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A review by stephtregear
Chained by Ruthie Knox
4.0
In this first episode of Ruthie Knox's Roman Holiday serialisation, we are introduced to our main characters, Ashley and Roman: one of whom is chained to a palm tree, the other one being the cause. Roman is about to demolish Ashley's beloved Sunnyvale Accommodation Rentals in the Florida Keys, so in an act of desperation, Ashley chains herself to a tree in protest. But this really isn't the smartest idea, because there's a hurricane on its way.
By way of plot developments, not a lot really happens in Chained. This is perhaps the only drawback of this first episode. We're immediately introduced to Ashley as she's chained to a tree, and by the end of the episode, she's unchained herself. That's the only real development, but Knox makes sure it's enough; she uses this first episode to introduce us to her characters through her magic writing wit, and gives us enough back story to understand the situation and want to read on.
The characters are the real stars of this first episode.
I liked Ashley upon first impression, and my love for her only grew as I read further on into Chained. A few people have expressed their dislike and intolerance for Ashley over on Knox's forum for Roman Holiday, and although I can understand their reasoning, I can't bring myself to think of Ashley the same way. Ashley is very much a free spirit, and doesn't like to be bossed around. Especially not by Roman. She holds her ground, by literally chaining herself to a tree, and doesn't let up until she has reached an agreement with Roman that is to her satisfaction - to halt the demolition of her beloved Sunnyvale.
I admire Ashley's tenacity to stand up to the big guys, the people who intimidate us little guys. And although she's acting on her impulsive desperation, Ashley's morals and ideals are well-founded and ones that I can easily identify with myself. I'm intrigued to see how these ideals stand up to Roman's influence over subsequent episodes, just as I'm interested to see Ashley's influence on Roman.
One of my favourite quotes from the series comes from chapter one: "Even though Roman Díaz was about to destroy the only place in the world that mattered to her, she wouldn't hate him. Hate was poisonous." This says a lot about Ashley and her morals, and her perception of Roman. Despite his cool and powerful façade, she knows he's just another person. A person that can hopefully be reasoned with...
Oh, Roman, Roman, Roman. He's a man with a big ego, and a body and bank account to match. He drives a Cadillac - so go figure. He's rich, he's powerful, and he's goddamn sexy. And, boy, does he know it. To Roman, Sunnyvale is just a set of run-down shacks in the way of his million-dollar idea. He doesn't appreciate Ashley's lack of respect for him, and will do just about anything to get rid of her. "She didn't respect his power, and he didn't respect her ideals." So he negotiates with Ashley, and comes to an agreement to evacuate her to her friend's house, and to halt the demolition until after the hurricane and when they have both regrouped.
In comparison to Ashley, we don't see much into Roman in this episode. We know that he has had a troubled past that he doesn't like to talk about, and that he hopes to marry Carmen - a savvy businesswoman who is about a boring and dull as a slab of concrete. Despite his hard exterior, I do like Roman. His caring of Ashley, no matter how reluctant, tugs at my heart because men doing sweet things always does. I'm anticipating some more attention to Roman's character development in the subsequent episodes. And of course I'm looking forward to further mentions of his bits and bobbles...
By way of plot developments, not a lot really happens in Chained. This is perhaps the only drawback of this first episode. We're immediately introduced to Ashley as she's chained to a tree, and by the end of the episode, she's unchained herself. That's the only real development, but Knox makes sure it's enough; she uses this first episode to introduce us to her characters through her magic writing wit, and gives us enough back story to understand the situation and want to read on.
The characters are the real stars of this first episode.
I liked Ashley upon first impression, and my love for her only grew as I read further on into Chained. A few people have expressed their dislike and intolerance for Ashley over on Knox's forum for Roman Holiday, and although I can understand their reasoning, I can't bring myself to think of Ashley the same way. Ashley is very much a free spirit, and doesn't like to be bossed around. Especially not by Roman. She holds her ground, by literally chaining herself to a tree, and doesn't let up until she has reached an agreement with Roman that is to her satisfaction - to halt the demolition of her beloved Sunnyvale.
I admire Ashley's tenacity to stand up to the big guys, the people who intimidate us little guys. And although she's acting on her impulsive desperation, Ashley's morals and ideals are well-founded and ones that I can easily identify with myself. I'm intrigued to see how these ideals stand up to Roman's influence over subsequent episodes, just as I'm interested to see Ashley's influence on Roman.
One of my favourite quotes from the series comes from chapter one: "Even though Roman Díaz was about to destroy the only place in the world that mattered to her, she wouldn't hate him. Hate was poisonous." This says a lot about Ashley and her morals, and her perception of Roman. Despite his cool and powerful façade, she knows he's just another person. A person that can hopefully be reasoned with...
Oh, Roman, Roman, Roman. He's a man with a big ego, and a body and bank account to match. He drives a Cadillac - so go figure. He's rich, he's powerful, and he's goddamn sexy. And, boy, does he know it. To Roman, Sunnyvale is just a set of run-down shacks in the way of his million-dollar idea. He doesn't appreciate Ashley's lack of respect for him, and will do just about anything to get rid of her. "She didn't respect his power, and he didn't respect her ideals." So he negotiates with Ashley, and comes to an agreement to evacuate her to her friend's house, and to halt the demolition until after the hurricane and when they have both regrouped.
In comparison to Ashley, we don't see much into Roman in this episode. We know that he has had a troubled past that he doesn't like to talk about, and that he hopes to marry Carmen - a savvy businesswoman who is about a boring and dull as a slab of concrete. Despite his hard exterior, I do like Roman. His caring of Ashley, no matter how reluctant, tugs at my heart because men doing sweet things always does. I'm anticipating some more attention to Roman's character development in the subsequent episodes. And of course I'm looking forward to further mentions of his bits and bobbles...