Books vs. Movies
In this podcast we set out to answer the age old question: is the book really always better than the movie?
Books vs. Movies
Ep. 43 Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams vs. Queenie (2024)
Candice Carty-Williams' acclaimed novel Queenie takes on new life in its 2024 television adaptation, offering viewers and readers two complementary visions of one powerful story. Following a 25-year-old Jamaican-British woman navigating the complexities of modern life in London, both versions capture the raw emotional journey of finding yourself when caught between cultures.
What makes this adaptation particularly fascinating is how thoughtfully it re imagines key aspects of Queenie's story. From the timing of her breakup with Tom to how she processes childhood abandonment by her mother, the television series takes a more measured, gradual approach to emotional growth that many viewers will find deeply authentic. While the novel has Queenie ultimately finding peace in independence and returning to her newspaper job, the series boldly has her forge her own path professionally while allowing her to explore a new, healthier romantic relationship.
With Carty-Williams herself serving as show runner, the changes never feel like compromises but rather deliberate creative choices that enhance different aspects of the protagonist's journey. The adaptation maintains the novel's unflinching look at how Queenie navigates microaggressions in predominantly white spaces while adding visual dimensions to her experience of London – a city portrayed with both beauty and complexity.
Both versions deliver powerful messages about healing, self-worth, and the communities that sustain us through our darkest moments. Whether you prefer the book's emphasis on finding fulfillment in independence or the show's vision of cautious new beginnings, Queenie's story reminds us that the path to self-discovery is rarely linear but always worth the struggle. Share your thoughts on which version resonated more with you – the journey might reveal something about your own values and experiences.
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Welcome to Books vs Movies, the podcast where I set out to answer the age-old question is the book really always better than the movie? I'm Yuvia, an actress and book lover based out of New York City, and today I will be discussing Queenie by Candace Cardi Williams and its 2024 TV miniseries adaptation Queenie streaming on Hulu. Hi everyone, how are you? I'm really excited for this episode. I know I say I'm excited for every. Are you I'm really excited for this episode? I know I say I'm excited for every episode, but I'm really excited for this episode because it's I really really enjoyed the story of this series and book and this was one that kind of I kind of just found on Hulu. I think I just searched, like best series on Hulu because I didn't know what to watch and I was on my TV watching kick. I don't watch a lot of TV. I've always been a film lover. I've always preferred film over TV, but I have my kicks in which I do watch a lot of TV and this is one of them, and I found it after searching on Hulu. And then I discovered that it was based on a book and I'm excited to bring it, especially because it is by a British novelist and so, yes, this is a British novel, it is a British TV show and I just I love it. It was great.
Speaker 1:I love London, it is my favorite city in the world and I wish I could live there, but alas, that's not the case right now. Maybe one day I'll live there, but yeah, and so it was really just like I loved seeing the different aspects of London and like the different suburbs. Obviously, I've been to the more touristy parts, but it's always cool to see, like, the more hidden parts of it. And I swear, the apartment building where Queenie's friend Cheskay lives is used in like every single British TV series I'm not even joking Like I, every single, like I feel like it was the same one used in Behind Her Eyes. And I don't know, I feel like that is the only apartment building in London, or maybe that is the only apartment building built on a soundstage, but everyone uses it. I swear, if they're filming an apartment scene in London, at least the exteriors take place in that building. So I don't know, unless they all look the same, but I just feel like I've seen this building two or three times before. But anyway, I digress. So, yes, queenie, written by Candice Cardy Williams was first published in 2019.
Speaker 1:And it follows our protagonist, queenie Jenkins, who is a 25-year-old Jamaican-British woman living in London, and she's trying to balance two cultures and kind of failing at both. So she works at a national newspaper. She constantly has to prove herself in this newspaper. She is currently in fresh out of a really messy breakup from her long-term boyfriend, who's white messy breakup from her long-term boyfriend, who's white His name is Tom and Queenie starts to cope in all the wrong ways and by all the wrong ways I mean with all the wrong men who are just using her for her body. Essentially, and as the novel progresses, queenie starts wondering why am I doing this? What do I want to be? And she starts making changes to improve herself and her life.
Speaker 1:The 2024 miniseries Queenie follows Queenie Jenkins, who is a 25-year-old Jamaican British woman living in South London, living in between two cultures and fitting into neither. So I will say this is a really solid adaptation and there were definitely some changes that I preferred in the like. The novel is great, but there were some minor issues that I mean. I saw the miniseries first, so I was expecting some of the things that happen in the miniseries to happen in the novel and when they didn't happen, I was like I'm kind of glad they changed that. Honestly, I tend to be a purist, but in this case I feel like it elevated the storytelling and Queenie's arc in a much more fulfilling way. So, that being said, as always, here is your spoiler alert. If you are interested in watching Queenie, which I highly recommend, or if you are interested in reading Queenie, which I also highly recommend, then watch it, read it and then come back Let me know what you think. But, honestly, I really do recommend both. They are fantastic.
Speaker 1:So yeah, at the start of the miniseries and the start of the book, we meet Queenie and she is at a health clinic and it is there that she discovers that she had a miscarriage. It's one of those things where she had no idea she was pregnant and she had no idea that she had just experienced a miscarriage. She had been experiencing some concerning health issues and she went to the clinic and that's when they told her and she's obviously in shock. In the book, she has already broken up with Tom who, as I said, is her long-term boyfriend. He is white and Queenie is, as I said, she's Jamaican, british, she's black. She's already been broken up with him? For it's not. It hasn't been that long at all, it hasn't even been a month since they broke up. But it's one of those things where she reaches out to him and he's kind of like we're not together, you shouldn't be talking to me, and she's like, but I really need to talk to you about this. Like this is something you need to know, and he's like nope, like we're not supposed to be talking, so don't talk to me. And so she never has anyone to really help her through her conflicting emotions of like not only was I pregnant, like I just lost this baby, and she doesn't really. It's one of those things. Her, she, the relative she's most closest to, are her grandparents and her aunt Maggie, and all three of them are very traditional and very religious, so she doesn't really feel comfortable confiding in them that she had a miscarriage, and she's scared to talk to her friends about it as well. And so the person she wants to talk to the most about this is Tom. This is his, his baby as well, and now this, this baby is no more, and so it's a lot of emotions running through her and she doesn't have anyone to talk to.
Speaker 1:In the TV series they're still together. So at one point in the book after, to get a glimpse into the final moments of their relationship, queenie talks about how this incident at Tom's mother's house during her birthday party, in which she was experiencing a lot of like microaggressions and she was kind of upset that Tom didn't stand up for her and so she just couldn't take it anymore and she said something. But it's one of those things where she didn't realize she said it out loud, like she thought she had thought it and then when she looked at everyone's faces she realized oh crap, I actually said that out loud. So that kind of caused a big riff and while that wasn't the official end of the relationship, that was kind of like the nail in the coffin. Tom's biggest issue with Queenie is just that he would always try to talk to her and she had like a wallop, like emotionally she wouldn't open up to him in any shape, way or form. So he couldn't take it anymore and he broke things off.
Speaker 1:In the miniseries she finds out that she had the miscarriage and it's the same day as Tom's mom's birthday party. So she finds out the news about the miscarriage and kind of has to put herself together to go to this birthday party. And so she's like a bottle of emotions. She just wants to talk to Tom, but she has to play nice because it's his mom's birthday. And finally she just snaps and they say they're like I said, they're being really microaggressive towards her. So finally she says something out loud, doesn't realize that she says it out loud, until everyone's kind of looking at her shocked, like you really just said that. And she's like oh crap, so that happened.
Speaker 1:And in the TV series this is when Tom officially breaks up with her. He like she leaves, she goes to the bus stop and Tom is like what the hell was that? And she's like what do you mean? What the hell was that? Like why didn't you stand up for me? And he's like that's just how my parents are, you know. Like they don't know any better. And she's like well, you should teach them how to be better. And he's like well, you need to learn how to talk to me. And she wants to tell him so badly about the miscarriage. Tom can kind of sense that she's holding things back, just like she always does, and he's like I can't take it anymore, like it's over, and he breaks up with her in that first episode after the birthday party.
Speaker 1:So after they break up, queenie does try to in the TV series she does try to find other ways to cope. First she asks all her friends. So her three friends are Darcy, chesky or Chesky and Cassandra. So Darcy and Cassandra are both white, cassandra is Jewish as well and Chesky is black. I believe she's Nigerian, she's of Nigerian descent, anyway. So those are her three friends and she's like how should I cope? And they all offer up different ways to cope. And Cassandra's like you're going to try yoga with me? And Queenie tries yoga and she does not like it. It's not for her, it's like making her more uncomfortable. So she's just like not gonna, no, I'm done, I'm not doing yoga. And then Chesky's the one that's like you just gotta sleep with a lot of men. And that's when Queenie decides to start like sleeping with a lot of men. Darcy kind of says like you should start putting yourself out there. And so, like Darcy makes her a dating profile. And then Chesky's the one that's like just sleep with a lot of men, like it's fine, like sleep them out of your system, essentially. So that's what she ends up doing. She starts hooking up with all the men that reach out to her on her dating profile that Darcy created. So she does try other ways of coping. First, in the TV series it doesn't really work out. So that appreciated is.
Speaker 1:The first person she has sex with after her breakup with Tom is Adi. Adi is of Middle Eastern descent, he drives for Uber and every single time he sees Queenie he's always flirting with her and hitting on her and she's always like denying him. She's like you're married, you're married, you're married. And in the book she's like F it and she sleeps with him knowing that he's married. And I really didn't like it. That just did not sit well with me. Like no, I really did not sympathize with Queenie at this point. I grew to sympathize with her as the book went on, but in this moment I was like no.
Speaker 1:In the TV series, every single time she's like you're married, he's like we're breaking up, we're divorcing, and so when she decides to sleep with him, like she thinks that the marriage is over and so it's like okay to sleep with him. And then she ends up coming across Adi and his wife later on in the book and the TV series and the wife confronts her and is like, why are you sleeping with my man? And obviously in the book it doesn't come as a shock. She's like, yeah, I kind of had this coming and I was like, yeah, you really did. But in the TV series, like I'm so sorry, he told me you guys were broken up and she's like, well, we're not, we're still together. We've always been together. We've never been in the process of breaking up ever. So Queenie does feel really bad about that.
Speaker 1:But we get a montage of her sleeping with a bunch of guys. And I feel like she does sleep with a lot of guys in the book. But I feel like she sleeps with more in the book I mean more in the TV series than she does in the book, until she meets Guy. She meets Guy on Halloween. In the TV series she's working at events. So she and her friend Darcy work at the same newspaper and she goes to this event to help Darcy out. And she meets Guy and completely ends up neglecting her responsibility to assisting Darcy and Darcy is understandably very upset. She's like, it's fine, just like, go with him. Like you're not even helping me at this point, you're more of a hindrance. You want to be with this guy. Like just go, and she's upset.
Speaker 1:In the book Queenie does go to help Darcy out, but she actually meets Guy after Halloween. It's like and Darcy's a lot more like okay with it in the book than she is in the TV series. Like in the book she's like yeah, whatever, it's fine. Yeah, you can leave with him, I didn't really need need your help, it turned out okay.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, in the TV series we get her neglecting her relationships with her friends a little bit more than she does in the book. In the book she doesn't really neglect her friends that much, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I like that she doesn't neglect her friends in the book and I do wish the TV series had explored this a little bit more, because we do see that Darcy's like upset, that Queenie's like neglecting her a little bit. She confronts her but and this confrontation does it does happen in the book too like Darcy's, like everything's always about you, and Queenie does end up apologizing and realizes like, yeah, I do kind of make things all about me, but I feel like there's more tension in the tv series when it comes to this. But I wish it was explored a little bit more because after Darcy's like it's always about you and they have like a fight the next episode things are kind of resolved again kind of easily.
Speaker 1:But anyway, so in the well, I guess she does sleep with more guys in the book, now that I think about it, cause like once, once she meets Guy in the TV series, like that's the only guy she sleeps with for a while. In the book Guy is the guy she sleeps with most often, but she's still sleeping with other people in between. So in the TV series, like once she meets Guy and they start their sexual relationship, like it's pretty much just him and Guy's really rough when it comes to having sex. He likes really really rough, violent sex to the point where Queenie's really sore after one particular sexual encounter and she goes back to the health clinic that from the start of the book in the TV series and they even ask her like are you sexually assaulted? Because it's like the damage to her skin, genital area and just that area is just really bad, like I guess these are traumatic signs that you would see in rape victims. And she's like, no, it was, it's consensual and it is. But they're like the clinic doesn't believe her and they they're like okay, well, if you decide to press charges later, here's how you can do that. And she's like like I promise, like it was consensual. And they're like okay, well, we're going to refer you to a therapist in that case. And so they refer her to a therapist.
Speaker 1:I will say in the book she really doesn't like having sex with Guy. She's looking for that emotional connection and obviously Guy's not giving it to her. But like a lot of the times after they're done having sex, like he'll fall asleep and spend the night and so she'll find ways to cuddle up to him and never lasts very long Because as soon as he feels her cuddling up he's like nah, get off me. But she doesn't really like it. It is still consensual, but she doesn't like it. In the TV series she does like it. She enjoys this really rough way of having sex a lot Like she enjoys it a lot Like she enjoys it. I was going to say a lot more, but it's like she enjoys it, as opposed to the book. In the book she really does not enjoy it. In the TV series she actually really enjoys her sexual encounters with Guy, even as sore and as damaging as apparently they are. She really enjoys it, and in the book she doesn't At one point in the TV series.
Speaker 1:So Tom is pretty much kind of like how I said at the beginning. Tom is pretty much like no contact, like it's a clean break. We're not talking to each other, like if we keep talking to each other we're never gonna get over each other. So no talking is allowed and so it's been really difficult. But she's been able to keep her end of the bargain and obviously it's easy for him to keep his end of the bargain until one day, on Christmas Eve in the TV series he messages her and says Merry Christmas XX, which, as a reminder, stands for kiss, kiss.
Speaker 1:So she's like, wow, what does this mean? And she starts like second guessing what it could mean. And she's like asking all her friends like what does it mean? Like why is he reaching out to me? Do you think he wants to get back together? Like this is a Christmas message. And her friends are all like I don't know, maybe I mean it could just be a Merry Christmas message. And she's like no, like there has to be some deeper meaning behind it.
Speaker 1:And this leads her to so in the book, in the TV series there's Ted. Ted works at the same newspaper that she does, but he works in a completely different department. So they run into each other occasionally but they don't see each other often and in the TV series, like anytime, they interact. Like it's obvious that he has a crush on her and that he's trying to find ways to speak to her. And at one point, like he discovers her at a bar and she's like really, really drunk and he like takes her home and takes care of her and he doesn't attempt to do anything. Like he looks genuinely worried for her.
Speaker 1:But there isn't really any any interactions between the two of them at this point. Until Christmas Eve her boss calls her and was like I need you to work on Christmas Eve because we need to get this ready and I'm out of town. And so she goes into the office on Christmas Eve and it's only her, ted, and the other woman which I don't remember her name, but she's like that one coworker, like she does not interact with anyone. She is there to work, she doesn't. Like she likes peace and quiet and she doesn't interact with anyone. Like she's there when she's in the office, she's working and she is not going to talk to anyone. So she's like Queenie is, has interacted a little bit with Ted, but there hasn't been much.
Speaker 1:And it isn't until, like her confusion over her text with Tom and it's only the three of them in the office and they start talking to each other there and there's obvious sparks and chemistry and finally they like she like attempts to kiss him and he's like no, we, we shouldn't, like it's wrong. And she's like yeah, yeah, you're right. So she goes into the bathroom to like cool off, and when she opens the door to the bathroom, he's right there and then he goes in after her close the door and they have sex. But it's really like the most unsatisfying sex ever because he literally finishes in like five seconds and that's not an exaggeration. Like she's very like oh my gosh. Like like I have great chemistry with this guy, like we're going to have great sex and it's over.
Speaker 1:Okay, so it's the text message with Tom and like her confusion over that and what it could mean and the fact that there's like instant chemistry between the two of them is what leads her to have sex with him in the TV series. But in the book she and Ted actually start interacting with each other a lot sooner, like I said, their first real conversation in the TV series is on Christmas Eve. While they're there working In the book, they meet and they have this instant connection with each other and they start sending flirty emails to each other and they both end up working on Christmas Eve. However, tom in the book does not send Evie a I mean Evie does not send Queenie a Merry Christmas message. This is just them acting on months of chemistry and flirty messages between the two of them. And so there is no like hesitation on Ted's part. Like they're in it, they're like you like me, I like you. Let's have sex and they do, and it's really unsatisfying and Queenie's like wow, that was disappointing. So, yeah, there's no text message from Tom and there's more interaction between her and Ted before they finally have sex.
Speaker 1:Tom does end up messaging Queenie in the book, though, except he wishes her a happy new year. So after the new year, let's go with the TV series, since there was less interaction between her and Ted. So she like she sleeps with Ted and then they don't talk to each other for the rest of the year until the new year when they come back to work and she sees him and she's like trying to talk to him and he's like obviously avoiding him. And then she's like, oh hell, no, we're not doing this. So she like goes up to him and is like what is going on? And he's like acting really shady, and he's just like, um, no, you know nothing, um, nothing.
Speaker 1:And then a woman who's there to she was like invited to give a presentation at the newspaper. She shows up and she's like, hey, ted, who's your friend? And he's just like, oh, it's uh, it's no one. And then she's like, hey, ted, who's your friend? And he's just like it's no one. And then she's like again Ted. And that's when you find out that this woman is Ted's wife, and this is not the first time Ted has cheated on her and she is also pregnant, currently pregnant with his child. So this very pregnant woman is like again Ted. And Queenie's like, oh, wow. And so she just walks away because she's in absolute shock, like she had no idea this guy was married, she had no idea this guy was in a relationship, like nothing. So she walks away and is like immediately disgusted with Ted, as she should be In the book, the way she ends up finding out like he's still acting weird towards her, like he's avoiding her.
Speaker 1:And at one point she finally corners him and is like, why are you avoiding me? And he's like I'm not avoiding you, I don't know what you're talking about. And then another co-worker is like, hey, ted, how's the wife? And that's when Queenie's like, oh, you're married, great, and so she walks away. So yeah, in the TV series she meets Ted's physical wife and finds out that Ted is a serial cheater and his wife is pregnant and all these awful things. And in the book it's a mutual co-worker Spills the beans. So Ted, being the little cowardly bitch that he is, he is, he goes to HR and is like yo, like Queenie's, making me really uncomfortable, she keeps hitting on me and I don't know what to do. And so she's, she's suspended from her job, while there is an investigation going on which is like Ted, man up, please. Like man up, you're the one that cheated on your wife. And like no, no, no, no, ted, ted, ted, man up. So Queenie, as I said, is suspended.
Speaker 1:And in since she's suspended, queenie ends up moving back in with her grandparents. In the book, in the TV series it's more of like she has a panic attack and she moves back in to be with family, and in the book she does have a little bit like. She does have indications of like panic attacks, but the TV series makes it like super clear In the book, while she is on leave she starts going to therapy, which she does in the TV series as well, but she really spends most of her time like doing chores for her grandparents and going to therapy. And in the TV series she starts exploring. She's really depressed. At first she doesn't want to do anything and then little by little her friends and family coax her and start going out into the world and she starts discovering, like how she wants to tell stories. Because she's works at this newspaper, because she wants to tell stories that matter to her. So anytime she tries to bring up a story about like Black Lives Matter or anything really like she wants to tell Black stories, it's kind of it's not, kind of it is, it's shut down and kind of just like no, we don't have a place for that in this newspaper. And in the TV series. Like she starts exploring like if I want to tell the stories that I want to tell like I can just tell them through the use of social media. I don't need to work at this newspaper, to be a journalist and bring stories that matter to me out into the world. So she kind of starts exploring other things in the book. She definitely focuses on family and therapy.
Speaker 1:So in the TV series, as I said, on Christmas Eve, it was her Ted and that coworker who was just there to work. Well, that coworker, after some time, is during the investigation. She goes and she's like hey, um, whatever happened between Queenie and Ted, it was mutual. Like I saw their interactions, like it was mutual and Ted is a fucking liar. So she's called back into the office and her boss is like we're so sorry. Like this coworker came forward and told us what happened and Ted has been fired and you're welcome to start immediately. And Queenie's like, great, well, thanks for firing Ted. I actually don't want to work here anymore. I'm gonna quit and I'm gonna be a journalist in my own way.
Speaker 1:And she leaves and she doesn't go back to that to that newspaper my own way. And she leaves and she doesn't go back to that, to that newspaper. In the book she does. So she, and it's different, that same coworker is there in the book but I guess that coworker just really minds her own business because she does not come forward in any. She does not come forward. It's actually a security guard who turns over the security footage of the day they were working and they see like Ted following Queenie into the bathroom and that it's not her like harassing him. So Queenie gets her job back immediately.
Speaker 1:The investigation is still ongoing, though. So Ted, like in the TV series Ted is fired immediately. In the book he's not. He's still there while the investigation is going. But it's like you're not allowed to talk to each other. And then he ends up sending her an email and is oh sorry, queenie, when she's allowed to return back to the office, like Ted is like hey, like I'm really sorry, I lied to you. And she's like nope, you're not talking to me, we're not allowed to talk to each other. Like back away. And he doesn't back away.
Speaker 1:And then Cheskay good old Cheskay, we love Cheskay shows up and is like did you not hear her? Like back off. And she like hits him with her purse. And then, of course, this like other random white bystander shows up and is like yo, is she attacking you? And he's like, before Ted can respond, cheskay's like excuse me, like I know you saw him going after my friend and you heard my friend say get away from me. And you didn't do anything.
Speaker 1:It isn't until I hit this man in self-defense of my friend that you check up on him, like you should be checking up on her. And this random bystander's like right, and he just and he walks away and leaves and it's like thank you, chesky, they have that encounter. And then after that he sends Queenie an email and is like I just want you to know like I will leave my wife for you. Like I don't even love my wife. I kind of just married her because I was getting up there in age and I really wanted to start a family. And I know she's pregnant and it's like really going to suck but like if you want to be with me, like I'll dump her in two seconds flat. And so Queenie's like all right. So she prints out the email and gives it to her boss and that's when Ted gets fired.
Speaker 1:And then her boss sends her to a music show to review the show and it is such a well-written critique that she from then on becomes the live music reporter at the newspaper. So now her job at the newspaper is to go to live events and I guess it isn't just music, it's just live events. She's going to go to them and I guess it isn't just music, it's just like live events. She's going to go to them and she reports on them and critiques them and reviews them essentially. So in the book she does keep her job at the newspaper and she's perfectly happy staying on as this like live events reporter. But in the TV series she does say no, I want to tell my own stories. I want to tell the stories of Black women, specifically from my grandma to just other women that I admire and respect and that are doing something in London, whether they're artists or filmmakers or whatever, and I want to interview them and I want to tell the stories and that's the story I want to put out into the world.
Speaker 1:So throughout all this in the book and the TV series, we end up finding out that it's probably difficult for Queenie to cope first of all and just open up emotionally because she was briefly abandoned as a child. So her mom her mom had her when she was Queenie's mom was a teenager when she had Queenie and it was one of those things where her, where Queenie's dad, was much older. So it was like this much older man preying on this teen girl and then when she got pregnant it was like I'm done with you. And in the tv series, like Queenie, like Sylvie. Her mom never saw this man ever again. In the book, like Queenie, doesn't have a relationship with her father, but she knows that he went back to Jamaica and he's in Jamaica somewhere In the TV series. She has no idea what happened to this man. Like, this man, as I said, abandoned Sylvie as soon as Sylvie got pregnant and was like peace and they never saw him again.
Speaker 1:So at one point as once Queenie's a little bit older, sylvie ends up dating another man named Roy. Roy is again much older and he is also extremely abusive. So Queenie sees this man abusing her mother verbally and physically and he verbally abuses Queenie and so she sees this growing up and at one point her mom is like it's over and they move into their own apartment. But then she ends up getting back together with Roy and she moves in with Roy and leaves Queenie at this apartment and no one has any idea that Queenie was living by herself for several months and she went through months Like sometimes her mom would visit her but there would be extended periods of time when she didn't see her mom at all and she was literally living by herself in this apartment as an 11 year old little girl and it isn't until her aunt, maggie, finds her and gets her out of there that Queenie finally has a stable home. That is extremely traumatizing and that would be extremely traumatizing for anyone to go through.
Speaker 1:In the book I feel like it was so much easier for Queenie to forgive Sylvie in the book than it is in the TV series. So Queenie doesn't want to see her mom at the beginning of the book and then that kind of just shifts and her mom like anytime her mom comes over, she overhears a conversation between Sylvie and Maggie about Sylvie being like I'm such a horrible mom, blah, blah, blah. And after Queenie overhears this like she softens her heart and like pretty much immediately lets her mother in. In the TV series it's a lot more difficult for her to forgive her mom. She doesn't really forgive her mom and doesn't get that closure until the final episode, and I feel like that makes a lot more sense to me. Now I understand everyone's journey of forgiveness is different. Some people it's just really easy for them to forgive, no matter how they were treated by someone and other people, it's a little bit more difficult for them to forgive.
Speaker 1:However, considering that she was abandoned by her mother as a little girl and left to fend for herself for months, and that her mom chose this abusive man over her, I feel like her journey of forgiving her mother just made a lot more sense to me in the TV series than it did in the book, because I feel like it would be very difficult to forgive your mother for something like that. And I just want to be very clear I'm not shaming victims who stay with abusive partners. There's a variety of reasons why people stay, and so I'm not here to judge anyone who has stayed or has or decided to stay once. I'm just saying that, like putting myself in Queenie's shoes, I would be so angry at my mom if she chose an abusive man over me. I would be so mad, and so I think, like I said during, queenie's journey to forgiveness just feels a lot more fleshed out in the tv series than it did in the book.
Speaker 1:In the book, I just felt like it was so easy for her to forgive her mother, and in the TV series, like she struggles, she struggled, like her mom keeps trying to make amends and Queenie is just like nope, I don't want to hear it, I don't want to talk to you. I like no, I don't want you in my life until she goes to therapy and she starts talking to her therapist and she makes that decision of like, I do want a relationship with my mom and I'm choosing to forgive her, and she does. And I also want to say whatever that it felt authentic to me because we see her go on this journey, and it would have felt authentic to me as well if she hadn't forgiven her mom. Everyone's journey is different and everyone's journey of forgiveness is different. And I'm not here to say you're not allowed to forgive someone who hurt you, or why would you ever forgive someone who hurt you like that? That is a personal decision and whatever decision you decide to make is the right decision for you. So I just want to, in case anyone needs to hear it just want to remind you that whatever decision you decide to make is the right decision for you and no one should shame you. Either way, you're gonna get shamed, unfortunately, but they shouldn't be shaming you and it is your decision, whatever it is. But I'm just speaking like putting myself in Queenie's shoes. I just felt like her journey made a lot more sense. Her journey to forgiveness made a lot more sense in the TV series than it did in the book. But anyway, another change that I really liked in the TV series than it did in the book, but anyway, another change that I really liked in the TV series. Okay, well, really quick.
Speaker 1:So, guy, you know rough sex, guy, it turns out that he is Cassandra's, her friend, cassandra's boyfriend. Again, she doesn't know that Guy is with Cassandra In the. It's one of those things that Cassandra's always talking about my guy, my precious guy, and that's how she calls him. Queenie doesn't realize that when she says my guy, she means his name Guy, not like how most people would say, my guy is a great guy. No, she's literally saying my guy, as in my boyfriend named Guy. So Queenie doesn't put two and two together, obviously, like she doesn't realize that Cassandra has been name dropping Guy this whole time. But Cassandra's dating Guy and she talks about, like he's so respectful, like he doesn't want to have sex until we're like like he feels like it's too early in our relationship, like he wants to wait until we're like like he feels like it's too early in our relationship, like he wants to wait until we're, like, more committed to each other before we take that next step. And it's wonderful and my, my guy is so great.
Speaker 1:And I will say, in the TV series, at the end of one of the episodes it's revealed who Cassandra's boyfriend is. So like we see her having a game night with her dad and her boyfriend and the camera pans up and like we've heard Cassandra's boyfriend is. So like we see her having a game night with her dad and her boyfriend and the camera pans up and like we've heard Cassandra talk about her boyfriend this whole time but we've never seen him. And so this is the big reveal. And like as a viewer I understand that this is a big reveal, like this isn't just some random guy, like we're supposed to recognize him as someone. And I'm watching it and I'm just like I don't know who that is. Like he. I was like, oh, it's Tom. I guess the actors who played Tom and Guy looked alike to me but I was like, right, it's Tom. And then like, but it didn't make sense to me Cause I was like, but why would Cassandra like date Tom and not tell Queenie? But Cassandra keeps saying you don't know my boyfriend. And I was like does that mean Cassandra never met Tom when he and Queenie were still together?
Speaker 1:And then, when the plot twist happened, at one point, queenie and Cassandra are supposed to hang out and Queenie never shows up to the restaurant where they're supposed to be having brunch. So Cassandra goes to Queenie's place and as she's talking to Queenie being like why didn't you show up? Guy comes down the stairs and Cassandra's like that's my boyfriend, guy. And I was like oh, that's who the big reveal was. Got it All right. Sorry, tom and Guy, for confusing the two of you, but anyway. So Cassandra is like pissed off at Queenie and she says some really awful things, like she calls her a whore and just like, just like really really awful things, and essentially ends the friendship In the book. The book ends with Queenie celebrating her birthday and they're like at a restaurant and or I don't know if they're celebrating her birthday, but there's there's like a big celebration and they're at a restaurant. It's like Queenie and like her grandparents, her aunt Maggie, her mom and Darcy and Cheskay. And then Cassandra shows up and Darcy's like sorry, I'm the one that invited her. I apologize if I wasn't meant to. And so Cassandra and Queenie talk it out in the restaurant bathroom and they work things out and Queenie, like decides to forgive Cassandra, and so Cassandra joins the party.
Speaker 1:But in the TV series, queenie, before she like before she's told by the newspaper like you can get your job back if you want. She very briefly works at a coffee shop and while she's there working, cassandra shows up and Queenie's like nah, you know what, I don't forgive you for. Like you said some really awful things to me. Like I don't forgive you, have a nice life, we're not like this friendship is over and Cassandra leaves, and so in the TV series she actually doesn't stay friends with Cassandra. But all right.
Speaker 1:Another character that is in the TV series who's not at all in the book is Chesky's cousin. So Chesky has a cousin who very obviously has a crush on Queenie and they're interacting, but Queenie doesn't see him as anything other than Cheskay's cousin until the final episode. In the final episode they're celebrating Queenie's housewarming party. She's finally able to move out of her grandparents' house again and she has a nice studio apartment, and so she's having a housewarming party and Chesky's cousin shows up and he's like you know, I like you, right. And she's like yeah, I know you like me. And then they oh, one more thing before we get to that. Sorry, it's like I'm remembering things as they come along.
Speaker 1:So in the book and the TV series, queenie goes to Tom's old place, or to her old place that she used to live in with Tom, and she tries to talk to him and she finds out that he has a new girlfriend. And she's like wow, you moved on really fast. Like I'm over here pining for you and you already have a new girlfriend. And he's like that's just how it worked out, so we never see Tom again after this. Like she sees Tom has moved on and that kind of gives her the closure to like this really sucks. I do miss him. I do still have feelings for him, but I have the closure that I need. I'm going to officially like forget about him. And that's when she like deletes his number.
Speaker 1:In the TV series she and Chesky's cousin start making out and it's like all right, they're now a couple like, or they're going to become a couple in the future of this world. And as she's making out with Chesky's cousin, tom shows up with flowers and it's like oh, is she going to take him back. I don't know, but then she doesn't. And the next like, we see Tom holding flowers and kind of just looking at her like wow, okay. And the next shot is the flowers inside the garbage can in her apartment, and it ends with her and her mom just talking and reconnecting and getting to know each other again. So the book ends with like a huge celebration in which she's forgiven her mom and Cassandra, and everyone is there her whole family and her friends, and it's just a celebration and Queenie's happy with the progress she's made. And the TV series ends with her in a new relationship with a guy who seems to genuinely like her and no more Tom, and it ends with her and just her and her mom in her studio apartment getting to know each other. So one I really really liked the ending of the TV series in that sense that it ends with her and her mom kind of just starting over, and that's the last image we see is mother and daughter reuniting and forming that relationship again, and it's just a really wonderful image to end on for the TV series.
Speaker 1:What I really liked about the book's ending, though, is that she doesn't end up with anyone. I like that they. You know we, throughout the series we see her hooking up with non-Black men and it's nice to think that the guy who's more than likely going to become her boyfriend now is Black. But I like that she ends up with no one in the book. I really like that because it just to me, it just shows how far she's come and, mind you, she has made that same progress in the TV series. So I think that's why she's ready to have a relationship with Chesky's cousin. Like it's definitely not going to be just a sexual relationship, like there's going to be an actual connection and genuine likes for each other. But I, I really like, I really really like that it ends with queenie not needing a man.
Speaker 1:And again, not that she needs a man in the tv series, but it's just a lot more like poignant to me in the book. Like that that point is just just a lot more obvious of like I don't need a man, I'm happy being single and whenever I meet someone, it like it's going to be great, as opposed to like the TV series where we see this guy who's who has been pining for her and he does treat her well and it, like I said, it's not going to be a nasty, just a hookup situation and she has grown in her power and she doesn't need a man. But I just really like to me it's just a lot more. That message of like I don't need a man is just a lot more in your face in the book, since she really doesn't end up with a man. So I really really liked that ending in the book that she ends up with just herself and the people that stuck by her. Now she does make a comment about Cassandra, like these are all the people that stuck by her. Now she does make a comment about Cassandra like these are all the people that stuck by me, Not Cassandra, but actually like she does end up forgiving Cassandra, but it does end kind of like ambiguous as to whether or not that friendship will continue, like she allows Cassandra to stay, but it's like these are the people that stuck by me through it all. Cassandra didn't and we'll see if in the future she does or not, and if she doesn't then I'm okay with cutting her out of my life. Yeah, I just really really liked that it ends. The book ends with Queenie and just her and herself not needing anyone and the support system that stuck through it all with her.
Speaker 1:I don't mind that she ends up with a boyfriend, necessarily in the TV series, but I just really, really liked that. It's like she's happy being single in the book. So yeah, that was it. So one thing yeah, that was a change I really really liked. But one change I really liked in the TV series was her deciding not to continue working at the newspaper because she really wasn't valued. And even in the book I don't feel like she was very valued and she's happy with the job she ends up getting at the end. So, like I'm not faulting her, like she's happy, but I really like that in the TV series she's like I'm not valued here and these are not the stories. I'm going to ensure I'm telling the stories that I want to tell. So I really like that detail. I don't, I didn't mind, I'm telling the stories that I want to tell. So I really liked that detail. I don't, I didn't mind Cassandra Like the.
Speaker 1:I liked that we got to see both endings to Cassandra. We got to see her forgiving Cassandra and we got to see her not forgiving Cassandra and I think both work. I think they're both justified in their own way and, like I said, like whatever works for her Worked book Queenie, it worked. The best thing for her was to forgive Cassandra, tv Queenie. The best thing for her was to not forgive Cassandra. So I really like, I like it didn't bother me that she doesn't become friends with Cassandra and it didn't bother me that she decides to try the friendship again with Cassandra.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, one thing about Cassandra Cassandra's portrayal in the novel is controversial because, as I mentioned, cassandra is Jewish and some people felt that the novel contained antisemitic tropes. We don't see this in the TV series, or at least I didn't notice this in the TV series, but yes, in the book. What the antisemitic trope is that you know Cassandra's Jewish and she's lending Queenie money and she's expecting Queenie to pay her back Like every like. She doesn't drop the topic of like you're gonna, I'm lending you money and I expect you to pay me back every cent In the TV series. I don't think Cassandra lends her any money, which is why I'm saying I didn't notice the antisemitic trope in the TV series. I don't think Cassandra lends her any money, which is why I'm saying I didn't notice the antisemitic trope in the TV series. But some critics of the novel have pointed out, like the novels. They like the novel, but they have pointed out that Cassandra is problematic and that she is an antisemitic trope in, or can be considered an antisemitic trope, the way she is portrayed in the novel.
Speaker 1:There's also an author cameo in the TV series. So, as Queenie is like starting to feel better and starting to go out into the world and kind of discover her passions or rediscover her passions, she is invited by Chesquet to this gallery that features, just like Black female artists and she's really like inspired by this art that she's seeing. And that's kind of when she's like I want to talk to the artist of this and bring her story to the world. And so that's kind of what starts inspiring her in terms of like what stories she like, how, what journalistic approach she wants to to take. And candace plays I don't think she plays like one of the artists. No, she doesn't play an artist. Queenie is talking about one of the, about an art piece, and, like candace and this other lady who I think is I think she might just be an actor like approaching her, like oh, we hear you talking about the piece, what do you think? And like queenie says her opinion and they're like wow, you're very nuanced. And Queenie's like thanks, and she's the one that isn't. Candace is like I'm the artist of this, these paintings, and Queenie's like I would love to interview you. And she's like are you an artist too? And that's when Candace says no, I write books and that's how I know. It was an author cameo. It was just very pointed. It's like yeah, we have an author cameo, so anyway, let's get into it.
Speaker 1:I rated the book three stars and I rated the TV series three stars as well. However, I do feel that the book edges the TV series out just the tiniest bit. So for me, the winner is the book. They're both fantastic and I think they're both worth checking out. I think the TV series is a great adaptation of the book and I think the changes made in the TV series enhanced it. The only change I wish they hadn't made, as I said, was I kind of wish they had just left Queenie single and happily single the way she is in the book. But otherwise I thought the changes they made just really helped enhance that story. I loved that Queenie had more of a journey in forgiving her mother. I love that Queenie decided not to go back to the newspaper. But I really, really like the ending of the book and the way it's written, in which she's reflecting back on who she is and how much she's grown as a person, and she's like this is all I need. These are the people that stuck with me through my most difficult times and as long as I have them, like, I'll be okay. And yeah, so I really liked. I think the ending is what edges out the book a little bit more for me, but I really the TV adaptation is great and the changes they made just really enhanced the story.
Speaker 1:So that is it for this week's episode and, oh my gosh, I can actually tell you which episode you can expect next week. Next week I will be talking about Let the Right One In by John Lindquist. He has a middle name but I don't know how to pronounce it, so I will look up how to pronounce it for next time and it's adaptation Let the Right One In. And I'm going to be doing. I'm going to be doing Let the Right One In because I was like, because there is an American adaptation, but the American adaptation is technically called Let Me In. So no, just no, I will be doing let the right one in versus let the right one in.
Speaker 1:If you enjoyed this podcast, please leave it a rating and a review and share it with all your friends. Tell them all about this podcast and I will see you next time. Bye, really quick. One thing I forgot to add is that Candice Carty Williams is actually the showrunner of the Queenie TV show, so no author consulting needed to be done. She literally told the story the way she wanted to tell it, and the changes are definitely author approved. All right, see you next time.