#Netflix IF Analysis

[bookoftheironfist]

This is another one of my absolute favorite scenes. Danny takes a minute to chat with some of the teens at the compound, facilitated by the reintroduction of Colleen’s former student, Darryl. Danny met Darryl very briefly at Colleen’s dojo, and he is thrilled to see him again and eager to check in on him. Through Darryl and his friends, we are shown more of what we have come to understand from Colleen: that this is a sanctuary where displaced kids can find a home. They love it here; they feel safe and cared for and empowered, just the way Colleen did. This is why she sends her students here. The compound is doing important work for a very vulnerable population. 

Beyond the worldbuilding, and the groundwork being laid for this episode’s fast-approaching devastating twist, this is just a really fun, sweet, banter-y little conversation. I love that Danny asks if they’ve ever tried to sneak out; it’s reminiscent of his stories about the mischief he and Davos got up to in K’un-Lun, which is a fun, MCU-specific side of his character. And I looove his cute little sparring match with Darryl, which, of course, mostly consists of Danny just good-naturedly letting Darryl take a few swings at him. A+ adorable interaction, A+ Danny mentorship moment, no notes.   

At the same time, Danny also takes advantage of this encounter to try and dig up some information. He comes away from this conversation knowing exactly where Madame Gao is being held, and he’s about to do some sneaking of his own. 

[pheracy]

Jinx's traces of make up after she has cried looks like Vi's face tattoo but backwards and they both have it in their left cheek.

Besides, her final look and outfit resembles her sister's in S1 and S2. The bandages covering her chest and the new hairstyle with the shaved undercut on the same side is also similar to Vi's.

After all it seems like Vi and Powder cannot coexist in the same timeline or dimension. When Powder lives, Violet doesn't. When Vi lives, Jinx decides not to. "Always with you, sis".

The parallels, the attention to detail and the design for each character in Arcane is insane. I can't believe this amazing series is over. I'm gonna miss these sisters like they were my relatives.

[geekgirles]

So I noticed something. Don't know if I'm onto something, or if I've just fallen victim to my fever dreams. But hear me out.

Rumi's mother was a member of the Sunlight Sisters, to be specific, she was the one with the braid, just like Rumi.

At first, it's easy to imagine that's because she's trying to emulate her mother and live up to her legacy as a popstar and huntress. It wouldn't be surprising if she braided her hair in her honour.

But then you remember, who raised Rumi? That's right, Celine.

I don't have the screenshots for it, so I could be mistaken, but if memory serves, it was Celine who was braiding her hair back when she was a child. It was Celine who ultimately chose her and Mira and Zoey as the next huntresses and helped them raise to fame to achieve their goals.

So what if the reason Rumi wears a braid is because Celine is the one desperate to keep her mother's memory alive, even if it means neglecting who Rumi is as her own person?

The film never really dwells on the true extent of her hatred of demons and how it affected her relationship with Rumi beyond ruining her self-esteem and causing all of her internalised hatred. Maybe Celine doesn't hate demons just because it's her job, but because they took Rumi's mother away from them. Maybe her falling in love with Rumi's demon father is what broke the Sunlight Sisters up.

Maybe, the reason she styles Rumi's hair into a braid and why she refuses to acknowledge her nature as a half demon is because she's purposely suppressing the idea of Rumi as her own person, separate from her mother.

Maybe all Celine wanted all along was to hold onto the memory of Rumi's mother, even if it meant refusing to accept her daughter, whom she swore to protect, for who she is.

[golden-redhead]

Okay, but I actually adore the romantic arc in KPop Demon Hunters. There's so little time to tell this story and to focus on all its nuances, but the way the movie gets us there is absolutely amazing and doesn't feel cheap at all. And I think part of the reason why is the fact that Rumi and Jinu never really develop past what technically counts as just a crush.

It doesn't try to convince us that what they shared was something unbeliavably deep or like some kind of soulmate bond. It doesn't act like they were perfect for each other and how their love could make it through everything. It works precisely because it shows the tragedy of how little time they had together and how they never got to explore that on their own terms.

And we can all relate to that feeling of loss of something that could have been more. All of the elements of a great romance are technically there but all these other outside elements are working against them and all we get to see at the end of the day is the unexplored potential.

Rumi and Jinu connected on a very human level, that's true, but the tragedy of their relationship is that it couldn't really become more and what we end up mourning is the potential they had, the fact that they could have been so much more if given a chance.

So often stories try to convince us of these stronger-than-anything romantic arcs, but since a lot of the time romance is the B-plot at best and there's no time to develop it properly, we end up with the characters basically skipping all the stages from attraction and straight to pure and unadulterated love.

KPop Demon Hunters doesn't do that.

Instead, it focuses on the connection that was broken too fast and that's precisely why it resonates with us. It doesn't try to pretend that their romance is something that it isn't and that fact, more than anything else, makes it feel authentic.

I feel like a different ending would have cheapened the story somehow. We got a happy ending, yes, but it doesn't make it all good. It doesn't erase all the pain that we had to go through to get there.

And at the end of the day, it's not some grand love story.

No.

Instead, it's two broken people who connect, who feel attraction and who never get to explore what it means. The romance itself isn't some kind of be-all and end-all kind of thing.

It still matters, though.

Why? Well... because they still got to meet each other. They still got to heal, in their own ways. And that matters, too. Even if it wasn't meant to be the way we wish it was. Sometimes, that's just how it is.

[the-irreverend]

Damn, this scene right here where Vi reaches out to her to comfort Jinx just KILLS me every time.

It's a very small scene, but it carries so much weight because it shows how, despite all that's happened, Vi's love for her sister is still very much present, and the bitterness and resentment she felt toward her all those years ago are withering away.

I also love that when she retracts her hand, she doesn't do it forcefully or speedily, which would indicate hostility or resentment. She does it gently as if she's saying to herself, "Maybe I'll just give her some space for now."

As great as the big emotional scenes are (e.g., Vander reuniting with her daughters), you CANNOT undervalue the little moments that made them all the more impactful.

[aangarchy]

Ok now we're just taking the piss right? Right?

Once again this sort of thinking is removing a fundamental character arc that makes this story what it is. A big part of Aang's journey, especially in season 1, but tbh it does return in later seasons too, is accepting that he is the Avatar, and that he's the only one who can end this war. During the whole first season he is in complete denial about who he is and what he's supposed to do, which is why in most of this season there's no sense of urgency, and then once Aang gets faced with a very real, very close deadline he panics. This makes it even more brutal when in season 3, after accepting this responsibility, he gets faced with the reality of failure. He runs away again, this time not because he doesn't want responsibility, but because he knows how heavy his responsibility is and he doesn't want to burden anyone else with it. Removing the first aspect, aka running away and denying responsibility, it in turn also removes the heavy emotion from his later arc.

It keeps surprising me that people who claim to be such fans of the original seem to completely miss the point of most of this story? Like how could you look at Sokka learning about women's rights, Aang learning to accept responsibility, and Katara's motherly warmth which happened because how young she was when she had to step into a motherly role, and think "well we should remove that." You're taking out all of character development and going purely off of plot (which isn't gonna be nearly as good without the character development!)

Atla is probably one of the most analyzed and picked apart story, has one of the most long running loyal fanbases, people are STILL making thinkpieces about this show, and you manage to still misunderstand so much???

[jamesrb4th]

So a lot of people are saying “Vi called Caitlyn ‘Cupcake’ and she folded”

But I think the real thing she said that made Caitlyn change sides is “I’m trying to save my dad”

Vi has gotten a miracle, someone she loves has come back from the dead. Caitlyn knows how much someone would want that, how badly it would hurt if it was taken away. And she just can’t bring herself to do that to a person who, despite her efforts to push them away, she is still in love with.

[stranger-theory]

im only genuinely thinking about it now but what the FUCK is going on in the bedroom scene. seriously. they have a heartfelt talk about how different they are from their other friends?? mike tells will that he was worrying TOO MUCH about el??? his GIRLFRIEND who was being relentlessly bullied by like thirty random people in PUBLIC???? mike tells will that home isnt home without him????? they gaze into each others eyes for longer than normal?????? the script says that their "intimate moment was shattered" which is an incredibly popular romance trope??????? hello????????

[peachtvs]

Hidden Details in Arcane Season 2 Act 3

When Ekko is first introduced into the other world, he's disoriented, and we see him looking at himself confused as hell into the reflection.

Right after, thats where Powder pulls up in that universe. Powder here will be who I refer to as the non-traumatized version of Jinx, who she could've been and who she is in this alternative universe.

But, before we even get to see Powder, Ekko sees her reflection:

This isn't Powder's reflection, this isn't even her character model. This can be seen when we do actually see Powder:

Powder is smiling, her eyebags aren't as defined, her skin has these warm undertones, the front of her eyebrows aren't furrowed, and her sclera show under her iris isn't visible. But, in the reflection, we see what Ekko sees her as—the "deadpanned"master criminal", dangerous Jinx in his universe, the Jinx with cool, almost sickly skin, a frown, sharper eyes that show the sclera beneath her iris, and her eyebrows knit together like she's always disturbed.

And the craziest thing is, this scene only plays for 3 whole seconds in arcane.

THREE SECONDS

The attention to detail in arcane to show the audience the difference between the Jinx Ekko knows and the Powder he's meeting here is astounding, and the animators include these tiny details that they don't even know if people will ever appreciate, but they're still added.

that's the beauty of arcane.

[hexhomos]

The 'Talis' hypothesis

So I think the S2 trailer confirms something central about Arcane I've wondered for a while. This has plot bearings to it, namely what nebulous purpose 'Magic' serves in the story -- how they're changing the role Hextech has in the game lore, incl. its power system & ruleset -- and what kind of hubris is associated with it historically. But it also answers something that has always nagged at me: why the fuck did they change Jayce's name?

So let's talk about this picture. And I'm going to give you the rosetta stone in 5 seconds:

This is Hextech now. Like that is just an incredibly concise and complete descriptor of Hextech-in-Arcane, right. It 'harms' Jinx, it 'protects' Jayce in the snowstorm, it 'heals' Viktor to a degree. It is installed permanently in architecture; the Hexgates ARE the brand.

First off, we have this fucker carrying around a talisman from back when he was 7, and the cinematography of the show agonizes over showing you this throughout all of ep2:

Jayce's bracelet is a bang-on definition of a historical talisman. The way hextech *functions* in the show is inextricable from the promises and rites associated with talismans, a word appropriated/popularized by the French - which I'm going to conservatively argue Fortiche would be familiar with;

Which brings me to the subject of what Hextech is, and how Hextech was changed for the tv show (and what its possibly being retconned to in the game)

Hex'tech' is not technology. The name is a carryover from a bygone era of leagueoflegends speak; Hextech in Arcane, and presumably in expanded lore going forward (given Skarner's rework and other things) - is the study, development, and the building of an industry around the craft of practical Talismans. If you want to understand how this shit works you need to promptly abandon the assumption that it is 'manufactured' magic -- its pure magic. It's raw magic. The tech part is a red herring misnomer.

The beliefs around this already cover links to 'the Arcane' as another, ethereal destination realm with Inhabitants that learn and change, ontop of rune-carving as magical instruction;

This also covers Viktor's impending transformation and the changes made to his character.

IN MY OPINION, via the content released so far and what we've already witnessed in S1, Viktor has been shifted away from becoming 'the machine herald' and re-positioned to become the Herald of Divine Rune Alchemy or whichever name they end up using.

I don't doubt that he'll get the armor at some point, because that's a recognizable visual and as much fanservice as they owe his decade-long fans, but... I would temper my expectations around the thought of machine evolution. It's not what this Viktor does, and it's not what he (or the narrative,) is interested in -- My guess is that the armor comes into play as a secondary way to AVOID overusing limited magical power, as we've seen runes can be depleted, and the hexcore tends to kill things in exchange.

Now that we've established all that, here is the bridge that I'm going to sell you.

Now, for today's homework, I expect you to run off to do something useful and homoerotic with this information.

[bebx]

hear me out, In-ho claims Gi-hun throws away the luxurious life he could have had with the prize money by coming back to the game and says that he hoped gi-hun had a good life. but what In-ho fails to realize is that he also throws away the luxurious life he could have had with the prize money when he won the game back in 2015 by coming back to the game just like Gi-hun. yes, in-ho’s back as the Front Man, but if anything were to happen to the game, Front Man would be on the run at best, arrested or dead at worst.

both him and gi-hun throw away the luxurious lives they could have had with the prize money by coming back to the game. or, it’s the game that breaks and destroys them.

the game creates this illusion that makes Gi-hun think In-ho is his enemy, that In-ho’s the monster. when in truth, Gi-hun’s real enemy is the game, and In-ho is just a victim — just like Gi-hun.

both Gi-hun and In-ho are the victims of the game, whether or not In-ho realizes that. whether or not Gi-hun realizes that.

[bookoftheironfist]

And thus, the calm, serene illusion of safety crafted so deftly in the opening of this episode is SHATTERED by Danny’s discovery that Colleen’s beloved home is, in fact, a Hand compound. And the clues were there, for anyone alert enough to see them (my favorite is the fact that most of the people at the compound (including Colleen), while dressed in normal clothes and workout gear, are wearing the same shade of maroon worn by the more traditionally-dressed Hand ninja seen in the Daredevil show).

Though much of this is an MCU invention, there is a small basis in the comics for Colleen’s association with the Hand. During the “Shadowland” event, 616 Colleen learned that her mother, who died when she was a baby, had been a member of the Hand and led a small, elite sub-group known as the Nail. At the urging of Matt Murdock (who was leading the Hand at the time), Colleen briefly resurrected the Nail as a crime-fighting team.

I mentioned in an earlier analysis post the importance of Colleen’s private conversation with Bakuto in his office in this episode. The creative team of this show never, at any point, wants the viewer to think that Colleen might be a villain, and in fact, this show does tremendous work throughout to humanize and complicate the Hand. We are no longer getting the nameless, faceless ranks of disposable ninja that we frequently see in the comics, and which were unquestioningly adapted as-is into the Daredevil show. Instead, we are seeing people: Colleen’s students, looking for a brighter future. Colleen herself, who sees this group as her family, who credits Bakuto with saving her life. These are normal, good, kind people, with names and lives and interiority. And Colleen loves them; we’ve seen the depth of her love in this episode, in her joy at introducing Danny to this place that is so special to her. And so we are primed to go into this scene and experience the maximum amount of pain, because we see exactly what both sides are seeing, while also knowing the precise point of disconnect. 

For Danny, this is a nightmare convergence of everything that has been built up up to this point in his character arc. He has just learned that the Hand are real, and now he needs to take them down to properly fulfill his duty as the Iron Fist. He has grown to suspect that the Hand may have been involved in his parents’ deaths; he has to take them down in order to finally have that closure. And he has been betrayed AGAIN!!!, by the one person in his life who he thought for sure this time he could trust. Danny’s entire world, his one path forward, is currently rooted in the idea of destroying the Hand, and in the idea that the Hand are evil. This revelation that Colleen is Hand rips his whole world out from under him, and he is ANGRY—at himself for falling for it, at Colleen for lying, and at the destruction of these stories he has been telling himself about the Hand—stories that are keeping him sane right now. He refuses to listen to reason. He refuses to believe that everyone in K’un-Lun was wrong about this. He can’t believe it. He can’t afford to. 

For Colleen, she KNEW this was going to happen, dammit! But Bakuto had offered her hope—and she trusts Bakuto unwaveringly at this point—that Danny might be okay with this, that he would understand. And the fact that Danny would INSTANTLY turn on her like this, disregard their relationship, their trust, and prioritize K’un-Lun’s stories of the Hand above everything she is trying to tell him, is BRUTAL. He refuses to believe that her family might possibly not actually be evil. And now, because of this, because of so many things outside of her control, she has lost him.

It’s an incredibly painful scene. 10/10. 

[pheracy]

After being shot by Jayce, Viktor's eyes turned the color of the gear.

I CAN'T NO MORE FORTICHE 🤸🏼

[geekgirles]

I'm probably only stating the obvious at this point, but have you guys noticed how Huntrix's songs reflect their development throughout the movie?

The very first song we listen to is How It's Done, which does an exemplary job at two things: it introduces Huntrix as characters, and it establishes them how they want to be and are perceived by the audience and their fans.

It's a very powerful song that highlights the girls' double life—they're k-pop idols as much as they are demon hunters—, as well as just how genuinely good and skilled they are at what they do. They're so good they treat a bunch of demons hijacking and destroying their plane as a mere inconvenience that gets in the way of their snack-time. And they easily dispose of them both with and without their weapons all the while they multitask by cooking their ramyeon and singing.

These ladies kick ass and they know it, and they want you to know it too.

"Run, run, we run the town

Whole world playin' our sound

Turnin' up, it's goin' down

Huntrix show this, how it's done, done, done"

But it also introduces the girls and the most basic aspects of their characters.

Mira is the visual lead and choreographer, and the song is filled with powerful, dynamic movements that reflect her influence. But not only that, it also introduces Mira as the more brutally honest member of the group, or in her own words:

"I don't talk, but I bite, full of venom (Uh)

Spittin' facts, you know that's

How it's done, done, done"

Then there's Zoey, the lyricist and rapper whose high-energy yet aggressive style is reflected precisely by the song's boastful tone, but especially during the rap sections:

"Okay, like, I know I ramble

But when shootin' my words, I go Rambo

Took blood, sweat, and tears, to look natural "

And finally, there's Rumi. The leader and lead vocalist. The daughter of one of the Sunlight Sisters who was raised by Celine, members of the previous generation of hunters, and therefore the one who's known her path her whole life. The one who shines the most thanks to her beautiful singing voice and the one Huntrix relies on the most, meaning she gets the most spotlight.

"Hear our voice unwavering

'Til our song defeats the night

Makin' fear afraid to breathe

'Til the dark meets the light"

How It's Done is the girls presenting themselves as they were taught by Celine: hunters don't show their flaws. Ever. Which is why the song only ever shows their good side—the talented and composed kpop stars who double as skilled and confident demon hunters.

How It's Done is the girls doing everything in their power to present themselves as flawless.

Golden, despite its title and in-universe intended effect, is where the cracks begin to show, however.

Each of the individual verses sung by each of the girls reveals their deepest insecurities:

Rumi isn't sure how to live up to the legacy thrusted upon her as the daughter of one of the Sunlight Sisters now leading her own team. Which then becomes especially poignant with the reveal that the member of Huntrix that's most involved and dedicated to their mission is actually half-demon, the very beings she was sworn to destroy. This sets up her inner conflict for the rest of the film.

"I was a ghost, I was alone (Hah)

어두워진 (Hah) 압길속에 (Ah)

Given the throne I didn't know how to believe

I was the queen that I'm meant to be".

Meanwhile, Zoey is Korean, but she was raised in the US, so she had to deal with the baggage of being a child coming from two very different cultures and not really fitting in with any. With the heavy implication that her parents are divorced, and she was in the middle of their game of tug of war. For all we know, maybe she is also biracial, which only emphasises her feelings of isolation because she couldn't find a place to belong: too Korean to be American, but too American to be Korean.

"I lived two lives, tried to play both sides

But I couldn't find my own place."

And finally, we have Mira admitting her rebellious and independent personality alienated her from her own family. The very people that were supposed to love her no matter what. Already suggesting that, much like the others with their own family baggage, she is also looking for a place to call home and for a family that will accept her for who she is.

"Called a problem child 'cause I got too wild

But now that's how I'm getting paid, 끝업시."

Deep down, what Golden does is reveal that, for all the girls look and act flawless, deep down they are all outcasts in their own way, looking for a place to call their own, free from judgemental eyes and hurtful words. And they all found it in Huntrix and each other.

At least, that's what it does at first.

Because as early as Mira's second verse, the girls double down on Celine's teachings, on how they're actually doing amazing now and on focusing on achieving the Golden Honmoon instead of embracing who they truly are. Because no matter how they insist they're done hiding, they still very much are hiding who they are, especially Rumi.

"Waited so long to break these walls down

To wake up and feel like me

Put these patterns all in the past now

And finally live like the girl they all see

No more hiding, I'll be shining

Like I'm born to be

'Cause we are hunters, voices strong

And I know I believe."

In the end, Golden, while incredibly soulful and uplifting, is just yet another mask Huntrix hides behind to avoid facing their own demons. They're using their goal of creating the Golden Honmoon to stall dealing with their actual issues.

Things run their course with Takedown, only taking a turn for the worse.

As the girls eventually come to understand, they deviated far too much from their original goal in their anger at the Saja Boys' upstaging them and stealing their fans. They let their anger cloud their judgement and jeopardise their mission more than the Saja Boys and their music ever could.

Zoey said it best, Takedown couldn't even bring Huntrix together; there's no way it would have been able to unite their fans and create the Golden Honmoon, as the girls actually lost sight of their teachings with it.

Hunters are supposed to ward demons off both by fighting them and by igniting hope in the hearts of their fans through their music, thus powering the Honmoon. But Takedown...

"'Cuz I see your real face, and it's ugly as sin

Time to put you in your place, 'cuz you're rotten within

When your patterns start to show

It makes the hatred wanna grow outta my veins

I don't think you're ready for the takedown

Break you into pieces in the world of pain 'cuz you're all the same

Yeah, it's a takedown

A demon with no feelings don't deserve to live, it's so obvious"

It's not a song meant to uplift anyone, but to tear them down. Catchy as it is, it only serves to emphasise the growing distance between the girls, especially when Rumi starts having second thoughts and questioning her nature as a half-demon and if maybe they've been wrong this whole time.

Which is precisely why Takedown being played during the Idol Awards as the Saja Boys attack and expose Rumi disguised as Mira and Zoey led to Huntrix temporarily breaking up. It's a song born from revenge, deceit, and miscommunication.

It was never going to get them closer to their goals, only drift a wedge between them.

And then, finally, finally we have What It Sounds Like.

"Nothing but the truth now

Nothing but the proof of what I am

The worst of what I came from, patterns I'm ashamed of

Things that even I don't understand

I tried to fix it, I tried to fight it

My head was twisted, my heart divided

My lies all collided

I don't know why I didn't trust you to be on my side"

"Why did I cover up the colors stuck inside my head?

I should've let the jagged edges meet the light instead

Show me what's underneath, I'll find your harmony

The song we couldn't write, this is what it sounds like"

Where the girls show they've come full circle by admitting they have flaws, they have fears, they have been lying and hiding things from each other. They are not perfect, but they have each other, they love each other, and that's enough.

They have finally accepted themselves and each other.

"We broke into a million pieces, and we can't go back

But now we're seeing all the beauty in the broken glass

The scars are part of me, darkness and harmony

My voice without the lies, this is what it sounds like

Why did we cover up the colors stuck inside our head?

Get up and let the jagged edges meet the light instead

Show me what's underneath, I'll find your harmony

Fearless and undefined, this is what it sounds like."

That's the song meant to unite them and their fans. The song that allows them to defeat Gwi-Ma and to create a new, better Honmoon that is actually worth protecting.

I love this movie and these girls so much. Thank you for coming to my TED-Talk.

[golden-redhead]

Squid Game's Final Season & The Suspension of Disbelief Baby Problem

The more I think about it, the clearer it gets that the whole Baby Thing in Squid Game s3 was... maybe not the best idea. I can understand where the writers came from and I actually genuinely think that on paper it was a pretty interesting idea. I also realize that it was definitely meant to be largely symbolic and we shouldn't expect it to be 100% realistic. Squid Game never tried to act like it's about realism, it was always about the message and the commentary on human nature and the system we live in.

The thing is... Well, there's symbolism and then there's expecting the audience to ignore very obvious flaws that need to be overlooked for said symbolism to work.

First of all, this whole subplot reeks of being written by someone who never had to deal with a newborn. Which, on its own, is fine. The idea that you should only write about things you are familiar with is, frankly, quite silly. Truth be told, I don't have any experience with dealing with newborns either. However, even if you don't have any first hand experience or knowledge about how newborns operate, common sense still makes it very difficult to buy the way everything played out in the story.

The birth scene itself was honestly silly if you know anything about how it works. And I assume it was even more silly for people who have actual experience giving birth or assissting someone during the process. Like, I can accept that it happened fast, even if it is a little unbeliavable, it is still within the realm of possibility. Some births are easier and faster than others, that's true, but even then, birth is messy regardless of how long it takes. There's blood, sweat, poop and all kinds of nasty stuff. And all that applies to a 'normal' birth, you know, in the hospital and with medical professionals around! Then, there's the pain and panic that would have only been made worse by the reality of being in the middle of a killing game. Not to mention how it was a non-sterile environment full of blood and dirt with no way to properly care for a baby that's born too early and to a first-time mother who's in a lot of pain from additional injuries and trauma. And speaking of the mother, even after giving birth, most people are too exhausted to keep going. Jun-hee didn't look even half as bad as she should have, considering everything her body went through in a small amount of time. She should be still actively bleeding and honestly, it's surprising that a potential infection or excessive bleeding didn't kill her first.

Even when you account for things like adrenaline and accept that some things had to be simplified in order to work on screen, there are just way too many elements other than the things related to the birth itself that don't make any sense. And that's all without even getting to the obvious issue of a newborn baby's needs, such as frequent feeding and diaper changes. Or the crying which would for sure drive everyone crazy, especially at night when the adrenaline of the games wears off and people are trying to rest. Or, you know, the serious risk of the hungry and dehydrated baby getting an infection, especially since it has basically no immune system to speak of.

And then there's the jumping rope game... Have you ever heard about SBS? The Shaken Baby Syndrome? Much older children are at risk of serious injury and even death from being shaken. I find it very hard to believe that that baby wouldn't suffer after being shaken, jostled and moved around like that. Oh, and then there's also SIDS. It's short for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. We don't exactly know what causes it, but some babies die despite being perfectly healthy and taken care of. It's just one of these things that seem to be out of our control. If it can happen to children who have all of their needs met, imagine how much higher the risk was for Jun-hee's baby.

Honestly, I could keep going, but... No matter how you slice it, the creators expected A LOT from the audience by demanding that we overlook all of these issues. And that's assuming that you are even willing to overlook it in the first place. Which, frankly, I think is quite hard, considering how many lovable, actually well-developed characters had to die for the sake of that baby. The baby that not only very clearly didn't look only a few days old but also required some pretty bad use of CGI at some points.

Again, I realize that it's less about the baby and more about what the baby symbolizes, especially in Korean culture. It's pure, it's innocent, it's a representation of what could be a better future. I just think that all these things I mentioned above, along with a shockingly defeatist ending for Gi-hun, make it very hard to accept the way the final season ended. This sudden lack of realism taken to such an extreme doesn't help either.

In fiction, we often talk about suspension of disbelief. All fiction requires that to some extent, with some genres or kinds of media expecting more of it than others. The problem is, despite some of pretty unbelievable elements, Squid Game was always pretty deeply rooted in reality, especially when it comes to its characters. I think it's the reason why it resonated with people as much as it did. It's taken to the extreme, yes, but we all can understand the idea of being betrayed by the system. We know how it feels to be constantly beaten down and how one mistake can spiral out of control and ruin our whole life. We realize that life is unfair and that the uber wealthy prey on the poor and uphold a system that's designed to keep us in check.

So, by suddenly going out of its way to make a pretty unbelievable situation work against all odds and have that baby survive when no one else did, the creators demanded a lot from its audience. I think this is where a lot of disappointment and disbelief comes from.

[neoduelverse]

One thing I find interesting about Pantheon season 2 is the difference between Holstrom and Caspian. Now there are a lot of differences between them, but I’m talking about the the big one. The one that made it so that Caspian could cure the flaw, but Holstrom couldn’t. I’m talking about how each of them feel love. 

Now, throughout the entire second season it’s all, but explicitly stated that Holstrom couldn’t understand love and that’s why he could’ve never fixed the flaw.

It’s a good way to highlight how the two genetically identical men differ, why one is our secondary protagonist while the other is the main antagonist. It also shows the audience Caspians understanding of love though his growing relationship with Maddie throughout the season.

But some viewers may be confused by this difference. After all doesn’t Holstrom have a love interest in Renee?

In fact don’t they spent a large amount of time collaborating on Holstrom’s plan, with her essentially being his arm in the physical world? Does their love not count just because they’re evil?

Well no. At least that’s not the reason their “love” doesn’t count. But to explain why we need to talk about how the show conceives of love.

In Pantheon love isn’t just about people liking each a lot. Not even to the point of where they’re willing to do a lot for their partners. Love is when people push each other along with supporting them.

Real love, to Pantheon, is challenging each other to be better and making each other better. It’s give each other perspective that they couldn’t have on their own. Love is something active between the people sharing it, it can’t be mindless adoration.

We see this healthier love with several of the couples throughout the show. David and Ellen start with several fundamental disagreements over the UI situation, to the point where it drives them apart at first. But when they reconcile you can tell how much they love each other even if they never officially get back together. Then you have Olivia and Farhad, who the show spends an entire episode displaying how they challenge and complete each other.

And of course, we have Maddie and Caspian.

You could make a whole separate post about how their viewpoints change and clash throughout the series while strengthening their relationship. But suffice it to say that the show views their love as the truest it could be.

And taking all this into consideration it should be obvious by now why the show considers Stephen and Renee’s relationship not to be an example of love. Renee doesn’t contribute intellectually to any part of it, she is ok simply fauning over the eccentric genius. While Stephen is content with basically being a relationship with a yes woman who goes along with everything he says and does.

And the most insidious part of their relationship in my opinion also relates to why Renne was chosen to play the part of Caspian’s mother.

We see in the interviews with Holstrom about his past that he never really cared intellectually about anything his mother said. He saw her as someone to care for, and thus receive care in return. Some may call this unconditional love, but Pantheon considers it an unhealthy love.

And as you probably noticed, the way Holstrom described his relationship with his mother sounded awfully similar to his relationship with a certain someone.

Which makes their already messed up dynamic even creepier. Especially when you consider how they wanted to shape Caspian.

TLDR: Holstrom couldn’t cure the flaw not because he couldn’t convince of love, but because his very conception of love was itself flawed.