Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald - 17 WTF Moments
13. Queenie's Creepy Enchantment Spell
There's no greater evidence of Rowling's tone-deaf approach to this movie than the scene where Newt stumbles across Queenie (Alison Sudol) and Jacob playing happy families.
It's quickly revealed that Queenie has in fact placed an enchantment on Jacob to make him want to marry and have kids with her. Only when Newt breaks the enchantment is Jacob snapped out of it, and had he not been there, who's to say how far Queenie would've taken it?
Reverse the gender dynamic here and people would come down on it like a ton of bricks: Queenie was going to bear Jacob's children without his consent, with Jacob himself even asking her, "I'm curious when you were gonna wake me up, after we've had 5 kids?"
So, Rowling does at least appreciate the creepiness of the exchange somewhat, but again, the tone is all off.
It's written to make Queenie seem sympathetic, but she ends up coming off like an hysterical, desperate, mad housewife. Moreover, it actually grants oxygen to Queenie's argument that Jacob is a "coward" for not just marrying and inseminating her like a man would. For shame.
Considering their relationship was one of the highlights of the first film, what a misguided, off-kilter misfire this scene was.