#4x08 Time of Death

[haletostilinski]

Best Teen Wolf Episode: Round 1

[spikeface]

boyd, theo, and grief

written for @teenwolf-meta's prompt "bardo"

I know I'm not the first to suggest this, but I like the headcanon that Alicia was taken by the Dread Doctors the last time they were in town--the same time that they took Theo. 

The timing works, since Boyd's voice in the flashback could conceivably be a fourth grader's. It would also explain how Alicia disappeared so suddenly, around "plenty of other people" (3x06), since the Doctors could have grabbed her unnoticed, and why Boyd can't remember when he saw her last, since the Doctors can mess with people's memories.

It also fits so nicely with the visual parallels between their narratives about their dead sisters. Boyd's attempt to kill himself at the Glen Capri and Theo's dreamscape in bardo can be taken as complementary narratives that can inform each other.

Alicia disappeared at the ice rink, and Tara died in the freezing water, details which inform their appearance similarly. Alicia stares up at Boyd from the ice and calls out to him. Later, Tara stares up at and calls out to Theo from the cold water, and will eventually climb out of the ground soaking wet to grab him. 

Both boys are haunted by their sisters' deaths. Boyd now works at the ice rink: with every shift, he returns to the site of her disappearance.

Soon after he's poisoned with wolfsbane, he breaks through the glass of the vending machine to get what he paid for, an action that foreshadows his attempt to get Alicia out of the ice: if he could just break through, he'd find her. 

But what really haunts Boyd is the mystery of how she disappeared. He has no idea how she disappeared, or even when he saw her last. He remembers himself asking is it my fault? He repeats the question to himself before he trudges barefoot to the tub—the same way Theo will later wander barefoot through the hospital.

It's striking to me that Boyd chooses to drown himself when, only a few episodes later, Scott, Stiles, and Allison will all drown themselves to access bardo. For them, bardo is about revelations: that the nemeton is responsible for Scott's tattoo; that it was close by when he was bitten; that Allison was there that night. It gives Scott a greater understanding of one of the most traumatic nights of his life. I don't think the writers intended this but it fits so well that Boyd is, on some level, attempting to access bardo by similarly drowning himself. His attempted death is definitely about his sense of guilt, but I think it's also about Alicia's death as a question Boyd would do anything to answer. 

Boyd wants to process his sister's death, but without the answers to his questions, it's impossible. It makes it all the more tragic that he dies the next episode with no answers about his sister, not even an answer to what happens to a werewolf during a lunar eclipse. In a universe where he survived, it would have been so interesting for season 5 to give him an explanation for Alicia's disappearance and, finally, an answer to his question: it wasn't his fault.

If Boyd is desperate to find Alicia, Theo is eager to keep her locked away, but he's similarly haunted. Like Boyd at the ice rink, Theo goes to the bridge where Tara died, smelling like grief (5x02).

Later, when Kira sends him to bardo, he's faced with his sister. Theo's dreamscape, like Scott's (4x08), is shaped by his own subconscious; Tara is there because subconsciously, Theo has decided to see her there, even though his conscious reaction is to run away from her.

I've argued before that Theo's dreamscape is—though informed by guilt—ultimately about grief. He's attempted to lock it away so tightly that his journey in bardo is simply to face it: that it's there, that he can't escape it, that it hurts. 

Theo does face it, though. One of the things I like about Theo's return is that his time in bardo doesn't magically change who he is. He comes back still angry, cynical, and defensive—but now openly grieving, which will prove crucial to his eventual changes.

It makes me think again about a version of the show where Boyd lived and went on a journey to bardo himself: what he might have seen there, and what he might have been like afterwards.

[gotskamstuff]

PAUSE. I think I’ve cracked the code and the timeline (or maybe I’m just on crack)

Let’s start here, it looks like one of the plot this season is gonna be the Kooks, more specifically Topper’s family, wanting to buy the Pogue’s land to create clubs and Kook’s businesses (whether it’s our Pogue’s house specifically or lands on the Cut in general we don’t know)

Of course this is not gonna be well received from the Pogues who are gonna fight back and to me it looks like that when JJ goes to grab the chair there’s already chaos happening in the court room and perhaps the habitants of the Cut have started protesting in court causing an uproar

Because of course JJ is JJ, he takes it to another level and he gets arrested for throwing the chair in the courthouse BUT someone (possibly one of our Pogues) breaks him out of the cop car and he gets to escape his arrest

It looks like that later that same night (same outfits) all the Pogues from the Cut are gonna start a riot in town in protest of the Kooks buying their lands

But once the cops show up JJ is gonna have to make a run for it AND THIS BRINGS ME TO MY THEORY THAT JJ IS GONNA BE ESCAPING FROM THE COPS AND GOING INTO HIDING FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON…follow me

My personal theory is that the episode I’ve just broke down is 4x05 and it’s when they’re gonna leave us hanging for the first half, now another episode in the second half of the season is this one below that PERSONALLY (it’s not a fact, just my opinion) I think might be 4x08. We got this spoiler of John B, Sarah, Pope and Cleo during a scene together presumably on the mainland while JJ and Kie are not there

In the trailer we have this scene and the four of them are wearing the same outfits from the pic above, my theory is that this scene in the trailer is 4x09, the following morning from the spoiler above and after discovering something the Pogues are starting to make moves to go to Morocco and they are hiding JJ in there ‘cause he can’t be seen since he’s wanted by the cops

I think they are gonna move JJ to this yacht (maybe the Camron’s) and he’s gonna stay there in hiding until they are ready to go and leave Kildare, we got spoilers of JJ in his Morocco outfit ALONE on the yacht (another waaaay more loose theory I have is that Luke is gonna find him while he’s here alone and they are gonna fight for the last time and that’s where JJ blood stain comes from)

Another spoiler we got is the 5 Pogues (Kiara, John B, Sarah, Pope and Cleo) on this boat MINUS JJ but THEN we see the 5 of them reunited/getting JJ from the yacht and start making their escape.

Because they have stolen the Kilder County Sheriff’s boat they are gonna probably get tracked down (JJ is also crouched down in the boat seemingly hiding in all the spoilers we got) and here we see the cops trying to hit/stop the boat and also Mike Carrera yelling and my theory is that he’s trying to convince JJ to hand himself to the authorities and not put the others (specifically Kiara) in danger

But then as we know…all six of them go to Morocco.

SO THERE YOU GO, here’s my theory of JJ being wanted/hiding for half of the season and I wouldn’t exclude also possibly FAKING his own death upon returning to Kildare (hence all the rumors about it) 🤷🏻‍♀️

[flythesail]

Okay what if—

It all has to be connected somehow, right?

The black door/sin eater

The ghost

Nace

With the black door, 4x10 established a few things: The sin eater is reincarnated and Nancy has past lives too. Going off this, the assumption is Nancy is the other half of the sin eater.

With the ghost, we know she died. Obviously. We are meant to think there was fire involved since there is a body that's burned at the morgue. We also have heard lines from her such as: hair wrapping around my mouth, the sky was gone, I was so cold.

Hearing those lines, I don't think the body is hers. It's not a coincidence that she arrived at the same time as the burned body either. More on this later.

With nace, whatever happened the night of 4x08 impacted their feelings. Here's my thought: Nancy was not even at the scene of the event. This explains the small window of time. Instead, Ace calls her panicked. Nancy agrees to go to the door. She'd do anything for him, including using the black door. She does it because she loves him. Because her love is why she does it, the black door alters their love. This is why they've felt ooc since.

Back to what we do know about the event:

Ace and Thom go fishing

Their captain canceled

The EMT who brought the burned body to the morgue is out of town on vacation

His partner was out sick then

How do these things connect? Windows place the flash Nancy saw of her sin with Thom and Ace on the boat. See here:

The assumption then, is this is where the body was burned. So who is that in the flames? Let's say it's their captain.

Their captain is innocent in this. But where does the fire come from?

Ace brings the pickled curse onto the boat. Something could have gone wrong with that. Yet, the curse is linked to hearing the dead. Initially, it would seem that's how Ace is able to communicate with the ghost. Yet Nancy was able to as well.

What else did we learn in 4x11? Callie of the families for truth and history knows plenty about the supernatural. She's the sin eater's minder. Two things to note:

"Her family was tasked with protecting every generation of sin eater. Erasing history since 1805."

"If you ever try to break the sin eater's legacy the way the Glasses did tonight, I'll come for you without mercy."

Now, who sent someone to watch Bess throughout 4x08?

Callie.

With this, the pickled curse becomes significant not because of what it is - but for who was in the background of this whole ordeal.

Callie was having a guy watch Bess. At the historical society with the brothers, all the way to the claw. This means Callie is never more than a step away from anything supernatural going on in this town.

If she's the sin eater's minder, does she know there is another half to the sin eater? I would think she does as her family has been doing this since its creation.

So, Nancy is the other half of the sin eater. Is someone watching over her too?

From what we know so far, no one is. What if there is a reason?

The founders didn't want there to be a balance to the sin eater. All they cared about was erasing their sins.

Yet there's always going to be two halves. Like with the dolls used for curse breaking in 4x03. Or this in 4x11, a conversation between Nick and Ted:

"I was looking for the afikomen. It's the hidden piece of matzo.... Broken in two at the beginning of the night, put back together at the end."

What if the founders broke the sin eater from its half? They killed her. She drowned.

Who else might have drowned?

The ghost.

It's exactly the sort of death she is describing. Hair wrapping around her mouth, the sky gone as she can't tell water from sky. The water is cold.

The ghost is much much older than she seems.

After killing her, the founders turned her into the masthead now at the yacht club. This way, they could call to the sin eater whenever they needed while keeping her from fulfilling her purpose.

Although she was killed, her soul has still reincarnated. But whoever holds her soul, has not known their purpose for a very long time. It's not like with the sin eater, where Tristan has no choice to transform into it and eat the sins.

Truth is a choice. She is the angel of truth.

So if the angel of truth hasn't been around for generations, what brings her back? Nancy and the angel of truth come face to face that night at the yacht club.

This awakens her because Nancy is the current holder of her soul. Only, she doesn't remember much. She remembers her death. She remembers drowning.

But her spirit is free.

The way the ghost is dressed in white even reminds of me of an angel. An angel is the opposite of the sin eater. A representation of truth in opposition to lies.

How does the ghost find her way to Ace? Well, Ace was at the yacht club with Nancy when she woke up.

Who is Nancy very connected to? Ace.

Who did Nancy get her soul from? The angel of truth, aka the ghost.

So the ghost is drawn to Ace. She's just woken up after over a century too, so she's going to respond to this pull. She's not drawn to Nancy because she and Nancy are the same. This isn't the case with Nancy and Ace.

Just like two halves of matzo, or like the sin eater and the angel, Ace and Nancy make a whole.

Ace goes off on his fishing trip with Thom, with the ghost following. Callie knows something is wrong. Her family has been watching the sin eater for as long as its existed. She's alerted, like how Hannah knew Temperance was back in Horseshoe Bay at the end of 2x18. Or like how they can track the sin eater with the roundel.

Rememeber: "If you ever try to break the sin eater's legacy the way the Glasses did tonight, I'll come for you without mercy."

So Callie says no way am I letting the angel of truth return and heads out to solve this problem. Her actions set their boat on fire.

This is where the burned body comes from. It's their captain.

Ace and Thom are able to get away. In the chaos during the confrontation with Callie, however, the ghost's presence is revealed and more is explained.

Ace learns who the ghost is, realizes what this suggests about Nancy with the timing, and realizes he needs to make a phone call.

Ace calls Nancy in an exteme panic, telling her to go to the black door and confess what they did earlier that night: breaking into the yacht club. It's the only way to ensure Callie doesn't go after Nancy next.

Nancy doesn't question him because she trusts him and she loves him.

She goes right to the black door and confesses what needs to be confessed.

This puts everything back in place:

Ace and Thom believe their boat captain canceled. (No one is around to prove otherwise. The EMT is on vacation and believes the same.)

Ace believes he had a nice fishing trip with Thom and shares this with Nancy.

The ghost is once again struggling to remember who she is. But she's still drawn to Ace, in the way Nancy is.

Only, something is wrong now.

Nancy went to the black door not because of her sin, but because she loves Ace.

It doesn't matter that the confession was only about breaking into the yacht club. The black door alters their love.

While Ace remembers a nice fishing trip, Nancy and Ace forget the love they have for each other. What they're left with is some semblance of a relationship. They're exes, it was complicated, they didn't communicate well. In summary, it didn't end well.

So Nancy and Ace are forced apart, and drift closer to someone new.

Nancy becomes closer to Tristan. She's the angel of truth in this lifetime, so she is feeling that two hundred year connection.

Ace becomes closer to the ghost. She is the first reincarnation of Nancy's soul, so he is feeling that connection the black door altered but is still impossible to destroy.

Where do we go from here? Now that Nancy and Ace know their memories are altered, they're going to solve this mystery. Nancy had already seen a flash of the fire and of the truth her confession erased.

They will get their memories back, feel their love for each other again, share a moment of the most intense eye contact you've ever seen, and be left with a Big Problem.

They've figured out who the ghost is. They know who Nancy is.

In knowing who she is and the purpose she serves, Nancy is in danger again because of Callie.

So their options are this: she risks her life to save the town from what the founders set in motion or she forgets all over again.

Nancy is going to make the choice to risk her life. To save her town and her friends and every person she loves. That is who Nancy is and has been all her life, even before she knew who she is.

Of course, she succeeds and Tristan will play a role in this too - being the other half to this. Lies and truth, evil and good, dark and light. Might I add: the finale is called the Light Between Lives? Lives is significant in a season with reincarnation.

When balance is restored to Horseshoe Bay, Nancy and Tristan's roles will no longer be needed. The black door is gone and Callie is exposed for who she is. They can live normal lives. Tristan can live a healthy, long life.

Nancy and Ace are still cursed though, so Nancy can't live the life she wants. (Yet.)

With balance restored, truth will prevail. The truth is that Nancy and Ace love each other. Nancy and Ace's love is stronger than this curse Temperance created. That's how they break it. Nancy Drew has always been about love.

Two halves are put back together, and Nancy and Ace get to live their lives as a whole.

[bronx-bomber87]

The Rookie Reviews Season's 1-6 Master List. Will be Pinned To Blog for Easy Access. S6 in a seperate link at bottom of list. S7 now coming Fall of 25’ Due to Mid season premiere.

Top Eps Listed Season's-1-4 Made a ranking list my fave eps for an ask. Wanted to include in this list.

Started: 5/13/23

Last Updated : 10/05/24

Works: 108

Season 1

1x01-Pilot

1x02-Crash Course

1x03-The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

1x04-The Switch

1x05-The Roundup

1x06-The Hawke

1x07-The Ride Along

1x08-Time Of Death

1x09-Standoff

1x10-Flesh and Blood

1x11-Redwood

1x12-Heartbreak

1x13-Caught Stealing

1x14-Plain Clothes Day

1x15-Manhunt

1x16-Greenlight

1x17-The Shakeup

1x18-Homefront

1x19-Checklist

1x20-Freefall

Season 2

2x01-Impact

2x02-The Night General

2x03-The Bet

2x04-Warriors and Guardians

2x05-Tough Love

2x06-Fallout

2x07-Safety

2x08-Clean Cut

2x09-Breaking Point

2x10-The Dark Side

2x11-Day Of Death

2x12 Now and Then

2x13-Follow Up Day

2x14-Casualties

2x15-Hand Off

2x16-The Overnight

2x17-Control

2x18-Under The Gun

2x19-The Q Word

2x20-The Hunt

Season 3

3x01-Consequences

3x02-In-Justice

3x03-La-Fiera

3x04-Sabotage

3x05-Lockdown

3x06-Revelations

3x07-True Crime

3x08-Bad Blood

3x09-Amber

3x10-Man Of Honor

3x11-New Blood

3x12-Brave Heart

3x13-Triple Duty

3x14-Threshold

Season 4

4x01-Life and Death

4x02-Five Minutes

4x03-In the Line Of Fire

4x04-Red Hot

4x05-A.C.H

4x06-Poetic Justice

4x07-Fire Fight

4x08-Hit and Run

4x09-Breakdown

4x10-Heart Beat

4x11-End Game

4x12-The Knock

4x13-Fight or Flight

4x14-Long Shot

4x15-Hit List

4x16-Real Crime

4x17-Coding

4x18-Backstabbers

4x19/4x20-Simone/Envervo

4x21-Mother's Day

4x22-Day In The Hole

Season 5

5x01-Double Down

5x02-Labor Day

5x03-Dye Hard

5x04-The Choice

5x05-The Fugitive

5x06-The Reckoning

5x07-Crossfire

5x08-The Collar

5x09-Take Back

5x10-The List

5x11-The Naked and The Dead

5x12-Death Notice

5x13-Daddy Cop

5x14-Death Sentence

5x15-The Con

5x16-Exposure

5x17-The Enemy Within

5x18-Double Trouble

5x19-A Hole in the World

5x20-S.T.R

5x21-Going Under

5x22-Under Siege

Season 6 Separate Post

[goodwhump-temp]

Castle Whump | Castle TV Show (2009)

1x01 Arrested, nose pinched, handcuffed, held at gunpoint, pushed 1x03 Ear pinched 1x06 Scared, embarrassed, shot at, threatened, risks his life 1x07 Threatened, punched, undercover, creeped out, held at gunpoint/punched, black eye 1x10 Slammed, manhandled, threatened, worried

2x01 Rear-ended, held at gunpoint, risking life, held at gunpoint 2x02 Nervous 2x04 Interrogated, sad 2x06 Tackled, manhandled, bit, childhood trauma? 2x07 Sad 2x09 Papercut, punched/icepack, handcuffed, paranoid, intimidated, worried 2x12 Self restrained, heartbroken the whole episode 2x13Hostage, held at gunpoint, pain, headbutt, guilt 2x14 Upset 2x15 Daddy issues the whole episode, fake headache (08:24) 2x17 Panic/worried 2x18 Panic/worried, runs into burning building 2x19 'Cursed,' papercut, chair breaks, pain, death threat, bullied/panic/coffee 'explosion', dog attack, scared, elevator panic, cuts finger 2x21 Jealous, heartbroken 2x22 Threatened (22:45), jealous 2x23 Jealous, heartbroken 2x24 Manhandled, heartbroken, sad

3x01 Shot at, held at gunpoint multiple times, insulted/arrested, ear pinched 3x02 Held at gunpoint 3x03 Mad, heartbroken 3x06 Held at gunpoint, restrained, manipulated 3x09 Abducted, injected unconscious, bruised 3x11 Upset 3x12 Upset 3x13 Worried, shock, shot at, hurt hand, bandaged 3x15 Emotional 3x16 Exposed to high levels of radiation, worried/emotional, shot at, trapped 3x17 Trapped, hypothermia, passes out, cold, scared 3x18 Worried 3x21 Intimidated (09:47), betrayed/jealous 3x22 Poked (pain/33:40) 3x23 In shock (41:20) 3x24 Dangerous situation, worried, confrontation, angry/heartbroken, mourning, emotional/crying

4x01 Pushed against the wall, emotional, heartbroken, depressed, worried, confrontation, held at gunpoint 4x02 Cries 4x03 Jumpscared, jumps into trashbin (is fine) 4x05 Betrayed, angry 4x06 Freaks out 4x07 Hostage, held at gunpoint, life threatened, almost shot, confrontation, restrained, presumed dead 4x08 Dragged, threatened 4x09 Worried 4x10 Handcuffed, drugged, missing, tiger attack 4x12 Denial 4x14 Manhandled, punched multiple times, 4x15 Captured, held at gunpoint, trapped, car crash into water 4x16 Car crashed into water, drowning, reprimanded, 4x19 Worried, feels betrayed/very heartbroken, angry 4x20 Heartbroken/coping, acting strange 4x21 Held at gunpoint, hungover, in danger, gut punched 4x22 Heartbroken, surrounded, jumpscare 4x23 Emotional confrontation, tearing up

5x01 Held at gunpoint, restrained, worried 5x03 Emotional 5x04 Arrested 5x05 Hand cut (minor), framed, arrested, scared, threatened, missing, car rammed, bleeding, shot at 5x06 Emotional (happy), upset (not happy), paranoid, zapped 5x08 Held at gunpoint, hunted/missing, captured 5x09 Upset (abandoned), betrayed 5x15 Daughter kidnapped, worried, very emotional, panic 5x16 Worried, missing/desperate, held at gunpoint, betrayed, almost killed, captured, emotional 5x17 Paranoid 'cursed,' flustered, flashbanged 5x19 Wheelchair, paranoid, falls, panic 5x20 Threatened (evil gorilla), trapped, back pain, scared 5x21 Jealous 5x22 Worried, pain montage (ear pinched x2, shoved, poked, nose pinched, freezing to death, punched multiple times, all near death situations), denial 5x23 "Shot" at, finger nicked (not serious) 5x24 Upset, sad

6x01 Abducted at gunpoint, car crash, arrested, taken, exposed to toxic chemicals, 1 day to live 6x02 Infected, slowly dying, weak, passes out, hospitalized 6x03 Briefly held at gunpoint 6x04 In danger, held at gunpoint, shot, unconscious, bruised pain 6x05 Foot stabbed, limp, manhandled, choked unconscious 6x09 Guilt 6x10 Sleep deprived 6x12 Held at gunpoint, captured, betrayed 6x17 Worried 6x18 Ninja attack, held at gunpoint 6x21 Bummed/sore loser, comforted by the boys 6x22 Worried, hunted, paranoid, arrested 6x23 Held at gunpoint, restrained, car crash

7x01 Car crash, thought dead, abducted/missing, hospitalized/comatose, amnesia, mysterious past: (shot, dengue fever) 7x02 Held at gunpoint, found evidence: emotional, scared 7x03 Knocked back, punched multiple times, paranoid, held at gunpoint 7x04 Bullied, thrown to the ground, kicked 7x06 Insomnia, shot at, trapped in alt. reality, panic, held at knife point, abducted, threatened, shot, bleeding, passes out, guilt 7x07 Punched, manhandled, in danger 7x10 Hand sliced, held at gunpoint x2, heartbroken 7x11 Choked, peppersprayed, comforted (kinda) 7x12 Jealous, coping, abducted at gunpoint, betrayed at gunpoint 7x13 Panic, knocked unconscious, pain, stranded, guilt, denial 7x15 Worried, angry, arrested, emotionally tortured, tazed 7x16 Trapped, exposed to toxic gas, weak 7x19 Held at gunpoint, restrained 7x20 PTSD/reoccurring nightmares, therapy, obsessed, everyone worried, headache, held at gunpoint 7x21 Nervous, betrayed, held at gunpoint 7x23 Scared, childhood trauma (+threatened), childhood trauma, feels betrayed, tackled, knife attack, throat cut, bleeding

8x01 Punched, kicked, drugged/abducted at gunpoint, restrained, threatened, extreme psychological torture, wrists bleeding, painful kick to the ground, shot at 8x02 Feels betrayed, angry, held at gunpoint x2, emotionally hurt/betrayed 8x03 Depressed, coping 8x05 Coping, held at gunpoint x2 8x06 Jayne anxiety/jumpscare x2, held at gunpoint, ambushed, held at gunpoint, tackled, bloody nose, heartbroken 8x08 Worried, exhausted, heartbroken, confrontation 8x09 Slapped (8:15), pushed to the wall x2 8x10 In shock, embarrassed, guilt 8x11 Betrayed, handcuffed, threatened 8x12 Kidnapped/drugged, trapped, betrayed at gunpoint, sacrifices himself, held at gunpoint 8x13 Undercover, shot, "dead" 8x14 Flashbacks, aggressively patted/hit, held at gunpoint, feels betrayed, watches the video (after being shot, pain, worried), guilt 8x15 Guilt, hungover 8x16 Zapped, scared (Linus) 8x17 Falls, back pain, held at gunpoint, shot at, delusional (genie) 8x21 Superstitious spooks, wrist grabbed/pain, jumpscare x2, knocked out (offscreen), icepack 8x22 Hunted, shot at, worried, captured, restrained, interrogated, drugged, betrayed, crying, angry, shot, bleeding out

[buddie2024rewatch]

Buddie 2024 Rewatch!

(Reajusted Scheadule!)

Hello, everyone! Welcome back to the Buddie 2024 Rewatch to spread some positivity!! The goal is to rewatch important episodes for both Buck and Eddie and their relationship and spread some love while we wait for season 8.

But now that we have an official release date for season 8, turns out we have less time than anticipated, so I readjusted things so some weeks now have 3 episodes because I can't narrow this list down more lol

Week 1 (July 1 to July 7): 2x01 Under Pressure, 2x04 Stuck

Week 2 (July 8 to July 14): 2x08 Buck, Actually, 2x10 Merry Ex-Mas

Week 3 (July 15 to July 21): 2x18 This Life We Choose, 3x03 The Searchers

Week 4 (July 22 to July 28): 3x05 Rage, 3x06 Monsters

Week 5 (July 29 to August 4): 3x09 Fallout, 3x15 Eddie Begins, 3x18 What's Next?

Week 6 (August 5 to August 11): 4x03 Future Tense, 4x08 Breaking Point, 4x12 Treasure Hunt

Week 7 (August 12 to August 18): 4x13 Suspicion, 4x14 Survivors

Week 8 (August 19 to August 25): 5x06 Brawl in Cell Block 9-1-1, 5x11 Outside Looking In

Week 9 (August 26 to September 1): 5x13 Fear-o-Phobia, 5x14 Dumb Luck, 5x16 May Day

Week 10 (September 2 to September 8): 6x10 In a Flash, 6x11 In Another Life*, 6x12 Recovery

Week 11 (September 9 to September 15): 6x13 Mixed Feelings, 6x15 Death and Taxes, 7x01 Abandon Ships

Week 12 (September 16 to September 22): 7x04 Buck, Bothered and Bewildered, 7x05 You Don't Know Me

Week 13 (September 23 to September 26): 7x09 Ashes, Ashes, 7x10 All Fall Down

There's also the instagram account @/buddie2024rewatch, since the idea is also to share stuff where the actors can see, so post stuff using the tag #buddie2024rewatch or tag the account here and over there and I will try to reblog/share as many posts as I see!

*in another life is marked because Eddie isn't in a lot, so it's more of an optional thing because 610 and 611 do go together.

[shinelikethunder]

kripke: show creator; seasons 1-5 showrunner; wrote or co-wrote 1x01 pilot, 1x02 wendigo, 1x09 home, 1x16 shadow, 1x22 devil’s trap, 2x01 in my time of dying, 2x22 all hell breaks loose part two, 3x01 the magnificent seven, 3x16 no rest for the wicked, 4x01 lazarus rising, 4x07 it's the great pumpkin, sam winchester, 4x10 heaven and hell (story), 4x22 lucifer rising, 5x01 sympathy for the devil, 5x09 the real ghostbusters, 5x22 swan song, 6x22 the man who knew too much; directed 2x20 what is and what should never be, 4x22 lucifer rising

gamble: seasons 6-7 showrunner; wrote or co-wrote 1x03 dead in the water, 1x12 faith, 1x14 nightmare, 1x21 salvation, 2x03 bloodlust, 2x08 crossroad blues, 2x13 houses of the holy, 2x17 heart, 2x21 all hell breaks loose part one, 3x02 the kids are alright, 3x07 fresh blood, 3x10 dream a little dream of me, 3x12 jus in bello, 3x15 time is on my side, 4x02 are you there god? it’s me, dean winchester, 4x09 i know what you did last summer, 4x17 it’s a terrible life, 4x21 when the levee breaks, 5x02 good god, y'all, 5x07 the curious case of dean winchester, 5x13 the song remains the same, 5x21 two minutes to midnight, 6x01 exile on main st, 6x11 appointment in samarra, 6x21 let it bleed, 7x01 meet the new boss, 7x10 death's door, 7x17 the born-again identity, 7x23 survival of the fittest

edlund: wrote 2x05 simon said, 2x12 nightshifter, 2x18 hollywood babylon, 3x03 bad day at black rock, 3x09 malleus maleficarum, 3x13 ghostfacers, 4x05 monster movie, 4x08 wishful thinking, 4x16 on the head of a pin, 5x04 the end, 5x10 abandon all hope, 5x14 my bloody valentine, 5x20 the devil you know, 6x03 the third man, 6x09 clap your hands if you believe, 6x15 the french mistake, 6x20 the man who would be king, 7x02 hello cruel world, 7x09 how to win friends and influence monsters, 7x15 repo man, 7x21 reading is fundamental, 8x05 blood brother, 8x13 everybody hates hitler, 8x21 the great escapist; directed 6x20 the man who would be king, 7x21 reading is fundamental

[wyrdsistergoldenhair]

How to Rewatch 9-1-1 Before September 26th

Okay, so if you're like me, you want to rewatch 9-1-1 before season 8 premieres on September 26th - but maybe you don't have the time to sit down and binge-watch. I've come up with a schedule where you can watch at least two episodes a day (starting on August 4th) and finish just in time for season 8.

Aug. 4

1x01 Pilot

1x02 Let Go

Aug. 5

1x03 Next of Kin

1x04 Worst Day Ever

Aug. 6

1x05 Point of Origin

1x06 Heartbreaker

Aug. 7

1x07 Full Moon (Creepy AF)

1x08 Karma’s a Bitch

Aug. 8

1x09 Trapped

1x10 A Whole New You

Aug. 9

2x01 Under Pressure

2x02 7.1

Aug. 10

2x03 Help Is Not Coming

2x04 Stuck

Aug. 11

2x05 Awful People

2x06 Dosed

Aug. 12

2x07 Haunted

2x08 Buck, Actually

Aug. 13

2x09 Hen Begins

2x10 Merry Ex-Mas

Aug. 14

2x11 New Beginnings

2x12 Chimney Begins

Aug. 15

2x13 Fight or Flight

2x14 Broken

Aug. 16

2x15 Ocean’s 9-1-1

2x16 Bobby Begins Again

Aug. 17

2x17 Careful What You Wish For

2x18 This Life We Choose

Aug. 18

3x01 Kids Today

3x02 Sink or Swim

Aug. 19

3x03 The Searchers

3x04 Triggers

Aug. 20

3x05 Rage

3x06 Monsters

Aug. 21

3x07 Athena Begins

3x08 Malfunction

Aug. 22

3x09 Fallout

3x10 Christmas Spirit

Aug. 23

3x11 Seize the Day

3x12 Fools

Aug. 24

3x13 Pinned

3x14 The Taking of Dispatch 9-1-1

Aug. 25

3x15 Eddie Begins

3x16 The One That Got Away

Aug. 26

3x17 Powerless

3x18 What’s Next?

Aug. 27

4x01 The New Abnormal

4x02 Alone Together

Aug. 28

4x03 Future Tense

4x04 9-1-1, What’s Your Grievance?

Aug. 29

4x05 Buck Begins

4x06 Jinx

Aug. 30

4x07 There Goes the Neighborhood

4x08 Breaking Point

Aug. 31

4x09 Blindsided

4x10 Parenthood

Sept. 1

4x11 First Responders

4x12 Treasure Hunt

Sept. 2

4x13 Suspicion

4x14 Survivors

Sept. 3

5x01 Panic

5x02 Desperate Times

Sept. 4

5x03 Desperate Measures

5x04 Home and Away

Sept. 5

5x05 Peer Pressure

5x06 Brawl in Cell Block 9-1-1

Sept. 6

5x07 Ghost Stories

5x08 Defend in Place

Sept. 7

5x09 Past Is Prologue

5x10 Wrapped in Red

Sept. 8

5x11 Outside Looking In

5x12 Boston

Sept. 9

5x13 Fear-O-Phobia

5x14 Dumb Luck

Sept. 10

5x15 FOMO

5x16 May Day

Sept. 11

5x17 Hero Complex

5x18 Starting Over

Sept. 12

6x01 Let the Games Begin

6x02 Crash & Learn

Sept. 13

6x03 The Devil You Know

6x04 Animal Instincts

Sept. 14

6x05 Home Invasion

6x06 Tomorrow

Sept. 15

6x07 Cursed

6x08 What’s Your Fantasy?

Sept. 16

6x09 Red Flag

6x10 In a Flash

Sept. 17

6x11 In Another Life

6x12 Recovery

Sept. 18

6x13 Mixed Feelings

6x14 Performance Anxiety

Sept. 19

6x15 Death and Taxes

6x16 Lost and Found

Sept. 20

6x17 Love Is in the Air

6x18 Pay It Forward

Sept. 21

7x01 Abandon Ships

7x02 Rock the Boat

Sept. 22

7x03 Capsized

7x04 Buck, Bothered and Bewildered

Sept. 23

7x05 You Don’t Know Me

7x06 There Goes the Groom

Sept. 24

7x07 Ghost of a Second Chance

7x08 Step Nine

Sept. 25

7x09 Ashes, Ashes

7x10 All Fall Down

[hellerfanboy91]

Edvard's Supernatural Guide 4x21 When the Levee Breaks

Spoilers for the end of Game of Thrones and Supernatural up to 15x09 The Trap

With the end of series four fast approaching, it feels as though most of the plot of this series has happened in the background. Almost all of the necessary seals have been broken by Lilith et al, but neither the characters nor the audience has been privy to this because it has all happened off-screen. Angels and demons have apparently been skirmishing all over the globe, and we know this because of one line of dialogue from Cas somewhere earlier in this series. Given the importance of all these events, it would have shown prudence for The Show to actually show us some of this conflict between the angels and demons as well as between Dean, Sam, and Lilith. Instead, it presented the viewer with a handful of salient episodes accompanied by a lot of filler. Ignoring character moments such as Dean's hell-trauma in 4x10 Heaven and Hell, how have the plots of episodes such as 4x12 Chris Angel is a Douchebag, 4x08 Wishful Thinking, or 4x13 After School Special advanced either the story or the plot? Not every episode of a show like this can be plot-heavy, and in Supernatural's defence its plot is spread slightly less thin than that of The X-Files, but even in Buffy and Angel which had a lot of filler episodes, something in each episode usually bore some relevance to either the plot (the sequence of events that takes the characters from the beginning to the end of the story) or the story (how the characters change from the beginning to the end). Most episodes moved the story and/or plot forwards in some way, and I never thought either Buffy or Angel wasted many episodes. This unfortunately leaves me with the conviction that Supernatural could have been a lot more than it is. In the case of series four, this would not have required a drastic change. Instead of the monsters of the week being random, they could each have been a different seal the brothers had to prevent Lilith and her gang breaking. The episodes could still have been largely the same, but with more direction in a focussed narrative as opposed to the important parts being dotted here and there before a final rush to the end in the final few episodes.

That is not to say that nothing which has happened in series four is relevant to the ending. Sam drinking demon blood was of course a major subplot throughout leading on from his working with Ruby in series three. The demon blood itself is not a vital aspect of the actual Apocalypse, as the beginning of series five makes it abundantly clear that Sam is Lucifer's vessel: the demon blood is secondary, its significance mostly ending with the death of Lilith. Even then, was it necessary that Sam kill Ruby using his psychic powers? Was there no other way? All remnant of psychic powers and addiction blood are removed from Sam in 5x01 Lucifer Rising as clearly Kripke had got bored of them, but taking a step back reminds me that all of this is God writing a story to work through his own issues.

Dean and Sam are characters in God's books doomed to repeat the story of Cain and Abel (Dean is Abel, whatever The Show says). Cain and Abel are themselves a mirror of God and his betrayal of Amara/The Darkness, his sister whom he turned on and imprisoned. Lucifer turning to the dark side in the Superverse is a result of him bearing the lock to Amara's prison, i.e. the Mark of Cain, so named because Lucifer passed it onto Cain before Cain murdered his brother. In short, God is driving Dean and Sam apart in order to manufacture a situation where one has to kill the other. To that end, even if the demon blood were not a vital part of ushering in the end-times, it functions to cause a schism between Dean and Sam, i.e. it might simply be there for the drama.

This being the case, neither Dean nor Sam is ultimately responsible for their actions, in the same way one could argue that Helen and Paris were not responsible for causing the Trojan War: everything that happened happened because of the gods and fate; humans were just pawns.

This episode begins with Sam in Bobby's panic room where Dean and Bobby trapped him at the end of the previous episode. It is not mentioned how much time has passed, but be it five minutes or five hours, Sam is not happy. Understandably so. I am sure he feels betrayed, and probably that Dean and Bobby are preventing him do what is necessary to stop the Apocalypse. He also refuses to acknowledge the possibility he might actually be doing something deserving of being locked in the panic room, at least at first. Later some of his doubts and insecurities begin to surface, only to be submerged beneath his addiction.

Sam is lit in red in the cold open, a clear indicator of danger and a colour associated with Ruby beginning with 4x01 Lazarus Rising, whereas Dean is in darkness. It is a shame it took so long for this to happen, but Dean finally gets to call Sam out for lying to him, as well as calling him weak, desperate, and pathetic.

Sam of course rejects all accountability because he is an addict who at the moment is incapable of properly acknowledging his addiction, much less the damage it is doing to himself and others. Having personal experience of somebody like this, I can recognise it immediately, as well as his turning the tables on Dean to try to make him out to be the problem in this situation. Dean's 'self-righteousness' is seriously not the issue, Sam, but this is a nice attempt at deflection. Anything to avoid taking criticism on board. An intervention would never work with somebody in Sam's position.

Dean soon gives up on trying to get through to Sam and shuts the view port, completely ignoring Sam's increasingly angry and distressed calls to let him out. It is not until Dean is at the top of the stairs that he stops with a pensive look on his face. But more on Dean later: do let us return downstairs to the panic room where Sam is being visited by the ghost of Christmas Past in the form of Alice Tear. These apparitions are not actually the people they appear to be, but aspects of Sam's subconscious manifesting themselves as people from his life in order to chide or encourage him. Quite why Alice Tear appears to Sam is not explained, nor why he should be the first visitation, but before Sam knows it he is strapped to a torture table like Ruby was in 4x10 Heaven and Hell. Alice Tear tortures Sam a little but it is soon revealed to be a hallucination and Sam is physically fine.

Sam also appears as if strapped to a crucifix, similar to the end of 4x19 Jump the Shark. Some have jumped on this to claim that Sam is a Jesus figure, but I think it takes more than a little bit of imagery to be a Jesus figure. In what ways do Sam's personality or story arc mirror Jesus? A man taking on a burden he never wanted, perhaps, but Sam's motives are self-centred whereas Jesus's were other-centred, or selfless. Dean's sacrifice of himself for Sam, his descent to Hell, and his rebirth mirror Jesus more, but I cannot see anything in Sam which really warrants a comparison with the Riz.

Whatever the case, the torture was imagined as Sam is revealed to be quite whole. His hallucinations and visitations continue. 'Mary' tells Sam exactly what Sam would want to hear in that situation, i.e. that Sam is on the right path, and that Sam is strong while Dean is weak. What precisely is meant by 'Dean is weak' is uncertain: unless Sam is high on demon blood, dean can best him in a fight, and Dean is a far more accomplished and proficient hunter. Is the weakness therefore a weakness of character, i.e. that Dean is not willing to drink blood from Ruby's dead vessel to 'save the world'?

Contrary to the part of Sam's subconscious masquerading as Mary, the part masquerading as Dean calls Sam a monster and says that he always was one. Not that he is becoming a monster, but that Sam has been a monster ever since Azazel bled into his mouth. This reflects perhaps what Sam believes Dean thinks of him, or what Sam thinks of himself. He has made several references to thinking of himself as a freak throughout the show, and that he could never fit in because he was a freak. His behaviour has rarely reflected this in my opinion, meaning this is more 'tell' than 'show'. One of the reasons his angry outburst at Dean in 4x04 Metamorphosis was that Sam did not like Dean looking at him as if he were a freak etc... but this was a red herring.

In his brief conversation with poco!Sam, Sam expresses a defeatist, attitude in response to his younger self's chastisement of him for drinking demon blood and becoming what he has become. After picking myself up off the floor after Sam's 'Life doesn't turn out the way you thought it would when you're fourteen years old' line, I noticed his 'we were never going to be normal, we were never going to get away' line. On the one hand this is true, but on the other hand it sounds like a post-hoc justification. He does not want to stop drinking demon blood, but also does not believe (or want to believe) he can. Therefore he makes himself a victim of circumstance and surrenders his agency.

In her review, Paula discussed the idea that Sam used to be an important cosmic figure with a special destiny and special powers. He can also perhaps be seen as something of a false prophet, since his visions etc came from Azazel whereas real prophets' visions come from God. For Sam to then be stripped of that after Azazel's death, and for Dean to later be raised to a position of even greater cosmic importance must have stung pretty badly. While it would be disingenuous to claim his addiction is entirely rooted in wanting to be important, a good case can be made for it being an considerable factor in all this. 'Dean' even says as much during one of Sam's hallucinations: Dean was supposed to stop the apocalypse, not Sam: Sam wanted to steal Dean's thunder. This is as good as confirmed in Dean and Sam's argument before their fight at the end of the episode, which is discussed near the end of this analysis.

Just before Dean and Sam's fight later in the episode, Sam says things to the effect of wanting Dean to believe in him and trust him. Sam wants to feel important and special. Getting this validation from Dean is especially important to him as Dean has been the only constant in his life.

In spite of that, poco!Sam claims that if Sam had not gone off with Dean, Jess might still be alive, at which point I get the song Put the Blame on Mame stuck in my head. That song should be Dean's theme tune in this show, because apparently he is also to blame for Jess's death.

Perhaps more understandably, Sam also tries to use Jess's death as a justification for what he is doing now, but more understandable thought it may be, it is another post-hoc justification. It is also irrelevant: Azazel's death was vengeance for Jess, as well as for Mary and John. Lilith had nothing to do with any of that.

While all this is happening in the panic room, Dean and Bobby are upstairs discussing Sam. This seems to be an unpopular opinion, but Bobby's grouchiness grates on me very quickly. In small doses it can be amusing, but mostly it comes across as him acting like a cunny-hole because he likes making other people feel stupid. Knowing what is coming next episode as well as 5x18 Point of No Return has perhaps soured my perception of him, but even my flatmate who was a big fan of Bobby early got tired of him before this point. He just acts bitchy for no reason, as if the writers could not think of another personality trait for him. It also seems rather inappropriate and unnatural in the situation: Dean is worried about Sam and wonders how long it might take for Sam to detox, to which Bobby's response is a pissy 'Oh, let me just check. Wait, I can't, because nobody's ever done this before'. This was funny in A Bug's Life, but here a simple 'I dunno, nobody's ever done this before' would have sufficed.

On the other hand, the grouchiness and bitchiness here is likely an expression of his own anxiety, but still. Calm your tits, Robert. That said, Bobby and Rufus's dynamic does amuse me greatly and it is a shame so little of it is on the show. Two ageing men snapping at each other like an old married couple sounds delightful, a bit like Bobby and old!Dean in 5x07 The Curious Case of Dean Winchester.

The most important parts of Bobby and Dean's conversations is their disagreement on what to do with Sam. Dean wants Sam to remain in the panic room until he recovers, whereas Bobby believes Sam could be a useful weapon in stopping the Apocalypse. Dean is dead set against this, preferring that Sam die as a human than survive as a monster (a decision Dean also made for himself in 3x15 Time is on My Side).

At first, it might seem like a good idea to use Sam as a weapon. After all, when he is at full power, he is currently the most powerful of the three, and perhaps rivals Cas in certain aspects. However, a second's thought reveals that this is actually very far from an idea of the good variety: Sam is being manipulated by a demon, and could just as easily turn his powers on the good guys. Besides, what would they believe would happen if Sam were to kill Lilith and stop the Apocalypse? Sam would still be at large and addicted to demon blood, having become the thing Azazel sought to make him. It would be like the ending of Game of Thrones: the Night King's dead, but now you have to deal with Dany.

Hindsight is 20-20, or so goes the saying, but surely an experienced hunter like Bobby should be more than hesitant to set a loose cannon like Sam free. Hindsight proves Dean to be right, as the first thing Sam did after Cas opened the door to the panic room was knock Bobby out with the butt of the rifle.

And what have I said many times in these analyses? A blow to the head strong enough to cause unconsciousness is strong enough to kill or cause serious brain damage. In the real world, Sam could have killed Bobby in this episode, proving him wrong and Dean right. I am starting to wonder whether Cassandra was a little relieved when Clytemnestra killed her.

This of course happens roughly halfway through the episode. Before that, Bobby somehow seems to switch from not having any idea about demonic detox to being sure it will kill Sam. How this happened is beyond me, but Bobby conveniently thinks what the plot wants him to think in this episode. I understand that Sam screaming and being tossed around the room is frightening and highly-concerning, but how did Bobby conclude that it would kill him? Part of the reason 'going cold turkey' is so difficult is because of the serious withdrawal symptoms: the body is used to functioning with a certain chemical present, and the sudden absence of that chemical causes serious disarray including physical and mental distress and illness. Withdrawal from certain drugs and medicines can be deadly, but how did Bobby come to the conclusion that 'cold turkey' (I am so sick of that phrase) was not working? What was his basis for that conclusion? Nobody has done demon detox before, how does he know?! And even if it were killing him, at least he would die human...

A sudden lull in the screaming and shouting panics Bobby and Dean, whereupon they run downstairs to find Sam getting tossed about like a ragdoll. Bobby and Dean have to restrain him and fasten him to the bed, and Paula commented on the unlikelihood of two men being enough to restrain a big man like Sam who was flailing around that much, especially when one of the men is around sixty years of age.

Bobby and Dean cannot agree on what to do with Sam. Perhaps it is partly for this reason that Dean tries to call Cas for help, though Cas left Dean shouting for him for two hours.

In the scene outside in Bobby's scrapyard, Cas is still acting the same as at the end of 4x20 The Rapture, the result of being sent to Heaven's Gulag for reëducation. In this scene, there is little left of the friendship which was developing between Dean and Cas, and Cas's behaviour is very different from that of the angel who defied orders and helped Dean defeat Lilith in 4x18 The Monster at the End of This Book. Instead, Cas uses the scene as an opportunity to essentially groom Dean into being Michael's vessel by getting him to swear allegiance and obedience to Heaven.

This is also the scene where Dean and Cas stare at each other for a very long time while the crane shot tracks up. There is no need for the two of them to stare at each other, yet they do anyway. A few weeks before writing this analysis, I watched this episode with a friend who is not especially a fan of the show. When watching this scene, she said apropos of nothing 'Oh, just kiss.'

Cas is obedient to Heaven in this episode, including later when he betrays Anna, yet his facial expression when Anna is taken away indicates he is not mindlessly obeying: he is obeying against his wishes, or because he has to. He perhaps knows that what he is doing is bad, but has to do it anyway.

That said, the fact it was him who freed Sam from the panic room and thereby almost got Bobby and Dean killed by proxy in this episode is never brought up and Cas is never held accountable for his actions. This is one of the reasons I can never quite actively like Cas: he does bad things but is often not held accountable. He rarely learns from his mistakes but often repeats pretty much the same mistake, i.e. working with dubious individuals behind Dean and Sam's backs and getting people hurt or killed. He also shifts the blame for his own behaviour onto others, mostly Dean (see 15x03 Rupture, for example). In this regard he resembles Sam, but the difference between Cas and Sam is that Cas does not act out of hostility. Rather Cas is absolutely clueless about how responsibility and accountability are supposed to work. The problem is that the show never makes Cas grow out of this. His and Dean's 'divorce' in series fifteen was the perfect time for Cas to begin understanding his own culpability and agency, and that Dean is not responsible for the choices Cas makes.

The writers, however, did not force Cas down this path, but kept him as poor innocent wide-eyed Cas bullied and mistreated by anger-issues Dean. All the responsibility for the divorce arc was laid at Dean's feet: Dean, as always, ended up blaming himself, but Cas let him. This did Cas a huge disservice as a character and kept him stuck as an adolescent. Whether Cas actively intended to make Dean believe he was entirely to blame for their fall-out is debatable, but he certainly did nothing to shoulder his hefty portion of the blame. Dean was allowed to think he and his justified anger at Cas's years of stupidity were the problems, not Cas's secrets, lies, and rash behaviour which ended up with dead friends and relatives. This is mistreatment, though it stops short of active gaslighting.

I have much more time for Cas than Sam due to the fact Cas's bad behaviour is not acrimonious. It is mostly simple stupidity, naïvité, and ignorance. It should also come as no surprise to readers that I ship Dean and Cas, but I do not see them as a perfect couple. They are both severely damaged and Cas especially would need to work on himself a lot in order to avoid 'Destiel' becoming a reflection of Dean and Sam's relationship. I ship them because I see that Cas is in love with Dean from at least series six and Dean felt similarly shortly thereafter (keeping his coat in the boot, anyone? Purgatory? 13x05 Advanced Thanatology? The market research?) but they are not teenagers in a John Green novel. They are adult men with adult men problems which they need to work on as adult men. Maybe one day they could be a healthy, functioning couple, but the fact they love and eventually are in love with each other is not enough.

Long story short: Cas was not held accountable for his actions, and this prevented his growth.

Dean on the other hand is blamed for everything. He does bad things (usually with the best intentions, e.g. Ezekiel/Gadriel), but both he and the show hold him accountable. He and the show linger on his mistakes, which means the audience remembers his mistakes more readily than Sam's or Cas's.

Moving on, after Cas secretly lets Sam out, Sam rushes off to a honeymoon suite in a hotel, and soon thereafter Ruby the Bitch-Skank arrives and ruins the entire next fifteen minutes. The sequence which follows Ruby's arrival up until the end of the episode is the reason why Paula's review begins with this being where Sam jumped the shark. 'Jump the shark' means that something utterly stupid happens in a show which marks the event horizon in a decline in quality which the show never recovers from. Applied to Sam, this would mean that his actions in this sequence destroyed any likeability or relatability he might have had, and hereafter he was irredeemable.

Paula wrote her review around the time series eight was airing, and as yet Sam had made no attempt to truly apologise or show contrition for almost murdering his brother in cold blood. The final episode of series eight has Sam try to sacrifice himself to close Heaven and Hell, and includes an apology to Dean for lying to him and betraying him with Ruby. Had this signalled a fundamental change in Sam after which he showed he had learnt from his mistakes and became a better person, I would have to disagree with Paula's assertion than Sam jumped the shark here. But the how has now ended, and barring possible continuations in the future, Sam has never recovered from this.

Ruby appears in the hotel room with a made-up story about how she had been deep undercover looking for Lilith for the last three weeks and was not checking her messages. Anybody with a pulse should have been able to see that for the lying lie it was, and Ruby's absence was part of a ploy to show Sam how much he needs her. Sam soon drinks some of Ruby's blood and then they presumably have coitus. Afterwards, Ruby talks about how only a tiny number of seals remain unbroken (while also talking about recently broken seals which remind me of the film Cabin in the Woods). She also gives Lilith's origin story, she being the first demon Lucifer made because Lucifer in the Superverse is a petty bish.

Apropos Lilith, it is a shame the show gave Lilith a Judaeo-Christian origin rather than having her be an entity from an older mythology. I am really no fan of the show trying to make everything work in a Judaeo-Christian framework, including pre-Abrahamic gods of Europe, Africa, and Asia. And why do they all eat people? More on this nonsense in 5x19 Hammer of the Gods.

After finding Sam has escaped and almost killed Bobby, Dean finds out where Sam is. He enters the hotel room when Sam is absent and finds Ruby. He almost gets the drop on her, but then a fight breaks out between the two of them which is broken up when Sam returns. Sam, of course, takes Ruby's side again (betraying one's family is one of the gravest sins in all faiths and mythologies, Sam, just sayin). Sam tells Ruby to go which leaves him and Dean alone together.

After finding Sam has escaped and almost killed Bobby, Dean finds out where Sam is. He enters the hotel room when Sam is absent and finds Ruby. He almost gets the drop on her, but then a fight breaks out between the two of them which is broken up when Sam returns. Sam, of course, takes Ruby's side again (betraying one's family is one of the gravest sins in all faiths and mythologies, Sam, just sayin). Sam tells Ruby to go which leaves him and Dean alone together.

What follows next is Dean's attempts to get Sam to see reason, to ditch the bitch and the demon blood and to go after Lilith with Dean. Sam, on the other hand, laments the fact that Dean does not trust him and hopes they can make things right. Pfft. The subtext of all this is Sam has absolutely no interest whatsoever in working with Dean or doing anything the way Dean thinks they should do things because Sam puts no values whatever on Dean's plans or thoughts. Dean is beneath him and should do what Sam says and wants.

At the same time, however, Sam claims that Dean is always pushing him around and telling him what to do. Sam wants at once to be seen as powerful and competent, but at the same times wants sympathy and understanding for having supposedly been a helpless victim whose agency and choices were stripped from him. Now that Sam has power, he is able to make the choices he was supposedly never allowed to make, and because he is so intelligent and strong, the choices he makes are the correct ones. If only Dean would see how marvellous Sam was, and if only Dean could join Sam in his delusions of grandeur.

Dean's distrust and refusal to coöperate infuriates Sam because it wears away the flimsy illusion of righteousness he has woven about himself. The Sam who Sam has become does not want Dean's trust because he values his brother and the relationship they had, but because it would be confirmation that Sam is on the right path. It would be an ego boost, too. Without that, Sam feels untrustworthy and perhaps generally unworthy.

If the show had leant into the curve and actually allowed Sam to be seen as the villain, none of this would be an issue. Cersei in Game of Thrones is a villain and the show never pretends otherwise. Sam is going to bleed a woman dry in the next episode, drink her blood, then start the Apocalypse, but none of it is really his fault. He was manipulated and he wanted to save his brother and Dean was overbearing and he had the best intentions and I just sicked a bit in my mouth.

Lots of people watching House of the Dragon have complained that bad things Rhaenyra does are either justified or explained away as not her fault or the fault of the men around her. She is not really to blame, the show supposedly wants us to think. I do not fully agree, but she is definitely presented as far more sympathetic than her counterpart in Fire & Blood. In the book, her stupidity (and Viserys's weakness) was one of the triggers of a civil war and the near extinction of the dragons, yet I still like the role her character plays in the book. She is not a 'villain' any more than Alicent et al, but she is hardly a hero.

In the show, she still does a lot of stupid stuff, but the audience is invited to like her and support her claim over Aegon's. In a mirror situation to Sam in this show, she is supposed to be a 'villain' yet she is presented as likeable and a victim of the men around her. The amelioration of her character has been to her detriment. I do like Rhaenyra in the show, but through no fault of the actor's, she has been made less vivid and visceral. I thoroughly hope the writers really are going to give her the same kind of villain arc Game of Thrones tried and failed to give Danaerys, but I worry they are too dead-set on presenting the women as ultimately good and the men as bed.

By the way, the House of the Dragon fandom reminds me a lot of the Supernatural fandom. I have no especial preference for either faction in House of the Dragon and generally like all of those horrible, horrible people (although Viserys did choose Rhaenyra to succeed him). Watching Team Green and Team Black tear into each other and the characters, however, is a lot like how it must have been for fans watching Deangirls and Samgirls go at each other in the early years of the show. The visceral hatred some people have of either Rhaenyra, Alicent, or Criston makes my distaste for Sam feel validated.

As for Sam, this episode should be the culmination of his villain arc, but the show refuses to represent it as such. Sam could have been a villain and Supernatural could have been great. Sam can scheme, connive, fall victim to a demon's feminine wiles (whatever one of those is) and be an irredeemable douche to his brother. If we were not invited to see him as a helpless victim nor to see Dean as the real baddie, this would be fine. Sam could even have been personally likeable and fallen to the 'dark side', and that would still have been a good story. Sam's story has unfortunately not been either of these things for me. I do not find him personally likeable like Dean, nor do I find enjoy his role in the story like Cersei's.

Having read this far, it should be obvious to you, Dear Reader, that I hold Sam mostly to blame for this situation. Well, Ruby really, but Sam needs to take his lumps. But might Dean have helped the situation a little if his communication tactics had been slightly different? His arguments have always been factually correct, i.e. that Ruby is a demon, that demons lie, that Sam's powers (coming from Azazel originally) might lead him to a bad place etc. Objectively this is all true, but Sam is subjective to the situation and does not seem to care much about facts at the moment. Might it have helped if Dean had talked a little more about his time in Hell and the fact that he was becoming a demon? Might this have changed Sam's perception of what was happening to him if Dean had discussed the fact Dean had been on a similar path in Hell and recognised some of the signs?

Even if the writers had remembered that Dean had been to Hell, and why he had been to Hell, this probably would not have helped. By the time Dean found out Ruby already had her claws deep in Sam and he was addicted to demon blood. Whatever the case, Sam was in no mood to negotiate on anything in the final scene, but rather wants Dean to believe in him because 'I'm the only one who can do this'. When Dean refuses to and says Sam is not the one who is going to stop Lilith, Sam's façade collapses and the jealousy referred to earlier is instantly apparent: 'Oh right, the angels think it's you.' Resentment and a bit of mockery are apparent in Sam, especially when he follows this up with calling Dean 'weak'. Dean picks up on this as a dig at his Hell trauma, and his own self-restraint begins failing.

Dean starts trying to boss Sam around (the first time I remember him doing so), and this causes Sam to snap. 'Stop bossing me around, Dean' he moans, sounding exactly like a stroppy teenager. At this point, Sam is 26, had been independent at university for a few years, and has been shown to not let himself be bossed around by anybody in this show.

Loads of episodes in series one and two happened because Sam wanted to go and investigate those things. Dean did not want to go to the house Mary died in, but they still went there in 1x09 Home because Sam wanted to. Dean did not want to go to a faith healer in 1x12 Faith, but Sam did, so off to the faith healer they went. Dean wanted to investigate the deaths in 1x11 Scarecrow but Sam did not, so Sam ran off and met Meg.

Lie after lie comes out of Sam's mouth in this scene: Dean does not 'call the shots', nor does Sam let him 'take the wheel'. Or perhaps Sam does let Dean 'take the wheel', but this is because Sam does not want the accountability. He has shown on numerous occasions that he can 'take the wheel' if he wants to. He just chooses not to. Sam also most assuredly does not trust Dean, meaning that all of this is an attempt at emotional manipulation.

This is not the last time Sam will attempt to manipulate Dean like this, with the next occasion being in 5x05 Fallen Idols where Sam seriously gaslights Dean about the events of the past two years or more and makes it all out to be Dean's fault anyway. ...For reason he brings up in this argument.

Dean is not buying the manipulation and things quickly degenerate. Dean calls Sam a monster, which to be fair is not far from the mark. The fact that this plays into Sam's insecurities does not detract from that, and one is reminded of self-fulfilling prophecies. Sam is not inherently a monster, but he has indeed become one. This is not something Sam is able to hear, though (see above RE: refusal to acknowledge criticism), and Dean calling him a monster begins the fight which ends the episode.

If perhaps my discussion of the subtext in their conversation seems a bit OTT, have a quick watch of this video on the subject of subtext and what viewers can actually read into what characters say:

I have little to say on the fight itself, except that it is surprising nobody came in to see what all the noise was about. In a fair fight, I expect Dean would probably win, like in 4x14 Sex and Violence, but Sam is superpowered in this scene and bests Dean easily enough. It almost reminds me of when Buffy fought Ted, that is how overpowered Dean seems. Had the fight ended when Dean was on the floor, things would have been bad enough, but perhaps not irretrievably broken.

Things had got out of hand, tension were high, etc etc etc. Even if Sam had killed Dean in that fight, it would have been more akin to manslaughter than murder. ...although it would have still been murder, especially since Sam started the fight. But Sam waited until he had won the fight and Dean was defenceless on the floor. Rather than shooting him or something, Sam made the cold-blooded choice to commit to the considerably lengthier process of strangling him to death. Sam really wanted Dean dead.

Some people have asked me why I hate Sam so much. This right here is one of the reasons. Moreover, as Paula's commenter Arafel wrote, Sam essentially had to make a choice between his crack dealer and his brother, and chose his crack dealer after almost murdering his brother. Another reason is that he is never held properly accountable for it. Some might say Dean forgave him after the events of 5x22 Swan Song, but that really is a cop-out. Bobby essentially calls Dean a pussy for this in the next episode, and then it is never brought up again. Because of this, the show missed out on a lot and alienated some viewers from one of the protagonists.

Having said this, bad relationships really can be like this. Years of arguments, resentment, co-dependence etc can come to a head in a violent crisis where it seems the relationship has to come to an end. Except it continues exactly as before until the next violent crisis. It would be acceptable if the show somehow acknowledged the poisonous nature of Dean and Sam's relationship, but instead it tries to make us think they actually love each other really and do not mean to hurt each other so everything is okay in the end.

Sam wanted Dean dead, and this is glossed over for the sake of keeping the brothers together. As a result, a few episodes' time will see Dean sitting across the table from the man who tried to kill him in cold blood and ...nothing. Why does this go nowhere? I am hardly being a pussy for expecting such a life-changing moment to have some actual impact on the narrative and the characters. After all, Bad Wolves has a song named Remember When about the time the singer's twin brother killed him (he was resuscitated in hospital).

I see Dean and Sam's brother bond as a fabrication and a marketing tool. There is too much acrimony and mistreatment for me to ever be able to see it as a positive thing, whatever the show tries to tell me.

Dean telling Sam to never come back after Sam tried to kill him has been likened to John telling Sam to never come back when he went to university. Dean has also apparently tried bossing Sam around, thereby driving Sam away, just like John. I have no tolerance for bullies and abusers acting like victims, so I merely raised that comment in order to guffaw at its ridiculousness.

After a bumper-size analysis this week, it is finally time to draw things to a well-deserved close. It is a shame the show did not truly have the gonadal fortitude to carry through with Sam becoming a monster: after all, that was the point of episode like 4x04 Metamorphosis, was it not? Its hesitance to make Sam anything other than a victim hamstrung it. The lack of consequences, guilt, and regret for Sam almost killing his brother was the event horizon for many viewers (myself included).

Other than that, I remember still being excited about the next episode when I first got this far in the show. The stakes are high and the conflict between the brothers might lead to them failing to stop the Apocalypse (although as we learn later, this was out of their hands).

Here endeth the analysis. You can read more of my analyses here:

Series 1

Series 2

Series 3

Series 4

Sundry

You can read Paula’s review here and Demian’s here.

P.S JUST KISS!!

[greenfiend]

Hi!

I think I know what your theory is about :) An Inception-like ending? If that's what you're thinking, I'm considering that too. I'm neutral about it, I just follow the clues and never rule anything out. So, yeah, maybe we'll see something like that. Maybe the epilogue scenes are what Will is imagining (writing), not real life, and the bar scene is similar to the church scene in LOST, the last time Will wants to see everyone together, in his mind. The people who are still alive and the ones they lost. But maybe some of those moments really happen. There are many possibilities!

I have a draft about the 3x03 dnd campaign you mentioned. I have two different interpretations about it. If I find it, I'll tag you :)

I noticed some possible hints at an Inception-like ending. Of course, they could mean other things, the writers took inspiration from so many stories. Ok, the fact that mind spaces exist in ST and we can see memories (labyrinths of memories/timelines?) Nina. The Alice in Wonderland references. Henry saying that the kids are still with him, in his mind, a parallel to Kali's friend saying that they were all dead but Kali saved them. Plus, the kids in the Creel house in the S5 BTS. Troy saying that now that he's dead, Will is a fairy and lives in fairyland (Peter Pan never gets old, like a memory). Dream circles, the Neverending Story, in which Bastian recreates Fantasia, including characters that were dead. Max in S4 and El in S2 asking, "Are you real?" "Did I make you?" But I interpret these lines as I made you be here, even if you shouldn't (be alive?), not as I created you.

As you probably know, I have a different theory about El and the meaning of the ghosts references. I think all these people are real, but they're like Lorraine and the other characters in the BTTF bad timeline. Perfoming in a silly, terrible play/not living their real lives. I think there are hints that El was born stillborn, or maybe died when she was five, and that she and other characters, like Hopper, are only alive ("crawled backwards"/back in time/were brought back to life) because of what happened to Will. And El basically took his place. The Superman/Clark Kent/twin imagery. I'm not sure Will lived in the lab though. The article in S1 suggests that he was only there for a week. Maybe it was enough.

Anyway, I think El's very existence is connected to Will ("If not siblings by blood, siblings by circumstance. They share a common bond that is not of this world", from the 4x08 script). But imo there's too much grief around her character, for her to be just a projection. And it's not just about her. I think the ghosts references are about other people who died in the past. Will, Henry, and Max's story is a big hint at what happened to them. It would be more meaningful (IMO), an inspiring story, like the teacher says in 4x01. Kids trying to "get a message through", "to talk to her daddy/parents". To live, despite everything that has been done to them. There are many parents grieving in this story. Parents who fight for their children, even when they're told that there's no hope, and parents who feel like they failed them, or even caused their suffering. Interesting that the mothers keep fighting and the fathers feel like they are curses or black holes that destroy everything. But it seems the opposite for Henry, hm... I have a theory about that.

It's also interesting to me that there's always this confusion, very intentional, about kids/babies being alive or dead. Maybe that's the point and what the loop or Will's mind is doing. Some of the characters that should be dead are alive. Hopper even says "They liked me better when I was dead." The kid in the pumpkin patch says You're dead! The man in 2x07 says "You're dead. We're all dead", to El. Will is in fairyland, but after his death. The UD is a place of decay and death. The kids are in Henry's mind, after they died. Hopper was seeing Sarah after her death, etc.

People dealing with the death of a loved one keep seeing them, hearing them, like ghosts. But since this is a sci-fi show, it is possible that there's some sort of time travel/loop and that people who died are alive. If they're really stuck, it's like torture, because their families can't move on, they can't heal. And grief can drive you insane. And trauma is literally haunting these people, with monsters and tendrils! But we can also see this as parents and their children, or friends, who got a second chance to live. Or maybe, to forgive and say goodbye. Because in the end, when they will break the loop, someone will be gone, for real this time. But they will always live in the memories of the people who loved them. Or even in Will's "realm". The bittersweet ending. But also surprising and happy, like Hopper says in his letter.

Lol, sorry for this long message. It's a stormy day, I'm drinking tea and eating biscuits, and of course I had to talk about one of my favorite shows! :)

Yes yes! It is Inception like. A story within a story within a story.

Please tag me! That 3x03 campaign is major foreshadowing without a doubt.

YES YES YES! Exactly! There's a reason for all of those references. It's not just random. It's like a dream, but not exactly.

I'm still unsure about many of the characters and the roles. So I had to narrow the theory down to Will and Mike's story. I think they are the key players, the "Gods" if you will. But I am fascinated to know which characters are "real" beyond the story we see within the show. I have some ideas but I'm really not sure.

Yeah many of them will live on... just not the way we think/expect.

I'll be finishing the entire theory post soon. It's the most emotionally draining one to write on. But I do think the concept is correct, my details just might be off!

[raayllum]

The Coin / Moon Fam plotline: a Structural Analysis

There's been some stuff in the tags recently about people being bummed over how long the Moon Fam / coin plot line has taken, and while it's an understandable perspective (particularly with how long hiatuses can feel between seasons), when looking at TDP as one complete story... the Coin / Moon Fam plot line hasn't actually taken that long, and is one of the most consistently developed plot threads / relationships in the show - and here's why.

This meta is broken down into three subheadings labelled, "Series Layout," "Plot Relevancy," and "The Trio('s emotional arcs)".

Series Layout

First things first, the fact of the matter is that the only season that didn't continue the coin plotline at all has been S2. Every other season has had something. This is pretty unique as outside character journeys or relationship development, not much besides overarching plot carries between season to season. Callum's arc is a mage and Ezran as king is ongoing, but the coin plotline has developed more consistently per season than emphasis on Ezran and Rayla getting one-on-one scenes together (which they haven't since S2). So the official breakdown is this:

1x01-1x03: Runaan and his relationship with Rayla are developed. He is taken prisoner while she goes on the mission with the boys.

1x05: Rayla shares the backstory of her parents failing to protect the egg. This is the first and last time she talks directly about her family until S3.

1x08: The coins are introduced in relation to Aaravos and the mirror, specifically. Runaan knows something of what the mirror is. He is coined.

3x03: While Runaan is believed to be dead, it is shown to the audience that he is stuck between life and death in the Lotus pond.

3x08: We see Lain and Tiadrin. It is implied they are coined.

3x09: Viren has the coins, taunting Rayla about them. This likewise teases that her parents were coined and reminds us that Runaan is too.

4x07: We learn about the quasar diamonds, which is set up for S5. Rayla also mentions how Runaan used moon opals to create illusion spells.

4x08: Rayla offers to sacrifice her blades and explains their connection to Runaan and Ethari, and how she believes she won't ever see them again. This is pretty blatant setup for the next episode in which

4x09: Rayla tries to save and then receives the coins from Claudia. This is also when it is finally confirmed that Lain and Tiadrin were coined as well. She and Stella escape Umber Tor (this is also how Rayla learns about Stella's portal powers).

5x01: Rayla investigates the dungeons to find out what happened to Runaan / how the coins work. She finds a 'mystery human' in a 4th coin. She determines that while she wants to help her family, she can't bring herself to prioritize it while the world is still in danger and that Callum and Ezran need her.

5x02: We meet the mystery human and find out that he is Kpp'Ar, Viren's old mentor. Rayla uses Runaan's bow and Ethari's arrows (thanking the latter) to defend herself against a corrupted banther.

5x04: Rayla tells Callum the truth about the coins and her pain concerning them. He immediately wants to help her and finds a potential solution concerning the coins: quasar diamonds at the Starscraper. Callum intends to personally free them himself and risks all of their present lives to get the information.

5x05: Karim summons the Bloodmoon Huntress, Kim'Dael, to do his bidding. As we know thanks to the graphic novel of the same name, she has history with Rayla, Runaan, and Ethari.

TDP loves to set things up, add to it a little for a season, and then make it a major focus.

Think of how Claudia and Soren didn't see their dad again after 1x06 until 3x03 - that's about 14 episodes, roughly half of Arc 1! Or how nothing that Viren does in S1 or S2 affects the trio at all until his kids catch up with Callum, Ezran, and Rayla in 2x02, or his own actions until close to 3x04 and 3x08 - once again, seasons apart.

Thus, the breaks in between the Moon Fam development makes sense, even if as laid out before, Rayla's relationship with them and the coins are developed 4/5 seasons. In particular, Rayla's relationship with Runaan and Ethari are more developed and emphasized, additionally, than her relationship with her biological parents. And what's more, thanks to both the Nova Blade and the Quasar Diamonds being rumoured to be at the Starscraper, let's talk about

Plot Relevancy

As soon as we'd learned there was a fourth coin, I assumed that Kpp'Ar was imprisoned inside it, simply because 1) he's close to Viren, 2) he 'mysteriously disappears,' and 3) his name sounds like fucking copper. It is implied in the Book Two: Sky novelization that Kpp'Ar has Plot Relevant Information about Aaravos (and possibly the relic staff) as well as whatever Viren did to save Soren (and his own dark magic misdeeds).

The novelization confirms that Kpp'Ar had a box that perfectly matched the one Aaravos uses inside the mirror for the bug pal spell. Kpp'Ar is also a master of puzzles and could very well be the descendant of the Jailer, who created the now infamous puzzle of the prison, in addition to having a wide berth of magical knowledge.

This implied connection to the prison would make the most sense if Kpp'Ar gets out before Aaravos is freed, and Aaravos will have to be freed in season six. And if Kpp'Ar is getting out of his coin, then the Moon fam are also getting out of theirs before the season finale.

There's also the Kim'Dael plotline to consider. While she is a menace in S5, Janai implies that she is not at her full powers, claiming, "This is a monster you do not want unleashed." Given that Karim has the sun seed and an army, he will likely become King of Lux Aurea and able to free Kim'Dael in S6 as well. This sets up the Moon fam all working together with Rayla to defeat her in S7.

So thanks to Kpp'Ar and Kim'Dael, the Moon fam is tied to two ongoing plotlines that have to get underway sooner rather than later. They are also three of the few characters to have presumably known what the mirror was. Runaan seems to outright know something ("That mirror? You have found something worse than death") and for Lain and Tiadrin, it is implied, as it seems they stayed behind ultimately to guard the mirror > Zym's egg (given that they tried to have Hendryr take the egg with him) because they knew it falling into the wrong hands could be dangerous. This means that when the three of them do come sprawling out of the coins, they will immediately understand the stakes of Aaravos' imminent or potential release.

The "two relevant plotlines" is under the assumption as well that Callum's pursuit of Star magic in order to free them is not what ultimately leads to him 1) him being possessed (with Rayla being called upon to kill him again, generating a potential interesting conflict with Runaan) or 2) snowballs into being what releases Aaravos. In which case they'd be tethered to Three Plotlines. But in some ways, they already are, because of how Runaan in particular is going to impact each of

The Trio

or why the "Ezran short story indicating Ezran is going to have lots of big nasty feelings about Runaan's rescue and survival is the best thing that could've ever happened, thank you" section. You can read the short story here if you haven't already (and I highly recommend it).

Okay, but why is this a good thing? Well...

We know next season that Callum and Rayla are heading to the Starscraper, likely now that things with Aaravos have resolved enough and/or to get the Nova Blade because things have escalated very quickly. However, as previously discussed, while Callum might do some plot relevant snowball shit to get them out of the coins, from an emotional arc standpoint, he's more likely to struggle with Runaan once the assassin is out. As of now, Callum is wholly dedicated to helping Rayla get her parents out of the coins (as he states and reaffirms in 5x04). The fact the Starscraper also has the Nova Blade is a nice preventative bonus. But this current lack of 'big feelings' means that Rayla was our main emotional tether to how people are Feeling about the coin plotline, from a character standpoint.

Enter Ezran and his anger. Not only does it expand his character, it gives the audience another piece of emotional investment and complication in the coin plotline, even if we're still inclined to be more for freeing Runaan than not (which is where Ez may fall). And it also introduces that complication for Callum.

Rayla and Ezran, and Ezran and Callum, rarely argue. Now Ezran is going to be presumably pitted against something Callum wants to do for Rayla, being torn between the two people he loves the most, with Ezran possibly feeling betrayed by the two people he loves the most.

So now there's an emotional investment with all three of the main characters - for Ezran, his anger in contrast with his hopes for peace; for Callum, devotion to Rayla and more importantly in this vein at least, disagreement with his brother; and of course, Rayla being caught up in magic that may have a steep price to pay in order to free her family (and what Runaan may encourage her to do once he is freed, re: killing Callum).

The brothers have to resolve their conflict; Rayla has to get her family back; Runaan's responses to each of these things, and indeed being freed, opens up a lot more avenues. TDP has never taken the easy way out when it comes to character development and complicated emotion. Viren was saved from a similar fate to his former prisoner so that he could develop further - otherwise why keep a character alive? Runaan (and the others) are going to be freed by the end of S6 if not earlier than the finale by a decent margin, and have enough time to change, stumble, and grow alongside their daughter and her friends - while defeating Kim'Dael together as a family, I think. #Justformerassassinthings

Conclusion

S6 is go time and it's gonna be great, Runaan and Ethari are gonna get a good chunk of screentime together, Runaan is one of the most important driving forces within S6's setup, and they all still have places to go as characters. Thank you goodnight

[theawkwardanglophile]

What are your top 5 episodes??

I should have seen this coming! 😂 Thanks for the ask, Sarah, and I’m sorry I didn’t get this out sooner. My brain was mush the past couple of days and I wanted to give this my full attention when I made my decisions. And, man, I DELIBERATED on this! My criteria were episodes that were Chenford-heavy, so some eps that have like one big amazing Chenford scene (4x18 for example) were left out. And I'm sure this might change at some point, but I feel pretty good about where everything landed for now. So here we go….

5x12 Death Notice This ep just has EVERYTHING: the end of their era of riding together, being flirty at work, ridiculous married vibes (the lint picking??), LUCY LESSON (how did it take them 5 years to come up with the greatest term to counter Tim Tests? Bring back Lucy Lessons in S6!), the lengths they both will go to for each other, Tim's talk with Grey, and of course, NAKED TIME. And that doesn't even cover all of it. I just love it to pieces.

5x10 The List The absolute high this episode gave me, after a full month of bliss already with them being canon. The most delicious rom-commy cold open that I could have hoped for, trying on their entire closets and then being so painfully, adorably awkward on their date. Then Tim and Lucy being ANYTHING but subtle at work, which is just so hilarious considering they can be so stealthy when needed on the job, but trying to hide their relationship? Umm, y'all weren't fooling anyone. Maybe Nolan. And the precious first/second date at the end. The GRANDKIDS, the SMILES, the KISS. Perfection!

4x09 Breakdown An Eric Winter master performance. I just wanted to hug Tim throughout the ep. Luckily, Lucy was there for that job, and what a hug it was! Tim lets go completely and sinks into her, all his walls down. He felt so safe with her. I love how her opinion of him means everything, and she was quick to offer reassurance (I truly believe her words in 4x08 were just a slip of the tongue). But I also love how Lucy is just doing life with Tim, the things that matter. Where was Ashley, hmmm? It's Lucy that's there helping with such a significant job of remodeling Tim's childhood house, and doing some wonderful future sister-in-law bonding with Genny. Also, Tim and Lucy power-walking through the station in plain clothes? A VIBE.

4x12 The Knock The most insane double date ever? My gosh, this ep has so much fun stuff in it, so many little details, that even though Lucy started dating Chris, and Ashley decided to turn a blind eye and continue dating Tim, after watching this I had never been more convinced that Chenford was endgame. Every part of the double date is gold, and Tim and Lucy's scenes on the job beautifully showcase how seamlessly they work together (and their total lack of personal space). LOVE IT.

2x13 Follow-Up Day This ep was an early fave, and still holds a special place. TIM GAVE UP A PROMOTION FOR LUCY. Way before Court Liaison there was THIS. Lucy is his biggest cheerleader this whole ep (and, you know, always), and Grey's knowing looks during the test score scene is *chef's kiss*. And the scene outside the bakery is everything. Their faces say so much! They were being such flirts in S2, to the point that I originally wondered if they might actually start something later that season. THAT'S how powerful that scene was.

Honorable mentions:

2x11 Day of Death I know, I know, and part of me feels like it should be in the top five. I mean, it is without a doubt one of the best episodes, if not the best, they ever made. It's so powerful, and was the turning point in my shipping, because I'd only been mildly intrigued by Chenford in a few S2 eps, but DOD cemented me as a full-fledged shipper (little did I know it would become my best shipping experience of all time). But it can be a hard one to watch, and I just love those others a tiny bit more.

5x08 The Collar There are so many moments to love in this ep. It truly changed everything with Tim and Lucy, and the more I've seen their talk outside at the end, the more it grows on me. It really is so them. Even though they become CANON in this one, I think because there is so much clueless Chris, and the tough scene with the first bomb victim, it just didn't quite make it to the top 5.

3x09 Amber Anyone who was around when this aired knows we all lost our minds pretty good with this ep. It grew on me more and more over time, and I love it so much. The whole confession scene still might be the longest uncut Chenford scene...ever? Just them talking in the shop. It's insanely wonderful! And this ep gave us Parking Garage Face and the beginning of a brand new chapter with Tim and Lucy.

5x01 Double Down Editing to add this one, because I started questioning everything, and it did NOT feel right to leave this one out. What a fantastic collection of moments. The airplane kiss is top tier, HANDS, the gorgeous shots of them in the car in Vegas, it doesn't feel like pretend, etc. And even though I'm so glad they didn't cheat, I'll never be over the fact SHE OPENED THE DOOR FOR HIM AND HE WENT IN.

[pimento-playing-hopscotch]

Tag Game: 911 Lone Star Fandom Edition

Thank you for the tag, @chicgeekgirl89 @ladytessa74 💝

When did you first start watching Lone Star? Who or what introduced you to the show?

It was right about two years ago around this time of year, and the who would be Owen Strand himself, Mr. Rob Lowe. I was on Hulu and bored and saw this go by and thought well I've never met a Rob Lowe something that I didn't like, so what the hey.

I was not expecting to get this into it at ALL- like by the time the title card appeared for the first time I was like what is this show! (literally, I hadn't written anything in about 13 years, and I had no computer at the time, and there I was, scribbling down fic in my notebook like a child of the 80's lol).

Which season is your favorite?

For me it's a horserace between seasons one and four. Season one did so much with those ten episodes (why I have hopes season five can still be amazing with only twelve episodes) and season four for a couple reasons; one, season four fixed sooooooooo many of the mistakes they made in season three, and season four compared to season one is like them living their lives out loud.

Like that sad boy from New York who just wanted a way to bury his pain? He's getting married now!

That cop with zero work-life balance? Also getting married and has friends who adore him!

The trans firefighter worried he'll never date anyone he can be himself with- look at his relationship blooming now!!

It's just the best, season four.

Who is your favorite character? (Bonus: If you answered TK or Carlos, who is your favorite besides them?

Well, first pick would be my Tarlos boys, but I also do love me some Owen Strand. Yes he's flawed but there is so much good in him, and he's an amazing dad and captain when his character doesn't suffer from the show needing him to be the center of everything and the fact they can't land a decent romantic storyline for him (though I do know why that is lol).

Top Five Episodes - Go!

4x08 1x01 1x10 2x05 4x12

If you could pick any character to be given a "begins" episode, who would it be and what would that episode look like?

Carlos, cause I'd like to go just like a year before the show started - like it's been confirmed TK was his first real relationship but did he try to date? Did he ever hook up? Also I feel that because he is a good son that he wouldn't cut off his parents completely, but wouldn't see them until they asked, what was that like? Did he want to tell his mom about his life and feel like he couldn't? (note; this might be the most depressing begins episode ever - TK really burst in like the Kool-Aid man and color this boy's whole world).

Also Nancy, just because we don't get anything about her hardly - did she go to college? How long has she been with EMS? Did she have another captain before Michelle? All could use answers.

What is a scenario or storyline that you would like to see in season five?

TARLOS DOMESTIC MORNING SCENE PLEASE AND THANK YOU -

I want Carlos to be up early and trying to wake TK up gently. After TK says just a few more minutes four times, Carlos uses stern voice and tells him it's time to get up. TK still is hiding under the covers so Carlos puts those long fingers to use and tickles his husband right out of the bed.

Beyond that - for TK and Owen to have scenes together like they did in season four; for Owen's rich girlfriend to not be a thing anymore, for Robert's death not to cause any bad feelings between Strands, and for TK and Carlos to be on a team against their problem, not on opposite sides against each other.

Also Carlos picks TK up; in any context. I would love a Carlos puts his husband on his shoulder and carries him out of somewhere while he's protesting but would also accept in a romantic setting he picks TK up, or he picks a very sleepy TK up who wraps his legs around his husband and lays his head on his shoulder.

The still of a concerned Carlos on the phone and a despondent-looking TK behind him- what do you think is going on there?

I think a mean person told TK that Catan is stupid and TK got very upset about it and Carlos's phone call consists of "you made my baby sad? You picked a good day to die, son".

Juuuuuust kidding lol - no I think that Carlos has to do something dangerous (perhaps related to his father's murder, perhaps not) but it's known to be dangerous and TK is scared for him and begging isn't there anyone else? And Carlos gets the call confirming there's no one else; it needs to be Carlos.

We all know about the elusive spicy 5x05 scene that has been teased, so what is your prediction for how it could possibly top 1x02?

That is tough because they're still on network TV - I would say one or both of them are wet - possibly it is raining and they're at the famous Reyes ranch and Carlos takes TK in the barn.

Where was the Tarlos honeymoon in your mind?

(I may be stealing this) but I could see them going somewhere in Mexico - pretty but also not terribly far away, because of what happened but also because TK is very nervous about leaving their lizard child and is constantly texting his dad like what is Lou doing why haven't you sent me videos of him!!"

Shoutout to one of your favorite fan creations

The Little Monkey by @anewkindofme - my most reread fic and chock full of sweet TK and Owen feels. It is the ultimate comfort fic.

Where All This Love Comes From by @carlos-in-glasses - so much angst, so much heart, so much love, so much writing talent possessed by one person!

No pressure tagging - I tag @anewkindofme @nancys-braids @carlos-in-glasses @actualalligator @lemonlyman-dotcom @carlos-tk -tk @heartstringsduet and anyone else who wants to do it - open tag 🫶

[self-spaghettification]

tdp overarching themes (redemption etc)

What will happen when Ezran/Harrow’s narrative of love and Aaravos/Viren’s narrative strength meet, who wins?

Will it be possible for Ezran to win the dark mages over to let go of pain and end the cycle of violence? Or is death the only way to protect the world and his loved ones? Will Ezran have to learn to become stronger himself?

is it even possible to kill a startouch elf? oor to convince him to maybe not, like, conquer xadia?

i don’t have these answers but i diiiid compile a bunch of relevant shit

I kind of went through Harrow’s letter to Callum and added related quotes or moments that seemed relevant to the overarching themes discussed and how they stand on opposing sides

orange is harrow’s letter, read in 1x06

red is ezran’s speech, given in 4x03

these are the main voices but there’s also

pink is ibis in 4x03

black is zubeia in 4x04

purple is various aaravos quotes

pink is various viren quotes

both from 2x09, 3x05, 3x07, and 4x04

green is soren, janai, amaya and rayla briefly (4x03 & 4x08 & tdp trailer respectively)

“Soon you will both face a lie. The great lie of history.

“His name was Aaravos, and yes, he was a star. One of the great ones, respected and loved by all. Until we uncovered a long hidden treachery.”

Advisors and scholars will tell you that history is a narrative of strength.

“Search your heart. There’s something that you want very badly. But something or someone stands in your way.”

They will recount stories of the rise and fall of nations and empires. They will be stories of armies, battles and decisive victories.

“And this bright future will require us to conquer Xadia?”

But this isn't true strength. It's merely power.

“I can destroy them all! I have all the power I need!”

“If you want to say something to the Dragon Queen, you should say it to her face. her real face, that can bite you in two!”

“It hurts! I feel pain about this and I am angry!”

I now believe true strength is found in vulnerability...in forgiveness, in love.

“We all want peace and we all want love. But violence tests us!

In a twisted way it converts us to their cause.”

“You tried to win them over with loyalty and friendship but they ignored you. those who fail tests of love are simple creatures who deserve to be motivated by fear.”

“Because pain and loss feel so terrible inside. You want to hate. You want to hurt someone else. so what do we do?”

So, what is the plan? To fulfill your wishes, of course. Is your wish to rule Xadia? I wish for humanity to flourish. And it cannot flourish with a knife forever at its throat.

There is a beautiful upside down truth, which is that….

These moments of purest strength appear as weakness to those who don't know better.

“These are the champions you’ve gathered to try to stop me? They’re nothing but pathetic children!”

“How can we stop this cycle?”

Violence.

Loss.

Pain.

For a long time, I didn't know better.

“In the name of love, you may perform acts so unforgivable that you may never forgive yourself.”

Violence,

“You must take down the Dragon Queen and capture the baby dragon. Then you will have the attention of all the world, and the power to do what you want.”

“Bring terror to Del Bar, to Neolandia, to Evenere, and to Duren!”

Loss,

As I write this, the sun is setting while Moonshadow assassins prepare to end my life. A few months ago, I took my revenge on Xadia. Tonight, it is their turn.

“I am going to destroy it, before it can be used to do any more harm!”

Pain,

“Every great crisis the world faced seemed the work of some ingenious and powerful leader, but in each case, it was secretly Aaravos, whispering in their ear.”

“Aaravos. A startouch elf responsible for more pain, death, and suffering than anyone else in history.”

“I am not a killer.

But if you seek to return that staff to its true owner, you pose a greater danger to this world than I can allow.”

You must die.”

stop! i just want to yell stop. but that’s not enough. it won’t work.”

“I do not mean to be cruel. But we must be ready to sacrifice. Even the things we love.”

“Well played. She will be a valuable asset.”“She is not an asset. She is my daughter.”

I ask you and your brother to reject history as a narrative of strength and instead have faith that it can be a narrative of love.

“I think about a positive vision. a faith we can all share, that we might build a future together in hope. a future where we can be safe with each other. but… it’s not that easy. or simple.”

“Everything I do, and everything I ask of you, is for the future of humanity.”

“The whining child king, in over his head and he knows it.”

because people are still hurting and they are still angry. we can’t ignore that, or pretend it will go away.

“Oh, my time is inevitable.”

somehow, we have to hold it all in our hearts at the same time. we have to acknowledge the weight of the pain and loss, but open our eyes and allow ourselves to hope and maybe forgive and love again.

“You cannot have your cake and eat it too.”

We have to give today’s children a chance to inherit a future filled with peace.

“I've tried to be selfless as a king, but as a father, I have a selfish wish. And that is for you and Ezran to be...free. Reject the chains of history. Do not let the past define your future, as I did. Free yourself from the past. Learn from it, understand it, then let it go. Create a brighter future from your own hearts and imagination.”

Destiny is a book you write yourself.

To give them that, we have to hold pain and love in our hearts at the same time.

“There is an aching pain mixed with love that you feel in these moments.”

“Just have two cakes.”

“This is called A Song of Love and Loss.”

I'm proud of you. And I love you unconditionally.

“If the fallen star is a danger the whole world will face, this is a chance to solve our problems together.”

“How do you kill a startouch elf?”

idk man. what if aaravos doesn’t have to die? what if it’s not too late for him to be redeemed? this is kind of a guilty pleasure hope of mine but still. the dragon prince is a story of letting go of generational trauma and past pain, of letting go of pain and differences, most importantly, of letting go of a narrative of strength, of a strong katolis, a strong lux aurea, a strong empire over xadia, and believing in a story of love and hope. if there’s anything that could drastically change things its the guy with a lot of power and a lot of ambition and pain ready to cause a whole cycle of pain all over again. if there’s anything that would drastically change things it would be changing his heart. and if theres anyone who can change it, it’s the kid who feels the most for him.