Carole & Tuesday – 09

「Dancing Queen」

At least the performance was swell. I’m going to play the patient waiting game with Carole & Tuesday. I do think I put too many eggs in one basket when I jumped on to cover this series but I’m committed. The flicker of hope I have left is still shining, if only a little, and it’s enough to keep me coming back. I do enjoy Carole’s character, as I mentioned before, but Tuesday is becoming more and more mysterious.

A few episodes back, we saw her dissociate in front of Ertegun reacting in a very out-of-character manner. To me, the moment seemed to hint to deeper psychological issues. Her reaction was most likely a result of the way she has interacted with her peers, friends and family alike throughout her young life. She’s possibly been coddled or shielded. She’s rarely had the chance to voice her own opinions and when she has, has been shot down. Note, I’m using supposing adjectives as these are all hypothesis, unconfirmed by anyone. However, her relationship with Cybelle is a clear indication of her ability to be a pushover at times. Without her music, or Carole by her side, her voice quiets down.

I’m really curious as to how this will affect her relationship with Carole in the long run, her relationship with her mother, and her relationship with others in general. I understand that –’s forte is to graze mature themes, but this seems like one that deserves a spotlight, even if it’s just one more iteration of Tuesday’s ability to implode.

Enough of me hoping for the worst. Let me put my judging cap on and focus a little more on the competition. The performers in this episode of Mars Brightest were pretty extraordinary, for different reasons of course. Let’s get the Mermaid Sisters out of the way: digging the outfits, loving the drag, but the lyrics were what I sound like when I watch my favourite character die on Game of Thrones with a touch of swing. As for GGK (Madison McFerrin) who performed ‘Milky Way’ and Cybelle (Maïka Loubté) who performed ‘La Ballade’, they both have soft sounding voices, magical tunes, and great stage presence. However, they remain incomparable to their final opponent: Angela.

She saved the day, or in this case, the whole competition, maybe even the show. Did anyone notice she looked genuinely happy with the crowd’s reaction, maybe even humbled? Or is it all an act? Regardless of the pressure from her momager, she might actually want this of her own volition. This might be an unpopular opinion but I’d much rather she win this particular competition than Carole and Tuesday in their current state.

They’re very much amateurs, and although Tao has acknowledged their songwriting as a threat, it doesn’t mean very much for this competition. They lack the finesse and genuine ‘mainstream’ artist vibe this competition is searching for. You can remain a singer-songwriter band and still have a large stage presence during performances. But they have a long road ahead before they reach their peak. Right now, their performance is more along the lines of a high school talent show.

Gus will have to work hard to find a sponsor for this duo to achieve their goals. It’s the only way they’ll make it to pro-level and be able to compete with Angela on equal footing. But for this competition, I hope they make it to the finals and go up against her. It’ll give them a great boot in the behind and get them in gear when Angela wins the public’s hearts.

Something tells me the reaction I’m having is exactly what the show’s creators expected. The music quality just went up a little and Carole & Tuesday are going to have to catch up if they want me back on their team. Watch out because Angela and Tao have just stolen a piece of my heart too.