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thethirdwheel404 · 4 years

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Med Rewatch Series (#5)

S3 e3: Trust Your Gut. From what I remember this is a big one. I just remember this episode title honestly but we’ll see what happens.

-look at that! ava’s just casually in this scene, minding her own business, doing her job! you would never guess that this is a character who would later have a psychotic break and commit suicide.

-that’s really the point i’m trying to make. I hate all those posts where they’re like ‘i hated ava before, but season 4 has finally shown her true colors’ like not even?? no??? we’re trying to prove that that was never even a thing. i want to eliminate the possibility of s4 happening from your minds. nothing from s3 should ever be used as foreshadowing. that’s what the rewrite is about, ava being a good character. ava was never going to commit suicide. she was never gonna go psychotic. that should be ingrained in everyone’s minds.

-anyways, back to the episode.

-connor takes everything like a personal attack. relax

- i never realized how fun stoll was. like obviously not in the story but as a character he’s hilarious. unattached by everyone else’s drama

-awww. this maggie interaction is amazing. tapping sarah on the shoulder (neck actually but whatever) just to say hi. adorable. and sarah is already super jumpy. come on. her anxiety is already setting in. they really gave sarah two huge storylines in the same season.

-maggie... no one else would ever slash sarah’s tires. i mean honestly

-WHY DOES CONNOR HAVE TO CONTROL OF EVERYTHING - honestly ava was just reading off the chart and he can’t even let her do that he has to take over just to say the same things.

-and the way ava just takes it with her smug smile

-she is such a strong character there is no reason she would have gone crazy over connor she literally needs nothing from him.he has not ever had anything that she needed.

- SHE’S JUST ROLLING HER EYES, SMIRKING, AND SHAKING HER HEAD AT THIS INSECURE MAN ava I love you.

-okay there’s no way i can explain it but after rolling her eyes at connor Ava turns and looks at the patient and instantly her face changes and you can see such pure concern in her eyes?? s4 ava could never (can someone please rb with a picture of what i’m talking about? it’s uncanny and so so sincere.)

- she’s in control of her emotions. she cares so much for her patients so don’t even try to play that card. the only thing connor has done literally since she got here is get in her way.

-AND CONNOR LOOKS AT HER WITH SUCH DISTRUST AND CONTEMPT. TELL ME HOW. this is insane. exasperating.

-and the way she smiles and comforts the patient. i mean come on. she’s just so amazing. AND COMFORTING. if ava really was as heartless as people say, she wouldn’t take the effort to do that. connor didn’t even do that, he just scowls at ava.

-which just proves my point, ava is only ever mean to people who she thinks deserve it. and, the more that I think about it, she’s never really actually mean. sure, she’s blunt and rude, but never cutting. she’s nice to her patients (and I know what you’re going to say, it’s not because she has to be. she’s a doctor, she still wants to help people). but when her patients are dicks, she’s not nice to them. she’s as snarky with as she’s professionally allowed to be.

-like, take this guy. he seems nice enough. he’s funny, polite, comes across charming, so ava is nice and is polite back to him.

-let’s move on.

-why is connor always so suspicious of ava. come on. he’s the one who should be sus. she literally said ‘Don’t worry, Ray, we’ll take good care of you’ and he’s giving her this weird side eye.

-ethan and will being in this board meeting is really adorable to me. like, just, bros.

-oh godddd sarah please relax. sweetie. please.

-sarah fucking tranqed him oh my god

-oh my god noah asking people for help literally shut the fuck up

-straight people are gross. not to hate but how does anyone sit through manstead

-connor literally needs to chill. I know this bit (they’re arguing over menial things in surgery) plays more to them just picking on each other, pulling each other’s pigtails on the playground if you will (i didn’t like that analogy but I used it anyway), but if you look at it, ava was only trying to help connor (suggesting a wider possible target and an easier to handle stitch) and connor took it wayyy to personally. sure the second bit of advise is just poking at him, but she suggested a better spot on the base and he shut her down without any thought.

-and then latham points out that there is no point in arguing, to which ava defers, then connor snidely says ‘Thank you, Doctor, Now, how about from here on out we keep the background noise to a minimum’ and ava just shakes her head, scoffing.

-at this point ava just likes annoying connor because its fun. it’s entertaining. he gets so upset. everyone’s done that, just be annoying for fun (its bad to say but i mean come on everyones done it)

-another point, ava immediately deferring to latham might read to some as her being a suck up but that’s not what it is.

-ava really likes seeing how close to the line she can get. she goes right up to it, but she never crosses it. the same is true with her interactions with other people outside of surgery.

-I really like this story of the girl who passed out and hit her head, and her brother’s a wreck, and her parents obviously think the brother’s a disappointment. and it was finals week so of course she wasn’t taking care of herself. and the brother knew that, and you can tell he cares so much and feels so bad. it’s nice

-complication on the surgery they were working on. ava comes in with a solution (off of connor’s mistake during surgery after not following her advice) but I have a sneaking suspicion that by the end connor will be back on top

-the effort it took connor to say ‘it’s a good idea’ come on man just fucking let it go

-i’m glad we’ve all agreed that connor’s just a dick

-aw look at that she even held the door for him. connor would never

-i don’t want to overly push the ‘med is sexist’ thing but how is it that in a storyline between nat and ethan, characters who have never been romantically involved, they still pull the woman thinks one thing, man refuses to believe it and is right dynamic. i mean come on med seriously. what the fuck is wrong with you.

-the look of annoyance and disbelief on ava’s face that connor hadn’t actually messed up. comedic, but also i get your pain.

-glad that latham sides with ava, ava advocating for a riskier procedure so they could ensure the blockage is removed)

-(something could be said about ava’s high-risk, high-reward ideals. you could even draw the parallel to events in s4 and s5, even though I really don’t want to. it’s an interesting and notable character trait to say the least)

-YOOOO I FORGOT HOW METAL THE PSYCH STORY GETS

-dude straight up cuts his abdomen open and his intestines spill out

-the fear and shock and emotion on sarah’s face make me feel so bad for her

-WAIT IS THIS THE EPISODE WHERE SHE LOSES THE END OF THE INSTRUMENT? IS THAT WHAT THIS IS? i am not prepared to watch an ava bekker breakdown rn.

-the shock on ava’s face when connor said nice job.

-ava actually tried to apologize to connor. well, not apologize but she feels a little bit bad for just how abrasive she’s been to connor. (connor didn’t necessarily have to make it super competitive). Ava said “Look, I know i have the tendency to step on toes. it’s nothing personal”

-and now they’re not arguing and are this close to actually working like a team

-and i cannot believe connor’s big one-liner is ‘Murphy’s law’

-the emotion on april’s face when the girl’s parents won’t even let her brother grieve for her. I feel it. astounding. its so painful omg

-ava: “your optimism is enchanting.” when i was writing earlier I was worried I wasn’t being accurate with her dialogue and making it sound too overly formal but i guess I nailed it. also, this line reinforces how much I love her (so does every other line)

-connor just refusing to give ava anything, no credit, no nothing. doesn’t even give her credit for earning the surgery saying “you may have elbowed your way onto the case, but he is still my patient” (I JUST TRANSITIONED INTO A QUOTE SO SMOOTHLY WHY CANT I DO THAT IN MY LANG RHETORICAL ANALYSIS ESSAYS YOU’RE KIDDING)

-hey it’s joey!

- i can appreciate him so much more when he’s not chasing after reese

-do you remember their first meeting? bickering over who gets the last splenda? (real meet cute amirite)

-dr. charles remarking how all the scientific advances can’t beat human instinct, nice little tie in to the episode title

-ava just smiling while connor waits for her to apologize. she. takes. no. shit.

-i literally hate connor’s face so much. it fucking looks predatory like stop looking at her like that. it’s almost like you were planning her psychotic break

-ava’s cunning, saying ‘we’ instead of ‘i’ when talking about the decisions being made. she’s smart. she knows what to do. She knows how to present herself. (and yeah, a little hypocritical that she said to connor ‘when you fail, I will make sure that it is noted that it was your fault and not mine,’ but like I said, she just knows how to present herself)

-latham: “Dr. Bekker seems to enjoy this discordance.”

-rhodes’ face when changing his mind and saying ‘maybe I do’ when asked if he enjoyed it too - he literally makes the dumbest faces. please. stop. (is it a straight people thing?)

Alright. Another episode down. 17 to go. This was actually a pretty good episode all around. Ava took none of connor’s shit and you’d have to squint to find any sort of romantic subtext in their interactions, which is huge win in my book. reese’s storyline wasn’t too bad, she didn’t go through too much trauma, which, the bar for watching med is incredibly low i guess. This was a really good episode for ava. like I said before, very little romantic subtext, and she had a redeeming quality in the way she obviously cared for her patient at the beginning of the episode.

The main point is something I’ve been reiterating again and again. Ava cares about her patients. Ava is mean to connor because she knows someone needs to put him in his place, and she is glad that it is her.

All in all, this was a pretty good Ava episode. Very happy.

thanks for sticking with it.

read the rest here:

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9 / Part 10 / Part 11 / Part 12 / Extra

#chicago med #med rewatch series #mine #trust your gut

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closetofanxiety · 5 years

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50 Wrestling Questions: Why Not

Remember this? It’s been a while. Let’s do this again. Let’s twist again like we did last summer. Or the summer of 2017 in this case.

1. What got you into wrestling?

People ask me this all the time, and I don’t really have a good answer. I’ve liked it on and off since I was very young, and who knows why you like the stuff you like when you’re a little kid?

2. What is your favorite wrestling promotion?

Of all time: ECW, even though I would probably think of it very differently if it were happening today. Currently: Beyond Wrestling.

3. Favorite male wrestler of all time?

Gorgeous George, but if we’re talking about people who were alive when I was alive, Dusty Rhodes. I want to say Bruiser Brody, but in my heart I would know I was just saying that to look cool.

4. Favorite female wrestler of all time?

Gail Kim. For the longest time, she was the only woman in a major global wrestling company who got over based on her wrestling ability. She was doing stuff in TNA that was years ahead of its time, and could adapt her style to get great matches with a variety of opponents with very different backgrounds. And she can still go, as she showed in the match against Tessa Blanchard the other night. I know it would be cooler to say Bull Nakano or Chigusa Nagayo or something, but I don’t know enough of their stuff to make that claim credible. I am who I am, a person who goes to the mall to buy shoes.

5. Favorite current male wrestler?

Nick Gage

6. Favorite current female wrestler?

Momo Watanabe

7. Favorite theme song?

Joey Janela’s music captures his vibe perfectly, and sounds great being blasted out of PA speakers inside a small bar or VFW hall. Of all time, probably, I don’t know, Honky Tonk Man? In an ironic way that slowly becomes sincere?

8. Least favorite theme song?

Ricochet’s WWE theme music is pretty dreadful.

9. Favorite gimmick?

Currently: Orange Cassidy. All time: Road Warriors maybe? They were almost 100 percent gimmick, and they were the biggest tag team in the world at a great time for tag team wrestling.

10. Least favorite gimmick?

All the racist and gay-hating gimmicks that have been used throughout the years are more or less equally horrible. If we’re talking about a terrible gimmick that was non-malignant, I’d say it was taking giant indestructible ass-kicker Mike Awesome and making him “That 70s Guy.”

11. Best entrance (either their usual entrance or a special one, like a Wrestlemania entrance)?

Gorgeous George had the best entrance of all time, and it’s been copied ever since (Ric Flair’s entrance is basically Gorgeous George’s, scored with a different piece of classical music). The Sandman also had a great entrance. He was kind of all-entrance, now that I think of it. I also love those old shows in Japan where Brody would come out to “Immigrant Song” running through the crowd, swinging a fucking chain over his head like a lunatic. An entrance that makes you fear for your life: mission accomplished.

12. Best Undertaker Wrestlemania match?

I am not the right person to ask for Undertaker superlatives, but the Lesnar match had a legitimately shocking conclusion that I still appreciate

13. Most overrated?

I’m tempted to incur the wrath of the online by making a contrarian hot take selection like Ken Omega, but in reality it’s probably the Undertaker.

14. Most underrated?

There are a million choices from before the 1980s, the Before Time of contemporary pro wrestling. Edouard Carpentier, say; he was having matches in 1970 that would not look out of place in 2019. Since the 1980s, I’d say Jerry Lynn is a very strong contender for most underrated. The popular choice would be Sid or Lex Luger, but I think they’re pretty much rated exactly as they should be.

15. Have you ever been to an event? If so, which one?

I certainly have been to many pro wrestling events. I go to one or two a month. Like a lot of things, wrestling is pretty much always fun in person. It helps that the Northeast has a ton of good companies within easy driving distance. My favorite show of all time might be Americanrana 2016.

16. Who has the best merch?

We’re in a weird period where people on Instagram are making better shirt designs (in insanely limited editions) than the vast majority of wrestlers or wrestling companies. I will say that Kris Wolf has yet to make an ugly or boring piece of merchandise, which is a huge complication in this day and age.

17. Do you own any merch?

Nope! Wait, I mean, “yes, entirely too much.” Shirts, 8 x 10s, DVDs, magazines, random pieces like fancy enamel badges and a stack of Okada bucks. The one thing I’ve never gotten into is action figures, and that’s probably good for the ol’ bank balance.

18. Best nickname?

"The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes is an all-time classic.

19. Worst nickname?

"The Game” is a dumb nickname. “The Cerebral Assassin” is also a dumb nickname. Are assassins supposed to be stupid? I bet they’re typically very smart, although of low moral character. “Triple H” is his only good nickname, and even that sounds like the nickname of a guy who owns a car dealership out by the highway.

20. Best mic skills?

Nobody was ever better than Bobby Heenan, who had incredible range and versatility. He could do comedy and he could do menace. He could do calm and he could do spitting rage. He had an uncanny sense of timing and was quicker on his feet than almost anyone. No one really comes close at matching his astonishing depth, but Dusty Rhodes was an all-time great promo. He really made you care about wrestling matches, which is not an easy thing to do.

21. Most annoying?

I mean, it has to be Vince McMahon.

22. Most attractive male?

Is Tanahashi too obvious a choice? Best hair in wrestling. It’s incredible and luxurious, like an untamed mountain stream. Andrade “Cien” Almas or whatever they’ve shortened his name to (”And”) is a handsome man. Killer Kross: very handsome. We live in a golden age of attractive wrestlers. Just look back at the gassed-up Zubaz mastodons of the 1980s, or the territories-era guys who all looked like they were 48 years old and had pot bellies. You almost have to try to find unattractive wrestlers. Nick Gage, for instance. But I’m sure even he has his swooning admirers.

23. Most attractive female?

Again, what a time for attractive wrestlers. It may be shallow, but wrestling is a business that’s at least partially cosmetic. Attractive people sell tickets. I would, and have, bought a ticket to see Hana Kimura.

24. Favorite faction?

Of all time? Probably the Barry Windham-era Four Horsemen. More recently, Team Pazuzu.

25. Worst faction?

BULLET CLUB. No, it’s not the Bullet Club, as exhausted as they’ve become. It’s probably the nWo after early 1998 or so, when they had like 60 members and dragged down every storyline.

26. Best ring gear?

Su Yung and Pentagon Jr.

27. Who do you think would be the nicest in real life?

I bet Jerry Lynn is a good guy to know. People in wrestling universally praise Little Guido, which is very rare. The Young Bucks seem like they might be decent dudes. Willow Nightingale told a story on a podcast about Nick Gage excitedly playing with Solo Darling’s dog backstage, so you never know.

28. Who would be the rudest in real life?

On the indie level, it’s probably someone who doesn’t work very much. Above the indie level, I bet some of those British guys are secretly horrible, like Jimmy Havoc.

29. Favorite heel?

Currently it’s a tie between MJF and Alisha Edwards, two of the only people who can regularly get indie crowds to boo them. Of all time, heel Flair was hard to beat.

30. Most hardcore?

It’s definitely either a guy in Japan or a guy in Mexico, and he’s definitely been burned by explosive charges multiple times. Onita? It’s probably Onita. Or Jun Kasai? I think Onita has probably been exploded more times than Jun Kasai.

31. A wrestler you could beat?

At wrestling? Not a single one of them. Nicholas, the small boy who won the WWE tag team championship with Braun Strowman, would wipe the floor with me. Even the most callow bodybuilder-turned-wrestler would not break a sweat beating me senseless. But writing talking points for senior administration officials in preparation for legislative testimony? Now you’re on my turf. Not so tough now, huh, Nicholas?

32. Best story line?

Freebirds vs. Von Erichs or Stone Cold vs. Vince. My heart says the former, my head says the latter.

33. Biggest missed opportunity for a story line?

The WWE blowing the invasion angle after purchasing WCW is the obvious one. More recently, they blew it by not turning Reigns heel.

34. Worst story line?

Ha, so many of them. Impossible to choose just one. At least most of the dumb embarrassing Russo ones in WCW and TNA were basically harmless, like the time Samoa Joe got kidnapped by ninjas. The Chuck and Billy wedding thing was far worse. A low point even by Vince’s impressively cretinous standards.

35. Which wrestler should turn heel?

I’d like to see a Jordynne Grace heel run in Impact. Heel Finn Balor would also be good.

36. Which wrestler should turn face?

Samoa Joe has a good fiery babyface, “I’m tired of doing your dirty work, McMahon!” run in him.

37. Who would be the worst to room with?

Can you imagine sharing a living space with Enzo Amore? Or the thicket of twee Disney merchandise you’d have to negotiate every day if you lived with Johnny Gargano?

38. Who would be the best to room with?

I bet Eddie Edwards would be a surprisingly thoughtful roommate, like he’d always do the dishes “because I love doing them!,” that kind of thing. I have nothing to base this suspicion on, he just seems like my old roommate, Shane, who was like that.

39. Who would be your best friend if you were a wrestler?

I’d like to say Jushin Thunder Liger, and posit that we would go on exciting adventures, but the answer is probably something like “Comp Time” Terry Dandridge, who wrestles monthly for 2Xtreme All-Pro Wrestling Alliance out of Euphoria, Kansas and has a 9 to 5 as a hardware store manager.

40. What would your job be in a wrestling promotion?

I’d normally make a self-effacing joke here, but I do social media training at my real job, and so many wrestlers are badly in need of help in this area.

41. Favorite wrestling podcast/Youtube channel?

I like AIW’s “The Card is Going to Change” podcast a lot, and there’s one by the owners of RevPro that’s pretty good. It’s hard to find a well-produced wrestling podcast that talks about independent wrestling. My favorite wrestling YouTube channel is OSW Review.

42. Favorite finisher?

BURNING HAMMER

43. Least favorite finisher?

The Bayley-to-belly suplex. HOW IS THIS A FINISHING MOVE

44. Favorite match?

Kerry Von Erich vs. Jerry Lawler at Superclash III. It was a bloody, weird, engrossing spectacle, and it was the symbolic end of the territories era.

45. Favorite PPV?

Royal Rumble is the last PPV my casual fan friends reliably want to see, and with good reason: it’s engrossing.

46. Guilty pleasure wrestler?

Big Banter Baron Corbin, but I feel no guilt here. He rules.

47. Favorite submission?

THE KATA HA JIME, otherwise known as the Tazmission.

48. Most entertaining to watch?

All time? Randy Savage. Currently? Io Shirai.

49. Best spot?

Anyone spitting mist into the unsuspecting eyes of their foes

50. Who do you most respect?

I respect you, booker man.

#50 questions #lists

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glorioussimon · 6 years

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underappreciated things about rise 1x06: bring me stanton

sorry about spamming these things but i want to watch rise

i love this episode

coach driving gwen to school and buying her a smoothie

and gwen rejecting it

i don’t understand a fucking word of what coach is saying when they’re at football practice this is like another language

why does robbie’s football understudy look vaguely like archie from riverdale

clark is wearing a striped shirt that looks kind of like the one that sean wore in dwsa!! otto solidarity

when lou asks for a drumroll sasha could not possibly look more unenthusiastic

MAASHOUS LOVES HIS SET SO MUCH

“please don’t touch, maashous is very protective of his handiwork”

irrelevant but harmony is so cute and i would die for her

the siremy glances!! you already know what the fuck is up

michael Knows

when maashous makes the smokestacks blow out real smoke and the troupe gets so excited

anabelle kind of pats him on the back and it’s really cute

maashous’s bow when everyone’s applauding. he looks so happy i love him

whenever i see the “let’s make drama” poster thing i think it says “let’s make obama”. this happens every time and i am sick of it

lilette crying when she’s explaining why she can’t come to rehearsal makes me so sad i hate this

tracey is wearing a super cool dress with suns and stars on it

jeremy’s little run when he’s trying to catch up to simon

simon doesn’t look directly at jeremy for a long time

jeremy looks almost scared when simon calls him back after he starts to leave

simon doesn’t say that he isn’t into jeremy, or that he doesn’t want to be with him. he says that he can’t.

jeremy’s hand on simon’s shoulder

simon kissing him back. this is underappreciated everyone talks about this i just feel that i have to mention it

when he kisses jeremy you can see how much simon not just wants, but needs this. for these few seconds he’s finally letting his guard down, letting himself feel something. which is what makes it so heartbreaking when he forces himself to run away.

god i love simon saunders so much i want to love and support him so badly

the fact that their rehearsals start at nine. i’m imagining rehearsing from 9 - midnight(?) and i feel like dying these kids are so devoted to this show

lou wanting to lock the kids in the basement for the date night

lou whispering “i’m excited”

do yall remember when the rise instagram used the picture of tracey looking behind her when she hears sasha and boyfriend arguing and put it next to the picture of simon looking at condoms so it looked like she had caught him

i really wish that they had introduced sasha at least a little bit prior to this episode because i watched rise with my mom and like, i was obsessed with the show so i knew everyone’s names but she, a casual watcher, had no idea who the fuck this girl was

tracey not forcing sasha to talk about what’s happening

tracey hugging her

i would kill a man for tracey wolfe

gwen asking gordy to skip school with her

and gordy wanting to but refusing because he’s trying to be better

saint gordy

gordy looking back at gwen

“hey anabelle you’re looking especially radiant today” i take it all back i hate simon saunders

anabelle is wearing what my dad would call a “power flannel”

who is jeremy even talking to in this scene i didn’t realize that he had friends outside of the troupe

when simon kisses anabelle on the cheek it’s so awkward

neither of them know what to say i hate this

the square smokestack

maashous is fifteen i’m older than him what the fuck

i have to protect him i’m his mom now

the picture of gwen in coach’s office

dramatic music plays in the background as robbie struts into coach’s office

i’m sorry robbie i love you but i could not give less of a shit about your troy bolton storyline

“you know the nurse’s office gives these out for free, right?” “yeah, they don’t have the same selection though”

everything that simon says in this scene is...certainly something

“now i just need a scented candle and some breath mints” this is. literally the gayest thing that simon has ever said

lilette instantly realizing that simon is trying to prove that he’s straight by doing this

ted sutherland and auli’i cravalho are two of the most beautiful people i’ve ever seen in my life

when sasha asked if there’s any place in pennsylvania that doesn’t follow the parental consent rule my first thought was “alexa play whispering”

i wish that we had seen more of their version of the guilty ones

clark’s mom makes me jump every time

clark looks like he’s ready for death

no one know how to react to this

the saga of michael and the midterm

jolene blaming robbie and football for the late rehearsals

and lilette defending him

michael trying to organize a walkout

simon starts yelling but you can’t hear him what is he so pissed about

jeremy looking at simon as he’s leaving

was vanessa suing anton ever going to go anywhere or did she just drop it? it’s never mentioned again so idk??

“for the first time in my life, i’m part of something i actually believe in.” im love lilette suarez

“i don’t wanna talk about spring awakening” gail @ lou, but also all of my friends @ me

i love what lou is saying about art here

“that’s the point of art, right? to reflect the world, to take something raw and painful, maybe even hopeless, and make it beautiful?”

gail and lou’s first date!!

it’s very clear that maashous and lou didn’t tell anyone that they were about to destroy the set

the best reaction is michael’s but honorable mention goes to harmony and lilette

no one remembers the bookstore

“ah. amazon.”

of course lou’s favorite author is f. scott fitzgerald

title drop: “this set, it was always gonna be a reflection of the world we live in. so let’s embrace that. bring me stanton.” - lou

i love the montage of the troupe finding stuff for the set

the fact that there’s no indication if they asked before taking this stuff. this could very well all be stolen

the understudies all looking for stuff together

clark and jeremy practicing the bitch of living choreography on the chairs they find

the picture of baby gwen and coach

they didn’t bother to erase the texts that gwen sent in earlier takes so she’s just sent the same text tons of time

clark being worried about mr. mazzu knowing that they’re breaking into the steel mill

“gordy’s way cooler than his dad” “which isn’t saying much”

maashous stopping to look and everyone else leaving him behind

“that’s a felony!” “shut up, simon” someone is a mood here but i can’t tell who

no one knows how to react when gwen breaks the boards off

michael just wanting to leave

jolene bringing booze

michael’s little “desperate, much?” in the background

lilette and robbie making out in the storage room

maashous is clearly drunk and it’s fucking hilarious

gwen grabbing gordy’s hand is so smooth

gordy taking a sip of beer and clearly realizing that he shouldn’t be

robbie going to lou with his problems

robbie talking about how much he loves football

the cops interrupting simon and anabelle

the troupe just. running

coach is buddies with the cops

robbie refusing to quit football or the show

again, did simon ask before he took the window from the church

i love the music in this scene!!

lou is so happy with the jukebox

francis and violet run up onto the stage to see the railroad stuff and it’s cute

happy maashous!! a gift to this world

sasha and tracey talking

it’s very clear that no one was informed about the huge-ass sign. they’re all stunned

i always tear up when the set is revealed

everyone clapping for maashous

tracey being with sasha when she tells her dad that she’s pregnant

gordy telling his mom that he needs help

robbie sadly watching from the bench

and all of this happening while lilette sings mama who bore me

vanessa crying when she sees lilette on stage

and now i’m crying too

#rise nbc #rise #underappreciated things #mine #aj.txt

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florrickandassociates · 6 years

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TGF Thoughts: 2x04-- Day 429 (2)

Thoughts on Lucca’s case from LAST week’s episode. (Almost all of this was written before I watched 2x05). Thoughts on Liz’s case HERE.

Now it’s time for Lucca’s case (which runs slightly longer than Liz’s case, but not by much), and so we’re back in the conference room with Jay and the other employees.

This time, we hear Marissa tell Lucca there are two FBI agents there for her. We also see a (blurry) Maia in the background. Even though she’s a blur, she’s an attentive blur: she seems to have note that something’s going on with Lucca.

Lucca’s nervous to talk to the FBI and asks Marissa to stay with her. When they say they’re there about her brother, she leads them into her office. She also introduces Marissa as her lawyer. Marissa doesn’t miss a beat and plays along.

Lucca hasn’t seen her brother in four years. That tracks! She said she didn’t get along with her brother during Alicia’s breakdown in 7x13, and even though all she said then was “he bothers me,” the fact that she mentioned him at all had to mean some shit went down there. (I love that 7x13 scene. It’s fantastic for Alicia-- my quibbles with its Will/voicemail centeredness aside-- but it’s also fantastic for Lucca. And that’s no small feat! So I’m thrilled that something that seemed like a very pivotal but very tiny line about Lucca’s family has come back in such a big way.)

Apparently Lucca’s brother was in prison. I didn’t get that from 7x13, but the writers are allowed to embellish. The FBI agents won’t stop asking questions, and Marissa senses that it’s a good time to act in her capacity as Lucca’s lawyer (lol) to stop the questioning.

Here’s another scene we saw in Liz’s section first: Lucca’s conversation with Jay. “I need help finding my fuckup brother,” she explains. That strikes me as being a very Lucca sentence.

Liz pops up for, like, a split second. Liz is barely in Lucca’s section, yet Lucca had several prominent moments (and one scene with no connection to Liz at all!) in Liz’s section. Much as I like Liz, I think this is the right call. Lucca’s the one for whom this exploration is long overdue. And Lucca’s plot is the more interesting one: it’s not just background info and a COTW. Lucca’s plot also benefits much more from the plot teases/perspective switches. There’s not much to tease about Liz’s plot, because there’s not much to it other than establishing the fact she has a son and believes in public schools. Lucca, on the other hand, seems like she might have a secret-- she’s approached by two men in suits, she has a task for Jay, she’s brought in Elsbeth, she spit out her drink at the party, she’s with a mysterious man… those teases really help to make her story more compelling, and they’re one of the things that makes this episode’s structure pay off. Even if you already know (as I did) that Lucca’s pregnant (I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS STORYLINE), it’s rewarding to feel the pieces we got in Liz’s section click into place. This structure encourages the viewer to reevaluate moments they thought they understood (or didn’t/couldn’t make anything of), and if that doesn’t drive home the idea that everyone’s the lead in their own story but a supporting character in someone else’s.

I know this seems a little contradictory but I’m just rambling here as I wait for The Americans to come on. This episode somehow manages to explain why one story might be more interesting to tell than another story while also showing that everyone has their own story in which they’re the star. It’s pretty cool, especially coming from a show that (rightfully, IMO) had one lead for seven years while it developed the best group of supporting players, all of whom always felt like they had their own stories we didn’t get access to, I’ve ever seen.

Jay tracks down Dominic quickly, and Lucca and Dominic meet at a restaurant. It’s not exactly a warm reunion.

“That’s right. The benefits of a big firm,” Dominic says with more than a hint of resentment when Lucca explains how she found him. “Poor little Dominic. Never given the advantages of his big sister,” Lucca replies. This? Is not a new argument. “I didn’t say that, did I?” Dominic insists. Um, your first comment after seeing your sister for the first time in years was to snark about the resources she had access to--- you did say that.

“I’ll get mom on the phone right now,” Lucca threatens. And now I’m thinking about Alicia and Owen, because Alicia makes that threat in 2x14. So not the point.

Dominic comes clean: he created a website and he’s being sued (and representing himself). Lucca’s concerned, but her first instinct is to believe that whatever Dominic did is part of a scam. “Oh, dear God,” Lucca says when she hears he doesn’t have representation. “Yes. Always the brother who fucks up,” Dominic responds. Lucca is being harsh (though self-representation… probably not a great idea!) and she totally did just call him a fuckup to Jay.

“You never feel good about yourself unless you can scold me,” Dominic accuses. I think Lucca’s probably felt good about herself when he wasn’t around too, but there’s truth here. Wouldn’t shock me if Lucca is able to feel better about the decisions she’s made re: Dominic by rationalizing them and saying it’s because he made mistakes.

Lucca storms out, but she does let Dominic know what the Feds wanted and what she thinks they’re after.

When Lucca gets back to work Subpoena Guy (the same one as ever!) serves her. He says he’s “trying to be kinder with it these days.” EVEN SUBPOENA GUY GETS CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT.

Maia seems to still have time because she knocks on Lucca’s door and asks what’s wrong. Lucca says, “family.” “You know I’m an expert on that,” Maia laughs. I love this Maia-- the one that also is fed up with her family and has a sense of humor and works and gets to interact with the other characters. About time!

“I have a brother who has held a grudge against me all his life,” Lucca starts. “I was the good student; he was hyper and hard to handle. He thought our parents liked me better.” So that’s Lucca’s side. Maia asks a good question: “Did they?” “Yes,” Lucca admits. “So I was the one who got to go to college and law school, and he went into the military and then got arrested for selling marijuana. And now, I’ve been subpoenaed to testify against him for some idiotic app of his called BigHouseLegal.”

There’s so much to unpack here (and Cush does a really great job of showing Lucca’s frustration and POV in her delivery of these lines), but I’m mainly focused on the idea that Lucca’s parents were only willing to send one child to college?! Especially since her mom is a teacher!? And scholarships exist?! And how big is the age gap that they were willing to put Lucca through college AND law school but wouldn’t pay for college for Dominic? Did they tell Dominic he couldn’t go to college at all?! I have so many questions. I know siblings with substantially different educational backgrounds, and I imagine things like this do happen in real life, but this sounds so drastic and so pointed.

Also, seems like it was pretty obvious which child the Quinn parents liked more-- no WONDER the siblings don’t get along. That’s just bad parenting.

It’s handy that Lucca just happens to mention the name of Dominic’s app because it’s something Maia recognizes. A friend of hers at the ACLU was just telling her about it, and said it’s great. (Pausing for a moment to appreciate that now I know that Maia has friends and they talk about new developments in the world of law. This feels realistically like something that a recent law school grad would be talking about with lawyer friends, and it feels realistic to me that Maia would have a friend at the ACLU.) (I don’t know that it’s entirely in character that Maia would have a friend at the ACLU-- maybe!-- but I don’t honestly care. I’ll take Maia 2.0 over Rich Girl Who Doesn’t Seem To Have Her Own Thoughts any day.)

“Oh, no, that must be something else. This is a scam,” Lucca says with certainty. But Maia’s right: it’s a helpful (and free) resource that allows incarcerated people to easily file simple paperwork and complaints to address their concerns.

Liz appears in the doorway, looking for Maia. “You said you wanted a mentor? Good, let’s go,” she says, pulling Maia onto her case. Awesome! From two sentences, it’s clear that Maia was proactive about wanting a mentor and went to someone other than Diane.

Upon realizing Dominic is actually doing something good, Lucca phones Elsbeth. She doesn’t just offer to help Dominic. No. She brings in friggin’ Elsbeth Tascioni, the best of the best.

When Elsbeth arrives, she wants to know where the furniture is. This comment makes much more sense in the day time than at night. She’s so distracted by the lack of furniture and the new surroundings that she goes to the wrong office first.

Dominic isn’t thrilled to hear from Lucca. The conversation is tense even after Lucca swallows her pride says his site is “Good. It serves a purpose. I wish I’d thought of it.” Dominic thinks she’s being patronizing.

Then we get more backstory. Both Quinn siblings are very, very direct, which is great for exposition while also feeling totally in character. Dominic stole money from Lucca. He argues that it was for bail; why wasn’t she bailing him out? “Ok. Fine. It’s past,” Lucca says, trying to switch the topic. (It’s not past.) She tells him she’s hired a lawyer for him, and then Elsbeth walks in and acts… like Elsbeth.

Lucca calls Elsbeth one of the best lawyers she’s ever met and Elsbeth is like NO I’M NOT. YES YOU ARE, ELSBETH.

Elsbeth tells a rambling story about her honeymoon in Niagara Falls that felt like being in prison. What? Not only does this not make sense, but Elsbeth actually did spend time in jail that we saw on the show so like… why?

Also who told Elsbeth that Niagara Falls was romantic? Niagara Falls is covered in tourists and tourist traps. Beautiful, yes. Romantic… I don’t see it.

Carter Schmidt is opposing counsel. I thought he dealt with family law? Whatever.

This case, about robo-lawyering, is fascinating to me. The way Dominic is using robo-lawyering sounds excellent to me: it gives incarcerated people a voice (and that seems especially crucial for incarcerated people who control so little), puts pressure on the government to improve living conditions, simplifies a process that can be unnecessarily complicated, and helps to make things more equal because people no longer need money to demand basic rights.

Yes, Elsbeth, I also find Carter’s analogy weird.

One question, is there a reason other than production schedules/budget/the need for Adrian to get involved with this later that these depositions happening at RBK when Elsbeth is the lawyer?

Dominic notes that in a typical year, the government used to receive 1,000 complaints from prisoners. Now they receive 13,000. Oh, no. I feel like the problem here is probably that our prison system is broken and not an app that points that out?

It wouldn’t be an Elsbeth episode if she didn’t take full advantage of the laws on recording phone conversations. Also, for some reason she is speaking with a southern accent on the recording. I’m going to pretend she was channeling her inner Polly. (Do you guys watch Claws? Because you should. And Carrie Preston is great in it.)

Party time! Lucca and Dominic watch Elsbeth and Diane sit down to chat and discuss how amazing Elsbeth is. Lucca and Dominic are on friendlier terms now.

Dominic flat out asks Lucca if she’s pregnant. Again: the Quinn siblings are blunt as fuck and I love it.

And yes, yes, Lucca IS pregnant!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I’m SO excited about this (even though I’ve known for months since Cush announced Lucca’s pregnancy when she announced her own pregnancy). As I’ve said many times, there aren’t enough parents on this show. And a pregnancy in the workplace is new ground, since the only times TGW ever touched on pregnancy was with Caitlin (who quit) and Patti Nyholm (who is… well, Patti Nyholm). Plus, it’ll interesting to see how Lucca feels about motherhood and why she chooses to keep the baby and raise it by herself. I’m hoping to see a lot of exploration of what Lucca wants in life along with this plotline.

(I also would really love to see Lucca have a conversation with Alicia about this. As always, I don’t want Alicia to pop up on TGF, but I really miss her presence as a friend for Lucca. And this is an area where Alicia’s perspective is one that might be helpful to have.)

(Since I’m already talking about Alicia, it’s a little weird, isn’t it, that the three TGF leads basically each took one of Alicia’s three worlds-- personal (family drama), professional (having to return to work), political (being Good Wife)? Maia has the family drama and the scandal, Diane had to go back to work because she lost her money (she also got the cheating husband), and Lucca’s relationship with Colin is putting her in situations Alicia almost definitely had to deal with.)

Colin is the father of the baby and the pregnancy wasn’t planned. Lucca also doesn’t intend to tell Colin about the baby, which seems short-sighted and also impossible. She believes that “telling him would be shitty.”

I wonder how much of this has to do with Colin and how much has to do with his family. If she doesn’t tell him, then she gets to raise the child herself with no interference, and I’m assuming it’s her desire to have a child but uncertainty about ever finding a long-term romantic partner that’s leading her to keep the baby. If she tells Colin, though, she doesn’t just have to deal with Colin wanting to be involved (and he will want to be involved). She has to deal with his family, and their expectations for her, for Colin, and for the baby. And his family won’t want him to have a child with a woman he’s not married to. His family won’t want him to be an absent father. His family won’t let Lucca raise her child the way she wants to. I think that’s what she’s concerned about. I assume he’ll find out sooner rather than later, regardless of Lucca’s wishes.

“You can’t get rid of family. You can try, but they always come back,” Dominic warns. He’s talking about his own relationship with Lucca, but I feel like this probably also will end up applying to Colin/the baby.

“You know it was tough love. That’s all. Not lending you money,” Lucca tries to explain. “I know. I was an asshole,” Dominic says. “Yeah, but I was, too,” Lucca apologizes.

Question: Lucca worked as a bar attorney, probably starting around the time she didn’t pay Dominic’s bail on a marijuana charge. Is there any cause and effect there? I think Lucca not paying Dominic’s bail had more to do with other behaviors at the time of his arrest than with the marijuana charge, but I kind of wonder if that experience pushed her to work as a bar attorney? Lucca’s good. She could’ve been at a top firm long ago, but she didn’t choose that path, and I’ve never quite understood why. Knowing that she had a brother in prison whose bail she didn’t pay makes her motivations even more opaque, so I hope we get a good scene with Lucca reflecting on her career this season.

(I do think these events are related, or at least that they could be. I could see Lucca regretting her decision not to help her brother and then deciding to help others in similar situations. But I can also see it as coincidental, something Lucca doesn’t see as connected. Maybe she just wanted to be a bar attorney because she set her own hours and didn’t answer to anyone.)

Lucca and Dominic hug. Awwww.

Oh, God. Now it’s time for the Diane/bartender stuff. This scene is flirty and continues the discussion about supporting characters. Bartender knows philosophy things and compliments Diane’s laugh. (It is wonderful.)

Diane tells a joke (trying to get him to laugh) that involves killing lawyers because… THEMES.

Uh oh. Diane sleeps with the bartender! She wakes up close to 11 am the next day in his bed. And the first thing she sees? Marissa’s message that Kurt is at the office. Diane is definitely regretting last night. I don’t think it’s casual sex she regrets so much as casual sex right when she had a chance to get back together with Kurt, and the self-destructive no-fucks-given impulses that are affecting her judgement.

Also, COME ON writers. Kurt shows up for the first time in a while WHILE DIANE IS IN SOME GUY’S BED? Really?

This bedroom set is 100% the same one that was Amy and Maia’s bedroom in 2x02. The windows and bathroom door are in the same place.

Bartender asks Diane to call him, and she flat out says “No.” Heh.

We get a shot of Diane looking in a mirror! I love mirror shots.

Dominic forged Lucca’s name on checks and took out credit cards in her name. Sounds like maybe a little more happened than the stolen money for bail…

When Carter tries to get Lucca to trash talk Dominic, Lucca instead says that Dominic has struggled: “He loved history. He was accepted at NYU. But my parents didn’t have the money to send him because they’d spent it all on my education. So he had several years where he struggled. And what you’re asking about are those years. But he should be judged by what he’s doing now, which is something compassionate and incredible.”

(I still have lots of questions about the paying for college thing. For example, what about financial aids and loans? And what about going to a college that isn’t as expensive as NYU?)

Carter is like, super against the idea of robo-lawyers. He believes it is immature to think of BigHouseLegal as a social good. Here’s what he says: “Have you ever thought about what happens if this website succeeds? It replaces you. And you. And me. I’m fighting for our jobs. I’m fighting so we’re not replaced by robo-lawyers. And what are you doing? You’re saying we don’t matter. How much legal education do we have between us? A decade in school, another 50 in experience, and you’re arguing we can be replaced by a computer? Well, good with that. I’ll line up with the humans.”

Hmmmm. On the one hand, I can see a slippery-slope argument here, and I can see how this might be bad news (in the near future) for attorneys who aren’t at big firms or with the government. On the other hand, is that potential-- of fancy lawyers being replaced at some point in the distant future-- so important, and so large, that it’s worth leaving prisoners (and other groups who might benefit from simple robo-lawyering) in terrible conditions? And, further, replacement isn’t the issue the government’s having with BigHouseLegal: the government is concerned about the increase in complaints. That is to say, the people who are using BHL are not people who would’ve been hiring lawyers if BHL didn’t exist.

Carter’s concerns feel valid, and I understand why he might want to take on this case (regardless of why the government wants the site shut down). But I have trouble accepting an argument that’s so black and white, especially if it means shutting something down that’s already helping thousands of people. Why can’t robo-lawyers be good in some cases and bad in others? Couldn’t robo-lawyers also create jobs (maybe not as many as they eliminate), in a roundabout way, if more people are needed to address and follow-up on complaints? It doesn’t have to be all or nothing.

I definitely want to know more about robo-lawyers and how they’re being used in reality. I have a feeling we’ll be hearing more about this topic, either in reality or on the show (or both).

(Another theme of this episode: applying technology, however imperfectly, to decisions typically requiring humans to make decisions. This shows up in both of the COTWs, which is a nice connection. I really liked both of these cases, probably because neither case gets too caught up in twists and turns. Both cases shine just enough light on a interesting dilemma, and that’s it. I listen to the podcast 99% Invisible (it’s fascinating! It’s about the ways that design affects areas of our lives in ways we never think about), and they do “Ministories” at the end of every year. Ministories are the stories that someone on staff found fascinating, but that weren’t substantial enough (relative to their other topics) to do a whole episode on. These cases feel like Minicases to me, and I love that approach.)

(Tbh, I think TGF should just do Minicases every week by minimizing the amount of time the case takes up.)

Carter tells Adrian that “your firm is defending a self-help bot for prisoners.” Adrian doesn’t like the sound of that. Technically, ELSBETH is defending the self-help bot.

Diane walks in and Adrian asks if she knows about the bot case. “Your associate Lucca Quinn’s brother is poised to make lawyers as expendable as travel agents. You’re destroying us,” Carter explains. Again, I think that’s a bit of an overstatement. It’s a long leap from a lawyer who helps a prisoner fill out a form to a lawyer who negotiates a settlement on a class action.

Diane just replies “Sounds like a good idea,” because what else would Diane say right now?

Now we get the other side of the eraser expert confusion! Heh. Things seem to be going well for Lucca and Dominic.

Adrian wants to talk to Lucca about the case. His first question is what the fee arrangements are. That’s none of your business, Adrian. Elsbeth’s retainer is $50,000. Damn, and I am assuming Lucca is paying that. (She told Dominic it was pro-bono.)

Adrian is on Carter’s side. He wants to purchase the site. Elsbeth sees how this could be a good thing, but Dominic is more skeptical: he asks Adrian to affirm his commitment to providing incarcerated people with resources. (He says it in fancier lawyer words I don’t feel like typing out, though.) Adrian gives a non-answer, saying the firm has always fought for incarcerated people. So, that’s a no.

“Once we purchase it, it will cease to exist,” Adrian says. Damn, I see why Barbara left.

(I feel very pro-robot right now, not sure if I will long-term because the implications of robo-lawyers could be very scary and destructive but this seems like such a simple way to help people???)

Dominic ends up taking the offer, just like how Mr. Coulson accepted the offer to teach at a private school. Dominic says he’ll use the money to start the next thing, but… that’s an easy thing to say.

Lucca and Dominic promise to stay in touch, and Lucca asks if Dominic wants to be the godfather. “Fuck yes,” he replies. (These two really feel like siblings; it’s great and I want many more episodes with Dominic.)

This elevator scene with one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, NINE guest stars is just delightful fanservice and I’m here for it. It underlines the Everyone Is A Supporting Character theme, and it’s also FUN. Elevators and guest stars-- two things this show loves. (Subtle this scene is not. But again, I don’t care.)

(This episode sort of reminded me of Lady Bird-- which I loved!!-- in that even though each supporting player only got a little to do, you could still get a full picture of that character and no one felt like they existed just to support or react to a main character. In this episode we hear about Nancy as a parent, Maia’s friend at the ACLU, Adrian and Carter’s fears about robo-lawyers and more.)

(How cool is it that Nancy, Kurt, and Elsbeth have all been with the show since season 1 of Wife???? That’s a long time.)

Diane gets to close out the episode. She’s on the verge of tears when Kurt walks in with flowers. She hugs him, crying, and apologizes. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Kurt doesn’t know what she has to be sorry for, and she’s reluctant to tell him: “I’m afraid if I tell you, you won’t want to see me again.” Kurt replies, and I agree, that that probably isn’t possible. And I actually know what Diane is talking about!

But I don’t think Diane is at her most rational here. She doesn’t want to lose Kurt. If anything, her one night stand confirmed that she still has feelings for him. And this is something that could potentially cost her the last person she has to rely on, something that could send her spiraling even more than she already is.

“Diane, what is it?” Kurt asks, concerned. “I…” Diane begins, crying. She thinks it through and decides not to tell him. Instead, she says she scheduled work for the weekend because she didn’t think he’d be there. Kurt laughs and says it’s fine. Dude, no, she’s crying in front of you and you’re just going to except her obviously false story? I get it if he doesn’t want to push, but he doesn’t even seem to register that Diane is still hiding something from him.

Should Diane tell Kurt? Honestly, I don’t know. They were separated and he actually cheated on her (except for the fact that HE ABSOLUTELY DID NOT DO THAT, WRITERS) so he shouldn’t care, and I don’t think she needs to tell him (except as it relates to having safe sex). But I think she’s going to be furious with herself for her actions AND for the secrecy. And this type of plot never works out well on a TV show.

Kurt wants to move in together again! Woah! And then the episode ends, leaving us to find out at some point in the future what the state of their marriage is. Again. Were seven years of unresolved marital tensions not enough for the Kings?

#again i really loved 204 #the good fight #tgf thoughts #i hate posting these after the next ep has aired but didn't really have a choice #i was traveling earlier in the week #then super busy catching up on work #and when i finally sat down to finish this up last night a friend wanted to hang out #so it's come to this

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hollywoodtriangle · 6 years

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Exclusive: Big Show Says He Passed The Torch To Braun Strowman, Talks Destiny 2, Recovery From Surgery, Possible Work As A WWE Ambassador

Photo by Kelly Sullivan/Getty Images for Wizard World, Inc.

What does The World’s Largest Athlete do when he’s relaxing at home?

The same thing as a lot of us: playing video games.

The Big Show is currently working with Activision in promoting the online game Destiny 2, a game he is very familiar with. Recently, the WWE superstar took part in the #DestinyTheGame sweepstakes where winners got to share an afternoon of playing with him.

Had a great time playing #Destiny2 with the winners of my @DestinyTheGame sweepstakes! BIG thanks to all who entered and to those who joined me for an epic journey across the solar system! #ad http://pic.twitter.com/VOl154A5f0

— Big Show (@WWETheBigShow) December 10, 2017

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The last time we saw him in a WWE ring was early September when Braun Strowman slammed him through a steel cage during an episode of “Monday Night Raw”. Shortly after, Big Show underwent hip replacement surgery and has rehabbing the injury since then.

Now at the age of 45 and following a career that has spanned more than two decades, there are questions regarding his WWE future. His contract expires in February and both he and the company are contemplating what that future may entail both in and out of the ring.

Recently, Brian Fritz spoke with Big Show about his work with Destiny 2, the one place where he can remain anonymous, and his future both in and out of WWE.

BRIAN FRITZ: How are you doing at Destiny 2?

BIG SHOW: (laughs) It’s funny. I really hadn’t gotten into the PBP too much with the Destiny 2 and this was a good way to get into it. I did the open play with some people. The concept of Destiny is community and getting out there and playing together. I had a lot of fun with it. I played with some guys that are real mercenaries. They were really impressive to play with, that’s for sure.

BRIAN FRITZ: How did you fare?

BIG SHOW: I would say I was well carried. I don’t think I embarrassed myself too much but I definitely wasn’t at the top of the leaderboard. There were some real merks out there playing.

BRIAN FRITZ: Did you have some people singling you out and trying to make a name for themselves in trying to beat The Big Show?

BIG SHOW: No, no, no. It was that at all. Everyone just has fun playing. That was the thing I really enjoyed about it. Everyone was just having fun. Most of the time while we were playing, most of the guys were asking me question about wrestling and traveling and my career and it was a sense of community just hanging out. At the same time, we were merking the opposing team. There was one guy in one round that I thought ‘this guy is coming at me pretty hard’. And he was a really good player and he did a really good job. That’s the thing about playing sometimes. If you’re famous and you want to keep your anonymity so you can enjoy the game aspect because some people will try to make an example out of you. I don’t get upset about that. I never get upset about people being better players than I am. I enjoy playing the game whether I go 0-40 or 40-0. I just have fun playing the game and chatting with the guys online. I don’t get all sweaty over that kind of stuff.

BRIAN FRITZ: When it comes to games like Destiny 2, we see how detailed they are when it comes to the graphics and the gameplay. What is it like playing those kinds of game for you? You’re someone like me who has played games for a long time and now we see how far games have come.

BIG SHOW: You and I probably started out on Pong and, what was it, Night Driver? The games have definitely evolved with he graphics. The thing that’s different now, especially with Destiny 2, is the speed of play. The reaction time with a lot of these younger players now that are used to this first-person shooter gaming and stuff like that is unreal. The reflexes, the way they put weapon on target. Even the tactics they use, you’ll see a lot of 2-on-1 shooting which is really important and why you want to be part of a group, part of a clan. If you go in there as a single player, especially if you’re not talking or communicating on the microphone, you’re dead meat. It’s definitely picked up the pace. It’s not a casual thing where you can kind of play it. You have to put time in it to be really good at it.

I like the history and the lore of Destiny 2. That’s a thing where, a lot of people, if they don’t know about Destiny 2, there’s so much history and so much lore and background and all the weapons and the different heroes. It’s a fantasy story and a fantasy world, which is one of the things I like about Destiny — they’ve created another universe.

BRIAN FRITZ: When you are regularly on the road with WWE, is a game like this good for you in that you can continue to play with these long storylines or is it tougher on the road?

BIG SHOW: It’s definitely tougher on the road because I’ve only got so much gear to carry. I’ve got wrestling boots and knee braces and clean clothes to carry. I’m not packing my luggage down carrying a game device. Destiny is kind of my escape so when I get home and take care of all the things I need to take care of, then I can escape and unwind and play Destiny. That’s what I use it for. I use Destiny for relaxing and letting a lot of the outside world go.

BRIAN FRITZ: It’s an interesting way to wind down after maybe a long week on the road and then to chill out, let me sit back and play a game like this and see if I can take some people out.

BIG SHOW: Yeah exactly! Another thing I like about the game more so than the PBP is the PBE, for me, is the community works together to beat the game. That’s really challenging for Destiny 2, to build a game that the players are going to pick and take apart. You have millions of players online, some super-savvy, super-intelligent guys online that are developing strategies to beat the challenges in the game. I get a big kick out of that community that works together to overcome the goals. That’s what is relaxing for me because I like the team atmosphere of it that kicks into play. It is fun.

Now, sometimes, is it fun when the Internet isn’t running right? Yeah, that’s aggravating but that’s just gaming. There’s going to be good days and bad days when it comes to gaming.

BRIAN FRITZ: When it comes to you playing in a community, do you ever allow people to know who you are or do you stay anonymous?

BIG SHOW: I stay anonymous. I’m not there to be The Big Show. Today was a chance to say you’re going to play with The Big Show if you want to and I’m going to let you ask me questions. Most of the time when I play, I prefer to have my anonymity. I prefer to just be another player if I screw up on my fire team, my fire team will give me grief over it. It’s kind of like Clark Kent; I can put on the glasses and I don’t have to be Superman. I can just be a regular guy. That’s part of the escape too.

BRIAN FRITZ: That’s one of the few places where you can be anonymous considering you’re a WWE star and you’re obviously a big guy. You can just be you and be anonymous and people will just take you for who you are.

BIG SHOW: Sometimes, I have to be careful because my voice sometimes is a little recognizable. ‘Hey man, you sound like The Big Show!’ I’m like really? Cool. I’m not going to say no or yes. I’ll just say cool and hope they leave it alone. I’m there to play the game. I’m not there to be Big Show or do any of that kind of stuff although I did create a game tag for the event we did and I think I’m going to keep it because some of the guys I played with were amazing! I want to keep them and play with them. It was awesome.

BRIAN FRITZ: You had hip surgery a few months ago. How is the recovery coming along?

BIG SHOW: It’s doing great. Everything is moving forward. For the past four years, I’ve been dealing with a pretty aggravating hip injury. We had the hip resurfacing done and it’s been fantastic. Dr. Su in New York did the surgery. Dr. Alvarado here in Miami is doing all the follow-up stuff with it and my rehab is going fantastic. Right now, I’m just following protocol so I can get stronger and return to competition ASAP.

BRIAN FRITZ: I saw that you were about three weeks out and you were back in the gym doing a light workout and walking about a mile. You’ve undergone this big transformation when it comes to the shape you’re in and how much weight you’ve lost. Was there any concern with the surgery that it was going to be tough to keep the weight off and continue being in the shape you’ve been in?

BIG SHOW: It’s definitely been tough. I would say, without a doubt, having hip surgery has put a hell of a hit in my training shape that I was in before I had the surgery. I also know that I made that transition with an injured hip. Now, I have a nice, new, shiny, titanium hip so I think the journey for me will be a lot more pleasant this time. I know what meals to eat. I know what time I need to put into the gym and that’s part of the journey and part of the fun of doing it. Sure, it was kind of a kick in the teeth to be set back six, eight weeks in your gym plan and have to reboot and start over but I’ll have the time to do that and this time it will happen even faster and hopefully even better.

BRIAN FRITZ: With that titanium hip, it is tough to get through airport security or though a metal detector with that?

BIG SHOW: Yeah. It’s a pat down every time because I’m too big for the machines that scan you all over. So, from now on, it’s a full shoes off, pat down, swipe your bags every time. It’s turned traveling into a nightmare. Even though I have pre-check and all that other stuff, I still have to get patted down because I beep and they can’t scan me. The traveling part, that’s the only thing that sucks now. Flying commercial through airports has definitely turned into a bummer.

BRIAN FRITZ: We last talked WrestleMania weekend you mentioned that your WWE contract was coming up in February and you were trying to figure out what was going to be happening going forward. Is there anything new with that and you possibly sticking around longer?

BIG SHOW: I don’t know. It’s still coming up. Right now, the main focus that I’m working on and Vince (McMahon) wants me working on is getting healthy first. We’ll worry about contracts and positioning once I’m healthy and ready to make a choice from a strong standpoint. I don’t know. It depends on what role WWE has for me. I don’t know if there’s any benefit to me going back in the trenches and being a soldier in the trenches five nights a week anymore.

I think to use my experience and recognizable factor to assist in other areas, maybe an ambassador or maybe work on a more limited basis, maybe work with some big guys down at the Performance Center privately, doing some tutoring or something like that, helping them on the side. I think they have so much great, young talent there now that I think it would be a hindrance to see me on TV every week in a full program or featured every week on TV. You know, I’ve had 20 years of it. I’m good. It’s time for these young kids to carry the ball.

BRIAN FRITZ: That being said, do you think you’ve had your last match?

BIG SHOW: I wouldn’t say I’ve had my last match. I get asked all the time is there another title run, another tag team title run or championship title run. You never say never in this business because anything is possible and anything can happen on Monday Night Raw” or “SmackDown Live”. I personally don’t see any of that in the future but I’ve been around long enough to never say never. Anything can and will happen so we’ll see.

I think my job, so to speak, whatever you want to call it, that last match I had with Braun Strowman, I kind of passed the torch to Braun Strowman. He’s the next big monster. He’s the next giant, if you will. He’s got such athletic ability, such presence, and he’s on fire right now with what they’re doing with him, the way they’re booking him and how he’s competing in the ring. I was very proud to hand the monster title that I held for so many years off to him. I think he’s going to take it above and beyond anywhere I’ve taken it. When you leave the business and you step back, you want to leave your responsibility in capable hands and I think I’ve left my responsibility in very capable hands with Braun.

BRIAN FRITZ: You never say never in this business, you never know what opportunities come along. Chris Jericho has said he’s still a WWE guy but he’s doing this match in New Japan Pro Wrestling for their Wrestle Kingdom show in January. Do you think you could see yourself doing something similar where there’s a match somewhere else outside of WWE?

BIG SHOW: I think it would have to be a very special thing with a significant number of zeros at the end of the check for me to do something like that. It would probably cost a lot more than anybody would be willing to pay to get me to wrestle anywhere else other than WWE. Again, you never say never. If the right opportunity comes along but I’m definitely a WWE guy, always will be a WWE guy. I’m a Vince guy. I’ve been through too much with him over the years to ever really think about going anywhere else. Don’t get me wrong. If something comes along with enough money, I’ll be out there in a pink tutu-waving hello. I don’t care. Whatever it takes but I’m really happy with everything I’ve done in my career. I don’t feel the need that I have to prove anything. I’m very happy and very thankful and very blessed from all the guys I’ve worked with from Hulk Hogan to Randy Savage to Ric Flair to Arn Anderson, all the way up through Rock, Stone Cold, John Cena, ‘Taker,. Everybody that’s ever been anybody in the past 30, 40 years, I’ve had a chance to work with them all. I’m very blessed and thankful. Sometimes you have to know when you’ve done a good thing and be appreciative.

BRIAN FRITZ: You’ve done a couple of movies, some have been voice roles and some acting. Has there been some more opportunities coming up? Is there anything recently you’ve been approached about?

BIG SHOW: Yeah. I’ve got several scripts right now that are in my office and some other projects that I’m helping produce and being involved with. All that’s coming out in the future. I’ve got a pretty good team put together and we’ve got some projects, some things I’m producing that I’m in and some things that I’m producing that I’m not in just because the script and the actors that are involved and the directing. It’s a really good project. There’s a lot of things I’m looking forward to creating some energy outside and doing my own thing a little bit. That’s definitely on the venue for this coming year and then going forward.

Brian Fritz is a freelance writer who has covered pro wrestling for The Orlando Sentinel, AOL FanHouse, and Fox Sports and currently contributes to Sporting News. Follow him on Twitter @BrianFritz.

The post Exclusive: Big Show Says He Passed The Torch To Braun Strowman, Talks Destiny 2, Recovery From Surgery, Possible Work As A WWE Ambassador appeared first on Wrestlezone.

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