Of Government 

I Saw the Tv Glow by Jane Schoenbrun, is a psychological horror movie that follows Owen, an awkward teenage boy and Maddy, a shut-in teenage lesbian as they try to navigate their world. The problem is if their world is real or a simulation created to trap them and kill them by a malevolent creature. The TV show that they watch is called “The Pink Opaque” focuses on two girls named Isabel and Tara who have a psychic connection and are trying to fight against the evil Mr. Melancholy who in the final episode of the show rips both of the girls hearts out and buries them as they die. I felt that in “Of Government” by Agnus Borinsky in the third section Darkness directly connect to the movie. The conversations of Barb and Chod in relation of this movie creates so many layers. The first being, the word I am going to use in this case is cannibalization but more of Barb’s giving of herself to Chod. It takes her apart, constantly asking for more and more from her. She keeps giving herself away because it keeps asking for more and more to satisfy it. In relation to the movie, it’s like how Mr. Melancholy creates a world to trap Tara and Isabel in to slowly drain them of their life force while they suffocate underground. The longer that the two main characters give themselves to the illusion that he creates the more likely it is that they will die from suffocation under the ground. The longer they lived in the world the more likely they were going to believe that they were in the real world and not do the necessary ritual they needed to do to escape from his grasp. Owen was also interesting as a character in relation to this play because Owen didn’t even feel comfortable in his body because the person who he was in the show, Isabel was a woman. Owen was stuck in a body that wasn’t his gender and like Barb was giving his body to Mr. Melancholy. Another aspect of the movie is the having to kill yourself to wake up in the real world and the lines “I am your dying and being born” I feel mirror that. The idea of being reborn from having to give away all yourself is an interesting concept that both themes have. I also found Chod and Barb dialogue in relation to the movie exciting because Chod telling Barb over and over how it isn’t Tawny, but Barb continues to call it that repeatedly. It reminds me of when Tara figured out that the world they were in was fake and she went back into the fake world to get Owen/Isabel. Owen continues to call Tara, Maddy while Maddy tries to reassure him that that isn’t her name. Maddy eventually leaves the world behind leaving Owen behind in the illusion world. The movie leaves it up to interpretation whether any of this is actually real or not which makes it aligning with “Of Government” which represents real world topics kind of dystopian.

I chose for my next curatorial the song My Country by Tune Yards for this curatorial. I feel that this song gradually encompasses the whole show in so many ways. The song talks about the many different aspects of how our country doesn’t support people and how these different things are confusing, overwhelming, fragile, knowable, and all together broken. I connect it to Agnus’ work through the fact that “Of Government” touches on so many aspects that civilians go through and uses her plot points to encapsulate things that are wrong in our society. The song uses one of the most famous patriotic American songs “Our Country Tis of Thee” for the criticism of our government and how it uses its people. By using this song, the criticism grabs the listener and also makes them realize that it’s an old song meaning that the problems in the song are probably ingrained into America like “My Country tis of thee” is. One of the lyrics that really stuck out to me in this song is “With my eyes open how can I feel happy? With my eyes open”. I feel this line aligns with the first section which was called “Home”. Ari is absolutely shocked by the state of the kingdom and what everyone is going through. She is disturbed by it and brings it up to her Father to try to raise some awareness about his kingdom, but the King already knew. He knew his Kingdom was suffering and said he sent people to travel the world only to reveal that everyone, everywhere was suffering the same way. Ari had her eyes opened by the King telling her that, but the King had already had his eyes open and once he saw how things already were decided not to try to change it. Everywhere else was ailing like their Kingdom was so it makes it feel as if it is a norm. “So sorry but you only stood half a chance Now it's over and they're walkin all over you” I align this lyric to “School” and “Darkness” because the scenes have themes of taking and not giving. In “school” the government would not give funds to the school to the point that no one is even registered in the school. Literally not one student in the school but the government uses the money to get a drone to float over the school. The literal infrastructure of the country is falling apart but we are too busy funding wars and building weapons to oppress other countries. I think it also applies to Darkness because the whole scene takes place and after taking everything from Barb, Chod informs her that it killed her dog. It starts to apologize but Barb is already fed up because the damage is done. Chod even talks about replacing Barb’s dog that it shot, and Barb doesn’t want a new dog she wanted the dog she had. It reminds me of when the government fails people or screws people over but then tries to apply some apology or cheap compensation for things that could never be replaced.

If Only by Petra Sheane

If Only...
A prayer was held in our nation,
Beauty was seen in more ways than one,
Children who are lost could find their salvation,
Death was slain and torture was done.

If Only...
Earth was awakened after years of endurance,
Forgotten feelings were rekindled anew,
God was man's only path and assurance,
Hope was the foundation of the world we knew.

If Only...
I knew more stories than those that were told,
Joy was a plague, and peace a disease,
Knowledge was worth more than silver and gold,
Love was sacred and endless as the seas.

If Only...
Miracles were seen more than daylight,
Never was replaced with forever,
Our eyes could see through the dark of the night,
Passion lived in us more than ever.

If Only...
Questions were answered, and answers were questioned,
Roses were pure and without thorns,
Sadness received only love and affection,
The empty knew why it was they were born.

If Only...
Us as a nation would join hands in song,
Victory was a gift to the humble,
When tears were shed, the earth felt strong,
Exalted men would fall and crumble.

If Only...
You and I would last forever.

If Only...

“If Only” by Petra Sheane is the last curatorial, I choose because I think that it aligns well with the end of the show but also works with way the play is structured. The poem talks about many aspects of what “Of Government” talks about. The poem opens with the lines If Only...A prayer was held in our nation, Beauty was seen in more ways than one, Children who are lost could find their salvation, Death was slain, and torture was done.” Which reminds me of the section of the play about the school. The children not being in school and literally being left behind academically due to the government not putting funds towards the school. They bought a new drone though that they fly over the school which directly aligns with poem about death because that drone will be death incarnate to many different people and children. If Only...Questions were answered, and answers were questioned, Roses were pure and without thorns, Sadness received only love and affection, The empty knew why it was they were born” This section reminded me of the end of the play Horizon’s because the conversation and the questioning of the Heidi who was running for a government position. She was answering the questions asked of her and she was going to make changes within her community so that these “Ifs” will be reality. I also feel like Heidi is that Rose without thorns if I think about it because she is showing all her cards to everyone. Chod was that rose with thorns that like the government wants to take all of Barb basically mutilating her. Thorns dig into the skin and shift the skin and extract blood like Chod was doing to Barb. In the end Barb was told sorry by Chod and that it was going to fix everything it done but it was too late. Her sadness wasn’t receiving affection but rather a quick band aid to all the grief it had cost Barb. “If Only...Us as a nation would join hands in song, Victory was a gift to the humble, When tears were shed, the earth felt strong, Exalted men would fall and crumble.” I feel that this applies to the end of the play a lot in the sense that Heidi would be the humble receiving a gift. The changes that she would make if she was to win would greatly benefit the place that she finds herself in. She would dismantle the systems that the Exalted men had created to keep people down thus making them crumble. I also interpreted the “When tears were shed, the earth felt strong” in two ways. A metaphorical and a literal because, if tears were shed during grief that they would water the earth and make it grow but also that if there was grief that a community would come together to help each other. I feel like this would exist in the government that Heidi is fostering because she talks about.