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50 Shades of Grey chapter 5 recap or: “IAN SOMERHALDER, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”

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Yesterday, after I posted my ode to all that is wonderful in chapter four of 50 Shades of Grey, news broke that Ian Somerhalder, aka Damon on The Vampire Diaries, would be interested in playing Christian Grey on the big screen. Yeah, that’s a great idea, Ian. Go from a fucking terrible show about vampires to a fucking terrible movie ripped-off from fucking terrible books about vampires. That’s a great lateral move. At least The Vampire Diaries had awesome source material (even if the screen writers ignore it). You and your rescue cats will be in kitty kibble and toy mice for ages, but how will your soul feel, Ian? Cheap. Used. Poorly written. That’s how it will feel.

For more on the 50 Shades movie (and just typing that sentence made me want to stick my head in the oven), you can bop on over to this insipid column at E!’s website: More stupid bullshit about making this book into a movie because that is how low American culture has sunk.
What seems really bizarre to me is how people are like, “How are they going to make this into a movie? It would have to be rated NC-17.” Well, certainly not for the language, but seriously? Is there any sex in this thing? Everyone keeps telling me there’s all this hot sex that’s going to save my marriage, whether it needs saving or not (and likely I’ll realize how much saving it needed when I read this book that shines holy sexual light from its pages, and then I’ll take back every bad thing I ever said about it in between giving blow jobs so enthusiastic I’ll have a neck like a fucking line backer), but I have yet to see anything sexy happen. I mean, Ana seems to think there’s a lot of sex going on, but I’m just not seeing it.
So, with that I bring you chapter five of 50 Shades of Grey, also known as The Search For The Sex That Never Was.
Ana wakes up in Christian Grey’s bed at the hotel. Holy crap. She remembers drinking, drunk dialing him, nearly getting date raped, and vomiting. She doesn’t remember how she got to his room. Now she’s in his bed with no pants or socks on. This ups the ante from “holy crap” to “holy shit”. Christian has left orange juice and two pills, Advil, beside the bed. You better be damn sure that’s Advil, because this guy is weird.
Human-Centipede-006
I’m not saying this will happen. I’m just saying it could happen.
 
Ana drinks the orange juice:

It’s thirst quenching and refreshing. Nothing beats freshly squeezed orange juice for reviving an arid mouth.

This message brought to you by the California Citrus Grower’s Association.

There’s a knock on the door. My heart leaps into my mouth, and I can’t seem to find my voice. He opens the door anyway and strolls in.

Since it is customary to mark the first appearance of a character in a scene by referring to them by name, and since E.L. James has chosen not to do so here, I must assume that we are now referring to Christian Grey as capital H “He”, as is befitting of God Himself.

 Holy hell, he’s been working out. He’s in gray sweat pants that hang, in that way, off his hips and  gray singlet, which is dark with sweat, like his hair. Christian Grey’s sweat, the notion does odd things to me. I take a deep breath and close my eyes. I feel like a two-year-old, if I close my eyes then I’m not really here.

His pants are hanging off his hips in that way. You know, in that way. Which way? Because every person wearing a pair of pants right now are wearing them hanging from their hips. Unless they are very old men who don’t like to wear their pants below their bellies, so they jack them up over their moobs. And two-year-old? Again with the proximity of children to sexuality. Oy.

Christian explains (“Phlegmatically”, which can either mean “having to do with phlegm” or “calm and unemotional”, but I’m going to go with “having to do with phlegm”) that since he didn’t want her puking in his car the night before, he brought her to the hotel rather than driving her home. She asks if he undressed her, which leads to the requisite blushing and questioning whether or not they had sex.

“Anastasia, you were comatose. Necrophilia is not my thing. I like my women sentient and receptive,” he says dryly.

“I like my women like I like my coffee… bound with cable ties and screaming in the trunk of my car.”  So, Christian actually did the decent thing (after not doing the decent thing at all by tracking her phone and coming to pick her up when she didn’t want him to) for her after the puke-a-thon in the parking lot, but the moment he tries to lightly tease her about the events of the evening, she complains internally about being “made to feel like the villain of the piece.” When he defends himself, she teases him, and of course, his icy demeanor is melted again. Because if there is one rule that does not apply to Ana, ever, it is “treat others the way you would like to be treated”. It’s okay for her to tease him, but not for him to tease her.

In one of my very favorite twists of awesome fate ever, Ana says Christian talks “like a courtly knight.” And Christian responds with, “Dark knight, maybe.” Which means I get to use this picture again:

f8a88-abed
Worth it.
It’s also kind of funny that he calls himself a “Dark knight” and he just tracked her location via cell phone. Remember when Batman did that? Morgan Freeman was pissed, yo.
Christian and Ana have some back and forth over whether or not she’s eaten, and she accuses him of scolding her, and then this happens:

“Well, if you were mine, you wouldn’t be able to sit down for a week after the stunt you pulled yesterday. You didn’t eat, you got drunk, you put yourself at risk.” He closes his eyes, dread etched on his lovely face, and he shudders slightly. When he opens his eyes, he glares at me. “I hate to think what could have happened to you.” I scowl back at him. What is his problem? What’s it to him? If I was his… well I’m not. Though maybe, part of me would like to be. The thought pierces through the irritation I feel at his high-handed words. I flush at the waywardness of my subconscious – she’s doing her happy dance in a bright red hula skirt at the thought of being his.

So, in other words, the hero of this story is saying he would beat the heroine if she had the audacity to go out with her friends to celebrate graduating from college. He’s also subtly blaming her for nearly getting raped. Let me reiterate for you, gentle reader, this is the man women of America are falling in love with. There was a particularly gross article on The Huffington Post the other day where a woman lamented the fact that her husband isn’t more like Christian Grey. No, there isn’t a slow gas leak in your house, this is happening. Women across the country are feeling somehow cheated by life because their husbands won’t beat them if they want to exercise their right as a human being to go out and get drunk with their friends. Because their husbands won’t blame them if they get raped. Seriously, if any one of my friends dares to complain like that in front of me, I will drown her for the good of the female species. This I vow.

Christian goes to take a shower, so of course, Ana sits there on the bed in a puddle of girl goo because he’s so sexy. Victim blaming gets her so wet, you have no idea.

One minute he rebuffs me, the next he sends me fourteen-thousand-dollar books, then he tracks me like a stalker.

And for all that, I have spent the night in his hotel suite, and I feel safe. Protected. He cares enough to come and rescue me from some mistakenly perceived danger. He’s not  dark knight at all, but a white knight in shining, dazzling armor – a classic romantic hero – Sir Gawain or Lancelot.

They should print this out and just stick it in the pamphlets for women’s crisis centers hidden in the bathroom at the gynecologist’s office. “Is this how you feel about your partner? Call this confidential help line.” There’s nothing romantic or noble about “rescuing” a woman from her friends. Okay, yes, she was being assaulted when he showed up at the bar, but (and this is an important ‘but’) she wasn’t being assaulted when she called him. He had no reason to believe she was in any danger, and every reason to believe she was just out having a good time. This isn’t romance. This is an abusive relationship in the making.

Christian comes out of the shower in just a towel, and she’s there in just her t-shirt, and the sexual tension is palpable:

“If you’re looking for your jeans, I’ve sent them to the laundry.” His gaze is a dark obsidian. “They were spattered with your vomit.”

Swoon. Then, Ana flushes scarlet. I’m wondering what other colors she thinks people flush. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone flush azure. The good news is, Christian’s bodyguard has bought Ana some new pants. She goes to take a shower and while she’s in there, she realizes that for the first time in her life, she’s sexually attracted to someone. But he hasn’t made a pass at her, like Paul and Jose have. I like how this book not only tries to justify Christian’s abusive behavior as romantic, but seems to also caution against normal human interaction as some kind of future warning. Jose asked her out like normal guys do, but then he kisses her without her consent. Paul asks her out, but then turns into a jerk when she says no. See, ladies? You don’t want a guy to just ask you out. He needs to stalk you and buy scary items at your work.

In the shower, the smell of Christian’s body wash get Ana all hot and horny, and she’s pretty invested in a solo heavy petting session when he knocks on the door to tell her breakfast is ready. Ana gets out of the shower and finds that along with jeans and new shoes, Christian’s bodyguard has also picked up matching, lacy blue bra and panties for her.  Ana flushes when she thinks of the bodyguard buying them for her, but I like to think that he considers shopping for ladies underwear is a perk of his job, and maybe he picked up something frilly for himself, too.  Everything fits perfectly, because this is a fantasy, and everyone knows that women ultimately fantasize about clothes that fit perfectly, so good on you for this one, E.L. James. Ana also  struggles with her just plain awful hair, but not for as long as the opening scene in the book, thank God. She takes a deep breath and goes out to the bedroom, but Christian is gone, so she takes another deep breath. This is a throwback to her time on the space station and her fear that the room beyond the next airlock would have been compromised and without oxygen.

Taking another deep breath, I enter the living area of the suite. It’s huge. There’s an opulent, plush seating area, all overstuffed couches and soft cushions, an elaborate coffee table with a stack of large glossy books, a study area with a top-of-the-range Mac, an enormous plasma screen TV on the wall, and Christian is sitting at a dining table on the other side of the room reading a newspaper. It’s the size of a tennis court or something, not that I play tennis, though I have watched Kate a few times.

That’s a big newspaper. Thinking of Kate’s privileged life reminds Ana that her friend exists. Crap! Christian explains that Kate knows where she is, because he texted his brother.

Oh no. I remember her fervent dancing of the night before. All her patented moves used with maximum effort to seduce Christian’s brother no less! What’s she going to think about me being here? I’ve never stayed out before. She’s still with Elliot. She’s only done this twice before, and both times I’ve had to endure the hideous pink PJs for a week from the fallout. She’s going to think I’ve had a one-night stand too.

I’ve been having a hell of a time imagining these seductive, yet fervent, dance moves since they were mentioned in the last chapter. The way they’re described in the prose gives the impression that these are some fast, sweaty dance moves, but they’re somehow seductive. Is Kate a cabaret belly dancer? I like how Ana automatically assumes that Elliot is just using Kate for sex (like Ana is using her for cheap rent), and that her concern isn’t necessarily for her friend’s emotional well-being, but that she might have to see the bunny pajamas again for as long as a week. I hate when the rich friends I live with for practically no rent have the gall to wear pajamas I don’t like. Ana’s most immediate concern after that is, naturally, also a selfish one. Kate is going to think Ana has slept with Christian Grey, and as every adult woman knows, sleeping with a man is the worst thing you can do.

Christian doesn’t know what Ana likes for breakfast, so he’s ordered a little of everything on the menu. It’s a scene that steals from Pretty Woman more than from Twilight, and it’s a nice change. You’d think that after a wicked black-out drunk, pancakes and eggs would be welcomed, but as we have already learned, Ana is horrible and she likes absolutely nothing in life:

“I didn’t know what you liked, so I ordered a selection from the breakfast menu.” He gives me a crooked, apologetic smile.
“That’s very profligate of you,” I murmur, bewildered by the choice, though I am hungry.

Profligate? I would have called it “considerate”, but by all means, criticize the guy who was trying to give you a nice breakfast. But also, maybe be aware of the consequences of eating that breakfast. It could be drugged.

Human-Centipede-006
 Although this would improve the book, drastically.
Christian remembers how she likes her tea (“Jeez!”) and “scolds” her for having damp hair. After a shower. What does this guy do, just glare and act churlish toward his hair until it dries perfectly, just moments after a wash? Ana thanks him for the clothes and offers to pay for them, and he’s offended at her offer, saying that he bought the clothes and the extremely expensive first edition books for her “because I can,” which is basically open intimidation. He’s rich, he’s going to do what he wants. And what he wants right now is to be Edward Cullen:

“Well, when you were nearly run over by the cyclist – and I was holding you and you were looking up at me – all kiss me, kiss me, Christian,” he pauses and shrugs slightly, “I felt I owed you an apology and a warning.” He runs his hand through his hair. “Anastasia, I’m not a hearts and flowers kind of man, I don’t do romance. My tastes are very singular. You should steer clear from me.” He closes his eyes as if in defeat. “There’s something about you, though, and I’m finding it impossible to stay away. But I think you’ve figured that out already.”

Christian, please to elaborate on the “something” about Ana that you can’t stay away from. Is it the way she loathes her friends and mentally belittles them at every opportunity? What about the way she has barely mastered the fine art of walking? All we’ve really seen by way of interaction between the two of them is Ana insulting him half the time and mumbling the other half. Where is the connection? It makes no sense for a rich, powerful man to want to put up with Ana’s teenage angst bullshit. But since this fanfic would be sunk if Edward and Bella didn’t get together, I as the reader must bend over and accept that this romantic connection exists. I’ll get the lube.

Anabella suggests that if Chedward can’t stay away from her, maybe he shouldn’t. Then she asks him if he’s celibate. He’s not, and he wants to know what she’s doing for the next few days. Chedward is direct. She’s working, and packing, since she’s going to be moving to Seattle next week. He asks her a few questions about this upcoming move, and you know how Ana likes being asked questions born of genuine interest:

The Christian Grey Inquisition is almost as irritating as the Katherine Kavanagh Inquisition.

Here are Jennifer Armintrout’s helpful tips on how to be a good friend to Anastasia Rose Steele:

  • Never make fun of her name.
  • Give her things of monetary value. Jeans, Converse sneakers, or something intangible, like low rent.
  • Don’t ask her questions.
  • Don’t wear pajamas she doesn’t like.
  • Put her at the center of the universe when she wants you to, fade into the background the rest of the time

There isn’t a lot of pay off to this plan, because she’s horrible, but it will be so worth it, because she’s the heroine of the book and therefore you have to like knowing her. Christian again offers Ana a job, which she doesn’t want, because being a college graduate with a paying job is so 1996.

“I’d like to bite that lip,” he whispers darkly.
Oh my. I am completely unaware that I am chewing my bottom lip. My mouth pops open as I gasp and swallow at the same time. That has to be the sexiest thing anybody has ever said to me.

And gasping and swallowing at the same time has to be the sexiest noise anybody has ever made. Rather than assuming Ana is choking and immediately leaping up to give her the Heimlich Maneuver (please note that I spelled “Heimlich” correct on the first try, but it took three times to get “Maneuver” right), Christian explains that he’s not going to touch Ana without written consent. And, I would assume, some sort of extra hazard insurance.  He wants to explain everything to her over dinner in Seattle, and he’s pretty sure she’s not going to want to see him again once he does explain it all.

Holy shit. What does that mean? Does he white-slave small children to some God-forsaken part of the planet? Is he part of some underworld crime syndicate? It would explain why he’s so rich. Is he deeply religious? Is he impotent? Surely not, he could prove that to me right now. Oh my. I flush scarlet thinking about the possibilities.

So, she thinks he would whip out his cock and beat it to tumescence right at the breakfast table to prove he’s not impotent? Okay, we’ll go with that. Christian arranges a helicopter ride from Portland to Seattle for after Ana’s shift. I don’t get why she doesn’t just call in. She’s not going to keep working in Portland when she’s living in Seattle, right? And she has these expensive books she doesn’t want to keep, she could live off the money from those for a while. (This is why I have been unable to keep any job that wasn’t writing, by the way. This line of reasoning right here). Christian commands, literally commands Ana to eat, because he has an issue with wasted food. He wants her to clean her plate, and he really does expect her to listen to him. When she’d done, he rewards her with a “Good girl” and sends her to dry her hair because he doesn’t want her to get sick, going outside with wet hair. There is absolutely nothing sexier than a guy who gives the same advice as my grandma, let me tell you. Christian also reveals that he’s never slept with someone and not had sex, which means he’s either never been to scout camp, or he has some really bad memories from scout camp.

What in heaven’s name does that mean? He’s never slept with anyone? He’s a virgin? Somehow I doubt that. I stand staring at him in disbelief. He is the most mystifying person I’ve ever met. And it dawns on me that I have slept with Christian Grey, and I kick myself – what would I have given to be conscious to watch him sleep. See him vulnerable.

Okay, 1) you know he’s not a virgin, he said he wasn’t celibate. Words mean things. Didn’t you just graduate with a degree in English? 2) You’re missing a question mark. 3) That’s creepy, and you’re doing this all wrong. Bella sleeps, Edward watches. Get your shit together.

Ana goes back to the bathroom to dry her hair, and while she’s in there she encounters the most erotic, the most thrilling, the most positively tantalizing of all temptations:

I want to clean my teeth. I eye Christian’s toothbrush. It would be like having him in my mouth.

[Note: the following section should be read in the voice of Morgan Freeman in The Shawshank Redemption.] I wish I could tell you that Ana did not use Chedward’s toothbrush. I wish I could tell you that she respects personal boundaries and would never do something so incredibly gross as put another person’s toothbrush in her mouth.

Hmm… Glancing guiltily over my shoulder at the door, I feel the bristles on the toothbrush. They are damp. He must have used it already. Grabbing it quickly, I squirt toothpaste on it and brush my teeth in double quick time. I feel so naughty. It’s such a thrill.

toothbrush
 This is a real book, is all I’m saying.
Back in the living area, Christian is on the phone. You can tell it’s something important about business, because he’s name dropping far-off locations like he’s trying to prove that the Earth is his BFF and he’s been on its yacht. Suez, Ben Sudan, Darfur, he’s an important guy and he spends Earth day in the VIP room, with the cake and bottles of Grey Goose. Then they leave, while Ana thinks how weird it is that even after she was a drunken mess the night before, he’s still there. Well, it is his hotel room. They get on the elevator, which apparently emits super horny rays, because the second the doors close, Christian Grey is all over her.

“Oh, fuck the paperwork,” he growls. He lunges at me, pushing me against the wall of the elevator. Before I know it, he’s got both of my hands in one of his in a vice-like grip above my head, and he’s pinning me to the wall using his hips. Holy shit. His other hand grabs my ponytail and yanks down, bringing my face up, and his lips are on mine. It’s only just not painful. I moan into his mouth, giving his tongue an opening. He takes full advantage, his tongue expertly exploring my mouth. I have never been kissed like this.

I’m going to assume Ana has never been kissed, ever, at all, since until the morning she went for coffee with Grey, she hadn’t even held hands with anyone. She goes from first kiss to wanting to have public sex in one paragraph. And then, we have the first appearance (and I have been assured there will be many) of Ana’s “inner goddess.” Christian notices that she’s brushed her teeth (so… he was going to kiss her with all of this morning’s breakfast and last night’s vomit still clinging in a film to her teeth? Hot.), and she fesses up to using his toothbrush. Instead of recoiling in horror and asking her what the fuck she thought she was doing, he’s amused, and they leave the hotel together.

And that’s it for chapter five. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go brush my teeth. With my own toothbrush, thank you very much.

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43 Comments

  1. I'm actually crying with laughter reading this! Thank you for bringing much needed laughs into my life x

    February 12, 2013
    |Reply
  2. I' actually crying with laughter here! Brilliant! Thank you for bringing much needed laughs into my life x

    February 12, 2013
    |Reply
  3. Anonymous
    Anonymous

    Oh god, it's been really long since the last time I laughed out loud while reading something on my phone.. Awesome, thanks.

    March 17, 2013
    |Reply
  4. Anonymous
    Anonymous

    I just want to say, I'm working my way through these while knitting, and they are hilarious. I'm nearing the end of this knitting project and actually started planning out the next one not because I really want to or need to make another sweater, but because it gives me an excuse to keep reading these if I can say I'm doing something semi-useful at the same time. Thank you so much for these!

    March 30, 2013
    |Reply
  5. OMG! I about died when I saw the pic from Human Centipede! LOL

    May 14, 2013
    |Reply
  6. “My mouth pops open as I gasp and swallow at the same time. That has to be the sexiest thing anybody has ever said to me.
    And gasping and swallowing at the same time has to be the sexiest noise anybody has ever made.”

    I wonder if my co-workers wonder why I'm sitting at my desk, laughing! LOL

    May 14, 2013
    |Reply
  7. Ros
    Ros

    I laughed so hard, my husband kept asking me what was do funny!

    June 2, 2013
    |Reply
  8. More like “as if gasping and swallowing at the same time were even possible.” I’m a nurse. I know. You can’t. You have an epiglottis.

    BTW, I am laughing my ass off. Probably won’t sleep tonight.

    August 8, 2013
    |Reply
  9. The Morgan Freeman bit was by far the best part. I couldn’t stop laughing.

    September 2, 2013
    |Reply
  10. I’m reading this at a coffee shop, which is probably a mistake. *snort, chuckle, snerk*

    I’m using each post as my carrot on a stick for completing some of my own writing, though, so my productivity just shot through the roof.

    September 11, 2013
    |Reply
  11. “Christian also reveals that he’s never slept with someone and not had sex, which means he’s either never been to scout camp, or he has some really bad memories from scout camp.”

    I feel like I should be ashamed for laughing so long and hard at that, BUT I AM NOT. Thanks for enduring these, I was linked here by Cliff Pervocracy and between you I’ve already read far more than enough of these awful abuse manuals.

    September 20, 2013
    |Reply
  12. Anonymous
    Anonymous

    “I like my women like I like my coffee… bound with cable ties and screaming in the trunk of my car.”
    Simply fantastic!

    October 20, 2013
    |Reply
  13. Shayne
    Shayne

    Laugh out loud funny. Thanks

    October 30, 2013
    |Reply
  14. kg
    kg

    I never read this book series because it’s not my thing and when I read excerpts online, I knew thatI couldn’t stomach it. Your reviews are hilarious. I read them when I’m putting my daughter to sleep and I’ve almost woken her up on more than one occasion by literally laughing out loud!

    November 22, 2013
    |Reply
  15. Ash Nikky
    Ash Nikky

    Do you know how perfect your take on this book is? Have you any idea the crazy looks I’m getting for laughing so loud in public???
    You’re awesome! That is all

    December 30, 2013
    |Reply
  16. Silver
    Silver

    I’m a little late to the party, but man, I’m glad I came! I truly don’t laugh out loud much when I read things anymore. It’s great, I love it!
    One thing I think you missed commenting on though: How the hell is it okay for Christian Grey to assault Ana without warning while sober when José, who is drunk, totally in love with her and just wants to show her how he feels about her (I’m guessing, because I haven’t actually read the book, he just reads like a nice guy), is the bad guy when he kisses her?
    At this point I’m all for Kate and José realizing what a dimbo (dumb bimbo (especially invented for Ana)) she is and ditching her, then going to the police with suspicions of Grey being a serial killer/stalker. Good luck explaining your torture basement to the police you sick fuck!

    June 16, 2014
    |Reply
    • Stephanie
      Stephanie

      The thing about Jose kissing her that night I’d that he does so without her consent.she doesn’t like him romantically as she Has made clear several times and told him no twice but he kept on kidding and would have raped her had Christian not intervened at that particular moment.

      Now I’m not saying Christian is a great guy or anything but neither is Jose if he’s willing to do that because he can’t take no for an answer

      August 31, 2014
      |Reply
      • JennyTrout
        JennyTrout

        There’s basically no regard for consent at all in this book.

        August 31, 2014
        |Reply
  17. Anna
    Anna

    “It’s only just not painful.”

    What the absolute fuck does that even mean? It’s not painful, or it’s painful but also something else? It is painful? Isn’t Ana supposed to have a degree in English?

    July 27, 2014
    |Reply
    • Allgrego
      Allgrego

      Exactly what I said!
      This is the part where my brain ceased to function. This story is written like a fanfic from a preteen on Wattpad… Wasn’t there an editor to catch stuff like this??? #facepalm

      September 13, 2017
      |Reply
  18. Grace
    Grace

    It’s 2:42am, I’m sitting in my own very unattractive pyjamas on my bed in Australia, when I really should be sleeping in my bed in Australia, but I can’t because this is gold. Comedy gold. Why has no one ever told me about this before?
    Came for the critique of ‘All About The Bass’, stayed for the Gray. Thank you, ma’am, for being such a brilliant, wonderful specimen of humanity.

    August 12, 2014
    |Reply
  19. Brooke
    Brooke

    I actually continued reading the remainder of the page in MorganFreeman’s voice. It was glorious. I laughed uuntil I cried. This makes me so happy.

    January 22, 2015
    |Reply
  20. CrazyGoatLady
    CrazyGoatLady

    Now Morgan Freeman is in my head narrating everything.

    I’m torn between saying “fuck you” and thanking you profusely.

    Also, unrealistic dialogue is one of my favorite things ever, it really draws me in and makes me feel like I’m part of the story. *snort*

    Profligate my arse.

    February 5, 2015
    |Reply
  21. Velveteenidol
    Velveteenidol

    “Swoon. Then, Ana flushes scarlet. I’m wondering what other colors she thinks people flush. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone flush azure.”

    LOL!!! Drives me crazy when writers add the Captain Obvious adjective to a verb. Thank you for making me laugh and voicing my thoughts in their entirety! Keep up the great work!

    February 6, 2015
    |Reply
  22. Omg this is so funny, you really nailed it. This whole story is so ridiculous, it’s scary to think that millions of grown women actually thought these books were good. Let alone make a movie out of it… “Jeez!” lol

    I tried reading the first 50 Shades of Grey book last week after ignoring it for years because I absolutely despise the whole Twilight thing and thought it was on the same level. (Btw even Harry Potter sucks to me and I can’t for the life of my understand why it was so successful… I guess people really need to escape from their boring lives to fantasize about stuff like this.) Anyways, I thought it was SO incredibly bad that I stopped at chapter 11 or so.

    It has nothing to do with the sex or the anti-feminist behavior of the characters or anything like that. I actually think that the anti-feminist action is what makes this story so appealing to the unappreciated sexually frustrated housewives and teen girls who can’t get a date. The guy in this story is super aggressive in every way, which makes them feel extremely desired, taken care of and even “forced” to explore their sexuality, which makes it “okay” because then they don’t feel rejected or slutty. It’s as simple as that.

    Look, I am no prude and I totally get the appeal of being dominated. I am a 30 year old woman whose first sexual experience was with a dominant older man a lot like Grey but middle class not a billionaire. I was 17, he was 32… it lasted a full year and yes it wasn’t healthy but it was a valuable life lesson… unlike Anastasia I didn’t end up marrying the creep and instead I moved on to loving relationships with MUCH better sex and with real gentlemen who treated me like a queen in and out of bed.

    Anyways, all this to say that there is nothing that could shock me about BDSM no matter how extreme. I haven’t tried most of the extreme stuff but I’ve tried enough to be quite jaded about the whole pain/pleasure thing that gets people all excited. I’d rather have hot, passionate, spontaneous sex with someone I am on the same level of power with, and without the need to use ropes, toys and accessories to make it fun.

    But man, 50 shades of Grey is so lame I honestly don’t get what women find so sexy about it unless they are having really, really bad plain vanilla sex or no sex at all. Plus, the orgasms in the book are so unbelievable, I feel bad for the author because it’s basically written proof that she’s never had a real orgasm with a man. Seriously. Any woman who has real vaginal orgasms, or clit or g-spot orgasms knows that it takes a bit more than your hot dominant partner to be inside you for 30 seconds and say your name for you to climax. Yes, the best orgasms are fueled by the psychological aspects of sex that turn women on, but there needs to be a lot of physical stimulation too… some buildup. In the book, virgin Anastasia comes so fast that you wonder how come she hasn’t been orgasming from simple daily tasks like wiping herself after peeing or riding a bike.

    Also, you are right on about the fact that a filthy rich, handsome guy like Christian Grey would never go for a plain Jane like Anastasia in real life. It just doesn’t make any sense for a hot, young, smart, elegant billionaire like Grey to be so smitten with an awkward small town girl who dresses like a tomboy and has no sex drive whatsoever because SHE’S NEVER EVEN TOUCHED HERSELF. Jesus Christ, what a stretch. In real life, Christian Grey would be fucking so many models that he’d make Leonardo DiCaprio look boyfriend material.

    Everything about this book is stupid and funny when you think about it. The only sad thing is that the author is now probably on her private jet, enjoying her champagne and caviar on her way to her beach house in St. Barths while the whole world is reading and watching her lame repressed sexual fantasies. Ugh.

    February 14, 2015
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  23. Rachael
    Rachael

    “So, she thinks he would whip out his cock and beat it to tumescence right at the breakfast table to prove he’s not impotent?”

    I actually started laughing so hard that I was making a concerning noise, this is probably the best thing you’ve written in these 50SOG reviews so far.

    February 26, 2015
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  24. Bild Lilli
    Bild Lilli

    Why do you keep calling everything “creepy”? When a man you like took an effort to remember where you work and then visited you there it is NOT creepy. It is actually sweet, but a bitter feminazi loser such as yourself would hardly have any idea about a relationship. I bet you were drunk-raped, too. You should tell this story instead, it will probably be much funnier to read than this one. Besides that, we’ll get to know who you blamed for your rape, obviously not your own drunk useless ass. But then again, you should be happy someone deemed you fuckable, since 99% of american females aren’t worth the effort.

    October 13, 2015
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    • J
      J

      Might want to loosen that fedora, it seems to be killing off the few brain cells you possess. You disgusting creep.

      October 18, 2015
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    • Fanagale Dutoran
      Fanagale Dutoran

      Kill yourself Bild Lilli.

      April 13, 2020
      |Reply
  25. Squirrel
    Squirrel

    The word is somnophilia EL James, because unfortunately Ana is still very much alive even while passed out. But I suppose it makes sense Chedward isn’t into necrophilia. If you’re dead you can’t scream, cry or rescind consent. Which would make sex just no fun at all.

    October 30, 2015
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  26. Lucis
    Lucis

    I’m super, super late on this (But I needed to find another good takedown of 50 SOG because I hate this atrocity and I needed someone who could word it better than I can), and one thing I just thought about was what the hell was he going to do with her if she wasn’t in the middle of being sexually assaulted when he found her? Like, I’m honestly curious, when he decided he was going to track her phone and meet her at the club, wtf was he going to do? It just makes the sexual assault by Jose even more annoying because it’s just more proof that it was put there literally just so Christian could “save” her.

    UGH.

    January 16, 2016
    |Reply
  27. Jen
    Jen

    I am very very late to the party, but that never stopped me before.

    “It makes no sense for a rich, powerful man to want to put up with Ana’s teenage angst bullshit. But since this fanfic would be sunk if Edward and Bella didn’t get together, I as the reader must bend over and accept that this romantic connection exists. I’ll get the lube.”

    It does make sense if you look it purely as an abusive relationship (basically forgetting it’s supposed to be something else) – predators are extremely good at recognizing possible victims.

    Abusers’ greatest fear is being left (and Grey will show typical abusive behaviors aimed to make sure Ana stays with him no matter what he does), they choose partners based mainly on who they have the greatest chance of getting and keeping under their spell.

    Ana already showed she’s the perfect candidate, he doesn’t care he could never enjoy an actual conversation with her, in fact he probably rather not have one cause, you know, she’s not there to actually be his partner, only his victim.

    April 16, 2016
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  28. Bundtcake
    Bundtcake

    Wait, so like, he had the forethought to procure her some fresh new clothing, but not a toothbrush? After she’d been vomiting the night before? And is there not like a hotel toiletry toothbrush she could have used anyway? I’m actually surprised Christian doesn’t use an electric toothbrush (state of the art, all steel and chrome and plush but firm bristles for his perfect teeth and supple gums). And then, since Ana was so turned on by the thought of the toothbrush being an extension of Christian, she could have just masturbated with it.

    October 5, 2016
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    • JennyTrout
      JennyTrout

      I laughed so hard and so loud at “perfect teeth and supple gums”.

      October 5, 2016
      |Reply
    • Allgrego
      Allgrego

      Wow, E.L really missed a great opportunity here. Send this to her so she can add it to the highly-likely reprints, and make MILLIONS, my friend! Millions. (+_+)

      September 13, 2017
      |Reply
  29. Amanda
    Amanda

    Late to the party but I’m fine with it!

    Besides the fact that using someone else’s toothbrush is disgusting for her because it’s been all over their tooth decay and plaque, did it not occur to her at all how disgusting it would be for him to go back and use the same toothbrush after she brushed her vomit off with it? I mean, how fucking rude!! I throw my toothbrush away after I’ve puked because I don’t even want to use my own toothbrush after it was in my own mouth. She was going to let him go back and brush his teeth with her puke covered brush and not even tell him?? Oh hell no.

    October 25, 2016
    |Reply
  30. Sushi
    Sushi

    Rereading this years later and I’m still pissed off Ana got black-out drunk and somehow does not have a hangover.

    February 2, 2018
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  31. Morena
    Morena

    What I find most curious about Grey, is that he has the audacity of commanding Bella to dry her hair so she doesn’t get sick while in the chapter with the photoshoot, that same guy turned up with his HAIR STILL WET!
    I mean…

    Also, who shows up at a photoshoot with wet hair? It seems to me that with wet hair the camera won’t be able to fully capture the glory of his unruly copper locks.
    Just sayin’

    Thank you so much for these posts!

    June 2, 2019
    |Reply

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