More to discuss

Today I got an email from Amazon.com, which actually had the audacity to suggest the Love Never Dies deluxe edition to me. Blech. These people should be able to feel my undying hatred for the show since it radiates from every pore of my being. That's a bit extreme, and I honestly don't blame them for suggesting it, since I look at Phantom stuff all the time. I just had to scowl, then chuckle at the irony.

So I was listening to another LND song today, another which is pretty good but I have a ton of problems with. This song, called Devil Take the Hindmost, is a duet between Raoul and the Phantom, and takes place in a bar. A bar where Raoul has been drinking away his sorrows. Also, prior to the song, Meg, jealous of Christine for being the object of the Phantom's obsession, has given Raoul a letter begging him to take Christine and leave, and she has given him passage back to France for all three. Which leads to the song.

First Raoul declares that he's not afraid of him and that he's 'bested him before,' which I will comment on later because that comment is laughable, really. Anyway, the only really cool part of the song is when the Phantom appears and says "Not afraid of me, you say?" And Raoul's afraid. Because from what I've heard, that's about the only part of the show where the menacing, murdering man we all know and love appears. The rest of the time The Phantom seems to have mellowed out and become a good guy. Right...

Anyway, onto the song. Basically the summary is that the Phantom and Raoul make a bet. If Christine sings tonight, Raoul will leave, but if he convinces her not to sing, they can go back to France and the Phantom will pay off all of Raoul's debts. Raoul agrees because he won her once before. Then the Phantom taunts Raoul, asking who Gustave reminds him of, his 'father' or the Phantom, which gets Raoul thinking, then he's like "Oh, shit... The concert is tonight..."

What I hate about this song:
-The fact that Raoul is a drunk. Terrible characterization, terrible plot device to get the Phantom and Christine together.
-The fact that they make a bet on Christine's 'choice'- she's a professional, she's been contracted to sing, and nobody tells her that this bet is happening so nobody tells her that who she 'chooses' depends on whether or not she performs. Why wouldn't she perform? she's getting paid and because of Raoul's drunk ass they don't have any money. At the end Raoul realizes this is an idiotic thing and says "Oh God, what have I done?" I'm asking the same question Raoul, to ALW, "Oh God, what have you done?"
-The fact that the Phantom uses Gustave being musical as proof that the kid is his. Seriously. Christine AND her father are both very musical, it's possible the kid is Raoul's and inherited the music gene from Christine's side of the family. I mean yeah, I think the kid is the Phantom's, but the fact that they disregard the possibility that it isn't all for the sake of the 'plot' is annoying. The kid shouldn't really exist anyway, cause the Phantom and Christine shouldn't have had sex, Raoul shouldn't have become a drunk, and this whole sequel shouldn't have happened.
-The 'I've bested you before' and 'I won her long ago' crap. Because, if I remember correctly, which I do because I've seen the show, read the book, I know the show, Christine didn't chose Raoul. She accepted the Phantom and with the kiss told him she would stay with him. The Phantom, touched by this act of kindness and love, realizes that if you love someone you have to do what's best for them, and lets her go. So if that's her 'choosing' Raoul, well, then I guess it makes sense. But that wasn't her choosing. I mean yeah, she could have stayed, but at that point she really does love Raoul, and I believe she would be happy with him, which is why I generally disregard the sequel altogether. I also don't remember a point in the show where Raoul actually 'bested' the Phantom in any way...
-Also, Ramin and Joseph have really similar voices, so when they sing together, if you aren't listening closely, it's hard to tell who is who. Their voices aren't really distinct, which bugs me.

Things I like
-I like the beat and the way it's sung. Kind of like they're singing through their teeth because they hate each other. You can feel the intensity, though the intensity doesn't really make sense because none of this really happens. I'm treating this as the Epilogue of Harry Potter. I accept it exists, but I like to think that it's not the real ending. At all.
-I mentioned before, I LOVE the "Not afraid of me, you say?" I already explained that part

That's about it. I think the song is cool, but all the lyrics and the plot points it creates are ridiculous and bring it down.

So, another LND song to uh, 'enjoy,' Devil Take the Hindmost: