#and also 4x11?? i had like four scenes from that too

[mccallhero]

favourite ouat scenes: 12/?

[outrunningthedark]

Your post about us giving KR too much credit reminds me of the will scene, the one she added because of, presumably, her life experience with her mother and best friend. Tim, however, were able to explain how it plays out and how it makes senss for Eddie to hide it until that moment much better as if he's the one who came up with that idea. Wonder what other things ahe didn't come up with on her own.

There's no definitive way of knowing for sure, obviously, because Tim only gives interviews during the midseason and/or season finale checkpoints. Two things he gave her credit for from Survivors are Athena walking through fire to rescue Bobby: "The idea was always that Athena was going to save Bobby. But it wasn’t until a couple of drafts in, even in the pre-production phase, where Kristen [Reidel] had this idea of Athena putting on the turnout and literally walking through fire to go get him." and Albert becoming a firefighter [...that we would rarely see...] at the end: "We had talked about Albert having a trajectory like that from the time we brought him in. But the idea of having that be a reveal at the end of the finale was something that [executive producer Kristen Reidel] came up with well after the script was written." Besides Tim originally giving KR no credit for the will reveal, he also admitted the original script didn't have a scene between Buck and Chris after the shooting - another one of those moments Kristen envisioned happening off screen 🙃: "I told Kristen [Reidel], I'm like, "I feel like we're being robbed of this moment. I really want to see that moment where he sits down in front of Christopher and Christopher consoles him." It was one of my favorite moments." Also, four of her episodes were a collaborative effort (2x11, 3x17, 3x18, 4x11), so it's not like we can pinpoint who wrote what. Personally, I think Tim can count on her for rescues + calls because she's clearly familiar with first responders (police/detectives, in particular), but Kids Today was her one *big* Buddie episode where she was solo (3x18 was with Juan Carlos and 4x14 required Tim's input), soooo...I'm going with my gut and saying she's not the first writer Tim turns to when he needs ideas on where to take their dynamic. For all we know, someone else suggested Eddie going to Buck's apartment or the Buckley-Diaz card scene and Tim was like, "Yes! Do that!" The stuff she's given us is unforgettable, but knowing what we know now...it feels like she needs the push to get it done.

[austennerdita2533]

Hi! I would love to hear your seven favorite Luke/Lorelai episodes? Some of mine: Double Date, That Damn Donna Reed, Run Away Litl Boy, The Ins and Outs of Inns, The Incredible Shrinking Lorelais...I could pick like 25 just off the top of my head, but it's interesting how many of my favorites come from before they were actually dating! (They're an OTP for me no matter what, but I did prefer how LL were written---and how pretty much everything about the show was written---in the first four seasons over the final three and the revival!)

I love, love, love the first four seasons of Gilmore Girls! I rewatch them the most, honestly. I think they're my favorite partly because Luke and Lorelai have so many great scenes/episodes together.

Here are a few of my favorite L&L episodes. There are way more than seven because it's so hard for me to narrow them down lmao.

Pilot 1x01. They had me at "Junkie." "Angel. You've got wings, baby."

1x10 Forgiveness and Stuff. I love how he tries to cheer her up with the Santaburger, drops everything to rush her to the hospital, handles Emily like a pro, and then they also have that cute "you know you always look good" convo in the hallway. Lorelai gifts him his trademark blue hat in this one, too!

1x12 Double Date. They flirt, they play cards. My face always morphs into 😩 mode when Mrs. Kim bursts in and interrupts them. HE. GETS. SO. CLOSE. TO. ASKING. HER. OUT. WHYYYYY.

1x14 That Damn Donna Reed. Whenever I think of this episode, I can see Lorelai pulling Luke into her house by his puffy green vest *swoons* and then can hear him saying, "There really is a chick loose in here!"

2x07 Like Mother, Like Daughter. She gets so jealous when she sees him talking to that Chilton mom. "Date her, marry her, make her Mrs. Backwards Baseball cap, see if I care!"

2x08 The Ins and Outs of Inns. How can I not love this episode when we find out Luke was a Trekkie?

2x10 The Bracebridge Dinner. The sleigh ride! It's about the ambiance and the intimacy of them being snuggled up, thigh-against-thigh, beneath a blanket.

3x07 They Shoot Gilmores, Don't They? They have that lovely discussion at the dance marathon about wanting more kids while he's fixing her shoe. All of the foreshadowing was there, dammit!

3x17 A Tale of Poes and Fire. I love that Luke and Lorelai are basically finagled into a forced proximity trope because the inn catches fire. She has to spend the night at his place. She's in the bed, he's on the couch. Then she tells him about the dream she had earlier in the season about being pregnant with his twins. I just--it's so cuuute. 😭

4x05 The Fundamental Things Apply. Their first movie night! It's essentially an undate date. A precursor to them becoming a couple and finding things to do/share together, even though neither one of them realizes it yet.

4x11 In The Clamor and Clangor. I will never be over them sneaking into the church together to break the bells. It's iconic! It's also snowing, which just sets the mood. And then that whole "why don't you want me to move" conversation is so emotionally and sexually CHARGED. I die of feels every time I watch it. Die.

4x21 Last Week Fights, This Week Tights. Luke. Can. Waltz. That's all I gotta say.

4x22 Raincoats and Recipes. He brings her flowers. She's so nervous and giddy she faceplants into a door. What's not to love? Also, I can honestly say that I think Luke and Lorelai have one of the best first kiss scenes of any show I've ever watched. Their bickering pre-kiss is just so quintessentially THEM. It's perfectly in-character, so believable and funny. Like, I love that Luke gets so fed up, so overwhelmed with feeling because whoa! she reciprocates!, that he can't help but bark "will you just stand still" before wrapping her in his arms and planting one on her, FINALLY, after years of pining. It's like all the unresolved tension they've accumulated over the years reaches a boiling point that busts the lid clean off in that moment. I love it so much!

5x03 Written in the Stars. Their first official date. He's "all in" and I will never get over the fact that he kept that horoscope in his wallet for 8 years. Proof he is sentimental at heart!

5x12 Wedding Bell Blues. They were so precious and in love this episode, despite Hurricane Christopher blowing in to ruin everything.

7x13 I'd Rather be in Philadelphia. Lorelai's married to Christopher, which is extremely painful for my L&L-loving heart, but the way Luke shows up for her after Richard has his heart attack despite everything they've been through as a couple speaks volumes. It's EVERYTHING. There's nothing he wouldn't do to make her happy, to bring her comfort. Nothing. It doesn't matter if they're together or not together. He's always there for her. Always, always there. It's unconditional. I like to think that's the moment she realizes she'll always love him, that she's still in love with him. (She should've BYE FELICIA'D Christopher right then and there.)

[horde-princess]

A Meta on Catra’s Relationships with DT, Scorpia, and Adora

I’m so excited to write this finally ljsdflkj okay so. I’ve been thinking about why the creators would choose to center a whole season around this new character Double Trouble. They drove the plot and played a major role in a really important part of the story, Catra’s redemption. So I wanna think more about the purpose of this character and go deeper into a couple of their scenes with Catra.

tbh Catra and DT’s very first interaction says it all: DT literally takes the form of Scorpia and tells Catra “I’m about to become your new best friend.” As the season goes on, Double Trouble replaces Scorpia as a sort of artificial confidant for Catra. But it blows up in her face and the purpose of the whole thing is to shed light on Catra’s main internal conflict: her desire for love vs. her fear of heartbreak/vulnerability.

In other words, I believe Double Trouble was introduced as a foil to Scorpia. But if we think about how Scorpia is also a foil to Adora, then that means DT is like... a foil to a foil. So they’re not directly associated with Adora but a lot of what they do relates back to her. Yeah there are a lot of layers here lmao but basically what I’m gonna analyze is how Catra’s relationships with these three characters intertwine and build off each other in season 4 to set the stage for Catra’s redemption (and catradora endgame hollaaa)

So in the beginning, Catra and DT both understand their relationship to be a business arrangement. When does that start to change for Catra, and why?

Catra’s History With Betrayal

Just think about Catra’s relationships at the start of s4.. After the portal, Adora had basically severed whatever was left of their relationship, and that was shown to be weighing on Catra all season. Scorpia and Entrapta were the only other people she cared about, but Entrapta betrayed her (first by monopolizing Hordak’s attention then by refusing to open the portal), then Scorpia dared to question her decision to send their friend to die and her presence became a constant reminder of Catra’s guilt. In fact, the mere mention of Entrapta’s name in 4x03 causes Catra to snap and yell at Scorpia “we are not friends!” ... which of course isn’t true. Catra may think Scorpia’s annoying but she confided in her, her loyalty made Catra feel like she could trust her.. and that’s exactly why Catra always tried so hard to push her away. All the betrayals in her life scarred her so deeply that she wanted to avoid emotional intimacy at all costs. I’m about to get Jungian up in this shit bc we see a deep disconnect between Catra’s outward actions (her conscious) and her inner desires (subconscious) this season and it’s this i believe that leads to her breakdown in 4x10. It’s an unsustainable way to live.

Why Catra Trusted Double Trouble

So by 4x04, Catra had sabotaged her only two relationships. She was utterly alone, and vulnerable, and Double Trouble was in the right place at the right time offering their loyalty to her.. so Catra did what any emotionally stable person would do and subconsciously used a hired mercenary to try and fill the growing void in her heart. I don’t think Catra actually cared about DT much at all, like sure they got along and that matters on some level, but I think it’s more that Catra was in a vulnerable place and DT was the only one around.

So why does Catra trust Double Trouble when she won’t let herself trust anyone else? I’ve seen some posts saying it’s because Catra is self-destructive--i.e. she only seeks love from people who won’t give it to her because she doesn’t believe she deserves love--which is super true.. but I think her motivations can be better explained by saying that Catra knew from the start that Double Trouble didn’t really care about her, and that’s why the partnership was attractive to her (at first). She thought it would be safe--no vulnerability, no risk of heartbreak. But the truth is Catra’s just not as disaffected as she wishes she was.

The moment Catra really let her guard down was when Double Trouble saved her from the collapsing building in 4x04. 

can we just!! talk about this scene!!!! the way her voice shakes when she says “saving me” just, oh my god... like what a touchy subject for her, right? Shes spent her whole life resenting how Adora was always trying to “save” her from everything. I’m not sure but I think White Out (2x05) was the only other time Catra thanked someone for saving her life, and she just says “thanks for getting us out of there.” So her use of the word “save” here is special and it illustrates how deeply vulnerable Catra feels this season, and more importantly it’s a sign of character development! It’s no coincidence that the theme of saving is connected between DT, Scorpia, and Adora. It’s leading up to Catra learning to replace her resentment towards Adora with something closer to gratitude. 

But while the scene connects these relationships, it also highlights their differences. After Catra displays an astounding amount of vulnerability with DT, they coolly reply “well, I live to serve... for a price, of course.”

This right here is the first step of Catra’s breakdown. Suppressed desires making themselves known, one half of her heart rebelling against the other. She was pushing away her real friends and finding hollow companionship with someone she thought she wouldn’t get attached to, but it happened anyway.

The difference between Double Trouble and Scorpia must have become glaringly obvious to Catra in that moment. Whereas Scorpia was loyal to Catra out of love, DT was mostly interested in getting paid. And she was surprised by how much that hurt. She fucking hated how much it hurt, you can see it written all over her face. It’s why she fails Scorpia’s little test in 4x06. Because of Double Trouble, Catra’s true desires were threatening to break free, so outwardly she fights against it and acts more resistant than ever to being friends with Scorpia. She castigates her, calls her annoying and incompetent, harsher than we’ve ever seen... but she didn’t expect Scorpia to hit back (we did, tho. Scorpia’s an icon).

In four words Scorpia teaches Catra a hard lesson about what it means to earn someone’s loyalty. She knew she must’ve really fucked up if she somehow managed to push away the most loyal person in all of Etheria. And again the fake nature of Catra’s relationship with Double Trouble provides a reference for her to see why Scorpia’s loyalty, based in love, was so valuable, and why she shouldn’t have taken it for granted. It also relates to Adora because, similar to Scorpia, Adora had been trying so hard these past 3 seasons to connect with Catra, but she refused to forgive her and her behavior eventually forced Adora to cut ties. So Scorpia calling her out pushes Catra towards accepting some personal responsibility for everything that happened with Adora, too. Man there are just.. a ton of implications here.

Then Catra gives Hordak a fun pep talk but really it’s just her self-projecting all over him:

At this point her hateful actions and her goal to conquer Etheria are extremely out of line with her true desires and we can see it’s really affecting her mental state. It wasn’t just one thing or person that caused her breakdown, it was a combination of Adora severing their relationship, and Scorpia’s disappointment in her, and Double Trouble’s indifference towards her. All three of these situations were playing off each other and chipping away at Catra’s carefully crafted armor, revealing a desire to be loved hidden underneath... which she continued to fight against for as long as she could. Adora and Scorpia were playing their roles in helping Catra learn to take responsibility for her life, but those relationships wouldn’t have been so effective had it not been for how they were contrasted with Double Trouble’s indifference. Anyway have I mentioned how amazing and complex this show is????

Catra Loses DT and Scorpia Around the Same Time

4x07 is the last time Catra talks to Double Trouble before they get captured by the rebels. Coincidentally, Catra realizes that Scorpia left her just one episode later, which once again points to a connection between these two characters. From 4x08 to 4x11 Catra is completely alone, feeling like she has lost everyone in her life. It sets the stage for her meltdown in 4x10. But my fave part about Scorpia leaving is how it changes the way Catra thinks about betrayal. 

Even if Scorpia didn’t tell Catra where she was going in the note she left, Catra had to have assumed she was leaving to join the Rebellion because where else would she have gone right? So the two people Catra loves most have now BOTH abandoned her to join the rebellion. I don’t even wanna think about how triggering that betrayal must have been for Catra.. I don’t wanna think about how the next time Catra sees Scorpia she’s going to be a full blown princess with powers and everything, just like what happened with Adora. 

But there’s a key difference between Adora and Scorpia. Catra knows at this point that Adora didn’t want to leave her behind, but she did anyway to pursue some destiny that Catra wasn’t a part of, which left her feeling betrayed. Scorpia, on the other hand--the very definition of ‘loyalty’--left her specifically because Catra pushed her away. Her fear of vulnerability manifested as anger towards someone she refused to admit that she cared about, and it pushed her away.

Once again I think Scorpia is teaching Catra a lesson about taking responsibility for some of the shit in her life. It’s a privilege that Adora lost after being careless with Catra’s trust, and thus Scorpia was the only one in a position to reach Catra and help her. But I think that the things Catra learned from Scorpia are going to play back into her relationship with Adora and allow them to reconcile (when Adora deals with her own issues too).

We can also say a little about how Double Trouble’s betrayal contrasts with Scorpia’s and Adora’s. I think their complete emotional detachment is the perfect frame of reference for Catra to be able to acknowledge that even though Scorpia and Adora left her, they DID love her, and they never stopped trying to reach out to her--at least, not until Catra crossed a line with both of them. At some point, Catra went from being justified in her feelings of betrayal to overdoing it, placing too much blame where it didn’t belong and closing the door to forgiveness. So I think that’s the role that Double Trouble played there, helping Catra see that difference. Like even if someone leaves you, hurts you, it doesn’t always mean they don’t love you. Relationships take work and understanding and forgiveness and you have to learn how to handle that or you’ll always be alone. Scorpia’s the pure embodiment of that lesson, and she’s lighting the way for Catra to navigate the much more nebulous waters of her grudge against Adora.

Double Trouble’s Betrayal

So now Catra is feeling abandoned by Scorpia and Double Trouble (her only friends) and we see the disconnect between what’s in her heart and the front she’s been putting on come to a head in 4x10 when she has that meltdown. She’s kind of losing it because her fear and heartbreak are driving her down a path that she doesn’t actually want. It’s like watching a car crash in slow motion. In 4x12 she continues to hold on desperately to the idea that beating Adora will make her happy, because at this point she doesn’t see any way to turn the car around.

There’s an absolutely fantastic scene early in 4x12 that sets up Double Trouble’s betrayal beautifully, like really it’s a masterpiece. Catra’s childhood friends walk in on her in the locker room and they’re laughing and joking around and for a second it’s like... Catra longs to be a part of that again.. To have friends, to be happy. But then Kyle accidentally kicks one of Scorpia’s old doodles (a painful reminder that she’s gone) and Catra freaks out and attacks them. Kyle’s like “we used to be friends, why are you treating us like this?” So she lets them leave, feeling alone and miserable, and THAT’S when Double Trouble waltzes in... having had just made a deal with Glimmer to double cross Catra.

God it hurts so much. The contrast between her pushing away Scorpia and her real friends, and then her childlike relief upon seeing the person who just sold her out.

This scene gives me fucking chills with the nightmare-ish music and everything.. It’s like, at this point DT is just fucking with her, they’ve already got Catra figured out. This face touch is so cruel and fits with the show’s motif of manipulative affection, too. For me it felt very disconcerting to see Catra like this... unaware that she’s been defeated yet she’s so emotionally vulnerable here, she’s like putty in Double Trouble’s hands. Scorpia leaving cracked her open and, as they’re the last person left standing with Catra’s trust, Double Trouble’s in the perfect position to come in and break her.

So the next episode 4x13 has that crazy scene where Double Trouble totally obliterates Catra and I’m not even gonna talk about it lmao because yall have already done a great job analyzing it. But I do wanna draw attention to the fact that this is the only thing she says in this whole scene:

Can you believe that’s what mattered the most to her in that moment? Not that literally everything she had been working for for the past 4 seasons had just turned to dust before her eyes, but the fact that this random mercenary she hired betrayed her. And there was no anger at all, just... heartbreak.

And then look at what she says to Glimmer afterwards (setting aside the fact that Catra is basically giving up on life...) she says nothing about the war, nothing about winning or revenge. The only thing she’s thinking about is how lonely she feels.

So by the end of Season 4, I think Catra did finally figure out what she truly wanted in life. She didn’t want to be on top just for power’s sake, she wanted people to respect her, to love her, so that no one could hurt her anymore. But she was so obsessed with winning that she ended up losing everyone’s respect. Wow haha if only she could get a second chance to earn it back the right way.... like say if, idk, she was trapped in space jail and forced to team up with her sworn enemy to survive and they came out best friends or something <:)

To sum up, Double Trouble’s role in Season 4 was to break Catra’s mask and force her to consider what she truly wants. I think their betrayal taught Catra to really appreciate what a terrible mistake she made in pushing Scorpia and Adora away. It taught her the difference between someone leaving her because they don’t care about her, and someone cutting ties with her even though they do care for her very deeply, they just couldn’t take Catra treating them like crap anymore. It showed her that what Adora did was nothing like what DT did. That’s what a betrayal feels like when the person doesn’t care about you. Someone who doesn’t care about you isn’t going to beg for your forgiveness for 3 seasons and risk being obliterated from existence just to get you back.

But the real beauty of season 4 was how Catra hitting rock bottom had almost nothing to do with Adora. With the help of other friends Catra has begun to find her own reasons to change, she’s acknowledging her guilt and heartbreak and discovering the person she wants to become. She’s learning to take responsibility instead of just blaming other people. And this character development had nothing to do with romance, just like how Adora breaking free of her destiny and learning to let go of control had little to do with Catra. I love the different perspectives on love that they give us with Catra, Adora, and Scorpia. I love how this show takes the “love conquers all” trope and subverts it, saying that sometimes.. love breaks you. Sometimes it’s not enough. Sometimes it’s used as a weapon. Sometimes you have to let go of people you love, but it opens up space for you to figure out who you are and what you want and to conquer your own demons. You’ll come out the other side with a better understanding of what real, healthy love is supposed to look like. And maybe in the end, the love you always sought will find you again, in its own time, in its own way. 💘

[springmagpies]

My Uncle Reacts to AoS Season 4

So, instead of getting chores done this morning, my uncle and I finished Season 4 of Agents of Shield. Here are his reactions! Enjoy! Fair warning, it is a long post because Steve had a lot of feelings.

4x01

Before the episode: I’m guessing Coulson was like “I got too close to the situation and could no longer be impartial.” And then he passed over the title of director to May or that general guy. Talbot! That’s his name.

He’s like ghost rider is all. Holy crap he is ghost rider! I didn’t realize he was marvel.

Why’d they have to break up the band?

I am concerned about the robots.

Well, ghost rider is badass.

4x02

“You’re an engineer Mack. And a small tank.” Bwhahahahahaha, that’s so true.

The director is Talbot. Ooooh, not Talbot. Someone new.

Oh, Daisy has a picture of Lincoln. I miss him.

May is not okay. May needs a nap.

I still can’t get over Mack offering that maybe they’re just ghosts. Fitzsimmons faces were amazing.

Mace is such a politician.

4x03

*Lincoln is mentioned* Owwwwwww

I love the Phil, Mack, and Fitz team up.

Wow, Fitz is badass this episode.

Okay, so Elena is amazing. That shot with the light was awesome!

4x04

Fitzsimmons moving in together, count me in.

I see where Daisy is coming from, but not awesome that she’s using her friends and then leaving.

Come on Daisy! Come home.

Heylo? Hahahahaha

Radcliffe, I don’t think telling the android it’s okay to lie sometimes is a good idea.

What’s that face she’s giving? Oh shit, is she feeling things? Is she feeling things for Fitz. That’s not good.

I don’t trust James. *moments later* Called it.

Yes, Mack, two fire dudes just fell into fireworks.

Jemma for sure knows she’s an android.

“I prefer a classical beauty myself.” Awww, Fitz.

4x05

Oh, Fitz, a high five will not fix her being mad at you. Trust me.

“I’m sure they have it under control.” *cuts to chaos* Okay, that’s the best transition of the whole show.

Robbie, please don’t go after that guy. Just keep going please. Dammit. Why can no one just follow instructions in Shield.

Way to go Jemma! But what happened with Mace?? What did he do?

May had a heart to heart with her and she’s still leaving? Is Daisy really going to leave after all of this? She can’t, right?

Robbies uncle is going to get sucked into that book. Yeah, look at his expression. That’s not good at all is it.

Well that senator sucks.

4x06

*Mace mad at Coulson* Daaaang

Fitz is so smart. He would be a millionaire if he was an inventor or something. But he just wants to help people.

Wait, shit, Eli is bad!

*Fitz, Coulson, and Robbie disappear* Oh no!!!! Wait, that’s how the episode ends! Noooo!!

4x07

Shit, where are they.

Oh, so that’s where they are. That’s not good.

“I have to phone Simmons to tell her... I’m in another dimension.” Bwhahahahaha oh no.

That’s not Mack. Holy shit!

“Oh Mack’s the ghost rider no big deal. But you can’t hear us.” Oh my god, these lines are amazing.

The dialogue this episode is fantastic.

No!!!!! Don’t give the darkhold to Radcliffe. He’s already so morally grey!!!

Fitz is going to hit Mace

Aww, Fitzsimmons

There’s some flirtation with Phil and Melinda going on.

Have we seen who’s in that photo Mack is looking at? Hope?

Oh hey Robbie, how was hell.

Ummm, is Aida building a brain? Is she corrupted. Yep. She’s corrupted. We’ve got a corrupted android. Great.

4x08

Coulson’s comedic timing is everything.

Oof, Robbie is not having a good time.

“Oh yeah, Fitz solved that” Of course he did. He’s Fitz.

*Badass Fitzsimmons duo scene* They truly are a dynamic duo aren’t they. That shot was awesome!

*Daisy looking at Robbie’s car* well, you’ve got a sweet car.

*Mackelena finally kiss* gasps. There it is!

*Aida kills Nathanson* Oh dears.

*Reveal that May is an LMD* Wait wait wait. Holy shit. Oh shit. Damn.

4x09

Aida’s so sweet to May. And she sweetly killed Nathanson like it was nothing. Not creepy at all.

Once again Mack’s lines are amazing.

Yeah, don’t attack the android guys. Not a good idea.

“Why would you want to hurt me Leopold.” Aaaah haaaa, umm. No.

“Well, Simmons has only been kidnapped twice on this planet.” Hahahahahahaha that’s hilarious.

Smart people are stupid. That’s amazing.

*Aida freezes may* AAAH, she doesn’t even know she’s a robot!

*Radcliffe reveal* O. M. G. He’s corrupted. He played them. Asshole. Dammit he read it for just a second! No!

This is a good part of the show! I’m really enjoying this.

4x10

What the heck’s in that brief case?

And Radcliffe is now super creepy.

Poor Fitz, he doesn’t know his friend totally betrayed him.

“I did this to protect you.” Awww, Fitz. I mean, let’s not make robots, but that’s still really sweet. He just wanted to protect Simmons and everyone.

*May wakes up* Jesus, god May. She’s a badass. Imagine waking up like that! God! That’s terrifying.

“I can’t help feeling like somethings off.” Yeah, May, you aren’t real.

Mace isn’t an inhuman! Oh damn.

*Fitz analyzing Aida’s head* Uh oh Fitz.

“Is it weird that I found that attractive?” Hahahahahahahaha. Fantastic.

*Coulson back in charge* hell yeah!

*May finds out she’s an LMD* Aaaaaaah! Well, that’s an existential crisis.

4x11  

Does Radcliffe have more of them? Because he just happened to have May.

*May waking up over and over again* Feels like I’m watching The Good Place.  

*Aida breaks a glass* That’s concerning that a robot would make a mistake like that.

*Hope reveal* Oh that’s awful! Poor Mack.

Whose the other LMD?

*Radcliffe LMD reveal* Ohhhh noooo. Poor Fitz.

4x12

Hey! I was wondering where the lanyard guys were!

“You’re going all Gollumy again” bwhahahahaha that’s amazing

“I’ve lost too much already, I’m not losing you.” Awww, Phil.

*Robo Radcliffe talks about Fitz’s past* Oh my gosh, that explains so much. Oh Fitz! Screw Fitz’s dad.

How many Koenigs are there?

Awww, baby Fitz!—Maggie

I bet that’s his real mom too!—Steve

Fitz and Simmons are cute!

*Philinda kiss* Noooo! She’s a robot!

“Sorry, you weren’t meant to last” Radcliffe you ass. You evil ass.

4x13

*Agnes reveal* Eeeek, creepy. That’s who she’s based on!

Wait, is she really Australian? Damn, she does a great American accent.  

Mace really got the short end of the stick in a lot of this didn’t he.

*Shockley gets turned into an inhuman* Oooh shit.

Did they just put Shockley on the plane. The dude that blows up? Well, damn.

*Fitzsimmons realize Shockley is the bomb* Way to go dynamic duo. Now gooooo! Oh, they’re going. Simmons pushing Fitz is amazing.

Aaaaaah! Fitz! Fitz and Mace!

*Fitzsimmons hug* Awww. I know I’ve said it before but they’re cute.

Noooo! Mace! Shit they kidnapped Mace!

*Aida takes put on Agnes’s necklace* Ewwwww, creepy. Creepy creepy creepy! Aaah.

4x14

*The superior walking* He must have this ‘I’m so cool face’ on at all times.

Aww, is Radcliffe in there to be with Agnes. That’s so sad.

*Flashback with Phil and May* Aww, May is all playful. It’s before the sad times.

*Mace chained* that’s not great for your circulation.

They’re going to kill Mace. No, don’t kill Mace.

“Morales, you’re with me.” Uh oh, Morales. More redshirts with names making me nervous.

“You’ve enhanced yourself with alien technology.” Actually Fitz built his hand.

“Cool origin story, bro.” Okay, that’s incredible.

“Concern only slightly lessened.” Davis is just like ‘thanks dude.’ Fantastic.

Mack doesn’t need super powers to be a badass.

*LMD reveal* Holy shit. Holy shiiiit. They switched out all four of them??? All four??? Holy shiiiit. Fitzsimmons are all alone. Aaaahaaa.

“Even filth has a purpose.” Ewwww, and she’s leaning over him like that. So creeeeppyyy. Eewwww.

“He’s a shrink.” Oh awwww. It’s Andrew. She falls in love with him.

Well I guess Phil and Melinda’s robots can be together. Kind of weird but okay.

Oh my god, this is stressing me out!!!

‘Even filth has a purpose.” Gaaah, ewww. I’m still thinking about it.

So is Radcliffe even in control anymore? Or is he too preoccupied with the framework to care. Like, is Aida just doing whatever the heck she wants now because that’s unsettling.

4x15

Where are all of them? Oh they’re in the framework. Uh oh.

Ewwww, Aida is evil! He’s (Ivanov) alive and she’s cutting into him.

Aaah, they’ve got them surrounded. It’s so creepy.

This is some body snatchers shit.

*fitzsimmons LMD scene* *Steve biting his nails with wide eyes* oh my god that was awful.

*Steve rewinds to rewatch the LMD scene* they’re so good. And it hurt so much to see Fitz go so cold. Owwww. Because it was him and how he would act and then it just shuts off. Ugh, they’re so good.

*Jemma stabbing Fitz scene* Oh he’s thought about getting married. Oh my god, that’s so awful. So disturbing. That hurts. They’re so talented.

*Daisy LMDs* Ohhhh that’s so disturbing. This is all so disturbing. Oh my gosh.

*Daisy and Jemma scene* Awwww, they found the only other person to trust. That’s so sweet. Gosh, that was also a brilliantly acted scene.

They’re all such good actors. All of them.

God, this is all so disturbing.

*Aida kills Radcliffe* oh shit. Aaaaah. That’s so creepy.

“Because you and Fitz belong together.” Thats the truth.

“Their poor base” -Maggie

“And they just retiled the bathrooms.” -Steve

Ooh, quake jump, that’s so cool.

*Slow motion quake* That’s sooo badasssss!

*Davis flying the Zephyr* Aah, Davis. Careful. He just started training.

*LMD May blows up the base.* oooh ho.  Damn.

“Lincoln?” Oh noooo. That’s awful.

*Ward reveal* Whaaaaat?

*Coulson reveal* Whaaaaaat?

*Mack reveal* oh nooo, he’s got his daughter.

*Fitz reveal* Whaaaaaat? But, damn.

*Jemma reveal* Whaaaaaaaaat? She’s in a grave? Who’s in the car with Fitz?

*May reveal* is she an avenger? *Hydra logo appears* Waaaaait. Whaaaaaaaaat?

What the hell is going on. What the hell? What is this place. Are they all evil? Some of them evil? Mack isn’t evil right?

*Ivanov’s head* Ewwww creepy.

Whaaaat the helllll. As Fitz would say *does Fitz impression* what the hell?

Dammit why do I have to put the kids to bed!! I want to watch the next episode!! Gosh dang it.

That’s disturbing count: around 15

4x16

“Skye?” Skye??? Skye!!!

*Logo* ooooh, agents of hydra

“You’re on another planet this morning.” Yeah, she is. No shit Ward.

*Daisy looks up Lincoln* Awwww. Owwwww.

*Jemma jumps from the grave.* Lucky she was in a shallow grave.

They’re having a bad week.

Vijay isn’t real. He’s at the bottom of the ocean.

*Ward punches Vijay* wait, did he want him to stop talking? Hmmm.

*Coulson class scene* Aaaahhaa that’s not awful at all.

*May Bahrain reveal* oh shit, it changed that much! Shit.

“We’ve got him doctor” Radcliffe? *Fitz reveal*  Ooooh nooo! Noooo! Shit, noooo! Jemma died and he went all dark. Nooooo.

“It’s a magical place.” Oh damn!

“My father used to say...” Shit, does Fitz have his dad’s influence?????

*Ward double agent reveal* Ooooooh! Shiiit. That’s so interesting!!

“This isn’t the framework this is hell” Jemma’s so pissed.

“Drones, Dwarves. Whatever.” Awww, Jemma’s heart just broke right there.

Are they stuck in the framework! Well shit!

*Fitz and Aida kiss* Ewwww. I mean it makes sense in this world because of course she’s using Fitz but ewww.

She replaced Jemma with herself. That’s not creepy at all.

“Daisy?” Aaaah! He remembers!

This place is messed up! Interesting, but messed up!

4x17

“I make my own soap now.” Bwhahahahahaha. That’s amazing.

Aww, Mack has his daughter. And she’s adorable. Oh no!

Ophelia? Oooh, she’s got her own name.

“I’d cross the universe for you.” Ewwww! Noooo. He literally crossed the universe for Jemma.

*Fitz and Aida make out* *Maggie screams and Steve shivers* But why is Fitz so hot in the framework though—Maggie *Steve nods*

“The soap made me do it.” Bwhahahahaha

*Mace reveal* Aaaaah! Mace! He’s all gruff now and an inhuman! He got everything that he ever wanted.

“And we’ll make our society great again.” Ewwwwwwwhewe!

This is so interesting! I’m really liking it!

*Mack and hope get taken by Hydra* that’s so awful! That is so disturbing!

Coulson is so nerdy, I love it.

“You’re Daisy Johnson. We’re agents of shield.” Mack remembers.

*Revealed that Mack doesn’t remember* No! Shit.

*Fitz kills Agnes* *sharp intake of breath, Steve stays silent for a very long time.*

*Mack joins Shield* Good job Mack.

“How do you feel?”-Maggie.

Steve quietly: “sick.”

4x18

I love how Mace is all scruffy and his suits all scratched.

Aaah, evil Fitz makes me sad.

*Jemma seeing Mack and Hope* Yeah, it’s an oh shit moment.

“Tell your old man all about it.” *Steve gasps* Oh no.

“I don’t know the kind of man I’d be without you father.” “That’s why I’m here.” Yep, to brainwash him.

TRIP!

*Brainwash room* Oh no! It’s the other kid too! No!

MACE! Noooo! Why would Aida do that. She’s so evil.

That’s so messed up.

*May used Terrigen on Daisy* Yes. Good job May. And hopefully it’ll heal her in the process.

4x19

Ha, Bakshi has a tv show.

Aww, mace is dead. He was a good man.

*Daisy quakes Aida out a window* *Steve laughs* That took her by surprise didn’t it.

“It’s like sipping poison...” Mmm, Fox News.

“You’re the new head of hydra” Yikes.

*Ward throws remote* Umm, you guys have limited remotes!

*Steve pauses show* I don’t like any of this. It’s interesting but I hurt inside. It hurts that Fitz is evil. Mace is dead. Agnes is dead. Radcliffe is in prison. May was evil. I’m sad.

Aww, Coulson all of a sudden became that paternal leader.

Wait, so she totally used Fitz in like every way. What a jerk.

Trips the best.

Sorry Ward. She wants to feel bad for you but she can’t.

So much Scottishness this season. I love it.

*Radcliffe yells at Alistar* yep, because you’re a worthless asshole ya jerk. Oof, he just throat punched Radcliffe.

Aww, Coulson is coming into his own.

“When this is over-“ Do I get Skye! “Do I get my Skye back?” Called it!

I liked that scene with Grant. It was the redemption that the other Ward didn’t deserve but this one did. It was nice. Also really well acted.

“Hydra giving alternative facts.” Ooooh, they’re calling them out. They are so not fans of Trump and it’s amazing.

*Coulson on the news* This is Shield’s please vote! Please vote.

That was amazing.

4x20

Yeah, I hate all of this.

This all hurts.

*Fitz talks to Radcliffe* Come on Radcliffe, please don’t betray us. Please.

*Jemma kills Alistair* Well, that’s not going to help us.

“I’m sure everything is fine.” It is not. Simmons killed Fitz’s dad.

I hate this. It’s fascinating and I hate it. She’s just made him mad. God, no.

*Trip saying goodbye* Awww, this hurts. He’s goneeee in our world. Whyyyyy.

Is Aida trying to build her spine *body being built on the other side* Ohhh. Damn.

*Coulson gets shot* SHIT

*Coulson wakes up* You’re going to have to fight a killer robot, Phil.

*May wakes up* Awww she did it! She followed him!!

*Radcliffe redeems himself* Yes! Radcliffe! Yes! Thank you!

*Fitz falls through* Thank God!

Thank you Radcliffe.

*Mack not coming with* Maggie, I really don’t like this.

Oh gosh, Fitz is so freaked out. They’re all so freaked out. Aaah, Aida!

*Aida and Fitz teleport* Well that was unexpected.

I feel really ill. Like, this hurts a lot. I hurt a lot.

It’s like The Red Wedding but drawn out over 4 episodes and I hurt.

4x21

Before the episode: I came into the framework so optimistic and it crushed me. Like I thought May was an avenger and then it was like hahaha pain.

Oh yeah! And then she teleported with Fitz. JERK!

Fitz really got screwed by the framework didn’t he.

*Coulson kills Robo Ivanov with a shield* WOAHHH!!! That was amazing! ...and disturbing.

*Coulson recounts what happened with Robbie Reyes* BWHAHAHAHAHA. It sounds so ridiculous when you recount it but it’s so amazing watching it.

Will she stop teleporting Fitz! He already feels sick!

Yeaaaah, giving Fitz his abuser back and replacing the woman he loves with yourself is not what would make him happy Aida!

“If he wanted to kill us he could just flood the place. Why is he stalling.” TO FLOOD THE PLACE, PHIL!

“I drank the bottle of Haig” “you piece of—“ *Steve can’t stop laughing*

*Mack almost drowning* Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. OH SHIT.

*Fitz and Aida rescuing mack* THANK GOD.

*Jemma shoots Aida* well, yeah.

*Jemma shoots Fitz* Love ya Fitz, sorry man.

“What do we do with Fitz?” Talk to him!!

“I’m just like Ward.” Oh ho, that hurts.

“There’s only room in my heart for her.” YES! Oh shit, Aida’s not happy.

OH SHIT!

NO DAVIS! DAVIS!

*Toddler starts crying IRL over a toy* Now imagine if we gave her powers.That’s what’s happening with Aida.

*Fitzsimmons pod scene* oww

*Yoyo plugs herself into the framwork* This is a mess.

*Aida throws bottle in anger* His vodka!

*Aida and Ivanov scene* Aaah! Inhuman robot sex. Oh. Nope. Murder.

*Robbie comes back* Welcome back buddy! SHIELD shit has hit the fan.

4x22

“How do we kill Aida?” Hell chains? I’m thinking hell chains.

*Robbie waiting for Shield* Hello, back from another dimension? No way, us too!

Well Radcliffe is screwed if the framework is falling apart.

“I’ll talk to him. He’ll remember me.” No he won’t Elena. Wish he would though.

*Robo!Daisy shoots Talbot* *Steve sits with his mouth open* NO!! I mean, he could be annoying but he was a good man! And he’s been around since season 1!

“There’s a pulse.” How? Yay! But how?

“Once you say you can’t stop me. Well—“ it’s like when you say you feel safe on Survivor and then get voted off the island.

*Daisy & Robbie team up* Boom bitches!! That was super cool!

Mack’s not going to leave until Hope de-materializes. And that sucks ass.

“Robot May was much more supportive.” HA! That’s amazing.

EVERYTHING’S A MESS AND EVERYONE IS HURT AND DIE AND PAIN AND OWW AND THINGS.

Maggie: “What?”

Steve: “You heard me.”

*Aida kills LMD!Jemma* WHAT! What the hell? I feel so sick. Oh thank god she’s an LMD! But I feel ill.

Eeeewwwww the kiss Aida gave Fitz on the cheek is so disturbing.

*Jemma shoots Aida* YES! AWESOME!

*Coulson ghost rider reveal* HOLY SHIT THAT’S AMAZING! I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER!

*Aida dies* Well that was awesome and terrible and poor everyone.

They really do a great job of making you feel sick don’t they.

*Mack and Hope scene*

Maggie: “you okay?”

Steve: *wipes away tear* no.

Wait, is there more to Coulson’s deal with the Ghost Rider?

“Gave me a glimpse of the life I could have here.” Oooh! Mack and Elena! She did almost die for him. They’re in love.

*Robbie having to leave* He and Daisy couldn’t like kiss before he left? No? Fine.

*Daisy speech to Fitz* someone hug him, please!

*Diner scene* Whaaaat?

We’re in space next season!!?? Whooo!!

They’re all so messed up after all of this. I feel messed up after all of this.

[thuskindlyshescatters]

Would Cinder be better if she had stayed mute?

Real question here! I was thinking about what makes us attracted to Neo and when we’ve seen Cinder’s most compelling character development. Both queries have the same answer -- when they have to express themselves nonverbally, it’s much more exciting to interpret their inner monologue and guess at their motivations, rather than to have all this dialogue and to still know neither of those things.

Note: This post is not meant to dunk on Jessica Nigri; I think she’s done wonderful work as Cinder in Volume Seven and I’m excited to see where they go from here.

But wouldn’t Cinder be... better?

First, let’s examine what makes Cinder’s dialogue in Volumes Five, Six, and Seven ineffective. (Not Four, since she was silent, and not 1-3, since she was a vastly different character.)

It’s mostly a stylistic issue. Cinder’s lines are written and performed with a breathy, sexy tone to them (saying “aw” a lot, run-on lines that make any statement suggestive, cheesy nicknames like “little bird,” “the lion,” or “little red” that she didn’t use before, etc.), which really doesn’t help her become more intimidating -- it’s like the writer’s have an idea of the sexy, menacing villain they want in this role, but haven’t decided a method of making her that way.

An issue with the story that stresses this awkwardness is her lack of established motivation. We’ve seen suggestions of her “wants” in select scenes, but only two lines have ever truly hinted at her backstory:

“I thought you said you were the girl that wanted power. Did you lie to me?” (Salem, 4x11)

“You think hoarding power means you’ll have it forever, but it just makes the rest of us hungrier! And I refuse to starve.” (Cinder, 7x13)

Yeah, that’s right: the only one actually delivered by Cinder was the most recent episode.

Ultimately, it comes down to too much pointless or awkward dialogue devoted to her evilness and sexiness, and not enough devoted to her true character, which is a much more effective means of making her seem evil.

But we did like Cinder in some scenes, right? There were moments when we may have genuinely felt for her, or at least understood her, making us appreciate her in a new light. Scenes where she communicated something deeper, something more complex about her morals, values, and beliefs. Something that made her villainy seem real.

These moments! When she’s realized her failure and consumed with frustration; when she’s silently horrified by Tyrian’s brutality; when she jumps at the sound behind her because she’s still recovering from her fight; when she’s exhausted yet still desperate to please Salem...

All of these scenes reveal her wants, her frustrations, her fears -- with nary a word spoken!

Then, in Volume Six, she encounters Neo, a mute character who stole the audience’s hearts with her nonverbal expressiveness. While she’s cute, it’s also clear she’s deadly, she’s fiercely loyal to Torchwick, she takes pleasure in violence, and she seeks direction.

We wish we see the same in Cinder, but every time she opens her mouth, the information we get is none of the above. At most, it’s “she’s sexy, here’s a little bit about the plot.”

So here’s my thesis: Volumes Five, Six, and Seven would be better if Cinder remained silent.

Not in a “seen and never heard” kind of way, but in a “what if we got more time to see her truly express herself when dialogue was no longer at her disposal?” kind of way. In Volume Five, all those over-dramatized lines that mostly just clutter her screentime with clunky exposition would be gone; instead, she would be Salem’s silent Black Queen piece, bent on revenge. In Volume Six, her moments of frustration and vulnerability would be prioritized over her one-liners and vague threats. And finally, in Volume Seven, she and Neo would be a perfect pair; not needing dialogue to communicate their nefarious plans, striking from a mutual feeling of hell-bent rage and an underlying compulsion to follow their old habits. Maybe she would even be trying to recover her voice in 5-6, but partnering with Neo would make her realize that she doesn’t need it in order to gain power, and thus Neo’s reintroduction to the story would actually matter to Cinder’s character development.

I don’t want to list out all my examples, so in closing, I want you to think of one Cinder line that’s made you roll your eyes. (You know it exists.) Would that scene have been different if she’d not said anything? Would it have been better if she had instead expressed herself with a glare or a smirk or a threatening gesture?

Yeah, probably.

[stonerbughead]

Maria watches friday night lights (#21)

Things are really heating up!! This is my post for 4x10 + 4x11~

Tami really is the Mother of Dillon; Tim brings Becky to Tami when he doesn’t know what to do about her pregnancy like damn 😭

Ah Big Mary finally came around to the field?! It’s kinda really endearing that a bunch of the old East Dillon alumni are sitting watching the practice now after how this season started

Ugh I recently watched when Karen thought Lucas got Brooke pregnant and slapped him on one tree hill; this Becky scene with her mom has the same energy. The whole teen moms not wanting their kids to make the same mistake trauma ahhh it’s A Lot

Ohhh no did Vince’s mom relapse?!?! Young Michael B. Jordan at his mom’s bedside is so good damn 😭

Fuck Texas law for forcing this doctor to tell Becky the age of the fetus. She wants the abortion! This doctor would be a true hero if he didn’t follow that law. “Supposed to listen to some right wing doctor?!” Same.

God fucking dammit the state facility waiting lists are too long to take Vince’s mom! The system is set up to fail Black and Brown families.

Eric Taylor’s friendship with Big Mary is so funny to me. “You’re telling me I can’t coach the kid because I’m not black.” Eric, that is certainly not what he said I can’t with you

The Riggins brothers are gonna BURY stripped car frames?!

Ew I hate Ryan. And Eric does too.

DEDDDD

Like I truly cackled through this whole scene omfg

Damnnnn Jess having some madddd feels about Big Mary treating Vince like a son 🥺 poor girl

LMAO Tami way to scare the living shit out of Eric waking him up at 3 am with a sentence that includes a hypothetical Julie pregnancy

“This is the stupidest thing we’ve ever done.” Gotta agree with you on that one, Tim. (Also they’re having a real ass talk while burying these car frames!!!!! Lol)

Awww it was Becky’s first time having sex with Luke? That’s so rough.

“Do you think I’m going to hell if I have an abortion?” “No honey I don’t.” Damn these women are so blessed to have Queen Tami Taylor in their Texas small town!!!

I’m glad Becky is getting the abortion and I’m glad she made sure it was her decision after all that pressure from her mom!!! woof

Ah Big Mary finally showed up to his son’s game and is yelling the same things on the sidelines as Jess?! 🥺

Oh I’m so glad Vince found a way to get his mom in rehab, my heart (do we know how he did it tho? Did the gang help him, given the cash?) ....and got it, oh babe are you indebted now 😭 noooo

OMG Buddy on El Fuego is tooo muchhh I’m dying

Uh oh Luke and these painkillers is creeping back in to become a problem...

HOLY SHIT we get to see Saracen in Chicago???? Oh how I’ve missed him! He looks so cute in a scarf! Awww he has a photo of Julie up in his lil apartment?!

Oh we love Eric listening to his interview about the panthers game while sitting in the car staring at the old field! This show is so gooood like damn

Is Luke’s injury finally catching up to him now that he doesn’t have the painkillers to help him work through the pain?! Man this dude is having a rough semester, he was just dealing with a pregnant sexual partner too!

O H N O I had a feeling Luke’s mom coming in to ask Becky about the abortion was not friendly....and yep now she wants to get Tami fired???? Ugh fuck anti choice conservatives

Saracen’s Chicago apartment is so idyllic wow

Omg can you imagine being Julie getting that call all those months later??? I get why she was so upset, he sounded so casual like BOY YOU GHOSTED

Landry’s mom asking what Jess thinks of Obama, so cringe!

Ew Luke Cafferty’s mom at his door like “don’t forget to say your prayers” as if she isn’t trying to ruin Tami’s life with her anti choice nonsense!!!

Yeeeesh Cheryl’s hitting on Tim?? did Cheryl not notice that Becky is clearly super into Tim 😬 this is so much, why is Tim stuck in a love triangle with a mother and her daughter.

W O W Luke doesn’t even know his mom went to talk to Becky, let alone is trying to get Tami fired...fuck, does Becky even realize what is happening??? She’s gonna be so upset when she realizes Tami is being attacked like this!

Yes go off Tami!!! “I gave her her options and I listened to her. That’s my duty as a principal and a human being.”

“Obama, really?” Lol same Jess

Yeah I’m sure this isn’t gonna get out even tho Tami is keeping her job. Im sure the anti choice nuts will take this loss graciously 🙄

Yes Luke, yell at your mom!! I’m so glad he’s defending Becky and Tami! That was not your grandchild, it was a bunch of cells. Relax.

Tami and Eric’s marriage is so pure. Tells her about her victory and he kisses her. “What are you doing tonight?” “Nothing.” “I’ll go get the wine.” “Okay.”

Oh noooo Luke is literally in Carroll Park asking random ppl for Oxys nooo. Damn this season has covered *so* many social issues so seamlessly! The fuckin opioid epidemic, check.

Also guess that whole cleaning up Carroll Park thing didn’t work Eric Taylor!! which duh

Oh Matt babe I’m excited for you but you should’ve maybe not taken off without telling someone you were dating for years?!

Oh the angst!!! “Matt, we were together for almost four years. I know almost everything about you.” DAMN she is really giving it to him!! ugh warranted even tho let’s be real Saracen looks like he’s thriving in Chicago! they’re better off spending this time apart to ~grow~

Aww tinker is really looking out for Luke! this is pretty heartwarming that they’re defying the coach’s plays just to protect Luke bc of his injury.

....Ugh I knew he’d push it too far, babeeee

“I think I’m moving out.” Yeah Tim probably a good life decision.

Oh fuck now Cheryl is making assumptions and going off??? Bitch he did not sleep with your daughter!!

After watching The Wire for four seasons, this operation Vince is indebted to looks so weak sauce. But yikes nooo his friend got shot!

...anddd here comes the press about the abortion controversy. Saw that coming!

Oooof bad timing to want to stay for another drink, Eric.

Omg poor Vince. his best friend died and his mom’s in rehab??? My heart 🥺

[go-ldy]

Riverdale 4x10 & 4x11

I watched these back-to-back and (a) they were both very enjoyable; and (b) they have also blurred together in my head to one giant episode smush so here are some thoughts on both.

-Did I like these episodes so much because it felt like one big Bughead arc? Probably. I am a straightforward person okay just give me Betty and Jughead things and I am happy.

-BBs had some angst! Finally!!!!!! I feel like I have been waiting for some proper Betty/Jughead angst since that time they broke up in season 2 like ten times (okay twice, but it felt like more at that time). Am I bad a shipper that I like it when they fight? I guess it’s because usually I see where they are both coming from and so I relate. 

-HERE IS THE THING. I totally feel for Jughead avoiding telling Betty about things he knows will upset her - who DOESN’T avoid telling loved ones things that will upset them? I am a professional at that. And like with Jughead, it never seems to go well for me! Just rip off that bandaid and hope people will react better than you expect, but if you avoid it and avoid it (which, again, my personal brand of dealing with bad news) then you just look sneaky even if that’s not your intention.

-For Betty’s part, who hasn’t had that mixture of happiness/jealousy for someone who has gotten something or done something that you have always wanted? I thought she was very supportive of the whole Yale thing given the circumstances. 

-Plus Betty and Jughead made up like almost immediately and in the sweetest way and so I felt like I was given immediate gratification. Honestly a show like Riverdale is just meant for me. I am a simple human.

-TOO CUTE when Jughead was bouncing about their life in New Haven next year solving mysteries and going to Yale together. AW BBs. YES RUN AWAY FROM RIVERDALE AND NEVER LOOK BACK. 

-We all know they are all going to end up at Riverdale University next season though. I’m gonna guess that being suspended for cheating will make it hard to get into pretty much any Ivy League University, oops.

-I’m also gonna guess that being “murdered” also puts a dent in your college plans.

-Alice Cooper (now Smith), fucking up Betty’s life since forever. I get that she wanted to help Betty, but who helps their daughter cheat in, like, the most obvious you-are-going-to-get-caught way. WHO DOES THAT? Also how do you not know that Betty Cooper was made to CRUSH a quiz show competition. I mean, come on. 

-I have to say though that Betty was seriously off her game by tearing up the answers and then.... depositing them.... right in the garage can?  You burn that shit or flush it down a toilet. Betty Cooper can successfully cover up a dead body, but not cheat sheets I guess!

-BETTY’S TEARS AND FACE IN THE LAST SCENE /o\ poor bb. JUGHEAD IS PROBABLY NOT DEAD YOU PROBABLY HAVE NOT MURDERED HIM. Four weeks in the future must mean that we are finally coming to some kind of conclusion to this abominably long storyline though right? Right? ..right?

-lmao @ ”One time I boxed a bear.” HOW DO PEOPLE HATE THIS SHOW.

-How many times did Toni have a scene where she spoke to someone other than Cheryl about a topic other than Cheryl? I COUNTED TWO.  The first was during the Quiz show when she answered a question in practice and then the second time was when she threatened Penelope. Not... great. #freeToni

-Where is Jellybean did she die offscreen and nobody has noticed?

-I wish I had something to say about Veronica’s rum plotline but honestly I don’t really have words for it. I want to say it is not the worst plotline Riverdale has ever had? But I just...................................

-Veronica might have more success at her business though if she was not constantly popping up in Hiram’s office to brag in painstaking detail about all of the ways that she is going to beat him in the rum business and generally make his life a misery. That strategy constantly fails her for some reason.

-I like that we had a football storyline. Plus some sports doping! Very relevant, very Riverdale.

-I don’t know why Archie suddenly being the owner of Andrews Construction took me by surprise but it did. I guess Tom Keller has been running it while Archie was a masked vigilante? I feel like Tom is a better father figure to Archie than he is to Kevin. I mean, in the last year or so Kevin has been indoctrinated into an organ stealing cult and now he is making dubious cash-for-tickling videos. Kevin probably could use some of that fatherly advice that Tom is always giving Archie and that Archie never listens to. Still, Tom is a good guy. Too bad Archie dumped him in favour of nepotism, but that checks out as a very Archie thing to do.

-What happened to Chic/Charles being in it to ruin the Cooper-Jones family? That was a legitimate plot, right? That was a thing? I didn’t dream it? 

[ila9182]

I wish you would write a fic where there's Sharon or Andy being a hostage or something like that and they still haven't confessed their feelings to each other. Super angsty like only you can do, but maybe with an happy ending? 💜

Thank you so much @allons-y–spaceman for this prompt ask! It has taken me a while to write it and I’m not fully satisfied with the final result, but here it is. It is very long, I am apparently not able to write short stories… I hope this doesn’t suck too much…

Also this isn’t proofread, so mistakes are all mine. Sorry.The story is set somewhere after “Hostage of Fortune” (4x08) and before “Four of a Kind” (4x11).

————————-

“Sharon, I was thinking…” Andy started as he stepped into her office.

Sharon looked up from her laptop. She folded her hands, her upper arms resting on her desk, as she waited for Andy to go on.

“We got Walters in Interview Two; I know the questioning didn’t go well and he hasn’t been very chatty, but I was thinking…” He crossed the room and sat in one of the chairs in front of Sharon, “He wasn’t fully sobered up when you and Provenza talked to him, I can swing by and bring him some ginger ale… I can try talking to him, you know, from alcoholic to alcoholic, maybe he might open up with me…” Andy offered with a shrug.

“I don’t know, Andy…” Sharon replied, hesitantly. Normally she would have thought it was a good idea, but the man had been pretty clear about the fact that he wasn’t willing to cooperate.

“Look, he hasn’t asked for a lawyer yet.” Andy pointed out. “As soon as he asks for one, I’m out of the room.” He promised her with a stern look. “But let me try, maybe he can lead us to Brittany…or her body.” He added, his expression darkening.

Sharon bit her lower lip, considering Andy’s words. The team had been working on the case for twenty hours. It was early morning when they had been called to the scene in Silverlake. A puddle of blood in the living room, bloodstains on the couch and the coffee table, but no body. A woman in her thirties, Brittany Monroe, the owner of the house, nowhere to be found. Her fiancé, Eric Walters, had been found on the scene, asleep in the bedroom, drunk and covered with blood. The man hadn’t been willing to talk and Sharon’s gut was telling her that he had something to do with the disappearance – and probably murder – of his fiancée.

“Okay.” Sharon finally let out and Andy smiled triumphantly at her. She raised a warning finger at him and told him, “But the second he asks for a lawyer, you’re out of the room.”

“Yes, Captain.” Andy nodded with a smile. He stood from the chair and quickly left Sharon’s office, closing the door behind him. He crossed the Murder Room and went to the break room where he took a can of ginger ale and a plastic glass. He then walked back to the Murder Room and pointed at the Interview Two’s door when he told Buzz, “I’m going to have a chat with Walters.”

Buzz nodded and Andy stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. Eric Walters was staring at his hands. He looked up when he heard the door open and then close. Andy walked to the table and put down the ginger ale and the glass before saying, “I thought you might be thirsty… and this can help.”

Andy sat down in front of the man and eyed him. Walters opened the can and poured the ginger ale into the glass. He brought the glass to his lips and gave Andy a nod, “Thank you.”

Walters put the empty glass down and stared at the Lieutenant in front of him. Andy rested his upper arms on the table and slightly leaned forward, as he spoke, “I know what it’s like. You just want a glass and then before you knew it, you’ve emptied the bottle.”

“You do?” The man asked Andy with an arched eyebrow.

“I’ve been there.” Andy replied as he clasped his hands together, “I’ve been sober for 18 years… AA meetings have done wonders, if you’re interested…” he offered.

Walters shrugged and looked down at his hands in his lap. Andy cleared his throat and leaned forward a little more as he went on, “Listen, man, I’ve been wasted God knows how many times. I’ve been so wasted I couldn’t remember what had happened before I passed out.” Andy paused and made sure he had the other man’s attention, “So, if something happened with Brittany while you were under the influence of alcohol, you realize that you can’t be fully held responsible for whatever happened, right?”

“I can’t?” Walters asked, frowning.

“You can’t.” Andy confirmed. “So if you want to tell me what happened, I’m sure we can find a way to… fix things?” He offered with a shrug.

Andy noticed the man’s eyes pooling with tears and his lips trembling. Before Andy even realized it, Walters broke down. The man put an arm on the table and propped his head on it. Walters’s body began shaking uncontrollably as he tried to hold back his sobs. Andy sighed and stood from his chair, slowly walking around the table. He stood next to Walters and put a hand on the man’s shoulder, as he leaned in to whisper, “Hey man, it’s okay.”

Before Andy realized it, the remaining ginger ale in the can was splashed in his face. He let out a yell and covered his burning eyes with his arm. He was about to reach for his gun when he felt something hitting him on the side of his head. Everything went dark.

——————

Sharon looked up from the report she was reading when she heard all the commotion in the Murder Room. She spotted Provenza yelling some indistinct orders and pulling out his gun. Her breath got caught in her throat as she jumped to her feet and rushed out of her office.

“Lieutenant, what’s going on?” Sharon barked.

“Walters, that son of a bitch… he has knocked Flynn out, taken his gun and now he is pointing out the gun at Flynn.” Provenza informed her. He then turned to Buzz and asked firmly, “Buzz, are you ready with the camera?”

“The stream is now on my computer.” Tao confirmed as he turned his computer screen toward Sharon and Provenza.

Sharon neared the screen and she whitened when she saw Andy on the floor and Walters pointing the gun at him. The man was nervous and restless. Sharon knew that this kind of situation – where a nervous person held someone at gunpoint or hostage – was the most complicated and unpredictable one. A trembling hand or a reflex could change the situation dramatically. It could take barely a split second for a gunfire to happen.

“How much time until we have the audio as well?” Sharon enquired, forcing her voice to sound firm.

“Less than a minute, Captain.” Tao reassured her as he typed on his keyboard.

“Amy, call the SWAT. Lieutenant, Julio, I want you two to aim at the door and be prepared.” Sharon ordered.

Provenza and Julio immediately got in position, the Lieutenant leaning against a desk while Julio hid himself behind the cubicle wall. Sharon turned back to the screen when she heard Tao tell her that the video had now the audio as well. She saw Andy trying to move on the floor and she let out a relieved sigh.

At least he was alive, Sharon thought as her throat tightened. She took a deep breath and a shiver ran through her spine when she heard Walters scream, “You just try to move and I will blow your head up! I swear, I will!”

“I need to speak to Walters.” Sharon announced, as she pulled out her gun.

“Captain…” Provenza started.

“Lieutenant, just keep your position.” Sharon ordered firmly. “I know what I am doing.” She added as she walked into the Electronics Room.

The screens were on and she could see Walters pointing a trembling gun at Andy. Sharon rested her hands on the desk and whispered, her voice shaking, “Andy, please, hang in there.”

The tears were starting to pool in her eyes, but she blinked them away. She needed to keep her emotions at bay, she needed to be focused to get Andy out of this mess. Alive. Another shiver ran down her spine as she looked down at her hands. Sharon took deep breaths. When she looked up, determination was on her face as she spoke in the microphone, “Mister Walters…”

Sharon saw the man looking around, trying to understand where her voice came from, and she went on, “This is Captain Sharon Raydor speaking.”

“What do you want from me?!” Walters yelled back.

“You got one of my Lieutenants with you. I want you to put down your gun and let Lieutenant Flynn go.” Sharon firmly replied.

“You mean that asshole?!” Walters shot back, as he kicked Andy in the stomach. “You sent him thinking he will got me to talk, right? That fucking drunk!” He exclaimed, as he kicked Andy once again.

Sharon cringed and briefly closed her eyes to regain her composure, “We don’t need this situation to get more complicated, Mister Walters.” She stated coldly. “If you surrender now, I can promise you this won’t be mentioned in your file.”

“Like I care! I’m screwed anyway!” Walters exclaimed.

“No, Eric, listen to me…” Sharon started.

“You better stop talking or I swear I will shoot your Lieutenant, Captain.” The man threatened her.

Sharon had to comply. She took a few steps back from the microphone and let out a frustrated sigh, as she heard Andy scream, “Sharon, just let them break into the room and shoot that bastard! Don’t worry about me.”

“Shut the fuck up!” Walters ordered and he hit Andy in the face with the butt of his gun.

Sharon froze as she saw Andy’s head hitting the floor again, blood flowing from his brow bone. Sharon gasped and covered her mouth with a hand. This couldn’t be happening. She knew she shouldn’t have sent Andy in there. It was her fault, she was the one in charge and she had agreed with Andy’s plan. She should have known better. Now Andy was threatened by an unstable suspect and she didn’t know how to get him out of there.

“Captain Raydor.” A voice interrupted her train of thought.

Sharon turned around to find Fritz Howard on the threshold of the room. She had no clue for how long he had been standing there. Right now she couldn’t care less. Sharon nodded and said, “Agent Howard.”

“Lieutenant Tao quickly briefed me. How bad is it?” Fritz asked with a stern look.

“Take a look by yourself.” Sharon added with a sigh, as she pointed at the monitors.

Fritz joined her and stood by her side, as he looked at the screen. Walters had forced Andy to sit on one of the chairs. Still aiming his gun at the Lieutenant, the man told him with a grin, “So, Sharon, uhm? No Captain Raydor for you?”

Andy kept quiet, as he threw a deadly stare at the man in front of him. Sharon could tell he was about to implode by the way he nervously clenched his fists. She just hoped for his own sake that he would stay calm.

“You’re screwing her, aren’t you?” Walters went on with an amused smile. “Well, can’t blame you, she got some nice legs and a great ass…”

“Shut the fuck up!” Andy barked.

“Wrong answer.” Walters shot back as he placed the muzzle of the gun against Andy’s forehead. “If you keep this up, your brain will be the next thing splashed on the wall.”

Sharon closed her eyes as she tried to control her fear. She couldn’t bear the fact that she had to helplessly watch Andy getting beaten up. Sharon knew she was too emotionally involved and she realized for the first time the difficulty of juggling her professional with her private life. It was Andy’s life on the line. Andy.The man she had been dating for a couple of months now, the man with whom she had started building a serious relationship, the man who had put her first and made her feel loved. Love,a word she had been afraid of since the failure of her marriage. Yet, here she was, feelings burgeoning inside her and she wasn’t able to silence them anymore. She liked him, she loved him. Sharon turned her attention back to the screen, and blinked back the tears. She truly hoped it wasn’t too late for her to tell him how much she cared about him.

Sharon felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned to find Fritz looking at her with a serious look, “We will get Flynn out of there unharmed.” He reassured her.

Sharon nodded and rubbed her forehead with a hand, as she tried to regain her composure. She couldn’t allow herself to lose it. Fritz went on, his tone softening, “I know how you feel.” He looked at her sympathetically before adding, “You never get used to this kind of situation…”

Sharon nodded and ran a hand through her hair. When she looked at Fritz again, she was back being at one hundred percent the Captain her team needed. “So, what’s the plan, agent Howard?”

—————————-

Sharon paced in the Murder Room while Agent Howard explained the plan to the team. Provenza glanced from time to time to the Captain, hoping she would say something. She didn’t. When Fritz finished his explanation, Provenza turned to Sharon and asked, “What do you think of this, Captain?”

“I think…” Sharon started, emphasizing slowly every word, “that we don’t have any other choice. I know it’s risky, I’m aware of it, but if Walters refuses once again to negotiate, we’ll have to do so.”

“Captain, Flynn could get killed if we break into the room like this.” Provenza shot back, letting her know he definitely didn’t think it was a good idea.

Sharon briefly closed her eyes and sighed. She forced her voice to sound firm when she replied, “Lieutenant, I don’t like this plan either… that’s why I will try once again to speak with Walters.” She paused, locking her eyes with Provenza. “But if Walters won’t comply to my requests, we won’t have any other choice…”

Provenza nodded. Sharon looked at the rest of the team and asked, “Are we clear?”

What happened next was mostly a blur for Sharon. Everything happened in a rush. Sharon went back to the Electronics Room with Fritz and they tried to reason Walters. Unsuccessfully. The man wasn’t willing to listen to them. To make it clear to Sharon and Fritz he placed once again the muzzle of his gun against Andy’s forehead. Sharon reluctantly gave up on her negotiation. When she met Fritz’s gaze, she knew he was silently telling her that they should go on with his plan. Sharon closed her eyes and sighed. Her hands were shaking and she shoved them in the pockets of her blazer to hide her tremor. She then turned to Fritz and said firmly, “Fine.”

They left the room and joined the team in the Murder Room. Fritz announced, “Everybody in position.”

The team immediately complied; Provenza and Julio regained their previous position. Amy and Tao joined them, aiming their guns at the Interview Two’s door. Two SWAT officers were crouching in the hallway. Sharon sat at Tao’s desk, her eyes glued to the screen. Andy was still sitting on the chair, his head down. His lack of responsiveness worried Sharon and she couldn’t help but feel a lump forming in her throat. Their rescueoperation was a risky one; it was a 50/50 chance and she was aware of it. She closed her eyes. She couldn’t think of what she would do if things went wrong. She didn’t want to think about it.

Sharon met Fritz’s stare and nodded. Fritz then turned to the team and the SWAT. He silently did the countdown with a hand and when he gave the final nod, one of the SWAT officers broke the glass wall while the other threw a stun grenade inside. Julio kicked down the door when they all heard a gunshot.

Sharon froze, her breath hitched in her throat. She had her eyes locked on the screen; she had been checking how things were going inside the room during the operation. The glass wall shattering, Walters jumping startled and cursing, the stun grenade rolling on the floor… and then suddenly, something happened. Walters had aimed his gun to the door and Andy had taken the advantage to jump on him. The grenade had gone off and smoke had filled the room. Sharon could barely make out two silhouettes struggling when the gunshot had rung.

Her eyes filled with tears as she sat at Tao’s desk. Sharon couldn’t look away from the screen. As the smoke started dissipating, she recognized Julio and Provenza, the first moving Walters away while the Lieutenant checked on Andy. For a second that seemed to last a lifetime, Sharon was glued to the screen, praying Andy was fine. When she saw Andy on his feet, she let out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding. She looked up, blinking back the tears, silently thanking God.

Sharon stood from her chair and slowly neared Interview Two. She had wanted to rush inside herself, but she knew she couldn’t put on quite a show. She was in charge and couldn’t let her emotions get the better of her. Sharon had been the first to ensure Taylor that her relationship with Andy wouldn’t have influenced work dynamics. She couldn’t now possibly storm into the room, hug and kiss Andy, and tell him how much she loved him.

Sharon held back, shoving her fidgeting hands inside the pockets of her blazer. As soon as Andy walked out of the room, supported by Provenza, he met Sharon’s relieved, but still worried gaze. Andy forced a smile to reassure her. Sharon couldn’t help but smile back. No words were said initially, but their eyes spoke a thousand words. I’m fine. I’m glad to see you. I wish I could kiss you. I won’t ever let you go. I love you.

Sharon felt even more reassured when she finally heard Andy’s voice, “I’m okay, Sharon, I’m fine.”

“Yeah, well this idiot needs to be checked out.” Provenza grumbled. “Always wanting to be the hero, dumbass.” He added, shaking his head. Andy opened his mouth to speak, but he didn’t. He merely frowned at his partner’s comment.

Sharon nodded. Her eyes fell on Andy’s split and swollen lip and on the cut on his temple. Andy could have a concussion. “Please, Lieutenant, walk Andy to my office.” Sharon replied, pointing at her office. “The paramedics will be here soon.”

Provenza nodded and complied. While Andy was walking away, he turned to glance at her one last time. Sharon offered him a sweet smile. She let out a breath and ran a hand through her hair. Fritz joined her and told her, “Walters has been shot in the shoulder. Nothing serious. He’s going to the hospital and then, he’ll be back in custody.”

“Thank you for your help, Agent Howard.” Sharon said with a smile.

“Anytime.” Fritz replied. He glanced at Sharon’s office before adding, “I know you’d rather check on Flynn, but Taylor wants to see us in his office.”

“Of course, he does.” Sharon merely replied, holding back an eye roll, as she walked with Fritz to Chief Taylor’s office.

————–

Sharon walked back from Taylor’s office. The Chief had been going on and on about the need of an internal investigation, but Sharon couldn’t care less at the moment. She just wanted to see Andy and make sure he was really fine.

Sharon entered the Murder Room. She found her team waiting for her and she leaned against one of the desks, as she announced, “I think we can call it a day. Go home and rest, today has been an eventful day.” She paused and glanced at each member of her team, offering a smile before adding, “Great work, everyone. Thank you.”

The team started packing their things when Sharon cleared her throat and said, “There might be a FID investigation in the following days…”

“Come on, seriously!” Provenza groaned.

Julio started grumbling as well while Tao rolled his eyes. Sharon gestured for everyone to calm down with a hand, as she went on with a firm tone, “I expect each one of you to give full cooperation to FID.”

The team reluctantly nodded and everyone started leaving under Sharon’s attentive look. She offered a smile to each one of them. Provenza put his jacket on and joined Sharon, “Flynn is still in your office.” He informed Sharon. “Paramedics said he’s okay, they insisted for him to go to the hospital, but you know how stubborn that idiot is.” Provenza complained. “So, he needs constant monitoring to exclude a concussion.”

“I can do that.” Sharon replied, her eyes never leaving the closed blinds of her office.

“I bet you can.” Provenza grumbled, rolling his eyes. He patted Sharon’s shoulder and added, “Grab that dumbass of my partner and go home. You need to rest too.”

Sharon nodded and thanked Provenza. She watched the Lieutenant leave and turned to reach her office. She opened the door and found Andy sitting on the green armchair, his head leaning against the wall, his eyes closed.

“Andy…” Sharon whispered, her firmness being replaced by uncertainty.

Andy stood from the armchair and raised his hands defensively, as he told her, “Sharon, before you yell at me that I should go to the hospital for a quick check, I…”

Sharon quickly joined him. She stood in silence in front of him, studying every inch of his face. She gently reached for his cheek, stroking it before her hand moved to his lips. Sharon traced the outline with a finger, stopping before her finger met the cut on his upper lip. She noticed the lightly swollen spot. Andy briefly closed his eyes and shivered slightly under her touch. Sharon then ran her hand through his hair. Her eyes fell on the cut on his temple. Her fingers brushed the steristrips used to close the wound, and Sharon studied the reddened and swollen spot.

“I’m fine, Sharon…” Andy softly told her as he gently took her hand in his. He dropped a light kiss on it before letting it go.

Sharon didn’t seem convinced. She stared at him silently and slowly brushed her hands down his sides. She remembered Walters kicking him and Andy seemed to have read her mind because he reassured her, “No broken ribs, I’m just sore. I’ll probably have bruises tomorrow…”

Sharon rested her hands on his chest. She didn’t meet his eyes and stared at her hands instead. “I’m sorry…” She whispered.

Andy frowned and slid his arms around her waist. “Come here…” He softly told her as he pulled her against him. Sharon resisted at first, as she was worried she might hurt him. Andy insisted and she surrendered. Sharon delicately buried herself against his chest and Andy tightened his embrace. “What for?” He finally asked.

“I should have never let you go in there…” Sharon muttered against him. “You could have died.”

“Hey, hey stop, Sharon.” Andy firmly, but gently told her. He slightly pulled her back from his chest, so he could look at her in the eyes. “This isn’t your fault, you hear me? I’m the one to blame because I was dumb enough to let myself be fooled by that asshole.”

Sharon shook vehemently her head while tears glistened in her eyes. Andy cupped her face with both hands, as he soothingly whispered, “Hey Sharon…”

“I could have lost you…” Sharon let out with a shaky voice.

Andy wiped away the tears that had started rolling down her cheeks. “I’m here, Sharon.” He replied before he drew her against him again. Sharon clutched the back of his shirt with both hands. Silent tears streamed down her cheeks, leaving a wet spot on Andy’s shirt. Andy soothingly rubbed her back. “I was afraid I wouldn’t see you again…” He confessed, his voice above a whisper.

They stood in each other’s arms for a while until Sharon pulled back. She smiled through her tears and looked at him in the eyes. Sharon felt a lump building in her throat in anticipation of the words she was about to say. She wasn’t going to let her fear silence her as she did the other times. Not when she had come so close of losing him today. Not when she had stood in front of a screen with the fear of never having the chance of confessing her feelings to him.

Sharon opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Andy tilted his head and looked at her with curiosity. He put a strand of hair back behind her ear and smiled softly at her. “I-I… uhm…” Sharon stuttered.

“What is it, babe?” Andy urged her, his hand stroking her cheek.

Sharon briefly closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she reopened them, she found Andy gazing at her lovingly. “I love you.” Sharon blurted out.

There, she said it. Sharon watched with fear as Andy’s loving gaze changed into a surprised one. What if he didn’t feel that way?Sharon wondered, What if she had scared him with her confession? What if she had ruined everything?

Sharon’s mind was running wild. Her fear grew with each second Andy stayed silent. Sharon looked down and tried to break his embrace. “I’m sorry, I don’t know why I said this, I…” She muttered.

Andy tightened his grip on her, preventing her from stepping back. Sharon frowned and slowly looked up to meet his eyes. Andy put his thumb under her chin to assure she kept looking at her when he told her, “I love you too, Sharon… While I was in there, I was terrified I would never get the chance to tell you so. I wasn’t worried about me, I was worried about you.” He paused and added with a soft tone, “About you never knowing how important you are to me…”

A choked sob escaped Sharon’s mouth. Andy cupped her face with both hands and leaned in. Their lips were nearly brushing when Sharon whispered, “What are you doing?”

“Uhm, kissing you?” Andy offered with a foolish grin.

“Andy, your lip…” Sharon reminded him with a stern face.

“I don’t care. Today was a shitty day and I just want to kiss the woman I love.” Andy replied, in a half joking, half serious tone. “You could never hurt me, Sharon. You are good for me.” He truthfully added.

Sharon closed the gap between them and kissed him gently. Her lips were like feathers against his own, as she was careful not to hurt him. Andy deepened the kiss, making it more passionate. Sharon slightly pulled back, but still brushed her lips against his. “Easy, Andy…” She muttered out of breath. She started leaving a trail of kisses in the corner of his mouth. Andy smiled against her lips; Sharon had the softest touch. She had a healing touch.

Sharon pulled back and offered him a bright smile. Andy kept his arms around her waist when she told him, “Let’s go home… and by home, I mean the condo. I’ve been told that you need constant monitoring, Lieutenant.” She added with a smirk.

[osleyakomwonkru]

So. 6x07. This isn’t running commentary this time, just commentary.

Warning: The salt is strong in this one, and rubbed all over fandom’s precious untouchable one, so be warned. If you’ve seen the episode, you know of whom I speak.

Let’s play Four Truths and a Lie, shall we?

All in all, I didn’t hate this episode. Not as much as I thought I would for an episode that takes place almost entirely in Clarke’s head. Because all in all, most of it made sense.

Note I say most. So let’s start with that, shall we?

Clarke’s dad being the first one she sees makes total sense. He’s her go-to for hallucinations/projections/etc. to help her start sorting shit out.

ALIE was an interesting twist. So the subtext I’m getting here is that if they happen to Nightblood a lot of people to bodysnatch them, and those people were in the City of Light at some point, we’ll have more failing mind drives unless the Primes EMP everyone first. We know Echo, Emori, Jackson and Kane fall into this category. So then - could the residue of the CoL chip interfere with Abby uploading Kane’s mind to a mind drive? I sure hope so.

Octavia as the personification of Clarke’s self-hatred also makes sense. Everyone projects their hate and self-loathing onto Octavia, would make sense that Clarke does the same. Clarke’s also smart enough to realize that she and Octavia aren’t all that different, so maybe, when you get your body back Griffin, you can start telling Bellamy that too, hmm? That if he can forgive Clarke, he can forgive Octavia too? Or, even better, realize that he’s the one who needs forgiveness from both of them instead of the other way around?

Maya as the personification of Clarke’s guilt is logical too - Clarke’s always felt guilty over Mount Weather, and killing scores of innocent people. It was especially relevant to mention the “killed more than you’ve saved” bit, because I’m pretty sure every single character with the exception of Octavia and Jaha have killed more than they’ve saved.

So. Those are the truths. Onto the lie then.

So from Tumblr I can tell that fandom had a collective mental orgasm when Monty showed up. I often feel like I’m the only member of the fandom who hates the untouchable Monty Green, but I do, and that’s the truth of it.

Now, I do have to remember this is Clarke’s mindspace. Not the actual people and their thoughts and their personalities. It is how *Clarke* views them. And that fact is the only reason why their scenes didn’t make my eyes roll right out of their sockets.

Because Clarke has the same blinders on that most of the characters and most of the fandom do. Real Monty absolutely would tell Clarke to not fight if that would save her people. Just last season, he literally told both Octavia and Cooper that they should keep suffering with their ghosts instead of going to war to be free of them. How is this any different? It isn’t.

Monty wouldn’t endorse the bodysnatching Primes, just like he didn’t endorse Mount Weather bleeding Grounders to survive, but they’re something that Adventure Squad can deal with without Clarke, they don’t need her for that. They especially don’t need to start a war with them before they learn how to survive on this moon, yet that’s what Monty-as-Clarke’s-personification-of-self-preservation is suggesting.

“That deal means our side gets to live, but at what cost?” “The ends don’t justify the means, you know that.” - these are all words that make sense coming out of Monty’s mouth, that is his philosophy for sure, but what he’s recommending to Clarke - to fight Josephine for her brain and body - has the likelihood of an even greater cost, and that’s what doesn’t make sense here.

Now, what I think could have been an interesting contrast here is to have the angel vs devil on your shoulder situation, like Raven had in 4x11 with Becca and Sinclair. Only instead of them, the people could be Monty and Harper - because Harper is a lot more of a fighter than Monty is, always has been, even if she sometimes falls under his peace algae spell. A scene like this would help to take off fandom’s collective blinders about Monty Green and help them see him for who he really is. But alas. 

So anyway. Those are my thoughts on the episode. Fascinating in many ways, but also feeding a narrative which is self-contradictory. Which I don’t like.

[backtothestart02]

Promises Through Prison Glass | RC - 4x11

A/N: An extension of the second prison visitation scene we got between Barry & Iris in 4x11. Enjoy. 😊

*Many thanks to @valeriemperez for beta’ing.

...

Restless in the courtyard, dozens of other inmates in the vicinity, Barry didn’t register a thing except his own footsteps, the wind as it whistled past his ear, and his own breath, his heart beat, his pulse hammering away in his neck, in his wrist.

It had been forty-eight hours since he’d last seen Iris, since he’d last heard her voice, since he’d been reminded that she missed him as much as he missed her, that she loved him the same amount.

After Ralph had unconventionally stopped by the night before, Barry understood why Iris hadn’t managed to pay her usual visit. He almost didn’t realize how much he depended on it until he had to go without it for an entire day. But he understood. Things were chaotic, and visiting hours weren’t twenty-fours a day. Iris simply had been needed elsewhere.

After all, it wasn’t like he was going anywhere. At least not any time soon. He put on a brave face for Iris, but on this matter, he was relieved to not be on the outside. He hadn’t the slightest idea of how to clear his name.

“Allen, your 1:30 is here,” interrupted his thoughts. A gruff voice that sounded almost annoyed.

Barry didn’t care. He looked up at the clock finally before going inside and saw a smile tug at the corner of his lips.

It read 1:29.

She was early.

Power-walking pretty accurately described his journey from courtyard to visitors’ corridor. He saw Iris immediately and his face lit up. She looked more beautiful than ever. He ached for her, but the hint of sadness in her eyes when he finally took his seat made him frown.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, scooting closer, as if somehow that could breach the glass between them.

“Nothing.” She shook her head, looking away. “It’s nothing.”

“Iris…” he pleaded, his voice soft and gentle.

She met his gaze.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t come visit you yesterday, Barry.”

Her voice was ridden with guilt, and he hated that, but he was also very relieved that was all that was the matter.

“Don’t worry about it, Iris. You were busy. I understood.”

“Too busy to visit my incarcerated husband?” She shook her head. “I don’t think so.” She scoffed. “And after I told you I’d come visit you every day, too.”

She sounded so disgusted with herself. He couldn’t have that.

“Iris, it’s okay.”

He lifted his hand to the glass, and she matched his print with her own.

“You’re here now.”

“I can’t even imagine what it’s like for you in there… I miss you so much, all the time. But I have distractions. I have people who love and care about me, who care about you. I’m the only familiar face you see, and yesterday I wasn’t - “

“Iris,” He soothed. “Iris,” he urged. “Look at me.” Reluctantly, she did. “I love you.”

To his satisfaction he saw a wave of relief wash over her.

“I love you, too, Bear.”

“Nothing’s ever going to come between us. Not even on the days you can’t make time to see me. Those days will be harder. I’ll miss you more than usual. But I know you’ll come back when you can.”

“Always,” she promised.

He smiled. “And hey, it’s not like you’re the only visitor I get to see,” he said airily.

His hand dropped down from the glass, hoping to release some of the tension in the room. Iris followed suit, so he thought he’d succeeded. She looked at him knowingly.

“Well, whatever you said to Ralph must’ve landed. He risked his life to save Caitlin and Cisco, thanks to you.”

Barry shrugged. “I just brought out what was already inside him.”

“You seem to have that effect on a lot of people.”

The beginning of a smile on her face made her words register, causing an amused sound to slip out of him.

“What?” She asked, her voice soft, yearning.

“Just turns out being in here isn’t so different from being out there.”

Her smile slipped.

“Except we’re not together.” He nodded, sobering. “And I can’t touch you anymore.”

The ache in her voice, the sadness, the brokenness in her eyes got to him. He turned to check the cameras, willing them to be facing away - and to stay that way long enough for him to accomplish the one thing he could do that would lift her spirits.

Unsuspecting and awestruck, Iris watched as he began to vibrate his hand fast enough to phase through the glass, smiling at her all the while, willing her to find joy in this small gesture.

Her eyes filled with tears as she clasped her hand tightly with his, their fingers intertwined. No words were exchanged, but none were necessary. He’d yearned for her touch too. And now he had it, if only for a few moments.

Eventually, the cameras did return, and Barry had to pull his hand back to his side of the glass. Iris mouthed a thank you, making his heart swell.

“This isn’t going to be our lives forever, Iris. I know you’ll find something.”

“I will,” she promised. “I swear.”

He smiled. “The day I’m released I want you to run to me, okay? As soon as the gates open and I can walk through, run to me. Jump into my arms and kiss me.”

Tears nearly trickled down her face.

“I promise.”

“I dream of that every night,” he confessed, leaning into the phone. “I want to know what the real thing feels like.”

She pressed her hand to the glass one more time, knowing he couldn’t risk phasing through again but determined to make her point. He matched her print, same as he’d done before.

“Nothing on this earth could stop me.”

...

*Also posted on AO3 and FFnet.

[sly2o]

Unlocking Season 4′s potential: a Riley story (I swear this isn’t crack)

TL;DR: I think Riley was supposed to be a LI for Clarke, and Monty + Harper filled a story-line that Bryan + Miller was supposed to have, and that Miller was supposed to go to space.

We know that when the actor who plays Bryan abruptly left the show to pursue another role, which resulted in the parts written for him being given to a new character named Riley. So with the information we have, what was Bryan supposed to be doing in 4A and 4B?

Well first let’s ask ourselves…

What was Riley supposed to be doing before this shift in plot line?

Answer: Clarke.

I call forward as evidence:

1. The awkward hug.

Clarke clearly recognizes Riley, and clearly has a history with him. This is never resolved (and evidently never will be). Why waste the audience’s time with this?

2. Niylah’s out of character return

When the actor who got cast as Riley had to shift into Bryan’s role in 4A, someone else had to shift into what had originally been carved out as the Riley role. Hence the return of Niylah.

Why on Earth would Niylah want to climb into bed (so to speak) with the very kru that killed her family? Why would she want to tend bar for the people who executed her father?  After the violent interaction she had with Skaikru in Season 3 where they stormed her home - which resulted in it being attacked by ALIE - why would she want to be anywhere near Skaikru ever again? 

Clarke’s magic ladybits can only explain so many of these questions without some very explicitly stated plot - and helping make rations is hardly good enough. 

How Niylah turned around to accepting Skaikru is 100% glossed over... almost as if it wasn’t planned for. 

3. Niylah’s extremely lacking season 4 character arc.

If Niylah’s presence in the Skaikru area was planned all along - why didn’t she play a role in helping free Bellamy in 4x11? Surely she’d want to help all the people she had traded with in the past survive the radiation blast.

If her presence was planned all along, why did she play a bizarrely helpless role in stopping Illian when he arrived at Arkadia to blow up the place? What happened to the capable Niylah who lied to the Prince of Azgeda in the premiere of Season 3?

98% of Niylah’s role is season 4 was to be a place of comfort for Clarke to go to, where Clarke could exposition her internal thought process. 

Because that was what Riley’s role was supposed to be - and it would make sense in the context of a new character whose role was crafted to serve this piece of plot.

4. Timing of Riley’s and Niylah’s appearances

Niylah doesn’t show up until episode 5, which is a few episodes after Riley is introduced. In theory, if Riley had stayed in his original role this would have been enough time for Clarke to catch up with Riley and do her usual grief bang move with her old love interest.

Furthermore, the fact that Riley gets a reaction, introduction, and hug - and Niylah just sort of shows up should raise some alarm bells about how she was not originally supposed to be in this season.

What was Nathan supposed to be doing this season?

Last year Jarod Joseph tweeted he would be back in Season 4 in a “big way”… and yet the season showed us otherwise. Aside from break up with Bryan,  sharing moon-eyes with Jackson, and being a guy with a gun when you need a guy with a gun.

So what was he supposed to be doing?

Answer: part of the Monty/Harper 4B plot.

Supporting evidence:

1. Riley being built up in 4A and then being sidelined in 4B just to die.

The writers had to dispose of Riley after he filled in the role of Bryan in 4A. As much as we all love Riley, let’s be real, he was never Spacekru material. There also wasn’t space to resolve his character in the finale (see below) because Niylah had taken his role so he just got... disposed of.

2. Bryan’s planned path of descent in 4A.

We know that the episode where Bellamy talks down Riley from assassinating Roan was supposed to be Bryan. We know that Bryan was headed to a darker place with respect to his mental health. The break up with Nathan (or what was at least going to be the start of a line of major fights) likely didn’t help either.  Season 3 had already established that there was strain in this relationship (Bryan and Miller taking different sides in the Pike/Kane leadership) so this also wasn’t coming out of nowhere. Speaking of which…

The scene where Harper accidentally is linked to an Arkadian dying was probably Bryan’s last straw. But for Harper it was... the only straw? How did she break so fast? Being cut from the list could have added to that... but it seems a bit like she was shoehorned into a role meant for someone else.

3. People arguing that they want to live in 4A and then deciding to die in 4B?????

Both Harper and Riley are a part of the mob that are pissed at Clarke for creating the list and excluding them. Now just a few weeks later they are OK with dying? That’s not right. How did their anger turn in that direction so quickly? 

4. Monty on double comfort duty at the DNR den

For me this one of the most compelling reasons for why Harper was supposed to be Bryan.

I believe Monty and Harper were still supposed to both be at Arkadia, but they were both supposed to be there because of Jasper’s importance to Monty. This would have been mirrored by Nathan and Bryan also being there and having a very similar fight to the one Harper and Monty had in the actual episode. By having these two pairs there (Monty + Jasper, Nathan + Bryan) it would have really drawn out the parallels between these journeys with respect to mental health.  

But instead we essentially had an understaffed Monty running back and forth between two people to comfort them which made for awkward pacing during the episode. 

The impacts of Bryan’s replacement on the finale.

Nathan and Bryan were supposed to go to space.

If the above scenarios had come to pass, then Nathan and Bryan would have been with the Arkadia group, meaning they would have been able to go to space. If this had happened, it would have really helped frame Octavia as alone again underground isolated from her peers.I also get the impression that Nathan + Dad Miller were filling in a storyline that someone else was meant to have, to echo back to Tor Lenkin and his kid and really emphasize that “are we really doing this again?” parallel. I think the kid everyone joked that Jaha adopted was supposed to be that kid. Instead that new Tor and his kid got sort of shuffled to the side as the writers scrambled to shoehorn in how they would save Nathan when he had been left off the list. 

Emori was supposed to be kicked out of the second dawn bunker.

The Arkadians pushing around and then kicking out Niylah didn’t make very much sense... Why would her [grounder] people abandon her? Because she spent 2 months hanging out over at Arkadia? That seems a little bit like an over-reaction. Are we supposed to believe she was so bad at trading that she had no favours she could use to get picked by her people? I hardly believe that. Again - what happened to the Niylah who could boldly lie in the face of the prince of Azgeda?

Now go back to the finale and imagine it was Emori who got kicked out by the Arkadians — this is a highly believable scenario because Emori has no people to speak for her since she was cast out for being different. John following his heart again because they are going to make it together in the bunker. Clarke giving her helmet to Emori would have meant so. much. more.  on the heels of Emori being thrown out of the second dawn bunker, combined with how Clarke used the nightblood on herself instead of Emori. And then Emori saying “can’t we wait a little longer?” for Clarke after all that? Ugh my emotions.

...And now the crack

(Look I have no self control - I can’t write meta without including crack)

Was Clarke supposed to be pregnant?

YEAH I KNOW, OK, BUT HEAR ME OUT.

1. Why has Jason insisted on calling Madi “Clarke’s child” as opposed to her little sister? Is it a hang-up from where the plot was supposed to go?

2. Consider this: what if for “science reasons” the nightblood only worked because of the child inside her? Quite frankly we had an entire episode around why nightblood can’t be made in a laboratory on Earth, and it was enraging to see it work in the end because that means more people could have survived. It would have been much more satisfactory to see that it was Clarke’s unique scenario that that saved her life. (Also explains the throw up in the finale). Plus it would help stress in season 5 that Clarke owes her very life to her child which is why she always puts the child first. It also explains why it was six years of time gap. A five year old (remember, we lose almost a year because pregnancy time) is old enough/big enough to get into trouble on their own. Four years old is kinda pushing it on the “this is way too young” spectrum. 

Some Last Thoughts

Something I hope I haven’t stirred up, but that I will mention in case I did, is that I hope this doesn’t come off as anti-niylah/niylarke. My complaints are really that Niylah and her relationship with Clarke could have been done way better in this season. Ultimately it was great relationship for Clarke to have (and honestly, probably a better pairing than Riley + Clarke would have been), but the execution was really off for all the reasons I named above.

I think a lot of the pacing problems with the season can be traced back to Bryan’s exit. It makes me ask - why didn’t they just recast? But I guess that’s not really something they do with this show (except for Madi?? IDK)

I’m sure there are other pieces to this puzzle I am missing, but I find this concept so easy to lock in with the season that I just can’t help but believe it was what was originally written. 

Either way it’s unprovable and not canon... but I thought I’d share my speculation for what might have been with you all. Hope you enjoyed. 

[there-are-wolves-in-my-head]

A bit of a long question but I really hope you will answer. Imagine we just saw the 4x12 and know nothing about the finale. If it was up to you, what ending would you have given to the characters? How would it have ended with you? How would you think the Hollow could've been taken out of Hope? I'd love to hear your pov.

Okay, so let’s see. 

I wouldn’t do any of this forced separation thing in the first place. The Mikaelsons just got together after 5 long years apart, so that separation as well as this 10 year time jump was completely our of the question. Regarding the Hollow, I kept hearing thought the season that people didn’t really understood her, or her motivations, or what she was after, and I can’t blame them. One of the main things I got from The Hollow’s backstory, and this girl Inadu, was that she was cursed with an existance she didn’t asked for. They wanted to create this poweful being that would be a symbol of prosperity, but then something went wrong (because it always does lol) and they ended up creating this very powerlful creature who only craved more power still. After realizing what they did, the saw her as an abomination and singled her out her, which I believe only made her angrier and what letthem to have her being killed by her own mother. Her story is not much different from the Mikaelsons story, more so Klaus. They were also cursed with a existence they didn’t asked for and Klaus being the one and first person to become something so different was also seen as an abomination and grew up to be a very powerful and cruel being. I think it would’ve been nice if they had adress this into the narrative, but they didn’t. Now… they could’ve done much more with Hayley as well when it comes to The Hollow. They explained why The Hollow wanted her dead, and the connection between them, but they could’ve gone much deeper into it. Regarding Hope, well, it was said that Hope could sense Inadu and there’s also a cool conection between these two, because they’re both very powerful witches, maybe the most powerful two we’ve seen (even tho I think Hope is stronger).

After The Hollow took control over Hope’s body and she ran way, I would’ve made Klaus and Hayley go after their daughter, rather than just Hayley. I would’ve made The Hollow go to a different location (like they did with Dahlia in their final confrontation) and there Klaus and Hayley would finally come face-to-face with her. They could’ve sensed Hope/The Hollow through their werewolf nature. Remember when Hayley after waking up in 1x22 went after Hope because she could feel her baby and knew where she was? Or when Klaus’ father told him he had been drawned to Hope and would wake up closer to her location each time he turned? I think that would’ve been nice. So, here they are, facing this vile creature that’s wearing the face of the most precious thing they have, their daughter. She would attack them first, but then they would beg her to let them talk and offer a different proposal (only to bait her or by some times, because there’s no other psoposal lol). Meanwhile at the compound Freya would’ve find out their location through a location spell and would let Vincent know and try to come ut with a plan with him to put the Hollow down for good. Going back to Klaus and Hayley, Klaus would tell Inadu that he knew what she felt and that he understood just how angry she was and why she was so much power thirsty. He would try to reach out to her rather than fight her, which is what he would obviously do since he could not fight something wearing he’s daughter’s face and risking hurting her. Klaus is a father of a seven year old now, and one day he’ll be a father to a girl of Inadu’s age, and it would’ve been interesting to adress this more paternal side of him towards this girl. After feeling a bit for what Klaus said, she would retaliate and then Hayley would intervain. Here we could see Hayley’s perspective as a mom coming to play. Hayley said plenty of times that she never had a good mother, and so she understands just how much that can leave a deep scar in someone who experienced it. But she would tell Inadu, that Hope now would have what she never had, a mom fighting for her and willing to do anything to save her other than kill her. While this was happening Vincent and Freya were already there, and were casting a spell to trap Inadu in a circle, just like in 4x12, but now they would make it stronger with the help of the magic objects Marcel provided them, and when Inadu was prepared to attack them again she realized she was trapped and couldn’t affect them with her magic. After that Vincent and Freya would do what they did, when they took The Hollow from Hope’s body and then would distribute her spirit into the four bones that would’ve been brought … well, here you can insert any character you’d like to see there. Being it Rebekah, Kol, Marcel, Elijah, or Davina, they would hold the bones to while vincent performed the spell.  While this was happening Hope would wake up and Klaus and Hayley would rush to hug her, of course. But, because the bones were so close, Inadu managed to fight Vincent and Freya and would emerge as her true self (like in 4x12 when she left Hope’s body) and when she was prepared to attack them, Hope would intervened and finished the spell herself, imprisioning her in the bones forever, and we would have this cool filled with magic and special effects scene.

After Inadu’s imprisonment into the bones, they would have to be kept them apart, and so one of them would go with Kol and Davina, another one would go with Rebekah and Marcel, the other would to with Elijah, and the other would go with Freya and Keelin. Keep in mind that they would all place the bones in different places and won’t be tied to them or anything like that. Now the tricky thing here, is the bones. She needed them to be reborn, and she used them, so it was the last we’ve seen of them, but when Hayley killed her in 4x11, they could’ve made her go immediately to her skeleton form since, that’s how she truly was for more than a thousand years, and they would’ve kept the bones. In 4x12 Klaus even said that he saw her body with his own eyes, and it’s unknow what they’ve done to it, so… it could’ve been arranged somehow I’m sure. It wouldn’t be worse than Originals being compelled and so may other things they’ve come up with. I’ve literally just put this together right now, so I’m sorry if there are some plotholes, because I would need  more time to make it even more logic and fitting. You know… time like the writers had lol

Now lets go the the ending I would give to each character.

Let’s start with the easiest. Kol and Davina would take off somewhere to resume their lives and be happy, without any hit watsoever of marriage because Davina is way too young unprapared for that. Freya and Keelin would also go somewhere else, and I woul’ve like to see some of Freya’s future plans. I would love if Freya would want to study and obtain a degree of something. She talked about it with Keelin in 4x06, when Keelin told her that she made her own life and pursued a career she liked and all of that. Freya never had a normal life, she neved did such things as going to shcool or something like that. Even Rebekah went to high shcool lol and there’s much more in the world to leanr than locator spells and an magical stuff. Elijah and Hayley would have a very honest conversation where he would tell her that he can never manage to change and the the person she needs him to be, and she would thank him for everything he did for her, but she would tell him that she changed, and that she’s a different person now, and wants different things, and can’t just ignore the things she saw in him. He would thank her for bringing Hope into their family and would give her a forehead kiss and it would be it. Elijah would go on his way also, and place the bone somewhere. Keep in mind that this isn’t anything like a definite separation. It’s just them giving a new course to their lives. When they thought they defeated The Hollow, they said they would leave NOLA, so it seems fitting that they would go on living their lives in a different place for a few months or say, a year. I could see Rebekah still going with Marcel for NYC, but they would make that decision together in NOLA. Marcel would go to her after the conversation he had with Klaus (yes, I would keep that with just a few changes) and would tell her that when sofya asked him to leave with her he said no, and Rebekha would say something like “of course” and Marcel would tell her that he woudn’t leave but not because of the city, but because he had to leave with someone else. Also, Marcel reunited with Davina while they were facing the Hollow, and when she was put down for good they ran into each other’s arms and shared a very tight hug. Vincent would remain in Nola, and would’ve go out with that sweet lady he met in the beginning of the season (adam’s mom) and Josh would also remain in Nola and would be in his loft chilling with his new boyfriend, which is nowhere to be found since 4x2 lol. Last but not least Klaus, Hayley and Hope would go to Mystic falls. Now I’ve said that this shcool idea isn’t the best, but I feel like they would’ve done it no matter what, so…. Klaus and Hope would share this beautiful scene in the compound where Hope would go to him while he was looking at these walls that were so important for him once and she would ask him if he was sad to leave, and he would say he wasn’t because his heart doesn’t belong to the city, but only to her. Klaus would also tell her that while Nola was her kingdom as a child and a princess, there was much more out there, and one day she would have the world at her feet as a grown woman and a queen. After this Hayley would appear and worrie about something, and Klaus would tell that he had already taken care of it, and that despite being alone for so long, now she had him and she would never have to do anything alone ever again. And Klaus would leave, happy this his little and littlest wolf by his side. The end.

[badassbellarke]

The End Of The Line

Part one of two.

In this theory I’m going to try and unravel the notorious Mary Drake and her family. Since she has been a very big part of 7A and is likely to remain relative to our endgame, I wanted to try and dig deeper. 

Who is Mary Drake, who are her children, who is Bethany Young, and who is A.D.?

THE DRAKE FAMILY.

Mary Drake had at least three or four children while she was in Radley and they were all adopted through closed adoptions conducted by Steven Kahn and Jessica DiLaurentis, Mary’s twin sister and POA. 

Charles Drake

Melissa Hastings 

Bethany Young (?)

Spencer Hastings

(In part two I will discuss further why I put these names on the list)

Since Dr. Cochran says, “I dealt with two of her babies” instead of “I delivered her two babies” I’m lead to believe that Mary had more than those two, possibly three or four in total if she had a set of twins. Especially since in the files that the Liars discovered they found the birth information of the second born child, and on that file it states “no complications due to prior birth”. But Dr. Cochran tells Spencer and Aria that the second child he delivered was a fighter, implying that the birth may have been difficult. This means that the second baby born and the second baby he delivered are two different babies.

Spencer is the youngest. 

7x08 vs. 7x07

The Drake family is the family from the Dollhouse. 

Mary Drake, unknown Mr. Drake (looks like Peter Hastings, no?), Charles, Melissa and baby-in-the-womb Spencer. (Notice the hand on the mothers stomach, like she is pregnant)

BETHANY YOUNG is “CECE DRAKE”. 

Bethany Young stole her childhood best friends story - Charles Drake / DiLaurentis. She didn’t want to get caught by the Liars so she created the perfect web of lies that would be nearly impossible to dissect.

Bethany suffered from Intermittent Explosive Disorder and with that she also created many different personalities, one of them being “Cece Drake”. Cece and Bethany Young had the same diagnosis, and that is mighty convenient, eh? Dr. Jekyll and Hyde?

Intermittent Explosive Disorder:  “A behavioral disorder characterized by explosive outbursts of anger and violence, often to the point of rage, that are disproportionate to the situation at hand.”

“The discovery of Bethany Young’s body brings up more questions than it answers. While details are scarce on Bethany Young, we know that she was a highly troubled teenager who likely suffered from severe behavioral episodes that may have been violent.”

Bethany Young = Cece Drake.

Bethany met Charles when they were kids in Radley Sanitarium and they became quick friends, allies. Together they wanted to create an escape from Radley and start new lives, all with the perfect plan and story.Charles was going to help Bethany fake her death using Alison’s body and together they were going to run away and start over. Be new people.  

This is where I believe they came up with the idea to switch places. To literally assume one another identities to confuse the doctors and everyone they know, as some type of game. 

(Like Bethany literally switched lives with Charles and became Cece Drake, which is why Charles was thought to have been transgender. And Charles switched with Bethany and became whom I would call ‘A.D’)

Bethany liked to “switch places” or adopt the personalities of multiple people, in fact. First Charles and then Alison. A pattern. 

Remember when Bethany as Cece Drake and Ali switched places, and she went back to Radley disguised as Alison DiLaurentis just to scare Jessica? We hear about this in 4x11 in a flashback.

Then Jessica tells Spencer and Hanna about Cece Drake pretending to be Alison at Radley once, where she met Dr. Palmer who was a psychiatrist there.

This makes a connection between Cece and Dr. Palmer. And Dr. Palmer told Toby Cavanaugh to be careful of the toxic blonde girl, which was declared as Bethany Young.  

- The 4x11 flashback -

(Notice how Mrs. DiLaurentis says that Cece Drake is not her daughter. Because Cece Drake is Bethany not Charles, and Bethany is not Jessica’s daughter, but more than likely her niece since “Auntie Jessie”) 

I feel as if Jessica would have said something different if Cece was the little girl she was buying yellow dresses for all along. Jessica saw Charles as her own child, and she even says this to her sister Mary Drake in a flashback scene in 7x07 that was set back in season four.

Jessica: “Come on Mary, pull yourself together.”

Mary: “How could you be so cruel? I just found out that my child is dead. I left him in your care.”

Jessica: “And I gave Charles the best life that I could, Mary. I loved him with all of my heart.”

Mary: “How did it happen? I need to know. I need answers. Please, tell me.”

Jessica: “It wasn’t my fault. I gave him everything that I could.” 

And then she says, “You are not the victim here. You gave birth, but he was my son. Don’t ever forget that.”

CHARLES DRAKE = A.D?

Charles Drake DiLaurentis is A.D. Whomever they are, they are without a doubt in my mind our big bad. The ultimate play-caller. In my opinion the identity of Charles remains a mystery and will more than likely be the final twist coming in 7B. Charles is a man - and is not Cece Drake. 

Troian Bellisario who plays Spencer is 5′7″ and Vanessa Ray who played Cece Drake is only 5′4″ so this cannot be her as Charles. 

(Julian Morris who plays Wren is 5′11″ and so is Ian Harding who plays Ezra.  I understand that this could be literally any actor or staff member in this costume acting as ‘A’ but... I felt the significance and the familiarity that Spencer did in this scene, too. This was Charles.)

Now, given what I said earlier about how it is possible that Bethany and Charles switched lives when they were children.... 

Did Bethany somehow weasel her way out of Radley by pretending to be Charles? According to the Radley files Charles was taken out of Radley when he was sixteen, but was that actually Bethany? Did she “transform” into Cece Drake and go back to High School?

Is that why Charles was seeking revenge? And is that why he kidnapped the Liars and threw the dungeon prom, which was recreating the prom he would have had? Was he somehow connected to the N.A.T videos or did he just watch them all of the time, leaving him to feel like he knew the Liars?  (Just like us? Just like EzrA?)

Could Ezra be Charles?

What do we really know about Ezra Fitz, other than the fact that he comes from a rich family named the Fitzgerald’s? 

Is it possible that he was at some point adopted again by them? Is he Charles? 

Hint #1 : The Painting 

3x18 vs.5x03

Lyle and Frances Springer - Alison and Charles’ grandparents? (Plot hole?)

Hint #2 : Mrs. Grumwald

This is right before we learn that Ezra was the “Board Shorts” Alison wrote about in her diary, and that he is the one who she was dating the summer. We know Ezra is Board Shorts because Ali describes him in her story and states that he is eating boysenberry pie and “Board Shorts Ale” beer. 

In 4x18 Spencer goes to the bar she thinks Alison is talking about in that same story which is called The Hart and the Huntsman. To her surprise, she finds Ezra sitting there eating a piece of boysenberry pie.

Was Ezra also the same boy Ali was afraid of, the one that would kill her if he knew she were possibly pregnant?

Hint #3 : Aria Montgomery

5x03 vs. 7x07

In the “A” closer we see A.D. save Aria’s file, and burn Noel’s....

I’m not saying Ezra is 100% Charles or A.D., I’m just saying that he is still a very strong candidate. 

The writers can go two directions in my eyes - EzrA or Doctor Wren and Melissa. One of them HAS to be A.D. or working for/with them. 

There we have it. Part one of my last Pretty Little Liars theory ever. 

7 years and 4 “A” suspects later..... who is it going to be?

Stay tuned for part two! xx

[fire-of-the-sun]

Kane & Abby: Love Making

My thoughts on the upcoming Kabby love scene. (Pre-Season 4 Speculation)

Similar to last year’s trailer revealing their first kiss, this year we’re also shown a snippet of another iconic moment between them - their first love scene. Hopefully, what brief seconds we’ve seen is only a taste of what we’ll actually get and nothing too major has been spoiled except for the fact that it is happening. Additionally, we will hopefully be blessed with a wealth of other Kabby moments this season we’re not expecting. Just like last year, revealing their kiss is a way to further affirm to audiences that the nature of their relationship has evolved into something romantic. A small snippet of their love scene has been shown, but there is still much more to see. Hopefully this is just the tip of the iceberg for them this season…

SCENE ANALYSIS:

Below are two shots of the same scene from two different trailers. These shots are definitely from the same scene as they’re far too similar to be separate. The lighting comes from the same sources (candlelight on one side and daylight perhaps on the other) and they’re in the same position (her slightly above him, supposedly sitting in his lap while he reclines on something). I can’t wait to find out the context of the scene. How they got there, why they’re in a room alone, how this started and how it ended up there.

I definitely think this could be a post-love making moment. Their hair is already fairly messy and their clothes are already largely removed (I’m assuming Kane is shirtless and Abby has on a tank top/bra). That being said, I hope we do get to see the ‘before’. This scene will be a huge step for them and deserves its due spotlight. They are a major canon relationship and pretty much every other couple on this show has had a love scene (with far less development beforehand), so they are deserving of the same treatment, if not more so. I suppose we might not get to see them in the middle of the action but perhaps the start and end of it e.g. the first moments of kissing and removal of clothing and then later cut to them afterwards as we see them in these trailer shots. I’d certainly rather have that than just an implied love scene with the aftermath being the only thing we get to witness.

I think the second shot is right after the kiss in the first shot. Abby looks to be leaning away slightly, watching him adoringly while he’s still reveling in the wake of the kiss which, I believe, is the reason behind his blissful expression. He’s so wrapped up in her - so overwhelmed by her love and affection and their emotions are completely laid bare to each other. He’s not accustomed to reciprocated affection and this is all going to be largely new to him as they try to give each other the love they know the other deserves.

At the very bottom of the second shot - eclipsing the bottom of Abby’s hand - we can just barely see the blurred, rounded edge of what I believe is Kane’s bare shoulder which bobs out of the frame as he moves. The shot doesn’t allow us to see if Abby’s still wearing the ring on her finger, but we can see the chain around her neck. The rings could be addressed in this scene or, perhaps, take place later in the season as the potential removal of them doesn’t seem to be a pre-requisite for their love scene. That is, unless they have talked about it at this point and the choice is not to remove them at all. I have high hopes that the rings will be addressed in some capacity this season as their relationship and the resurgence of Jake’s memory will demand some kind of conversation about it.

WHERE:

It’s difficult to decipher much of the background in these shots, but what little we can see looks most indicative of Polis. There is clearly candlelight accentuating them in this scene. It’s an iconic feature of Polis as well as a staple of love scenes on this show as almost all have taken place in the fittingly romantic light. In the second shot we see a more simplistic grey background with what looks to be four square black alcoves behind Kane’s head which, again, seems more like an architectural feature found exclusively in Polis. I hope we can see more romantic moments between them back in Arkadia and Kane’s room specifically, but, for this scene, they are definitely in some room in the Polis tower.

WHEN:

I’ve been confused about the potential timeline for this scene as I always assumed they’d be heading back to Arkadia by the end of 4x01, but it doesn’t look like that’s the case. I’m assuming it’ll take place sometime within the first three episodes or, at most, within the first five. We’ll see how everything plays out…

My previous theory - long before the trailer came out - was that it could possibly take place in 4x11, aka the episode Ian directed. It’d be a unique opportunity for him to helm it and potentially one of the reasons that episode was selected for him. Although that’s unlikely now, there’s a chance Ian could still have directed another powerful, romantic scene between him and Paige in his episode.

Premiere Theory This may already be the accepted mentality, but I’ll address it once more: I don’t think this scene will take place in the premiere, nor do I think it’d be an ideal time for it. I think a potential bandaging scene (which I go into more detail here) is much more likely to occur and is a more plausible choice as an opening scene for their relationship. I think there is plenty of possibility for some more necessary development between them and build up towards this scene that the premiere episode would not allow. I actually think it’d be a fairly disappointing decision, as the scene wouldn’t be given the time and spotlight it deserves. Here are some other reasons:

Both Abby and Kane have cuts/bruises in 3x16. Abby has cuts over her right eyebrow, cheek, lips and bruises around her neck and Kane has a cut above his left eyebrow and right cheek. These wounds can be plainly seen in the 4x01 promo pics. In the footage for their love scene however, their faces are completely clear. They may fade quickly, but certainly not in the span of one episode. Seeing how those fade should be indicative of when this scene might take place. 

A lot of Ian’s comments at SDCC seemed very suggestive of this event based on teases such as: “do I take my clothes off?”, “Jason did say I should start working out” and more, but I don’t think it’s from reading the premiere script but, rather, just from knowing that a love scene will take place this season, as it wouldn’t be hard to assume that kind of scene is imminent for him and Paige on top of already being hinted to him by Jason. He’s expecting it and looking out for it as he reads each new script not because he had already read it.

Ian also teased that 4x01 will be very busy and without respite, and, if that’s the case, I don’t see a slow, romantic love scene fitting in well with the initial chaos that will no doubt be an immediate matter to handle. Also, if there are truly important things to be done, I can’t see them putting themselves above their people and spending their time alone if there are more pressing matters.

INTERACTION:

Kane and Abby have always been careful and thoughtful with their interaction, displaying gentle, affectionate touches to show comfort and support. I’d like their love scene to continue to exemplify this as it’s who they truly are and it’s what their love looks like. I want to spotlight the very essence of who they are individually and what they are together. This definitely seems to remain true for these shots. They look very peaceful, relaxed and happy as they’re enjoying their time together. Given the circumstances, they should be seeking and relishing every moment they can with each other, not wasting any time to say and do everything they want to and enjoy each other’s company before it potentially ends. They’ll have to fill a lifetime’s worth of love into a matter of months - which gives us fans the opportunity to witness some amazing scenes under these unique circumstances. 

It’s easy to assume we’ll see the continuation of their established habits in this scene, such as Abby touching his hair and beard and Kane probably touching her in many ways throughout the scene, his hands never disconnected from her. He could caress her face and hair, they could touch foreheads, kiss each other without interruption and more - whatever happens it’s going to be amazing! We could also see the emergence of some new physical gestures as well, as they evolve into an even closer relationship. I would like to see Kane get a little more physical here now that has clear permission from her to do so to show growth on his part as he becomes bolder in love. It’s not something he’s accustomed to of course (he is very affectionate with other people but is always surprised whenever someone shows him affection) so I think Abby will probably lead the way at first or at least the beginning of the scene before he eases into it. They’re an extremely equal, mutual couple and I’d like to see that shown as they share equal amounts of affection. Not that they’ve ever been lacking before of course, but it would be nice to see him become more confident in himself and her love for him. Kane did take the lead when he kissed her in 3x09, but he had permission to, as she all but revealed her true feelings for him in their farewell scene. He never would have done that unless he was sure it was okay. Her feelings always come before his own. The tense circumstances at that time also bolstered his actions. The potential for the end of the world - though a distant threat in the moment - does act as an interesting catalyst for their relationship (as well as all the others) to evolve in large ways this season.

Also, as it will take place earlier in the season, it could also help usher in the idea of living together (I wrote about that here) which they can adopt from here on out. This will help solidify their relationship and make it easier for them to transition into regularly sharing a bed and quarters together. This consummation scene will fully establish them as a couple and usher in a new living arrangement they probably wouldn’t enter into before they’d already shared a bed.

We could also see their relationship become a little more public after this point as well - not that they’d ever draw attention to themselves, but I don’t think they’d take extra effort to constantly restrain themselves either. There’s no need to hide anything or pretend nothing is happening between them. As their relationship grows it will likely be displayed more, especially when they get further approval from Clarke. If the nature of their relationship wasn’t evident enough to people before, this will definitely be the season where everyone finds out.

I’m also very eager to know what dialogue is featured in this scene. It could be some of the most impactful, beautiful and love affirming declarations they’ve ever shared. If they truly have the luxury of quiet, alone time together, it certainly is a desirable opportunity for them to be verbal about their relationship. This scene could potentially be where they say their first “I love you’s” which would be amazing! Most other couples on this show have said this to each other already and after much shorter periods of time. Kane and Abby have definitely earned that. It’s an undeniable truth for them. Nothing could be more true than their love for each other and having it said out loud - both for them and the audience - would be incredibly satisfying and beautiful to hear, once again cementing the depth and evolution of their relationship.

As this huge step will take place near the beginning of the season, we can expect more amazing progress between them punctuated by multiple scenes - hopefully even more than we got last season. This is just the beginning for them. One of the first big, defining moments of their newfound relationship - one of the first chapters of their new lives together…

Anyway, these are just some of my thoughts regarding the upcoming love scene and addressing some theories - they will certainly grow and change once the season begins and we can see how the story is unfolding. I can’t wait to experience the actual scene with you all and hope for many more wonderful Kabby scenes this season!

You can read more of my The 100 and Kabby related meta HERE