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Ironize forms — such as the oral history or the rockumentary — that have ossified?

You can’t ironize something you fundamentally don’t believe in.

“Tormund doesn’t ironize. For him, she’s perfect because in the North, women should be the warriors, you know? That’s a value in the North to be strong and tall and skillful with the sword. So even though it’s been a joke, Tormund’s love has always been real.”

My self-deprecating commentary—“nothing more embarrassing than being complimented on your Twitter thread”—never quite manages to ironize itself out of what it is: a plea for attention among infinite other pleas for attention.

Looking back at the film’s influence, A. O. Scott said, “The charms of this movie are abundant: It has whimsical production design, clever and sharp writing, tender comical performances, a brilliant use of pop music to underscore and slightly ironize the emotions being expressed on the screen.”