@ellastica I had been wondering about you recently! glad to see you back.
I binged on that show with a friend during a snowstorm a couple weeks ago and now I'm hooked 😅
I know the show has faced criticism from day one. Remember the awful pictures when the Carolyn character was spotted wearing Converse shoes and a Shein-looking satin skirt and the internet was outraged? lol. The costume designer revised the wardrobe (they probably underestimated how many people still cared), found some original pieces for credibility and it's visually much better but the casting leaves a lot to be desired. I really think the actress is a bad choice. I never got too carried away with the CBK cult but.. I just know she was no girl next door, the idea that she came from a modest background is laughable, not only she didn't (just look at the senior positions both her and her sister had in NY!) but there was something very New England about her and her sisters that, to me, is so distinct from the average American in every other state regardless of their social class.. it's a type of confidence that seems heavily anchored in cultural capital and education. I think she seemed uncomfortable with the mainstream publicity (which the show does mention) and not so much because she found the Kennedy lifestyle too elevated. There's something about the actress, maybe it's the mannerisms (lip biting, chilling on top of every table because she's a 'cool girl' like that, the hair flipping) or that she seems a little too pedestrian/lowkey redneck-ish that it just feels so wrong in every scene. You feel like she was plucked out of the mall and is trying her hardest to fit in. And yes, her hair IS greasy, thank you! (my friend was like
'her hair is amazing in every scene!' hmm wait till you see Carolyn's hair! mega dyed and yet so healthy AND clean-looking).
I will say, as a fictional love story, it works for me! the wedding is shot beautifully, her mother's speech is unexpected and brings more fairness to this narrative that she 'lucked out' getting America's prince,
and that scene after the fight (which I'm sure it was NOT about the engagement lol) where she talks about never ever thinking of a wedding, I related so much and I thought it was shot beautifully and in a way that felt honest and that perhaps honored the type of woman she was, free, self-sufficient, professionally ambitious and in full control of her everyday choices and how painful it can be for someone like that to transition into a much more restricted life and having the uncertainty on whether it would be worth a shot at all.
As a side note, I always knew she wore Yohji but I didn't know she wore that much Yohji! sad the show does not really incorporate that. They always show her pictures in the ruffled coat and the strapless gown but don't recall seeing this one till now. 🩶
simplycarolyn
Regarding actresses, I think Carolyn had a more intimidating/enigmatic/icy blonde quality to her that more shy or insecure-looking actresses just can't convey on screen, Vicky is a little too low battery European for me. I can't think of many actresses but... with a good hair colorist and fully retraining the instagram face, Maddie Ziegler has potential.. she has the dancer background (meaning better posture and imitation of Carolyn's expressions/body language), the eyes and potential to be mysterious and look otherworldly in the right environment.
Also, about the ongoing debate on who's our modern day Carolyn Bessette, which has been happening since she passed (look at earlier pages of this thread), I think there are plenty of naturally stylish women in NY but no one in show business.. working there just doesn't seem very Carolyn.
She is truly a huge inspiration of class and sophistication. 
