#why women kill s1 e2

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Sadie Calvano on Why Women Kill Season 1

as April on Why Women Kill Season [S1 E2]

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[kitkatt0430]

2, 7, 14, 23 and 27 from salty ask please

2.) Are there any popular fandom OTPs you only BroTP?

KillerVibe, aka Cisco/Caitlin. I do get why it's a popular ship for those two, but I just can't. Their platonic love for each other is so lovely and I think I happened upon them right as I was feeling a bit burnt out on the 'men and women can't be just friends' trope. So these two being bffs and never a hint of anything else no matter how much they clearly loved each other?

Beautiful. Why would I want anything else for them?

Colette/Lloyd from Tales of Symphonia (which was just re-released on the latest consoles, if you haven't played it before and are looking for a new game to play... pick this game up, it's so good!!!!) - it's not enough to turn me off a fic for there to be Colette/Lloyd going on but I just... read them as having a sibling relationship. There's nothing really romantic about their interactions - honestly the only person who really says anything shippy about them is Genis. And Lloyd sounds like an exasperated older brother telling Genis to shut it when he does. Like... Colette is in many ways Lloyd's person - he does love her and he pays closer attention to her than the others do because he knows she's got a bad habit of not admitting when something is wrong. I just don't read what's there as romantic.

7.) Is there anything you used to like but can’t stand now?

Olicity. Oliver and Felicity had some really cute ship teasing going on in the early seasons. But when they actually acted on it... I can't really say they brought out the best in each other. Felicity struggled to trust Oliver but would paper over that with complaints about Oliver doing the same to her. But Oliver's issues were, at least, born out of ptsd and a lack of mental health self care. With Felicity's character, it just seemed like the writers were Flanderizing her to some degree and her character suffered a lot. Most irritatingly, Oliver grew further away from his comic book self instead of closer as was initially promised. I think their lowest point was hijacking the Westallen wedding, where Felicity made someone else's big day about her and Oliver just... went with it. But she also made a scene at the rehearsal when she'd thought Oliver was re-proposing to her and he wasn't. It was very uncomfortable to watch.

They were a lot better at dealing with other people without each other, but... *waves hands in a resigned fashion* together they were just kind of obnoxious in the end.

14.) Unpopular opinion about your fandom?

I guess that depends on the part of the fandom.

Eobard Thawne was massively mishandled post S2. He should have remained a posthumus character. All his interactions with Barry's future should have been in Eobard's past. Either with Barry traveling to the past to interact with EoWells or Mattobard showing up from points in his timeline that predated killing Nora Allen. S2 set that up really nicely, but unfortunately there was no follow through and they went in a different direction.

We'll never know for certain that Iris chose Barry because she was truly in love with him and not because everyone was saying it was her destiny. Even their E2 counterparts were married. If everyone tells you that something you aren't sure you want is the best thing for you ever and you'd be foolish to not do that thing then... if you do what you've been told by everyone in your life, is it actually because you want to? Or because you think you're supposed to? The show did, finally, sort of kind of not really acknowledge this. But... S9 when they've been married since S4 was... not the time to do that.

In S3 Future Barry should have been the one with the facial scars and Savitar with the ridiculous Emo!hair.

I... actually really enjoy Zoom coming off S1 with all the parallels that Team Flash is so oblivious too. It's only because of Savitar (and not to forget the Rival and Trajectory) that I feel like the show got overloaded with too many evil speedsters in the first three seasons. There were five - that was about three too many. (That said, Zoom probably should have been the S3 villain with S2 centered on the Rogues. Give the team some breathing room after dealing with Eobard.)

23.) Unpopular character you love?

Eobard Thawne. I will complain about him being overused and misused all day if prompted, but there's a reason why I gravitate to him as a lot as the main villain in my own writing. S1 Eobard on the Flash in particular is just such a fascinating and compelling villain. And Matt's take on him over in S2 of Legends is really great. His exasperation with his co-villains makes them all such fun.

Julian Albert. He was very unlucky in love, falling for Caitlin who clearly just... was not interested in return. And very unfortunate to have whatever was going on with Savitar and 'Alchemy'. But he gave Barry a much needed coworker at the CCPD. (Barry cannot be the only CSI in the entire CCPD. He just. Cannot. But it certainly seems that way sometimes, doesn't it?) If they'd followed through with making the not-Caitlin-not-Frost character in S4 the way S3 seemed to clearly intend, then perhaps Julian might have become the new team medic? Alas, we just get a single brief mention of him in S4 and not even a proper send off for him.

27.) Least shippable character?

Hmmm... Bart since I just haven't seen enough episodes with him to get a good read for his personality at all. And since most of the characters I have seen him interact with are either his parents, his grandparents, his honorary grandfather (Jay Garrick), or members of Team Flash who are presumably honorary aunts and uncles... who would I even ship him with? Certainly not Godspeed.

Sherlock and Joan from Elementary both read as different identities under the arospec umbrella that while I ship them as a QPR together, shipping either of them romantically with anyone - including each other - just feels like it'd make them out of character. They say they love each other in canon without it being automatically romantic. (big deal to me!!!!) So they're equally least shippable to me on that show. And it bewilders me that people do ship them romantically. (Did we not watch the same show? Did people not see how aro they are and how their friendship defies amatonormativity? *heavy sigh*)

[starring-movies]

Killing Eve: Episode Analysis

*SPOILERS*

Season 2, Episode 1 - Do You Know How to Dispose of a Body?

The first episode of Season 2 begins immediately with the aftermath following the end of Season 1, after Eve stabbed Villanelle in the Paris apartment.

We can see that Eve is shaken, and her judgment is off, through a number of moments in this episode. First Eve has the misunderstanding with the woman in the station who thinks she’s a drug addict, then Eve panics when she thinks Oliver is Caroyln’s child and being kidnapped, and finally her general worry that she’s killed Villanele by stabbing her.

The song playing over the scene as Eve panics that she’s killed Villanelle is ‘It’s Not You, It’s Me’ by Unloved. Some of the lyrics of the song are:

“It’s not that I don’t appreciate it,

It’s not that I don’t care,

It’s not you,

It’s me”

The lyrics reflect Eve’s motivations for stabbing Villanelle. Eve didn’t necessarily stab Villanelle through anger or that she didn’t “care” about her, but more her feeling that she had to fulfill a personal desire to prove herself.

When Villanelle gets to the french hospital, and is speaking with Gabriel, he tells her “women don’t stab”. This initial thought of Gabriel’s is part of the reason that makes Villanelle so successful as an assassin, people don’t pay any mind or suspect her, because stereotypically “women don’t stab”. Gabriel’s comment also draws attention to the fact that Eve had the opportunity to shoot Villanelle with the gun, which is a much more distant and removed method to kill someone; however, she chose to stab Villanelle, which required her to be far more intimate and closer to Villanelle, and is a much less emotionally removed way to kill someone.

Villanelle tells Gabriel that Eve “did it to show me how much she cared about me” and also says “sometimes when you love someone you will do crazy things”. Both of these things which Villanelle says shows that she thinks she understands why Eve stabbed her and also identifies with Eve’s actions, especially seeing how she similarly shoots Eve in S2E8 for not loving her back. Villanelle’s feeling that she understands Eve more now is also shown when she tells Gabriel that “I know her better now, I know her better than anyone, better than she knows herself”.

When Eve returns to her home she is dealing with her many varying emotions, and we can see she deals with the aftermath of traumatic events in the same way, as she does similar things after she is shot by Villanelle at the end of S2E8. She is doing the mechanical and repeated action of cutting vegetables, just as she works in the Korean restaurant in Season 3 (we can see from the massive piles of the vegetables that she’s been distracting herself and as been completely zoned out as she’s cut far too many). Eve also listens to Armando, the widow salesman, to be distracted, just as she watches the telescoping channel in Season 3.

When Carolyn meets with Eve, she tells her that she thought she’d “draft in the head of the fan club”, which reminds us of S1E2 when Eve tells Carolyn at the Purple Penguin that she’s “just a fan” of Villanelle’s.

Despite Eve dealing with these two events (the stabbing and being shot) in similar ways, we do see her character growth in Season 3. In this episode she allows herself to be sucked back in by Carolyn getting her back in the chase for Villanelle; but in Season 3 she stands her ground and doesn’t allow herself to get sucked back in for Villanelle, she initially only agrees to get back into the investigation to find out who Kenny’s killer is.

When Villanelle is talking to Gabriel again, she tells him “never trust people on their looks, Gabriel. You can see scary people a mile away. It’s the good people you have to worry about”. This comment can be applied to Villanelle herself, Eve and Julian (from S2E2). Villanelle doesn’t look outwardly scary, but she is able to do her job so effectively because of the ‘nice face’ facade she puts on. The comment also foreshadows the character arch that Eve goes on, she lives a normal life and looks unassuming but has a darkness deep within her. Similarly, Julian in S2E2 seems like a perfectly friendly man on the outside, but this is soon found to be not the case.

During this conversation, Villanelle also tells Gabriel “I’m not normal, you know”. This reminds us of Villanelle’s kitchen conversation with Eve in S1E5, where she tells Eve the same thing, “I know I’m not normal”. Although the things she told Eve in the kitchen scene were most likely to manipulate her, we can see from the fact that Villanelle repeats to Gabriel that she’s not “normal”, that there must have been some truth in what she said to Eve, even if she didn’t realise it herself.

Near the end of the episode, Eve and Niko have another discussion about Eve’s job. Niko says he’s accepted that Eve needs her job but tells her that she needs to open up and talk to him more. This conversation is shot in the same location and using the same shots as Eve and Niko’s conversation from S1E4; where in that scene Niko was unaccepting of Eve’s job, but now through the use of the mirroring scene structure we are shown that he has now come to accept her job, but still needs Eve to talk to him in order to make the marriage work.

Although given the opportunity to meet Niko half way and fix their marriage (since Niko is trying to make it work by telling her he’s accepted that she needs her job), Eve doesn’t take the opportunity to tell him that she stabbed Villanelle in Paris. Eve’s decision to conceal her actions is also reflected in the scene of Villanelle speaking with Hélène in S3E7. In the scene with Villanelle and Hélène, Hélène is attempting to get Villanelle to try and tell her what happened with her mother, just as Niko is trying to get Eve to tell him what happened in Paris. However, just like how Villanelle side-steps the truth and tells Hélène “I took a shit in her shoe when I was three”; in the same way Eve avoids talking about what happened and tells Niko “I bought a shit tonne of really expensive windows”.

In the final scene as Eve is lying awake in her bed and Villanelle is lying awake in the back of a car, we are visually shown how they are still being drawn to each other, still thinking about each other and are two halves of the same whole/each other’s soulmates (a theme explored in Season 3). In Eve’s shot, she turns from facing the left hand side of the frame, to look straight up; and in Villanelle’s shot, she turns from the right hand side of the frame, to look straight up - in these two separate shots they are creating a mirror of each other. ‘Sombre’ by Unloved also links this scene with the scene at the end of S1E7, as it is used in the background in both of these scenes. The scene at the end of S1E7 was a very similar scene to this one, showing that Eve and Villanelle were thinking about one another.

You can read my previous Killing Eve posts here:-

First Introduction to Villanelle

First Introduction to Eve

S1, E1 - Nice Face

S1, E2 - I’ll Deal With Him Later

S1, E3 - Don’t I Know You?

S1, E4 - Sorry Baby

S1, E5 - I Have a Thing about Bathrooms

S1, E6 - Take Me to the Hole!

S1, E7 - I Don’t Want to Be Free

S1, E8 - God, I’m Tired

S2, E2 - Nice and Neat

S2, E3 - The Hungry Caterpillar

S2, E4 - Desperate Times

S2, E5 - Smell Ya Later

S2, E6 - I Hope You Like Missionary!

S2, E7 - Wide Awake

S2, E8 - You’re Mine

S3, E1 - Slowly Slowly Catchy Monkey

S3, E2 - Management Sucks

S3, E3 - Meetings Have Biscuits

S3, E4 - Still Got It

S3, E5 - Are You From Pinner? [Part 1]

S3, E5 - Are You From Pinner? [Part 2]

S3, E6 - End of Game

S3, E7 - Beautiful Monster

S3, E8 - Are You Leading or Am I? [Part 1]

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[jalebi-weds-bluetooth]

10 Times Arnav Singh Raizada Crossed The Line (Part 1)

Arnav Singh Raizada is our perfect, tortured Mills & Boons hero. Sometimes it’s unfortunate when recent shows have aped his behavior and not the layered characterization that he had. However, sometimes (according to my own opinion) I felt that his character might have crossed the line. 

It’s moments where no explanations justify his behavior. 

Please remember this is all my crazy opinion so feel free to add your own in notes! Oh and don’t worry, a similar list is coming for Khushi as well as they’re truly made for each other. After all, aren’t they our favorite ‘will-they-won’t-they’ idiots?

Tearing the dori.

Arnav Singh Raizada does not apologize.

Blasting at Khushi for pranking, PRANKING him.

Telling Khushi her anklet, their almost kiss & she, does not matter.

Arnav Hypocrite Raizada - forcing an engaged Khushi to confess her feelings when he’s unable to do so.

Reminding Khushi of her broken engagement cause he can’t handle jealousy.

Manipulating & frightening Khushi with Akash & Payal’s divorce papers.

Telling Khushi he ‘faked’ his sickness to get rid of the ‘Swami’ tag.

Refusing to believe Khushi’s version of events.

Becoming Khushi’s landlord and blackmailing her (emotionally and financially) to get her to come back home.

Bonus

Telling Khushi that she does not have the brains, courage nor talent to face the real world.  

#1 “Badtameezi toh maine abhi shuru bhi nahi ki.” (S1, E2)

“I haven’t even started misbehaving.”

First Reaction: No Arnav bitwa, no. That dialogue never has and never will make sense.

What’s wrong with it: 

Almost everything. First of all when someone is in a position to abuse his/her/their position of power and authority, they don’t get to make rules on what counts as misbehavior. Secondly, just because one hasn’t sexually harassed a person does not mean one’s harassment hasn’t been “bad enough”. 

Arnav’s behavior crossed the line the minute you tell Khushi that she and her sister are the kind of women who can easily get another man - and none of us are kids here to know what the thinly veiled insult meant to Khushi & Payal’s character. 

What makes this entire situation problematic is that he accuses her with certainty based on assumptions and Khushi, really, has not warranted any sort of behavior from his end - she actually makes a compelling argument. This kind of a situation, unfortunately, keeps happening in the future where Arnav accuses her based on half truths/assumptions.

Of course there’s a part of me that always wonders what idiots as staff does Arnav have because they; (1) let a newbie go on the ramp (can’t imagine that happening at a Sabyasachi / Manish Malhotra fashion show), (2) are incompetent enough to not be able to procure and verify any information about Khushi.

Track Rewrite: 

First of all, this is perhaps the only terrible moment that I want to leave untouched. It’s perfect. It sounds ludicrous but this level of animosity was required to create a hatred the two had for each other until love and lust suddenly stormed into their thoughts. 

Khushi looks perfectly devastated and Arnav’s anger rises because his fashion show in Lucknow (out of all cities) has been ruined. The less can be said about recent shows where there’s very little logic to the hatred shared between characters.

It establishes that Arnav has been very aware, right from the start, how beautiful Khushi is. And not just the delicate beauty like Payal, but the beauty that can make one lose their path, their calm, their temper and tempt them out of their stupor. 

It’s this opinion that he forms about Khushi that he subconsciously carries for the longest time - (it’s what makes it easier for him to believe Shyam’s version of events because this assumption of a tempting, young, poor woman out to seduce the rich never really leaves his mind).

Head-canon: 

This was the only time Aman Mathur took a vacation. Poor Arnav, he really needed efficient staff. 

Public Service Announcement: 

Ladies and gentlemen, this does not mean that hate, pain and misbehavior is necessary for love to bloom. No, love does not have a template and this is a love story that happens despite the hate, not because of it. 

Also, just so you know that Khushi - or any person - is not responsible for the things that happen to them. If a person’s self respect, dignity or agency is threatened - you go ahead and bash the attacker and not blame the person! *phew*

#2 “Arnav Singh Raizada kabhi kisise maafi nahi maangta.” (S2, E19)

“Arnav Singh Raizada does not apologize to anyone.”

First Reaction: Screw you Raizada! How dare you? Buaji - throw your infamous damned belan over his head! Raizada, do you realise you’re saying this while standing on someone else’s property?

And…

Why do I find it hot that Khushi opens the door to an impatient Arnav who’s dressed as dark as the sky, his temper matching the thunder in the background while they lock eyes? *i need help* when I watched this show for the first time I totally expected another scene like this would occur where Arnav asks her back or confesses his love. Yeah I trusted him enough to make another mistake where Khushi’s left home and he needs to get her back.

What’s wrong with it: 

The things he said to her before he came to her house. The insults he levied on her are based on an accusation which is baseless. We get to know that until Akash’s public proposal to Payal that Arnav never bothered on learning the truth about what happened that night. 

Hence it reveals another trait that Arnav never double checks his assumption until he’s faced with a confronting reality. But, in the length of time he’s gotten to know Khushi until that point - the things he tells her is way out of line. 

And when he reaches her home, slapping that money on her table and insulting her in front of her family… yeah it’s difficult to watch that. Especially after all the Rabba Ve’s they’ve had and his difficulty & helplessness on learning that this same woman was going to leave for Lucknow forever.

Track Rewrite: 

Arnav’s anger is really a projection of his frustration on himself for hurting Anjali and a terrible act of him confirming to himself that money can get him everything - even his sister’s happiness, which he attributes to his ability to get Khushi back into the house using money because he only knows the language of money. 

So my problem isn’t much with him… it’s with Khushi’s inaction. This is one of my least favourite scenes in the show because once Khushi stops (mostly) retaliating to Arnav from this point - she never really retaliates ever again. It’s like they kill that intellectual and mature aspect of Khushi who really knew how to debate (ah, don’t I love the resignation scene and her moment with Lavanya, Sim & Pam in the office).

Of course, Arnav and Khushi argue bucket lots in the future but from this moment on they really amp up Khushi’s silent crying and reduce her logical arguments to her emotions. Hence, if there’s anything I would have changed then I would always give Khushi the final word - the logical final word because who doesn’t like a solid rebuttal.

Quick note; Arnav does amend from saying “women like you” to “people like you”. So there’s a shift from his belief of her being a gold digger (and hence, lack of character) to a middle class greedy person (like his uncle).

Head-canon: 

I believe she doesn’t give Arnav a chance to gloat that he got her back with his money. Hence, the following exchange takes place in my head…

--

Arnav: “Mujhe pata tha tum paise ke liye kuch bhi karogi.”

Khushi: “Hum aap se ek baat kahe? Aap ghalat hai.”

Arnav: “No, main tum jaiso ko achi tarah se jaanta hai.”

Khushi: “Haan, shayad aap hum jaiso ko jaante hai. Par humein nahi. Aur rahi baat humara yaha aake kaam karne ka, toh humein nahi lagta ki humein kisi ko bhi safai deni ki zaroorat hai. Khaas kar ki aapko.”

- -

Arnav: “I knew you’d do anything for money,”

Khushi: “You know what? You’re wrong.”

Arnav: “I’m not. I know people like you.”

Khushi: “You may know people like me, but not me. And as far as me choosing to work here, I don’t find it necessary to give anyone any explanation. Especially you.”

--

Public Service Announcement/Crazy thought: 

The old 500 rupee notes are banned post demonetization. So don’t use those notes.

Check out my crazy version of this episode. 

#3 “Di isse sorry bolne ki koi zaruri nahi hai. Yeh aapki naukar hai.” (S3, E1/E2)

“Di you don’t have to apologise to her. She’s your servant.”

First Reaction: Oh no you didn’t… you didn’t!

What’s wrong with it: 

I think it gets on my nerves how rude he is and that he constantly measures her to her financial and societal status. And all of this is because she pranked him. Like she literally put sugar crystals in his petrol tank, changed his phone ringtone to a silly item number and put juice in his shoes. And he responds to that with some pretty damaging words. He literally tells her that lying and cheating is in her blood. 

Yikes! Flashback time Arnav - when she just alluded how he would feel if his sister’s marriage broke he tore her strings, and he legit just insulted her parents. All because she played some childish pranks. 

I have to say Khushi does put up a good fight, for most of it, and I love Anjali trying her best to intervene but yes… the way Arnav just flares up here - he crosses quite a few lines (hence I am not at all sorry when Khushi flings the hot tea on him, sorry I’m a sadist). I think his continuous push to show his authority, superiority over her is not really healthy. 

And that last Rabba Ve (although the tune is beautiful) which is evoked by her tears, and previously evoked by the impressions of his fingers around her wrist, gives a very wrong message to the public.

Track Rewrite: 

I never, ever want to change their essential characteristic. I’m pretty satisfied when he’s literally burned after he’s burned her with his words. Karma always gets him...

But, I really wouldn’t mind a strong, confident, and angry “ENOUGH” from Khushi as well. Or even a quiet, deadly, whisper of an “enough” that would stop his nonsensical tirade. It’s important for him to know when he’s crossed the line, before Khushi starts crying.

Really, it wouldn’t hurt if he was taken aback by her burst of anger or the threat of anger instead of tears (remember the Guesthouse incident… he was turned on by her fury, and then he simmered down and felt guilty - that’s a good cycle to follow when there’s an argument. No, not always the turn on side but the ability to give both the parties anger).

Because of late there seems to be an obsession of male heroes getting the ability to insult their “soulmates” and then stopping because of her tears and then never following it up with an apology. There’s a lot of context in the case of Arnav and Khushi… but I always relish when he’s flabbergasted and silenced by her retaliated anger more than anything else (cue, the resignation scene again).

Head-canon:

Arnav: “Di you don’t have to apologise to her, she’s your servant-”

Khushi: “-enough.” / or / “ENOUGH!”

Arnav and Anjali stand, silenced by Khushi’s anger.

Khushi (to Arnav): “Do yourself and your status a favour. Don’t open your mouth. Especially in front of me. I may fall before your eyes, but you dig yourself a grave.”

Khushi walks away, leaving Arnav stunned.

---

Arnav: “Di isse sorry bolne ki koi zaruri nahi hai. Yeh aapki naukar hai-”

Khushi: “-bas.” / or / “BAS!”

Arnav and Anjali stand, silenced by Khushi’s anger.

Khushi (to Arnav): “Aap apne aap aur apne aukaad pe ek ehsaan kijiye. Apna muh mat kholiye. Khaas karke humare saamne. Shayad hum aapke nazro main gir jaate hai, par aap toh khai khodke apne aap ko giraate hai.”

Khushi walks away, leaving Arnav stunned.

--

Too harsh? Too unlike Khushi? Sorry, I’ve been watching that scene on repeat way too many times and I may have vented out a bit - it gets crazier when I list out Khushi’s antics!

Public Service Announcement: 

Don’t break laptops or play pranks on people who might explode on you. Also, don’t waste mango juice on pranks - it’s delicious consumed. Probably that’s why Arnav was angry - one, he cannot drink mango juice due to his diabetes, and two, she wasted it on shoes!

#4 “Mere liye uss baat ki, ya tumhari, koi ehmiyat nahi hai.” (S3, E40)

“For me, that [the almost kiss], or you, don’t mean a thing to me.”

First Reaction: YES THAT’S WHY YOU KEEP ON THINKING ABOUT IT! LIKE OF COURSE BABUA ALWAYS SAYS THE TRUTH AND SAYS THE THINGS HE MEANS. LIKE OF COURSE YOU DID NOT INITIATE THE KISS OR PRESERVE HER ANKLET IN THE KHUSHI SHRINE OF YOURS! What the fu-dge Babua, literally?

What’s wrong with it:

Actually nothing. I just want to mentally slap him, that’s it. This needs to happen. Because honestly at this point of their relationship if this hadn’t happened - if they had kissed, chosen to break up with their partners (more like Khushi absolutely refusing to get engaged and even end up giving an ultimatum to her family) - then they would technically end up together and the most unhealthy point of their relationship.

Arnav is not at all ready for marriage but he would say yes because it’s the only way Khushi would be with him? Khushi, although in love with Arnav, still really has no actual reach to his depth and emotions. 

And really all her fantasies of Arnav are really fantasies, she loves him for what he evokes in her more than what he truly is. He is unable to get her out of his system. It would be a bad place to begin a relationship.

So although nothing is wrong with this scene and it’s like a bitter pill that needs to be swallowed, I still want to say he crossed a line by reinstating that she means nothing to him even though he led her on the entire foreplay of a Diwali. And like… wow, he’s asking what he means to her after he just declared that he’s going to get engaged to his longtime girlfriend who is also now Khushi’s closest friend? Like why… why would Khushi tell you what you mean to her?

Track Rewrite: 

I would rewrite Buaji’s pressure on Khushi. It’s regressive, painful and terrible to watch. I know it’s necessary… and if not rewrite this scene then I would just add a scene in the future where Buaji truly apologises for ruining her dearest Sanka Devi’s life. She owed this at least and it would be nice to see elders recognize their own mistakes at times.

Head-canon: 

Lavanya is in a happy relationship with NK <3.

Public Service Announcement: 

If you have a difficulty in saying what you want to say, enroll in Jalebi Teaches Feelz Expression classes.

#5 “I hope tumhe koi farak nahi padta.” (S4, E8 - S4, E14)

“I hope it means nothing to you / I hope it doesn’t affect you / I hope it doesn’t make a difference to you.” It = me, Arnav, our relationship (or whatever it is).

First Reaction: wherefore art thou asking questions yond thee cannot answ'r?

What’s wrong with it: 

This is where Arnav’s moralities really turn grey. Over here any affection, concern or committment to Lavanya is literally forgotten. Almost possessed, Arnav has three goals; 

(1) Make Khushi admit what he himself cannot admit - that he, them, everything matters to her (2) Prove to Khushi she won’t find a better match than him, that he’s her equal and he’s the only one who can provide for her and give her everything she desires (3) Make her breakup with her undesirable and unworthy fiance (he hasn’t met him but he just knows that her fiance does not deserve Khushi and I have to agree with Arnav, he’s right) and probably end up getting engaged with him.

The epic part of the Raizada plan is - he doesn’t have an idea what would happen if Khushi actually gives a farak. It’s not that Arnav is right or justified, he just stands the way he has always been - in all his fifty thousands shades of grey (not I’m not a fan of that book, pleej no).

Track Rewrite: 

A bit more time for Arnav, Lavanya, his apology and their break up. I love it that he does it instantly, but I also wish he spent more time talking to Lavanya. Just some more Arnav/Lavanya scenes, we really never got to see more of their friendship and her understanding.  

As far as everything else, Khushi’s inner battles and silence is really amazing - it’s what gives her dignity and it’s her self preservation. Arnav is redeemed by the fact that he genuinely is Khushi’s soulmate and he can feel her distress and is the only one who accurately senses that Khushi might have been pressured to agree to this marriage. Who knows Khushi cannot live in a loveless marriage. It’s something he can now guarantee, after a whirlwind of denial.

Although his actions are dubious, he’s the only one who senses the lack of joy and passion. So, rather terribly, he tries to put it across that he can fulfill her needs.

This comes to a halt when Payal refuses Akash in the first proposal. It sheds light on his earlier mistake and he realises that he has been wrong about Khushi all along (so he does not bring up her financial/societal status in insults post the event because Khushi really did end up in fashion show by mistake and more than that - her sister’s marriage did break because of him - not until the hate marriage).

And he realises his error with Lavanya that brings him out of this “I need to possess Khushi” phase.  

So I liked that we saw the ugliest side of their love, the irrational jealousy and demand of possession. And I love that Khushi did not budge in, no matter how much it hurt.

Head-canon: 

Lavanya knew all about it. Hence, she never holds Khushi responsible and instead guides Arnav to making better decisions. 

Also, Khushi went through a similar, crazed phase. Except we never see it because Khushi grows increasingly quiet when her heart is suffering. She uses words to express and choses silence when she does not want to acknowledge.

Public Service Announcement: 

Remember, it’s a good thing that they show us the unhealthy and healthy phase of a relationship between two people who love each other. This phase was decidedly toxic between Arnav and Khushi - when love is jealous, causes pain, is insensitive, is madness - see the signs and don’t go in deep when it’s at this phase. Every love has its time to mature and grow. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

Read Part 2

[hannigrammest]

A Collection of Some 'Hannibal' Metas/Analysis

I've seen a thread yesterday where OP asked for some analysis on the show but it seems to be deleted now. Anyway, I think it's a good idea to collect some detailed posts/metas on 'Hannibal'. I have some that I personally consider very insightful, as well as some I've written myself, so here they are. Feel free to add some other ones in the comments!

Relationship meta

Will and Hannibal's relationship: How Hannigram Became Canon

Hannibalstan's Hannibal loved Will since S1

EasyStrain2's Hannibal and Will's Conjugal Life & Intimacy Discussion

Uno_nothing's Alana and Hannibal

Uno_nothing's Parallels between the replacement-lives Hannibal and Will tried (covering S3)

K_S_Morgan's Will's Sexuality analysis

K_S_Morgan's Francis' Feelings for Hannibal, Jealousy to Will, and the Way it Shapes His Actions

Will and Hannibal as a family analysis: Is there a child in your life, Will?

Hannibal, Homoeroticism, and When it’s Not Queerbaiting

General and characters meta

Xenya's Hannibal Murder Map. S1. Real locations of murders

Uno_nothing's Hannibal's and Will's kill lists

K_S_Morgan's Hannibal Is Not a Psychopath: Criteria and Examples

SirIan's Will's True Motivations analysis

Wellntruly's Will's touch issues: Touching in Hannibal with addition.

SirIan's The Different Versions of Hannibal Lecter analysis

Interior design analysis by beatricenius

Cinematography and Lighting Techniques

Idontfindyouthatinteresting's sexuality and women analysis

Uno_nothing's Morality, Cannibalism, Denial and the big elephant in the room

Hannibalstan's Will Graham: No Free Will. Behaviorism

Alloymiracle's The revelation of Will Graham's standpoint on violence

Hannibalstan's Hannibal didn't mind Will killing him from the start

Axmxz's Hannibal as Female Power Fantasy analysis

Hannibal and texting

Women and appeal to viewers

Conspicuous Consumption: The Socioeconomics of Hannibal

Cinematography

[Alana and mismanagement by Auden93] (https://www.reddit.com/r/HannibalTV/comments/ct079i/spoilers_total_mismanagement_and_alana/)

Alana's judgement

The Evil Minds Museum, Exhibit A: Inside the mind of an Alana Bloom hater

Bryan Fuller on Devil's seduction

Some interesting reads: God, Devil - discourses on symbolisms, religion and the nature of evil in Hannibal

Divine Punishment inflicted by Will

S1 metas (possible spoilers to other seasons, too, so proceed carefully)

SirIan's Will's Instability at the Beginning of the Show aka Is Will Better With or Without Hannibal.

Uno_nothing's Season 1 - Episode names and murders of the week - symbolic and thematic significance

Uno_nothing's Flow of events from Sorbet to Trou Normand : Introspection, insights, developing relationship and foreshadowing

The meaning of a painting with a dog hanging in Hannibal's kitchen

Hannibal's plan in S1: Who did he intend to frame?

Xenya's Hannibal planned to frame Will

Hannibalstan's Hannibal planned to frame Chilton

Guyisgame's Hannibal planned to frame Jack

S2 metas

Uno_nothing's Will's doubts, insecurity and dark prompts - analyzing season 2E-08/09/10 - Early stages of becoming

K_S_Morgan's Will, Hannibal, and Alana in S2: Changing Dynamics, a Sex Scene, and a Gun

Why Hannibal didn't want Will to kill Ingram

Sex scene and its meaning

Does Alana Have Any Reason To Suspect Hannibal?

Hannibalstan's Aesthetics become Ethics analysis of Will and Hannibal

Hannibalstan's Will and Margot’s Baby arc analysis

Hannibalstan's Whose side is Will in Mizumono?

Hannibalstan's Fostering Codependence: how true is Will's accusation?

A bit from Bryan Fuller's interview on how much Jack knew in S2 about Will

S3 meta

Pre S3 meta. The BAU is the real Murder Family: Hannibal and Bateson’s Double Bind

Hannibalstan's Hannibal didn't plan to kill Will in Dolce

Mads and Hugh's interview: Why Hannibal frames Will and why Will abandons Molly and Walter

SirIan's Hannibal, Molly, and Will's Dogs analysis

EasyStrain's Analysis of the Meetings, Molly and Dragon aka Will's Plan Throughout The Second Half of S3

Short Love=God/Religion: S3 parallels analysis

Uno_nothing's "Compassionate toward a cow" and Will's thoughts about watching Hannibal die, his final transformation

Hannibalstan's The Structure of Hannibal Finales: No Contradictions aka the faked Fall in TWOTL

‘Hannibal’ Finale: A Planned Fake-Out Or Murder/Suicide?

TWOTL Fall didn't really happen

Post-canon metas

Will and Hannibal's future house design analysis

Will, Hannibal, and Real Family

Discussion of Will and Hannibal's life post-canon based on Bryan Fuller's hints

Metas & discussions on specific episodes

Wellntruly's S1 E7: enthusiastic reflection, some analysis, and mirroring

Analysis of E1 of S3: Antipasto: Hannibal’s Perfect Break from the Mainstream by Liz Baessler

Analysis of E2 of S3: Primavera: Coming to Terms with Divinity in Hannibal by Liz Baessler

Analysis of E3 of S3: Secondo: Transformation and Influence in Hannibal by Liz Baessler

Analysis of E4 of S3: Aperitivo: A New Kind of Persuasion in Hannibal by Liz Baessler

Analysis of E13 of S3 (finale): The Wrath of the Lamb by Liz Baessler

And these are just some interesting moments from the scripts that didn't get into the show. S1, S2, S3.

source: https://www.reddit.com/r/HannibalTV/comments/atitg4/a_collection_of_some_hannibal_metasanalysis/

[coldtomyflash]

What do you think about Killer Frost? Like the concept of her... of Caitlin becoming evil... maybe not what the show has done with her, per se, but... the idea of her.

Thanks for your patience on this one. I’ve been collecting my thoughts on it, because it’s a broad question that actually cross-sects a couple of seasons, different versions of a character, and there’s the issue of the meta-textual analysis of the character versus the within canon one.

I’ve broken them down below the cut, but the tl:dr for anyone who doesn’t want to read a full analysis: the metaphor for dissociative identity disorder that Killer Frost represents is ableist and bad, but the narrative for the character is unarguably the best she’s had and lends something to the team and the conflict. There are ways they could have navigated all of this better though, and them chickening out of making Caitlin into Killer Frost full time is where we lose the most in canon from what this story could’ve been.

Metatextually, I’m not sure I like what they’ve done with Killer Frost. This is largely because it’s ableist, and it’s sexist.

On the ableist front, Killer Frost represents the science fiction version of dissociative identity disorder. It’s pretty blatantly the case - she’s an alter who takes command and who’s actions Caitlin has little to no recollection of, though Caitlin is aware of her prescence and some of what she gets up to (e.g., that she went to Burning Man). She comes out to protect Caitlin more often than not, and when Caitlin ‘sleeps’. And she remembers all of what Caitlin does.

They are distinct identities sharing the same body, and not in a way where each has ever existed separately but where Frost explicitly developed out of Caitlin. 

It’s science-fictiony because it involves metahuman powers, hair colour changes, and isn’t really that in keeping with actual practice of people who have DID, and it’s ableist because it’s a very toxic representation of DID. Pretty much everyone who has DID has suffered typically pretty severe abuse and pretty much always in childhood. Symptoms manifest through that and over the lifespan, and not when a person gets magical (metahuman) powers. 

Also, representing what basically amounts to DID as evil and villainous and uncaring? Not good. People with DID are victims, not violent and cruel and cold-hearted. This issue is repetitive across most representations of DID in media, including the movie Split. 

So… I have issues with that, ultimately. Mostly in the “stop making mentally ill people evil” vein. Even if it wasn’t a perfect representation of DID, I know they’re basically trying to pretend it’s not DID - “she’s a metahuman, it’s different, that’s why it is this way”. Which to me falls a bit flat, particularly with how they’ve done it, but if she wasn’t evil then the overall connotations wouldn’t be so bad.

(And yes, she might be ‘less’ evil moving forward, but she started as a villain and it’s only because she has a ‘good’ side that she stopped hurting people and trying to kill them, so???)

And it’s sexist too. Why? Because The Flash has done this before, but only with female villains. Remember Magenta?

Basically the same deal, though at least they represent her storyline of abuse in a much more accurate and respectful manner. The DID likely existed before the powers, but her powers manifested largely through only one of her alters and gave that identity the power to fight back against the abuse instead of just suffer it. 

But guess when else we also saw this?

Anyone else sensing a theme here? Eliza’s (Trajectory’s) issues came about as representing an issue of addiction, but it seems like Velocity made her have hallucinations of an alternate identity that she became after she took the drug. Also just a really terrible and ableist way to represent drug addiction, hallucinations, and potentially alters.

Note that we’ve never seen any men on this show have quite this same pattern of issues. Like women, powers may exacerbate their underlying angers and resentments, but they don’t seem to manifest these issues on The Flash the same way that female villains do. And I’ve talked about this before with these three characters, but let it said again:

“…things like Velocity or meta-powers… make (in this case) nice and sweet women turn into demon harpies but it’s not “their fault, that’s not who they really are, it’s the drug/powers.”

Basically, it’s a tired trope, and given that they’ve only had it play out with female characters, it smells a little like “all women are [secretly] crazy/hysterical” misogyny.”

So that’s… one side of the Killer Frost coin. And of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, it’s definitely the Ugly. But a within-canon and narrative evaluation goes in a few different directions instead.

Within-canon, Killer Frost is the most interesting thing to happen to Caitlin and was narratively necessary to make her add to the story instead of being sidelined by it.

First off, Caitlin’s narratives were… floundering, before this. I don’t think I need to explain why rehashing her constantly finding love and losing it and grieving over and over became a very tired plot and ultimately made her character feel like she wasn’t even that secure on the team eventually.

Earth 2 Killer Frost was (to me) the most exciting part of S2 for Caitlin. An evil version of her, one who became conflicted, one who disavowed even her own name, one who saved the team but was still selfish. One who was so diametrically opposed to Caitlin as this intense foil.

This was interesting. This was fresh.

So when, in S3, they set Caitlin on the path to being Killer Frost, I was pretty excited. The team was (is) overpowered in terms of metas, and losing Caitlin and making her a villain was an exciting way to balance that out. Not to mention that she finally got a story that didn’t revolve around falling in love and grieving, but which was about herself and an internal struggle. While I still hate the “powers make you evil / powers gave her DID and her alter is evil” element they went with, the narrative balancing act gave her character more purpose to the main/ongoing story than she had had in a long time.

For the first time since helping find Ronnie in S1, Killer Frost as part of Caitin meant that she was driving her own story and driving the plot instead of helplessly strapped to whatever direction it took her.

And then, of course, Caitlin died, and to ‘save’ her, Julian stole her meta-dampener and caused her to go “full Killer Frost”. This isn’t just my idea, I read someone else say that Caitlin truly died at that moment, and I think that’s something to consider. 

The problem with the narrative moving forward is that this was a turning point for Caitlin and should have remained The turning point, the definitive one.

Narratively, I think it would be useful if we could conclusively think of this moment as the death of Caitlin and the birth of Frost, full stop and forevermore. It would take care of a lot of the DID stuff, to be totally honest. It wouldn’t be that Caitlin and Frost are two separate identities or that Frost is an alter of Caitlin, it would be that once the cold (her powers) gripped Caitlin’s heart, she was fundamentally altered and became different. Still kind of a “powers make you evil” story but that’s at least balanced out by how many people we’ve finally seen with powers who aren’t evil (though seriously, more benign metas, please).

This complete change into Frost wouldn’t have ultimately changed much in S3, if anything. We’d seen Caitlin use her powers for good ends, before becoming Frost, and we’d seen E2 Killer Frost use her powers to help the team and for semi-altruistic acts (well, mostly helpful revenge) as well as selfish evil ones. We also saw Frost help the team get Barry’s memories back, and hesitate more than once. It was often like she was trying too hard to be evil, to be ‘Killer’ Frost.

It was too much. Even Savitar knew she wasn’t truly evil.

So we could have accepted after the end of S3 that it wasn’t that she was evil, it was that she didn’t know what else to be or how else to live up to this legacy and navigate the powers she didn’t want and which changed her. This would be especially with all the anger and resentment she’s built up over years of job loss and grief and being used and having some post-traumatic stress from being kidnapped (thanks Zoom), not to mention not being fully in control of her own brain and body once she got powers, and then Julian disrespecting her wish to die without becoming this.

So this scene at the end of S3…

…would still stand. Everything pretty much stays the same until then, I would argue. The only thing I would add is that she would say that no, she’s not Killer  Frost. She’s never going to be her E2 counterpoint. She’s just Frost. And that would be her proper name moving into S4. 

So the major problem now is that Season 4 is missing the boat again with this character.

Because now we have Caitlin ‘back’. We lost her and thought she was dead and forever altered and now that’s been essentially retconned. Her saying she isn’t Caitlin and isn’t Killer Frost was pointless. That duality is back.

And because of that, we’re essentially re-hashing the S3 struggle between her and Frost, though Frost isn’t ‘evil’ per se at this point. Her and Caitlin manage to navigate their differences in a much better manner. But honestly? I don’t know they wrote it as there being anything to navigate. I don’t know why we saw this:

Cold without powers. What does it add? 

I mean, I understand: Caitlin is a team member, and there is sentimentality there. It’s a hard pill to swallow if she were truly ‘dead’. But it was the implication of S3. And the best scenes of her in S4 so far have been Frost. It’s been Frost interacting with other ladies in particular, but especially Frost interacting with Iris.

This shit, right here. I would have preferred a narrative where Frost listens to Iris and almost no one else, because Iris is the person who’s death she almost orchestrated and Iris is the one who killed Savitar and set Frost free of his manipulation in doing so.

Wouldn’t it be so neat to see Frost slowly become friends with Iris and make amends to her for that? To become genuinely close in a way that Caitlin never managed to be with Iris? To tell it like it is and have more cutthroat ambitions and comments than Caitlin did, not because Caitlin didn’t think them, but because Caitlin was too soft to voice them. Have it become more clear over time that Frost is so much of what Caitlin was, just without the inhibition. Have it become clear over S4 that Caitlin isn’t dead (but she is, but she’s not) because Frost is still her. 

Caitlin the bartender was dull. Frost the team anti-villain (antihero?) is narratively rich.

And can you imagine Cisco and Caitlin in this scene in episode 1 if she was still Frost instead?

Him basically saying “I know that you’re different, but you’re still my friend” and her accepting that yeah, okay, she is different, but maybe she can still help the team. Note, this wouldn’t be Caitlin saying it, it would be Frost. The identity, the person, who wreaked all this damage, acknowledging that yes, despite the cold in her heart, she is willing to help them.

And I mean… maybe Cisco wouldn’t go to her immediately, in that case. Maybe he’d wait until they unstuck Barry from the speedforce and he was unwell, and then Cisco would ask Caitlin to help him with that, to see if something was wrong with Barry that she could detect or figure out. 

And that’d be when she realizes that even though she’s hurt these people, she can also still help them. (And wouldn’t that say something more about culpability and about making amends and learning to be a better person despite your anger and coldness?) The rest of her arc with Amunet and everyone else would still hold true, it would just be all Frost all the time.

(Of course, in a perfect world such as this, Dibny wouldn’t be a main/recurring because Frost would already create enough friction on the team as-is, especially the first time she meets Harry. Not only did she help cause HR’s death, she’s also so much like the Killer Frost from E2 who helped Zoom, and Harry might have a Reaction to that. In my dream world we’d also still have Wally around but now I’m getting off track. I’m also super curious how Cynthia would respond to Frost, to be totally honest. See, there’s just so much potential!).

So that’s… all I have to say about that. :)

[biggbossseason13-blog]

Why Women Kill S1 E2 - Chapter Two

Why Women Kill

S1 E2 - Chapter Two46m | English | Drama | 201916+

A usually reserved Beth Ann attempts to spice up her marriage. Simone turns to Naomi's son Tommy for solace after finding out Karl hasn't been as good at covering his adulterous tracks as he let on.

[the-naruto-experience-blog]

S1 E2: My Name is Konohamaru!

October 9, 2017

Hello and welcome back! Keeping up my update as promised. This episode was definitely hilarious.

We are introduced to Konohamaru Sarutobi. He is the Third Hokage’s grandson and his ultimate desire is to usurp him. It’s ambitious and slightly concerning. He’s a bit of a spaz and takes a liking towards Naruto because he makes him feel like a normal kid (via socking him in the head). This affects Konohamaru to the point that he wants Naruto to become his trainer… and rival.

Ebisu, Konohamaru’s official ninja coach, is appalled by this since he knows Naruto is the carrier of the Nine-Tailed Fox demon. He is deeply opposed to the “honorable Grandson” having any relationship with the village hooligan. 

We start delving deeper into the Naruto-verse and have the official explanation of Chakra by your man, Konohamaru (who Hermiones the shit out of it by reciting a scroll word-for-word). Despite one of them being overshadowed by their grandfather’s image and the other being the village outcast, Konohamaru and Naruto come to terms with each other and form a mutual bond by enjoying images of sexy women, wanting to become the next Hokage and trolling Ebisu.

Iruka Sensei makes an appearance by meeting with the Third Hokage. There is more information regarding the details of why the Fourth Hokage sealed a demon fox inside a baby. We get the backstory of the rampage and slaughter of many people that tried to stop the beast. The Fourth Hokage was killed in the process of sealing the Nine-Tailed Fox into Naruto. His last wishes were for Naruto to live a normal life and have the boy regarded as a hero for the sacrifice of having saved the village. He prohibited the people to mention Naruto being the Nine-Tailed Fox, but it seemed they found a loophole and decided that they could ignore him instead. The Third Hokage mentions that the children of the village are the only hope of Naruto having a normal life. Even though they carry their parent’s judgement, they ultimately make the last decision in accepting him. 

I like how Iruka shows so much fatherly concern over Naruto and really goes out of his way to make sure he’s adjusting. It shows how forgiving he is to accept the child tied to the murder of his parents. It’s also telling to how much he’s changed since he now understands a boy that no one gave a second thought about before. Iruka’s development is interesting in regards to his role as Naruto’s professor and role model. 

I found him doting and a bit too overprotective during my first run through back when I was holed up in my tent in the middle of the jungle. I liked Iruka, but I also thought he was annoying since his concerns become burdensome when Naruto began his missions. Looking back, I may have been harsh considering no one really takes the time to look out for his well being like Iruka Umino does. He consistently goes out of his way to vouch for this kid and the rest of his rookie 9 students. He comes off as overprotective, but he’s also the first one to watch Naruto’s back when people were constantly brushing him off. Iruka wants the best for him and you can really see it during the conversation with the Third Hokage. 

It seems an episode can’t end without some absurdity. Ebisu interrupts Naruto and Konohamaru’s bonding and is easily defeated by Naruto’s Harem Jutsu. The Third Hokage apparently watched the entire thing via his Crystal Ball Live Cam, which is a form of espionage that has yet to be explained.

Overall: I enjoyed this episode a lot. I thought it was funny and it got the ball rolling considering we have a partial explanation of Naruto’s behavioral issues. We also have a better understanding behind the Fourth Hokage’s decision to seal the demon fox, but we still don’t know why it had to be Naruto. 

Also everyone is a pervert.

[papermoonloveslucy]

Lucy and the Monsters

S3;E18~ January 25, 1965

Synopsis

When Lucy and Viv decide to check out the horror movies their boys have been watching, Lucy has a nightmare in which she and Viv are trapped in a haunted castle where they encounter a variety of horror movie characters - until their host turns them into witches themselves!  

Regular Cast

Lucille Ball (Lucy Carmichael), Vivian Vance (Vivian Bagley), Gale Gordon (Theodore J. Mooney), Jimmy Garrett (Jerry Carmichael), Ralph Hart (Sherman Bagley)

Ralph Hart’s face is completely hidden by a Frankenstein mask and he has no dialogue, merely grunts. Viv says “I’m not even sure that is my son under that mask.” This is his first ‘appearance’ since “Lucy’s Contact Lenses” (S3;E10) two months earlier.

Candy Moore (Chris Carmichael) does not appear in this episode.

Guest Cast

George Barrows (Loretta, the Gorilla Maid) played a gorilla in his very first screen credit, Tarzan and His Mate (1934).  He donned the gorilla suit 18 more times from 1954 to 1978. His final simian character was on “The Incredible Hulk.”  This is his first appearance on “The Lucy Show” and he will return as a gorilla in two more.  He also played human characters on two episodes. 

Bob Burns (Ringo, the Werewolf Butler) also played the wolf man in two episodes of TV's “The Adventures of The Spirit” in 1963.  Like George Barrows, Burns played many on-screen gorillas, including on an episode of “My Three Sons” in 1966.  Burns was a good friend of Glenn Strange, the last actor to play Frankenstein in a Universal horror film.  He is also a world renown archivist and historian of props, costumes, and other screen used paraphernalia from science fiction, fantasy, and horror movies. One of his prized possessions is the the wolf's cane handle from The Wolf Man (1941).

The character’s unique moniker is likely a nod to the Beatles’ Ringo Starr.  Early in their career’s the Beatles were known for their long hair!

Jan Arvan (The 'Head' of the Household) played a waiter in Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy in 1955 and a gypsy on “The Munsters” ten years later.  From 1953 to 1971 he was a regular on “The Red Skelton Show” on CBS, often playing Klem Kadiddlehopper's father.  This is his only appearance with Lucille Ball.  

Sid Haig (The Mummy) was first employed by Desilu in a 1962 episode of “The Untouchables.” This “Lucy Show” marks his fourth of more than 140 screen credits. He was also seen in a 1969 episode of “Here’s Lucy.”  Haig appeared in the horror re-boots Night of the Living Dead 3D (2006) and Halloween (2007).

James Gonzales (Morris, the Chair) was a popular Hollywood extra who first acted with Lucille Ball in the 1953 film The Long, Long Trailer. He was previously seen on the series as Stan Williams in “Lucy Digs Up a Date” (S1;E2). He was seen in more than 20 episodes of “The Lucy Show” and 3 episodes of “Here’s Lucy.”

The character name puns on the Morris Chair, an early type of reclining chair by Morris & Company first marketed around 1866. Gonzales is completely concealed by the chair costume and does not speak.

Shepard Sanders (Costume Party Count Dracula) played a psychic on an episode of the TV series “Werewolf” in 1987. This is his only appearance with Lucille Ball.  

Several other costumed party-goers appear uncredited in the final scene, but do not speak. They may have been played by the other ‘monsters’ in Lucy’s dream.

Series Camera Coordinator Maury Thompson (above left) and assistant director / associate producer Tommy Thompson (above right) came up with the premise for this episode and receive screen credit for the story.

The episode opens with Lucy reading a magazine article titled “Psychological Reactions in Adolescents to Terror-Inspiring Visual Stimulation”:  

“The over-abundance of spooky stuff in movies and TV can cause traumatic experience in our youngsters.”

Lucy reports that Jerry and Sherman are at the State Theater to see the double-feature The Surfing Werewolf and The Eggplant That Ate Philadelphia. Both of these are fictional films. This is the first mention of the State movie theatre. The Bijou and The Danfield Theatre were both mentioned in “No More Double Dates” S1;E21).  

The title The Eggplant That Ate Philadelphia may have been inspired by the 1960 low-budget comedy / horror film The Little Shop of Horrors, about a mysterious eggplant-shaped plant that thrives on human blood and could be an alien sent to conquer earth. One of the film’s stars, Jackie Joseph, was married to Lucille Ball protégé Ken Berry and would appear on “Here’s Lucy” (using her married named) in 1969.

Jerry wears a black cape and Sherman wears a Frankenstein mask. Other than this visual image, the Frankenstein monster is not mentioned or depicted in the dream. Frankenstein and Dracula were already represented on CBS by “The Munsters” (1964-66) on Thursday nights. The series imagined the Universal monsters in a family-based sitcom similar to “Father Knows Best.”  

Jerry (and later Lucy) use a Remco “Signal Action Ray Space Gun”. Starting in the 1950s, Remco made many variations on this gun, including different colors. It is likely that the electronic sound heard on the soundtrack was added in post-production.

The mothers resolve to check out these movies for themselves.

VIV: “I haven’t seen a movie with a monster since Gone With The Wind.” LUCY: “There was no monster in Gone With The Wind.” VIV: “You didn’t see my date!”

Lucille Ball was considered for the role of Scarlett O'Hara during the 1939 film's initial casting. The role eventually went to British actress Vivian Leigh (right). The cinema classic will be mentioned several times throughout the series and on “Here’s Lucy.”  

Gale Gordon gets a smattering of entrance applause from the studio audience.  Mr. Mooney jokingly hums a few bars of “Funeral March” to scare Lucy and Viv. Frédéric Chopin's composition is formally known as Piano Sonata No. 2 in B Flat Minor, Opus 35 and was completed in 1839.  

Mr. Mooney mentions his wife, but not by name. Vivian mentions her husband, but also does not use his name. In other episodes, we discover they are named Irma and Ralph, respectively. Both characters remain unseen throughout the series.

Throwing his coat over his shoulders like a cape, Mr. Mooney says 

“It isn't a fit night out for man nor beast!” 

This is a paraphrase of a quote spoken by W.C. Fields in the 1933 film short The Fatal Glass of Beer, which was NOT a horror movie! More beastly wordplay happens later when Dracula (Mr. Mooney) turns the expression “Heavens to Betsy” into “Heavens to Beastie”! 

This is only the second time a scene has taken place in Lucy's bedroom. The first was in “Lucy Buys a Sheep” (S1;E5).  

Lucy protects herself from monsters by wearing a garlic necklace (to ward off evil spirits) and holding one of Jerry's wooden tent stakes (the only way to kill a vampire). Both of these tactics are part of the vampire mythology as set forth in Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula.

The monster characters featured are mostly from the Universal Studios pantheon of monsters: Dracula (1931), The Mummy (1932) and The Wolf Man (1941). Background player Monty O'Grady was a villager in The Wolf Man and later appeared in 14 episodes of “The Lucy Show” and 6 episodes of “Here's Lucy.”  One of Universal's most famous monsters was The Bride of Frankenstein (1935), played by Elsa Lanchester. Lanchester guest-starred as a possible hatchet murderess on “Off To Florida” (ILL S6;E6) and as a hardened criminal in “Lucy Goes To Prison,” a 1973 episode of “Here's Lucy.” The Bride of Frankenstein is also mentioned in “Lucy Writes a Play” (ILL S1;E17). Universal Studios theme parks in Hollywood and Florida later hosted a Lucille Ball exhibit, also selling collectible merchandise and souvenirs.

Count Dracula (Mr. Mooney) calls his werewolf butler by the name 'Ringo.' This is a joke about Ringo Starr of the Beatles, a popular singing group known for their long and shaggy hairstyles. The Beatles have been mentioned several times on “The Lucy Show.” 1965 saw the release of their motion picture Help!

When Lucy and Viv are transformed into witches, they quote the Weird Sisters from William Shakespeare's MacBeth: 

“Double double, toil and trouble. Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.”

To find out who is the prettiest witch, Lucy and Viv ask the magic mirror by saying “Mirror, mirror on the wall; Who's the fairest of them all?” This is the same query the Evil Queen asks her magic mirror in the 1937 animated Disney film Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. In the original Brothers Grimm story that the film is based upon, however, the question posed is “Who is the most beautiful in all the land?”  

In the dream sequence, witch Lucy calls witch Viv 'Sassafrassa.' This is actually the name Lucille Ball gave an imaginary childhood friend who assured her she would one day be a movie star. Once she moved  from Jamestown to nearby Celoron, Lucy would often call her best friend Pauline Lopus 'Pauline Sassafrassa.' Other sources say Lucille Ball imagined herself to be a famous film star named 'Sassafrassa.'  

A mouse also scares Lucy and Viv in “Vivian Sues Lucy” (S1;E10). That episode also features an insert shot of a live mouse. Women being afraid of mice was a typical TV trope of the time.  

When the Mummy tries to help strap Lucy to the operating table, she snaps and says “Please, Mummy! I’d rather do it myself!” The studio audience reacts with a big laugh of recognition. Here’s why…

In 1962, an advertisement for Anacin pain reliever featured a mother trying to assist her grown daughter prepare a meal. “Don’t you think it needs a little salt?”, the mother would say, only to have her nerve-racked daughter shout, “Mother, please, I’d rather do it myself!" Variations on this scenario became popular and were parodied a number of times, including in the Allan Sherman song "Headaches” (”Mother, don't hand me those pills from the shelf, I’d rather do it myself”), the 1966 film The Silencers, and the 1980 film Airplane. 

A year and a day after this “Lucy Show” episode, “My Mother The Car” (starring Lucy’s pal Ann Sothern) aired an episode titled “I’d Rather Do It Myself, Mother” (S1;E20). Coincidentally, the show’s music was by Ralph Carmichael, a real-life combination of VIv’s ex-husband’s first name, and Lucy’s last name! 

Callbacks!

Two years earlier, in the first frame of the June 1963 “The Lucy Show” Gold Key comic book, Viv also feared monsters!  And shaggy dogs, apparently! Ironically, a shaggy dog was featured in the very first episode of “The Lucy Show”.  

This is the first time there has been a 'dream sequence' on “The Lucy Show.” In “Ricky's Old Girlfriend” (ILL S3;E12) Lucy dreams of what life would be like without Ricky if he left her for Carlotta Romero, a sexy Cuban dancer. The dream takes her 25 years into the future.

The most famous dream sequence on “I Love Lucy” was “Lucy Goes To Scotland” (ILL S5;E17) where Lucy Ricardo imagines re-visiting her relatives in Scotland, but dreams in the musical comedy format. Except for the brief opening and closing scenes, the entire episode is comprised of a dream.

The witch voice Lucy uses is very similar to the one she used as the witch in “Little Ricky’s School Pageant” (ILL S6;E10) with a hint of Camille, the Queen of the Gypsies in “The Operetta” (ILL S2;E5).

When witch Lucy and witch Viv try to flee Dracula's castle, the escape turns into an impromptu square dance, with the Head as the caller. This is similar to the impromptu escape that helps the Ricardos and the Mertzes get out of Bent Fork in “Tennessee Bound” (ILL S4;E14). In that episode, Ernie Ford was the caller. 

Lucy Ricardo disguised herself as an armchair when spying on the “New Neighbors” (ILL S1;E21). Like the Morris chair in this episode, Lucy's arms also were the arms of the chair.

Fast Forward!

In a 1970 episode of “Here’s Lucy,” Lucy Carter met the Crown Prince of Horror, Vincent Price.

Trying to flee Count Dracula’s mansion, Lucy and Viv search for a secret passageway in the fireplace, touching all the stones, just like Lucy Carter did when trying to find Mumsie Westcott’s loot in “Lucy Goes To Prison” (HL S5;E18).

Blooper Alerts!

Calendar Conundrum!  This would have made a fun Halloween episode, but instead it inexplicably airs for the first time in January.  

Sitcom Logic Alert!  Mr. Mooney drops by the Carmichael home on the premise of hand-delivering Lucy’s bank statement. As usual, he leaves the door wide open for the duration of his scene.

Sitter Situation! Lucy and Viv recruit Mr. Mooney to 'babysit’ with Jerry and Sherman, but it is not clear why Chris (now in her late teens) cannot watch them or even where she might be.

Whose Bed Is It Anyway? Although they are supposedly sleeping in Lucy’s bedroom, the bed frame and the painting above the bed are the same ones seen in Viv’s bedroom in previous episodes.  

Layout Logic! Lucy’s bedroom in “Lucy Buys a Sheep” (S1;E5) has a completely different layout than this one. The rocking chair and the white wood dresser, however, are the same.

On / Off! In the bedroom, as Viv reaches for the switch, Lucy yells for her not to turn off the lights but the light switch is already in the 'off’ position.

Made For TV Garlic! When Lucy shakes her garlic necklace to ward off the evil spirits, the hollow sound it makes indicates that they are fabricated cloves and not real garlic.

Quick Thinking Viv! When the telephone booth door is flung open to reveal the skeleton, it immediately starts to swing shut again, but Viv quickly grabs it with her right hand and holds it open so the skeleton can be seen on camera and by the studio audience, thus neatly avoiding a re-take. 

Ouch!  Backing out of the fireplace, Vivian Vance bumps her head on the mantle. She doesn’t react vocally, but does grab her head when it happens. The ‘Head’ sees the entire incident.

Check the Gate for Crew! When Lucy and Viv are strapped to a table so Dracula can turn them into witches, the screen fades to black for the commercial break and the head of a crew member prominently enters the camera frame on the right. Unfortunately, the newest DVD release did not eliminate this goof by cropping the frame, as they have done with other bloopers. This same mistake also happened on “I Love Lucy.”

Soggy Bottom! When the potted plant spits up the year-old tea, the spray lands on the tan sofa, making a large wet mark where Viv (dressed in pajamas) is supposed to sit. She scoots over a bit to avoid the wet patch. The sofa stays wet for the rest of the episode. When the magic mirror comes crashing down to the floor rather than saying who is the fairest in the land, Lucy or Viv, part of the Styrofoam wall behind it also caves in!  

Mirror, Mirror on the Floor! When the magic mirror comes crashing down to the floor part of the Styrofoam wall behind it also caves in!  

“Lucy and the Monsters” rates 3 Paper Hearts out of 5 

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