#also the episodes are aired in production order and season two is missing

[morningmask27]

i was just vibing and opened up nickelodeon’s site (in dutch) they are currently running fucking victorious in dutch and i have never felt so much emotional damage at once. the voices are fine, but it still hurts.

[ncisfranchise-source]

“Tiva” is back. CBS Studios is expanding its ever growing NCIS franchise by bringing back two fan favorite characters from the mothership series, Tony DiNozzo, played by Michael Weatherly, and Ziva David, portrayed by Cote de Pablo, who will reunite on screen for the first time in 10 years. Paramount+ has given a 10-episode series order to the untitled spinoff headlined by Weatherly and de Pablo and written by John McNamara (Trumbo, The Magicians). All three executive produce.

Nicknamed NCIS: Europe, the new action-packed spinoff, set to start production later this year, will follow Tony (Weatherly) and Ziva (de Pablo) as they find themselves on the run across the continent.

NCIS is one of CBS Studios’ most valuable franchises and its expansion has been a goal for the studio. This is one of two new NCIS offshoots greenlighted this year, along with the Young Gibbs prequel series for CBS, NCIS: Origins. It is also the second extension of the NCIS franchise beyond the U.S., following NCIS: Sydney, which has been airing on CBS in the U.S.

After Ziva’s (de Pablo) supposed death, Tony (Weatherly) left the NCIS team to go raise their daughter. Years later, Ziva was discovered alive, leading her to complete one final mission with NCIS before she was reunited with Tony and their daughter in Paris. Since then – and where we find them in the new Paramount+ original series – Tony and Ziva have been raising their daughter, Tali, together. When Tony’s security company is attacked, they must go on the run across Europe, trying to figure out who is after them and maybe even learn to trust each other again so that they can finally have their unconventional happily ever after.

“We’ve been talking about this story for many years, and now with John McNamara at the helm, we are ready,” Weatherly and de Pablo said. “The world of Tony and Ziva (and daughter Tali) promises to be an action-packed roller coaster fueled by love, danger, tears and laughter. We also want to acknowledge and thank the fans from around the world who supported the ‘Tiva’ movement for years. To this day, they say hello in grocery stores and on the street to tell us how much these characters mean to them and ask what Tony and Ziva are up to now. This is for you!” 

Weatherly hinted at a potential ‘Tiva’ reunion last month when his New Year’s tweet, “It’s time to look at time and enjoy the moment!” prompted a fan to respond, “We all would rather look at you and Ziva reuniting.” Weatherly highlighted the comment, adding, “Stay tuned… for this might be an interesting year for such ‘moments’!” He further fueled speculation this week by responding to a fan tweet lamenting about him and de Pablo, “miss the chemistry and magic you both create,” with the cryptic, “the universe works in mysterious ways…”

De Pablo, Weatherly and McNamara executive produce the spinoff series with Laurie Lieser, Christina Strain and Shelley Meals. The series is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

“I’m incredibly excited to step into the NCIS universe with Cote and Michael and thrilled to explore it from a few new angles,” McNamara said. “Given that the franchise is such a global sensation, I think it’s phenomenal that CBS Studios and Paramount+ have given us the greenlight to shoot in Europe. As to the title of this series, if I told you what it is, I’d be violating the Espionage Act.”

Weatherly, an original NCIS cast member, had been with the series since its launch in 2003. He left after 13 seasons and went on to headline another CBS/CBS Studios drama, Bull. Speculation about his potential return to the NCIS franchise picked up after Bull ended its run last spring. He recently did a surprise cameo in the Ducky tribute episode of the mothership series.

De Pablo joined NCIS in Season 3. She appeared in Seasons 3 through 10 and exited the series early in Season 11. In the Season 13 finale, it was revealed that Ziva apparently had died in an explosion in Israel. She returned three years later in 2019, where it was revealed she was alive and had gone into hiding. She made a surprise unannounced return in the last scene of the season 16 finale, which aired on May 21, 2019, in which Ziva arrives at Gibbs’ basement to warn him that his life is in danger. She later appeared in the first two episodes of the show’s 17th season and in that season’s 10th and 11th episodes as part of her storyline.

Weatherly, repped by Anonymous Content, Verve, and McKuin Frankel Whitehead, and de Pablo, repped by UTA and Entertainment 360, have remained close off-screen. In 2018, they teamed up to executive produce detective drama MIA, which was set up at CBS.

Twenty-one seasons in — currently ranking as the third-longest-running U.S. primetime drama — the mothership NCIS series remains the most watched non-sports program on broadcast. A big global seller, which once ranked as the most watched drama in the world, the venerable procedural has spawned three spinoffs in the U.S., NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: New Orleans as well as NCIS: Hawai’i, which kicked off its fourth season. The franchise recently went international with its first non-American offshoot, NCIS: Sydney, which also has done very well in the U.S., ranking as the most watched new series of the fall.

Veteran showrunner McNamara most recently served as an executive producer on the Apple TV+ series Physical and prior to that co-created and executive produced Syfy’s The Magicians.

[gorgynei]

i wanna watch critical role but i have no idea where to start 😭

this is like the best ask to ever get as a critter. there are plenty of good places to start, its just up to you to choose where ^_^

personally, i recommend starting with campaign two. the whole story is completed, its totally standalone from other CR content (so you don't need to watch anything else before), and it has much higher quality setup compared to campaign one. it is very long, but such is the way of critical role, you've just got to jump in. i promise you, its so good

of course the obvious answer is to start with campaign three. its currently airing, it has the fewest episodes, it's CR's flagship show, its great. however, as much as i love c3, it's not the most beginner friendly campaign. its totally possible to enjoy and love it without having seen previous campaigns (i know MANY who started with c3 and loved it!) but imo its enhanced by having seen c1 and especially c2. not knowing the world lore and history makes it a bit harder to grasp what all is going on and a lot of the plot intrigue is fueled by things that happened in c2 if you DO want to watch c3 first, it's a good idea to start with exandria unlimited prime because it introduces 4 of the characters in c3 and is kind of a prelude to the main campaign. it is a little boring (sorry exu), so its understandable if you don't want to watch it, you just might miss out on some context in c3. it's up to you really

you could also start with campaign one, but its hard to recommend over the later campaigns because early c1 has a lot of rocky moments and overall poor production quality. its a good time!!! but not the best first impression for a new critter. luckily, the legend of vox machina exists!! if you want to, you can watch all of the legend of vox machina season one, and then start c1e39 and be pretty much caught up and have skipped over the worst! but if you feel you can stomach poor mic quality and bad editing (and a really irritating ex-cast member), i do recommend watching campaign one starting from episode one :-)

there are some other orders you can watch in but none of them really make sense for CR. getting into the nitty gritty of "when to watch [insert CR show]" would take forever, so just try starting with one of the campaigns and see how you like it!! jooiin the fold

TLDR; start with campaign two its the most beginner friendly and doesnt require you to watch anything else

[tomwambsmilk]

This is such a long post that nobody asked for but I've been seeing Discourse again...

I feel like something that’s missing in most of the discussions I’ve seen on Tumblr about how streaming companies like Netflix have changed TV production for the worse is the profit motive. Or at least, it’s misunderstood. For example, I see a lot of people complaining about how Netflix only considers a show worthwhile if a bunch of people binge it as soon as it comes in, which is true - but I don’t know that everyone understands why, and it's lead to a skewed perception of what's actually going on, and why various studios and platforms make the decisions that they do.

The thing about Netflix is that it’s a public company that's currently unprofitable - so, every single thing it does is oriented toward "growth" (gaining new subscribers). Every show they decide to invest in, they do so because they think it’ll make people who don’t have Netflix want to get Netflix. And if they launch a show, and a whole bunch of new people join the platform, AND their viewer data shows that this show received disproportionate viewership in the same month all those people joined the platform - then it was a good investment. The further out you go from the release, the less correlation there is between the viewership of a show and new subscribers, so the less those viewer numbers matter to them.

Additionally, people talking about the show is more valuable to them than people actually watching it, because people talking about the show gives them free word-of-mouth marketing. Once your friend has bought a Netflix subscription, Netflix doesn't care what they watch, or at what pace. So obviously, if you can make everyone feel like they need to watch the entire show RIGHT NOW because everyone is talking about it and they can't avoid spoilers, that's a much stronger marketing strategy than letting people watch at their own pace.

And that’s why seasons are so short - a longer season costs more money and won’t bring in any extra subscribers, so it's a bad investment. It’s also why Netflix shows tend to be cancelled after only a couple of seasons - if a show hasn’t brought in many new subscribers after the first two seasons, it’s not likely to do so in the future, and so it becomes a poor investment, regardless of how many people already on the platform love it. And even beloved shows like Stranger Things eventually reach a point where everyone who loves it is already on the platform, and even though it's still massively popular it's no longer profitable on the same scale.

All of this is to contrast with network TV, where the revenue comes from advertisers. The more eyeballs are on a show, the more money a network can charge for ad space during that show. So the more beloved a TV show is, the more episodes you want in a season; even if the quality of some of those episodes is poor because the creative team is overworked and underpaid (ie exploited), people will still tune in and you’ll still make money. And that’s also how you end up with shows of 10-15 seasons, even if the show starts to suck around season 8 or 10; as long as enough devoted fans are still watching the show, they can still charge mega ad dollars and make a lot of money. A long-running show with name recognition will make more money, even when it sucks, than an excellent brand-new show with no name recognition. It also means that shows that are self-contained “plot of the week” type shows do a LOT better than stories with season-long arcs, because those shows are more likely to attract casual viewers in addition to regular ones, and people are less likely to abandon the whole show if they miss an episode or two. Plus, if you don't need to worry about the order a season airs in, you can make a lot more money off of rerun adspace outside of the regular season.

And finally, growth looks different for a network. On Netflix, a single person can only provide a single unit of growth, because you're only going to purchase one subscription, so there's very little incentive for Netflix to cater to existing subscribers so long as the platform is 'good enough' for them to avoid cancelling. On the other hand, network growth is calculated based on viewership. So, let's say I watch "The Office" on NBC every week, and nothing else. And then one day, a friend tells me how much they love this other NBC show, "30 Rock", that's halfway through its second season, so I start watching that. That's growth for NBC! They can now charge a little bit more for ad space on 30 Rock than they could before - and it's happened without a whole new person needing to be introduced to their network. So there's a strong incentive to pay attention to what existing viewers want, rather than just focusing on what brings in new viewers. After all, not watching one specific show is a much easier decision than cancelling an entire platform subscription. (The downside of this is that network TV creators are far more beholden to the demands of the audience than a show on a platform like Netflix or HBO, and that can lead to sacrificing some creative integrity).

Overall my point is that the entire structure and shape of TV shows has ALWAYS been motivated by profit. That doesn’t mean the complaints about Netflix are invalid - they are VERY valid and I agree with most of them - but I think it’s important to diagnose the problem correctly: the people with the money to make a tv show are also usually the people who would like to make as much money as possible off your tv show, and will manipulate it accordingly. What’s the solution? I’m not sure, but pretending that these studios are making decisions based on “bad data” or “not understanding what people want” or just pure caprice is simply naive. Its not that they don't know what you want - they just don't care.

[cyclone-rachel]

2022 Omniverse Rewatch + Episode Ranking

Part 4: Arc 4

assorted thoughts and observations:

• This is just a wild way to start a season, really. • Are you sure, Ben? • Also, I see they updated the intro to have teen Ben’s Feedback design. • And what exactly do they want? • I still love that they got Jim Cummings in this episode. • How does Max know about the fleas? • These idiots. • Well that can’t be good. • You can order different things, you know. • Okay, that’s a good one. • This guy really sucks. • Yeah I’m sorry I don’t have more notes on this one, it’s just real weird. • Wouldn’t expect Albedo to use incorrect grammar. • It would be neat to see Albedo have a version of Ben’s Omniverse hoodie in his colors. • Also never thought I’d see this guy again. • Albedo is goofing up just enough that it’s believable he’s Ben. • It would also be interesting if Rook knew this was Albedo, but was going along with his pretending to be Ben because he wanted to see what Albedo would do. • You know a lot, obviously. • That portrait is still outstanding. • Nobody eats chili fries like that. • Yeah, he has the wrong colored Omnitrix to be Albedo. • Rook should definitely know something is up. • So why is his Omnitrix the same color as Ben’s? • Man, poor Ben, and Rook honestly. That sucks. • Why does she need a containment suit? • Do you ever shut up? • Albedo as Goop looks really cool. • As does I can’t spell his name. • Oh hell yeah, Argit. • Classic alien abduction style. • God, I missed Khyber. • And of course Khyber’s used to his coworkers constantly shit-talking Azmuth. • I was just about to ask, did they just steal from a museum or a library? Okay, so it’s museum, nice. • Also to be completely fair to them, some museums do have excellent weapons displays. • How about actually using some of those weapons? • Wait, so Ben seriously has a flip phone? • Aww, so this isn’t the first time that Ben has brought Rook over to his house. • Also I guess he doesn’t go home that often? Like, does the Plumber base have a bed for him, or something? How often does he sleep? • Then what exactly is it? • Is she serious about that? • So you are saying you’re dumb. • Did Ben just slide into the Plumber base? • Like Ben, I think Bloxx is a good choice. He is neat. • You have 14 Necrofriggian children, Ben. Come on. • Wait, is that a real thing? • I can think of something that would match that description. • Okay, that is pretty funny. • I love Rob Paulsen so much. • Who even builds a train track that goes up that high? • Take that hat off, Ben, there’s probably something gross in it. • Rook has the right idea. • That’s nice. • So this version of the theme song has more sound effects. • Maybe he’d be quicker with the info if you would care to listen to him. • Don’t you remember? • That’s real creepy. • Also, if it’s going to be all electrical aliens like I remember it being this episode, they definitely could have had Brainstorm, and then also did a proper flashback with Malware, so Corey could be in it as two characters. • So Max cares about Phil’s condition but not another character who definitely suffered and was in a lot of pain? • And I know it isn’t in this order in terms of production of course, but airing it as the last episode of the season does kind of match with/foreshadow the Galactic Monsters arc to come (like it has the same vibe), which is cool. • “Magister Tennyson’s monster” does that really describe him? • Not gonna hold him for long, judging by the amount of time left in this episode • Again, major props to Rob Paulsen, he’s doing a very good job! • Also funny that he mentions Patelliday, given who voices him as well. • “we’re not Cerebrocrustaceans” oh come on. • Ben, please chill. • I was just going to mention Kevin, yeah. • Appreciation for how Shocksquatch has a Canadian accent, and is voiced by a Canadian. • Oh YIKES • Well shit, this does make episode 3 more relevant. • And that makes sense. • But without them, what’s powering Undertown? • Poor Max. • I guess this is when he hooks up with the Rooters? Unless he was with them before finding a way back to Earth. • What are you even doing? • Also, why is he in Plumber jail? He’s just a regular guy, right • Oh yeah, I guess Yuri isn’t in this episode. • Uh, Zs’skayr did this once, and it definitely didn’t work. And yeah, he did it too. • Kind of impossible to keep him away from it, if they’re driving towards it. • Also, maybe letting it get destroyed wouldn’t be such a bad thing? Given what it is. • Also also, maybe it’s not the best idea to mention Malware to him? Not sure how long after the Feedback thing it is. Or maybe it’s before that? I don’t know. • You didn’t get the point of what they were trying to say, Ben. • Okay, that was funny. • Could’ve at least gotten out of the Rustbucket. • Well that’s clever. • So when exactly did Gwen’s magic change color? • It would’ve been neat if at some point, it turned yellow, because that was its color in the 10K timeline. • Why’d he call her Ben? • Wildmutt is so tiny! Or at least he looks tiny here. • Of course they’re tech support • Is climbing that thing really that much of an effort? • I love how that line was read. • And when were those systems last upgraded? • Didn’t she pronounce it differently last time? I guess that would make sense, if you want similar spells to have different effects, like in the OS. • He has a point. • Just eat the helmet! • So what does Upchuck’s poop do? • I still don’t get the episode title. • That guy has a great design. • Gosh, this is really the season of “Rob Paulsen is great/has a ton of range”, isn’t it? • I like that Jimmy has the UAF jacket.

• So Steve Ahn is an actual guy, who did in fact work as a storyboard artist on this episode and many others in this show, and worked on other shows like Generator Rex, Legend of Korra, V*ltr*n (Legendary Defender), Guardians of the Galaxy, the 2012 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Ben 10 Ultimate Alien, and recently directed episodes of Star Trek Prodigy and The Boys Presents: Diabolical. Very cool. • If I had a nickel for every “haz cheeseburger” reference in this series despite that being a big popular thing about six or seven years before this show aired… well, we’ll get there. • “bloag” vs “blob”, choose your fighter • Of course aliens would know and hate those guys. • Insert other conspiracy theory about frogs here. • If they’re not metal, then what are they? • So what would you call him, if you don’t consider him a nerd? • “medieval minds” is a great phrase • It does make a lot of sense that Harangue would work with the Knights. • Tim Curry is great, as well. • I’m sorry, HIGHBREED pulse generator? Genuinely didn’t catch that before now. • How many aliens live on Earth and not in Undertown? • Would that even work? • “reheated leftovers” is a very good way to describe them. • Not wrong. • Those are alien cows? Also this is good teamwork, I like it. • Never say “impossible” to Ben. • So how old is Jimmy at this point? • Uh. Yikes. • “ignore my calls” so are they dating or something • Forever Nuts is a great name for them • Yes, Ben! • “ah, the classics” aww I like that • Again, excellent teamwork this episode. • Actually, yeah, if he couldn’t get Gray Matter, that was a very good alternative. • “America the Beautiful” plays” oh my god

• FORESHADOWING! Harangue is the one who supports the Vengers, isn’t he? • Man, what perfect karma for him, I love it. • I will never get tired of Ben’s motorcycle, it’s very cool. • That’s nice of him. • He even has a 10 on the keychain. • For a second, XLR8 had his 10-year-old design. • That can’t be good. • “Have a good time at the car show… but not too good a time.” What, is she expecting him to fuck a car? • So glad nobody has to actually go through any toilets. • Gosh, Gwen has a sad cat poster on her bedroom wall. • Is that not your only shirt? At least for now. • Lucy is a cutie pie. • This really is the Rob Paulsen season, isn’t it. • “There’s a traitor among us” someone please do that edit. • So how old do you have to be to enter Plumber Academy? • Also don’t be insensitive, Max. • That’s a real scary face, Gwen. • Wait, is that actually how they’re related? • Wouldn’t that make them not really cousins? • Why was that your line to begin with? • Gwen is so powerful • How does Ben know about the borrowed shirt thing? • Also I guess Ben now has a smartphone? • She didn’t like Kevin for another 4 years, come on. • Of course it’s that thing again. • That’s a very cool ship design. • Did he mean to rhyme? • So she’s been taking judo since she was 7? • Oh my god, Ben. • Why the emphasis on that phrase? • First of all, it is cool to have two episodes being linked and taking place at the same time in different locations • Also I do really like the look of the Null Void here? I just think it’s neat. I don’t remember how it looks in the other versions, but this one is cool. • Awwww, tiny Argit! • And what’s wrong with cell phones? • The proto-tool isn’t just a weapon. • Of course he’s here. • What does a Plumber look like, exactly? Also what does “depending on the configuration” mean. • Oh my god, is Argit jealous • Wasn’t that technically Albedo’s idea? • In only that definition of “straight”. • I would’ve liked to have seen an episode about that. • How many times has Ben said that word? • Otto: “Quite a remarkable vehicle you have here. It would be a shame if something happened to it.” *turns it into a giant robot* • So the transformer… LITERALLY turns it into a Transformer. I don’t think that’s how it works in real cars, but it’s still cool. • I mean, if you couldn’t go for a pun that would probably get you sued, this is the next best thing, because the actual meaning of the word “gestalt” is very accurate. • Again, incredibly nice of Azmuth to teleport you there at all. Also, never mind I think Ben could’ve just contacted Azmuth through the Omnitrix, that makes sense. • “it’s hard enough just getting him to return a message” how many messages have you left on Azmuth’s answering machine, Ben? • What would he want with a star system? Can you buy the stars? • UPGRADE! YEAH THAT’S MY BOY! • I mean I love Diamondhead and Heatblast too, they’re probably my top 3 OG series aliens. But gosh Upgrade is cool. • He has a point. • OH HELL YEAH • If anyone wanted to know what Ben as a Cybertronian would look like, there’s your answer, kind of. • I do wish that would’ve been more explored, what he thinks of Galvanic Mechamorphs and all. • Also it feels weird that he’d have an “11” on him instead of a “10”, but I guess that’s just because he’s using Kevin’s car. • Damn, Ben did the Malware move. • Every time. • Couldn’t he just break it off into pieces and sell those? • Do the colors look different, or is it just me? • Also I guess Khyber knocked him out again. • Again x2, I think this would’ve been an excellent opportunity for Ben to use Upgrade, because he has no “natural predator”, only for the Nemetrix to turn Khyber’s new pet into a more feral version of Malware. • I mean, Albedo and Ben have the same DNA while Albedo is in human form, so I don’t know if that would help. • So is Azmuth not answering Max’s calls because he was captured? • Also again, I guess this is the episode where Albedo learns about Malware being kept in the Galvan museum, because there’s no other time he could’ve learned that before teaming up with Vilgax to take his remains and have Vilgax wear his corpse as armor. • It is weird that aside from Ditto’s, we don’t see any new predators in these two episodes. • Also I guess there was some time in between last episode and this one, so Rook got his truck repaired? • Hathor? Very interesting name for a planet. • Max is right. • Yipes. • So which one is the original? • Is that all the predators in the Nemetrix, period? • Ben getting his Katniss Everdeen moment. • I still think it’s so funny that an episode where Ben is trapped in an arena, hunted down by a bunch of creatures, and ultimately escapes by making a hole in the “sky” which is really just the roof of a big dome, aired the day after Catching Fire’s premiere, a movie wherein the same thing happens to its heroine. Also, Catching Fire is just really fucking great, as a movie or as a book. • Albedo wouldn’t be satisfied with that. • So when is Eric Bauza going to play MODOK? • They’ve come so far, it’s really nice. • I definitely remember these lines being in trailers. • Of course, Feedback again. • Khyber going all Vanna White here. • The way he said that is just really funny to me. Also, if anyone can find any interviews that Rene did where he mentioned playing Azmuth, please let me know. • Uh, don’t you say in Malgax Attacks that you always plan ahead, and that’s why you’re the First Thinker? • That looks incredibly uncomfortable. • Smarter than Azmuth, you’d think. • So why is his intelligence presented in that way? • And how do you know so much about Galvan brains? • That’s not good. • What a big explosion. • I don’t think Rook’s truck can take much more of that without being repaired. • Let me guess, and pocket change? • This is incredibly important. • Also, I would’ve appreciated getting to see some more ultimates from Albedo? Besides Arcticguana and Gravattack, and Rath who we’ll see later on. • This just reminds me of the headcanon of Ben being a Ke$ha fan. • Maybe Ben would have a Tiktok? Although I guess he’s on the youngest Millennial/oldest Gen-Z side, since he’d be a little older than me if his timeline roughly lines up with our own. • Again, I really wish Dadzmuth had shown up at some point. And I wish we’d have learned more about Azmuth’s parents. • He does look very cool. • I love Kevin so much. • Why do you even need glasses? • “I am no man’s quarry” yes, but you’re now actually a woman’s quarry. • That does make a lot of sense. Although I don’t think it was a good idea for you to just straight-up eat Khyber’s new pet. • Oh that does look cool. • Did Pesky Dust just almost do the Sailor Moon pose • Okay, I do kind of love this, and would like to see an official AU where Khyber joins the team even though it is I guess his nightmare/dream/whatever here. (or another one where Malware does, for obvious reasons). Also it’s doubly hilarious because David Kaye does voice Max in the reboot. • And we know how much Khyber loves trophies. • Oh hey, it does come back! • We love a man who drinks his respect women juice in this house. • He feels power building inside him and sees a world that only he can create. They really are more similar than Albedo would have thought. • I love that, at the halfway point of this series, we have this moment, where Albedo acknowledges that this is an Omniverse. Which of course will come up later, and we’ll see it in 10 more episodes. • Also how cool would it have been if we did have Albedo literally say the words Malware did, and have him realize that they’ve become so similar? Also I’m sorry that I keep bringing up Malware, I just think he’s neat and had a lot of potential. • So why exactly was he with Vilgax and Eon and the other Bens? • ATOMIX! • Ben just yeets them into the sky • Not every time, Ben. Come on. • How much does Ben call Azmuth? • So he did get his truck fixed. • You had to ask, didn’t you?

Arc 4 rankings: 1. Max’s Monster 2. A Fistful of Brains 3. Return to Forever 4. For a Few Brains More 5. Mud is Thicker than Water 6. The Ultimate Heist 7. OTTO-Motives 8. Evil’s Encore 9. Food Around the Corner 10. O Mother, Where Art Thou?

Basic thoughts: So, this was a really weird season? I feel like we probably could’ve used one more arc episode, with Albedo meeting Khyber and teaming up with him, fleshing out where Albedo’s been since we saw him in Ultimate Alien and what Khyber’s been doing since we last saw him in Showdown part 1. I was surprised at how much I really liked my top episode this season, I didn’t remember it much but it was great! Return to Forever was also really, really good, and I liked that we got an interconnected pair of episodes in this season as well, even if it wasn’t connected to the main arc. I think this is also when we start getting 3-episode arcs, which is fine, but I’d still prefer 4 per season. We also get a classic Animo episode, a very strange season premiere, and an episode that’s funny but unconnected to anything else here.

Original rankings: 1. A Fistful of Brains 2. For a Few Brains More 3. Max’s Monster 4. OTTO-Motives 5. The Ultimate Heist 6. Mud is Thicker than Water 7. Return to Forever 8. Evil’s Encore 9. Food Around the Corner 10. O Mother, Where Art Thou?

[adultswim2022]

Baby Blues #2: “Rodney Moves In” | August 18, 2000 | S01E07 Adult Swim air-date: January 6, 2002 - 10:30PM

Okay, I will have far much more to say about how I number these episodes than the episodes themselves. That’s a shame, I guess. I also fully intended Baby Blues recaps to be a daily occurrence, but I got COVID and spent a whole gosh darn day yesterday not feeling up to the task of watching stuff that wasn’t braindead twitch content or whatever.

So, the numbering I’m sticking with is the way Adult Swim aired them but with the Christmas Special bumped up to episode #1, NOT JUST BECAUSE it occurs chronologically before any of the other episodes but also because I read one thing on wikipedia claiming that it was produced in 1998 before the series was a thing and wound up getting shown at some weird random point.

OKAY: about that: I have looked at the production numbers (which are actually on the ends of the episodes during the credits), and the thing is that there are missing numbers in the sequence which makes me wonder if the Christmas Special somehow occupied two production codes (one for it’s original “intended as a standalone Christmas Special” version and one for it’s “we put the Bare Naked Ladies theme on it so it’s an episode of a TV show now” version).

This also makes me wonder if that the small handful of episodes bearing slightly different production numbers (which could mean nothing; but in many cases would signal a whole new production cycle) were actually produced for the mythical season 2; so there might not actually be 13 episodes missing because three of them DID air as part of season 1.

Anyway, it’s not clear cut. I have no idea. I don’t feel like figuring it out conclusively, and I’m guessing the Adult Swim order resembles some kind of intended-order as best as this show has. “Rodney Moves In” is a fairly good re-introduction to the show, assuming the standalone Baby Blues Christmas special were to air before this series did and this got to be promoted as the first episode of a new series.

The opening scene has the wife calling her mother in the middle of the night, trying to get tips on how to get her baby Zoe to stop screaming through the night. The mother scolds them out of nowhere for watching South Park, making this show part of the canon of light-hearted family fare that makes itself seem edgier my merely mentioning an edgy-but-popular property as something a  character enjoys. But unlike Minkus bragging about going to go watch Beavis and Butt-head, there isn’t a studio audience to whoop and holler at the reference. This lets you know this show isn’t going to be as edgy as South Park, this show is about normal schmucks like you who merely WATCH IT.

This episode continues the thread of Rodney and Zoe’s relationship; the MacPhersons find that the only way Zoe managers to relax and sleep through the night is if Rodney, the obnoxious 8-year-old neighbor boy, spends the night with her. A creepy sexual element is very VERY lightly implied here, but the nature of the conflict is soft-peddled and the show really only needed to focus on one bit: Rodney’s attempts to extort the family for monetary gain. This is a small element of the plot. And yet, the episode’s whole story actually hinges instead on some hazy principled stand the family takes that “this probably isn’t super healthy for Zoe” I mean, I guess, but the show seems to be unwilling to examine WHY exactly, I guess you’re supposed to think it’s weird that an 8-year-old boy would wanna hang around a baby so much and NOT be fuckin' it.

They had a much more interesting and tidy concept with Rodney’s heel turn, shaking the family down for cash for his services. That amounts to a scene and nothing else, really.

Lame show! Eleven to go!

[gale-gentlepenguin]

Gale Talks: ML Season 4 Retrospective: Episodic to Serialization

(Season 4 Retrospective Post series)

(Heads up i will be discussing season 4 so some spoilers will be involved)

The Timeline

To be an episodic a show must have each episode on its own have a standalone story. Now that doesnt mean some things cant be overarching themes. But for the most part, the key difference is that someone walking into a random episode can quickly figure out whats going on and what each character wants while not needing to have some sort of context

In season 1 of Miraculous Ladybug it is pretty much a fact that it is episodic. It has Marinette doing something that involves some sort of problem, there is an akuma attack that may or may not be related, Marinette transforms into ladybug to fight crime with her partner Chat noir. They defeat the akuma, and Marinette is able to learn a lesson or solve the problem she was facing. Lather rinse repeat.

Now up until the season one finale and Origins. Anyone could pop into a random episode without any context and figure out everything they need to know to enjoy the episode.

There were some character introductions that occured in the season but they aren't necessary.

For all intents and purposes, it was optional in understanding. Miraculous Ladybug in its first season was Episodic.

Now Season 2 was the start of needing some previous season knowledge. One needed to know that Adrien found a tome from his father's safe in Volpina and that Ladybug met the one that handed out the miraculous to her and Chat noir.

Season two is what I like to call the "Dipping the toes in Serialization". Because while the introduction of the guardian was a huge step... it wasnt always needed to be known when you were watching an episode in season 2. Now compared to last season there are more important episodes that while the episodes tell a typical monster of the week story, there is more going on that one needs to understand. The introduction of Kagami and Luka show that the love square has more complications... but they are only needed to be known for one episode (Frozer). The introduction of Rena Rouge, Carapace and Queen bee, are other examples of needing some additional context. The episode sandboy in which Gabriel learns about the guardian and we learn about how many more miraculous there are.

But despite all of those developments, similar to season 1, missing a chunk of episodes wouldn't leave the watcher in too much confusion, maybe missing a piece or two at most. But the formula is still very much the same. But the season did start the trend of overarching plots that brought more to the story should someone continue. But the truth is, it only applied to some episodes while others it didnt.

This is what I like to call the Mostly-Episodic era of ML. Since there is only some things that make people question certain things, the status quo is still very much intact and one could watch an episode like Prime Queen and an episode like Gorizilla and grasp whats happening.

Of course the season 2 finale does introduce us to the newest threat, Mayura. But for everything else, the status quo is still intact.

Now we enter season 3, Or as I like to call the Semi-Episodic era. This is where knowledge from the previous seasons starts becoming more of a requirement. Chameleon re-introduces Lila (who was in the season 1 finale) and has her become a bigger player this season. Chloé's actions from season 2 impact how the heroes treat her and how they are trying to not give her a miraculous this time around. The love rivals introduced in season 2 that had maybe one episode are now much more prominent and have episodes dedicated to the love rival ships. And the episode feast reveals what happened to the guardians, (a mystery that has been in the air since the start of season 2). Now this was also the time when the airing of episodes out of production order actually started to become a concern, as season 3 could be divided into two sections, Pre-Feast and Post-Feast. Because after Feast, Fu's identity was discovered and he couldnt risk staying in one place, constantly having to move about just in case hawkmoth started snooping. While opinions on the episode vary, many fans would agree this was the point where episodes could be seen as more and less episodic, as information needed to be kept track of, did Hawkmoth know if a certain character was picked? What miraculous was used at this time? Where was Fu? How far has the love rival ship progressed and how does it impact the dynamic.

It is at this point that if someone picked a random episode in season 3 they would likely need more things answered. But there were plenty of stand alone episodes, such as Oblivio, Reflekdoll, Stormy weather 2.0 (a clip show but it does answer questions so...) Animaestro, and so on.

It is also known that Season 3 was one of the more divisive seasons in ML and I think it is partially due to this Half and Half method of the show. Its clear that the show wants to go fully serialized but still fears losing the appeal that comes with being episodic. But looking at this as a stepping stone for the next season does bring more into perspective. The Season 3 finale is the most status quo altering episode to this point. It has Fu removed as the guardian and Places Ladybug as the guardian, it has Chloé's status as hero or villain officially decided, it also puts an end to the whole dangers of the peacock miraculous and even puts the love square on ice as Marinette and Adrien decide to date the love rival characters. This was the start of the Serialization of ML.

_____________________________________________________________

ML and Serialzation

Serialization means engagement with a story and its characters and sustaining change over time.

ML season 4 starts with an entirely new status quo. Marinette is the official guardian of the miraculous. It is there were character dynamics, development and story lines start really going into full swing.

Only one episode takes a step away from the progression of the plot. Psychomedian (It also one of the most loved episodes of that season)

Season 4 starts right on the bat with Truth and Lies. Giving perspectives on Adrien and Marinette's lives now with Fu out of the picture. We see Marinette struggle with her responsibility of being a guardian. We see relationships fall apart, and thats just the first two episodes.

Gang of secrets also dropped a bombshell, Alya learning that Marinette is Ladybug!

The episode after that introduced Ladybug's new power, and so on.

Each episode had some new addition or change that made alterations to the status quo, Some changes bigger than others. But this was the big change in season 4. A lot of complaints this time was more around how things were handled and the random episodes airing at different times (the later of which is not the shows fault.)

Now I think the complaints are mainly because people are not use to judging the season as an overarching narrative. A lot of season 4 episode endings and plots can seem lukewarm of even lacking in some regards compared to the endings of other season episodes and that is by design. Season 4 has a lot of plot threads and most of those threads are present in the episodes as they progress, so when they havent been resolved, they do make the episode seem less fulfilling. (Plotlines such as the Ladynoir conflict, but thats for another post.)

The best way to judge season 4 is not episode by episode, but as a whole, because the journey starts with Marinette being the new guardian and ends with Ladybug and Chat noir on the roof staring down Hawkmoth who has a lot more powers now.

Now remembering that, I can say that ML season 4 didnt take a massive risk when it was transitioning to full serialization, it was slowly walking to reach this point. It was setting its viewers up to reach this point. I can say that the method it did it was... shaky, but the end result is that season 4 of ML had more of the stakes and drama that I felt was missing for most of the show, it was exciting to see how things were progressing and rewatching episodes with the full context of the season adds a new level of depth. But it also means that episodes in the season do feel a bit less filling and more hollow as a result.

So for the fans that liked the episodic nature where they didnt need to over analyze and just enjoy a show about a bug heroine and a cat boy beat up baddies and some cute klutzy flirting, that is understandable and I get that the serialization is not for you. But if you wanted ML to take a more mature turn and have things change and develop, its a step in the right direction.

[theawkwardanglophile]

TheAwkwardAnglophile’s Year in TV Shows: 2021

I had so much fun putting this together in 2020 that I decided to do it again, although I’m a little late in actually posting it. Oh well! This only includes shows that aired new content in 2021, or content that was new to me. Be warned: SPOILERS ABOUND! Here is the list in alphabetical order:

Behind the Attraction: I’m a Disney World fanatic, and was delighted to find this gem on Disney+ that went into the history and development of some of the most iconic rides ever.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine: I MISS IT ALREADY. Their final season was so good, especially seeing Peraltiago as parents to adorable little Mac. But the series finale?? *chef’s kiss* I don’t think I’ve ever watched anything with THAT many callbacks crammed in. It was insane and chaotic and ABSOLUTELY PERFECT. One of the best finales ever! NINE NINE!

Call Me Kat: I’m going to go ahead and say this first: this show is nowhere near as good as Miranda, its British predecessor. But I have enjoyed it so far. I love Mayim Bialik’s quirky energy, which I’d missed since Big Bang Theory ended. All the characters are fun and interesting, and once they stopped trying to copy all of Miranda’s plots and came up with more original material, that’s when they really found their footing.

Derry Girls: An absolutely fascinating, hilarious surprise! I was so swept up in the culture and uniqueness of this show. I’ve never set foot in Ireland (although I would LOVE to), but I did go to high school in the ‘90s, so I appreciated the nostalgia.

Emily in Paris: Ok, I know. I KNOW. But it’s fun, colorful escapism for me, and I just really don’t care that’s it’s hated. Luc and Mindy are such fun characters, and Gabriel is GORGEOUS. Season 2 flowed really well, and I absolutely fell for Alfie.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier: I enjoyed this so much more than I originally thought. I didn’t have much connection to Sam or Bucky from the movies, but through the medium of TV and the time for character development, I began to care for them. Probably my favorite scenes were when Sam and Bucky tossed around Cap’s shield outside the house, and our new Cap’s speech in the last episode. Oh, and of course, dancing Zemo!

Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous: I really cannot say enough good things about this show! The animation is great, and the characters are fantastic. There is all the suspense, adventure, and feels you would expect from the movies. I hope there are more episodes to come!

Loki: Amazing, simply amazing. I loved Loki’s journey, and his dynamic with Mobius was pure gold. He Who Remains absolutely came in and stole the show in the last episode. Incredible performance. But I think my fave character is the TVA itself. What a brilliant aesthetic. I just wanted to roam around the TVA and explore, learning their systems. And, I’m also a little partial to it since I’ve been in its real-life location many times (the Marriott Marquis in Atlanta).

Lost in Space: STRESS. This show is pure stress, one high-stakes disaster after another, which obviously makes it interesting to watch. But STRESS. Their final season was probably not my favorite of the three, but they ended it well, and that’s all I can ask for.

Monsters At Work: Absolute marvelous perfection. Not kidding. You can tell how much care they put into crafting this. Wonderful callbacks, and I loved how they continued the Monsters Inc. story without having the focus completely on the main characters. We got to see a completely fresh perspective with wonderful new characters. Ben Feldman voicing our protagonist? Yes, please! I’ve hardly seen any buzz about this show, even when it first came out, and it’s SO worth the watch.

Motel Makeover: Don’t waste your time on this. It piqued my interest, this idea of renovating an entire retro motel, but the two designers are so obnoxious and their voices are nearly unbearable. That being said, I still ended up watching the whole dang thing, because I had to see the finished product.

Never Have I Ever: I really fell in love with this show! It was heartfelt and hilarious, and nearly every scene with Devi’s dad made me cry. I’m also 100% Team Ben.

Only Murders in the Building: Wow, this was so incredibly done. Steve Martin and Martin Short, are you kidding me? Obviously it was hilarious. I was completely sucked in. I should have been able to figure it out sooner than I did, but it’s not my strength. LOL I really love the opening title music and animation, too.

The Rookie: MY CHENFORD LOVING HEART!! They are my current top ship, and while I love all of the characters, Tim and Lucy are the main reasons I watch. I love them dearly, and it’s led me to writing more fanfic again and interacting with the wonderful fandom on here. Season 3 had some wonderful moments, and although season 4 hasn’t been the best, I’m still hopeful for more good content to come!

Star Trek: DIscovery: I feel like season 4 has been truly delivering. They have touched on grief, identity, belonging, mental health, in addition to all the action and adventure they normally have. There have been so many beautifully written lines that I lost count. Looking forward to seeing the rest of the season!

Star Trek: Lower Decks: So much fun. Just ridiculous amounts of fun. I love the core four, and my boy Tom Paris got to make an appearance, which was a delight!

Star Trek: Prodigy: I have been a Voyager fan literally since day one, and always loved the powerhouse that is Janeway, so having her back is wonderful. These new characters are intriguing, and the animation is GORGEOUS. Each episode just leaves me with loads more questions!

Supermarket Sweep: Always a fun, easy watch. I still have such a soft spot for the original, but Leslie Jones has grown on me a lot. Plus, there seem to be way more bonuses nowadays.

Superstore: They also had one of the best series finales ever! SIMMOSA! They got back together, and married, and it makes me happy even thinking about it now! Garrett’s final announcements over that montage was just perfection.

This Is Pop: A really interesting documentary diving into different topics in the music industry. Very enjoyable.

WandaVision: My FAVORITE Marvel thing EVER. It was a glorious TV viewing experience. I don’t even know how to fully put it into words. Everything about it was excellent. EXCELLENT. Plus, it gave us one of the beautiful lines I’ve ever heard uttered on TV, which I now have on a necklace, “What is grief, if not love persevering?”

What If...?: Out of the 4 Marvel shows I watched, this was my least favorite. But there were some good moments. The Captain Carter, Black Panther, and Thor episodes all stand out. But the Doctor Strange one? GEEZ, that was so heavy. That sat on me long after it aired.

Young Sheldon: Still overall, I love this show. However, it’s clearly starting to shift into the reality we were told about many times on TBBT, and I’m not sure exactly how I feel about it, or how they will actually play this out without losing some of the show’s best qualities. I’m also curious what happens with puberty hitting Sheldon and Missy, and the actors that play them. I did really like them bringing Howard back!

Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist: My heart! Season 2 took a lot of different turns, but I loved that! There were so many good episodes, and I was devastated when it was cancelled. Max hearing heart songs?! And as much as I love Simon, I was thrilled about Zomax getting back together. And then thankfully, we got Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas, which was pure joy (and tears, a lot of tears). I guess that is the final ZEP (is it??), but it was a perfect way to close out a show that means so much to me, and was cancelled WAY too soon.

And that’s it. But I’m always around to discuss and yell about these shows some more! Feel free to send an ask or message!

[ghostflowerdreams]

Audio Drama Recommendations

Recently, I’ve been on a audio drama binge and there’s a couple that I found that were really good, interesting or just fun and enjoyable to listen to. They’re not in any particular order.

DUST -- each season contains an interesting and immersive sci-fi audio story. I first started with Season Three: CHRYSALIS, which is a 14-part drama that begins with an AI that awakens after the genocide of the human race by an unknown alien species. [COMPLETED]

It’s very well produced and it’s got an impressive voice cast of Corey Hawkins (Straight Outta Compton, 24: Legacy), Toni Collette (The Sixth Sense, Knives Out), Lance Reddick (John Wick Series, Fringe), Haley Joel Osment (What We Do In The Shadows, The Boys) and Matthew Wolf (The Royals, Missing Link), Shea Whigham (Boardwalk Empire, Perry Mason), Chris Diamantopoulos (Silicon Valley), Dominic Rains (Chicago Med, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) and Jaboukie Young-White (The Daily Show, Someone Great).

Note: Chrysalis is a Science Fiction Web Serial Novel posted to the subreddit /r/HFY (short for "Humanity, Fuck Yeah!") by the Redditor BeaverFur. Everyone enjoyed it so much that it was then turned into a audio drama.

Season Two: FLIGHT 008 (of DUST), is a 11-part drama created by 11 of the biggest writers in science fiction. Each episode contains unique stories that all follow a single thread: a non-stop flight from Tokyo to San Francisco that passes through a wrinkle in space-time and lands in the year 2040. So you don’t need to follow the order of when the episodes were aired. [COMPLETED]

It has performances by an all-star cast too: Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey, Beauty and the Beast), Calista Flockhart (Ally McBeal, Supergirl), Reid Scott (Veep, Venom 2), Keith David (Barbershop, The Princess and the Frog), Alfred Molina (Frozen 2, Frida), and Danny Trejo (Con Air, Heat).

Old Gods of Appalachia -- is a horror-anthology set in the shadows of an Alternate Appalachia, a place where digging too deep into the mines was just the first mistake. [ONGOING]

In the mountains of central Appalachia, blood runs as deep as these hollers and just as dark. Since before our kind knew these hills, hearts of unknowable hunger and madness have slumbered beneath them. These are the oldest mountains in the world. How dare we think we can break the skin of a god and dig out its heart without bringing forth blood and darkness?

It’s got a fantastic and immersive atmosphere that I could almost feel like was sitting at a campfire in the middle the woods as the narrator does an excellent job at delivering a well written spooky story.

The Phenomenon -- is a serialized sci-fic horror audio drama based on the book by R.K. Katic. It follows people from around the world during a major cataclysmic event which drives mankind to the point of extinction. It starts off with an ominous warning, “Do not go outside. Do not look at the sky. Do not make noise.” [COMPLETED]

It’s got a huge cast, full sound design and the episodes are about 20 minutes in length.

We’re Alive -- it follows a large group of survivors of a zombie apocalypse in downtown Los Angeles, California. Twelve chapters make up one season, and there are four seasons with a total of forty eight chapters. Each episode is approximately twenty minutes (sometimes even 30 minutes), making each chapter about an hour long. [COMPLETED]

It’s definitely a movie for your ears with it’s excellent audio production and great voice actors. There’s also two spin-offs, titled “We’re Alive: Lockdown” and “We’re Alive: Goldrush.”

The Angel of Vine -- is a 10-part fictional true crime audio story about a present day journalist that uncovers the audio tapes of a 1950s private eye who cracked the greatest unsolved murder mystery Hollywood has ever known... and didn’t tell a soul. [COMPLETED]

It stars Joe Manganiello (True Blood, Magic Mike), Alfred Molina (Spider-Man 2, Frida), Constance Zimmer (Entourage, UnREAL), Alan Tudyk (Firefly, Doom Patrol), Camilla Luddington (Grey's Anatomy, Tomb Raider), Mike Colter (Luke Cage, Evil), Misha Collins (Girl, Interrupted, Supernatural), Khary Payton (The Walking Dead, Teen Titans Go!), Nolan North (Uncharted, Pretty Little Liars), and Oliver Vaquer (Andi Mack, Jane the Virgin).

Malevolent -- is a eldritch horror, mystery in the 1920s and the story follows Private Investigator Arthur Lester in Arkham, Massachusetts as he unravels the mysterious circumstances that have befallen him. It heavily features the horrors of Lovecraft as well as the mechanics of Chaosium’s famous system without the inclusion of rolls. [ONGOING]

How it works is that patrons of the audio drama decide on what happens next or what Arthur does. So something as simple as choosing which lead to follow first could have deadly results. Additionally, making a choice may not only lose time but valuable resources such as money and objects. Every choice has a consequence. Listeners know when a choice was decided on when you hear the cue of dice dropping onto a table.

Darkest Night -- is a binaural audio drama that places you, the listener, at the center of a recovered memory that sounds as though it’s happening around you in real time. Each chapter delves into the last memories of the recently deceased, slowly revealing a horrifying master plan. Who is weaving this master conspiracy, and what is their ultimate goal? [ONGOING]

Darkest Night is narrated by Lee Pace (The Hobbit, Guardians of the Galaxy, Pushing Daisies) and features acting performances from Denis O'Hare (American Horror Story, The Nevers), Maynard James Keenan, Missi Pyle (The Artist. Dodgeball), RuPaul, Michelle Visage, and Jeffery Bowyer-Chapman.

I’ve only listen to season one and it was great. It’s got great sounds effects, acting and they don't hold back on the grimness or gore. I’ve also heard from others that seasons two, especially season three are lackluster, but make of it what you will.

The Phone Booth -- is a superhero drama that takes place in a world where 15 years ago, a girl named Beca Orlofsky stepped into the sky and exploded. Over the course of the following week, 99% of every living human on the planet gained a super-power. Now, podcaster Joe Pollard gives us interviews with people who went to sleep ordinary and woke up as something else. [ONGOING]

We Fix Space Junk -- is a dark sci-fi comedy that follows seasoned smuggler Kilner and reluctant fugitive Samantha as they travel the galaxy, dodging bullets and meeting strange and wonderful beings as they carry out odd jobs on the fringes of the law. [ONGOING]

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL

May 2021 Wk 3

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs.

It’s a cray cray Friday when Vietnam gets its eng subs up before GMMTV Thailand. What alter-reality are we in? Well, the Vietnamese offerings are better right now anyway. (Oooo, feel that burn.) 

Ongoing Series - Thai

Top Secret Together Ep 2 - pulping it up in the best possible way. Sure sound and production values are pants, and in classic Thai fashion the editing in post is exacerbating (rather than fixing) pacing issues, but it’s still CUTE AF. I don’t even mind the added university storyline, because they’ve got good chemistry (and a confident gay fresher after a panicked gay hazer is an old favorite... what can I say, SOTUS was my first love). We aren’t spending too much time with any one couple, so it’s weighted a lot better than Brothers was, but also character development is slow. 

Siew Sum Noi Ep 2 - Unfortunately, it’s just too hard to find, plus no subs. I’m dropping it in the hopes it comes back on my radar some day. 

Y-Destiny Ep 8 - (Thurs) It’s rough having a ghost boyfriend, half your friends are scared, the other half think you’re crazy, and kissing shortens your lifespan. This was a cute couple even if I wasn’t wild about the surrounding story. 

Close Friend Ep 5: (Dear My Star/JimmyTommy) - about high school penpals. It had to rely entirely on voice over work as the actors only meet face to face at the end. It’s a good thing they are appealing screen presences on their own, with good vocal control. It’s hard to imagine any other BL pair carrying this kinda plot. It’s by far my favorite of the series so far, and I’m not even a big JimmyTommy fan. 

Fish Upon The Sky Ep 7 - no subs. Do we care? Not really. Because we have... 

Nitiman Ep 3 - currently my favorite out of Thailand. It’s the university Thai BL i’ve been waiting for since... when was the last good one? My Engineer? Yowza. Anyway we got: head on my shoulder, baby is a floppy drunk (but still wants to be in control), proximity alert, boyfriend’s closet, seme gets seriously jelly, and a cute twist on feeding him. There’s something fun and complex about Jin’s character. He’s not a panicked bi. He knows exactly what’s going on, he just hasn’t decided if he wants Bb or not. He clearly enjoys being looked after, the compliments, and the attention, but he’s not sure if he’s going to like what happens if he gives in. I like that twist on the usual tsundere uke archetype a lot, cautious rather than willfully obtuse or freaked out. We can see Jin realizing in stages: I like this person, I like that they like me, I like the romantic attentiveness. But in the background is... do I actually want to f*k him? It’s a dynamic we don’t often see on BL. 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

HIStory 4: Close To You (Taiwan) Ep 10 fin - the most ridiculous show using BLs worst tropes in a sort of weird smoothie of bitter greens and too ripe banana. The ending was the sappiest cheesiest thing ever, like cheese syrup tapped from the cheese tree. So of course I loved it, but I’m pretty sure I giggled through all the bits meant to be profound. Because, in the end, to tolerate this show at all, you just can’t take ANY of it seriously. RECOMMENDED (with some SERIOUS reservations and trigger warnings.) Full review here. 

Be Loved in House: I Do (Taiwan) Ep 1-2 - I don’t mind a damaged seme character but this one is a bit weird for me. Like creepy Cheese in the Trap level weird. On the bright side, the story has given our tsundere uke good motivation for his angst and great existing friendships, loyalty, and likability. Plus I’m invested in the cafe owner/innocent puppy side dishes. So if it’s only the seme character I’m not jiving with, and he’s the most established actor, it should all turn out fine. I believe in you, Taiwanese BL. 

Papa & Daddy (Taiwan) Ep 6 fin - speaking of belief. This such a good show but they gave us a cliffhanger ending. Now we must hope against hope for season two. That’s never guaranteed with Taiwan tho. So, I’m docking a few points and saying, RECOMMENDED so long as you realize it’s a cliffhanger. 

Love is Science? (Taiwan) Ep 1-9 (BL subplot) - this is a good het romance, but the fact that the BL subplot is a beautifully acted disaster bi + confident gay means you’re hearing about it whether you want to or not. Plus they just added in some GL! Come on! I gotta support Taiwan normalizing queer to this extent. They are fighting the good fight and if I also have to watch a career lady and her much younger softest straight boi get it on, too? Twist my arm with that service sub subtext. Go on Taiwan, TWIST IT. It’s on Viki. Join the revolution.   * Incidentally if you actually like the D/s het dynamic of this show, I highly recommend Japanese Kimi wa Petto - career woman keeps a hot young dancer boy as a pet. Oh yes, an actual pet, that IS the pitch. Never doubt Japan when kink is on the line. It’s also on Viki. Go get your kink on, thank me later. (If it helps: That was not a request.)  

Most Peaceful Place 2 (Vietnam) Ep 2 (AKA 5) - love triangles aren’t my thing, but if you’re gonna do it short form, by all means bring in the lead’s other BL pairing so the chemistry is on point. Now I've no idea who I want him to end up with. Can’t they just be in a poly triad? 

My Lascivious Boss (Vietnam) Ep 7 - I’m still enjoying it a lot. It’s still unabashedly queer and the tension is ramping up. We now have secret identity, blackmail, femme fatale, faen fatale, and incoming seme confrontation. Best of all, the series is still airing, which makes it longer than any other Vietnamese BL I’ve seen (aside from Tein Bromance - which is just too weird to count). 

Gossip - Thai BL 

SEVEN PROJECT TEASERS

No one is entirely sure what Studio Wabi Sabi’s Seven Project/7Project will entail. 

It might be like Close Friend (1 episode per couple, no linking), 

or Y-Destiny (2 episodes per couple, loosely linked), 

or The En of Love (4 episodes per couple, linked but independent consecutive stories). 

They’re giving the couple’s arcs separate titles. So each one would be what? Seven Project: Once Upon a Time or the like? We’re in Taiwanese title territory people and NO ONE WANTS TO GO THERE. Anygay... 

Once Upon a Time is the BounPrem (og UWMA) anchor story, and seems to be the most dramatic and likely saddest. These two can handle most of what’s thrown at them at this juncture, so it should be good. 

Vs Love is a BoomPeak (og Make it Right) university vehicle. Since I thought Boom was done with our nonsense, I couldn’t be more thrilled and surprised this pair is doing another show together. I don’t think either of them are the greatest actors but I find Peak very endearing and Boom charismatic on screen, so I’ll watch. 

Would You be My Love is the hotly anticipated SantaEarth launch. They’re a (cultivated) IRL ship and Earth is an established BL actor. They have great chemistry and high energy so this could be lots of fun. 

We are also getting a GL from this series from established BL actresses Samantha and Pineare. Nothing teased yet on that, but I’m looking forward to this installment the most. Also curious to see how the ladies handle the branding and promo side, not to mention the culture. (Thailand variety shows gonna force *girls* to play the Pepero game?) 

Secret Crush on You upcoming Thai BL with no release date, co-produced by and featuring (but NOT staring) Saint and directed by Cheewin (sigh) with all fresh faces. (Previously known as Stalker the series.) It looks like pure pulp and I’m not wild about the plot but could be better than expected as it’s adapted from a novel. Cheewin is an okay director when he has an actual story to follow. 

Don’t Say No the series. Coming from the producers of TharnType this is the JaFirst vehicle many have been waiting for. Friends to lovers + a good boy/bad boy pairing on a sports romance foundation. It’s basketball so they tapped Meen as well (he’s semi-pro). The bad news? You get one guess as to who is writing the darn thing? Yep it’s MAME. So, ya know, expect some slam dunk kidnapping, a light dribbling of rape, and me turning into a basketcase. AKA... 

Will I have to live blog this series in order to survive it? That seems to be the only way I can. So probably. Which means the bad sports puns will continue. Look, if I’m suffering, SO ARE YOU! 

Rumors of a new YinWar vehicle The Best Story (mini series) coming in July. Also rumors that their previously announced Love Mechanics (full length series) has either been delayed, is facing money issues, or is moving studios, or all three. 

Breaking News 

DELAYED (I’m talking these three off the watch list until we get new airing dates) 

Love Area’s release was pushed out but it got a trailer. 

Golden Blood was supposed to drop Weds but comments in MDL report that it is delayed due to C19.  

Love’s Outlet (Taiwan) is supposed to have started a 50 episode run (only 3-5 min each, what utter nonsense). Sadly, this delay is due to a surge in cases in Taiwan which was doing so well, but also doesn’t have many inoculations. 

Bad Buddy has started workshopping at GMMTV actual. 

Kang Insoo’s BTS for Nobleman Ryu’s Wedding is SO FLIPPING CUTE. You have to watch it. Trust me, I don’t rec behind the scenes stuff often. 

Next Week Looks Like This: 

Some shows may be listed later than actual air date for International accessibility reasons.

Upcoming 2021 BL master post here.

Links to watch are provided when possible, ask in a comment if I missed something.

[boydgearloose]

DuckTales Theory: The Rightful Heir of Scrooge McDuck

With the finale on the horizon, I've been thinking a lot about where they could potentially take the whole "rightful heir of Scrooge McDuck who is destined to find the Papyrus of Binding" thing. After rewatching the whole series thus far a few weeks ago, it's been on my mind a lot, and with all the news we've gotten about the finale recently, I've managed to piece something together that I think is pretty plausible. I want to warn you guys right away that this post will have spoilers for the finale promo that was released on Monday, so if you haven't seen it and don't plan on checking it out, please don't read any further! That being said, let's get into this.

For starters, let's look at what we know about the rightful heir to the Papyrus of Binding so far. FOWL is taking all of the missing mysteries and it's included, but they can't retrieve this one on their own. In The First Adventure!, Scrooge wrote that it shall go to "the rightful heir of McDuck" and "that those who attempt to harm any of them will be incapable to getting it." Therefore, nobody in FOWL would be able to retrieve the Papyrus because none of them are Scrooge's heirs and they've all tried to harm him and his family in some way. Another thing to note on the topic of this particular episode, despite being the finale of the show, The Last Adventure! is a clear parallel title to The First Adventure!, where the Papyrus was introduced, so it's likely to be found in the finale.

Now, let's look back to The Split Sword of Swanstantine! At the end of this episode, it's shown that Black Heron has gotten a feather from one of the McDucks for some mysterious reason. Many assumed this would be a cloning situation, where they need to get McDuck DNA in order to replicate a "rightful heir" who hasn't hurt Scrooge or his family in order to get the Papyrus back. However, a lot of the fandom seemed to think it was Scrooge's feather. I personally don't think that is the case. In the episode, we see Heron swipe at all of the children.

She very well could have picked up a feather from one of the kids instead. Of course, the triplets are the first to come to mind because they are essentially Scrooge's heirs, so it would make sense if she was after one of their feathers. But then, I started thinking and realized that none of them really take after Scrooge entirely. Huey primarily looks up to Fenton and Donald (if you're looking for someone inside the family) and leans toward being a superhero/scientist rather than adventurer. We know from the last episode that Dewey wants to be a pilot and has always primarily looked up to Della more than anyone else in the family. Louie you could make an argument for, but he only really admires Scrooge because of his money. He doesn't like adventuring and would rather focus on strategy.

So who could the rightful heir be? Well, there's really only one choice and it fits infinitely better than the rest. I'm very certain that Webby is going to be the rightful heir who is destined to find the Papyrus of Binding. There is a ton of evidence hidden throughout the show since season 1 of this, and I've collected all I could find. I'm sure I even missed some.

First of all, let's get into Webby's character. From her first appearance, she's shown to idolize Scrooge and everything about his family. She's invested in McDuck history and dreams of becoming an adventurer just like Scrooge. In fact, the episode of the series that introduces FOWL way back in season 1 is one that focuses heavily on Scrooge's bond with Webby. There's also the part in A Nightmare on Killmotor Hill! where it's revealed that her perfect dream is quite literally turning into Scrooge. She also believed him longer than the other family members in 87 Cent Solution! There's LOTS of stuff in the show about Webby looking up to him, too much for me to even include in one post.

Season 3 is focused on legacy. We've gotten focus or are getting focus on the legacies of each of the triplets: Huey being a superhero (we could get more of this tbh), Dewey being a pilot and whatever's going on with Louie in the next episode. What about Webby's legacy? Well, it's very clear to me that it lies with Clan McDuck. The last Webby-centric episode we got was The Fight for Castle McDuck!, one that heavily focused on why she's a part of the McDuck family and heavily revolved around getting a placement in it (the whole statue thing). This episode really felt like it was leading up to her ultimate legacy being to follow in Scrooge's footsteps and become a great adventurer. It was also very recent and not counting the Christmas episode which was likely out of production order, the last Webby episode before the finale. (Also, I think it's important to note that the first season 3 episode that heavily focuses on FOWL has a Scrooge and Webby B plot. Just food for thought.)

Another important thing that I just noticed is that in the season 2 finale Moonvasion!, at the end of the FOWL reveal, the camera SPECIFICALLY pans in on Webby hugging Scrooge. This is a deliberate decision, as Webby could have easily been shown with the triplets of Beakley in this scene. But they chose to put Scrooge and Webby front and center.

Another thing to point out is that FOWL's intentions with the feather is obviously cloning, as mentioned before and theorized by many. In the finale for the promo, we saw two new characters with an interesting resemblance to Webby. It's very likely that May and June are the results of them trying to clone Webby through her feather.

However, they don't look exactly like her. Their color schemes and hairstyles are different, and we know by the casting announcement that they have different voice actresses. Therefore, I don't think FOWL has mastered the art of cloning just yet. They need a perfect clone of Webby, and much like Bentley and Buford (who appear to be clones of Bradford, I'm gonna be real), they're like Webby but not exactly Webby. I wouldn't be surprised if they were sent to the lost library for being "rejects," where they're later found by the family, explain why they were created and open up the exposition for The Last Adventure.

How does FOWL know Webby is the rightful heir? I don't know. I don't think we'll be able to determine that until we know more. But I feel like they somehow do and plan on making the perfect clone of her to retrieve the Papyrus before the McDucks are able to. This is a bit of a stretch, but maybe Beakley knows about this too and is keeping it from Webby because it opens her up to danger. Who knows?

And one more thing before we wrap this post up: remember when Frank said something from Last Crash of the Sunchaser! would come up in season 3? That had to be about him stating Webby wasn't family. It could very well be brought up again in the context that Webby isn't only family but the rightful heir of Scrooge McDuck himself!

Anyway, that's about all I have. I'm sure there's more evidence, and if you have any, feel free to respond with it or send it to me via DMs or asks! This will definitely be on my mind until the finale airs LOL

[twdmusicboxmystery]

Beth hints in Ten Days in the Valley (SPOILER WARNING)

Okay, so I try not to put a lot of significance into off screen Beth hints or Beth hints in other programs, but this show has been on my “to watch” list for a while so I finally got around to buying it on Amazon.  I must say it is a good crime drama, well cast and a fun watch. But moving on…..TDITV is a 2017 release by ABC, a sister/partner company of AMC.  TD has long suspected “hints” are dropped in some of the ABC programs.  Well, I found some WHOPPERS which I would like to share.  SPOILERS BELOW.

Synopsis:  A crime drama writer’s (Jane) young daughter (Lake) goes missing.  There are many suspects.  EK plays the role of Casey, the assistant to the crime writer, Jane. She is also dating Jane’s exhusband.

1) From the start, “Casey” has a lot of “Beth”.  She appears to be  a bit immature and gawky though the the character is probably mid 20’s range.  She wears teen type clothing, her hair is in funky ponytails often including braids, and she often has an elastic hair  tie around her wrist, reminiscent of Beth’s bracelets, and the camera makes a point to zoom on it several times.   She loves children and connects very well with them. She has a strong, domineering older sister.  She seems like a weak and rather flaky person, but  (spoiler warning) masterminds a fake kidnap of the little girl in order to expose her crime writer mother as a “bad” mother who is a workaholic, takes prescription and recreational drugs, and drinks heavily.  She does this in order to help crime writer’s ex husband, who Casey is dating, gain custody of his daughter so the three of them can live a happy life together. Going from weak to strong and “changing” like Beth wanted to change, and indeed did.

2) (Spoiler) Casey does die in the show - and here is the big one - Casey dies in EPISODE FIVE,  Beth dies in S5. CAUSE OF DEATH IS GUNSHOT WOUND TO THE FOREHEAD, ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF BETH’S WOUND AND SLIGHTLY LOWER TO BE TRULY FATAL, BUT THE SIMILARITY IS GLARING. SHE ALSO IS WEARING A DARK GRAY HEAVY RIBBED LOOKING SWEATER WHEN SHE IS KILLED.  SHE IS ALSO TRYING TO “SAVE” LAKE,BECAUSE HER SISTER WHO IS CARING FOR HER DURING THE FAKE KIDNAPPING HAS DECIDED SHE WANTS A LARGE SUM OF MONEY “OR ELSE”. SIMILAR TO BETH TRYING TO SAVE NOAH WHEN SHE WAS SHOT IN CODA. Now, we don’t see the view of her lying on the ground with the bullet wound until the beginning of the next episode, much the same way we saw Beth in WHAWGO, where she appears in Ty’s hallucination with the bullet wound and bullet lodged in her head.

Casey also sings  some in the show, and the song she sings in the car has some eerie Beth vibes too. It is called “Don’t Let This Be Our Final Song” and the lyrics include carrying on, faith, etc.

ALL of this CANNOT be purely coincidence.: There’s just no way.  I would like to hear you thoughts on this.  I know at the time of airing Conviction was said to have some Beth hints as well, maybe I will watch it next.  Thanks for reading! :)

TWDMusicBoxMystery:

Yeah, for sure. I totally agree. I did post about this back when it happened, but I can’t find it now. It may have been sent to me in an Ask, and I generally don’t index those. Guess I should.

But yeah. TDITV was another ABC show. One of those 1-season, small productions that was never meant to go beyond that. I remember watching the first episode or two, but I wasn’t terribly impressed with it overall, so I didn’t stick with it.

When the episode where Emily’s character was shot aired, I had tons of people sending it to me.

Overall, I’ll say two things about this. 1) They’re reminding us of Beth’s character and what happened to her. No way she just coincidentally takes a role where the EXACT same thing happens that happened to Beth. 2) This is yet another ABC show. So, recently someone asked me if I thought Lauren’s Whiskey Cavalier, which has Europe ties, was a hint at stuff to come in TWD. The answer is, I can’t say for sure, but I think it’s a good possibility.

I know that short of thing may sound out there to some people, but remember that AMC and ABC are under the same umbrella management, we see actors go between productions of the two studios, and many TWD actors have appeared in both. So, they can totally use shows–especially the 1-season pilots ABC does every year–to hint at things or give their actors part time work until they’re needed on TWD again.

(P.S. I actually have more Big Sky stuff that I’ll post next week. Nothing groundbreaking. Just more hints, much like this one.)

So yeah. Totally with ya on this. It’s a huge clue. No reason for them to do this unless they’re hinting at and trying to remind us of things having to do with Beth.

Thanks for your thoughts and the great reminder! Xoxo! 🌸💗

[dtrhwithalex]

TV | Leverage (Season 1, Rewatch)

Rewatch of the first season of TNT's LEVERAGE (2008-2012), created by John Rogers and Chris Downey together with Dean Devlin and his production company Electric Entertainment.

In anticipation of the show's reboot / revival / sequel LEVERAGE: REDEMPTION coming to IMDbTV on 09 July this year, I am rewatching the original 77 episodes and writing about my favourite moments and things from each episode, season by season.

(Just a note, this first season was aired out of order, so the dates won't actually form a chronology, since I'm going with the intended order rather than the one they were aired in.)

101: THE NIGERIAN JOB

D: DEAN DEVLIN. W: JOHN ROGERS & CHRIS DOWNEY. Original Air Date: 07 December 2008.

I have lost count of how many times I have seen this episode (or any episodes of this show to be completely honest), but it holds up every single time. It is one of my favourite, if not the favourite TV pilot episode I have ever seen.

The way this pilot sets up who the main characters are and what the core of this show is, is simply perfect. The introduction of Nate at the bar being approached by Dubenich, then the intercut between him convincing Nate to do the job and the actual job happening -- just wonderful. The same goes for the individual introductions of the other players. Nate's comment about Parker ("no, but Parker is insane") which plants a thread for the rest of the show already, the flashbacks of each character to exemplify who they and what their talents are, combined with the episode then showing you those talents and what Nate can do with them -- which is, of course, his talent -- sets up this whole show so well.

So many seeds that come to fruition throughout the show are already planted right here. Nate's mentoring of Parker to become his eventual successor as Mastermind ("Haircuts, Parker, count the haircuts" -- "I would've missed that"), Eliot's role as protector, the iconic overhead shots and the gloating, the alternate revenue streams, "Hardison dies in Plan M" -- it's all already right here in this episode. A brilliant piece of writing. Hats off to Rogers and Downey, no questions asked.

Rewatching this episode made me think of what this show is about, in its essence. Yes, it is about standing up for those who can't do so themselves, taking on the bigger bad, showing how corrupt and terrible the world can be, but also how much good there is to still find in the world. But also, this show is about a lonely man being actively bullied into the family he didn't know he needed or wanted, but will eventually come to realise is the one thing, the only thing that is keeping him alive. LEVERAGE is the story of a man and his crusade to avenge the death of his child, but is is very much also the story of a man who finds a reason to keep getting up every morning in the four people who are on this crusade with him. And this pilot episode already holds the seed and the potential of all of that. And that is why this show is to this day still my favourite show of all time, because it is utterly perfect in every way.

102: THE HOMECOMING JOB

D: DEAN DEVLIN. W: JOHN ROGERS. Original Air Date: 09 December 2008.

I absolutely love how John Rogers was like okay first episode, some greedy asshole who does whatever he wants for his own gain, we'll take him down a notch. Episode two? Hmm, oh yeah, the government is completely corrupt, filled with rich greedy assholes who do whatever they want for their own gain and always get away with it. Not on my watch (I love him very much, thank you).

This episode, once again, so good. The re-introduction of every character in this new reality of Nate's crusade is just as brilliantly done as the original introduction of them all. Sophie at an audition (love the John Rogers cameo here) completely butchering it once again, Eliot beating up some thug, Parker stealing valuable art, and Hardison doing what he does best: creating a beautiful office-slash-home space for the team, putting his all into their backstories, the equipment, the behind-the-scenes workings of what they need to get the job done. My man.

The message of this particular episode is also just something I am very fond of. The rehab facility doctor's words in the beginning, and then in the end again -- "people don't just show up to help. that's not the way the world works" -- as well as Nate's ultimate answer to her, "so change the world." That right here is the message of this show. It's already right here, all up in your face, episode two.

I completely adore what this episode does for the character dynamics already. The detail Hardison puts into the other's backstories, the interactions around the conference table, Eliot sharing his knowledge, Nate explaining the money laundering scam, the whole thing about laws being in a wooden box, Sophie elaborating why she knew Congressman Jenkins was lying to her -- they don't just work together, they already start giving the others insight into their talents and their knowledge and share that. It's beautiful. I especially adore the shot of them at the end, everyone leaning against the car while watching Corporal Perry and the other veterans debating what to do with the money. They are already so comfortable and at ease with each other, leaning into each other's spaces. They're family. You can see it here already.

Absolutely fantastic episode. For a long time, whenever I thought about The Homecoming Job, I somehow associated a more negative emotion with it than with other episodes, but I don't quite know why, because this is a brilliant episode and I love watching it.

103: THE WEDDING JOB

D: JONATHAN FRAKES. W: CHRIS DOWNEY. Original Air Date: 13 January 2009.

We love Jonathan Frakes in this house and every single time his name shows up with the director tag on this show, I know that I will enjoy every last second of the episode I am about to watch. Frakes directed the hell outta this thing. The Wedding Job is an absolutely excellent episode. Dan Lauria as our main baddie Nicky Moscone is perfect casting and there are so many great comedic beats in the scenes with him and Nate. Everyone, generally, is so weirded out by Priest!Nate, but Moscone just takes the weirdness in stride. This episode holds a very special place in my heart because it contains the introduction of my favourite FBI duo -- McSweeten (McSweetheart, as we call him) and Taggert. I adore these two bumbling fools so much, and I am so glad they kept being brought back, because they are both just so lovely. McSweetheart especially is very dear to me because of the D.B. Cooper Job from the last season (where, I ask, do I start my McSweetheart for Leverage: Redemption campaign?). Overall just such an excellent episode, really. So many great moments between our main characters--Sophie and Nate and their little "relationship" problem, Hardison and Eliot talking about marriage, Parker pretending she was waiting in the screening room to have sex with Hardison, Hardison appreciating Eliot's cooking. I also absolutely adore the beginning, the four of them convincing Nate that Teresa is definitely the type of client they take on. And Nate's resigned "Yeah, okay, yeah. Let's go rob Nicky Moscone. A guy who kills people and lives in our city. Yeah, let's go do that" as if they weren't going to go above and beyond any of that in the five years they will spend together on this crusade of his. You're so precious, Nathan. Of course, the ending of this episode is beyond brilliant, and lives both in my heart and my head rent free. It is such a magnificent found family moment. Getting Teresa the restaurant back, the news footage regarding Ray's appeal, and of course, Eliot cooking for them all, and them celebrating together, all of them. It is such a beautiful moment.

104: THE SNOW JOB

D: TONY BILL. W: ALBERT KIM. Original Air Date: 27 January 2009.

I adore what the client says to Nate in the beginning of the episode: "You work hard, you play by the rules, but when you need help, you really need help? They let you hang. They let you hang and it's your kid who pays the price." This show hammers home its message so many times in such great character moments and it makes watching these brilliant people take on these greedy bastards and robbing them for all they've got that much sweeter. It is such a satisfying thing to watch. Especially because they're all so damn good at this.

This is a great episode but it is infinitely funnier if you know and speak German, because it makes the scenes between Sophie and Eliot absolutely hysterical. And the delivery of the line that Ute Ausgartner says when she discovers they replaced her with Sophie is just wrong enough to crack you up.

Again some wonderfully brilliant comedic beats -- the Frakes cameo in the hospital waiting room, Parker casually hanging off the ski lift, Hardison and Eliot arguing over who puts dye in the dead body, Eliot carrying off a pissed of Parker, and so many more.

This episode also, for the first time, really gives insight into Nate's drinking problem. We had the one moment in The Homecoming Job, but this episode starts to explore it more in depths. And something that I've always appreciated about this show is that it never glorifies the drinking, but Nate is also never vilified for it. It is a fact of Nate's life and they explore different aspects of it, and everything is done with such care (which does not surprise me one bit since this is John Rogers' show).

The ending of this episode is also, once again, so beautiful and nicely done. It is just so incredibly satisfying to watch these greedy bastards get what's coming to them, and to see the clients be compensated beyond anything they'd ask for.

105: THE MILE HIGH JOB

D: ROB MINKOFF. W: AMY BERG. Original Air Date: 20 January 2009.

Another fantastic episode (you will realise that I will say this about every single of the 77 episodes this show has)! Amy Berg wrote some excellent stuff for this show, and this episode is one of them. Always a lot of great character relationship moments, and absolutely brilliant comedic beats.

I am very fond of the fact that here, in the early days, we have the whole team present around the table during the client meeting. We see all their reactions and inputs here already, and not later when Nate or Hardison (usually) relays the information of their next job to the rest of the gang. It's a very lovely moment.

I am also very fond of the entire recon bit at the GenoGrow office. Sophie's French rave-girl act, the others having to climb stairs, Hardison's absence, the cut from Parker's bomb to the microwave at the HQ, Nate, Eliot and Parker yelling "Oh it's right behind us, it's chasing us!" and grabbing Sophie on the way out, meanwhile the security guys completely buying it. Absolutely brilliant, all the way through.

Both Hardison's adventure at GenoGrow as well as the others on the plane contain so many great comedic moments. Hardison's Spanish maintenance guy act, his interactions with both Cheryl and Steve (talking into the cupboard? His fake meeting and getting Steve to take a dive? The whole birthday thing? A+ all around. Amy Berg, everyone) and of course the reaction he has to the plane safely landing on the highway ("lord I was so scared, I wanna cry and call my momma" I love him so much, y'all). I also have big feelings about Nate's pep talk to Hardison, "you can do this, I trust you ... the only guy I can count on in a situation like this." Sir, I am experiencing an emotion alright.

The sequences on the plane are of course also absolutely fantastic. Nate and Sophie's domestic, Parker's day job and her interactions with Marissa, Eliot being a big softie who holds Marissa's hand all the way up to the in-flight bar and hugs the woman he sat down next to when they safely land (womaniser, big softie. tomayto, tomahto). Also big shoutout to the fake names Nate and Sophie have. We love our DOCTOR WHO references in this show. I love these nerds very much, thank you.

106: THE TWO HORSE JOB

D: CRAIG R. BAXLEY. W: MELISSA GLENN & JESSICA RIEDER (GRASL). Original Air Date: 16 December 2008.

This episode also holds a very special place in my heart because it contains the introduction of our dearly beloved antagonist, Mr Jim Sterling, the absolutely amazing Mark Sheppard. We love Sterling in this house, yessir (again, where do I have to address my Jim Sterling For Leverage: Redemption campaign to?). Every moment he is in is fantastic, but I especially adore the conversation he has with Nate at the race track (especially the "Nathan Ford is a common criminal" -- "Common. That's just hurtful" bit of it).

This, of course, is an episode by our wonder twins, Glenn and Rieder (now Grasl), which they ended up naming the in-universe safe company after. Always fantastic work when the two of them are involved. Some amazing character moments again here.

We get to see some of Eliot's backstory with Aimee which in turn gives us two fantastic moments with him and the women of the team. I love his interaction with Sophie at the racetrack: "I like Aimee, I do. I mean it, I like you both, Eliot. I just, I don't know what comes of chasing the past, you know." -- "Well Sophie, sweetie, I don't think you and Nate get to serve me that particular meal." Just fantastic moment between these two, who I like to call The Conference of Mom Friends whenever they are in scenes together. The other interaction is with Parker in the car: "We need you to do this. I need you to do this." I adore Eliot and Parker's relationship and this already is a very early glimpse at the dynamic they develop which will eventually lead to beautiful moments like that in the ice cave in The Long Way Down Job in season four.

I also love how it is Hardison and Parker's discussion about horses that ultimately reminds Nate of the Lost Heir con. Aldis' delivery of "Wilbur loved Mr Ed! He loved him like a second cousin twice removed" is absolutely brilliant. Unsurprisingly, however, my favourite interaction of this episode is the one Eliot has with Aimee at the end: "You're never gonna be the kind to settle down, but I'm glad you found a family." -- "Th-those guys?" Yes, Eliot, those guys. You might not know it just yet, but that is absolutely your family, and the fact that an outsider already comments on it this early is simply perfect. My deepest gratitude to you, wonder twins.

107: THE BANK SHOT JOB

D: DEAN DEVLIN. W: AMY BERG. Original Air Date: 30 December 2008.

Amy Berg on the typewriter once again (typewriter? Alex what are you talking about this was 2008...)! I really like this episode a whole lot. An excellent one for Nate/Sophie, as well as Hardison/Parker. I have a huge soft spot for my crime children pretending to be law enforcement. Any combination of them is good, but Parker and Hardison as FBI agents especially is just exquisite.

This episode is also just fantastic for illustrating some of the small town criminal activity that happens from the top down. Judge Roy's entire bit about how "these little people" will do and say whatever he tells them to do and that, because he is the law in the town, he gets to decide what is actually true and what is not. To then have Hardison fake security footage and them turning the story against Judge Roy is of course poetic justice. I adore the moment when the bank manager Frank decides that sticking with the false facts these random people have come up with is the better choice than having the judge remain in charge.

I also really love the interaction Derrick has with Sophie and then later with Parker, as well as the moment of uncertainty in-between. His "I don't know what to do with that" when Sophie tells him she's a thief is so funny and so good. The turn of "but they're criminals....then again" when he looks out of the window on the way to Parker is also just a nice moment to illustrate exactly what Parker then later says, "sometimes bad guys are the only good guys you get." Ethics and justice are such muddy concepts and especially in situations like Derrick is currently in, there is no way of knowing who is actually good, who is bad, and who is just trying their best. It is a lovely moment and once again, one of those great instances of "important message within character moment" that this show does so well.

Of course, I am also very fond of Hardison's mention of DOCTOR WHO, his "Geek power baby, stay strong" line, Eliot's fight scene with the crack dealers ("stay in the car!"), Hardison's bullshitting the demands at the bank (Hall & Oates!) and, of course, last but not least, the return of my favourite FBI fools, McSweetheart and Taggert, getting yet another win laid in their lap by the Leverage crew. This episode is filled to the brim with greatness.

108: THE MIRACLE JOB

D: ARVIN BROWN. W: CHRISTINE BOYLAN. Original Air Date: 23 December 2008.

An absolutely excellent Nate-centric episode! We finally get a bit more of a view into Nate's past, aside from the ever-present flashback to Sam's death at the hospital. I really like the relationship of Nate and Father Paul, which I think is very interesting and so well done. Through Paul we get another side of Nate, which may have stayed hidden otherwise. I am also very fond of how Maggie is introduced here. She doesn't get a voice yet, but we learn about her through Nate, Sophie and also Paul, and I quite like that. It sets up expectations for her appearance in the finale, which is really intriguing.

This episode has so many great comedic beats as well, and I barely even know where to begin. From the team's inability to deal with Sophie's acting talents (or lack thereof) to the whole "It's not Santa" gag, the amazing faces Sophie pulls when the mark tells her about Bibletopia, Hardison's "God will smite us" thing -- there is just too much good stuff in this episode.

One of my favourite interactions in this episode was on the construction site, after Grant takes what he thinks are his meds.

Sophie: What is that you just took? Grant: Xanax. For my nerves. Parker: Actually caffeine. With a dash of dextroamphetamine. Eliot: You have him speed? Hardison, shrugging: He beat up a priest!

The look Eliot gives them then with a half-shrug, an expression which cannot be described as anything but "aight, fair enough" -- just absolutely excellent.

What I also really loved about this episode, is that we get to see more of the HQ than just the conference room. We have the team meeting in Nate's office, we see Sophie picking through her mail, Hardison making space so he can build fake Saint Nick statues. Added to that, the team is setting into such a nice familiarity with each other. Eliot brings Sophie a cup of coffee to the meeting in Nate's office. The fact that they all do get mail at the office. This is their space. I love it so much.

What this episode also gives us, is a first instance of the con possibly going side-ways because of how convincing it is. I adore that their possible downfall will never be incompetence, but rather over-competence. They are so good at what they do that sometimes their talent comes to bite them in the ass. We see this again, a bit different, in The Juror #6 Job.

The ending of this episode is very dear to me. It is a very lovely moment between Nate and Paul, but also Nate and the team. It creates such a beautiful moment of intimacy between these characters, which I think is done with extreme care, and it shows. This episode also very nicely sets up a nice sort of grounded-ness for the next episode, which I think the subject matter really deserves and needs.

109: THE STORK JOB

D: MARC ROSKIN. W: ALBERT KIM. Original Air Date: 06 January 2009.

This one and the next episode are excellent Parker-centric plots and this one in particular also has some wonderful Parker/Hardison content. Nate, also, is just very good in this episode as well. Keeping the tone the last episode established especially toward the end, this episode has such a nice grounded-ness to it. Nate's first meeting with the client is so careful in a way, and we don't always see that. Generally, Nate is careful and considerate in this episode, I think. Even when Parker goes rogue, he is so good with Parker (I attribute the brashness entirely to his director role here). It meant so much that he doesn't shoot down the idea of coming back for the other orphans, he knows how important this is to Parker (and Hardison).

With this episode we learn that both Parker and Hardison have grown up in the foster system. I really adore the conversation they have at the van after they find out about the orphanage -- Hardison telling Parker about his Nana, Parker's fear that foster system will be cruel to those children, Hardison's "I like how you turned out" -- it is such a lovely and meaningful moment. This and the "we're a team" / "a little more than a team" moments are such great instances that highlight the importance of these characters and their relationships in this show. It isn't just some crime procedural where every characters is replaceable at any given moment -- this show is about people, and about these specific people.

On a lighter note, I also really adore Nate and Sophie's dynamic in this. How they coach Parker and Eliot individually but at the same time, while also arguing about Sophie conning Nate back in the day, is just brilliant. Their "delightful banter" as Hardison calls it, is so good, and I absolutely love that Nate figures out the way to con Irina is the same way he would have to con Sophie. It's just too good.

David S. Lee as Nicholas is also incredibly good, although since watching THE LIBRARIANS I always expect him to swoon over a blonde and call her Duchess any minute.

110: THE JUROR #6 JOB

D: JONATHAN FRAKES. W: REBECCA KIRSCH. Original Air Date: 10 February 2009.

The lighter of the two Parker-centric episodes, but a brilliant one nonetheless. This episode also brings us the introduction of Peggy played by the lovely Lisa Schurga. We love Peggy in this house and, once again, I ask: where do I address my Peggy For Leverage: Redemption campaign to?

This episode is great for many different reasons, one of course being that Hardison is so good at what he does, that Parker's alias has to go to jury duty. What a talent, we absolutely have no choice but to stan. I love him so much. Other fantastic things that make this episode absolutely excellent are

- Nate's "there is not some evil conspiracy lurking behind the curtain of every routine civic activity" speech which he then has to retract,

- Sophie teaching Parker about persuasion with the help of Eliot who is absolutely precious in this interaction,

- Eliot's friend Donnie, who poses as another employee from the company Sophie pretends to be from, who then turns out to be Scottish,

- Nate and Sophie sending the kids off to work at the door, with a briefcase and handshake for Hardison and a snack and high-five for Parker,

and Hardison's entire act as a lawyer. He is so good. Of course his stalling is brilliant, but the turn-around once he has to actually try and win the trial? A masterpiece. I love how he tears the doctor apart for his drunken airplane misconducts, but what takes the cake by miles is of course his closing statement. He is just, so good, and such a goodhearted, wonderful person. I love how he directly addressed Parker. Hardison is full of sunshine and I love. him. so. much.

And I would be remiss not to mention how incredibly fond I am of the rest of the team watching the feed of the jury room from the HQ with such proud looks on their faces as Parker leads the other jury members and they vote in favour of the plaintiff. This is their girl and she's done so well. What a brilliant episode. My love to Becky Kirsch, honestly.

111: THE 12-STEP JOB

D: ROD HARDY. W: AMY BERG & CHRIS DOWNEY. Original Air Date: 03 February 2009.

Another episode, another instance of me asking the question: Where do I address my Hurley for Leverage: Redemption campaign to? We love Hurley! Drew Powell is absolutely fantastic, I adore him. Also huge shoutout to Joseph LoDuca for that absolute banger of a song that plays during the intro and the credits.

This episode has some fantastic Eliot/Hardison moments that are very dear to me. The two of them looking for Hurley and fighting over Hardison's slushy spill is just lovely. The whole car bomb sequence is also just completely brilliant. It's such a step in their relationship and I love it so much. The moment of "D'you want me to kick it?" / "God, I'm gon' die" is a wonderful comedic beat in this tense situation, but it is the bit after that I really adore. Hardison figuring out how to trick the bomb and then,

Eliot: What's our margin of error here? Hardison: 'bout half a second. Eliot: Run the ba-bag of bricks by me again? Hardison: Are you ready? Eliot: No.

I am just, so fond of these two. Also the fact that Eliot's hand shakes when he reaches for the cables and waits for Hardison's signal always puts me all up in my feelings about him. I also of course adore the scene at the rehab facility with Hardison's "I'm with him. No, I am with him. See, he thinks the flirting makes me jealous, but it doesn't. But if you was like Brad Pitt or Denzel or somebody, oh girl it would be on." It love it so much.

Nate, of course, is also just great in this episode. His entire experience in rehab is another wonderful insight into his character, his issues, how he sees himself and so on. The hallucination of Sterling says so much about him. I think this also very nicely sets up how Nate behaves in the finale double episode.

I also really want to mention Parker here, because Parker in rehab is also something I am very fond of. I love the moment where she pickpockets the Koreans searching for Hurley and then so innocently comes to Nate to confess what she's done and tells him in this tiny voice "I didn't meant to, it was just instinct." I love her so much. And her, at the end of the episode, skipping along and then running toward her people, jumping on Eliot while tossing her stuff at Nate, and then going to hug Hardison, is such a lovely moment. I love how the three of them then walk toward the car arm in arm, too. I love these kids.

112: THE FIRST DAVID JOB

D: DEAN DEVLIN. W: JOHN ROGERS. Original Air Date: 17 February 2009.

First half of the first finale! I gotta say I really love the David Jobs very much. It is such a fantastic first finale. I really adore how the opening of this episode is mirrored in the opening of the second half.

Given the set-up of the previous episode, I really like how for a first time watcher, this opening sequence very much looks like Nate is completely off the rails doing his own thing getting revenge on the man who, basically, killed his son. It isn't until Blackpoole introduces Nate to 'Portia' and we see Sophie turn around that it becomes clear that we're on the con, which I think is done very nicely. Only then giving the viewer the "how we got here" part is just great.

This episode of course also brings us, finally, Maggie (yes, I'll ask again: where do I address my Maggie For Leverage: Redemption campaign to?). I absolutely love how she is introduced here as Eliot's date. I also love how absolutely terrified Eliot looks once he realises that she isn't just anyone, but Nate's ex-wife. Maggie is such an excellent character, and I adore her. I also am very appreciative that this episode holds the singular moment of jealousy Sophie has toward Maggie. After her momentary outburst as Maggie tells Nate she hasn't stopped caring about him, we never see it again. Even better, once Maggie learns about Nate's crew, Sophie and her even become friends. And it is lovely.

We also have some great Parker/Hardison moments in this episode as well. I adore Parker and her enthusiasm for their "little naked man" and Hardison being weirded out about it (and turning the little David around so Parker can change in private). I, of course, absolutely love the kiss (and Eliot's grinning question at Sophie who of the two of them Parker had kissed) and then the theft of the First David. Hardison is so in awe of Parker and it is a sight to behold.

I also quite enjoy the "downfall" in this episode. Sterling showing up (we love the bastard), the fight between Eliot and Mr Quinn, the conversation about Sophie conning them on the roof, and then of course the final confrontations on that same roof as well as the HQ. This whole thing of "and then I asked myself, what would Parker do?" / "but then I thought, what would Hardison do?" is just brilliant and lovely. It shows how far they have all come throughout this first season and how much they have learned from each other already. I am very fond of it.

I am sad about the offices being blown up, though. As much as I love both McRory's pub and Nate's apartment in Boston, as well as the Brewpub in Portland, I've always really liked the LA offices as well. It was their first home and it was lovely. I am however very happy that Old Nate made it out unscathed.

113: THE SECOND DAVID JOB

D: DEAN DEVLIN. W: JOHN ROGERS & CHRIS DOWNEY. Original Air Date: 24 February 2009.

And the last episode! As I've said above, I adore how this opening sequence mirrors that of The First David Job. Similarly, I also love how until Sophie notices Parker's laser pointer and Eliot sees Hardison, as a viewer you assume they are on the job together, which is again the reversal of the first half of the finale. Just lovely storytelling, I adore it. Speaking of mirrors, the scene in the MC Hammer mansion where Nate inconspicuously manages to get them all thinking about the con together and putting their differences aside once more, also mirrors one of my favourite scenes from the first episode of season two, where the team does the same to Nate.

This episode on the whole I also just marvellous. Eliot's awkward date with Maggie, Nate finally telling Maggie about Blackpoole's involvement (or lack thereof) in Sam's death, the team involving Maggie in the planning of the con and her, precious as she is, questioning Nate's ability to just get people to do what he wants -- it is all just so good. I love Maggie on the con, too. Sophie coaching her, how good Maggie is at it immediately. Just lovely.

Then, of course, the entirety of the con from the moment Nate shows up at the museum. Sterling hurrying all over the place trying to figure out what Nate's plan is, finding out about the mummy, the release of the gas, the evacuation, the David statue replicas, them finally getting in and finding Nate alone in the exhibit room. I adore that shot of him leaning against the display case with the two Davids still inside, only highlighted from the open hatch in the roof. It is such a beautiful shot. I really enjoy Nate and Sterling's dynamic here, too. And I am very happy that Maggie gets to punch Blackpoole just like Nate got to in the episode before. They both deserve to give this man hell.

The ending of this episode and therefore this season always has me in all of my emotions. If I didn't know there would be more after this, I would just go lie down and weep for a while after watching it. The trademark overhead walkaway shot is of course a must, but the fact that they stop, that all of them hesitate, thinking about turning around, thinking about changing their minds. And then it cuts to black, and if this had been it, we would've never known! Ah, what a show, what a first season. I am completely in love with this show, as pretty much everyone knows, but I just -- this show is so damn good. It gets me every single time. Every time.

[image taken from the electricnow website]

[popculturebuffet]

Ducktales Shadow Into Light (Lena Retrospective): Friendship Hates Magic! (Commission by WeirdKev27)

Hello all you happy people! And welcome, and to some of you welcome back to Shadow Into Light, my fully paid for but gladly done Lena retrospective, covering everyone’s faviorite lesbian emo shadow’s personal jounrey through all three seasons and some brucey bonuses.

So this time we pick up in mid-season 2.. yes MID season 2. Though for once taking so long to adress things had valid reasons. It dosen’t make the 8 month wait for Lena to return and for Violet to show up, her concept art having been shown off shortly before Shadow War aired during San Diego Comic Con, any less aggravating, especially since the episode did air overseas before that but never leaked anywhere properly. So I knew she’d be okay but not HOW. 

As I said though.. they had their reasons. The episode was set for episode 8 in production order, right behind whatever Happened to Della Duck? which answered the other big cliffhanger from season 1, Della’s exile on the moon. So while this episode was back in the queue, along with Della’s, which had to wait till after the christmas episode to air because said episode takes place before it. So waiting on this episode was fair on the crew’s part even knowing it was a hiatus. 

It ended up getting pushed back by a week once the episodes started airing.. but as outlined last time, THIS TIME Disney actually moved it for good reason instead of just doing so because shut up. See the problem with moving episodes around in season 2.. is Della’s return. Several episodes that in theory could’ve easily been pushed back instead of this one, Depths of Cousin Fethry, Treasure of the Found Lamp... couldn’t because they take place BEFORE Della came back and it’d be weird to air them after.  One features Donald, the other dosen’t but still lacks Della and it’d be weird if it did> While this episode takes place before Della comes back or was at least meant to, no one appears in person, and Beakly mentoning “the boys and scrooge” at the bin could simply be her forgetting Della’s a part of things for a second. It’s not entirely in character, but it’s much easier than explaning why Della’s not there and Donald is. 

They also moved one episode ahead of this.. but it’s one I approve of. See from episode 7 onward the episodes were aired in week long duckbombs, woo-ooo. I I don’t fault disney for it or the reason I suspect they had for doing this: while it wasn’t the intended way of airing, they likely did this airing style to get shows on Disney Plus quicker for it’s debut and given they’ve sunk a LOT of money into the streaming service and it’s a key part of their future, I can’t blame them for wanting the entire series thus far on the platform at launch. It’s one of if not their most popular show at the moment. They wanted it front and center. 

So this one took an extra week to air, and an extra day as they aired raiders of the doomsday vault right after Della’s return in “Nothing Can Stop Della Duck!”.. which is also not a bad move. Fans wanted more of Della and her bonding with the kids, I wanted more of that so while the wait was grumble inducing, it was worth the tradeoff to get more of this character and her bonding with Dewey.. and let’s face it Glomgold.  You know what i’m about at this point. 

So there were delays but not the mind boggling ones that reshuffled the season last time and by next season there’d be zero reshuffling with both holiday episodes designed to go anywhere. So with the history and the agonizing wait out of the way join me under the cut as a snark knight returns, a new fan faviorite debuts and Beakly gets sucked into Launchpad’s awful fandom. 

We open our story at the Duckburg Library. Man I fucking miss the library. I mean you can go by apointment and what not but I also have library card debt and stuff, and it’s just not the same. 

Anyways naturally Webby is going there to research the Shadow Realm in hopes of finding something to bring Lena back. Last week was “Children’s Card Games, Dark Magic and You! by Professor Yugi Moto which while enlightening got her nowhere. Next up is “Shadow Games on Motorcycles!: How a Crimson Dragon defeated a giant Shadow Monster and brought the dead back and I helped by Doctor Yusei Fudo”. 

But that one’s not in yet so she instead goes to the Librarian to get another book.. and it’s Quackfaster! Horay! As for why she’s working two jobs, she’s saving up for a retirement condo in BIRDDDBAAADDOOOSSSSS. I had to type it that way it’s ape law. 

But her next book “I Went there and it Sucked, My Time in the Shadow Realm by Mayor of New Jersey Joey Wheeler” is taken by “another strange little girl”. Quackfaster, you chase people around with a scimitar. Just accept your the weird one and live with it like me. You’ll be happier that way. 

And so we finally meet Violet whose introduced pitch perfectly. Webby gives out her usual “Hi I”m Webby”.. and Violet simply holds a finger up, finishes her page and gives a simple “Yes?” It demonstrates her quite nature, her love of reading and her lack of social skills all in one fell swoop. The ensuing dead language off is also pretty damn adorable reminding me of that scene from “Lisa’s Wedding” where she and Hugh fight over a book and reading it before making out.. minus the making out because these are children, no one wants that, and Webby is taken. .and even then again children. Most we get is an innocent peck and some blushing. 

So Violet, finding out Webby needs it and is researching the arcane too offers to research together tonight, bringing a sleeping bag just in case it goes on long... to Lena’s unheard objections as she’s rattled by the break in her normal routine with Webby, and the possibility of Webby falling for someone else. I mean this i framed as a friendship thing... but you can only say “friend” so many times in a work before you sound like a retired grandma in denial about their granddaughter. 

Later at the Mansion, Beakley is enjoying a nice quiet afternoon to herself. Turns out once a month Scrooge has “Binventory Day” where he and the boys catalogue the bin for hours giving her a night to herself and Webby. Webby loudly interuppts the peace as is Cartoon Law, but Beakley is pleased Webby is getting back on the friendship horse. 

Bentina ends up ruining it a bit though by bringing up her previous slumber party disasters... which even Lena at her most jealous admits were her fault and only agrees to in the hopes Webby’s going to cancel. Instead Webby decides to make this the most normal sleepover ever! The one where her new friend is coming to specifically help her with magic. 

 Bentina tries to back her grandaughter/daughter down from this insane logic, but Webby does, if innocently clap back well to her being the one to give her “Be yourself” advice.  “I’m not like you Granny, I need to have friends”

And while Webby quickly flees after Beakley tries to deny it.. she’s not wrong. She has exactly one friend who she works for and no social life to speak of.. and as far as I can tell she’s fine this way. Beakley is happy with her work and raising Webby and has someone to talk to in Scrooge. She has everything she needs, while Webby is a social butterfly.. a socially inept social butterfly. She needs people and loves meeting new people and needs friends and not just her family. One’s an introvert the other’s an extrovert. I’m both at times, and before you ask why yes it is a living nightmare thank you so much for asking. I get where both are coming from. And Beakley clearly had friends at one point it’s just a long war with FOWL and a sudden granddaughter probably whittled it down to just Scrooge. It’s okay to be yourself. 

So this is where the plotlines split off, so as usual, i’m splitting the up. 

Launchpad and Beakley in Getting To Know You And Getting Sucked INto Your Strange and Lovely Fandom

So Beakley naturally cries out “name one person I don’t get along with.. and in walks Launchpad , Nature’s Perfect Himbo, having destroyed the gate and at least being honest he probably will again. Why he’s here when the boys and Scrooge are all gone? 

But I don’t care as this subplot is just.. a nonstop delight. Starting with Beakly inviting Launchpad to sup with her.. which just confuses him. Look Bentina you have to use small words.. it’s a miracle he gets up in the morning, dreses himself and hasn’t died in a tragic gasoline fight accident. You have to know your audience. Still funny.

And “not knowing your audience” continues as Beakly serves them pea soup but Launchpad is intimidated by the spoons and while she does offer to help instead tries to use all of them then a straw and then falls facedown in his soup. And this is the SECOND TIME Beakly’s left someone living at the mansion to die. I mean that’s not a lot but it’s still weird it happened twice. 

Finally they sit quitely, Beakly reading the Scarlet Pimpernell, and Launchpad doing a coloring book. And besides the odd couple energy what I really like about this subplot.. is that it fleshes Beakly out> This is one of her ONLY plots in the entire goddamn series, yes really. 70 episodes and she only got five spotlight episodes/plots. But it does at least show her off: her upperclass pedigree we really don’t see often, showing that while she applied to the job as maid out of necisity she knows her stuff, her love of classic literature and her being out of touch with the common person. It’s not a ton but it’s more than ninja butler or “stop having fun with your kids della and be a parent”. I mean she wasn’t wrong but she could’ve been nicer about it given the circumstances. 

So Launchpad, given Beakley’s never shown any interest in him as a person before, assumes she’s going to fire him and was just softening him up. I mean Scrooge himself outright said he never would and if he did he’d do it to your face, hard as it’d be. But that aside, he’s fine with getting to know her once he knows that no he’s not being fired she just wanted to hang out, he’s everyone’s friend. But naturally an upperclash british former super spy and a dumb as a bucket with a heart of gold pilot have nothing in common, not even aircraft as “plane go up, plane crash going down’ is about the extent of his actual knowledge on aircraft that isn’t instinct or dumb luck. 

He does manage to break the ice though, mistaking her book for a Darkwing Duck book and deciding to show her the show since it might be something they have in common. At first she’s as unintuhsed as you’d expect a british lady who never watches the telly watching a 90′s kids show would be.. but by the end she’s gotten all the way into it.

 It’s really endearing, showning that two vastly diffrent people with nothing can common can be brought together by something as simple and glorious as liking the same show. I’ve had it happen with me. She naturally is all for filiming his fanscript after the finale provides no answers, being the one to suggest it and the two end the episode shooting it with her in full darkwing duck cosplay. I’ts a cute and entertaining subplot and a nice contrast to the main plot which while not super dark, does have a fog of tension over it. Speaking of which. 

Webby, Lena and Violet: In Two’s Company, Three Accidently Creates Monsters That Nearly Take Your Girlfriend Off Into The Shadowy Abyss So the slumber party gets underway with Webby shooing away Duckworth after clearing out her room to greet Violet herself and violet having brought pie... a great callback to an earlier joke where Webby wondered if pie was normal at a sleepover. No but it should be. So Webby welcomes her in to her totally normal room devoid of anything. Nothing suspicious about that. 

So Violet tries to get her into research, specifically Tulpas, an actual magical concept, a mental construct of some kind created out of desire, imagination or what have you. Gee I wonder if that will come into play this episode. Webby.. wants to play baggle or what have you or do makeovers and drags Violet along to do the second thing after Violet asks about Magica.  Lena then finds something glowing in Violet’s bag...specifically, her old amulet, cracked but still working and flowing with Magica’s power. 

Lena assumes Violet is Magica and goes to warn Webby only to find her HORRIBLY MUTATED! Naturally it’s a misdirect, as it turns out Violet is just REALLY good at special effects makeup. It’s something I honestly forgot about her... i’m betting one of her dad’s is an effects artist. Just saying that’d be neat. But Webby gives the “i’m normal really even though I live in a giant mansion with my dad I don’t know is my dad and my grandma whose actually my adopted mom” game away by pointing out the demon’s fang is crooked and Violet is curious and heads to Webby’s room finding a picture from said demon. He signed it and everything. Good man that Rakshaka. 

Webby is worried Violet will be freaked out by all the weird but nope, she enjoys it. And it’s not a suprise: violet is actively researching the shadow dimension. Why WOULD she be scared off. The conflict was in Webby’s head all along.. and partly out of PTSD, but we’ll get to that. Webby still tries to get her to baggle but they settle on ancient rune dice baggle and summoning some spirits. Lena scoffs.. until it actually works. It does make sense though: As we’ll see in her last starring role, Lena is kinda like Wanda Maximoff: she has an extreme amount of power but she has no idea how to use it and is simply making up most of her magic as she goes along or took magica’s lead. But the spell means Lena can touch the dice so she spells out don’t trust her.. but forgets she’s dealing with two nerds who love unlocking puzzles and assume the message is on the dice themselves. 

Webby and Violet decide they need more clarity and resume the seance.. which summons mysterious white shadow creatures Lena saw before.. .some now taking Magica’s shape. And Lena’s panicked “Oh not again” says it all. So Lena tries the tried and true bedsheet ghost cliche, grumbling about it but showing up as a ghost without any abillity to speak or talk to webby dosen’t do anything and Violet tackles the sheet before deciding to grab the amulet to dispiate the spirit.. only for Lena to show up for a breif second before she does show making the panicked child look incredibly supscious. 

Webby naturally tackles and interrogates Violet wanting the full story. And it turns out the big secret is.. Violet is entirely normal. Nothing to do with Magica, no possesions or secretly being her or a minon of hers... she was just a logic obsessed 12 year old who thought magic was a myth.. until the Shadow War proved “Nope it’s real everything you know is wrong. Up is down black is white and short is long”. She just happened to be close to the bin and found the amulet when the remains of the staff fell near her and compacted back into it. 

It’s a brilliant reveal. See first watch around your genuinely unsure if Violet is a real person or not.. unless you went in knowing she is, but semantics. Point is most first time viewers didn’t know she’d be a beloved member of the supporting cast and didn’t know what to expect. But looking back... it makes no sense. If Magica had the amulet.. why would she need to infiltrate the mansion. Revenge? Possibly but she’d want Scrooge there too. Even being evil on her own Violet had valid opportunity to pilfer Webby’s magical items, she has an entire box of magic rocks right there and then simply zap her with the amulet. But she didn’t.. because Violet is a person.  When she DOES use it she’s utterly terrified, and we can see her breathing heavy, scared.. something Magica has NEVER been of Lena. To Violet it was just a ghost. Webby hadn’t told her about lena and any information she had about her was second hand from newspapers and the like. 

Webby is sympathetic, as Violet’s feeling of being sheltered from this greater world naturally resonates and while Lena is still supscious, having reincorperated, it’s clear Webby trusts violet and simply dosen’t want to loose another friend to magic. Here trying to hide it now takes another tone.. she knows Lena was behind it.. but is so afraid of it consuming violet the way it did Lena, she forgets almost ALL of the weird magic stuff in sleepovers was magica’s manipulation, and that Lena died because her creator was a monster, not because of magic. Magic is not inherently good or bad, it just is, and that will come back as a theme in a few episodes. It allowed Magica to ravage the town and kill Lena.. but it allowed Lena to exist in the first place and while the terrible events with Magica clearly shook her.. it also shook violet out of her complacency and got her to research a world she never would’ve considered. Good can come from bad. 

And it’s with this in mind that Violet.. does not give up. She’s stayed in her box enough.. and now she knows the spirit is a friendly one.. she figures they can bring Lena BACK using the amulet. After all it was lena’s and the source of her powers.. it might be the key to reiviving her. And while Lena, if invisibly as always, remarks it’s dangerous.. Webby, with no hesitation agrees to get her girlfriend back. It’s risky sure.. but what Lena hasn’t gotten is she’s WORTH the list. She’s so full of self loathing from both her manupations of webby and Magica’s gaslighting and abuse that she can’t see herself being worth anything even as Webby spent MONTHS trying to save her, clearly still loves her, and only didn’t want violet getting hurt because she misses her.  Webby still loves and needs her for who Lena is.. Lena just can’t it and it hurts to think about that. 

So the girls once again try to summon Lena and it starts to work.. but also summons the Tulpa’s back... this time taking Magica’s form and causing a suspcious lena to panic.. and suck both of them into the shadow realm. We get the reunion we’ve been waiting for as Webby tackle hugs her happily.

But it’s soon cut short as Lena still thinks Violet is just manipulating Webby, lying to her and that “she’s mine!”

For the record Joss Whedon sucks, not taking that out on Anthony Stewart Head  or the guys who actually wrote the episode. Moving on. 

I feel Lena’s jealousy comes from the aformentioned self loathing, mixed with a life of having to live just to surivive at the beck and call of a throughly awful person who didn’t consider her a sentient being worthy of anything especially love. She can’t fathom anyone else loving Webby the way she does because she feels once webby has anyone else.. she won’t need her. It’s toxic and wrong.. but it’s easy to see why that’d happen when sh’es only had one healthy relationship. She barely knows the boys, Beakly only grew to tolerate her and she was only friends with Scrooge for like.. a minute. Webby is the only person she knows, loves and trusts and she just can’t risk loosing that and can’t convince herself to share. 

In a realistic scenario Lena would have to simply learn to trust and let her girlfriend have other relationshps and that hogging her all to herself is inhernetly toxic and bad. And while she still does we’re talking about a living pile of shadows smooching a clone, so yeah instead the tulpas come out and drag her off..and take Lena’s form. While Lena tries to blame Violet, Violet has absolutley none of that and makes Lena see the hard truth: Lena is so worried about being forgotten, she created the tulpas by accidnet. As I said her power is raw and unfocused.. so she didn’t do it on purpose nor did she realize how toxic she was being. This finally snaps Lena back to reality, and see Violet geniunely cares about Webby and any ulterior motives were just in her head, so the two agree to work together, using a similar chant to the one from Jaws to destroy the Tulpas and save Webby.

So the shadow realm is disapated and our trio are returned to the human world.. but Lena, not being part of it and no longer having a tether.. starts to disolve, with a really heartbreaking scene of Webby holding her hand, as does violet. But.. then a miracle happens. Since the Bracelet was Lena’s link to Webby, and to her own magic, with it and the amulet close by.. both swirl around Lena, and the power of love.. for a new friend and a first love... revivies her. Mist parts.. and we get one heartwarming sign that after all this time  “I’m back?!” Lena is confused.. but once again part of this plane of reality. She’s free and WEbby triumphanthly hugs her with Violet joining in. By letting go of her hate.. Lena returned to who she loved. They also run into the end of the other subplot and Launchpad’s casual hey lena is just great. 

So our heroes are reunited and doing horror makeup and I really love Webby’s updo here and wish more works fan nd otherwise used it. WE get a final fakeout as Lena seemingly disovles and Violet reveals herself as magica.. only for it to be a prank and Webby to just be glad the love of her life and her new best friend get a long. We get one last hearwarming image and we close out.. with Lena finally having what she always wanted freedom. And while she may not know it yet in accepting violet.. she’s finally found family. More on that in a few weeks. 

Final Thoughts: This episode is excellent. It’s not the best of the Lena arc, that comes next and it does drag once or twice.. but overall it’s a really great character piece, with a nice ballance betwen the tense main plot and the funny and goofy subplot. It adds more to Lena’s character, finally brings her back, while giving us a new and throughly fascenating new character to rave about in Violet, as well as giving Webby her own personal squad. It’s a great episode.. and only leads to a better one. But we’ll get to that in a week or so. First we have a bit of a detour and my plug. 

If you liked this review, follow for more, spread it around, and join my patreon. It’s almost time for new patreons to pay up and if you hit my stretch goal i’ll review a darkwing duck episode next month and every month! We’re just five bucks away people! And if you’d like to just comission a review directly it’s just 5 bucks an episode and avaliable via my dms, ask or discord. 

Next Time on Shadow Into Light: We take a break from the last two Lena episodes to go to one of her sources as we head back to Ducktales 87 with Magica’s Shadow War! I know almost nothing going in so... Shadow betrayals and stuff? Yay?

Tommorow: It’s Fenton’s birthday! And since i’ve done a LOT of ducktales recently and can’t do super ducktales till I hit my next stretch goal at 25 bucks, we’re going back to ST Canard at long last for Gizmoducks second apperance.. which can’t possibly be worse than the first so i’m excited. Let’s get dangerous tommorow!

[book-o-scams]

Ed, Edd n Eddy Now Streaming on HBO Max

Happy New Year, everyone!!!

I’ve been sleeping on this announcement the last week or two, because EEnE was actually supposed to come out on HBO Max at the start, but for whatever reason, they failed to put it up as advertised, so before announcing it here, I wanted to make sure I verified that it went up.  Very glad to say, it was not a lie this time!!!  EEnE is finally on a streaming platform in the U.S. (I don’t know about other places, sorry!)

WHAT THEY SPECIFICALLY PUT UP:  SEASONS 1-5 + CN Invaded special + Season 6 lost episode

This is the first time that those digital episodes have ever been available for streaming!  The first time the season 6 lost episode has EVER been made available in HD!!! (It aired in June 2008, but has never been released on Itunes, so fans have had to rely on low quality recordings FROM 2008 til now) AND the first time that even Seasons 1-2 and Seasons 3-4 have been put up on the same streaming platform all at the same time... *glares at Netflix*

MISSING:  BIG PICTURE SHOW + the 3 holiday specials

Not the most unexpected stuff to get left out, it could just be a marketing strategy so that they have more Eds content to put up next holiday season, but I do find it baffling that this update included the Kids Next Door TV movie and one of the Foster’s Home TV Movies, but not the Eds’ movie or the Billy and Mandy movie.  I’m also surprised that they have not put up The Powerpuff Girls Movie, CN’s only theatrically released film...

IF YOU CARE ABOUT THIS TYPE’A STUFF LIKE I DO: The episodes are in air order rather than production order. For some reason, they did correct the usual mistake and put The Ed-Touchables ahead of Pop Goes the Ed for once, but seasons 3 and 4 are jumbled up the way they premiered in America, and season 5 is also in the order it premiered, rather than the Itunes order where it starts with the ‘back to school’ episode.

[unresolvedresolute]

Give us the tea! Not actually any tea lol but I honnestly felt like it was a mess but also wasnt too sure if this one was on him or not so i would love to get you comment on it. Give us the nerd interest please!

Oh hell yeah. Alright, sorry friends, this is gonna be LONG.

For like 40 minutes of the episode, I was very confused as to what the hell they were doing with the structure, and then I figured it out when Penance and Company head off to Maladie’s hanging: We will spend this week following her mission, and I’m guessing next week, our midseason finale, will be entirely focused on following What Amalia Did Today (which I think is even more likely given that next week’s episode is called “True.”)

This sort of unconventional structuring where we split one episode’s story across two episodes is not common on shows like this that air week-to-week, but we see it all the time on shows on Netflix, Hulu, and other platforms where they drop a season at a time and audiences are expected to binge-watch. There’s no unresolved tension or sitting for a week with your frustrating questions when you know audiences have the option to start up the next episode immediately. Related? The Nevers was EXTREMELY CLOSE to being a Netflix show, like, they were fully prepared to release and distribute it when HBO rather unexpectedly won a bidding war for it, and at that point, much of the season was probably, at the very least, outlined. So I think that the season was probably conceived with the expectation that it would be binge-watched and the last-ditch attempts to modify the episode for weekly viewing without undoing the work they had already done in laying out the plot of the season didn’t work as planned.

Second point, I doubt they were expecting episode 6 to be their mid-season finale. HBO has NEVER done that in how they distribute their shows. The first season was conceived as 10 episodes (I’m now finding sources that say 12 and I’m not sure if it was always 12 and had been misreported or if two more episodes were ordered), but they were interrupted in the middle of filming by COVID shutdowns and Whedon’s departure (and yes, we are now bringing it back to Whedon) extended that production delay indefinitely when they hired an entirely new lead runner rather than promoting someone who was already on the staff (side note: would LOVE to know what happened there). Especially given that they now had no idea when the season would be finished but it wasn’t going to be anytime in 2021, and they were already a year behind schedule and HBO had a programming gap to fill, they decided to go ahead and release the first half of the season.

The issue with that is that Episode 6, never intended as a mid-season finale, now has to function as one, which means giving the audience dramatic plot points, big reveals, and “come back next time” tension to keep people engaged during the indefinite hiatus. So suddenly, they have to retrofit all this stuff into episodes that might not have had it originally. Under normal circumstances, shows can do rewrites and re-shoots when they need to make changes to an episode that’s already done, but with COVID shutdowns, they couldn’t film anything. This leaves the creative team and the studio with only one option: re-cutting material they already have, which can mean cutting scenes that exist in order to cram material into two episodes that may have been intended to be revealed over more, and being unable to give us scenes that might have given more context because they can’t add anything new, which is how you get shit like “NO ONE HAS ACTUALLY EXPLAINED GALANTHI BUT EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT IT MEANS NOW GOOD LUCK!” There was no scene giving more context for it originally in the first 6 episodes, and we weren’t able to add one, so they had to do the best they could to make it clear using the context they had and you end up with information gaps, missing pieces, and rushed plot.

Also, when you’re re-cutting episodes and your top priority is “does our very complicated sci-fi plot even make sense??”, things like character development and quieter moments of found family tend to fall by the wayside, with them being viewed as less of a priority when you now have two episodes to get to a big reveal. And, of course, this doesn’t consider that the Penance/Amalia relationship is the heart and soul of the show (even if you put all the shipping aside, they are motivated by each other, we learn about each of them through their relationship with each other, and it is the biggest, clearest piece of humanity we are given to care about in these 5 episodes. their relationship is the show’s biggest generator of emotional investment and the biggest reason people care). So those of us who just wanna see the Victorian wives be gay were gonna be DEEPLY underserved by this one.

Now, the heterosexual nonsense. Here is where I’m absolutely gonna blame Whedon. He’s not the credited writer for this episode, but he did serve as showrunner for the first six episodes, which means he has ultimate authority on what does and doesn’t go into the scripts. The episodes are outlined by all the writers together in a room (which means if the fucking bird garbage somehow, by some miracle, WASN’T his idea, he at least knew about it), and he ultimately gets final approval on every script, which means he can add or take out anything he wants up until the last possible minute. This writer’s room is FULL of women, and there’s no fucking way a woman wrote any of this straight bullshit. This one’s on Whedon through and through.

(DISCLAIMER: I don’t actually know any of this as fact aside from the things that can be verified online like episode titles, episode counts, and the HBO/Netflix deal. This is just me making educated guesses based on my experiences working in TV production and my DEEP study of what goes on in writer’s rooms).