{"id":91647,"date":"2016-07-22T03:25:06","date_gmt":"2016-07-22T03:25:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/2016\/07\/22\/yahtzee63-rob-anybody\/"},"modified":"2016-07-22T03:25:06","modified_gmt":"2016-07-22T03:25:06","slug":"yahtzee63-rob-anybody","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/2016\/07\/22\/yahtzee63-rob-anybody\/","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"

yahtzee63<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\n

rob-anybody<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\n

tyrannosaurus-trainwreck<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\n

So, Patty Tolan?<\/p>\n

Patty Tolan.<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n

The other ghostbusters are scientists, right?\u00a0 They\u2019re there because Science!, or maybe in Holtzmann\u2019s case because Boom!.\u00a0 Basically all the plot has to do for Abby and Erin is dangle the chance to do real, replicable science in front of them while removing any excuse to drag their feet.\u00a0 So tangible ghost + fucking fired = done.<\/p>\n

But Patty\u2019s not a scientist.\u00a0 Patty\u2019s got a decent job, even if it\u2019s obviously not what she wanted out of life.\u00a0 Patty\u2019s motivation appears to be that she\u2019s basically just a good person and responsible citizen?\u00a0 I mean, obviously she wants some excitement, and to feel like she\u2019s making a real difference, but seriously.<\/p>\n

We first see her stuck in her little booth, trying to be cheerful and positive at commuters who appear largely indifferent, until one guy comes along who\u2019s clearly having some sort of mental health crisis.\u00a0 She stays pretty cheerful, she\u2019s kind to him, and then she gets out of her booth and goes looking for him when he disappears and she reasonably assumes he\u2019s in trouble.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Like, she could very easily have called it in and washed her hands of the situation.\u00a0 It\u2019s not her fault\/problem that maybe the transit cops won\u2019t get there in time to help if this guy\u2019s suicidal or delusional.\u00a0 I\u2019m pretty sure people doing her job aren\u2019t even supposed<\/i> to leave their booths on-shift.\u00a0 But no, she gets out and goes after this bro just in case.<\/p>\n

And meets a ghost.\u00a0 A terrifying ghost.\u00a0 Who scares the dick out of her.<\/p>\n

I mean, what happens in the Aldrich Mansion? The tour guide tells his boss, who goes to Erin.\u00a0 Then they stay as far as possible from the scene while the women investigate.\u00a0 Patty goes herself, on her own time.\u00a0 Maybe her bosses didn\u2019t believe her, maybe she knew she\u2019d be dismissed and didn\u2019t bother trying to explain what she saw, but she knows something\u2019s up, and she takes it on herself to do something about it.\u00a0 And then she goes back to the scene of the haunting with them, to see what happens.<\/p>\n

Every time they turn around, she\u2019s handing them useful facts and history about the sites they\u2019re investigating.\u00a0 Her interest in the city is keen and backed up by extensive knowledge.\u00a0 Hell, when she runs into something that shouldn\u2019t be happening and she can\u2019t explain, the first thing she does is head for the likeliest source of expertise to learn about it.\u00a0 She\u2019s excited by it\u2013it\u2019s scary and maybe dangerous, but it\u2019s new and interesting and she wants to figure it out.<\/p>\n

Like, Abby might want recognition on top of that, and Erin so desperately wants to be believed that she risks the scientific mission for a shot at it, but Patty just wants to fucking know<\/i>.<\/p>\n

And she feels a genuine duty to help, too.\u00a0
\nShe might not be able to build a ghost-blasting plasma-cannon, but she
\nnotices when a teammate\u2019s mood is in the toilet and takes steps to
\naddress it. \u00a0She knows the ghost-booster isn\u2019t supposed to be in her
\nsubway, and that this is important.\u00a0 When things get ridiculously dangerous, and city hall\u2019s smearing their names in the press, and she\u2019s still not getting fucking paid for this, she never even looks tempted to say fuck this shit and go home.\u00a0 Her little monologue about going back to her booth is more to soothe\/trick the ghost standing on her fucking shoulders than sincere.<\/p>\n

Patty\u2019s first instinct is to pool resources, and look after people, and encourage everyone to bring what they\u2019ve got to the table.\u00a0 She might be disappointed or angry when nobody meets her halfway\u2013the concert crowd drops her, and nobody acknowledges her compliments when she\u2019s in her booth\u2013but it doesn\u2019t stop her from bringing her A-game.\u00a0 When the squad rolls out to save the world, it\u2019s wearing her uniform and driving her car.<\/p>\n

Just Patty Tolan, everybody.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

All of this is perfect.<\/p>\n

Also, it\u2019s really important that Patty constantly acknowledges how terrified she is during everything that happens in the movie, but she still keeps going and she still fights the ghosts. <\/p>\n

Unlike the rest of the group, she isn\u2019t used to paranormal activity, she hasn\u2019t been waiting for years to prove all of this ghost stuff true, and everything about it scares the shit out of her, but she never lets her fear stop her from helping people. She goes after Rowan because she\u2019s worried about him, she slaps the ghost out of Abby and saves Holtzmann from falling out the window despite being absolutely terrified, and she squares off against ghost!Rowan to save Kevin because she cares about him, she cares about keeping people safe. Even when she wasn\u2019t a Ghostbuster, she cared about keeping people safe.<\/p>\n

Patty Tolan is a bona fide hero.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

In the previews, when we heard Patty say,\u00a0\u201cI know New York,\u201d I thought they were referring to the all-too-typical\u00a0\u201cstreet smarts.\u201d Instead, in the film, her very next line of dialogue is,\u00a0\u201cI read a lot of nonfiction.\u201d She\u2019s an armchair historian of the city and a damned good one<\/i>, who\u2019s able to instantly identify the site of a centuries-old massacre. Nor do the other characters (or the script) find her encyclopedic knowledge surprising in the least, or ever doubt her say-so. Patty\u2019s not a scientist, no, but she\u2019s still portrayed as every bit as intelligent, curious and educated as the others.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

yahtzee63: rob-anybody: tyrannosaurus-trainwreck: So, Patty Tolan? Patty Tolan. The other ghostbusters are scientists, right?\u00a0 They\u2019re there because Science!, or maybe in Holtzmann\u2019s case because Boom!.\u00a0 Basically all the plot has to do for Abby and Erin is dangle the chance to do real, replicable science in front of them while removing any excuse to drag … <\/p>\n

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