Although I do like the Newtina ship, but as a black female fan of the Harry Potter franchise, I was rooting for Leta and Newt more. Taking away the race dynamics, Leta and Newt simply have more chemistry than Newt and Tina. The way that Newt starred at the photo of her in the first film was beautiful. Leta Lestrange’s storyline is incredibly hurtful and offensive. If you’re going to write more diversie characters, specifically black female characters, don’t write her as the product of the rape of a black woman, a “tragic mulatto,” and then only to have her sacrifice herself for her white suitors. Regardless of which Scamander she ended up with, I wanted Leta to be more than a mere footnote in the love story of Newt Scamander and Tina Goldstein’s relationship. I wanted to see more black women be sought after and loved as full human beings and love interest in sci-fi/fantasy. I know that Tina and Newt’s marriage and Bellatrix Lestrange exist in the HP books. So, does that mean JK Rowling planned this awful storyline from the beginning? However, At the very least, a fun friendship between Leta, Newt, Tina, Queenie, and Jacob. I honestly wish JK Rowling hadn’t even created Leta Lestrange to disrespect her in this way.
My interpretation of Yusuf’s loyalty was that even if he does not remember Leta, he still has a strong moral compass. And of course he can’t be tempted by blood-supremacist ideology because despite coming from an old pureblood family he has experienced how cruelty and entitlement can ruin lives.
Then the other day, I was watching this interview of William Nadylam the other day and he mentions that by the end we see that Yusuf does not forget (and on top of that he finds a new family). To me, the point about him not forgetting did not come across clearly, but I will take tha actor’s word for it.
This take is supported by a small piece of information in the Movie Magic book:
Carrying a photo of Leta could have lead to Yusuf remembering her.
With that in mind, when everyone gets their gifts, Yusuf gets nothing and there’s this small exchange:
Newt: And Kama…
Yusuf: I have what I need.
What Yusuf needed was this one physical anchor to Leta.
The idea of how ink/paint, memory and love connect reminds me of an HPCC quote that is probably one of my favorites in the entire series.
Albus Dumbledore: Those that we love never truly leave us, Harry. There are things that death cannot touch.Paint … and memory … and love.
I’m always amazed by the way themes are revisited throughout both franchised in beautiful ways. It’s a pity that Yusuf’s arc didn’t have more room to breath and to be properly developed. It’s one of the disadvantages of FB’s story being confined in the limits that movies entail. As much as I love the movies I kind of mourn all the beautiful details that are lost. I would love to indulge in the detailed storytelling that a book allows and then getting an adaptation.
Lally Hicks and Theseus Scamander through the prism of visual storytelling: an interesting dynamic in sight…
Okay, just a random thought but— the fact that Eulalie and Theseus’ style of clothing are nearly similar just gets me. We all know for a fact that costume design in cinema tends to reflect a lot of (hidden) things about a character’s emotions and personality… but in this trailer— oh boy, there’s a lot to unpack. Studying visual storytelling can help us grasp/speculate on Eulalie and Theseus’ evident connection throughout this third installment of FB. I don’t know whether the nature of their relationship will be romantic or platonic, still, this refreshing duo appears to be as interesting as it is promising and I’m here for it. (aka in which im delivering a mini speculating meta nobody asked for).
Firstly, I think it’s necessary to understand why I’m specifically focusing on these two. On one hand, we have the official introduction of the queen herself, Ilvermorny’s Charm professor, the one and only Eulalie “Lally” Hicks. Her role in TCOG was very decisive. Let’s not forget that she was the one who ignited courage in Nicolas Flamel’s heart before Grindelwald’s rally at the cemetery of Père Lachaise. Without her words of encouragement to the old alchemist, Paris would have definitely been destroyed. Thus, her voice and knowledge constitute a powerful asset for Dumbledore’ squad. On the other hand, our war hero/auror Theseus Scamander is getting more and more amount of screen time as well (hell yeah!). Exploring his grief, his progressive trust in Dumbledore and the reasons explaining his complex relationship with Newt is going to be particularly interesting. Getting to know the conflicted man the war hero actually is sounds so good! In other words, those two characters are getting a proper introduction in the Potterverse (as it should be!). Not only they’re fully becoming protagonists, they’re also paired up together in 90% of the trailer.
Now that I’ve set the context, let’s dive into the visual storytelling. In order to do this analysis, it’s important to draw on the elements composing the image. I’m gonna focus on the shot where Lally and Theseus are back to back, ready to fight Grindelwald’s followers in (what seems to be) Tibet/China (not very sure?). There’s just so much to breakdown. This beautiful shot appears right after this title card :
“War of worlds” holds a lot of meanings. At first glance, we can think of the war between Dumbledore and Grindelwald, the good side/peace/unity vs the bad side/chaos/division, ignorance vs knowledge, lies vs truth… Yet, if we link the title card with this following shot, another shade of meaning colors our understanding of this expression. You need to keep in mind that each second, each frame in a teaser/trailer leave nothing to chance. Thus, “War of worlds” could eventually imply the clash between the two professional worlds in which Lally and Theseus belong to : the professorial corps vs the executive branch led by Hector Fawley, the British Ministry of Magic’s minister.
The rule of thirds highlights even more this opposition, though it also showcases a certain union. Studiobinder.com defines the rule of thirds as “one of the most common camera framing techniques used in film or photography. It’s about positioning a character to show their relation to other elements in the scene”. In this perspective, after decomposing the shot in three distinct parts, a visible asymmetry is particularly telling of what we could expect from their relationship. Lally and Theseus’s different background and profession oppose them, hence their back to back stance. But their skills make them as powerful as they are equal (not them being the same height and i oop!). As such, their differences are strengths that build their union. Placed in the center of the middle column, their figure flirt with its frontiers as well as four intersection points mostly known as power lines. They’re usual points where the human eye tends to mainly focus on. The real essence of shot is going to be captured within those elements. Here, it’s the perfect asymmetrical closeness of our professor and auror’s bodies, emphasized by the look they’re giving to each other, a sign of understanding. They’re ready to join forces and fight Grindelwald’s minions.
Overall, I love how this shot conveys both conflict and complicity at the same time.
In the other scenes Lally and Theseus share in the trailer, they’re always seen together : face to face in the nameless fancy train, walking side by side toward the German (?) ministry of magic, standing next to each other in Hogwart’s great hall as well as the room of requirement. We feel like they’re forced to work together, therefore, I can already picture some banter and disregard at first. After all, you can already sense Theseus’ wariness merely by the way he introduced Eulalie : “a school teacher”. Uhm, sweetie, she’s more than that, and trust me, you’ll quickly find out. A partnership might slowly blossom after a series of tensions, potentially transforming itself into something more : pure friendship or a slow burn romance.
Secondly, I’m digging how both of them are sharp dresser. Lally and Theseus sport a very elegant style : a long overcoat, a button up shirt, a tie, a waistcoat, and pocket watch. The finesse radiating from their garments invite us to notice a certain ressemblance. They are meticulous and sedulous, paralleling, mirroring each other. That being said, I tend to remember Coleen Atwood’s comment (FB’s costume designer) about Theseus’ costume design in The Making of Fantastic Beasts TCOG (2018). He’s “more by-the-book feel of someone trying to do everything the right way”… just like Lally right ?
Furthermore, two colors are mainly present on our characters’ outfits. Let’s start with Eulalie : Burgundy. According to Colorpsycologymeaning.com, burgundy generally symbolizes “high status, prestigious, elegant, luxurious, determined, ambitious, sophisticated and confidence. Dark reds like these are often used for the decor and branding for prestigious schools, universities and other institutions”. An interesting description indeed. This description perfectly fits our Ilvermorny teacher, doesn’t it? She’s almost wearing a formal teaching uniform (a bit like Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore) with her tie and her blouse tucked in her long skirt. Yet, that’s not it. Indeed, Lally’s also a woman of style. Her elegance is assertive, combining both femininity and masculinity. Delicacy and authority originating from her clothings could foreshadow her personality. In my head, she’s radiating a bad bitch energy— my oh my, what a badass!
After zooming on Lally’s shirt, I noticed how much the motif was practically the same as the handle of Theseus’ wand. The mix of tortoise shell/amber color dotting the black brings an exquisite touch highlighting a “more classic sense of the period” (C. Atwood about Theseus’ style of clothing). I don’t know if this point is relevant to the plot lmao…Coincidence? I think not!
As for Theseus, it’s blue. We can note a change of color of his attire between TCOG and TSOD. It radically changes form his grey suit he worn in the beginning of TCOG. It represented his inner conflict, his own confusion (and the viewer’s) regarding which side he’s taken in this war : Dumbledore’s? Newt’s? The ministry’s? The fact that Theseus followed Torquil Travers’ orders (the Head of Magical Law Enforcement), yet still listened to Dumbledore’s advices blurred the lines, translating itself into his attire. This conflict is similar to Newt’s, evidenced by his blueish grey overcoat. The magizoologist didn’t “do sides” in FB2 but still executed Dumbledore’s missions. In fact, blue (for Colorpsycologymeaning.com) represents “reservation, confidence, conservation, persistency, trust”. It also illustrates “independence, it is more of a leader rather than a follower and likes organization and is professionally minded”. These are definitions that perfectly captures Theseus and Newt’s personalities. But most importantly, blue is the color of unity, a symbol that the Scamander’s brothers are on the same side : resistance. The dark tone of their garments presage the dark turn their story arcs are going to take.
Anywho, what’s your take on this interesting duo? I might be wrong all the way but it feels so good to speculate on crumbs to fill the void. I seriously can’t wait to feast upon The Secrets of Dumbledore!
What a brilliant analysis! I also had a diffuse feeling that there’s a closer connection between Theseus and Eulalie, but I had no idea about all those details!
I love Theseus and I hope the story will end well for him! I’m also super excited for his and Newt’s scenes. Still, I hope they won’t just set him up for the next romance. Leta would have been nothing more than a plot device if they just killed her to make Theseus rethink his allegiance, and to pair him up with somebody else in the next film.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m super excited for Eulalie, she looks super cool, and I really hope Theseus and she will have a close relationship - I just rather hope that it will be friendship. Newt and Jacob are so precious, I would like to see more of this “we are really different people but we are the best friends you could ask for” dynamic! It just feels so awkward to me that in most stories/movies/franchises every major character needs to have a love interest. (And just btw, if they want to tell a love story, how about Tina and Newt?) Please make them bicker and fight side by side and take bullets for each other (no, DON’T make them take bullets!) and talk about their past! That’s all I ask for. :) I’m so excited to see all the adventures they’re up to!
Hey@newt-and-salamander! Firstly, thanks for your reblog :) I just love reading people’s thoughts on what is being seen and understood in this trailer. Your interpretation is particularly insightful in the light of Theseus’ former arc in TCOG. For me, this movie didn’t do justice for most of the characters, especially Leta’s (a pure disgrace ugh). She was definitely the most compelling and mysterious one. Unfortunately, underdeveloped in a movie which prioritized plot over a hatful of new characters, we didn’t get the opportunity to explore the depth of her backstory, her family, her relationship with the Scamander brothers and her life in the British Ministry of magic… a shame. Can you believe the amount of precious cut scenes we’ve never actually got to see? I feel awfully robbed (time for me to riot). This is why I need her memory to be present throughout the franchise. Her legacy has to be remembered in order to show that her existence and death weren’t in vain. Let’s hope Steve Kloves involvement in the writer’s room might rectify some of the plot holes left by you know who. In any case, this trailer looked very good so far, I’m really optimistic :)
I agree with you dear. Eulalie Hicks’ introduction in FB holds a lot of promises. I’m liking the fact that she’s a young successful professor. She’s going to teach the characters (and viewers) a thing or two about charms, Ilvermorny, power and so much more. Like Tina in FBAWTFT, it’s be fun to have an American/feminine point of view on the conflict. You know the phrase : “scientia potentia est”, knowledge is power… especially at war. She’s a necessity, a weapon, an asset. I’m really curious to discover her own personal journey as well as the way she’ll (perfectly) fit in Dumbledore squad. About her connection with Theseus, I feel like friendship and/or romance are certainly going to be on the table— it’s up to the canon to evaluate the pertinence of their relationship’s nature regarding the plot. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind if they do the romance as long asthe writers stay true to FB’s overall storytelling and the characters’ personality/psychology. If it’s rushed, incoherent and irrelevant to the story, I don’t want it. In my opinion, it’s really important to make it very, very, very slow so it takes into account the international dimension of this dangerous war, Theseus’ grief, his mistrust in Dumbledore, Eulalie’s backstory, feelings and integration into the resistance. That way you do not only respect the characters but also the story you’ve created. It’s all about balance.
In the end, my only wish for TSOD is this : every interactions between the members of our witchy squad have to be nailed (especially between Newt and Theseus)! Please give me banter, quirkiness, humour, emotions— I want it all! In the meantime, we only have to wait (speculate!) and see…and hope this third installment leaves us pleasantly surprised! ✨
