Fifty Shades of Grey as told by The Dom

[@JamiJR]

Poor The Dom needs some serious aftercare.

[@TheDanishGuyReviews]

Jami JoAnne Russell This comment is more in the spirit of BDSM than anything I've heard about 50 Shades. ~ TDG

[@l0stndamned]

The fact the the Dom has liked your comment shows he's done more research into the subject than the writer ever did

[@JamiJR]

Oh I've written rant after rant about why this book series should be named "50 Shades Of Rape & Domestic Abuse" despite the fact I personally can't get through it. I know enough about it and about The Scene to know this is not at ALL what real BDSM is like. (Heck, I've met people in The Scene who kidnapped and deprogrammed subs in situations like Ana's the way you would do with someone who's the victim of a cult.) In this case, I really feel bad for The Dom having to suffer this and I just want to wrap him in a blanket, put on his favorite movie, and give him his favorite drink. Cause he deserves it for having to suffer through this.

[@gj4916]

Jami JoAnne Russell I tried getting through the book but I just couldn't 😥Not only is the plot bad and there is abuse both emotionally and physically but the characters and writing style are garbage !! The best thing to do after trying to read a book like that is to curl up with a book series that is actually good and can make you forget about it Like PJO, HOO, Harry Potter ect...

[@moonymonster]

@@JamiJR kidnap and deprogram? Is the first bit literal?

[@SamaritanPrime]

"UNHAND THAT LADY! If anyone's going to be taking advantage of her, it's going to be ME!!!" ...and that, ladies and gentlemen, is the most perfect description of the supposed "hero" of this story.

[@Xehanort10]

Exactly. He only stopped the guy from raping Ana because he wanted to rape her himself.

[@marnieroberts3533]

Truly a Victory for the Forces of Justice

[@Aquafan998]

Yep 😁😁😁😁 😂😂😂😂😂😂🎂

[@SingingSealRiana]

so true

[@scouttyra]

+

[@tessmanjarrez6458]

E.L. James is the worst possible person to represent the potential of the fanfiction writing community. So many fanfics are actually well written, interesting, and GRAMMATICALLY CORRECT. I'm so entirely irked that out of all the incredible fanfiction out there, loads of which could absolutely be turned into books and movies, some idiots chose this. As a fanfiction author, I'm embarrassed. As an avid reader, I'm disgusted. As a human being, I stand in disbelief.

[@minnettermoguel995]

Cassandra Claire is a much better example :)

[@garbageOwO]

If anyone would like a real story, check out George deValier. He's such an amazing author that I sometimes forget that those aren't his own characters.

[@jlprizm]

I don’t think most people think this is what fan fiction writing is like. Or I hope to god they don’t. But yes it is a terrible example of it.

[@zaccarpenter621]

I agree since quite a lot of fanfics are made because of love for the franchise myself included

[@brittanykidwell9044]

I agree so much!

[@england9530]

That woman makes me ashamed to write fan fiction, and the fact that she out of all fan fiction authors can get published whilst others more talented cannot is simply baffling. She gives fan fiction a worse reputation than it already has.

[@isaacs8783]

England I've read fanfictions (my friend made me get into it) and the people who write the good ones should seriously consider becoming published authors cause they can seriously write well.

[@geraldgrenier8132]

Well there are authors like Diane Duane who started with fan fiction, before going onto being published. So there are better role models to hold up.

[@GummyDinosaursify]

Marissa Meyer. Fanfiction author, published the Lunar Chronicles series. Much better writer who doesn't get enough credit.

[@ExValeFor]

you don't become a published author by consideration, you become a published author because someone decides you're worth being published. And look who was...

[@bitchslapthesun]

*HELLO FELLOW HETALIA FAN*

[@Briar_Artemis]

"I LOVE porn!" "I'm an avid porn lover." 😂 At least you're honest.

[@jlprizm]

Broken Music Box I was thinking the same. Please do tell us more of your love for porn. 😂

[@virces6563]

Porn is misogyny and financial coercion. Stop defending it; it ruins lives and has for decades. Plus it has sucked since the 90's and not in the good way.

[@anna-flora999]

@@virces6563 because there's only one kind of porn in the entire world

[@adqueen2548]

@@virces6563 no, not really. Sure some porn is the way you portray it, but not all. It is like clothes: some are made by slaves who are not treated like humand, but some are made by workers who are respected and praised for their good work. If you want to consume good products which are not demeaning or smth like that you should do your research like with every other product. And if you make fun of actors for doing it on camera is like making fun of actors for earing on camera: it is something the viewer makes disgusting nit the product itself

[@hingeslevers]

@@adqueen2548 The analogy seems to be more like "clothes are bad, because some clothes are made with child labour."

[@whatismylatestobsession350]

This might sound strange, but the part where he breaks the handcuffs is more arousing than the whole trilogy of Fifty Shades...

[@krispiecakes9485]

What is my latest obsession? It would have been better if Terrence did it.

[@incoherentqueer2463]

Nearly everything is more arousing then the entire fifty shades of grey trilogy

[@somethingfunny5571]

A wasted guy hurling on the pavement is more arousing than this trilogy

[@Jenifer_R_]

Coming back with the guns did it for me.

[@bdaarmy9736]

Why is "breaking" the handcuffs arousing? Genuinely asking.

[@bryangustafson2748]

I'm also pretty tired of the "creep rescues you from another creep" cliche, since It basically just boils down to bulls*** idea that someone can just negate there horrible behavior just by doing something "nice" for someone else. If you only do a good deed when it benefits you, you're basically just being a douchebag with a hero complex.

[@Toneill029]

The fact she calls him a white knight like Gawain and Lancelot is bad enough. No you don’t bring them into this no, they have there own issues how dare you involve complex characters who are far more favorable than Christian. Gawain was a badass Scotsman who while too happy to swing his sword was a loyal and surprising chivalric knight when it came to the ladies and Lancelot who has his own issues, including being a rape victim twice, he was a fucking amazing lover to Guinevere. They’d fucking kill Christian in heart beat after seeing him do shit like that to a maiden. But of course EL James would never have known that.

[@naginidesantos1453]

Bryan Gustafson Ikr, it’s really just r/whiteknighting and r/niceguys...

[@jhupp8707]

Chantel Carter dudes like that are almost worse than douchebags because most of the time douchebags know they are douchebags they just don’t care because it works for them but those whiny pussies that can’t ever get laid and blame it on the girl for friend-zoning them really have known idea how annoying and pathetic it is

[@AlexGoldhill]

"All these people are scum" -The Dom accurately summing up the entire dramatis personae of 50 Shades of Grey.

[@WalkmanWillWalkAllOverYou]

Alex Goldhill What else is new?

[@Toneill029]

Oh no doubt if you’ve read Jenny Trout’s recaps, every character was designed to seem as toxic, annoying and an obstacle in the main characters lives in order to push them together and garner sympathy, decent people are made to look shorty and invasive while others are turned into full blown creeps, all for the purpose of reminding the reader that Ana and Christian are the victims of the universe and not shit people themselves. EL James can’t character they are in no way organic

[@haggisa]

@@Toneill029 Jenny Trout’s recap-reviews cannot be praised enough!

[@kratal122]

I think society came to the collective agreement that this isn’t porn because it’s actually psychological horror.

[@nightpool4946]

under 18? pffft, who, me? * sweats fearfully *

[@WalkmanWillWalkAllOverYou]

fallowsong Me too.

[@moonlightdrown9366]

fallowsong under 14 *sweats* who? Me?

[@cory1845]

Under 18? *nope, not me, definitely not me. I'm totally not trying to find out what the f*ck my sister is reading*

[@dynamicworlds1]

Better than your first exposure to kink being thinking that 50 Shades is anything other than an abusive relationship.

[@patricklauer4452]

fallowsong I’m 17

[@TabbyeLynne]

I feel like this could have been a decent book if only the author had treated Grey as the villain he obviously was meant to be, if it had ended with Ana realising she was in an abusive relationship and going to the police to fill a report for harassment and sexual assault (and a restriction order) and then scheduling an appointment with a therapist, that would had been a happy ending.

[@geraldgrenier8132]

aka written as a Thriller not a Romance novel

[@mcrladygerard13]

DAMMIT! now I wanna make a "fan"fiction out of a fanfiction.

[@GummyDinosaursify]

But then it wouldn't have been a best seller.

[@HeirofAzaran]

You never know. The success of this book shows strange things can happen.

[@l.tc.5032]

TableWrens it may have as a nice example of a subversion of girl falls for the bad boy.

[@adqueen2548]

My literature tescher made me read this after she found out I was writing fanfiction. After I finished she asked me, "How did you like it?" I told her I hated this book with all my non-existing soul. She smiled and said, "If you write something like this I will personally kill you."

[@calemr]

My at the time girlfriend/dom commanded me to read it. Claimed it was her favourite book. I probably should have noticed that particular red flag and I'm honestly glad that relationship ended.

[@Double-R-Nothing]

I like your teacher.

[@gabrieldevoogel6225]

@@calemrOMG IM SO SORRY FOR YOU

[@tVt2000]

That’s a good teacher

[@danielryanmulligan9381]

I am so happy that your literature teacher wasn’t trying to stop you from writing fan-fiction; she was just trying to stop you from writing bad fan-fiction, thank God you had her in your life!!!! Dan aka…ps please try to see if your local affiliate of a network will nominate your teacher for an award of some sort…ya know, of the month, of the year, of the century, of the millennium, maybe?

[@ayiniseasilyamused9215]

10:55 what. That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard. It's like... "Yo I don't like these small amounts of pain, let's try for the MAXIMUM amount of pain and see if I liked it." What.

[@SamaritanPrime]

Anastasia is exactly the kind of person who would put lipstick on a pig if you asked, and THEN simultaneously think that she didn't do it right and that no one else could do it better- and not realize that it's still a pig, and she just put lipstick on it.

[@borislambert2566]

Ayin Is EasilyAmused It’s almost like Grey knew that she wasn’t nearly prepared for MAXIMUM pain, so rather than begin literally cutting pieces off of her, and erotically hanging her by meat hooks, he just spanks her with a belt.

[@joelsasmad]

@@borislambert2566 That has nothing to do with his statement. Whether or not Gray is holding back this whole arrangement is stupid in the first place that she thinks getting more intense will somehow make her less uncomfortable.

[@greyscaleanon7551]

Yeah, but I think the point isn't whether or not she /likes/ it, it's whether or not she can /tolerate/ it. Which is a horrific and very harmful message to readers, but at least it doesn't make my brain hurt trying to understand the logical inconsistencies.

[@hannahkat9722]

am i the only one who spent the entire video watching this dude's eyebrows because seriously they're amazing they're like little dancing caterpillars i think I'm in love

[@hypnotherapy69]

haha now I cant stop whatching them XD

[@kidinthekelp5570]

@@hypnotherapy69 same xD

[@legzfalloffgirl5148]

Great... Now i can't stop staring!!!!😂😂😂

[@quizzicalsphinx]

There's more characterization and genuine emotion present in Dom's eyebrows than in this entire trilogy of books.

[@letterborneVods]

I came for the content, stayed for the accent, became obsessed with the eyebrows and loved his personality all within one minute of watching the first video of his, so ... I FEEL YOU

[@DycuswasHere]

Dom: *fires gun into air* Me: *laughs and says aloud* Feel better? Dom: Nope! *fires two guns* LOL!

[@Funtendo99]

JosephTaylorBass lol

[@Aquafan998]

LMAO 😂

[@shannonwalls4338]

(middle-aged housewife waves at you from among your beautiful watchers)

[@Dominic-Noble]

But are you sexually frustrated?

[@shannonwalls4338]

My husband is hella hot (lucky moi! ^_^ ) and we have been very, ah, *happy* for many years. Still, I'm not comfortable blaming the popularity of 50 Shades solely on my fellow housewives, happy or unhappy, what a dumpster fire to be blamed for! Thanks for this awesome video, good to see some humour coming out of that dumpster fire of a book.

[@lizkimber]

The fifty shades books just made me feel like a 13yr old who had seen a few pictures and imagined stuff wrote it, not a mature woman.

[@GummyDinosaursify]

You're not wrong.

[@lillischneider9220]

Liz Kimber don't insult 13-year-olds

[@Xehanort10]

She's basically a womanchild. A grown woman with the mind of a teenage girl,

[@haggisa]

@TooLateToTheStory She has two kids with her husband, so yeah, she did. Doesn’t change the fact, that she knows nothing about BDSM or healthy relationships.

[@jamestapp5662]

@@haggisa What did they say?

[@AnanasX3]

I heard that this trilogy was originally a fanfiction story about Twilight. As someone who reads a lot of fanfiction, I recognize the style of writing. Fanfiction characteristics include: lack of respect of 'universe' rules (i.e. forced circumstances to obtain the outcome you want; common sense), very obvious and terrible names, lead characters that narrate in the first person with extra attention on their 'inner' feelings, tons of OVERREACTIONS, forced drama, overly obvious quotes (especially music, song lyrics), really clichéd idioms. Let us not forget the curse that is the Mary Sue. That being said, not all fanfiction is bad; I have read some truly remarkable work. I'm just astounded this made it past the editor's spam filter.

[@laureenambani8739]

Dont forget the unecessary characters added, like the mom , the grandma, the aunts the neighbours, the step dads and moms . You get so many names yoj forget who is who. Plus the clichè of events, the girl gets kidnapped , guy saves the day and they live happily ever after ...

[@mamiemonrovia7654]

Ok I get the characterizations of fanfiction but why is it called that? Can u give me some 4 instances, maybe with some links 2?

[@AnanasX3]

@@mamiemonrovia7654 why is what called what?

[@nerdywolverine8640]

yeah, i truly despise that those are known as the characteristics of fanfiction when they're actually just characteristics of poor writing, and of people writing for fun with little skill. I've read vast amounts of work that is on par with or better than its (good!) source material.

[@Baldwin-iv445]

Your really not wrong. When I was a brony I actually found some good content including but not limited to a crossover with RvB called "it's I against I and me against you." As well as the famous Fallout Equestria which while not only being an obvious crossover of Fallout and MLP but also made some new things including their equivalent of nukes originally not being made for destruction and actually drove their creator to suicide. P.S. The creator was Fluttershy. Yeah it's weird but awesome.

[@Itisybitsyteacup]

So...are we your subs? You know since you're the dom.

[@neverlandhunter6988]

penguin Love Ha!

[@lunasmoon12]

Penguin Love We are /sub/scribers

[@Itisybitsyteacup]

lunasmoon12 I know

[@maeadam2984]

YOU SMART

[@teeveeee]

*_Oof......._*

[@MrKarlMANno1]

6:18 "All of these characters are scum!" Priceless and apparently rather appropriate comment.

[@Toneill029]

You have no idea everyone bar two people can be considered normal human beings, and one of them is dead.

[@mollywantshugs5944]

The weird thing about Grey is that (in my opinion), there’s actually a kernel of an interesting idea in there. Namely a charming love interest who explicitly feels little to no empathy. The problem is that you need such a character to not be an asshole for this to work without them being a villain. For anyone confused here, not feeling empathy doesn’t mean being completely selfish or heartless; it means not easily understanding or emulating the feelings of others. A person with low empathy (note that there are some forms of neurodivergence where this common) can be friendly and genuinely compassionate, but less as an automatic response and more as a conscious decision. Also you’d need such a character to have their offensive remarks or behaviors actually be unintentional as a result of not understanding how it makes other people feel rather than not caring. So Grey is far from being such a character, but there’s at least some potential

[@billuraral1870]

I'm sideying how when Jose, a Latino man rightfully called out for harrasment while its completly fine, even ROMANTIC, when Grey the lillywhite rich guy does them

[@anna_in_aotearoa3166]

Interesting point! And one which I haven't seen flagged by any commentators....?

[@mammoneymelon]

ik this is three reals ago but REAL pretty sus how pretty much the only poc in the franchise is a sexual harasser while the white guy who is also a sexual harasser is the love interest

[@puzzled0dreamer]

I tried reading it once. Mainly because the topic aligns with my interests, and also because I wanted to know what the hype was about. I didn't even get through the first paragraph before grabbing my editing tools and marking up typos, repetitive description (Glass, steel and white leather couches. Everywhere. Bloody everywhere.) By the time I was done, the parts of the book I actually endured were more colorful than a gay pride flag and my sanity had gone somewhere after chapter seven. I just- I don't understand how this even got published and even more flabberghasted by its popularity. Seriously, can someone explain to me what they saw in the book, or what they enjoyed about it? I honestly want to know, no mockery or anything, just really curious.

[@HarmonyEcho]

Catatronic ... So I can do you one better. I read it before it was "Fifty Shades of Grey" and was Master of the Universe. (Fifty has some polish in comparison btw, sad huh?) Personally I got into it because I have been reading romance novels from a very young age, so this style of writing was never very odd to me. When I found the fanfic, I was interested in reading about bdsm, and here are some characters I know in it right? Now when I was reading it, every chapter had a note saying something like I don't know that much about bdsm, I just wanted to write this. So I very much was like this is just someone's fantasy. Gotcha. I do not understand how anyone can call it a healthy or ideal relationship, but I think a large amount of its appeal with some is that according to "social expectations" women shouldn't want sex. so you end up with someone like Ana, who only met one person that turns her on, and then forced her to like "kinky" things. But she didn't really want it, so its okay. Guilt free. It's not a good book, a good example of bdsm, or any kind of healthy relationship, it just kinda feels like a reason to dip you feet into something forbidden while not feeling guilty for wanting it. If that makes sense. it is very much like it's inspiration, abusive, poorly written, and more popular than it should be. It's also not the only twilight fanfic that got published, just the most popular. (around the same time that this for got pulled off the internet a bunch of others did too) It happened because it had a lot of clicks. The fanfic was massive, and had a ridiculous amount of of views, on multiple sites. Dunno if that helped but that's my take on it.

[@puzzled0dreamer]

Thanks for replying! I think I can get that, but my tolerance for that disclaimer goes out of the window the second it gets pulled into a publishing house. I can't really blame anyone for enjoying it, because tastes differ and I devour a lot of fanfiction on the principle of a - as you put it - guilt free fantasy, but I think what pains me most is that the book, if well written and properly researched, could have actually been not only enjoyable, but also kind of valueable. I don't know how it is in other countries, but here in Germany you only really hear about bdsm in the context of the villains in murder mysteries, or when someone ends up in the news for taking their play way out of the safe, sane and consentual zone. So having a book about the topic - not only becoming popular but also kind of influentual marketing wise - enforce those stereotypes, is painful to watch. I guess my point just is, the moment someone expects money for their work, I personally get a lot more critical about the contents, and will expect a certain amount of quality control. I don't think it's fair to just blame the author, because the publishing house should have - in my humble and certainly biased opinion - edited it more thoroughly. None of this is supposed to be an attack on your opinion, if anything should sound that way, I thoroughly apologize. ...I also apologize for this wall of text, I just have a lot of feelings on the matter.

[@HarmonyEcho]

Oh, I don't feel attacked. I understand exactly how you feel. I can understand that frustration. I will make no claims that this is the book deserved to be published. It just had enough of a following that it did.

[@niamhcorrigan3972]

The only way I could read it was on a blog that was created to properly edit the book bc it was unreadable to me beforehand. Looking at the original writing, it's pretty easy to see why she had to self-publish it

[@wartgin]

I have seen enough BDSM related romances that I knew it was not strictly speaking "best practices" but have never been exposed to anyone who is really emotionally or physically abusive so I easily did the suspension of disbelief and filling in of backstory to turn it into a fairly standard girl rescued from life of poverty by doting billionaire wish fulfillment combined with innocent heroine redeems the tortured Byronic hero. Despite the fact that this allegedly depicts BDSM as sexy and normal, the actual approach seems to be that only messed up people use it for more than the occasional bedroom roleplay so I really thought the emphasis was on the redemption arc. There were things that were repetitive for me (although I enjoyed the 2 internal characters that many complained about) but I am old enough to have read the Gothic bodice rippers from the 1960s and 70s (and yes the dubious or nonexistent consent was so that the heroine/reader could enjoy sex without being responsible for it occuring - remember that the sexual revolution was only just occuring and good girls didn't initiate sex let alone admit to liking it). I didn't think it was literature just modern, Gothic, escapist fluff. I saw the problematic parts of Christian's behavior not as abuse (remember no equivalent real world experience to link it with) but as evidence that he didn't know how to do normal relationships which was one of the things Ana was supposedly modeling/taming him into. I found Ana a little too innocent but not unbelievably so and chalked it up to older writer absorbing too much of the heroine must be pure and innocent attitudes in the aforementioned bodice rippers (and another factor in the redemption arc).

[@masterdynamo6457]

Okay, as an asexual I have one comment: The whole "skipping puberty" thing around 3:00 sounds a lot like some people's experiences as asexuals. Considering she probably gets the hots for the male lead, it would still be fair to call her demisexual, sort of. To be honest, I don't think E.L. James was thinking about this when they wrote 50 shades. But it's worth considering that there are people who are just...like this. I should also note that sexuality is not necessarily related to romantic inclination (e.g. you can be heteroromantic [love members of the opposite sex] and asexual [feel no desire to have sex with those people], or heterosexual and aromantic [sexually attracted but not romantically]), and that it is equally possible to be what is known as a sex-positive asexual - that is, an asexual person who enjoys sexual activity but who doesn't feel any drive to do it.

[@haggisa]

Indeed, but the problem is E.L. James clearly didn’t intend to write Ana as demisexual, but rather as a virginal ingenue, whole sexual inexperience and naïveté contrasts sharply with Christian’s (or rather Chedward’s) playboy ways. It’s the age old trope of women having to be sexually pure, lest they be considered slutty, while their partners get to sex beasts, who are praised for boinking everything that moves. It’s just internalised misogyny, pure and simple.

[@findyourcenterbbc8483]

Or how harlequin novels wanted to include sex but couldnt have the woman want sex so they had the rakeish man take sex from her so they can bave there cake since the woman was still pure but now had been ravished amd love blokms. Hence romance novels today be very confused about consent.

[@jewknowwho8178]

the dom has such an affinity for guns he should get honorary American citizenship

[@andrewgwilliam4831]

jew know who I think he's mentioned he does actually have US citizenship.

[@jewknowwho8178]

Oh

[@GummyDinosaursify]

He can have mine, I dont want it anymore.

[@Betrix5060]

He was born in the US but I don't think he has mentioned being a legal citizen. Regardless the spirit of freedom has clearly never left him.

[@jewknowwho8178]

If you were born in America you are a citizen

[@alex-ving]

To somewhat ease the pain, i suggest you to watch Film Theory: Fifty Shades of Grey Cult Theory by Film Theorists, it's really paints an interesting twist on Grey's manerisms

[@magicrainbowkitties1023]

Yeah and it's honestly hilarious how James picked up on NONE of it

[@SamaritanPrime]

I have seen that video, and it makes far too much sense.

[@calebflanthier9543]

Ah yes, the traditional American way to release pent up anger: unload several gun magazines with no worry of where the bullets will go

[@charlottemclean5324]

sometimes you just want to watch a hot British dude in a suit yell angrily about a terrible book series and proper BDSM practice, thank you for filling this niche in entertainment.

[@ShadowWarrior9001]

The irony of a bdsm novel being reviewed by someone calling himself The Dom lol. On a side note I'm a big fan of your content 👍

[@geraldgrenier8132]

It's not a BDSM novel. For it to be such it would need to at lampshade SSC exists but is being broken for the purposes of fantasy

[@pieniaurinko]

I wanted to give your comment a like - and then couldn't since it has exactly 69 right now. Sorry...^^

[@yugoxgc]

Frank Burns I dont think you know what irony is

[@Newt5996]

yugoxgc Wouldn't it count as a form of situational irony?

[@MariWakocha]

I laughed a little when he said Gray had dinner with his former dom, and I just picture an older Dom retired from making reviews~

[@personalglow]

lol i absolutely LOVED how he was wearing handcuffs the entire time. That is, untill he got so mad he broke them and began shooting up the place to vent his anger! XD

[@4rs0n1sm]

"If you're under 18" **army of 12y/o's laughing in the back**

[@zeldaofarel]

I once had a guy who told me I should spend the whole weekend with him, rather than Saturday with my mum shopping as we have planned. We didn't live together with my mum, so my time with her was precious. And this after 3 dates. I told him I don't want him dictating my time. He threw a fit. I told him to go to hell.

[@pyroshayniac1090]

You did exactly what you should have. Good job.

[@kayhaven4710]

Zelda of Arel good! Dump his toxic ass!

[@Bahr_2006]

Good choice.

[@geraldgrenier8132]

I hope when you discuses the messages you point out the BDSM community considers this book at best misinformed to worst Anti-kink propaganda trying to pass pass of an abusive relationship as a consensual BDSM relationship, while total disregarding the community principles of SSC (Safe, Sane, Consensual). It would have been more forgivable if it was written as a Thriller rather than a Romance novel.

[@mastermarkus5307]

I'm into BDSM, and I can get behind something written as like, a rape fantasy, but this is not only poorly written, but like you mentioned, filed under "romance" therefore giving it an uncomfortable twist of not being a thing made for someone's specific fetish or kink, but something trying to portray a "healthy" relationship.

[@isaacs8783]

Gerald Grenier there a BDSM community?

[@justgween7573]

Gerald Grenier I knew someone who was into BDSM that was/acted almost exactly like Christian was in this book. Its uncanny.

[@geraldgrenier8132]

+Amber Shoffren, yes there is.

[@geraldgrenier8132]

+Cringing Leonodon there are bad actors in any community. doesn't change the fact there actions are seen as at best problematic by others in the community. Abusers are not limited to any given community 8/

[@theeaid8701]

"As an avid porn lover..." - The Dom 2017

[@NachoCheeseDorito-Kun]

As an asexual, oblivious person who was stuck with Highschool Sex Ed, I honestly don't know how I still managed to have more sexual knowledge than a main chatacter in a -badly represented- BDSM/porn novel.

[@akinmytua4680]

A note on the young woman not understanding masturbation or feeling attraction even after puberty... it's not that uncommon. If she had had a religious upbringing it would have made much more sense.

[@kayhaven4710]

Autymn Maas same!!! I remember having crushes and urges I know understand as vague sexual drive, but I wasn’t ever inclined to act on them or try to figure out how to masturbate because sex was shameful and never talked about within my religious circles.

[@nerdywolverine8640]

yeah, and sometimes people just have low sex drives even during or after puberty.

[@findyourcenterbbc8483]

hell if she was grey asexual or demisexual it would have made more sense.

[@mammoneymelon]

​@@findyourcenterbbc8483 but then it would fall into the classic "asexual character is actually just inexperienced and needs to find the right person" trope. i know asexuality is a spectrum, but because it's so misunderstood, we have to be super careful not to add to that stigma

[@findyourcenterbbc8483]

@@mammoneymelon yeah your right, plot hole fixed but then more trash to a series that doesn't get bdsm right.

[@kieranlyon1643]

Dom, your review of this book is my favourite. Most people act over the top and make their rage comical. This book has done horrible damage to relationships and the perception of love and romance in younger people. Turning rage comical and funny degrades the damage this book has done. Thank you for being honest with your hate.

[@AlexOlinkiewicz]

I'm not afraid to admit that I'm part of the BDSM Lifestyle and Community, and this book and film series is just a flat out insult. Simply put if you guys want a current Love Story evolving the BDSM Lifestyle, don't waist your time and money on the Fifty Shades of SHIT, instead go read the SUNSTONE comic because not only its actually really good at telling a love story, it also knows the BDSM Lifestyle properly and gives it full respect to it.

[@IchigosHanyo]

Alex Olinkiewicz this comment is everything to me. Sunstone is life

[@sara-hc7wb]

I think they cater to different crowds. I don't think 50 shades is about giving a realistic and fair representation about BDSM, it's an erotic fantasy. fanfics about noncon stuff are pretty popular judging by how much of it there is and it's kind of it's own thing. doesn't mean one shouldn't point out that this ISN'T a novel about actual BDSM, but I don't think one should be too quick to say it's an "insult" either. did it ever *claim* to be a user manual for the BDSM curious?

[@puzzled0dreamer]

I don't know if it did claim it, but it was certainly treated that way by the media, at least where I'm from. Which, considering the messages and the writing, is nauseating at best :/ However I agree with the endorsement of sunstone, which isn't only well written and funny, but also has some stunning art. Also, you can find most of it on deviantart for free. Just saying.

[@Nionivek]

This book is HORRIBLE towards the BDSM lifestyle. As someone who is into things like Dungeons and dragons (and even videogames) I know what it is like to have things demonized and misrepresented. Congrats 50 Shades of Grey for spreading the freeken horrible myth that BDSM is practiced by abuse victims!

[@Nionivek]

#Kai sorry for double post. The problem is Kai that this is a novel that perpetuates a very discriminate and inflammatory version of BDSM. Being a totally unrealistic view of BDSM I could defend. Basically throwing practitioners under the bus (ONCE AGAIN!) as abuse victims / abusers and that BDSM is somehow imperfect to real sex... Is why this book personally gets my Ire and deserves EVERY SINGLE piece of hate it has ever received. In the same way that a book about hot homosexual love that states that the only reason they are homosexual is because their uncle abused them, isn't going to win my sympathy.

[@KiddCrowley]

"I can break these cuffs!" "You can't break those cuffs!" *AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!* "Oh shit he actually broke the cuffs"

[@GummyDinosaursify]

The only part i've ever actually read was the part towards the end where she is being spanked with a belt. The description in that scene and her internal monologue was so accurate to the thoughts and actions of an abused child that it actually made me physically ill and I refused to read another word.

[@painandsuffering7130]

2:57 as a person on the asexuality spectrum I feel called out. Of course, I know Dom being himself didn't mean anything offensive here, and Ana being overly interested in sex basically after 5 minutes of knowing Grey doesn't justify this explanation but still, we exist.

[@TheAlmightyJello]

Hear hear. I know he didn't really mean to infantilize us like that, but c'mon. We get enough of it from our family members constantly asking why we haven't found partners/had kids yet. (Not anything against ace people who do have partners and kids, just sick of the idea that you'd have to be a kid to not want sex or have any interest in it.)

[@lahlybird895]

I agree, Dom is not ace. And the only people who know or accept that Ace exists, are the ace! Everyone else just does not get it Dom has no idea what he's saying

[@Rockstar-yv3cu]

As an Author Fifty Shades of Gray gives me hope because if even this can gat a fanbase of it's own I can too

[@SamaritanPrime]

All you have to do is make sure you have your grammar and spelling in order and you've already done better.

[@akirahatson2593]

As alex mayers says:follow your dream kids🤣

[@akirahatson2593]

Hope you write sth great🤩

[@Bahr_2006]

Same here. By baseline standard for my own work is: Is this better than anything EL James has ever written?

[@bowtiefox]

Had a crush on a guy from a d&d group I was in, we got along at the time and dated for 6 years, in that time he became more and more emotionally cold and manipulative and would only talk/message me or want to hang out when it was convenient for him. I gave him every chance I could but in the end he didn't improve and it took me 6 years to realise that he was abusive and that when I was having a bad day or was upset it wasn't him who I thought of first. Its funny that the thing that made me realize that I was in love with my best friend and not him was when I saw the avengers infinity war and I couldn't Imagen him not existing... At the time I tried a while longer but I broke it off with my ex when he ignored me for a whole two weeks because I told him he'd upset me by going on a rant about why he didn't like a show that I did. I don't know I would have gotten out of it if it wasn't for the support I did from my now fiancé. I'm in a better place now, and have the most loving and kind fiancé in the world... Long TLDR emotional abuse is harder to spot when you're in it, you tell yourself it's just your imagination and that everything is fine but it isn't. It's a hard pill to swallow but if you realise that your in this emotional trap the best thing, truely is to cut the tie and move on with your life before the rope can become a chain. No matter how much you think they need you if you are getting hurt by the person who should take care of you the most then you need to get out of it as quickly as possible for your own sake. TLDR With rose tinted glasses every red flag just looks like a flag. Emotional abuse is hard to spot but if you can get out of it please do because it is a better world on the other side. (Sorry this was so long)

[@rita8752]

Im glad your better now!!

[@Baldwin-iv445]

I honestly don't care that it's long since long comments are the best from my experience. And I'm glad that you're able to talk comfortably about this and that you're in a better relationship.

[@hexreviews]

Your reaction doesn't surprise me, but it does make me like you more as a person.

[@DimaRakesah]

I am convinced the only reason this billionaire hottie would find interest in a bumbling, boring, average looking woman like Anastasia is because he sensed her low self confidence and saw her as an easy target for his future abuse towards her.

[@ultimatetrashboy419]

DimaRakesah like a cult leader

[@anna_in_aotearoa3166]

The truly tragic thing is that this does seem to happen in real life? Abusers do look for targets who have terrible self esteem, and then try to cut them off from their friends & family to make them even easier to manipulate. The way the author unknowingly (??) portrays a sociopathic abusive stalker's behavior with accuracy is rather scary... given she doesn't seem to have good writing skills in inventing characters, does that mean she's actually experienced this?? The way she romanticizes it really makes me worried about her mental health.

[@3asianassassin]

Well the second book reveals that he's into her because she LOOKS LIKE HIS MOTHER and takes out his mommy issues on her. Its an Oedipus complex as big as his ego

[@wolfsruhm]

@@3asianassassin why would you read a second book of that terrible writing?

[@catspaw3092]

You can tell that the author is acting out her sexual fantasies through Ana because she never had hot guys lust after her they went after other hot chicks. The Plain Janes always get overlooked so she decided to write about hot guys lusting after her (Anatasia) but E. L. James wasn't expecting such a backlash about her writing & characters Christian & Ana. Ana is just like Bella Swan taking abuse from hot control freak guys while ignoring the other hot guy (Jose & Jacob) who was trying to force their love on them.

[@nicolersands]

Christian Gray is actually the self insert. Her first Twilight fanfic had a similar concept, but was written from Edward’s perspective. All her books after the Fifty Shade’s series are either exclusively or mainly written from the controlling abusive guy’s perspective.

[@TheGoldenNeil]

I remember when the book first came out, a friend said he found it on his counter and started reading it for class, before his mom took it away from him. I really hate the book so fucking much. I mean, if parents are so callous about it and leave it lying around, why do they even fucking bother taking it away? I hate this book.

[@TheGoldenNeil]

I mean, how can fire kindling like this get turned into TWO incredibly shitty movies, when Sandman (the Neil Gaiman stories) can't even get one movie?

[@wildwesley9328]

I’m asexual. I have never felt (and don’t expect to ever feel) sexual attraction towards anyone. That being said, if I were to ever feel that way for someone, I hope to any god who will listen that I would have the self control to not let that person take completely control of my life like this chick does.

[@laetitiadequirini2588]

thank you for your comment! it's a pleasure seing your self respect. i'm serious, no sarcasm intended in any way!

[@lina9535]

This has for some reason become one of my comfort playlists. No idea why it helps (varies on the degree on 70%-100%) with my anxiety attacks 🤣

[@jdreu3283]

It was explained to me, by someone in the publishing industry, that when they find works like this that have a massive following on-line, they don't edit it, for fear of alienating those fans - changing it from what they know. Honestly, *any* editing would have vastly improved this POS. (I attempted to read it. I got about half way through and wasn't enjoying the reading, was dreading reading it, and it was turning me off of all reading, so I stopped reading it and life improved greatly.)

[@KryssLaBryn]

Hey, I'm a sexually-frustrated middle-aged housewife, and I still think this book is utter shit! XD Also I love your channel. :D

[@scouttyra]

+

[@kiyozuki1283]

On the subject of it not being considered 'porn' I just realized - could it be because Fifty Shades itself started out as FANFICTION and wasn't taken as seriously because of that? Which is a shame because there's loads of great fanfiction out there, and this is a very poor representation of the genre really.

[@neonradius]

Every time I watch this is reminds me of when my great grandmother (a small, fragile old lady) read Fifty Shades and when asked what she thought of it said, without a hint of emotion “It was f*cking stupid”. Legend.

[@Roseforthethorns]

Oh my God. Watching him lose it when Grey follows Ana to Georgia is amazing.

[@TheMysticArcana]

I'm a freshman in highschool. I've seen girls reading the books. as an aspiring author, I felt very DONE with my classmates.

[@magicrainbowkitties1023]

You and me both

[@letterborneVods]

To be fair, reading the books doesn‘t mean they‘re bad people, I mean Dom read them too so ... (Unless you meant they read it and approved of it)

[@Conumbra]

Anastasia not having sexual feelings until romantically infatuated with Christian makes some amount of sense if she's demisexual or some other variety of gray asexual. Of course I'm 100% convinced the author didn't know of this when she wrote the book, so I'm not giving her any credit. Also beggars the question as to why Anastasia apparently never even had a crush on someone before.

[@mastermarkus5307]

Also, as far as I know, someone who is demisexual isn't turned on by one specific person without knowing a damn thing about them, but rather someone they become emotionally close to. This is not the case in this book.

[@chabololdayh7106]

could be she's bot demisexual and demiromantic? Or maybe, since it's true the emotional bond isn't too deep, it's more a form of greysexuality/romantism ?

[@sofiaa1616]

Yeah, this is a bit of a tricky issue when it comes to criticizing 50SoG and Twilight and the fact that both female protagonists never felt any attraction to anyone until they met Christian/Edward. On the one hand, the framing of some of these criticisms can oftentimes come close to asexual/demisexual erasure. *But*, on the other hand....c'mon, we all know that's not what E.L. and S.M. were going for. They were going for the tired, old (and sexist) trope of "AnaBella is so virginal and pure and perfect, that no man was ever good enough for her. Not until Chedward, because he is THE ONE."

[@GummyDinosaursify]

Also, not feeling sexual arousal (or not realizing it) until later isn't that uncommon. I feel like there's this disconnect with hyper sexual people and their view of sexuality and being aroused (usually what the media portrays as well) and how the general public actually feels (more specifically women since men tend to be more hyper sexual by nature). And then there's the whole intelligence thing that ties into lower intelligence having a higher sex drive to produce children. And then the whole "people confuse lust with love" issue as well as the self esteem/pressure to be in a sexual relationship early on in your life. It's a big mess of chemicals and genes and animal nature vs human nature. It's not as simplistic as "Well, everyone loves sex!".

[@Lukkilikka]

Pretty much. Also so that ALL of Ana's sexual experiences 'belong' to Grey.

[@huntcd2012]

Wow, I knew this story was screwed up by its reputation, but hearing an actual synopsis of it just makes it even worse. The weird thing about it all is that this sounds like it could've been a good story if not for the fact that were supposed to be rooting for these two to get together. Seriously, Christian Grey makes Edward Cullen look like Clark Kent for crying out loud.

[@Titaniumbunny24]

No need to apologize for showing your bias. The humor you create from your reactions to the utter scuminess of these kinds of books and their characters is one of the many reasons I love your videos :).

[@lilclerk]

Ugh, thank you so much for pointing out all of the disturbing messages the book throws out. If it was just another dirty novel, I would have no issues with it (aside from my surprise that it's so popular despite how bad it is.) I mean, the stalking, manipulation, rape, then she falls in "love". This is not a romantic love story with some dirty chapters.

[@elgostine]

Oh dominic, you are GLORIOUS

[@polnochkoshmary]

Anyone else find this review series carthartic and soothing? I watch these every time my PTSD informs me i'm not allowed to sleep. Generally helps me at least get an hour or so and can not only take my mind off my own shit but leave me giggling no matter what horrors are in my head. Thank you so much for the amazingness that is you. Also, for anyone who doesn't know, gathering a group of your friends who understand how sex works and putting on these movies is not only a great recipe for an amazing weekend but also a good way to spend 4-6 hours per movie as you pause it to yell to each other about how it is wrong and horrible and bullshit. You are welcome :P

[@crissyd4975]

How my boyfriend admitted to me he's into bondage: *looks at me* wanna try something weird?

[@tryoxiss]

Lol, i guess it is kinda strange

[@Ticket2theMoon]

Sometimes when I'm really angry about something and having trouble coping, I come here and let Dom be angry for me for a little while.

[@vedantthapar3666]

It’s honestly impressive when you realise that EL James managed to write a character more disturbing than a vampire who watches you sleep.

[@HyruleSwordsman94]

"All of these characters are scum!" That's enough, Dom. You told us all we need, there's no need to torture yourself further.

[@Svartfalk]

I swear this playlist is my best source of shadefreude these days

[@PorgWitch]

I come back to these videos a lot because as a member of the kink community it means so much that even if this isn't your thing, you care about the stigma surrounding it. It's exhausting people thinking this is any basis for comparison

[@nietzopaniquen]

Now I'm kinda curious... Are you also gonna review the sequels??? Are you gonna put yourself through that pain?????

[@Dominic-Noble]

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooope.

[@residentgrigo4701]

I couldn´t be bothered sampling the sequels either, even out of professional curiosity. I read better hentai that this historic bestseller, WTF?

[@thunderguyer]

Oh just you wait till the patreon folk make you do it

[@Friendly_T_Girl]

To Patreon everyone. Lets make it happen.

[@l.tc.5032]

The Dom I don't blame you.

[@juliaboon9741]

This is like the 5th time I've seen this. Why watching this series of reviews is so comforting to me when my illness is acting up, I will never know.

[@camz5578]

"If you're under eighteen-" they'll never find me

[@UIAL570]

You being so angry with Christian completed my life!😂😂

[@susanowen1709]

A former co-worker recommended this book to me shortly after it was published. Now, when I'm thinking of reading a book, I pick a few random pages near the beginning and middle, & read a paragraph or two to see if it sounds interesting. I didn't even get as far as Ana meeting Christian - as soon as this alleged American student talked about needing a "smart rucksack" to take "on holiday," I knew the author hadn't done a lick of research & never went any further with it. Later, when I found out that it was abuse disguised as BDSM, I was appalled that she'd suggested it to me as a "really sexy" novel. Thank you, Dom, for taking the bullet on this series so the rest of us don't have to.

[@ellie9635]

My dumb brain took about two years to realise the cover design was a tie I literally thought it was a really strange silver spiral

[@Bahr_2006]

Personally, I thought it was something BDSM-related, but then it donned on me it was a tie.

[@Fishhunter2014]

The fact that this exists as a published book - let alone a major hollywood film, makes me mad. Then I found out the movie made back it's budget more than 10 times over . . . I can't decide if I want to punch something or cry profusely.

[@brittanykidwell9044]

I so agree!

[@theoriginalsuzycat]

I love how Dominic can't bring himself to say Christian Gray's first name because he despises him SO MUCH that he has to be just "Gray".

[@PlutoniumBoss]

The description of this video should simply be: "In which The Dom CANNOT EVEN."

[@some_metalhead]

I’ve read fanfics that were genuinely better than the original source material. This was not one of them.

[@daemonsw0lf]

I just want you to know I appreciate your handcuffs.

[@veritasreigns]

"Al of these characters are SCUM"" *happy grin while dying inside*

[@tatyanacastellanos6209]

You know its been years but i still come back to this playlist once in a while cuz man i feel like i need some sanity once in a while lol i enjoy your frustration just because i feel like you speak it for me lol thank you!

[@Shenaldrac]

Just a friendly reminder that James has gone on record in interviews as stating that the relationship presented in her books is not abusive or unhealthy, and she is disturbed that people claim it is. So yeah, this woman is utterly unaware of what a good, healthy relationship is. Please do not ever let her have children. Please never let her have responsibility for another human being.

[@haggisa]

Too late, she already has two kids.

[@Shenaldrac]

@@haggisa Fucking welp.

[@haggisa]

@@Shenaldrac Indeed.

[@JimmyC1994]

The two characters in all of fiction that anger me the most are 1: Battlestone from Rob Liefeld's Youngblood 2: Christian Grey EVERYTHING about the characters scream VILLAIN/main antagonist and yet the writers constantly claim that they are 'complex antiheroes' with emotions amd feelings and flaws and all that guff, which is an absolute load of ridiculous bulls**t!!

[@saving_pluto3317]

People thinking fifty shades of grey is romantic is like people thinking lolita is romantic

[@nicolaskiergras9322]

You know... I'm so glad that back when I heard about this thing getting a movie I was so damn petty that because it was popular I had unwarranted hatred for it. Now I have justified hatred for it.

[@flamecaster0534]

I'm just realizing that Dominic is wearing handcuffs and dying of laughter

[@happyninja42]

Oh please please please have Calluna show up in this review series! 1. It would be hilarious to watch you two play off each other with the material. 2. It's always fun to see a woman (the hypothetical target audience for this material), tear into it for the crap it is. xD

[@Dominic-Noble]

happyninja42 Not a bad idea but alas, being on opposite sides of the atlantic makes teaming up with her impratical currently.

[@happyninja42]

true, but you have done video inserts of her from her place into your videos before. That might make at least for some amusing added content. Especially if you are dressed up like Anastasia and she's Dorian xD Or at the very least she could toss in a comment or two from the female perspective on the relationship stuff depicted.

[@AmuseicDCTS]

Dorian? I think you just insulted Oscar Wilde's memory... :D Or am I missing something?

[@happyninja42]

Did I misspeak? I dunno. I really didn't track much regarding 50SOG. I thought his name was Dorian, but whatever it's supposed to be. The Gray guy in the story. I can't be arsed to look it up because I just don't care about the book at all.

[@AmuseicDCTS]

It's nothing, I just found it funny, that you mistook the guys name to Wilde's classic.

[@XmulifanX]

Might I suggest using the "Calm-intellectual-filter for the next episode. I fear otherwise the ceiling will fall on the Dom's head after shooting at it that much. ;)

[@paulettesavard1998]

I kind of wonder what the book would have been like if Ana was ace in Christian had to come to terms with the fact that the woman "he's in love "with has no interest in sex and that she has to get to know her as a human being and not you know the sex object

[@alias374]

This is now my go-to Video response whenever someone asks, how I can dislike 50Shades without having read it... The synopsis is quite enough. Enjoyable video though.

[@mii6619]

Poor Dom, this is cruel and unusual punishment

[@Victoura56]

Coming back to this while waiting for the final episode covering Freed. How far you've come, Dom, and thank you for doing this.

[@Krasus75]

The cuffs were a great touch. Kudos

[@MizzNijna]

I found this channel Yesterday, and I allready love it (and The Dom) to bits!!!

[@c.w.simpsonproductions1230]

This video is FIVE YEARS OLD???!!! Holy crap, where did the time go?

[@Kirsten4260]

I love how he’s just standing there in handcuffs xD I’m so sorry what you’ve been through bro

[@nistulathampuran534]

OMG!!!! I'm actually terrified by just listening to the synopsis..........WTH!!! are there really people who get turned on by this? It's just scary.....😱😱😱😱😱

[@curtisgoldthorpe6656]

I love how genuine and honest you re Dom x

[@clarisapolk7050]

I have never read the book nor do I intend to. I have never seen the movies, nor do I intend to. But, I am overjoyed that you did this playlist of reviews. love it!!!!!!! Thank you for suffering through the books and movie, for me and others like me.

[@residentgrigo4701]

I am a librarian so i put my nose into parts of this book and it is complete shit. Twilight (3,5/10) is bad but i get it´s (complicated) appeal. This is pure trash though and undeniably plagiarist too. 2/10 50 shades is arguably porn in all but name, yet the novel is just that in the end. As are all comics / manga that aren´t explicitly put out as age restricted materiel. The book market is dumb in that way, so any child can lend the book from a (German) library in the end. Which they do. I was there and manning the counter.

[@mastermarkus5307]

"As are all comics / manga that aren´t explicitly put out as age restricted materiel" I'm very confused by that statement, since all comics and manga aren't subtle porn pretending to be something else.

[@isaacs8783]

Master Markus I think she means that the comics and manga that are 'subtle porn'.

[@residentgrigo4701]

Go to basically any scanlation site for manga. You will see all sorts of pornographic looking material, or such webtoos, even by "real" porn artist but the publisher will just put them out as a regular publication. That is just how it is, unless legal trouble arises. Japan had a short lived crackdown on manga a few years ago. About a dozen titles, one of them an adaptation of a hentai game (!), were forbidden to be re-sold as regular - aka. all ages - publications. Meaning that the publishers would need to classify them as "porn", but they usually refuse. 2/4 Chan then had a fit... Rolls eyes. Lost Girls by Alan Moore can be carried by libraries for that very reason but some random hustler anthology won´t be. To make it simple: There is no MPAA or ESRB for books. I have seen books that are just a closeup photos of vaginas and dicks in libraries, but they are supposed to be some high art crap about self expression.... or something, so on the shelves they go. Long story short, none of this makes sense and my sampling of 50 Shades was truly bewildering.

[@mastermarkus5307]

resident grigo I get it. I just thought you were thinking that was the case for comics and manga in general. I get what you're talking about with the weird double standards.

[@josephineciendeilio695]

Fifty shades is porn in writing form, plain and simple.