Sequels

Remember when I was talking about Jane Austen sequels? And how they kind of don't live up to the real thing? At all? Not even close?

Well, way before the uber-expansion of the Austen sequel genre, there was Scarlett. I remember picking it up in the bookstore one day after I had read Gone With the Wind. It starts something like "Mrs. Scarlett O'Hara Hamilton Kennedy Butler..." That's a lot of names. And quite a way to start a sequel, right?

I never read that book, but I recently watched the (EXTREMELY LONG) miniseries version of it with my best friend. We sat through the whole thing over the course of two weekend visits. And let me tell you, it was a lot of overly-dramatic nonsense to sit through.

And then, the end.

Now, do you remember how GWTW ends? "After all, tomorrow is another day!" That's epic, completely epic.

But then you have the end of Scarlett: "That's a lot of property." ** I'm not kidding you. Those are the last words. THE LAST WORDS. Doesn't that just make you mad? And I just sat through the whole darn 7 hour movie, I didn't even read the big honkin' book.

I really think there should be some kind of sequels police. Scarlett, go straight to jail. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200.

**In case you think I'm joking, watch the video clip from about the 8:45 mark. Then, around the 9:25 mark, go ahead and get mad.