What I learned from watching Les Miserables

It’s not like I don’t like stories about attractive people who love each other and cannot be together—‘cos I totally do—but show me a story about a couple of attractive people who love each other and cannot be together and my brain will start going, “But wait, do I know these people, or like them, and if not why should I care about their love story? And do I actually believe in their feelings for each other, and the reasons why despite that they cannot be together?”

And unless I get satisfactory answers to these questions I’m not going to enjoy the story.

WHEREAS, show me a group of attractive people who have pledged their lives to each other and the cause of overthrowing an unjust government, and while some part of my brain will be going, “But wait, who are these people, and what are their specific grievances? And do they have a workable plan for a) overthrowing the government and b) replacing it with a system that will be less unjust?”—

Another part of my brain will be going, “YES.”