#I’m on 2x01 and he feels like a completely different character now

[scarletslippers]

Realized something while being very normal about nace gifsets - practically the only times Nancy can keep her distance from Ace are the times when her self worth is lowest. Ace beats himself up for not living up to the Ideal Boyfriend For Nancy he has invented in his head and she denies herself his warmth and comfort for not living up to the Ideal Nancy she knows he sees in her and I just 😭

“Very normal” you say? Here is my “very normal” response, complete with a cut because it got long 🥺🤷‍♀️ They make me insane, what of it?

I’m assuming these thoughts are inspired by that 3x01 moment I reblogged and I think it’s so interesting that you use the phrase “keep her distance”, because as you said that, all I can think about is the difference between physical distance and emotional distance.

Nancy’s always touching Ace. That’s a fact, and I have long been much feral about the *prolonged* shoulder touch. And I think in terms of physical distance, you are absolutely correct. Nancy touches Ace when she’s in control—she’s in the middle of solving a case, she has a question or a direction, and she’s acting on it. Shoulder touches like 1x02, 1x15, 1x18, 2x15 etc. come to mind.

It’s a bit of an inverse relationship: Physical distance decreases when emotional distance increases. Physical distance increases when emotional distance decreases.

We see this in the times when Nancy is emotionally vulnerable. When she’s more emotionally open—that emotional distance is decreasing/she’s more emotionally intimate—that’s when she keeps her distance physically. In 3x01 when Ace steps toward her, she pulls away, or how they stand apart and just head tilt during ‘If I find the words, I will share them with you’, and the 3x05 hallway conversation where Nancy opens up that she feels it’s her fault about Trott dying. Think about her careful distance from him in 3x04 and 3x12—that emotional intimacy is increasing so she’s keeping her distance physically. And of course, in 2x01, they way they circle around each other in ‘Just because I’m mad at you, doesn’t mean I want to lose you.’

And I think this plays into your comment about her “denying herself his warmth and comfort”. I think it’s less about her feeling that she doesn’t live up to his ideal of her, but that she feels like she doesn’t live up to what she would like herself to be—like you said, when her self-worth is lowest. And I think she knows that were she to touch him, were she to lean in and receive that comfort, allow herself to receive that comfort, it would put her so fully over the edge that she would crumble. (And as much as she has earned and needs and deserves a moment to crumble, Nancy and I both agree that she maybe doesn’t really have time for that right now, or just wouldn’t allow herself to do that )

So she compartmentalizes, and almost prioritizes her emotional need over her physical one (which like!!! That’s huge for her!!!). Like in 3x12 when Ace says ‘You’re not alone in this’ and the tension just drains from her. She needs the emotional support, so she holds back the physical. And when she seeks him out emotionally—‘About what you told me last night?’/‘I’ve been avoiding talking to you’—she keeps her distance physically. She can’t handle both, so she chooses.

(The AU is really the only moment that we see both—‘I was gonna tell you something’ combined with her reaching for his hand—she is both physically and emotionally intimate, which is a huge moment for Nancy and her relationship with Ace but perhaps more importantly a huge moment for Nancy and her character development as a whole. And thus even more depressing that it ISN’T REAL)

Interestingly, I feel like in those moments when she is physical, it’s not really a conscious choice, it’s just how she is around him. It’s her baseline, she doesn’t even think about it. It’s only when that emotional intimacy comes into play that she has to balance it a little in order to keep it together.

Which makes it perhaps even more interesting to compare (contrast?) this with the big hugs from 2x12/3x10, because Nancy is decidedly not in control at those moments. She’s in that rapid fall of relief after being scared out of her mind that she was going to lose him and so she just acts.

On the surface it looks like a moment of increased emotional intimacy, which should equal decreased physical intimacy, but actually I would argue that the emotional intimacy isn’t that high because Nancy is so firmly in denial about her feelings and/or being held back by the wraith. Therefore, it’s a bit of an exception to the rule, but emotionally she still feels in that ‘safe zone’ so she feels comfortable embracing him. I would also argue that these moments are mostly about Ace and not about Nancy’s feelings much at all. It’s about him and his safety, and so the physicality is her natural response.

Now let’s talk about the flip side that is Ace. You talk about his wanting to be the “Ideal Boyfriend for Nancy”, (which he so is, even if he doesn’t see it!) and Ace is honestly more physical in the moments when Nancy is more vulnerable! He doesn’t touch her as often, obviously, but when he does, it’s at significant moments: Protecting her in the Whisper box, or in 3x01, when the whole town is basically putting the pressure on her to solve these murders (Darlene, ILY, but give my girl a break), he touches her back and says ‘Let’s get out of here’. He touches her back again in 3x05 when she thinks it’s her fault that Trott is dead, and in 3x07, her arm/leg when she’s stressed in the car and his touch calms her down.

Perhaps the most important is 2x18 AS A WHOLE. He grabs her arm/elbow to comfort and reassure her after Gil leaves, holds her up getting in/out of Florence (drives her to NY, *alone*), pulls her up in the woods, holds her hand, rubs her back, and just generally acts like her concerned boyfriend. That episode is arguably when Nancy is her most vulnerable—physically, mentally, emotionally—and Ace steps in to greatly pick up that slack and meet her needs.

(And Nancy leans in and allows it because she physically can’t fight it. She desperately needs it.)

Ace really just continually increases his support for Nancy as the seasons progress, generally through acts of service/words, but also through his touch! Sparing but very significant!

So perhaps our equation is: When Nancy’s emotional intimacy increases, her physical intimacy decreases, and in response Ace’s physical intimacy increases.

They provide each other that balance, and always read what the other needs so they can fill that gap.

Basically they are perfect and they should just let themselves love each other and be loved. (All my love to @bethanyactually for meeting all of my sudden screenshot needs 😘)

[communistkenobi]

everything holden does and says can be explained by the fact that he was a rich kid who wanted to go explore space

[missmaxime]

how do you feel about the show making rio so unlikable? is the backstory a fix it?

Let me start of with that I don’t think the show is making Rio more unlikable. I don’t know if you mean that they are visibly showing him committing more violence and crime. But I’m assuming this is an ask in response to the wire-scene from Sunday’s episode.  Watch me under the cut go through the past three seasons and a little some season 4 to tell you how I see Rio’s character progression. I’m not really sure if this is what you’re asking an answer to, but if it’s not tell me! * Rio’s (non) POV * Escalation in violence * Different views on S3 * More into the wire-scene * Prediction for 4x06 / Backstory

Rio has always been shown to be a ruthless and violent criminal. In the beginning of S1 he had no problem murdering the girls, and has made death threats ever since. He shot Dean, killed Eddie, had Turner assassinated and murdered Lucy in front of the girls. I don’t know how people can see him any other way, it’s not something that was ever hidden by the show. He’ll go through every length to protect himself and his business.  We know Beth has been a soft spot for him since Season 1 too. In the beginning because it was a fun and interesting business opportunity, but we’ve seen their relationship develop for better and worse across seasons. I think we have to keep in mind that Rio is a character we’ve seen almost exclusively through POV that aren’t his own, and mostly through Beth’s. And we as viewers see a limited amount of information about him, that we translate in our own ways. I’ve seen people interpreted the 2x01 scene where Rio shows Marcus to Beth through such rose-colored glasses for example. I can see how a viewer, and Beth, could see it as a scene that would frame him as more likeable. But I also see how that was exactly Rio’s point; He wanted Beth to see that it’s not just her who has kids on the line with her crime-life, as a way to invalidate her constant argument of ‘being a mom’ and ‘having a family’ as if that would make her special or something. She’s a drug dealer and counterfeiter like him, not a criminal with a heart of gold because they happen to have a child. Season 2 really started unpacking Rio’s character more. In Season 1, if the whole Rio/Beth – CH/MM chemistry hadn’t existed, I could definitely see the character of Rio being done late Season 1/early Season 2. But that’s not what happened, so now Rio had to become a person with connections and feelings and deeper motivations – but it’s still a character that’s in the base there to drive Beth forward as a character and deeper into crime. Which is a tricky balance, and I don’t think the show always made that work. Obviously the most clear example of that is the loft scene in 2x13. Now there’s more than one thing to be said about that scene, but I’m focusing now Rio himself. It’s the big finale, a lot of things needed to come together here and explode. Overall I don’t think the build-up was executed well, but it doesn’t help that we have no Rio POV here. His decision to kidnap Beth, confront her with her lack of taking responsibility and lying about her rotten eggs, and his complete oversight of her response to being pinned his fall guy really dropped out of – maybe not completely thin, but at least barely medium thick – air for me. Concerning the racial element I think THIS POST by @septiembrre explains this much better than white, non-American me ever will.  Regardless of the fact if the racial element of 2x13 affects a viewer, this poorly executed finale left lots of people unsatisfied at best. When Season 3 started we did start to see more Rio POV, or parts of his story told through Rhea, even though it was limited. I know there’s a lot of critique on the S3 we got, that I personally don’t understand – I loved it, it was so amazingly angsty, especially the Beth and Rio interactions were so loaded and simmering with guilt and anger and sadness and desperation – but if you’re searching for catharsis in a way of Rio coming back with a vengeance with guns ablaze, then that’s really not what you got. What Season 3 did do was putting the violence and cruelty Rio is capable of more on the forefront, and making us feel the weight of it more (I don’t know about the rest of you, but in the previous seasons I felt they really underplayed a lot of it). Rio had competing gangs taken out through Turner, has Turner assassinated along with a lot of other FBI agents, he fully intended on killing Beth before the pregnancy lie, kills innocent Lucy through Mick and disposes her body gruesomely, has the girls deliver Boomer with all intention of harming him (if not murder) and full on frames Beth for Lucy’s murder with her prints on the gun. I don’t think these kind of actions weren’t going on in the previous seasons, but now it’s more on display because Rio made Beth a part of this side of crime (and with that, us the viewers). In the beginning of Season 4 I feel like we’re making a bit of a jump when it comes to Beth and Rio’s relationship, maybe one that’s a little too big compared to the distance we ended on in Season 3 (even if they seemed friendly in their last Boland Bubbles scene). Lucy’s body is found and we learn that said gun was also used to taking out some gang member of an opposing gang of Rio’s, so after Turner’s sweep he apparently wasn’t done. That gun now becomes a much bigger thing to hold over Beth (and I’m speculating because we don’t know for sure, but we can guess that now Annie’s prints are on it – which is an ever bigger press on Beth because she won’t let her little sister take the fall, while she would do so herself. And I think she’s up for a rude awakening that while she’s under the impression that Rio has always employed the three of them, what was actually going on is that Rio employs Beth, and he sees Annie and Ruby as Beth’s employees and thereby offers them zero protection). So her counter with his print doesn’t come a moment too soon. I feel like Beth asking him to murder ‘Dave’, albeit with a lie about his identity and not as straightforward as Rio might wish, is a positive shift for him. She might not pick up a gun herself to do the deed, but much like Rio has Mick shoot Lucy, she very deliberately gives a killing order through him. And with a very drama heaux set-up we see him personally – and he has no reason to not have Mick do it – shoot Fitzpatrick. Aside from the fact that I have no doubt Rio may not have knew the specifics but he knew Beth had something orchestrated, the fact that some sniper dude was the target has it really drive home to him that it’s something else than Secret Service, and that they are still active around Beth. So we’re finally here, 4x05 The Banker – which I’m gonna guess was the reason you send this ask in the first place. In particular the wire-scene. In the first scene we learn that Rio has found the tracker on his car, and he turns it off or breaks it – so he knows he’s still being watched. It makes the most sense that even if he takes the leap that he put down a Secret Service agent, that they just replaced them and Beth is likely still working for them. He meets her in her kitchen – which isn’t that common at this point, last we know he was there is after the failed hit on him. And she doesn’t even jump when she sees him, just accepts it. He motions for her to be quiet before slowly stepping into her space, and she very logically responds with a ‘what are you doing?’, and he stares back long and hard to say that he means business. He has all the reason to suspect her wearing a wire, even if this wasn’t a planned meeting, and it wouldn’t be the first time she lied to his face. It’s clear to me (but I’ve seen this interpreted differently) that Beth fast finds a solid stance in this powerplay. Rio doesn’t seem happy about the fact it has come to this, and neither does she. I’m not sure if you send me this ask because you have negative feelings about this scene, but I can tell you I can’t answer those. This scenario could have been portrayed so wrong with any other actors or the way they shot it, but I feel like they delivered superbly on it. It’s in no way sexual or intimidating like I’ve seen some posts suggest, I just see two brokenhearted people who see the little trust they rebuilt fall apart in in thirty seconds. At the end Beth ends up winning, a bitter win maybe, this confrontation. Rio’s obviously still suspicion, but she also gained some trust with her asking him to kill ‘Dave’, so setting her up as The Banker is some sort of twisted reward and punishment and test at the same time. It’s not explained, but I think ‘The Banker’ might have been a hidden figure before Beth stepped up to show her face (before her flunky’s came to collect in name of The Banker) – making this an even better set-up if it’s so because that takes Rio out of the equation altogether even. We end the episode on the note where Rio tells Beth he has people he answers to, and that they want to meet her. Which, again, sound like both a reward and a punishment and a test. We’ll have to see next Sunday what it really means. IN this episode we’ll meet some of Rio’s family, likely his boss(es) and get backstory on him. I don’t see that as a fix-it, but mostly because I don’t see anything needed of fixing. I’m glad we’re getting an insight into Rio’s past, and I love that it likely will broaden his backstory and motivations more. But I feel like the way Rio’s character and the amount and the way of it seems very fitting to the story and the perspective it’s told through. I’m not sure if this is an answer to your question, so feel free to send me a more specific one if you want to!

[not-so-mundane-after-all]

Well, I think it’s time to create my own list of thoughts and wishes for season 3 of Titans

(I am well aware that some of these points are merely a wishful thinking but a girl can dream, right?)

First of all, the official stuff we found out so far:

- Redhood - I know Jason was treated poorly (to say the least) in s2 and that is a legit reason to be angry at the team but please let this transition make sense. Curran is putting a lot of work into it and I am sure his performance will be amazing, but storywise I really hope it’s not gonna end up being done in a “bratty kid throwing a tantrum” kind of way.

- Barbara Gordon - I don’t want to hear anything about a love triangle, got it? She’s being introduced as Dick’s ex for a reason. There might be some little things thrown in here and there like we had with Dawn in s1 but a full blown drama? We don’t need that shit! And besides, it’s been said she won’t be very happy to see Dick, neither she’ll be thrilled about Nightwing and Company running around her city.

Unless they turn it all into a comedy where instead of Kory being jealous - it’s the kids! Gar and Rachel going completely feral whenever Barbara gets close to Dick, giving off you’re not our mom so get out vibe and Kory lets them because she finds it hilarious (this season is supposed be *lighter* and *more fun* as I’ve heard, right?)

- Scarecrow - I am VERY intrigued to see that character. He’s supposed be locked up and working with GCPD but I do hope we’ll get to see him in action. I’m not really into comics world, I had to do my research on him, but from what I’ve found… Damn, fear toxin torture that show their biggest fears and nightmares would be awesome for my angst crave

- Blackfire - personally I don’t find a reason to panic. I know that the treatment of both Anna and her character, especially in s2 was unacceptable, I 100% agree with that. And it does give a reason to worry for s3. BUT why am I not worried?

1. Damaris Lewis has been promoted to a series regular a long time ago

2. Even with all the stuff happening in Gotham, Blackfire is still set to be the main villain - we had the same situation in s2. Cadmus was brought up to introduce Conner, even though Deathstroke was the main villian. So whatever is happening in Gotham, it’s for the introduction of Red Hood while Blackfire remains main villain.

3. Look at what Anna has been saying and the vibe she’s giving off! Would she be this happy if Kory wasn’t getting more screentime? Would she be getting calls from the showrunner about creating Kory’s background and having a chance to pitch him ideas like incorporating her native culture in building the world of Tamaran? WOULD SHE SAY WITH A HUGE SMILE ON HER FACE THAT THIS IS THEIR BEST SEASON YET?

So don’t worry too much about our girl. I’m sure she’s getting her time to shine. Even if it ends up being not as much as we would want, it’s still progress from last season.

And if the writers follow a similar schematic as for previous seasons, I see it going like this:

Blackfire = Deathstroke = Trigon (Main Villian)

Gotham stuff/Redhood = CADMUS/Conner = The Organization/Nuclear Family/Angela (side villian/introduction)

Scarecrow and Barbara = Doctor Light = Amy Rohrbach and Nic Zucco (plot device, appearance in 1-3 eps at most)

I might be wrong though, so don’t hold me on that. Because there’s also another storyline that needs to fit in between all of this

- Rachel on Themyscira - I am sure they won’t show as much of the island as they were originally planning for the same reason they moved the team from San Francisco to Gotham - weather conditions in this time of year resulting in lower temperatures, shorter and less sunny days. All of that wouldn’t be a problem if it wasn’t for filming being pushed back due to Covid. I also had a feeling from the beginning that Rachel won’t come back victorious, or at least she will come back alone, with Donna showing up on her own later or at the end of the season. Now, with an information of the possible use of Lazarus Pit, it all makes even more sense. All my knowledge about those pits comes from Arrowverse so correct me if I’m wrong, but is Donna going to struggle with Blood Lust because of that? It is possible imo.

- Roy Harper and Tim Drake - I don’t have much to say about them, really. I’m excited to see Roy but the only valid reason for him to show up is to grieve Donna and maybe share his condolences to Dick or something like that. We don’t need more OG Titans drama. And Tim… well, new Robin in town will catch Jason’s attention and definitely spark some jealousy, evolving into a feeling of being ditched and abandoned, further confirming his belief of being a “reject”. All of this will only push him further to Red Hood.

Now, for the things I personally want to happen…

- Dickkory getting together - even if it happens in the finale, we need to see the progress! I don’t want this to happen off screen during the possible time jump. I want to see them supporting each other and being there for each other. I want to see Kory being his right-hand (wo)man and them leading the team together. And most importantly for me - the one thing that really brought them together in s1 - a continuation of their co-parenting of the younger Titans.

- Gar’s trauma being adressed - and I’m talking BOTH SEASONS. He really struggled with killing that guy in s1 and what CADMUS did to him made it all worse. He needs to talk about this with someone (and I hope that someone is Dick). And I really want to know if what happened to him is gonna have any lasting consequences.

- Donna and Dick need to talk things out - the worst thing about her death for me is the fact that these two didn’t get the chance to talk about what happened. Donna wasn’t a saint either and I find her behavior in the second half of s2 very hypocritical. It almost felt like this Donna and s1 Donna are two different people! She and Dick have a very strong bond and a lot of history. I’m sure they’ve had their fair share of fights in the past. I really hope they will sort this thing out and get back to being this amazing duo I fell in love with in s1.

- Rose and Jericho - I really want to see how this relationship will work and progress with them not really knowing each other but sharing one body.

- Growth and progress in Kory, Rachel and Gar’s powers - I think I don’t need to elaborate on that. I want to see Kory and Rachel fly, Rachel using more of her powers and discovering stuff like teleportation and telekinesis, Gar turning into other animals (lets pray HBO MAX will provide a decent budget for all of that). And obviously, following that…

- Supersuits for those three! - do I need to add more? I don’t think so.

- And can we get rid of Hank and Dawn? - I liked them in s1, tolerated them at the beginning of s2 and by the end I just wanted them gone. They are completely useless. Honestly? If I were to pick one… Hank can stay, we can still do something with him. But Dawn can go and don’t come back for all I care. I only need her for one more thing I’d like to see but more about that later.

And now the two most important things for me…

- MORE CORE FOUR FAMILY MOMENTS - this was the magic of season 1 that we only got some crumbs of in 2x01 and then it disappeared completely. I am in desperate need of Dick and Kory co-parenting their two superpowered teenage kids. And can someone FINALLY call Dick a DAD?! I would pay fortune to see that happen.

- Relationship progress between the Core Four - all the possible variants, but especially with the kids. It’s already been pretty much established that Rachel is Daddy’s Girl while Gar is Mama’s Boy. And it was nice to see Dick and Gar growing closer during season 2 while Rachel poured her heart out to Kory. But I was VERY MUCH with Gar and Kory when they both asked Rachel “Have you talked to Dick?” because girl YOU AND YOUR FATHER NEED TO TALK! A lot has happened, okay? (Not just because I am an absolute sucker for this dynamic and they are my favorites, but… get ready for a rant) I really want to go back to the way things were in s1 where they had at least one scene together every episode, where they talked and bonded a lot, where we actually could see the progress of this relationship. We’ve been stripped of that in s2. A little bit at the beginning, something at the end (I’m still mad Rachel didn’t get any closure for that nightmare that scared the hell out of her and yet had no influence on further events). I want to see Dick really embracing that role of a father, stepping up to responsibilities he kinda forgot about in s2. It would be nice to see a callback to his conversation with Dawn in 1x02 about how he’s “not taking her in” because “he can’t do family”. I’d love for Dawn to throw one big “I told you so!” in his face (and Dick agreeing she was right all along). I want to see Rachel leaning on him for support and encouragement while also growing independent in her own way. I also need to see more physical affection. Hugs are great and we always want more of them, but a touch of hand on the arm or cheek, or a forehead kiss would kill me. And I dream about a verbal “I love you” everyday…

Well, I think it’s all for now. Nothing else comes to mind atm. I might update this list as time goes on and we get more details…

[magnumdays]

Juliet Higgins is the Main Character of Magnum PI - An Argument

Now you’re all going; Huh? Did you miss the fact that the show is named “Magnum PI”? It’s obvious who the main character is; Thomas Magnum.

An yes, there is no question that Magnum is the protagonist; he drives the story, moving plot forward towards the conclusion of each episode.

But the question is, is he the main character in the sense that; is he the character who has changed the most because of the experiences he’s gone through in the series (so far)? 

I’d argue he’s not and that this role actually belongs to Juliet Higgins. And that Magnum & Higgins, together (both as just business partners or something more), makes for a much more compelling story.  

Don’t believe me? Let’s to a quick run down to where the characters start compared to where they are now.

Magnum: (pilot) Has 3 friends he trusts with his life, works as a PI, lives in Robin Master’s guest house and drives his Ferrari, recently had his heartbroken but still believes in love. Has a frenemy-ish relationship with Juliet Higgins. 

Magnum: (2x14) Has 3+ friends he trusts with his life (Juliet takes Nuzo’s place here and maybe Gordon counts now), works as a PI, lives in Robin Master’s guest house and drives his Ferrari, recently had his heartbroken but still believes in love. Has a frenemy-ish relationship (Work) partner with Juliet Higgins. 

Higgins: (Pilot) has about one friend on the island (the British dude that dies), works as Robin’s majordomo, disavowed by MI6, wants vengeance on the man who killed her fiance, emotionally disconnected from pretty much everyone.

Higgins: (2x14) has 3-4 close friends who she trusts (counting Kumu), found her fiance’s killer and chose to arrest him rather than kill him, chose to walk away from MI6 to work with Magnum as his partner to help people. Starting to open up to both Magnum & Kumu emotionally. 

Basically, the only thing that has changed in Magnum’s life is that he now works with Higgins and takes her feelings more into account. And the girl he’s kind of heartbroken about is Abby instead of Hannah. But Magnum was never painted as totally closed off even as he was mourning/getting over Hannah and her betrayal. He’s grieving Nuzo, but this seems to have limited effect on his life (perhaps because we, the viewers, did not see Magnum’s life with Nuzo in it for long enough to notice the change.)

So compared to Higgins whose had much more emotional as well as actual stuff change (catching Viper + turning down MI6 + working with Magnum), Magnum has remained very similar. 

This is, of course, partly a product of the medium; TV, especially episodic, needs a familiar hero and structure.

Still, it clear to see that Higgins has changed and Magnum has not.

It’s also interesting to point out that in season 1, Higgins is antagonistic towards him but he is not antagonistic towards her. I mean he gives as good as it gets, but it is largely Higgins who seems to be “attacking” him; changing gate codes, showing up at his house early with a bunch of kids to annoy him, setting the dogs after him and having his Ferrari towed. 

Her version of this / explanation to this is stated well it in the “Blood in the Water” episode “It is as if your sole purpose in life is to needle me.” Starting out, she feels he’s coming into her life and changing it. And she initially resists the change by lashing out at him but this becomes harder to do as she at the same time is growing to like him.

Most of this early behavior is also filmed in a way, where while she’s not an “evil” bad guy, it’s a behavior that is wrong and should be “corrected” and as of lately it has been changing. 

Compare setting the dogs on him for “stealing” wine in 2x01 to just 2x09 where she uncorks a bottle for them both to share. To the pilot when she barely will let him borrow the Ferrari to go find Nuzo’s killers to 2x11 when she flies to South America to save him and there is no question in her doing that what so ever. Actually got up on stage and singing karaoke in a bar at the end of 2x14 (I don’t see pilot Higgins ever doing that.) Telling Magnum in 2x03 that she’ll be his partner and “she’s found something she doesn't want to lose in Hawaii” and in 2x13 telling him she wants to be honest with him, compared to her nonexistent “emotional openness” in early season 1.

Juliet Higgins has changed a lot, mostly thanks to Magnum and always for the better (or so it is famed). Other characters (both the series regulars as well as clients and characters like Jin) influence her thoughts and views more than they do Magnum and thanks to this she’s becoming a fully realized character, dealing with her issues and letting herself care about people. And Magnum is the catalyst, the herald and sidekick (and even antagonist) all rolled into one, of her journey. He is impacting and changing her life but he himself is remaining very similar to how we see him in the pilot.

Meanwhile, Magnum’s tendency to ask for way too extreme favors from his friends all the time and being kind of reckless when on a case (and also never having any money/borrowing money from his friends) is poked at but is not (IMHO) framed as truly problematic, something that he needs to change or is even really that bad. There are no consequences for him always asking TC and Rick to help. Even if he temporarily loses Gordon’s friendship after lying about Hannah, that is eventually forgiven when he apologizes. Magnum has not changed nor is he portrayed as needing to change; internally, emotionally or externally.

Perhaps his progressing relationship with Higgins could be seen as change. He’s learned to work with someone (even if it was not established he had problems doing so from the start.) If the Miggy ship sails, they’ll both have had a satisfying relationship/ romance arch, starting off as kinda enemies, becoming frienemies, then friends and then partners and eventually being romantically involved.

Being alone in the pilot and ending up in a relationship by the end of the series (something we viewers love to see in movies and shows) is a good emotional arch. So I guess I could give that to Magnum. If it happens. 

Only Magnum has not been shown to struggle with making emotional connections with people. He did have some random girls in season 1, but when meeting Abby he seems open to a committed relationship. Him entering into a romantic relationship with Higgins wouldn’t be as big of a deal to him, because it already been established he’s open to it, unlike Higgins. 

Perhaps they will backtrack on this, having Magnum mention that maybe he wasn’t ready to move on and that might have been why Abby didn’t want to stay and fight for him (even if it was in-show heavily implied Abby ended things with him because she felt he had a stronger connection with Higgins than her.)

Change is part of why we like to ship couples, the positive differences in one's life that come from being with someone who truly completes us.

Something many (if not most) people want to find; be it a romantic soulmate or a best friend kind of soulmate. So Magnum getting with “the right girl” would be satisfying in a sense for his character. 

BUT the one with the emotional baggage here is Juliet. Her hang-ups are bigger than his. She will have to change and develop more than him before she’s ready more of a serious relationship. Not only is there the Richard part, the I’m an emotionally suppressed Brit part but we got even more recent demonstration that she has trouble trusting and sharing the parts of herself she’s insecure about. I mean she wouldn’t even tell with Magnum that she’d dated the married guy, instead lying about it and faking an injury, because she was judging herself and fearing he would judge her too in 2x13. That’s some serious hang-ups.

Worth noting; main characters don’t have to change (especially not in action/crime TV shows). So even if Magnum never changes much he will always be the protagonist, whose eyes we view the story through. It’s his name on the door, after all, even if he changes it in-show to Magnum & Higgins Private Investigators, they won’t do that to the show in the real world. It’s through Magnum’s eyes the cases are framed. He is our point of view character. 

But Juliet Higgins is the character that changes and her “flaws” at the start and their eventual realization and attempt to change, is what makes the story interesting. Characters changing, letting people in, doing the right thing, becoming part of something makes us, the viewer, want to change too, be part of something. Be better.

Because if they can do it, we can too.

And in Magnum PI, Juliet Higgins is the character who’s changed the most. The character with the emotional as well as external arch. The character who’s been shown needs to change and actually has. The outsider who has become part of something. Something I’d say makes her more of a main character than anyone else in this series.

This makes the relationship between Magnum and Higgins, the relationship between protagonist and main character the most crucial part of the show. Their relationship, as frenemies, friends and now partners, is crucial because of how these two factors work together. In the duality of this, things become much more interesting and gives us two-character with equal importance to the overall series and its emotional impact on the audience.

So, in conclusion, Magnum is the protagonist. He leads the story, frames it, narrates it at times. Higgins is the main character, she changes because of the other characters and the story.

[riarklus]

3b buddie predictions(?)

i have been DYING to talk about 3x11 and 3x12 and the synopsis of each episode (buddie-wise, or more like, eddie-wise), plus everything we know from the cast posts. 

saying that, i feel like the elephant in the room should be adressed first. we are all wondering if eddie will get a love interest. to which i would like to point out that, he probably will, but not in the way we think? LIKE listen. 9-1-1 is a very “traditional” show, as in, the producers probably have meetings before each season, where they discuss with other, let’s call them, important people at fox probably, where they lay out ideas and budget details and script plans and stuff that needs to go on making the season come to life. my point is, the show isn’t just some randomly picked writers in a room coming up with ideas, because money is involved in this process, and so of course other people are going to give these writers some plots, ideas, storylines, character arcs, call them what you want. they adapt these ideas to each character and make them come to life. 

now let’s compare season 2 and season 3, and the love (?? i think, at least) storylines eddie and buck got. season2a introduced both ali and shannon from the very FIRST moments of the season. we don’t know too much about eddie’s private life in 2x01 but i swear to god the second we saw him in 2x02 interacting with the team (*cough* buck *cough*) he mentioned the fact that his wife isn’t in the picture. ali is literally introduced to us in the same episode. until the end of 2a we got all the main storylines for buck and eddie layed out and ready to be resolved, and with that, complete their arcs. 2b did that, at the same time ending the season with one of said love interests dying and the other just dissapearing. don’t get me wrong but i think part of why some people started shipping buddie, at least on a subconcious level, is because their love lives are so fucking shitty, especially in season 2, and comparing that to their relationship is like... idk dude. such a cosmic difference. it’s like they planted the seed in season 2 and let it grow wild in 3a, cause LET ME TELL YOU, if they wanted eddie or buck to be in a committed relationship with other people, they would have introduced them to other people. just like that. plain and fucking simple, they would have introduced to us “ali and shannon” 2.0. they would have given the audience time to enjoy new characters who would be love interests to our main characters in 3b. but instead of doing that, they gave us MAJOR buddie content, MAJOR build-up with them, 2 strong arcs that ended with them proclaiming their trust for the other and the fact that they ARE a family.

like i said before, 9-1-1 is a very traditional written tv show. trust me, if they wanted to give eddie a love interest (a steady one who ISN’T buck) they would have introduced them until now. based on what oliver said, we know 3x11 and 3x12 aren’t going to give us something buddie-centric. so by that logic, and taking into account the fact that “eddie needs to have a difficult conversation with christopher” he is probably going to ask him if it would be okay with him if he started dating. that’s the only logical thing i can come up with.

OR, and this is a wild thought i had in the morning, maybe oliver is wrong about the buddie content we are going to see. because when they film, they don’t call all the actors (based on what i know) if they have to shoot a scene with only one character in it. maybe ryan had to film some only-eddie or only-eddie-and-chris centric scenes, in which he might have a realization. or maybe us, the audience, will have some sort of confirmation about buddie in these 2 episodes. my point is, maybe oliver just doesn’t know about them cause he wasn’t on set, or maybe i’m just pulling the straw with this one.

so, to CONCLUDE, i think eddie will start dating again, but at the same time he is going to come to terms with the fact that he is in love with buck. i don’t think he will get a steady love interest this season. i don’t think buck will get one either. he is going to fix his shit with abby and also figure out his feelings towards eddie. i demand to see season 3 now and be proven that i am right thank you

[danielsarmand]

ok i said i would do this and my body won’t let me go on with my life until i do but i feel like there’s so much to say about each episode that i cannot make a comprehensive post so i’ll just do separate ones for each one. i am only halfway through the show but here’s my absolutely not required opinions on tua 2x01

i have to say when i first started watching i wasn’t sure i liked any of the situations the guys were (are,) in and i am still not positive that i do? going by number order so it’s easier:

luther... well, actually not much to say about that, what a start. but him and five are probably the ones that left me the most neutral, in the sense that i was just happy to see him and i didn’t think much of anything — the situation he is in might be a bit weird but that’s obviously tied to his inability to exist without a father figure of sorts despite how fucked up said father figure might be so like... classic luther

diego... i mean. it’s just that i don’t really get it? like, not him being in a sanatorium — that, all things considered, i get — but his obsession with saving kennedy. okay, he has a hero complex and i always did know he’s a bit on the dumber side (sorry diego) but the volume of his idiocy is astronomical now like what does he expect to even do doesn’t he understand he should interfere as little as possible with historical events and why is he running around telling people kennedy is going to get shot i mean you’re just BEGGING to get hospitalised aren’t you,,, plus don’t uh... don’t sue me but i don’t really like the whole subplot with lila, she is an interesting character and i already have my theories about her so obviously she’s going to be more than just a possibly romantic plot for diego but at the same time way from the trailer they pushed so much on this and on them being sexually attracted to one another so there’s a lot of... unnecessary bits that honestly i would’ve lived without (especially considering patch existed and wasn’t this collective fever dream) but of course that’s how tv shows work so whatever

allison... yeah i mean. i don’t. i don’t really get her marriage as well, lmao. i like that she is a civil rights organiser and i do think what’s happening in her storyline is important and has to be shown in such a context but, even though she does explain she thought everyone was dead and that five would take years to get back to her, i have. so much trouble believing she would move on THAT quickly. not from luther i mean, just in general, from the fact that she has a daughter in another timeline and all. the LAST thing i would think of in her place would be marrying someone and possibly starting yet another family i won’t necessarily be able to keep and for some reason i have serious trouble believing anyone would think differently but i do get it’s subjective and she needed something to latch on so idk, i can’t really like this but i will try my best to understand it i suppose?

klaus is... a mess. that’s just. that’s just klaus for you,,, he is sober but he doesn’t seem to have changed much because his main problem is being a dickhead and he still hasn’t grown out of that phase so honestly i wasn’t expecting much from him and i can’t be disappointed if i wasn’t expecting anything (: NJFGESRGNESK i do love klaus a lot but what else is there to say

five is five and he’s doing his classic five thing so apart from him being a genius comedian which absolutely cracks me up i am just happy to see him in his little shorts again with his funny old man walk and his threats to anything that moves

 ben. ben. absolute love of my life light of my eyes my sweet baby angel... bitch. NFEJRNGJKSERG i knew that, since he’s going to have way more space this season, being a regular and all, his sassy remarks were going to multiply, and i do love that he gives shit to klaus all the time considering klaus has been doing the same exact thing AND WORSE for years on end but i have to admit when he told him “nobody wants your shit, klaus. that’s why you’re always alone.” that felt like a bit much to me. i know klaus deserves to be called out on his bullshit to hopefully grow a bit, and i know ben just said this as a spur-of-the-moment sentence and then they were back to being the funny bickering duo who hamster fights on the street, but i just... it hit me just how genuinely tired ben must be. because he’s always been nothing but supportive, and he did always call klaus out but he never went that far and always said the complete opposite actually, which is things like “there’s nothing luther wouldn’t do to save your scrawny little junkie ass” and “you can do it” and “you don’t have to do this alone, i know how important this is for you”. so, yeah. i felt a bit meh about it, i will admit this. i also felt like i was overreacting and got over it pretty quickly but it did sting, also because as much as i’m always on about klaus being an idiot i still do love him a lot and i was like okay... okay please settle down now,,, the “unfinished business” thing i’ll mention later on because there’s a whole paragraph i need to write about it

i absolutely love that vanya has lost her memory in a sense, because this does really give a blank slate to a character that was so far gone i’m not sure how recovery could’ve taken place. i do think when things will start to resurface we’ll have to deal with that, but also vanya seems so much more... at peace. and assertive. and sure of herself, or at least not so... i don’t know how to phrase it. not so much of a passive bystander. she doesn’t know who she was, she doesn’t know what happened, but she seems to know who she is now in a way and — even though no powers were used in episode one yet — the control this gives her over her powers is amazing. without even knowing she has them, she can control them better than she ever did, just because of how much more calmer she is in general. i love that for her. i love her so much ): she is the cutest bean ever i just want to kiss her on the nose i am In Love and i love that she’s so good with harlan and that harlan seems to get things about her she probably doesn’t even get herself yet. i am more invested in her bond with harlan than i am in her bond with sissy, if i have to be honest. i guess i just don’t care much about romantic relationships in this show lmao

yeah i? think episode one was pretty much it? just getting to know where the characters are at this moment in their lives and familiarising with new elements and as i said i expected to be a bit less... meh with it all but it’s episode one so it’s not a big deal

OH YEAH I AM so sorry for hazel i loved him so much and i had no idea this was going to happen so i was so shocked when he suddenly died feels like shit just want him back

i do love the swedes a lot i know they’re some of the bad guys (though honestly i doubt they’re the main villains) but as i mentioned already they’re just so interesting both visually and in how they operate and i wonder if they’re some of the other kids born the same way as the hargreeves because they call them twins later on but they look nothing like twins + one of them drinks this weird thing at some point which definitely wasn’t milk so i’m wondering what exactly are they but i’m sure there’s plenty to unpack there

[elixir448]

Good Girls 3x02 Thoughts

The Opening Scene

I think we all knew that Rio was knocking on Rhea’s door, rather than Beth’s. Even so, this opening scene was a gift. Of course, it is meant to mislead the audience into thinking that we are going to see Beth and Rio come face to face for the first time since she shot him but there’s so much more to talk about!

First of all, this season is really setting up Beth and Rio’s relationship as the major driver of the plot and, arguably, this has always been the case. The show is definitely about the girls but Beth and Rio’s relationship (both personal and professional) pushes the story forward. In my opinion, it’s second only to the girls’ changing motivations for being in crime, in terms of plot progression. Manny referred to Beth as Rio’s “archnemesis” in a recent interview and I know a lot of people disagree with this and think it’s funny. While I think the terminology is perhaps a bit off, I think the idea is there and what I love about it is that Beth and Rio’s relationship is so difficult to define, which I touched upon in my 3x01 thoughts post, and it’s impossible to encompass what they are to each other with one word. They have been so many things at so many different times and, gosh, now they have history. A painful, spiteful, kind of tragic, extremely messy history. I love that this season seems to be gearing these two up for what looks like a major confrontation at some point. I can really see things exploding between them later in the season, on a level beyond the alley scene in 2x07.

I’m digressing but the point is that this scene really sets them up as antagonists again, which they have been on and off for the past two seasons. In fact, I’d argue that the term never really departed from their relationship at all and it looks like we’ll be going back to the facade of one-dimensional antagonism for a little while but with the weight of the history they now share, it seems unlikely that they’ll be fooling anyone.

I think it was @foxmagpie who pointed out that Beth is staring into the mirror that Rio smashed in her fantasy in 2x05 and I practically had a stroke when I read that. The way the scene is set up, with Beth and Rio both looking in mirrors is so symbolic of their relationship and what they are to each other. While I would hesitate to call them mirror images, I certainly think that Beth and Rio are similar in the fundamental ways that shape a person but they are so different in others, particularly in the ways that they occupy the worlds that they live in and the lives they have lived.

While Beth is staring in the mirror, we hear Dean say “well, how much did you get for it?!” and it’s quite startling and almost intrusive. Beth and Rio aren’t even in the same room but they’re basically having a moment. And of course Dean has to intrude. Even though Dean is Beth’s husband and despite everything he did in season 2 to keep her, it really represents to me that Dean has been the outsider ever since Beth and Rio met. And, despite Dean’s belief that Rio has been forcing his way into Beth’s life, the reality is that he is the one who has been intruding into their relationship.

Rio has a new car! It’s a G-wagon, it’s loud and kind of pretentious. I do miss the Cadillac but I love that his new car lines up so well with how he’s been this season, which is loud! He had Agent Turner and several other FBI agents killed in the first episode alone. If that’s not loud, I don’t know what is.

Marcus and Rio’s reunion was the sweetest thing ever. I thought my heart was going to explode and release like a ton of rainbows and sunshine and unicorns. The way that Rio held Marcus really said everything about how much he missed his son. Rhea seemed a little ticked off about his sudden reappearance but happy and accepting overall, which really just adds to what we have already learned about the breakdown of their relationship and Rio’s presence in Marcus’ life. I know I said it last week but I have to say it again. I love how much this detail further humanizes Rio, beyond what the introduction of Marcus in 2x01 achieved. He’s not infallible and he has his own, very personal, flaws that affect his family. Just like Beth.

I’ve been seeing a lot of speculation that Rhea knows more than she has been letting on to Beth. Again, I don’t think that’s true. I think Rhea really just saw her relationship with Beth as a genuine friendship and I don’t think she knows anything else. Towards the end of the episode, Beth of course speaks to Rhea and I think that once Rio realised who Rhea’s soccer mum friend was, he filled Rhea in enough for her to realise that Beth intentionally sought her out and cultivated a friendship. This could mean that he told her everything but I doubt that very much. I think he probably told her just enough for Rhea to feel a great deal of hurt over Beth’s actions.

I am a little disappointed that we never got to see the scene where Rio clocks on to the fact that it’s Beth that Rhea is talking about. We’ve been robbed! But honestly I loved the episode so much that it’s fine I guess.

Annie, Sadie, Gregg and Nancy

I really love, love, loved the writers including how difficult transitioning can be because of people around you not keeping up, even if they are fully accepting. I’m not surprised though because the writers have handled Ben’s arc so well.

As for Gregg and Nancy attending couples therapy, I’m not exactly surprised. I do wish that they had parted ways but I do recognise that it’s such a difficult situation to handle with a newborn baby and I do appreciate the realism of it. I personally grew up with a mum who put up with way too much and lived a life that she was way above but she didn’t walk away because of me and my brother. I also see what people mean when they talk about wanting to see Beth take control and walk away from Dean for good because staying together for the sake of the kids is overrated, and I also see how this relates to wanting Nancy to walk away from Gregg. Believe me, I really want to see Beth and Dean part ways, with regards to their marriage. But I also really empathise with the situations Beth and Nancy are both in, for different reasons. Nancy can, of course, financially support herself and her child but Dakota is a newborn baby and I can see why parting ways with Gregg at such a time would be so difficult when they both want to raise their child and be around at all times as he grows up. For Beth, it’s really about financial security and stability and it’s so interesting to me that she continues to chase this with Dean, as he clearly has sunk the family business multiple times before (as discussed by Beth and Annie in 2x04). I think it’s become a bit of a habit at this point, which I am keen to see broken this season!

As for Annie attending therapy. I love it! I think Annie’s at the beginning of a really interesting, introspective path this season and we really saw it doubled down in this episode, with her being called out by Ben once again and comparing her life to a major road traffic accident. I really hope the writers continue with these random introspective moments for Annie, sinceI’m really enjoying them. Her scene with the kid prior to the therapy appointment was A+++, so funny! I wonder if that kid is going to turn up again, especially since he was in quite a few bts pics during hiatus. He’s such an amazing little actor too!

I’m really interested in seeing where her arc goes. We know that she develops an inappropriate crush in 3x04 and I think we all think it’ll be on her therapist; if this is the case, I’m really curious to see whether her therapist finds out and if he reciprocates because it would be incredibly unprofessional and unethical if he pursued something with his own patient.  

Also, Annie is the manager! I straight up hollered during that scene. Mae’s line delivery continues to be hilarious and totally spot-on.

(Side-note here but I love that Beth was drinking a slushie again and that she answers the phone call from Ruby with “hey lady.”)

Judith, Beth and Dean

I really loved Judith and Beth’s scenes in this episode and the depiction of the archetypal mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship. I particularly loved how it emphasised that Dean cannot defend Beth at all; not once in the entire flipping episode did he say a word to help her.

Throughout the episode, we see that Judith is a lot like Dean when it comes to Beth. They don’t listen to her and they don’t see her. Beth had to repeatedly explain that her workplace sells “not just cards” and this is strikingly similar to Dean’s blatant disregard for Beth’s opinions and thoughts.

I think the writers and Jessica Walter did a fantastic job of capturing the complexity of a character like Judith. I’m quite passionate about this kind of thing because I grew up in a family where it was commonplace to see a sort of bitterness develop in women who had suffered a lifetime of simultaneous oppression and complete disregard from men and who had, as a result, developed a kind of internalised misogyny. More so, I love that the writers portray Judith as a character who is very much aware of this bitterness and yet she still personifies what those very men expected of her and she now expects the same from her daughter-in-law.

And yes! I wished that the writers would touch on mental health again and I got it! The discussion about post-partum depression is SO IMPORTANT. Women aren’t just mothers once they have kids; yes, it’s often a crucial part of their identity but it’s certainly not everything. Not even close to everything.

Judith sacrified her working life to raise Dean because her husband made more money than she did and it was expected of her to raise a child; she did not feel like she could have both. She patronises Beth in this scene, acting as though Beth should know better by now. What I love most about this is Beth saying that Judith’s happiness was important and that she shouldn’t have quit. It represents so much growth to me because we’ve seen Beth back-slide into the misshapen family she has with Dean. This really represents to me that, internally, she’s moving forwards and she won’t let herself be held back by Dean.

(Another side-note but I love that Beth affectionately calls Kenny “KB” and that his full name is Kenneth Irving Boland.)

Beth

We talk about it all the time but Beth is veeerrryy good at compartmentalising. We’ve seen it numerous times. With relation to this scene, I love that she clearly feels weird about Turner’s death and that the girls seem to appreciate the possibility that she might be upset over it, as her and Agent Turner did have a weird kind of relationship that she enjoyed sometimes. I think, in her own way, she resented him but also respected his ability to see through her and match her. She definitely really enjoyed the high she got from one-upping him.

Despite this, Beth lays down the flowers and is all about business again. She processes her emotions and moves on and we’ve seen her do that a lot. She did it with Dean in 1x01, when she wrecked his study with a sledgehammer and yanked the pig off of Boland Motors but then went straight back to sorting out financial matters with him and being civil. She resented Mary Pat for extorting them but she seemed to come to terms with how similar they were in season 1. She was tearful over Dean’s cancer diagnosis but she processed it and came up with the idea to launder money through stores. We’ve seen it now with Agent Turner, her processing his death and moving on. I love how perturbed the girls were by Beth’s reaction; they really have clocked on to this side of Beth that they never saw before the events of seasons 1 and 2, how she can’t quite get enough crime and they are maybe now realising that Beth has always exhibited a kind of ruthless pragmatism.

The only person we arguably haven’t seen her do this with is Rio; she’s never been able to process her relationship with him. Following the ‘breakup’ scene in 1x09, she was clearly grieving something and she couldn’t move on like she had with any of her other relationships. Instead, by having him arrested (even if it was only for a short time), she ensured Rio could not turn his back on her.

As I said before, Rio’s shadow hangs over Beth’s arc and Beth’s shadow hangs over Rio’s scenes. Beth continues to learn from what she saw of Rio and she continues to try and emulate him. What I love most of all is that this is rarely successful, compared to what she manages to achieve in this episode by playing on her own, personal strengths, for example the scene where she speaks to the manager and lists all of the community positions she holds. Despite this, she has a lot to learn and she really needs to stop and think sometimes (gosh, I don’t know if she’s ever going to do that haha) before barrelling into a situation. Annie is absolutely right; Beth will never be Rio, no matter how much she tries to think like him or act like him, because they have their own strengths and the world regards them differently.

I do love that she has clearly learnt a couple of things from Rio, such as outsourcing in order to launder the counterfeit cash and, my personal favourite, she’s finally realised that there are consequences for screwing up. In this episode, she teaches Annie a lesson about how, if they continue to be taken advantage of by criminals attempting to renegotiate deals, eventually everyone will know and exploit it. It really reminded me of Rio’s rotten egg lesson in 1x07. Say what you want but these two definitely have some good teaching moments haha.

Don’t even get me started on Beth completely zoning Dean out and thinking about crimeing. She’s just always thinking about crimeing, so much so that she lets her mother-in-law come into her house and belittle her, solely because Judith is cleaning up after the kids and Dean (and ironing Dean’s boxers, eewwwwww); clearly, Beth’s priorities have shifted alot over the timeskip. That scene where she just goes full mum Bethie mode, serving lemonade and walking like an absolute queen to the truck, to get what she wants from the movers. That hair, those big blue eyes, that sweater and that French music! Perfection! AND SHE HAS A CHINESE SYMBOL TATTOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! ON HER HIP!!!!! OMG!!!!!!!!!!!! I NEED RIO TO REFER TO THAT AT SOME POINT THIS SEASON!

Ahem. Anyway, my second favourite scene in this episode was the scene between Beth and the mover in her backyard. Gosh, it was amazing. And I loved her blouse. The music, the intensity, the power play, the staring. Oh my god. I have watched it about 100 times already. It was genuinely a stunning scene and both actors killed it.

Dean and Gayle

I think there are two potential ways this is gonna go. Either Dean cheats with Gayle, after attempting to resist the temptation and grounding himself in Beth and their family, or he experiences some attention at work that he doesn’t necessarily appreciate, paralleling the attention he paid his female employees who were in a vulnerable position. Maybe it’ll be both?

Regardless, I think that this arc is really going to further separate Beth and Dean and their respective interests. I mean, so far Beth and Dean’s arcs have been entangled; even in season 2, Dean is drawn into Beth’s crimeing with Rio and the family business he inherited was used to launder money. Now, Beth and Dean have very different and separate storylines with regards to their work. Beth is crimeing and Dean is unaware of what she is up to, as she has absolutely no interest in confiding in him (I mean, she suspiciously asks him why he needs money from her; she clearly doesn’t see him as anything more than just Dean at this point). The only link they seem to share now isn’t the dealership, work or crime. It’s really only their kids. I think we’re going to see their paths diverge further this season, particularly following the kiss (which I think will be in 3x04 based on Beth’s flowery blouse in the released pictures but she’s worn it numerous times before and has already worn it in this episode, so who knows!)

Also, classic Dean paying too much gross attention to a woman’s body, even as a tattoo, making inappropriate comments and judging the movers for being ex-convicts. God, Dean is such a prick.

Ruby and Stan

The scene where Ruby felt that she and Stan were not being seen by the sales assistant was also really important. Gosh, I love how this show incorporates things that are not just relevant today but have always been relevant, you feel me. I also really loved that Stan defended his passivity in this situation with some very legitimate reasons. Fighting for what you believe in is great but it’s also okay to feel exhausted and just want to get something done. I really felt that and I feel like everyone can relate to that on some level.

I know nobody needs to hear me say this again but I’m so scared for Stan this season. Like, Manny has me scared by saying that he’s most excited for Stan’s storyline.

And yesssssss. Ruby confided in Stan. I’m so happy! What a stark contrast from Beth and Dean. These two really are the ideal relationship and couple.

That Ending!

It was basically painful to see Beth following up with Rhea throughout this episode, knowing that Rio had put the pieces together and was gearing up to reveal himself to Beth. I also love how genuine the phone call was between Beth and Rhea and it kind of broke my heart but it really is deserved. Gosh Beth, you are a whole ass mess and you and Rio really deserve eachother.

I have considered how this was going to play out so many times and I have thought of so many different ways it could have happened. We haven’t even seen it all yet but I genuinely think Rio revealing that he’s alive to Beth happened perfectly. I love the way we hear his voice first (just like Beth heard his voice first when she met him in 1x01), the way that the camera keeps Beth in frame and pans to Rio slipping into the chair next to her, not taking his eyes off of her and savouring her reaction. You can just tell that he’s thought about this moment so many times! I’ve said it before but there’s something in the way Rio moves, this kind of elegance and grace that I’ve never really seen before.

Him slipping into that chair is straight up perfection though. To me, it represents all the ways that Rio continues to just casually slip into all the parts of Beth’s life, just like he always has since the beginning of their relationship; it doesn’t even feel like an invasion, if that makes sense. That side shot we get of Beth’s face really captures how wide her eyes become, they’re practically swallowing her face she’s in so much shock.

The ringing in her ears, the way all the noise disappears from the room but we can hear the thunk of the chair as Rio sits in it and the sound of his hands clasping together, everything else becomes unimportant. THE WAY HIS HEAD IS TILTED. HOW MANY FREAKING TIMES HAS HE THOUGHT ABOUT THIS?!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Don’t even get me started on Rio’s extra AF ass kissing the bullets she shot him with as he lays them down in front of her and lists the organs that she injured in the 3x03 promo. We see how close he leans in but doesn’t touch her. I am so curious to see how he leans in and how quickly it happens. The faux gentleness in his eyes and face and voice, referring to her as “his girl”. Where is the lie?! Beth really is his mess to clean up. I am really loving the dimension that is added to their relationship with this. Like, I hate you and I want to kill you and I’m planning to kill you so nobody else can do it. It has to be me. And then when Rio realises that he can’t kill Beth, because of the bombshell she drops, I can’t wait to see that shift into something like I hate you but I guess I have to deal with you and nobody else can touch you.

As for what I think the bombshell will be. Lemme just get this out there. I don’t think it will be pregnancy for so many reasons, which have already been discussed in the fandom. It may have something to do with Beth’s operation, maybe it’s something that she does in 3x03 that we haven’t even seen yet or maybe we just won’t know until we watch the episode lol.

Anyway, I’m super excited for 3x03 and can’t wait discuss it and them speculate on 3x04 afterwards.

[stahlop]

Once Upon a Time 3x03 “Quite a Common Fairy” Review

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Since we’re in Neverland, it was inevitable that we’d have to introduce Tinkerbell at some point, right? She’s an angry little ex-fairy. Young Regina royally screwed her over, or so she believes. I have a different take on that. But either way, she somehow made her way (back?) to Neverland and has been living there. Neal figured out how to get back to Neverland. And poor Mulan got her heart broken by the oblivious Aurora.

Summary: Hook leads the crew to Tinkerbell’s place in hopes that she can help them find Pan’s camp, but her history with Regina may keep her away. Neal discovers that Robin Hood has a young son that may help him get to Neverland, and Pan wants to play some games with Henry.

Opening: Tinkerbell ala Disney

New Characters:

Tinker Bell: I was going to do the play-by-play thing with Tinker Bell, but then I decided that I’m just going to give take on Tinker Bell. Her interactions with young Regina completely led to her downfall, and not because young Regina didn’t go meet her soulmate, but because Tinker Bell stuck her nose in where it wasn’t needed. Let’s look at the first meeting. Tinker Bell saves young Regina from falling off her balcony. That’s a good thing, very fairy-like. Then they go out to a tavern where young Regina complains about Snow and her husband and her farce of a marriage. And it’s pretty obvious that young Regina doesn’t want to do anything about this, but just needs an unbiased ear to listen to her so she doesn’t feel alone (because, as she states later, she doesn’t have friends). So Tinker Bell decides the best way to make young Regina feel better is to help her find love, because love is apparently the only thing that will make young Regina happy. Young Regina thinks Snow’s head on a platter will make her happy, but Tinker Bell manages to convince young Regina that if she believes in her, she can make her happy ending come true. Tinker Bell goes to the Fairy Flower Meeting Place (no idea what this place is supposed to be) where Blue informs her that she will not be getting Pixie Dust and she’s basically grounded for all the rules she’s broken. Also, she warns her against young Regina because of who her mother and teacher are. Which is kind of judgy because young Regina at this point has only taken one heart from what we’ve seen in The Doctor and we haven’t seen any other Evil Queen tendencies otherwise at this point. Tinker Bell ignores Blue’s warnings and grounding, steals some Pixie Dust, and goes back to young Regina. She tells young Regina not to worry about the fact that she stole the Pixie Dust, this adventure is all about her. So they follow the Pixie Dust to a tavern where young Regina’s soulmate is. Tinker Bell tells her that this is where she’ll find her happy ending (and I’m getting really tired of her telling young Regina her happy ending is with a man), she just needs to put the past in the past. Which is easier said than done. She tells her it’s a chance for a fresh start, get rid of her baggage, and let go of the anger that’s weighing her down. That’s literally all young Regina has to get her through; her baggage and her anger. Plus, what is Tinker Bell expecting here? Regina is not only married, she’s the queen. She can’t just run away with her soulmate after one meeting. And even if Robin (because if you’ve watched the episode you know it’s Robin Hood) did have an affair with her, would young Regina ever be able to give up the power that comes with being a queen just for love? Would Robin give up his life to become young Regina’s side piece? Would King Leopold allow Regina to leave him for a common thief?  I think this would just open up a whole other can of worms because now they know they’re soulmates but they can’t be with each other in these circumstances. So this would just make both of them depressed and it would not be a happy ending for anyone. Anyway, Tinker Bell leaves young Regina to go meet her soulmate, and young Regina can’t go through with it probably for most of the reasons I listed above. Tinker Bell comes by later to see how the meeting with the soulmate went and young Regina first lies and says her soulmate was horrible and Tinker Bell is a horrible fairy, but when Tinker Bell figures out she was just afraid, we start seeing the Evil Queen come out in young Regina. Then Tinker Bell gets upset because now she’s going to be in trouble for helping young Regina. Well, you did say this was all about young Regina. Just because it didn’t end in your favor doesn’t mean you should be mad at her. What Tinker Bell really means is that she went out on a limb for someone whose life she butt into and now she’s upset because things didn’t go her way. And considering fairies can’t fall in love, Tinker Bell getting angry at young Regina for this whole thing is laughable. She can’t understand what young Regina is going through whatsoever. Tinker Bell flies off upset and Blue finds her. She realizes Tinker Bell stole the Pixie Dust and tells her this can’t be forgiven. Tinker Bell pleads for a second chance but Blue tells her this was her second chance and she doesn’t believe in her anymore, which is how Tinker Bell loses her wings and is no longer a fairy.

So present day Tinker Bell is living on Neverland and is delighted that she can finally get her revenge on Regina for what she did to her. The irony. She finds Regina all by herself in the jungle (how convenient), doses her with poppy dust, then ties her up and brings her to a cave. Regina wakes up to Tinker Bell watching her like a predator does to pray. It’s really creepy. Tinker Bell reveals that she knows Regina is there for her son, but she won’t help her for the way she burned her. Regina and I are in the same camp when she questions this since Tinker Bell interfered in her life, but Tinker Bell tells her she threw away her life by trying to help her. Regina wonders if Tinker Bell intends to kill her, and from the expression on Tinker Bell’s face you can tell she probably didn’t think that far ahead. Sure she has a Dreamshade tipped arrow that she puts to Regina’s throat when Regina figures out she has no magic, but whether she actually intended to end Regina’s life is another matter. I feel like we have a role reversal here where Tinker Bell just wants Regina to listen, but now Regina is taking actions for Tinker Bell to do things she doesn’t want. Like ripping out her own heart to have Tinker Bell crush if she wants to kill her so badly. I get that Regina is also trying to call Tinker Bell’s bluff, but we’re now in a game of chicken and Regina is losing, because Tinker Bell is squeezing it just to see how it affects Regina. Tinker Bell asks Regina if she knows what helping her cost her, and then she does the little shoulder shrug that she used to do to bring her wings out or put them away (I actually love this, it’s so subtle yet says so much that Tinker Bell still does this even though it’s been at least 40 years since she’s had wings), and that’s when Regina realizes Tinker Bell no longer has her wings. Tinker Bell asks (yells at) Regina about why she lied about going in to meet her soulmate because she doesn’t understand why Regina didn’t want to be happy. Again, Regina was already married, so running off with her soulmate was never in the cards. Anyway, Regina finally admits she never went in and that anger was all she had back then and she couldn’t give it up. Tinker Bell insists she would’ve been happy, but Regina thinks she would’ve been weak. Which I get, the one time she was weak her mother killed her fiance, so she couldn’t be that again. Tinker Bell wonders how all that strength is working out for her now that she has her heart. Regina gets angry and tells her she’s now become like Regina, picking revenge over hope. That makes Tinker Bell think about things. Regina says Tinker Bell needs to make the choice about whether to kill her or not, but hopes she’ll pick hope and love over vengeance. Tinker Bell realizes Regina loves her son, but says it’s too late for her, she won’t kill Regina, but she won’t help her either. Mostly because it’s probably too late for Henry as he’s been with Pan too long. Emma and crew go to the cave to rescue Regina and Tinker Bell has no idea who they are. Hasn’t she been following Regina? Has she not gleaned who the rest of the people with her are? Did Pan not give her any information about the people on the island? Regina tells them that Tinker Bell isn’t going to help them and Hook tries to flirt with her to help. Regina informs them that Tinker Bell doesn’t have any magic, and when Emma asks why Tinker Bell says people must have stopped believing in her. Mary Margaret figures out that Tinker Bell still knows where Pan’s camp is and she could help them get in and tells her she believes in her. Emma just wants her to help them find the camp and they’ll take it from there. Emma and Mary Margaret offer her a home and Tinker Bell agrees to help them, but they better have a good plan because they’re only getting one shot. At camp Tinker Bell tells Regina she was selfish for never going after her soulmate because she ruined his life by never being with him. And again, Tinker Bell butting in where she doesn’t belong. Regina would have never even known she had another soulmate had Tinker Bell not led her to Robin. Obviously, they weren’t supposed to meet at that point in time. We know that Robin met Marian and had a son, so his life was not ruined. He and Regina are fated to meet, but not yet. So Tinker Bell can get off her high horse and guilt trip someone else because she is so very wrong.

Character Observations:

Young Regina/Regina: Ok, so most of young Regina’s storyline intersects with Tinker Bell’s. Young Regina is depressed. Rumple doesn’t help with his whole ‘the darkness has tasted you and likes you and it wants the whole feast now’ speech. Talk about creepy. Young Regina goes and beats up the railing of her balcony enough that it breaks and she falls but is saved by Tinker Bell. And then they go to an outdoor tavern and talk (I’m assuming the next day? It’s day time when Rumple visits her, but night time when she’s falling off the balcony, and then daytime when they go talk) where young Regina gets out all her grievances about Snow (apparently she had Daniel killed), Leopold, and her unhappy marriage. And I honestly believe that regardless of Tinker Bell being a fairy, all young Regina wants is someone to talk to. She’s said she’s lonely and later tells Tinker Bell she has no friends, so just having someone to vent to would make young Regina feel like a load has been lifted. Tinker Bell thinks young Regina just needs to find love. And while I agree that young Regina definitely needs to feel loved, forcing her to meet her soulmate is not the way to do it. And that’s what Tinker Bell does. She and young Regina follow the Pixie Dust to her soulmate and Tinker Bell starts waxing poetic about putting the past in the past, being happy, letting go of her anger, and that gets young Regina nervous. Because at this point in her life, all she has is her anger and remembering the past. Later on, she’ll say it would have made her weak to let go of it, but I think it’s more that she doesn’t know who she would be without the anger. She hasn’t turned into the Evil Queen yet, but the festering anger toward what life has brought her is the only thing that makes life tolerable at the moment. She does open the door to the possibility of love (both literally and figuratively), but she can’t walk through it. When Tinker Bell comes to see how things went young Regina lies and tells Tinker Bell that the man was awful and blames Tinker Bell for being a terrible fairy. Tinker Bell reminds her that all she needs is love (da da dada da), but young Regina says she had that and she suffered. Tinker Bell gets all butt hurt and blames young Regina and tells her she’s just afraid. Then she tries to pull a guilt trip on her because she’s going to be in so much trouble and young Regina rightly tells her that’s on her and tells her to fly away and don’t let the doors catch her wings on the way out, followed by an Evil Queen smile. And while I don’t like the Regina George way young Regina acts here, she did not, in any way, encourage Tinker Bell to find her soulmate for her, so yes, Tinker Bell is a terrible fairy.

In Neverland, Regina once again wants to use magic to find Henry, and everyone else adamantly does not. Hook tells her that Pan will most likely have traps set for if she does use magic and he’d rather not die because of Regina’s obsession with magic. Both Mary Margaret and David are also against the idea. Hook mentions a fairy that once lived on the island that might help them, Emma correctly identifies her as Tinker Bell, and Regina looks panicked for a second before saying that going to her would be a bad idea. Regina then brings up the idea of using hers and Emma’s combined magic to find Henry, and it’s truly like she doesn’t even listen to what anyone says. Emma says magic always comes with a price and Regina says sometimes not using it comes with a price too. Emma doesn’t think risking Henry’s life by using magic is worth it. She just wants to go with the plan to find Tinker Bell. Regina snarks about her only liking the plan because Hook came up with it.  Emma is shocked and Mary Margaret reminds Regina that Neal just died. Regina brushes it off as being worried about Henry. Regina pretends like she’s not interested in the plan to find Tinker Bell so she’s just going to stay behind, but Emma figures out pretty quickly that Regina did something to her that would make her not happy to see her. At first Regina is offended, but then confirms to Emma that Tinker Bell would not want to help them if Regina was with them. They talk a little about Operation Henry, the name Regina came up with for Henry’s rescue, and then she decides she’s just going to stay behind. She even tells Emma to do whatever it takes to rescue Henry and not to worry about her, like she’s all self-sacrificing or something. Exactly what is Regina planning on doing? Because in the next scene she’s just sitting on a rock. Is she waiting for the group to come back with Tinker Bell after she just told Emma not to? Whatever her plan was, it’s derailed by Tinker Bell confronting her and dusting her with poppy powder. Regina wakes up in a cave and quickly figures out that Tinker Bell doesn’t have magic and breaks free, just to have Tinker Bell hold her hostage with a Dreamshade tipped arrow to her throat. Regina actually looks worried and I wonder if she’s more worried about dying or never seeing Henry again. She wonders how Tinker Bell became this sadistic, broken fairy in front of her and is slightly surprised when Tinker Bell blames her. But she decides on a game of chicken and pulls her heart out for Tinker Bell to crush instead of letting her die slowly of poison (personally, the dying slowly of poison seems the more brutal way instead of the quick crushing of the heart way). She wants Tinker Bell to show her who she is. Also, there’s this weird glare off of Regina’s front teeth in this scene making her look like she has clear braces on and it’s really distracting. Tinker Bell takes Regina’s heart and gives it a few test squeezes, and I think Regina might actually be worried that her game of chicken is not working out in her favor. But then Regina realizes that Tinker Bell lost her wings over their whole interlude and feels guilty (don’t feel guilty Regina, for once this is not your fault!), and Tinker Bell starts yelling at her about how she didn’t go through with meeting her soulmate, and finally Regina breaks down about how she couldn’t let go of her anger and her past to do what Tinker Bell wanted (and let’s not forget married, she was married), because it would make her weak. Tinker Bell’s about to crush Regina’s heart because she still isn’t satisfied with this answer, but Regina brings up that Tinker Bell will basically be like her, choosing revenge over hope. She lets her decide if she’s going to choose anger over hope and love, and since when did Regina start giving hope speeches? Has Mary Margaret really rubbed off on her that much, or can she just really turn it up when her life is on the line? Seriously, the last two episodes, which were just two days, she was a whiny bitch, and now she’s giving hope speeches?  Tinker Bell is surprised that Regina actually loves her son (why?) and then Regina says he’s the one thing she did right. That’s why he thought you were the Evil Queen and found Emma? That’s why you gaslighted him about the storybook? That’s why he lives with Emma, Mary Margaret and David at the loft and not with you, because you raised him right? Stop giving yourself so much credit Regina. Maybe you were a good mother at one point, but we have yet to see it. Tinker Bell thinks it’s too late for her to do the right thing, but Regina says it’s only too late if she kills her. Tinker Bell finally decides she won’t kill Regina, but she won’t help her either, and she thinks Henry has been with Pan too long for them to save (it’s been two days and half of that time he was on the run from the Lost Boys and didn’t know Pan was who he was). Tinker Bell gives Regina back her heart but looks defeated with what she said about Henry. Then Regina convinces Emma and crew not to kill Tinker Bell when they come looking for her. Regina reveals that Tinker Bell doesn’t have any magic, not even her wings, and actually looks guilty about it angry. At the camp, Regina is looking at a ring (I’m not sure what ring it is, because it’s obviously a ring with a jewel in it, but her ring from Daniel was a plain circle), and hides it when Tinker Bell comes to talk to her. Tinker Bell wonders if she ever went to find her soulmate again and calls Regina selfish when she tells her she didn’t. Regina doesn’t understand how she’s selfish, but Tinker Bell claims that by not going to find him, she ruined his life too. Regina’s face shows just how much she hadn’t thought of this because she was only thinking of her feelings. But since we know that her soulmate is Robin Hood and he’s led a pretty good life, I don’t think we have anything to worry about.

Neal/Robin/Mulan: Neal is desperate to get to Neverland to save Henry and Emma. Robin and Mulan are trying to get him to calm down, but Neal fills them in on just how nasty Pan is, and how he used to live there and knows Pan was looking for someone specific. Neal knows the only reason Emma would be in Neverland is because Pan took Henry. He’s looking for a way to create a portal. Did Gold not tell him why he created the curse to find him, because there wasn’t any other way for him to get to him? He drops something that causes the Merry Men to come in to see if everything is okay, and that’s when we find out that Robin Hood has a son. Neal figures out how he can get to Neverland. Robin, of course, is not on board with using his son to bait the Shadow into coming to them. Neal promises that the Shadow won’t even touch him, but Robin’s not convinced. He tells Neal how his wife died and how she almost died when she was pregnant. And if you were like me the first go round, you forgot that the first time we saw Robin Hood in Lacey, Marian was pregnant. Robin can’t lose him, and Neal equates this with how he feels about getting Henry back. Look, I get that Neal’s concerned, and he’s been to Neverland before, but does he not think about the fact that Emma (and most likely Regina, Mary Margaret, and David) could have saved Henry already? It would serve Neal right to try and play the hero when they’ve already rescued Henry. Robin’s not buying it though, he doesn’t want to risk his own family. Neal reminds Robin that the favor he owed Rumple (for not killing him in Lacey), he said he now owed to Neal in The Heart of the Truest Believer. And wow! So manipulative, just like Rumple. Robin agrees to let Roland try once and if the Shadow doesn’t come then that’s that. No second chances. Neal tells him this is his second chance. Mulan sets up the plans for when the Shadow comes and Robin recognizes it as a good plan. Neal thanks Robin again for letting him use his son as bait and Robin tells him to thank him when his family is back together. Neal scoffs at this and says he’s going to save them, but he doubts they’ll be back together. At least he’s realistic. Mulan and Robin wonder why they wouldn’t want him back. He only tells them he screwed up the first time and he has to earn their love back. That’s the most vague way of putting it. He says he waited too long the first time Emma told him she loved him to return the sentiment and he won’t make the same mistake again. Dude, you were engaged to Tamara two days ago. Mulan is sure that Emma will forgive Neal (really? How do you think that after meeting her? She didn’t trust anyone.), but Neal says that if you love someone you should let them know, don’t keep it to yourself. Mulan looks pensive. Roland comes in and Robin is the best dad ever by trying to reassure him about what’s going to happen. Awww. Roland almost says his cue but everyone else stops him because they aren’t ready yet. And when they are, Roland tries to summon the Shadow by saying ‘I believe’. And since when does this summon the shadow? Wendy certainly never said it in Second Star to the Right. Does he have to be thinking about the Shadow when he says it. Lots of kids probably say I believe for various reasons, why would that specifically summon the Shadow. Does saying ‘I don’t believe’ keep him away? Because that would’ve solved a lot of problems with Wendy and all. They wait about 10 seconds and nothing happens, so Neal wants him to try again, but Robin said that was the one chance, and of course once they give up the Shadow comes. Mulan scares it when it tries to take Roland, and Neal jumps after it for his ride to Neverland. Robin looks on almost in horror while Mulan looks like a proud mama. Robin comforts Roland, who luckily fell asleep after all that, and offers Mulan a place with his Merry Men, but Mulan has to talk to someone and see if they’ll be a loved one. And if you were wondering whether she was in love with Aurora or Phillip, it’s Aurora! She is thrilled to see Mulan, but when she tells Mulan she and Phillip are pregnant Mulan leaves, teary-eyed, and goes off to join the Merry Men. Poor Mulan. Although I doubt her confession of love would have made a difference, because it does not seem that Aurora swings that way. Neal gets to Neverland and is immediately met by Felix, so that’s not good. And then we see Mulan enter Robin’s camp and when they shake hands we see that Robin bears the lion tattoo that belongs to Regina’s soulmate.

Emma/Mary Margaret/David/Hook: They’re getting frustrated because Pan is moving the camp (I’m not sure if he’s actually moving the camp or the location on the map, either way, he’s now the one cheating). Hook is actually the voice of reason when Mary Margaret and Regina think the camp moving is Emma’s fault. Hook and David realize Pan is playing games with them. Regina, of course, suggests using magic to get into the camp, but since they don’t know where the camp is, that would be impossible. Hook also points out that Pan would most definitely have traps set up for magic, and he’d prefer not to die. He suggests finding a fairy that lives on the island for help, and his expression when talking about possibly flying into camp is hilarious. Emma quickly realizes he’s talking about Tinker Bell and can’t believe she’s real too. At this point, Emma, just be more shocked if they aren’t real. You’ve met Pan and Hook, why wouldn’t Tinker Bell exist too? David gets excited about the prospect of Pixie Dust, because he thinks that could help his Dreamshade wound. Regina tries to get Emma on board with both of them combining their magic against Pan, but Emma doesn’t think it’s worth the risk, and she’s getting mighty annoyed that Regina keeps suggesting it. Emma insists on seeing the plan through and Regina quips that Emma’s only going along with it because her boyfriend suggested it. Emma looks confused when she finally realizes Regina means Hook (who else would she mean, David is the only other man with them), and Mary Margaret reminds Regina that Neal just died. Ok, so he died. He was also engaged to Tamara like two days ago. And Emma repeatedly told you she wasn’t interested in Neal that way. Hook figures out that David was hit by the Dreamshade, though he tries to deny it (does no one see him holding his side through half the episode, or are just supposed to assume that Hook is really observant?). Hook keeps telling David he needs to tell her what happened (not sure if he means Mary Margaret or Emma), but David is hoping the Pixie Dust will help him. Regina makes excuses not to go to Tinker Bell’s house, but Emma sees right through that and wants to know what Regina did to her. Regina gets offended, but tells Emma she’s right. Emma leaves her behind since Tinker Bell probably won’t help them if Regina is with them. Tinker Bell isn’t in her treehouse. David immediately goes scavenging for Pixie Dust, Emma thinks it reminds her of where she used to live, and Mary Margaret realizes it’s just a place to sleep and equates it when she was on the run from the Evil Queen. Emma seems shocked. Did she not read the story book? It was all in there. Mary Margaret wonders why a fairy needs a ladder. David manages to find a generic white handkerchief and identifies it as Regina’s and they realize Regina is in trouble. They all get to the cave where Tinker Bell was holding Regina. Emma and David have their swords raised, Mary Margaret has her arrow nocked, and Hook is just casually hanging out with his sword on his shoulder. Emma’s pissed off that this is impeding them finding Henry. Hook wonders if she’s going to help them and Tinker Bell tells him no, and he turns the flirt up to try and get her to help (also, he calls her Lady Bell and Tink which I love. After this review she will be referred to as Tink.). Regina informs the group that she doesn’t have magic nor does she have her wings. David is disappointed that she has no Pixie Dust to help him. Emma is shocked that she’s lost her wings, probably thinking that it was impossible to lose them. Tinker Bell says that people just stopped believing in her. She wouldn’t help them anyway because Pan is too powerful; she’d be in danger if she helped them and they left her there. Mary Margaret and Emma say they’ll take her with them, and Mary Margaret says she believes in her and she can have a home. This gets Tinker Bell on their side and they promise to come up with a plan that will work because they’ll only have one shot. David wonders how Mary Margaret knew offering her a home would work, and she says that’s what she wanted when she was a bandit and she never found it until she met David. All she needs is David to feel at home. David looks extremely guilty, which Mary Margaret picks up on, but he just tells her he loves her and that’s enough for her. Mary Margaret is extremely optimistic again and it’s getting on my nerves.

Pan/Henry: Henry is asleep on the ground when Pan does a terrible crow (it’s more of a cuckoo, which is not what Pan is known for) to wake him up and throws an apple at him. Henry tells him he doesn’t like apples and Pan wonders why? Does Pan not know Regina poisoned him and Snow White with apples? I thought he knew everything. He says it’s for a really fun game called Target Practice while shoving a crossbow under Henry’s nose. Wow! Way to be creative there Pan. He seriously has no imagination. How did he become the leader of Neverland? Pan decides to tip the arrow with Dreamshade to make it more fun, because Henry won’t just be shooting an apple with the arrow. No, we’re going full William Tell with an apple on Felix’s head for Henry to shoot off. Henry doesn’t want to play this game. The Lost Boys start chanting ‘shoot’ at Henry to motivate him. Henry takes aim and shoots at Pan instead, who catches the arrow in midair. We’ve seen this before from Regina in We Are Both. I don’t know if this is something associated with dark magic, but (spoiler) we’ll see this a few more times in this series. This doesn’t even affect Pan as he thinks the whole thing was exhilarating. Pan tries to sell Henry on Neverland by showing him boys playing with knives and saying how much fun they’re having, and telling him how no one will tell you no and you can do whatever you want. Henry’s concerned about them hurting themselves (ah, Henry, this is why he wouldn’t work as a Lost Boy, he cares too much for others), but Pan just plays it (although he does say many of the boys have lost their fingers, way to sell it Pan). Henry is pretty sure he doesn’t belong there, because of the not wanting to endanger his life and all, but Pan tells him he does and they’ve been waiting for him from before he was even born. Henry doesn’t believe this, but Pan insists that magic is dying and Henry’s belief is the only thing that can save it. Also, he’s talking to Henry like he’s a toddler, and it’s driving me crazy. If that doesn’t make Henry doubt Pan, I don’t know what will. Pan tells Henry it’s his destiny to bring magic back because it’s dying everywhere. Pan calls Henry the Savior, and Henry says his mom is the Savior, not him. Pan scoffs at this because all she did was break a little curse. But maybe giving birth to Henry made her the Savior. He says that Henry is the offspring of the greatest dark and light magic in the world. Technically, this isn’t true. Bae wasn’t conceived when Rumple was the Dark One. Blue said he’d been touched by dark magic, but it’s not like it’s in his blood. And Emma didn’t have her powers either because she was in the Land Without Magic. So, I’m not buying this, and neither is Henry. He still doesn’t believe Pan, even if Pan believes in him. He hands him the scroll that has his picture on it, but Henry drops it without even looking at it. He tells Pan that he doesn’t believe him. Good on you, Henry! Pan says he reminds him of Bae, and I’m not sure if that’s supposed to be complimentary or not. Henry decides to look at the scroll and is shocked to see his hand drawn portrait.

Questions:

How does Neal know all the different ways to make a portal? I understand the bean, but how does he know about everything else?

I know the marriage is new at this point, but does no one recognize young Regina as the queen?

Is what young Regina is learning not real magic? Why does she refer to the Pixie Dust as real magic?

Seriously, why is Regina still wearing her blazer? She’s obviously dying of heat, take the damn thing off!

When was Regina privy to Henry’s operations? Weren’t most of them about exposing her?

Is Tinker Bell a novice fairy? Why does she have so many restrictions? Nova in Dreamy got big and was definitely out after curfew in that episode. 

How did Regina get back to her castle after Tinker Belle left her at the tavern?

How did Tinker Bell drag Regina to the cave that she held her captive in?

I know the Shadow has to make itself corporeal to bring children to Neverland, but does that apply when someone hitches a ride who’s a grown up? I feel like Neal should have just jumped right through it.

How did Felix know the Shadow was going to bring Neal? If he didn’t know, what was he doing out in the jungle?

Observations:

Ways to make a portal: Bean, Magic Mirrors, Ruby Slippers, certain kinds of ashes.

According to the Evil Queen Wiki, this part of young Regina’s life takes place after The Doctor. So she has given up on Daniel ever being saved and has also taken a heart by this point.

Regina has started calling Emma by her name instead of Ms. Swan.

Pixie Dust is like nuclear Fairy Dust.

Blue calls Tinker Bell Green.

Rules Tinker Bell has broken: Curfew, Dust Discipline, getting big for no reason.

Regina can figure out what Tinker Bell dosed her with by taste.

Regina’s heart has a lot of black in it, but is not completely black yet.

I want to know what adventures Tinker Bell and Hook have been on together.

Once Upon a Time First:

Regina referring to Hook as Emma’s boyfriend.

Timeline Issues:

Exactly when did Hook know Tinker Bell? It sounds like he knew her when she was a fairy, but when would she have been on Neverland before losing her wings? It’s obvious from her conversations with Blue that she was a fairy-in-training. She had a curfew. How could she have been living in Neverland if she was supposed to live in the fairy flower compound with Blue? Hook even knew where she lived, which was a treehouse made for a human, not a tiny house made for a fairy, yet he didn’t think it was weird that she had a ladder to get in. 

And how did Tinker Bell get to Neverland? I can see her flying there when she had wings, but how did she get there once she didn’t have wings? Did she call on Pan to bring her to Neverland? The Shadow? Why would Pan accept her there once she didn’t have magic? What use would she be to him?

And there you have it, the introduction of Tinker Bell, who, if you hadn’t guessed, I’m not a huge fan of at the moment. Neal is now on the island and he’s already been captured. Poor Mulan is heartbroken because Aurora chose her husband over her (well, she didn’t know she had a choice). And Henry might be turning to the dark side, except he might not think it’s the dark side anymore. Oh, and David has a few days, weeks at most. So hopefully a cure can be found at some point so Mary Margaret doesn’t lose her home.

Please leave comments and reblog! Let me know if you’d like to be tagged in future reviews.

@searchingwardrobes​ @thisonesatellite @justbecauseyoubelievesomething​ @laschatzi​ @profdanglaisstuff​ @mariakov81​ @lfh1226-linda​

[jerepars]

Throwing Copper Extended Chapter Notes

1 / 5 Reinventing Your Exit

Hyperlinks appear in blue (underlined on mobile). The story is posted here.

Teresa could see the stress James carried in his jaw and the dark circles under his eyes. She recognized it because she’d seen it in herself before, the restlessness and slight delirium, when she wasn’t sleeping.

The first sentence is an ode to the opening lyrics of Remo Drive’s “I’m My Own Doctor”: I’ve been self-diagnosing all of my problems, carrying all my stress in my jaw.

David Lee Autry was one of many aliases James had over the last few years but one he maintained with close attention because the so-called Autry had a credit card in his name. James hadn’t exactly had time to pack a bag when he broke out of a CIA facility to warn Teresa about impending doom. He showed up in New Orleans in a stolen car, the clothes on his back, contents of his pockets, and a bullet lodged in his chest.

David Lee Autry is the name written on James’ fake passport in 2x03 (around 20:54 in the episode); Pete from the militia group reads it.

James felt a lump in this throat. Whether it was because there was something very domestic about letting someone else do his laundry or because he worried the warning he’d come with wasn’t enough to protect Teresa every time she walked out the door, he wasn’t sure. But he swallowed his feelings down and didn’t put up an argument to her laundry suggestion. He appreciated the clothing George had lent him, but oversized tracksuits and brightly patterned button-down shirts were far from James’ aesthetic. And he absolutely refused to put on King George-branded attire, aerodynamic or not, so he’d been going commando while waiting for David Lee Autry’s online order to show up at Teresa’s PO Box.

When Teresa and James meet King George for the first time in 2x01, we get the lovely scene where he yells for someone to get Teresa a King George bikini (1:12) and later points to the speedo he’s wearing, saying “aerodynamic as shit, will make you feel alive, I trust” (1:18). And, like, who am I to not bring up aerodynamic speedos and going commando?

The doctor had come back and after patching him up, again, prescribed bed rest for the patient who seemed to be doing everything to keep aggravating his body rather than help it get better. Teresa had been furious, asking if he had a death wish after all, so he’d spent the last two days bored out of his mind in bed from inactivity, barely sleeping and reading Faulkner. Or maybe he’d barely slept because he was reading Faulkner. Either way, James knew it best to tread lightly where Teresa was concerned.

That didn’t mean he couldn’t sit in a chair at a desk though. Anything would be an improvement over laying on his back and waiting for his thoughts to float up to the ceiling.

So, listen, since they’re in Louisiana, and given their close proximity to matters of death and dying, if James is going to be reading anything at all, it just feels fitting that he’d be reading Southern literature, specifically William Faulkner. As I Lay Dying is an obvious choice, but personally I think he’d be reading The Sound and the Fury. Not that it matters.

The last sentence in the second paragraph is a reference to “Dreamspace” by Glacier Veins, and the line that goes I’m on my back so I float up to the ceiling to feel different.

Teresa had cried herself to sleep that night thinking about everything that could have gone wrong, if he hadn’t made it in time, or if he had but if it had been too late for him. It wasn’t just anyone—it was James, and he would’ve spent his last dying breath to tell her to chase safety if that was what it took.

Never did I think I’d manage to make a nod to and with my one last gasping breath I’d apologize for bleeding on your shirt from “You’re So Last Summer” by Taking Back Sunday. To be here, in 2020, as an adult, and finding a way to make that reference is...strange yet somehow satisfying at the same time. Also, the chapter title is in reference to a song off the Underoath album They’re Only Chasing Safety, and it looks like I found a way to work that in as well. I don’t know why my musical inspiration for this version of Jeresa seems to come from music that peaked in the early 2000s?

There was a time when James had been her mentor to the underworld, always keeping her from sinking to the bottom, even when he’d been the one who had to make the tough calls and take the brutal actions. She didn’t think he’d ever be able to rid himself of that balancing act, of showing her the ropes but strongly advising her to untether herself from the line completely, to walk away. Teresa could still hear his voice in the back of her mind, from the night after the party at the Birdman’s when he told her in a matter-of-fact fashion why he’d sent her in: your job was to learn. Since then, and especially in his absence, it seemed there’d been only tough lessons to learn and bitter pills to swallow.

I have so much appreciation for the early dynamic between James and Teresa. The car scene in 1x05 outside the warehouse is a highlight because when Teresa gets out, all indignant, she thinks she has the last word (0:15), and James comes right back at her (0:21) to tell her how it is. He’s kind of smug about it. I love it.

And I know that there’s trouble all the time. But it’s interesting that when they get away from this dynamic (especially in S4 where it doesn’t exist, because James isn’t there), it seems that’s where the real trouble comes in.

The balance that they create is delicate.

They were so far removed from the time he’d said I’ve got a plan for a future and it doesn’t include getting killed by crossfire meant for you. But he’d chosen crossfire—sought it out, really—that was what his future devolved into. And like he’d said back then, she was trouble. More and more, Teresa had begun to wonder if there was anything the James she’d first met in Dallas wasn’t right about.

I know this scene in 1x04 is often reblogged and quoted. After watching it several times, my only question is if it’s just the lighting of the scene or did they forget to apply James’ tattoos on set that day? I can’t watch it or see gifs of it now without that bothering me.

It only took Teresa a day to get the cat to venture inside and it only took George a few minutes to declare its name: Peach. God damn, we got ourselves a grumpy cat on our hands, George had exclaimed as she sunk her claws into his flesh before escaping from his embrace like a magic trick, she’s got the same personality as Giant Peach over here. She’s little Peach.

So I guess I rolled with that bts picture of Peter from Alice’s story and wrote the cat into the story. I bet this cat makes zero appearance in S5 and at no point do any of them ever have a pet but I did it anyway. The first thought when I saw it was “Peach and Giant Peach”. Would James be a cat guy? I think he would.

George suspected there was much more to the exchange than the parting words voiced out loud, noticing there was a sense of thanks in her eyes, too. The looks Teresa and James gave each other exuded the tension between them and always made it feel at least ten degrees hotter than it actually was in any room. They had their own way of communicating that only made sense to them, that no one else was privy to. There were better odds throwing copper down a wishing well than trying to decode their language of silence.

The story title comes from “Throwing Copper” by Touché Amoré. Like throwing copper in a well. You’ll never know if wishes work only time can tell.

This is not really the part that made me decide to name the story after the song, but I was still happy to find a place for it in the narration.

“Think you might need to reinvent your exit strategy, Giant Peach,” George said with a frown, nearly in disbelief with himself over what he was about to reveal to James.

“Reinvent?”

“Reinvent. Rethink. As in don’t make one. Methinks the last thing Little Principessa needs right now is more people leaving.” George spoke without his usual puns, so James didn’t have to question if he was being serious.

As mentioned earlier, the chapter title is from a song off of They’re Only Chasing Safety, “Reinventing Your Exit”. I think this might be the biggest Underoath song there ever was? Just listening to this makes me feel 14 again. This was such a gateway to other music that I ended up loving.

Teresa’s evolving thirst for vengeance, to even the score, was foreign to James. It was part of Teresa that scared James a bit. Before he left Phoenix, he’d seen tiny red flashes of her anger, questionable decisions so far removed from when she’d stood within shooting distance on a train car and said we can do a different way, where none of us has to die. Her vision had seemed clear then; she wanted to move product without the same bloodshed as Camila. When James worked for Teresa, he’d never wanted her to lose herself in the business, and never thought she should stay in the business—those were things she’d said she never wanted, too. But being at the top in the business, like she was, it changed people. It was inevitable. It pulled them down into the fire until there was nothing left but scorched earth.

I get the sense that we are never ever getting this kind of James in canon, who is not totally cool with the part of Teresa that she shuts off in order to be queen. I think we probably get another yes man. And for canon, for the sake of Teresa being the queen, I get it. That’s fine. But, in any fic, I always find myself trying to humanize characters and not just leave them as archetypes. The reason this story got so long, the reason there was no way I was going to get through it in 2500 words or less (lol, who am I kidding, I can’t write anything of that length), is because I realized this is the James I want to explore. I want to see him push back at Teresa and not just let go, not just get shut down. Because Teresa is far from perfect and she doesn’t always make the right decisions (tbh, I think she makes a lot of dumb decisions). It’s a delicate balance between the two of them that gives the best outcome.

James’ thoughts in this first chapter are the setup for the exploration of the Jeresa dynamic in the next two chapters.

James used to see a blinding light when he looked right into Teresa’s eyes, a moral compass of sorts, always willing him to choose the humanity he’d buried so deep. But now it was light mixed with dark, integrated too well to be separated. Now looking into her eyes was like staring at a flickering light, not sure if it was going to illuminate the cave or burn out.

Here is the part of “Throwing Copper” that resonated with me for this whole thing: Like staring at a flickering light, you don't know when It'll burn out, or how much time you have left to let it light up your life.

So relevant.

I don’t want to lose you. Maybe that had been a proclamation of love in her own way, and maybe that was the last honest thing Teresa had ever said to James, after she’d realized she’d been wrong to doubt him. Those words had gripped him and followed him. He’d found solace and comfort in them even after he left, because he’d wanted nothing more than to stay, but he left to protect her because of what Devon had hanging over his head.

One of the lines in Tegan and Sara’s “This is Everything” is baby, this is the last honest look I’ll ever give. But by the end of the song it turns into baby, this is the last honest love I’ll ever give.

Teresa and James so obviously love each other but they never say that out loud, right? I feel like that moment in 3x12 when she says “I don’t want to lose you” (around 23:05 of the episode) is the closest we’ve gotten thus far. There’s a silent moment before she says it, and a silent moment after, before James answers and I swear all of it is so telling. The silence. The way they look at each other. The body language. Everything. They know.

[fuckyeahcarlosandlidia]

Even Though Everything Has Changed.  Some Things Don’t.

So, we finally got the trailer and I feel like writing something about my feelings and expectations and hopes. I’ll remind you that the askbox is always open so you feel like sharing your thoughts and feelings, feel free to do it.

I should start by saying that the trailer was very confusing, too much stuff, too many shots and I really had to watch it more than once to catch everything. I have so many questions because as I said the trailer made me wonder lots of stuff. For example, from where Sofia ran away to go to Spain? Wasn’t she in Spain all along? Where did she leave after her Grandma’ death?  And then suddenly 5 years have become 7 years, so it’s even more time of separation between Carlos and Lidia, and  between Carlos and Eva, too.  So much for “it’s temporary”, uh, Lidia!  I really really want to know why “it’s temporary” became 7 years. I wondered that even when I thought that it would be 5 years, so now even more.

The new characters already annoy me. Not for the characters themselves, I don’t even know them, but to me this show can’t handle too many characters and too many storylines. Season 4 was a disaster because of that, too. Why should I care about a shirtless (maybe) funny guy who may help the girls? Why should I care about a bespectacled guy who IMO can even turn out evil?  Why should I care about Sofia’s sweetheart? This is just to say we’re coming to an end and I don’t want to waste time with things that aren’t really part of this show.

Now, speaking of the main stuff, clearly Lidia going back to Madrid is a huge emotion. IMO, Lidia left her heart in Madrid because Madrid is the core of the action of the show. Why should I care about Lidia and Francisco’s life in New York?  Of course their shippers are obviously very interested for the obvious, but it’s not the story.  The story is Spain, the story is the girls, the dynamic among all the main characters we’ve known from the start, and this happens in Madrid.  

The trailer focused on Sofia.  The girls’ mission is to find her.  And then, of course, the war. From what I got Lidia and Carlos will share quite a few scenes together, and alone, and this is really good because they absolutely need to spend time alone. I believe he’ll help her very much.  In the few shots we saw in the trailer, the tension is touchable. You can’t ignore it. The ending of the trailer is what left me with a bad taste in my mouth, though, because obviously they had to throw a huge triangle moment and they made it by showing Francisco alias Superman - this is a Carlos and Lidia’s blog, we don’t really appreciate Francisco’s character yet we absolutely recognize and know his role in the show - coming to the rescue when Lidia and Carlos are in jail. And there’s this hug between the two of them, right in front of Carlos. Lidia’s voiceover in the background, saying that Love is what can fight war, is general. Every kind of love can fight war. And this is classic, right? Love and War. Obviously in that context, with that hug and Carlos watching was annoying. I really don’t think Lidia says that in that context, at all. It’s just how they put it in the trailer to show that Francisco goes back to Spain, too, and he’ll very likely bring Eva back with him, and the triangle will be back in full force with both Lidia’s men in the same place and at the same time.

I’ve been asked in private about what I think about Lidia’s pendant, the necklace we see she’s wearing and holding in the car. I believe there’s a picture in it. She’s also looking at that picture and holding the pendant in her hands nervously, when Carlos is taking his shirt off right behind her.  I truly hope it’s just a picture of Eva, but it’s also possible Lidia took a picture of both Eva and Francisco, or the three of them. Obviously, it’s not something I like. The parallel with Lidia keeping Carlos’ ring as a pendant in 2x01 is immediately in my mind. But it’s not really the same thing. Here we have a woman who leaves her home to go to a dangerous place for a good cause and takes a pic of her “family” with herself. A pic of the people who are STILL part of her life. In 2x01 Carlos’ ring represented her incapacity to accept that she lost him. And she still held on what she wanted the most: being with him, marrying him. 

And speaking of this moment when Carlos takes his shirt off and she’s not looking at him, I want to say that this is not simply giving privacy to someone who’s taking their clothes off.  Carlos is NOT someone.  Carlos is the man she was with, the man she wanted to marry, the man he had a life with, the father of her daughter, the man who represed her everything right in front of our eyes. He’s not a stranger.  She doesn’t look at him because she can’t. She knows every single centimeter of that body. But now it’s not her place anymore to even look at it. And she looks at that picture to remind herself what her life is now and she can’t go back to the past, even though the tempation is strong. She can’t look at him in that moment just as much as he can’t look at her when he talks to her about the war and what it causes.  I’m very curious about that scene because the conversation has to be gold right there.  But the thing is they can’t look at each other to keep an emotional distance between each other and to protect each other. Carlos needs to protect himself because of the heartache of the possibility of losing her again and Lidia needs to protect herself because she can’t give in to feelings that never went way because too much time has passed, too many things have happened. 

But that’s the thing: even though many things have changed, some things don’t. The love they feel for each other. The passion.  The warmth of being so close yet so far.  And so far yet so close.  The sparkle that’s always been between them, that always challenged them.  And this is not the connection Lidia and Francisco have always had.  Here, we’re talking about another kind of connection. 

What really hurts me even more, I think, is Eva.  Eva has grown up for 7 years having Francisco as her only father figure, seeing her mother close to this man, seeing them together. Eva doesn’t know Carlos and Carlos doesn’t know his daughter. It’s a real tragedy. Even though I guess some people know each other by their heart no matter what. And this kind of bond is even stronger when we’re talking about parents and children. But that’s not fair what happened to Carlos. Again, I would say we’ve seen everything about the Cifuentes-Aguilar family, we’ve known Eva since the moment she was conceived and all the obstacles and dramas this family had to go through just to be able to live their life. We saw how it ended because that was a real break up. They gave them 7 years of separation and I’m more than sure they never saw each other in this huge amount of time. It just can’t be compared to the separation Lidia and Francisco were forced to face. Yes, we know they suffered, because we’ve been told. He was luckier than her.  He got Carlos before she got him. But here we’re talking about much more memories.

I just hope that through all this time, Eva may have known Carlos through Lidia’s words and that she tried to picture him in her mind. And that when she truly sees him for the first time, reality will be a long way better than her imagination. And her reaction will be full of wonder just as I hope the one of her mother will be when she sees Carlos again. The man that broke her heart but that changed her life completely, hitting it and overthrowing it like a hurricane. Because that breath of life Lidia lost at the beginning, it was Carlos who gave it back to her.  

And that’s not what Francisco is.  Francisco is the shelter, the one you always find when you’re having a bad time.  The home you’ve always known.  But Carlos is the place you want to live in, the place where you actually belong, even though it’s hard and risky.  But that’s what life is.

It’s different when you hear something and when you actually see it. We’ve seen every chapter of Carlos and Lidia’s love story, something that didn’t happen with Francisco and Lidia. Sure, we’ve seen two people with a deep bond that couldn’t be together because Lidia has always wanted and loved Carlos.  She only went back to Francisco when she couldn’t have Carlos or when she was on the outs with Carlos. And now they can’t just tell us that Carlos turned out being the third wheel.  It just doesn’t work like this. It doesn’t make any sense with what we’ve seen so far.  And 7 years apart can’t justify it.  Sure, they mean a lot, they have a huge impact, these years exist but there has to be logic with what we’ve seen ‘till now.

And they can’t rob a character like that, taking everything away from Carlos to give it to Francisco, as a sort of a punishment. Carlos doesn’t deserve this.  And Lidia as character doesn’t either. Remember what she told Francisco in 1x07? “Carlos makes me happy. He’s giving me the chance to build a new life.  We’re not good for each other.” That was one of Lidia’s milestones.  And I won’t even repeat now what a asshole Francisco was with his insinuation. If Lidia is okay with the life she built with Francisco in New York, a life we may be informed a bit about, it would make her an idiot. So what, it doesn’t matter who you build a life, a family with, what matters is that you do it?  My point is I want Lidia to prove that she can even be content and she may have settled for her life in New York, but that’s not what she truly wanted and something is missing because Francisco is not the man she wanted all of this with. Because Francisco is NOT the man she wanted all of this with.

[jazillia007]

Thoughts on 2x13 - Part 2

Beth and Rio:

So while watching this episode I thought the moments BEFORE the kidnapping and shooting were actually interesting and a good follow up to what had happened in episode 12.

From Beth's point of view, she is nothing more than work for Rio. And honestly, when it comes to the crime part she IS a lot of work for Rio. And I was with Rio for being pissed at her, finding out all the rotten eggs she left behind left and right.

Still she goes to Rio to ask for help and it was heartbreaking to me to see the dismantled apartment but I also thought it was so in character for Rio. He can't trust Beth. With the FEDs breathing up her and therefore his neck, it's only logical for him to abandon his apartment.

I don't really know though why she broke in again. What did Beth try to achieve?

Then Rio is calling her and it was... awkward. I wouldn't call it sweet. It was also a bit weird that Rio made it sound like she called him when actually he called her.

He also tested her. Is Beth gonna lie again? And she did. She wasn't able to tell him that she is in his apartment to ask for help. I don't really understand this either other than for the writers to establish there are cameras in his apartment.

It's not well-written.

Then he hangs up on her and I thought it would've been much better if Beth had called him (if she had his number) and then Rio would've ended the call. But this way it was a bit meh.

I also wouldn't have minded if this would've been the last we would've seen/heard of Rio in season 2. Because honestly I believe if he wanted to he could just disappear for a while until the FEDs calm down.

And then to have him come back in season 3... that would've been nice.

But that's not who Rio is. Beth is his weakness. And despite his own codes he can't stop himself from helping.

That's what this season established.

This season did everything despite them being dysfunctional and problematic that Beth and Rio are more than business partners and that Beth is more to Rio – despite him being usually very careful – and Rio is more to Beth. I'm not talking about some big love story here with a happy ending. But of a complicated relationship with many layers and definitely conflicts but conflicts they overcome.

But then the writers decided to destroy (?) it.

(SPOILERS FOR KILLING EVE SEASON 1 AND 2)

Beth and Rio and the last scene:

As I said before I could've seen Beth and Rio ending up in a situation where they either shoot eachother OR have to decide to shoot the other one or not. But it all depended on how well-written it is.

I'm watching Killing Eve as well and I really don't want to compare Killing Eve with Good Girls because writing-wise there are worlds between these two shows. Killing Eve is well-written, delicate and perfect. Meanwhile Good Girls certainly has its moments but is sloppily written most of the times.

BUT what these two shows have in common is that they have two seasons which ended on similar notes. And I was so in awe when I watched the Killing Eve season 2 finale and right afterwards the Good Girls season 2 finale. Because it made clear why I loved the Killing Eve season finale so much while I didn't like the season finale of Good Girls.

And it all comes down to how it's written and how things are foreshadowed.

The relationship of Eve and Villainelle from the beginning is a relationship of obsession and fascination. It would take up too much time to write about them and all the layers involved but we can say their relationship is as dysfunctional as Beth and Rio (and up until the shooting scene in 2x13 even with the not well-written parts Brio as exactly that made sense to me as well).

There is this cat and mouse game between these two women which ends up with Eve in Villainelle's apartment (and Beth ends up in Rio's apartment) and Eve stabs Villainelle. She panics, trying to find something to stop the bleeding and Villainelle is defending herself by firing in Eve's direction before fleeing.

It's such a culmination of what had went down in season 1. It was shocking but also very much in character with how Villainelle and Eve were established. It was a twist but it didn't feel cheap or just to keep viewers watching. It felt organic.

In the Good Girls season 1 finale we had a similar scene and it felt very organic to me as well. Beth had set up Rio to go to jail and of course she hadn't thought things through. And it all got back to her, with Rio sitting in her dining room with her shitty husband all beaten up. And he gives her the opportunity to shoot either him or Dean to make them even.

It set up very well the dynamic of their relationship. How dysfunctional they're but at the same time can't get enough of eachother. The season ends with the viewer not knowing what Beth is gonna do. It could've felt cheap but it didn't.

We get the end of that scene in the beginning of season 2 and Beth can't do it and Rio is taking the gun from her, telling her she did her best. And then he is shooting Dean and they're even now.

If you think about it. That's who Beth and Rio are. It's messed up, especially when you think about it that even though he shot Beth's husband, she still ends up hooking up with him. But let's talk about that later.

I think 2x13 was trying to mirror the scene in 1x10 and 2x01. And that's where the writers failed. Meanwhile the writers of Killing Eve achieved it effortlessly.

The whole setup in Killing Eve season 2 was leading toward the last scene in 2x08. Something that was completely missing in Good Girls season 2. You can't make a U-Turn without explaining why or giving hints throughout the season. It's not how good writing works.

In season 2 of Killing Eve, Villainelle is so obsessed with Eve she basically stalks her, destroys Eve's already fragile marriage and shows Eve's husband who Eve is dealing with. Villainelle is sliding a lipstick in Eve's bag and when she is using it she cuts her lips because Villainelle put a razorblade in it. She also comes to Eve's home while she isn't there, brushing her teeth with Eve's toothbrush and then comes back and forces Eve to swallow „poison“.

In one word: Villainelle is fucked up. But in her world, she loves Eve. She believes that Eve is hers and that they're two sides of the same coin. And she isn't completely wrong. Because she gets Eve to kill Villainelle's attacker which to her is like a confirmation that they're now in this together and meant to be.

It all accumulates in the last scene when Eve discovers Villainelle could've defended herself and she denies Villainelle any companionship. Villainelle is genuinely surprised, hurt and disappointed. And she does the only thing she knows she is good at: she shoots Eve. And it's shocking, yes, but it's organic. Villainelle told Eve from early on: „I like you but I don't like you that much. […] Don’t forget: The only thing that makes you interesting is me.“.

So while the season 2 finale of Killing Eve was certainly emotional and shocking (that image of Eve lying in the ruins, both literally and as a metaphor for her life...), it never felt out of character or not something this show wasn't leading to.

Unlike the season 2 finale of Good Girls. NOTHING what happened in the season 2 finale leads to Beth shooting Rio.

Villainelle and Rio are completely different people. Villainelle is a serial killer and a psychopath. Rio isn't that at all. Does this mean he is not problematic? No, he is. He threatened Beth and the girls, especially in season 1, and he held a gun to Beth's throat. But it all made sense. He didn't know who these bitches are. Only that they didn't gave him his money. So we could all understand and follow his actions.

After 1x10 and 2x01 scene, it was also understandable that Beth would worry for her life. Rio just had shot her husband. It doesn't matter it was in character for him as a crime boss. I would be scared out of my life, so I did understand Beth's fear and her question „are you going to kill me?“. It must've baffled her when he replied „I'm gonna teach you.“.

After that Beth is causing problems not only for herself but also for the girls and most certainly for Rio. Which is why it disappoints me that Beth can admit her mistakes to Ruby but in the end puts the blame on Rio? I understand she is emotional and feeling cornered. But she asked to come back by leaving those pearls in season 1. Girl, you need to own your decisions and mistakes!

Anyway, despite all the problems there is also this undeniable attraction between her and Rio which accumulates in them hooking up in the bathroom with Dean only a few metres away from them. And from there the writers tried to emphasize even more that Beth's and Rio's relationship is the exact opposite of what Beth and Dean were. Dysfunctional but weirdly functional as well.

From season 1 onward, Rio listened to her, he called her out on her bullshit but he never disregarded her ideas before listening to them. He respected her albeit showing up at her house at random times (and sending her body parts...). But he also never stopped calling her out when got way over her head. He told her she is a drug dealer. Beth needed to hear that because she only experiences the tiny part of his world where she can get high on the power she is having without really experiencing repercussions.

After they hooked up Rio tried to manipulate her and that was – for me – a moment of „oh, did he use her all along?“. Yes, I had these thoughts multiple times, but mostly in season 1.

But then they both act like a jealous couple and my worries were all gone. And then 2x09 happens and the way the scene is filmed in the bedroom and even prior it's genuine and raw. They close the door and leave their crime personalities outside the bedroom and they kiss and it's all perfect. And then Rio brings back the Dubby and it all paints a completely different picture we're supposed to get of these two. It's all so completely different from how season 2 of Killing Eve set it all up.

Beth and Rio albeit having problems would always come back together. Yes, even with Beth still lacking in the crime life department and not being able to admit her mistakes, overall they would always comeback together in this problematic relationship and make things work.

When the walls of rotten eggs Beth has collected, start to crumble around her and Rio probably already knows about it, I completely understand his frustration and anger and that he is done and over with her. But at the same time he knows he isn't because he can't look Beth in the eyes when he is telling her „pretty much“. He believes they're two sides of the same coin. They're both lonely but they could be lonely together at the top. But Beth is left behind with the feeling „I'm alone in this“ and this man who made her feel things again only sees her as work – which she IS like I said before. She doesn't reflect on her wrongdoings which is extremely frustrating. A character flaw can only be relatable to a certain point and then it just gets ridiculous. She is a 40ish year old woman, for god's sake.

I expected the writers trying to mirror the scene from 1x10 and 2x01 but every fan theory was better and made more sense character-wise than what we actually got in the end.

I was so confused as to WHY Rio would feel the need to kidnap Beth. Also, how did he do it? Someone on Tumblr mentioned it: how could he be so sure Beth would forget her phone in the car? Beth was looking for her phone... was she certain she had in the backpockets of her jeans? Did Rio take it from her and put it in the car? Or did she really leave it there?

It doesn't add up. And it doesn't make sense Rio would be so drastic to kidnap Beth when he could simply call her. Tell her to come to his apartment. That he will help her. Why make Rio act so OOC?

I also believe that Rio genuinely thought of Turner as a „gift“ to Beth. This is your rotten egg, you have many but this is the one who will constantly cause problems, so get rid off it and we're even.

Was he planning to record it? Did he record it? Did/does he plan to use it as leverage against Beth? Just like he used „Boomer's“ body?

Basically killing two birds with one stone. Pulling Beth in deeper, making her go through with the last step she tried to avoid and having something in his hand to make sure Beth won't set him up again. Which in the end COULD'VE been a setup for any scenario in the future seasons where Beth decides that Rio is her rotten egg.

But to do so now... even with her thinking she is nothing to him, makes no sense.

Especially since season 2 set up Turner as the main antagonist for Beth who is constantly after her and closing in on her. I was sure she would kill him. But then to turn it against Rio and telling him HE is her problem? I don't have to repeat myself but: IT MAKES NO SENSE.

I'm not going to defend Beth shooting him. Yes, she was emotional. And I would've bought it as a reaction under immense stress if she would've shot him once. But 3 times?! That's a bit much. Yes, he called her „bitch“ - SHIT! He was genuinely shocked and surprised by what she did – and lunged himself at her but probably to stop her or/and to take the gun from her. It was terrible to watch.

Overall with Dean and Boomer getting redemption so easily, it was terrible to see NBC treat a male poc like this. It was an obscene moment to see Rio bleed like this, choking up blood and making the viewer believe that he will just die right there, in this very moment. And to make Turner get up so slow and pull out the phone taunting Rio about helping him or not. It was pretty clear the only evil person in this room is Turner, not Rio, and I can't wait for Rio to let Turner know „yes, I owe you... I owe you a slow death.“.

When Rio laughed I think many thought the writers wanted to portray him as crazy. BUT I don't think they did. When I had an accident and the shock afterwards subsided I made a lot of jokes lying there in the ER with my leg broken. The doctors had to give me a sedative to calm me down. So I think with Rio there is a mix of „this bitch really shot me“ and the shock setting in and subsiding and laughing is working as a transient response.

As for Beth, it was so weird to me that she would run for Turner right away. Okay, the writers apparently decided that Rio is the problem and suddenly Turner is the person she should trust? Because she thinks after Boomer turned himself in she is off the hook? And why give Turner the gun? It's just moments like these that make it clear she is anything but ready to be the „King“. Yes, she is in a exceptional situation and who knows how we would react? But still... trusting Turner is a bit too much and we were proven to be correct when he basically told Rio that this is definitely not over and Beth they will see how it goes.

As for Beth shooting Rio: I will say I thought she looked genuinely upset and shaken by her own actions. Again, not defending what the writers did with Rio and Beth in this scene, only observing. Because from all the comments it sounded like she was gleeful and happy she did what she did. And I will say: that's not the case.

But I also think the writers didn't give us enough moments of Beth really thinking about and regretting what she did and of course when she tells Annie and Ruby that „he is gone“ (do they know she shot Rio?) it's not really showing Beth as empathetic. How about not giving us Beth and Dean eating ice cream but give us Beth struggeling with what she has done? I hope we will get that in season 3.

Although I thought it was telling that while she was laughing and disappointed when Dean didn't die after Rio shot him, in 2x13 she walked home in daze right into Dean's arms and cried. Let's put aside she is in Dean's arms. She cried. She didn't cry when Dean got shot but she cried after shooting Rio, believing he is dead.

Again, I'm not sugarcoating what she did. I'm just pointing out the details I noticed and the little differences between 2x01 and 2x13.

Also, I thought the scene in the park was not well-written. The image was good but I think it would've worked better without the other moms and again it should've been longer to show that Beth is realizing that she shot a father. A father of a young boy who became friends with her daughter. A father she defended when Dean implied Rio would kidnap their daughter. It could've been powerful scene but it got watered down.

In the end, the shooting scene didn't work for me as a mirror scene like it did in Killing Eve because the setup throughout the season was non-existent.

Are we supposed to think Rio played Beth the whole time? Are all the moments which felt like something special are nothing? If so they did a pretty bad job at it (how lame was Beth's „WHO is he?“ when he left all his stuff in the storage room?) And frankly, I don't believe it. In a sad way I really think that Beth and Rio do have genuine feelings for eachother but they're also stuck in this situation which will always lead to misunderstandings (because they never really TALK!) and constant danger of betrayal.

And now with Beth taking the last step but shooting Rio it's gonna be interesting how this will play out in season 3. In a weird way, Rio should almost be proud of Beth because she „killed“ the King. He didn't think she would be able to do it and certainly thought she would take Turner down but in the end she made a completely different decision. And if anything that's at least a bit in character for Beth, that she does things Rio can't predict. Just like he didn't predict she would leave her pearls in that warehouse.

Personally, I wanted Beth and Rio to end on a tense note for season 3 but I didn't want it to go full-on trust issues, revenge and rivalry. Simply because this is not how season 2 was written like up until 2x13. And to make a u-turn like this just for the shock moment is just lame. I get it, this episode was basically written in case Good Girls wouldn't get a renewal but still it's the laziest writing I've experienced in a long time.

I think if the shooting scene would've played out differently. With Beth shooting Turner. Like something that makes sense, it could've turned out to be a very satisfying season finale. And it would've been interesting to see how Rio is using the footage to start their cat and mouse game in season 3 yet again (I think he wanted her back after their fallout in 2x12 hence why Turner as the gift for Beth). I don't think with how season 2 played out, it makes sense for Beth to hurt Rio. So I can't find anything satisfying or good about this finale. Unlike Killing Eve which left me behind very satisfied despite Villainelle shooting Eve.

Two similar scenes and season finales but executed so differently, that in one tv show it's utterly shocking yet perfect meanwhile in the other tv show it's sloppily written overall and anything but perfect.

And here I am so very curious how season 3 will play out for Beth and Rio. Apparently I like torturing myself.

P.S.: If you plan on writing me any anon hate, save your words! I’m ready and happy to discuss the season finale with anyone who is willing to discuss it like adults. Ain’t nobody got time for anon hate.

[omnomtonystark]

There’s a nice article on SYFY WIRE about the Charmed panel at NYCC. It’s got a pretty positive tone about the new direction and I’m actually getting excited about the new season.

Excerpts I found interesting (with my comments about them in bold):

[[MORE]]

• [...] the series (having had a change of showrunners) looks and feels like a completely different show now. GOOD

• [...] they wanted to expand on the mythology and lore of the show a lot more. big YES, esp whitelighter origins mentioned in other interviews

• [...] wanted to make the show feel more cinematic, and also more serialized. cinematic is good but serialized can go either way, hmmm

• [...] wanted to really dig into the "cost of having powers," as well as the cost of using them. Some of those powers are related to events that are new to the show, making it even more clear that this is (almost) a whole new show. intriguing

• "[Maggie’s] growing up ... and I think that's very exciting, as opposed to the sorority girl." -Sarah Jeffrey much better

• There are changes for Diaz's Mel also. She had one moment during the screening that probably got the biggest reaction from the audience. very intriguing

• The audience had a lot of love for Harry [...]. He then talked about a lot of things that we can't repeat! lol Rupert the spoiler machine

• If there are complications to be thrown at these characters, rest assured that they will be thrown. We just watched a whole box of them get thrown at once. biggest HMMMMMMMM

No mention of Macy but they talked about her in other interviews (her demon side will be the source of her conflict apparently). And something goes down at the 7min mark in 2x01 that “changes everything”.

I’m feeling a distinct lack of chill here but pre-season promo rounds for shows are always about hype, drama, and action so I’m not too bothered by it. Yet. Fingers crossed!

[truthbeetoldmedia]

Mayans MC 2x01 “Xbalanque” Review

The Season 2 premiere of Mayans MC rolled right in with grandeur and intrigue. We were able to briefly catch up with a solid majority of our favorite characters and were introduced to the curious dramas that may befall them this season. There seems to be about five different aspects that will be part of the main focus. 

The Mayans, Galindo Cartel, and Los Olvidados are all working together, as per Miguel Galindo and Adelita’s (Louisa Espina) deal to keep the Galindo cartel the number one cartel in Mexico, while also funneling the money earned back into the communities. The Mayans were brought in as advisors on this deal, as well as muscle. However, Lincoln Potter thinks Galindo is working with him to take Los Olvidados down. In fact, Potter is working with mercenaries to take down each and every hideout and ally they can find that “belongs” to the Rebels. According to Potter, it’s going well and they are almost at the final mission. 

The Mayans accompany the mercenaries on this final mission that turns out to be a total fraud because they plant phones and Rebel propaganda to mislead the mercenaries into thinking these people are actually part of Los Olvidados. Who are these people that are actually being killed? I do not have the answer to that. Casualties of war. It’s when one of Adelita’s kids in the group, Mini, gets snatched by one of the mercenaries, that things start to diverge from the plans the MC had. This child faces torture and most definitely death, even if she talks to them about Adelita and the Rebels. 

Well, these big bad biker dudes aren’t going to let that happen. They barge in, guns ablaze, killing all the mercenaries. EZ has the final kill and it’s with a brutal strangulation after the mercenary was about to kill El Padrino, Marcus Alvarez. Mini is saved. Alvarez is saved. They had no casualties.  Los Olvidados lives another day. 

Reyes Family Discourse

We left off with major tensions between EZ and Angel Reyes. Angel, always the odd child out, had felt that their father, Felipe, had always chosen EZ over him and, in this instance, he most definitely did. You see, EZ had always been the golden child. He has the brains to do just about anything. With his record currently expunged by Lincoln Potter, the world is still his oyster. The deal EZ had made with federal agents is what ultimately broke Angel’s heart last season. Angel made the decision to kill Jimenez for Potter so EZ can really leave that life behind and make something for himself. 

Just because Angel had EZ’s best interest at heart, doesn’t mean that a) EZ took what his big brother was offering and b) Angel isn’t still pissed at EZ. The tension is palpable and it has absolutely no place in the MC and their business. By the end of the episode, Bishop forces EZ to talk to Angel and work it out because the vote to patch EZ into the club is coming up and the vote of all the members has to be unanimous. We know Angel doesn’t want EZ in the club. It’s up to EZ to fix things with his brother, so off he goes to find a solution to their mess.  

The solution comes in the form of EZ going to Angel with the identity of the person who killed their mother. I’m guessing he’s hoping that they’ll be able to bring their mother’s murderer to justice (in their own way) together.    

Galindo Family Discourse 

When we’re reunited with our Galindo family, Miguel and Emily appear to be happy. Emily’s been brought into more of the business side of the family. However, it seems Miguel is still keeping some things from her, in regards as to what happens on the south side of the border. While they clearly love each other, there is still tension between them. Something is plaguing Dita, Miguel’s mother. She just seems like an entirely different woman than she was last season. Miguel’s not around too much, so it seems Emily is the one that has to take care of Dita. Dita isn’t happy that Miguel isn’t home with Cristobal and she’s not happy that Emily has taken to being a working mom, instead of devoting her whole life to being a mother. 

Dita makes a comment to Emily while waiting to be taken to an appointment that she feels she’s getting worse. At the end of the episode, Dita takes off a wig and undresses. She is completely covered in burns. Makes me think it could have been from Miguel. He was quite pissed at being lied to last season, but does he have it in him to hurt his own mother? 

Angelita…and Miguel? 

Soooo...Adelita is pregnant, on the verge of giving birth. According to Miguel, she hasn’t told anyone who the father is yet. When Season 1 concluded, Angel and Adelita’s feelings for each other were pretty apparent, but they weren’t actively together. There weren’t any grand declarations of love and devotion. I know the scenes between Angel and Adelita were pretty fire last season, but so were her scenes with Miguel. However, I’m hoping and praying that they didn’t do the do. Adelita cares for Angel. I don’t think Angel could take another heartbreak. 

Unless he’s not heartbroken?  What happened in that time jump?

Happy Happy Not So Joy Joy

Happy Lowman is still hanging around. Turns out, the Sons of Anarchy crew is still dealing guns. Chucky even asks Happy why they’re still in the gun trade, even after Jax wanted them out. All Happy can say is that it’s taking longer than they thought and that “there’s a lot at stake”. Okay.  Whatever THAT means. The start of Season 1 takes place 3 years after the death of Jax Teller. Season 2 starts at least 8 months after THAT, so how much longer is it going to take, Hap? 

While bringing guns to the Mayans, Felipe comes around looking for EZ, to give him a message and not use his phone. However, EZ’s not there, but that gives Happy enough time to recognize him and inquire as to who he is. You see, we know EZ knows that Happy killed his mom. Now Happy knows that not only did he kill the mother of one Mayan, but TWO Mayans. He knows he’s in deep shit now. 

Some thoughts on the episode:

I’m still Team Get EZ Away From The Club Life. 

I’m hoping and praying that Angel is Adelita’s baby daddy. There’s a supposed love triangle between Miguel, Emily, and EZ. We don’t need another between Miguel, Adelita, and Angel. I get it, Miguel is a desired man, but stop making drama where it absolutely isn’t necessary. 

I absolutely adored the shared smiles between Marcus and EZ after EZ saved Marcus’ life. 

Potter knows exactly who Felipe Reyes is and he continues to be just as unsettling as ever. 

There was a Chibs mention, SO THERE SHOULD BE A CHIBS CAMEO. I’D DIE.  

Happy has a paper trail in that mysterious trunk of his of a supposedly random hit from several years ago? That seems pretty sloppy of our guy.  

Mayans MC airs Tuesdays at 10/9c on FX

Sarah’s episode rating: 🐝🐝🐝🐝

[travllingbunny]

The 100 rewatch: 2x06 Fog of War

This episode has one major character introduction (and one minor one), which might have been a cool reveal the first time I saw it, if I hadn't been always spoiled on it; some really tense moments involving major revelations for the characters themselves, which made me think for a moment I'd give this episode a higher rating; and a very questionable follow-up to the major storyline from the previous episode, which made me rate it lower than the previous few episodes, but nowhere near as low as an upcoming episode all focused on that storyline, and that's just because it's still a minor part of this episode.

Rating: 7.5/10

You've probably guessed what I meant already: the way the show deals with the aftermath of Finn's mass murder in the Grounder village is full of problems and annoying character behavior. Which gets even worse in episode 2x08, but it starts here, when we learn that Finn was questioned by the Council*in Camp Jaha and fully cleared, because, according to Abby: "He thought he was rescuing his friends". Sorry, what? Usually it's the Grounders that get on my nerves with their dumb decisions and attitudes, but this time, this storyline always made me extremely irritated with the Arkers. WTF is wrong with their judicial system and their moral views? They used to give death sentences on the Ark for any damn thing, from smoking weed to stealing medicine for your kids to giving birth to a second child to getting born as a second child; they announced they aren't doing it on the ground, but then were insisting on maintaining law and order by locking people up for hitting someone, or shock-lashing them for letting some of them go on an authorised mission; but killing 18 unarmed civilians who weren't posing a threat, all on your own - that's what they're OK with?

*Speaking of which, who’s in the Council now? Not any of the old members, since they died in Diana’s terrorist attack last season. We never see any of the new council members and I don’t we ever even hear about the council again. It’s always apparently just the Chancellor – whoever it is at the time (Abby, Kane, Pike) – making decisions on their own.

Now, if they had released Finn on the grounds of him suffering from PTSD, having diminished capacity - that would be a different matter. But they didn't. No one ever says explicitly that Finn is suffering from PTSD or has any kind of mental issue, and if they do think he has, why haven't they tried to help him? Do they even know anything about mental health? Do they have psychologists and psychiatrists? Going by everything we see in this and the following seasons, they have no clue. But in this case, the writers didn't seem to have much of a clue, either. (The show did much better with Jasper's storyline later on, though characters in-universe treated it just as poorly.) They even let Finn carry a gun and go on a recon mission with everyone else, and this time I’m totally with Octavia when she says she can’t believe they did it. (But does this mean that Octavia is the only one bothered because she is the only one who knew one of the victims?)

There are just mentions of how Finn has changed, etc. And then Raven even tells Finn "We all have battle scars, Finn. Suck it up and build a brace for yours." Um, no, no, Raven, you cannot do this with mental scars. That's not how it works. But, ironically, she'll find that out herself with what she will go through in seasons 3-4.

When I binged the show for the first time, I thought Finn’s character was a big failure because he was supposed to likable and a good guy, but never really came off that way. On rewatch, I realized he works much better as a character if I assume he was never meant to be all that likable in the first place. But “did they actually expect me to find him likable here, or not?” is something I’m still not sure at many points, and that’s the case in this episode. If they did, they really failed. It would be different if Finn was showing real guilt over what he had done, instead of going around trying to talk to Clarke and complaining because she’s not comfortable around him. “You don’t look at me the way you used to.” Duh! What did you expect?

The episode starts with an interesting scene where Clarke and Bellamy are making plans how to save their friends from Mount Weather. Bellamy actually says at one point that, if the Council doesn’t authorize the mission to save them, he’ll go there on his own. Which he seriously meant as that’s what he does in 2x09. Bellamy then asks about Finn (the second and last time the two of them ever talk about any of each other’s love interests) and Clarke replies she hasn’t talked to Finn, while Bellamy is trying to make lighter of Finn’s actions, saying “We’ve all done bad things” - .obviously to try to make her feel better, and because he feels guilty for allowing Finn to continue the mission with just Murphy to look after him, since we know from before that he’s well aware of the gravity of Finn’s actions. Then Finn arrives, his body language saying: “Go away, I need to talk to Clarke, since my relationship with her is the most important thing in the world”. Bellamy is understanding and walks away, while Clarke is following him with her eyes until he leaves, her body language saying “I much preferred you company, why did you have to leave me with him?” She’s obviously creeped out and doesn’t know how to act around this new, murderous Finn, who appears to be so much different from what she thought the guy she fell in love was. The time they spend together – hiding from the acid fog – in the house, where Finn killed Delano, the Grounder prisoner, doesn’t help – Finn takes a chance to give her Jake’s watch, but the moment is obviously spoiled for her by Delano’s dead body she sees lying there. What do you mean, murder isn’t a great way to say “I love you”? But it seems like I’m supposed to feel sorry for him, when he and Clarke have an exchange about how war has changed them all:

“I don’t even know who you are anymore.”

“Neither do I.”

“What have we become?”

With how I feel about this storyline, it may seem odd that I’m still rating this episode rather high, but 1) it is still a rather small part of this episode (and I’m going to pour all my hate for this storyline into episode 2x08), 2) Clarke’s extreme discomfort with Finn is character and makes sense –they may have released him, but that doesn’t mean people really feel like nothing has changed, and 3) the other storylines in this episode are really good.

I really like the scenes where Bellamy and Octavia go on their own to find an entrance into Mount Weather to save Lincoln -together with some Arker guards who decided to help them rather than listen to their orders - and are shocked to find him as a Reaper, who doesn’t recognize them but seems to have some sort of a reaction to Octavia’s voice. Those scenes are really intense, and the literal darkness of the Mount Weather hallways combined with the cheesy Christmas song that starts playing all of a sudden from a wind-up toy, just before a Reaper attack, makes for one of the creepier and more effective season 2 scenes.

(Season 2 was by far the most harmonious one for the Blake sibling relationship. Or rather, the only one. Their relationship is usually extremely dysfunctional.)

Major developments happen in Mount Weather itself. This is when Jasper, Monty and the other Delinquents finally learn the truth about their hosts – thanks to Maya, who has found out that her “accidental” radioactivity contamination was planned, and realized that the 47 may soon meet the same fate as the Grounders caught in MW. I’ve always liked Maya – I trusted her since first seeing 2x01. She’s one of the most underrated characters on The 100, IMO.

The scene where Maya shows Jasper and Monty the cages with people in them and people getting drained, is a really strong one. I love this dialogue where she tries to explain the mentality of the ordinary Mountain Men and their silent complicity in what their regime is doing:

Maya: “Everyone knows, we don’t talk about it (…) Look, without the treatments, we die. What were we supposed to do?” Monty: “Die.”

It’s one of the times when the show really successfully did moral ambiguity. Monty’s answer is kind of harsh, but completely understandable since he’s just seen the horrors happening, and he’s kind of right, but he’s also kind of wrong… Because it’s not exactly easy for people to ignore such a basic instinct as survival, for the sake of morality and humanness. But as we later learn, Maya’s mother did make that choice, refuse the treatments, and die. And Maya herself will help the Arkers, and die, as a result – kind of killed by Monty himself, saying “None of us is innocent” as her final words.

We also get more insight into the Wallace father-son relationship, with signs of their upcoming conflict, and some more info about MW. Though Dante’s title is President, we learn that every president of MW has been a Wallace. They’re basically a dynasty like the Kims in North Korea. We learn that the initial plan for the 48 was to “assimilate them into our gene pool”, which explains the chocolate cake and all other attempts to charm them. Dante must have been happy to see Maya and Jasper get close, in that case all he needed to do was let nature take its course, but how did they intend to do that with the rest of the kids? Arrange marriages/relationships? Ask them for sperm/egg cells? Dante is against draining the kids and says he “won’t put them in cages like animals”. You mean, like other people you already have in cages? Mount Weather will, in Dante’s opinion, eventually will be breached by radiation, which is an explanation for the panic of the Mountain Men, but Dante insists that it’s not just important to be able to go the surface, but that he won’t deserve to survive if he allows it. Um… you already don’t deserve it. Why does he draw the line with the kids? Is it because he thinks of the Grounders as “savages” and finds it easier to dehumanize them?

(BTW, what on Earth made Dante give his son the name Cage, of all the things he could have possibly named him?!)

At the end of the episode, the kids in MW have decided to pretend and work within MW to get out, with Jasper and Monty have decided to volunteer for blood donations to fool their hosts. Raven has meanwhile discovered the secret MW channel, realized that it was MW that crashed the Exodus ship and that they are jamming all radio communications. She and Abby discussed whether to destroy the Mountain Men tower that does the jamming, which would allow them to get in radio contact with other possible survivors from other Ark stations, or to not do it and listen in to the Mountain Men conversations instead, which would allow them to rescue the kids from MW – and Abby finally made the decision to do the latter, which means she’s finally supporting Clarke in her determination to save her friends. The consequence of this is also that the Farm station survivors (including Pike, Hannah Green and Bryan) will only join the other Arkers in season 3.

The big character introduction in the episode is, of course, Lexa. Her right hand man/bodyguard Gustus is also introduced, and he utters the line “Blood must have blood”, talking about retaliation for Finn’s massacre, which is the first time we hear that line. I’ll never know if the twist at the end of the episode that Lexa is the Commander would have been a surprise for me. I was already spoiled, long before I started watching the show, that there was a character called “Commander Lexa”, that she has a relationship with Clarke at some point, and gets killed by a stray bullet after the first time they had sex – because that was a huge controversy in 2016, which you couldn’t avoid if you were visiting any online fandom sites, even if you knew nothing about The 100. So, when she introduced herself as Lexa, I knew “oh, so she’s the Commander”. The show did a good job playing against expectations by introducing her as a frail-looking young servant girl, playing on her youth and looks, so I might have been fooled otherwise, or I might have gotten suspicious after she was just standing there listening and observing Jaha and Kane all the time? Or maybe I would have thought she was someone spying for the Commander. In this episode, we just learn she’s smart and can be sneaky and likes to get a measure of her opponents/enemies – but we don’t really get more sense of what she’s like as a person and leader until around 2x09.

The thing with Kane and Jaha being made to fight to the death to supposedly decide who will live and be set free, reminds me of the Blodreina gladiator fights in season 5, except those were actual fights to the death, while this was just a ploy, and Octavia got the idea from the Roman history. But I guess that type of death match wouldn’t have been a foreign concept to the Grounders from the Wonkru.

The show tried to play with expectations for a second with Kane taking the knife to do something, as if he was going to kill Jaha, but at that point, we already knew what Kane was really like, so his attempt at self-sacrifice, in order to end the war, was not a surprise. He is still haunted by guilt for the culling (Jaha: “You didn’t order the massacre” – Kane: “Not this one”). One of the reasons I started liking him is that he is one of the few characters, alongside Clarke and Bellamy, who show genuine remorse for their actions. Another good piece of dialogue is when Jaha says that the things they did on the Ark were for survival of the human race, with Kane pointing out that the human race was, in fact, surviving without them anyway – to which Jaha replied that they are, then, doing everything for their people. Which is the justification/guiding motive Jaha has from this moment on: “for my people”.

I’m still not sure what exactly Lexa’s take from all of this was, since she declared to Kane“Your intention are honorable, and your desire for peace is true”, so apparently, she appreciated his conviction – but then she let Jaha go to be a messenger and deliver the dramatic message to the Arkers to “Leave or die!”, while detaining Kane to further talk to him, or observe him (?), or keep him as a hostage? What exactly was she planning to do with him?

Anyway, this is the only time that Lexa and Jaha ever interacted. It would have been interesting to see them talk about leadership some time, since they strike me as similar type of leaders: both are ruthless, believe that the end justifies the means and justify their actions by saying it’s all for their people, but their concept of “their people” is an abstract one, because they are less concerned with the welfare of individuals that make up the collective called “my people”, and are ready to sacrifice quite a few of them if their goals require it.

Timeline: 2 days after Human Trials. This is one of the few times we actually get some pointers about the time that has passed – and one of the few times we get a.. mini time jump. It’s weird to call 2 days a time jump, but most of the episodes start right after the previous one. It was only late in season 3 (after the “Six months earlier” tag in 3x13) that I realized how condensed the show’s timeline was.

Body count: 1 Arker guard killed by the fog, other two killed by Reapers, a couple of Reapers killed by Bellamy.

[qqueenofhades]

ACK. Hilary I need your thoughts on all this "Lucy is the Heir of Rittenhouse" reveal. Why did they cut it? Do you think it will come up again? How would Flynn react? Etc.

Welp.

I’ve only had a brief skim over reactions, etc, so if I say anything that anyone else already has, well, that’s just how that goes. But also I’m shook because… that is a fairly major info tidbit to drop as a deleted scene, and because it didn’t actually appear in an aired episode, it has a negotiable status as canon. Either we can take it as something Lucy knows and has (for obvious reasons) decided not to talk about, or something that has not yet happened. I’ll personally take it as the former, and that we’ll have it dealt with when she tells someone about it in season 3. Carol is dead, so there’s not really any way for her to learn it again or in another context. Supposedly they cut it for time, which is a little iffy to me, because it’s not a long scene, it’s a major reveal, and it would have added a whole new complexity to Lucy’s actions throughout the season and what she’s keeping back from the rest of the team. So yes.

I wrote several metas early in the year and then after 2x10 about how Lucy was leaning into her Rittenhouse heritage/being willing to use some of their same tactics, but in the exact opposite purpose. This, as we’ve pointed out, adds a whole new context to 1x10, 2x01, and 2x10 at least, as well as arguably 2x02 and 2x04 and other moments where we see Lucy really dead set on “we need to do this and I don’t necessarily have time to play nice and I’m entirely cool with possibly dying if so.” Especially in the jail scene with Flynn in 2x02 and then the jail scene with Carol (where Lucy is imprisoned in Salem) in 2x04 and so on. This also answers the fairly major plot hole of why future!lLucy wouldn’t just tell Flynn that David Rittenhouse was one man in the 18th century and have it end right there. (It doesn’t answer why our Lucy doesn’t know about David Rittenhouse anyway, since he was a fairly well-known intellectual figure and she would definitely have heard of him, since she knows even obscure people/events, but anyway.) She can’t tell Flynn that, because her entire existence depends on it, and they need to find a way to beat Rittenhouse without erasing her – which is hella difficult since she’s descended directly from the dude. After all, if you kill David and John, maybe Rittenhouse doesn’t exist, but neither does Lucy, as well as God knows what else. That also doesn’t stop David’s followers, and anyway, yes. So that is a clever way to answer the obvious question of why they couldn’t just go there and kill David right away.

Also, I’d just like to point out that in terms of Lucy’s relationship(s) with Flynn and Wyatt, this is a revelation that is directly important for… well, only one of them. It doesn’t really make a difference for Lucy’s relationship with Wyatt if this is the case or not. Indeed, we have seen Wyatt explicitly know that Jessica was Rittenhouse, and still choose her/beg her to come back with him. Stopping Rittenhouse is not personal to Wyatt. It is the job he’s been recruited to do and has maybe become a little more personal after what happened with Jess, but that still didn’t stop him from wanting Jessica as long as she was an option, Rittenhouse ties or otherwise. He only attempted to go back to Lucy with the ill-advised ILY after that had been ruled out, and after making further efforts (telling Flynn not to shoot Jessica) to preserve the possibility of a reconciliation. So honestly, as it stands in canon text, if presented with Rittenhouse or Lucy, Wyatt chooses Rittenhouse. It’s even the case with him not shooting Emma or Carol when he had the chance – yes, it had to do with his feelings for Lucy, but both times, it’s clear that Lucy’s opinion was that she wanted him to go for it (she wanted him to shoot Emma in 2x05, she tries to do it in 2x10, she’s clearly dismayed when Wyatt tells her that her mother got away in 2x06 – she doesn’t want Carol dead, but she wants her stopped). Wyatt and Lucy care for each other, but they have a fundamental disconnect on what they are willing to do to stop RH, and Wyatt has explictly or implicitly chosen Rittenhouse over Lucy at repeated moments. (Oh hello, Shawn Ryan mentioning that Flynn understands Lucy on a deeper level than Wyatt does.)

In contrast, Flynn knows that Lucy is Rittenhouse on both sides of the family, but he doesn’t know that she’s descended from THE Rittenhouses. Stopping Rittenhouse has always been intensely personal for Flynn and at the core of his character motivation; indeed, in season 1, he went for the “stop Rittenhouse” option at the expense of repeatedly messing it up with trying to get Lucy to join him. That is what makes it more narratively significant that he has increasingly moved to choosing Lucy over that vengeance quest, and when given the explicit opportunity to do in 2x10 what he failed to do in 1x10 (and seriously, this makes the parallel between these episodes EVEN MORE than it was), he doesn’t. There is no question or ambiguity in the narrative: when presented with the chance to kill Emma or comfort Lucy, Flynn doesn’t hesitate an instant in choosing the latter. I mentioned in one of my earlier metas that Flynn and Wyatt physically and emotionally switch places in Lucy’s life in 2x03, when Flynn struts into the bunker and Wyatt runs out to Jess. This is also the case here. In season 1, Wyatt chooses Lucy over Rittenhouse, mostly implicitly because he doesn’t know what the major picture is until near the end of the season. In season 2, Wyatt chooses Rittenhouse over Lucy. In season 1, Flynn chooses stopping Rittenhouse over Lucy as a person; in season 2, he EXPLICITLY chooses Lucy as a person over stopping Rittenhouse. He doesn’t kill Emma in 2x07 and 2x10 directly because of Lucy. Lucy is never a second choice or a lesser focus for Flynn in s2 (as she is for Wyatt all-post 2x03).

Once again: in season 2, Wyatt chooses Jessica (who is/represents Rittenhouse) and honestly, has no real major character reason to do otherwise.  Flynn chooses Lucy, who is also Rittenhouse genetically, but represents a complete repudiation of them, and does so despite having a major character reason (the death of his wife and daughter; his entire vengeance quest) to do otherwise. Furthermore, Wyatt and Lucy don’t agree on what kind of danger Rittenhouse is and what they’re willing to do to end it/the personal price they’re willing to pay. Wyatt isn’t willing to really sacrifice anything at this point whatsoever, whereas Lucy was prepared to wipe her entire family and identity (and life!) from existence by blowing up the Mothership in 2x01. Flynn has known from the start the danger that Rittenhouse is, Lucy has come more and more around to his view, and they agree on the sacrifice that will be necessary. 

In short, textually, Lucy is moving closer and closer to alignment with one of these men, and away from the other (not hate, but just a simple reflection of how both dynamics developed in season 2). Wyatt has (mostly indirectly) refused to NOT choose Rittenhouse over Lucy, and has done so to support his interests. Flynn has directly refused to NOT choose Lucy over Rittenhouse, and at cost to his interests. That is a more important/weighty decision, character-wise. So as noted, this is a major piece of character/plot information (that Lucy is the Heir of Slytherin) and it deepens and twists and fleshes out her connection with Flynn, and the importance of him choosing her, despite her heritage and the pain that Rittenhouse has personally caused him. It doesn’t really do anything of comparable importance to her connection with Wyatt, and if anything, weakens it. This is Lucy’s entire family and existence at stake, but she’s still willing to give it all up, whereas Wyatt is not willing to give up anything, even this alt-version of his wife after he explicitly learns she’s Rittenhouse and always has been. (And again – this isn’t hate and I don’t think he should have just dropped his fight for Jessica, since that’s been his character motivation since the pilot, but it’s… right there in the text.) 

Now that Carol is dead, Lucy is in fact (as far as we know) the only living heir of the original Rittenhouse bloodline. That’s… a lot to deal with. She is in fact the princess, as Emma keeps calling her. At some point in season 3 (WHEN NBC? WHEN?) that will need to be dealt with. It doesn’t really change or develop her connection with Wyatt (as I said, if anything, it puts them on even more unequal footing in what they’re willing to do/commit) but with Flynn? …. Yeah. He loves her, but he’s gonna be startled by it, and it adds a whole new dimension to all their past interactions (especially 1x10 and 2x10) and their development and their partnership to take down Rittenhouse (the literal princess/last blood heir and their greatest nemesis), the symbolism of that, the decisions that they have made in that interest, and for their characters both together and apart, and honestly. That is the kind of romantic conflict/angst spanner I’d expect/that makes more sense for the couple that’s going forward, not back.