. So between the marketing hype for the new movie and the ringing endorsement of a snarky gorilla, I found the box set on sale and we geeked out over the first one.

Now, this is where the training needs to be stepped up a little bit. Yes, I have seen the movie numerous times and was probably saying some key lines out loud with the tv, but part of the fun of watching a movie for the first time is seeing the story unfold and guessing what comes next. The MP, not a big fan of that particular process as he asked about 10 questions per minute through the ENTIRE movie. Now, I don’t like to shut down his curiosity as I believe that as his mother I need to answer any and all questions posed to me in an honest and concise fashion. Until he tips me over the edge and I say “Three more questions for the day, make them good.” So I had not planned to provide a running commentary during Planet and had expected the surprise ending to elicit a gasp. It didn’t, probably because his interrogation techniques were so effective I copped to what it all meant before the first Ape showed his face.

Cuddled up in bed watching a movie on the tv with the AC on full blast is one thing, in the back row at the newest Harry Potter movie the Q&A was even LESS appropriate. Because the movie was loud he had to STAGE WHISPER all of his questions. WHICH WERE GOING TO REVEAL KEY PLOT POINTS FOR THE 10 PEOPLE AROUND US IF I ANSWERED. Plus I cried like three times, and couldn’t sniffle and explain what was going on at the same time. So the questions came fast and furious and I kept “shushing” him. I felt bad but I honestly did not know what was going to happen next. I have read approximately 200 books (no really) since I read the “Deathly Hallows” way back in the summer of 2007 I only had the vaguest recollection of key plot points.

And let’s be clear, I understand why he asks all the questions. As someone who hates surprises I would rather have a clear view of the road ahead whether in day to day life or in a darkened movie theater. BUT, I really wish he had not inherited that gene from me, I had hoped he would be a fan of surprises and live a ‘spoiler free’ existence and wind up less pragmatic than his old mother.

As long as he can keep the questions down to a minimum I am sure we will enjoy many post apocalyptic alien adventures to come. But just in case I better know what comes next.